Chapter 1391
Subsequent Breakthroughs of the Jianmu Essence
He moved his shoulders and suddenly realized something was wrong.
The Dao power within my body... is at least somewhat stronger than last night.
Moreover, its operation has a sense of harmony that it didn't have before.
Although the magnitude of this change is small, for his current cultivation level, even the slightest bit is a huge improvement.
This is……
Ye Yang was startled and subconsciously looked at Yue Ji.
Then he froze.
The aura emanating from Tsukihime has also changed.
Her cultivation level was originally much lower than Ye Yang's, but at this moment, her aura showed faint signs of a breakthrough.
Moreover, she looks completely different, not just in appearance, but in her temperament.
If the previous Tsukihime was a sharp sword hidden in its sheath, its edge concealed yet its chilling aura was palpable.
Now, she is like a newly forged divine weapon, radiating brilliance that makes people afraid to look directly at her.
She clearly noticed the change in herself; her brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed.
A thought suddenly flashed through Ye Yang's mind.
Ancestor of the Vast Sea...
Why did the Ancestor of the Vast Ocean specifically send his most outstanding woman?
Now it seems...
This is hardly a kind intention.
This was clearly premeditated!
The Ancestor of the Vast Ocean must have known of the existence of this Chaos Crystal, and may even know that it would emit an aura of yin and yang union, which would arouse people's desires.
That's why he specially sent Tsukihime.
She was extremely beautiful, possessed considerable cultivation, and was a woman, making her the perfect "cauldron".
Most importantly, dual cultivation is a great benefit to both parties.
At this moment, Ye Yang was preparing to strike while the iron was hot. He sat cross-legged, intending to sink his mind into his sea of consciousness and comprehend the method contained in the Chaos Dao Crystal.
"Fellow Daoist Ye?"
Just then, Tsukihime's voice came from behind, clear and cold, yet carrying an undisguised urgency.
Ye Yang opened his eyes and looked at her.
Tsukihime had already straightened her robes and stood a few steps away, her brows furrowed.
"This place..."
She paused, seemingly considering her words.
"Somewhat something is wrong."
Ye Yang nodded.
Although the demonic insect's soul was devoured by him with the Evil King Blade before it died, no one could guarantee that there might be other dangers.
Since we've already obtained the treasure, we might as well leave sooner rather than later.
"Walk."
Ye Yang picked up the outer robe from the ground, shook off the sand, and put it on.
Suddenly, something occurred to me.
Ye Yang stopped again.
"what happened?"
Tsukihime followed behind him and almost bumped into his back.
"and many more."
Ye Yang turned around, his gaze falling on the ruins behind him, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
"That insect has been growing here for who knows how many years. Don't you find that strange?"
Yueji was slightly taken aback, but then she understood what he meant.
"You mean...it's hiding something?"
"Nothing was hidden."
"It might be a whole treasure trove hidden inside."
He turned and strode back to the ruins.
Tsukihime hesitated for a moment, but still followed.
Ye Yang did not return to the place where he had previously discovered the Chaos Crystal, but instead began to explore along the edge of the ruins.
Although he devoured the soul of that insect spirit, the Evil King Blade had briefly established a connection with that wisp of soul before devouring it.
It was that tiny connection that allowed Ye Yang to pinpoint a vague location.
It's in the northwest corner of the ruins.
Ye Yang walked there, probed downwards with his divine sense, and frowned slightly.
Three feet underground, there is an extremely hidden restriction.
The restriction was set up in an extremely ingenious way. If it weren't for the faint sense provided by the Evil King Blade, it would have been almost impossible to detect it with just divine sense.
"found it."
Ye Yang crouched down, placed his right hand on the ground, and slowly channeled his Dao power into it. Under his probing, the restriction gradually revealed its true form.
Ye Yang unleashed his power, and the restriction shattered like a bubble.
"Boom!"
The ground trembled slightly, and a crack slowly opened in front of him, revealing a hole extending downwards.
The cave was pitch black, with a faint, damp, and gloomy atmosphere emanating from it, mixed with a rotten smell.
Ye Yang took out a luminous pearl from his storage bag and casually tossed it into the cave.
The luminous pearl emitted a soft, cool light as it rolled down, illuminating the moss and stalagmites on the cave walls.
It wasn't too deep, about three or four zhang (approximately 10-13 meters). "I'll go down first."
As Ye Yang spoke, he leaped into the cave.
Tsukihime followed closely behind.
The space at the bottom of the cave was larger than Ye Yang had imagined. It was a naturally formed cave that had been artificially expanded, about the size of two rooms.
Several rough, luminous stones were embedded in the cave wall, providing dim light, but enough to make out the whole picture.
