Chapter 151 - 146: Underground Grotto-Heaven

Chapter 151: Chapter 146: Underground Grotto-Heaven

Divine Wood Sect.

A group of disciples stumbled out of the Secret Realm, and Ge Fangrong was immediately informed.

He promptly summoned Lin Huayang, Fang Changtao, and Master Jianqin.

When he saw that only Lin Huayang and Master Jianqin had arrived, a sense of foreboding washed over him.

After hearing their account of what had happened, he fell silent for a moment, then waved for them to leave.

He rose and entered a grand hall on the highest level of East Divine Mountain.

Passing through several layers of wards, he finally arrived at a secret chamber.

Seeing that Wu Zhonghai’s soul lamp was still lit, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Ge Fangrong walked out of the secret chamber, clasped his hands behind his back, and gazed into the distance.

’I thought everything would go smoothly. I never expected an accident like this.’

A thousand thoughts raced through Ge Fangrong’s mind.

The Divine Wood Sect appeared prosperous and flourishing, but over the last few centuries, a crisis had been brewing beneath the surface.

The Sect Leader was one of the few peerless experts in the world at the Third Realm of Manifestation. However, for the past three hundred years, he had been preparing for his ascension to the Upper Realm, paying little attention to the sect’s affairs.

Once the Sect Leader ascended, the sect couldn’t expect any help from him from the Upper Realm for some time. It would be as if he were gone.

The Vice Sect Leader’s Cultivation was still far from ascension, and he was quite powerful, but he wandered the world year-round and was never in the sect. He was essentially a leader in name only.

Thus, all major and minor affairs of the Divine Wood Sect were essentially discussed and decided by the top few elders.

A sect as vast as the Divine Wood Sect certainly wouldn’t cease to function just because it was missing one elder.

However, as the Grand Elder of the Divine Wood Sect, Wu Zhonghai had been the one in charge of the Cyan Wood Secret Realm long ago.

This wasn’t as simple as just controlling the entry quotas; Wu Zhonghai held some of the administrative rights to the Cyan Wood Secret Realm itself.

The Divine Wood Sect’s claim over the Cyan Wood Secret Realm was more than just empty words.

Every hundred years, the Cyan Wood Secret Realm would randomly scatter the Cultivation Jade Stones it had collected throughout the Cultivation Realm.

Using his authority, Wu Zhonghai could determine the locations of most of these scattered Cultivation Jade Stones.

But over a hundred years ago, Wu Zhonghai’s whereabouts were leaked while he was traveling. He was ambushed, and only his grievously wounded Divine Soul managed to escape back to the sect.

With that, the Divine Wood Sect lost its ability to locate the Cultivation Jade Stones and had to expend great effort to find them.

Now, after being nourished by Divine Soul Treasures for a century, Wu Zhonghai’s Divine Soul was finally capable of possession.

In the Cultivation Realm, the best targets for a successful possession were people who trained in the same foundational Cultivation Technique, or Cultivators who had opened their Sea of Consciousness but whose Divine Sense was not yet strong.

According to the plan, Wu Zhonghai was supposed to possess the disciple with the best aptitude in the Secret Realm this time.

Why choose to do it in the Cyan Wood Secret Realm?

Firstly, the disciples had just undergone the Spiritual Energy Infusion of Cyan Wood Spiritual Qi, making them ideal targets.

Secondly, Wu Zhonghai could take the opportunity to reclaim his administrative rights over the Cyan Wood Secret Realm.

Furthermore, committing possession within the Divine Wood Sect itself would be too appalling.

If word got out, it would severely damage the Divine Wood Sect’s prestige.

Wu Zhonghai’s enemies might already be spying on the Divine Wood Sect from the shadows.

The slightest carelessness could lead to them finding some clue.

But inside the Cyan Wood Secret Realm, there was no need for such concerns.

However, he never imagined that someone so heaven-defying would appear during this trip to the Secret Realm—a mere mortal who had opened his Sea of Consciousness, seized the Secret Realm’s Supreme Technique, and even taken top-grade Spiritual Objects like the Innate Wood Element Spiritual Soil and the Cyan Wood Spirit Core.

It was only natural that Wu Zhonghai would abandon the original plan and try to possess this person instead.

