Chapter 683: Great Technique Yu Xi Yan Wo

Year 6520 of the First Yuan Era.

The founding army, totaling 100,000 troops across five routes, led by the Second Prince, invaded the State of Yun.

The Yun royal family organized a large army to resist, but they lost all three battles, and within less than a year, more than half of their territory had fallen.

Just as the State of Yun was about to be completely conquered, a group of immortal cultivators suddenly appeared before the founding army, wielding formation flags to unleash a sky-shrouding mist.

The founding army could not break out of the mist, and with their provisions about to run out, the Second Prince had no choice but to resort to his last move: he ordered an altar to be built.

The sect casting the mist was called the Azure Pine Sect, with only twenty-two cultivators in total. Their most powerful elder owed the royal family a favor, which was why they accepted the invitation to intervene.

From the Azure Pine Sect's perspective, dispatching their entire force to stop a mortal army would be effortless.

And indeed, it proved to be so.

Once the Azure Pine Wind-Cloud Formation was deployed, the founding army was trapped in the mist like headless flies.

However, the Grand Elder of the Azure Pine Sect had some foresight. Knowing that the State of Jian was the stronghold of the Divine Wood Sect, and perhaps connected to it, he merely trapped the army without killing them, hoping the Second Prince would retreat after encountering difficulties.

Then, the Grand Elder saw the Second Prince order an altar to be set up. The prince held a spiritual talisman in both hands, bowed towards the sky, and then, gathering all his strength, shouted loudly:

"By the command of the Divine Wood Immortal Sect, cultivators of the Eastern Wilds are forbidden from interfering with the unification of the mortal realm! I advise the immortal elder opposite me to immediately withdraw your magic and retreat, or once I ignite this spiritual talisman, an exalted immortal from the sect will descend and personally execute you all!"

The Second Prince was also a Martial Dao Innate expert, so his words were naturally heard by the Azure Pine Sect cultivators.

The name of the Divine Wood Sect was well-known throughout the Eastern Wilds.

Consequently, the disciples of the Azure Pine Sect all looked towards their Grand Elder, who was at the ninth level of Qi Condensation.

At that moment, the Grand Elder was cursing the Yun royal family in his heart.

Then, without any hesitation, he was the first to put away his magic artifact and uttered a single word to his disciples: "Withdraw."

Thus, the Second Prince watched as the vast mist, which had trapped his forces for three days and three nights, slowly dissipated after his words, until the sky was clear.

"Is this the influence of the Divine Wood Immortal Sect's name?!"

Witnessing this scene, the Second Prince felt a surge of passion.

At the same time, he became even more motivated to unify the Eastern Wilds.

After the Azure Pine Sect retreated, the Yun royal family had no further power to resist. In just one year, the entire State of Yun was conquered.

Year 6521 of the First Yuan Era.

After conquering the State of Yun and undergoing rest and reorganization, the founding army, led by the valorous Second Prince, once again marched on the State of Yu.

This campaign was even swifter because the news of the Divine Wood Sect's unification efforts had already spread throughout the entire cultivation world. Even if there were occasional rogue cultivators, they were dealt with by the local cultivation families in the State of Yu.

In less than half a year, the royal family of the State of Yu opened their city gates and surrendered.

Meanwhile, at the same time, Zhao Zheng of the State of Yan personally led his army and, after two arduous years, successfully conquered the State of Xiao.

The people of the Eastern Wilds Plateau were known for their fierce disposition, and the State of Yan's strength was far inferior to that of the founding state. Therefore, conquering the State of Xiao, which was of comparable size, nearly exhausted all of Yan's national resources.

If this trend continued, King Zhao would likely see his capital trampled before he even had time to consolidate the State of Xiao, once he faced the mighty founding army.

However, as the founding army advanced northward, they were blocked by a formidable city wall.

The State of Lei controlled the passage between the plains and the plateau. To unify the Seven Divine Wood States by moving north, the founding state had to conquer Lei.

