"This is truly a rare opportunity. Who knows? We might just stumble upon a chance for Foundation Establishment. Junior Brother, are you sure you don't want to come with us to take a look?"
Qu Zijian looked surprised and asked again.
The others, who had come over excitedly, also looked at Li Ye with puzzled expressions.
"I prefer to stay cautious by nature and have little interest in such risky ventures,"
Li Ye replied calmly, shaking his head. He casually pulled out a few jade bottles and handed them to the group.
"These are some Qi Recovery and Healing Pills just a small token from me. Please accept them… and allow me to wish you all great fortune and bountiful harvests in the secret realm."
As he spoke, the group's expressions softened noticeably, and Li Ye added with a smile,
"If any of you happen to come across spare spiritual plant seeds or saplings that you won't use, I'd be grateful if you'd give me a chance to purchase them. I'd truly appreciate it."
Qu Zijian glanced at the jade bottle in his hand and couldn't help but chuckle at Li Ye's words.
"Tsk! Even if you're not coming with us, getting a few pills off you makes it worth our while…"
With that, he and the others grew solemn.
"Many thanks for the pills, Junior Brother. If we come across anything that suits you, rest assured we'll bring it back and charge you dearly for it!"
"I'll be more than happy to pay the price,"
Li Ye responded with a cupped fist, prompting hearty laughter from the group.
…
After seeing Qu Zijian and the others off, Li Ye glanced around. He noticed that many cultivators in the market district were rushing about, excitement written all over their faces. Most of them were heading in the same direction.
He couldn't help but shake his head.
Just a couple of days ago, that ancient tree secret realm had emerged during the standoff between the two armies at Yan Yang Mountain. In a mere two or three days, the news had spread like wildfire across both nations, attracting cultivators from all sides eager to explore its mysteries.
Even among the disciples of the Purple Profound Sect, most were tempted and chose to head out in groups.
"That secret realm's become the eye of the storm. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators can't resist its allure… The Li Clan's old ancestor said he'd wait for my reply, but the very next day, he left without a word!"
"Someone like him, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, is probably just one of many who've been drawn to it. With that kind of crowd, what's the point of me jumping into the chaos?"
Li Ye thought to himself.
After all, with the panel at his side, quietly cultivating and tending his fields steadily provided him with all the resources he needed for cultivation.
Unless necessary, he had no intention of throwing himself into the mess.
"From the descriptions, no one knows exactly what that giant tree is, but if it can serve as the core of a secret realm, it might very well be a type of heaven-and-earth spiritual root… If I could obtain its seeds or a sapling, it could be of great use to me."
From that perspective, his good wishes to Qu Zijian and the others were entirely sincere.
At that moment, Li Ye had already come to a quiet decision.
If the Li Clan's old ancestor managed to return safely from the secret realm, he would consider accepting the invitation to join the clan and tend their spiritual fields for a time.
After all, having the protection of a Foundation Establishment cultivator while preparing for his own Foundation Establishment was far safer than his original plan hiding his identity and occupying the spiritual land of some fallen sect destroyed in the war.
"Let's just hope that old man's luck holds out…"
Li Ye thought silently.
...
Yan Yang Mountain, Ancient Tree Secret Realm
Several days had passed since news of the secret realm's emergence spread far and wide. Cultivators from all over had flocked to the site, their numbers so vast that even a combined effort from both sects could not monopolize it. The area was now bustling with activity.
At that moment, a streak of light quietly descended, bypassing the crowds below and heading straight into the secret realm.
Along the way, signs of intense destruction were everywhere bodies hastily tossed to the roadside, and in some places, even the grass had been ripped out by the roots. It was truly a scene of plunder.
The cultivator riding the light, a master from Purple Profound Sect, glanced around with a sneer of disdain and continued onward without pause.
"The spiritual energy here… it seems to carry traces of vitality. Even someone at my level can sense a faint benefit from it…"
"And that vitality must be emanating from the core of the formation of the giant tree!"
As he absorbed the surrounding energy, the purple-robed elder looked up at the towering verdant tree, a flash of greed and desire passing through his slightly cloudy eyes.
