Chapter 2277: Emperor Spirit Herb

"Are you sure there's Emperor Spirit Grass in here?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

The spatial rift before him was far more terrifying than any he had seen before. Under the storm, matter continuously annihilated, emitting colorful light like the aurora. Even cultivators at the Conferred God King level couldn't enter such a place. Emperor Spirit Grass was merely a medicinal herb; could it truly survive here?

"Absolutely!" Ao Feng nodded. "The spiritual energy tide has occurred four times in total, and I've also been here four times. Although I didn't acquire any particularly powerful treasures, I wasn't idle. I'm very familiar with the terrain here, which is why I could directly lead you to search for the Earth Store Spiritual Liquid instead of conducting a preliminary exploration!"

Zhang Xuan nodded. He had previously wondered how Ao Feng could be so sure that the Earth Store Spiritual Liquid was deep within the mountain gorge, especially with so many Illusionary Spirits guarding it. It turned out Ao Feng had visited the area several times before but lacked the strength to retrieve it.

"The last few times I came, this rift wasn't as severe as it is now. Occasionally, I could even see glimpses of the inside through the broken space. But now, it seems quite unstable..." Ao Feng frowned.

"Unstable?"

"This spatial rift wasn't this large or violent before. Even I managed to enter, though I couldn't retrieve the Emperor Spirit Grass... I can't believe how much it has changed in just ten years!" Ao Feng explained.

"Hmm." Zhang Xuan frowned. He hadn't been here ten years ago, so he didn't know the exact situation. However, with such drastic changes, even he would find it difficult to enter now.

He turned to the girl beside him. "Can you stabilize this place?" Despite his significant progress in soul cultivation, it would be extremely difficult for him to force his way through the chaotic space before them. The only method he could think of was to rely on the girl. The Still-Space Pearl could stabilize space, and even with the current turbulent air currents, it should be capable of doing so.

"Yes, but... it won't last long!" Luo Qiqi glanced at it and replied.

"Roughly how long?"

"Twenty breaths at most!" Luo Qiqi calculated in her mind.

"That's enough!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. "I'll make sure to retrieve the Emperor Spirit Grass within twenty breaths!"

"Okay!" Luo Qiqi responded, wasting no time. She leaped forward, arriving before the spatial rift, and with a gentle tremor, transformed into a perfectly round pearl.

With a low thud, the previously turbulent spatial rift instantly stabilized. The colorful light seemed frozen in mid-air, unmoving.

"This..." Ao Feng blinked, nearly spitting blood from shock. He had always assumed the girl was just an ordinary God King, nothing to worry about, probably just following the Nine Heavens Conferred King to gain experience. He never expected such immense power from her first move! Even as a Conferred God King himself, he couldn't accomplish that. This meant... in a direct confrontation, even if she was only an ordinary God King, he definitely wouldn't be her match! As expected of a Conferred God King; anyone by his side was far from simple!

Seeing Luo Qiqi stabilize the space, Zhang Xuan shot straight towards the rift.

The frozen colorful light streaked past him as Zhang Xuan's gaze, sharp as lightning, scanned the surroundings. This rift was located above the continent. While it was originally just a dangerous area, it now appeared poised to tear the entire continent apart.

"No, it's that power again..." After flying inwards for a while, Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed. Deep within, a massive force surged, seemingly accelerating the formation of the rift. This power was identical to the one found deep within the mountain gorge and the giant pit in Spirit Origin City.

With his Heaven's Heart True Energy protecting his body, Zhang Xuan stopped. Not far away, within the dark crevice, he indeed saw three Emperor Spirit Grass plants, suspended as if they could be swallowed by the darkness at any moment. Fragments of broken space drifted towards them, only to be absorbed by the Emperor Spirit Grass, making their branches and leaves grow even more vibrant and alluring.

"The legend says Emperor Spirit Grass thrives by absorbing spatial rifts and contains powerful spatial energy. It's true after all..." Zhang Xuan's gaze was solemn. Emperor Spirit Grass didn't survive by absorbing spiritual energy; it was a special plant parasitic within space, living by devouring shattered spatial fragments.

"It feels like these Emperor Spirit Grass plants were intentionally planted to stabilize this rift..." After observing for a while, Zhang Xuan frowned. This rift, expanded by that peculiar power capable of neutralizing Heaven's Path True Energy, was continuously tearing outwards. Under normal circumstances, it would grow larger and larger, and before long, it would tear the continent in half, perhaps even spanning the entire Tidal Sea.

However, these three Emperor Spirit Grass plants, while seemingly growing by absorbing shattered space and causing destruction, were actually using their roots to firmly pull the separated space back together. They absorbed the fragmented parts, much like clearing silt from a riverbed, preventing the rift from becoming too large or the damage too complete. If these plants grew here by chance, how could it be such a coincidence? But if someone deliberately planted them, neither the Emperors of the Tidal Sea could enter, nor could ordinary Conferred God Kings do so!

Creak! Creak! As he pondered, he felt the rift emit a dull grinding sound, indicating that Luo Qiqi outside was nearing her limit.

"I can't delay..." His expression hardened. Luo Qiqi could only hold on for twenty breaths, and most of that time had already passed since he entered. He had to make a decision quickly. His purpose in coming here was to take these three Emperor Spirit Grass plants. However, seeing them firsthand, he realized they were controlling the rift, preventing it from expanding. If he removed them, the spatial rift before him would inevitably spread, tearing the continent apart – which would be a minor issue. Worse, it could transform the entire Tidal Sea into a gaping chasm, and even... the God Realm itself might be in danger! Yet, if he didn't take them, given the appearance of the Emperor Spirit Grass, they wouldn't last much longer anyway. Without intervention, in one or two months at most, the rift would still widen, ultimately leading to the collapse of the entire Tidal Sea.

"It's possible... this is the last spiritual energy tide!" A thought emerged. Previously, hearing others say that the spiritual energy tide occurred every ten years, he assumed it would continue indefinitely, providing resources to the God Realm and enabling more people to grow stronger. Now, it seemed... it wasn't that simple. Spiritual energy was finite, and this Tidal Sea wasn't as stable as he had imagined. Once damaged, not only would the spiritual energy tide completely disappear, but the God Realm would also suffer a severe blow, with untold casualties.

"No wonder... Luo Ruoxi and Master Kong had to contend for the Mandate of Heaven..." He had still been thinking that if he didn't break through to become an Emperor, he wouldn't have to contend for the Mandate of Heaven or the Heavenly Dao, thus avoiding situations of life and death separation! Looking back now, that was too naive. The Heavenly Dao's operation wouldn't halt based on one's cleverness. If he perpetually delayed breaking through, and the Tidal Sea were to be torn apart, causing a major upheaval in the God Realm, then as a representative of the Heavenly Dao, he would be the first to face danger! He might even perish. In other words... whether one contended for the Mandate of Heaven or not, there was no escaping turmoil. Not contending might lead to a quicker death, while contending offered a glimmer of hope!