Chapter 35

At this moment, this Xiaoyao Sect white-clad disciple, who looked submissive and somewhat dull, was none other than Du Yucheng, who had brutally killed his former companion cultivators in this monster beast cave several months ago.

It was just that at this time, in front of several Foundation Establishment seniors, his face had changed back to his characteristic honest and simple appearance. His eyes turned around on the several Foundation Establishment cultivators from time to time, and one could not see at all the trace of ferocity he had when he killed Wu Ziyuan back then.

After Du Yucheng escaped the pool that day, he did not return to Qinghe County, but walked thousands of miles to the Xiaoyao Sect's mountain gate, Mount Taiyuan, and directly offered the news of this Water Spirit Fruit tree to the Xiaoyao Sect.

However, in order not to attract attention, he did not mention the fact that the Liu family had organized several families in Qinghe County to come here to hunt the monster beast, only claiming that he had accidentally stumbled into this pool and discovered the existence of this Water Spirit Fruit tree and the Black-Feathered Python.

A Water Spirit Fruit tree was also a spiritual item that could affect the foundation of the sect for the Xiaoyao Sect, and its value was not low. The news brought by Du Yucheng even alarmed the Xiaoyao Sect's General Affairs Sect Master, True Person Daoist Guangling.

After True Person Daoist Guangling learned of this matter, he sent sect disciples led by Tian Qinghu that very day, and with Du Yucheng, they came to this pool again.

This time, not only were they coming to slay the Black-Feathered Python entrenched here, but the Xiaoyao Sect also sent a second-tier mid-quality spiritual plant master, wanting to directly transplant this Water Spirit Fruit tree to the Xiaoyao Sect's spiritual medicine garden.

Among the Five Elements spiritual fruit trees planted in the entire Xiaoyao Sect's spiritual medicine garden, there were only a dozen or so that were a thousand years old and could bear fruit. Being able to find a wild, mature Five Elements spiritual fruit tree in the wild was also an unexpected surprise for the Xiaoyao Sect.

Five Elements spiritual fruit trees normally only start to bear fruit when they reach a thousand years of age, and generally mature one spiritual fruit every hundred years. If planted in high-tier spiritual land, plus the careful care of high-tier spiritual plant masters, the maturation time of the fruit could also be shortened.

It was precisely by firmly controlling the two main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills—Five Elements spiritual fruit and Jade Marrow Golden Ganoderma—that the Xiaoyao Sect had dominated the State of Wei's cultivation world for thousands of years.

After Du Yucheng arrived at the Xiaoyao Sect, he used this Water Spirit Fruit tree to not only successfully join the Xiaoyao Sect and become an inner-sect disciple, but also received a reward of several hundred spirit stones. True Person Daoist Guangling also promised him that as long as he could cultivate to the ninth layer of Qi Refining before the age of sixty, he could provide him with a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Although in True Person Daoist Guangling's view, Du Yucheng's talent was average, and even if he joined the Xiaoyao Sect and could obtain more cultivation resources, cultivating to the ninth layer of Qi Refining before the age of sixty was not an easy task. Promising him a Foundation Establishment Pill was also a matter for decades later, and there was a high probability that Du Yucheng would not be able to get it.

Spending a few hundred spirit stones and adding one insignificant disciple to exchange for a Five Elements spiritual fruit tree was simply a highly profitable business for the Xiaoyao Sect.

Under the careful arrangement of True Person Daoist Guangling, the Xiaoyao Sect's mission to the Fuyun Mountain Range took place.

This time, for the sake of this Water Spirit Fruit tree, the Xiaoyao Sect not only sent Tian Qinghu, who was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, but also the core disciple Li Yungong, whose combat power was equivalent to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, plus Cheng Ziyan at the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment and Wei Shaoyun at the second layer of Foundation Establishment.

With the four of them together, as long as they didn't encounter a third-tier monster beast or a Golden Core powerhouse, this mission could be said to be foolproof, which was enough to show the importance the Xiaoyao Sect attached to this Water Spirit Fruit tree.

Tian Qinghu sensed the fluctuation of spiritual power in the cave and said with a smile: "There is indeed a second-tier water vein here. No wonder it could give birth to a spiritual item like a Water Spirit Fruit tree."

Apart from the Qi Refining cultivator Du Yucheng, the others nodded after hearing this. They were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, and when they just entered the cave, they had already felt the spiritual energy surging from the spiritual vein at the bottom of the water.

Led by Du Yucheng, the group of five soon arrived deep in the cave and saw the target of their mission this time: the Water Spirit Fruit tree.

Having not seen it for several months, the Water Spirit Fruit tree, shining with blue spiritual fruit, was still as gorgeous as ever. Seeing that the Water Spirit Fruit tree was safe and sound, the heart that Du Yucheng had been hanging finally settled down.

