Spirit Heart Grass, Heaven Favors the Determined

The setting sun, the sunset like blood.

The sea was full, and the waves leaped and tumbled like playful children. Accompanied by the sunset, they formed a broad and dazzling wave of light on the sea surface, stretching from the distant ocean edge all the way to the vicinity of the small island.

An endless silence enveloped the sea and islands. In the natural cycle of moonrise and sunset, even the magnificent Cultivation World would fall into the silence of twilight.

Aside from the crackling sounds of the campfire and the unique aroma of the sea creature meat roasted from burning arbor wood, which slightly disrupted the natural harmony, the scene added a touch of human warmth.

"Tap tap tap--"

Beside the campfire, the Black Cloud Leopard's drool dripped all over the ground.

The sea monster meat, coated with oyster sauce and roasted until fragrant, was also coated with a layer of berry juice from the island. It was roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The creature had already tasted the half-cooked meat and was almost in heaven. Now it was even more impatient.

Chen Dengming ordered his clone to roast the meat, while he sat on a chopped-down tree stool and chatted with Qiao Zhaoxian about matters concerning the Four Regions.

When Qiao Zhaoxian mentioned the Shu Sword Pavilion, which had not retreated with the Tiandao Sect and the Longevity Sect, he sighed.

"There's nothing we can do. My Second Martial Uncle said that even your family's first ancestor could only use the power of the Heavenly Mandate and Heavenly Longevity Palaces to take us away."

The Shu Sword Pavilion is different from our sect. Unless they send their disciples to our respective Mountain Gate beforehand, we cannot help them escape together.

However, my Second Martial Uncle also said that the Five Elements Dao Lord of the Five Elements Escape Sect and the Divine Sword Dao Lord of the Shu Sword Pavilion have joined forces in tacit agreement. With the protection of these two Spirit Transformation cultivators, most of the disciples of these two sects should be able to escape the Four Regions."

He paused, then frowned and shook his head. "Wait, that's not right. These two sects have also been targeted by the Outer Dao Spirit Transformation. A battle between Spirit Transformation cultivators is no small matter."

If the aftershocks of that battle were close enough, even a Golden Core cultivator would struggle to survive. Will Xiao Gao be alright?

Chen Dengming knew that his Second Martial Uncle was referring to the Heavenly Dao Second Ancestor. He glanced at Qiao Zhaoxian and clicked his tongue, "Old Qiao, why do I feel like you're talking in a sarcastic tone? You wouldn't be hoping something happens to Gao Lingxiao, would you? You two always bicker, but is the hatred really this deep?"

Qiao Zhaoxian indignant upon hearing this, "Old Chen, you're just judging others by your own petty standards. I'm genuinely worried about Xiao Gao's safety."

Don't forget, the three of us were once the Golden Trio. We fought side by side on the Battlefield, so glorious. Now that one of us is gone, look how pathetic we are!"

Chen Dengming curled his lip, "You're the one who's down on your luck."

He glanced at Qiao Zhaoxian's empty sleeve and missing left arm, and swallowed the words he was about to say.

Previously, Qiao Zhaoxian disguised himself and used a trick to deceive people; at first glance, it was not obvious that his left arm was broken.

"Hey! Look at you, you're still too kind-hearted. You don't even dare to say it out loud when you're mocking me."

Qiao Zhaoxian touched his empty sleeve, laughed, shook his head, pointed to the scar on his face, and said smugly.

"See that? This scar, and this severed arm, that's my record."

I escaped from the clutches of the Blood Fiend Sect's Nascent Soul Ancestor, the Blood Fiend Devil Lord, and I also escaped from the Blood Fiend Old Ghost before.

Even if I could escape from the clutches of the Blood Fiend Old Ghost when I Foundation Establishment, or from the clutches of the Blood Fiend Devil Lord when I was in the Nascent Soul stage, who else could do that? Old Chen, you couldn't either, could you? Only I, Qiao Taotao it!"

Chen Dengming looked at Qiao Zhaoxian's stubborn and smug face, and hesitated to speak.

After thinking about it, I decided against it.

Let him win.

To spare Qiao Zhaoxian's seemingly indifferent but actually very strong sense of pride, Chen Dengming decided to keep a low profile and not tell her about his glorious deeds of escaping from the Soul Devouring Ancestor twice, as well as from Senluo True Body and Nascent Soul Realm dragon beast.

What skill is there in escaping from the clutches of Nascent Soul? After all, saying "escape" is too shameful and doesn't sound good.

The nickname "Chen the Runner" is even worse; he doesn't want it. If the other person likes to Qiao Taotao," then let them be.

"How about that? Speechless now?"

Qiao Zhaoxian watched Chen Dengming silently turn away to cut the barbecue, and continued to be stubborn.

