Chapter 535: Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom's Quest For Treasure
Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu then left the lost garden of the immortals. They intended to leave the Wood Realm but only made it through several mountain ranges before a series of loud explosions shook the entire realm.
"What is that?" Lan Yunzhu looked over at a certain direction.
There was an unbelievable tree that seemed to be covering the entire Wood Realm.
Li Qiye looked at the tree that was growing bigger and bigger to pierce the heavens and narrowed his eyes to say: "The Simple Precious Tree…? It wants to risk it all?"
In the beginning, Lan Yunzhu didn't recognize the tree since, right now, it was even bigger than normal. It was as if this tree was unleashing all of its potential to become even stronger.
"What is it trying to do?" Lan Yunzhu asked with surprise.
"Keep watching." Li Qiye responded with a smile.
Lan Yunzhu and Li Qiye then rushed to the area of interest and found that more than thousands of experts were already there. All of them were the strongest masters of the great powers inside the Wood Realm, and there were even ancestors.
All of them watched with a serious expression as the Simple Precious Tree took root on top of a mountain range with its gigantic body as if it was a drill piercing the surface. It seemed to want to penetrate this mountain all the way down to the core.
"Bang—bang—bang!" It attacked with one strike after another, causing the ground to shake and others to worry about whether it would collapse or not.
Lan Yunzhu looked at the tree that was trying to reach down to the core and whispered: "What does the Immortal Kingdom wish to do?"
Li Qiye replied: "They are trying to find a certain something, an item that the Immortal Kingdom had always desired."
"What is this item that they desire?" She then remembered a certain legend had been spreading across the Sacred Nether World for a very long time now. This prompted her startling exclamation: "Could it be the other half of the method for everlasting life?"
"If there really was such a method in this world, then I would definitely be the first one to go and seize it." Li Qiye smiled and continued: "It would still be worth it even if I had to kill gods and immortals in the process!"
Lan Yunzhu was taken aback for a moment before regaining her senses to ask: "What is it then, if not a method for everlasting life?"
In the Sacred Nether World, there had always been rumors of the Immortal Kingdom having one half of a method for eternal life.
"This is something that Immortal Emperor Di Yu had wanted for a very long time now." Li Qiye answered: "I have to start from the beginning. In the past, the emperor obtained something really incredible from the Prime Ominous Grave. Later on, he mulled over it and realized that this thing was not complete. Thus, he wanted to come back to the grave. However, as the emperor, he had lost his chance for another grave opening, so he couldn't complete it."
"Later on, the Immortal Kingdom had always been searching for it. Alas, it was to no avail." He smiled at this point and continued: "Before, they were mistaken, but now they became smarter and realized a couple of things."
Lan Yunzhu looked at the tree drilling into the mountain and asked: "Can the tree find it?"
Li Qiye nodded and said: "They had searched all five realms and now they have gotten to the right spot in this Wood Realm." He then gazed over at the gigantic tree and said: "If the tree can break through the last fortified rock barrier of this vein, then it can take root in the deepest part of the earth. Without any unforeseeable circumstances, the Immortal Kingdom will be successful. The heavens did not let down those who tried after generations of searching; they will finally obtain it."
"Rumble!" Explosions emerged one after another as the tree continued to attack the earth while the experts that were watching all held their breaths in anticipation. They understood that the Immortal Kingdom was looking for something incredible underground, so some of them had devious thoughts.
"Boom!" After another deafening blast, the earth was penetrated with a trembling blow. Dense worldly energy rushed out from the ground like a waterfall.
"Did they do it?" A group recognized something as they suggestively glanced at each other.
"Roar!" At this time, while people were still lost in speculation, the roars of phoenixes and dragons appeared. The surging worldly energy from the ground had faint images of true dragons and immortal phoenixes. Although they were not the real deal, they did exude the divine aura of these mythical beasts.
And at the same time, a golden light shot up as if countless specks of golden sand were spewing up high, painting the sky yellow.
"An immortal item is coming into being!" Someone shouted after seeing this scene unravel.
