Chapter 72

If it were before, Shen Duheng, a cultivator from out of town, coming to this place to rent Spirit Plant garden would have attracted a lot of attention.

Now, there are refugees everywhere, and he, disguised, blends in seamlessly among them.

He went to the Spirit Plant garden he had chosen in advance and rented it for twenty years at three times the usual price. Then he hurriedly planted the wood sprout that Shan Heyuan had transformed into in the best piece of superior spirit field and watered it thoroughly with spirit spring water.

After planting the seed, Shen Duheng dared not leave or close his eyes, and sat cross-legged beside it, keeping watch.

He could sense the life force within the buds, yet he remained worried.

The tree bud sprouted tender green leaves on the third day after it was planted.

That leaf, like the hem of a skirt, looked incredibly beautiful.

The Spiritual Power released when the buds sprout is even more abundant and pure.

Shen Duheng immediately sensed that the wooden sprout that Shan Heyuan had transformed into was at the Spirit Transformation stage.

The buds sprouted leaves, Shan Heyuan was still not awake.

Shen Duheng carefully poured the prepared spiritual liquid onto him.

Thanks to Shen Duheng's previous planting experience, he was not flustered when planting the wood buds that had transformed from Shan Heyuan.

With chaos outside, they can't find peace here either.

Because many cultivators from other places had flocked to the area, two more groups of people sneaked into Shen Duheng's Spirit Plant garden within a month.

Shen Duheng level was high enough that he beat the man half to death and handed him over to the Law Enforcement Team. After that, the news probably spread, and no one dared to mess with them anymore.

Shen Duheng lived a quiet life with Shan Heyuan.

After guarding it for more than two months, one early autumn morning, as the breeze rustled through the tender leaves of Shan Heyuan, his leaves trembled. "It's getting a little chilly."

Shen Duheng was meditating nearby, and upon hearing this, he immediately came over. "You're awake?"

"It's awake." The tender bud trembled and peeked to the side.

Shen Duheng reached out his hand, and the tender bud immediately pressed against it.

Shen Duheng's heart, which had felt empty for so many days, was suddenly filled. He gently touched the leaf and asked, "How are you feeling now?"

Shan Heyuan carefully considered the situation. "I'm not used to it. I can only move the leaves slightly, and then scan the surrounding environment with my Divine Sense."

After saying that, Shan Heyuan added telepathically, "It seems they can't detect my Dantian anymore. It feels like being Spirit Plant and being a human are two completely different systems. I'm still adapting."

Shen Duheng: "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Or is there anything you need?"

Shan Heyuan had been waiting for these words, and upon hearing them, he immediately replied, "Yes! I need water and fertilizer. I feel like I'm severely lacking in both. If I can get enough water and fertilizer, I should be able to enter a period of rapid growth right away!"

Shen Duheng took out the Fertilizer Pill, spiritual liquid, and spiritual spring water stored in his storage ring and placed them next to Shan Heyuan.

With Shan Heyuan's roots emerged from the soil, directly wrapped around a Fertilizer Pill, and absorbed it on the spot.

After finishing the Fertilizer Pill, he dipped his roots into the spiritual spring water and drank a small portion of it, just like someone drinking a beverage. After finishing the spiritual spring water, he rolled up the Fertilizer Pill again.

Shen Duheng stood beside him, his eyes full of smiles.

After absorbing the energy for a while, Shan Heyuan finally recovered somewhat.

He tossed the leaf aside and transmitted his voice to Shen Duheng, saying, "My own self-refined Fertilizer Pill and Spirit Liquids are still the best. Now I finally understand why those people all like my Fertilizer Pill so much."

Shen Duheng: "Is this enough? If not, I'll go buy some more."

After assessing the situation, Shan Heyuan said, "The first stage should be enough. Once I can transform into human form, I'll go with you to buy it. That way, I'll know exactly what I need."

Shen Duheng pinched his leaf. "When will you transform?"

"With enough Fertilizer Pill and Spirit Liquid, two or three months should be enough," Shan Heyuan explained. "I am currently Spirit Plant, and I need soil fertility to grow. Fertilizer Pill and Spirit Liquid cannot replace soil, so I still have to be planted in the ground."