King Sheng of the State of Lei was also a virtuous and enlightened ruler. Despite his nation's limited strength, he placed his full trust in General Duan Shuyu, entrusting him with the nation's 30,000 elite troops, and personally economized to ensure logistics.

Duan Shuyu did not disappoint King Sheng.

With 30,000 troops stationed at the formidable border city, he utilized the plateau's advantage to prevent the founding state's 100,000-strong army from advancing even a single step.

The army led by the Second Prince was held here for three full years, unable to make any progress.

Seeing this opportunity, Zhao Zheng, from the rear, not only provided aid to the State of Lei but also seized the chance to dispatch troops and conquer the State of Hong.

As for these matters, Chen Mobai largely entrusted Jiang Zongheng with their full management.

Over the past five years, apart from making an appearance to receive the Core Formation cultivators sent by the Star Heaven Dao Sect to assist with planting, he spent most of his time cultivating techniques at the fourth-tier fire vein of Danxia Mountain.

The passage of time also brought improvements to both his cultivation and his magical techniques.

Among these, his Eight-Yang Body finally underwent its first transformation two years ago.

Gold 23, Wood 43, Water 33, Fire 93, Earth 52!

Besides the increase in his Fire Spirit Root, his Earth Spirit Root also increased by 7 points after he consumed two more Earth Vein Pills.

After these three spirit root transformations, he naturally didn't forget to visit the Divine Tree Secret Realm.

He obtained the Golden Escape, Wood Escape, and a grand technique called "Yuan Xi Yan Wo."

This grand technique requires the spiritual power of the Earth Element Immortal Scripture to be performed, and it was a technique specifically used by the Longevity Sect to cultivate Longevity Earth.

When Chen Mobai acquired this grand technique, it happened to be when the Core Formation cultivators from the Star Heaven Dao Sect arrived to guide the planting of Great Sun Purple Rice. He emerged from seclusion to greet them and also took the opportunity to ask Granny Ming about "Yuan Xi Yan Wo."

It turned out that in ancient times, the Longevity Sect's influence spanned across the entire Eastern Domain.

Each Longevity Sect stronghold needed to plant spiritual trees, and once these trees formed a forest, they also needed to cultivate a fourth-tier Longevity Wood. Only then could they establish the Grand Longevity Formation to protect their disciples in the ancient era, an environment rampant with demonic beasts and frequent natural disasters.

A fourth-tier Longevity Wood requires sufficient Longevity Earth to advance, and it is also the natal spiritual plant for cultivators of the Azure Emperor Longevity Scripture, making it extremely important.

The source of this Longevity Earth was the thousand-mile fertile plain, the "Heavenly Abode of Richness," where the Celestial Venerable's true body resided.

However, this Longevity Earth was needed to nourish the Celestial Venerable's true body. Digging a little was acceptable, but digging too much would certainly displease the Celestial Venerable.

Thus, the technique of "Yuan Xi Yan Wo" was created.

It refers to various types of soil found throughout the world which, after being cultivated and enriched by this grand technique, could acquire the properties of Longevity Earth, thereby nourishing spiritual trees to advance in tier.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai was naturally overjoyed. He immediately wanted to cultivate "Yuan Xi Yan Wo" with his precious disciple, Zhuo Ming, and then visit the Divine Tree Secret Realm to use the Great Dao Tree for empowerment, reaching the fourth tier.

As long as he had an unending supply of Longevity Earth, and with the aid of the "Pulling Sprouts to Help Them Grow" grand technique, he could try to imbue the Golden Sun Spirit Trees of the Divine Wood Sect with sentience.

With Zhuo Ming and himself, a cultivator blessed with auspiciousness, Chen Mobai estimated that at least three of the five peak third-tier Golden Sun Spirit Trees in Giant Wood Ridge could advance to become Longevity Woods.

However, fourth-tier spiritual trees require fourth-tier spiritual veins to survive and grow. If there were indeed three such trees, Chen Mobai planned to plant one in Beiyuan City to suppress the newly emerging fourth-tier spiritual vein there.

Another he would plant on Mount Liujia, where the fourth-tier spiritual vein had been steadily weakening since Chen Mobai removed the mountain-suppressing stone.

