Chapter 145: Log City

Perhaps spiritual pets share a certain affinity with one another, or perhaps they possess a sharper sensitivity to spirit crystals. Thus, Heizi led Li Mu in search of the two spirit crystal storehouses of the burrowing earthworms.

Had Li Mu searched by himself, it might have taken him a full year. Walking through the winding, twisting paths that he had traversed so many times, his mind felt as though it might shatter from exhaustion.

Clearly, such a burrowing earthworm had lived for far too long, and the spirit crystals it had gathered were piled together like a small hill.

Upon calculation, there were probably as many as a million pieces. The vast majority of them were of the lowest grade, accompanied by a small number of medium-grade ones, while top-grade ones were exceedingly scarce. Considering this, most of the medium and top-grade spirit crystals had likely been consumed by the earthworm itself. Yet, after consuming so many spirit crystals, the muddy flesh of its body showed no trace of spiritual energy whatsoever, which was truly bizarre.

Ceasing to dwell on it, Li Mu figured that low-grade crystals were still quite useful, and he directly swept them into the spirit tower.

While transmuting the heartless fruits, he followed closely behind Heizi toward the exit.

Emerging from the tunnel, he found the corpse of Zhao Mo lying flat on the ground, having been casually tossed into a dirt pit. Passing the pit, he continued further inward.

Unbothered by any spade-beasts, the journey was exceptionally smooth. Very soon, Li Mu caught sight of the spirit crystal vein.

Ahead lay a naturally formed stone cave, where a winding vein of spirit crystals lay half-exposed against the ground. Individual spirit crystals hung in an orderly fashion along the cave wall like glowing pearls, emitting a faint, luminous radiance.

This was the first time Li Mu had ever laid eyes on an intact vein of spirit crystals, and it differed somewhat from what he had imagined.

It looked like a glowing sky in the dead of night, bursting with dazzling brilliance, and at the same time resembled a slumbering dragon pressed against the earth, seemingly ready to soar into the heavens at any moment.

A vein of spiritual energy was a naturally formed wonder of creation, making one reluctant to exploit it.

Li Mu could now somewhat understand the legends recorded in ancient texts. Some Soul-Formation stage cultivators, possessing the power to overturn mountains and seas, often uprooted spiritual veins from mountain ranges and moved them back to their own sects or cultivation chambers. At first, he had found such behavior unrealistic, thinking it pointless since one could simply take the spirit crystals as needed.

Yet now, he understood. If he were in the shoes of a Soul-Formation cultivator, he would do the exact same thing.

Leaving such a treasure in a desolate wasteland like this was a far greater waste. Acquiring it was not merely for the sake of the spirit crystals, but for a deep spiritual fulfillment. Although this sentiment remained somewhat hazy to him now, as he reached higher levels of cultivation, he would gradually come to understand it.

Clearly, however, this was something he could not do at present. Even with the spirit tower capable of storing it, he had no means of extracting an entire, intact spiritual vein; doing so far exceeded his current cultivation realm.

If this entire spirit crystal vein were to be uprooted and placed in a region with a richer spiritual vein, perhaps a century ago it could have already evolved into a grand spirit crystal deposit—where the entire mountain range consisted solely of spirit crystals. The very thought of it filled him with awe.

Yet it was bound to be a pity, something to be dealt with in the future. Once his cultivation reached that level in the days to come, such regrets would no longer exist.

Lost in thought, Li Mu quickly pushed the regret aside and set about gathering the spirit crystals.

Equipped with the miraculous spirit tower, a divine artifact, Li Mu had no need for immortal slaves to harvest the materials within the mine; he could handle the entire process all by himself.

As he slowly traced his hand over the spirit crystal vein, individual spirit crystals flew into the spirit tower of their own accord, not a single effort wasted.

If immortal slaves or other cultivators were to mine the crystals, they would inevitably employ specialized harvesting tools, leaving behind a desolate scene where the vein was splintered, scarred, and ruined beyond recognition, never to be restored to its original state. Yet he was able to collect the spirit crystals without causing the slightest damage to the vein itself.

After several hours of diligent searching, Li Mu had gathered all the spirit crystals exposed on the surface. Their number was relatively small, amounting to tens of thousands of pieces, all of which were of the lowest grade.

Taking his time, he hauled soil from elsewhere to cover the spirit crystal vein, sealing it away until a future date.

Having finished, Li Mu employed a disguise technique to alter his appearance and cultivation aura to that of Li Tian, then stepped out of the mountains, took to the air, and departed.

He headed once again toward Round Timber City.

Inside the flying shuttle, Li Mu busied himself transmuting materials while inspecting Zhao Mo's storage ring.

"Abysmally poor. No wonder he even coveted my few hundred grains of sand." After a brief glance, Li Mu reached a conclusion.