Judging from the situation, it was unlikely the tree could be relocated, but if the protective formation could be broken and the tree's core essence extracted and refined, it would surely bring great benefits.
It might even fully heal his lingering injuries, halt his declining state, and grant him a few more decades of life.
With that thought in mind, the Purple Profound Sect Master immediately gave up the idea of searching elsewhere.
A gust of wind swept around him, boosting his speed dramatically as he turned into a blur and vanished into the distance.
…
"Senior Brother Qu truly lives up to his reputation. With one sword strike, those rogue cultivators were cut down like mere chickens… These Windmist Grasses are ours now!"
The group of disciples praised him enthusiastically, barely glancing at the fallen cultivators nearby. Their eyes were locked on the glowing, broad-leaved spiritual grass in front of them.
Qu Zijian sheathed his sword with a swish, his gaze sweeping over the spiritual herbs as a smile appeared on his face.
"Without all of you, I couldn't have done it alone. Let's collect the herbs and move on… And if there are any seeds, don't forget to save some for Junior Brother Li."
At the mention of Li Ye, someone couldn't help but grumble.
"It is a shame Junior Brother Li didn't come. Such a great opportunity… We've found more fortune in these two days than he'd get from weeks of pill-making. If he were here, with his knowledge of spiritual plants, we might've gained even more."
Others chimed in, not out of malice, but puzzled by Li Ye's decision to avoid the risks, even if it meant missing out on such gains.
Qu Zijian listened silently, then let out a sigh.
"With his alchemy skills, Li Ye's future is already bright. Why would he need to take unnecessary risks?"
"Unlike us fighting tooth and nail just for a slim chance at Foundation Establishment…"
…
"Feiyu, are you sure destroying these array nodes will break the tree's defensive wards and let us reach its core?"
Purple Profound Sect Master's gaze was skeptical as he looked toward Feiyu Daoist from a recently shattered tower node.
"If these ancient wards weren't so formidable even after all this time requiring us two Golden Core cultivators to break them I wouldn't be wasting words with you!"
The black-and-white-haired, feather-robed Feiyu Daoist snapped impatiently.
Both of them veteran cultivators at the Golden Core level had come here with the same goal: to seize the greatest benefit of this secret realm for themselves.
After fighting through numerous obstacles, they had been blocked again and again by the protective formations surrounding the giant tree. Now, having run into each other, tempers were naturally frayed.
Still, with just two more formation nodes left, they silently resumed their work, bombarding the last towers with all their power.
As the core of the formation was slowly unraveled, the entire spatial structure of the secret realm began to shift.
The ongoing destruction at the outskirts had already disrupted the formations. Now, the instability has grown rapidly.
Though both cultivators sensed something was wrong, they paid little attention.
Soon, the final node was destroyed.
The formation trembled. The giant tree swayed violently, its entire body glowing with green light as it radiated a mixture of agony and instability.
Now!
The two Golden Core elders acted in unison, launching their strongest strikes at the tree as they shot toward it.
Just as they were about to carve out the tree's heart and claim its core
With the formation shattered, the space around the tree suddenly ruptured. The colossal tree shuddered violently, and countless glowing seeds shot out from its branches in all directions like shooting stars.
Without the support of the formation, and battered by the collapsing space, the giant tree let out a final tremble before crashing down with a thunderous roar!
And from the space where the tree once stood, a deep, pitch-black rift burst open revealing a strange, twitching portal that quickly stabilized into a gateway.
A thick, sinister aura dark as ink poured out from the void, rapidly corrupting everything nearby. The once-lush green ground withered into lifeless ash.
Only the fallen tree's branches, still glowing with emerald light, remained untouched.
And then
Before the two Golden Core cultivators' horrified eyes, a monstrous, black, razor-sharp demonic claw suddenly reached out from within the portal.
"A demon?!"
"A… descent portal?! How can this be possible?!"
Purple Profound Sect Master and Feiyu Daoist locked eyes, both realizing with dread.
They might have just made a huge mistake.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 110+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader