93: Chapter 93 Cave Heaven Retreat

Moonshadow Grotto-Heaven, isolated Peak cottage.

Looking up, the Grotto-Heaven remained a barren expanse. The vast rocky continent was devoid of vegetation, silent and desolate.

In the center of this desolation, a miraculous patch of lush grassland, spanning a hundred zhang, thrived with vitality.

In the center of the grassland, an isolated Peak rose from the ground. At the summit sat an elegant small courtyard, like an oasis in the desert, a lighthouse in the Chaos.

Within the courtyard, emerald bamboo provided shade, and a spiritual peach tree leaned against the large central main room, its branches laden with a few unripe fruits.

Surrounding the main room were three exquisite small huts, arranged in a staggered and orderly fashion. A clear pond embellished the space, the water crystal clear, with a few spiritual carp swimming leisurely. By the pond, a small pavilion with a stone table and stools added a sense of leisure.

This tiny patch of life was the result of Ling Hao's dedicated cultivation of the Yin-Yang Aperture Drilling Method over the past six months, along with the "diligent cultivation" of Disciples like Chi Wanhe.

This method was profound. The Yuan Yin and Yuan Yang that overflowed during Dual Cultivation were all swallowed by the Origin of the Grotto-Heaven. Especially when desire reached its Peak and the Divine Soul fell into the Void Gazer state, it unconsciously simulated weak fluctuations of the Creation Law, which could actually induce the Chaos airflow to reorder and reorganize, resonating with the Law.

It was this resonance force that accelerated the evolution of the Grotto-Heaven, forcibly carving out this vibrant courtyard in the center of the wasteland.

Ling Hao's figure appeared silently in the courtyard. His gaze swept over a stone tablet standing in the center, on which a duty roster was carved:

Duty Roster

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August 22nd: Exterminating a Sect, busy

August 23rd: Exterminating a Sect, busy

August 24th: Du Yuqing

August 25th: Rest

August 26th: Chi Wanhe

August 27th: Qin Zhaoxue

August 28th: Huang Yutong

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"Sigh…" Ling Hao could not help but let out a light sigh, rubbing his brow,

"Not even a weekend, this Sect Master and Revered Master life of mine is… truly a life of toil."

He shook his head, "Forget it, nothing to do today, let's go listen to… ahem, focus on counting the spoils!"

With a thought, Ling Hao's figure appeared below the isolated Peak, on the grassland outside the small courtyard. He waved his sleeve—

"Hum!"

The space in front of him seemed to be torn open by an invisible hand, and a mountain of treasures suddenly appeared.

Ling Hao also took out the two Storage Rings obtained from the Tianhuo Sect and Ancestor Diyan. The rings shimmered, and the items inside were piled up with the treasures.

Spirit Stone Mountain:

Low-Grade Spirit Stone: Piled into rolling hills, roughly estimated to be no less than ten million, gray and dull, yet emitting a majestic tide of spiritual power.

Mid-Grade Spirit Stone: Like a shimmering glass mountain, numbering over a million, each piece crystal clear, with Spiritual Qi several times denser.

High-Grade Spirit Stone: Only ten thousand or so, but dazzling like stars, piled separately into a crystal-clear small tower, emitting pure spiritual power fluctuations.

Magic Treasure:

Mortal Weapon: Hundreds of thousands of blades, spears, swords, halberds, armor, and shields piled like a mountain; although they were not ranked, the quantity was astonishing.

Magical Artifact: Over a thousand glowing Magical Artifacts floated in the air, including Flying Swords, beads, jade rulers, bronze mirrors, etc., shining with spiritual light, far superior to mortal iron.

Over a hundred items with blazing treasure light were Low Grade Spiritual Artifacts, and dozens with more restrained and profound luster were Medium Grade Spiritual Artifacts; these were treasures that Golden Core Stage Cultivators dreamed of.

High Grade Spiritual Artifacts were the demon suppressing tower, fire spear, red flame long silk, and the Fire Flame Umbrella used by the Tianhuo Sect and Ancestor Diyan.

That demon suppressing tower was actually a half-step Treasure Artifact, but it was still classified as a High Grade Spiritual Artifact.

Medicinal Pill and Spiritual Plant:

Medicinal Pill: Tens of thousands of jade bottles and jade boxes were piled up, overflowing with medicinal fragrance. Among them were many third-grade and fourth-grade treasures, such as Barrier Breaking Pills, Heaven Returning Life Saving Paste, and Dragon-Tiger Bone Forging Pills, all of which were top-tier pills for Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Stage.

Spiritual Plant: Bundles and baskets of rare Spiritual Plants, with faint rosy light. There were thousand-year-old Blood Ganoderma, golden Xuan Yang Ginseng, and the highly poisonous Seven-Heart Bone-Eroding Grass (which is also a treasure medicine if handled properly), all of which were gems in the eyes of an Alchemist.

