Chapter 91 - 87: Usurping the Nest, Scaring Off the Peerless Freak

Chapter 91: Chapter 87: Usurping the Nest, Scaring Off the Peerless Freak

Looking at the countless deadly weapons flying and crashing wildly in the sky, only to be forced back by the sky canopy, even Jiang Hao suddenly felt that the Qingfeng Sword in his hand was no longer appealing.

Unfortunately, even though the few of them had been the first to enter the Ancient Emperor Sect, the inner sect had yet to open, leaving them to watch helplessly. And these were merely some of the Divine Weapons that had been left behind in a hurry. It was evident just how terrifying the inheritances within the Nine Mountains truly were.

"Once the inner sect ruins open, a bloody struggle will be inevitable. I better seize this opportunity to improve my cultivation," Jiang Hao muttered. Although a hint of greed flickered in his eyes, he remained exceptionally calm. Given his current strength, securing what he wanted from the Nine Mountains would be incredibly difficult. His best plan was to use this downtime to cultivate. Only by growing stronger could he maximize his gains when the inner sect finally opened. With this in mind, Jiang Hao immediately concealed his figure and began searching the Eighteen Peaks for a place to cultivate.

The Eighteen Peaks of the Ancient Emperor Sect were home to countless Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands. Instead of choosing the resplendent and magnificent buildings, Jiang Hao continuously scouted the cave dwellings carved into the Divine Peaks. "It is best to find a remote and hidden blessed land that is also abundant in Spiritual Qi," he thought. That way, he could avoid being tracked by the others and cultivate in peace without being easily disturbed. After roaming through several Divine Peaks for a long time, Jiang Hao finally found such a cave.

"To think a Concealment Array was actually set up here!" Upon entering the cave, Jiang Hao was instantly left dumbfounded. The Spiritual Qi in this Grotto Heaven Blessed Land was so incredibly dense that it was almost tangible. What was even more surprising was the Concealment Array set up at the cave’s entrance, masking the dense Spiritual Qi fluctuations inside. Had he not stepped into the entrance, he would have assumed it was just an ordinary blessed land. Furthermore, the thick forest outside perfectly obscured the cave entrance, aligning perfectly with Jiang Hao’s wishes.

"You’re the one." Having decided on his cultivation spot, Jiang Hao didn’t hesitate. He pulled aside the vines blocking the entrance and quickly slipped inside.

He estimated that the inner sect ruins of the Ancient Emperor Sect wouldn’t open in the short term, and no one wanted to waste this window for cultivation. After all, once they left these ancient ruins, finding an environment with such overwhelmingly dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi would be harder than ascending to the heavens. However, the moment Jiang Hao walked deeper into the cave dwelling, he was left entirely speechless by the sight before him.

"How can it be this dense?" Jiang Hao thought, a tingling thrill shooting down his spine the moment he stepped inside. The Spiritual Qi concentration here was dozens, if not hundreds of times richer than at the entrance. It had almost materialized into mist. No, it had completely turned into mist. This was the very first time Jiang Hao had ever seen Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi dense enough to liquefy into mist.

Yet, a second later, he realized just how ignorant he truly was. When he fully entered the cave, he froze in place. Right in the center of the dwelling lay a shallow blue pool, shimmering with light and radiating boundless Spiritual Qi.

As Jiang Hao stood there in a daze, a crisp sound echoed through the air.

SPLASH.

A drop of liquid slowly fell from the rock at the ceiling of the cave, sending up tiny ripples with an incredibly clear chime.

"Could this be... the legendary Spiritual Liquid?" Jiang Hao muttered, his mind going completely blank as he stared at the shimmering pool. Even though he had never seen the wider world, he knew exactly what that pool represented. It wasn’t just an ordinary pool of water; it was Spiritual Liquid accumulated over endless years. No, no, no—it was a damn Spirit Pool! It was the pure essence formed when Spiritual Qi reached a certain level of density and condensed, making the energy inside exceptionally pure. As far as Jiang Hao knew, even in an environment with overwhelmingly dense Spiritual Qi, it would take ten years just to condense a single drop of Spiritual Liquid. Yet here, an entire Spirit Pool had formed, drop by drop.

"I’m rich. I’ve hit the jackpot!" Jiang Hao thought, his body trembling with excitement as he gazed at the pool radiating Spiritual Qi essence. If he cultivated inside it, the results would be far more than just double the reward for half the effort! No wonder those peerless freaks traveled across endless distances to get here. Just this one Spirit Pool alone must have taken an unfathomable number of years to form. It was clear proof that this ancient sect ruins, which had once birthed an Emperor Realm powerhouse, had been forgotten for countless ages.

