The Sweet Taste of True Fragrance

Although he had been shouting "I'm not going to Lei Marsh! I'd rather die than go to Lei Marsh!", once he actually entered Lei Marsh, Li Fan had to admit, it was surprisingly delicious...

At first, he flew through the sky on his sword, searching for traces of the Immortal Palace.

After flying for a while, he suddenly saw a blue light swirling on the ground. Thinking it was some kind of magical treasure, he landed to take a look, only to find it was a stalk of chives.

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, 'Oh, this Zhu Yu is quite good-looking; if I pinch a handful, I could refine medicine.'"

Not far away, there was also black-grained wood, its purple, white, gold, and blue colors shimmering brilliantly.

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "Oh, is this the Migu? Put it away; it can be used to craft weapons."'

There are large fish with red faces in the pond, and their cries sound like those of mandarin ducks.

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Hey, such a huge red carp! Got it! Its blood can be used to make cinnabar.'"

At first glance, it resembles tender jade like a bamboo shoot, but once the mud covering it is wiped away, the colorful spots of light become visible.

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, 'Jade, its quality is quite good. I'll use it as Magic Treasure.'"

There was a grass by the roadside with leaves that resembled orchids and stems that resembled bellflowers, and it bloomed with black flowers.

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Oh, it's Gurong! A rare sight indeed. Some pill formulas are missing this ingredient.'"

The tree bore fruit, with round leaves, red stems, yellow flowers Scarlet Fruit.

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, it's not Scarlet Fruit, it's a Pill Wood Fruit, it's edible, there should be others nearby.'

There's a pile of rocks nearby...

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Let's open a piece and take a look. Hmm, it's firm and fine, with a lustrous sheen, and five colors emanating from it, harmonizing softness and strength. This is top-grade Five-Colored Jade, what a steal!'"

Lots of yellow seashells...

'The Dao of Profound Heaven Sword Intent, trash.'

There are gold and pearls inside...

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent Dao, cough cough! By chance, by chance, this can also be used as medicine...'

Red papaya...

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "There are actually Cupwood Fruits here?"'

I found another melon...

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent Dao, once consumed, can grant the ability to control fire.'

I found a stone this time...

'The Dao of Profound Heaven Sword Intent, Hmm, Fu Yu.'

There are gold dog heads on the ground...

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, 'This trash... let's dig it up and take a look.'

The bottom was also full of gold nuggets...

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent can be used to forge two tons of swords.'

Oh.

Then I collected red copper, dark iron, ghost grass, red beans, realgar, cinnabar, blue jade, white sand, gold flower, azurite, jasmine, oak, red tin...

"Holy crap, my Storage Jade is full..."

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Having so much Divine Astral Coin takes up too much space; it's better to just throw it away.'"

"That's right... Ahhh! What am I doing! I should be hunting down the Immortal Palace right now!"

No way, is this the legendary treasure trove of heaven and earth? This is ridiculous!! Why is no one picking up all these rare Heavenly Treasure on the ground?!

Li Fan was speechless. He didn't even use the Si Nan to cheat; he just randomly chose a direction, flew into the Lei Marsh for a while, observed the area, and then flew towards the place where the five-colored light was most dazzling and the jewels were most abundant.

Who knew there were treasures scattered all over the place? Every little thing you picked up would be a valuable item. Could it be that the Nangong Family didn't take this route? No, could it be that no one else takes this route? Or is this a trap?

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'That's not it. Exploring and finding treasures depends not only on luck but also on a certain affinity. These stones, plants, flowers, and fruits—those without discernment would simply fly right past them. But your chances of encountering treasure are a bit ridiculous. Did you perhaps perform a ritual on the land of Lei Marsh before you came here?'"

Ah, I've never worshipped the Earth God... but what about the Mountain God? Does that count as a bonus? He's got all five mountains and five elements maxed out, holy crap!

That's probably true. The further you go into Lei Marsh, the more obvious it becomes. Those Heavenly Treasure seem to be completely unguarded, all seemingly destined for Li Fan, crowding out from all directions for him to collect. To his left are spiritual fruits, to his right are precious jades, in front are divine trees, and under his feet is black iron. Even the Profound Heaven Sword Intent feels unbalanced.

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Back then, how arduous our cultivation was! We fought tooth and nail to seize Heavenly Treasure and break through realms! You obtained this far too easily!'"

