Chapter 381: Unlucky Zeng Zhuo of the Spirit Elimination Technique Who Is Planting Mushrooms Here?

Jing Yan’s Banned War Arts are divided into the ‘Troop Ban’ and the ‘Formation Ban’. ‘Troop’ refers to Dao Troops, and ‘Formation’ refers to spell formations. Zhao Xing once saw Jing Yan use it; its effect was incredibly powerful. Even on a high-level star continent, it could cover an area of 300 million kilometers. Given the significant suppressive forces on high-level star continents, achieving such a vast coverage was truly extraordinary. Within the covered range, only top-tier World Star Dao Troops could still be marginally used; anything below that, including puppets, spell formations, Dao Troops, and even talismans, would be rendered ineffective.

Jing Yan relied on this technique to navigate the cosmos and overcome numerous dangers.

“Make way, brother, I’m about to show off,” Jing Yan said, stretching his neck and limbering up. Zhao Xing smiled faintly and stepped back behind Jing Yan.

“Heaven and Earth boundless, all laws return to the source, Yin and Yang reversed, origins shunned!” “Banned!” Jing Yan’s hands rapidly formed seals. Rings of flame emanated from his shoulders and knees, creating ripples in space that spread outwards. Jing Yan’s aura rapidly diminished, his spiritual energy fluctuating by about 30%. The energy consumed by this single spell cast was greater than all the moves he used when he sparred with Zhao Xing. This showed that even a minor divine ability was a significant burden for someone in the Void Realm.

Seeing Jing Yan seemingly finish his casting, Zhao Xing couldn’t help but wonder, “Brother, I’ve had a question for a long time.”“Ask away.”“Do you really need to recite that whole incantation and form seals every time you cast? Isn’t the wind-up too long? Can’t you skip it?”“Of course I can,” Jing Yan grinned. “Reciting that part and forming seals are just for show; otherwise, my divine ability wouldn’t seem impressive.”

Zhao Xing was speechless. *Just as I’d expect from you.*

“Alright, we can go now.” Jing Yan waved his hand, and the spherical probes he had sent out earlier began to return and merge back into his body. Zhao Xing followed him down. They flew past numerous tall towers, each containing a puppet warrior approximately 800 meters tall. These puppets had bizarre, ferocious appearances, wielding stone axes, long swords, broadswords, and spears—a variety of weapons. However, as Zhao Xing and Jing Yan passed by, the puppets remained completely motionless. While Jing Yan might be theatrical, he genuinely had skills; not a single one of these Second Realm mechanical puppets was activated.

“How long can it be sealed for?” Zhao Xing asked. A divine ability surely had a time limit.“About half a year, roughly.”“Only half a year?” Jing Yan spread his hands. “Brother, don’t think half a year is short. The puppet grand formation here is incredibly intricate. The origins of heaven, earth, and void are constantly fluctuating, resisting my ban. In places you can’t see, the formation is automatically changing its basic configuration to break through the blockade. I’d say the tomb owner was either a mechanical engineer himself or a very wealthy individual in life.”

Zhao Xing nodded. As the saying goes, different professions are like different mountains; he couldn’t discern any of the intricacies.

“Even though it’s only half a year, next time we return this way, we just have to cast it again. Though, the duration will be even shorter then,” Jing Yan explained.

The dark underground space was utterly silent. Zhao Xing and Jing Yan flew slowly, not daring to go too fast, fearing they might trigger some hidden mechanisms. Jing Yan occasionally sent out flying spheres to scan the terrain, identifying and disabling concealed mechanical formations. Zhao Xing and Jing Yan spent only seven days traversing this long puppet avenue.

As they neared the end, Zhao Xing couldn’t help but ask, “Can we dig up a few of these towers and take them with us?” Second Realm mechanical puppets, especially ancient ones, were definitely worth a fortune. There were at least a thousand towers lining the puppet avenue; even if each was worth just 100 million, that would be hundreds of billions!“Can’t take them,” Jing Yan shook his head. “This grand formation incorporates a Void Soldier Manifestation Array. The puppets you see are not actually made of valuable materials; they are formed by the array, combining earth veins, Lunar origins, and void matter.”“I can do this too.” Fearing Zhao Xing wouldn’t understand, Jing Yan even demonstrated it. He waved his hand, and the earth’s soil and Lunar origin converged, immediately forming a tall, powerful figure resembling Jing Yan. “See, this is Void Soldier Manifestation. However, these only possess the combat power of a standard late Second Realm, and they don’t last long. They’re fine for bullying ordinary Origin Realm cultivators, but fighting a genius like you would just be a waste of my spiritual energy.”

