The Seven Disciples of Deer-Chasing Academy

Through his efforts over the past few days, he had captured two Golden Ginseng plants.

He had eaten most of the Blood Diamond Dogwood and schisandra berries.

He had even uprooted five Honeysuckle plants with a thousand years of medicinal age.

Xiao Tian planned to leave at dawn tomorrow. He had already ravaged most of the spirit medicines here.

Next, he would wreak havoc elsewhere. Once he grew stronger, he would find a way to return and steal the royal jelly. That was the true treasure, comparable to the Divine Monkey King's Monkey Wine.

Of course, he first had to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm.

When the time came, he would take the entire hive with him.

As for Xiao Tian's Sixth Calabash Brother body, he had led his junior brothers and sisters from Deer-Chasing Academy in feasting on that Primordial Remnant delicacy, helping them improve their cultivation.

Afterward, they followed the map the old dean had drawn himself. After searching for more than three days, they finally found the location of the Stalactite Cave.

Inside was Earth Spirit Milk, a treasure for cultivating the Earth Treasure Art. It could also cleanse the marrow and meridians, strengthen one's foundations and vital essence, and temper the physical body.

Back then, the dean of Deer-Chasing Academy had not been particularly gifted. It was precisely this Earth Spirit Milk that had allowed him to reach eight Heavenly Grottoes and raise his combat strength to the level of a Primordial Remnant. In the end, he had even broken through to the Spirit Transformation Realm in the Hundred Broken Mountains, which was how he had survived and made it out.

Those who survived a great calamity were bound to find blessings afterward!

When they had first been transported in, they had landed in the Divine Monkey King's territory, the eight-hundred-li Peach Blossom Forest.

Now, they had found the place the dean had told them about so quickly. Did this mean Deer-Chasing Academy would gain seven more disciples capable of forming eight Heavenly Grottoes-future kings of the Array Formation Realm who might even reach their dean's level?

Everyone was overjoyed. They watched Xiao Tian excitedly, not daring to act rashly as they waited for his instructions.

"The cave containing the Earth Spirit Milk is beneath that deep pool. Back then, the dean was being hunted and entered the water to hide. That was how he stumbled upon the Stalactite Grotto.

"I can sense that there's more to the depths of that pool than meets the eye. I'm afraid the dean truly had destiny on his side back then. It simply wasn't his time to die."

Xiao Tian gazed at the enormous waterfall in the distance, plunging three thousand zhang with a thunderous roar. The vast pool beneath it was even larger than Dongting Lake, which he had seen in his previous life. He did not believe for a moment that there was nothing strange lurking within it. Deep pools nurtured dragons.

Deep pools nurtured dragons; shallow ponds nurtured shrimp.

"Wait here. I'll catch a Savage Beast and test it out."

Xiao Tian spoke after giving it some thought.

"Yes, senior brother."

The seven disciples from Deer-Chasing Academy immediately answered obediently.

They understood their role very clearly. If Xiao Tian told them to go east, they would go east. If he told them to lie down, they would never stand up. They could not help much, but they would never hold him back.

Five hundred li away!

Xiao Tian soon reached the territory of a Blue Jade Tusked Rhino he had seen on their way here. It was a mutant Savage Beast at the Spirit Transformation Realm, probably the offspring of a Primordial Remnant and an ordinary Savage Beast.

It was twenty-three meters long and nineteen meters tall at the shoulder, its entire body covered in a horny layer resembling white jade. Its body was like a rhinoceros's, but it had two blue jade elephant tusks. Those blue tusks shone with a brilliant luster like eternal blue gold. On its nose were two flawless white jade horns, one long and one short, resembling mutton-fat white jade.

This mutant Savage Beast leaned toward the dual attributes of earth and water.

However, against Xiao Tian, it fell to just three punches. The blows left its whole body numb and briefly robbed it of the ability to move. This was the Treasure Art of the Sacrificial Spirit Silver Mountain. Its terrifying vibrational force could directly shatter the internal organs or even the brain, but it could also temporarily immobilize a target.

Then Xiao Tian lifted this colossal creature, carried it to the pool, and hurled it straight into the water from afar.