Spiritual Mineral: Like a metal mountain range stretching across, flashing with various treasure lights. There was the incredibly tough Star Iron, Secret Silver Essence capable of carrying powerful magic power, Tai Bai Essence Gold containing sharp gold Qi, and the "Warm Soul Jade Marrow" that nourishes the Divine Soul; all were top-tier Materials for Artifact Refining.

Although the resources before him were vast, they were not all of them.

The Tianhuo Sect and Ancestor Diyan had occupied the Qing State for many years, and their true Foundation lay in those resource points that could not be easily moved.

The Hexi spiritual mines and medicine gardens, which were no less rich than the Hedong Region, the Tianhuo Lake that nurtured unique fire-type Materials, and the Spirit-Rich Swamp that bred rare poisonous creatures... these could only be fully taken over after the Moonshadow Sect stood firm and expanded its Domain by relying on the tower of laws.

"Tsk tsk tsk…"

Ling Hao looked at the wealth before him, enough to drive any Nascent Soul Old Ancestor crazy, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift,

"This feeling… is too great!"

After the joy came action. With a thought from Ling Hao, a large portion of the spoils—mainly Spirit Stones, Mortal Weapons, some Medicinal Pills, Materials, and low-level spiritual minerals—were grabbed by an invisible giant hand and whistled into the churning Chaos airflow at the edge of the Grotto-Heaven.

As soon as they were thrown in, the Chaos seemed like a frying pan of boiling oil, rolling and surging violently, swallowing massive amounts of resources. To the naked eye, there seemed to be no sign of expansion at the edge of the Grotto-Heaven, but Ling Hao, as the Revered Master of the Grotto-Heaven, could clearly perceive that the Chaos was undergoing earth-shaking changes internally, and the invisible territory was slowly expanding.

The Origin of the Grotto-Heaven was constantly absorbing nutrients, but the speed of evolution was anxiously slow.

Next, Ling Hao's gaze turned to the three "Dragons" that were bound by powerful Restrictions and crawling on the ground.

These were not real Dragons, but three Mid-Grade Spiritual Veins that had been forcibly extracted and restrained here! Two of the Mid-Grade Spiritual Veins were slightly dim, while the one originating from the Tianhuo Sect was the most solid, the dragon shape lifelike, with scales and claws visible, clearly on the verge of transforming into a High Grade Spiritual Vein!

"This Mid-Grade one has a deep Foundation and the greatest potential, so it's better to put it back under the Sect and nourish the Moonshadow Sect gate."

Ling Hao made a quick decision. As for the other two, he raised his hand and beckoned, and one of the Spiritual Veins let out a mournful cry, was rolled up by an invisible force, and was also thrown into the churning edge of the Chaos in the distance. The Spiritual Vein entered the Chaos like a clay ox entering the sea, instantly swallowed by the rolling airflow, decomposed, and integrated into the Foundation of the Grotto-Heaven.

The other Spiritual Vein was guided by Ling Hao, like a docile earth dragon, slowly sinking into the deep rock layers beneath the isolated Peak. In an instant, the vegetation around the isolated Peak seemed to become more spirited, and the water in the pond in the courtyard rippled with stronger spiritual rhyme.

After dealing with the Spiritual Veins, Ling Hao calmed his mind and sank his thoughts deep into his Sea of Consciousness. His intent touched the [Grotto-Heaven] option.

A grand scene unfolded in his Sea of Consciousness: against a backdrop of a vast nebula, a tiny, vaguely outlined rocky continent prototype floated (Grotto-Heaven concept map.jpg).

Beside it, a dazzling ribbon of light slowly extended. At the front of the ribbon, the [Early Stage] and [Middle Stage] nodes shone brightly.

However, the main body of the ribbon was still dim, with the far right end of the ribbon stopping at about one-tenth of the way between the Middle Stage and Late Stage. The [Late Stage] and [Perfection (Small World) +] nodes behind it were still dim.

A line of information clearly emerged:

Realm Bonus: Tribulation Transcendence Stage level 10!

Warm Reminder: Investing Dao Law fragments (crystals), Spiritual Veins, spiritual minerals, Spiritual Plants, spiritual seeds, spiritual springs, Innate spiritual objects, and other Heaven And Earth Treasures can perfect the Grotto-Heaven Laws, accelerate evolution, and increase the Realm Bonus limit (Late Stage — Mahayana Stage)!

Current Goal: Cultivate the Grotto-Heaven to [Middle Stage Perfection], which can grant [Tribulation Transcendence Stage Dao trace resonance for twelve hours]!

"Too slow…"

Ling Hao withdrew his consciousness from the System interface, his brows slightly furrowed. Since the Middle Stage, the consumption for every step forward was more than a hundred times greater than in the Early Stage!

Six months of "diligent cultivation" plus emptying most of the resources accumulated by two fourth-grade Sects had only increased the Grotto-Heaven evolution progress by less than one-tenth?

To advance quickly, either increase the frequency and number of "cultivations"… or need more massive, more precious Heaven And Earth Treasures to be continuously invested…

Suddenly, Ling Hao's heart moved, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes,

"Huh?! Is it little Changning? What is she doing here?"