697: The Spiritual Alliance, Spiritual Plants of the Same Origin

In the Void Realm of the endless Boundary Sea, Spatial Storms surged like mad waves, and pitch-black spatial rifts crisscrossed. Law turbulence turned into sharp blades, constantly battering the Boundary Sea Guardian Barrier set up by Li Fan and his group. The seventeen-colored spiritual light barrier trembled slightly in the storm. Li Fan's Boundary Sea Immortal Wings spread out behind him, and his Middle Stage Immortal Realm pressure unfolded, pushing the Boundary Sea Guardian Divine Ability to its limit. The Chaos and Boundary Sea Law patterns flowed on the barrier, forcefully resisting the storm's erosion.

Long Rou stood on the left, her body surging with golden Dragon vein Qi. Her Zhengyang Power merged into the barrier, adding an indestructible layer of Dragon-patterned protection to the spiritual light. The Wood Emperor was on the right, his emerald-green longevity Spiritual Qi flowing like a stream, spreading along the barrier and repairing the tiny cracks left by the Law blades. Before them, the Boundary Sea Compass's emerald spiritual light surged violently, its needle trembling madly as it pointed forward. That spirit plant aura, of the same Origin as Qing Heer's, had already become so dense it felt substantial, reaching them through the layers of the storm.

“We're almost there; the Domain Barrier of the Lingxi Realm is just ahead!” Li Fan shouted lowly, increasing the power of the Boundary Sea Guardian Divine Ability by another thirty percent. The seventeen-colored spiritual light enveloped the exploration team as they sped toward the direction the needle pointed, like an arrow leaving a bow. Passing through the final layer of the violent Spatial Storm, a pale green Domain Barrier suddenly appeared ahead. The barrier was wreathed in the Innate spirit plant's Origin spiritual light—gentle yet resilient—completely isolating the Chaos and storms of the Boundary Sea.

Li Fan raised his hand to channel the gentle power of the Boundary Sea Guardian Divine Ability, lightly touching the barrier. The pale green spiritual light instantly dispersed, turning into a passage leading to the Lingxi Realm. The moment everyone stepped through the passage, a dense Vitality Spiritual Qi, almost like white mist, rushed over them. It made everyone's Divine Soul feel a wave of refreshment, and the fatigue from days of traveling through the Boundary Sea instantly vanished.

Everywhere the eye could see was a world of endless Spiritual Plants. Inside the Lingxi Realm, there were no mountains or ravines; the heaven and earth were covered by layer upon layer of Innate Spiritual Plants. Emerald Spiritual Plants reached knee-height, and exotic flowers and strange trees could be seen everywhere. Their branches bore spiritual fruits containing Origin Spiritual Qi, and Spiritual Qi crystals nurtured by the plants floated in the air. In the center of the world, a ten-thousand-zhang-tall heaven-reaching tree rose from the ground. Its trunk was as vigorous as a coiled Dragon, and its branches and leaves blotted out the sun. Emerald spiritual light gushed from its body, turning into a pillar of light that shot straight into the clouds, serving as the Spiritual Qi core of the entire Lingxi Realm. The power of Vitality and spirit plants here was several times purer than in the Green Wood Realm; it was a natural Spirit Plant Holy Land.

“Guardians from the outside, follow me.”

A crisp and soft voice rang out through the world, and an entirely emerald-green spiritual entity floated out from the light of the heaven-reaching tree. This spiritual entity looked like a young girl, and her features were seventy percent similar to Qing Heer's. She was surrounded by the Innate spirit plant's Origin spiritual light, and her aura was pure and ancient; she was the Spirit Plant Guardian Spirit of the Lingxi Realm. Her gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Li Fan. A flash of surprise and joy appeared in her eyes, and she raised a finger, sending a wisp of emerald spiritual light toward Li Fan's Dantian.

There, hidden away, was a wisp of the spirit plant origin imprint left by Qing Heer. This was the life-bond imprint Qing Heer had gifted him back when Li Fan fought alongside her in the Grandmist Spirit Plant Realm, and it was the bond connecting the two. The moment the Spirit Plant Guardian Spirit's light touched the imprint, the two emerald lights instantly intertwined and resonated, turning into a vast rain of spirit plant light that fell across the world.

“As expected, you are a fellow Origin inheritor of Sister Qing Heer!” The Spirit Plant Guardian Spirit's voice was full of joy. “I am the Spirit Plant Guardian Spirit of the Lingxi Realm, born from the Boundary Sea Laws and the Innate spirit plant Origin. I share a cross-realm common Origin body with Sister Qing Heer. Since my birth, I have sensed her aura in the direction of Grandmist, and today I have finally waited for you.”

