Chapter 141: Nether Soul Spirit Mushroom

Inside the Central Courtyard, a middle-aged man roared himself hoarse. "Hurry! Let the most talented children go first! They are the future hope of the Dong Family!"

Before his words could even fade, the entire Central Courtyard shuddered violently. The formation's spiritual light flickered wildly, on the verge of shattering at any moment.

The Central Courtyard sat within a canyon deep in the Spirit Medicine Mountain Range. It was supposed to be the most spiritually dense land in the region. Several layers of massive defensive formations were buried beneath the compound, serving as the Dong Family's ultimate stronghold.

Deeper inside the canyon lay a secret passage running three hundred li to the south—their final route of escape.

But now, the entire canyon was completely sealed off by a cyan ghost fog.

Frigid air permeated the fog, thick with the stench of death. It rolled over the mountains and plains in endless layers. Amidst the billowing vapor, the Central Courtyard seemed as insignificant as a pebble, on the verge of being swallowed whole.

Within the mist, puppets, soul chains, ghost fires, and eerie spiritual insects blotted out the sky. They moved with terrifying order, as though someone hidden in the dark was precisely orchestrating their every strike.

Wave after wave crashed against the defensive formation. With every impact, the barrier trembled violently; with every tremor, the hearts of those trapped inside shuddered in terror.

Within the formation, a black-haired elder rushed out from the valley's depths. A burly, vicious-looking man in strange robes followed closely beside him. Both possessed Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivation.

The black-haired elder immediately locked onto an elder in gold-trimmed white robes standing at the formation's core. He sent a divine sense transmission, his mental voice laced with panic.

"Great Elder! Where is the Second Elder? What happened? Why are all the clansmen gathered here?"

Before the white-robed elder could answer, the burly man in strange robes noticed the carnage down the mountain. He said in a grave tone, "Something's wrong... What dense death qi. Just what kind of entity has your Dong Family provoked? A siege like this is clearly meant to wipe out your entire bloodline."

"Who would be so bold? Are they not afraid of offending the Precious Heaven Pavilion?"

The white-robed elder turned deathly pale, his voice hoarse. "I don't know... Our Dong Family has always kept to ourselves. How could we have drawn such a catastrophic disaster?"

He paused, his voice growing even drier.

"Just now, the Second Elder and over a hundred cultivating clansmen were killed. In the blink of an eye. The Second Elder's Nascent Soul... didn't even have the chance to escape."

"The attacker is highly likely a great cultivator at the Nascent Soul Late Stage!"

The black-haired elder's expression drastically changed. "Nascent Soul Late Stage? How is that possible? When did our Dong Family ever cross someone like that?"

The burly man in strange robes looked utterly terrified. "Your Dong Family provoked a Nascent Soul Late Stage existence?! Even across all the tribes of the Northern Plains, there are only nine people at that level! You're going to get me killed!"

The white-robed elder didn't reply. He simply stared at the churning ghost fog beyond the formation, his gaze growing heavier by the second.

The formation's spiritual light was visibly dimming, and jagged cracks spiderwebbed across the protective barrier. The giant hand closing around them was tightening inch by inch.

"The formation won't hold for much longer."

He turned and asked the Golden Core Cultivator behind him, "What about the secret passage?"

"All the Dong Family descendants have entered the secret passage," the Golden Core Cultivator gasped, bathed in blood.

The white-robed elder nodded. "Let's go. Retreat through the secret passage."

Hearing this, the burly man furrowed his brow. "Secret passage?" Though confused, he didn't ask any further. Surviving was the priority right now; there was no time to nitpick.

The three quickly sped toward the depths of the canyon.

After passing through a heavy stone door, the space suddenly opened up. This was no mere secret passage; it was the entrance to a massive karst cave. Pitch-black and profound, it stretched endlessly into the distance, with a diameter of at least a hundred zhang.

At the cave entrance, over a dozen giant flying ships hovered in midair. Their spiritual lights had yet to fade, clearly having been prepared in a rush.

The decks were packed with the last surviving clansmen of the Dong Family. Some hugged their heads and wept, some stared blankly into space, while others knelt on the deck, whispering prayers.

No one spoke a word. The only sounds echoing through the cavern were the low hum of the ships' engines and the muffled sounds of sobbing.

The white-robed elder and the black-haired elder boarded the main ship, with the burly man closely behind. The moment the three stepped aboard, the hulls of the dozen flying ships lit up with layers of spiritual light. They slowly ascended, sailing single file into the cavern's depths.

