Earth Immortal Path

A powerful aura descended, and Liu Yuanchen felt as though the spiritual power and vital energy within him had frozen. Even his thoughts became sluggish.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the Immortal Seed shone brilliantly and transformed into the form of the Ginseng Fruit Mother Tree.

The oppressive sensation instantly diminished by more than half. His vital energy and spiritual power resumed circulating, and his thoughts fully recovered.

He checked his injuries. Both hands had only been bitten a few times by Azure Spirit Bees; he had not been struck by their venomous stingers.

A green figure descended from the sky and landed beside Liu Yuanchen.

The green figure glanced at him. "You're quite interesting, kid. You actually held out until now under the swarm's siege, and you even withstood my aura."

Having escaped death, Liu Yuanchen could hardly suppress the joy in his heart.

After calming himself down, he raised his eyes to examine the green figure beside him.

The man wore the standard green Daoist robe of an Azure Elixir Sect disciple. He stood over eight feet tall and was exceptionally burly.

His arms were especially long, like an ape's. Saying that his arms reached past his knees would not have been an exaggeration.

He had a square face and looked to be in his thirties. His loose hair was somewhat disheveled, and a streak of white hair hung at his temple.

This man's aura was far stronger than that of Zhang Yi, the Elixir Hall Master Liu Yuanchen had seen before.

The cultivator shouted toward Songyun Peak, "You bastards from Shennong Hall, your Azure Spirit Bees injured a disciple of my Elixir Hall.

"If you don't give me an explanation, I'll flatten Songyun Peak."

His voice was not harsh, but it carried overwhelming intimidation and penetrative force.

In the distance, birds resting in the trees were startled into flapping about chaotically.

Liu Yuanchen wiped the mud and grass from his face, then bowed. "Thank you for saving me, Senior. May I ask if you are Hall Master Zhao?"

This man claimed to be from the Elixir Hall and possessed formidable strength. He could only be the mysterious Deputy Hall Master of the Elixir Hall, Zhao Hong.

The man corrected him, "I'm Zhao Hong. Just call me Deputy Hall Master. I don't like flatterers."

Liu Yuanchen bowed again. "Elixir Hall disciple Liu Yuanchen greets Deputy Hall Master Zhao."

Zhao Hong glanced at him. "You're Liu Yuanchen, the one who produces high-quality pills in every batch?"

"Yes, this disciple is."

Zhao Hong studied him carefully. "I heard that a pill-refining genius had appeared in the sect, so I was planning to return and see for myself. I didn't expect to run into you here.

"You've also exceeded my expectations. You cultivate the Bloodsteel Secret Art, which consumes an absolutely terrifying amount of vital energy, yet your blood and qi haven't been drained dry. On the contrary, they're remarkably powerful.

"It seems your inheritance is anything but ordinary!"

At those words, every hair on Liu Yuanchen's body stood on end.

He had thought that cultivating the Blood-and-Qi Tempering Technique would conceal the issue of his powerful vital energy. He had not expected that a true expert would still see through it.

The joy of surviving the disaster vanished without a trace.

He had just witnessed Zhao Hong's strength.

A massive swarm of Azure Spirit Bees had been knocked unconscious by a single roar from him.

If someone like this became greedy and tried to seize Liu Yuanchen's opportunity, Liu Yuanchen would likely have no chance of survival.

Seeing cold sweat bead on his forehead, Zhao Hong could not help laughing. "Don't be afraid, kid. Your vital energy is powerful; perhaps the Guiding Technique attached to that secret art is rather sophisticated.

"I have no interest in a mere Guiding Technique."

Hearing this, Liu Yuanchen relaxed slightly.

Zhao Hong saw through his concerns. "Your blood and qi are truly extraordinary. You're fine material for the Earth Immortal Path.

"However, that Bloodsteel Secret Art has major flaws.

"Resources in the Red Wasteland are scarce, and replenishing vital energy is difficult.

"Once you consume too much, your foundation will be ruined.

"Use astral-force secret arts as little as possible. As for the Guiding Technique, you can practice it more often. It will bring considerable benefits to your cultivation."

Liu Yuanchen pretended not to understand and bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, Deputy Hall Master Zhao. But what exactly is the Earth Immortal Path?"

