Chapter 447: Great Mother Earth Stone

As Ji Zhenshi died, dazzling lights shot up into the sky, accompanied by massive roars, and many buildings and halls were reduced to ruins.

“First, seize the medicine fields and the Spiritual Stone Hall…” Chen Mobai immediately directed his cultivators toward their various targets.

Many cultivators at Shaking Mountain Peak were still stubbornly resisting. Although the mountain-protecting grand formation had been broken, some restrictions were still active, and small formations were also set up within certain buildings.

After the three Old Ancestors killed Ji Zhenshi, they paid no attention to these minor figures. Instead, they charged directly towards the areas that had been reduced to ruins. These places had been detonated by Ji Zhenshi’s loyalists after his death, clearly indicating they were where the sect’s most valuable treasures were stored. The three wanted to try and salvage something.

At this critical juncture, Chen Mobai, ever steady, directed Yue Zutao to lead his people to first seize the medicine fields and spiritual fields. He then dispatched Zhou Wangshen and others toward the halls that had not yet been detonated, which were still glowing with the light of formations and restrictions.

At this moment, streaks of spiritual light shot into the sky, fleeing in all directions. These were the Foundation Establishment cultivators of Shaking Mountain Peak. Seeing that the tide had turned, they all chose to flee for their lives.

“Stop them! Kill as many as you can!” Destroying a sect is a mortal enmity. Under no circumstances, if he could help it, would Chen Mobai let anyone escape.

Xie Yuntian and the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Divine Wood Sect manifested their Wood Dao Soldiers, soaring into the sky to slaughter the fleeing Shaking Mountain Peak cultivators.

“Spare my life! I know where the sect’s treasure vault is…” A seemingly very young Foundation Establishment cultivator, under the coercion of the Wood Dao Soldiers, had no choice but to drop his defenses. He began to draw in the external spiritual energy, which was mixed with poison and filth, all while resisting and begging for mercy.

Upon hearing this, Xie Yuntian’s movements paused slightly, and he looked towards Chen Mobai, who was not far away.

“Kill him!” However, Chen Mobai showed no hesitation.

The entire Shaking Mountain Peak had already been conquered by their Divine Wood Sect. Any treasure vault, no matter what it held, could be dug out from under three feet of earth. There was no need to keep these potential, resentful enemies alive.

Hearing this, Xie Yuntian immediately controlled the Wood Dao Soldiers to swing their swords, cutting the very young, talented Foundation Establishment cultivator of Shaking Mountain Peak in half.

Similar situations occurred throughout Shaking Mountain Peak. Some Foundation Establishment cultivators even disguised themselves as Qi Refinement cultivators. They didn't fly in the air but instead followed most of the Shaking Mountain Peak disciples fleeing on the ground, using their familiarity with the paths to escape the valley. However, most were intercepted by the local immortal cultivation families of Yan Kingdom who were accompanying the Divine Wood Sect. Chen Mobai and his group were unfamiliar with Shaking Mountain Peak, but these families had come to pay tribute many times.

Accompanied by roars of anger and curses, streaks of Foundation Establishment spiritual light flared up across Shaking Mountain Peak. In this life-or-death moment, these cultivators no longer cared about the poisonous and filthy spiritual energy around them. They desperately unleashed their spiritual power, wanting only to escape Shaking Mountain Peak first.

Chen Mobai, leading his army of cultivators, followed the path the three Old Ancestors had taken.

The first place they reached was likely a scripture pavilion, which, unfortunately, was already engulfed in roaring flames. Chen Mobai activated several Water Storage Talismans from his storage bag while simultaneously directing his young apprentice, who cultivated the Black Water Art, to extinguish the fire.

Luo Yixuan nodded. By now, she had become familiar with everyone in her team. Upon receiving the order, over thirty people immediately stepped forward and jointly cast the Rain-Summoning Art.

Meanwhile, Chen Mobai charged directly into the blazing scripture pavilion. With his Fire Spirit Body, ordinary flames, for him, actually made his vital energy and blood flow even more smoothly. However, to keep his clothes intact, Chen Mobai still cast the "Fire Repelling Art," which he had obtained from the Talent Tree.

Wherever he passed, the flames receded. Before long, he reached the uppermost floor. Mo Douguang of Golden Light Cliff was already there, with over a dozen partially damaged and burnt books arrayed around him. These were what he had managed to salvage.

“What a pity, none of them are complete now,” Mo Douguang said regretfully upon seeing Chen Mobai approach. He then handed over these most precious books to Chen Mobai and once again transformed into a sword light, heading towards another ruin.