Without wasting another thought, Jiang Hao didn’t even bother to take off his clothes. He sprang up and jumped right in with a loud SPLASH. The moment he entered the Spirit Pool, countless pores across his body instantly opened, and an indescribable sense of comfort washed over him. Before he had even begun to cultivate, he was already receiving the Spirit Pool’s gifts, leaving him so moved he could cry. After examining the entire Spirit Pool, Jiang Hao grew even more thrilled. He made a quick estimation. "If I can absorb all the power of the Spiritual Liquid here, I should be able to break through at least several minor realms!"

Amidst his excitement, Jiang Hao quickly calmed himself down. If this cave dwelling could give birth to a Spirit Pool, then other Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands definitely could too. That meant he had to hurry up and cultivate, otherwise, he would still be left in the dust by those peerless freaks. After calming his mind, Jiang Hao immediately sat cross-legged within the Spirit Pool and slowly circulated the Spirit Transformation Celestial Technique. Instantly, the entire Spirit Pool trembled slightly, and boundless Spiritual Qi essence surged madly toward him.

"What a terrifying absorption speed. I’ve never experienced anything this luxurious in my entire life," he thought. Because it was the condensed liquid essence of Spiritual Qi, Jiang Hao merely circulated it for a single cycle before completely converting that Spiritual Power into his own. His cultivation level slowly increased at a visible, albeit sluggish pace. Though it felt slow, it was countless times faster than before. In his past cultivation sessions, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi he absorbed had to be refined to remove impurities, but the Spiritual Liquid in the pool bypassed that step entirely. Furthermore, the Spiritual Qi essence continuously washed over every corner of his flesh, slowly strengthening his entire body.

"Incredible... absolutely incredible!" Jiang Hao exclaimed. No longer daring to slack off, he frantically circulated the Spirit Transformation Celestial Technique, inhaling and exhaling the Spiritual Liquid essence from the pool like a bottomless pit. However, he wasn’t in a rush to cultivate his second major meridian. Instead, he stubbornly focused on his Conception Vessel. During his Spirit Transformation last time, he discovered that his Conception Vessel could still undergo further evolution. As long as there was even a sliver of hope to grow stronger, he wanted to try.

Time slowly passed. In the blink of an eye, three days flew by. During these three days, the aura around Jiang Hao’s body climbed wildly, advancing from the Early-stage of the First Transformation to the Mid-stage of the First Transformation, marching steadily toward perfection. This cultivation speed was so astounding that even Jiang Hao himself was taken aback.

At dusk on the third day.

With the help of countless Array Masters, an overwhelming army of Cultivators swarmed through the outer sect’s Sect Protection Array, flooding in like a plague of locusts.

"Hahaha! A Profound Tier Martial Technique! It’s actually a Profound Tier Martial Technique!"

"As expected of the Ancient Emperor Sect ruins! To think a Profound Tier Martial Technique would appear just in the outer sect region!"

A Cultivator who obtained a Profound Tier Martial Technique among the outer sect’s seventy-two peaks trembled uncontrollably. Profound Tier Martial Techniques were a tier above Tier Ten Martial Techniques. While it seemed like a small difference, they were truly worlds apart. It had to be known that martial techniques and Cultivation Techniques were equally precious and tyrannical; even some established cultivation clans might not possess a single Profound Tier Martial Technique. Back when the Celestial Sword Sect placed a bounty on Jiang Hao, the inclusion of two Profound Tier Martial Techniques as a reward showed just how staggeringly rare such techniques were.

However, the man’s excitement was short-lived.

"Hehe, hand it over! How could an ant like you be worthy of such a high-level martial technique?"

"If he isn’t worthy of possessing it, does that mean you are?"

BOOM!

Terrifying Spiritual Power surged. The appearance of a Profound Tier Martial Technique instantly attracted the attention of the surrounding Cultivators, prompting everyone to swarm forward. The pitiful Cultivator who found it first was pierced straight through the heart by a sword before he could even properly examine his prize. In an instant, the entire Spirit Peak descended into utter chaos as people fought tooth and nail, shedding blood for the treasures.

It was during this time that the terrifyingly strong small factions showed their worth. Even though team members might grow jealous when one of them obtained a heaven-defying Cultivation Technique or martial technique, their prior agreements prevented them from openly robbing each other. Instead, sticking together successfully deterred any malicious individuals from striking.

