Chapter 1676: Flower Tree and Holy Ancestor

Mortal Cultivation Story - Main Text

The silver-robed elder was, of course, the Saint-tier Multi-Eyed Demon. That day, to avenge the slaying of his beloved son, he spared no effort, sending out his two high-level demonic beasts, Nine Night and Five Tears, who were his closest confidantes, to search for the perpetrator.

As a result, Nine Night, who had pursued alone, alerted the Cave Spirit possessed by the Outer World Demon Lord and was killed with a single blow. Although Five Tears led numerous demonic beasts to corner Han Li and his companions, he was diverted, and consequently, he and two other subordinates were deceived by the Shadow Illusion created by Han Li's Profound Core Talisman and were likewise unexpectedly slain. As for the remaining demonic beasts, under the command of the Glazed Beast, they were preparing to rush to the entrance of the Demonic Gold Mountain Range to set an ambush for Han Li and his group.

Thus, even though the Multi-Eyed Old Demon had many subordinates, he remained unaware of the matter concerning the Ganoderma Immortal. Upon hearing this now, he was naturally taken aback.

As for the other two, they were naturally the Iron Winged Demon and another Saint-tier demonic beast named Blood Arm. Seeing that the Multi-Eyed Demon's expression seemed genuine, it was Blood Arm's turn to be greatly surprised. A bloody light flashed in his eyes before he asked solemnly:

“What? Brother Multi-Eye’s son has fallen? How is it that we two knew nothing of this?”

“Hmph, is my son's murder something glorious? Why should it be known to everyone? Besides, you've both been busy these past few days, so what's strange about you not knowing this news?” The Multi-Eyed Demon's face darkened as he spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

“Cough... it seems I've wronged you, fellow Daoist.” The Blood-robed man said, with a slight cough and a touch of awkwardness.

“There’s no need to say anything further about that. I am now very interested in this Ganoderma Immortal you mentioned. Don't you two fellow Daoists have anything to say?” the Multi-Eyed Demon said indifferently.

“Haha, it's nothing much, just something... I imagine you will soon learn about it yourself,” the Iron Winged Demon chuckled, speaking seemingly casually.

“Oh? What kind of heavenly treasure could simultaneously tempt both Brother Iron and Brother Blood Arm so greatly? You even sent out avatars and bloodline manifestations to fight for it. You two say it's nothing, do you truly believe I can't uncover the truth behind this? Guards!” The Multi-Eyed Demon's face fell, and he suddenly clapped his hands twice, letting out a sharp cry.

Outside the hall, a slender man clad in green armor appeared in a flash of black light and strode in. He took a few steps to stand before the silver-robed elder, respectfully cupping his fists.

“Greetings, Master. What are your commands?”

“Go immediately and investigate the origins of a spiritual item called the Ganoderma Immortal. Also, find out its current location,” the Multi-Eyed Demon coldly ordered.

“Yes, Master,” the green-armored man responded without hesitation. Then, his body flickered with black light, transforming into a streak of shadowy light, and he shot out through the main gate.

Seeing this, the Iron Winged Demon and Blood Arm, one remaining silent while the other wore a smile, seemed unconcerned by the Multi-Eyed Demon's actions.

The silver-robed elder glanced back, and seeing their expressions, his face grew even gloomier. He let out a soft snort and spoke again:

“Alright, that’s enough about the Ganoderma Immortal. Now let’s discuss serious matters. A few days ago, I received news that the realm passage, which we had sealed once again, seems to be showing some abnormalities. It appears the Sacred Realm isn't giving up and is taking action once more.”

“Wasn’t the realm passage collapsed by Saint Ancestor’s sword back then? How could they dare to stir it up again?” The Blood-robed man's expression changed slightly, showing a hint of surprise.

“What? Brother Blood Arm, do you not believe my words?” The Multi-Eyed Demon glanced sideways at him and said.

“The realm passage is of such great importance; how could I, Blood, not believe it?” The Blood-robed man gave a wry laugh and replied.

“If there are other Saint Ancestors on the Sacred Realm side, and they also possess Profound Heavenly Treasures, then it might not be impossible to reopen the passage,” the Iron Winged Demon stroked his chin, appearing contemplative.

“Impossible. Back then, Saint Ancestor was in an extremely critical situation, seeing that we were cornered and surrounded by pursuers, and only then was forced to break open the realm passage at the cost of destroying a Profound Heavenly Treasure and suffering severe damage to her own cultivation. Even if other Saint Ancestors possess Profound Heavenly Treasures, why would they make such a sacrifice for nothing?” The Blood-robed man denied without hesitation.

“That may not be so. If there are two High-Level Saint Ancestors on that side, wielding Profound Heavenly Treasures and attacking the passage in turns, they might truly be able to reopen the realm passage without harm,” the Multi-Eyed Demon's eyes flickered a few times before he spoke solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Blood Arm and the Iron Winged Demon were first stunned, and then their expressions became extremely grim.

“Never mind. The anomaly in that passage is still very slight, and even if they can reopen it, it will be years from now. Whether to fight or flee, let Saint Ancestor decide. She can awaken at any time.” The Iron Winged Demon exhaled a long breath and gave a bitter laugh.

“Indeed. With our abilities, we are completely unable to prevent the changes in the realm passage. However, Saint Ancestor might have a way to stop it,” the Blood-robed man said, his spirits lifting.

