Chapter 250: Revival of the Life-bound Spirit Plant
Deep within the Yunwu Mountain Range.
As Lin Changan ventured deeper with his Core Formation cultivation, the surrounding creatures became increasingly scarce, until in the end, it was deathly silent, as though this place was a land of absolute desolation.
Even the Azure-Horned Bull had been temporarily stored away by him.
After all, as he continued to delve deeper, the Azure-Horned Bull, with its late Second-rank strength, was starting to fall short.
“No wonder the rumors say that even Core Formation cultivators dare not venture deep into the Yunwu Mountain Range.”
By this point, Lin Changan could already sense the danger here.
Especially this poison miasma—had it not been for his special cultivation method, and the immunity granted by the feedback of his Life-bound Spirit Plant constitution—
Even with his Core Formation cultivation, he would likely have already been poisoned, forced to flee instead of daring to go deeper.
“Still, Blood Fiend True Lord and that Master Lu from back then were truly bold.”
Lin Changan felt secretly shocked, and it also served to validate the formidable cultivation of those two.
“Master!”
The Wind-Chirp Bird on his shoulder remained highly alert, its pale-golden eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.
[Spirit Eye]
Lin Changan also peered around through the perfected Spirit Eye, allowing him to clearly see the hidden dangers nearby.
The poison miasma, the toxic flowers and strange grasses—everything emitted a deadly aura.
“What a pity. These poisonous flora depend on the miasma to survive. If taken out, they would lose its nourishment and their effectiveness would be greatly diminished.”
With a light sigh, Lin Changan still took out a prepared jade box and began collecting the poisonous flowers and strange grasses one by one.
Transplanting them alive would be impossible, but once harvested, he planned to refine them into venom or some kind of poison pill upon returning. That way, their medicinal potency could be preserved at its peak.
He certainly hadn’t come here for nothing.
Just as he continued deeper, a buzzing hum suddenly rang out, and the Wind-Chirp Bird’s eyes lit up.
“That’s the renowned ‘Crimson Flame Bee’ on the Poison Insect List, also known as the Golden Crystal Bee!”
Upon spotting the venomous bee from afar, Lin Changan’s heart leapt with joy—this was exactly the location seen in the fragmented memories of the Blood Fiend True Lord.
The Crimson Flame Bee could spew crimson poison flames, highly destructive to cultivators’ magical artifacts. It was also impervious to blades and spears, resistant to most spell attacks.
Moreover, fond of devouring various ores, these bees developed a golden crystalline substance inside them—a rare material for refining magical artifacts, known as golden crystal.
It ranked within the top hundred of the Exotic Insect List.
“Impervious to blades and spears, and specializes in destroying cultivators’ treasures!”
These two traits alone were enough to give countless cultivators headaches. Yet Lin Changan instead smiled as he gently patted the Wind-Chirp Bird on his shoulder.
In the next moment, the Wind-Chirp Bird transformed excitedly into a streak of golden light.
The buzzing Crimson Flame Bees must have sensed something, and a swarm rushed forth, spewing crimson poison flames.
Ordinary magical treasures encountering this fire would be corroded, lose their spiritual essence, and in severe cases, be completely destroyed.
However, this time, the bees had met their nemesis. The Wind-Chirp Bird, like returning home, flitted through the swarm with excitement, its beak open wide.
Despite the onslaught of Crimson Flame Bees, the poison flames couldn’t even singe a feather of the Wind-Chirp Bird.
Its golden feathers were sleek and glossy, and when touched by the flames, the poison fire slid off like rain, unable to cling in the slightest.
The Wind-Chirp Bird joyfully opened its beak and devoured hundreds in one go.
The next moment, the crisp sound of metal being chewed echoed out, with faint wisps of crimson fire occasionally escaping its mouth and nostrils.
To the Wind-Chirp Bird, these so-called crimson poison flames were nothing short of delicacies. It spread its wings in excitement and grew to three zhang in size.
Watching all this from a distance, Lin Changan nodded quietly to himself.
“As expected, the Wind-Chirp Bird is in its element here. Ordinary poisonous insects are nothing more than gourmet dishes on its menu.”
Nevertheless, he remained cautious, pulling out the Hidden Spirit Gauze to mask his aura while also casting the Breath Concealment Technique.
Through the Spirit Eye, he continued to observe in secret.
Meanwhile, the Wind-Chirp Bird provocatively darted about as a dark swarm of Crimson Flame Bees rushed in. The bird charged right into them.
“So this is where the Crimson Flame Bees' hive is.”
On a cliffside in the distance, countless pale-golden hives hung densely.
One of the hives radiated a strong presence—clearly, the queen bee was within.
