Chapter 1008 Cultivating Connections

Using Xingyue as his Daoist name, Ji An immediately thought of a former sect leader of the Five Elements Sect.

The other party's master is very likely the senior who left behind the Yin-Yang Cave True Technique. If this is true, he might be able to latch onto a powerful patron.

Yuheng Sanren gave a strange look, nodded slightly, and said:

"My teacher mentioned it occasionally, but I don't know the specifics. As a junior, I shouldn't ask about these things, so I didn't inquire further."

"What, fellow Daoist, do you perhaps have some connection with my master?"

My master once briefly recounted his past and mentioned that a top-quality star soul was being nurtured on the planet where he was born, but he did not reveal the location of that planet.

Judging from the tone of his voice, he guessed that his master wanted to tame the Star Soul. However, more than three thousand years had passed since his master went out to explore the star field. For the Star Lords, this period of time was not too long.

Ji An scratched his head, pondering how to build rapport, and finally tentatively asked:

"The True Secret of the Yin-Yang Cave?"

After he finished speaking, he released a trace of his cultivation technique.

Through his continuous innovation, the technique has become very different from when he first obtained it, but it remains true to its original purpose, still following the path of evolving Yin and Yang from the Five Elements.

The doubt in Yuheng Sanren's eyes dissipated most of its previous confusion. He cultivated the Yin-Yang Cave True Technique and could clearly sense the smoothness and harmony of the other party's cultivation technique.

That perfect rhythm is far superior to his; if Master saw it, he would surely be delighted.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Fellow Daoist, are you perhaps from the Five Elements Sect?"

My master's sect is the Five Elements Sect. Before my master, there were also predecessors of the Five Elements Sect who embarked on the path of starry sky, but they all disappeared without a trace. I don't know what kind of calamity they encountered.

Upon hearing the other party mention the Five Elements Sect, Ji An confirmed in his heart that Star Moon Lord was the Star Moon True Lord who had stepped into the starry sky back then, later became a wandering cultivator, and then achieved the position of Star Lord.

He sighed and said regretfully:

"I am not a formal disciple of the sect. Tens of thousands of years ago, the Star Lord returned to the sect once. About 20,000 years later, the True Demon Realm launched a large-scale invasion of the cultivation world. The Five Elements Sect's sect was destroyed, so we had to activate the secret inheritance site to hide."

Unexpectedly, the true demon army corrupted the spiritual veins of the Myriad Transformations Mountain Range, and the secret inheritance site was also affected.

He recounted everything that had happened back then in detail, and also told the other party about how he had received the complete inheritance of the Five Elements Sect.

The words describe the rise and fall of a sect, and how many bones have long been buried under the sands of time.

"I have never seen the Star Lord in person, yet I have received his favor."

"Without the Star Lord's cultivation techniques, I would never have been able to reach where I am today."

Yuheng Sanren opened his mouth in surprise, unsure of what to say, and finally let out a sigh that was difficult to decipher.

He had no idea that the Five Elements Sect had been destroyed, and he wondered what his master would do if he found out.

"Fellow Daoist claims to have obtained my master's Yin-Yang Cave True Technique, do you have any proof?"

The other party should not be lying about these messages, but he still needs to conduct a final verification.

Ji An remained silent for a moment, then asked in return:

"How can you prove your relationship with the Star Lord?"

The other party still harbored a sliver of doubt, and so did he.

Xuan Shuang Sanren smoothed things over, saying:

“My ancestors were fortunate enough to become Star Lord’s nominal disciples, and I can testify that Fellow Daoist Yuheng is Star Lord’s last disciple.”

She was secretly anxious, afraid that such questioning would displease Yuheng Sanren, who was extremely proud to have become Xingjun's closed-door disciple.

Yuheng Sanren smiled faintly, but the injury to his nascent soul made his smile look somewhat eerie.

He waved his hand, sat up straight, and said solemnly:

"My master once briefly explained the legacy he left behind. Fellow Daoist, you should know about the Five Elements Divine Mountain, right?"

The method of refining the Five Elements Divine Mountain was created by my master, and he had never seen anyone else use such a treasure.

He stared intently at the other person, observing the subtle expressions on Ji An's face without blinking.

Ji An's doubts vanished instantly. He summoned the Five Elements Divine Mountain and revealed a gentle smile:

"Could it be this?"

A magical treasure with five mountain peaks landed in his palm. Although it was only of the lower grade of the five elements, it was full of spiritual light and had a strange sense of vitality.

The materials used to refine spiritual treasures are all taken from the Calabash World, where the spiritual soil is of high quality, so the Five Elements Divine Mountain in his hands is naturally more spiritual.

Yuheng Sanren also summoned a similar magical treasure and laughed heartily.

