The fat Taoist priest wandered around for most of the day, then suddenly made a move, cracking a cliff. Suddenly, a cave appeared there, from which auspicious light flowed.
"A celestial abode has been born!" Suddenly, the fat Taoist priest shouted at the top of his lungs, as if he wanted to attract everyone's attention.
Wang Hao and Shi Mengqi exchanged a glance, sighing inwardly. They felt that this Taoist priest seemed to be a saint reincarnated, being so kind as to offer them free labor.
In just a short while, many martial artists were alerted and flew from the distant mountains to land here, staring at the ancient cave that was shimmering with light.
The fat Taoist priest quietly retreated and disappeared into the distant mountains.
"Let's follow."
Although Wang Hao expressed his admiration, he absolutely did not believe that there were truly saints in this world who could find a magical cave, let unrelated people enter and seize resources, and then gracefully withdraw from the scene.
"Hehe, you guys go and break the restriction, I thank you very much." The fat Taoist muttered as he walked away.
Wang Hao and Shi Mengqi's faces immediately darkened; luckily, they had been cautious.
Before long, the fat Taoist priest arrived at a place dozens of miles away, where there was a clear little lake, shrouded in wisps of smoke, with orchids blooming on the shore, like a pure land in the world.
“Only when you break the seal will this fairy lake sink and the true cave dwelling appear. There are probably extraordinary treasures here.” The fat Taoist rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming.
"This guy is really cunning. He had someone break the barrier dozens of miles away, while he sat here reaping the benefits." Wang Hao and Shi Mengqi were both disgusted and surprised.
Suddenly, auspicious clouds rose into the sky in the distance, endless light flowed, and spiritual energy filled the mountains, accompanied by bursts of celestial music.
It was in that very spiritual land that many martial artists were working to break through the restrictions and broken formations. Divine light could be seen shooting up from a great distance, attracting a lot of attention.
Everyone in this area rushed there immediately, as the scene resembled a sign that a cave had opened.
Wang Hao was astonished. He never expected that the fat Taoist priest would be so unscrupulous, making those people work in vain and wasting their time, while at the same time attracting everyone's attention. No one paid attention to this place, which could be described as killing two birds with one stone.
"Gulp"
Sparkling light emanated from the lake water, quickly settling, and the spiritual energy within it became many times more concentrated.
"It really is an entrance. This should be the real cave dwelling. With such a scale, it was most likely left by an ancient person. Who knows, we might even find a complete cultivation technique!" the fat man muttered to himself, very excited.
As soon as he finished speaking, the lake water began to sink, and there seemed to be a flash of divine light underground, emitting strange sounds. Before long, the entire fairy lake disappeared, and a large rift valley appeared.
It is surrounded by stone cliffs, as if it were carved out by man, deliberately arranged to form a lake, with endless beauty and the earth's dragon energy overflowing from below.
An ancient cave flows with celestial light, containing dragon energy that bursts outwards. It is not particularly intense, but it still possesses a certain celestial charm, clearly indicating that it is not an ordinary place.
"Haha..." The shameless fat man laughed heartily, but it was very quiet here and did not disturb anyone else.
In the distance, the crowd was still scrambling to enter the cave within the immortal vein, unaware that it was all part of the unscrupulous Taoist's plan, a mere ploy to exploit the situation.
"Only this humble Taoist priest can unravel the mystery of this interconnected cave system." The vain fat man was extremely arrogant and smug, chuckling incessantly before disappearing inside in a flash.
"This person is truly mysterious, possessing such methods; everyone else has been manipulated." Shi Mengqi was surprised, not expecting this fat Taoist priest to be so unscrupulous.
However, it must be said that this fat Taoist priest's methods were indeed remarkable. Only someone with a deep understanding of formations could make such a judgment and discover a true treasure land.
Wang Hao and Shi Mengqi waited for a while before landing at the bottom of the dried-up fairy lake. The area was full of cliffs, and an ancient cave shimmered with light. A stone door engraved with dense runes had been opened.
"That fat Taoist priest is really cunning. He made many martial artists risk their lives for him from dozens of miles away just to open this door," Shi Mengqi said with some disdain.
Wang Hao didn't seem to care. He frowned and said, "This place is quite mysterious. Although the stone door is open, there are still many array patterns inside. It should be the place where a cultivator passed away."
These ancient patterns have existed for countless years, mysterious and complex. However, in Wang Hao's eyes, although he could not decipher them immediately, he could avoid some dangerous array patterns.
"Wait here for a moment, I'll go in and take a look." Wang Hao decided to give it a try. He was afraid that if he continued to wait, the entire cave would be emptied out by that shameless, smoking fat Taoist priest.
"Be careful!" Shi Mengqi warned, her bright eyes and white teeth gleaming, her breath sweet and fragrant.
"Whoosh."
Wang Hao vanished in a flash, walking amidst the auspicious light. The ancient cave was not damp, but rather quite dry. It was not inlaid with pearls, but many strange stones were radiating a glow.
Inside the cave, mist and clouds swirled, creating a scene reminiscent of a fairyland. A short walk led to white jade steps that ascended into an even more secluded depth.
"This is... Earth Milk Jade Liquid?" Wang Hao was somewhat surprised. Next to a spring pool was a small platform, only about half a foot high, with a small bowl on it containing more than half a bowl of white liquid.
This is earth milk nurtured by the earth's spiritual roots. If it were the sap born from the ancestral roots, it would have the effect of bringing the dead back to life and healing flesh and bones. It is a divine medicine for healing wounds and a priceless celestial treasure.
"Unfortunately, it's not true immortal elixir, but just earth milk born from an ordinary spiritual root." Wang Hao said with regret after examining it carefully.
Suddenly, his expression hardened. The small platform, which was only half a foot high, was quite special. It was crystal clear, exuding wisps of spiritual energy, and had a mysterious aura.
"This is... solidified from genuine immortal essence!" Wang Hao exclaimed in astonishment, utterly shocked.
In the past, celestial treasures were born here. They dripped down freely, allowing the spiritual energy to dissipate, forming a small platform about half a foot high. It is likely that the celestial essence and jade liquid were exhausted, and later only ordinary earth milk could be produced.
At this moment, Wang Hao felt heartache, liver pain, and stomach pain. How much immortal milk would it take to condense into such a small platform that was only half a foot high? It was far too extravagant and wasteful.
Without a doubt, countless ages ago, this place was connected to an ancestral immortal root, where immortal essence was born and dripped down without being used by anyone.
Wang Hao sighed and finally put the small platform away. It was surprisingly heavy in his hand. He thought that he would refine it in the cauldron later.
If it can be melted, even if only a trace of true immortal essence can be refined, it can allow Wang Hao's cultivation to rise rapidly.
The mist and clouds flowed, creating a dreamlike atmosphere in the ancient cave. Wang Hao's eyes gleamed with golden light as he avoided the dangerous array patterns and entered the deep, secluded part of the cave through the white jade steps.
"The withered medicinal herbs are all thousands of years old!"
In a vast stone cave, Wang Hao discovered some plants planted in the jade field. They were clearly precious, but they had withered and died many years ago.
"What a pity, all its spirituality is lost, otherwise my cultivation could have been improved. However, this place is quite extraordinary. It seems that there were cultivators here before."
Wang Hao sighed. He guessed that this place used to be perfect for cultivators, but for some reason, the spiritual energy turned into a lower-level true energy, which caused cultivators to disappear one after another, or even die.
As for why the curse of the Death Immortal Venerable appeared on Earth, Wang Hao couldn't figure it out.
Suddenly, his expression froze. There was a person sitting cross-legged in front of him, without any life force, which he only noticed when he got closer.
"It's a mountain spirit that has become a demon!"
Wang Hao was somewhat surprised. This was a mountain spirit that had long since passed away. Its grayish-white fur would turn to dust at the slightest touch, but its pure white bones still shimmered.
Without a doubt, this cave has existed for over a thousand years, and the fact that the remains of the Old Mountain Demon have been preserved to this day is enough to demonstrate its power and terror in life.
Wang Hao was puzzled for a moment. After carefully examining the white jade bones inside, he realized that this mountain demon was at least a top-tier expert. However, judging from its appearance and the layout of this ancient cave, it was clearly only there to guard the cave, not to be the owner of this place.
"Good heavens, could the owner of this cave be a near-immortal powerhouse? That's too outrageous. If that's the case, then it means that this place is connected to the Immortal Realm."
Wang Hao walked forward, his heart filled with unease. He wondered what had happened here, how all the cultivators had died, and how martial arts had come to be.
Deep within the cave, dragon energy swirled and shimmered with rosy light. He arrived at a relatively open area where many jade trees, no more than half a meter tall, shone brilliantly.
"There are so many jade trees, could it be that they are refining immortal trees?"
Wang Hao was startled. There were forty-nine jade trees here, each with a different color. Some were like red agate, some were as green as leaves, and some were as dazzling as gold.
The forty-nine jade trees were not carved by humans, but planted, rooted in jade, with roots and stems like writhing dragons.
"I never expected that someone here would actually try to refine a celestial tree." Wang Hao murmured. Back in the Immortal Realm, he had heard many stories of people from the lower realms doing all sorts of absurd things in order to ascend to immortality.
One of them is just like what you see before you. If it is nurtured by the ancestral immortal roots of the world and refined into forty-nine jade trees, once successful, one can obtain an immortal artifact that can break through the barrier between immortals and mortals.
Wang Hao was increasingly astonished as he looked at it. A celestial artifact born from heaven and earth was countless times stronger than one that was made by humans, and these jade trees were rooted in the jade veins and arranged in a very particular way.
It is intricate and profound, and upon closer inspection, each jade tree has patterns that intertwine to form various unpredictable Dao traces.
"The Great Evolution number is fifty, and its use is forty-nine, which are related to the Great Dao. There should be one more, which is the one that escaped, that is, the naturally formed immortal artifact that was refined from it!"
Wang Hao was excited. These jade trees had all died and turned into jade, and their endless divine power must have been taken by the escaped "One" and sacrificed to become an innate immortal artifact.
He searched carefully and finally found the fiftieth plant, which was the one that had disappeared!
"It failed again. It's already dried up." Wang Hao sighed. He had deduced this method in his previous life, and it was feasible, but the facts were right in front of him. It was a real waste of a divine object.
"Wait, that's not right. It's not completely ruined; there are still some broken branches!"
Wang Hao discovered that although the entire jade tree was withered, dull, and cracked, it was missing a section, as if it had just been broken off.
"It must be that shameless, fat Taoist priest!" Wang Hao immediately thought of him; it must have been him who had run away.
At the top of the withered jade tree, there is a flawless tender branch that is not completely dead. Although the refining failed, that small piece must still have endless uses.
Perhaps it contains a wisp of immortal energy, and once it is refined together with the Yin-Yang Profound Iron Sword Embryo, it might forge an unparalleled immortal sword.
"Such a divine object, how could that Taoist priest have obtained it? We'll ambush him in a moment and demand retribution. He stole so many treasures from me in the past, this is the perfect opportunity to repay him."
While figuring out how to deal with the fat Taoist priest, Wang Hao left the place and walked forward, entering an ancient cave used for alchemy. Bottles and jars were displayed on white jade shelves, but unfortunately, all the pills had spoiled after being opened.
This is the power of time; nothing can stop it, destroying countless treasures and leaving only unchanging dust.
"The Nine-Turn Immortal Pill?!"
Wang Hao examined each jade bottle thoroughly, and finally came across a small, colorful gourd with four ancient characters engraved on it, which deeply moved him.
It must be an unparalleled treasure to dare to have such a name, and it is likely to last forever. Unfortunately, it was empty when opened, with nothing inside.
"There was no trace of a wicked Taoist priest. He didn't check here, so it seems the original owner of the cave didn't leave behind any elixirs."
Wang Hao shook his head, but thinking about it, it made sense. The Nine-Turn Immortal Pill was only a legendary thing in the Immortal Realm, so how could he possibly encounter it in a cave in Tianxing? It was probably just a coincidence of names.
He visited many ancient caves and felt that everything was dilapidated. There were originally many divine objects, but unfortunately they were all submerged in the passage of time and turned into ordinary soil.
Wang Hao traveled a long distance before finally encountering a flowing radiance and profound array patterns ahead. With his current cultivation level, he was unable to avoid it, and he only had a superficial understanding of array formations.
Although he had reached the Great Perfection of Immortal King in his previous life, he was completely ignorant of weapon crafting and array formation. However, given his cultivation level, Wang Hao could break any array that wasn't too complex.
However, although he could break the great formation in front of him, his cultivation level was too low, and he would need a lot of time to study it. Moreover, he might bring trouble upon himself if he was not careful.
After careful consideration, Wang Hao decided to retreat. If he went in like this, he would most likely be trapped and might even fall into the hands of that fat Taoist priest. If that happened, it would be a loss that would not be worth the effort.
He retraced his steps and arrived outside the ancient cave. There, he saw a man and a woman standing beside Shi Mengqi. The woman was graceful and elegant, with fair and delicate skin.
The man was a disheveled barbarian, dressed in animal skins and carrying a large club with spiked fangs.
Wang Hao's expression changed, and he quickly walked to Shi Mengqi's side, looking somewhat wary, unsure of the two's intentions.
"This is Yan Bing, and that is his Daoist partner, Li Bo. Just now, some martial artists from the Li family discovered this place. Thanks to their intervention, otherwise the news of this place would have been leaked."
Shi Mengqi began to explain, and at least from the current perspective, the two people did not seem to have any ill intentions.
Wang Hao was somewhat surprised. Upon closer inspection of the two, he discovered that they were wearing jade tokens identifying them as students of the Burning Lamp Academy, which puzzled him.
"Brother Wang, please don't misunderstand. We mean no harm. We're just tracking a fat Taoist priest. Based on his aura, he disappeared here."
The burly man named Yan Bing spoke with a smile. He had a wild and primitive air about him. His skin was bronze under his animal skin clothing. He was strong and powerful, and his spiked club was made of stone.
At this moment, he smiled憨厚ly, revealing a mouthful of snow-white teeth, looking very simple and honest.
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