Spiritual Land

"It really is a Spirit Land!"

"To think that a Spirit Land was hidden within the Cenji Mountains of North Qi! Could it be because it sits right next to the Ghost Mist?"

"This is no small matter. If this Spirit Land has always existed, we must relocate some of our family's elite to cultivate here!"

After Su Yuntian and He Rong stepped onto the island, they each began to circulate their cultivation techniques, breathing in and out. Soon, they cried out in astonishment.

The Fourth Realm is known as the Lower Realm precisely because the heaven and earth spiritual energy here is sparse, and furthermore, impure and chaotic.

This has always been a source of deep frustration for the Seven Great Families.

Rich and pure spiritual energy is an indispensable resource for all sects and factions, and the fundamental requirement for establishing a base of power.

In the entire Fourth Realm, one could not find another wonder like this Lake Heart Island, where the spiritual energy is so pristine.

The fragmented lands they inhabit, while broader than the territory of North Qi, possess spiritual energy that is relatively more concentrated.

Yet, the energy in those places is mixed with all manner of impurities and filth; after absorbing it, they must constantly cleanse and purify their own bodies.

They are desperate to send their children to the Upper Realms precisely because they know that sects like Red Mountain, the Galaxy Alliance, and the Blood Moon are all built upon Spirit Lands rich in pure energy.

Cultivating in such a place allows one to achieve twice the result with half the effort, and one's cultivation realm advances far faster than in the Lower Realm.

Who could have imagined that in the godforsaken Cenji Mountains, in a place so close to the Extreme North Boundary Wall, a Spirit Land would actually exist?

Seeing them all acting as if they had discovered a new continent, Pang Jian could not help but be stunned: "What is a 'Spirit Land'?"

"Practitioners in the Upper Realms categorize the wonders of the world into Spirit Lands, Forbidden Lands, and Divine Lands."

Luo Hongyan noticed Pang Jian's confusion and casually explained: "A Spirit Land, like this small island beneath our feet, possesses pure heaven and earth spiritual energy. It can grow exotic flowers and rare herbs, and has a certain probability of producing pure spirit stones. Furthermore, beasts living in a Spirit Land have a high probability of evolving into spirit beasts, awakening extraordinary wisdom and spirituality."

"Forbidden Lands are different."

"Forbidden Lands are permeated with filthy, alien forces, and this corruption is often far denser than spiritual energy. In such regions, if ordinary practitioners try to absorb spiritual power for cultivation, the result is counterproductive. Most of their time and energy is spent on cleansing the filth, and they cannot gather much spiritual power at all."

"Cultivating in a Forbidden Land also makes one highly susceptible to becoming possessed by inner demons, carrying immense risks."

"Likewise, the plants and beasts that roam Forbidden Lands are incredibly dangerous and filled with bloodthirsty traits."

"As for Divine Lands..."

When she mentioned this, the people from the Su and He families also stared at her, stunned.

Luo Hongyan's demeanor suddenly turned cold, and she said, "Such places are extremely rare; ordinary people rarely encounter them, so I will not speak of them."

Su Meng asked curiously, "Sister Ning, we have all heard of Spirit Lands and Forbidden Lands, but we have never heard of the concept of Divine Lands."

He Rong and Su Yuntian exchanged a glance.

It was their first time hearing that, beyond Spirit Lands and Forbidden Lands, there was such a thing as a Divine Land among the fabled blessed lands of the world.

Luo Hongyan looked up at the dim firmament, her gaze seemingly trying to pierce through layers of cloud to reach the Upper Realm of the Upper Realms, and said faintly, "When you are fortunate enough to go to the Second Realm to cultivate, someone will surely tell you what a Divine Land is."

"The Second Realm?"

Su Meng stuck out her tongue and said with a look of longing, "I have heard of the Second Realm, but I may not have such an opportunity. Being able to cultivate in the Third Realm is my dream goal."

"Having dreams is good."