The more nonchalant the smile on one's face, the more one cares inside.

"Alright, you're good. Stop being stubborn and come here to eat some meat to replenish your energy."

Chen Dengming uttered a single, unassuming sentence.

It nearly shattered Qiao Zhaoxian's inner strength, causing the smile on his face to freeze slightly.

Eat meat to replenish your body.

He, Qiao Zhaoxian, also needs to eat meat to replenish his energy.

If the heart can shed tears, then it can already be called the sea of the heart.

The humiliation of losing an arm is too great.

He had long ago sworn that once he achieved the Nascent Soul, he would take revenge, so he did not want to remove the scars on his face, keeping them as a reminder.

The two met for the first time in a foreign land and had much to talk about.

However, when it comes to the four Inner Domain, there's not much substantial content to discuss besides feeling sad and depressed.

Qiao Zhaoxian was only at the Golden Core stage, and he had no access to information about External Dao Malevolent Cultivator or those at the Nascent Spirit Transformation or Nascent Soul stages. When asked, he knew nothing.

At this moment, the two can only look to the future and exchange ideas on their plans.

"Ah, I was just like you, I also received a map from the sect that recorded these blessed lands, one for me and one for my Second Martial Uncle."

The purpose was also to have a place to establish a branch sect after arriving in the Eastern Immortal Sea."

Qiao Zhaoxian said with a worried look, "But along with the map, there are also key tokens to activate the magic arrays of each blessed land, which I have lost."

Do you think I want to expose this blessed land?

There's no other way. I only have a map, but no key token. To recover from my injuries as soon as possible and get the Thousand-Year Water Spirit Ganoderma, I have no choice but to force my way through."

"I didn't expect that your Tiandao Sect would set up Formation to hide every blessed land you discovered. This has both advantages and disadvantages."

Chen Dengming shook his head.

After setting up the Formation, it can indeed protect the good hidden place, at least it is not easy for mid-to-low level cultivators below the Golden Core stage to find it.

However, the maintenance of the Formation is also a problem. It is rare for Formation to continue operating for more than a hundred years without maintenance, and regular maintenance is required.

Furthermore, once the Formation is activated, it will release Spiritual Qi fluctuations, which may attract the attention of Nascent Soul experts, making it an unnecessary addition.

Chen Dengming suddenly realized that there weren't many blessed lands recorded on the map he had.

However, the map in Qiao Zhaoxian's hand still contained many of the blessed lands that the Tiandao Sect had discovered.

If the two are combined, there may be a greater chance of finding a suitable burial site for both species in the future.

As for the Formation that the Tiandao Sect set up in the blessed land, with his strength, he could easily destroy it.

"Your idea is good. Our Heavenly Dao and Longevity Sects are currently scattered overseas, and our respective Mountain Gate have flown into the Shattered Immortal Inner Domain along with the Heavenly Destiny Hall and the Heavenly Longevity Hall. We are like stray dogs. It is precisely because we are in the same boat that we can truly share this blessed land."

After listening to Chen Dengming's idea, Qiao Zhaoxian pondered for a while and then said, "However, the blessed land is, after all, a sect's foundation and backup plan. Even I only obtained the map in recent years."

Therefore, I can only guide you to the blessed lands one by one until we find a suitable place for our two families to live, but I cannot directly show you a map that records all the blessed lands."

"That's natural," Chen Dengming said with a smile. "Me too."

As he spoke, he cut off a piece of golden-brown roasted sea beast meat and handed it to Qiao Zhaoxian along with a pot of spirit wine.

The two men exchanged a glance, burst into laughter, and clinked their wine jugs together with a "plop," their understanding unspoken.

The blessed land map is, after all, a treasure accumulated over thousands of years by the patriarchs of their respective sects.

Although many of them have lost their value, as long as one or two of these auspicious sites remain unclaimed, they represent immense wealth and resources that must never be leaked.

Chen Dengming and Qiao Zhaoxian were both Dao Child of their respective sects and were considered important figures responsible for finding blessed lands.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Dao and Longevity Sects had previously cooperated closely, even their escape was a joint operation.

Therefore, it is possible to make mutually beneficial compromises and cooperation on such important and confidential resources; otherwise, at the very least, it would be a crime of treason.

That night, the two stayed on the deserted island.

Qiao Zhaoxian began taking the thousand-year-old Water Spirit Ganoderma to recover from his injuries and severed arm.

Water Spirit Ganoderma is an extremely precious healing medicine, capable of restoring flesh to bones and reviving the dead.