But for this person to be able to, as a mortal, easily kill a cultivator at the Perfection of Dao Foundation... and it seemed Wu Zhonghai had even failed to possess him.

This was something Ge Fangrong couldn’t quite wrap his head around.

"But no matter how powerful, a mere mortal can’t possibly be a match for a Dao Fruit Cultivator, right?"

"Three days from now, when you emerge from the Secret Realm, I’ll see for myself just who you are!"

Ge Fangrong murmured faintly.

Wu Zhonghai’s soul lamp was still lit, which meant that although he had failed in his possession attempt, he was not yet dead.

As such, once that person left the Secret Realm, Ge Fangrong would be able to find him with ease.

...

Cyan Wood Secret Realm.

Thanks to the frantic digging of the Mutated Pangolin and the Gray Rock Rats, Jiang Zuo soon discovered that there was another world hidden beneath the Cyan Wood Secret Realm.

After traversing a tunnel tens of meters deep dug by the pangolin, Jiang Zuo arrived in a vast underground space.

Although deep underground, this space was as bright as day.

Blood-red wings materialized on Jiang Zuo’s back, and he hovered slowly in the air, not daring to descend rashly.

"You can fly, too? Just what in the world are you?!"

Wu Zhonghai was once again stunned by Jiang Zuo. He simply couldn’t comprehend Jiang Zuo’s existence.

Jiang Zuo ignored him again, silently observing the ground below.

On the ground below, right in the center, was a small, sickly-looking tree, as if it had been completely drained.

’Does the Cyan Wood Spiritual Qi come from this little tree?’

The thought surfaced in Jiang Zuo’s mind as he looked at the small tree.

’It’s highly likely. The Cyan Wood Spiritual Qi used for the infusions can’t just appear out of thin air. For the Secret Realm to provide a steady supply every hundred years, there must be a source.’

Judging from the small tree’s condition, it had most likely had a large amount of its Spiritual Qi forcibly extracted.

’In that case, there must be an Array down there as well.’

Jiang Zuo scanned his surroundings again.

Not far from the small tree was a circle of giant flower buds.

There were eighteen in total, and inside were the eighteen Wood Spirits.

Beyond them were rows of small, ancient, and unknown trees.

But at the very periphery, Jiang Zuo’s eyes narrowed.

The outermost ring was composed of wooden puppets!

These wooden puppets were each two meters tall and held wooden swords, giving off an extremely menacing aura.

"Kid, if you don’t want to die, don’t go down there!"

"Every one of those puppets is at the Peak of Divine Body! Combined with the Array on the ground, even a Divinity Transformation Cultivator would be in for a world of hurt if they came here!" Wu Zhonghai warned.

Jiang Zuo still paid him no mind, instead searching all around for the giant stone stele.

That stone stele was the greatest treasure in this Secret Realm.

However, there was no sign of the giant stele in the underground space.

The stele was hidden somewhere unknown.

Even without Wu Zhonghai’s warning, Jiang Zuo had no intention of descending carelessly.

Those wooden puppets looked like trouble.

After observing the wooden puppets for a while, Jiang Zuo suddenly asked, "The wood used to make those puppets isn’t ordinary, is it?"

"I’m not sure of the specifics, but puppets that can last for thousands of years must be made from some kind of rare Spirit Wood that can automatically absorb and replenish Spiritual Power from the outside world."

Since it was rare for Jiang Zuo to speak, Wu Zhonghai answered promptly.

Jiang Zuo nodded. That was more or less what he had expected.

With a flick of his wrist, an earthy-yellow stone appeared in Jiang Zuo’s hand.

It was the piece of Innate Spiritual Soil he had first obtained.

Jiang Zuo had kept it hidden for decades. The moment it was taken out, it acted like a wild beast freed from its cage. After a slight tremor, it rolled out of Jiang Zuo’s palm and tumbled downward.

Jiang Zuo paid it no mind, simply letting it do as it pleased.

’If there are any restrictive wards below, it would be best to let this thing trigger them first.’

"What is that thing? Unformed Earth Element Innate Spiritual Soil?"

Wu Zhonghai was astonished. ’This person has far too many good things on him.’

"What’s the difference between formed and unformed?"

With another flick of his hand, Jiang Zuo took out the Innate Wood Element Spiritual Soil he had acquired.

