63: Secrets of the Absolute Spirit Land (Subscription Request)

Chapter 63: Secrets of the Spirit-Barren Land (Seeking Subscriptions)

"Hoo... His Majesty left the palace to go to the Golden Emperor Peak of Daizong Mountain. Is he once again seeking the Immortal Dao?"

In Jiao Fang Palace, Consort Cui listened to the report from her subordinates, and her heart inevitably felt much more at ease.

Yesterday, she used the Soul-Bewitching Incense to confuse the emperor, making him fall into a deep sleep without sharing the same bed.

Even so, she still took care of Zheng Yi by his side for a long time.

Looking at Zheng Yi's face, Consort Cui felt a multitude of emotions.

If not for encountering her Revered Master, she might already have been the emperor's favorite concubine by now.

What a pity...

The immortal path is rugged; she could only walk it alone.

Four years ago, when she was conferred the title of noble consort and returning home to visit her Family, she met a Daoist nun halfway.

The nun easily knocked out the accompanying palace maids, eunuchs, and guards with incense, stating that she possessed a High Grade Spiritual Root, which was the most outstanding Spiritual Root in the current Spirit-Barren Land, and that they had the affinity of Revered Master and Disciple.

Afterwards, the nun displayed immortal secret techniques. While opening her eyes to a new world, she also willingly took her as her Revered Master.

The Daoist nun called herself 'Xuanjizi', a person of the Cultivation World who traveled the world in pursuit of the Great Dao.

She accidentally ran into Cui Xiabing, and seeing that she had a High Grade Spiritual Root, she took her in as a Disciple on her own initiative.

Afterwards, Cui Xiabing followed Xuanjizi in cultivation, and even brought her into the imperial palace and into Jiao Fang Palace.

Unfortunately, after teaching Cui Xiabing for two years, Xuanjizi once again traveled the world to search for opportunities.

At the same time, she warned Cui Xiabing that her Sect was called the "Xuanji Sect", and the Cultivation Technique practiced was the "Su Nü Yin Sha Gong", which was only suitable for women to Cultivate.

Moreover, she must not lose her virginity during cultivation, otherwise her entire Cultivation Technique would be completely broken.

Only when her own cultivation reached Qi Refining Level 3 could she engage in sexual intercourse.

From then on, her cultivation would rapidly improve, which could also be considered one of the Dual Cultivation secret methods.

Unfortunately, her Revered Master stated before leaving that if she wanted to rely on the "Su Nü Yin Sha Gong" for Dual Cultivation, it was best to find a male Cultivator.

Once an ordinary man was utilized with the "Su Nü Yin Sha Gong", his vital energy would be absorbed in a short period, bringing a hundred harms and not a single benefit.

"Sigh..."

Thinking of the precautions and requirements her Revered Master mentioned before leaving, Consort Cui could not help but let out an inward sigh.

After three years of cultivation, her cultivation was still only at Qi Refining Level 2.

She had failed her Revered Master's teachings.

But her Revered Master had also said that a thousand years ago, Heaven and Earth underwent a drastic change, Spiritual Qi collapsed, and the immortal path was severed.

Being able to Cultivate to Qi Refining Level 2 in three years in this Spirit-Barren Land could already be considered a Genius!

"I possess cultivation secret methods, and Your Majesty has always been seeking immortality and asking the Dao, yet I cannot speak of it because of my Revered Master's teachings."

Cui Xiabing distressedly said, "Furthermore, Your Majesty is merely an ordinary man. If we were to engage in Dual Cultivation with the "Su Nü Yin Sha Gong", it would inevitably harm the dragon body. What should I do then..."

"Niangniang~"

Just as she was troubled, Xiaoer walked in: "Niangniang, His Majesty sent so many things: Shu brocade, silk, jade pendants, rare ancient texts... Look! There are even your favorite orchids~"

Cui Xiabing forced a smile and said, "Thank Your Majesty for your favor. Xiaoer, put these things away."

"Nuo~!"

Xiaoer happily had the subordinates put away the items bestowed by the emperor, but Cui Xiabing looked behind them.

There stood two eunuchs and two palace maids to the side, whom she did not recognize.

"Xiaoer, who are those four people?"

Xiaoer said, "Those are the palace maids and eunuchs newly assigned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The two eunuchs are skilled in growing flowers, and these pots of orchids were cultivated by them."

"this servant, Little Table / Little Bench, greets Consort!"