In this split second, several hundred shadowy figures rushed towards the penetrated earth with lightning speed. They were all great characters from sects and countries and took advantage of the tree breaking through the ground to steal this treasure then flee.
"Woooosh!" However, before they could make it to the gigantic crater, the Simple Precious Tree swung its branches that resembled divine rods at a swifter speed than them.
"Ahh!" Shrill screams emanated as blood spurted everywhere. The sudden onslaught from the tree took these experts by surprise as they couldn't evade the attack.
"Whoosh!" Space suddenly fluctuated while these experts were being attacked. A shadow as fast as a flood dragon with incomparable speed rushed forward with an unstoppable momentum. The shadow's steps were impeccable as it evaded all the branches from the tree in order to rush underground for the treasure.
Feeling this invincible aura, many people became discolored and some even uttered: "A great power's ancestor!" The eruption of this invincible aura made people realize that even an old undying from a great power could no longer sit still and personally took action to seize the treasure.
However, right when this person was near his goal, another blast resounded. A huge hand came down from the Simple Precious Tree. This palm sealed the heaven and earth as a terrifying emperor's talisman came from it to stop everything within its grasp.
"Boom!" The shadow that was rushing down the hole became aghast. It quickly raised its hands to block the gigantic palm. In just a flash, the world collapsed with ear-splitting blasts. The shadow was blown away as his blood spewed out like a rainbow.
This shadow lost in just one move and slammed into a mountain, causing it to shatter. Because of the heavy injury, this person gave up on the treasure and quickly fled the scene.
Meanwhile, the owner of the gigantic palm on top of the Simple Precious Tree ignored the escapee and withdrew their hand as the tree infiltrated the earth.
"The Immortal Kingdom also has an ancestor with them!" Although the crowd couldn't see the person on top of the tree, they quivered after feeling the presence of that hand.
Earlier, a great power's ancestor couldn't even withstand one blow and had to escape in defeat, so everyone realized that an ancestor from the Immortal Kingdom had come into being and personally came.
Thinking about a lineage at the level of the Immortal Kingdom left everyone shivering. Although no one knew why its ancestor personally came, it was a sect with two emperors; its ancestor must be a terrifying existence much greater than ordinary ancestors from the great powers. The kingdom's ancestor was surely a legendary master or an eternal existence.
The golden light became brighter and brighter as everyone just stared at the tree proceeding downward. No one dared to try anything sneaky at this moment, no one even went closer to watch.
With the Immortal Kingdom's ancestor present, everyone felt a chill. Even experts from the other emperor's lineages didn't dare to make a sound.
"They are all scared now." Li Qiye laughed at this spectacle: "With an ancestor presiding over this excavation, it would be useless for anyone else to make a move unless a lineage like the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom or Myriad Bones Throne shreds all pretense of cordiality to start a war with the Immortal Kingdom."
Lan Yunzhu agreed as well. Any great power would have to think it over carefully when there was an ancestor from the Immortal Kingdom at this place. Even emperor's lineages would not carelessly start a conflict with the kingdom.
Li Qiye smiled and shook his head to say: "Come, the show is over." Then, the two of them left the Wood Realm for the Water Realm.
Lan Yunzhu wanted to meet up with the river sect's elders, but the moment they arrived at the Water Realm, a protector from the sect contacted the two of them then quickly ran over.
Seeing Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu, the protector quickly reported: "Young Noble, Yunzhu, the sect master and the elders are no longer in the Water Realm, they went to the Fire Realm."
"To the Fire Realm?" Lan Yunzhu asked: "Sect Master found the Diamond Carp's nest already?"
"We didn't only find it…" The protector was very excited when this matter was brought up: "We had a great harvest and obtained many treasures. This time, we obtained a great fortune for our river sect!"
535 Teaser Simple Precious Tree [collapse]Chapter 536: Jadewater Queen
"Outside of the many treasures in the nest, did you guys find anything strange in there?" Li Qiye quickly asked.