Luo Hongyan smiled, then said to Pang Jian again, "You do not know how to harvest the exotic flowers and herbs here, so do not touch them for now. Once we have finished exploring this island, if we are still alive, I can teach you how to harvest them and trade them for spirit stones."

At these words, Su Meng finally noticed the flowers and grasses everywhere and exclaimed, "These flowers and herbs can be traded for spirit stones?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yuntian and He Rong immediately ordered their subordinates who had come onto the island not to touch the plants carelessly, and then began to observe them with great caution.

Soon, both men's eyes lit up.

They were also visiting such a Spirit Land for the first time. They had known that Spirit Lands contained rare and precious flora, but this was their first time seeing them; after some searching, they indeed found many rare items.

"The place where the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda fell must have an operator."

Luo Hongyan ignored them and kept her eyes fixed on the low mountain in the center of the island, frowning: "No matter where he was before, upon discovering that the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda had suddenly fallen, he would have rushed over to investigate."

As soon as she said this, the group, who had been immersed in the joy of discovering a Spirit Land, suddenly came to their senses.

Someone capable of controlling the "Heavenly Spirit Pagoda" to search souls on the island was undoubtedly a troublesome character who had to be treated with extreme caution.

"The cultivators of the Yin Spirit Temple mostly died at the southernmost end of the Cenji Mountains, yet the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda is in the far north." Pang Jian frowned, not bothering to pick the vibrant flowers, and walked forward slowly while gripping his Dragon-Patterned Spear: "The two places are so far apart."

"Before we entered, the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda must have been carrying the people from the Yin Spirit Temple, whistling across various parts of the Cenji Mountains. Given the speed of such an artifact, it wouldn't take long to roam the entire range." Luo Hongyan, who was following him, interjected as they walked:

"The Heavenly Spirit Pagoda may have flown into that canyon, or near it, and the people on the tower descended to look for something, only to die there by accident. The array built of loose stones in the canyon was already strange; it must have been what attracted the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda."

Pang Jian said, "That is a possibility."

As they spoke, they headed toward the low mountain, paying no mind to the Su and He families.

Flowers and grasses could be seen everywhere along the way, the branches and leaves of the trees were lush and green, and the air was filled with a fresh vitality that made Pang Jian's mind feel incredibly tranquil, evoking a strange sense of serenity.

Living and cultivating in such a place, even without a single spirit stone, would be far more efficient than struggling in other places.

No wonder the cultivation geniuses of the Seven Great Families all yearned to be scouted by sects from the Upper Realms so they could be taken to the Third Realm to cultivate.

Pang Jian thought to himself.

During the ascent, they did not encounter anyone, nor did they see any corpses or beasts.

This small island in the lake was filled with beauty and harmony, yet Pang Jian remained cautious throughout.

He believed that since there was a giant serpent in the Blackwater Pool and a massive beehive in the Insect Valley, this Lake Heart Island, which his father had listed as a forbidden zone, must surely have its own terrifying side.

No matter how beautiful it appeared right now, Pang Jian felt it harbored hidden dangers, merely waiting to reveal them.

Behind them was Su Meng, who had broken away from her family's group. The little girl was quite bold; ignoring her father's attempts to stop her, she had been silently following the two of them the entire time.

She didn't speak, her twin braids swaying as she walked, her eyes filled with curiosity as she stared at the pair.

A moment later.

On a low hill on Lake Heart Island, amidst a dense cluster of flowers, Pang Jian saw the White Tower parked from afar.

The Heavenly Spirit Pagoda was incredibly sturdy; despite its sudden fall, there were no obvious signs of damage.

Observing it from a closer distance, Pang Jian realized that this Heavenly Spirit Pagoda, originating from the Yin Spirit Temple, was actually quite tall. From far away, he had already sensed a frigid aura continuously dissipating from the tower.

That aura was the Profound Yin Power he was familiar with, only far more concentrated.

The Heavenly Spirit Pagoda seemed to be forged from the white bones of some giant creature. Beyond the frigid Profound Yin Power, a thick, lingering Sha Qi swirled around its perimeter.

