Chapter 61: Spirit Fox Tomb

More than a dozen streaks of Escape Light flew rapidly from several dozen miles away and landed on the summit of Zhaoyang Peak. A group of Elders and Disciples, all with faces full of excitement, surrounded Danchenzi and bowed in unison to offer congratulations: "Congratulations to the Great Elder for successfully achieving Spirit Transformation!"

Danchenzi laughed heartily, waved his hand to help everyone up, and said, "We share in this joy and celebration, but this poor Daoist still needs to enter seclusion to stabilize my realm. Everyone, tidy up the mountain gate; we shall speak more after I emerge from seclusion!"

"Respectfully sending off the Great Elder!"

Amidst the chorus of voices, Danchenzi took a single step, transformed into a streak of flowing light, landed on the back mountain of Zhaoyang Peak, and vanished from sight.

Only then did the crowd let out a long sigh of relief and begin to clear the aftermath with great excitement.

The power of the Tribulation Lightning was no small matter; the entire Zhaoyang Peak had been shorn away by nearly twenty zhang.

The originally somewhat narrow summit had been cleaved into a flat area of over a hundred mu, and in the center, a deep pit several zhang wide had appeared. Within it, remnants of lightning still flickered and curled; the group of low-realm Disciples felt their hearts race and their Souls tremble just by approaching to take a look.

Aside from the buildings on the summit being completely destroyed, the quiet rooms, cave dwellings, and other structures on the surrounding slopes and mountainside suffered little damage, though a large number of trees had been scorched to ash by the Tribulation Lightning, leaving a small portion of the mountain peak looking unusually bare and striking.

Over the next ten-plus days, Xu Chen and a group of other Disciples transformed into laborers of the Immortal World, beginning to fell trees and move stones to rebuild the mountain gate and Taiyuan Hall.

For a group of Immortals who could fly and burrow, doing these tasks was effortless. Trees several zhang long and boulders weighing a thousand jin were cut into shape with Magic Spells, transported to designated spots, and stacked one by one; in just a few days, the basic structure had taken shape.

If one wanted to make it look better, one could study the architectural style more and carve it with care.

But for the group of Taiyuan Sect Disciples who were usually idle and lazy, finding even eating to be a chore, building it to look good was impossible; as long as it was big and sturdy enough, that was sufficient.

Because the Great Elder had successfully achieved Spirit Transformation, he would surely invite fellow members of the Immortal Sects to celebrate once he emerged from seclusion. Therefore, they had to put on a good show now; they couldn't have guests arriving only to chat and drink tea amidst ruins—that would be too shabby.

Half a month later, a streak of spiritual light suddenly soared into the sky from the back mountain. A middle-aged cultivator, his body surging with Spirit Qi, stood atop the peak. At the same time, a resonant voice rang out: "All Elders and Disciples, guard the mountain gate well. This poor Daoist is going out for a trip to visit an old friend and will return in a few days."

Before the words had faded, the figure had already vanished.

The group of Disciples who were working could not help but howl and cheer, as if a group of demons were dancing wildly.

There was no need to think twice; the Great Elder Danchenzi was definitely going to Longmen Mountain to cause trouble for Taiwu Zhenjun.

Although Taiwu Zhenjun was a veteran Great Cultivator at the Spirit Transformation Mid-Stage who had been famous for hundreds of years, the Great Elder, who had just stabilized his Spirit Transformation realm, seemed to possess an aura no weaker than that of Taiwu Zhenjun on that day.

This showed that the Blood God Grass had miraculous effects and was indeed a top-tier Spirit Medicine for advancing to Spirit Transformation.

Ever since Danchenzi successfully achieved Spirit Transformation, the tension and decadence within the Taiyuan Sect had been swept away. Everyone was high-spirited and full of enthusiasm. After half a month, the mountain gate and main hall had been largely restored. A palace constructed of bluestone and giant timber now stood atop Zhaoyang Peak, a world of difference compared to the dilapidated, ancient hall of the past.

Every day after finishing his work, Xu Chen would return to his small wooden hut to rest. Aside from meditating and practicing, he would also take time each day to check on the strange plants growing in the medicine field.