Zhao Xing nodded. This was similar to his Straw Effigy Art; that art had great potential, but at its current stage, what he had learned couldn’t meet his combat needs, though it was suitable for other purposes. He had originally thought the puppets in these towers were real. In his past life, he had seen empty towers with no puppets inside, assuming they had been removed. It turned out they were a result of the ‘Void Soldier Manifestation’ technique.

“Don’t worry,” Jing Yan said. “Anyone who can set up such a powerful grand formation must be rich; there are definitely good treasures among the burial goods.”“I’m not in a hurry, just asking,” Zhao Xing replied. Of course, Zhao Xing knew what kind of treasures were to be found here.

After passing through the Second Challenge, the Grand Puppet Formation, Zhao Xing and Jing Yan soon encountered the third obstacle: the Corrosive Space. Within this dark space, spiritual energy had merged with a certain misty gas, forming an eerie grey-black expanse that lay before them like a cloud. The ground below was a viscous, green corrosive liquid, neither quite earth nor water, resembling a swamp.

“Hiss, hiss, hiss~” The spherical probes Jing Yan sent out erupted with sparks upon entering the grey mist, then fell into the swamp and were instantly dissolved in less than a second. Jing Yan continuously sent out more spheres from his body; each combination he deployed had a different effect—some were spherical, some梭-shaped, and some even condensed into puppet giants or miniature World Puppets. After fifteen days, Jing Yan couldn’t help but frown. “Zhao Xing, we have a bit of a problem. Even the toughest World Puppet I have, the Tian Yi, can’t withstand its corrosion; it only lasted three days at most. The key is that my artifact spirit still can’t analyze its composition. Only spatial storage devices have some limited use. But the mist here is simply inexhaustible; I’ve burst three spatial storage devices, and the volume is exactly the same as half a month ago.”

Zhao Xing’s gaze fell on Jing Yan’s hand, where there was half of a square box. This spatial storage device was originally meant to absorb the grey mist. Its internal space was comparable to a small world-star, but it couldn’t be filled and burst open. If Jing Yan hadn’t noticed it early, they would have been injured by the leaked mist.

Zhao Xing nodded. This third challenge, the Corrosive Space, was indeed very tricky. He hadn’t been idle for the past half month, attempting solutions himself. He had created his own Origin Law, the Profound Earth Divine Concealment, which he had now refined to the Void Law stage, reaching the Eighth Tier. Yet, he still couldn’t bypass it. When attempting earth-escape, the protective barrier formed by his spell could only last two and a half days at most before draining all his spiritual energy. His Earth-Splitting Star-Tread technique was no different; it couldn’t shake open these viscous substances to form a safe passage. He had tried on the ground and in the air. His Blood Cloud World could absorb the grey mist, and it did have some effect, but the speed was painstakingly slow. By Zhao Xing’s estimation, he would need an entire epoch to absorb the mist quickly enough to pass through using the Blood Cloud World. It was even less efficient than Jing Yan’s spatial storage devices.

“Brother, I’m at my wit’s end,” Jing Yan asked. “From the looks of it, even the Twelve Roaming Deities wouldn’t be able to withstand this.” World-star-level Dao Troops would struggle to resist this corrosion. If they could only barely hold it back, they wouldn’t dare to venture deeper; who knew what else lay within? A slight misstep could cost them their lives. “Do you have a solution?”

Zhao Xing smiled faintly. “At times like these, I have to mention my divine ability, the Purple Radiance Eight Cycles.” Jing Yan’s eyes lit up. “Come on, let me see it.”

The third challenge, at its core, was an extremely harsh environment. And when dealing with harsh, extreme environments, naturally, a Sī Nóng (Arboriculturist/Botanist) was best equipped.

“Make way,” Zhao Xing said, moving Jing Yan aside. “I’m about to show off.” Jing Yan grinned and stepped back behind Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing formed hand seals, muttering incantations: “All dharmakayas are but ants, only I reign supreme, suppressing heaven and earth.” “Purple Radiance Eight Cycles, Qian-Kun reversed, haste!” Dazzling purple light erupted from Zhao Xing, and the forty-eight solar terms were rendered in purplish-gold, glittering like a constellation descending upon the corrosive space. The Lunar and Solar stars appeared simultaneously, and surrounding stellar positions were illuminated by purple stars: ‘Great Heavenly General’, ‘Southern Army Gate’, ‘Zao Jiao’, ‘Great Tomb’, ‘Heavenly Boat’, ‘Heavenly Cook’. Jing Yan, watching Zhao Xing control the shifting celestial positions, immediately felt this divine ability was quite complex, and he asked curiously, “Brother, is your incantation real or fake?” Zhao Xing replied, “Learned from you, I made it up.” Jing Yan was speechless. *Truly my good brother! Though, this incantation is even more arrogant than mine; saying it aloud might get you beaten.*