Shen Duheng: "I know."

After discussing their own problems, Shan Heyuan couldn't wait to ask, "How's it outside? Are there many cities dying recently? Has the death toll slowed down?"

Shen Duheng shook his head. "Not only has the situation not slowed down, but the number of dead cities has increased. I received a secret letter three days ago, stating that there are currently 624 dead cities in the entire cultivation world, and the number should have increased in the last two days."

"So many!" If Shan Heyuan hadn't been planted in the ground, he would have jumped up in shock. "What's the reaction from the top sects?"

Shen Duheng: "They are gathering supplies and consolidating their forces, only allocating a small number of personnel to guide the sects in and around the Dead City in dealing with the city's deaths."

At this point, Shen Duheng's expression became very serious. "The cultivation world is riddled with deep-seated problems, and death seems unavoidable."

Shan Heyuan: "Won't things get chaotic outside? Even so, the major sects aren't taking any effective measures? Gathering resources—even if they gather enough resources, if the entire cultivation world dies, the extinction of humanity will only be delayed by a few thousand years."

Shen Duheng: "Precisely because the cultivation world doesn't die out all at once, most people gradually accept that life will become difficult, rather than trying their best to survive. It's like boiling a frog in lukewarm water; everyone is a frog, preferring to be boiled slowly rather than being burned to death instantly when the pot is broken."

This is actually the worst-case scenario.

If the end of the world were to suddenly arrive, everyone would fight to save it.

But since it was dying slowly, everyone had their own opinions.

We still have several thousand years to live. It's better to stockpile resources and cultivate slowly than to squander our fortune on saving the world.

Otherwise, if we squander our wealth and resources, the world can't be saved, while our rivals are still thriving.

Wouldn't that be like being ripped off?

Thinking of this, Shan Heyuan shook the leaf with a hint of helplessness.

Shen Duheng gently pinched his leaf and said, "Don't think about it anymore, let's talk about it after you recover."

Shan Heyuan: "I will try my best to recover as soon as possible."

That's what they say, but it's actually not that fast.

Plant growth requires a process.

Shan Heyuan has become a pure plant and can only obediently follow this process.

However, compared to before, it's still better now that we can finally use external items like Fertilizer Pill, Spirit Liquid, and Spirit Gathering Formation.

Shan Heyuan woke up, Shen Duheng's mood improved.

Since he didn't need to keep a close eye on Shan Heyuan, he hired people to collect information from various continents, then brought it back and analyzed it with Shan Heyuan.

The seven top sects have been entrenched in their respective sects for too long, and have become somewhat corrupt and decadent. Now, suddenly facing a crisis, each sect has fallen apart, and public order has deteriorated significantly.

The world is in chaos, and things may become even more difficult for ordinary cultivators under such circumstances.

This is actually a good thing for him.

Ji Li was injured by the Heavenly Tribulation and was too busy to take care of herself to have any energy left to cause trouble for them.

Ji Li's lackeys have also decreased significantly.

As a result, there were virtually no more arrest warrants issued against them.

Next time they go out, they can simply disguise themselves, and there shouldn't be any major problems.

Upon learning this news, Shan Heyuan's motivation became even stronger.

He needs to recover as soon as possible and go outside for a change of scenery.

Although he lost his physical body this time, he found a way to transform into Spirit Plant, and his understanding of the "Way of Cultivation" has reached a new level. Once he successfully transforms into human form, his cultivation will definitely improve further.

All in all, after all this trouble, his cultivation progressed much faster than usual, so it was a blessing in disguise.

Chapter 72

After growing in the spiritual soil for more than two months, Shan Heyuan was finally able to take human form.

After transforming, he looked at his arms and then at his legs, and said to Shen Duheng with emotion, "It feels like my human form is something from a past life."

Shen Duheng rarely saw him in human form, and when he did, his eyes flickered, and he was filled with emotion.

Shan Heyuan opened his arms to him. "Want a hug?"