Cultivation Place

"Cuiping Mountain had a touch of spiritual energy, too. With a temple nestled here, it counted as a place for cultivation. Did it have a name?" Chen Ming asked.

Song Yu and Wang Xiu had both recovered a little by then.

Hearing Chen Ming's question, they hurriedly replied, "Senior, this temple originally had no name. Later, after Ling Yangzi manifested this Spirit Tree here, more and more people came to worship it, and they often called this place 'Divine Wood Temple.'"

"The name fits well enough, but it'll have to be changed later!"

Song Yu and Wang Xiu exchanged glances, hesitating. In the end, they said, "Senior, are you planning to cultivate at this temple? It's just that Ling Yangzi went out and hasn't returned. He's a Contemplation Realm cultivator, too. If he comes back, I'm afraid..."

Chen Ming smiled. "Don't worry. Ling Yangzi won't be coming back!"

Song Yu and Wang Xiu weren't fools; they were quick-witted, too. From his words, they understood that Ling Yangzi had likely fallen at the hands of the man before them.

Earlier, they had only suspected that Ling Yangzi was dead, and still felt somewhat uneasy.

Now that they had confirmation, they could finally relax completely!

"Thank you, Senior, for saving our lives. From now on, we'll obey your instructions!"

Their gratitude was genuine. They had also seen that Chen Ming didn't take lives, and had even spared the Spirit Tree. He was nothing like Ling Yangzi, who was always using Poison Curses to devour souls.

Besides, they had already set foot on the path of cultivation, and held some hopes in their hearts.

While they were controlled by the Poison Curse, they hadn't dared to entertain such thoughts. But now that this kind-hearted senior was right before them, it seemed like an opportunity.

Chen Ming saw straight through their intentions. Their shifting emotions couldn't escape his Spiritual Sense.

"If the two of you are sincere, there's no reason you can't cultivate with me!"

"I'll need people here to handle some odd jobs while I cultivate."

"Though I'm not like Ling Yangzi, I'd better make one thing clear up front!"

With that, the Spirit Devouring Jar in Chen Ming's hand gave off a faint glow. An apparently endless swarm of poisonous insects and venomous bugs flew out of it, breathing out smoke as they whirled behind him.

With the Spirit Devouring Jar cupped in his hands amid the poisonous insects and smoke, Chen Ming's expression was cold and his voice stern. "Before, you followed Ling Yangzi because you were under the Poison Curse's control and had no choice!"

"But from now on, if you cultivate with me, you must follow my rules. If you dare harbor treacherous intentions, I'll make sure you meet the same end as Ling Yangzi—your Divine Souls obliterated!"

"We wouldn't dare!" Chen Ming's Contemplation Realm Aura and the scene he had conjured left Song Yu and Wang Xiu terrified and trembling, their souls almost unsteady.

Their hearts quaked. So this senior only seemed kind on the surface; his methods were even more terrifying than Ling Yangzi's. No wonder Ling Yangzi had died at his hands.

But in their current predicament, they had no way out.

Otherwise, they would surely die if even a wisp of the poisonous insects or smoke behind Chen Ming touched them!

Chen Ming wasn't putting on this act merely to intimidate them. While their souls were unsteady, he had secretly formed a hand seal, turning the Azure Wood Life and Death Qi into a speck that slipped quietly into their bodies.

If the two ever developed treacherous intentions, the Azure Wood Life and Death Qi would flare up and obliterate their Divine Souls in the blink of an eye.

One could never be too careful around others!

Though Chen Ming was kindhearted, he wasn't a saint. He didn't mind what methods he used!

"Good. See that you remember!"

Chen Ming withdrew his Aura, and the poisonous insects and smoke contracted back into the Spirit Devouring Jar.

Only then did Song Yu and Wang Xiu relax. They didn't dare act out in front of Chen Ming at all.

Even the Spirit Tree, which had been swaying unsteadily, restrained its spiritual nature and drew in its branches, not daring to make a sound.