"There was, indeed, something strange. We found this particular place, but the masters and elders couldn't figure out its mysteries. There was surely something strange going on there." The protector answered: "But our Thousand Carp River took pretty much all the treasures in the nest, causing many great powers to become riled up, so the higher ups decided to temporarily avoid any trouble. They went to the Fire Realm to figure out the situation, but if there is nothing there, then we'll leave the Prime Ominous Grave. The sect master was afraid that you two would come to the Water Realm to find us, so he ordered me to stay behind to inform you."
This was a great harvest for the Thousand Carp River, but this also attracted the envy and jealousy of many other great powers, so the sect decided to go to the Fire Realm to have one last adventure. If they didn't find anything there, then they would just leave the grave since they already had spectacular gains this time.
Li Qiye then asked the protector once more: "What was this place like?"
The protector answered: "It was a very big pond, and very strange looking at that. Walking into the pond would give birth to illusions as if the person had gone to a different location. The sect master said that it might not be an illusion. It was very hard to return after entering. The deeper one goes, the harder it is to come back. The sect master and elders couldn't see through it, so they decided to temporarily leave."
"Then I'll go take a look." Li Qiye stroked his chin while pondering for a bit before making up his mind.
The protector quickly advised: "I'm afraid that won't be a good idea. There are many people from the great powers there at that place. Even imperial lineages like the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and the Insect King Imperial Lineage were present. They felt that we didn't take the most important treasure and that there were more to find in that place."
"That is the reason why we should go." Li Qiye responded with a grin.
"There was also another strange event." The protector added: "We didn't find the Diamond Carp. We followed it and took the majority of the treasures, but we didn't see any traces of it at all. After entering the nest, it suddenly disappeared, which is another reason why the great powers thought that we left behind the best treasure. The sect master and the elders also felt this way, but they still decided to retreat."
"The Diamond Carp was gone?" This took Lan Yunzhu by surprise since it was not a small fish, it was the size of a mountain. For such a fish to escape would not be very easy.
The protector shook his head and answered: "It was as if the carp disappeared into thin air. We searched the entire nest but we didn't see it."
"All the more reason for me to go." Li Qiye said as he narrowed his eyes while smiling.
The protector was quite worried and tried to convince him: "I'm afraid that once Young Noble goes there, the great powers who already hate us, such as the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground, won't treat you too well."
Many great powers were annoyed with the Thousand Carp River taking all the treasures in the Diamond Carp's nest. Some of them actually wanted to steal these treasures but were beaten down by the river sect. This deterred some of those with malicious intent from acting any further.
"So what?" Li Qiye nonchalantly said: "Those who block my path… shall be killed without mercy!"
The protector could only smile wryly after hearing Li Qiye's domineering statement. But then, he remembered that back at the Snow-shadow Tribe, Li Qiye killed tens of thousands of ghosts so he believed that Li Qiye could actually do so.
"Protector, go to the Fire Realm and inform my master that we are going to that place." Lan Yunzhu said.
The protector then looked at them once more and didn't try to stop them any longer. He bid farewell and went to meet up with the sect master.
Li Qiye then told Lan Yunzhu: "We'll go now. Maybe there will be something I need there."
The Diamond Carp's nest could actually move. Now that one though about it, it was strange since the nest was sealed by the Thousand Carp River. After being cleaned of all its treasures, the nest still stayed there at sea in the same spot even after the river sect had left.
The nest was a huge gulf in the shape of two hands hugging each other, causing the ocean water to form a small pond.
Its outer layer was formed by mountains and in the middle was a cloud-piercing peak that faced the pond. Many caves were right under this peak.
The river sect's treasures came from these series of caverns. When the river sect took all the treasures was when the other great powers finally arrived.
At this moment, although the river sect had left, many great powers still remained, including emperor's lineages such as the Titanic Crescent Sacred Ground and the Insect King Immortal Lineage.
Many sects camped on the highest peaks for several days, but they still failed to unravel the mysteries within.