The thousand-year-old Water Spirit Ganoderma is extremely rare, and its value is no less than that of the [Life Returning Pill] that Chen Dengming exchanged with 80,000 battle merits and a level one War Merit Authority. Restoring a mere severed arm is naturally easy.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chen Dengming set up a small communication array to contact his Martial Aunt Su.

He told her about his encounter with Qiao Zhaoxian and mentioned their plan to exchange information about the blessed land.

As expected, the plan received Su Yan Yan's support.

Chen Dengming felt relieved. With his beautiful Third Martial Uncle's support and approval, he could act more confidently and boldly.

He then put away the sound transmission array, took out the treasures and resources he had obtained from the Water Mansion, and sorted and checked them.

"Over three thousand two hundred High-grade Spirit Crystal"

"One set of Third-tier High-grade Formation plates, and two incomplete sets."

"Forty-two Spirit Herb, hundreds of years old... Hmm? These are..."

Chen Dengming's gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked at eight Spiritual Qi Spirit Herb emanating from a pile of herbs.

These eight Spirit Herbs are all about a foot long, graceful and elegant, like eight beautiful fairies displaying their enchanting charm. The leaves are soft and elastic, shimmering with a clear light, and are heart-shaped, like crystal-clear gems. The tips of the leaves reveal a deep green, exuding Spiritual Qi.

"This is... the Spirit Heart Grass?"

Chen Dengming took a deep breath. He had taken the Spirit Herb in such a hurry that he hadn't noticed that the second patriarch of the Tiandao Sect had planted such a treasure.

He took out the Spirit Heart Grass from his Storage Bag.

A gentle breeze blows, the grass sways, and a faint fragrance drifts on the wind, gentle and refreshing, naturally gathering the surrounding Spiritual Qi, making people intoxicated.

Even ordinary Spirit Heart Grass is extremely precious and rare. A single Spirit Heart Grass is worth at least fifty High-grade Spirit Crystal, and it is very difficult to find, as it is extremely rare.

The Spirit Heart Grass, which is hundreds of years old, is naturally even more precious.

This Spirit Herb contains immense Spiritual Qi. Consuming just one herb is equivalent to cultivating in Second-Rank Spirit Vein at any time, which can last for more than a month, depending on the individual.

Chen Dengming couldn't even be sure of the effects of taking the centuries-old Spirit Heart Grass, so he wanted to find out immediately.

He glanced at the Black Cloud Leopard, who was still feasting, and abandoned the idea of having the silly dog act as his protector.

He instructed his two avatars to act as protectors.

He personally consumed the Spirit Heart Grass, but it tasted no different from ordinary grass and was very difficult to swallow.

However, with each bite, abundant Spiritual Qi gathered around him.

In the end, an extremely dense Spiritual Qi had gathered around his body, which was absorbed into his body through his pores like mist.

Chen Dengming quickly activated the Longevity Merit, which he hadn't practiced properly for a long time, absorbing the rich Spiritual Qi.

Soon, the Spiritual Qi around him gradually thinned out, but the Spirit Heart Grass in his abdomen acted like a special energy source, accumulating a large amount of Spiritual Qi, enough for Chen Dengming to absorb for a long time.

When some of the accumulated Spiritual Qi is depleted, some of the residue from the Spirit Heart Grass will also be depleted, and the Spiritual Qi in the surrounding air will then enter Chen Dengming's body and adhere to the area around the Spirit Heart Grass.

"This cultivation speed is almost comparable to a sect's Fourth-Rank Spirit Vein. No wonder it's known as a 'treasure land's Spiritual Material.' Hundreds of years old, indeed, the older the better."

Chen Dengming felt the speed and amount of Spiritual Qi absorbed by circulating his Cultivation Method, and then secretly observed the almost invisible panel again. Seeing the frequency of the Cultivation Method proficiency fluctuations, he felt very excited.

Even when I was cultivating in the Longevity Mountain with Fourth-Rank Spirit Vein, I was never this moved.

Humans are truly shameless; they don't appreciate what they have until they lose it.

These eight Spirit Heart Grass can probably help him stay in an environment close to Fourth-Rank Spirit Vein anytime, anywhere, allowing him to cultivate for eight or nine months, saving him a lot of hard work.

"Eight or nine months is enough time for me to find a suitable blessed land, settle down, and slowly begin my cultivation."

He was excited and full of hope, but at that moment, both of his clones issued warnings.

Chen Dengming was startled and immediately opened his eyes, staring intently into the distance.

But then, in the distance, where the sea meets the sky, several bands of light, like fluttering butterflies, appeared in the night sky, radiating a breathtaking brilliance and beauty that lingered for a long time.

In the next instant, several more light butterflies appeared, connecting with the previous ones, like the most dazzling stars embedded in the night sky, illuminating the night sky where the sea and sky meet as if it were tinged with light.