Her gaze then turned to the Wood Emperor, sensing the pure Green Wood Realm longevity Origin on him, and the joy in her eyes grew even stronger. Then, as if sensing something else, she looked toward the empty space beside Li Fan and said softly, “There is also a Fellow Daoist proficient in the Spirit Plant Technique whose spirit plant power is extremely compatible with my Lingxi Realm. I imagine they must be a Spirit Plant Guardian of Grandmist.”

What she spoke of was indeed Su Miao, who had returned to Grandmist to consolidate her rule. Li Fan nodded and smiled, “Indeed. That is Su Miao, the Commander of our Alliance's Spirit Plant Battalion. She could not come this time due to the reorganization of Grandmist. If the Guardian Spirit is willing, I can bring her here in the future to discuss the Spirit Plant Technique with you.”

Hearing this, the Spirit Plant Guardian Spirit nodded happily. With a wave of her hand, an emerald Jade Slip condensed from her spiritual body and slowly floated before Li Fan. “This is the ‘General Technique of Lingxi Realm Spirit Plants.’ It contains the Spirit Plant Profound Truths accumulated by my Lingxi Realm over countless years, merging the methods of cultivation, application, and evolution of Innate spirit plants in the Boundary Sea. It can be integrated with the Spirit Plant Techniques of various realms. I gift it to you, hoping it can help that Fellow Daoist Su Miao, and also help the spirit plant powers of the Lingxi Realm and Grandmist share what they have with each other.”

Li Fan raised his hand to take the Jade Slip. With a sweep of his Divine Thought, he felt the vast Spirit Plant Profound Truths contained within. Overjoyed, he bowed in thanks. To show his sincerity, he raised his hand to deploy the Boundary Sea Guardian Divine Ability. The seventeen-colored spiritual light turned into a massive Spiritual Qi vortex around him, drawing in the Innate spirit plant Spiritual Qi of the Lingxi Realm and slowly merging it. At the same time, he channeled the Origin Spiritual Qi of the Twelve Realms of Hongmeng and the Chaos balance power of the Chaos Origin Realm, intertwining them with the spirit plant Spiritual Qi of the Lingxi Realm.

Under the guidance of the Boundary Sea Guardian Divine Ability, the three completely different domain Spiritual Qis showed no rejection at all. Instead, they merged perfectly into a new five-colored spiritual light. The vortex contained the ultimate Profound Truth of Boundary Sea energy Fusion. Just as the Spiritual Qi Fusion reached Perfection, a seventeen-colored Jade Slip condensed from the vortex and fell into Li Fan's palm. It was the ‘Boundary Sea Energy Fusion Technique’! This technique detailed the methods for merging Spiritual Qi from different domains, allowing one to adjust the Fusion ratio based on the characteristics of the Spiritual Qi to maximize the power of multi-realm Spiritual Qi. Furthermore, by utilizing the Boundary Sea Laws, the fused Spiritual Qi would possess cross-domain penetrating power.

“What powerful control over the Boundary Sea!”

An old and gentle voice came, and an elderly man in green robes stepped out from the leaves of the heaven-reaching tree. He was surrounded by Innate spirit plant Spiritual Qi of the same Origin as the Lingxi Realm. His cultivation had already reached the Middle Stage Immortal Realm, and his gaze was mild, reflecting the indifference of one who governed the world's Vitality. He was the Spirit Master of the Lingxi Realm. He walked forward slowly, cupped his hands toward Li Fan, and smiled, “Boundary Sea Guardian of Grandmist, I have long heard of your great name. This old man is the Spirit Master of the Lingxi Realm, governing the Spirit Plant Laws of this realm. Your arrival today makes you honored guests of our Lingxi Realm.”

Seeing this, the Wood Emperor stepped forward to return the greeting. Both were beings who governed spirit plant Vitality; they felt like old friends at first sight and conversed happily. The Spirit Master led everyone to the Spirit Plant Holy Temple beside the heaven-reaching tree and held a banquet in their honor. The hall was filled with Innate spiritual fruits unique to the Lingxi Realm, which, when eaten, could nourish the Divine Soul and enhance one's comprehension of the spirit plant Origin.

During the banquet, Li Fan asked about the situation in the Boundary Sea. The Spirit Master's expression gradually grew solemn. “It is the fortune of the Boundary Sea that you redeemed the Outer Domain Evil Lord, Fellow Daoist. However, the remnants of the Evil Lord's forces have not been entirely wiped out. Before the Evil Lord was redeemed, they fled into the Darkness Realm in the depths of the Boundary Sea. That is a place where the Chaos of death and malevolent Laws of the Boundary Sea converge. There is not a shred of Vitality in that world. Those remnants continue to Cultivate Chaos Evil Arts there, plundering the Spiritual Qi of weak worlds in the Boundary Sea and harming living beings. They hope to accumulate strength and make a comeback. They have now become a major threat to the Boundary Sea.”