He was not entirely pretending to be ignorant.

His understanding of the Earth Immortal Path came entirely from Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's teachings.

The teachings mainly discussed how to open Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, with very little mention of anything else.

Now that he cultivated the Earth Immortal Path, he was completely feeling his way across the river by touching the stones.

Since he had learned that the Earth Immortal Path actually existed in this world, he naturally needed to understand it properly.

Zhao Hong looked somewhat surprised. "Could it be that what you obtained was not an Earth Immortal Path inheritance, but a Physical Body Path inheritance?"

"This disciple does not know. I only happened to obtain an astral-force secret art that included a Guiding Technique."

At this, delight appeared on Zhao Hong's face. "Merely cultivating the Bloodsteel Secret Art has given you such powerful blood and qi.

"It seems you really are fine material for the Earth Immortal Path.

"You're also quite gifted in alchemy. I'm almost tempted myself.

"Find somewhere quiet. I'll explain the Earth Immortal Path to you."

Liu Yuanchen was overjoyed. This Deputy Hall Master Zhao had only noticed that his blood and qi were powerful and that he cultivated an astral-force secret art.

He probably had not noticed that Liu Yuanchen had opened a Blessed Land Embryo or cultivated the Heaven-Reaching Divine Wood Technique.

Rumor had it that Deputy Hall Master Zhao's origins were mysterious. He presumably possessed an exquisite inheritance.

A trifling astral-force secret art was probably beneath his notice.

Moreover, Zhao Hong had taken a liking to his talent, so the chance of him resorting to murder had greatly decreased.

With that thought, ninety percent of Liu Yuanchen's worries disappeared.

"The place shrouded in clouds to the east is this disciple's cave abode. Please come and rest there for a while, Deputy Hall Master Zhao."

Zhao Hong nodded slightly, then noticed the Azure Spirit Bees scattered across the ground.

He suddenly stomped his foot. A powerful burst of force swept outward along the ground, sending the Azure Spirit Bees—dead or alive—flying away.

He then took out a rather strange storage pouch and collected all the Azure Spirit Bees inside.

The Azure Spirit Bees that had been burned to death remained lying on the ground.

"Shennong Hall's Azure Spirit Bees injured a disciple of my Elixir Hall.

"If they don't offer compensation, I'll use these Azure Spirit Bees as drinking snacks."

The burst of force Zhao Hong had displayed was extremely unusual. It was clearly different from spiritual power, yet somewhat similar to Blood Astral Force.

"Deputy Hall Master Zhao, did you use Astral Force for that technique?"

"That was indeed Astral Force, but it differs from your Blood Astral Force."

The two arrived outside the cave abode's defensive formation, and Liu Yuanchen activated it.

Zhao Hong did not step forward. Instead, he carefully sniffed the air.

Then he cursed furiously, "Those grandsons from Shennong Hall really did deliberately try to murder a disciple of my Elixir Hall.

"Bee-Luring Powder was scattered outside your cave abode. As long as someone hid the queen bee, the swarm would be lured here.

"Azure Spirit Bees possess a little intelligence, but not much.

"As long as someone approaches the cave abode, the swarm will assume that person captured the queen.

"Once you attacked and killed some Azure Spirit Bees, drawing their hatred, things became even livelier."

"It was the Chen Household that wanted to kill me. Deputy Hall Master Zhao, can this Bee-Luring Powder be preserved?"

Zhao Hong shook his head. "No. Once Bee-Luring Powder is refined, it completely dissipates within one or two Shi Chen.

"The Bee-Luring Powder here has already almost entirely dissipated. I can only detect a faint scent."

Liu Yuanchen felt somewhat regretful. If the Bee-Luring Powder could be preserved, it would prove that someone had attempted murder.

The sect would use every possible method to investigate the matter to the end.

Without the irrefutable evidence of Bee-Luring Powder, they could not use ruthless methods like soul searching on sect disciples.

At most, they could make whoever guarded the spirit bees pay with their life. It would be impossible to use this matter to deal a heavy blow to the Chen Household.

Having finally encountered someone who understood the Earth Immortal Path, Liu Yuanchen naturally had to ask thoroughly.

