Jiang Zhu walked silently through the area, while Little White Tiger lay obediently on his shoulder. It knew full well the peerless grace of that female immortal, and man and tiger quietly departed.
Before long, they reached a place untouched by dust. Jade-like medicinal fields stretched everywhere, filled with swathes of Treasure Medicine whose radiance mingled, making the Immortal Valley seem even more transcendent and sacred.
Among these ancient herbs were many medicine kings. Taken together, they would be even more precious than a divine medicine.
Countless Treasure Medicines of every variety dazzled the eye, treasures covering the ground.
Every ancient herb shimmered with flowing colors, brilliant and dazzling. There were also many withered medicine kings, their luster gone, lying on the ground. The vital essence they released nourished this place.
Jiang Zhu transplanted some medicine kings into the Demon-Refining Pot, digging up portions of the jade-like medicinal fields as well. Before long, the medicinal fields within its space were fully planted.
He stopped, transplanting no more Treasure Medicine. There were already over fifty medicine kings within the space, along with countless Treasure Medicines.
With the various medicine kings planted, the space inside the Demon-Refining Pot was now filled with heady fragrance and veiled in mist. A single breath could extend one's life by several years.
Although Jiang Zhu had transplanted quite a few medicine kings, compared with this entire medicinal field, they amounted to no more than a Nine Oxen and One Hair. He had no greedy desire to dig them all up, either. If he triggered some unexpected change, the loss would outweigh the gain.
Besides, there was currently no water source within the space. He did not even know whether the spring water from the outskirts of the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains could sustain so many Treasure Medicines.
Afterward, he harvested all the ripe Medicine King Fruits in the area, collecting quite a few seeds along the way in hopes of growing them later.
After walking a little farther, Jiang Zhu saw a small pagoda lying on the ground, its entire body like purple diamond. Lustrous purple energy glimmered around it, balanced and peaceful, without the slightest trace of killing intent.
"?!!!"
Jiang Zhu was utterly shocked. Wasn't this pagoda supposed to be where the Quasi-Emperor had spilled his blood? And shouldn't it contain world-shaking killing intent?
He stepped forward to examine it. The Purple Pagoda stood half a meter tall and exuded an ancient, majestic aura, with all manner of immortal light swirling around its body. It truly bore no Quasi-Emperor divine blood.
Jiang Zhu used his divine power to set the Purple Pagoda upright. After examining it carefully, he confirmed that it was indeed an Extreme Dao Original Embryo.
"Could it have been Crocodile Ancestor? He actually managed to get this far with an incomplete Terrain Map." As Jiang Zhu pondered, he asked the White Tiger Divine Medicine whether anyone had entered recently.
Little White Tiger thought for a moment before replying, "A while ago, there was a ding-ding-ding sound of metal being hammered. It woke me up, and then you appeared." It had not seen anyone else.
Jiang Zhu understood. It could only have been Crocodile Ancestor. Otherwise, the Divine Mark Purple Gold Pagoda had lain in this area for over ten thousand years without making a sound. Someone must have controlled it in battle recently.
As for Crocodile Ancestor, he was certainly dead by now. Surely he could not have withstood the Great Emperor Killing Formation head-on?
And Crocodile Ancestor had even delivered an enormous windfall to him. Had Crocodile Ancestor not triggered the Emperor Formation, the formation spirit would not have awakened, and Jiang Zhu would not have been drawn into the formation. He would not now be able to move freely through this area, and there would have been no immortal medicine, no Extreme Dao Original Embryo with the killing intent of the Quasi-Emperor's blood worn away, no countless Treasure Medicines...
For a moment, Jiang Zhu truly wanted to thank Crocodile Ancestor from the bottom of his heart. What a good man!
At first, he really had not expected to gain so many opportunities. Although there had been some twists along the way, including being seized by the formation spirit, overall it had been frightening but harmless.
Jiang Zhu put away the Divine Mark Purple Gold Pagoda. There was no way he would turn down an opportunity delivered right to his door.
Had he known he could obtain the Purple Pagoda, he would have chosen a pagoda as his Sole Weapon. The Extreme Dao Original Embryo Gu Xin'ao had forged had quite a fine design.
