369: Leeches mutate and take elixirs (three-in-one plus updates for reren’s rewards)

The vast valley was incredibly silent; birds, beasts, and insects were rarely seen.

Everyone's expressions were either fervent or calm, but no one spoke.

The Golden Core True Persons watched the Teleportation Array, their thoughts unreadable.

The next moment, as a dazzling white light shone again, countless spiritual patterns appeared, converging into a terrifying Spiritual Qi storm.

Another eleven people appeared within the Teleportation Array.

The leading Golden Core Cultivator was about to say something, but upon seeing a Middle-aged cultivator in a blood-red coral robe, he stopped.

He cupped his hands and called out "Alliance Leader," then retreated to the side.

Lin Shiming also glanced at him; the Alliance Leader of the Coral Alliance was True Person Xueshan, rumored to possess several Minor Divine Abilities, and a Golden Core Cultivator wielding a Minor Divine Ability was far more terrifying than a Purple Mansion Cultivator doing so.

After condensing a Golden Core, their True Essence would have already transformed.

True Person Xueshan's expression was cold, and he exuded an inherent arrogance; behind him stood the most Purple Mansion Cultivators, a total of forty.

This was four times as many as Rising Sun Island, and even counting the Cultivators from Ten Thousand Buddha Island, it was still twice as many.

After a glance, Lin Shiming dared not look again, nor did he dare to use his Divine Sense. Such an existence, even an extra glance, could expose him, as the cultivation world's various Minor Divine Abilities and secret techniques were bizarre, unique, and endlessly wondrous, making them impossible to fathom.

For example, Real Person Xuri's eyes were certainly not a Minor Divine Ability, but some kind of secret treasure.

Lin Shiming wished at this moment that no one would notice him.

The newly arrived Cultivators also found a corner to stand in.

Subsequently, True Persons continuously arrived with Cultivators. Lin Shiming also noticed a pattern: the number of Purple Mansion Cultivators brought was related to the cultivation and quantity of the Golden Core True Persons. For instance, when Real Person Xuri and Real Person Hongye came together, there were twenty people.

For example, a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator also brought twenty people; if there were two Late Golden Core Stage Cultivators, there would be thirty.

Of course, True Person Xueshan still brought the most.

The most unfortunate was Rising Sun Island, which originally had twenty people, but had to allocate ten to the other five major forces.

Aside from Ten Thousand Buddha Island, Chilan Sect, Nine Dragon Island, Heavenly Illumination Sect, and Blood Cultivation Sect all had ten people arrive here. Surprisingly, no True Persons came from these Sects.

Clearly, this was a precaution; the Ziyang Secret Realm belonged to the Coral Alliance, and this Secret Realm concerned the cultivation of Golden Core Cultivators, so it was impossible for it to be leaked.

As for those Purple Mansion Cultivators, trying to play tricks under the eyes of Golden Core Cultivators was not simple.

If exposed, losing their lives would be a minor matter; it's estimated that the Coral Alliance would never allow them to come again.

The Blood Cultivation Sect and Ten Thousand Buddha Island, as rumored, were in opposition.

The gazes of the twenty people on the field were extremely unfriendly.

Dusk was approaching, and the setting sun was about to dip below the horizon, casting a red glow.

The last inner island force also arrived, all dressed in golden lightning-patterned robes. It was Golden Thunder Island, one of the twelve inner islands, and they brought thirty Purple Mansion Cultivators.

"Golden Thunder, you're quite slow to arrive!" True Person Xueshan finally spoke first.

And as soon as Immortal Master Golden Thunder appeared, the Cultivators of the Blood Cultivation Sect also looked somewhat displeased. Buddhist Cultivators had a great suppressive effect on their demonic Cultivators, and Immortal Master Golden Thunder's group were mostly lightning Cultivators, with various lightning talismans and treasures that also greatly suppressed them.

"A fifth-tier Yao Beast appeared on a subsidiary island of Golden Thunder Island, causing some delay!" Immortal Master Golden Thunder, with his square face, looked gloomy, clearly unhappy about the commotion caused by the fifth-tier Yao Beast.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the other Immortal Masters' expressions improved.

By their calculations, the beast tide was approaching!

This was a major event concerning the Coral Alliance!

"Alright, everyone, prepare yourselves!" True Person Xueshan also fell silent for a moment. Both the Coral Alliance and Chilan Sect bordered the Outer Sea, making them most susceptible to the beast tide.

"It's getting late. The Secret Realm will last for three months. Everyone, the Coral Alliance will be waiting for your good news in the nearby sea area. Also, let me remind you that this sea area is in the deep sea, where even Fifth-tier Demon Kings might appear, so don't think about running around!" True Person Xueshan began to address the Purple Mansion Cultivators.

