In the cave dwelling on Nine Cloud Peak, the Communication Jade Talisman at Chen Sheng's waist suddenly lit up—it was a message from Chen Xixing, indicating that the Thick Earth Elemental Crystal had been successfully acquired.
Chen Sheng immediately burst into laughter:
"Good, good, good, finally collected them all!"
As he spoke, he flicked his fingers, and five beams of Spirit Light flew out from his Storage Ring, hovering above the table in front of him. They were five Spiritual Objects emitting various colors of Spirit Light.
On the far left was the "Purple Thunder Crystal Core," about the size of a fist, entirely light purple, with silver electric patterns intricately woven on its surface like solidified thunder. Occasionally, tiny currents would dance across the crystal core, making a faint "zz" sound.
Next to it, the "Ice Heart Snow Lotus" was a half-bloomed snow-white lotus. Tiny ice beads clung to its petals, exuding a bone-chilling cold even in the warm cave dwelling. A faint blue glow emanated from the core of the flower, like a star frozen in ice.
The "Golden Pattern Spirit Fruit" hung from a withered branch, the fruit golden yellow, its surface decorated with vein-like golden patterns. The peel was smooth and translucent, faintly revealing the golden juice flowing inside.
The "Deep Sea Profound Bead" was a pitch-black round bead, emanating the unique glow of the deep sea. Water-like patterns swirled on its body, and it felt icy cold to the touch, as if holding a handful of deep-sea water.
Lastly, the "Thunder Pattern Dragon Wood," a piece of wood half a foot long, was crimson in color, inscribed with thunder patterns resembling dragon scales. Faint thunder power dwelled within the wood grain, and a subtle pine fragrance wafted from it when held close.
Chen Sheng glanced over these Spiritual Objects, his eyes full of satisfaction:
"Though these Spiritual Objects are Tier Three Top Grade, in terms of rarity, they surpass ordinary Tier Four Spiritual Objects. They're hard to gather in the outside world, but luckily there's Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven."
The Deep Sea Profound Bead and Thunder Pattern Dragon Wood were obtained from the Sect Treasure Vault in exchange for great merits.
The Purple Thunder Crystal Core was traded a few years ago with a Loose Cultivator from the Northern Territory, which even resulted in Chen Xilong being seriously injured.
As for the Ice Heart Snow Lotus and Golden Pattern Spirit Fruit, they were bartered for with Realm-Breaking Pills from two Golden Core Cultivators who emerged from the Grotto Heaven days ago.
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Chen Sheng muttered to himself:
"With the Thick Earth Elemental Crystal acquired at the Three Elements Auction, the Spiritual Materials needed for cultivating the second layer of the Myriad Phenomena Sources Returning to Spirit Skill are finally complete. The Earth Grade Spiritual Root is within reach!"
Once obtaining the Earth Grade Spiritual Root, the hope of achieving Nascent Soul True Monarch status moves a step closer.
How could he not be pleased?
At this moment, a message came through the Mountain Protection Array outside the cave dwelling. Upon reading it, the smile on Chen Sheng's face softened even more:
"The boy has finally returned!"
Chen Xihua had just been teleported out of the Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven and used the Inner Sect Jade Scroll to send a message to Chen Sheng, assuring his safety and stating his position—tens of millions of miles away from the Three Elements Immortal City, requiring several months to return.
Now, several months had passed, and he had finally arrived at the Three Elements Dao Sect.
With a wave of his sleeve, Chen Sheng opened a passage in the Grand Array outside Nine Cloud Peak.
A restrained Sword Light flew into the passage like a meteor and landed on the plaza of the cave dwelling. As the Sword Light dispersed, Chen Xihua's figure was revealed.
Despite the slightly damaged silver-white Sword Robe he wore, it couldn't conceal the steady aura emanating from him.
Compared to before, his Sword Intent had become more restrained, seeming to blend into the surrounding heaven and earth. Without careful Perception, one couldn't even discern that he was a Sword Cultivator.
Chen Xihua quickly walked into the cave dwelling and bowed deeply to Chen Sheng, who was seated at the main position, respectfully speaking:
"Child greets Father!"
Chen Sheng carefully examined him, his Divine Sense sweeping over, but he could only feel that Chen Xihua's aura was unfathomable like a deep pool.
The sharpness of the Sword Heart that he could clearly perceive in the past was now completely hidden; he couldn't even gauge the depth of Chen Xihua's Sword Heart.
He couldn't help but laugh: "It seems you've gained a lot during this Grotto Heaven trip!"
