Chapter 140: Primordial Infant Spirit Heart

Spirit-Ling Lake.

Located to the west of the Ziyin Sword Sect's mountain gate, this was an immensely vast and boundless lake. Within the dim and gloomy grotto-heaven, the lake water gleamed with a faint, wondrous golden hue, radiating a precious golden light and rippling with gentle waves.

At the center of the lake stood a hundred-foot-tall golden giant tree. From its densely foliated canopy hung semi-transparent, aged golden roots, while nestled among the golden branches and leaves was a colossal, heart-shaped fruit that throbbed faintly, emitting an alluring and exotic fragrance.

Beneath the towering ancient tree sat a skeletal remains, its hands crossed and placed before it.

Right in the center of its palms rested a clump of dazzling golden spiritual essence, flowing slowly and burning with fierce golden flames, exuding a rich, ultimate-yang aura.

At the center of the lake.

The ancient tree, the spiritual fruit, and the skeletal remains were all extraordinary objects.

Along the shore, however, spiritual lights flashed as a fierce battle erupted. Looking closely, it was precisely the trio of Xiong Tianhai and the duo of Hu Xiuzhu locked in combat.

In the distance.

A flying boat hovered suspended in the mid-air.

Yet, strangely, Xiong Tianhai and the others could not perceive the presence of this flying boat at all.

On the flying boat, Jiang Min stood at the bow holding a long sword, gazing into the distance at the ongoing battle.

"See? Arriving a bit late is not a bad thing."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted toward the Supreme-Infant Spirit Tree and the skeletal remains at the center of the lake. Her eyes flickered with strange ripples, concealing a trace of suspicion and vigilance as she remarked in surprise:

"I never expected that beneath the Supreme-Infant Spirit Tree, there would actually be a set of skeletal remains. Is that treasure in its palm the Ultimate-Yang Spiritual Marrow? I originally thought they would be wary of us and wouldn't fight so quickly, but faced with the Ultimate-Yang Spiritual Marrow, they simply couldn't hold back anymore."

Turning her gaze sideways, she looked at Yao Sheng, who was sitting cross-legged on the flying boat, and said, "Such a golden opportunity, Fellow Daoist Yao. Hurry up and recover; take whatever elixirs you have."

Yao Sheng nodded, closed his eyes again to regulate his breathing, and seized every moment to recover.

Dong Kaiyuan was not on the flying boat. Jiang Min had sent him away with the Yin-Soul Banner to devour ghostly energies and resentful spirits everywhere, thereby augmenting the strength of the banner. The Yin-Soul Banner given to them by the Ghost Mountain Old Man was undoubtedly in its element in this place, which was rich in ghostly energy and plagued by wandering resentful spirits.

Seeing Yao Sheng resume his breath regulation, Jiang Min turned her eyes to the invisible sheer veil draped over the outside of the flying boat, pondering inwardly.

"That cultivator named Wei Yuanhe actually harbored a spirit treasure capable of concealing one's whereabouts—even more powerful than the stealth magical artifact I obtained from Liu Miaomiao. This sheer veil can freely change in size and shape, enveloping the entire flying boat and masking even its presence. Wonderful, truly a fine treasure..."

The sheer veil spirit treasure had not been found in the Qiankun pouch, but rather searched from the plump cultivator's body—which was also the reason he was able to ambush Yao Sheng silently.

Fortunately, Jiang Min had the habit of thoroughly dealing with corpses; otherwise, she would have missed this treasure.

By the lake.

The spell battle had reached a white-hot stage.

Both sides had pulled out all their spirit treasures.

On Xiong Tianhai's side, not only did they have the spirit treasure Thunder Tiger Banner, but the other two also produced a spiritual vine and a gourd capable of breathing fire; Hu Xiuzhu alone wielded the Nine-Sun Pagoda, while her companion, a zither player, produced a spirit zither flowing with green light, plucking strings to unleash astonishing soundwave attacks.

However, for Foundation Establishment cultivators, driving offensive spirit treasures was ultimately somewhat straining. Having brought out spirit treasures far surpassing their own realms to fight, both sides not only consumed vast amounts of spiritual power but also sustained heavy injuries, appearing on the verge of collapse.

At this moment.

The zither player suddenly sacrificed a mouthful of heart blood, spitting it onto the zither strings.

Hum!

The resulting soundwave surged like a sea of blood, carrying an added dizzying force that caused the spiritual seas of Xiong Tianhai and his companions to churn, making them dizzy and exposing flaws in their defense.

Seizing the opportunity, Hu Xiuzhu activated the silently deployed rat-shaped puppets hidden underground. Dozens of rat-shaped puppets burst out from the earth, baring their fangs stained with a dark purple poison, and bit down on Xiong Tianhai and the others.

Dozens of wounds flared up simultaneously.

Xiong Tianhai's trio succumbed to the poison instantly; without anyone to help purge the toxins, they perished shortly after.

Hu Xiuzhu breathed a sigh of relief, turned to the zither player, and said, "We've finally gotten rid of them. Let's go retrieve the Ultimate-Yang Spiritual Marrow and the Supreme-Infant Spirit Heart. Stay vigilant and watch out for a sneak attack by the sword cultivator Ming Ruoshui. She already possesses stealth techniques, and if she were to acquire the Undying Veil from Wei Yuanhe, guarding against her would become impossible."

After sacrificing his heart blood, the zither player swallowed a crimson elixir, recovering a slight tinge of color to his pale face. He nodded and said, "Senior Sister Hu, the origins of those skeletal remains are unknown, and they might pose a hazard. Let's pluck the Supreme-Infant Spirit Heart first, and then find a way to coax out the Ultimate-Yang Spiritual Marrow."