The main focus was on the Purple Mansion Cultivators from the twelve inner islands.

As for the Purple Mansion Cultivators from other Sects, if they ran around and died, then so be it. The Spirit Medicine in their possession could then be distributed.

After speaking, True Person Xueshan waved his hand, and a huge spirit boat appeared on the island. The spirit boat was enormous and extremely imposing.

Countless blood-colored spiritual patterns were engraved on the spirit boat. Lin Shiming also curiously examined the spirit boat, but found that it was somewhat different from the Qingxuan Sect's war treasure ship.

This made Lin Shiming feel a jolt; even if the Lin family developed a war treasure ship in the future, they should use it sparingly.

Under the leadership of the True Persons, a group of Cultivators flew towards the spirit boat.

And as everyone took their seats, the treasure boat soared into the sky towards the setting sun.

Its speed was incredibly fast, and strong gales battered the spirit shield, making a whooshing sound.

The next moment, the spirit shield also formed layers of mist, preventing the Cultivators from seeing the outside scenery, and the howling sound also significantly decreased.

After about half an hour, the mist on the spirit boat disappeared, revealing the outside scenery. Everyone looked into the distance and finally saw a desolate, black island on the horizon.

The island was full of desolation and ruins, visible even from a great distance.

The next moment, True Person Xueshan also waved a spiritual flag and threw it into the distance. Immediately, the desolate ruins on the island began to change like a mirage.

Finally, it transformed into a huge, tall pagoda-like building. At the entrance of the building, the three large characters "Coral Alliance" were written.

A sense of ancient and profound historical vicissitude spontaneously arose. In front of the pagoda, two elderly Cultivators in hemp robes stood up, glanced at it, and then cupped their hands towards True Person Xueshan.

True Person Xueshan also called out "Senior Brother" twice.

Their aura was clearly that of a True Person, and the Formations outside—an illusion Formation combined with a killing Formation and an island-protecting grand Formation—were at least Fifth-tier Formations.

Yet, the Spiritual Qi was so well concealed that not a trace was leaked.

True Person Xueshan continued to lead the group into the tall pagoda. As they passed in front of the pagoda, all the Purple Mansion Cultivators were scanned by dazzling Spirit Light, which made Lin Shiming feel a jolt.

This Spirit Light was actually similar to the World Tower in the Qingxuan Sect's Secret Realm; it could also scan a Cultivator's age and bone structure. Lin Shiming's age displayed as one hundred and eleven, which included his previous life.

Besides that, a Cultivator was suddenly struck by a burst of Spirit Light and sent flying, causing everyone's expressions to turn cold.

That Cultivator was an affiliate of a Middle Stage Golden Core island, with only ten people in total. The chill on the face of True Person Yutong, who was in charge, was even more intimidating.

Such a major incident was a slap in his face.

"Are you carrying a locator?"

"Whose spy are you?" True Person Yutong's eyes shot out a chilling aura, and the next moment, a beam of Spirit Light directly struck.

However, the Spirit Light was still too late. The Cultivator's nose, eyes, and ears all began to ooze dense leeches, a terrifying sight.

Even Lin Shiming felt the horror of this scene.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a pile of leeches.

Immortal Master Golden Thunder also unleashed a bolt of lightning, and in an instant, dazzling blue lightning covered all the leeches, leaving behind a huge lightning-arc crater.

All the Immortal Masters looked displeased.

True Person Yutong wanted to explain even more.

"True Person Yutong, next time the number of people will be halved. The Secret Realm will continue to open!" True Person Xueshan said coldly.

This mysterious Leech made everyone feel uneasy.

True Person Yutong naturally had no objections. The interlude did not affect the others.

Everyone continued through the pavilion and entered the mysterious black pagoda. In the middle of the black pagoda was another Teleportation Array, which greatly resembled the long-distance Teleportation Array.

"Everyone, stand up, hold your teleportation token tightly, and remember, you will be automatically teleported out after three months. Don't run around; it's best to hide in place!" True Person Xueshan said coldly.

At this moment, having witnessed the terrifying leeches, everyone nodded. This was the Outer Sea, and such a scene had appeared again. Even Loose Immortal Sanyang looked displeased now.

As rings of Spirit Light spread out, everyone disappeared from their original teleportation spots.

And at the very top of the tall pagoda, in a place unseen by the crowd, rings of Spirit Light spread out, revealing a vortex!

The next moment, the Spirit Light disappeared, and the vortex returned to calm.

