Chapter 142: Extreme Yang Spirit Vein

Ten thousand years ago, a figure representing a certain orthodox lineage appeared in the pocket world of the Ziyin Sword Sect.
Ten thousand years later, their descendant appeared here once again.
Both the predecessor and the successor did the exact same thing.
They annihilated the orthodox lineage of the Ziyin Sword Sect!

Even within the memories of the skeletal remnant soul, aside from the yellow-robed Deity Transformation cultivator, there was also a female Deity Transformation cultivator dressed in a white robe adorned with red plum blossoms who had visited Ancient Spirit Lake.
However, Jiang Min guessed otherwise.
The person who had set up the gray fog barrier outside the Daoist arena and destroyed the inheritance within the Hall of Enquiring Dao was most likely the former.

"These two Deity Transformation cultivators entered the pocket world long before any of us stepped foot inside. No wonder the ancient teleportation array on the stone platform is covered in cracks, overlapping old and new. Perhaps due to the immense passage of time, it simply could not withstand the transmission of Deity Transformation cultivators, breaking down after just two uses. Even after repairs, it could only facilitate the transit of a limited number of Foundation Establishment cultivators thereafter."
"Regardless of who destroyed the legacy of the Ziyin Sword Sect, their cultivation realm was at the Deity Transformation stage... I heard from my Master that a cultivator of the Deity Transformation stage is already at the pinnacle of worldly cultivation."

Pondering this, Jiang Min raised her right palm.
She narrowed her eyes to inspect it.
Hidden within her palm was a statue of an immortal, along with an immortal hall. Viewed in this light, the orthodox legacy of this ancient immortal was precisely what the yellow-robed faction had intended to eradicate.

"I can only look, I cannot learn, and I must keep it hidden. What a hot potato!" Jiang Min sighed helplessly, shaking her head with a bittersweet expression.
She composed herself.
Then, she recalled the remaining memories of the skeletal remnant soul.
That yellow-robed Deity Transformation cultivator had plucked most of the fruit from the Grand Infant Spirit Tree, leaving behind only three smaller Grand Infant Spirit Hearts.
Not long after, a youthful-looking woman dressed in a white robe embroidered with red plum blossoms, also of the Deity Transformation stage, had plucked two more Grand Infant Spirit Hearts, leaving only the smallest one behind.
That was precisely the single fruit harvested by Yao Sheng and Dong Kaiyuan.

After the white-robed cultivator departed, Xiong Tianhai and Hu Xiuzhu arrived.
Seeing that they possessed only Foundation Establishment cultivation, the skeletal remnant soul conceived the intention of seizing possession through夺舍 (possession/avatar hijacking), using powerful illusions to manifest a ball of Extreme Yang Spirit Marrow to entice them into a struggle.
His cultivation during his lifetime had been formidable, and having consumed the Grand Infant Spirit Hearts, the illusion of the Extreme Yang Spirit Marrow he conjured was flawless to Foundation Establishment cultivators, who consequently believed it to be real.

This was the entire sequence of events.
There was no such thing as Extreme Yang Spirit Marrow at all.
It was entirely fake.

Jiang Min lowered her wrist, and the peach branch transformed back into an ordinary wooden bracelet, returning to her wrist. She looked down at Dong Kaiyuan's corpse and frowned, murmuring, "Both of them are dead now. How am I supposed to explain this to Old Man Guishan?"
She had long felt that the manifestation of the Extreme Yang Spirit Marrow was suspicious, which was why she had intentionally feigned weakness and allowed Yao Sheng and Dong Kaiyuan to test the waters first. Never had she expected that both of them would forfeit their lives in the process.

"I fear that Old Man Guishan will conclude that I was the one who killed them, and in a fit of rage, silence me permanently. I won't even have the chance to explain myself or plead for my life."
Jiang Min rubbed her chin.
She had already witnessed numerous times how Nascent Soul cultivators could take a life with a single thought. For Foundation Establishment cultivators, there was virtually no time to react, let alone defend themselves or flee.

"Let's clear up the aftermath first, and think while I work. Such a vast pocket world, even if it is merely a fragment, still holds plenty to explore... As for the teleportation array to leave this place, I have already learned its location from the skeletal remnant soul. I have no fear of being trapped here."
With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Min walked toward Dong Kaiyuan's corpse.

***

Outside the pocket world.
Inside the cave.
Three Nascent Soul cultivators each held the life plaques of their disciples, watching as the plaques successively dimmed and shattered.

Had time turned back by half a quarter of an hour, the only living individuals remaining inside would have been those under Old Man Guishan's tutelage. Yan Shuangqing and True Monarch Poxie would have felt extreme reluctance, yet they were helpless. They could only force smiles upon their faces and successively offer their congratulations to Old Man Guishan.
"Congratulations, Daoist Guishan."
"I entrusted several precious spiritual treasures to my disciple. If Daoist Guishan's disciple could kindly bring them out, I would be deeply grateful."
"Indeed, absolutely."

Their words sounded courteous, but the subtext was clear: even if the disciples were dead, the spiritual treasures bestowed upon them by their masters could not be swallowed by Villain City; they had to be returned.

