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Chapter 1001 The Realm of Myriad Spirits, The Guardian

Within the Tree Hole Space of the Realm of All Spirits.

Faced with the scrutiny of the long-browed, gray-robed old man, Qin Ming and his companion dared not make the slightest unusual movement and could only wait for him to finish looking at them.

However, such a long silence made Qin Ming uneasy. He felt that the other party had noticed something about him.

However, the most crucial secret remains undiscovered.

Lin Shanjun seemed to know the origin of the long-browed old man, but he stood respectfully at this moment, not daring to say anything.

However, what happened next completely changed his understanding of the world.

After staring at Qin Ming for a long time, the long-browed old man revealed a puzzled look and, for the first time ever, asked:
"You little human are quite interesting."

"He has actually cultivated the 'Eternal Azure Emperor Technique' to the Great Spring Chapter and cultivated an indestructible immortal body. His future path to immortality is limitless!"

"He even cultivated the techniques of the Lich, Demon, and Monster races; he's truly a freak."

"You're a cultivator who ascended from the lower realm, right? Could you be a descendant of that Azure Emperor?"

Qin Ming's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this!
Unexpectedly, the long-browed old man in front of him saw through some of his secrets at a glance, and even specifically mentioned the Azure Emperor Venerable, so it seemed that he knew the other party very well.

He cupped his hands and replied, "Reporting to senior, I am indeed a cultivator who ascended from the mortal realm. By chance, I obtained the cultivation technique inherited from Senior Azure Emperor."

"Hmm, that explains it. Judging from your physique, you are still very young. You have only been cultivating for a little over two thousand years, yet you have already advanced to the Integration Realm. Moreover, your magical power and divine soul are extraordinary. Based on this progress in cultivation, you are among the best in the entire Spirit Realm." The long-browed old man spoke calmly.

His words, however, shocked Lin Shanjun, who was standing to the side.

To receive such high praise from this old man is truly unprecedented and likely to remain so.
This old man with long eyebrows has been stationed here for who knows how many years, and he rarely speaks.

Lin Shanjun never expected that his savior was such a remarkable person, actually an ascended cultivator from the lower realm.

It is said that the difficulty of ascending from the lower realm to the spirit realm is beyond comprehension, and very few people in any realm can do it.

Therefore, the supernatural abilities and skills of those ascended cultivators are all top-tier among their peers.

'A being who defied the heavens and advanced to the Fusion Realm in just over two thousand years!'

'Is this still the spirit plant master who is not good at killing? Fellow Daoist Qin is far too modest and humble,' Lin Shanjun thought to himself with a wry smile.
It should be known that in the spirit realm, old monsters who can advance to the Integration stage generally need to cultivate for tens of thousands of years.

Even for those with better fortune and the inherited heritage of a great clan, it would still take at least six or seven thousand years.
Those who have broken through to the Integration Stage after only two thousand years of cultivation are extremely rare, even in the entire history of cultivation in the Spirit Realm.

Of course, we must exclude ancient true spirit races that are born at the sixth or seventh rank or higher.

If Lin Shanjun hadn't heard it himself from the long-browed old man in front of him, he wouldn't have believed it.

He simply didn't believe anyone could do it.

Immediately, the long-browed old man's gaze fell on the Devouring Rat on Qin Ming's shoulder. He casually reached out and grabbed the gray-furred rat in mid-air.

"I never expected that the ancient Soul Devouring Clan still has bloodlines. I thought they were extinct."

The old man revealed a kind and benevolent expression, and while speaking, he reached out and stroked the incredibly smooth fur on the back of the Devouring Rat.

Before the Devouring Rat could even understand what was happening, it was seized and began to struggle and shout:

"Old man, don't touch me!!"

"I am a dignified Great Demon of the Fusion Stage, not someone you can just touch!"

No matter how much it struggled, it felt as if it were being held tightly by an invisible force, as if its fate was being choked.
The long-browed old man, upon seeing the Devouring Sky Rat, seemed equally eager to hunt, and immediately asked Qin Ming:

"Young friend, would you be so kind as to part with this spirit beast and give it to me?"

"I have been here for two hundred thousand years, and I am quite lonely. It is rare to encounter a rare spirit beast as a companion. I am willing to exchange it with you for a fortuitous opportunity. Just ask for whatever you need."

Qin Ming never expected that the old man in front of him, whose cultivation level in the Myriad Spirits Realm was unfathomable, had actually taken a liking to his spirit pet.
Upon hearing this, the Devouring Rat's expression turned even more desperate, and it looked pitifully at Qin Ming, saying:

"Master, no!"

It was genuinely afraid that Qin Ming would sell it out.
Having to stay in that tree hollow with this old man for hundreds of thousands of years—that would be terrible!
Qin Ming deliberately said to it, "Since the senior has taken a liking to you, then it is your good fortune, so hurry up and seize it."