Hearing this, Hu Xiuzhu nodded in agreement. "You're right. Be cautious in all things. Let's head over."

With a flip of her palm, she produced a vial of spiritual liquid and tossed her head back to drain it, replenishing the depleted spiritual power in her dantian. Protected by the golden light of the Nine-Sun Pagoda, she summoned a long ruler, jumped onto it alongside the zither player, and prepared to drive the ruler toward the spirit tree in the center of the lake.

Whoosh!

A thick gust of ghostly wind swept past.

Just as Hu Xiuzhu and the zither player were struck with terror, a massive black ghostly entity standing several zhang tall dragged a lingering afterimage behind it. Before they could react, it teleported like a ghost right in front of them, bringing its palm down heavy with dense black mist. With the force to cleave mountains and shatter rivers, it slammed fiercely toward the Nine-Sun Pagoda.

Such astonishing speed!

The two were shocked. This Golden Core ghostly entity was clearly summoned by the Yin-Soul Banner brought by Yao Sheng, yet the strength it displayed was noticeably greater than before!

"Defend!"

Hu Xiuzhu shouted in a deep voice, forming hand seals first to mobilize the scant remaining spiritual power in her dantian, casting a beam of spiritual light that merged into the Nine-Sun Pagoda above her head. The pagoda instantly burst forth with a dazzling golden light to withstand the palm strike of the Golden Core ghostly entity.

Yet, in the hands of Foundation Establishment cultivators, spirit treasures ultimately struggled to unleash their maximum potential, especially given her immense consumption of spiritual power. This time, the golden light generated by the Nine-Sun Pagoda was far inferior to its previous brilliance.

Boom!

Under the concentrated palm strike of the Golden Core ghostly entity, the golden light on the Nine-Sun Pagoda trembled and then sent the pagoda flying backward, leaving Hu Xiuzhu and the zither player completely unprotected. Their pupils contracted violently as they attempted to flee, but how could they possibly escape the speed of a Golden Core realm existence? The massive Golden Core ghostly entity reached out with giant palms, seizing them and crushing them into bloody pulp.

The Qiankun pouches on their bodies also burst apart, scattering valuables all over the ground.

By now.

Xiong Tianhai's trio and Hu Xiuzhu's trio had all perished.

In the far distance, Dong Kaiyuan and Yao Sheng held the Yin-Soul Banner. Having once again sacrificed their heart blood, their faces turned even paler, and they hurriedly recalled the Golden Core ghostly entity while swallowing several healing elixirs.

As the Golden Core ghostly entity was recalled, Jiang Min slowly revealed her concealed form. The Undying Veil transformed into a minuscule streak of flowing light, returning to her and clinging seamlessly to her body.

She turned her gaze toward the blood, flesh, and scattered valuables on the ground, narrowing her eyes slightly as she thought inwardly: "There is truly a reason why the Ghost Mountain Old Man only handed out one Yin-Soul Banner. A Golden Core ghostly entity that has devoured a massive number of resentful spirits... what formidable strength."

Earlier, before the Yin-Soul Banner had fully devoured enough resentful spirits, the summoned Golden Core ghostly entity was still weak and unable to unleash its peak strength. Coupled with the fact that they faced a pincer attack from two well-prepared teams, it was naturally stretched thin.

But now, the Golden Core ghostly entity was markedly stronger. Furthermore, Hu Xiuzhu and her companion had depleted a vast amount of spiritual power during their previous battle with Xiong Tianhai, rendering them unable to wield the full might of their spirit treasures. Consequently, the Golden Core ghostly entity had suppressed the Nine-Sun Pagoda with near-overwhelming dominance.

She had overestimated the strength of Hu Xiuzhu and the others, to the extent that she didn't even need to make a move.

As expected.

The chasm between major cultivation realms was an almost impassable natural moat.

No matter how powerful an offensive spirit treasure was, it still required sufficient spiritual power to sustain it.

Dong Kaiyuan and Yao Sheng swept over, landing before Jiang Min.

A long-absent smile finally surfaced on Yao Sheng's pale face as he said to Jiang Min, "Fellow Daoist Ming, thanks to your assistance, we were able to dispatch them."

Concealing the profound meaning deep within her eyes, Jiang Min smiled leisurely and replied, "Fellow Daoist Yao flatters me. When Hu Xiuzhu was killed just now, I did not make a single move; it was entirely thanks to your efforts."

"Go ahead and retrieve the Supreme-Infant Spirit Heart. I will wait for you by the shore, and do mind that skeleton."

She didn't even bother looking at the valuables and spirit treasures scattered on the ground, merely speaking thus to Yao Sheng and his companion. The dominant presence she had exhibited earlier vanished completely, returning her to her initial subdued demeanor.

"Very well."

Yao Sheng and Dong Kaiyuan nodded, each summoning their flying magical artifacts and flying eagerly toward the Supreme-Infant Spirit Tree.

As for Jiang Min's warning regarding the skeleton, although they kept it in mind, before the allure of the Supreme-Infant Spirit Heart, it was not their primary concern.

The densely foliated Supreme-Infant Spirit Tree radiated a faint golden precious light. The closer one drew to the spirit tree, the more one could perceive an abstruse and profound aura.

Among its branches.

Resting there was a transparent, golden fruit shaped like a heart. It exuded an exotic fragrance as halos of light rippled across it, and like a living heart, the fruit kept throbbing rhythmically. With each beat, profound rhythms flowed outward; viewed through the lens of Foundation Establishment cultivation, it only felt obscure, abstruse, and dizzying to the mind.