Later, they had to bring over a fourth-tier Chongxu Immortal Ganoderma from Giant Wood Ridge, and disciples from the Divine Wood Sect's Spiritual Vein Department and Formation Department tirelessly cast formations day and night to gather and suppress spiritual energy, barely maintaining the fourth-tier quality of the spiritual vein.

Therefore, if it were truly converted into third-tier spiritual fields for planting Great Sun Purple Rice, it might still be a good thing for the Divine Wood Sect. Dispersing this fourth-tier spiritual vein would free up the disciples of the Spiritual Vein and Formation Departments at Mount Liujia.

However, having a fourth-tier Longevity Wood to suppress it would be an even more permanent solution.

The Divine Wood Sect also had a Sky-Peng Mountain Annex, which also possessed a fourth-tier spiritual vein. However, the five-cornered ancient maple there was almost dead, and most of the spiritual vein had been dispersed to create third-tier medicinal fields.

Only the mountaintop where the five-cornered ancient maple stood barely maintained a fourth-tier spiritual vein.

If he could imbue a third Longevity Wood with sentience, Chen Mobai planned to use it to replace the dying five-cornered ancient maple. Besides preserving this rare fourth-tier spiritual vein at the annex, he also had intentions of using this spiritual plant for future experiments.

After all, this five-cornered ancient maple was a rare spiritual plant whose fire attribute was greater than its earth and wood attributes. If it could be revived in the future and the immortal sect also unveiled the "Instant Bloom" technique, he might be able to use this spiritual plant to gain insight into the Soul Transformation realm.

Even if it couldn't be truly revived, Chen Mobai could still use his fourth-tier "Seed-Wood Art," empowered by the empowerment ritual, to transform the five-cornered ancient maple into a seed and replant it.

In any case, he was only at Core Formation now, a long way from Soul Transformation.

With his precious disciple Zhuo Ming around, even if they had to replant, with the original foundation, cultivating it to the peak fourth-tier would likely only take a few hundred years.

Therefore, when Chen Mobai discovered this "Yuan Xi Yan Wo" technique, he was overjoyed beyond words.

After discussing with Granny Ming, he immediately wanted to leave the Star Heaven Dao Sect's Core Formation cultivators and rush back to Giant Wood Ridge.

Fortunately, Granny Ming noticed his joy and immediately explained the most crucial aspect of this grand technique.

That is, it requires a handful of genuine Longevity Earth.

It must be buried in the soil to be cultivated, and then the cultivator practicing "Yuan Xi Yan Wo" uses the genuine Longevity Earth as a source to slowly improve the surrounding soil, transforming it into Longevity Earth of the same nature.

However, the Longevity Earth cultivated through this grand technique cannot be used as a soil "seed."

After the Celestial Venerable and the entire Longevity Sect disappeared, Granny Ming did not know if there was any genuine Longevity Earth left in the current Tianhe Realm, the kind that once nourished the Celestial Venerable's true body!

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai immediately recalled what Zhuo Ming had obtained from the Magic Treasure Tree after she established her foundation.

It was precisely a handful of Longevity Earth.

Given that the Longevity Sect had so solemnly placed it within the Magic Treasure Tree, Chen Mobai estimated it must be genuine!

After realizing this, he couldn't help but regret that the handful of Longevity Earth had long been taken by Fu Zongjue to refine into Earth-Wood Crystal Sand. Perhaps a little remained, but it certainly wouldn't be enough to use as a "seed."

Why didn't he know the true use of this Longevity Earth back then!

But after his initial vexation, Chen Mobai quickly came to a realization.

If Zhuo Ming could obtain it, it meant there was genuine Longevity Earth within the Magic Treasure Tree. If other Foundation Establishment cultivators of the sect tried enough times, they would surely be able to obtain it too.

It just so happened that the sect's decennial grand competition had ended only a few years prior, and with the Divine Wood Sect's ample supply of Foundation Establishment Pills, eight new Foundation Establishment cultivators had emerged.

