Chapter 398 - 396: Earth Mother Grotto Heaven

Chapter 398: Chapter 396: Earth Mother Grotto Heaven

The official business was settled, and the test was over.

The Qingfeng Sect wanted to glean some information from Yuu Ziliang to help formulate their future strategy.

Wei Dao was especially interested in which Nascent Soul True Monarch from the Moral Sect was stationed at Zengguang Immortal City.

If they could subcontract a trade route from the Immortal City, even taking just a one-thousandth share of the profits would amount to an astonishing sum over a year.

It would be enough to put the Qingfeng Sect’s development back on the fast track, providing enough Spirit Stones and cultivation resources to complete a century’s worth of plans in just twenty or thirty years.

Awed by Bai Zichen’s talent, Yuu Ziliang was also keen to befriend him, so he answered practically every question he was asked.

The host and guest got along splendidly.

Wei Dao clapped, and had someone bring out the Sect’s treasured Tier Three Spirit Wine. He personally poured three cups.

The three drank together, and the atmosphere grew merry as they continued their conversation.

Yuu Ziliang was remarkably learned and stood out from the crowd, his speech and mannerisms exuding an extraordinary presence.

He effortlessly recalled all sorts of historical anecdotes and captivatingly narrated several obscure legends, leaving his listeners thoroughly engrossed.

’As expected of a disciple from a Super Major Sect. Even a random Core Formation Cultivator from their ranks is impressive... Setting aside his strength, that warm, approachable aura he has—the kind that makes you feel at ease, like a spring breeze—isn’t something just anyone can possess.’

Bai Zichen sighed internally. Yuu Ziliang had a Mid-Stage Core Formation Cultivation, and he had clearly completed his Pill Discussion at a very early stage.

He didn’t look very old, either. In any sect in the Northern Domain, he would be a bona fide Nascent Soul Seed, receiving the full backing of the sect.

But in the Moral Sect, he was just an ordinary True Disciple of Celestial Punishment Peak.

"Among the Central Domain Three Countries, only Great Zhou has a Grotto Heaven Secret Realm that is open to the public... Fellow Daoist Bai, if you come to Great Zhou, don’t miss it. It has been open for over ten thousand years." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Yuu Ziliang downed another cup of Spirit Wine. Impatient to wait for Wei Dao to refill it, he grabbed the jug and poured the wine himself.

The Cultivation Technique he practiced required him to walk the path of a hundred generations and refine the Red Dust Qi. This was why he had broken from the usual tradition of his Dao Vein’s disciples, who would avoid the world and live in seclusion within Grotto Heavens. Instead, he had come to Celestial Punishment Peak and even actively requested to be assigned worldly duties.

No one in the Dao Vein had chosen to practice the Cave Profound Hundred Generations True Scripture for tens of thousands of years.

The Cultivation Technique seemed ordinary on the surface but was in fact incredibly perilous. A single misstep could cause one to be forever trapped in the mortal coil, never to break free again.

But if one could follow the technique’s requirements and continuously raise their Realm, the refined Red Dust Qi could have miraculous effects during Tribulation Crossing.

The tribulations of both the Heart Demon and the Celestial Thunder could be overcome as easily as flipping one’s hand.

"Something so good actually exists?"

Bai Zichen was greatly surprised. Logically, any stable Secret Realm, once discovered, would have been claimed by a Super Major Sect long ago. How could they possibly allow outsiders to get involved?

Moreover, for it to have been open for ten thousand years and still hold value for exploration, the Grotto Heaven Secret Realm must be immense.

"This place is called the Earth Mother Grotto Heaven. The Spiritual Qi within the Secret Realm is pure, and it’s a land of vibrant flora, brimming with nature’s finest essence... Since its appearance ten thousand years ago, it has opened once every thirty years, with no restrictions on the Cultivation of those who enter."

Yuu Ziliang himself had entered once and was very knowledgeable about the Earth Mother Grotto Heaven.

"The amount of time a person can stay inside the Grotto Heaven depends on their Cultivation; the higher the Cultivation, the longer they can stay... Each person may only enter once and must obtain a wisp of Earth Mother Essence Qi as a token. The Grotto Heaven is filled with countless Spirit Fruits, many of which are now extinct in the outside world but can be found everywhere inside."

