Chapter 248: Harvest

Chen Mo followed closely behind the seven-colored strange bird, walking forward step by step; at this moment, they had already penetrated several dozen zhang underground.

The Master of the Blood Sea walked behind him with a guarded expression, staying alert to the surroundings at all times.

After walking another few dozen zhang, Chen Mo frowned slightly; if things had followed the previous pattern, they should have arrived at another underground cavern by now.

However, at this moment, what lay before them was still an extremely narrow mountain path.

Chen Mo turned back to look at the Master of the Blood Sea; she clearly also realized that something was amiss.

Yet neither of them spoke much, continuing to walk forward for another few dozen steps.

As Chen Mo took a step, he suddenly sensed something unusual.

A Yin Wind suddenly blew through the mountain path; this wind was extremely strange, as if it had appeared out of nowhere, without any origin.

The Yin Wind passed through his body, piercing straight through his physical form to blow upon his Divine Soul.

Thousands of Divine Patterns within Chen Mo's body intertwined and flowed, attempting to resist the power of this Yin Wind.

Chen Mo stepped into the palace; at this point, all the trials should have concluded.

Martial Artists open their Shenhai, enabling them to condense Divine Sense within it to increase their own strength.

Chen Mo felt at this moment that as this cold wind blew, the power of his own Divine Sense surged instantly.

Chen Mo could further observe that everything here was able to remain, including the strange bird that guided them here, only because of the power of this palace, which allowed it to persist until now.

However, just as he had stepped into the palace, he felt a momentary trance before his eyes.

And whether it be ordinary people or mortals, the residual Divine Sense power after death will spontaneously take shape.

Only when Divine Sense power takes shape can it ensure the Divine Soul remains between Heaven and Earth.

Chen Mo's physical body surged with Blood Qi, and thousands of Law powers intertwined to resist the power of this Yin Wind.

"Gagaga!" The strange bird flapped its wings and shrieked, striding into the palace.

But immediately after, everything returned to normal, and Chen Mo cast his gaze around the surroundings.

It seems this method of guidance does not harm the physical body, does not stain True Qi, and targets only the Divine Soul.

If the Yin Wind wishes to harm his Divine Sense, it must first pass through his physical body and the Body-Fixing Treasure Furnace.

Chen Mo took a deep breath, quickened his pace, and continued walking forward.

Within Chen Mo's Shenhai, thousands of strands of Divine Sense power surged continuously; facing the external force, the thousands of strands of Divine Sense power coalesced.

Both of them had their own protective means, so they no longer worried about this wind, quickened their pace, and continued walking forward.

And if one wants this White Jade Palace to exist for a long time and resist the Guixu Storm, there is no other way, only one method.

The Master of the Blood Sea likewise possessed a Secret Technique; a mysterious treasure lamp emitting seven-colored divine light had already been taken out by her.

It is perfectly normal for this Yin Wind to blow and disturb a person's Divine Soul.

The palace was vast and majestic, buried deep underground and constructed entirely of white jade.

If not for this, a single gust of clear wind would cause the Divine Soul to dissipate, leaving only the True Spirit in the world.

In just an instant, the strange bird turned into a streak of light and merged into a pillar within the palace.

Ordinary people cannot open their Shenhai, but this does not affect the way their Divine Sense power lingers within the Shenhai.

Only Qi Refiners, by practicing specialized Nascent Soul and Spirit Severing methods, can cause their Divine Sense to condense within the Shenhai.

The further they went, the stronger the Yin Wind became.

This feat is truly worthy of being called quite astonishing; white jade cannot exist within the Return Ruins, so this white jade was brought here from the outside world.

This is also normal, as Fengdu Niangniang is a Great Ability of the Ancient Heaven and Earth and was able to carry a portion of the ancient Netherworld fragments into the Cangxuan World.

This was indeed effective, but it could only offset a portion; countless Yin Winds still blew through his Shenhai.

