Chapter 231: Chapter 229: Raging Fire, Charred Wood _1
Translator: 549690339
The Demonic Vine extended a light gray tendril towards Lu Xuan, bobbing its head in a surprisingly human-like manner.
“Good, lead the way.”
With a plant stimulating such interest in a Five-Grade Demon Vine, it surely wasn’t an ordinary spiritual seed. Coupled with the vine’s keen perception of spiritual seeds, Lu Xuan did not hesitate to let it lead the way.
Every once in a while, the beasts in the Blessed Land would be cleared. All those entering the Blessed Land were from the same sect, with Golden Core Real People monitoring the land from behind, so the chances of encountering danger were negligible.
A moment later, he arrived at the innermost part of the Medicine Garden. On a large stone wall, there was a small door etched with complicated runes.
The light grey vine tendril pointed towards the small door, undulating with excitement.
Lu Xuan walked up to the door. The runes on the door were only a few simple prohibitions. A jade seal expanded until it was the same size as the door, and with great force, slammed down.
On the door, the runes flashed, struggling to resist the violent intrusion of the Fengyue Yuyin.
In an instant, the door shattered into more than a dozen pieces.
Lu Xuan held the Purple Lightning Sword in one hand and the fourth-grade Roaring Sea Sword Charm in the other, gradually immersing himself within.
Guided by the Demonic Vine Seedling, he took several turns and pushed open a heavy stone door.
A wave of intense heat hit him, revealing a world of fire.
The ground was covered in flat, neat, red stone slabs. The walls were built of fiery red Spirit Wood. Countless firebirds of varying shapes were fluttering in the air. As their fiery wings flapped, tiny sparks fell from the air, blending into the red slabs on the ground.
At the top of the palace, a giant cloud of fire weaved over and over, enveloping the entire palace.
Within the sea of clouds, the phantom of a fiery red pair of phoenixes intermittently appeared and disappeared. Faint golden patterns marked their crimson wings with red flames coiling around.
Lu Xuan’s sharp eyes spotted a charred piece of wood floating amidst the fire cloud. Under the backdrop of the phoenix pair, it was not particularly noticeable.
However, the phantom phoenix pair stayed within a certain range of the charred wood.
“This must be the high-grade spiritual seed the Demonic Vine Seedling detected.”
Feeling the impatience of the Demonic Vine Seedling in his sleeve, eager to come out, Lu Xuan could almost be certain that the charred wood was the highgrade spiritual seed it had sensed.
Nevertheless, Lu Xuan had no intention of revealing it. He glanced across the palace where three fellow cultivators were looking at him with some surprise.
Among the three, one was handsome and charismatic, holding a bizarrely shaped flying sword. The sword was slender and numerous, with dozens of thinner swords piled up from bottom up, looking like a peacock’s fan display at first glance.
Another cultivator was a woman, dressed in an elegant robe radiating an air of grace.
The last one looked quite ordinary, but his eyes were sharply focused, like a sword ready to strike.
Among the three, the ordinary-looking youth was at the Foundation Establishment First-term cultivation base, while the other two were at the Foundation Establishment Mid-term cultivation base.
“Greetings to the three seniors, I am Lu Xuan.”
“I hope my sudden intrusion didn’t cause any trouble?”
Lu Xuan, used to keeping a low profile, had never met these three before; he greeted them respectfully.
His eyes unintentionally glanced at the strange flying sword in the hands of the handsome youth, instantly recalling from his time at the market, the sword called Sword Peacock held by an Inner Sect Female Disciple found in the Secret Land.
“Welcome, Junior Brother Lu. We also haven’t been in this palace for long, so there’s no question of being troubled.”
The handsome youth said with a congenial smile, bestowing on Lu a sense of warmth.
“I apologize for my indiscretion, but could Junior Brother Lu enlighten us on how he gained entry into this palace?”
The dignified woman asked. The three of them, in order to gain entry into the palace, had made extensive preparations and expended considerable time and treasures to break through various prohibitions set by the sect. They were successful only after surmounting these obstacles.
However, Lu Xuan, who has cultivation base of first-term Foundation Establishment, was noticed to have recently advanced in rank. As such, she was very intrigued as to how he managed to infiltrate the palace.
“I had initially planned to gather some Strange Ghost Vine in the Medicine Garden but accidentally found myself further within it and came across a small door.”
“There was a not-so-complex prohibition on the small door. It took me several attempts to break through it. Somehow, I ended up in this palace and crossed paths with the three Senior Brothers and Sisters.”
Lu Xuan vaguely offered a half-truth, half-lie explanation.
He could not possibly admit that he had arrived here guided by a newly born mutated Spiritual Plant Seedling.
On hearing this, the three of them were rendered speechless.
They had tried so hard, wracking their brains to enter the palace, only to find out that there was such a shortcut in the Medicine Garden that allowed easy entry.
“Junior Brother Lu is truly lucky, we admire you greatly.”
The handsome young man laughed and commented.
“Senior Brother is too kind.”
“Do the Senior Brothers know anything about the pair of fire phoenixes in the sea of clouds above? Could you enlighten me?”
Lu Xuan pretended not to have noticed the anomaly of the charred wood amid the fierce fire and asked out of curiosity.
“Those two fire phoenixes are exceptionally rare Demon Beast spirits, and there are plenty of high-grade fire-system ores and Spiritwood in the palace. If Junior Brother is interested, he can gather more and make a good exchange after leaving the Blessed Land.”
“I see.”
Lu Xuan nodded, indicating his understanding.
The three of them shared a glance, a flicker of joy in their eyes.
While Lu Xuan, with his first-term Foundation Establishment cultivation, posed no actual threat to their treasure hunting, they feared the off chance that he might stumble upon that charred wood by a stroke of luck. As such, the less Lu Xuan knew, the more advantageous it was for them.
“Since Junior Brother unintentionally entered this place, he should strive to reap some benefits.”
“I’m just an ordinary Spirit Plant Master with average cultivation, not very good at fighting. I hope the three Senior Brothers and Sisters will show mercy, so I can at least get some leftovers.”
Lu Xuan said sincerely.
“Ha-ha, Junior Brother Lu is being too modest.”
“The treasures are for the destined ones. Although Junior Brother may be slightly weaker in cultivation, he might be favored by the treasures and get a serendipitous opportunity!”
The handsome young man laughed loudly when he saw Lu Xuan feigning weakness.
The other two, with smiles at the corners of their mouths, felt reassured after realizing Lu Xuan was even weaker in cultivation than the weakest among them, the ordinary young man.
Instantaneously, the peacock sword in the young man’s hand fully spread its wings, releasing endless sword intent. A crescent moon appeared behind the dignified lady, emitting a chilling gleam as it danced around her. In the ordinary young man cultivator’s hands, a large black sword glowed with intricate patterns of deep, mysterious energy, punctuated by occasional flashes of dark light.
“Chirp, chirp!”
Feeling the threatening hostility from below, the pair of fire phoenixes in the fiery cloud let out clear calls that echoed throughout the Great Hall. In mid-air, the flames on the countless dancing firebirds intensified, with endless sparks filling every corner. In an instant, the palace became unbearably hot.
The Demonic Vine Seedling hidden in Lu Xuan’s sleeve subtly retreated, concealed by the Hidden Spirit Cloak. Slowly, it moved towards his chest; only under the cool aura of the Immaculate Jade did it calm down.