New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 278 Sister, buy me a car?

After the tiger demon finished dealing with everything and decided to return, it left the white deer in the cave and descended the steps alone.

Upon reaching the edge of the [Frozen Pool], the tiger's paws, wet by the icy water, glanced at the time displayed in the [Boss Template].

It was already 7:12 PM. A wave of guilt washed over me for standing my senior up.

Unfortunately, this feeling of guilt was quickly overwhelmed by the beauty of the stunning scenery before him, the sense of accomplishment from finding a top-tier [Dharma Domain] site and successfully completing Phase 0 of the project, thus establishing a subtle connection with [Yinshan]!

Seeing these continuous mountain peaks, waterfalls, cold pools, and dense forests that would soon belong to him, he felt an indescribable excitement and exhilaration.

Just like the oxen and horses of China, after decades of hard work, the sense of security, satisfaction, and accomplishment that comes from buying a bare-bones apartment with a mortgage is immense. A mere house can give people the confidence to establish themselves in the city.

At this moment, it has forcibly occupied a large area of ​​mountains, a pool of water, a stream, a waterfall, countless forests... and the wandering, ownerless spirits in the mountains!

It's like a nouveau riche boss who has bought a large piece of land and is about to build a 'residential area'. He personally arrives at the construction site, participates in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and admires his future 'real estate'. That kind of confidence is 100,000 times stronger than a cow or a horse paying off a mortgage on a bare-bones house!
So what if someone stands me up? I'm totally confident!

The tiger demon roared from the mountain stream: "My ego is getting so inflated!"

The snake's tail roared, "I'm getting incredibly arrogant too!"

After taking one last, reluctant look at the 'icy pool, waterfall, and wondrous Yin Mountain,' the tiger demon turned away with tears in its eyes, disappearing into the shadows.

As they moved further away from Yinshan, the Tiger Demon's connection with the 'magic array' weakened.

It wasn't until it broke away from the mountains surrounding the cold pool and arrived at the outer area of ​​the [Yin Sha Land] that it was only vaguely connected to the [Yin Mountain].

It's like when you're away from WiFi, your phone shows a connection, but you've lost all data and internet speed.

After completely leaving this [Shadowy Land] and re-entering the normal [Misty Area], its connection with [Shadow Mountain] is completely severed, leaving only the [Boss Template's] built-in 'guide function'.

The Tiger Demon remains like a compass, accurately pointing to its territory no matter where it is, guiding it to its home.

Similarly, in human form, Yuan Zhu could also use the [Anti-Law] to vaguely perceive the location of the [White Deer] within the [Misty Mountains] area.

Now you don't have to worry about getting lost.

After the complete loss of contact, the Tiger Demon experienced a brief period of unease. The vague yet palpable feeling that had arisen after establishing a connection with the mountains and rivers through the magic array while in Yinshan completely subsided.

But that intense 'desire' always affected the Tiger Demon, making it extremely sad and empty, and it couldn't wait to return and immediately complete [36, 72 (Insect Pillars)] to construct a complete [Law Domain].

That was the desire to refine the entire [Yin Mountain], completely dominate the [Yin Sha Land], and become the [Mountain Lord].

Snake: "I'm really looking forward to coming back next time. What changes will happen after we completely refine the entire [mountain]?"

...

Having escaped the allure of Yinshan, the Tiger Demon blended into the shadows of night.

Using [Nie Yin]'s anti-law perception to locate himself, he frantically used Shadow Step, sparks flying everywhere... Finally, around 7:40, he arrived at the [Frog Factory Construction Site], where construction was still underway at night.

At this moment, the autistic frog-killing girl remained calm and composed in the temporary room, quietly closing her eyes to rest, and mentally reviewing, replaying, and rehearsing the 'frog-type modification surgery'.

The senior student who was stood up gradually went from being anxious to being angry, gritting her teeth as she flipped through a construction materials quotation document.

It wasn't the inability to go home that made her irritable; it was more out of worry for Yuan Zhu. She was terrified that this cute little brother, whose appearance suited her taste, would inexplicably perish in the Misty Mountains.

This would cause her investment in [Frog Factory] to go down the drain, resulting in losses for her family and indirectly proving her own lack of talent. Completely rejected by her family, she may never find another opportunity to prove herself.

"Bang bang bang!"

After a series of polite knocks, Zhu Zi, pretending to be 'panting', pushed the door open and entered. He raised his hand to wipe away non-existent sweat from his forehead before feigning apology, saying, "I'm sorry, Sister Chen, I'm late. I've kept you waiting."

The senior student had strong self-control and didn't take the opportunity to explode. Instead, she suppressed her temper and still questioned with slight displeasure: "Being a little late is fine, but where exactly did you go? This is such a remote area, already at the foot of the Misty Mountains, surrounded by wilderness. Where could you possibly have gone? And why did it take you so long?"

Even though they kept asking, anyone with a modicum of common sense could guess that the other person had gone into the mountains.