Unfortunately, only five of these eight successfully established their foundations on their first attempt.

And among those five, only one cultivated an earth-attribute cultivation method, named Xiong Chuanfeng.

However, Chen Mobai's luck was excellent, especially with the auspicious blessing of the "Phoenix Dancing in Morning Sun" diagram.

This sole individual happened to acquire the Longevity Earth he needed.

Chen Mobai did not treat him unfairly, directly crediting him with 100,000 points of sect contribution.

The handful of Longevity Earth that Xiong Chuanfeng obtained from the Divine Tree Secret Realm was immediately buried by Chen Mobai on Mount Liujia.

He had also considered burying it in Beiyuan City.

But Chen Mobai's primary focus was certainly on cultivation; having him constantly monitor soil changes would be counterproductive.

On Mount Liujia, with Zhuo Ming present, he could rest assured.

His precious disciple grasped earth-attribute spells exceptionally quickly.

After master and disciple cultivated together, Zhuo Ming was only two days slower than Chen Mobai in comprehending "Yuan Xi Yan Wo."

Moreover, because "Yuan Xi Yan Wo" shared the same essence as the Earth Mother Art, Zhuo Ming, after mastering it, quickly cultivated it to the third-tier level using the Mother Qi of All Things.

This grand technique only requires a fourth-tier understanding when initially burying the genuine Longevity Earth as the "soil seed."

For subsequent cultivation and maintenance, Zhuo Ming was perfectly capable.

If, in the future, the soil around Mount Liujia could truly be improved into fourth-tier Longevity Earth, it would also bring immense benefits for planting Great Sun Purple Rice.

The only drawback was that upgrading Longevity Earth required an immense infusion of Earth Qi.

If they were to fully unleash the technique for improvement, the desert oasis where Mount Liujia was located might transform into a sky full of sand and dust.

Precisely for this reason, Zhuo Ming was even more needed to control the "Yuan Xi Yan Wo" technique.

Chen Mobai planned to first test it out on Mount Liujia, and only after confirming there were no issues would he prepare to improve the soil in Beiyuan City.

Furthermore, there was another major problem: they had no more Longevity Earth.

Chen Mobai also had a solution for this: relax the restrictions and allow other sect cultivators who hadn't succeeded in Foundation Establishment on their first attempt with a Foundation Establishment Pill to also enter the Divine Tree Secret Realm.

He had conducted several surveys on this matter, receiving both support and opposition.

Those who supported it were, naturally, the cultivators who had successfully established their foundations but had not yet entered the Divine Tree Secret Realm.

Those who opposed it were the ones who had already entered.

Chen Mobai also consulted Zhou Shengqing and Fu Zongjue, but both were noncommittal, stating that the Sect Master Junior Brother could make his own decision, as they had no objections!

Opening the Divine Tree Secret Realm could strengthen the Divine Wood Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators, but it also risked prematurely depleting treasures originally reserved for future generations.

Chen Mobai was originally hesitant. After all, the Xuanxiao Dao Palace, a perceived major threat, was currently preoccupied and there was no immediate urgency to rapidly enhance the sect's strength.

However, after acquiring the grand technique of "Yuan Xi Yan Wo," he felt it was time to slowly advance this new policy.

It just needed to be carefully presented to make those who opposed it feel that it wasn't entirely unacceptable.

To this end, Chen Mobai proposed that any Foundation Establishment cultivator in the sect who was willing to spend ten years voluntarily combating desertification in the State of Hong could gain the opportunity to enter the Divine Tree Secret Realm.

However, any spiritual items, cultivation methods, and so on obtained within the secret realm must be truthfully reported to the sect upon exit.

If a spiritual item was useful to the sect, it would be turned over, but with compensation in the form of contribution points or spirit stones.

After consulting with Yue Zutao, Chen Mobai drew up a list.

The list included spiritual items previously obtained from the Magic Treasure Tree, such as Longevity Tree Sap, Longevity Earth, Azure Sun Fire, Longevity Tree Fruits, and Jade Wood Spirit Hearts, along with their respective compensation prices.