Chapter 036

Chapter 36: A Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed

Seizing a treasure by cutting the roots is a shameful act in the cultivation world. Even the strongest cultivators will not do this killing-the-chicken-for-its-eggs thing that ruins all future life. You may take something, but you must not destroy it completely. You may carry it away, but you must not harm the root. Cultivators believe you should always leave a way out for others.

But this junior disciple of Cloud Wave Fort, in order to keep the Core Formation Fruit, did not care anymore. He filled his sword with sword qi and slashed a hundred meters, blocking the Pill Tree’s escape route and even trying to destroy it. The tree was clever though. It twisted aside and dove underground. It ran.

The three Cloud Wave Fort disciples stared, stunned. One blurted out: “What kind of tree is that?”

Ye Wan Wan lowered her eyes, the corners of her lips lifting a little, and said: “What an interesting Sprite.”

Among Demonic Beasts, there are Savage Beasts that have not awakened wisdom but have strong bodies. There is also another kind that has awakened wisdom yet is weak in power. Those are called Spirit Beasts or Sprites. The little being dragging the Pill Tree around was the latter.

Only, whether the fruit hanging from that uprooted, racing Pill Tree was really a Core Formation Fruit was uncertain. Ye Wan Wan guessed: [It is very likely fake.]

[Watch a bit longer.]

She saw the three disciples chase into the distance. Without drawing attention, she went the other way. The valley was thick with trees, and spirit herbs grew everywhere. Along the path she recognized many level-one and level-two spirit herbs.

She did not waste time. [Since I am already here, I might as well take some.] As for how seizing treasures by cutting roots is not what good people do, what does that have to do with her? She never claimed to be a good person. Besides, she was not cutting. She was just letting them move to a new home.

Before setting out, Pei Xuan had given her a purple Storage Ring. Its space was far larger than a Spatial Pouch with only three or four cubic units, and it could store living things. Such an item would sell for a high price at an auction. Pei Xuan even brought three for her to choose from.

All three Storage Rings were Fifth Grade Rings, but their functions were different. One had almost ten thousand cubic units of space, but it could not store living beings like Demonic Beasts or high-grade herbs. It was good for common items and herbs below grade four. Another had a smaller space but could store living things. It could collect low-tier Demonic Beasts, though its space was only half of the first. The last one was a growth ring. As its master’s Divine Sense grew, its space would expand. But since Ye Wan Wan’s Primordial Spirit Realm was still low, its space was only the size of a house for now.

After weighing the choices, Ye Wan Wan picked the third. Then she borrowed the other two.

Pei Xuan could only stare: “…”

She said with a straight face: “We do not know what we will meet in this secret realm. Better to be prepared. I will return them to master when we come back.”

Back then she only thought about capacity. Seeing the valley now, she proved herself farsighted indeed.

As she moved along, she took whatever she saw. She collected three hundred seventy plants of grade-two Primal Spirit Herb, which can be used to make the Essence Nurturing Pill. She gathered five hundred plants of grade-two Swiftweed for Body Refining, the most suitable for Bai Jian. She even found three grade-three Black Sour Fruit trees. Only one had borne fruit, but it held more than thirty fruits.

“Picking them one by one is too slow,” Ye Wan Wan murmured as she looked at the spirit trees. An idea stirred. “What if I take the whole thing?”

She acted at once. There was no time to overthink. She flicked out five Spirit Talismans and wove an Array Arts pattern with the Five Elements Force. Standing before the tree, she formed hand seals and commanded: “Earth spirit, move.”

Then she ordered: “Collect.”

As the spirit tree shifted, there was a slight pause, as if some force resisted, refusing to be taken. Ye Wan Wan pressed her lips together and did not relax her focus for even a breath.

In a blink, the spirit tree vanished into the Violet Cloud Ring. It went into the third ring, the one that could house living things.

Exhaling, Ye Wan Wan set her gaze on the two Black Sour Trees that had not yet fruited, and said: “One or two, it is the same. I may as well take both.”

Her Spirit Talismans flew to the other two Black Sour Trees. Moments later, three short, thick Black Sour Trees rooted themselves inside her Spatial Ring, standing gracefully and adding a touch of life to the empty ring space.

Ye Wan Wan looked over the whole valley. She smiled and stepped forward. The range covered by the five Spirit Talismans spread fast, taking in most of the valley. The power in her Primordial Spirit trembled.

A young man hiding in the void clicked his tongue and shook his head, muttering: “With Primordial Spirit power that weak, she dares to take all the spirit plants in the whole valley. She really does not value her life.” Yet even as he spoke, he did not stop her.

Ye Wan Wan kept working. The strength of the five Spirit Talismans spread outward. As the Array Arts pattern formed, she felt the pushback and frowned: “Not enough.”

Her eyes deepened. The Spirit Talismans spun back and shrank to the safest range.

“Now.”

She moved as fast as she could and opened the second Spatial Ring, transplanting every spirit plant within the talisman circle into it. She succeeded once, then twice, and then dared a third time. She started clumsy and became more and more skilled. Almost everywhere she passed, the land was neatly packed away.

Ye Qian was not so lucky. When she entered the Illusory Dream Realm, she was sent to the Sheep’s Body. Everyone knew the treasures of the Illusory Dream Realm were gathered at the Sheep’s Head Valley, at the head. After confirming her position, she hurried there the whole way. When she finally saw the mouth of the valley ahead, she let out a long breath.

Dou Ming was happy for Ye Qian, but he still spoke with casual ease: “Junior sister, I told you, few people know about this place. Even if someone does rush here, could they take all the treasures of a whole valley in such a short time?”

“It should not be that bad.”

Dou Ming’s face remained relaxed. Ye Qian’s eyes flickered as she hid her thoughts. In a soft, pampered tone she said: “Third senior brother, I am only worried the Black Sour Fruit that second senior brother wants will be taken by someone else. Then I will fail his trust.”

Dou Ming said with a deeper look: “One Black Sour Fruit tree can bear fifty to eighty fruits. Even if luck is bad and there are only twenty or thirty, even if a few people came and picked half, there would still be some for us. Second brother did not name a number. Picking a few is enough to complete that task. The key is the Core Formation Fruit.”

Although the Core Formation Fruit is not very effective for a Core Formation Stage cultivator, the Supreme Sect has many Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. A sect will always have need for it. Before coming to the Northern Mountains, they had asked the Dark Nether Sect for three slots. One of their training tasks was to bring back the Core Formation Fruit.

Ji Chang Huai thought the same way. Though the two of them did not say it aloud, they shared one idea: what if that person had not died? A Golden Core that had been dug out could be made up for if they obtained a Core Formation Fruit, could it not? What she lost, they would make up for. There was no need to die in anger.

Dou Ming did not know exactly what Ji Chang Huai was thinking, but the moment they heard about the Core Formation Fruit, the two of them volunteered to come. As for Ye Qian, she simply wanted to watch the excitement.

“Junior sister, we should go in now,” Dou Ming said.

“Alright.”

They flew into the valley. The mist was thick and hid the scene within. Their moods grew lighter as they descended. But as their swords dropped and they neared the valley floor, they could no longer smile. The valley was still green and lively, yet the shadows of rare spirit herbs were gone without a trace. There was nothing left at all.