To ordinary Core Formation cultivators, the cliff might appear unremarkable, but Lin Changan’s Spirit Eye saw through it all.
Waves of pure spiritual energy wafted between the cliff walls. A Spiritual Spring was nestled within, producing this rich essence.
“These Crimson Flame Bees really have taken over an ideal cultivation spot. The spiritual energy here is dense, and there’s even a spring.”
Lin Changan marveled, while the Wind-Chirp Bird also spotted the hive and let out an excited cry, diving into the besieging swarm.
It began to feast, gulping down bee after bee, while the queen inside clearly sensed the danger and urgently rallied the swarm for defense.
“The queen is preparing to flee!”
A Third-rank demon beast possessed high intelligence. Clearly, the queen bee sensed the threat, sending the swarm to fend off the enemy while it attempted escape under heavy guard.
Seeing this, Lin Changan felt a pang of regret but chose not to intercept.
After all, while the Wind-Chirp Bird countered the venomous bees, he did not.
Facing a Third-rank queen and a massive swarm was still very dangerous.
“But those hives surely contain valuable golden crystals.”
Cloaked in the Hidden Spirit Gauze, Lin Changan silently approached the hive, carefully surveying the area before cautiously setting up formations.
Only after activating a crimson barrier and sealing the perimeter did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Above, the Wind-Chirp Bird was still locked in battle with glowing eyes, feasting greedily on the swarm.
Lin Changan didn’t act rashly. He waited patiently for the bees to scatter and for the Wind-Chirp Bird to return, belly full.
...
Half an hour passed. The dark swarm in the sky had been reduced by more than half before receiving some signal and scattering in all directions.
The Wind-Chirp Bird, reluctant, swallowed a few stragglers before circling once and descending into the formation.
“Don’t eat these pupae—these are rare treasures.”
This time, Lin Changan stopped the Wind-Chirp Bird from devouring the hive’s contents. He lacked the time and resources to raise these larvae himself.
Besides, breeding spirit insects required specialized techniques—something only insect-taming cultivators had the capacity for.
And with the Wind-Chirp Bird already countering exotic insects, there was no need to invest more effort.
Selling them for a good price would be a better choice.
“Indeed, the central hive of the queen is entirely built from golden crystal.”
The queen’s hive, about two zhang in size, was composed entirely of precious golden crystal, making Lin Changan's eyes gleam with excitement.
Though it looked large, the hive was lightweight. Once refined, the golden crystal would only amount to about fist-sized lumps.
Yet their value was considerable.
Lin Changan first gathered all the pupae, followed by the hives.
Though the other hives weren’t as valuable, even the smallest gains were worth taking.
After clearing all the hives on the cliffside, he finally turned his attention toward the interior of the cliff.
“The pure spiritual energy is inside!”
Lin Changan’s expression grew solemn. With a wave of his hand, three golden sword lights appeared and pierced into the cliff face.
With stone shattering under their impact, a cavity was quickly opened, revealing dense spiritual energy within.
“As expected—a Spiritual Spring lies inside.”
Lin Changan inhaled deeply with greed.
“This spring must have been accumulating for at least a thousand years.”
Inside the cliff, the Spiritual Spring shimmered with gentle ripples, surrounded by hanging stalactites.
Drip by drip, the spring water trickled from the tips of the stalactites.
Although the water was crystal clear, when Lin Changan raised his hand, a Sunlight Stone appeared inside the cave.
The next moment, under the light of the stone, a faint violet glow shimmered above the clear spring.
Poison!
This Spiritual Spring had long been corrupted by the miasma, turning fatally toxic.
This was also why the venomous bees entrenched here, even the queen bee, only enjoyed the rich spiritual energy brought by the spring rather than actually consuming it.
Venomous insects weren’t capable of indiscriminately ingesting poison.
The Crimson Flame Bees’ primary food source was still various ores.
“A venom spring feared even by cultivators, demon beasts, and poison insects alike, is a treasure to me.”
Lin Changan remained alert as he scanned his surroundings. After confirming through Spirit Eye and divine sense that there was no danger, he finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Even so, he still instructed the Wind-Chirp Bird to remain vigilant.
“Guard me. What’s coming next is a rare opportunity.”
Lin Changan took a deep breath, knowing that his period of fortune had just about come to an end.
After all, according to the fragmented memories of the Blood Fiend True Lord, the remaining places were far too dangerous for him. This was the last location he could explore.
With the Wind-Chirp Bird maintaining vigilance, Lin Changan cautiously set up a small defensive formation around himself.
Only then did he solemnly circulate his cultivation method and summon his Life-bound Spirit Plant.
Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine!
A withered root, with only a single leaf that was more than half green still drooping weakly—yet from this single leaf exuded a rich vitality.
In the next moment, as the root of the Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine embedded itself in the spiritual spring—
A powerful aura instantly erupted from it, and Lin Changan’s face lit up with joy.
“As I expected.”
The spiritual spring visibly began to diminish, while the roots of the Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine emanated an increasingly strong presence.
Even the single withered leaf began visibly to revive, the wilted sections gradually turning green again.
One hour... two hours!
Until three full hours had passed!
The entire spring had nearly been drained dry, with only the toxic violet liquid left at the bottom.
Meanwhile, the green leaf of the Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine had fully revived, radiating a vigorous life aura.
Even its roots sprouted several new tendrils.
As Lin Changan slowly retracted the Life-bound Spirit Plant into his dantian, a terrifying surge of life essence fed back into his body.
His eyes lit up as he sensed the transformation of his physique.
“The Regenerative Body has grown stronger. My mana has become purer, my recovery speed has increased, even my body’s regenerative ability is steadily improving.”
Even his divine sense was visibly nourished and strengthened by the feedback.
His divine ability—Avatar Technique—also seemed to become more refined.
“This was a huge gain!”
Although the Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine hadn’t sprouted a second leaf, he could clearly feel the change—from its near-death state, it had obviously revived.
This revival of his Life-bound Spirit Plant was key to his future cultivation of the Xuantian Spirit Body.
[Lifespan: 142 // 598]
“My lifespan just increased by twelve years!”
Lin Changan was shocked. This was a direct increase in lifespan. Although there were spiritual fruits in the cultivation world like the legendary Longevity Fruit—
According to what he knew, even that was said to grant only about sixty years.
“And this was a direct increase in lifespan. Doesn’t that mean, as my Life-bound Spirit Plant grows stronger, the feedback will gradually increase my lifespan further?”
Feeling a growing greed for strengthening the Life-bound Spirit Plant, Lin Changan took several deep breaths to calm himself.
“This time, I purely benefited from the Blood Fiend True Lord’s fortune. If I relied on myself, reaching this point would’ve been too difficult.”
Though the temptation was great, Lin Changan knew his limits. He had already sensed the danger here—delving deeper wouldn’t be safe.
In the end, he was just a newly advanced Core Formation cultivator.
This venture had only been possible thanks to the Blood Fiend True Lord’s fragmented memories. The two locations he chose were precisely the ones countered by the Wind-Chirp Bird.
Only then had he dared to take the risk.
“Greed is endless, but to walk the long path of cultivation, one must learn to restrain it.”
As Lin Changan calmed down, he gave up on any thoughts of continuing the exploration.
After all, even Nascent Soul cultivators had fallen here—he was nowhere near that level.
“This harvest has already been immense. It’s time to return.”
Two mid-grade Third-rank Demon Cores and the revival of his Life-bound Spirit Plant—Lin Changan nodded silently in satisfaction.
“Opportunity! Opportunity! No wonder it’s often said in the cultivation world that opportunity can outweigh talent.”
Lin Changan sighed with emotion—this had been his opportunity.
Had it not been for the Blood Fiend True Lord’s memories, had he not broken through to Core Formation, had he not been immune to poison miasma, had he not possessed the Wind-Chirp Bird—
This opportunity would never have been his.
Opportunity required strength to match it.
...
On the way back, that oppressive, heart-palpitating feeling gradually faded.
This left Lin Changan secretly shocked. There was definitely a great secret hidden deep within the Yunwu Mountain Range.
“When I reach Nascent Soul, perhaps I’ll have to come here again.”
After all, deep within still lay a vague Nascent Soul opportunity in the Blood Fiend True Lord’s fragmented memories.
The return journey went surprisingly smoothly. However, Lin Changan did not head straight back to the marketplace but instead made a trip to the formation-shrouded Tianxuan City.
But a few days later, when Lin Changan emerged from Tianxuan City, he shook his head.
“Rogue cultivators really are poor, not a drop wasted.”
He had thought that the three main peaks of Tianxuan City would have some spiritual liquid—but there wasn’t even a drop.
Or rather, he sensed the presence of cultivators from the Xuanyin Pavilion within the city.
It seemed this True Lord Lu had some kind of arrangement with the Xuanyin Pavilion, with their people collecting the spiritual liquid every ten years.
These sects and powerful forces never wasted resources.
And so, Lin Changan extinguished his own greedy thoughts and chose to return to Qingshui Bay Marketplace.
His junior sister, Lu Qingqing, was nearing the end of her lifespan.
Perhaps this would be their final meeting.