Today, a great character came to the highest peak, rejuvenating the initially dejected great powers.
"The Jadewater Queen is here!" Someone uttered: "Maybe the Jadewater Queen will be able to see through the mysteries inside."
Everyone gazed at a golden palanquin slowly ascending the mountain. On the palanquin was a woman wearing a phoenix dress — regal and full of eminence. This woman possessed a kingdom-toppling beauty that did not diminish her royal prestige. Her dignified gaze commanded respect from all spectators.
Someone sighed and spoke when she appeared: "The queen of the Charming Spirit race."
The transcendent and wonderful Jadewater Queen came from the Charming Spirit race. Providence itself had determined for her to be extraordinary.
She was the ruler of the Jadewater Country, the purest Charming Spirit country in the entire Sacred Nether World. It could be said that the majority of Charming Spirits all gathered in this particular country.
Charming Spirits had two places to go in the Sacred Nether World: the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom in the southern Distant Cloud or the Jadewater Country in the western Green River. Unlike the Immortal Kingdom, the Jadewater Country consisted of purely Charming Spirits while the kingdom had both humans and Charming Spirits living together.
Among the four great domains of the Sacred Nether World, outside of the southern Distant Cloud, the other three domains were all ruled by ghosts. The Jadewater Country was in the Green River, a place still dominated by the ghost race.
In this domain, not to mention the seclusive clans, there were monstrous existences like the All-Eras Ancient Kingdom and the Insect King Immortal Lineage. As for the great powers, there was the Kingdom Of Gods and the Zen Ghost Tribe among others; they were all part of the ghost race.
How could one let a stranger sleep in their own bed? The entire Green River could be described as the ghost's world, but the Jadewater Country was established there and stood strong for millions of years. Some said that this country was even older than the Simple Mountain Immortal Kingdom!
Such a thing was difficult to imagine in this location, but after knowing that it was a country of Charming Spirits, people came to accept it easier. Although they might be few in number, the majority of these spirits were cultivating geniuses.
They were the favored children of the heavens. In this world, when it came to talents, aptitude, and understanding of the grand dao, no race was comparable to the Charming Spirits.
There was a belief in the Nine Worlds: the Charming Spirits are natural geniuses and could cultivate much easier than the other races. While others require ten years to reach a particular realm, the Charming Spirits only needed five years or less!
Keep in mind that back in the Desolate Era, the first Immortal Emperor was Gu Chun, who came from the Charming Spirit race. This was such an ancient era, yet the Charming Spirits were already able to have an Immortal Emperor. One could easily imagine how heaven-defying this race must be.
The Jadewater Queen's arrival caused the great powers next to the pond to become quite spirited. A sect master spoke: "Perhaps the queen's divine reflection will be able to explore this strange pool."
Charming Spirits were very similar to humans in appearance, but they had something that the human race was without — the divine reflection!
The divine reflection was a natural gift of the Charming Spirit race. Some people said that this was bestowed to them by the heavens since they were the favored children. This saying made sense because, due to their divine reflections, they were more suitable for cultivation compared to other races.
Although the divine reflection was inherent at birth, they needed to cultivate to a certain realm before it awakened.
After the awakening, these spirits would become geniuses among geniuses in cultivation, similar to a tiger being given wings.
The magical properties of these divine reflections contributed to their abilities to comprehend the dao and understand the void. They were capable of examining the changes of nature and sensing the heaven and earth!
Imagine that, when these spirits were cultivating, they didn't need to learn the profundities of the dao since they had their divine reflection. With it, any complex and profound merit laws would suddenly become simple. This was the reason why it was so easy for Charming Spirits to cultivate any merit law.
However, the benefit of divine reflections was more than just this. Due to the incredible nature of these divine reflections, the Charming Spirits were special.
The crowd became excited, hoping that the Jadewater Queen's divine reflection could see through the void of this old pond. This old pond was very strange and no one could see through it. Several great characters had gone inside, but not a single one of them came out.
