Chapter 566: Nine‑Underworld Crystal

After leaving the cave dwelling, Yan Buji began searching for resources nearby.

"Hmm?"

Yan Buji fell into a wasteland, saw a peculiar Spiritual Material growing on the ground, drove away the nether beast guarding it, and examined it closely.

"This is... Rongxin Grass? How can the Youming Jie have such a Spiritual Material?" Yan Buji was somewhat curious; this Rongxin Grass was a Spiritual Material from ancient times, and Yan Buji had seen it in some ancient texts.

Although it is a second‑stage Spiritual Material, it serves as the main ingredient for forging a pill called 'Hundred Tribulation Demon‑Crossing Pill'; this fifth‑stage elixir is specifically used to suppress cultivators who inadvertently fall into demonic fire during practice, and it is also a pill highly prized by some corrupt cultivators.

However, because Rongxin Grass became extinct in ancient times, the Hundred Tribulation Demon‑Crossing Pill can no longer be forged and was replaced by other pills in history.

Yan Buji thought for a moment, took an ancient text from the Storage Accumulation Device, and compared it carefully.

"It really is Rongxin Grass?!" Yan Buji's eyes lit up.

The Hundred Tribulation Demon‑Crossing Pill is also a rather formidable elixir; although its pill poison is severe, it can suppress the demonic fire state, showing just how powerful this pill is.

Yan Buji carefully cleared the soil, pulled the plant from the ground, and sealed it in a wooden box; Rongxin Grass cannot be placed in containers like jade, and fortunately he had inspected it beforehand, lest it be wasted.

As an Alchemist, Yan Buji has a dedicated storage bag for Spiritual Materials; the ingredients for alchemy and artifact forging are kept separate.

Especially when he searches for Spiritual Materials himself, his stock of various containers, besides being obtained through daily raids and theft, has also been purchased in large quantities when passing through many cultivation markets, so he is not short of means to store Spiritual Materials.

Except that some more special Spiritual Materials require specially made containers.

For example, Shocking Wave Fire; the Spiritual Fire of heaven and earth can also be considered a Spiritual Material, and its grade is quite high, requiring special means to contain it.

During his continuous search, Yan Buji not only discovered some Spiritual Materials that only existed in ancient times in the wasteland, but also came across some unfamiliar Spiritual Materials.

This put Yan Buji in a dilemma; he had to pack them very carefully for fear that these Spiritual Materials would be destroyed.

"The Spiritual Materials have increased, huh? When I first came, this place should have been barren, with hardly any at all."

Yan Buji wasn't quite sure; perhaps it is due to the Youming Jie soon merging into one?

It's like a broken mirror being restored; fragments can only show partial reflections, but a whole mirror can reveal the original image, which is easy to understand.

Yan Buji searched for Spiritual Materials while scanning the surroundings.

Powerful nether beasts also multiplied; Yan Buji sensed a formidable nether beast ahead and flew over to investigate.

In a valley, the previously barren region suddenly sprouted countless luminous mushrooms, each growing huge—some even over ten meters tall.

A nether beast resembling a lizard lounged on a massive luminous mushroom.

"That is..."

Yan Buji's spiritual sense swept the area and noticed something hidden beneath the lizard, but because the lizard's massive body concealed its aura, he could not judge.

At that moment, the lizard also noticed Yan Buji's arrival, flicked out its forked tongue, and stared warily at him in mid‑air!

Whoosh!

Hmm?!

Yan Buji turned his head, thrust his hand forward, and suddenly seized an invisible stream of qi!

As Yan Buji employed Immortal Essence, the invisible stream gradually took on color, turning out to be a poisonous snake!

The poisonous snake writhed continuously, then exploded suddenly!

Yan Buji was blasted, feeling a bit dizzy, but only for a moment before the lizard nether beast suddenly vanished.

"Is it here? Interesting..."

It was Yan Buji's first time seeing a nether beast that could manipulate a living creature; this differs from a pack leader, and the poisonous snake seemed more like a symbiotic nether beast.

Sensing the lizard nether beast's aura, Yan Buji activated Blood Heaven Ascension Degree, causing Immortal Essence to erupt around him, like a shocking wave sweeping all directions!

"Ssss!!" The lizard nether beast, made visible in midair by Yan Buji's aura, kept spitting out spines and stared at him warily.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Several more invisible poisonous snakes surged from all directions; Yan Buji's Immortal Essence shifted, instantly unleashing a wave of Immortal Essence that flooded the surrounding space!

Those poisonous snakes were naturally destroyed by the force Yan Buji released.

Then, Yan Buji activated Instant Shadow Step, rushed forward, and punched at the lizard!

Bang!

The lizard clearly hadn't reacted, and Yan Buji's strike directly invoked Martial Dao Dao Mark, turning the lizard into a cloud of blood mist in midair!

"Just like that."

Yan Buji chuckled; although this nether beast possessed Nascent Soul strength, it was actually average.

However, watching the blood mist suddenly coalesce and revert to a lizard that then fled far away, Yan Buji stood stunned.

"Does it still have resurrection ability?"

Yan Buji's face darkened; he had indeed underestimated it.

But it doesn't matter.

It's just a mere Nascent Soul nether beast; letting it escape does no harm.

Yan Buji entered the luminous mushroom forest, returned to the spot where the lizard had lain, and picked up a pale‑yellow crystal from atop a mushroom.

He couldn't help but smile, saying, "So it's a Nine‑Underworld Crystal?"

This is a great find; although his Earth Fiend Divine Ability Wall‑Opening has been cultivated, attaining the 'Later Earth Body' qualification requires gathering Nine‑Underworld Soil, which is a long‑term project he hasn't had time to use Wall‑Opening mining for, yet he unexpectedly discovered a Nine‑Underworld Crystal here.

The Nine‑Underworld Crystal can be understood as an advanced Spiritual Material of Nine‑Underworld Soil; combined with the Wall‑Opening Divine Ability, it can forge a Later Earth Body!

But...

Yan Buji is unsure whether using the Wall‑Opening Divine Ability to cultivate a Later Earth Body would affect his mortal body, since he practices Martial and Law Dual Cultivation.

"But a single Nine‑Underworld Crystal isn't enough for me to forge a Later Earth Body, unless I can find more..."

Yan Buji was pondering, intending to search nearby, when he suddenly sensed several powerful auras approaching from not far away.

Hmm?!

He fixed his gaze, eyes widening.

He saw that the lizard from earlier had returned with a large group of lizards, glaring at him ferociously.

Yan Buji felt a stir in his heart.

"Since there are so many lizards, perhaps their territory also contains Nine Nether Crystals…."

Yan Buji's eyes lit up, but after detecting a terrifying aura among the lizards, Yan Buji immediately performed the Instant Movement Technique to flee far away.

Among the lizards, an earth‑colored one hissed, and all the lizards chased after Yan Buji's direction.

And Yan Buji began to wage guerrilla warfare against this band of lizards in the area, not confronting them head‑on, because the one that looked like the leader lizard seemed to be a Transformative Spirit‑stage nether beast!