Sigh, Sword Intent, take it easy. Think about it, Li Fan doesn't need these rare materials to break through his cultivation realm. So what are Heavenly Treasure cultivators are just useless trash to him.

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent is astonished... Are you speaking human language??'

Ahem, I guess I got a little too carried away. But it's not entirely useless; if used for alchemy, weapon crafting, and treasure making, it would be priceless!

If you don't accept what Heaven gives you, you'll suffer the consequences. Even if good things are offered to you, you should still accept them as a sign of respect.

So Li Fan cleared out another batch of trash, even throwing away the several large boxes of Divine Astral Coin in his Storage Jade. He should have about 20,000 strings left, which, at a place like Taiping Temple, would probably only be enough to buy a single leek from the chives he'd just encountered...

However, when he arrived at the first spiritual vein node on the map, marked with 'few spiritual materials nearby', Li Fan's Storage Jade was already almost full.

At least I finally met other cultivators. When normal people explore Lei Marsh, they usually go to the nodes of spiritual veins and energy points. After all, the chances of encountering treasures are greatest in such places, and they can also recover some energy on the spot.

Of course, this wasn't the first day that Lei Marsh had opened. The first spiritual vein node at the entrance had already been scanned by those who came in earlier. Li Fan used his Divine Sense to probe from afar and found that there was no longer any precious light near the spiritual vein. There were only five or six cultivators keeping their distance from each other, resting or exploring.

After all, this is within the Lei Marsh Swamp, and it's already quite a distance from the Central Valley. There are no Foundation Establishment among these people. Those cultivating near the spiritual veins now are probably just some low-level Golden Core cultivators, or slow-moving martial artists who can't fly, or unlucky souls who have already fought the first wave and are injured and unable to move forward.

Li Fan used his Divine Sense to perceive the aura, first locking onto one of the lone wounded individuals and flying straight towards him.

The other person was also wearing a veil to conceal their identity. They only realized what was happening when Li Fan's Sword Light was right in front of them. It was too late to escape. They stared at Li Fan with an expression of fear and anger, and spoke first.

"Fellow Daoist, my skills are inferior, and I failed to seize the opportunity. I only wish to recover and leave Lei Marsh. Please don't be so ruthless!"

Li Fan wasn't there to bully anyone; he just noticed that this person was injured and would run away at the slightest sign of trouble. That's why he approached him first and asked, "Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand. I just want to inquire whether you've encountered anyone from the Immortal Palace?"

"No, I didn't encounter anyone from the Immortal Palace. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave..." The other person turned to run away.

Then, Li Fan casually flicked a palm strike, forcing him back. "Don't be in such a hurry. Do you have any spare Storage Jade? Since you're leaving, you probably won't need it anymore, right?"

The rogue cultivator was shocked and on the verge of tears, "I've already told you, I haven't gained any opportunities, and you still want to rob me! This is too much! Take it if you want! Look! There's nothing here! A lifetime of cultivation is not easy, I just beg you don't kill me!"

The other party lost their temper and actually threw all their Storage Jade over. Sure enough, it was empty; it had probably been robbed multiple times. What a disaster...

However, Li Fan could use it to store quite a lot of things, so he was very satisfied. "Thank you, fellow Daoist. Consider this spiritual fruit in exchange for your Storage Jade."

The rogue cultivator was stunned. He had actually received a spiritual fruit, the kind that could replenish his spiritual energy. He subconsciously asked, "What do you mean? You're really not trying to rob me? What's your scheme?"

Li Fan ignored him and flew towards the other cultivators.

The others also Divine Sense that Li Fan hadn't killed the injured rogue cultivator, realizing he wasn't a murderous fiend but probably just there to exchange information. So they chatted with Li Fan for a bit and then understood.

This guy is such a spendthrift; he's actually here to exchange Heavenly Treasure for Storage Jade! Needless to say, that goes without saying!

The independent cultivators marveled at the incredible world, marveling at how such a bizarre and unpredictable opportunity could arise.

Li Fan also cleared out a bunch of junk and exchanged it for a large amount of Storage Jade before continuing towards the second spiritual cave.

Although none of these independent cultivators had ever seen the Immortal Palace, Li Fan still obtained some interesting information.

