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Chapter 399: Exploration
Chapter 399: Exploration
At the same time, on the fringes of the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, a pitch-black passage suddenly appeared in the void, and a figure emerged from within, clad in the robes of Tide Listening Cliff. It was one of the grandmasters of the Tide Listening Cliff.
As soon as this grandmaster from the Tide Listening Cliff appeared, they immediately scanned the surroundings with caution. Seeing the desolate landscape devoid of any signs of life, they heaved a slight sigh of relief and turned their gaze towards the void passage. Another person emerged, followed by a third, a fourth, and a fifth...
Soon, numerous grandmasters from the Tide Listening Cliff gathered, all stepping into the Seekwood Heavenly Realm.
Once they saw that everyone had arrived, the leaders among them visibly relaxed.
The location of the void passage was unpredictable. While it would undoubtedly open at the edge of the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, if luck was against them, they might encounter the Spirit People Ancestor patrolling the realm. That would undoubtedly lead to significant trouble, especially when they were still short-staffed.
Now that the Tide Listening Cliff had assembled most of their people, the crisis was significantly reduced. Even if the Spirit Folk Ancestor appeared at this moment, they could join forces to hold them off for a while, at least long enough to secure the passage and wait for the others to enter.
Once the number of incoming grandmasters reached a certain threshold, even the Spirit Folk Ancestor would have to retreat.
Not running into the Spirit Folk Ancestor directly was undoubtedly a fortunate turn of events.
Soon, other grandmasters from Daxuan and various regions of the outer sea also began to enter the Seekwood Heavenly Realm one after another.
The grandmasters from the Tide Listening Cliff did not leave immediately but waited at the original spot until all the grandmasters had entered. As the void passage gradually sealed, the leader among them stepped forward and clasped his hands, saying, "Fellow cultivators, let's not waste words. Now that we have entered the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, it's time to take action. If anyone wishes to join us, we welcome them, and we will share the Wood Seeking Spirit Liquid we obtain."
Elder Pu Hai from the Tide Listening Cliff spoke with a serious tone.
Having a large gathering in the Seekwood Heavenly Realm had its advantages and disadvantages. The more people, the bolder their actions could be, but it also meant less Spirit Liquid to go around after acquiring it.
A larger group also meant more noise, making them more noticeable in the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, thus attracting the attention of the Spirit Folk Ancestor. Conversely, a smaller group could move more covertly and avoid detection, but if they encountered the Spirit Folk Ancestor, it would be challenging to deal with, often resulting in death.
Even before entering the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, the cultivators had already divided themselves into teams. Hearing Elder Pu Hai's words, some exchanged glances, hesitating briefly, while others paid no heed and immediately departed.
For instance, Zonggang Monarch and Hong Shida led a small group and quickly vanished into the distance.
Meanwhile, Yan Hong's group also looked to her for guidance. Yan Hong, having already made her decision, said, "We have enough people. The more of us, the bigger the target. Let's go."
While joining forces with the Tide Listening Cliff would be safer, the rewards would also be significantly reduced. It wouldn't be easy to compete with them, and Yan Hong, having gathered so many cultivators, had no intention of traveling with the Tide Listening Cliff.
After choosing a direction, Yan Hong set off.
Yan Zhengyang and the others followed without hesitation.
At the rear, Chen Mu gazed at the Seekwood Colossus, which seemed to support the heavens and the earth, with a hint of awe. He marveled at the wonders of the world, where such a divine tree could exist. His thoughts momentarily immersed in the wonders of this realm.
Chen Mu could sense that this realm was still encompassed by the Eight Trigrams of the Universe, but it seemed to have some minor issues, feeling more confined compared to the Daxuan world. He vaguely felt a sense of restriction, as if a layer of membrane bound him, making him slightly uncomfortable. This was undoubtedly the suppression from this realm.
Fortunately, this suppression had little effect on him and minimal impact on his Heaven-Earth Body. It only slightly restricted his Heaven-Earth Domain, but the actual limitations were not significant. This aligned with what he had heard about the Seekwood Heavenly Realm.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Chen Mu, witnessing Yan Hong's group taking action, decided to follow them discreetly instead of immediately leaving the group. He accompanied the others deeper into the Seekwood Heavenly Realm.