That is to refine this White Jade Palace into a supreme treasure, ensuring its Dao Patterns are sufficient to withstand the Guixu Storm, so that it may endure forever.

From this, it is also sufficient to see that she must be relatively familiar with the Netherworld.

The reason the Shenhai has the name of a "sea" is because, in a normal state, the Divine Sense power within it is like ocean waves, surging and galloping wantonly within the Shenhai.

The various methods displayed now, whether it be the Red Lotus Karmic Fire or the Judge's Record that appeared earlier, are all more or less related to the methods of the ancient Netherworld.

The fact that this White Jade Palace itself remains here is already an unimaginable treasure.

The Shenhai can also be called the Divine Sea, where Divine Soul power resides.

A Martial Artist's Divine Soul dwells within the Shenhai, and under normal circumstances, it has no gathered form.

After walking for who knows how long, Chen Mo finally arrived before a palace.

In the very center of the palace appeared a mysterious divine pool, which was the size of a palm.

With these two layers of protection for himself, he was able to avoid the damage this Yin Wind could inflict upon him.

It contained the power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation; even though most of its power had been suppressed by the Return Ruins, one could still see that this object was extraordinary.

Thus, even with the Yin Wind blowing, the damage he sustained was almost negligible.

Chen Mo took the opportunity to place his own Divine Sense within the Ding Shen Treasure Furnace.

Reflected by the lamp light, the Yin Wind blowing toward her was all dissolved by the lamp's flame.

"This is the Samsara Pool, and it is the other supreme treasure I intend to take," the Master of the Blood Sea said as she walked forward.

"Be careful, we might be inside some kind of Illusion Realm," Chen Mo frowned slightly and cautioned her carefully.

The Master of the Blood Sea naturally also felt that previous moment of trance; this is something that likely only occurs when entering an Illusion Realm.

It was only because both of their strengths were high enough that they could even sense this point.

She stepped cautiously and reached out her hand to gently probe the Samsara Pool.

As she completely grasped the Samsara Pool in her hand, the Master of the Blood Sea instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

"No need to worry, the Illusion Realm has already been broken. This Illusion Realm should have originally been very complete, but due to the suppression of the Return Ruins,

the power of the Illusion Realm could not be fully utilized; the moment you and I sensed earlier was the entirety of the Illusion Realm's power," the Master of the Blood Sea explained with a smile.

The method of the Illusion Realm captures a person's spirit and is completely different from so-called hallucinations.

Before the Innate Realm, there are also Martial Artists who can use sound combined with certain specially refined secret medicines to make people fall into hallucinations.

But such hallucinations are basically uncontrollable, and at most can only provide guidance in a general direction.

An Illusionary Domain, however, is completely different; it pulls the Martial Artist's Divine Sense into a peculiar illusionary realm.

If a Martial Artist dies within an Illusionary Domain, then even if their Divine Sense does not die along with them, they will still suffer heavy injuries.

An Illusionary Domain is different from a hallucination; to construct an Illusionary Domain and make it function, the power exerted must at least reach the Innate level, or even the Heavenly Human Realm.

Yet within the Return Ruins, these powers are all suppressed, so naturally, they cannot exert any effect.

Chen Mo nodded and turned his gaze to other parts of the palace.

This palace is very vast and towering; the white jade beams and pillars are at least ten-plus zhang high, and the occupied area is more than ten-plus mu.

Except for the front hall before him, Chen Mo looked toward the rear hall, only to see a layer of white, hazy mist covering everything behind it.

He stepped forward, flicked his finger, and the True Qi within his body instantly transformed into an explosion of Inner Qi.

For a Post-Heaven Martial Artist, Inner Qi is sufficient to be projected several zhang without exhaustion; Chen Mo's cultivation at this realm is refined, so the Inner Qi he can project is naturally a step higher.

The Inner Qi left his body for ten zhang and struck the white mist, yet it was like a clay ox entering the sea.

It seems the rear of this palace is temporarily not open, but this is also normal; after all, they do not truly control this secret place, but have only passed the test.