The Devouring Rat was unwilling no matter what, but it knew perfectly well which side it should follow for a better future.

"Replying to this senior, this beast is used to following me, so I'm afraid we can't exchange it," Qin Ming said to the long-browed elder.

The long-browed old man smiled upon hearing this and released the Devouring Sky Rat from his hand.

The Devouring Rat scurried behind Qin Ming and hid, looking at the old man with lingering fear.

'The Realm of All Spirits is truly too dangerous; I've only just entered and I'm already close to running into an old geezer like that.'

The long-browed old man didn't insist, and said to Qin Ming and the other person:

"Since you have the Token of Ten Thousand Spirits, then go in."

Having said that, his figure blurred and disappeared into a phantom.

The oppressive aura was fleeting, indicating that they had passed the old man's inspection.

Qin Ming and Lin Shanjun breathed a sigh of relief and then walked out of the tree hole.

Upon stepping outside, a strange scene brimming with vibrant life came into view.

But the outside world was full of vibrant life, like a garden.

The fungi and other spiritual plants here grow so tall they block out the sky, spreading out their enormous canopies, while all sorts of strange and wonderful animals move about in the void.

Standing before these spiritual plants and creatures, Qin Ming and the others appeared as insignificant specks of dust.

Furthermore, the five-colored glow of the sunset is visible to the naked eye, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

"This is the Realm of All Spirits. It's truly amazing."

The Devouring Rat looked at the strange and dreamlike world outside with excitement and hurriedly called Little Silver Fox and Tian Ling'er to come out and see.

The beasts couldn't suppress their curiosity and sensed that the outside environment was extremely suitable for their cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared without a trace, and went off to search for them.

Qin Ming glanced at the outside world, then turned to Lin Shanjun and asked:
Who was that senior just now?

"Fellow Daoist Qin, you may not know this, but that senior is the guardian of the Myriad Spirits Realm. His cultivation is boundless and profound. He has existed since ancient times and has always guarded the various entrances to our Myriad Spirits Realm." Lin Shanjun glanced at the distance a few more times when he saw Qin Ming release two more high-grade spirit pets.

He could easily tell that the little silver fox possessed some kind of extremely high bloodline, and he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"Guardians of the Boundary?" Qin Ming looked enlightened, then asked, "Are there multiple entrances to the Myriad Spirits Realm?"

After all, he still planned to wait here for the Xuan Shui Crocodile to arrive.

Moreover, the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Poisons, who entered the Realm of Ten Thousand Spirits before Qin Ming and the others, did not seem to have emerged from the tree hole.

It seems that using the Great Space Teleportation Token and the Myriad Spirits Token to enter the Myriad Spirits Realm will teleport you to a different place.
Lin Shanjun replied, "I also know very little about the guardians, as it involves a very high level. Perhaps only the sixteen major clans in the Myriad Spirits Realm know more." "However, there are indeed five entrances from other realms to the Myriad Spirits Realm, located in the five directions of east, south, west, north, and center, each guarded by a guardian."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming frowned. He hadn't expected that there were still powerful guardians in the Myriad Spirits Realm.

In that case, it is highly likely that the Xuan Shui Crocodile was teleported to another region.

The Myriad Spirits Realm is a mysterious little world. Although the area of ​​the Spirit Domain is not as large as that of the Spirit Realm, it is still vast and boundless, and even a cultivator's entire life would be insufficient to explore it completely.

Qin Ming decided to wait there for a while before making any further decisions, so he casually opened up a cave nearby to rest and recuperate, while also restoring his magical power and getting a feel for the surrounding area.

With Lin Shanjun, a local expert in the entire realm of spirits, things should be much easier for him in the future.

"This is a seventh-order Illusionary Spirit Pill used to disguise one's identity and aura. Fellow Daoist Lin will surely find it useful. After taking it, no one below the Great Ascension stage can see through the disguise, and it can be maintained for a long time."

Qin Ming took out a bottle of pills and tossed it to the other person.

"A seventh-grade elixir... I thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Qin."

Lin Shanjun accepted the pill and expressed his heartfelt gratitude. To be honest, he was burdened with a deep-seated blood feud and needed to conceal his identity upon returning to the Myriad Spirits Realm.

Otherwise, if those who covet the Lin family's 'Dust of Ten Thousand Laws' recognize it, given his current state, he will most likely face certain death.

Qin Ming's elixir solved the immediate crisis.

At the same time, he was secretly amazed by Qin Ming's generosity.
Qin Ming didn't care. These pills were found in the storage bags of the Nascent Soul cultivators he had killed earlier, and he couldn't even remember which dead ghost they belonged to.