"I heard that the Jadewater Queen is unfathomable. When shined on by her divine reflection, even Heaven's Will Secret Laws become very simple. Maybe her reflection will be able to see through this pond's mysteries." All the important people here began to focus after the queen came down from her phoenix palanquin.
Chapter 537: Mysterious Old Pond
The Jadewater Queen looked at the old pond before her and took a deep breath, then she finally stepped into it. After taking one step inside, she suddenly disappeared.
"I wonder how many steps the queen will be able to take." A person saw this and murmured.
A ghost cultivator responded: "Two days ago, the Titanic Crescent Saint Child took eight steps and the Ghost Insect Evil Child took nine steps. These were already the top young geniuses. An ancestor of a great power predicted that in order to reach the middle, one has to take at least three hundred steps."
At this time, all eyes were on the old pond. Even great characters from the emperor's lineages didn't blink once. They all had their Heavenly Gazes activated because without it, they wouldn't be able to see the Jadewater Queen.
In the last several days, many powerful characters tried their best with their Heavenly Gazes, but they couldn't see through anything. An emperor's lineage even used a supreme treasure mirror to shine into this pond, but there was no result.
At this time, geniuses like the Saint Child and Evil Child held their breaths as well. Unparalleled geniuses like them could only take eight or nine steps.
A moment later, these two lost their colors because their Heavenly Gazes showed that the queen easily crossed the ninth step and onto her tenth.
"Amazing! She's indeed worthy of being a Charming Spirit. Rumor has it that she has become quite unfathomable so maybe fifteen steps wouldn't be an issue." A Royal Lord from a country spoke.
In a short amount of time, the queen already took fifteen steps into the pond and, moments later, she made it to the twentieth step.
"Twenty steps!" Even an ancestor of a great power was shaken as he murmured: "Two days ago, an ancestor of the Bronze Tree Ghost Tribe made it to the twentieth step then disappeared without returning."
Very few could see her trail after she made it to the twentieth step. Even great characters who tried their best couldn't see her; only the hidden ancestors were able to. At this point, her expression showed that she was struggling. She finally stopped at the thirtieth step.
Meanwhile, the hidden ancestors all stared at her intensely.
She ultimately stopped at this point and came back. The crowd was very curious as they watched her safely leave the old pond.
"How many steps did the queen take?" A person asked.
An ancestor revealed that it was thirty steps, to the surprise of many. They shockingly exclaimed: "This is equal to an ancestor of a great power! Thirty steps yet still managed to retreat safely… She's even better than an ancestor. Charming Spirits… Their divine reflections are indeed capable of seeing through truths and mysteries."
No matter how great her cultivation may be, it couldn't be at the Virtuous Paragon level. Her prestige was not as great as Di Zuo's or Tian Lunhui's, but being able to take thirty steps was already very amazing. Many became envious and admired the divine reflection of the Charming Spirits. They were indeed favored by the heavens.
The great powers who were camping near the old pond were very curious. They wanted to know her understanding of the pond. A great power with good relations began to ask her for some information. She then talked to its royal lord and said: "This pond is a mystery. Each step is an entire world. Taking one step further is the same as crossing into another world. If you can reach the middle of the pond, then it should be equivalent to walking across three thousand worlds."
All were moved after hearing this. What a scary thing it was to cross over three thousand worlds. Who could easily accomplish such a task besides Immortal Emperors?
Another sect master inquired: "Are there any treasures in the pond?" This was the sect master's biggest concern and also the question many wanted to ask the most.
The Thousand Carp River chased after the Diamond Carp and took nearly all the treasures, leaving only this pond untouched. The river sect couldn't see through the pond so it hastily withdrew.
Everyone knew that the sect obtained many treasures, but they didn't obtain any unbelievable immortal treasures. They were also aware that there was a great fortune in each realm, but the issue was finding the right place. Many people searched the Water Realm without any results or meeting any great fortunes.
Afterward, after the river sect chased the Diamond Carp to its nest, many people speculated that if there was indeed a great fortune at the Water Realm, then it should be at this place.
