Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

Chapter 367 Exploring the Underworld

"Given their own predicament, their continued efforts to collect 'Netherworld Crystals' suggest that this item may possess other wondrous properties."

Lin Changsheng observed Yunmiao Zhenjun's actions and pondered to himself.

He suddenly recalled what Black Tiger True Lord had said earlier.

According to his own words, Yunmiao Zhenjun's cultivation aptitude was not outstanding in his early years, nor was he a 'Nascent Soul Seed' that the sect was specifically cultivating.

In this situation, without some extraordinary stroke of luck, it is almost impossible to advance to the True Monarch realm.

After all, even a Nascent Soul level sect like the Willow Smoke Sect cannot have enough resources to cultivate multiple 'Nascent Soul seeds'.

Spiritual creatures belonging to the fourth tier have extremely harsh growth environments, which is necessary for the sect to maintain the inheritance of Nascent Soul ultimate combat power.

Almost as soon as one reaches the prime of their life as a Nascent Soul cultivator, one must begin to consider nurturing the next Nascent Soul cultivator.

The limited resources should naturally be used on the juniors who have the best chance of promotion.

Not only did True Monarch Yunmiao make rapid progress in his cultivation, successfully breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, but he also became a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, setting a new cultivation ceiling for all previous Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Willow Smoke Sect.

There are probably some unknown secrets behind this.

"Could it be... that the secret to advancing in cultivation... is related to these 'Netherworld Crystals'?"

Lin Changsheng was filled with curiosity.

However, inquiring about such matters is extremely taboo for a Nascent Soul True Monarch, so Lin Changsheng naturally wouldn't ask rashly.

As time went by, the two of them wandered through this forbidden land of the underworld for more than half a month.

During this period, they were almost entirely surrounded and intercepted by a large number of 'Nether Beasts', and were constantly on the move.

Without the supply of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, neither the powerful Yunmiao Zhenjun nor Lin Changsheng, who was known for his endurance through the practice of the Everlasting Spring Technique, gradually began to be unable to withstand it.

Fortunately, they had prepared enough restorative pills to barely sustain their energy expenditure, so they didn't need to worry about their mana for the time being.

However, for many days in a row, they wandered aimlessly in the forbidden area like headless flies, without a clear direction to leave. They also had to constantly resist the erosion of the evil energy of the Yellow Springs, which gradually caused anxiety to grow in their hearts.

Three months later, Yunmiao Zhenjun and Lin Changsheng were somewhat anxious.

Lin Changsheng began to consider that if he still couldn't find a way out, he might try using the 'Minor Teleportation Talisman' to try his luck.

However, the 'Minor Teleportation Talisman' is not easy to craft, and compared to other talismans, its quantity is scarce, and it may even teleport one to a more dangerous place.

It can only be kept as a last resort, a last resort.

Fortunately, during this time, he and True Monarch Yunmiao relied on each other for survival, and their relationship progressed considerably.

He gradually discovered that Yunmiao Zhenjun's personality seemed a bit eccentric. Most of the time, he was approachable and, after spending many days together, they were like friends.

But occasionally she would suddenly become cold and indifferent, even revealing a hidden murderous intent towards him.

However, being in this forbidden area, Lin Changsheng was skilled in body tempering and had a corpse-refining puppet, making him even more adaptable to the harsh conditions. The two of them were mutually dependent.

Lin Changsheng needs Yunmiao Zhenjun to intervene from time to time to deal with the troublesome 'Nether Beasts' of the fourth rank and above.

The latter requires him to defeat most of the third-tier 'Nether Beasts' to conserve his mana.

half year later.

The situation is becoming more serious.

Several months ago, True Monarch Yunmiao ran out of recovery pills and could only rely on spirit stones to recover from now on.

Lin Changsheng relied on his body refinement realm to keep his energy consumption under control, and he still had a stock of restorative pills.

And there is also a large quantity of 'Wanmu Ling Glue' that has been kept hidden away.

Although the Myriad Wood Spirit Glue is a treasure of the wood element, its gentle nature means it still has some effect on cultivators who use non-wood element techniques.

Lin Changsheng has not yet revealed that he possesses such a treasure that helps restore his magical power.

It was because True Monarch Yunmiao seemed to be emotionally unstable, occasionally revealing a cold and indifferent killing intent tinged with resentment, which made him wary.

……

This day.

Lin Changsheng and Yunmiao Zhenjun carefully avoided the spatial rift and bypassed a large number of 'Nether Beasts' that were chasing them, and arrived at the downstream end of the Yellow Spring Flowing Water.

Behind them was a dense, endless swarm of 'Nether Beasts', rushing in like bees.

But soon, an extremely bizarre scene unfolded.

