112: Chapter 112 The Bottom of the Golden Sands

Lin Xiwei's process of Undergoing Tribulation was completely uneventful.

With the Tribulation Platform as a safety net, combined with her solid Foundation, she calmly neutralized the Five-Nine Minor Heavenly Tribulation (Pseudo) using a combination of talismans and arrays. Ultimately, she successfully condensed a Yin-Yang Wuji Golden Core, which contained the charm of the Wuji Dao, atop the Dao Platform within her body!

As the Golden Core first formed, auspicious rays of light shot into the sky, drawing gasps of wonder from everyone inside and outside the Sect.

Lin Xiwei's entire aura became harmonious and mellow. She excused herself to Ling Hao:

“Revered Master, your Disciple needs to return to my Immortal Cave to stabilize my Realm.”

Immediately after, she transformed into a streak of cold light and vanished from everyone's sight.

...

The following afternoon, Yixiang Residence.

Several plates of exquisite pastries and fragrant tea brimming with Spiritual Qi were laid out on a long table.

Only Ling Hao and his four Personal Disciples were present: Chi Wanhe, Qin Zhaoxue, Du Yuqing, and Lu Changning.

His fifth Disciple, Lin Xiwei, was still in seclusion within her Immortal Cave to stabilize her newly formed Yin-Yang Wuji Golden Core; it would take at least another day before she could emerge.

Meanwhile, the new recruit, Xia Yingying, was diligently meditating within her Yingxi Cottage.

Ling Hao sat at the long table, leisurely enjoying the afternoon tea prepared by Lu Changning.

He picked up his cup and took a light sip, the fragrance lingering in his mouth.

His gaze caught his fourth Disciple nearby, holding her teacup with both hands. As she took small sips, her pink, moist lips made his heart stir slightly.

“The tea has gone cold,”

Ling Hao said suddenly. He reached out quite naturally and took the teacup from Lu Changning's hands. Under her stunned gaze, he pressed his lips to the same spot on the rim she had just sipped from and drained the remaining warm tea in one gulp.

“Mm...”

Ling Hao smacked his lips as if savoring the aftertaste, the smile in his eyes deepening.

“As expected... the tea in Little Changning's cup tastes even better... it's sweet, refreshing, and leaves a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth. Truly unforgettable.”

Lu Changning's face instantly flushed red down to her neck. She was so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into, and could only lower her head to fiddle with the corner of her clothes, not daring to look at her Revered Master's burning and teasing gaze again.

Chi Wanhe, Qin Zhaoxue, and Du Yuqing took in the entire scene. Chi Wanhe understood instantly.

During the days they were away, this seemingly timid fourth Junior Sister of theirs had somehow... 'stolen' Revered Master's heart without anyone noticing!

“Hmph!”

Chi Wanhe couldn't help but let out a dissatisfied snort.

Ling Hao took another sip of his own tea, taking in his eldest Disciple's expression. He knew exactly what was happening: this girl was just bristling right now; a little coaxing in a couple of days would fix it.

Qin Zhaoxue sat to the side, her lips curved in a gentle smile, her eyes clear and knowing, as if she had already seen through everything.

Ling Hao actually found it a bit strange. This fellow countryman of his, who also came from another world, had been able to calmly accept it when she first learned he was involved with two of his Disciples. And now...

Du Yuqing remained as taciturn as ever, holding her teacup with a calm, rippleless gaze, as if the undercurrents swirling around her had nothing to do with her. Only occasionally would she cast her eyes upon Ling Hao.

Ling Hao's action was no different from laying his cards on the table. He wanted to see his Disciples' reactions.

The result? Just as expected.

After all, if anyone truly strongly opposed it, they should have flipped the table back when they were on the flying boat.

A satisfied curve formed at the corner of Ling Hao's lips.

Indeed... they are all Revered Master's good Disciples.

Well, next time... I'll reward them with a grand 'Full House' celebration.

...

To the west of the Qing River lies the Golden Sands Land.

The view was a desolate, deathly yellow.

Rolling sand dunes were like frozen giant waves, swallowing up the life that once existed.

The howling wind whipped up grit, striking the withered spiritual plants at the edges of the few remaining oases, making a rustling sound like a mournful cry. A metallic, sweet scent permeated the air.

It was the smell of foul blood mixed with crimson erosion qi.