"Rise~"

Cui Xiabing said, "Since you were assigned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the two of you will live in the garden behind Jiao Fang Palace from now on. Without my command, you are not allowed to come to the front hall. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

She looked again at the two palace maids, and Xiaoer quickly explained, "Niangniang, these two palace maids are skilled in blending fragrance, and they were specially prepared for Niangniang by the Ministry of Internal Affairs~"

"Blending fragrance?"

Cui Xiabing thought for a moment and said, "Very well, let them stay. What are your names?"

The two palace maids hurriedly stepped forward and spoke one after another:

"Reporting to Consort, this servant is Caiyun."

"Reporting to Consort, this servant is Caiyue."

"Greetings, Consort~!"

"Rise."

Consort Cui thought for a moment and said, "I prefer peace and quiet. You can only move around in the front hall and must not enter the rooms. Do you understand?"

"Understood~!"

"Alright, this palace is tired, you all may withdraw."

"Yes, Consort."

The crowd filed out, and Cui Xiabing wore a troubled expression once more, unsure of how to face His Majesty.

In the end, she could only let out a long sigh.

"Sigh... Let's Cultivate first."

"Because of Yang Xuansu's rebellion, I haven't cultivated for nearly a year."

"Taking advantage of His Majesty being away, I'll quickly Cultivate."

Cui Xiabing shook her head and went into the secret room she had specially built in the inner chamber to begin cultivating.

"According to Revered Master's words, this world has no Spirit Stones and Spiritual Qi is scarce, so we can only rely on persistent, painstaking effort to condense Spiritual Qi."

"I wonder in what year and month I will ever be able to Breakthrough to Qi Refining Level 3...!"

...

Golden Emperor Peak.

Surrounded by a group of Taiyi Sect Disciples, Zheng Yi slowly walked up.

At this moment, the great sun had just risen from the sea of clouds, and under the illumination of the great sun, the originally milky-white mist actually revealed a brilliant golden light.

Under the sunlight, all things teemed with vitality.

The sea of clouds rolled, and golden light shone.

To the extreme limit of eyesight, even the moisture in the air could be seen clearly.

Looking afar at the red sun, the scorching sun reflected upon the world.

Facing such beautiful scenery, Zheng Yi could not help but be stunned.

"This world... truly is an immortal wonderland!"

Beside him, Zhao Su Ling also smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the initial rising of the sun and the churning sea of clouds are the most famous wonders of our Daizong Mountain."

"If Your Majesty is interested, you can stay at Daizong Mountain for a few more days to enjoy the beautiful scenery."

"Really?"

Zheng Yi smiled and said, "Then I will have to trouble everyone of the Taiyi Sect greatly."

"Not at all, not at all..."

"With Your Majesty arriving here, our Taiyi Sect is illuminated with splendor..."

The group continued forward. Although it was now the bitter twelfth lunar month, the Golden Emperor Peak remained lush and green.

Mostly pines, cypresses, plum blossoms, and so on, along with many ancient trees whose names Zheng Yi couldn't even call out.

They were truly verdant and translucent, making people reluctant to leave.

Most strangely, there were actually more than a dozen cranes wandering about this place, occasionally lowering their heads to feed, and sometimes spreading their wings to soar.

"The Golden Emperor Peak is like an immortal wonderland. Presumably, this Zhao Xi Zheng Old Celestial Master is also a person of immortals..."

As Zheng Yi spoke, the expressions of several Taiyi Sect members around him became somewhat peculiar.

Zhao Su Ling also quickly led the way in front: "Your Majesty, please. Ahead is my Revered Master's secluded cultivation ground..."

"Hmm?"

Turning a mountain path, Zheng Yi's expression changed slightly.

Even Prince Xian beside him said strangely, "Your Majesty, what is that sound?"

By their ears, a faint sound of chewing seemed to drift over.

It was as if...

Some animal was gnawing on food.

Walking a few more steps, the view suddenly opened up before them.

The early sun rose, illuminating the heaven and earth.

Before them was an expansive valley, planted with a large number of ginkgo trees all around, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of ginkgo leaves.

Sunlight filtered down through the ginkgo leaves, shining upon an old man with a white beard wearing a purple robe.

This white-bearded old man had completely white hair and beard, but his complexion was as ruddy as an infant's.

At this moment, he was... grabbing a chicken leg and biting into it hungrily.

His hands and beard were covered in grease and meat scraps, and on the ground beside him were at least seven or eight chicken leg bones thrown about, along with other barbecued items like roasted suckling pig and roasted pigeon, feasting heartily.

