Chapter 434

Chapter 434: Get Lost

Soon, Ji Yang became immersed in the joy of digging up low-level plants. Wherever Ji Yang passed, even the grass roots vanished without a trace, leaving a bare area that stood out in the lush surroundings.

While absorbing the Light Points to enhance his physique, Ji Yang did not forget to continuously refine the residual power of lightning calamity within his body.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Power +1

Physique +1

Spirit +1

Yun Ling Dan +1

Cultivation Points +1

…

Looking at the unexpectedly gained Blue Light Points, Ji Yang smiled to himself.

During these three days, he hadn’t specifically searched for high-level spiritual plants, but the resources in the upper levels of the secret realm were abundant. Even wandering a bit could lead to encountering a few, making it a pleasant surprise.

After absorbing the Light Points, Ji Yang opened his attribute panel:

【Name: Ji Yang】

【Age: 20】

【Realm: late Void Refinement stage】

【Techniques: Feather Transformation Ascension Skill, Huang Ting Dao Jing, Xuantian Breathing Technique】

【Abilities: Heart Sword, Sword Cultivation, Breathing Technique of All Things, Soldiers from Beans, Wandering Spirit Commanding Energy, Thunderous Power, You reap what you sow, Thousands of Sword Energies, Feather Transformation, Ji Light Protection Feathers】

【Cultivation Level: 13/9999】

【Essence of War: 4.3%】

【Unavailable】

【Status: Heaven’s Jealousy】

【Status: Heavenly Punishment】

Ji Yang first looked at the abilities section. The last entry, Ji Light Protection Feathers, was an ability he gained from his techniques.

This was a defensive spell that, when cast, could transform his magical energy into a special type of "illusory feathers" from his techniques. Although it previously seemed ordinary and a bit weak, that was against the lightning calamity. If facing cultivators, its defensive power would surely surprise Ji Yang.

As for the cultivation points, he had not collected many over the past three days, only managing to gather 13 points.

However, compared to cultivation points, the accumulation of the essence of the Way pleased Ji Yang. Every time he harvested spiritual plants under the influence of the Xuantian Breathing Technique, he would occasionally enter a state of enlightenment, thus enhancing the density of the essence of the Way.

The reason for such rapid growth was also due to the boost he received during his tribulation crossing.

It seemed that insights gained in moments of crisis allowed for quicker accumulation of the essence of the Way.

Considering the name of the Essence of War, it wasn’t hard to understand that this essence might have been born for combat; he had merely misused it, causing its accumulation speed to slow.

Unfortunately, Ji Yang couldn’t experiment with this now; given his current physical condition, he was unable to fight against cultivators of the same level.

To avoid contact with cultivators or ferocious beasts in the upper levels of the secret realm, Ji Yang used his powerful primordial spirit energy to explore ahead in these past few days.

Whenever he sensed a wave of high-level energy ahead, Ji Yang would take a detour to avoid battle.

This was the main reason Ji Yang could leisurely harvest spiritual plants in the perilous upper levels of the secret realm during these days.

Although he occasionally encountered some low-level ferocious beasts, once Ji Yang released the aura of his late Void Refinement stage, these beasts would obediently leave.

Ji Yang never expected he would come to rely on this method to intimidate the ferocious beasts.

Without thinking too much, Ji Yang continued to pick the spiritual plants in front of him.

Originally, he estimated he would need ten days to restore his combat power, but with the absorption of the White Light Points, he realized he might save two days and reach his peak state sooner.

…

“Brother, look ahead!”

In an area several dozen miles away from Ji Yang, two figures rushed over quickly.

When one of them saw the unusual sight on the ground ahead, he hurriedly called out to his brother.

The two approached quickly, looking at the barren ground with a hint of suspicion in their eyes.

“Brother, why is it so bare here? What could be the reason?” one asked curiously.

The other shook his head:

“I’m not sure, but look, the soil is fresh, and there are some remnants of plant roots left. Clearly, a cultivator or a spiritual beast has been here. This area is unusual; it must be their doing.”

“But cultivators who can enter the upper levels of the secret realm wouldn’t act so foolishly.”

“So I deduce this is very likely the work of a ferocious beast. Normal ferocious beasts usually don’t leave their territory, and those wandering outside are probably weak. They roam in search of something.”

“Furthermore, since this beast is crazily devouring these low-level spiritual plants, it must be at a critical breakthrough period and needs a lot of spiritual energy. Unable to find high-level spiritual plants, it naturally has no other choice.”

Listening to his brother’s hypothesis, the other person immediately praised,

“Brother, your reasoning is quite sound. What should we do now?”

“Hmm, of course, we should follow the traces to track it down. This beast hides its aura quite skillfully; even we can’t detect it. It might be some rare ferocious beast! Since it is about to break through, there will surely be a period of weakness afterward. How could we miss such an opportunity?”

“Hahaha, you’re absolutely right, brother! Let’s set out now!”