When Ye Yang saw the scene inside the cave, his breath hitched.
They were everywhere.
Magical artifacts, elixirs, cultivation manuals, jade slips, spirit ores, materials from demonic beasts...
All sorts of things were piled up all over the floor, in a messy and disorderly manner, as if someone had just thrown them in.
Ye Yang glanced at it briefly, and his heart began to pound wildly.
Although most of those magical treasures had lost their spiritual essence and become scrap metal, a few of them still retained their complete spiritual essence, and their grade was at least Earth Rank or above.
Most of those pills had lost their effectiveness due to their age; the bottles shattered at the slightest touch, and the pills inside turned into a pile of black powder.
However, a few were extremely well preserved, with ancient sealing talismans affixed to the medicine bottles. Although the talismans had faded, they were still functioning.
As for the cultivation technique jade slip...
Ye Yang casually picked up a few pieces and probed them with his divine sense. He found that they were all ancient cultivation methods. Although most of them were incomplete, there were also a few complete ones.
"This is……"
Tsukihime's voice came from the depths of the cave, trembling slightly.
Ye Yang looked in the direction of the sound, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
At the deepest part of the cave, there was a protruding stone platform. On the platform was a layer of unknown animal hide, and on the hide were several items.
The most eye-catching items are three jade vases.
The jade bottle was pure white, with a warm and smooth texture, and emitted a faint spiritual light. The sealing talisman at the mouth of the bottle was extremely well preserved, and the patterns on the talisman were clearly visible, indicating that it was no ordinary item.
But what truly captivated Ye Yang's attention was something next to the jade bottle.
A piece of wood.
It's about the size of a fist, entirely emerald green, and irregularly shaped, like a small piece cut off from a large tree.
The wood lay quietly on the animal hide, without a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation, looking just like an ordinary, strangely colored old tree stump.
But the moment Ye Yang saw it, the chaotic crystal in his sea of consciousness trembled violently and emitted a long hum.
The buzzing sound carried a kind of... longing.
It wasn't greed, nor covetousness, but an instinctive, almost pious desire.
"The essence of Jianmu..."
Tsukihime's voice was almost squeezed out of her throat, hoarse and trembling.
Ye Yang suddenly turned his head and looked at her.
Tsukihime's eyes were fixed on the piece of emerald green wood, her pupils dilated slightly, and even her breathing became rapid.
"What did you say?"
"The essence of Jianmu..."
Tsukihime repeated herself, her voice still trembling.
"The core essence of the towering Jianmu tree, the most precious part of the entire tree. Legend has it that after the Jianmu tree collapsed, its essence scattered in all directions, most of it was destroyed in the cataclysm, and only a very small amount was preserved..."
She paused, then with difficulty shifted her gaze from the piece of wood to Ye Yang.
"It can bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bones."
"As long as there is still a breath left, it can be saved. For cultivators, it can rebuild their foundation, clear all blocked meridians, and transform an ordinary person."
Ye Yang fell silent.
He finally understood why that demonic insect was willing to risk being killed by him to use a secret soul technique to ambush him.
Why did that demonic insect let out such a resentful scream when it was slain?
The demonic insect had lingered here for ten thousand years, not to protect the chaotic crystal, but to guard this piece of Jianmu essence.
It is waiting for an opportunity that can transform it.
That opportunity ultimately became its death knell.
Ye Yang stepped forward and picked up the piece of Jianmu essence.
It feels warm and smooth to the touch, not like wood, but more like a piece of warm jade. The texture is delicate and smooth, without any texture, just like a piece of raw jade casually sculpted by the Creator.
He brought the essence of the Jianmu tree close to his nose, but could not smell anything.
But when he probed into it with a trace of his Dao power, an indescribable life force suddenly erupted!
The aura surged forth like a tide, instantly filling the entire cavern.
The dried moss on the cave walls, upon contact with this aura, miraculously regained its green color and began to grow at a visible speed.
The air was filled with an indescribable fragrance, like the first spring rain falling on freshly turned soil, carrying the breath of all things coming back to life.
Ye Yang took a deep breath, feeling every pore on his body relax.
The Dao power within his body, nourished by this life force, showed signs of subtle growth.
"nice one."
He placed the essence of the Jianmu tree in his palm and examined it carefully.
It is entirely emerald green, crystal clear, like life frozen in time.
Through the thin layer of luminescence on the surface, one can see countless tiny points of light flowing inside, like miniature rivers, winding and endlessly flowing.
Then, Ye Yang saw Yue Ji's gaze.
She did not speak.
But her eyes betrayed her.
Those clear, cold eyes were fixed on the moment the essence of the Jianmu tree appeared, and they couldn't look away. (End of Chapter)