These plants were colorful and bizarre, with varying growth rates. The tallest was a blue-purple vine that had already climbed more than a zhang up the dead Soul Returning Wood. Its stem was as thick as a thumb, and its leaves were palm-shaped, green with purple markings—upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a mutated variety of grape.

Besides this, there were the most numerous wild grasses, which resembled rice. Their stems were purple-red, and their leaves were green with gold. Over the past month, they had grown to over a chi in height, standing sturdy like corn seedlings. However, it looked like they still had plenty of room to grow; once fully mature, they would likely be taller than a person.

The other plants grew in a messy fashion, some tall, some short, some thick, some thin; in any case, they had all grown quite a bit during the time since he returned.

Some time ago, because Qingyunzi and Taiwu Zhenren had come to cause trouble one after another, Xu Chen hadn't had the time to inspect them carefully. Recently, having some free time, he spent more effort looking after them and discovered that not only had their growth rate slowed, but their aura seemed to be slowly regressing. In his Divine Sense, their vitality was actually not as strong as when he had first returned.

Xu Chen was worried; if they continued to grow like this, he feared these plants would eventually regress into ordinary plants.

In that case, these Immortal seeds, which might have come from some Grotto-Heaven, would lose their efficacy.

Therefore, after observing for several days, Xu Chen gritted his teeth and took out two Spirit Stones, used his internal energy to forcibly crush them into powder, and then sprinkled it over the medicine field.

The Taiyuan Sect had previously been so poor they were practically eating dirt; only the three Elders had any reserves of Spirit Stones. The group of Disciples were all "living for the day," surviving by swindling, robbing, and borrowing. None of them had Spirit Stones, and even if they occasionally got one or two, they couldn't keep them; they would happily trade them away for urgently needed items like Spirit Medicine, Spirit Pills, and Spirit Talismans.

However, after returning from the trip to Jingshi, the three of them had brought back a huge pile of items, including over a hundred Spirit Stones. Xu Chen naturally didn't stand on ceremony; he could contribute other Spirit Pills, Spirit Medicine, and Magic Treasures to the sect, but he couldn't bear to part with the Spirit Stones. He kept a third for himself, and he believed Jiu Shixiong and Thirteenth Senior Sister had the same mindset. After all, Spirit Stones were the currency of the Immortal World; if left to the other senior brothers and sisters, they would be spent quickly anyway.

Therefore, in the Taiyuan Sect, Xu Chen could be considered the wealthiest among all the Disciples at the moment.

Using Spirit Stones to fertilize the field was, of course, a last resort.

However, the effect was quite good. After fertilizing, in just one night, these strange plants all became much more spirited, and their life force became much richer. It seemed he had used the right remedy.

But what depressed Xu Chen was that after only three or four days, the situation began to repeat itself, and he had to crush two more Spirit Stones to use as fertilizer.

Thus, during the half-month of repairing the mountain gate, he had used up more than ten Spirit Stones for fertilizer, and his net worth had suddenly shrunk by thirty percent.

While all the plants had grown wildly by a significant margin, such a terrifying consumption was something he couldn't afford; his heart bled with pain.

Ten-plus Spirit Stones could buy a bottle of Great Origin Pill, or even one or two Spirit Talismans or Magic Treasures to save his life in a crisis.

If he could force these plants to mature and see results, that would be one thing, but what depressed Xu Chen was that it was like a drop in the bucket; they were still a long way from maturity.

According to his estimates from the past half-month of fertilizing, he figured it would take thousands of Spirit Stones to make these plants fully mature.

That many Spirit Stones would be enough to force-feed a mortal with decent Spirit Roots all the way to the Golden Core stage.

In an instant, Xu Chen felt the urge to hang himself; even the joy of the Great Elder's successful Spirit Transformation was wiped away.

It is said that when one is poor, one must change; when one changes, one finds a way.

Xu Chen felt that these strange plants had been brought by that pile of Spirit Beast Feces. If he could find more of that feces to use as fertilizer, perhaps the effect would be even better than Spirit Stones.