"Some True Monarchs speculate that this is an extremely special Medicine Garden Secret Realm, where Spirit Plants propagate and grow on their own without needing anyone to tend to them. Many Loose Cultivators have relied on the Spirit Fruits harvested from the Earth Mother Grotto Heaven to earn their first batch of Spirit Stones, helping them take great strides on their Cultivation path."

"For your esteemed Sect to open the Earth Mother Grotto Heaven is a deed of immeasurable merit."

Bai Zichen made a mental note. He would surely visit the Central Domain one day, and he wouldn’t miss a Grotto Heaven Secret Realm like this.

"In the year the Earth Mother Grotto Heaven first appeared, my sect’s Ancestor Hua Yin obtained a Celestial Star Spirit Fruit inside, which was of great benefit for Ascension to the Upper Realm... For this reason, before his Ascension, Ancestor Hua Yin laid down a rule that no one could stop the world’s cultivators from entering the Earth Mother Grotto Heaven."

Yuu Ziliang’s expression was slightly awkward. Having read the sect’s secret records, he knew very well that the Moral Sect had originally intended to move the entrance of the Earth Mother Grotto Heaven back to their own territory.

Only after numerous attempts did they discover that this Grotto Heaven Secret Realm was different from others. The entrance to the Secret Realm had already merged with the mountain’s Earth Veins, and not even a Divinity Transformation Great Power could move it.

Left with no alternative, they simply made the best of the situation and announced that the Earth Mother Grotto Heaven was open to all Prolo Major Cultivators, regardless of their status.

This decision also had an element of praying for Ancestor Hua Yin’s success, in the hope that the Divinity Transformation Great Power would be able to smoothly traverse the void and ascend to the Upper Realm.

Although it was a choice made out of helplessness, with the Moral Sect’s control over Great Zhou, it would not have been difficult for them to surround the Secret Realm entrance before each opening and forcibly drive away any non-Sect Cultivators trying to enter the Grotto Heaven Secret Realm.

Once the Earth Mother Essence Qi was refined, it could not be transferred and remained with the one who performed the Refinement.

If the Moral Sect wanted to, they could completely ensure that not a single non-Sect Cultivator could get close to the Secret Realm’s entrance.

But doing so would bring them no benefit and would only incite public outrage.

Still, the Moral Sect’s decision to open the Earth Mother Grotto Heaven benefited a vast number of low-level cultivators, giving them the chance to obtain Spirit Fruits that could alter the course of their Cultivation.

At the same time, the Moral Sect also acquired many High Tier Spirit Fruits from these cultivators, filling the gaps in the sect’s inventory.

After talking for several hours, Bai Zichen and Wei Dao saw Yuu Ziliang out of the Mountain Gate before returning to the main hall.

"I didn’t expect that the ones dealing with Zengguang Immortal City wouldn’t be the main army of the Moral Sect, but the strength of Celestial Punishment Peak alone... Two Great True Monarchs, four True Monarchs, and over ten thousand cultivators. That force is already enough to sweep across the Northern Domain."

Wei Dao sighed. Everyone knew the Moral Sect was powerful, but they hadn’t imagined it was powerful to this extent.

They didn’t even need to mobilize the entire sect; just one peak’s power was enough to destroy Zengguang Immortal City.

In Yuu Ziliang’s words, the other four peaks had little interest in the Northern Domain, and suppressing the Ancient Demon was also within Celestial Punishment Peak’s jurisdiction.

Even if they still couldn’t take Zengguang Immortal City, the Peak Master of Celestial Punishment Peak would personally take action. It wouldn’t be the other main peaks’ turn to send reinforcements.

Besides Celestial Punishment Peak, the other four main peaks each had their own primary focus.

Yangxing Peak was also bogged down by the Nine Luminaries Grotto Heaven, with a large number of their disciples trapped inside.

Cunsi Peak’s efforts were mainly focused on the Outer Sea. They had long been dedicated to opening a path to other Cultivation Continents, endlessly battling the Demon Beasts of the sea.

Wubo Peak had always been secretive, studying Ancient Witchcraft and not practicing the mainstream Cultivation Techniques of the present day.

The cultivators of this lineage were powerful and their methods were strange. Often, after only a few decades of Cultivation, they would possess the ability to Curse Kill Core Formation True Men.

However, the cultivators of this lineage could not extend their lives to achieve longevity. Even the normal lifespan of Wubo Peak’s Peak Master was shorter than that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Those who achieved high cultivation could only use Life-Extending Elixirs to increase their lifespan, living for three to four hundred years at most.

