Chapter 547: Seven Marvelous Treasures Tree

After cleaning up the two corpses, Qin Ming returned to the outside world.

Squeak squeak squeak! At the very moment Yun Yangzi died, his life-linked Golden Silkworm Soul-Creature suffered a severe blow.

It had just been locked in a fierce battle with the Silver-Winged Frost Bees.

But in the next instant, the poison aura of the Golden Silkworm Soul-Creature inexplicably weakened drastically, allowing the Silver-Winged Frost Bees to seize the opportunity and strike it down.

Afterwards, the Silver-Winged Frost Bees actually devoured its corpse.

Qin Ming had originally intended to study this unique soul-creature from the Southern Frontier sects.

He didn't have time to tell the Silver-Winged Frost Bees to stop—it had already been completely consumed, leaving him no choice but to sigh in resignation.

After devouring the Golden Silkworm Soul-Creature clean, the Silver-Winged Frost Bees shrank its body and, drunk-like, staggered back to its hive beneath the Yin-Yang Mystic Vine, its life-linked spiritual plant.

Meanwhile, the Blackwater Crocodile also waddled over, shaking its head, eager to claim credit—it too had played a crucial role in its battle against Yun Yangzi.

Qin Ming patted the Crocodile's massive head and tossed it a Beast Emperor Pill.

Immediately, the Blackwater Crocodile, fully satisfied, returned to the Small Spirit Realm to cultivate.

Then.

Qin Ming erased all lingering spiritual traces around the area, and his figure blurred before vanishing instantly from the spot.

A colossal Jin Dan battle had erupted here, and since it was near the Five Elements Mountains, nearby cultivators naturally sensed it.

But due to the terrifying power of the spells, low-level cultivators dared not risk approaching to investigate.

Only after the commotion had ceased for hours did a few fearless hermits gradually arrive, hoping to scavenge for opportunities.

Yet when they saw the surrounding mountains reduced to flat plains, they all sucked in a sharp breath.

"My turtle, this must've been the work of a Nascent Soul expert!"

"Too terrifying—let's get out of here fast!"

"Brother, wait for me!"

…

Meanwhile, deep within the Divine Path Mountain Sect, in a grand hall of the southern lands of Great Jin.

Inside, rows upon rows of the sect's core cultivators' life-soul lamps were enshrined.

Suddenly,

Two soul lamps, one in the first row and one in the third, extinguished simultaneously. The gray-robed Elder on duty in the Soul Hall stared, disbelief etched on his face.

"How is this possible?!"

"Third Elder's soul lamp went out."

"And Wen Elder's… they both perished at once."

"What could they have encountered?"

The death of an external Nascent Soul Seed was an enormous blow to the Divine Path Mountain Sect.

After all, the sect had poured immense effort and countless top-tier resources into these Nascent Soul Seeds, entrusting them with its future hopes and legacy.

The loss of such a pivotal figure would shake not only the Divine Path Mountain Sect, but likely the entire Great Jin cultivation world.

The Jin Dan Elder on duty immediately lost his composure and prepared to rush out and report the situation to the sect.

Hum~ A ripple spread through the air of the hall, and from the spatial distortion emerged an old man with wrinkled skin and white hair, clad in a black Xuan robe. His eyes were sinister, his nose hooked, yet not a trace of spiritual power radiated from him—he looked like an ordinary mortal.

The Jin Dan Elder on duty, upon seeing this man appear, immediately bowed deeply: "Disciple bows before the Supreme Elder!"

The hooked-nose elder before him was none other than the Nascent Soul True Person of the Divine Path Mountain Sect—Wan Gu the Supreme.

His cold gaze fixed on the two extinguished soul lamps, and the temperature in the air plummeted instantly, becoming icy and suffocating.

The Jin Dan Elder standing beside Wan Gu trembled with fear.

"Supreme Elder, the two Elders' life-soul lamps just went out—likely they met with misfortune."

"Should we summon the disciples?"

"Hmm, no need. I left a mark and projection on Yu Liang, to appear as a warning if he faced a powerful enemy."

"Yet this time, even my shadow failed to activate before he was instantly killed—clearly, the one who struck was no ordinary cultivator."

"Only one of those few ancient immortals could have done this. Sending anyone else would be useless."

Wan Gu's voice was hoarse and low, brimming with chill, making one feel as if plunged into an ice cellar.

"Then… what should we do? Please, Supreme Elder, give your orders."

