Seek Wealth, Seek Safety

On the outskirts of Lingxu, many disciples were undergoing trials.

Fang Qing and Elder Lu Zhihua watched over the disciples' trials.

Fang Qing did not have much to do. He merely ensured that the disciples were not besieged by ferocious birds and beasts of the Life Spring Realm. Elder Lu Zhihua was somewhat busier; this time, he had brought some Hundred Herb Liquid.

If the disciples gathered enough spiritual herbs, they could come to Elder Lu Zhihua and exchange them for Hundred Herb Liquid.

The benefits of Hundred Herb Liquid were obvious. For the disciples of Lingxu Grotto-Heaven, only by obtaining Hundred Herb Liquid could their Cultivation Levels advance by leaps and bounds, allowing them to open up their Bitter Seas more quickly.

Thus, all the disciples worked hard to seek out herbs. Some even began to forget Elder Lu Zhihua's instructions and planned to venture deeper into Lingxu in search of older medicinal herbs.

As the saying went, wealth was sought amid danger. On the outskirts of Lingxu, many herbs had already been harvested. Even when herbs remained, some were too young; it would take dozens, or even hundreds, to exchange for a single bottle of Hundred Herb Liquid.

It was simply too slow.

To dig up genuine spiritual herbs and hunt spiritual beasts, one could only venture deeper into the ruins.

"These disciples are disobeying again. Is the depths of Lingxu really so easy to enter?"

Elder Lu Zhihua looked into the distance and shook his head.

"My junior brothers and sisters all believe in that saying—wealth is sought amid danger. To be honest, I believe it somewhat as well, but I prefer gaining wealth in safety."

Fang Qing also looked toward those bold disciples. "I want to go in and take a look too."

"..."

Elder Lu Zhihua rolled his eyes.

"Fang Qing, you are the Immortal Seedling of our Lingxu Grotto-Heaven. You absolutely must not enter dangerous ground. As long as you cultivate properly within the Grotto-Heaven, in just a few years, your Cultivation Level will surely far surpass mine. It seems inappropriate for you to take risks now."

Elder Lu Zhihua spoke with a grave expression. He did not want Fang Qing to enter the depths of Lingxu.

"I know my limits. Slow and steady wins the race. I also take my own safety very seriously."

As Fang Qing spoke, light flowed across the Bronze Lamp in his hand.

Besides the Bronze Lamp, the Purple Firmament Sword also shone.

"It is still better to go in less often. In the depths of Lingxu, there are many Great Demons. There are Lightning Birds with incredible speed, and Scale Ape Kings with boundless strength, impervious to blades and spears. Even if I entered, I might not be able to get back out."

Elder Lu Zhihua remained extremely cautious. He glanced at the Bronze Lamp and Purple Firmament Sword, feeling that this Peerless Genius of Lingxu Grotto-Heaven still could not afford to be careless.

"Of course. I will not go too deep. At most, I will take a look around the middle regions of Lingxu. Entering the deepest parts would be no different from seeking death."

Fang Qing nodded, knowing Elder Lu Zhihua was right.

Entering the deepest parts of Lingxu now would indeed be like seeking death. After all, there were Great Demons of the Dao Palace Realm in its deepest regions.

But he could still bear the risks and rewards of going slightly deeper.

Once he ventured a little farther in, there were indeed far more spiritual herbs within Lingxu. The herbs on the outskirts had only been ten or several dozen years old, but deeper inside Lingxu, the herbs were all more than a hundred years old.

Even from afar, he could smell wafts of medicinal fragrance.

Of course, beside these century-old spiritual herbs were even more formidable ferocious birds and beasts.

Roar! Roar!

Within a forest of jagged rocks, a two-meter-tall ape lay there, breathing heavily. Its body was covered in scales, and its black scales gave off an oppressive air, as if they could block any kind of attack.

Beside the ape stood a large tree. Several bright red fruits grew upon it, faint radiance flowing within them as waves of fragrance drifted over on the wind.