While Chen Mu had memorized the contents of Yan Hong's Seekwood Heavenly Realm map, just as the Earth Abyss could change, the Seekwood Heavenly Realm might also undergo some transformations. He wasn't entirely familiar with this place, so a little exploration wouldn't hurt.
Swish, swish.
The group of grandmasters swiftly concealed their auras and moved with incredible speed, covering several dozen li in the blink of an eye.
They had now left the outskirts of Seekwood Heavenly Realm and gradually entered its outer regions. Looking up, they could see the colossal Seekwood tree's treetop, its branches extending above their heads.
"Let's proceed with the original plan," Yan Hong suggested, gazing up at the Seekwood treetop and addressing the group behind her.
Seekwood Heavenly Realm offers two exploration routes. One involves traversing underground, where an extensive network of Seekwood roots forms a labyrinth of interconnected caves, inhabited by numerous Lower Spirit Folk.
Indeed, the Spirit Folk are divided into higher and lower races. Lower Spirit Folk are only permitted to reside underground, and the vast majority of them never attain the privilege of ascending to the Seekwood treetop, a domain reserved for the higher Spirit Folk.
Whether it's the dense network of branches high above in the treetop or the intricate root system below, both environments nurture the growth of Seekwood Spirit Liquid. Thus, upon entering the outer reaches of Seekwood Heavenly Realm, a decision must be made regarding the exploration route.
As the intricate root system below mirrors the vastness of the treetop canopy, the advanced technologies of artificial intelligence and the increasing integration of AI into various aspects of life, it becomes imperative to establish clear guidelines for the nature and extent of AI involvement. The decision-making process regarding AI implementation should be approached with careful consideration, taking into account the potential risks and benefits associated with AI technology.
The root system below, though intricate, offers a more discreet mode of travel, minimizing disturbances. However, it comes with limitations, making it challenging to navigate in situations that require quick escape. In contrast, the treetop above provides a more open and unrestricted environment, especially for grandmasters proficient in aerial travel.
The exploration of the underground roots was chosen by Yan Hong's group due to the limited number of grandmasters skilled in aerial travel among them; only two possessed such expertise, while the rest had only a basic understanding or none at all, allowing for only brief periods of flight.
Furthermore, the cultivation paths of the grandmasters in the group predominantly aligned with the Earthly Lineage. This included Chen Mu's manifestation of Supreme Yin Power, which also leaned towards the Earthly aspect.
Chen Mu concurred with the route chosen by Yan Hong and the others.
The group soon located an underground passage and descended from the surface, entering the subterranean realm of Seekwood.
As they entered, Chen Mu's gaze fell upon a different underground world compared to the one he had encountered in the Ice Province's Earth Abyss. The intricate network of Seekwood roots crisscrossed the area, making unrestricted movement challenging. Navigating through this maze required following paths devoid of roots, as penetrating the roots demanded a significant expenditure of energy.
Not long into their journey, they discovered a relatively spacious underground path. Signs of human excavation became evident, and as they proceeded further, an underground settlement eventually came into view.
Chen Mu narrowed his eyes, focusing on the distant structures.
Through his eyes, he observed an ancient underground settlement constructed around an exceptionally thick Seekwood root, which glowed with a faint luminescence, illuminating the surroundings.
Within the settlement, human-like figures moved about, indistinguishable from humans in terms of physical appearance, possessing distinct facial features and limbs. However, their skin tone was noticeably darker, resembling the color of tree roots.
The Spirit Folk in this settlement exuded weak auras, indicating modest cultivation levels.
Despite Yan Hong's group, composed entirely of grandmasters, drawing near enough to enter some of the Spirit Folk's line of sight, their auras remained concealed, preventing any detection by the Spirit Folk.
Finally, as the group reached the settlement's outskirts, it seemed to trigger some sort of formation. Instantly, the glowing roots dimmed, their luminescence deepening.
The closest Spirit Folk, engaged in chiseling a stone tool, sensed the change and abruptly looked up, spotting Yan Hong and the others who had approached unnoticed. Upon seeing their faces, the Spirit Folk's expression contorted in shock.
"Kaggu!" he exclaimed.
Despite the language barrier, Chen Mu and his companions were astute enough to discern the general meaning of the strange sounds, which seemed to convey messages like "enemy attack" and "run for your lives."
