After saying this, Wu Tao sighed with emotion and said, "Speaking of which, in this great tomb of the Soul Summoning Demonic Sect, are the great figures buried here really dead?"
"The longevity blood gu extends life, the ghost ship collects luck, and what comes next, no one knows. This is truly a shocking undertaking..."
...
Plato heard this and sighed bitterly, "Alas, Master, if I had known this great tomb was so dangerous, I wouldn't have brought those junior disciples of the Foundation Establishment stage here."
"It's all my own greed, and I have only myself to blame!"
...
Truly, it was only after stepping into the core depths of this great tomb that Wu Tao truly felt the strangeness that existed there.
Although it seemed no different from the outside, the aura that permeated heaven and earth was fundamentally different!
The aura that filled this place was not only bizarre and abnormal, but also mixed with extremely strong negative energy.
If someone with a weak will were to be here, they would surely lose their will within half a day and become a complete lunatic.
Because in this space, if one could not maintain clarity, they would gradually become cruel, mad, bloodthirsty, desperate, fearful, and finally die in a frenzy!
In addition to this, Wu Tao also felt a heavy, oppressive, and bone-chillingly terrifying aura...
It was as if an unparalleled demonic lord was coveting him, ready to devour him at any moment, making one's hair stand on end!
After pondering for a moment, Wu Tao led Plato towards one of the tomb chambers.
The others who had entered the depths of the great tomb also dispersed, heading towards the tomb chambers they fancied.
...
As Wu Tao and Plato entered this tomb chamber, they were shocked to find that above them, densely packed figures were flying rapidly, as if covering the sky!
These flying behemoths had no trace of feathers on their bodies. Their entire forms seemed to be covered with incomparably tough scales. Their wide wings were like bat wings, and their movements stirred up terrifying forces.
They resembled birds, yet had nine heads, their bodies were enormous, their great claws tore through the sky, and their sharp iron-like scales cut through the air. Their cries shook the heavens.
Especially the nine heads in front, with their gaping mouths revealing menacing fangs, made Wu Tao and Plato's pupils contract.
These flying behemoths were clearly the legendary divine beasts, the Nine Ying.
While Wu Tao and Plato were in great trouble, others were not faring any better.
...
Wu Jian and Wu Jian, upon entering the tomb chamber they had chosen, saw hundreds of colossal bone Buddhas bowing to the Buddha statue in the center!
This bizarre scene forced them to slow their steps, and they became cautious.
However, before they could even make a move, the hundreds of colossal bone Buddhas opened their eyes upon sensing the presence of living beings and attacked them fiercely.
Seeing this, Wu Jian and Wu Jian had no choice but to fight back.
At this moment, the Buddha statue also moved!
Its figure instantly appeared before Wu Jian and Wu Jian, and under an indescribable mental pressure, they were no match for these inhuman beings.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, the Blood Demon Corpse Vine, with combat power comparable to a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, intervened and trapped the most troublesome Buddha statue, giving Wu Jian and Wu Jian the opportunity to defeat them one by one.
...
Mao Changan, Pang Wei, Ji Nian'an, Xiong Tongtian, Ma Nanning, and the remaining hundreds of cultivators from Da Lang Tao Sha, in their chosen tomb chambers, also encountered great trouble.
...
This side!
Wu Tao and Plato, after expending great effort, finally dealt with this group of guarding divine beasts, the Nine Ying.
"Alas, such powerful divine beasts, yet they lacked spiritual intelligence. Perhaps today would have been our end!"
Wu Tao, with a blood-stained face, showed a complex expression and said with a sigh, clutching a severely wounded spot on his chest.
The Nine Ying were a very special kind of divine beast. They possessed divine abilities but did not cultivate Dao arts. They relied solely on instinct, living in a daze. Though seemingly powerful, they were merely beasts.
This was a tragedy, the tragedy of inherent racial deficiency.
...
On the other side, some cultivators were not so lucky.
A cultivator in the late stage of Core Formation killed several demonic beasts in one go.
However, suddenly, a tiny snake, no bigger than a finger, appeared from nowhere and bit the cultivator's neck.
Although the cultivator in the late stage of Core Formation quickly killed the snake, the venom of this type of snake was incurable...
In a short while, the cultivator in the late stage of Core Formation succumbed to the poison, falling to the ground and turning into a pool of blood.
...
Deep within this tomb chamber stood an immortal tree with a trunk over a hundred zhang in diameter, reaching up to the sky and down to the earth, with lush foliage and extremely strong vitality.
This immortal tree had a canopy like a giant umbrella, covering the sky and shading an area of fifty li.
The wood-attribute spiritual energy on the canopy was frighteningly dense, condensing into visible pale green mist, which floated and swirled.