Now, however, he would first have to melt down this Extreme Dao Original Embryo, then refine it into his divine markings.
But he was merely a lowly Dao Palace Cultivator. How could he possibly melt immortal gold?
Jiang Zhu tried using the Demon-Refining Pot to melt the Divine Mark Purple Gold Pagoda. To his surprise, it actually worked. Although the Demon-Refining Pot was primarily used to refine and extract Demon Clan bloodlines, it could also refine artifacts. It was just a little slow.
Jiang Zhu was in no hurry. At this rate, it would melt completely in about a year, and then he could fully incorporate the divine mark purple gold into his weapon.
Before long, Jiang Zhu sensed an intense unwillingness in the distance. At the same time, the killing intent kept growing stronger, like needles pricking his back.
He understood that ahead lay the place where Gu Xin'ao's descendant, that unnamed Quasi-Emperor, had spilled his blood. Before dying, the Quasi-Emperor had fought against the Great Emperor Killing Formation, so even his remains contained intense killing intent.
The path ahead was no longer passable. Even a Dao-Slaying King would struggle to endure a Quasi-Emperor's killing intent. With his current cultivation, he absolutely could not walk through it.
Jiang Zhu used True Spirit Transformation, turning into Nine-Leaf Sword Grass. One of his leaves bore the formation spirit's brand, allowing him to enter and leave the formation freely. He then rooted himself on Little White Tiger's head and let it take a detour.
Although Slaughter Formations covered this terrain, the Source Emperor's methods had also provided a pure land where divine medicines could survive.
The White Tiger Divine Medicine darted through the Emperor Formation. Before long, it had skirted the Quasi-Emperor Corpse Ground and reached a stone forest, where they unexpectedly saw a man seated cross-legged on an azure jade stone, his appearance solemn and dignified, immortal energy swirling around him.
Wisp after wisp of terrifying aura emanated from his body, overwhelmingly oppressive. Each weighed more than ten thousand jun, bearing down like a range of demonic mountains.
Little White Tiger was startled by the terrifying aura that suddenly appeared. Then it discovered that this Great Sage was already dead. Only an object within his body remained brimming with vitality, breathing immortal light in and out and making the corpse seem as though it still lived.
It stopped and looked up at Jiang Zhu on its head, as though asking what to do.
Jiang Zhu shook his leaves, asking Little White Tiger to place him within the safety line. At the same time, he sent out his thoughts, seeking to communicate with the Great Saint Weapon Deity.
Within the safety line, he had nothing to fear, even if the Great Saint Weapon attacked.
Jiang Zhu kept offering the Great Saint Weapon Deity various reasons to communicate, such as collecting the Great Sage's remains, carrying on his legacy, or caring for his descendants. The deity gave no response.
Only when Jiang Zhu tentatively mentioned that he could later resolve the Earth Spiritual Vitality Siphon by the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains did the Great Saint Weapon Deity respond.
It turned out that this Great Sage had been an Earthling in ancient times. Precisely to halt the Heaven and Earth Deterioration, he had sought to enter the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains and retrieve the hope of becoming an immortal.
But the Immortal Ascension Ground Formation had proved too powerful and terrifying. The Emperor Formation had slain him here, and his final obsession had been to eliminate the root cause of the Heaven and Earth Upheaval and restore Earth's spiritual vitality.
The Great Saint Weapon Deity had also noticed that the two plants before him had emerged from inside the Great Emperor Killing Formation, and that one of them was even an immortal medicine. Only because they might be able to resolve the problem had he responded to Jiang Zhu.
Having learned of the Great Sage's lingering obsession, Jiang Zhu replied through his thoughts, "Once I have attained success in cultivation, I will return here and eliminate the root cause of the Heaven and Earth Deterioration."
This would be easy enough. Ye Fan would definitely return to Earth. As long as Jiang Zhu had him make a trip to Kunlun, the problem could be solved.
After the Great Saint Weapon Deity received Jiang Zhu's promise, the Human Great Sage's corpse seemed to undergo Dao Dissolution, turning into wisps of light that vanished between heaven and earth.
At the same time, a divine lamp manifested.
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