Chapter 3687: Dongyi Shenmu

"Madam Cao, what immortal mine are you vying for?" Wang Changsheng asked curiously. After eliminating Bai Bing, he had obtained a defensive Xuantian Treasure, two damaged Xuantian Treasures, a Bean Soldier, and a good amount of immortal cultivation resources. However, he was more curious about the specific ore vein that the Cao family and the Tianming Clan were fighting over, especially since the Cao family was willing to offer the Nine-Revolving True Spirit Elixir, an immortal pill, as compensation.

"A Miasmic Soul Crystal ore vein. It's a material for crafting immortal artifacts, so it's not something you'd use. Fellow Daoist Wang, you've had quite a stroke of luck! To think you acquired a flying Xuantian Treasure!" Cao Yuzhen stated simply, changing the subject.

Ye Xuanji, after eliminating Fu Hai, had also obtained a flying Xuantian Treasure. Now, she possessed one defensive and one flying Xuantian Treasure.

"It was just good fortune. By the way, Madam Cao, what exactly is a Bean Soldier, as you just mentioned? Does your Cao family not possess any?" Wang Changsheng asked, puzzled. Both the Tianming Clan and the Cao family were super-clans, so why did the Tianming Clan's Mahayana cultivators have Bean Soldiers, but the Cao family did not?

"Bean Soldiers are relatively rare even in the Immortal Realm. This is mainly because the Dao Soldier Trees have extremely long growth cycles, spanning millions of years. The number of beans produced each time varies, as do their spiritual properties. The cultivation level of the Bean Soldier that can be refined depends on the duration of the spiritual bean's gestation, the strength of the inscribed formations, and the refiner's cultivation and skill. Our Cao family does possess Bean Soldiers, but they are stored within the clan and cannot be easily deployed." Cao Yuzhen explained. She did not tell the whole truth; the Cao family did have Mahayana-stage Bean Soldiers, but they were destroyed in a past calamity, a fact she naturally couldn't disclose. Immortals wouldn't specifically refine Mahayana-stage Bean Soldiers, as it would be a waste of precious resources. For immortals, Mahayana-stage Bean Soldiers are considered failed products, usually given to younger generations for self-defense. Bean Soldiers of the True Immortal stage cannot be controlled by cultivators below the True Immortal realm.

"Madam Cao, you just mentioned that Bean Soldiers are a type of Dao Soldier. What exactly are Dao Soldiers then? And how do Bean Soldiers differ from puppet beasts?" Wang Changsheng continued to ask.

"There are many types of Dao Soldiers, such as powerful demonic beasts, puppet beasts, Sky Devils, strange spirits, stone spirits, treants, and spirits of heaven and earth. Simply put, Dao Soldiers can be understood as fearless guardians. Bean Soldiers are refined creations that require powerful divine sense to control. A Mahayana cultivator can, at most, control Mahayana-stage Bean Soldiers, but they cannot control True Immortal-stage ones.""Similar to puppet beasts, both Bean Soldiers and puppet beasts obey their master's commands one hundred percent. If there are enough of them, they can form various grand formations against enemies. The difference is that Bean Soldiers do not possess a soul, while puppet beasts require the refinement of a demonic beast's soul. The former are not afraid of soul attacks, while the latter are vulnerable to them," Cao Yuzhen slowly explained.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, obtaining a Mahayana-stage Bean Soldier is more valuable than an ordinary Xuantian Treasure," Ye Yunfei said with an envious tone.

"They're not afraid of soul attacks? Bean Soldiers are too abnormal!" Wang Ruyan exclaimed in surprise.

"All things have their natural counteractions. Bean Soldiers are indeed formidable, but they are ultimately inanimate objects. You can use treasures to trap them or eliminate their controller, just like how you dealt with Bai Bing. There might be Dao Soldier Trees here; you can try your luck," Cao Yuzhen explained. Then, remembering something, she added, "By the way, we encountered a group of True Spirits acting together. Be extra careful."

"We encountered them too, but we managed to shake them off." Wang Changsheng's expression turned serious.

"Have all the True Spirits in the Immortal Realm fragment joined forces? If True Spirits collaborate, it would indeed be very troublesome. This situation has never happened before!" Ye Xuanji said with a frown.