Zhao Xing also found this minor divine ability somewhat draining. Even with the support of dual origins, his spiritual energy dropped by over 30% after activating it. This was where the benefit of also cultivating the Id School manifested. After completing the spell, Zhao Xing immediately drew spiritual energy from the Origin Space via the *Primal Sea World* to replenish himself. In just a few breaths, his state was fully restored.“Your recovery ability is a bit abnormal, isn’t it?” Jing Yan felt Zhao Xing’s spiritual energy rise and fall, and he couldn’t help but be surprised. “Don’t tell me you also cultivate the Path of Id?”“Just a little practice for a few years,” Zhao Xing replied, feigning humility.“Awesome!” Jing Yan couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. Zhao Xing really impressed him! After all, a Sī Nóng who solely cultivated the Path of Id was already a ‘rare profession’ among Sī Nóng! To also cultivate it concurrently was even more extraordinary. Zhao Xing was younger than him, just over a thousand years old, which truly earned Jing Yan’s admiration.“If you return to the Empire, you might even be able to enter the Primal Realm,” Jing Yan said. The Primal Realm was one of the holy lands of the Id School in the Red Star Empire, with very high entry requirements, comparable in difficulty to the selection standards of the Primordial Mound.“I’m still far from it,” Zhao Xing shook his head. This time, it wasn’t false modesty; he genuinely wasn’t qualified yet.

The two chatted as they waited. Although the Corrosive Space was powerful, the Purple Radiance Eight Cycles was also formidable. It was capable of creating an ecosystem even on a barren asteroid. The grey mist in the Corrosive Space gradually became clearer, and after a month, the corrosive swamp on the ground began to coalesce into solid soil.“We’ve got it! We’ve got it!” Jing Yan exclaimed excitedly. “My artifact spirit detected that the corrosion coefficient has dropped to the strength of a perfected Second Realm, and the toxicity has also greatly decreased. We can pass!” The intensity of the corrosive attack and toxic erosion was still about 10 times that of a standard perfected Second Realm. However, neither of them were novice Second Realm cultivators; as long as the intensity dropped to within the Second Realm’s scope, they had the means to pass.

“Go slowly,” Zhao Xing cautioned.“Understood, I’ll follow your lead.” Jing Yan retracted all his spherical probes, effectively entrusting their safety entirely to Zhao Xing. If Zhao Xing wanted to murder him for wealth, he could take an Earth Deity Pill to circumvent their previous Soul Oath, then immediately launch a surprise attack on Jing Yan, which would undoubtedly kill him.

“Wait a moment.” After flying slowly for two days, Zhao Xing suddenly stopped.“What’s wrong?” Jing Yan asked.“This place isn’t bad; it has potential utility,” Zhao Xing replied. He waved his hand, and an origin projection appeared, causing a giant mushroom to sprout in the corrosive swamp.“What kind of mushroom is this?” Jing Yan asked.“A Phantasm Star Mushroom,” Zhao Xing said. “It’s a military plant of the mushroom family, Yin affinity, suitable for activity in Yin-affiliated origin regions.” Phantasm Star Mushrooms possess a total of four innate secret abilities: at maturity, they are First Realm in origin; at their peak, they are Second Realm. Their four innate secret abilities are ‘Hallucination’, ‘Division’, ‘Camouflage’, and ‘Yin Poison’. Even slightly better Third Realm plant soldiers were unaffordable. Furthermore, the process of subjugation involved the will of the plant life resisting, meaning that initially, the official Yuanhai Palace had to assist in the subjugation. However, over the long term, there was still a possibility of the plant retaliating against its master. It was like someone helping to tame a wild horse; it might have been obedient due to the coercion at the time, but if Zhao Xing himself was weak, there was still a risk of retaliation later. Therefore, Zhao Xing’s plant soldiers remained the Phantasm Star Mushroom, Heavenly Sound Bamboo, and Nine Yin Demonic Vine. These three were all rare varieties, purchased at their adult stage, First Realm. Their peak was the Second Realm. The Moon Dew Mausoleum was suitable for cultivation, and Zhao Xing calculated that allowing these three plant soldiers to take root here for a period would enable them to reach their peak without cost.

“Buzz~” After the Phantasm Star Mushroom, the Heavenly Sound Bamboo and Nine Yin Demonic Vine appeared. After they took root, Zhao Xing put away his origin soil.“Let’s go. The Heavenly Sound Bamboo can also serve as an early warning system.” Zhao Xing’s action was akin to tethering three ‘dogs’ here; the sound from the Heavenly Sound Bamboo could travel far, so if there was any disturbance, he would know in time. As for the Phantasm Star Mushroom and Nine Yin Demonic Vine, they lacked this function; rare quality plant soldiers had no telepathic communication, only a faint, blurry sense. Now, having left the origin soil and being in the chaotic environment of the tomb, if they went too far, only the Heavenly Sound Bamboo would likely be able to transmit any signals.

