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Chapter 401: The Arrival
Chapter 401: The Arrival
Seekwood Heavenly Realm.
An aged Spirit Folk strode forward, his footsteps measured and steady as he traversed the land. Though his eyes were ancient, they seemed to peer through the void, observing the surroundings from all directions.
This was none other than the Spiritrace Clan Ancestor.
"Have they all entered...?"
The Spirit Ancestor's eyes gleamed with a chilling light. He didn't rush to take action because the number of Grandmasters who had entered the Seekwood Heavenly Realm was vast, and they were divided into multiple teams. If he were to merely block and engage one of these teams in battle, it wouldn't serve much purpose.
With a successor guarding the forbidden area, he no longer worried about the Tree Heart Forbidden Land being attacked. He had ample time to carefully observe these teams of Grandmasters, searching for an opportunity to find their weaknesses and ideally, to slaughter many of them in one go, causing the entire team to collapse.
That was his plan.
The Spirit Ancestor halted, placing a hand gently on an exposed section of the Seekwood Root System protruding from the ground. He probed the various situations, and after an unknown duration, his eyes flashed slightly, and he directed his gaze towards an underground direction.
Slightly narrowing his eyes, he took a step forward and vanished silently from his original spot.
...
Underground.
In a large settlement.
Chen Mu gazed ahead, hands clasped behind his back as he strolled leisurely. His movements were minimal, but with each step, a surging Supreme Yin Power spread, causing patches of frost to form and spread from his feet, freezing everything in its path.
Whether it was the Spirit Folk rushing towards him in anger or those frantically trying to regroup, they were all frozen in place by the spreading frost, creating a scene of a frigid winter wherever his eyes landed.
Chen Mu had no interest in indiscriminate slaughter.
Nor did he want to be bothered with trivial matters.
All he needed was the Wood Seeking Spirit Liquid, and he didn't care about killing or not. He didn't bother pursuing those who fled, and those who dared to resist were crushed.
In this manner, he marched forward, reaching the center of the large settlement. Here, a particularly robust Seekwood Root System stood, glowing with faint green luminescence. Below it was a pool filled with clear Spirit Spring water, which, while not extraordinary, contained a trace of spiritual power. If ordinary people drank it regularly, they could strengthen their bodies and ward off illnesses.
However, for Chen Mu at this point, these were no longer appealing.
He approached the front of a Seekwood Root System.
This Seekwood Root System was incredibly resilient, especially this unique and robust one, which contained a surging Wood Seeking Power within. Even a full-power Quintessence Realm cultivator would struggle to leave a mark on it, and even Grandmasters like Yan Zhengyang would need to join forces and strike multiple times to break it open.
Chen Mu observed the Seekwood Root System, and with a mere cursory perception, he sensed the abundant spiritual power within. But he didn't draw his weapon; instead, he merely raised his right hand and thrust it forward.
Pfft!
The Seekwood Root System, which required the combined efforts of Yan Zhengyang and others to break, was like paper before Chen Mu's bare hands. His hand pierced through it, and his entire right arm disappeared into the root system.
As he thrust his arm in, Chen Mu immediately sensed the rich spiritual power within, spreading throughout the root system.
Having witnessed Yan Hong and others extracting the Wood Seeking Spirit Liquid, Chen Mu now attempted it himself. Though it was his first time, it was effortless. With a mere thought, streams of Primordial Essence Aura surged into the Seekwood Root System, spreading like a net and gathering the spiritual power flowing within.
In mere moments—
Pop!
Chen Mu withdrew his right hand from the root system, clutching a ball of emerald Spirit Liquid.
Having extracted the Spirit Liquid, the root system, which once glowed faintly, quickly dimmed, appearing withered. Even the Spirit Spring below lost its luster.
"Not bad."
Chen Mu weighed the Spirit Liquid in his hand.
This ball of Wood Seeking Spirit Liquid weighed over two taels, slightly more than what Yan Hong had obtained earlier.
It wasn't that this root system was significantly stronger; rather, Chen Mu's extraction technique surpassed Yan Hong's. While Yan Hong could extract at most sixty to seventy percent of the Spirit Liquid, Chen Mu could extract ninety-nine percent!
Glancing around, Chen Mu didn't linger. He collected the Spirit Liquid and continued his exploration deeper into the underground realm.
Following the intricate network of underground tunnels, he ventured several dozen li, passing through numerous small settlements, until he suddenly sensed something ahead. He directed his gaze towards a dead-end, a closed-off area with no visible path.