“Wait, let’s hide our auras first!”

“You think ahead as always, brother!”

As their voices faded, the two quickly vanished from the spot.

…

At this moment, Ji Yang was unaware of what was happening behind him, simply focused on harvesting the spiritual plants in front of him.

When Ji Yang cleared all the plants in the area, revealing a vast expanse of bare ground, he finally stood up with satisfaction.

Just as he was about to change locations to continue, he suddenly sensed an aura rapidly approaching in his direction.

Ji Yang initially thought to avoid this person, but upon sensing the distance between them, he decided not to dodge and stood quietly in place.

Soon, the figure drew near and stopped not far in front of Ji Yang.

At that moment, Ji Yang also saw the face of the person approaching him. It was an elderly man, quite old, but only at the Mid Void Refinement stage! However, his speed was surprisingly fast, allowing him to quickly close the distance while Ji Yang was distracted by harvesting spiritual plants.

Noticing the man’s level, Ji Yang remained calm.

Although he could not take action right now, other cultivators would not know that, as someone at the late Void Refinement stage, this elder would certainly turn and leave if he had any sense.

On the contrary, if he kept dodging, it was likely that other cultivators would persistently pursue him.

Ji Yang understood the psychology of the situation very well, so he did not appear flustered. In fact, a hint of arrogance appeared on his face as he scanned the area around the elder, his eyes gradually revealing a hostile expression.

After nearing Ji Yang, the elder quickly sensed Ji Yang’s late Void Refinement stage.

Surprised, he prepared to turn and leave.

However, upon seeing the bare ground and the low-level spiritual plants still in Ji Yang’s hands, the elder froze momentarily but then approached Ji Yang. He clasped his fists and greeted,

“May I ask how you are called, Fellow Daoist? Which sect do you belong to?”

Ji Yang did not answer, merely looking coldly at the elder in front of him.

Seeing Ji Yang’s increasingly unfriendly demeanor, the elder took a step back but did not leave. Instead, he continued,

“Fellow Daoist, what you are doing is not right. The major sects in the Cultivation World have established rules before entering the secret realm. It is prohibited to harvest low-level spiritual plants from the upper levels of the secret realm extensively; this could lead to…”

The elder’s speech grew increasingly fervent as he expressed disdain for Ji Yang’s actions. But when he noticed the spiritual treasure in Ji Yang’s hand, his words abruptly stopped.

Holding the spiritual treasure, Ji Yang coldly uttered,

“Get lost!”

“Of course!”

The elder dared not say another word and immediately turned to leave in a hurry.

Though he wished to uphold justice for the cultivators entering the secret realm later, he could only retreat quickly in the face of Ji Yang’s spiritual treasure.

After the elder left, Ji Yang released his primordial spirit energy and quickly found another area of spiritual plants, resuming his harvesting.

Power +1

Agility +1

Physique +1

…

“Hiss, brother, this beast has devoured so many low-level spiritual plants; it must be a rare ferocious beast.”

The two who had been following along gasped in amazement upon seeing the vast wilderness before them.

“Let’s chase!”

They quickened their pace again.

Following the trail, they soon arrived at Ji Yang’s location.

Although the two used concealment techniques, the short distance still allowed Ji Yang, who was focused on harvesting spiritual plants, to sense their presence.

Realizing that more cultivators were approaching, Ji Yang had no choice but to pause his work and turn to face the direction of the two.

Moments later, the two figures appeared in front of Ji Yang.

One was at the late Void Refinement stage, and the other at the Mid Void Refinement stage. Ji Yang immediately detected their realms, and upon seeing the Four Symbols Sect uniforms they wore, it was clear they came from the same sect and were unashamed of their identities, showing confidence in their strength.

When they arrived in Ji Yang’s vicinity, they looked around, but after searching the area, they did not see the ferocious beast they suspected.

Confusion emerged in their eyes, and they turned their gaze toward Ji Yang.

Upon sensing Ji Yang’s late Void Refinement stage, a hint of caution appeared in their expressions, yet they did not retreat.

They weren’t afraid of a single late Void Refinement stage cultivator; even if a fight broke out, the two would hold the advantage. Still, the higher the cultivation level, the less likely they were to engage, since cultivators at this level typically had their own means of escape, making them difficult to kill.

Based on their observation, the unusual area of spiritual plants on the ground seemed to end here, indicating that the ferocious beast had either just left or had been captured by Ji Yang before they arrived.

Of course, another possibility was that the oddities on the ground were caused by the late Void Refinement stage cultivator in front of them.

However, the two, influenced by their initial assumptions, still believed it was the work of a ferocious beast about to advance. Moreover, given that Ji Yang was already at the late Void Refinement stage, they assumed he wouldn’t be bored enough to engage in such activities.

After all, low-level spiritual plants were not particularly useful to cultivators of their caliber.

Instead of wasting time on that, they might as well seek the essence of the Way within the secret realm.