"All right!"
After Azure Dragon, who had taken the form of an old man in azure robes, urged him repeatedly, Ye Fei shook his head helplessly.
With a light push of his toes, he leaped up and easily picked all five fruits.
As soon as Ye Fei picked the fruits, the Spirit-Washing Tree withered and died again.
Looking at the Spirit-Washing Fruits in his hand, Ye Fei hesitated briefly before swallowing them one after another.
Just as before, the five fruits turned into five streams of juice the moment they entered his mouth and flowed into his belly.
This time, however, the juice was scorching hot. Once it entered his belly, heat began burning through his entire body.
As the burning continued, Ye Fei felt as though ten thousand ants were biting his body.
The sensation was agonizingly intense. Fortunately, Ye Fei had a firm will, or he would have long since groaned in pain.
At the same time, he could clearly feel the impurities inside his body being expelled through the pores all over his skin.
They formed a thin layer of grime on the surface of his skin.
By the time the burning sensation faded, the grime covering Ye Fei's body had accumulated into a thick layer.
It gave off a nauseating stench.
Seeing this, Azure Dragon swept his broad sleeve, sending a mass of clear water cascading over Ye Fei from head to toe.
It washed away every trace of grime on Ye Fei's body.
"How do you feel?"
Looking at Ye Fei, who seemed noticeably more invigorated, Azure Dragon asked with a smile.
"My body feels much lighter, and my perception has sharpened a little."
Ye Fei carefully assessed himself and replied with some delight.
"This was only the first time, so the effects won't be particularly obvious. In time, you'll understand the benefits of cleansing your spiritual root."
Azure Dragon nodded with a smile, then reached out and drew the storage pouch Liu Yishan had left behind into his hand. He handed it to Ye Fei and said:
"Although this is a low-grade item, it'll still be of some use to you. Take it for now."
Ye Fei did not stand on ceremony. He reached out to accept the storage pouch, then bowed respectfully to Azure Dragon.
"Come. I'll take you somewhere."
Pleased by Ye Fei's courtesy, Azure Dragon nodded, then transformed into a streak of azure light and vanished from the spot with Ye Fei in tow.
Ye Fei felt his vision blur, and the next moment, he appeared at the far end of the valley.
This was where two mountain peaks met. A waterfall seemed to tumble down from the celestial river in the highest heavens.
It fell into a pool roughly twenty zhang across, its dark green waters so deep that the bottom could not be seen.
Even from ten zhang away, they could feel the chill radiating from the pool.
Ye Fei's entire body shook, and he shivered.
That showed just how icy the pool was.
Behind the two of them lay a spirit field covering a full ten mu.
Apart from these, there was nothing else here. Not a blade of grass grew anywhere.
Yet as soon as he arrived, Ye Fei discovered that the spiritual energy here was overwhelming, its concentration more than five times that within the Free and Easy Gate.
"What is this place?"
Looking around, Ye Fei asked curiously.
"This is the Azure Dragon Pool. It's about a thousand zhang deep, with a top-grade spirit vein beneath it. The spirit vein beneath your Free and Easy Gate is merely at the lowest end of the middle grade."
"This waterfall is the Azure Dragon Waterfall. All the water flowing through it is rootless water formed in the clouds above. Irrigating a spirit field with it can accelerate the growth of spirit herbs. In this world, this is the only place with it."
"That is the Azure Dragon Medicine Field. Enhanced by a Time Formation, time flows there ten times faster than outside. It's the medicine field countless cultivators dream of obtaining."
Azure Dragon pointed to the three places and introduced each one to Ye Fei.
"Senior Azure Dragon, I imagine your reason for bringing me here isn't quite so simple?"
After listening to Azure Dragon's explanation, Ye Fei cupped his hands toward him and asked with a smile.
Although Ye Fei knew little about the cultivation world, Azure Dragon's explanation alone told him how extraordinary these things were.
Azure Dragon would never have brought him here without a reason.
Since he had brought him here, what he sought must be considerable.
"Ha ha!"
"You're no fool, young fellow. A promising pupil indeed, a promising pupil!"
"However, you've got one thing wrong. I'm not trying to get anything out of you. I want to make a fair trade with you."