However, Chen Mu did not stop. He walked straight ahead, his entire body seeming to become ethereal as he passed through the thick soil layer. After advancing several hundred feet, a massive root system suddenly appeared before him, buried deep in the soil, emitting a faint glow. The Seekwood Power contained within was even more intense than that of the root system surrounding the large settlement he had encountered earlier.
"Very good."
Chen Mu nodded slightly as he looked at the glowing Seekwood root system.
His perception had been correct.
The Seekwood root system spread throughout the underground, intertwining in all directions. In theory, Seekwood Spirit Liquid could be extracted from any root, but the thinner, non-special nodes would yield at most a couple of drops, even if he were to extract it himself.
Only special nodes like this one contained a sufficient amount of Seekwood Spirit Liquid.
These underground Spirit People typically built their large settlements around such special root nodes, but not all nodes were surrounded by settlements. After all, some were buried deep underground.
For example, the root system before him was buried very deep. If not for his keen perception, he would have hardly noticed it. Even from a distance, he could see that it was much thicker than the nodes in the previous two large settlements.
Pfft!
Chen Mu struck directly, piercing through the surface, and then used his Primordial Essence Aura to extract the Seekwood Spirit Liquid.
After about ten breaths, he pulled his hand out.
This time, he brought out a large, emerald-green clump of Seekwood Spirit Liquid, roughly the size of a baby's head. A rough estimate showed that it weighed nearly a pound, almost three times as much as his previous harvests. This made Chen Mu smile.
If he could have similar harvests six or seven more times, he would have enough to fully refine his Heaven-Earth Body to the Perfect Level.
Onward.
Chen Mu's joy did not last long. He quickly put away the Seekwood Spirit Liquid and continued deeper into the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, searching for more root nodes.
It didn't take long for him to find the third root node, which was again located in a large settlement. He paid no attention to this; although these underground settlements had thousands of Spirit People, none of them were powerful enough to match the Quintessence Realm, and they were no match for him, akin to mere ants.
Just as Chen Mu was about to extract another batch of Seekwood Spirit Liquid from the center of the settlement, the Earthly Yin Banner he carried began to emit a faint glow.
Yan Hong's somewhat hurried voice came from it.
"Something's wrong! Come quickly!"
The Seventy-Two Earthly Stars Battle Flag, once ranked among the top ten Spirit Weapons in the Great Proclamation, was no ordinary weapon. It could connect with a Grandmaster's Primordial Essence Aura to form an array and allow communication within a certain range.
Yan Hong's tone was urgent and tense, indicating that they had encountered significant trouble.
Chen Mu recalled that although they had split up, Yan Hong, Yan Zhengyang, and the group of court officials she had brought along had not dispersed and were still acting together. For Yan Hong to be so anxious and uneasy, the trouble they encountered must have been serious.
The Spirit People Ancestor!
"Instead of attacking the treetop, they are targeting here..."
A thoughtful look flashed in Chen Mu's eyes.
Having explored the Seekwood Heavenly Realm and gained a better understanding of the Spirit People, he knew that the underground Spirit People held a low status and were not highly regarded by the overall Spirit People. In contrast, the Higher Spirit Folk living on the treetop were much more important.
Earlier, he had agreed with Yan Hong's assessment that the underground Spirit People were not highly valued and were located at the periphery of the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, so acting a bit more freely and splitting up temporarily should not have been a problem.
Given this, either they had bad luck and just happened to run into the Spirit People Ancestor, or the ancestor had some means of detecting their split forces and decided to attack.
After a moment's consideration, Chen Mu looked in the direction indicated by the banner and took a step, disappearing from his original spot.
It wasn't that he was eager for battle or had any particular bond with Yan Hong's group that made him want to rescue them. The main reason was that while Yan Hong's group was not as efficient as him in exploring the underground, they had likely made some significant discoveries. Combined, their harvest would likely exceed the less than two pounds of Seekwood Spirit Liquid he had collected.
Rather than letting the Spirit Ancestor reclaim these gains, it was better to store them with him for now.
...
In a hidden underground location.
Yan Hong held the main flag of the Earthly Stars Battle Flag, her eyes closed as she sensed something. Suddenly, she opened her eyes, her face turning grim.
"Another one, something happened on Cheng Lin's side too."