The 'Nether Beast' that usually relentlessly pursued the two of them for their presence seemed to show some apprehension at this moment, lingering dozens of feet behind Lin Changsheng and his companion, refusing to take another step forward.

"what happened?"

"These 'Nether Beasts' are essentially corrupted by the evil energy of the Yellow Springs, and have long since become mindless puppets. How could such a scene occur?"

Lin Changsheng was astonished upon seeing this.

The Cloud-Vast True Monarch standing to the side also looked doubtful and puzzled.

The two were troubled by these 'Nether Beasts' for a long time, and if it weren't for their complementary skills, they would probably have been devoured by the 'Nether Beasts' long ago.

But this is the first time I've discovered that these 'Nether Beasts' actually have some reservations.

Lin Changsheng had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

He looked around, his gaze settling on the other side.

Ahead, shrouded in poisonous miasma, lay a super lake filled with dark yellow water.

The Yellow Springs River, large and small, flows into it from all around.

The lake surface was calm and still, but the closer one got, the more one could feel an immense pressure, which was particularly effective in suppressing the cultivator's own magical power.

Around this enormous lake, countless stark white bones lay scattered about.

In addition, many spirit plants with ghostly attributes grow there.

There are countless ones at a glance.

The most conspicuous sight is the twisted, withered trees along the lake. These trees are called "Soul-Destroying Trees." They prefer to grow in dark, damp places filled with death energy. Their branches and leaves are all a pale blue color, faintly emitting a chilling, ghostly aura and the scent of death. They are important materials for refining infamous ghost-path magical artifacts such as the "Ten Thousand Soul Banner."

Among the piles of bones, there grows a strange flower that resembles an orchid. This flower is not a 'bone orchid'. It takes root on the bones, and its roots are a strange grayish-white color, just like bone. It can absorb nutrients and resentment from the bones, and can erode the cultivator's consciousness. It is an excellent material for refining high-level sinister talismans.

In addition, there are rare and precious ghost-path spiritual plants such as 'Ghost Face Vine', 'Soul-Eating Flower', and 'Netherblood Grass'.

It has applications in weapon crafting, alchemy, talisman making, and formation making.

"call!"

Lin Changsheng was deeply moved.

"With so many ghost-path spiritual plants, if the 'Heavenly Poison Master,' who is skilled in this art, knew about this treasure land, he would probably be extremely excited."

Although he did not follow the old path of 'Heavenly Poison Master', so many precious spiritual plants are still worth collecting.

When Yunmiao Zhenjun saw these spiritual plants, he was only slightly taken aback, but his attention was quickly drawn to the scattered 'Yellow Spring Nether Crystals' around him.

After a brief inquiry and finding nothing obviously unusual, the two began to collect their respective items.

The more Lin Changsheng collected, the more surprised he became.

Among these ghostly spiritual plants, quite a few have reached the fourth rank. It's a pity that Lin Changsheng did not inherit the cultivation path of 'Heavenly Poison True Man' exactly as he did. Some of the spiritual plants here are not compatible with him, but they can still be used to refine some other techniques.

At this moment, black lotuses, each the size of a bowl, appeared on the once calm and still lake surface.

Because the poisonous miasma was thick, obscuring vision, and also limiting spiritual awareness.

By the time Lin Changsheng and his companion discovered them, the lotus flowers had already quietly floated to a distance not far from the shore.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that these were not ghostly lotuses at all, but rather will-o'-the-wisps shaped like lotus flowers. Suddenly, Lin Changsheng felt a strong sense of unease, as if an instinctive unease was stirring within him.

At a distance of several dozen feet, Lin Changsheng could clearly see what was on the water's surface.

They were actually special beetles, each the size of a broad bean, huddled together, ignoring the corrosive power of the Yellow Springs water, and slowly drifting on the surface of the water.

Each beetle was covered in bluish-green flames, which, when combined, coalesced into a flickering, lotus-shaped flame.

"What kind of insects are these? Not only do they contain strange flames, but they can also ignore the waters of the Yellow Springs?"

Lin Changsheng was greatly surprised, but unfortunately his divine sense was affected by the special magnetic field and he was unable to investigate the situation of these beetles.

He then turned his gaze to Yunmiao Zhenjun beside him, thinking that with the latter's Nascent Soul cultivation, he might be able to know some of the secrets of this place.

Unfortunately, the result disappointed Lin Changsheng.

Yunmiao Zhenjun also stared for a moment, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion. Clearly, in his hundreds of years of cultivation memories, he had never seen such a beetle with its body covered in bluish-green flames.

A dozen or so breaths later, these fiery beetles gradually drifted to the shore, where they awoke one by one, shaking their bodies and their flames flaring as they began to crawl toward the many ghostly spiritual plants on the shore.