Sure enough, after Ye Fei spoke, Azure Dragon laughed heartily and revealed his purpose.
"A trade?"
"I'm merely a mortal who has only just begun Qi Refining. What could I possibly have that would catch your eye, Senior Azure Dragon?"
Ye Fei furrowed his brows, unable to make sense of it no matter how he thought about it.
"Having nothing now doesn't mean you'll have nothing in the future."
"For now, all I need is a promise from you."
Azure Dragon spoke meaningfully.
"Please explain plainly, Senior Azure Dragon."
Ye Fei did not immediately commit himself, instead cupping his hands as he spoke.
He needed to understand exactly what Azure Dragon wanted him to do.
"It's actually quite simple."
"Once you ascend to the Upper Realm, all you need to do is help me recover my physical body. I ask for nothing else."
"As long as you agree to this condition, all these things will be yours."
"Besides that, once the task is done, I'll also give you a drop of my true dragon blood."
As he came to the heart of the matter, Azure Dragon's tone grew more serious.
"Senior Azure Dragon, how do you know I'll be able to ascend to the Upper Realm?"
"Even if I do ascend to the Upper Realm, how would I find your physical body?"
Ye Fei still did not agree and questioned him again.
"I can't guarantee that you'll ascend to the Upper Realm either. I'm simply taking a gamble."
"If you cannot ascend to the Upper Realm, none of this will affect you."
"However, even if you do ascend to the Upper Realm, recovering my physical body will take some effort. Your life may even be in danger."
"I'll tell you exactly what to do when the time comes. I can't say anything now."
"If you agree, we'll both swear a heavenly dao oath. If not, I'll send you out now and won't make things difficult for you."
"I've said all I have to say. The decision is yours."
Azure Dragon did not use his power to pressure him. Instead, he clearly explained all the benefits and drawbacks to Ye Fei.
"Is there a time limit?"
After a brief moment of thought, Ye Fei asked again.
"Within a thousand years of your ascension."
Azure Dragon barely hesitated. Evidently, he had already given it some thought.
"All right!"
"I'm willing to make this trade with you, Senior Azure Dragon."
Ye Fei nodded firmly and agreed.
The two then swore a heavenly dao oath on the spot, sealing the trade.
Ye Fei agreed to the trade because he knew that with his current aptitude, he could not get far on the road to immortality.
Even Foundation Establishment was beyond his hopes.
But with the help of these treasures, his road to immortality would stretch much farther.
Every additional step he took would be a gain for him.
"Senior Azure Dragon, why is your divine soul here?"
After swearing the heavenly dao oath, Ye Fei voiced the question on his mind.
"It's a long story."
"I possess an orthodox Azure Dragon bloodline and was the sole heir to the patriarch of the Azure Dragon Clan. Unfortunately, just after I took human form, before I could mature, I was attacked by a Yinglong that had evolved from a venomous serpent. My form and spirit were torn apart."
"Had I not carried the Azure Dragon Clan's Sacred Relic and used it to tear through the spatial barrier to reach this place, my divine soul would probably have been utterly destroyed long ago."
Azure Dragon sighed softly. As he looked back on the past once more, sorrow appeared on his face.
"If you had only just taken human form, why do you look like this now, so old?"
Looking at the aged Azure Dragon, Ye Fei asked in confusion.
"With my form and spirit separated, I lost the nourishment of my vital blood. After three thousand years passed, it was only natural that I would look somewhat old."
"In truth, surviving until now has already been difficult. The thousand-year trade I made with you is probably the limit of what this divine soul body can endure."
"If you cannot succeed, I'll have no chance of recovering."
Azure Dragon shook his head gently, helplessness showing on his face.
"Please rest assured, Senior Azure Dragon. As long as I, Ye Fei, successfully ascend to the Upper Realm, I'll do everything in my power to recover your physical body and help you achieve unity of form and spirit."
After hearing what Azure Dragon had suffered, Ye Fei felt great sympathy for him.
"Now that I have your promise, there's no longer any need for this Azure Dragon Valley to exist."
Azure Dragon sighed with emotion and surveyed the entire valley.
Before you continue