The Path to Immortality: Starting with an Analysis of Basic Concepts

Without much hesitation, Zhu Yu decided to first enter the "Fungus Domain" to search for possible "Divinely Gifted Spirit Seeds", and then take a good look around the "Market" after he came out.

With that thought, he turned to look at the red fire ant warrior "Sheep".

"Hey 'Sheep,' Giant Peak needs to enter the 'Fungus Realm.' Can you wait for Giant Peak outside? Giant Peak will cover the cost of staying in the market."

"certainly."

The sheep was overjoyed and nodded without hesitation.

He has the body of a "red imported fire ant," and although he has been castrated, he is still considered half a member of the "red imported fire ant tribe." Entering the market and staying in the market does not require spending any life stones.

In other words, he can earn ten "Giant Peak" Life Stones every day he waits. During this time, he can also find some odd jobs and earn about twenty Life Stones a day.

A single drop of "Life Dew" is worth approximately six thousand Life Stones.

He only needs… a year! … to buy a drop.

"Sheep's" initial joy quickly vanished. Looking at "Giant Peak" who had taken out eight thousand life stones to pay the border crossing fee, his eyes flickered slightly. But seeing the spirit beasts surrounding him, he sighed inwardly, dismissed the unrealistic idea in his mind, and turned to leave.

Just then, a voice came from behind.

"Sheep, wait a minute..."

"Sheep" looked back and saw "Blackie Warrior" Black Earth, who rarely spoke, jogging over. Just as he was wondering, Blackie's voice came.

"Sheep, do you know where the extraterrestrial teleportation channel for the Red Fire Ants is?..."

The sheep glanced at it, a glint of light flashing in its eyes, and nodded hurriedly, "I know, I know, ten life stones will take you there."

"Didn't you already accept the 'Giant Peak' Life Stone? Why do you still want more..." Black Earth was taken aback and said with dissatisfaction.

"You're not 'Giant Peak'," the sheep said matter-of-factly.

"One," Black Earth replied.

"Nine..."

Two! Any more than that is not acceptable.

"Five. I know the red fire ant warriors guarding the passage; I can give you a discount," Yang replied.

Heitu thought for a moment, then nodded, "Five then."

"Let's go."

The sheep waved its paw and left with the black soil.

journey.

The sheep casually asked, "Black Soil, what are you going to give as a gift?"

"It's nothing," Heitu glanced at it.

"Don't get me wrong, tell me what it is so I can help you get a better price..." Yang turned his head and said seriously.

"Hmm..." Kurotsuchi hesitated for a moment, then replied vaguely, "Just a few drops of the Elixir of Life..."

"Oh, it's this one. Don't worry, it's all covered by the 'sheep,' so you definitely won't suffer any losses."

A strange light flashed in the sheep's eyes. It patted its breastplate, making a loud thumping sound, and then, as if remembering something, said:

"Oh, by the way, Black Soil, did you bring enough Life Stones? Using the teleportation portal isn't cheap. If you didn't bring enough, before Giant Peak enters the 'Fungal Domain,' since you're on good terms, hurry up and borrow some..."

Hei Tu found these words strangely familiar, and suddenly it dawned on him that the tone sounded just like that of bandits in the wilderness who made their living by plundering insects and beasts.

Anger welled up in his heart.

"You heartless 'red imported fire ant'! When we were looking for directions, I even spoke up for you, and you actually tried to rob me..."

His mind raced. He compared their cultivation levels and thought, "Hmm, I probably can't beat him. But one insect won't do, so I'll try two. If two insects aren't enough, I'll try three..."

Upon entering the "market," he saw a mark left by the "bandits" who had made a deal more than a month earlier in a wooden house.

"Hmph, today I'm going to teach you a lesson, you heartless worm..."

A flurry of thoughts flashed through his mind, and Black Earth pretended to scratch his head, saying, "Sheep, you're right. Black Earth doesn't have many Life Stones, but 'Giant Peak' won't lend them to me."

Just as the "sheep" was feeling somewhat disappointed, he suddenly heard him say:

"However, 'Black Soil' has a close brother from his own clan in the 'Market,' so we can borrow from him..."

"Really? Then let's hurry, before it leaves..."

The sheep's eyes lit up, and it urged.

"Let's go." Black Earth led the way, and as he walked, he casually remarked, "Sheep, you've been a guide for quite a few years now..."

"More than a year," Yang replied after thinking for a moment.

"The guides only earn hard-earned Life Stones, why don't they think about cultivating Life Seeds... like 'Kyoho,' planting Life Seeds can earn a lot of Life Stones every year."

"My life capsule is damaged from birth, so I can't nurture a 'life seed.' Are there many 'life seeds' in Giant Peak? Are they all ordinary? Could there be top-tier life seeds...?"

"Yes, how many trips can you make in a year? I'll see if it's equivalent to the harvest of one 'Giant Peak' seed..."

"Not much, it's just that the market has just opened..."