Yellow Court Peak cultivated only the Great Dao, disregarding everything else. They wouldn’t touch Slaughter Divine Powers, wondrous Secret Techniques, or even the Hundred Skills of Cultivation.

Every disciple of this lineage was a genius among geniuses in Cultivation. Their Realm advancement speed was astonishing. Each of them reached Core Formation before the age of one hundred and began to break through to Nascent Soul around the age of two hundred.

Their research into various Cultivation Techniques and their mastery of the Great Dao far surpassed that of cultivators at the same level.

Over seventy percent of the Moral Sect’s Cultivation Technique annotations and cultivation insights came from cultivators of Yellow Court Peak. They had even created several Cultivation Techniques that led directly to the Nascent Soul Realm.

And the ultimate goal of every Peak Master of Yellow Court Peak was to create a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivation Technique more suited to the present era, rather than just copying Ancient Divine Skills.

If Zhou Suqing had been born in the Moral Sect, she would definitely have been a member of Yellow Court Peak and would have lived a very comfortable life.

With the Moral Sect’s strength, they had more than enough Guardian Disciples and warriors. There was no need to demand that every cultivator be skilled in the Slaughter Path.

"They’re a paragon of the world’s Righteous Dao, and practically the number one sect in the world. For the Northern Domain, their power represents an utterly overwhelming advantage... Their sect has a legacy spanning a hundred generations. By the time they began to dominate the Central Domain, the Northern Domain was still a barren wasteland, completely uninhabited."

Bai Zichen felt a profound sense of awe for the Moral Sect, a Sect that had stood at the pinnacle of the Cultivation Realm for over 200,000 years, its heritage unbroken.

This was a Super Major Sect that, if things got serious enough, could call upon a Divinity Transformation Great Power at any time. It was normal for them to have Divine Techniques in their heritage on par with the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword. It even took the subtle alliance of several other Super Major Sects in the Central Domain just to curb the Moral Sect’s development.

"If the Moral Sect truly takes over Zengguang Immortal City, the ones who will suffer most are Nascent Soul Major Sects like the Dharma Aspect Sect and the No-Life Sect. Our sect is on the frontier with limited production, and we have so many disciples to support. The volume of cultivation resources we sell through the Immortal City each year is quite small... The Dharma Aspect Sect never imagined they’d be hoisting themselves by their own petard by inviting the Moral Sect, did they?"

The subcontracting opportunity Yuu Ziliang mentioned was weighing on Wei Dao’s mind. He spoke slowly.

"I wonder what Master Yuu’s status on Celestial Punishment Peak is, and how much weight his words carry... If he’s the type that is favored by the True Monarchs, perhaps our sect has a chance of subcontracting the Liang Country trade route."

"Since the Dharma Aspect Sect invited them, how could they not have considered this? I suspect they’ve already negotiated privately with Celestial Punishment Peak. Just watch and see if the Dharma Aspect Sect becomes the one to subcontract for the Beiyuan region."

Bai Zichen shook his head. With such a behemoth inserting itself into the Northern Domain, the fates of countless cultivators were about to change once again.

The Qingfeng Sect held only two commanderies in Liang Country. In the grand scheme of the Northern Domain, they were truly inconspicuous, so they didn’t need to worry about attracting unwanted attention to their development space.

On the other hand, the Tianhe Sword Sect was closest to Zengguang Immortal City and had just lost True Monarch Tang Fei. Their future days would not be easy.

"That Yuu Ziliang has the bearing of no common man; he’s definitely not an ordinary disciple... To be entrusted with the task of delivering invitations at a time like this, he must be a junior disciple favored by the two Great True Monarchs."

Earlier, he had tried to subtly inquire about Yuu Ziliang’s master, but the other party had just smiled without answering and quickly changed the subject.

"To subcontract the trade routes, are the sect’s Spirit Stone reserves enough? This isn’t something that can be supported with just a million Spirit Stones..."

All the sects and Cultivation Families in Liang Country, the massive quantities of goods they trade—the wealth involved is an astronomical figure.

Take the Shennong Sect for example. The Spirit Rice they send to Zengguang Immortal City annually, after paying tribute to the Holy Lotus Sect, accounting for their own use, and selling the rest, still amounts to over a million Spirit Stones.

There are also several other sects that excel in the Hundred Skills of Cultivation. Their major purchases and shipments are all on the level of millions of Spirit Stones.