True Person Xueshan looked at the True Person Cultivators from the other inner islands again:

"Release all your spirit pets. If you encounter any Yao Beasts of Tier 3 or above, kill them all without mercy. Do not approach within a thousand li of Ziyang Island!" True Person Xueshan said coldly.

Since other five major forces had Cultivators join, the one secretly making a move could only be the Yao Beasts.

After all, those Demon Kings also wanted to obtain Spirit Medicine that was five thousand years old or more!

And all the True Persons nodded. As those who would maximize their benefits, they naturally could not let Ziyang Island be exposed, nor could they allow all the Spirit Medicine appearing this time to be taken by Yao Beasts!

The True Persons acted decisively, quickly splitting up and scattering in all directions!

However, True Person Xueshan, frowning, still felt extremely worried... Under the light blue sky was an endless wilderness.

Countless Spirit Rats scattered.

They were searching for the entrances to Grotto-heaven Secret Realms and also guarding against those Formations.

Behind the Spirit Rats, Lin Shiming sat on a hill, his expression solemn.

These Spirit Rats were all controlled by his Spirit Control Seal, scattering in all directions.

He was now a Purple Mansion Cultivator, and controlling thousands of these second-tier Spirit Rats put little pressure on him.

At the same time, beside him, four Spirit Devouring Ants were continuously sensing.

There were no Yao Beasts in the Ziyang Secret Realm, as it was for cultivating Spirit Medicine. If Yao Beasts were inside and ate all the Spirit Medicine, then how could five-thousand-year-old Spirit Medicine, or even ten-thousand-year-old Spirit Medicine, appear?

After all, most Yao Beasts had long lifespans.

In the Ziyang Secret Realm, the dangers were only those mysterious Formations: killing Formations, illusion Formations, and trapping Formations. These were the most deadly. Besides these, there were other Cultivators.

If someone was seen capturing Spirit Medicine, other Cultivators would definitely ambush them and show no mercy.

This was also why Real Person Xuri secretly allied with other True Persons, but in Lin Shiming's opinion, such an alliance seemed somewhat weak and ineffective.

After all, the matter of Spirit Medicine was of great importance. Real Person Xuri's rewards were already so generous; the more powerful island masters of the inner islands would definitely be even more generous.

If ten-thousand-year-old Spirit Medicine appeared, it was even possible for various forces to wage war against each other!

These forces are all affiliated island forces of the Coral Alliance, with very few true Immortal Master Disciples.

Their life-and-death struggles are of no concern to those Immortal Masters.

Only if the Spirit Medicine runs low might those Immortal Masters become angry.

Lin Shiming cautiously explored, comparing the information from Real Person Xuri's map Jade Slip in his mind with the scenes before his eyes.

Soon, Lin Shiming discovered a black tower.

The black tower was the entrance to the Grotto-heaven World.

Lin Shiming briefly observed the tower's base, noting a thin layer of dust, which indicated no Cultivator had entered it.

He also walked towards the black tower, with the Spirit Rat in front, the Spirit Devouring Ant in the middle, and him at the rear.

The space within the black tower was somewhat similar to the black tower Lin Shiming had entered on this trip, except that inside, instead of a Teleportation Array, there was a massive vortex entrance.

This was also similar to typical Secret Realm entrances.

Lin Shiming again surveyed the surroundings of the black tower, seeing that it was entirely constructed from unknown black stones, incredibly ancient, with some spirit patterns already fading with the passage of time.

Just a glance at the brilliant spirit patterns on it made Lin Shiming feel incredibly dizzy, and in his mind, it was as if an ancient golden bell was tolling.

His heart trembled violently, and his entire being felt as if it would explode in an instant, scaring him into quickly averting his gaze, no longer daring to look!

Under his control, the Spirit Rat entered the Grotto-heaven Secret Realm vortex.

After sensing that the Spirit Control Seal was unharmed, Lin Shiming also stepped into the Grotto-heaven Secret Realm.

Unlike the barren wilderness outside, inside, plants grew profusely, a lush green, with countless towering ancient trees, like a primeval forest.

The Spirit Rat also began to gnaw on Spirit Medicine everywhere.

Lin Shiming's Divine Sense expanded, quickly spreading throughout the entire Grotto-heaven, but the next moment, he felt a 'boom,' and his Divine Sense was forcibly torn apart, causing him to spit out a large mouthful of blood.

Lin Shiming quickly circulated the Spirit Splitting Art to endure the pain.

The spirit Formation that annihilated Divine Sense once again startled Lin Shiming, his expression somewhat grim.

There was clearly a spirit Formation within the Grotto-heaven Secret Realm as well.

From then on, Lin Shiming dared not act rashly.