With Yuan Zhu's current mastery of [Holy Light] and the [Soul Crystal's] super strong resistance and restraint against mental pollution, he can indeed travel through the outer perimeter of the [Misty Mountains] for a short time without being affected by the environment.

Even so, the Misty Mountains remain fraught with danger for him. Aside from the constant emergence of 'contaminated life forms,' powerful 'monsters' frequently spawn randomly deep within the mountains, approaching or even intruding into the territory of [Running], and in extreme cases, even breaking away from the mountains to attack cities.

Furthermore, many strange and inexplicable dangerous phenomena still exist within the Misty Mountains. Even for well-educated individuals with extraordinary abilities, the Academy advises against recklessly venturing into the mountains. The best option is to travel in groups and hire experienced guides.

What appears to be a question is actually an emotional outburst, expressing her dissatisfaction and concerns.

Yuan Zhu sensed this too, so he stammered for a long time, wearing a bitter face that said, "I have my reasons, I don't want to explain, but I'm absolutely safe."

This made the senior student's imagination run wild. Suddenly, she thought of a possibility and tentatively asked, "You went into the mountains to use the unique shielding properties of the [Mist] deep within the mountains to meet with some underground gangs and conduct illegal transactions?!"

Just thinking about those strange plant-based medicinal seeds that Yuan Zhu provided, with their extremely strong 'pollution properties'...

The fact that the "Nightmare Foam Layer Contamination" on those paper packages hadn't been washed off indicates that this guy has some wild connections. His source isn't from the "Spirit Realm," but rather from a higher-risk, forbidden category (foam layer) that is explicitly prohibited by the "Security Bureau."

Suppliers capable of providing such 'high-risk resources' clearly lack legal status, let alone the ability to openly set up stalls and shops in 'Running City'. The best place to meet and trade would undoubtedly be the vast and boundless 'Misty Mountains'.

If one ventures more than 10 kilometers into the 'Mist Zone,' the inherent mental pollution, interference, and shielding of the mist are enough to cause a person to become completely lost or disappear. It becomes virtually impossible for outsiders to detect or monitor. Of course, this is not recommended for ordinary people. Those with special abilities have a higher chance of survival if they venture into the mist zone; however, ordinary people who rashly enter will most likely become lost and die.

Upon hearing this conjecture, Yuan Zhu's heart stirred. He maintained an ambiguous expression, as if he had a problem he couldn't answer directly, and then suddenly made an exclamation of surprise: "Ah! I have an idea!"

Then, he took out the last [Astral Pumpkin Head Spirit Seed] from the [Soul Space] and handed it to his senior: "Sister Chen, look at this thing, does it open the door?"

The senior student, who had never watched an appraisal video, was completely bewildered, but she recognized the 'spirit seed'. While excited, she asked in confusion, "Opening the door? Does it refer to the [Door] realm? This 'Astral Seed' has very weak energy fluctuations. The person who conceived it didn't even reach the [Seed] level in life, so it couldn't open the [Door]."

Yuan Zhu was dumbfounded: "Uh... I mean, is it valuable?"

"You want to sell it to me?"

The senior student took the 'spirit seed', played with it for a moment, and then said, "Well, for the entire [Duling Star], the number of 'plant races' that have settled in the astral plane is huge. On average, each adult 'plant race' will have 3 to 7 'astral plant spirit seeds' in its head. Theoretically, it is not rare."

"But the problem is that the [Astral Plant Clan] is a powerful group with a habit of collecting [Spirit Seeds] from the bodies of the dead. Secondly, these things are, after all, the body parts of 'intelligent species' and are not suitable for open circulation. Finally, they (Spirit Seeds) are closely related to the forces of the Loose Immortals and are being bought up and monopolized in large quantities, making them difficult to circulate in the market."

"Therefore, for an ordinary college student like me, this kind of [spiritual seed] is still rare and valuable. But if I choose a system, achieve success in my cultivation, come into contact with the corresponding circle, and master the corresponding trading channels, then the value of this [spiritual seed] will be greatly reduced."

When the senior student was answering questions, she was also misled by Zhu Zi into guessing that the other party had really gone into the mountains to conduct illegal transactions, which caused the delay.

Otherwise, why didn't they offer this [Spirit Seed] as a treasure before, and now they're suddenly handing it over to me as an apology?
"That……"

Yuan Zhu looked hesitant and conflicted, which prompted the senior student, who was interested in the [Spirit Seed], to speak first: "You want to sell it to me as a favor?"

Yuan Zhu nodded: "Yes! But that's not all, I also have my own agenda."

"Tell me, I can agree to any conditions that aren't too unreasonable. This thing (spirit seed) is quite outdated for the [Immortal Cultivation]. But I must mention that the [Astral Spirit Seed] is the source of all [Immortal Cultivation] in this world. Even though the 'Entry Spirit Seed' of contemporary Immortal Cultivation has been iterated many times and has long since left the category of 'Astral Seed,' it still has important experimental research value for studying the Immortal Cultivation system! I really need it."