Until the first few light butterflies transformed into a pitch-black black hole.

A series of extremely faint sounds, almost inaudible to the naked ear, accompanied by a gentle breeze that ruffled Chen Dengming's hair.

His pair of fierce, piercing eyes gleamed in the darkness, filled with fear and suspicion.

Are there Spirit Transformation cultivators fighting?

Could it be that powerful figures among the External Dao Malevolent Cultivator are about to cross the Fallen Forbidden Zone and conquer the world so quickly?

Impossible.

It shouldn't be that fast.

After experiencing this scene, Chen Dengming was quite unsettled. Only by entering the Heavenly Heart Realm could he calm down and cultivate.

However, for the rest of the night, no Spirit Transformation cultivators made a move in the distance.

Through his communication with his Martial Aunt Su via a small telepathic array, Chen Dengming learned that his Uncle Su was also unaware of the specific situation and could only wait and see for the time being.

Fortunately, this wait-and-see attitude lasted for more than ten days, and things remained calm throughout.

The clone sent to the deserted island to gather intelligence also discovered that the major immortal sects and some Lineage Marketplace in the Eastern Immortal Sea were as usual, without any tense atmosphere, as if the light butterfly that appeared that night was just an illusion.

Chen Dengming breathed a sigh of relief, guessing that on that day, some External Dao Malevolent Cultivator might have tried to cross the Fallen Forbidden Zone, but were stopped by powerful cultivators from all over the world.

In the past ten days or so, thanks to the medicinal effects of the thousand-year-old Water Spirit Ganoderma, Qiao Zhaoxian has completely recovered to his peak strength, and even his severed arm has regrown.

The two did not linger any longer and left the deserted island together, continuing their search according to the blessed lands marked on their respective maps.

Wandering the rivers and seas, the year draws to a close; the wind and waves dampen my clothes. Looking back at my hometown, thirty thousand miles away, where is the Mountain Gate remains evergreen?

In the blink of an eye, almost a month had passed.

Eastern Immortal Sea is a relatively remote strait forest area, where dense oak forests and coconut palms with forked leaves grow. The rising sun over the sea bathes the area in a golden halo, making it a beautiful sight.

A long, exhilarating roar suddenly echoed from within the strait, followed by another loud laugh that reverberated through the canyon.

"Bang! Bang--"

Two jets of water pierced the surface of the water.

Two figures burst forth from the water jet, laughing, and floated in mid-air before slowly descending towards the beach, their joy and delight evident.

Because at this moment, they finally found a suitable new Mountain Gate site for their sect to live in and pass on its legacy.

Chen Dengming, barefoot, stepped onto the sun-baked sand and gravel, picked up the map, held it up in the air, and laughed.

"Old Qiao, according to our agreement, this blessed land was found based on the map recorded by our Longevity Sect. Disciples from both our sects can reside here, but the property rights of this land belong to our Longevity Sect."

Qiao Zhaoxian lightly, shook the water off his hair, and touched his nose. "We're all brothers, why be so calculating?"

"Within this blessed land of karst caves below, there is a Fourth-Rank Spirit Vein and a Third-Rank Spirit Vein, almost comparable to the former Mountain Gate of your Longevity Sect. It wouldn't be unreasonable to share one with us."

Chen Dengming rolled his eyes, put away the map, and said, "You were the one who proposed this agreement in the first place, and now you want to go back on your word? You've got quite the nerve."

Qiao Zhaoxian felt embarrassed and depressed upon hearing this.

He originally thought that since his Tiandao Sect had set up Formation to protect all the blessed lands they discovered, the blessed lands they found afterward were most likely also blessed lands hidden by his Tiandao Sect.

That's why they laid out the unpleasant truth upfront, making a proposal to protect the interests of their own sect.

Over the past month, the two searched for more than a dozen blessed lands. Among them, the blessed lands that the Tiandao Sect had hidden Formation were either abandoned and the blessed lands had long been plundered and destroyed, or they had long been occupied by others.

However, the oldest blessed land recorded in the Longevity Sect map is now perfectly preserved and undiscovered.

What was once just a Fourth-Rank Spirit Vein and some Spirit Spring and eyes has now grown and nurtured a new Third-Rank Spirit Vein.

"Alright, we've recorded our exploration of this blessed land using the Sound-Image Pearl. Without further ado, let's report it to the Four Seas Cultivation Alliance and designate this place as our sect's inheritance site."

Chen Dengming was also in a good mood.

Heaven rewards those who persevere; having found such a blessed place, he can finally cultivate in peace and tranquility.

However, at this time, this blessed land has not yet been officially approved and is still full of variables. It must be secured immediately, and then Martial Aunt Su and the others should be notified to move here.