He released the Spirit Devouring Ant to sense the Formation, then let the Spirit Rats confirm the safe areas.

Afterward, he gradually began to investigate these Spirit Trees and Spiritual Plants one by one.

Three-hundred-year-old Red Sun Flowers, four-hundred-year-old Seven-Star Grass, five-hundred-year-old Earth Pear Fruits...

In an instant, Lin Shiming saw many Spirit Medicines.

Among them were Tier 2, Tier 3, and even Tier 4.

This made Lin Shiming incredibly joyful!

For other Cultivators, many Spirit Medicines under three thousand years old were not allowed to be picked, but for him, with his Grotto-heaven, he wouldn't care about such restrictions.

Any Spirit Medicine useful for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, useful for Purple Mansion Cultivators, and difficult to find in the outside world, was his target.

Of course, before that, he had to carefully explore.

There might be Spirit Medicine over three thousand years old; these Spirit Medicines already possessed considerable spiritual essence, and even if no Wood Demon had been born, they were not far from it.

However, without a System prompt, Lin Shiming was certain that there would be no Spirit Medicine over three thousand years old.

But for him, the harvest was still considerable.

For example, in front of Lin Shiming, there was a Spirit Candle Fruit Tree.

Judging by its Spiritual Qi intensity, it definitely had a thousand years of medicinal value, and Spirit Candle Fruit is a Tier 4 spiritual fruit, greatly beneficial for the Cultivation of Purple Mansion Cultivators.

The Creation Pill refined from it would be infinitely better than the Red Lotus Pill.

However, the Spirit Candle Fruit Tree before him only bore unripe spiritual fruits, still many years away from turning fiery red.

The surrounding leaves were also thumb-sized and oval, not yet beginning to wither and concentrate nutrients.

Naturally, it fell into Lin Shiming's hands.

What he was curious about, however, was whether these Spirit Medicines, once transplanted into the Grotto-heaven World, could continue the Opportunity of the Secret Realm, with their medicinal value constantly increasing.

After all, he had the Minor Divine Ability, Wind of Rejuvenation!

For Spirit Medicine, there is always a ceiling to its medicinal value.

Otherwise, many Spirit Medicines or towering ancient trees could also reach two thousand or three thousand years.

For example, the Mingxin Tea Tree, whose age is unknown, but its medicinal value is only a hundred years.

After a hundred years, it will no longer improve.

Only within the Ziyang Secret Realm are these medicinal values unlimited, allowing those Golden Core Cultivators to harvest a sufficient amount of five-thousand-year-old Spirit Medicine.

The rules within, which the Cultivators of the Coral Alliance call 'Immortal Prohibitions,' are naturally beyond Lin Shiming's comprehension, but it was still worth a try.

Lin Shiming carefully transplanted the Spirit Candle Fruit into a Jade Slip, then harvested all Spirit Medicine over five hundred years old in this Secret Realm Grotto-heaven.

He wasn't sure if he would have another chance, so he naturally wouldn't hold back this time.

After collecting everything in the entire Secret Realm, Lin Shiming also cautiously exited the Secret Realm Grotto-heaven.

Upon leaving the Grotto-heaven, he released the Red-haired Demon Monkey, letting the latter exit the Secret Realm first.

Otherwise, being ambushed and blocked inside the black tower would be very dangerous.

After all, the Cultivators waiting outside would assume that after being inside for so long, you must have gained something!

A blood pact sensation came, and Lin Shiming felt relieved to step out, then put away the Red-haired Demon Monkey.

He continued to sweep towards the distance.

During this time, he also encountered two Purple Mansion Cultivators, but both were Mid Purple Mansion Realm like Lin Shiming, and they were in a hurry.

Lin Shiming deliberately avoided them, and they did the same.

Everyone's faces were incredibly grim, clearly indicating no harvest.

At this point, no one would start fighting immediately; after all, even if they did, it would be safer to wait until the last month.

Only then might they have a chance to snatch some Spirit Medicine.

As for starting at the beginning, it would merely be a waste of effort, and they might even be targeted by others, like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Lin Shiming was happy with this, focusing on finding Secret Realms and transplanting those five-hundred-year and thousand-year Spirit Medicines.

Within a day, he had found three Secret Realms, but the second and third Secret Realms were less effective, with even fewer Spirit Medicines over five hundred years old.

By this time, over thirty of his Spirit Rats had perished, and this was even with the Spirit Devouring Ant's warning.

Just as Lin Shiming was feeling somewhat disappointed, the System prompt finally sounded:

"Please proceed a hundred li into the Secret Realm, and use Tier 4 spirit soil to bait a three-thousand-year-old Spirit Medicine, Golden Sun Ganoderma!"