Zhao Mo's collection was simply not in the same league as that of the Ancestor of Wolf Plain; the disparity was far too great. Yet this was only natural; for a Pulse-Condensation cultivator, most of their valuable assets at the Spirit-Building stage were typically invested in their storage rings and cultivation techniques. Having those two items, what remained was bound to be scarce.

Storage rings were always useful to have, and since Sun Sanjiu lacked one, he would definitely need to prepare one. However, Li Mu barely bothered to glance at the several jade slips containing cultivation techniques.

Ever since entering the Pulse-Condensation stage, he had ceased practicing random techniques. The deeper his understanding of cultivation grew, the more cautious Li Mu became when selecting techniques. Only the best would do; he could not afford to rush, nor could he pick anything out of immediate desperation, for he was currently in no position to cultivate new ones anyway.

Flying continuously, he grew closer and closer to his destination.

Round Timber City, though called a city, was somewhat of an exaggeration.

It was built entirely within a forest of round timber, with every wall and building constructed from logs—specifically, round logs. Its defensive capabilities were quite poor, and restrictive arrays were few. With many cultivators residing here and patrols constantly roaming about, security was lax.

Opting not to enter just yet, Li Mu found a secluded corner outside the city and waited.

A mere sweep of his spiritual sense was enough to reveal that there were at least several Pulse-Condensation cultivators inside the city. Entering now would carry too much risk.

Having experienced the battle with Zhao Mo, Li Mu had a very clear understanding of his own strength. Without utilizing the Soul-Piercing Spear, the Mind-Bewitching Treasure, or commanding the Dark-Hooked Condor, his combat prowess at the late Spirit-Building stage was roughly equivalent to that of an early Pulse-Condensation cultivator.

Even if he were to restore his strength to the early Pulse-Condensation stage, supplemented by his magical treasures and Heizi, he could at most match a late-stage Pulse-Condensation cultivator. Facing multiple Pulse-Condensation experts, his only viable option would be to flee.

His greatest advantages were his formidable spiritual sense and his solitary combat strategies, which meant for the moment, he could only wait.

During this waiting period, he did not idle away his time; instead, he made preparations, such as laying down restrictive arrays and transmuting materials.

The right opportunity would eventually arrive.

Three days later, four Pulse-Condensation cultivators, accompanied by a large group of Spirit-Building cultivators, departed from the city. Among them was a very young man who looked quite familiar—Gu Yu. Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be embarking on some sort of mission.

Another half-day passed. A lone cultivator descended from the sky like a falling star that had suddenly burst into existence, flying straight into Round Timber City.

The opportunity had arrived.

Li Mu saw it clearly: the one who had entered the city was Drunken Madman.

It was common knowledge that Drunken Madman held a deep grudge against the Bright Jade Valley, and right now was the perfect moment.

Li Mu immediately dissolved his disguise technique, shed his purple robe, restored his original appearance, and slipped into Round Timber City from the rear.

Chaos instantly erupted throughout the area. Numerous Spirit-Building cultivators took flight from within Round Timber City, rushing toward the interior.

The target of their collective focus was none other than Drunken Madman.

A single sword spun wildly through the sky, carrying an aura of boundless slaughter as it wreaked havoc across the city. Wherever it passed, blood flowed freely.

An icy chill, akin to that of a massacre, radiated ceaselessly from Drunken Madman.

Invincible, the Spirit-Building cultivators could not withstand a single blow from him, even with the protection of the restrictive arrays.

Very quickly, two Pulse-Condensation cultivators rushed forward.

Drunken Madman hovered in the air, gripping his sword. His eyes, cold as iron, swept over the cultivators before him, and his voice carried a gloomy chill reminiscent of the underworld: "All of you, go die."

"Hah, then let us test that claim."

The two cultivators—one at the mid-Pulse-Condensation stage and the other at the late stage—were formidable opponents.

The battle was on the verge of breaking out, and it erupted instantly.

Having entered the city from behind, Li Mu encountered very little resistance, save for a few Spirit-Building disciples. By this time, Li Mu had already restored his cultivation to the Pulse-Condensation level, and dealing with those Spirit-Building disciples took practically no effort at all.

The sand-dust formation transformed into a whip that writhed and coiled like a ghostly entity. With every strike, a disciple would be knocked out of the fight, howling in agony.

"You?!"

A sudden roar echoed from one of the buildings within the city.

The structure burst apart violently as a remarkably short cultivator, whose momentum surged like a rainbow, leaped out and landed directly before Li Mu.

The scars on his face twitched uncontrollably as a burst of unadulterated fury erupted from him: "I let you escape that day, but today, you will surely die."

"Oh? That happens to be what I had in mind as well."

After obliterating a Bright Jade Valley disciple, the sand-dust formation slowly coiled back, writhing around Li Mu like a dragon.