Chen Xihua laughed heartily, stepped forward a few steps, picked up the teapot on the table, and poured a cup of Spirit Tea for Chen Sheng before speaking:
"This time, I was also fortunate. As soon as I was teleported in, I landed next to Taiyue Divine Peak. On those Sword Grinding Steps, I gained a lot of Sword Dao Insights and collected some Spiritual Materials."
As he spoke, he took out a multicolored Jade Bottle from his Storage Ring, made of Five Elements Crystal Essence, its surface emitting a faint Spirit Light.
He handed the Jade Bottle to Chen Sheng, opened the stopper, and a gentle Spiritual Qi wafted out. The milky white liquid inside glowed softly—it was Myriad Spirits Stone Milk!
"This is the Myriad Spirits Stone Milk collected by me this time, presented to Father."
Chen Sheng accepted the Jade Bottle, immediately displaying a surprised look. According to the Daoist Sect's records, the Myriad Spirits Stone Milk of Taiyue Divine Peak was hidden behind the Five Elements Spirit Trapping Array.
To obtain it, one needed to pass through layers of Restriction, which even True Sword Children of the Myriad Swords Sect couldn't easily accomplish—extremely rare!
Chen Xihua saw his father's surprise. He had already prepared an explanation, casually saying:
"This time, Taiyue Divine Peak seemed to have encountered some issues. The Restrictions suddenly went haywire midway, transporting all Cultivators on the peak out of it."
"Taking advantage of this chaos, I fortunately found a flaw in the Array Hub and broke through the Five Elements Spirit Trapping Array, obtaining three drops of Myriad Spirits Stone Milk."
Hearing this, Chen Sheng nodded gently, not inquiring further.
The Myriad Spirits Stone Milk is greatly beneficial for cultivating the third layer of the Myriad Phenomena Sources Returning to Spirit Skill. Regarding one's Dao path, he could only shamelessly accept it, placing the Jade Bottle into his Storage Ring.
He looked at Chen Xihua and smiled lightly: "You're quite lucky to encounter an opportunity when the Restrictions were in disarray."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xihua chuckled, recalling Master Shi Fang, his tone relaxed:
"It's not just that I was indeed fortunate. Master Shi Fang also gained substantial benefits. When he climbed the Sword Grinding Steps at Taiyue Divine Peak with me, he reached two thousand steps, halfway into the threshold of the Sword Heart."
"Later, he went to the Sword Grinding Cliff to search for Sword Heart Bamboo. Given his condition at that time, he should have achieved Sword Heart and Sword Intent by now."
Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng's smile instantly froze. After a moment of silence, he slowly opened his mouth, his voice carrying a hint of heaviness:
"Fellow Daoist Shi Fang... has fallen."
"What?"
The smile on Chen Xihua's face vanished instantly, his eyes filled with shock. He looked up at Chen Sheng incredulously, asking:
"Father, what did you say? How did Master Shi Fang fall?"
"When he was teleported out of Taiyue Divine Peak, he was perfectly fine. At that time, he had already found the Sword Heart Bamboo and had collected some Sword Grinding Stones. How could he have..."
He couldn't believe that the straightforward Cultivator, who had guided him in Sword Dao since childhood, both teacher and friend, would perish in the Grotto Heaven.
Chen Sheng sighed, stood up, walked to Chen Xihua's side, and gently patted his shoulder, explaining slowly:
"In the last few days before the Grotto Heaven's closure, a message was received from the Soul Hall stating that Fellow Daoist Shi Fang's Soul Jade had shattered."
Chen Xihua hurriedly inquired: "How did he die?"
Chen Sheng gently shook his head:
"According to the final image returned before his Soul Jade shattered, he appeared to have been in a deadly struggle over Spiritual Materials with someone else, resulting in both falling."
Hearing this, Chen Xihua's body slightly stiffened. He gently shook his head, his eyes full of regret.
The cave dwelling fell into a brief silence, with only the steam from the Spirit Tea rising slowly, the air filled with a faint sadness.
Looking at Chen Xihua's despondent state, Chen Sheng said nothing more!
The path of cultivation is inherently like this, where opportunities and dangers coexist. Some manage to return with full rewards, while others remain forever in the Secret Realm—this is the fate of cultivators.
This time, the Inner Sect saw a total of one hundred and twelve Golden Core Cultivators fall, with nearly a third of the cultivators perishing within.
Included among them were Master Dust Transformation and Master Hualong, Golden Core Perfection cultivators whose life expectancy was nearing its end. Their final gamble evidently failed.
That Chen Xihua could return safely was already a stroke of luck.