Lin Shiming felt a surge of excitement in his heart; this was the first time a Spirit Medicine with three thousand years of medicinal efficacy had appeared.

And from the System's prompt about "baiting," the opponent must have given birth to a Wood Demon, or gained sentience.

For such a Spirit Medicine, Lin Shiming naturally went with joy.

Suppressing his excitement, he took out a jade box.

At the same time, the Book of Hidden Paths was utilized to its fullest, making his Cultivation appear to be at the Qi Condensation Stage, identical to a Spirit Rat!

Soon, he saw the mysterious black tower.

After entering the black tower, he also arranged for Spirit Rats to enter the Secret Realm.

In addition, behind the Spirit Rats, a jade bowl was placed, and inside the jade bowl, Tier 4 spirit soil was put.

The danger to Spirit Rats from those Spirit Medicines was not great.

After the Spirit Rats entered, Lin Shiming did not act immediately.

He took out the Red-haired Demon Monkey and the Flood Dragon Watcher to guard inside the black tower, then took out another Spirit Rat and, following the same method, placed spirit soil.

After more than half an hour, he placed the spirit soil, and at the same time, a Spirit Catching Net appeared in his hand.

After waiting for three breaths, his body also plunged into it.

The Spirit Devouring Ant's senses opened, and before his eyes, a golden Spiritual Qi Rat was devouring the spirit soil behind the Spirit Rat.

The Spirit Catching Net instantly lunged towards the Spiritual Rat transformed from the Spirit Medicine.

The Spirit Rat hastily tried to escape, using a Wood 遁術, but a Soul Suppressing Tower appeared in Lin Shiming's hand.

As the tower shook, it suppressed the Spiritual Qi Rat for a moment, and the Spirit Catching Net fell into place, capturing the golden little rat.

The Spirit Catching Net contracted, and inside the net, the Spiritual Qi Rat transformed into the appearance of a golden Ganoderma, struggling continuously within the net.

Lin Shiming then found the main body of the Golden Sun Ganoderma under a large tree and placed it into his Grotto-heaven with a jade box.

The first Spirit Medicine with three thousand years of medicinal efficacy was finally in hand.

Even for an Early Stage Golden Core Cultivator, it could significantly increase their Cultivation.

After putting away the Golden Sun Ganoderma, Lin Shiming didn't waste time.

He still had to sweep through the area; Spirit Medicines over five hundred years old still needed to be collected, as his Grotto-heaven could accommodate them.

However, for some unknown reason, perhaps due to the presence of the three-thousand-year-old Golden Sun Ganoderma, there were very few other high-year Spirit Medicines in this Secret Realm Grotto-heaven.

Moreover, there was a trapping Formation nearby.

Fortunately, the Spirit Devouring Ant could dismantle the trapping Formation, otherwise, Lin Shiming would have lost two more Spirit Rats.

Exiting the black tower, the Flood Dragon Watcher and the Red-haired Demon Monkey were bored, howling.

Lin Shiming, at this moment, naturally had no time to bother with them.

He directly put them into his Grotto-heaven and continued deeper into the Secret Realm.

However, that day, Lin Shiming did not find any more black towers.

In the wilderness, he excavated an underground Immortal Cave, rested and meditated for a while, adjusted his state, and continued to sweep deeper.

The next day, Lin Shiming's luck was even worse.

Although he found five Secret Realm Grotto-heavens, there were no Spirit Medicines over three thousand years old, and even the System prompt did not sound.

This also made him re-evaluate the difficulty of finding Spirit Medicine to another level.

Of course, in his opinion, this was understandable.

The Ziyang Secret Realm was frequently searched by Cultivators of the Coral Alliance, and no matter how well hidden, they would become increasingly scarce.

Furthermore, the other five major forces had also intervened.

The turning point came on the third day, when two hills appeared before Lin Shiming's eyes, and within the hills was a black tower.

Lin Shiming was immediately delighted; this black tower Grotto-heaven was recorded in the Jade Slip given by Real Person Xuri, and it contained five-thousand-year-old Spirit Medicine.

And the System prompt, at this moment, suddenly sounded:

"Please proceed into the Secret Realm Grotto-heaven, use Tier 4 spirit soil to bait Spirit Medicine.

With sufficient patience, you will obtain the five-thousand-year-old medicinal treasure, chijing zhi (red essence ganoderma)!"

The System prompt appeared again, indicating that no one had yet reached this Spirit Medicine.

And the prompt was similar to the last one, meaning spirit soil was still viable.

However, more patience was required.

This indicated that the Spirit Medicine's intelligence might be higher.