Hermit Cultivation and the Giant Spirit Tribe

Chapter 48: Secret Cultivation and the Earth Giant Clan

Jagged rocks stood in a forest that stretched for a million miles, rising toward the heavens in bizarre, twisted shapes. The region was devoid of all life, consisting entirely of boulders and crags. Located in the Far North, it lay millions of miles away from the North Abyss River.

Xuanji hid himself, sitting cross-legged amidst the stone forest, closing his eyes to circulate his energy and recover the mana he had expended. Ever since he had snatched the Void-Trapping Seal and the Blood Transformation Pearl from the very jaws of the Void-Trapping Old Ancestor, Xuanji had flown without pause until he reached this sea of stone, only then allowing his heart to settle. He could not afford to be careless; the Void-Trapping Old Ancestor was a cultivator at the early stage of the Profound Immortal realm! A mere flick of his finger would have been enough to crush Xuanji like an ant.

This had been an incredibly dangerous gamble. Had the Void-Trapping Old Ancestor reacted quickly and struck, Xuanji would have been severely wounded, if not killed outright. It was no different from dancing on the edge of a blade.

Although I damaged the Ancient Wild World this time, the harvest is so great that the cost is not even worth mentioning! Once the pristine source of the Blood Transformation Pearl is nurtured, it will become a Low-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. As for the Void-Trapping Seal, it can be refined for my own use, and it even contains all the Great Dao principles comprehended by the Void-Trapping Old Ancestor. This will provide unimaginable benefits for deducing Daoist techniques, divine abilities, and even perfecting the Ancient Wild World! After recovering his mana, Xuanji tallied his gains, his heart filled with boundless joy.

The benefits were truly immense.

Now that the Daoist techniques for the Loose Immortal Chapter are nearing completion, I must raise my cultivation as quickly as possible. His current cultivation was only at the early Hexu stage; even if the Loose Immortal Chapter techniques were perfected, Xuanji would be unable to practice them. He immediately settled down to cultivate. He placed the Blood Transformation Pearl within the Ancient Wild World to nurture itself; although blood energy could accelerate the process, Xuanji had no time to slaughter living beings to harvest it. As for the Void-Trapping Seal, a Low-Grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure, he left it to his Primordial Avatar to refine. At this moment, the Primordial Avatar's cultivation had just reached the peak of the early Earth Immortal stage and was on the verge of a breakthrough. While refining the seal, the avatar could also contemplate the Great Dao principles within it, which, when combined with the deductions of the Heavenly Dao, would allow his cultivation level to leap forward.

As he circulated the Hexu Chapter of the Eight Meridians Mystic Pole, streams of heaven and earth spiritual energy surged toward him, entering through his eight meridians. The speed was eight times faster than standard internal breathing techniques, and as his cultivation rose, the gap in efficiency would only grow wider.

In the Era of Giant Beasts, the density and abundance of heaven and earth spiritual energy had reached a terrifying level—ten times that of the beginning of the Primordial World. Even in this sparse stone forest, the energy was plentiful. Xuanji's original form was merely a common crab, and his cultivation efficiency was extremely high, surpassing even the human race of his previous life. He was not like the great gods of the Primordial World, whose original forms possessed extraordinary foundations. However, the amount of spiritual energy required for every breakthrough in his cultivation had reached a terrifying level. Yet, all things seek balance; there are pros and cons. Beings with poor foundations improve rapidly in the early stages but slow down significantly in the later stages, the exact opposite of the Primordial gods with deep foundations.

His twenty-four Inner Mansion Primordial Spirits worked at full capacity to absorb the spiritual energy and increase his mana. Despite the abundance of energy, cultivating twenty-four spirits simultaneously made the process quite slow.

He did not know how much time had passed, but Xuanji's cultivation gradually rose from the early Hexu stage to the peak of the Hexu stage. Immediately, he began to contemplate the Loose Immortal Chapter techniques in his mind. With the assistance of the Ancient Wild Heavenly Dao, it did not take long for him to grasp everything.

Once the Loose Immortal Chapter was set in motion, he immediately felt the difference. Not only was it ten times more profound and mysterious than the Hexu Chapter, but the efficiency of absorbing spiritual energy had also reached a terrifying level. Xuanji's twenty-four Inner Mansion Primordial Spirits began to circulate the Loose Immortal Chapter techniques in unison. His consciousness entered the body of Daoming (the main Primordial Spirit) within the Ancient Wild World, utilizing the Ancient Wild Heavenly Dao to comprehend various divine abilities: Five Elements, Wind and Thunder, Sowing Beans to Create Soldiers, Imprisonment Arrays, Soul-Binding and Spirit-Locking, Illusionary Transformation... he comprehended hundreds, if not thousands, of divine abilities one by one.

Just as Xuanji was cultivating his techniques and comprehending these abilities, the outside world was already brewing with turmoil, and a battle that would shroud the heavens was in the making.

Yin Yang and Mang Jun rode their clouds westward, passing through giant forests, deep ravines, mountain ranges, and rivers, traveling no less than a hundred million miles before they finally stopped.

Looking down, they saw a pitch-black swamp spanning tens of thousands of miles. The entire swamp was incredibly dark and as calm as a mirror. Occasionally, a light breeze would stir ripples across the surface, yet it appeared somewhat eerie, and an indescribable feeling welled up in their hearts.

"Big Brother, this Shadow Clan is truly strange. Their lair is actually a swamp. If I hadn't known, I never would have guessed it!" Yin Yang looked at the calm swamp below and couldn't help but laugh, though his heart was filled with wariness. If he were alone, he would never have dared to approach so closely. Among the six clans, while the Shadow Clan could not be called the strongest, they were certainly the most bizarre. Yin Yang reckoned that he would be severely wounded if he faced the Shadow Clan's master!