That a portion of the secret place is preserved, requiring them to pass the test again to enter, is also quite normal.

Chen Mo did not attempt to continue stepping inside and turned to search the front hall.

According to what was discussed earlier, besides those two supreme treasures, Chen Mo can take away three treasures from the secret place.

The Compass in his hand counts as one; for the other two, it depends on whether he can find them.

If they are not in the hall, then the Lord of the Blood Sea will likely give him additional compensation.

Because although there are other treasures in this secret place, their value is far from being able to compare to these two supreme treasures.

It can even be said that Fengdu Niangniang left this White Jade Palace here precisely to preserve these two supreme treasures.

As for the other treasures in the secret place, they can only be considered incidental.

Chen Mo searched carefully within this palace; the hall is vast, and there is no obstruction within it, so searching for treasures does not require much effort and can be seen quite easily.

Meanwhile, the Lord of the Blood Sea is currently refining the two supreme treasures just obtained.

The power of these two treasures is suppressed, and with the White Jade Palace acting as protection, their spirituality has not been lost.

Admittedly, there is no true intelligence within these two supreme treasures, but the spirituality within them is enough to exert wonderful effects.

If all goes well, the Lord of the Blood Sea should be able to complete the initial refinement.

Chen Mo searched in the palace and soon found a bottle of pills.

This pill is mysterious and special, sealed within a Purple Jade Bottle.

Even after experiencing who knows how many Guixu Storms, its own wonderful effects have not been lost.

Pills are different from Martial Artists or weapons; pills themselves have no power to attack or kill, nor can they exert power.

Only after being swallowed by a Martial Artist can their wonderful effects be exerted.

Of course, if a pill develops intelligence, then it is no longer a pill, but a living being, and it would likewise be suppressed by the Return Ruins.

Chen Mo's Inner Qi circulated, refining this Jade Bottle.

This treasure bottle recorded the information of this pill; this pill is named Nine Treasures Lotus Heart Pill.

When a Martial Artist swallows it, it can greatly increase their own comprehension.

Not only that, after swallowing this pill, the Martial Artist will perceive the Heaven and Earth Myriad Phenomena Laws more clearly.

Going on to comprehend and master the laws becomes increasingly easy; this pill can be said to be an absolute top-grade item.

According to the grading of the Ancient Heaven and Earth, this pill is in the ninth grade, second only to those divine pills and holy medicines that transcend the grades.

This pill is also of considerable help to Martial Artists; whether it is an Innate Martial Artist or a Master Martial Artist, swallowing it can be of great help.

Increasing comprehension is an opportunity that can be met but not sought, especially since it can also increase a Martial Artist's perception of Heavenly Laws, making this pill even more precious.

If Chen Mo is to cultivate in the future, comprehending Heavenly Laws is an indispensable matter; obtaining this pill can make his cultivation speed faster.

Without hesitation or doubt, he didn't even plan to look at other treasures here.

Chen Mo immediately intended to take this pill into his hands to provide for his own future cultivation.

Taking this pill, he continued to check for other treasures in the palace.

Apart from this pill, he actually has no way to conduct a very detailed check of the other treasures in the palace.

Refining them one by one is too time-consuming; unless they contain spirituality, refining treasures here with the strength of the Post-Heaven Realm would take centuries.

And if he encounters a treasure with spirituality, then there is no need to hesitate; just take it away directly.

Such treasures are at least eighth-grade at the lowest, and in all likelihood, they are ninth-grade or true Heavenly Spirit Treasures.

Chen Mo's movements were not slow, mainly because there were not many treasures to choose from in this hall.

In fact, given the quality of the treasures in this hall, no matter which one he gets, he won't be at a loss.

It's just that even if he wants to use it himself, he should still choose carefully, preferably one that can exert its maximum power as soon as he gets it.

Chen Mo searched carefully, and before long, he truly found a treasure.

This treasure is a gourd; the gourd is cyan throughout, and the material is like warm, soft jade. It is about half a foot in size and feels quite handy in the hand.