Splash-

An enormous column of water shot more than five meters high. Once the Blue Jade Tusked Rhino entered the water, it was like a fish back in its element and quickly regained control of its body. It let out a terrified howl and charged desperately toward the shore.

Boom!

The lake's surface burst apart again. A Flood Dragon that looked carved from blue crystal surged out of the water. Its single horn gleamed as though cast from feathered azure gold. It also had a pair of foreclaws, and its scales resembled the most exquisite works of art, sparkling beneath the sunlight with a flowing, watery sheen.

The Flood Dragon was more than forty meters long and as thick as a countryside mill roller. Clouds and mist swirled around it as it rose. Within the haze, its winding, coiling figure appeared and disappeared. Its eyes shone brilliantly like two lamps, striking terror into the soul.

Roar-

The Blue Flood Dragon was furious at having its slumber disturbed. It was already merciful enough not to trouble others, yet some Savage Beast that did not know whether to live or die had dared provoke it.

This was a powerful Primordial Remnant that had already entered the Inscription Realm.

Eight hundred years ago, it had been nothing more than a little snake. Eight hundred years later, after gaining a few fortunate opportunities, its bloodline had reverted to its ancestral form, making it a Primordial Remnant. An elder ancestor of this small world had also taken a liking to it. Having cultivated until now, it could hold its own.

That was chiefly because it had earned merit by presenting a treasure, allowing that old Flood Dragon at the King-Sealing level to live several hundred years longer.

Unfortunately, no treasure's effects were limitless. After several doses, it no longer worked on that old Flood Dragon.

While the Blue Flood Dragon roared and vented its displeasure, the Blue Jade Tusked Rhino was so frightened that it did not dare move.

The next moment, the Blue Flood Dragon opened its enormous maw. A surge of watery mist swept out and formed a vortex. In the process, the Blue Jade Tusked Rhino rapidly shrank until it was swallowed directly into the dragon's mouth.

After doing all this, it surveyed its surroundings and peered into the distance before plunging back into the pool, showing no sign of leaving.

Far away, the seven disciples of Deer-Chasing Academy hid behind a great mountain, trembling so badly that they did not even dare breathe loudly.

Fortunately, Xiao Tian had possessed the foresight to test the waters. Had they gone straight in to investigate, they would already have ended up inside that terrifying Blue Flood Dragon's belly.

Speaking of which, where was Xiao Tian?

Deer-Chasing Academy's Xiao Tian was the Sixth Calabash Brother body, commonly known as the invisible brother. He had already walked through the void and entered the pool. Following the route from which the Blue Flood Dragon had emerged, he indeed found the Stalactite Grotto nearby. However, the Blue Flood Dragon had clearly consumed the stalactite milk, leaving little in the shallow puddle.

Fortunately, an eight-hundred-year-old precious medicinal plant grew beside it: Golden Fox Nut.

Fox nut was a plant known as "ginseng of the water." Its fruit was its most distinctive feature, resembling a chicken's head, which earned it the name "chicken-head fruit"! Still, people preferred to call it "ginseng of the water"!

Xiao Tian took all the milk directly. Altogether, there was only enough to fill about six mineral-water bottles.

He left the golden ginseng of the water untouched for now. It was certain to bear the Blue Flood Dragon's mark. That was common knowledge.

Every Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure was bound to have a guardian beast beside it.

He had initially even planned to take a bath in the milk.

Hmm!

There was another discovery. Xiao Tian walked through the void, following the vine to find the melon as he traced the milk back to its source. To his surprise, he found a stone lotus. In other words, the source of the Earth Spirit Milk was actually this Stone Lotus, naturally born and nurtured by heaven and earth.

The Stone Lotus was white as jade, pure and flawless, crystalline and translucent, with light flowing across it. It had thirty-six petals, was the size of a washbasin, and grew atop an earth vein.

Xiao Tian hesitated no longer. He dug it up directly and stored it in the Heavenly Grotto between his brows.

Once that Stone Lotus entered the Heavenly Grotto between Xiao Tian's brows, it actually took root directly in the purple qi, floating in midair.