Zheng Yi's mouth twitched as he said, "Is, is this the Zhao Xi Zheng Old Celestial Master that I am to meet?"

Zhao Su Ling also covered her eyes, but still helplessly said, "Your Majesty, this person is this subject's Revered Master."

"Revered Master."

She quickly stepped forward again and bowed, saying, "This is the current Emperor of Great Yu. May Revered Master..."

"The Emperor has come?"

Zhao Xi Zheng suddenly raised his head, chuckled as he looked at Zheng Yi, his gaze seemingly containing a spinning vortex.

With a flicker of his figure, he unexpectedly appeared right in front of Zheng Yi, his hand striking like lightning as he tapped three times in succession on his body.

The speed was so fast that even Prince Xian beside them didn't react in time.

"Protect...!"

He shouted, but before his voice could fall, he saw Zhao Xi Zheng Old Celestial Master blast backward at an even faster speed than before, while a series of piercing buzzing sounds rang in their ears.

"Ouch!"

"Your Majesty! This old Daoist was just joking with you!"

"Quick, quickly call back these few bugs of yours!"

"Aiya~!"

Zhao Xi Zheng Old Celestial Master shouted continuously, and only then did everyone realize that several blood-red bugs were flying before Zhao Xi Zheng Old Celestial Master, forcing him to retreat continuously.

In front of Zheng Yi, a blood-colored flying bug the size of an infant's fist floated, obviously commanding these exotic insects.

Zheng Yi finally reacted at this moment and hastily recalled the Blood Moon Gu.

What did Zhao Xi Zheng mean?

Upon meeting for the first time, he was going to make a move against him?

If not for the protection of the Blood Moon Gu...

However, he could also see that this Zhao Xi Zheng was simply no match for these few Blood Moon Gu!

Refining ten Blood Moon Gu himself truly proved to be of great use!

The Blood Moon Gu were recalled, and everyone from the Taiyi Sect turned pale with terror, instinctively dropping to their knees on the ground.

"Your Majesty, spare us!"

"Your Majesty, are you alright..."

"Your Majesty..."

Only Prince Xian guarded in front of Zheng Yi, while his mind recalled those several flying bugs that had just flown out from in front of Zheng Yi!

He could sense that even he was no match for those flying bugs!

Zheng Yi let out a long breath and said, "It's nothing, all of you rise."

"Old Celestial Master Zhao? What is the meaning of this?"

At this moment, he also sensed that Zhao Xi Zheng had no murderous intent toward him at all, and instead asked,

"You may all step down~"

Zhao Xi Zheng waved his hand, and the several Taiyi Sect Disciples who had accompanied him exchanged glances and withdrew one after another.

Even Zhao Su Ling respectfully bowed and withdrew.

"Imperial Uncle, you should step down as well."

Prince Xian said, "Your Majesty? With this subject here, I can still protect you—"

"No need."

Zheng Yi shook his head and said, "I believe that with Zhao Xi Zheng here, no one can harm me in the slightest."

"Hehehe, of course!"

Zhao Xi Zheng also chuckled and said, "A Martial Artist who has just stepped into the Innate realm. Not bad, not bad. It seems the Great Yu royal Family has not fallen too far."

Prince Xian's expression darkened, but he still cupped his fists and withdrew.

Only then did Zheng Yi say, "Old Celestial Master Zhao, is there anything you can say now?"

He had finally figured it out; this Old Celestial Master Zhao had no murderous intent toward him at all.

All his actions were just like those of a child, nothing more than an eccentric old urchin.

Zhao Xi Zheng walked over shaking his head, though his movements clearly showed a bit more wariness.

Those few Blood Moon Gu were capable of posing a threat even to him.

"Little emperor of the Zheng Family, this old daoist has heard from my Disciples and grand-Disciples that you wish to seek immortality and inquire into the Dao, right?"

Zhao Xi Zheng picked his ear, casually blew it away, and said, "Don't bother seeking it. You have no chance."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Zheng Yi was not angry in the least and asked curiously, "Please enlighten me, Old Celestial Master Zhao."

Zhao Xi Zheng leaned in, chuckled, and said, "If I tell you, can you give me one of the red bugs you've refined?"

"A land devoid of Spiritual Qi! To think you could actually refine such a strange insect—it's simply... unimaginable!"

Zheng Yi frowned, but immediately relaxed his brows and said, "The Blood Moon Gu was successfully refined by me at the cost of a vast amount of financial and material resources. Your bargaining chip... is not enough!"