These fruits were called Dragon Zhu Fruits. The life essence contained in one Dragon Zhu Fruit was richer than that of eighty or ninety ordinary herbs combined. They were excellent treasures among heavenly materials and earthly treasures, beloved by cultivators.

However, Dragon Zhu Fruits were not easy to pick, because Scale Apes often guarded the places where Dragon Zhu Trees grew. These creatures were covered in exceptionally sturdy armor, and ordinary weapons could not break through their defenses.

"This is my first time facing a true demon beast."

As Fang Qing saw the Scale Ape guarding the Dragon Zhu Fruits, he thought to himself. Without any hesitation, a Divine Lamp burst from within his body. It shot into the Bronze Lamp, and immediately, a streak of divine fire surged from the Bronze Lamp and raced toward the Scale Ape.

Roar! Roar!

As though it sensed a fatal threat, the Scale Ape abruptly woke. It stared at Fang Qing in the distance, its face revealing boundless hatred, then charged at him.

It seemed that, with its intelligence, it understood that it should directly attack Fang Qing himself rather than confront the Bronze Lamp he had unleashed.

It had thought well, but reality was not as beautiful as it imagined.

As the Scale Ape charged over, the divine fire Fang Qing had unleashed flowed even faster. In an instant, it wrapped around the Scale Ape and violently twisted.

The Scale Ape was reduced directly to ashes.

It had no power to resist.

Even its seemingly incomparably sturdy scaled armor could not withstand the divine fire for even a moment.

Fang Qing had instantly killed the Scale Ape.

"With the aid of the Bronze Lamp, even Life Spring demon beasts at my level can be instantly killed."

Fang Qing sensed his own combat strength.

His current strength was at the Life Spring Realm. Even without the Bronze Lamp, he could be considered among the best of the Life Spring Realm. With the Bronze Lamp's enhancement, he could instantly kill cultivators of the Life Spring Realm.

Even cultivators of the Divine Bridge Realm likely could not withstand the divine fire of the Bronze Lamp.

It could be said that, with proper execution, killing cultivators of the Divine Bridge Realm was entirely possible.

Of course, Fang Qing still had to value his own Cultivation Level and could not rely entirely on a treasure like the Bronze Lamp.

He could not rely on it completely, but neither could he refrain from using it. Treasures supported a cultivator in protecting the Dao. What set humans apart from beasts was their skill in making use of things.

After many thoughts passed through his mind, Fang Qing reached out and grabbed the several Dragon Zhu Fruits.

There were six Dragon Zhu Fruits in total. Each one contained extremely rich life essence, and merely smelling them brought delight.

He bit into one Dragon Zhu Fruit, and its fragrance immediately spread through the air. Fang Qing felt immense amounts of life essence continuously pour into his body. At once, he circulated the Mysterious Methods recorded in the Dao Scripture and refined that essence.

The vast life essence transformed into Fang Qing's own essence, continuously circulating through his body and washing over his flesh.

More of his Bitter Sea was opened up, while the vitality erupting from the Wheel of Life grew ever more vigorous. Divine Light flowed, the Divine Spring gurgled, transforming into Divine Marks that then became a Bronze Lamp under Fang Qing's spiritual refinement.

His strength rose once more.

A single Dragon Zhu Fruit was worth dozens of bottles of Hundred Herb Liquid!

After consuming one Dragon Zhu Fruit, Fang Qing put away the other five and continued flying through the air.

Before long, he spotted another spiritual fruit.

That spiritual fruit was called the Crimson Moon Fruit. It resembled a crescent moon, its color crystalline and its fragrance rich.

It was a spiritual herb of the same grade as the Dragon Zhu Fruit.

Beside the Crimson Moon Fruit, a Crimson Moon Fox stood guard.

At a thought from Fang Qing, the Divine Lamp he had painstakingly refined within his body flew out.

The Divine Lamp blazed brilliantly as it descended over the Crimson Moon Fox's head. Streams of Divine Light, like watery radiance, pinned down the Crimson Moon Fox. With a twist, the Crimson Moon Fox lost its life.

Another instant kill.