“Hiss, hiss, hiss~” All three plant soldiers were Yin-attributed plant life. After being modified by the Purple Radiance Eight Cycles, this place was perfectly suited for them to take root and grow. Zhao Xing spent a few days observing them, and then he and Jing Yan continued their journey forward.

After a month of arduous travel, Zhao Xing and Jing Yan finally successfully escaped the corrosive space and beheld the true tomb.

Concealed by a dense forest, seven majestic palaces stood tall. Each palace reached a height of three thousand kilometers, with half of each already densely covered by lush vines and unknown foliage. These seven palaces varied in color and shape, yet shared a common trait: all bathed in the light of the Lunar Star and were surrounded by void turbulence. In front of the palaces, seven colossal statues, each ten thousand meters tall, stood, exuding a chilling aura.

“Zhao Xing, are we there?” Jing Yan’s excitement was palpable. “But why are there seven tombs? We’ve come all this way, and they’re still playing tricks?”

“Not a trick,” Zhao Xing shook his head. “This person likely had seven bodies.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Throughout our journey, I’ve deduced that it’s highly probable a Sī Nóng of the Id School is buried here,” Zhao Xing explained. “A Third Realm Sī Nóng of the Id School, if they cultivated the Straw Effigy Art, considers their main body and clones equally important. Even if one dies, it won’t dissipate. That’s why I say these seven tombs are definitely not illusions.”

“An Id School Sī Nóng? How can you tell? There’s just a lot of grass here,” Jing Yan asked curiously. “Zhao Xing, you really know a lot. As someone from the Empire who has traveled to many ancient nations, I feel your knowledge surpasses mine.”

“For a mere Purple God Mansion to cultivate such a talent as you, who is your teacher?”

“Qing Yuzi.”

Jing Yan secretly committed the name of this powerful individual to memory. Once it was confirmed to be a Sī Nóng’s tomb, Jing Yan stopped bothering to ponder further.

“Brother, where should we start digging?”

“Try them all. Go into whichever one we can,” Zhao Xing replied. Excavating the tomb of a Third Realm Id School Sī Nóng was by no means easy. Zhao Xing didn’t expect to obtain everything; getting even one item would be a gain, as they hadn’t expended much effort yet.

“Brother Jing, don’t move recklessly.”

“Alright.”

Jing Yan followed Zhao Xing as they approached one of the seven tombs, situated towards the north-south direction. As they drew near, the dog-headed human-bodied statue suddenly came to life. Jing Yan was greatly surprised, as he hadn’t sensed any fluctuations from mechanical formations, as if it weren’t a mechanical puppet at all.

“To be able to break through to this point, you two fellow Daoists must be strong cultivators of the Third Realm.”

“I have a small gift here. If you two fellow Daoists are willing to show mercy, swear a Heavenly Dao Oath not to disturb my eternal slumber, and keep this place a secret, then this gift will be yours.” The dog-headed human-bodied statue spoke, and two golden lights floated out from its mouth.

“What is he saying?” Jing Yan was bewildered. He didn’t understand, as the dog-headed statue was speaking the language of the ancient Moon Dew Kingdom. Zhao Xing only had a partial understanding. The official decryption of the Moon Dew Kingdom’s language, derived from the Seven Star Ancient Coins, was not entirely accurate. However, relying on his past life’s experience, even if he couldn’t understand the words precisely at the moment, Zhao Xing could grasp the statue’s meaning.

“He’s probably saying that if we make a Soul Oath not to disturb his slumber, we can take two gifts and leave,” Zhao Xing said. “It’s the usual rule: surrender and lose half.” The contest between tomb owners and grave robbers wasn’t always a fight to the death. Some discerning grave robbers weren’t greedy; they’d take a small benefit, swear a Heavenly Dao Oath to leave, and proactively erase their memories of entering the tomb. While Earth Deity Pills could break such oaths, they were expensive. Many tomb raiders, weighing their options, chose not to disturb the tomb further. Of course, there were also greedy individuals who believed they could break through, but they often ended up losing their lives.

“What do you think we should do?” Jing Yan looked at the two beams of treasure light, a hint of greed in his eyes. “The two items left outside, I sensed, are at least of the Upper-Grade World Star Dao Troop level. There’s probably even more inside.”

“Let’s check the others first,” Zhao Xing said. “All seven tombs should have left similar arrangements. If it’s suitable, we’ll take what we can get and leave.”

“Alright,” Jing Yan agreed. Though proud, he wasn’t unreasonable. A Third Realm Id School Sī Nóng might very well be a great divine ability user. Greed could lead to disaster; one needed to be alive to spend the money they earned!