Just as the ship slipped into the darkness, the white-robed elder looked back one last time. His eyes were filled with lingering dread and unspeakable fury, but all of it ultimately dissolved into a long sigh.

Not long after.

Outside the courtyard.

The formation shattered with a deafening crash, like a giant bell being smashed to pieces. The Central Courtyard's final layer of spiritual light collapsed in an explosive boom. Bricks and stones flew through the air as clouds of dust billowed, completely exposing the compound to the churning cyan ghost fog.

Jiuyou's figure slowly descended. His robes were neat and immaculate, untainted by a single speck of dust. He stood with his hands behind his back, his indifferent gaze sweeping across the ruined courtyard. His divine sense silently expanded to envelop the entire valley. Under the sweep of his divine sense, nothing could hide.

A moment later, his figure blurred, and he appeared at the entrance of the massive karst cave.

Empty and bitterly cold. The dozen flying ships had long since vanished, leaving only the deep, dark passage stretching forward into the unknown.

Jiuyou gazed into the depths of the secret passage. The corners of his mouth curled into a faint, half-smile.

"They ran fast enough."

He had just lifted his foot when he suddenly stopped. He turned his head, his gaze landing on an inconspicuous patch of the stone wall.

Within his divine sense detection, there seemed to be another space hidden deeply behind that stone wall. Had his divine sense not far exceeded others of his rank, it would have been nearly impossible to notice.

He raised his hand. A streak of nether-blue flame shot forth, slamming into the stone wall with a muffled boom.

Rubble tumbled down. As the dust settled, a deep, narrow staircase extending downward was revealed, looking like a path to some hidden corner deep underground.

A faint trace of soul energy drifted up from the depths of the stairs, slowly bleeding into the dim passage. He found the aura faintly familiar, as though he had encountered it somewhere before.

Jiuyou walked down the stairs at an unhurried pace. His footsteps echoed softly in the narrow corridor, every step full of calm composure. His divine sense swept into the depths ahead of him, taking in the contours of the hidden chamber.

The hidden room was small, damp, and bitterly cold. The walls were smooth and bare. A massive cyan-gray stone sat directly in the center. Its surface was perfectly flat, having clearly been polished with great care. Resting quietly on top of that stone platform were two items.

Near the left side sat several sharp-edged chunks of purple ore. A dark light flowed across their surfaces, radiating a bone-chilling aura. Soul Netherstones. They were of exceptional quality; judging by their purity, they were capable of significantly boosting the power of a magic treasure.

Right beside them lay a bizarre spiritual plant shaped like a human child. Its entire body was deep purple, with a thick, sturdy stem and wisps of luminescent ghost qi clinging to its leaves. It looked as though it had spent thousands of years absorbing yin fiend energy from the depths of the earth to grow into this form.

Jiuyou's gaze landed on the spiritual plant, and his pupils contracted imperceptibly.

A Nether Soul Spirit Mushroom. And judging by its age, it was likely over three thousand years old.

He stepped forward, crouched down, and meticulously inspected it. Only after confirming the hidden room had no restrictions did he reach out and gently touch the Spirit Velvet's leaves. They felt slightly cool to the touch, with a viscous texture. A wisp of soul energy seeped through his fingertips and into his meridians, slightly revitalizing his spirit.

"Finding it takes absolutely no effort at all," he muttered under his breath. His tone was perfectly flat, but his eyes visibly brightened for a moment.

Soul Netherstones. Nether Soul Spirit Mushroom.

If either of these items were placed in the outside world, they would be enough to make Nascent Soul cultivators risk their lives to fight over them.

Soul Netherstones could boost the power of a natal magic treasure. As for the Nether Soul Spirit Mushroom, if it could be nurtured to ten thousand years of age and nourished with massive amounts of divine souls, it would be enough to substitute for the essence soul of a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator.

If the ancient records were accurate, once he gathered nine portions, the Blood Soul Restriction would have the true foundation to be cast.

Jiuyou carefully unearthed the Spirit Velvet, storing it—roots, soil, and all—into a specially crafted jade box before sealing it with a Spirit-Suppressing Talisman. He then stowed away the chunks of Soul Netherstone.

He stood up and patted non-existent dust from his hands. His gaze swept across the empty hidden room, and after confirming there were no omissions, he turned and headed for the stairs.

Before leaving, he looked back at the cyan-gray stone platform and paused.

"Dong Family, you've given me quite the surprise."