Through the main flag, she could perceive the situation of each flag bearer. About half an hour ago, the first flag bearer encountered trouble, and she immediately became alert. Before the second flag bearer ran into trouble, she sent out a message to gather everyone back. But then the second and third flag bearers also faced danger!
Now, it was the fourth one!
Within a short span of less than half an hour, four Grandmasters had lost contact one after another. This was definitely not a coincidence; those four individuals were most likely in grave danger. Only one person in the Wooden Cave Heaven could have done this, and that was the Spirit Ancestor!
At this very moment, not only Yan Hong but also the numerous Grandmasters nearby, including Yan Zhengyang, had grave expressions as if facing a formidable enemy. Although they had sufficient manpower and the Spirit Artifact, the Seven-Colored Lotus Bloom, when that terrifying existence appeared nearby, it was impossible for them to feel at ease!
After all, this was a formidable figure comparable to a Blood Replacement Realm expert.
Moreover, their manpower was currently scattered, and only four Grandmasters, including Liu Qingyan, were gathered around Yan Hong, in addition to the imperial entourage.
Furthermore, four of the Grandmasters scattered outside had already encountered trouble, leaving only five Grandmasters, including Chen Mu, remaining. Their manpower was already insufficient. If these five also faced danger, the remaining eleven individuals might not be able to withstand the Spirit Ancestor!
"Your Highness..."
Someone directed their gaze at Yan Hong, their expression filled with hesitation.
Given the current grave situation, continuing to wait here might not be a good idea, in Hou Cheng's opinion.
Apparently, the Spirit Ancestor possessed a certain ability to pinpoint their scattered manpower and was currently eliminating them one by one, hunting down isolated individuals. Chen Mu and the others might not even have a chance to reunite with them!
Even if two or three of Chen Mu's group survived and reached here to join them, with such heavy losses, even with the Spirit Artifact, they might not be able to rival the Spirit Ancestor. The situation would still be extremely dire, and if things went wrong, everyone might perish underground!
"No!"
Yan Hong spoke with a heavy voice.
She knew what Hou Cheng wanted to say.
In the current situation, abandoning Chen Mu and the others to immediately flee to the ground and seek other teams was an option. Since the Spirit Ancestor had chosen to eliminate them one by one, it was unlikely that he would target their large group.
But that was just a hypothesis. They were far less familiar with the Wooden Cave Heaven than the Spirit Ancestor, who seemed to possess a certain ability to accurately pinpoint their location. Even if they abandoned Chen Mu and fled to the ground, they might not be able to evade the Spirit Ancestor's pursuit. Perhaps the Spirit Ancestor would even strike them first!
Despite the severe loss of manpower, Yan Hong still had the Spirit Artifact, the Seven-Colored Lotus Bloom.
With Yan Zhengyang and Wei Shuxian, both top-tier Grandmasters, and her own strength nearing the pinnacle of Grandmasters, as long as the strongest among the remaining few, Chen Mu, survived, or even if two or three others made it, they might be able to resist the Spirit Ancestor. At the very least, they could fight while retreating, not being completely defenseless.
Liu Qingyan looked at Hou Cheng, then at Yan Hong.
She had already confirmed that 'Mu Chen' was Chen Mu, and abandoning Chen Mu and the others to flee to the ground seemed like the most foolish choice to her. Although she wasn't sure if Chen Mu's strength could rival the Spirit Ancestor, there was no doubt that Chen Mu possessed power comparable to the Blood Replacement Realm. Even if he couldn't defeat the Spirit Ancestor, he still had a good chance of protecting himself.
One could even say that Chen Mu's side was safer than Yan Hong's!
When she had split up earlier, she hadn't accompanied Chen Mu because she knew he was likely searching for the Wood Seeking Spirit Liquid. She had gone on her own, never expecting to encounter the Spirit Ancestor's attack. Fortunately, she was closest to Yan Hong and the others, so she was the first to rejoin them.
If Yan Hong were to follow Hou Cheng's suggestion and abandon Chen Mu and the others to flee to the ground, Liu Qingyan would definitely object. However, it seemed that Yan Hong was calm and composed, even with the Spirit Ancestor nearby.
"I think we can head towards 'Mu Chen's' side and meet up with him."
Liu Qingyan spoke softly.
Hearing Liu Qingyan's words, Yan Hong's serious expression softened slightly, and she said, "Let's go."
Among the remaining individuals, 'Mu Chen' was indeed more important. It would be good to head towards 'Mu Chen's' side.
(End of Chapter)
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