As he scrutinized the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda, Pang Jian faintly heard the sounds of countless people clashing with blades and the wailing of lonely ghosts and wandering spirits.

"Don't get any closer."

Luo Hongyan spoke up suddenly. She gazed at the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda, her expression turning icy, and said:

"It is fortunate that this thing didn't fly; otherwise, if it were above our heads, it could forcibly extract our souls. The so-called Heavenly Spirit Pagoda actually refers to the act of pulling the soul out from someone's crown."

Once these words were spoken, those who were approaching from behind hurriedly stopped in their tracks.

Su Yuntian, concerned for his daughter, abandoned his plan to search the outskirts of the island and helplessly followed to grab Su Meng.

"We haven't seen the four people who arrived on the island first," He Rong said softly at this moment.

"Strange, why is there no one near this Heavenly Spirit Pagoda? The guy who controls it should have rushed over to investigate as soon as it landed, right?" Su Meng couldn't help but say.

"I'll circle around and take a look."

Knowing the strangeness of the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda, Pang Jian gripped his Dragon-Patterned Spear and circled around to the back of the White Tower.

That spot happened to be the highest point of the low hill.

Reaching a place with an open view, he could overlook all sides of the island from the hill and see the situation of the entire island clearly.

He looked toward the other end of the island, the place closest to the rolling mountains behind Wulan Lake, and discovered someone dressed in silk sitting blankly beside a massive well opening, as if silently waiting for something.

"Shangguan Qin."

After squinting to look closer, a look of surprise appeared in Pang Jian's eyes; he had not expected it to be that woman from the Shangguan Family.

Back at the Blackwater Pool, he had spent most of his time submerged underwater and was unaware of the situation outside.

He had only learned later that Shangguan Qin had been rescued by the monster named Ouyang Duanhai and had escaped the pursuit of the Dark Ghosts.

The Shangguan Qin before him had strangely appeared on this Lake Heart Island, guarding a well.

"She is not the master of the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda; she does not have the ability to control this white tower."

While Pang Jian was feeling surprised, Luo Hongyan, who had approached silently, also looked at Shangguan Qin at the foot of the hill and said, "That is not a real well, but... the impact point of the fourth Phoenix Bone."

Pang Jian looked again and discovered that the well Shangguan Qin was guarding indeed lacked well bricks or stones.

It must have been a Phoenix Bone that fell from the sky and plunged into the depths of Lake Heart Island, creating a massive hole that looked like a well from a distance.

Suddenly, he began to wonder if Shangguan Qin had also obtained a drop of Phoenix Marrow.

"Ugh!"

At this moment, Shangguan Qin at the foot of the hill finally saw the two of them. Like a startled bird, she hurriedly wrapped her clothes tightly around herself before waving at them.

When the two looked at her, she kept making gestures, signaling for them to leave immediately.

Her eyes were filled with terror, and she didn't even dare to make a sound, only urging them to leave quickly with her hand signals.

The two were confused.

Seeing them remain unmoved, Shangguan Qin grew increasingly anxious, gesturing repeatedly.

Yet, she still dared not make a sound.

"There must be something beside her. She is afraid that if she makes a sound, she will alert that thing."

Luo Hongyan calmly deduced the reason and said softly, "She doesn't dare to come over; it seems she knows she cannot go far. She is living in fear of some existence."

"That thing must be down in the pit!" Pang Jian said.

"Are you saying someone has snuck down there to search for the Phoenix Marrow?"

"Yes."

The two exchanged whispers, guessing what the current situation might be.

"That woman hates you because you gained the favor of the Blood Moon's Eye of Imprint; she wouldn't be kind enough to warn you. The Ning Family and their Shangguan Family have never had a good relationship, and she certainly wouldn't like me either."

Luo Hongyan's eyes were cold as she analyzed, "Logically speaking, she should want both of us dead."

"She keeps urging us to leave only because she feels we are no match for that thing. It is also possible she thinks that if we are killed, it will make that thing even stronger."

"Furthermore, she might be telling us to leave in the hope that we can find someone stronger to come here."