Zhao Xi Zheng immediately began scratching his ears and cheeks in anxiety, saying, "Then what should I do? What can this old daoist use to trade with you?"

"The Evergreen Skill? That won't work, don't you already know it!"

"The Chaoyang Zixia Skill? That won't work either, ah, you can't Cultivate it anyway..."

"Aiya, troublesome, troublesome~! How about I pass the position of the Taiyi Sect Leader to you..."

The corner of Zheng Yi's mouth twitched. He was already the Great Yu Emperor; what use would he have for the position of the Taiyi Sect Leader?

"Old Celestial Master Zhao, you only need to tell me why I cannot seek immortality and inquire into the Dao, as well as the secret of this land devoid of Spiritual Qi, and you can exchange for a Blood Moon Gu from me!"

"The secret of the land devoid of Spiritual Qi?"

Zhao Xi Zheng asked curiously, "Doesn't your Great Yu imperial Family have records of it? Passed down orally, did you forget?"

Zheng Yi's heart stirred, but he quickly recovered and said, "Before His Late Majesty passed away, he was already severely ill and his speech was slurred; I didn't hear it clearly."

"Learning it from you now, Old Celestial Master, can also serve as a verification."

"Is that so... No problem!"

Zhao Xi Zheng chuckled and said, "This time, this old daoist is taking advantage..."

"A land devoid of Spiritual Qi..."

Zhao Xi Zheng casually found a rock and sat down, and Zheng Yi showed not the slightest bit of airs, sitting down on another rock.

After this action, Zhao Xi Zheng's gaze became even more satisfied.

"To bring this matter up, we have to start from over a thousand years ago... No, roughly more than three thousand eight hundred years ago."

"According to the records in my Taiyi Sect's ancient texts, during that period, blood rain fell from the sky, meteors collapsed, the earth dissipated, and Spiritual Qi tides occurred..."

Zhao Xi Zheng narrated smoothly, and Zheng Yi listened attentively.

Time gradually passed, and the sun also arrived directly above the center of the Golden Emperor Peak.

After a round of explanation, Zheng Yi also learned what a land devoid of Spiritual Qi was.

According to what Old Celestial Master Zhao Xi Zheng said, more than 3,800 years ago, this place was still a land of cultivation.

Although Cultivators were not many, they were not few either.

Afterwards, Heaven and Earth underwent a drastic change; shooting stars hung across the four regions, blood rain fell from the sky, and then Spiritual Qi dissipated, until finally there was no Spiritual Qi left at all.

The originally prosperous Cultivation World also began to undergo drastic changes.

At the very beginning, nothing much could be felt, but as time passed, Cultivators found their cultivation unable to advance even an inch, Spiritual Plants could no longer grow after being consumed, and Spirit Stone veins had one less Spirit Stone for every one mined.

In a mere few hundred years, the entire Cultivation World collapsed accordingly.

In order to fight for the remaining cultivation resources, countless Sects and Cultivators began a bloody scramble and fight.

In the end, even a Polygonatum sibiricum with only a ten-year age would be fought over by Nascent Soul cultivators!

During that period, the Cultivation World was incomparably chaotic, and countless prominent Sects and major factions were breached by countless Loose Cultivator Alliances.

Even the Divine Mainland, hailed as the Holy Land of cultivation, was shattered by countless high-tier Cultivators joining hands, turning into several continents and tens of thousands of islands of varying sizes.

Even Nascent Soul cultivators might, due to the dissipation of Spiritual Qi and the inability to replenish their magical power amid successive battles, be sneak-attacked and killed by Qi Refining Cultivators!

Another thousand years later, Cultivators finally became extinct and no longer appeared in the world.

Mortal nations were born in succession, establishing one Imperial Dynasty after another, and began to occupy the entire world.

The Cultivators who originally traversed the world vanished without a trace, and had not appeared for hundreds of years.

Secret after secret was spoken from Zhao Xi Zheng's mouth, causing Zheng Yi's heart to surge with emotions and making it hard for him to maintain his composure.

If he had transmigrated to that prosperous era of cultivation three thousand eight hundred years ago, what would he have done?

But there was a high probability he would only have become a member within the Myriad Soul Banner.

Zhao Xi Zheng took a sip of fine wine and said, "Right, the land occupied by your Great Yu Dynasty used to be the mountain gate of a Sect called the 'Fu You Sect'."

"The entire Great Yu Dynasty, and even the southern Nanzhao Kingdom, Mountain Country, and Yu Country, used to be within the sphere of influence of the Fu You Sect."

