Chapter 774: Frenzied Tree Planting

In the past, when the spirit vein grade of the Little World was enhanced, Ji An was outside the Little World, but now being inside to witness the enhancement with his own eyes, the experience was even more wonderful.

He saw the earth expand outward, the distance between the spirit woods increase, and the height of the celestial vault rise.

Five-colored spirit light surged from beneath the earth, and at this moment, the celestial vault seemed to become a curtain, reflecting the colors representing the Five Elements.

The Water Element was a moist black, the Fire Element was an unrestrained red, the Wood Element was like the green after rain…

Colorful yet distinct.

More spiritual qi surged from the earth, and the concentration of spiritual qi in the Little World climbed steadily.

The Daoist robe fluttered with the surging energy, flapping in the wind; Ji An spread his arms wide, welcoming the joyful change.

Previously, the flow of wind in the Little World was orderly, beginning at the edge of the white land and blowing clockwise in the sequence of the Five Elements’ mutual generation.

Finally, it turned on the red land, surging into the central yellow land, where the wind speed would decrease; when the airflow reached the white land, the wind speed would significantly increase.

Since the formation of wind in the Little World, the balance of the Five Elements improved.

But now, the spiritual qi surged violently in each piece of land, and the wind became large and chaotic, suddenly turning left, suddenly turning right.

Ji An stood like a pine tree rooted on a cliff, unmoved by the assault of winds from all directions.

The sounds from the forest, usually gentle ‘rustling,’ turned into angry ‘whistling,’ but in his ears, it was all like the sound of heaven.

He spread his divine sense, feeling the collision and fusion of the power of the Five Elements, sensing the usually hidden ‘affectionate rivalry’ among the Five Elements, and perceiving the changes of Yin-Yang within the Five Elements…

The changes in the Five Elements Spirit Mechanism could certainly not escape the notice of several magical treasures; the Fire Phoenix’s cry was high and flamboyant, the Qilin’s roar was deep and resonant, and the Cyan Dragon’s chant shook like spring thunder, full of the divine intent of vitality.

The Golden Feathered Eagle traveled with the wind, while Dahuang ran on the yellow land, its short tail wagging incessantly.

Immersed in the continuous changes of the Five Elements Spirit Mechanism, Ji An was oblivious to the passage of time; he had no idea how long had passed before the conflict of the spirit mechanism slowed down, and he was suddenly aware that the Little World had once again become gentle with the wind.

At this point, the spirit vein grade enhancement in the Gourd World was complete, reaching Tier Three Upper Grade.

Breathing the rich spiritual qi, Ji An felt his body seemed lighter, and the operation speed of the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture unconsciously sped up a bit.

With a light flick of his wide sleeves, he rode the red mist to survey this land full of hope, his heart filled with a sense of ceremony.

The spirit veins in the Little World were different from those in other places. Taking the enhancement of the spirit veins at Red Flame Peak and the sect as examples, the spirit veins were like a large tree, with the main node’s grade differing from the various branch nodes’ grades.

But in the Little World, all the spirit vein nodes were of the same grade. Perhaps this was its deepest secret, creating a land so unique that it could grow those spirit plants with stringent environmental requirements without modification.

Ji An understood that to maximize the benefits, he needed to plant those rare spirit plants difficult to cultivate in the outside world in the Little World and then exchange the acquired resources for what he needed.

By doing so, both he and the outside world could profit, but everything also depended on a deeper level of pros and cons; if he could constantly produce rare resources, it was inevitable some cultivators might harbor ill intentions.

Without sufficient strength, the secrets of the Little World must not be revealed.

A ruler who is not discreet loses his ministers, ministers who are not discreet lose their lives, and plans that are not discreet lead to ruin.

….

After a circuit, Ji An, full of ambition, flew over to the white land and landed. The spirit vein enhancement meant that the Stone Turtle’s daily absorption of spiritual mechanism had increased again, in the future….

A strange smile appeared on his face. Before reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he had few opportunities to use the spiritual mechanism; at present, among the few spells he had, none had reached the Great Perfection Level.

From now on, his focus would be on advancing the Acala Bodhisattva Skill to the Physical Relic stage, equivalent to reaching the Golden Core Level of a Body Cultivator.

By then, completing the step of refining the body like a treasure, combined with several magical treasures and many thunder techniques, he would be both offensive and defensive.

Ji An roughly estimated that the Little World’s area was about 350 mu, with each type of spirit field around 70 mu, leaving free space to plant more spirit plants.

Given the current cultivation realm situation, it was best to plant more Vajra Bodhi Trees. This way, he could commission the crafting of more late-stage Golden Core puppets.

Of course, he would gradually release the Tier Three Upper Grade Vajra Bodhi Wood.

Ji An uprooted a large number of Copper Patterned Mulberries. He did not breed Golden Silk Worms, and since planting this spirit plant in the Little World, its function had been minimal.

He only kept half a mu, around forty trees, for potential future use.

He reserved some vacant land, set aside for planting after the spirit fruit of the Purple Gold Phoenix Wood matured, and planted all the Tier Three Vajra Bodhi Tree spirit seeds he had.

With the number of Vajra Bodhi Trees increased, would the quantity of top-grade Geng Metal Divine Thunder Talismans still be lacking in the future?

If by a stroke of luck Tier Four Vajra Bodhi Trees were cultivated, perhaps Tier Four Treasure Talismans could be obtained!

Ji An did not expect that this tier of Geng Metal Divine Thunder would pose a threat to Nascent Soul cultivators, but facing Golden Core level enemies, it should be easy to annihilate them.

He formed a spell with his hands, consecutively releasing the Earth Vein Spirit Ascension Technique and the Green Dragon Water Moon Skill.

Warm golden light surged from the ground, a silver moon brightened in the sky, accompanied by the Cyan Dragon’s chant; crystal rain threads fell, under the illumination of the Moon of Taiyin, revealing a resplendent color.

Under the cover of the rising mist, sprouting seedlings broke the earth one after another; each spirit wood was a piece of hope.

Without waiting for the magic effects to dissipate, Ji An rode the clouds and ascended, gazing distantly at the red land.

Once the Spirit Fruit of the Purple Cloud Tree matures, Ji An plans to plant four or five more Purple Cloud Trees. Planting too many would be unnecessary, as he wouldn’t need that many.

On the yellow earth, he intends to plant some Dark Night Trees, Canglan Mist Pine Trees, Star Trees, and other Spirit Wood, as the Earth Spirit Fruit Tree and Profound Leaf Sword Bamboo should have reached the limit of their species, and their effect on him will diminish over time.

He flew to the green land, where he planted a hundred Bodhi Trees on the extra land, intending to obtain more high-tier Spirit Stabilizing Talismans and Purifying Talismans.

Bodhi Trees are very suitable for nurturing this type of talisman. Ji An aspires to acquire some talisman heritage from Buddhist Cultivators, which might offer more ways to deal with the True Demons and demon lords.

He released the Green Dragon Water Moon Skill, conjuring a scene where two Cyan Dragons howl and bow to the moon, making the Wood Element Spirit Mechanism even more vibrant.

As the moonlight faded and the mist dissipated, each Bodhi Tree had grown over three feet high, with emerald leaves as delicate as fine jade.

…

Ji An rode the clouds back to the center of the Gourd World, overlooking the Gathering Essence Tree, feeling overwhelmed with emotions.

This Heaven and Earth Spirit Tree was upgraded to a Tier Three Middle Grade not long ago, yet the Little World had already advanced to a Tier Three Upper Grade. This further solidified his intention to preemptively raise the grade of the Gathering Essence Tree.

Enhancing the Heaven and Earth Spirit Tree requires less Dao Rhyme than directly enhancing the Spiritual Vein, but it can elevate the Spirit Vein’s grade with just a few years’ wait.

To gain much from little, why not?

Ji An landed on the ground, seated cross-legged on a Pudun, and began circulating the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture.

The density of nature’s spiritual energy was even richer, making cultivation more beneficial.

The battle today hadn’t consumed much Magical Power, but flying for most of the day, coupled with casting spells on the Spirit Field, had been quite taxing.

Thus, maintaining enough magical power to handle sudden situations is essential, so he directly cultivated the Cultivation Method to increase his magical power.

The benefits of the elevated Spirit Vein grade were immediately apparent. As the Cultivation Technique circulated, the formation of spiritual energy vortices was swifter than before, and the density of Five-Colored Spirit Mechanism points was greater than usual.

Not only had the spiritual energy become denser, but its quality had also improved. As it circulated within his body, it transformed into liquid more easily, and the speed of condensing into Magic Power Crystals increased.

Additionally, the speed of refining the Five Elements Spirit Liquid had also significantly escalated.

All these changes brought a significant impact: the time required for a Grand Circulation of the Cultivation Method decreased.

While his daily cultivation time remained unchanged, he could achieve greater enhancements.

The four major factors affecting a cultivator’s cultivation progression are method, companionship, resources, and location. Ji An was not lacking in resources and location, and the number of Dao friends available for discourse was gradually growing. The only limiting factor for him was the Cultivation Technique.

Regarding the path of Dao, the Five Elements Sect relic in the Wanhua Mountain Range was a place he inevitably had to visit.

Now that the True Demon Tribulation was occurring, the relics within would undoubtedly be more perilous, so he must prepare as best as he can.

…

The next day at 1:00 PM, in the parlor of Yun Yan Daoist Master’s pavilion.

Ji An stepped in and encountered a distinguished guest—the Business Alliance’s Pingtian True Monarch.

He formally cupped his hands, “Greetings, True Monarch.”

In his heart, he knew that Yun Yan Daoist Master would certainly report the incident of Master Wuxuan’s demise, but he had not anticipated the True Monarch’s immediate response, arriving so promptly.

Pingtian True Monarch revealed a faint smile and said:

“No need for formalities, let’s sit and talk.”

Once Ji An sat down, Yun Yan Daoist Master spoke:

“True Monarch, the Golden Core cultivators guarding the fortress have all arrived.”

Pingtian True Monarch’s expression grew solemn as he spoke:

“I also felt sorrow upon hearing the news of Golden Core Daoist Masters falling, as I have received several such devastating news over the past few days.”

As his voice fell, everyone’s hearts skipped a beat. They exchanged glances, each seeing the shock in the others’ eyes, confirming similar circumstances in other fortresses.

Yun Yan Daoist Master’s eyes widened with shock. Beneath this unusual surface lay potentially deeper dangers.

Pingtian True Monarch observed everyone’s expressions and continued:

“The victims encountered similar situations, hunted by powerful True Demons.

Clearly, the Wulan Mountain area has become a hunting ground for a certain True Demon force. At this point, let me explain the situation in the True Demon Realm.”

His gaze seemed to reach into the void, as if staring at a faraway place, his voice turning ethereal:

“Although the realms differ, certain laws are the same.

The True Demon Realm, as the Yin aspect of a world, possesses various factions, and they are not unified.

Yet, regardless of which faction, they all adhere to the law of the jungle. Based on our side’s understanding, the True Demon Realm is much more chaotic than the Cultivation Realm, and True Demons are even more bloodthirsty and cruel.

During the demonic qi outpouring phases, each faction sends disciples into the Cultivation Realm to hunt formidable cultivators for trials, selecting the most outstanding heirs.”