Chen Mobai’s spiritual sense surged forth, and he quickly scanned the contents of the books. They were mostly third-tier inheritances or cultivation techniques that could reach the Core Formation stage. Among them, he saw the Void Dharma Body and the Nine-foot Dharma Body. For the major sects of the Eastern Barrens, this was invaluable knowledge. However, with most of them incinerated, their value was significantly diminished. For Chen Mobai, though, they were somewhat useful, as they could be used to cross-reference the Void Dharma Body technique he had obtained from Ji Dingjin. But that was for later. After placing the books into his storage bag, he cast the Flame Manipulation Art from the Pure Yang Scroll and, collaborating with Luo Yixuan and the others outside, brought the fire under control.

Fortunately, the arsonists at Shaking Mountain Peak had started burning the books from the highest floor, where the third-tier knowledge was kept. The second-tier books on the lower floors were only partially incinerated, and the first-tier books, thanks to Chen Mobai’s Flame Manipulation Art and Luo Yixuan’s Rain-Summoning Art, were mostly preserved.

In Chen Mobai’s eyes, these first- and second-tier books were the truly effective supplement to the Divine Wood Sect’s strength. These represented Shaking Mountain Peak’s greatest foundation: the cultivation foundation for body refiners, perfected over hundreds of years by countless disciples practicing body refinement techniques. Although the Divine Wood Sect’s Body Refinement Department had the most members, its strength had always been at the bottom, and on the battlefield, they were largely used as cannon fodder, placed at the front of the ranks. Now, having acquired the entire collection of body refinement books from Shaking Mountain Peak’s scripture pavilion, it was estimated that the sect’s body refiners would see a significant increase in strength. Perhaps many years from now, the Body Refinement Department could also become a hallmark of the sect, just like the Sword Cultivation Department.

“Junior Brother Liang, instruct the disciples to package these books in batches.” After the fire was brought under control, Chen Mobai left Liang Lingzhen behind, while he himself continued leading the majority of the cultivators towards the other halls that had been reduced to ruins.

The only place set on fire by the Shaking Mountain Peak cultivators was the scripture pavilion. Among the remaining ruins, one was a treasury of various minerals, another was Ji Zhenshi’s immortal cave, one was Shaking Mountain Peak’s sect treasure vault, and the last was a warehouse for various elixirs and herbs. Chen Mobai directed his subordinate Foundation Establishment cultivators, such as Yuan Feihu and Hong Lingqin, to each take a team of cultivators to process these areas and see if anything useful could be found amidst the ruins. He himself took two teams under his command to the location where the three Old Ancestors’ spiritual lights were concentrated.

That was Ji Zhenshi’s immortal cave. It originally occupied the center of Shaking Mountain Peak, being the place with the richest spiritual energy, but unfortunately, it had now been reduced to ruins.

However, with the heaven-reaching cultivation of the three Core Formation Old Ancestors, a massive brick was lifted, revealing a hidden tunnel. Chen Mobai did not follow them inside. Instead, he directed his disciples to remove and clear away the rubble and bricks.

During the clearing process, several corpses with unclosed eyes were found inside; they were likely Qi Refinement disciples who managed this immortal cave for Shaking Mountain Peak. Unfortunately, with Ji Zhenshi’s death, they were buried alongside the collapse of this immortal cave.

There is strength in numbers. Approximately half an hour later, this ruined immortal cave was largely cleared.

“Hahaha…” At this moment, Zhou Shengqing’s hearty laughter echoed from within the tunnel. As Chen Mobai hesitated, a voice invited him to enter.

“Greetings, three Old Ancestors.” Upon entering the underground chamber, Chen Mobai first bowed to Zhou Shengqing and the other two. Then, looking around, his attention was drawn to an earth-yellow, fist-sized object resembling a stone.

Although the stone appeared unassuming, under the Insightful Spiritual Eye, it contained an astonishingly vast amount of spiritual energy. It seemed as if an entire spiritual vein was contained within this small stone.

“This is Earth Mother Stone. Ji Zhenshi was able to upgrade Shaking Mountain Peak’s spiritual vein to the fourth tier because he successfully bid for this mutated supreme-grade spiritual stone at the Grand Auction of the Starry Heaven Dao Sect back then.” Upon hearing Zhou Shengqing’s words, Chen Mobai couldn’t help but show a look of shock. He had not expected this unassuming stone to be a supreme-grade spiritual stone. No wonder it contained such vast spiritual energy.

“If I am to form an Infant Soul using the Everlasting Sutra, I will need to absorb massive amounts of Earth Mother Qi and Water Essence. If I were to rely solely on cultivating with spiritual veins, it would probably take another sixty years of arduous effort. With this Earth Mother Stone, I can save half that time.” Zhou Shengqing looked at the Earth Mother Stone with a smile, but Chen Mobai noticed a faint black pattern on its surface.

“It’s a pity that, as the core of Shaking Mountain Peak’s spiritual vein, this Earth Mother Stone has also been contaminated by the poisonous qi of the Vein-Shattering Pearl.” Fu Zongjue, who was nearby, had already examined it and discovered this problem earlier, his expression filled with emotion.