Inside the Treasure Gourd, there are many pill-like pellets.

These are not pills for a Martial Artist to swallow, but Sword Pellets.

The quality of each Sword Pellet can be called extremely high; even if placed out individually, it is a rare treasure.

However, by mastering this Treasure Gourd, one can master the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Sword Pellets within the gourd.

The Sword Pellets can be projected to face enemies, scattering a sky full of sword rain.

They can form a sword array to track and trap enemies.

They can even transform the sword into a dragon, allowing the Martial Artist to ride it and soar.

This treasure serves both for travel and combat, and the method of the Flying Sword, even if one has only just glimpsed the path, can take a life from a thousand miles away.

If Chen Mo were to master this gourd, let alone a thousand miles, taking a life from tens of thousands of miles away would be but a single thought.

The cultivation method he practices is not suited for long-range combat, but rather excels at close-quarters fighting.

Furthermore, Chen Mo's physical body is sturdy, and he can be called invincible within the same realm; ordinary means can hardly injure him.

There is no need to worry about defensive items.

The Sword Pellet within this gourd can serve as a supplement to his combat methods.

Moreover, the best defense is offense; if Chen Mo were to have this Sword Pellet form a sword array to protect his entire body.

If an opponent wished to enter the array, they would first have to suffer its shredding, and how could that not be considered a means of self-defense?

Besides, the grade of this treasure itself is not low, so taking it into his hands is definitely not a loss.

As for the Compass obtained earlier, it can release Red Lotus Karmic Fire; this point alone is enough for Chen Mo to keep it.

This treasure is truly worthy of being called quite extraordinary.

However, under the current circumstances, Chen Mo has no way to unlock the power of this supreme treasure and can only temporarily keep it in his hands, waiting to refine it later.

Having selected the treasures for his own use, Chen Mo stopped doing anything else and waited quietly on the side for the Master of the Blood Sea to refine the Judge's Record and the Samsara Pool.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and the Master of the Blood Sea finally opened her eyes slowly; she had initially refined and mastered these two treasures.

"I have basically mastered these treasures; we can leave this secret place," the Master of the Blood Sea smiled and said.

"What about after we leave? Can we return directly to the vicinity of Wanren City?" Chen Mo asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, there is a Teleportation Array in this palace that can send you and me back to the place we came from," the Master of the Blood Sea replied.

The Judge's Record and the Samsara Pool are not only two supreme treasures that transcend their grades, but they also have a certain connection to this palace itself.

Once the Master of the Blood Sea masters them, in a certain sense, she can master a portion of the palace's permissions.

"There are only two trials in this secret place, and this time we have only completed the first one.

Theoretically, coming back next time would require greater strength, but within the Return Ruins secret place, even if we had the strength, we could not exert it.

I will ask my sister later to see if she has any way for you and me to proceed to the second trial," the Master of the Blood Sea added.

They had passed the secret place trial, and it seemed they had taken quite a few things.

In reality, there were still many supreme treasures that could not be taken; for instance, this White Jade Palace requires completing two trials before it can be taken away.

There might be other treasures behind the palace, but they are currently unable to set foot there.

And under the current circumstances, due to the suppression of the Return Ruins, it is still unknown whether they can proceed to the second trial.

"If it is possible to proceed to the second trial, just notify me when you return," Chen Mo smiled.

His gains this time can be said to be quite substantial; the difficulty of this trial is considered high for others.

But for him, it really could not be called a problem.

Of course, Chen Mo also understood that this was because they were within the Return Ruins.

If there were no such rules and restrictions here, then even with his own strength, passing the trial would by no means be an easy task.

He would inevitably have to make full preparations and might even need to invite a few fellow practitioners to come along.

Instead of being able to break through smoothly like this.

"Good," the Master of the Blood Sea nodded, stood up, and scavenged the remaining treasures in the front hall.

After finishing all this, the two of them set off to leave.

(End of this chapter)