That is, there were quite a few demons mixed in with the people entering the marsh. Somehow, when they passed through the Middle Valley Dojo, they were not discovered by the True Person of Ink Bamboo Mountain. Instead, when they entered the marsh and began to compete for the Heavenly Treasure, they suddenly tore off their human skin, revealed their true forms, caught everyone off guard, and even robbed many Heavenly Treasure.

While there are occasional instances of groups robbing lone cultivators, this usually only happens in the heart of Lei Marsh Swamp when vying for particularly rare materials. There aren't many truly insane madmen who kill indiscriminately.

This time, however, a large number of monsters appeared in groups in the north. The disciples of the Three Great Sects and prestigious sects like Ink Bamboo Mountain had already penetrated deep into the heart of the region. The cultivators outside were powerless to fight against these monsters. After a battle, they gathered near the spiritual veins to protect themselves and dared not wander around alone in search of opportunities.

As Li Fan continued to explore the Lei Marsh, he discovered many traces of battles, and on two occasions, his Profound Heaven Sword Intent detected people fighting nearby.

However, Li Fan was too lazy to join in the fray. He didn't even have time to pick up his belongings, so why bother with these penniless rogue cultivators and monsters? In any case, his Divine Sense was only limited by his physical body; compared to a typical Golden Core cultivator, his detection radius was still many times larger. If he wanted to fight, he could simply slay the person with a single sword strike from beyond the heavens, and then fly for half a day to retrieve the corpse—it was simply not worthwhile or efficient.

So Li Fan took a roundabout route, avoiding the rogue cultivators along the way, and collected resources as he went, eventually arriving at the second spiritual vein.

The fighting among the independent cultivators here was even more intense. There was a spiritual Spiritual Spring in the spiritual vein, and there were also Spirit Stones in the spring. So some cultivators banded together and occupied the spring to go down and retrieve them. The others could only watch from the outside with resentment. It was obvious that a round of fighting had already taken place and the situation had become deadlocked. They were reluctant to leave and wanted to see what treasures had been revealed.

Li Fan observed the aura emanating from the Spiritual Spring, which was surprisingly abundant. He could see the spiritual energy rising into the sky from afar. However, the stones that the cultivators who had monopolized the Spiritual Spring had retrieved seemed to be nothing more than trash.

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'It seems that there was originally some kind of spiritual object blocking the spring, so the people in front got it first. These poor-eyed people who arrived later have gathered here to scoop up stones.'"

In fact, the best materials are not necessarily the brighter the luster or the more spiritual energy they possess. Most things born from heaven and earth have their own destiny, which is why they can be used in alchemy and weapon crafting to achieve the effects of embracing the universe, harmonizing yin and yang, and generating spiritual energy.

If you only look at the amount of spiritual energy and throw anything that sparkles or shines into the furnace, wouldn't it have exploded long ago?

This is what happens when you're a rogue cultivator without a solid foundation or lineage; you focus too much on immediate gains, missing countless opportunities without even realizing it. You might even bring trouble upon yourself that isn't in your destiny.

Li Fan, upon reflection, realized this was probably true. In fact, many of the valuable items he had collected along the way were unassuming and understated, possessing a restrained charm, rarely displaying outward brilliance. The reason these things were rare was perhaps because few people intentionally collected them; everyone was scrambling for the biggest and brightest treasures. But what use were they if you stole them? Without combining them with other materials for refining, were you going to eat them raw?

However, on the other hand, perhaps to these unorthodox cultivators who are not proficient in the five arts, the rare and precious treasures that the great masters of the Xuanmen sect consider to be nothing more than worthless trash?

Li Fan shrugged and continued to inquire about the Immortal Palace from the surrounding rogue cultivators. Of course, he wouldn't tell everyone he was going to hunt down the Nangong Family. He would only say that he had heard the Nangong Family was recruiting rogue cultivators Fourth Department, seemingly intending to take them on a western expedition to the Kun Country. He was eager to try and make a name for himself, so he wanted to take advantage of his trip to Lei Marsh to see if there were any people from the Immortal Palace there, and volunteered himself, and so on.

The Nangong Family has always liked to recruit rogue cultivators as thugs and cannon fodder; this is true of both Ink Bamboo Mountain and Tiantai Mountain. The news of the Divine Cult destroying the Kun Country has also recently spread and is very popular among rogue cultivators. Therefore, no one questions the veracity of Li Fan's words. On the contrary, when talking to him, many people feel that if Lei Marsh doesn't get any good opportunities, he could try his luck on the northern battlefield.

