Chapter 524 - 522: Wood Realm

"However, are you all prepared? The moment the Vajra Carp returns to its nest, you must lock onto its location. If you fail to do so, it will vanish after entering, and finding it again will be very difficult," Li Qiye said with a smile.

"Rest assured, Sir," Treasure Turtle Daoist said hurriedly. "We have brought a treasure from our Ancestor. As long as we find the Vajra Carp’s nest, we can instantly lock it down. Even if it conceals itself, we will still be able to find it."

Li Qiye smiled, watching the Vajra Carp ahead as it alternated between diving and leaping. When it jumped, it kicked up a splash like a great wave. The curve of its body, seen through the spray and under the sunlight, was a beautiful sight.

The Elders from Qianli River had already steeled their resolve; they would not rest until they had chased the Vajra Carp all the way back to its nest.

"Let’s go," Li Qiye said to Lan Yunzhu with a smile after watching for a while longer.

"Go? Where to? Aren’t we going to chase the Vajra Carp to its nest?" Lan Yunzhu asked, caught by surprise.

Li Qiye shook his head. "The Vajra Carp won’t return to its nest until it’s exhausted, and it’s a long way from that point. We might as well go check out some other places first."

"Go on," Treasure Turtle Daoist chimed in with a nod. "Leave this to us. You two can go look around elsewhere, see if you can find any lucky opportunities."

Seeing that she couldn’t be of any help by staying, Lan Yunzhu bid farewell to Treasure Turtle Daoist and the others before leaving with Li Qiye.

"Where are we going now?" Lan Yunzhu asked after taking her leave of the Elders. "To the Earth Realm? I’ve heard the things unearthed there are incredible."

"No." Li Qiye gently shook his head. "The items unearthed in the Earth Realm are indeed incredible, but one must be alive to enjoy them."

"Oh? Since when did our impossibly arrogant Uncle become so timid? Aren’t you supposed to be afraid of nothing in Heaven or on Earth?" Lan Yunzhu shot Li Qiye a look, batting her beautiful eyes. She giggled. "If I remember correctly, Uncle is always supremely confident about everything. Are you suddenly afraid of dying?"

Li Qiye flicked her forehead. "Silly girl, don’t try to sound me out. A place like the Earth Realm isn’t enough to take my life. However, to get the good things there, you have to break into the tombs. That whole process is too troublesome and time-consuming. Besides, I don’t necessarily need those items. If I want treasures, there are plenty of other places to go. For example, the place we’re headed to now is one such place."

"What place is that?" Lan Yunzhu asked hurriedly.

"The Wood Realm." Li Qiye gazed into the distance, then smiled. "Don’t tell me you don’t want to find a few Medicine Kings or Treasure Trees?"

At his words, Lan Yunzhu’s eyes lit up. "Are there Divine Trees like the Golden Divine Willow?"

"In your dreams," Li Qiye said with a laugh. "A Divine Tree like the Golden Divine Willow is a one-of-a-kind treasure. How could it possibly be easy to obtain? It took countless years and immeasurable effort to transplant your Qianli River’s Golden Divine Willow from another location..."

"...It took an incredible amount of planning to acquire that Golden Divine Willow. Something like it is a matter of serendipity; you can’t go out looking for one. You just have to be lucky enough to stumble upon it!" As he said this, Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile and shake his head.

"Uncle, how do you know so much about our Qianli River’s history?" Lan Yunzhu asked, staring at Li Qiye.

Even she, the successor of the Qianli River, didn’t know about this. She suspected even her master, Treasure Turtle Daoist, was unaware. Yet, Li Qiye spoke of it with such familiarity, as if he had witnessed it with his own eyes.

"Don’t forget, I am your Qianli River’s Defender of the Faith. Since your Ancestor personally appointed me, I must be extraordinary in some way. I am widely read, omniscient, and omnipotent," Li Qiye said jokingly.

"Tch, Uncle, stop bragging. Everyone knows you just got lucky and hit the jackpot to become our Defender of the Faith," Lan Yunzhu said, rolling her eyes at him. Despite her words, she knew in her heart there had to be a reason why their Ancestor chose Li Qiye. ’But as for the specific reason, I have no way of knowing.’

The Wood Realm was one of the Five Great Realms within the First Evil Tomb. It was a domain of towering ancient trees, teeming with life. Of the Five Great Realms, it could be said that the Wood Realm possessed the most vibrant Life Force.

The Wood Realm was a land of rolling mountains, winding rivers, and cascading Celestial Waterfalls. It was a lush, verdant expanse, brimming with vitality. Anyone stepping into the Wood Realm for the first time might mistake it for an ancient forest somewhere in the Ghost Sacred Realm.

Eagles soared and beasts roamed amidst the towering ancient trees of the Wood Realm. However, there was one thing here that the outside world lacked: running trees. To be more precise, these were Medicine Kings and Treasure Trees capable of both flight and Celestial Escape into the earth.

If one wished to harvest Elixirs and Immortal Herbs in the First Evil Tomb, the Wood Realm was the best destination. Anyone who came here would be thrilled, as the entire realm was like a gigantic Medicinal Garden. Elixirs were everywhere, some of high quality and some of low, and there were even Medicine Kings to be found.