Upon hearing these words, everyone's expressions darkened. They hadn't expected that even though the Outer Domain Evil Lord had been redeemed, there were still remnant forces causing trouble in the Boundary Sea. It seemed the path of a Boundary Sea Guardian was still long and difficult.

The Wood Emperor then spoke, mentioning the difficulties of exploring the Boundary Sea, “Senior Spirit Master, when we explore the Boundary Sea, what we fear most are the Spatial Storms and Law turbulence. Although we have treasures for protection, they still cause significant depletion to Cultivators. I wonder if the Lingxi Realm has a way to deal with this?”

The Spirit Master heard this and smiled slightly. With a wave of his hand, a pale green seed floated in his palm. The seed was wreathed in the dual spiritual light of Innate spirit plants and Boundary Sea Laws. “This is the seed of a Boundary Sea Spiritual Root, born from my Lingxi Realm's Innate spirit plant Origin and the Boundary Sea Laws. Its fruit can protect a Cultivator's Divine Soul and Physical Body, perfectly resisting the Spatial Storms and Law turbulence of the Boundary Sea. It is a supreme treasure for exploring the Boundary Sea. However, cultivating this seed requires pure longevity Origin and Chaos balance power. I cannot achieve it quickly on my own.”

“This old man is willing to lend Senior Spirit Master a helping hand!” the Wood Emperor immediately spoke up, his eyes full of anticipation. He governed the longevity Origin of the Green Wood Realm, and with the Chaos balance power from the Chaos Origin Realm in Li Fan's hands, cultivating the Boundary Sea Spiritual Root would be no difficult task.

The Spirit Master was overjoyed and immediately took the Wood Emperor to the Spirit Plant Holy Land of the Lingxi Realm. Li Fan also channeled the Chaos balance power of the Chaos Origin Realm and the Boundary Sea Guardian Spiritual Qi into the Holy Land. The Wood Emperor poured out all the longevity Origin of the Green Wood Realm, while the Spirit Master channeled the Innate spirit plant Origin of the Lingxi Realm. The three powers enveloped the seed of the Boundary Sea Spiritual Root. The seed sprouted instantly and grew at a visible speed. In less than half an hour, it had grown into a zhang-tall Spiritual Root. Dozens of pale gold fruits hung from its stems, each inscribed with Boundary Sea patterns and overflowing with Spiritual Qi.

The moment the Boundary Sea Spiritual Root was successfully cultivated, an emerald Jade Slip condensed from the Spiritual Root's light and fell into the Wood Emperor's palm. It was the ‘Boundary Sea Spiritual Root Application’! This technique detailed the cultivation methods of the Boundary Sea Spiritual Root and the wonders of using its fruits. The fruits could be consumed directly to form a Boundary Sea protective layer around a Cultivator's body. The roots could be used to craft protective treasures or even set up a Boundary Sea Spiritual Root Array to resist large-scale Spatial Storms.

Everyone was delighted. With the fruits of the Boundary Sea Spiritual Root, a major hidden danger for their subsequent Boundary Sea exploration was removed.

After the banquet, the Spirit Master took Li Fan to the Ancient Records Pavilion of the Lingxi Realm. The pavilion housed countless ancient bamboo slips of the Lingxi Realm, recording many secrets of the Boundary Sea. The Spirit Master pulled out a yellowed bamboo slip. The writing on the slip was ancient and vigorous, written with Holy Spirit Power. “Tens of thousands of years ago, a Cultivator holding a holy spirit sword visited our Lingxi Realm. He called himself Lu Chen and was a Guardian inheritor of Grandmist. He left behind his insights into the Path of the Holy Spirit in our Lingxi Realm, helping our spirit plant Origin to break through. He even left behind a Cultivation Technique hidden deep within the core of the heaven-reaching tree, named the ‘Holy Spirit Myriad Manifestations Art: Boundary Sea Chapter,’ waiting for a destined Grandmist Guardian inheritor to come and take it.”

Li Fan's gaze fell upon the two words “Lu Chen” on the bamboo slip, and his heart jolted. He hadn't expected that Senior Lu Chen had also explored the Boundary Sea and left such an important Legacy in the Lingxi Realm. This ‘Holy Spirit Myriad Manifestations Art: Boundary Sea Chapter’ was surely the key Profound Truth to enhancing the Boundary Sea Guardian Divine Ability.

He looked up at the sun-blotting heaven-reaching tree outside the hall. In the emerald spiritual light of the tree's body, there seemed to be a faint wisp of Holy Spirit light flowing; that was the aura of the Legacy left by Senior Lu Chen.

The Alliance with the Lingxi Realm, the cultivation of the Boundary Sea Spiritual Root, the clues to Lu Chen's Legacy, and the threat of the Darkness Realm—everything was moving in a new direction. The exploration of the endless Boundary Sea had only just begun, and Li Fan's responsibility as the Boundary Sea Guardian grew even heavier.