The Shadow Clan's physical cultivation was not strong; ordinary members only possessed the cultivation of the early Earth Immortal stage. The Shadow Emperor, their master, was at most at the early Heaven Immortal stage. However, their method of attack was extremely strange: they could manifest shadows that perfectly replicated the target's cultivation. An Earth Immortal could replicate a Heaven Immortal, and a Heaven Immortal could replicate a Profound Immortal. Although there were limitations, it was terrifying enough. Yet, against the other five clans of the Eastern Wasteland, it had little effect. For instance, the Illusion Clan could change into thousands of forms, and their shadows were naturally numerous. Manifesting a shadow required the Shadow Clan to expend mana and took time, making it impossible to use directly against the Illusion Clan. Yin Yang could also change his form; although not as well as the Illusion Clan, he could still counter the Shadow Clan, albeit with limited effect.

"The Shadow Clan? Heh, others may not know their origins, but how could I not?" Mang Jun looked at the pitch-black swamp below, smiling indifferently. His expression was calm, and his eyes flashed with a light that seemed to perceive everything, giving off a sense of confidence as if there were nothing in the world he did not know or could not accomplish.

"Big Brother knows the origins of the Shadow Clan? Might I ask what they are?" Mang Jun's words piqued Yin Yang's curiosity, and he immediately inquired.

The corners of his mouth curled up as he slowly spat out two words: "Shadow—Demons!"

Just as Yin Yang was about to say more, the swamp below suddenly underwent a massive change. The pitch-black mud formed a hundred-foot giant hand that soared into the air, reaching out to grab them. At the same time, a powerful pulling force acted upon them—it was the Shadow Pull. For a moment, neither of them could dodge, and the giant mud hand moved with incredible speed, arriving in an instant. Even if they broke free from the Shadow Pull, it would be too late to evade.

Upon seeing this, Yin Yang was stunned, a trace of terror appearing in his flaming eyes. The giant hand reaching up contained terrifying mana, even stronger than his own, already exceeding the limits of the peak early Profound Immortal stage, though it had not yet reached the mid-stage.

Mang Jun's expression did not flicker in the slightest. He raised the golden branch in his hand and gave it a light flick downward. Instantly, a golden light flashed, and the giant mud hand scattered, its mana completely dissipated. He possessed the demeanor of a true master, faintly exuding a sense that he viewed the Shadow Clan as nothing.

"A Low-Grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure? Who exactly are you?" A blurred, hoarse roar erupted from the depths of the pitch-black swamp. The entire swamp, spanning tens of thousands of miles, shook violently. Simultaneously, thousands of pitch-black mud faces surfaced—humanoid with a single horn, their expressions ferocious and vicious, some biting, some threatening, others grinning hideously!

"Is this how the Shadow Clan treats honored guests? If it weren't for me, the news of the Shadow Emperor condensing a God-Devil True Body would have already reached the ears of the five clan emperors, wouldn't it?" Yin Yang shouted angrily.

"Was it you, Yin Yang, who leaked that information? Since when have you been so kind as to help this Emperor? What exactly are you plotting?" The blurred, hoarse voice roared out.

"The Illusion Emperor stole from my Yin Yang Domain. I have come here to conspire with your Shadow Clan for a great cause. This is my Big Brother, Ancestor Mang Jun, whose cultivation is ten times my own." Yin Yang knew his own weight was insufficient, so he immediately introduced Mang Jun.

"Big Brother? I never knew that Ancestor Yin Yang had a Big Brother. Judging by the Low-Grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure in your hand, you must be related to those people!" The Shadow Emperor then addressed Mang Jun.

"Likewise, likewise!" Mang Jun smiled. Just as he was about to say something, his eyes suddenly shot toward the distant earth. He flicked the golden branch in his hand, and a golden light instantly tore through the void, striking hard against the flat ground. As the mud and stone exploded, a giant figure about ten feet tall emerged. It was earthy-yellow, as if built from soil and rock, covered in massive yellow stone slabs. Its eyes, nose, and ears were merely hollow pits. Most uniquely, it had no shadow, appearing as one with the earth.

"The Earth Giant Clan?" Yin Yang, Mang Jun, and the Shadow Clan were all stunned. The Earth Giant Clan was one of the six clans of the Eastern Wasteland, but their population was so vast they were spread throughout the Primordial World. They were the true largest clan of the Eastern Wasteland, claiming that as long as one was on the Primordial earth, one was within their control. Although this was a boast, it showed how numerous they were and how widely they occupied the land; the entire Primordial earth was the territory of the Earth Giant Clan.

Looking at the Earth Giant, even Mang Jun's brow furrowed. The Earth Giant Clan was terrifying; every Earth Giant possessed strength at the peak of the Heaven Immortal stage. However, they possessed the power of the earth, and their mana was almost inexhaustible. Furthermore, upon death, they returned to the earth, and another Earth Giant would be born and nurtured. Thus, the number of Earth Giants remained stable, neither increasing nor decreasing, yet they numbered no less than billions, trillions, or even quadrillions—truly terrifying.

"I truly did not expect there to be an Earth Giant here! It seems their reputation is well-deserved; even the Shadow Clan's lair is within their sphere of control!" Mang Jun sighed, then swung the golden branch in his hand without hesitation. A golden light tore through the void, instantly arriving before the Earth Giant and striking its body with a thunderous blow. In a single strike, it was smashed to pieces, and the Earth Giant scattered into soil and stone, covering the ground without even a chance to scream.

"The Earth Giants have low intelligence and are incredibly rigid. Their cultivation is useless against those who are agile and fast; they cannot land a hit. Only earth-elemental Daoist techniques and divine abilities are effective against them." Mang Jun was quite knowledgeable about the Earth Giant Clan.