The massive, twisted carcasses of Erosion Beasts were scattered across the dunes and dried-up riverbeds. Dark purple blood had long since solidified, staining large patches of yellow sand into an eerie blackish-brown, almost flowing into a river.

A few scattered figures of Cultivators, wearing the robes of various Sects, were cautiously hunting down the weak Erosion Beasts that had escaped the net in the distance.

These oases were once precious lands upon which the now-destroyed Tianhuo Sect relied for survival. Some of the most famous spots, such as the Red Flame Spring, used to produce Molten Crystals that could temper fire-attribute Magical Artifacts; the Clear Wave Pond produced Dew Grass that nourished Water Spiritual Roots; and the Golden Scale Marsh nurtured Golden Scale Vines used to craft protective soft armor.

Now, they were either contaminated by erosion qi or had withered away in the fires of war.

Deep underground.

Passing through thick layers of rock, at an unknowable depth, a hemispherical cave so massive it defied imagination existed silently in the darkness.

At the center of the cave was the only light source—an eerie, crimson sapling only as tall as a person.

The sapling's entire body looked like congealed foul blood, emitting a faint, dark red glow.

Its roots were gnarled and coiled; their sheer number and the area they covered were enough to make one's scalp tingle.

Countless main roots as thick as giant pythons plunged deep into the earth's ley lines, while an uncountable number of secondary roots spread frantically in all directions like living things. They didn't just pierce through rock; some had even quietly extended to the surface, greedily absorbing the essence of the foul blood remaining on the battlefield.

Even more roots reached endlessly into the depths of the ley lines, connected to something unknown.

A figure clad in dark green, tight-fitting scale armor appeared at the edge of the cave like a ghost.

The moment she appeared, her body swayed violently, and she nearly fell to her knees!

“Hmph!”

She let out a muffled groan. The dark light on her scale armor shimmered as she forced herself to stabilize her stance, barely managing to stand firm. The look in her eyes as she gazed at that crimson sapling was filled with ultimate reverence.

“As expected of the Sacred Tree...”

She whispered, her voice carrying a hint of a tremor in the vast, deathly silent cave.

“At such close range, just the overflowing pressure alone... even with my Void Tempering body, I would be forced to prostrate myself if I weren't careful...”

Involuntarily, the image of the crimson Sacred Tree behind the Hall Revered Master's throne surfaced in her mind.

“What a pity... compared to the true Sacred Tree in the hall, this seedling is still far too small...”

At the thought of the Hall Revered Master, the reverence in her eyes deepened further.

Mo Tong stood silently for a long time, her sharp gaze carefully observing every tiny change in the crimson sapling. Finally, she cautiously took out a dark green jade bottle that flowed with a rich aura of life.

Enduring that increasingly heavy and terrifying pressure, she struggled to move step by step toward the base of the sapling.

Every step felt like it weighed a thousand tons, and fine beads of sweat seeped through the skin beneath her armor. Finally, at a distance of about ten feet from the roots, she reached her limit. With trembling fingers, she tilted the jade bottle slightly—

A single drop of green liquid, as viscous as emerald marrow, fell onto the gnarled roots of the crimson sapling!

“Sizzle—!”

It was like boiling oil hitting snow! The crimson sapling jolted violently! The dark red trunk instantly lit up with an eerie blood-light.

The originally slow-flowing crimson patterns suddenly accelerated, greedily absorbing the drop of green liquid. The entire sapling expanded by a visible margin at a rate discernible to the naked eye.

At the tip of a branch, a bud that was originally only the size of a grain of rice instantly swelled to the size of a pigeon egg, faintly revealing a deeper blood-red color.

At the same time, the previously dormant erosion qi in the cave was as if it had been completely ignited! Crimson mist so thick it was almost physical gathered frantically from all directions, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, surging into the sapling! The entire massive cave was instantly filled with a tossing and roaring sea of erosion qi, and the pressure increased several times over.

Mo Tong was violently pushed back by this wild force, staggering back dozens of yards before she could stabilize herself.

She panted heavily, the faint leaf-shaped dark green patterns on her skin flashing rapidly. However, instead of pain, a surge of wild joy appeared in her eyes.

She clearly felt that the Void Refinement Stage second-level Bottleneck that had troubled her for so long... had actually loosened at this moment!

Mo Tong took a deep breath, suppressing her surging blood and qi. Looking through the churning red sea of erosion qi at the increasingly eerie crimson sapling, she murmured to herself:

“At this rate... it should only take another three months... that's not too long.”