Chapter 457

456. Chapter 451: Dao Mai

"Then take the immortal spiritual vein away—I dare not cultivate using it alone." Rong Xiyu hurriedly said.

She now understood why Ding Huan had said that since there was an immortal spiritual vein here, everyone should cultivate together.

In fact, Ding Huan had taken not the slightest advantage of her.

"This top-grade immortal spiritual vein is indeed useful to me, but I won't take it for free—here's something in exchange: some immortal crystals."

Saying this, Ding Huan pulled out a ring and handed it to Rong Xiyu.

"I don't need it—I have my own immortal crystals," Rong Xiyu quickly refused, feeling she had received too much already.

Without Ding Huan, even with good fortune, it would take her centuries to reach Jin Xian sixth layer; with bad fortune, she'd lose her life.

Ding Huan forcibly shoved the ring into Rong Xiyu's hand: "I need to tell you something else—you cannot cultivate here for too long."

"Shi Li?" Rong Xiyu asked.

Ding Huan nodded: "I have a feeling Shi Li will return soon. When he comes back, he may head straight to the Thirty-Three Dao. Staying here could be very dangerous."

"Thank you—I was planning to leave anyway," Rong Xiyu said gratefully.

She was now at Jin Xian sixth layer; Ding Huan had surely given her resources, allowing her to rapidly ascend to Xuan Xian, then head to the Chaos Zone.

Rong Xiyu's divine sense touched the ring in her hand, then she immediately returned it to Ding Huan: "This is too much—I can't accept it."

Inside the ring were ten million top-grade immortal crystals and a low-grade immortal spiritual vein.

Even when her father was alive, she had never possessed so many immortal crystals.

In the past, she rarely left the immortal sect and cultivated almost entirely within its walls, so she never needed immortal crystals.

Ding Huan waved his hand: "I have more than enough immortal crystals—it's easy to earn more. Now that I have this top-grade immortal spiritual vein, I'll give you this low-grade one."

Saying this, Ding Huan tossed out several array flags; within moments, he extracted the top-grade immortal spiritual vein and sealed it into the ring.

Ding Huan hadn't been lying—he had a pile of immortal spiritual rice in his ring.

Those top-grade immortal spiritual rice grains could be converted into immortal crystals in an instant.

If he ran out of immortal crystals, he could simply plant more immortal spiritual rice.

A low-grade immortal spiritual vein is unlikely to grow better immortal spiritual rice; to cultivate high-grade rice, you need at least a mid-grade immortal spiritual vein, preferably a top-grade one.

Immortal crystals can only aid the growth of immortal spiritual rice—they cannot serve as the foundational immortal spiritual source for planting.

Ding Huan was certain the land beneath the immortal agricultural fields in the Immortal Farmer Department was a top-grade immortal spiritual vein.

"Thank you, Brother Ding. Where are you planning to go?" Rong Xiyu, seeing Ding Huan truly meant to give it to her, stopped refusing.

Ding Huan looked at Rong Xiyu, his eyes filled with pity—he had just used Great Calculation Art to divine her future.

Rong Xiyu's future was bleak—she would die at Shi Li's hands. If not Shi Li, then someone else.

Though the Immortal Jade Body was inferior to Jia Baihe and Wen Zhixi's Immortal Spiritual Bodies, it was still among the supreme body types.

Moreover, the Immortal Jade Body appeared even more rarely than the Immortal Spiritual Body.

For body cultivators, the Immortal Jade Body was even better than the Immortal Spiritual Body.

Once discovered, such a body would bring a fate worse than death.

"Brother Ding, do you have something to say?" Seeing Ding Huan hesitate, Rong Xiyu quickly asked.

"I have something I'm not sure whether I should say," Ding Huan decided to speak plainly—if she listened, he'd help; if not, he'd let it go.

Over the past few months cultivating with Ding Huan, Rong Xiyu had vaguely sensed what kind of person he was.

He was no ordinary cultivator—unlike those she'd met before who cared only for cultivation; she trusted him.

Hearing his words, she immediately said: "Brother Ding, please speak."

Ding Huan said: "I feel that if you continue improving your strength this slow way, you'll soon fall into someone's hands—I'm not certain if it'll be Shi Li."

"I believe you—please show me a clear path," Rong Xiyu said without hesitation.

Even she herself often felt uneasy.

As a body remade from death, she was extremely sensitive to life and death.

Ding Huan said: "Your only chance is to find a powerful patron—definitely not in the Ancient Immortal Realm; only the Immortal Court."

"Ah…" Rong Xiyu was stunned by Ding Huan's words.

Go to the Immortal Court? First, she had no qualifications to enter; even if she did, who would be her patron?

In the Immortal Court, cultivators of her level were as countless as fish crossing a river. If her body type were exposed, it wouldn't be seeking a patron—it would be delivering herself as a cultivation partner.

"I know some people in the Immortal Court. If you trust me, come with me first to Ban Ting Xiancheng. After I compete in the Sect Ranking Tournament there, we'll decide."

Ding Huan believed the Sect Ranking Tournament was open only to cultivators below Da Yi Xian—he had no doubt he'd claim first place in the Dao Method category.

After winning, he possessed a special array token granting entry and exit to the Immortal Court. He had no use for it himself—he might as well give it to Rong Xiyu.

Rong Xiyu was utterly dumbfounded.