As a result, a large group of people suddenly gathered around Li Fan's side to chat, which made the group occupying the spring feel uneasy. They felt that Li Fan was trying to win over the surrounding rogue cultivators and conspire to seize the treasures in the Spiritual Spring from them.

Being from the underworld, their cultivation level wasn't great, but when they attacked, they were far more ruthless and decisive than ordinary people. Without even bothering to talk, they took advantage of Li Fan's conversation with the rogue cultivators, pulled out their magic weapons, and smashed them at his head.

Moreover, three swords and one blade were thrown at once. Although they were not flying swords, but rather swords and magical Magic Treasure, they were still sturdy weapons that shone brightly. They were slashing at Li Fan's neck, lower back, and calves respectively. The sword paused for a moment, probably preparing for Li Fan to jump up and dodge, so that it could pierce through his chest and launch a combo attack, catching him off guard.

However, Li Fan remained unfazed. He made a "Gold-Avoiding Technique" with his fingers and pulled, causing the three precious swords that were almost about to strike him to be instantly swept away by a whirlwind and violently pulled backward! They were no longer under the control of their master, clanging and clattering together like fan blades, and finally broke into pieces! The three swords were twisted into an iron ball! It fell to the ground with a clatter!

The cultivator by the Spiritual Spring, seeing this, still wouldn't give up! The sword behind him only paused for a moment, then suddenly the tip of the sword flickered, a cold light flashed, and it pierced straight towards Li Fan's back!

To everyone's surprise, Li Fan didn't even make a hand seal. He simply reached back and grabbed the sword in his palm, then with a flick of his fingers, he easily erased the Divine Sense from the sword's spine.

"Puff!"

Beside the Spiritual Spring, the leading rogue cultivator coughed up a mouthful of blood. His three henchmen, whose Magic Treasure had been damaged and whose primordial spirits had been shaken, were slumped on the ground, unable to recover for a while.

The rogue cultivators chatting with Li Fan finally realized what was happening. This sneak attack had truly caught them off guard, and they were all terrified, some jumping away hastily, others standing there dumbfounded.

Li Fan examined the sword he had snatched. These three swords and one blade were forged from refined gold. If it were an ordinary cultivator with an insufficiently solid Dao body, they would probably be torn to pieces on the spot. Even those with some cultivation would be seriously injured if they made a slight mistake.

"Your cultivation is profound! I admire you! We are inferior in skill! This Spiritual Spring is yours!" The leading rogue cultivator, blood spurting from his mouth and nose, spoke despite his severe Divine Sense, turning to the cultivators retrieving items from the Spiritual Spring and saying, "Let's go!"

When he turned his head back, he saw a flash of cold light before his eyes, and his head had already rolled off.

Li Fan stood by the Spiritual Spring, touching the blade of the sword. It could cleave a spine in two with a single strike; it was indeed a fine sword.

"You've already won! Why do you still want to slaughter them all—" shouted a rogue cultivator nearby.

Before he could finish his sentence, Li Fan had already unleashed his attack, slashing and hacking left and right. In a flurry of blows, he casually swung his sword several times. No one could even react, let alone parry. The dozen or so people who had been occupying the Spiritual Spring were wiped out in the blink of an eye, their shattered corpses falling into the spring and staining the clear water a bloody red.

Li Fan dipped the sword into the spring water to wipe away the bloodstains on the blade, then turned to look behind him.

"... I came in self-defense."

The group of rogue cultivators who had been chatting with him suddenly realized what was happening, and they were so frightened that they scattered in all directions, like crows flying in the sky.

Oh well, whatever...

In fact, when Li Fan was using the Qiongqi Dao Body, he discovered that he was already able to fight on equal terms with the elite leaders of the Three Great Sects, such as the Divine Sect.

Now that the Five Mountain Gods Body has been fully cultivated, its cultivation level completely surpasses that of its peers, and it no longer needs a flying sword to kill...

If all rogue cultivators at the Golden Core stage were at this level, there wouldn't have been any need to take the detour; they could have just fought their way through...

"According to the Profound Heaven Sword Intent, as I've already said, I didn't mean to look down on anyone. 'Trash' is just an objective and truthful assessment."