Chapter 969 Panyun Tree

Ji An was secretly pleased upon hearing this, but he didn't show much emotion on his face, and smiled:

"Please take it out for a look, fellow Daoist."

The Water Element, the Spiritual Root of Heaven and Earth, is the final piece of the puzzle in the gourd world. Once completed, the entire world will form a complete cycle of the five elements generating each other.

According to his calculations, when all the spiritual roots of heaven and earth are at the same grade, the improvement speed of the spiritual veins can be greatly accelerated.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment," the shopkeeper instructed his subordinates to fetch the seedlings.

A moment later, a subordinate presented a sapling that was over three feet tall, with grayish-brown bark that occasionally shimmered with a light blue sheen, and black roots, which was soaking in a bucket of water.

The leaves are spoon-shaped with smooth edges, dark green in color, and deep black veins. Tiny water droplets condense on the underside of the leaves.

"Fellow Daoist, please look, this is the Water Element Spirit Root Panyun Tree. As it continues to grow, its root system will become extremely developed."

Plant it in the shallow waters of the lake, and after several years the roots will spread throughout the entire lake area.

The tree roots won't encroach on the lake's water area; in fact, they can purify the water and accelerate the improvement of the water-based spiritual vein's grade. As long as there's a lake in our refined small world, planting a Panyun Tree is highly recommended.

The shopkeeper fiddled with the leaves and continued:

"The water droplets condensed from the leaves of the spirit tree are even more spiritual than spirit springs of the same grade, making them the best material for brewing wine, even better than the spiritual water from the spring."

If you don't like drinking alcohol, the spiritual water you collect is excellent for brewing tea.

Don't be fooled by the sparse leaves of the seedlings; they will become lush and verdant as the quality of the spirit wood increases.

When the spirit tree reaches the fourth grade, it will begin to bear fruit. Because the skin of the spirit fruit turns dark purple when it is ripe, the fruit is also called Panyun Purple Fruit.

Spiritual fruits can be used to refine elixirs or consumed directly to cleanse the body and enhance blood and qi.

He recounted the uses of the spiritual fruit as if they were his own treasures, praising it to the skies.

Ji An thought for a moment, searching through his memories of the Pan Yun Tree, and found that although the shopkeeper had exaggerated some things, most of the facts were true.

He reached out and touched the back of the leaf, his fingers stained with water.

“Spirit wood is good, but collecting spirit water is a troublesome matter.”

Many spiritual plants can also purify water, so the advantage of the Pan Yun Tree is not particularly obvious.

He raised two questions in a row, always finding fault to negotiate the price.

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. There are many ways to avoid the trouble of collecting spiritual water. Besides, unless it is a different type of water-based spiritual root, other spiritual plants are inferior to the Panyun Tree in purifying water."

The shopkeeper calmly defused the other party's question, secretly pleased. The one who picks the goods is the buyer, and a single spiritual root of heaven and earth is quite expensive. If he can successfully sell it, he can earn a considerable profit.

He coughed lightly and then said:

"If you are interested, it is best to acquire it as soon as possible. There is no shortage of buyers for the Heaven and Earth Spirit Root."

"Fellow Daoist was the first cultivator to inquire about the Panyun Tree after our shop obtained it; otherwise, we might never have seen it."

He was right; the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root is a highly sought-after commodity.

The only disadvantage is that the seedlings need to be planted as soon as possible; if you wait until the quality level is improved, the chances of survival will decrease.

Ji An maintained his smile, "The spiritual roots of heaven and earth are indeed good, but they have strict requirements for the environment. If a suitable environment for the growth of spiritual trees cannot be created, the spiritual trees will grow slowly at best, and at worst they will wither and die."

Sigh, it's a bit hard to make a decision.

By the way, how much does spirit wood cost? Tell me.

"The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root is a special spiritual plant that can inevitably grow to the fifth level. In the future, one can obtain a continuous stream of wealth from the spiritual plant and also contribute to improving the grade of the spiritual veins of the small world."

The price of the spirit wood is four low-grade fifth-tier spirit fruits, which is very reasonable.

Ji An smiled faintly. The other party had started asking for exorbitant prices, and he had to negotiate a lower price.

"The saplings are now barely grade one, yet you're selling their future—that's at least seven or eight hundred years from now."

Besides, if I don't take good care of him, I might lose everything.

"Alright then, I can accept the price of two top-grade fourth-tier spirit fruits."

While the spiritual roots of heaven and earth can indeed provide a continuous supply of resources once they have matured, that is in the future; you cannot use future prices to buy the seedlings of today.

After some haggling, the two finally agreed on a price of ten top-grade fourth-tier spirit fruits. The shopkeeper, upon receiving the fruits, exclaimed:

"Fellow Daoist, you've struck it rich! Congratulations!"