This was why even emperor's lineages showed up and not only great powers. They hoped to obtain this supreme fortune.
The Jadewater Queen answered with confidence: "Yes, there is surely a treasure. From twenty steps and beyond, there were treasures under the water. From thirty steps and up, there were incredible items as well. In order to find a supreme fortune, I think one has to go at least one hundred steps. There must be an unparalleled item there, maybe even an era-toppling immortal treasure, but I can't say for sure."
"An unparalleled item!" The heart of this sect master trembled. For generations, those who obtained a great fortune in the Prime Ominous Grave all became either Immortal Emperors or invincible existences.
Her answer quickly spread to the outside. Many were here for this supreme fortune, but previously, it was only mere speculations. Now that it had been confirmed, how could a furor not break out among these cultivators and great powers?
Previously, everyone couldn't enlighten themselves with the pond, so many were jolted into leaving. However, after hearing the first half of the queen's findings, the group became excited and no one else wished to leave. However, this group also became dumbfounded after hearing the latter part.
"One hundred steps!" No matter how powerful their sects or tribes may be, these people all gasped as they became dejected.
"What kind of genius would be able to take one hundred steps?" This was a blow to many people. An ancestor of the Bronze Tree Tribe disappeared after twenty steps, so what kind of existence would be able to take one hundred?
A person calculated: "Perhaps a legendary master or an eternal existence would be able to take one hundred steps."
"Hmm, maybe even an extremely ancient ancestor… Someone from the Myriad Bones Throne might be able to do so."
A great ghost also began to calculate and came up with this conclusion: only an eternal existence would be able to take one hundred steps, not even a legendary master would be able to.
The sudden burst of excitement was quickly deflated. One hundred steps was an impossibility to the people present.
In fact, many ancestors from the great powers all came to the Prime Ominous Grave. These old undyings didn't mind paying a huge price to leave their Blood Era Stones for the great fortunes from the legends. They hoped to use these fortunes to prolong their lifespans as well as strengthen their own sects.
However, after witnessing the failure of the Bronze Tree Ancestor, many of these ancestors began to hesitate. They had lived for a very long time and paid the greatest price to seal themselves in these blood stones. Now, they all became very cautious at such a dangerous venture.
These undyings were afraid of death more than anyone else; they valued living above all else. They didn't want to die before obtaining a great fortune at this place.
So after hearing the words of the queen, these ancestors who were hiding in the darkness remained still, waiting for their chance to see if there was any other method to enter the pond.
During this moment of stillness, a person suddenly had an idea: "Maybe not just a powerful cultivation is required for entry. The ancestor of the Bronze Tree Tribe only took twenty steps, but the Jadewater Queen made it to thirty and even left safely."
Although this idea was out there, no one wanted to confirm it. Everyone carried the attitude of letting someone else go in first. In these last several days, some famous great characters had all failed, so it was understandable that these cultivators were hesitant. The fate of dying without a corpse remaining instilled shivers into these spectators.
While the great powers adopted a wait-and-see attitude, Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu finally arrived.
Li Qiye came and looked at the pond before him with a serious gaze. Countless ghost powers were here, but Li Qiye didn't bother giving them a single glance.
His arrival attracted the attention of many since they immediately recognized him and Lan Yunzhu: "Fierce Li Qiye and Fairy Lan are here!"
A great character from the ghost race snorted in dissatisfaction and said: "The Thousand Carp River still hasn't given up."
It was all ghosts around the pond since humans and other races couldn't mingle with them. It could be said that this entire area was under the jurisdiction of ghosts.
Many ghosts were unhappy and scowled to see the two of them here. This was not strange at all since the Thousand Carp River took pretty much all the treasures, and those who came after them only found leftover soup and a belly full of jealousy.
At that time, there were some great powers who tried to sneak attack the river sect for their treasures, but alas, they were too powerful and killed several great characters one after another, creating a huge deterrence. If it was any other sect, then it would have been slaughtered by the crowd on the spot.