"The past is the past; it doesn't dictate the future. Better safe than sorry," Cao Tianhu advised.

After some casual conversation, Wang Changsheng and the others parted ways. Cao Yuzhen and her group intended to claim the Miasmic Soul Crystal ore vein. Ye Xuanji, however, did not plan to accompany Wang Changsheng's group. There were simply too many Mahayana cultivators in the Wang family, and she wouldn't gain many good items if she joined them on their treasure hunt. With the flying Xuantian Treasure she had acquired, Ye Xuanji was confident she could escape even if she encountered a group of True Spirits.

Wang Changsheng piloted the Cross-Spirit Treasure Ship and departed to search for other immortal cultivation resources.

On a vast, endless green grassland, a girl in a red dress and six companions stood on a towering mound. A charred corpse lay on the ground. The red-dressed girl held a small axe, constantly shimmering with black light, her eyes burning with eagerness.

"The Sky-Rending Axe! A damaged space-type Xuantian Treasure! With this treasure, we have hope of leaving this cursed place, though we'll need to find a suitable location first," the burly man in golden robes exclaimed excitedly.

The red-dressed girl nodded and said, "We've acquired enough Xuantian Treasures now. We can try to leave this place. I refuse to believe that even after collecting multiple Xuantian Treasures and damaged Xuantian Treasures, we still can't get out of here."

The black-robed youth consumed the corpse on the ground, and then they departed from the area.

Above a vast, boundless dense forest, the Cross-Spirit Flying Chariot soared. Wang Changsheng wore a smile; Bai Bing's storage bracelet contained many valuable items: the Nine-Headed Ice Lion's corpse, soul, True Spirit Core, True Spirit Essence Blood, as well as the Nine-Aperture Immortal Wood and three materials for opening the third aperture. It was a bountiful harvest.

A loud roar emanated from the Demon-Seeking Mirror in Wang Changsheng's hand. A pointer appeared on the mirror's surface, which spun rapidly before settling on the southwest direction. Wang Tun's eyes glowed with dazzling yellow light as he looked towards the southwest.

"Two True Spirit descendants are fighting! One is a demonic beast skilled in lightning arts, possessing the bloodline of a Lightning Qilin. The other is a Crimson Fire Dragon, with a fire-attribute True Dragon bloodline. In an underground cave far away, there's a Divine Eastern Yi Wood – it's the Divine Eastern Yi Wood! It's over 700,000 li from here!" Wang Tun exclaimed excitedly.

"Divine Eastern Yi Wood!" Wang Changsheng's eyes lit up. He performed a hand seal, and the Cross-Spirit Flying Chariot flew towards the southwest.

In a vast, sprawling valley, a golden beast resembling a Qilin was entangled in battle with a Crimson Fire Dragon. The Crimson Fire Dragon's body was covered in blood, emitting black smoke, and the golden beast was not faring well either, bearing scorch marks on its body.

A silver light flashed, and the Seven-Star Demon-Subduing Pagoda appeared out of thin air. Its base emitted a large swath of silver mist, engulfing both the golden beast and the Crimson Fire Dragon. Simultaneously, more than a dozen translucent chains appeared on their bodies, coiling around them. Golden arcs of electricity and crimson flames erupted from their bodies, attempting to destroy the chains, but to no avail. They were enveloped by the silver mist and drawn into the Seven-Star Demon-Subduing Pagoda.

The Cross-Spirit Flying Chariot arrived from a distance. Wang Qingshan and Wang Mengbin flew into the Seven-Star Demon-Subduing Pagoda to eliminate the two eighth-tier demonic beasts.

Wang Changsheng performed a hand seal, and the Cross-Spirit Flying Chariot flew forward. After flying over 100,000 li, a towering peak with steep slopes appeared before them. There was a large cave halfway up the mountain, and the Divine Eastern Yi Wood was inside. Wang Liao, Bai Yuqi, and Wang Chuanming flew into the cave to transplant the Divine Eastern Yi Wood.

In less than a quarter of an hour, they flew out of the cave. "A Divine Eastern Yi Wood over 300,000 years old. If used in a formation, its effect in resisting lightning tribulations would be excellent."