He sounded like he was at a huge loss, but he was secretly overjoyed.

Ji An readily took out ten Thunderstruck Wood Green Vine Fruits, and without lingering, left after taking the spiritual plant.

He released a golden light that seemed to leap across the land, leaving Canglan Town. He landed in a secluded spot in the mountains, quickly set up the Nine-Bend Heavenly River Formation, and then entered the small world.

Upon entering the small world, he immediately flew on a cloud to the lake in the black spirit field and landed in the area near the deep water opposite where the Heaven-Mending Lotus was planted.

As he landed, he channeled his magic power to empty the lake water within a radius of ten zhang, planting the Panyun Tree sapling there. Then, he made a hand seal to release the Yin-Yang Spirit Transformation Technique.

A Tai Chi symbol appeared beneath his feet, instantly spreading out and engulfing the entire small world.

Lightning erupted from the void, dark clouds obscured the sky, and a deafening roar sounded like the wrath of the heavens. The electric light illuminated the entire world with dazzling brilliance.

Raindrops formed lines, blurring the boundary between heaven and earth, and a thin mist rose up.

Water droplets fell on the spiritual plants of the black soil, their moisturizing, flowing, and purifying divine power intertwining and spreading outwards, their cool touch refreshing the soul.

The seedlings of Panyun tree stretched their branches and leaves freely in the rain, growing taller and sprouting new branches and buds.

When the clouds parted and the rain stopped, a rainbow appeared in the sky, spanning the east and west ends of the small world.

At this moment, Ah Yun flew over and said with a grin:

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on acquiring another precious plant. What kind of spiritual tree is this?"

She now directs the other puppets to manage the affairs of the small world, and she has contributed to the flourishing of the spiritual plants.

"This is the Panyun Tree, a kind of spiritual root of heaven and earth. Many small water droplets will condense on the back of its leaves."

Once the spirit wood reaches the fourth rank, you should arrange for people to collect water droplets and devise a method for efficient collection.

"We'll use the collected spiritual water to brew tea and wine, and see how it goes."

Ji An was looking forward to what it would be like to brew tea with the spiritual water condensed from the Panyun Tree, and hoped that it wouldn't disappoint him.

"Yes, sir. I will find a suitable solution."

Ayun readily agreed. There was still a long time before the spirit wood's grade was upgraded to the fourth level, so she could calmly think of a strategy.

Ji An nodded slightly, glanced approvingly at the puppet a few times, and then rode away on a cloud. He revealed himself in the magic array, put away the array flags and array plates, and then left.

For him, the most important thing is now done, and he can now conserve his energy to prepare for entering the Storm Sea.

Half a month later, as night fell, the entire Storm Sea resembled a maddened cultivator, with lightning and thunder, and a fierce wind, the roaring sound like waves rising higher and higher.

Ji An hovered in the void, looking down at the raging ocean, watching the waves, tens of feet high, roll down and splash up crystal-clear water droplets.

He sighed softly. The environment here was too harsh and unsuitable for any living thing.

At this moment, Yunmiao Sanren led his group closer and said:

"The storm will last for most of the night, and will gradually weaken after midnight. Fellow Daoist, rest for a while, and after 1-3 am we will head south to search for a black reef that is only a few dozen acres in size."

The reef has a unique shape, resembling a heart, with a deep-sea fissure lying beneath the island.

After assigning their tasks, the group took turns resting, and by the beginning of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), the thunder had indeed subsided considerably.

They lined up and flew south at intervals of twenty miles. When the sun rose and the rosy clouds were like mist, they finally found the island.

After landing on the island, everyone quickly restored their magical power and adjusted their state. After resting for a day and a night, they gathered together.

Yunmiao Sanren looked at Ji An and the other person and said:

“Fellow Daoist Xuan Shuang has a magic array that can be used to lure the Abyss Sea Serpents up and give them a good beating. Now she needs a fellow Daoist to help her set up the magic array.”

Another fellow Daoist will accompany me to the deep sea, where we will provoke the Abyss Sea Serpent horde before escaping back to the surface. You two can discuss how to divide the tasks.

This was the agreed-upon battle plan, but the personnel responsible for its execution had not been assigned.

Ji An volunteered, patted his chest, and laughed:

"As long as you don't mind that this is my first time fighting in the deep sea, I am willing to go."

This hunt is also a chance for the other side to test his combat abilities. He won't cower in the back; he will definitely take the initiative to attack.

Yunmiao Sanren smiled kindly and replied:

"What are you complaining about! If you have such confidence, let's go for it. The currents under the sea are unpredictable, so please be careful."