When they arrived at the fifth tomb palace, Zhao Xing saw a statue resembling a treant. This statue also spoke the same words and ejected two light clusters. Zhao Xing looked intently, his face revealing joy. For within one of the light clusters was a Star Slate, precisely the secret manual recording the divine ability *Essence-Purging Art*!

“Yes! I am willing to swear an oath,” Zhao Xing responded. The divine abilities of the Id School Sī Nóng were generally not transmitted externally. This meant that in the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom, they were difficult to acquire even with money. One would either have to join a certain faction and accumulate contributions… In short, a certain degree of commitment was required to learn them. If one left the faction, they would even have to erase knowledge of this divine ability, which was very troublesome. This was because teaching the Id School Sī Nóng’s divine abilities, which could break through life structures and the shackles of life, was their core source of income! Who would easily sell their core technology? Therefore, an unrestricted Id School divine ability was extremely precious! Zhao Xing’s primary purpose in coming to this tomb was the *Essence-Purging Art*. If he could obtain it, his trip would not have been in vain.

“Brother Zhao, what is that? Why are you so excited?” Jing Yan asked.

“A secret divine ability of the Id School,” Zhao Xing replied.

“What?” Jing Yan was startled. “They’re just giving something like that away? This must be the tomb of a great divine ability user!”

“Brother Jing, my objective has been achieved,” Zhao Xing said. “I’ll take this art; I won’t take a single share of the other treasures and will fully assist you.”

“Alright,” Jing Yan nodded. “Take it.”

Zhao Xing immediately swore a Heavenly Dao Oath. As a wave of origin fluctuations swept through his body, Zhao Xing felt an urge to leave the area immediately, and his memories began to fade. However, within his Three Divine Fate Palace, his Fate Soul, Karma Soul, and Rebirth Soul all opened their eyes simultaneously, preserving his memories.

*The Three Divine Fate Palace is unbound by karma. If I wished, I could resist and break the oath right now without taking an Earth Deity Pill,* Zhao Xing thought. Divine abilities originating from the Samsara God Hall were indeed so ‘double-standard’.

“I’ll retreat from this area first.”

Zhao Xing took the Star Slate and retreated to the area of the third challenge—the Corrosive Space. As for Jing Yan, he was still sifting through his options.

“Brother Jing, if you need anything, call me immediately. But be careful; even if you try to break in, don’t easily enter the palace to the east,” Zhao Xing said.

“Understood,” Jing Yan nodded.

Zhao Xing, carrying the Star Slate, quickly returned to the Corrosive Space. He sat cross-legged in the center of his three plant soldiers. The Star Slate floated, and Zhao Xing began to comprehend the *Essence-Purging Art*.

“Buzz~” A translucent image appeared before Zhao Xing. This was a “teaching projection,” storing the tomb owner’s past lectures.

“The innate abilities of plant life are a form of ‘innate essence.’”

“However, not every essence is beneficial; some ‘innate essences’ hinder the development of plant life. Countless tiny essences intertwine, limiting the growth of plant life, which is commonly referred to as growth shackles.”

“The Essence-Purging Art is about removing the useless essences within plant life and amplifying the useful innate essences…”

The teaching projection spoke the language of the Moon Dew Ancient Kingdom, but this posed no issue. The teaching slate conveyed its lessons through waves of origin fluctuations, forming images for the user to comprehend. A language barrier or unfamiliar script didn’t matter because in the cosmos, learning and understanding the Dao weren’t conveyed through textual carriers, but rather through objects preserving the fluctuations of the Dao’s origin. Therefore, even if Zhao Xing remembered many secret spell explanations from his past life, it was useless; his memory couldn’t retain the core essence.

“Innate essence…” Zhao Xing carefully meditated, and countless images appeared on the Star Slate. Stars flickered, resembling diagrams of life structures.

“The innate abilities of plant life are determined by their innate essences.”

“The Id School believes that any plant has the potential to become a divine-grade species and possesses the inherent capacity for it. However, due to acquired factors and generational development, those ‘divine essences’ become completely internalized and are not expressed.”

“Why does this happen? Because ‘survival’ takes precedence.”

“Powerful abilities often consume more spiritual energy resources. A weed, if cultivated in divine-grade soil, can also develop powerful abilities. If a divine-grade species is placed in a barren wasteland, it will also degenerate, with its level decreasing over generations.”

“Acquired environments subtly form various shackles, preventing plant life from manifesting those powerful innate abilities. But these abilities aren’t lost; they are merely hidden.”

“Once mastered, the Essence-Purging Art has two effects: first, it amplifies the innate abilities of plant life; second, it unearths hidden abilities.”

Billions of stars reflected in his eyes; each star represented a fundamental component of life.

“In simple terms, it’s genetic editing,” Zhao Xing understood. The principle was simple, but the execution was the challenge.