He himself didn't need it, so it was perfect for Lin Shanjun to use.

Several days later.

The Devouring Rats and their companions ran back excitedly.

“Master, we went out to investigate and came back. This place really has all sorts of things we’ve never heard of before, and the spiritual energy is incredibly abundant.”

"In just this short time, I've found quite a few treasures."

After saying that, the Devouring Rat took out a storage bag to show off its haul. It was filled to the brim with some egg-sized spirit ores, radiating an amazing green spiritual energy.

At a glance, there are about twenty.

Lin Shanjun glanced at it casually and exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually the essence of ten-thousand-year-old green pine, and in such large quantities! Where did you find it, fellow Daoist?"

"This item is an extremely popular spiritual object among the Drywood Clan. It can even be exchanged for many good things, which cannot be bought even with immortal jade."

The Devouring Rat blinked and pointed outside, saying, "It's hidden under a patch of mushrooms nearby. I saw there were still a lot, so I picked the biggest one and brought it back."

Qin Ming casually took out a crystal to examine it. With just a slight feeling, he discovered that it contained an extremely pure wood-attribute spiritual energy.

He put these things away and then said:
"It seems the Xuan Shui Crocodile didn't teleport to this area. Let's leave here first."

"Anyway, once it reaches the Realm of All Spirits, we'll meet again sooner or later."

The Devouring Rat sighed, "The second brother is really unlucky. We finally managed to meet again, but he's already disappeared again after just one meeting."

"However, it has changed quite a bit over the years, to the point that it can actually fight to the death with the Great Sage of Ten Thousand Poisons of the demon race."

The Devouring Rat originally thought it had encountered a heaven-defying opportunity and successfully advanced to the seventh-order fusion stage, thus solidifying its position as the leader among Qin Ming's many spirit pets.

Silverwing, Xuan Shui Crocodile, and Blue Ice Fairy were all incredibly fortunate and possessed astonishing strength.

If it hadn't refined the Xuanling treasure, the Devouring Heaven Cauldron, it wouldn't have been able to lift its head.

Then.

After discussing it for a while, the master and servants flew away into the distance.

“Fellow Daoist Qin, the place we have arrived at now should be the territory of the Drywood Clan in the Southern Region of the Myriad Spirits Realm. Further north is the 'Yunzhou Immortal City,' a holy land for rogue cultivators. Perhaps we can stay there for the time being.”

Lin Shanjun suggested.

“Alright, then we will do as Fellow Daoist Lin says.” Qin Ming nodded.

……

……

And that was shortly after they left.

Deep within a cave in the northern region of the Myriad Spirits Realm, a violent spatial fluctuation reverberated.

Immediately afterwards, two figures were teleported out from the void, looking quite disheveled.

It was the Xuan Shui Crocodile that entered the eye of the storm from the Rootless Sea of ​​the Spirit Realm, and the young True Dragon Clan member who was with it.

After arriving, the two used their divine senses to survey their surroundings.

"Brother Xuanshui, it seems we have entered the Realm of Ten Thousand Spirits."

"But... your master arrived before the two of us, so why is there no sign of him?"

The young cultivator asked in confusion, casually brushing the dust off his clothes.

The Xuan Shui Crocodile's rugged face was extremely cold and stern. Just as he was about to answer the young man's question, he seemed to sense something, raised his thick eyebrows, and released a powerful aura from his body.

But in the void before them, countless starlight converged to form the figure of an old man in a gray robe, with a pair of deer antlers on his head.

The two of them, Xuan Shui E and his companion, couldn't fathom the depth of the person's cultivation level.
"Huh? A little dragon cub? What's it doing here?"

"If the old dragons of your clan knew this, wouldn't they skin you alive?"

The old man with deer antlers only glanced at the two of them briefly before uttering a single sentence.

His gaze then swept over the Xuan Shui Crocodile, his expression becoming even more fascinating.

"This is unbelievable! To possess both the bloodline of a true dragon and the bloodline of a golden-winged roc at the same time, just how incredible is your luck?"

"You two, don't go anywhere. Come with me first."

After the old man with deer antlers finished speaking, he waved his wide sleeves at the two of them and took the Xuan Shui Crocodile and the young cultivator away without saying another word.

They disappeared into the underground cave in an instant.

Both the Xuan Shui Crocodile and the young man from the True Dragon Clan were in a state of confusion.

They had just entered the Realm of Myriad Spirits and hadn't done anything yet when they were kidnapped by a mysterious powerful figure.
"Fellow Daoist Dongfang Bai, you didn't sneak out without telling your clan, did you?" Xuan Shui Crocodile asked in a deep voice.

The young dragon clan member gave a wry smile: "I don't know this senior either. We didn't sneak into this world, so surely they're going to send us back?"

(End of this chapter)