"..."

Two insects, eight hundred schemes.

They talked back and forth, with no other thoughts in mind than trying to get the other's spider silk bag into their own hands.

Zhu Yu glanced at the two insects leaving together but paid no attention. After paying the fee, he led the curious Cai Ling and the excited Bald Head and Fire Tail through the Kanlan Barrier.

The feeling was as if passing through a curtain of water, through which Zhu Yu clearly sensed the aura of "divine gift," and that aura was much stronger than that of "White-tailed Pear" and "Xifu Begonia."

"That 'Rain Flower Umbrella' from the 'Red Imported Fire Ant Tribe'... is it 'Mountain Lord Level' or 'Lord Level'?..."

The thought flashed through his mind, and before his vision could return, he suddenly felt a sinking sensation, like falling into water. Without hesitation, he immediately extended his divine sense.

next moment.

A vast ocean filled with vibrant colors was reflected in my mind.

In my divine perception, this multicolored ocean was none other than hundreds of millions of tiny spores. It can only be said that the "Fungal Realm" truly lives up to its name. From this perspective, it is difficult for any living creature to survive in the "Fungal Realm".

With divine power erecting a barrier, Zhu Yu's vision returned, and as he looked around, a colorful, magnificent, and beautiful world came into view.

A verdant carpet of fungus covered the earth, on which no trees grew, only mushrooms, some as small as a washbasin, others as thick as a giant log.

It emits various faint lights, and the gushing spores, like ribbons and gauze, slowly entwine and flow around it.

At first glance, it looks like a rainbow spreading out in the water.

"So this is... the microbial domain...?"

Zhu Yu was amazed, but thinking of the spores in the air, he quickly turned to look at Cai Ling, Tu Tou, and Huo Wei.

Cai Ling was unharmed and even quite interested in crushing a few mushrooms and tasting them.

"Is this the bacterial domain...?"

"The air is full of filth, how can spirit beasts live?"

"The spiritual energy is so rich..."

"Are mushrooms edible?... "

Bald, with a fiery tail and white fur, Blackie and Whitey were enveloped in a bright white glow after sneezing several times. Only then did they have time to survey their surroundings, feeling both dislike and surprise…

"How disgusting."

"Kuroko wants to go home."

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..."

The three-headed dog, Kuroko, clearly disliked the "fungus domain" environment. Angrily, it smashed several mushrooms, but when it saw the mushrooms spewing out a lot of smoke, it was startled and quickly retreated.

Zhu Yu hurriedly asked, "How are you feeling? Can you stay here long? Will it affect your strength?...

"Yes, the spiritual energy here is very rich." Firetail nodded affirmatively, then added, "Firetail can only exert half of its strength."

"So are we."

Bald, white-haired, and black-and-white two echoed each other.

Cai Ling, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned, clearly unaffected by the "bacterial domain" environment.

Seeing this, Zhu Yu felt relieved. He looked around and found a place where no insects or beasts had walked by. He waved his paw and said, "Let's go! Let's go inside and take a look."

He flew to a mushroom that was several people could encircle and emitted a faint spiritual aura, placed his claw on it, and stared at it intently.

Because of the transformation of the "Eye of True Sight," information can be analyzed in the blink of an eye.

[Target: Unknown Giant Mushroom]

[Maturity Stage]

【Attribute: Wood】

[Non-product quality: 99%]

[Effects: Mild blood stasis, hallucinogen neutralizer]

[Status: Near death, depleted]

"Near death, exhausted..."

Zhu Yu glanced at the status section, closed the panel, used his divine sense to collect some spores and stored them, then continued walking inside.

Traveling along the way.

All I could hear was a faint rustling sound, and the mushrooms growing larger, taller, more vibrant in color, and with a richer, more ethereal quality.

At first, the spirit beasts like Cai Ling and Bald Head were quite curious, looking left and right, but after walking for a while, all they could see was an endless carpet of fungi and all kinds of mushrooms, and they gradually became bored.

Perhaps due to the influence of "poisonous spores", he was slightly depressed.

Zhu Yu was quite pleased, as each mushroom was one he had never seen before, with all sorts of strange and wonderful uses, and many seeds.

They tirelessly collected information on each plant and gathered each seed.

I don't know how much time has passed.

After passing through a forest of gray-black, rocky "mushrooms," the view suddenly widened.

A bright white fungal carpet, distinct from the emerald green one, came into view.

As Baldhead and Firetail stepped onto the fungal carpet, the carpet suddenly came to life, and thin white threads shot out like arrows.

"What is that...?"

Bald Head and Fire Tail were startled and instinctively unleashed their innate spells.

The bald man's eyes turned a pure, unblemished yellowish-brown. As far as his gaze fell, streaks of shimmering white mycelium stained a dark brown, which then spread rapidly downwards visible to the naked eye.

In an instant, the incoming mycelium turned to stone and spread to the fungal carpet.