“It’s fine. I already took that into account, which is why I only used a third-tier Vein-Shattering Pearl. Its impact on this Earth Mother Stone is minimal. Once we take it back and purify it with Everlasting Wood, it will only waste two or three years.” Zhou Shengqing laughed heartily, then took out a spiritual talisman from his storage bag and affixed it to the Earth Mother Stone.

“This Earth Mother Stone is the core of Shaking Mountain Peak’s entire spiritual vein. Once I remove it, it will cause an earthquake. Since the spiritual vein here has been contaminated by the Vein-Shattering Pearl, the longer it remains, the harder this Earth Mother Stone will be to purify. Therefore, quickly arrange for the disciples to withdraw ten li away from here. Take whatever you can. What you can’t take, leave it. Anyway, after destroying Shaking Mountain Peak, the spiritual veins and mineral resources of Yan Kingdom and Xiao Kingdom are now ours for the taking. This place is already contaminated by the Vein-Shattering Pearl, so it’s no longer important.”

After hearing Zhou Shengqing’s words, Chen Mobai immediately nodded. Any gains from Shaking Mountain Peak were less important than this Old Ancestor forming his Infant Soul. He immediately left the area, and once he reached the ground, he took out his mobile phone and notified everyone to retreat.

Although they didn’t understand why, Chen Mobai’s training of his troops during this period had made them capable of strictly following orders. Soon, the thousands of Qi Refinement cultivators who had conquered Shaking Mountain Peak retreated step by step in battle formations.

During this process, quite a few cultivators from Shaking Mountain Peak managed to escape. However, those who escaped, having excessively circulated their spiritual power, were already infected by the external poisonous and filthy spiritual energy. Even if they survived without antidote elixirs, it was estimated that they would never be able to break through their cultivation realm again in this lifetime.

Once everyone had withdrawn ten li away, Chen Mobai immediately notified Zhou Shengqing. The Old Ancestor wasted no time. Two breaths later, the entire Shaking Mountain Peak began to violently shake, witnessed by everyone’s astonished gazes.

The canyon between the two peaks churned up a sky full of dust. The left peak even broke off and plunged towards the last remaining pavilion of Shaking Mountain Peak. Fortunately, at the critical moment, a sword light shot into the sky, horizontally and vertically slashing the peak into thousands of pieces. While it still couldn't prevent the fall, it at least minimized the damage.

“What a pity. There were still many uncontaminated medicinal herbs in the medicine fields there, but they weren’t ready for harvest yet. I don’t know if they’ll survive after the spiritual vein is damaged.” Yue Zutao, upon learning about the Earth Mother Stone from Chen Mobai, couldn’t help but look regretful.

Although Shaking Mountain Peak became a major sect in the Eastern Barrens only after Ji Zhenshi reached the Core Formation stage, it had previously been a renowned body-cultivation sect indigenous to Yan Kingdom, with a legacy spanning over a thousand years. Its medicine fields contained millennium-old spiritual herbs. Although most had been uprooted by Shaking Mountain Peak’s Foundation Establishment cultivators after Ji Zhenshi’s death, a considerable number remained due to their sheer volume. Yue Zutao harvested everything that could be picked and found ways to protect the remaining herbs that hadn’t reached maturity yet. However, with the severe seismic tremors and the influence of the Vein-Shattering Pearl, these medicinal herbs still in the spiritual fields would certainly not grow further. They would only weaken until they withered and died. Yue Zutao’s idea was to transplant these medicinal herbs to spiritual fields near Shaking Mountain Peak that were unaffected by the Vein-Shattering Pearl, salvaging as many as possible.

Chen Mobai fully agreed with his idea. He selected all the spirit plant cultivators from his army and, after the seismic tremors had completely subsided, arranged for Yue Zutao to lead them in this task.

“Junior Brother Chen, this is what I found in the storage bag of that Foundation Establishment cultivator from Shaking Mountain Peak.” At this moment, Xie Yuntian walked over and handed him five jade boxes.

Chen Mobai’s face showed puzzlement. In the Eastern Barrens, whatever one gained from killing enemies usually belonged to oneself. What exactly was this, that even Xie Yuntian didn’t dare to keep it?

Chen Mobai gently opened one of the jade boxes. After seeing what was inside, his eyes widened. Not just him, but even Yue Zutao, who was standing nearby, looked shocked. It was actually Jade Marrow Gold Ganoderma! The most crucial primary ingredient for refining Foundation Establishment Pills!

Chen Mobai opened all five jade boxes one by one. Indeed, all of them contained Jade Marrow Gold Ganoderma. However, two of the plants didn't seem fully mature, and the cultivator who picked them must have been in a great hurry, as they were pulled out root and all.

“What a pity. These two plants have been contaminated by the poisonous qi of the Vein-Shattering Pearl,” Yue Zutao lamented after inspecting them, beating his chest and stomping his feet over the two Jade Marrow Gold Ganoderma with faint black threads visible on their caps.