"Unformed Innate Spiritual Soil will automatically move toward Spiritual Objects that can help it grow. It absorbs Spiritual Qi of a corresponding element to gradually take shape."

"This process consumes a vast amount of Spiritual Objects and time."

"In the Cultivation Realm, most Innate Spiritual Soil is still unformed when found. It’s incredibly rare for it to be discovered only after it has fully formed."

"That Innate Wood Element Spiritual Soil in your hand is one of those rare, already formed pieces. It’s extremely uncommon."

"Both formed and unformed types can be used as Spiritual Soil, refined into the body of a Qi Cultivation practitioner to forge their Dao Foundation."

"A Cultivator can’t possibly wait until an Innate Spiritual Soil has fully formed to use it, so most are refined while still in their unformed state."

"But compared to a formed one, the effects of an unformed Innate Spiritual Soil are vastly inferior."

Wu Zhonghai wanted to get on Jiang Zuo’s good side and earn his trust, so he answered Jiang Zuo’s questions with complete openness.

Down below, there must have been stones that this Innate Spiritual Soil needed. After landing on the ground, it rolled along, continuously absorbing Spiritual Qi from the ores.

But after making a full circle and finding no more ores of interest, the Innate Spiritual Soil abruptly changed direction and rolled toward a wooden puppet.

The wooden puppet would certainly have reacted if a flesh-and-blood body or a Spiritual Power attack had approached it.

But the Innate Spiritual Soil didn’t seem to fall into either category, and the wooden puppet had no reaction to its approach.

The Innate Spiritual Soil rolled to the wooden puppet’s feet and stuck to it like a plaster.

BANG!

Soon, the wooden puppet collapsed. Its wooden pieces had lost their luster, becoming like dead things.

"That’s not right! What in the world is that thing? Why is it even absorbing the qi from the Spirit Wood?"

"It’s definitely not an Innate Spiritual Soil! As far as I know, no such Innate Spiritual Soil exists!"

Wu Zhonghai cried out in alarm as he watched the scene unfold.

’Not an Innate Spiritual Soil?’

But Jiang Zuo felt that it probably was an Innate Spiritual Soil.

The only difference was that this one came from the human domain, an Innate Spiritual Soil born within the Heaven and Earth Sealing Spirit Array!

’Perhaps that’s what caused its Mutation.’

One by one, under the plundering of the Innate Spiritual Soil, the wooden puppets turned into lifeless piles of wood.

Only after all the wooden puppets had been destroyed did Jiang Zuo allow the pangolin and the Gray Rock Rats to land on the ground.

Seeing that no other Arrays were triggered, Jiang Zuo followed them down.

Jiang Zuo first walked up to the small tree in the very center.

Up close, Jiang Zuo saw that the small tree was as green as jade and emitted an incredibly pleasant aura.

It didn’t take a second glance to know that this was an exceptionally rare Spirit Tree.

"What kind of tree is this?" Jiang Zuo asked Wu Zhonghai.

"A Longevity Cyan Wood seedling," Wu Zhonghai hesitated for a moment before answering.

"This tree must be at least ten thousand years old, right? And it’s still a seedling?" Jiang Zuo couldn’t help but ask.

The Cyan Wood Secret Realm had been under the Divine Wood Sect’s control for several thousand years. Unless the tree could replace itself, its age must be considerable.

"Age means little to a Longevity Cyan Wood," Wu Zhonghai explained. "It requires an immense amount of Spiritual Qi to grow. Although the Cyan Wood Secret Realm has a low-grade Spirit Vein, it’s far from enough to support its growth."

He had only learned this secret from the sect’s records himself.

However, the true culprit behind the Longevity Cyan Wood’s lack of growth over ten thousand years was, in fact, the Divine Wood Sect.

The Cyan Wood Secret Realm opened once every hundred years, and each time, a large amount of Cyan Wood Spiritual Qi had to be extracted from the Longevity Cyan Wood.

The amount extracted this time was relatively small, yet the Longevity Cyan Wood already looked so frail.

In a normal year, even more Spiritual Qi would be drawn from it.

The Spiritual Qi provided by the Cyan Wood Secret Realm wasn’t much, but it should have been enough for it to grow a little beyond the seedling stage.

But being drained like this every hundred years made further growth impossible.

’I see.’

Jiang Zuo immediately took out a hoe and began to dig into the ground.