Some of the beetles, which were slightly larger, actually opened their shells on the spot and flapped their translucent wings, like a ball of bluish-green will-o'-the-wisp, and flew towards the spiritual plants.

In an instant, more and more green flame beetles flapped their wings, turning into tiny green dots that clung to these spiritual plants.

At this moment, Lin Changsheng noticed a detail.

After landing on the ghost-path plant, these beetles simultaneously extinguished the bluish-green flames on their bodies, and then began to tear at it with their sharp mouthparts, feasting on it.

These ghostly plants disappeared rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Not far away, a beetle, not quite grown to its full size, seemed to be taking flight for the first time and was not yet proficient. It accidentally crashed into a fourth-tier ghost tree and failed to extinguish its flames in time.

A bluish-green flame instantly spread, and the fire spread rapidly, burning a hard fourth-tier ghostwood tree to ashes in an instant.

The culprit beetle emerged from the ashes of the ghostwood, shook off the dust, fluttered its thin wings, and wobbled as it took flight again.

As luck would have it, it was flying right in the direction Lin Changsheng was.

"retreat!"

After witnessing what had just happened, Lin Changsheng knew how powerful the strange fire beetle was and dared not provoke it. He instantly retreated several feet away, intentionally avoiding it.

Even fourth-order ghost wood can be easily burned; the scorching effect of this fire beetle is no less than that of some fourth-order rare fires in the cultivation world.

"Buzz~Buzz~"

Upon seeing the white-clad figure before it, the fire beetle retreated instantly, its body pausing slightly in mid-air before it clumsily flew away again.

Although it was its first attempt at flying and its movements were a bit clumsy, the fire beetle was already quite fast, and under Lin Changsheng's stimulation, it seemed to fly even faster.

"This fire beetle not only has self-awareness, but also seems to be quite intelligent, unlike the previous 'Nether Beast'."

Lin Changsheng seemed to recognize the insect's difference. He immediately formed a hand seal, and several slender wooden vines emerged from his sleeve, extending out like flexible tentacles, easily binding the fire beetle.

Before he could completely kill it, as the fire beetle began to struggle, blue flames flickered around its body. The wooden vines formed by Lin Changsheng's magic power were touched by the flames and instantly burned off. The flames then continued to extend along the vines toward him.

Surprised, Lin Changsheng naturally wouldn't let the strange flame touch him, so he immediately cut the wooden vine and threw it away.

This tactic seemed to anger the fire beetle, which stubbornly flew towards Lin Changsheng once again.

"Humph!"

Lin Changsheng snorted coldly, his blood energy condensed in his hand, and a giant ape paw materialized in front of him, grabbing at the fire beetle with a fierce aura.

The giant phantom hand collided with the fire beetle, and under the bombardment of the powerful blood energy, the fire beetle was instantly shattered.

"boom!"

Unexpectedly, at the moment of death, a burst of bluish-green gas erupted from the fire beetle's body, instantly transforming into flames that spread throughout an area of ​​about ten feet around it.

The phantom image of the giant ape's hand, formed from Lin Changsheng's blood and qi, was instantly enveloped and burned to ashes by the green flames.

This unexpected turn of events greatly surprised Lin Changsheng.

at the same time.

The surrounding fire beetles seemed to be startled by the explosion, and they all stopped eating and focused their attention on Lin Changsheng and Yunmiao Zhenjun.

After a moment or two of stillness, the fire beetles abandoned their food, fluttered their thin wings, and flew over in swarms, buzzing.

Even the larvae that hadn't learned to fly kept crawling towards the two of them, making a rustling sound.

"go!"

Lin Changsheng and Yunmiao Zhenjun exchanged a glance; the tacit understanding they had developed over the past few days meant they hardly needed to say anything more.

The two quickly retreated, creating distance between themselves and the overwhelming swarm of fire beetles.

'call! '

At the same time, True Monarch Yunmiao waved her hand, unleashing a chilling aura that surged towards the fire beetles.

'Sizzle!'

A chilling aura enveloped the oncoming fire beetles, then transformed into countless tiny, sharp ice crystals that, like a torrential rain of pear blossoms, indiscriminately pierced through the beetles.

In an instant, hundreds and thousands of fire beetles were pierced by the sharp ice crystals and exploded with a bang.

For a time, the sounds of booming noises rose and fell incessantly.

But soon, more fire beetles, as if enraged, flew towards the two of them fearlessly.

The fire beetles gathered together, their flames merging together, resembling a sky full of emerald green flames, and swept towards the two of them!

Even if True Monarch Yunmiao were to unleash his Frost Divine Power again, the effect would be very limited against this bluish-green flame.