Every time the First Evil Tomb opened, the Wood Realm was, without a doubt, the most popular destination for Pharmacists. In fact, besides Pharmacists, vast numbers of Cultivators flocked to the Wood Realm as well.

Compared to the other realms, the Wood Realm was less dangerous. This wasn’t to say it was a completely safe paradise for treasure hunting, but it was, at the very least, more suitable for Cultivators with lower Dao Practice, especially Loose Cultivators or those from Minor Sects.

In the Gold Realm, you never knew what one shovel strike might unearth. It could be a treasure, or it could be a huge swarm of Gold-Eating Insects. You might even dig up some malevolent, wicked danger.

In the Water Realm, you never knew what was beneath the surface, let alone which specific patch of water held danger. You could be walking across the surface one moment, and the next, a great Water Demon could burst out from below and devour you.

The Wood Realm was different. If you weren’t too ambitious and just wanted to earn a small fortune, there was absolutely no danger as long as you stayed away from the deep mountains and remote ranges. You could just stick to the peripheries of the entrances and gather some Elixir Grass.

The Wood Realm was a place that produced Spiritual Elixirs and Herbs in abundance. Even along the edges of the entrances, there were plenty of them. They were mostly common varieties, but they grew with incredible lushness.

Therefore, for Loose Cultivators and those from Minor Sects, the Wood Realm was unquestionably a great place to make a quick profit. The risks were low and the rewards were decent. For them, starting their journey in the Wood Realm was the best possible outcome.

As Lan Yunzhu followed Li Qiye into the Wood Realm, a fragrant medicinal scent washed over them, prompting her to take a deep breath.

"Silver Maple Grass, Cyan Pill Fruit, Hundred Serpent Leaf..." Lan Yunzhu murmured after another deep breath. "This place is truly a paradise for Spiritual Medicine."

Li Qiye gave her a somewhat surprised look. Catching his expression, Lan Yunzhu shot him a sidelong glance. "What? Is it so strange? I may not be a Pharmacist, but I can still recognize common Elixir Grasses and Spiritual Medicines. The Qianli River is an Emperor Immortal Gate, after all. We have vast Medicine Fields."

Li Qiye smiled faintly and said nothing more.

Lan Yunzhu said excitedly, "It looks like there are Elixirs everywhere! Let’s harvest a bunch to take back."

"I’m afraid there won’t be any Silver Maple Grass or Cyan Pill Fruit for you," Li Qiye said with a smile, gesturing with his chin.

Lan Yunzhu looked and saw that the mountain ridge ahead was completely barren. Other than worthless, ordinary trees, the area had been picked clean. Not a single stalk of Spiritual Medicine was left.

"This place was practically a Medicine Field," Lan Yunzhu said, amazed at the sight. Although the ridge before them had been picked clean, the overturned earth showed that Spiritual Medicine had once grown here in dense clusters, just like in a cultivated field.

Li Qiye led Lan Yunzhu deeper into the Wood Realm. After crossing only one or two ridges, they saw a large group of Cultivators gleefully harvesting and digging.

One Cultivator had climbed to a peak and dug deep into the earth to uproot an entire old vine. Another hung upside down from a sheer cliff, holding their breath as they waited for a cluster of Spiritual Medicine to blossom. Yet another had entered a deep valley, lured out an old serpent, and snatched the Golden Thread Grass that grew in its Snake Nest. Even more Cultivators with very low cultivation levels were scattered across the mountains, harvesting clusters of common Spiritual Medicine.

The Cultivators here all had very shallow Dao Practice; some were mere beginners. The Spiritual Elixirs and Herbs they were gathering were also quite common—Golden Thread Grass, Purple Old Vine, Cyan Plaster... Spiritual Medicine like this could be bought at many Pharmacist shops in the outside world.

Even though these Spiritual Elixirs and Herbs were as common as could be to other Cultivators, the ones here were still overjoyed. To them, this was a great harvest.

"How did they even get in?" Lan Yunzhu wondered aloud, seeing the group of Cultivators with such shallow Dao Practice harvesting so happily.

"You’ve never spent time in a Minor Sect, have you?" Li Qiye said with a smile and a shake of his head. "You grew up in an Emperor Immortal Gate, so of course, you wouldn’t know the hardships faced by Loose Cultivators and Minor Sects. To them, even Spiritual Medicine like this is a great find. They would risk their lives just for a chance to get some scraps from the First Evil Tomb. A single person could never make it in, but if a large group of Loose Cultivators or members of Minor Sects band together, they might have a chance..."

"...There are always one or two stronger individuals among them. If a large group of Loose Cultivators unite, they have a chance of riding a Corpse Blood Cloud inside. Of course, there’s no telling how many died in the process. For Loose Cultivators or Minor Sects, the opening of the First Evil Tomb is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If they get lucky, it could even change their sect’s destiny! That’s why no matter how difficult it is, even knowing the journey is almost certain death, they will risk it all to come here!"