Firetail's eyes blazed with flames resembling magma, which quickly spread throughout its body, causing its fur to sway wildly, like a surging mass of scorching lava.

Before the mycelium could even get close, it had already turned into charcoal.

The black mouth spews black water and the white mouth spews out cold air; the mycelium that bursts forth is either corroded into black water or frozen into ice shards.

The white-haired creature took flight, its wings flapping to form countless golden wind blades that cleaved the surrounding mycelium in two, exploding upon impact with the mycelial carpet.

In an instant, a patch of fungal carpet was cleared away, revealing the dry, grayish-white sand beneath.

"Huh..."

Zhu Yu looked at the spirit beasts in surprise, remembering that the innate spells they had displayed were not this one.

Before he could think any further, he suddenly sensed a malicious intent emerging. Turning his head, he saw the spreading fungal carpet rapidly contracting inward.

In just a few breaths.

A blazing white sun slowly rose over the land ahead, its intense light gradually eroding the colorful lights that shone upon it.

And it was accompanied by a strong sense of malice.

An aura far exceeding that of a first-tier cultivator surged forth like a tide.

"Second-order?..."

Zhu Yu's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to say "run," a clear "li" sound rang in his ears. He turned his head and saw that Cai Ling's figure had already disappeared.

Then a huge shadow fell over his head. When he looked up, he saw a huge ball of crimson spiritual light hanging high in the sky, and he could vaguely see a large bird with a graceful figure, a long neck and a long tail.

With a flap of its wings, it instantly reached the top of the blazing white light that resembled the sun, and then swooped down.

Boom... hiss...

Crimson and blazing white spiritual light shot into the sky, accompanied by a hissing sound like an insect, which was then suppressed by an even more domineering creak.

In just a few breaths.

The crimson light completely suppressed the blazing white light, the hissing gradually weakened but became more ferocious, the domineering cry grew higher and higher, and was filled with excitement…

"Cai Ling is so strong..."

Zhu Yu's divine sense couldn't reach that far, but through sensing her aura, he was almost certain that Cai Ling definitely possessed a "Divine Power Domain," and that her "Divine Power Domain" was much stronger than that of the "Sword Peak Master."

Recalling how the three-headed dog from the Mountain Lord realm had addressed Cai Ling, a thought flickered in his mind, "Could Cai Ling be some kind of phoenix?... "

Thinking of this, he was immediately tempted.

The "phoenix" is known as the immortal bird, a true "mythical lineage".

"Once Cai Ling recovers from her injuries, we'll discuss with her whether we can extract some of her bloodline..."

Just as he was thinking this, the outcome of the battle ahead was already decided.

The surging waves gradually subsided, and the scorching heat in the air slowly dissipated.

next moment.

Zhu Yu felt a blur before his eyes, and then a crimson wing stretched out in front of him. On the wing lay a disc with intricate patterns and a shimmering white light.

"Is this... a gift from God?..."

Zhu Yu's eyes lit up. He could clearly sense the faint "Spiritual Ruins Origin" aura emanating from the disc, which belonged to the "Insect Realm." He took it lightly, looked at it a couple of times, and stared intently at it.

[A "divinely bestowed spirit seed" imbued with the essence of two realms, about to be born...]

"It truly is a 'divinely bestowed spirit seed'..."

Zhu Yu was overjoyed, but then a thought crossed his mind. He looked at Cai Ling and asked, "Cai Ling, how did you obtain these seeds?"

Cai Ling, who was preening her feathers, tilted her head and spoke in a slightly high-pitched voice.

"Cai Ling ate that ugly creature, and left..." It paused, then continued, "Cai Ling specially saved it for you, 'Giant Peak'..."

Seemingly a little guilty, it lowered its head and continued preening its feathers.

“Cai Ling, you’re so kind…” Zhu Yu said happily without thinking, “This is a ‘divinely bestowed seed.’ Once Ju Feng nurtures it into a life seed, half of the ‘divinely bestowed fruits’ it bears will go to Cai Ling.”

Is it a "divinely given seed"?

A hint of doubt flashed in Cai Ling's crimson pupils. She leaned forward, looked her over, and her doubt deepened.

"It doesn't taste good at all..."

Cai Ling did try to eat the disc-shaped fruit, but the aura it emitted disgusted her, and she had a feeling that something bad would happen if she ate it, so she brought it back to Zhu Yu.

Unexpectedly, this thing turned out to be the "divinely bestowed spiritual seed" that it had been coveting.

After glancing at it a few times, Cai Ling looked away with boredom and continued to preen her feathers and digest her food.

Zhu Yu happily put the "divinely bestowed spirit seed" into the "spider silk bag," then wandered around the gray-white land to make sure there was nothing good there. He then led his spirit beasts into the mushroom forest.

Time passed slowly.

This day.

Zhu Yu was investigating a giant mushroom, so thick that it would take dozens of people to encircle it, resembling a small mountain, when suddenly he felt the earth shake and a sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.