He clearly knew that from the moment he returned to the Fuyun Mountain Range from the Xiaoyao Sect, his fate had always been in the hands of the Xiaoyao Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators before him. If he hadn't been able to lead them to successfully find the Water Spirit Fruit tree when they arrived here, he would likely have become one of the white bones outside in the next moment.

"Haha, it really is a mature Water Spirit Fruit tree. As long as we can successfully bring this spiritual fruit tree back, Uncle-Master Daoist Guangling will definitely reward us well after we return."

Tian Qinghu looked at the blue-glowing Water Spirit Fruit tree before him and continued to ask Cheng Ziyan beside him with a full face of smiles: "Junior Sister Cheng, take a look at this Water Spirit Fruit tree. Are there any other problems? Can it be transplanted now?"

Cheng Ziyan stepped forward, looked at the Water Spirit Fruit tree carefully, and said to the crowd with a frown:

"This Water Spirit Fruit tree is already five feet tall, and its tree age is probably already two thousand years. A spiritual fruit on the tree seems to have just matured not long ago. I don't know where it went. The other spiritual fruits still need nearly a hundred years to mature. It can be transplanted at any time now."

"Junior Nephew Du, when you discovered this tree, did you ever see that mature Water Spirit Fruit?" Tian Qinghu's expression changed, and he asked Du Yucheng behind him with a somewhat gloomy look.

Upon hearing this, Du Yucheng immediately felt somewhat panicked in his heart and hurriedly knelt on the ground to explain: "When the disciple accidentally stumbled into this place by chance that day, I did not see the mature spiritual fruit. That Black-Feathered Python guarded this place day and night. With the disciple's such low cultivation, how could I have stolen the spiritual fruit under its nose? If the several Senior Uncles and Aunts do not believe me, you can search the disciple's storage bag."

After Du Yucheng finished speaking, he also quickly poured out all the items in his storage bag in one go. The spirit stones and miscellaneous items all over the floor of the storage bag instantly clattered non-stop.

Cheng Ziyan glanced at Du Yucheng's storage bag and confirmed that there was indeed no Water Spirit Fruit on him. Seeing that he was so scared all of a sudden, she said with some pity:

"Tian Zhong, that mature Water Spirit Fruit must have already been swallowed by that Black-Feathered Python. That Black-Feathered Python has been cultivating in this place for many years and must also have come for this spiritual fruit."

"Just by the look of how timid this kid is, how would he dare to steal food from the mouth of a Black-Feathered Python? Even if you gave him two guts, he wouldn't dare to deceive us." Li Yungong glanced at Du Yucheng kneeling on the ground and said with some disgust.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Wei beside them also echoed: "Senior Sister Cheng is probably right. It's just a pity that we couldn't get that mature Water Spirit Fruit. If we could have had one more Water Spirit Fruit, the sect would definitely have given more rewards for this mission. We can only say that perhaps our luck wasn't that good this time. Fortunately, the Water Spirit Fruit tree is already in hand, which can be considered completing the mission." After speaking, he also sighed with some regret.

Tian Qinghu nodded thoughtfully after hearing what the others said and said faintly to Du Yucheng on the ground:

"Junior Nephew Du, what are you doing? I was just asking casually. This time you have performed a great service for the sect. Uncle-Master Daoist Guangling also gave me instructions to take good care of you along the way. Get up quickly. What kind of decorum is it to kneel on the ground?"

Upon hearing this, Du Yucheng stood up somewhat dully, still somewhat afraid, and stood aside at a loss, until Cheng Ziyan beside him pointed to the ground, and he started to pack up the items that had fallen on the ground with a silly smile.

Tian Qinghu's expression finally eased slightly after hearing what Cheng Ziyan and the other said, and he said to Cheng Ziyan with a smile: "Junior Sister Cheng, next, the transplanting of the Water Spirit Fruit tree will be hard work for you, a second-tier spiritual plant master."

"Tian Zhong is too polite. It is a matter within the sect; how would I dare to say the word 'hard work'."

After Cheng Ziyan finished speaking, she nodded. She first took out a set of second-tier magic formations to seal the spiritual energy at the roots of the Water Spirit Fruit tree, then released a second-tier magic tool unique to spiritual plant masters, carefully dug the entire Water Spirit Fruit tree out from the ground, and carefully sealed the entire fruit tree temporarily with second-tier spirit talismans.

The group carefully brought the Water Spirit Fruit tree and left the cave. After the five of them exited the pool, Tian Qinghu patted his storage bag and released a three-inch-sized green small boat. The spirit boat grew with the wind and instantly reached two zhang in size. Tian Qinghu stepped onto the spirit boat with the tip of his toes.

The rest of the group followed one after another onto the spirit boat. Tian Qinghu cast a magic formula with both hands, and the spirit boat instantly transformed into a streak of green light, flying a hundred zhang away in an instant.

(End of chapter)