However, this warning failed to spread, as Yan Hong swiftly took action, silencing the source almost instantly.
Bang! Yan Hong's sudden move shattered the dark-skinned Spirit Folk's body with a single palm strike, causing it to explode like a smashed watermelon, blood gushing out.
The shattered body revealed a similar internal structure to humans, with five viscera and six entrails, but the blood flowing from it was deep brown.
"Crack! Crack!" Despite Yan Hong's swift response, the glistening Seekwood root system seemed to have already transmitted the danger signal, causing unrest within the entire Spirit Folk tribe. Over a hundred Spirit Folk emerged, screaming, but none showed any intention to resist. Instead, they attempted to flee deeper into the underground tunnels.
"Take action! Don't let them escape!" Yan Zhengyang's voice resonated with authority as he took the initiative, swiftly moving forward and executing several palm strikes, immobilizing seven or eight Spirit Folk with his statement, the advanced technologies of Spirit Folk, immediate action is necessary to prevent their escape. While the initial warning was swiftly contained, the Seekwood root system's signal had already been transmitted, causing unrest within the entire tribe. As a result, over a hundred Spirit Folk emerged, their screams filling the air, but none showed any intention to resist. Instead, they attempted to flee deeper into the underground tunnels.
"The situation calls for immediate action to prevent their escape," Yan Zhengyang declared, his voice carrying a sense of urgency. With swift and precise movements, he immobilized several Spirit Folk, their bodies shattering under his powerful strikes.
The rest of the group followed suit, swiftly eliminating the entire tribe. Chen Mu, bringing up the rear, observed the actions of Yan Zhengyang and the other grandmasters without participating. He noticed a body reduced to pulp by their overwhelming power and sighed softly.
In the natural order of things, the strong prey on the weak, and survival is a constant struggle. Moreover, the lack of shared ancestry between the Spirit Folk and humans only exacerbates this reality. If the roles were reversed, and the Spirit Folk possessed greater power, it would be the humans of the Nine States who would suffer such indiscriminate slaughter.
"Their bodily structures are not entirely dissimilar..." Chen Mu, who had refrained from direct involvement in the slaughter, paused beside a relatively intact corpse, gently probing its physical composition with his hand. He noted the similarities between the Spirit Folk and humans, finding that even the differences between humans and demons were more pronounced.
In his experience, the only lifeforms that stood out as fundamentally different were the ancient demons, whose bodily structures were entirely alien, lacking organs like the heart, liver, spleen, and lungs. In contrast, other races, including the Spirit Folk, shared more similarities with humans.
After a brief examination, Chen Mu resumed his journey, heading towards the center of the tribe, quickly catching up with Yan Hong and the others.
The area was littered with the bodies of the Spirit Folk, with only one middle-aged survivor. However, he was on his knees, immobilized by Yan Zhengyang's overwhelming power.
"Where is it...?" Yan Zhengyang interrogated the captive Spirit Folk, his gaze cold and indifferent. Despite his ability to understand their language, communication was challenging due to the linguistic barrier.
After a brief interrogation, Yan Zhengyang ended the captive's life with a swift palm strike. Turning to the group, he shared, "The Seekwood Spirit Liquid, known as 'Holy Dew' to the Spirit Folk, is extremely rare even to them. A small settlement like this would never possess it. Only larger settlements might have a slight chance."
"I've learned that beyond this settlement, after passing four more, we'll reach a larger one," Yan Zhengyang revealed.
Yan Hong nodded slightly, acknowledging Yan Zhengyang's efforts. She then turned to the group, seeking their opinions.
"Since we have no specific target, we might as well investigate," someone suggested.
The group understood that even in larger settlements, the amount of Seekwood Spirit Liquid would be limited. Their true goal was to locate the special root system nodes deep underground, where a significant amount of Seekwood Spirit Liquid could be found, ensuring a substantial reward for everyone.
However, with no immediate leads, following this trail might provide further insights into the location of the root system nodes. The only concern was the potential for attracting unwanted attention, possibly even from a Spirit Folk Ancestor. But since they had already ventured into the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, conflict with the Spirit Folk was inevitable. This area was not yet the heart of the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, and with swift action, they could minimize the disturbance caused.
(End of Chapter)
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