"Don't panic when encountering turbulence; stay calm. Having experience in deep-sea combat once will make you more composed in similar situations."

She stood up and asked again:

"Now that the manpower has been allocated, everyone can go their separate ways."

"Fellow Daoist Xuanshuang, how long will it take you to set up the magic array, and where do you plan to set it up?"

"Please follow me, everyone," Xuan Shuang Sanren flew into the air and arrived at a slightly concave section of the ocean line on the island:

"The magic array will cover this area of ​​the island, which is expected to be about fifty acres."

Furthermore, the magic array will extend into the sea, with an estimated coverage area of ​​approximately 200 acres.

Ji An asked, "How long will it take to set up the magic array?"

If the abyssal sea serpent has been lured out but the magic array hasn't been set up yet, such a coordination would be laughable.

"It would take me half an hour by myself, but with Fellow Daoist Queyue's help, we can save at least half an hour."

"That's good. We'll have to fight for a while and inflict some damage before we can retreat if we lure out the Abyss Sea Serpent. You'll have enough time to complete your preparations."

Yunmiao Sanren smiled and looked at Ji An, extending her arm:

"Fellow Daoist, let's set off."

"For now, refrain from using teleportation techniques. Conserve every ounce of magical power you have; this will also allow you to build a system adapted to the deep-sea environment and light conditions."

After saying that, she took out a blue gem and jumped into the sea. The gem emitted a soft spiritual light that enveloped her body and parted a patch of seawater.

Ji An took out the water-repelling pearl and activated his magic power, then followed into the sea. The two of them, ten feet apart, began to dive in sync.

The light was initially bright, but gradually only a pale blue hue appeared in their field of vision. As they descended deeper, darkness enveloped them.

The dim environment and the cold seawater gave people a strange sense of gloom, and the black rocks with their bizarre shapes added to the eeriness.

The area covered by the water-repelling bead was slowly shrinking. Although the light had disappeared, Ji An could still see the situation within three miles.

He transmitted his voice, "The darkness here is so deep that it can even compress my vision. I hope it won't have too much of an impact on the battle later."

He has no special abilities, and he must have a wide field of vision during battle. This is equivalent to having enough strategic depth to 'mitigate' the enemy's attack, thus giving his side enough time to react.

"Everyone's vision will be limited, even those fellow cultivators who have practiced pupil techniques. The deepest part of the ocean is said to be like an absolutely silent graveyard."

Based on experience, we have now descended to an area of ​​500 meters underwater. The currents will become increasingly turbulent; please try to feel the effects of the currents so that you won't panic in extreme situations.

Yunmiao Sanren reminded them that future battles in the Vast Ocean Realm would inevitably involve deep-sea combat, and each teammate needed to master the skills of deep-sea warfare.

A turbulent current struck, instantly pulling Ji An down to a depth of four or five zhang (approximately 10-15 meters).

He carefully recalled everything that had just happened and pondered how to establish an early warning mechanism.

Everything has its clues, and being able to keenly spot the early signs can help you avoid turbulence.

He could have easily released the golden light from the ground to escape the turbulence, but he wanted to conserve his mana as much as possible, because a little mana could bring victory at the crucial moment.

After thinking it over, Ji An began to share his experiences with his teammates and discussed how to avoid turbulence, as well as what to do if they could not escape.

The two sides dived another 500 feet. There were very few fish living here, and the environment became extremely dark with no light at all.

The chill enveloped his entire body, relentlessly penetrating his physical form. His divine sense sensed that this coldness also possessed the property of freezing the soul.

The cold that could affect a cultivator at the Three Flowers Realm was no simple matter. Ji An activated his Qi and blood to warm his body, while his nascent soul in his upper dantian also released Yang energy through hand seals to dispel the cold from his soul.

As the depth increases, life becomes increasingly scarce.

Yunmiao Sanren, who was secretly observing his subtle movements, nodded in agreement. At this depth, the cold would gradually cause unprepared cultivators to lose their basic judgment.

If her teammates fail the first test, she doesn't need to waste any more time and can just go home.

Yunmiao Sanren gently waved her sleeve, and several strange-looking fish flew out. She explained telepathically:

"Having spent years hunting in the ocean, these fish are my specially raised beasts, perfect for tracking or exploration."

They've been sent out to locate the crack. We'll wait a moment. If a battle breaks out, we'll choose the method that will inflict the greatest damage, making it easier to lure them in.

Ji An nodded and activated several magical treasures to begin weaving a defensive field.

The five-colored spiritual light gradually dissipated, and in its place, a black and white spiritual light protected his body.

Despite its faint spiritual light, it provides protection that is several times stronger than the Five Elements Domain.

(End of this chapter)