...

To put it simply, the first batch of rogue immortals on the planet Duling were Qi cultivators who betrayed the Kunlun Immortal Path and refused to be enslaved by the Kunlun Mother. After countless trials and errors, they accidentally succeeded in using the brain core (seed of the star realm) of an 'alien plant-like being' as a brand new spiritual root. The three flowers gathered at the top of their heads and spread throughout their bodies, allowing them to successfully rebuild the Kunlun Immortal Method without being interfered with or affected by the Kunlun system.

However, as the [Random Immortal System] rapidly grew, the pioneers who controlled the [Astral Spirit Seed] became new factions, low-level 'minor sources of pollution,' quickly monopolizing the [Random Immortal System] under the [Astral Spirit Seed] and beginning to enslave newcomers.

Other new "free spirit immortals" immediately abandoned the now-unfilled slots for "Astral Seeds" and instead developed other "herbal spirit seeds" as alternatives, becoming new, unrestrained "free spirit immortals".

However, the status of the 'Star Realm Spirit Seed' as the foundation of the [Loose Immortal System] has never been shaken.

A core requirement of the Dangerous Plant School, to which the senior student belongs, in cultivating 'dangerous plant seeds' is to successfully imbue various 'dangerous plants (polluting plants)' from different sources with the bloodline attributes of 'astro-world species' through numerous hybridization experiments, enabling them to accept and absorb 'starlight'.

The foundation of cultivation in the Kunlun Immortal Path lies in breathing in and absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth released by the Kunlun Mother Plant through one's own woody spiritual root.

So, the foundation of cultivation for a [Rogue Immortal] lies in secretly breathing in the 'spiritual energy of heaven and earth' using the [herbal spiritual root] within their body; they can also absorb the 'starlight' from the [essence of the sun and moon] as a source of energy for cultivation! ([Buddhist Eggplant]: I am a Buddhist cultivator + Rogue Immortal!)
Therefore, the [Astral Plants. Spirit Species] have always possessed extremely high research value.

...

Senior student: "May I ask which 'plant family' this [Spirit Seed] belongs to?"

The immigrants to the Plant Universe, one of the eight outer universes, are incredibly diverse in species.

If the aliens in the [Magic Universe] are mainly humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, then the [Plant Universe] is completely out of control, with pumpkin heads, watermelon heads, squash heads, tomato heads, corn heads... the sheer number of races rivals that of [Plants vs. Zombies].

Therefore, it can be seen that the initial batch of [Human Race Loose Immortals] actually had quite a few slots available. However, among so many [Astral Spirit Seeds], there were also differences in quality. Among them, the most valuable was the [Pumpkin Spirit Seed].

After all, the symbol of the Star Bank is a pumpkin.

The second to last of the Twelve Fates, the "Year of the Melon," refers to the "Pumpkin Ancestor" among aliens, symbolizing "starlight, the astral realm, and wealth (banks)." According to our understanding on Earth, the "Pumpkin Fate Master" has the identities of "God of Wealth" and "Star Official."

Yuan Zhu suddenly recalled his experience at the Star Bank in Taixi City.

The Star Core, which theoretically shouldn't be in Taixi City, suddenly appeared in the Star Bank. Could it be related to the Pumpkin Fate Master?
For example, the higher-ups at the Star Bank are attempting to artificially mold certain powerful members of the 'Plant Race' into 'Star Gods' of the future era, thus solidifying their status as 'Star Lords'?

...

Amidst the frenzied brainstorming, Yuan Zhu replied, "This is the most common, yet also the most valuable, [Pumpkin Seed]. It was dug out from the head of a [Sword Cultivator Pumpkin Head]. There are three in total, and this is one of them."

"A sword cultivator? The military is recruiting aliens now? Or are they security guards for the Star Bank?"

The senior student looked curious but didn't delve too deeply into it. She was quite used to this kind of 'illegal trade in materials from endangered wild animals,' only caring about the quality and never questioning the origin of the 'cables.'

"Good stuff, I'll take it. Tell me your purpose?"

“Uh…” Yuan Zhu thought about what he lacked and urgently needed, but he couldn’t be too greedy. After all, this [Star Realm Plant Seed] wasn’t that precious; it was just a free gift that people from the future casually gave away.

Its greatest value actually lies in the deceased's 'pumpkin head'. In the previous Celestial Empire, this kind of 'alien' was comparable to a foreign friend, and was protected by law on a daily basis. It could not be killed at will without reason, much less be dug up for seeds.

Because the source is restricted and protected, it has some value. Otherwise, if the world were to degenerate and everyone treated 'alien plant enthusiasts' like Native Americans, the price of spiritual seeds would inevitably plummet.

This was something that seemed valuable, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't worth much. Yuan Zhu was too embarrassed to ask for a high price, otherwise it would be putting his senior in a difficult position.

"Sister, can you buy me a car? No, two cars!"

(End of this chapter)