Chapter 253: Chapter 168: Long-toothed Burrow
This was a vast and pitch-black cavern.
Even at its lowest point, the ceiling was hundreds of feet high, while the width fluctuated around half a kilometer, occasionally expanding to several kilometers across. The ceiling was covered in jagged stalactites, all snow-white, long, and sharp, like the fangs of a Demon Beast. They were coated in a thick layer of glowing fungus moss.
In the faint glow, Lü Zhong could make out the ground beneath his feet.
He was standing on a patch of damp sand. Unlike ordinary sand, it was extremely coarse and a ghastly pale white, emitting a cold, sinister aura.
"Nightlight Sand."
Lü Zhong recognized the sand’s origin. It was a byproduct of a Demon Beast called the Green-striped Spirit Bat. Nightlight Sand could be used to fertilize Spirit Fields and also had some medicinal value, so it sold for about five talismanic coins per pound.
Looking around, he saw the ground was entirely covered in this Spiritual Sand.
Back in his Qi Refining Stage, he would have started collecting this Spiritual Sand without a second thought. But now that he was in the Foundation Establishment Stage, he couldn’t be bothered with such paltry gains. After all, the Spirit Stones he’d get from painstakingly shoveling thousands of pounds of it wouldn’t even equal the profit from creating a single Flying Talisman.
After finalizing his Spirit Contract with Liuu Piaoniang, he had come here seeking a Core Formation Spiritual Object that could increase his chances of achieving Core Formation. This place, located in the middle region of the Chenyuan Palace Secret Realm, was marked on his map as the "Long-toothed Burrow."
It was said that a type of Spiritual Milk could be found in the burrow.
Although this Spiritual Milk’s efficacy couldn’t compare to the ultimate treasure, the Golden Core Pill, its effect was similar to the Fire-Bound Golden Flower the Tan Family once possessed. It could increase the chance of successful Core Formation by ten percent, making it worth at least a hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
’Is there really such a Spiritual Object here?’
Lü Zhong couldn’t help but feel skeptical.
He had kept his Divine Sense spread out the entire way here.
But aside from a hundred or so Green-striped Spirit Bats hiding among the stalactites, he had found nothing. He hadn’t even seen a single stalk of Spirit Medicine—only an endless expanse of stone.
This wasn’t the first place he’d tried. The situation had been similar in the eight other locations he’d visited. Either the Spiritual Objects had already been taken, or the place was a bust, just like the Long-toothed Burrow. He’d come up completely empty-handed.
On the other hand, he had managed to acquire three Storage Bags while traveling between locations.
Though they didn’t contain much, it was enough to soothe his wounded pride.
Seeing little point in exploring further, Lü Zhong decided to cut his losses.
The Chenyuan Palace Secret Realm would only remain open for three more days, after which everyone would be teleported out. Since his plan to find a Core Formation Spiritual Object had failed, he figured he might as well use the remaining time to tour some areas known for Spirit Medicine. Who knew, he might find an unexpected surprise.
He stopped, turned, and began walking toward the burrow’s entrance.
Gazing up at the specks of white light from the fungus moss, which formed a scene like a starry night sky or a galaxy suspended overhead, Lü Zhong realized he had been so preoccupied with searching for the Spiritual Milk that he had completely ignored the magnificent view.
Now that he was truly looking, he saw it was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.
"Getting to see this with my own eyes makes this trip to the Long-toothed Burrow worthwhile after all!" Lü Zhong mused, admiring the view as he walked.
As his perspective shifted, the view changed with it.
Before he knew it, the starlight began to dim, meaning he was approaching the burrow’s exit.
Suddenly, Lü Zhong’s expression shifted.
He quickly channeled his Magic Skill and darted behind a large boulder.
At almost the same moment, three figures wreathed in Spiritual Light flew in from the distance in a triangular formation and shot straight into the Long-toothed Burrow. They consisted of a white-haired old Daoist, a slender young man, and a cold, beautiful Daoist Nun, all dressed in the robes of Huayi Temple.
They circled the entrance for a moment before flying deeper into the cavern.
’Strange. It’s a dead end in there. What are they going in for?’
Lü Zhong’s eyes darted, and he decided to follow them to see what was going on.
He wasn’t afraid they would turn on him.
The fleeting glance he’d gotten was enough. By using the Gray Mist Space’s scene-replay ability, he had clearly assessed the cultivation of the three Huayi Temple cultivators. The white-haired old Daoist had the highest cultivation; the other two were merely in the Early-stage of Foundation Establishment.
If a conflict broke out, Lü Zhong was confident he could escape.
He immediately suppressed his aura even more thoroughly and crept deeper into the cavern.
...
At the far end of the Long-toothed Burrow.
"Senior Brother Lian Zhen, how are we supposed to get in?"
The Huayi Temple cultivators who had just flown in were now standing before a solid rock wall. The young Daoist and the Daoist Nun stared at the wall, which was scarred by blades and blackened by fire, and asked their question in confusion.
They had come here on orders, specifically to harvest a Spiritual Object, but now they were blocked.
As for this rock wall, plenty of other cultivators had surely grown suspicious of it before them. Some had attacked it with Magical Artifacts, others had scorched it with Magic Skills, and one had even dug a hole a dozen feet deep into it. All their attempts had only proven one thing: it was just an ordinary rock wall.
What Spiritual Object could possibly be here!
"This is your first time here, so of course you wouldn’t know. The Spiritual Object is inside the *real* Long-toothed Burrow," the white-haired old Daoist said, stroking his beard. "To get in, you need a disciple’s Identity Token from the ancient Medicine King Immortal Sect—the Black Muzhu. Watch closely!" With that, he produced a black bead.
The moment the Spiritual Artifact, the Black Muzhu, appeared, the rock wall immediately began to change.
Ripples like those on water spread across its surface, and it began to emit a faint Spiritual Light.
"No time to waste! Let’s go in now!" The white-haired old Daoist went first. The other two quickly recovered from their surprise and leaped into the rippling wall behind him.
In the distance, Lü Zhong’s eyes glinted as he caught the scent of a rich, sweet fragrance that suddenly filled the air.