Three months later, Zhao Xing attempted to use the Essence-Purging Art for the first time. He used the Nine Yin Demonic Vine as a sample. A thin golden thread appeared before him, a fusion of spiritual energy, Yin-Yang origin, and soul power. It was like a needle, piercing into the Nine Yin Demonic Vine.

“This is the Essence-Purging Art,” Zhao Xing carefully manipulated. “This ‘needle’ is the external manifestation of the divine ability.”

A microscopic view appeared before Zhao Xing’s eyes; the Nine Yin Demonic Vine’s life structure unfolded before him like the night sky. The ‘needle’, imperceptible from the outside, appeared like a colossal pillar in this microscopic view, incredibly thick. Zhao Xing guided it to collide with a specific star.

“Boom!”

One of the stars vanished, turning into starlight that was absorbed by the remaining stars.

“The exploded star was a life essence of the Nine Yin Demonic Vine; now it’s been absorbed by the other essences.”

Zhao Xing switched to a macroscopic view to observe the Nine Yin Demonic Vine. There was no change.

*Right, I only affected one life essence; at this level, it’s not even equivalent to a single dead cell, so there’s no real change.*

*I should stop experimenting on the Nine Yin Demonic Vine; I only have one. The best test subject is the Phantasm Star Mushroom.*

Phantasm Star Mushrooms had the division talent, making them safe for practice.

*I only have one ‘divine ability needle’ right now; it’s too slow. I need to practice to improve proficiency,* Zhao Xing thought. According to the tomb owner, mastering 1 trillion divine ability needles simultaneously was considered mastery, while perfection required 1 quintillion needles.

“Come on, mushrooms.”

Zhao Xing forced the Phantasm Star Mushroom to constantly divide. Then, he haphazardly jabbed the divided mushrooms with his ‘needle’. His goal now wasn’t to make the mushrooms grow, but to practice his control over the ‘divine ability needle’, so it didn’t matter where he poked.

“Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom!”

In the microscopic view, the stars representing the essences within the Phantasm Star Mushroom’s divisions wildly extinguished and were absorbed by other stars. Outside, however, everything remained calm. Zhao Xing used his system panel to track his proficiency. He jabbed with high frequency, and his proficiency quickly soared. Such training might seem tedious to an outsider, but Zhao Xing was a person who could endure solitude. After all, with the progress visible on his panel, jabbing was quite enjoyable for him.

On the first day, Zhao Xing expanded his control to ‘ten needles’.

On the second day, he could control ‘a hundred needles’ simultaneously.

On the third day, he reached ‘a thousand needles’.

Time passed, and three months after Zhao Xing obtained the *Essence-Purging Art*. “Bang!”

The first mushroom finally underwent a qualitative change!

“Roar!”

As if it couldn’t bear Zhao Xing’s poking anymore, this Phantasm Star Mushroom actually let out a beast-like roar, then violently exploded!

“Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss~”

Zhao Xing was splashed with a layer of transparent liquid.

*Why does it smell like meat? The toxicity has completely disappeared, and the explosion’s power has decreased ten thousandfold, yet its mass has increased dozens of times.*

Zhao Xing dispersed the air. He saw clearly that before the explosion, the mushroom had completely changed shape, becoming a bizarre, shapeless mass.

*A perfectly fine Second Realm plant, and I managed to reduce it to below the Fate Palace Realm.*

The Phantasm Star Mushroom’s divisions were at least at the early Second Realm level. After Zhao Xing’s chaotic tinkering, they directly exploded, likely dropping to only the Heavenly Fortune Realm of life before detonation.

*I hope I’m not creating any monsters.*

Zhao Xing muttered to himself. Id School Sī Nóng often encountered unexpected issues during their experiments; it wasn’t uncommon for someone to create something terrifying and then die.

*I’ll have to be more careful from now on.*

Zhao Xing no longer only practiced controlling the Essence-Purging Needle but began targeted training.

*This stellar region is the Phantasm Star Mushroom’s ‘Poison Essence’.*

*Around and in the middle, there are some unknown essences interspersed.*

*First, I’ll try to amplify the toxicity.*

Zhao Xing could now control tens of millions of ‘Essence-Purging Needles’ and began making practical modifications. Half a month later.

Three Phantasm Star Mushroom divisions were placed before Zhao Xing. One was the experimental subject, and the other two were control samples.

“The control samples appear greenish-purple. The experimental subject, however, has turned pure black. Its camouflage and hallucination talents have completely disappeared, leaving only the Yin poison talent. Furthermore, its lifespan has become extremely short.” Zhao Xing carefully sensed it. “It will likely die within two hundred years. However, its Yin poison talent has been amplified fiftyfold. This experimental subject, solely based on toxin intensity, could now pose a threat to Third Realm cultivators.” Zhao Xing’s expression grew slightly solemn. He had to handle it with extreme care, otherwise, he could easily injure himself.