So, after the Great Elder emerged from seclusion, Xu Chen once again strapped on his basket, picked up his manure shovel, took Xiao Huli, and stepped onto his sword, heading straight for the Spirit Fox Nest in the southeast.

In less than three quarters of an hour, Xu Chen landed on top of the Spirit Fox Nest where he had picked up the Spirit Beast Feces last time.

Returning after two months, his state of mind was no longer the cautious and fearful one of the past.

Although his realm had only increased by a small twenty percent and his strength had only grown slightly, his temperament and confidence were truly not what they used to be.

Now, let alone a First Stage Demon Beast, even if a Second-Tier Beast appeared, he had the confidence to fight it and successfully escape back to the mountain gate.

Therefore, standing on this lush, verdant cliffside, Xu Chen boldly released his Divine Sense to look around. Not sensing the aura of any Spirit Beast Feces, he leaped down from the crevice into the Spirit Fox Nest.

It was empty inside, no different from his last visit, though without a pack of Spirit Foxes living there, there were quite a few more plants.

Scattered within the cave were some bones and rotting fur; they must have belonged to the old fox he had thrown in last time, but it was clear they had been eaten by that Third-Tier Demon Wolf.

He had thought about it later: the terrifying, festering state of the Third-Tier Demon Wolf he saw in Black Wind Ridge was likely because it had been poisoned after eating the old fox, but the Third-Tier Demon Wolf was powerful enough that it hadn't died on the spot.

But why the Third-Tier Demon Wolf had run hundreds of miles away to Black Wind Ridge was something he couldn't fathom; he could only attribute it to a change in the Black Wind Ridge fissure, where perhaps the appearance of Soul Beasts had attracted the nearby Demon Beasts.

"Wu ya~"

Just as Xu Chen landed and was observing the Spirit Fox Nest, Xiao Huli poked its head out from his robes. Seeming to have smelled a very familiar scent, it began to cry out vigorously.

Xu Chen took Xiao Huli out and placed it on the ground, saying, "This used to be your home, but unfortunately, your family is all dead, and like me, you've become an orphan!"

Xiao Huli ran quickly to the bones and fur scattered on the ground, sniffing back and forth, then let out a thin, mournful cry. The whimpering sound made Xu Chen feel uncomfortable, so he stepped forward and gently stroked Xiao Huli's head, saying, "Don't cry. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the same for everyone. If you are sad, I will help you find all your family and bury them together."

So, Xu Chen picked up the scattered bones and fur and put them into his basket, then took Xiao Huli and walked along the passage toward the cave entrance. Along the way, he found some more scattered bones and picked them up one by one. When he reached the entrance, he found that the corpses of the large and small foxes that had littered the ground had all been gnawed by wild beasts and then rotted into dry bones. It was a mess, and a faint, putrid smell floated in the air.

Xiao Huli sniffed among these dry bones, constantly letting out mournful cries.

Xu Chen raised his hand and gave a light wave. The messy bones and fur on the ground, along with the bones in his basket, all flew to a flat grassy area several zhang outside the cave. Then, waving his hand again, his internal energy swept up the rocks and soil from a radius of several zhang, quickly burying all the remains of the Spirit Foxes and piling them into a small burial mound.

Before long, a wooden stake with its bark shaved off was nailed in front of the grave mound, with three characters crookedly carved onto it: Spirit Fox Tomb.

Xu Chen held Xiao Huli in his arms and gently stroked her, saying, "There, at last you are laid to rest in peace; it was not in vain that I protected you so you could survive. When you grow up, if you are willing to return, this place will still be your home, and we can be neighbors."

"Wuya..."

Xiao Huli seemed to understand, vigorously nudging Xu Chen's chest with her head and letting out a low cry, while tears seemed to roll within her pair of clear little eyes.

"Let's go, let's go inside for another walk."

Xu Chen also felt a little sorrowful; he placed Xiao Huli on the ground and turned to walk into the Spirit Fox cave. Xiao Huli stayed in front of the grave mound for a moment, listening to Xu Chen's call, and finally left with great reluctance, looking back as she walked, until she finally followed and disappeared into the cave.