The dense green leaves of the massive canopy, spanning five li, undulated rhythmically.
They fluctuated once every time it took for an incense stick to burn, and each fluctuation created ripples that seemed tangible in the surroundings.
With each fluctuation, the wood-attribute spiritual energy floating on the canopy was absorbed and squeezed towards the center.
With repeated, rhythmic squeezing, the pale green mist gradually thickened, becoming denser and denser, transforming from gas to liquid, undergoing a qualitative change, and condensing into drop after drop of pure green spiritual liquid that dripped straight from the canopy onto the exposed roots of the immortal tree.
As soon as these spiritual liquids fell, they were absorbed into the roots and disappeared.
At the very center of this immortal tree hung a spiritual fruit shaped like an infant.
Wu Tao turned his head and said to Plato, "In the cultivation world, there is a very mysterious spiritual fruit that is passed down, known as 'Cao Hai Dan,' and also called 'Ginseng Fruit'!"
Plato looked at the exceptionally flourishing immortal tree before him, especially the infant-shaped spiritual fruit, with a hint of desire in his eyes.
...
"Master is truly lucky to encounter such a celestial treasure."
Plato said with a peculiar tone.
...
Wu Tao withdrew his gaze from the Ginseng Fruit tree and replied, "Legend has it that the Ginseng Fruit is a spiritual fetus born of heaven and earth, condensing the essence of wood spirit. It can help cultivators in the Core Formation stage enter the Nascent Soul stage."
"What is most important for a Core Formation cultivator advancing to the Nascent Soul stage? It is the shattering of the core and the formation of the Nascent Soul!"
...
Plato's eyes changed, and he asked, "Legend has it that the Ginseng Fruit can directly allow cultivators in the Core Formation stage to bypass the stage of condensing the Nascent Soul and directly advance to the Nascent Soul stage?"
...
Wu Tao snorted upon hearing this and replied unceremoniously, "Stop thinking about such fanciful things. Where is there a spiritual object that can directly achieve the Nascent Soul stage? Even if there were, it wouldn't be the Ginseng Fruit?"
"Actually, the Ginseng Fruit is like a medicinal guide, or a superb auxiliary item."
"Its greatest use is to assist Core Formation cultivators in forming the embryonic form of the Nascent Soul, not to directly achieve the Nascent Soul."
"To successfully condense and enter the Nascent Soul stage, it ultimately depends on the cultivator's own accumulation and foundation."
"Even so, it is recognized, along with things like Dao Embryos and Hua Ling Ren Shen, as an object that can help cultivators condense the Nascent Soul!"
"These Nine Ying were killed by the combined efforts of you and me. Donor Bo, your cultivation is only at the early stage of Core Formation, so this Ginseng Fruit would be of no use to you..."
"How about I give you some other benefits instead? What do you think."
Facing Wu Tao's proposal, Plato smiled and said nothing else. Only in the depths of his eyes, a fierce glint flashed.
Seeing that Plato did not object, Wu Tao walked directly towards the Ginseng Fruit tree, preparing to pluck the Ginseng Fruit from the tree.
However, at this moment, an unexpected event occurred.
Behind Wu Tao, a powerful spiritual energy surged, and a ruler-like magic treasure, with overwhelming momentum, struck towards Wu Tao.
Wu Tao's expression remained unchanged. He slowly turned around and looked at Plato.
He sighed softly and said, "Donor Bo, why must you do this."
From his reaction, it seemed that Wu Tao had already anticipated Plato's actions.
...
"Impossible, how can you be completely unharmed?"
"Damn it, why aren't you dead?"
Looking at Wu Tao, who was not injured at all, Plato's already red eyes were filled with madness.
"Without me, you would never have come here, nor would you have encountered the Ginseng Fruit tree."
Wu Tao's face was calm as he gently spoke, stating a fact as hard as iron.
...
"I know."
"But what of it?"
"To obstruct someone's path is no different from killing their parents. Even if I cannot use the Ginseng Fruit now, I definitely will in the future..."
"So why should I spare you, a pedantic monk?"
Plato said as he attacked Wu Tao wildly, trying to kill him.
...
Wu Tao heard this, shook his head, and his expression finally changed slightly.
...
"Indeed, a good horse is ridden by others, and a kind person is bullied by others. The ancients' words do not deceive me."
Wu Tao silently turned around, and the spiritual power all over his body gradually rose, reaching its peak. That sharp sword energy could no longer be concealed.
...
"Aren't you a monk? How can you have such powerful sword energy? Who are you?"
Plato looked astonished, his eyes filled with disbelief, and he retreated backward in panic.
...
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