The Multi-Eyed Demon listened, stroked his beard, and nodded. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something more.

But at this moment, the black stone gate in front of the three, about ten zhang high, suddenly burst into light, and countless pink shimmering runes appeared, glowing brightly and erratically.

“Saint Ancestor has awakened!”

Seeing the anomaly in the stone gate, the Blood-robed man gasped. Immediately, the three Saint-tier demonic beasts showed expressions of combined joy and reverence, and stood respectfully facing the stone gate.

The light on the stone gate flowed and swirled, persisting for the duration of a cup of tea, before finally receding. At the same time, the bright runes vanished in an instant, sinking away, and ultimately disappearing without a trace.

Witnessing this, all three demons stared at the stone gate without blinking, showing no sign of impatience. However, the massive stone gate remained silent for a while, showing no unusual signs.

After more than half an hour passed, suddenly, with a creaking sound, the stone gate opened by itself. All three demons' spirits lifted.

“Oh, the three of you are all here. It's good that you've been so diligent. Come in first.” A woman's voice suddenly emanated from behind the stone gate, exquisitely melodious, with an indescribably soft charm. Upon hearing it, one couldn't help but feel curious to behold the master's true face.

Behind the half-open stone gate, shimmering pink mist flickered erratically, appearing extremely ethereal and strange.

“Congratulations on your awakening, Saint Ancestor. We are here to pay our respects to Your Highness,” the Multi-Eyed Demon replied with an exceptionally respectful bow, representing the others.

Suppressing their excitement, the three demons walked side by side with large strides towards the stone gate. However, the moment they stepped through the stone gate, their vision was filled with a flash of pink light, and they found themselves in an unfamiliar world. The sky was azure and cloudless, the ground stretched endlessly green, and a distant mountain range extended as a continuous line. This vast world seemed boundless.

Far in the distance across the grassland, stood a massive flower tree, about a hundred zhang tall. The tree was entirely pale purple, and its branches were covered with unnamed pink spiritual flowers, each as large as a bowl, resembling giant lotuses. Beneath this tree, a beautiful white figure, seemingly not of the mortal world, stood quietly. Although the massive flower tree seemed very far away, and the woman had her back to the three demons, that single graceful back view was enough to drive most men in the world into wild obsession.

Upon seeing the woman, the three demons immediately bowed from afar.

“Since you've arrived, come closer and speak.” The woman let out a soft laugh, and gracefully lifted a jade-like arm, and plucked a pink giant flower that was almost within reach above her head, then seemingly casually tossed it behind her.

With a soft pop, the pink giant flower merely spun around once, then burst open with a muffled sound, transforming into a swirling cloud of pink light. The three demons saw the pink light flash again, and the surrounding scenery blurred. The next moment, they suddenly found themselves less than ten zhang from that massive flower tree. All three were startled, but then, both surprised and delighted, they hurriedly bowed in deep reverence once more.

“Rise. You have followed me for so many years; you should know that I do not particularly like excessive formalities.” The woman did not turn around, but her voice was exceptionally gentle, filling those who heard it with profound admiration.

“Thank you, Saint Ancestor. Congratulations on fully recovering your divine powers!” However, the three demons dared not be negligent and bowed once more before rising.

“I wouldn’t say my divine powers are fully recovered. I still only have a small fraction of my previous magical power. The rest of my cultivation cannot be recovered simply by quiet cultivation through sleep; I must rely on external resources.” The woman sighed softly, appearing somewhat helpless.

“External resources?” Upon hearing this, the silver-robed elder and the others couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

“Indeed, and not just ordinary external resources. However, this Spirit Realm is a plane no less grand than our Sacred Realm, so there should be hope of finding what I need.” The white-clad woman murmured, lifting her delicate head to gaze at the many flowers on the giant tree, appearing somewhat uncertain.

“Your Highness, please just speak your mind. No matter what it is, as long as it exists in the Spirit Realm, your subordinates will surely find it for you,” the Iron Winged Demon suddenly cupped his fists, speaking with extraordinary certainty.

The other two demons also expressed their loyalty.

“Heh heh, I acknowledge your intentions. However, this is not our Sacred Realm. Even though you are Saint-tier beings, low-level individuals in the Spirit Realm cannot discern your true identities. But if you encounter beings with similar magical power, there's no guarantee your identities won't be exposed. If that happens, you won't even be able to protect yourselves, let alone search for things for me. Therefore, I must go out myself,” the woman said, making her decision after a brief ponder.

“Your Highness will go out personally?”

“Absolutely not! Saint Ancestor's cultivation has not yet fully recovered. What if you encounter a being of the same tier?”

“Your Highness must reconsider.”

Upon hearing the woman's words, the three demons immediately protested in unison, each showing profound loyalty to her.

“Don't worry. The chance of encountering someone of my tier in the Spirit Realm is extremely slim. Cultivators at our level generally seclude themselves in their caves to cultivate single-mindedly, preparing for various heavenly tribulations. They wouldn't easily move around outside. Furthermore, even if I only have a fraction of my magical power, while I might not be able to defeat an opponent of the same tier, escaping would still be more than sufficient. Beings like us, who could break through to the final step at any moment, would not be so easily slain,” the white-clad figure said serenely.