Ding Huan said he knew people in the Immortal Court? Did that mean he'd introduce her to his friends?

This would sound unbelievable to anyone—but after a moment of shock, Rong Xiyu simply said: "Alright."

She had long believed Ding Huan was no ordinary person, and she also felt he had no reason to deceive her.

If Ding Huan wanted her Immortal Jade Body, he could take it by force now—or even without force, just a few threats would suffice.

Unlike the Immortal Spiritual Body, to obtain Dao Jade Immortal Bones from the Immortal Jade Body, one cannot do it through a single union—it requires prolonged dual cultivation.

If Ding Huan wanted her Immortal Jade Body, he'd need to keep her by his side long-term.

She sensed no ulterior motive from Ding Huan toward her.

Given the heavenly Dao he cultivated, it wasn't strange that he knew powerful people in the Immortal Court.

"Then let's go to Ban Ting Xiancheng first. When I obtain the Immortal Court entry-exit array token, take it to Tianwei Mountain…"

"You mean the Dao Field of Pingwei, one of the Four Emperors?" Before Ding Huan finished speaking, Rong Xiyu stared at him in disbelief.

Ding Huan nodded: "Brother Pingwei would likely grant me some face—allowing you to stay at Tianwei Mountain to restore your cultivation. Once you reach the Immortal King realm, even if you return here, no one will dare touch you."

Rong Rong Xiyu drew in a sharp breath.

If Ding Huan had named just any Flagbearer of the Thirty-Six Divisions or any Prefect of the Seventy-Two Regions, she would have believed him.

But Ding Huan named Pingwei the Great Emperor—one of the Four Emperors—this was utterly shocking.

The Four Emperors were beings nearly equal to the Heavenly Emperor, yet they had become Ding Huan's friends.

Seeing Rong Rong Xiyu's hesitation, Ding Huan smiled slightly: "I'm only making a suggestion. If you believe me, go. If you don't, pretend I never said it."

He understood Rong Rong Xiyu; if he were in her place, he'd doubt too.

A cultivator hiding in the ruins of the Thirty-Three Dao Paths claiming to be friends with Pingwei the Great Emperor—one of the Four Emperors of the Immortal Court? No ghost would believe it.

But he wouldn't explain, nor would he force Rong Rong Xiyu to accept his words.

"I believe you," Rong Rong Xiyu said, taking a deep breath and meeting Ding Huan's eyes.

She had to believe him—Ding Huan had been right earlier: continuing to slowly improve her cultivation this way was a dead end.

"Good. Then let's head first to Ban Ting Xiancheng," Ding Huan said, unwilling to explain further. He planned to claim his reward, then find a way to ascend to Grand Yi Immortal, before entering the Chaos Zone.

"Ding Shidi, wait—I once heard my father say that in the Thirty-Three Dao Paths, there is a Dao Vein. I don't know what a Dao Vein is…"

"Dao Vein?"

Ding Huan stared at Rong Rong Xiyu in surprise—he didn't know what a Dao Vein was either.

"My father called it a Dao Vein. He told me then that I must never tell anyone—it's the foundation of my future Dao."

But I know if Shi Li returns, he might discover that Dao Vein. I won't let him have it."

Rong Rong Xiyu spoke slowly, word by word.

She had never intended to reveal this—Ding Huan's sincerity had moved her.

Even if Ding Huan gave her nothing, she knew he could take that Superior Immortal Dao Vein without hesitation.

Yet Ding Huan not only gave her things—he gave her a Lower-Grade Immortal Dao Vein and ten million Superior Immortal Crystals.

"Do you know where the Dao Vein is?" Ding Huan asked.

"My father used to live on the Servant Peak…"

"Your father was a servant?" Ding Huan was thoroughly confused.

Rong Rong Xiyu shook her head: "My father was the previous sect leader. Before becoming leader, he was a servant."

The former sect master took my father as his final disciple. Since the former sect master had no children, he later adopted my father as his foster son."

My father was sentimental. After the former sect master passed away and my father became leader of the Thirty-Three Dao Paths, he still lived on the Servant Peak."

Ding Huan was not Rong Rong Xiyu—he immediately caught two problems.

The first: Rong Rong Xiyu's father had been the sect leader before Shi Li, yet before that, he had been a servant.

Ding Huan knew how accurate the Qi Potential Tests were in the Ancient Immortal Realm—if Rong Rong Xiyu's father had been a servant, his potential must have been terrible.

If his potential was terrible, how could the former sect master have taken him as a disciple—and then made him the next leader? Could there be no issue here?

The most likely possibility was that Rong Rong Xiyu's father's potential had improved slowly, over time.

And Rong Rong Xiyu's father lived on the Servant Peak not out of sentiment—but because the Servant Peak held something he could not abandon.

"Did your father leave you any top-tier treasures?" Ding Huan asked.

Rong Rong Xiyu shook her head; she didn't understand his meaning.

Ding Huan already had his answer: since Rong Rong Xiyu's father had left no top-tier treasures behind, the key factor that improved his potential must have been that Dao Vein.

The second problem: if Rong Rong Xiyu's father had become sect leader and possessed a Dao Vein, how had he perished?

"How did your father die?"

Rong Rong Xiyu's eyes reddened: "He vanished suddenly. The sect only learned of his death when his soul tablet shattered."