Ji An sensed the aura of the other party's spiritual treasure and also showed a kind smile.

He cleared his throat twice and put away the Five Elements Divine Mountain, saying, "We're family members who don't recognize each other anymore."

Xuan Shuang Sanren smiled and recounted the situation encountered by Yu Heng Sanren.

At this moment, Yuheng Sanren spoke up:

"I was injured while exploring a grotto-heaven realm and urgently need the Soul-Nourishing Wood Heart to heal my wounds."

"If you, fellow Daoist, can lend me a hand, we can explore that celestial realm together, and the spoils will be shared equally."

He then began to transmit his voice, "Several strands of creation energy have actually been nurtured in the cave realm. Fellow Daoist, taking out just one strand of creation energy can salvage all the losses."

To be honest, my two senior brothers are in other star regions. That celestial realm will soon be closed off, otherwise I wouldn't be sharing this news with you.

The next time it opens will be thousands of years from now; this humble Taoist cannot afford to wait.

In his current state, it would probably take him more than three hundred years to travel to another star system to find his senior brother, which would be completely out of time.

The unity of Yin and Yang is creation, symbolizing the primordial power of creation. It is a power that only star lords can master. If we had to classify it, it would be sixth-order, and not even a low-grade sixth-order.

Ji An's expression was solemn. A wisp of creation energy could greatly shorten the time it took for the spirit wood to advance its grade.

If there truly was a force of creation, he would certainly be willing to cut down that fifth-grade superior Soul-Nourishing Wood. What he was worried about was that the other party was just making things up to quickly recover from his injuries.

Seeing Ji An's hesitation, Yuheng Sanren transmitted his voice again:

"Regarding the Qi of Creation, I, this humble Daoist, can swear a solemn oath: if I do not discover the Qi of Creation within the Cave Heaven Realm, my cultivation will not advance an inch until my lifespan is exhausted."

The nascent soul remains within the Soul-Nourishing Wood. I have a secret method to restore it within two years. At that time, you and I will travel together to the Cave Heaven Realm and share all the spoils equally.

If a certain spiritual item cannot be distributed evenly, the cultivators who receive more than their share must make corresponding compensation.

It's not hard to guess why the other party is hesitant. Although there is some kind of connection between the two, they have never spent time together before.

Putting himself in someone else's shoes, he wouldn't cut down his own high-level spirit tree just because he heard one side of the story.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Xuan Shuang Sanren beside him, but the allure of the Qi of Creation was simply too great.

He wouldn't have mentioned the Qi of Creation if he hadn't had no other choice.

If the other party still refuses to hand over the Soul-Nourishing Wood Heart, he will require them to swear an oath not to reveal the matter of the Creation Qi to any living being.

Ji An nodded emphatically, "Alright, I am willing to give you the heartwood, but I can only give you the core of the trunk."

Although the energy of creation is good, whether he can obtain it is still uncertain. The risks he bears are actually quite large, and there will be certain dangers in exploring the cave world in the future.

The other party exchanged a single message for valuable resources, making a profit regardless of whether the exploration went smoothly or not.

Yuheng Sanren smiled with satisfaction. "Deal made. Fellow Daoist will certainly not regret today's decision."

Ji An confidently replied, "Fellow Daoist will be glad to have cooperated with me in the future. How about this, I will go to you tonight and hand over the Wood Heart to you."

He is very skilled in combat, and cooperating with him to explore the Cave Heaven Realm will save time and effort.

Yuheng Sanren stood up. "Then I won't bother you any longer, fellow Daoist. You can find me in Fellow Daoist Xuanshuang's cave."

After seeing the guests off, Ji An entered the gourd world and strolled over to the Soul-Nourishing Wood.

He stroked the smooth bark, lost in a brief recollection.

Long-forgotten memories resurfaced in his mind. He still remembered the scene when Wei Songnian handed him the spirit wood, and the joy he felt when he cultivated the spirit wood to the second level.

More than two thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye. He has grown from a minor Foundation Establishment cultivator to a Three Flower Realm cultivator, becoming many times stronger.

After a long while, Ji An snapped out of his reverie and activated his magic to unleash the Golden Light Technique.

A golden light swept past the roots of the spirit tree, as if nothing had happened.

He pushed hard, and the tree crashed down, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Ah Yun rushed over and said with heartache:

"Your Majesty, why did you cut it down? It's such a waste."

This spirit tree has been here since before she had any memories, witnessing the growth of the small world, and now it is an important part of the Sovereign's nourishment of his soul.

Ji An patted the tree trunk and said:

"The demands are great, and this is a necessary sacrifice. You'll understand in a few years."

He deftly cut the spirit wood, then instructed:

"I only need the main trunk. Have someone tidy it up and leave anything usable."