At the same time, Xiao Tian received its intent to acknowledge him as its master. This treasure could help others transform, shedding their old selves and remaking their bones. In theory, the lower their cultivation, the better its effects.

This was an Earth Lotus Treasure Ground. In feng shui terms, a great dragon had formed its resting point here. The incoming dragon vein was guarded by layer upon layer of landforms on either side, extending to a lesser ancestral mountain before breaking across a gorge. A towering Greedy Wolf lesser ancestral peak rose there; to the right beyond the gorge, its flanking mountain soared like a banner, while on the left, a protective vein curved back from the lesser ancestor. It was an exceptionally noble formation.

When Xiao Tian had gone out to survey terrain in his previous life, a feng shui master had said something like that. Back then, he had only half believed it. Yet now that he recalled those words, wasn't the terrain here precisely as described?

Moreover, among auspicious feng shui sites, such places were also particularly suitable for burials.

Of course, in this world, terrain like this had nurtured a Flood Dragon. And the most precious thing of all was this Earth Treasure Lotus.

The treasure lotus lay within the mountain's heart, its splendor concealed, with the natural terrain masking it as well. Had Xiao Tian not followed the earth-vein spring out of curiosity, he would truly have missed this treasure.

A small lotus pool had naturally formed where the treasure lotus grew. It contained enough Earth Spirit Milk to fill three bathing tubs, and naturally, he took it all.

Xiao Tian left without a sound. The whole process had not taken long-the interval during which the Blue Flood Dragon had angrily rushed out, thrown its weight around, eaten the Blue Jade Tusked Rhino, and returned had been enough.

He had slipped through that gap in timing. The Blue Flood Dragon had just returned to the water when it sensed that its spirit medicine had been picked. It immediately rushed back and discovered that even the Earth Spirit Milk, its delicacy of which barely a mouthful had accumulated, was gone. Some damned thief had plundered its home! It flew into a frenzy and burst out of the water again, venting its rage on everything around it.

Fortunately, it knew that after no more than a nap of three to five months, Earth Spirit Milk would flow out again. After making a racket for a while, it went back to sleep.

Meanwhile, Xiao Tian had already gathered the seven disciples of Deer-Chasing Academy into his hands and fled once more. They had pulled off a big score, and this was no place to linger!

He found somewhere to stop and gave the seven disciples two bottles of Earth Spirit Milk to enjoy. After all, the dean had said that he had received less than half a bowl back then, yet it had already transformed him completely.

As for Xiao Tian, he actually felt that this substance would probably only replenish his energy and divine essence. As for shedding his old self and remaking his bones, he could forget about it.

Within his current cultivation level, he was already monstrously powerful. What Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures could still transform the very foundation of his being?

Still, soaking in it should be fine. At worst, if it no longer worked on him, he could return and let the War Goddess continue soaking in it. It would certainly benefit her.

As for Xiao Tian himself, he was pure as ice and spotless as jade. His precious physical body was flawless and unsullied, perfectly clean. Drinking it while soaking in it would pose no problem at all.

At the location of his Da Wa body.

Rumble!

The earth trembled and the mountains shook. The immense, towering stone mountain looked ready to collapse. Everyone who had rushed inside had suffered, and only Huo Ling'er had gained anything, bringing out an egg.

In their words, it was a Demon Cave, not a Divine Cave at all. The Wolf God had once laid out a trap there to slaughter intruders, refine them, and turn them into nourishment for its offspring.

Unfortunately, time had passed, and seas had become mulberry fields. Though the great formation was ingenious, flaws had still appeared, allowing Huo Ling'er and the others to escape with the Venerable-level Treasures they carried.

That was why Xiao Tian had been reluctant to enter. There was nothing to gain, and it was a nasty trap.

A mere Wolf Egg was not worth his attention.

Even if he wanted a pet, he would take a Nine-Nether Ao and have it serve as his Howling Celestial Hound.

He remembered that the Immortal Academy in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had a Nine-Nether Ao.

The existence of someone as terrifying as the World-Destroying Elder proved that the Nine-Nether Ao possessed the most terrifying potential among the Ten Fiends.

(End of chapter)