After inviting Zhao Hong into the cave abode and taking their seats, Liu Yuanchen asked, "Deputy Hall Master Zhao, what exactly is the Earth Immortal Path?"

Zhao Hong smiled. "Explaining the Earth Immortal Path is a long story.

"I'm not one of those Academy instructors. I don't want to waste too many words."

Liu Yuanchen found this strange. "What is an Academy? And what is an instructor?"

Zhao Hong waved his hands repeatedly. "Don't ask. Just thinking about my days at the Academy gives me a headache.

"The Red Wasteland is merely a remote region of this world. The world outside is vast.

"If you never leave the Red Wasteland, there are many things you simply cannot understand.

"I'll only explain the Earth Immortal Path to you. As for the other things connected to it, I can't explain them clearly either."

After hearing this, Liu Yuanchen formed a guess.

Everyone said that Deputy Hall Master Zhao's origins were mysterious. It now seemed that he had probably come from beyond the Red Wasteland.

"The world we live in is called the Origin Spirit Realm.

"In the Origin Spirit Realm, the Human Race has three paths of cultivation.

"They are the Earth Immortal Path, the Divine Path, and the Qi Refinement Path."

"The path cultivated here in the Red Wasteland is the Qi Refinement Path.

"The Qi Refinement Path values spiritual power while also cultivating the physical body and soul.

"The result of trying to develop everything is mediocrity in everything.

"Only the greatest geniuses can achieve anything through it.

"Moreover, once one reaches a certain realm, breaking through will bring Heavenly Tribulation."

"The Earth Immortal Path was developed from the Physical Body Path and still centers on the physical body.

"Although its cultivators also cultivate spiritual power, they merely treat it as auxiliary energy.

"They use spiritual power to strengthen their blood and qi, then condense Astral Force from their blood and qi.

"Their methods of battle also primarily rely on Astral Force."

Liu Yuanchen asked again, "Cultivating Astral Force consumes an enormous amount of vital energy and requires vast quantities of spiritual materials to replenish it.

"Ordinary cultivators likely cannot even gather enough cultivation resources. How has this cultivation system been passed down?"

Zhao Hong nodded. "That is indeed the case. Heavenly treasures are always limited.

"The Earth Immortal Path consumes so much that, if it relied solely on heavenly treasures, its inheritance would have died out long ago.

"To make up for the lack of resources, the sages thought of many methods.

"Some cultivated spirit plants themselves to meet the needs of their cultivation. They were the forefathers of Spirit Apothecaries.

"Others combined multiple lower-grade spiritual materials to achieve effects no worse than those of heavenly treasures. They were the forefathers of Alchemy Masters."

"There were also experts who reduced the consumption of spiritual materials by improving cultivation methods.

"Some of them improved Astral Force, transforming the Blood Astral Force you cultivate into the Origin Astral Force I used earlier.

"Others took a different path, using spiritual qi and Earth Vein Baleful Intent to temper their bodies, producing greater amounts of blood and qi.

"These methods were too crude, so those sages kept seeking ways to improve them.

"They created spiritual items such as artifacts to serve as energy-conversion tools, transforming spiritual qi and baleful intent into energy that the human body could directly use.

"After continuous exploration, along with certain ancient secret arts acquired from hidden places, they learned how to open Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands.

"Using treasures as foundations, they opened Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, relying on the entirety of those Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands to transform baleful intent and spiritual qi.

"The achievements of these two groups combined to form the present Earth Immortal Path."

Liu Yuanchen's heart stirred. The Earth Immortal Path of the Origin Spirit Realm truly also cultivated Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands.

However, the Earth Immortal Path of this world used the Physical Body Path as its foundation.

Opening Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands was also for cultivating the physical body more effectively. It was not the same as Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's Earth Immortal Path.

With an expression of clear, innocent foolishness in his eyes, he asked again, "Then what are Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands?"

Zhao Hong greatly enjoyed the eager thirst for knowledge in his eyes. "A Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land is an independent space.

"This space has no direct passage to the Great World of the Origin Spirit Realm. Only energy flows between the two worlds.

"You can also regard a Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land as an immature world."

"To open a Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, one needs a treasure to serve as its stabilizing anchor and enough spiritual qi to replenish it.

"Therefore, before opening a Blessed Land, one must first use one's essence, qi, and spirit to nurture a treasure.