The Jin Dan cultivator trembled as he asked—matters involving the Nascent Soul realm clearly exceeded the capabilities of these disciples.

"Investigation is still necessary. As for the rest, I shall decide."

"Also, instruct that the next Nascent Soul Seed in Wen Yuliang's sequence be promoted." Wan Gu issued his order calmly.

"Yes! We humbly obey the Supreme Elder's command!"

Then, Wan Gu's figure faded and vanished, as if he had never appeared.

The Jin Dan Elder carefully wiped the sweat from his brow and hurried out to carry out his orders.

…

On the other side, a thousand li beneath the Five Elements Mountains' spirit fields.

In a dim underground cavern.

"I dig! Dig!"

"Dig dig dig!"

The Devouring Rat was squatting, digging with all its might. Those incredibly hard Xuantie rock layers, which even second-rank magic tools couldn't break on the surface and whose depths spiritual sense couldn't penetrate, were being excavated as easily as tofu under its claws.

Over these past few days,

The Devouring Rat, centered on the spirit fields, had dug tunnels in every direction—hundreds of tunnels, large and small.

After all, as a mid-stage third-rank beast king, it dug tunnels swiftly, doing what it knew best—utterly familiar with the task.

Yet after digging for days, the tunnels it had dug could circle the Five Elements Mountains several times over—and still, it found nothing.

This tunnel here was the last direction the Devouring Rat would dig.

"Could the Master be wrong?"

"There's nothing down here at all?"

The Devouring Rat paused its digging, shook off the spirit soil clinging to its fur, sat down heavily, and muttered in confusion.

The Sky-Devouring Rat stopped its actions, shook off the spiritual soil from its fur, and sat down on the ground, muttering in confusion.

At that moment, the Devouring Rat's nose twitched—through the thick rock layers, it sensed movement nearby.

Its innate treasure-sensing ability activated instantly: "It's the aura of a treasure!"

"Hmm, this is incredibly dense!"

"I've never encountered anything like this in my life—could I be about to strike it rich?"

The Devouring Rat's eyes lit up. It stood up, rubbed its paws together, and instantly perked up.

Instead of immediately breaking through the tunnel, it released its beast sense, probing toward the direction it sensed. Only moments later,

The Devouring Rat's massive beast sense pierced through the rock layers—and its vision suddenly brightened! A vast, magnificent underground world unfolded before its eyes.

The Sky-Devouring Rat's vast demonic sense pierced through the rock layer, and its vision suddenly brightened—a vast, magnificent underground world now lay bare before its eyes.

The Devouring Rat stared in astonishment, cautiously observing the space.

Finally, its gaze settled on one object.

It was a seven-zhang-tall, coral-like spiritual plant, with seven branches of different colors, radiating seven-colored auroras—so dazzling and mesmerizing that merely looking at it, the Devouring Rat was certain this plant was no ordinary thing. "Hehehe! What a treasure!"

It was a peculiar spiritual plant, three zhang tall, shaped like coral, with seven branches of differing colors, radiating a kaleidoscopic aura that left one dazzled and entranced. Merely by looking at it, the Sky-Devouring Rat was certain this plant was no ordinary thing. "Hehe! What a treasure!"

The Devouring Rat was so delighted it nearly jumped up, secretly rejoicing—until its beast sense shifted and noticed a figure seated beneath the Seven-Colored Coral Tree: a Jin Dan cultivator at the peak of his realm.

And within this space, numerous cultivators dressed in Divine Path Mountain Sect robes patrolled constantly.

The Devouring Rat did not act rashly. Its eyes rolled, and it crept silently back along the tunnel it had dug.

The Sky-Devouring Rat did not act rashly; its eyes rolled once, then it crept silently back along the tunnel it had dug.

The Divine Path Mountain Sect's Jin Dan cultivator slowly opened his eyes, a hint of confusion on his face, murmuring to himself:

"Strange… just now, I felt as if someone was watching me?"

"Yet there was no anomaly around me…"

At that moment,

A squad of dozens of Divine Path Mountain cultivators hurried forward. The leader bowed and respectfully asked: "Elder Wu, has something occurred? Shall we handle it?"

A squad of dozens of Shen Dao Mountain cultivators hurried forward; their leader bowed and respectfully asked, "Elder Wu, has something happened? Shall the disciples handle it?"

"Go patrol elsewhere."

"Go patrol other areas."

(End of Chapter)

(End of Chapter)