The Id School was shunned by the Heaven’s Time and Earth’s Advantage Schools because its practitioners were extremely radical, often making others feel very dangerous. Within the Id School, a Sī Nóng was either a genius or a madman; perhaps there was no difference between the two.

“Throw it far away.” Zhao Xing carefully wrapped it up and then threw it to the other side of the corrosive swamp.

“Continue experimenting. Once I understand the characteristics of the divisions, I’ll work on the main body.” Zhao Xing intensified his control over the Essence-Purging Divine Needles, and his proficiency rapidly soared. More and more mushrooms were thrown out. He immersed himself in cultivation, forgetting the passage of time.

One day, Jing Yan suddenly sent Zhao Xing a message: “Brother Zhao, I’ve run into a bit of trouble.”“Coming,” Zhao Xing replied, casually tossing aside a mushroom. He then took an Earth Deity Pill. After the Earth Deity Pill entered his sea of consciousness, it surprisingly transformed into a sword, which his Fate Soul grasped. “Buzz!” The previously sworn oath’s constraint was instantly severed with ease. Zhao Xing altered his aura and appearance before re-entering the area of the fourth challenge.

While Zhao Xing and Jing Yan were exploring the seven tomb palaces, at the outermost Starwheel Labyrinth...

“Brother Zeng, we need to speed things up,” Wang Yun said to Zeng Zhuo. “One-third of the three years Steward Hong allotted has passed, but we’ve only just broken through the first challenge.”“This tomb indeed has its intricacies,” Zeng Zhuo sighed. “It’s not easy to excavate.” A casual remark from a superior meant endless toil for those below. If the only requirement was to break open this tomb, it would be much simpler. As a mechanical engineer, Zeng Zhuo had a multitude of forceful breaching methods, and the Moon Sandal Marquis Mansion had both equipment and personnel. However, Hong Qi, in order to give Miss Lu Yuehan a sense of accomplishment, specifically requested a ‘semi-breached’ approach. This meant both lowering the difficulty of opening the tomb and not completely breaking it, while also preserving the formations themselves as much as possible. How could one possibly reason with such demands? But difficult or not, it had to be done. If Zeng Zhuo didn’t do this job, plenty of others would be willing.“I’ll have people speed things up,” Zeng Zhuo said. “I’ll still rely heavily on Brother Wang.”“My strength is meager; I fear I can’t be of much help to Brother Zeng. This matter is managed by Brother Zeng, and I believe Brother Zeng can resolve it.” Wang Yun had no intention of getting involved. Because Zeng Zhuo was the main person in charge, if progress was fast, he would increase his involvement. But seeing Zeng Zhuo about to fail the task, he intended to shift the blame. Zeng Zhuo cursed him internally, calling him a dog, but still had to maintain a smiling face. Fate Masters were not to be offended; Wang Yun often appeared before Hong Qi and the young lady, and a slight negative comment from him could have a terrible impact. Seeing that a third of the time had passed, Zeng Zhuo had no choice but to take personal charge. He had research in formations, but his actual combat power was not particularly strong. After one year and one month, Zeng Zhuo finally managed to adjust the Starwheel Labyrinth to a reasonable level. Lu Yuehan was in the early Second Realm; with some dedication, she would be able to break the formation.

Next, Zeng Zhuo arrived at the second challenge, the Puppet Avenue. “Why is this challenge so difficult again?” Zeng Zhuo frowned deeply. There were thousands of tall towers surrounding the Puppet Avenue, containing many Second Realm puppets. With a thousand puppets attacking in coordination with the formation, Lu Yuehan would be overwhelmed. Originally, it wasn’t that difficult, but after Jing Yan’s Troop Ban, the power of this grand puppet formation evolved, increasing by a level.“Sigh,” Zeng Zhuo sighed, feeling that his lifespan would be reduced after completing this workload. After another busy half-year, Zeng Zhuo finally suppressed the power of the Puppet Avenue to a level Lu Yuehan could accept. He couldn’t modify the grand puppet formation itself, but adopted the same sealing methods as Jing Yan. He also crafted some puppets that looked identical to those in the towers but were only at the perfected First Realm. *She won’t be able to tell anyway, I’ll just fool her!* Zeng Zhuo grumbled inwardly.