Chen Ming walked slowly to the temple's main gate. After a moment's thought, he turned the magic power in his hand and inscribed a few characters on the blank plaque.

"Creation Life and Death Temple"

The name came from the Creation Lotus Platform and the Azure Wood Life and Death Qi Chen Ming cultivated now.

Since he was cultivating here, he would need a name and affiliation when he ventured out into the world in the future. Chen Ming thought the original name, "Divine Wood Temple," sounded a little too small-time.

"From now on, you two are Registered Disciples of my Life and Death Temple!"

"Yes, Temple Master!"

Song Yu and Wang Xiu were overjoyed.

Just a moment ago, they had thought they would still be treated like slaves, just as before.

Now, hearing Chen Ming call them Registered Disciples meant they could learn the true arts. Even if they weren't direct disciples, they wouldn't be stuck in their current circumstances forever, unable to make any progress!

Next, Chen Ming changed the temple's layout and used a Magic Art to make the Red Spirit Worms in the Spirit Devouring Jar split into countless transparent, invisible insects, which hid all around the temple.

"Conceal!"

Chen Ming recited an incantation and shouted. The transparent insects breathed out faint smoke, enveloping the temple.

Before long, the temple was completely hidden in the smoke, its whereabouts invisible to the naked eye.

Chen Ming controlled the smoke. When inactive, it was just like ordinary mist.

Once activated, it could turn into poisonous gas and take a life in an instant.

"From now on, I'll cultivate in seclusion at the temple. If ordinary people come here, they'll only see mist and won't be able to enter."

"If anyone happens to find their way into the temple, you two are responsible for escorting them out. No need to tell me about it!"

Chen Ming gave Song Yu and Wang Xiu their instructions, forbidding them from letting ordinary people come to worship the Spirit Tree and make their wishes.

He didn't want to keep using Ling Yangzi's Spirit Condensation Method to let the Spirit Tree absorb Incense and Fire Qi.

If it continued absorbing Incense and Fire Qi, then once it took shape, its foundation would be set, and it could never be changed!

For now, he would let it nurture its spiritual nature on its own. Perhaps it would prove useful later, once he found a better method!

Song Yu and Wang Xiu accepted their orders and went off to cultivate and recover from their injuries.

Chen Ming concealed himself as well and began pondering his own cultivation.

"From now on, I'll present the Azure Wood Life and Death Qi to the outside world.

"The Red Spirit Worms will be my means of attack. Ordinary Contemplation Realm cultivators won't stand a chance against them. The Red Spirit Worms will stay hidden inside the jar, serving as both cover and trump card!

"The Spirit Devouring Jar is also a Magic Tool in its own right, capable of providing some protection.

"But these are all methods for protecting myself. The cultivation method I practice is still the Azure Wood Life and Death Qi.

"Even if I cultivate more, all I'll do is increase my magic power and gain a few more breaths of Void Qi to use in my techniques. I'll still be stuck spinning my wheels in the Contemplation Realm.

"I have no clue how to break through.

"Ling Yangzi's method for breaking through to the Spirit Condensation Realm was only an experiment of his own. There's no telling whether it would work!

"I'd better seek out more methods and compare them, then use the Creation Lotus Platform to derive the answers. A safe and steady breakthrough to the Spirit Condensation Realm—that's the right path!"

"I wonder if there are any other cultivators near Cuiping Mountain. It would be great if we could exchange ideas and learn from each other!"

At that thought, Chen Ming couldn't help but laugh. Even if there were cultivators nearby, who would reveal the foundations of their cultivation to an outsider? Unless they were close kin, master, or disciple, it simply wasn't possible.

As Chen Ming pondered his cultivation, his Spiritual Sense remained at work.

Since he was going to cultivate here, he naturally had to learn everything he could about the Cuiping Mountain area.

Chen Ming spread his Spiritual Sense across the region, and the mountain's varied sights appeared before him.

Everything seemed ordinary. He found nothing unusual.

Places with slightly richer spiritual energy either had Spiritual Items that hadn't yet taken shape or had already been harvested.