"Come!" Zhunti barked, holding out his hand. Dense ocher mist gathered in his palm and condensed into a drop of liquid the size of a pigeon's egg. He swallowed it.
Zhunti shuddered. Dazzling ocher light radiated from his entire body, then slowly faded.
He exhaled, feeling refreshed. After a moment's hesitation, he reattached the severed section of the jade pillar floating before him. He placed an intricate seal on it to keep its energy from leaking, then put it away.
"My physical strength has increased by a full thirty percent. Incredible!" He clenched and unclenched his hands, marveling at the change.
The group exchanged glances and decided to explore separately. With so many of them, treasures like this would be difficult to divide.
Nuwa traveled on. The desolate plain gradually gave way to hills and mountains, and signs of life began to appear.
The plants growing here were, without exception, Innate spiritual roots.
At first, Nuwa collected a few Innate spiritual plants out of curiosity. After seeing so many, she lost interest.
But as the spiritual roots grew more numerous, so did the trouble she encountered.
Places where Innate spiritual roots grew were usually home to powerful creatures.
The creatures native to this Chaos world were exceptionally formidable. Their bodies held earth-aspected energy, giving each of them impressive defenses.
Some were even comparable to Quasi-Saints.
Encountering one was troublesome even for Nuwa at her current level of cultivation.
These creatures had keen senses. Though not especially intelligent, they seemed intent on stopping Chen Hua from advancing.
A fierce battle had just ended in a valley overgrown with withered yellow weeds. Corpses of creatures large and small lay scattered everywhere. Nearly all were ocher, and most were beasts. One looked vaguely human, though its body was grotesque: a hunched back, six