Six months passed, and Zeng Zhuo dared not rest for a moment, continuing his advance. The third challenge was the Corrosive Space. Since Zhao Xing had left the corrosive space for some time, the effects of the Purple Radiance Eight Cycles, after lasting for a while, slowly dissipated. Now, the area was back to its previous state, with grey mist pervasive and a swamp blocking the way, halting Zeng Zhuo’s party. Of course, compared to before, the difficulty had significantly decreased. After all, the Purple Radiance Eight Cycles and the Troop Ban were different in nature and had caused some permanent effects here.“First exploration team, enter. Return no later than one month,” Zeng Zhuo ordered.“Yes!” A month later, Zeng Zhuo frowned. Why weren’t they back? Had something gone wrong? Accidents were normal, and communication was blocked here, so no feedback seemed normal to him too.“Second exploration team, enter!” Zeng Zhuo increased the intensity of the exploration, with more refined team compositions and equipment, mostly experienced Second Realm cultivators.

Two months later. Roars echoed from deep within the mist. Ultimately, only one mechanical puppet returned. “Whir, whir, whir~” Zeng Zhuo touched the mechanical puppet, and fragmented images flashed across its surface.“Hmm? The second team isn’t dead, they’re still alive… But why didn’t they return?” “This challenge is actually so bizarre?” “My people had top-tier World Star Dao Troops with them, and still no one returned. What on earth happened?” Zeng Zhuo couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Seeing the deadline set by Hong Qi approaching, Zeng Zhuo gritted his teeth.“I’ll go in myself!” “You all go report truthfully to Lord Hong about what’s happening here!”“Yes,” Zeng Zhuo replied, donning his mechanical battle armor and heading into the corrosive space. He brought no attendants because he was already in the Third Realm, and the fact that some of the second team were still alive indicated that the third challenge’s intensity was somewhere between the Third and Second Realms. Zeng Zhuo wasn’t going to his death; he still had some confidence.

“Gurgle~ Gurgle~” The giant puppet flew at low altitude, bubbles constantly rising from the surrounding swamp, and green miasma drifting. A series of messages flashed before Zeng Zhuo’s eyes.“Area average chaos index: 85.” “Toxin index: 75, toxin infiltration methods: 76 types…” “Spiritual energy index: 9, all spiritual energy contains toxins, completely unabsorbable.”*This isn’t right,* Zeng Zhuo frowned. Based on the current data alone, it shouldn’t have been difficult for the two teams he sent earlier.“Detecting life forms in the area…” Zeng Zhuo began to move sideways. Suddenly—“Thump!” His mechanical battle armor’s feet seemed to hit something.“Huh?” Zeng Zhuo instinctively stepped on it. It was soft and mushy. He immediately ascended. But then he smelled something. “What?!” Zeng Zhuo was startled. He had his barrier active, how did that smell get in?! He rapidly ascended while looking down at his feet. However, he had barely ascended a thousand meters when he hit something above him. “Boom!” A powerful impact instantly sent Zeng Zhuo flying. Something seemed to have exploded! Warning: ‘Moon’ model barrier reduced to 50%! Unknown toxin invasion detected—“Analyze attack source!” Zeng Zhuo shouted. Analysis: Attacker of ‘Moon’ model: Peak stage plant life ‘Phantasm Star Mushroom’ (75).“How is that possible!” “Phantasm Star Mushrooms are at most Second Realm? How can they have such power?!” Zeng Zhuo suspected his ears were malfunctioning.“Thump!” Before he could finish speaking, Zeng Zhuo was hit by another explosive impact from a different direction.“Analyzing attack source…” Analysis: Attacker of ‘Moon’ model: Peak stage plant life ‘Phantasm Star Mushroom’ (65).“Mushrooms again?” Zeng Zhuo was dumbfounded. He was in the Third Realm; although his divine ability was minor and his combat effectiveness wasn’t outstanding, that was only relative. Zeng Zhuo considered himself quite well-rounded.“Bao Yue Amaterasu!” Zeng Zhuo unleashed his minor divine ability, a detection-type mechanical divine ability. Area map analysis complete! “Buzz~” A three-dimensional topographical map spanning a hundred million li appeared in Zeng Zhuo’s eyes. He saw various mushroom plants growing throughout the grey mist, some purplish-black and hidden within the Lunar origin. Others had grown arm-like appendages, opening their gaping mouths to devour another mushroom. Some were dividing, dropping from their caps like offspring… What appeared in Zeng Zhuo’s eyes was a vast and eerie mushroom forest!“My heavens, where on earth have I come to?!” This was Zeng Zhuo’s first reaction.“Someone newly planted this mushroom forest!” This was Zeng Zhuo’s second reaction, as most of the soil beneath the mushroom forest was very fresh.“Boom! Boom!” A series of explosions occurred in the distance. The Lunar origin formed by the explosions looked like a purplish-black sea of fire, and its shockwave swept over the ‘Moon’ model mechanical battle armor. Zeng Zhuo’s breath hitched, his vision went black, and he completely passed out. *Damn it, who planted mushrooms here?!* This was Zeng Zhuo’s last thought before losing consciousness.