"I remember there is an assassin organization called 'Fuyou House' in the Martial Forest nowadays. That was formed by the remaining Cultivators of Fuyou House, and its purpose is precisely to assassinate emperors like you."

"Hehehe..."

Zhao Xi Zheng laughed and said, "More than a thousand years ago, over a hundred Loose Cultivator Alliances and Cultivator families actually joined forces, and taking advantage of when the high-tier Cultivators of Fuyou House and the Shanhai Sect were heavily wounded in a great battle, they breached the Fu You Sect's mountain gate and destroyed the Fu You Sect!"

"Afterwards, the entire former sphere of influence of the Fu You Sect was occupied by a dozen or so remaining Cultivator families, seizing many legacies of the Fu You Sect."

"What a pity, a few hundred years later, didn't it all end up benefiting your Zheng Family and several other royal houses?"

Zheng Yi's heart stirred, and he suddenly asked, "Old Celestial Master Zhao, have you ever heard of the 'Dongyun Family'?"

"The Dongyun Family? Yes, I have."

Zhao Xi Zheng rolled his eyes at Zheng Yi and said, "Isn't that the Family wiped out by your Zheng Family? At that time, the Dongyun Family only had three Qi Refining Early Stage Cultivators left, and they were drowned by your Zheng Family using a human-sea tactic, which was how the Great Yu Dynasty was founded."

"Tsk tsk tsk, Great Yu has been established for over three hundred years, and I wonder what state the world is in nowadays?"

Zheng Yi couldn't be bothered to entertain him and was still organizing the intelligence he had obtained from Zhao Xi Zheng today.

After a few breaths, he suddenly asked again, "Earlier, Old Celestial Master Zhao said that I have no chance of seeking immortality and inquiring into the Dao. Why is that?"

"It's very simple."

Zhao Xi Zheng took another sip of fine wine and said, "The moment we met, I checked your lad's foundation."

"You've practiced the Hundred Battles Blood Fiend Saber well, and have actually stepped into the ranks of First Grade Realm Martial Artists."

"With this kind of martial Dao talent, aside from your Great Yu founding emperor Zheng Mingsen, no one else has talent as strong as yours."

"However... you don't have a Spiritual Root, so there is no way you can Cultivate."

"Spiritual Root?"

Zheng Yi frowned and asked, "What is a Spiritual Root?"

"A Spiritual Root... you can just think of it as martial Dao talent. Without a Spiritual Root, you cannot perceive and condense Spiritual Qi, so of course you cannot Cultivate!"

Under Zhao Xi Zheng's explanation, Zheng Yi quickly understood the special features of a Spiritual Root.

Mortals who wish to embark on the path of cultivation must possess a Spiritual Root.

Among them, the Five Elements Spiritual Roots of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are the most common.

Wind, thunder, ice, flame, light, darkness, blood, and others are mutated Spiritual Roots.

However, among Mortals, those born with a Spiritual Root are one in ten thousand.

Spiritual Root Aptitude is further divided into Low Grade, Medium Grade, High Grade, and Top Grade.

Those with five Spiritual Roots can only reach a maximum cultivation of the Qi Refining Late Stage, and are also referred to as false Spiritual Roots.

Those with four Spiritual Roots have only an extremely small chance of a Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and are considered Low Grade Spiritual Roots.

Furthermore, those with four Spiritual Roots are also the largest group in the Cultivation World in terms of numbers.

Regardless of whether it is a Sect, a Family, or other factions,

the only ones worth cultivating are those with three Spiritual Roots or above.

Three Spiritual Roots are Medium Grade Spiritual Roots.

Dual Spiritual Roots are High Grade Spiritual Roots.

As for a single attribute, it is called a Top Grade Spiritual Root.

It is also called a Heavenly Spiritual Root!

Heavenly Spiritual Root Cultivators have exceptionally outstanding perception of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

They can break through Bottlenecks in an extremely short period of time.

As long as there are no accidents on the path of cultivation, stepping into the Nascent Soul Stage is merely a matter of time.

There is even a great probability of striving for the Soul Transformation Stage!

Unfortunately, the number of Heavenly Spiritual Root holders is extremely scarce.

Even calculated by the tens of millions of Cultivators in this world,

the number of Heavenly Spiritual Root Cultivators among them is nothing more than the number of fingers on two hands.

Zhao Xi Zheng had personally taken action to test Zheng Yi, and he possessed no Spiritual Root.

He had no affinity with cultivation!

One more chapter added.