As a result.
No sooner had the two finished offering their congratulations than Old Man Guishan could respond.
His eyes suddenly turned sharp, and he flipped his hands to reveal two life plaques. The light of the plaques was dim and covered in cracks, indicating that Yao Sheng and Dong Kaiyuan, tied to the heavenly mechanism, had both perished.
They were both dead!

Yan Shuangqing frowned and spoke first, "How could this be? Could something have happened inside?"
True Monarch Poxie rolled his eyes and interjected, "Daoist Yan, let us not forget that Daoist Guishan brought three people, one of whom is named Ming Ruoshui. As far as I know, she is currently ranked first on Villain City's roster this year."
Yan Shuangqing immediately grasped his implication and followed his train of thought to speculate, "Oh? Could it be that she killed everyone?"
He looked at Old Man Guishan and asked with a cryptic tone, "Daoist Guishan, can this Ming Ruoshui truly be trusted?"

Old Man Guishan's gaze shifted, but instead of validating their conjecture, he conservatively replied, "Daoist Meijun confirmed that within this ruined pocket world, only the teleportation array before us remains functional."
"I have no way of knowing whether she is still alive. I intend to wait a few days; if she emerges, we will naturally know what transpired."

Seeing that Old Man Guishan showed no signs of panic, True Monarch Poxie remarked, "Then I shall wait as well. There is no rush."
"And I as well."
For the longevity of Nascent Soul cultivators, a brief span of days passed in the blink of an eye and posed no inconvenience.
Thus, the three Nascent Soul cultivators each found a patch of ground to sit in meditation, leaving one another undisturbed.
Now, it all depended on whether they could wait for Ming Ruoshui to return to the cave.

***

beside Ancient Spirit Lake.
All the corpses had already been cleared away and incinerated to ashes, and their worldly possessions thoroughly collected by Jiang Min.

She stood by the edge of Ancient Spirit Lake, toying with the spiritual treasure Formless Veil in her hand, lost in thought.
"Such a fine treasure, I truly feel a pang of reluctance to return it. However, once I return, those Nascent Soul cultivators will certainly not permit me to monopolize a spiritual treasure... I wonder if Master is acquainted with these people. I can only take things one step at a time."
With a flick of her wrist, she withdrew the Formless Veil back into her sleeve.
Then, she cast her gaze upon Ancient Spirit Lake.

"In the memories of the skeletal remnant soul, both Deity Transformation cultivators visited the bottom of the lake. Could the Extreme Yang Spirit Vein be located at the lakebed?"
Jiang Min did not expect that the sweeping actions of two Deity Transformation cultivators would leave anything behind for her, but if the Extreme Yang Spirit Vein itself remained, she might still reap some benefits.

Her fingertips flicked slightly.
Swish!
The peach branch coiled around her wrist shot outward, piercing into the shimmering, gold-tinted lake water and probing toward the depths.
The spiritual lake contained only some aquatic plants, algae, small fish, and shrimp brimming with spiritual energy; no large fish were in sight, perhaps having been harvested by others. The peach branch descended all the way to the lakebed, where a glowing cave entrance radiated dense spiritual energy accompanied by streams of golden bubbles.

"Such rich Extreme Yang spiritual energy! This cave entrance was clearly excavated by human hands. It seems those two Deity Transformation cultivators dug this out."
Jiang Min's heart stirred.
The peach branch thrust into the cave entrance at the lakebed.
Instantly, an even denser surge of Extreme Yang spiritual energy enveloped the branch.
Her divine sense attached to the peach branch, and after navigating a subterranean tunnel for a moment, the space suddenly opened up before her. She beheld a vast underground water cave filled everywhere with gleaming gold Extreme Yang spiritual ores, though only the ores remained.

The water cave bore numerous fresh pits and signs of devastation, as if it had been thoroughly mined.
Enticing auras and extraordinary spiritual light still lingered around the excavated hollows.
Clearly, those pits must have once held precious treasures, such as companion spiritual herbs and rare earthly treasures... yet now, not a single thing remained!

"They plucked the goose clean of every feather; no treasures are left behind," Jiang Min narrowed her eyes. Even she, had she arrived here first, would have swept the place clean of all treasures. But since she arrived belatedly, the realization felt rather aggravating.
"This Extreme Yang Spirit Vein is indeed a treasured land favorable for harvesting solar Qi. However, the path of cultivation requires long-term accumulation and cannot be rushed overnight. My time is limited, and I cannot cultivate here for long. Moreover, such a massive spirit vein is something I cannot carry away... Hm? Wait!"

Jiang Min's heart skipped a beat. Her spiritual eyes flickered as she raised her right palm and called out, "Senior, Senior! Immortal Senior!"
Her palm flashed faintly.
It was the immortal statue responding to her.
Jiang Min's expression lit up. She blinked and offered a smooth, flattering suggestion: "Your Immortal Hall's pocket world has just expanded, and the space outside the hall is utterly barren—it is sorely lacking in treasures for ornamentation. Tell me, do this Extreme Yang Spirit Vein, the companion Extreme Yang Spirit Lake, and the Grand Infant Spirit Tree catch your discerning eye?"
"..."