"It may be an artifact or a spirit plant, but it must possess extremely strong potential for growth.

"The location where a Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land is opened must be within a Spirit Nexus.

"Only then can it obtain sufficient spiritual qi to provide energy for the growth of the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land."

"For cultivators of the Earth Immortal Path, a Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land serves a role much like an Immortal Seed.

"However, Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands have greater potential for growth and can absorb many more types of energy.

"Apart from being unable to move, they are far stronger than Immortal Seeds."

Liu Yuanchen was delighted. Though the Earth Immortal Path of the Origin Spirit Realm differed from the Primordial Earth Immortal Path, there were still similarities when it came to Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands.

Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's teachings were far more profound, but they were also difficult to understand, and Liu Yuanchen had comprehended only a limited amount.

During his future cultivation, he could fully draw upon the Earth Immortal Path of the Origin Spirit Realm to make up for what Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's teachings lacked.

"Then how do Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands grow?"

Zhao Hong answered, "Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands are divided into three grades. Immediately after being opened, they are Spirit Realms.

"A Spirit Realm has not yet produced a Spirit Vein within it and is extremely unstable.

"If the Spirit Nexus connected to the Spirit Realm develops a problem, the Spirit Realm may also be destroyed.

"Once a Spirit Realm produces a Spirit Vein, it becomes a Blessed Land.

"If a Blessed Land is to grow quickly, it still needs the Spirit Nexus to provide spiritual qi. However, it is no longer easily affected by the outside world and is already relatively stable.

"A Blessed Land can advance further into a Grotto-Heaven.

"Once it reaches the level of a Grotto-Heaven, it becomes a world capable of existing stably.

"Even if the Spirit Vein outside is completely destroyed, it will not have much effect on the Grotto-Heaven."

"There are two ways for Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands to grow. The first is natural growth.

"After a Blessed Land is opened, even if it is completely ignored, it will still absorb spiritual qi and grow slowly.

"As for its growth limit and growth speed, those involve many factors.

Spirit Veins and Spirit Nexuses, treasures that suppressed Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, as well as the cultivation level and physical strength of their masters, all affected their growth limits and growth speed.

The natural growth of a Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land was exceedingly slow. If left alone, a Spirit Realm would be unable to grow into a Blessed Land even after several thousand years.

Even Earth Immortal Path cultivators lived somewhat longer, but they still could not afford to wait that long."

"There was another method that could speed up the growth of a Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land: the method of fusion."

Liu Yuanchen was puzzled. "Didn't you say Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands were isolated spaces? How could they fuse with other Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands?"

Zhao Hong chuckled. "The method of fusion does not fuse fully formed Blessed Lands. It fuses Spirit Nexuses.

After establishing a Spirit Realm, one can select other Spirit Nexuses along the same Spirit Vein and use Dharma artifacts or other spiritual treasures to suppress them.

Using a secret art to guide the Spirit Realm, it expands toward the chosen Spirit Nexus.

In the end, the Spirit Realm devours the selected Spirit Nexus.

This way, a Spirit Realm that originally had only one Spirit Nexus will possess two Spirit Nexuses.

The spiritual treasure used to suppress the Spirit Nexus must be closely connected to the treasure that suppresses the Spirit Realm.

Otherwise, the secret art cannot be performed, and fusion will be impossible."

"Earth is Kun. All six lines of the Kun hexagram are yin lines, and the number of yin is six. A Spirit Realm must possess six Spirit Nexuses to become a Blessed Land."

"Heaven is Qian. All six lines of the Qian hexagram are yang lines, and the number of yang is nine. A Blessed Land must possess nine Spirit Veins to become a Grotto-Heaven."

Seeing Liu Yuanchen listen with rapt attention, Zhao Hong was quite satisfied. "For you, it is still too early to discuss Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands.

Even opening a Spirit Realm requires cultivation at the Spirit Platform Realm.

Otherwise, one's essence, qi, and spirit will not be strong enough to nurture the treasure that suppresses the Spirit Realm.

Although your Immortal Seed is somewhat lacking, the Earth Immortal Path does not have high requirements for Immortal Seeds.

Once you leave the Red Wasteland in the future, you may not be unable to open a Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land."