"Hahaha, we’re rich! So many Cultivation Techniques and martial techniques, we’re rich!"

"Is this... a Saint Tier Technique? My god!"

"Foundation Establishment Pills! There are actually two Foundation Establishment Pills in this room!"

For a time, countless Cultivators surged into the ancient buildings across the various peaks, and almost everyone managed to find something valuable. Alchemy Pill Formulas, miraculous Spirit Pills, weapons, spiritual cauldrons, Cultivation Techniques, martial techniques, terrifying Secret Techniques—the sheer variety of treasures was dazzling. But wherever there were benefits, conflict naturally followed.

"I saw this first! It’s mine! What do you think you’re doing?"

"Hehe, these are ownerless items, and the capable shall possess them. They are mine now."

"I grabbed it first! Are you robbing me in broad daylight?"

"Grabbing it only matters if you have the life to use it. Since these are ownerless items, how can it be called robbing? Whoever has the ability gets to keep it."

"You’re courting death!"

BOOM!

In no time at all, as the vast ocean of Cultivators poured into the Ancient Emperor Sect, earth-shattering slaughter broke out. Men die for wealth just as birds die for food, and the path of a Cultivator was fundamentally built on fighting. With opportunities everywhere they looked, who would willingly back down? In mere moments, Sword Qi crisscrossed the entire outer sect, and shocking killing intent erupted across countless Spirit Peaks. The region plunged into complete disarray.

"Wu, what are you doing? Aren’t we on the same team? We agreed beforehand that once we entered the ancient ruins, we wouldn’t get jealous or rob our teammates of their fortunes. Have you forgotten?"

"Brother Luo, I am truly sorry, but who asked you to obtain such a treasure? I simply cannot control my innermost desires. Forgive my offense."

"Since you want to die, I’ll fulfill your wish!"

Even some of the temporarily formed teams instantly crumbled, fighting bitterly over a single Mental Technique until the sky turned dark. In just half an hour, the ruins of the Ancient Emperor Sect practically ran with rivers of blood. Gradually, all the Cultivators caught on—whenever they found a fortune, they silently slipped it into their Spatial Rings without a word. However, the terrifying treasures that multiple people spotted at the same time still ignited monstrous killing intent.

Even on the Divine Peak where Jiang Hao was hiding, the earth-shaking sounds of battle rang out.

"They’ve lost their minds. They’re completely insane," Jiang Hao muttered, slowly shaking his head as he listened to the commotion outside. These people were indeed crazy. Any single item taken from this place was enough to trigger a storm of blood, let alone the Cultivation Techniques and Mental Techniques that were far more terrifying than Profound Tier Martial Techniques. However, Jiang Hao didn’t need to worry about any of that right now. His cave dwelling was incredibly remote and well-hidden, situated far away from the ancient buildings, making it almost impossible to find.

Yet, as time passed, Jiang Hao realized he had underestimated the terrifying sheer number of Cultivators in the army. Clearly, someone had managed to find this place. The very moment the figure appeared, Jiang Hao sensed it. His eyes snapped open, shooting a sharp glare toward the cave entrance.

"Spirit Transformation... Such a terrifying Spirit Transformation power fluctuation. A peerless freak?" The instant he felt the ripple of that aura, Jiang Hao accurately judged the intruder’s strength. It was an entirely unfamiliar peerless freak, clearly not one of the few who had entered the Ancient Emperor Sect around the same time as him.

But thinking about it, it made sense. For these peerless freaks, their true goal was the inheritance hidden within the Nine Mountains, not the minor temptations scattered throughout the outer sect. After all, not everyone was in desperate need of Cultivation Techniques and martial techniques like Jiang Hao. Some of these freaks had been born with everything they could ever want; backed by profound clan foundations, they turned their noses up at these meager scraps. They wanted opportunities terrifying enough to make others tremble. Naturally, this didn’t stop them from seeking out a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land to cultivate while waiting for the inner sect to open.

Evidently, the unfamiliar peerless freak outside had also discovered this excellent location. However, upon sensing someone inside, he stopped right outside the cave, his gaze gradually turning icy. Feeling that killing intent, Jiang Hao frowned deeply.

"He wants to steal my spot?"

After a brief moment of thought, Jiang Hao didn’t hesitate any longer. Right before the intruder could step into the cave, he suddenly unleashed his full aura. In an instant, a terrifying coercion erupted from the cave, instantly filling a two-hundred-meter radius with its sheer, overwhelming dread. The moment this aura exploded, the figure outside abruptly looked up. His expression shifted drastically as his pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.