When the moon rose above the willow branches, Ji An arrived at the cave of Xuan Shuang Sanren and handed over the trunk of the Soul Nourishing Wood.

Yuheng Sanren inspected the items and exclaimed with delight:

"Fellow Daoist is truly a trustworthy person. We will set off once my injuries have healed."

The quality of the spirit wood was much better than he had expected.

Xuan Shuang Sanren stood up. "Excuse me, gentlemen. I still have a batch of pills to refine."

She knew the two of them would talk about something, so she deliberately avoided them.

After she left, Yuheng Sanren began to recount his experiences in the Cave Heaven Realm, emphasizing why he was injured.

It turned out that they had encountered a large number of Frost Spirit Cicadas, which are capable of launching attacks using divine sense.

A single spirit insect can cause limited damage, but if tens of thousands or even more ice spirit cicadas gather together, it's a completely different story.

"This kind of cicada is very difficult to deal with. It uses sound waves as its attack medium, and even if you block your ears, it won't work."

In addition, these cicadas can form a special force field when they gather together, which has a strong weakening effect on various attacks.

I have tried various attack methods, but they have been largely ineffective. Fellow Daoist, you may consider how to fight.

After saying that, he took out a jade slip, made a copy, and handed it out, saying:

"This is a map I discovered, which marks the detailed distribution of demonic beasts. Fellow Daoist, please study it and make a decision."

Ji An caught the jade slip, quickly scanned it with his divine sense, and smiled:

"With this map, our exploration will be much smoother."

Two years later, Ji An and Yuheng Sanren quietly left Ziwei Star. They flew through the lonely starry sky and it took them several years to reach their destination.

The two landed on a desolate planet. Ji An saw red sand swirling in the air, like a blood-red demon.

There were many historical sites here, but now only ruins remain after being eroded by wind and sand.

Yuheng Sanren pointed to the huge wind pillar in the distance and said:

“Fellow Daoist Xuanqing, there is a strange building below the area where the hurricane is swirling. Inside, there is a passage that leads to the Cave Heaven Realm.”

"I discovered this place by chance; otherwise, I would never have suspected there was a secret here."

After his injuries healed, he immediately set off, fearing that things might have taken a turn for the worse.

Ji An tried to make a judgment, but due to the distance and the obstruction of sand, he could not see the details of the building clearly.

I could vaguely make out an outline, and it turned out to be a pyramid-like structure.

Yuheng Sanren continued, "We have flown for so long without stopping, so let's rest for a while to recover our magic power and spiritual power, and then we will set off."

I will protect you, fellow Daoist, until you recover and then I will take your place.

Ji An nodded and replied without feigning politeness, "Okay."

He set up the Nine-Bend Heavenly River Formation, and then entered the small world to begin activating the Yin-Yang Spirit Transformation Technique.

Centered on the Gathering Yuan Tree, a massive spiritual energy vortex covering thousands of acres was formed, with the five elements of spiritual light surrounding this area, making it look exceptionally beautiful.

Ayun tiptoed over, lit the Bodhi Ruyi Incense, and placed it in the incense burner.

The Soul Nourishing Incense is slightly better at nourishing the soul than the Bodhi Auspicious Incense. Since the fifth-grade superior Soul Nourishing Wood was cut down, the Soul Nourishing Incense has been sealed away, to be used again when exploring the Cave Heaven Realm.

Currently, there are only about twenty trays of fifth-grade superior soul-nourishing incense left, which will be used up very quickly.

Once Ji An recovered and stopped practicing his internal energy, all the strange phenomena slowly disappeared.

At this moment, A-Yun came over carrying a teapot and poured a cup of spiritual tea:

"Your Majesty, please have some tea."

Thank you.

Ji An smiled and nodded, then asked after taking a sip of tea:

How much ashes do we have left?

The Gathering Essence Tree absorbs nutrients from bone ash very quickly, completing the process in about half a month. It has been supplying the ashes of demon beasts for several years without interruption, but the spirit tree still shows no signs of improving its grade.

"There are still more than sixty urns left. We need to use four urns each time, so it will last for more than half a year."

Ji An nodded slightly and gave the instructions:

"Suspend the use of cremated remains."

If he succeeds on this trip, he can obtain two or three strands of Creation Qi, which he can then use on the Gathering Yuan Tree to cultivate it to the fifth-order top-grade level. Therefore, there is no need to continue using the ashes.

He was filled with anticipation; if his estimates were correct, he might even be able to cultivate two plants of the Creation Aura.

It can be used not only to cultivate spiritual trees, but also to comprehend the power of Yin and Yang.

Any breakthrough, regardless of which aspect, is a huge positive development.

Thinking of this, his heart burned with passion.

(End of this chapter)