I offered sacrifices to the gods

As expected, he was rejected. After all, it was a main ingredient that could be used to refine high-grade magic weapons, and its value was very high. Naturally, it was not something he could exchange for some old medicines that nourished qi and blood.

However, Lin Mo learned a piece of information from the other party's words: the Elder of Punishment did indeed possess a complete Earth Crystal Core.

I'm not afraid the other party won't exchange, I'm afraid the other party won't have it!

Lin Mo planned to pay homage to the Earth Deity Emperor as soon as possible to obtain the crafting method for the Zhenyue Xuanyuan Bell.

A complete earth crystal core should be sufficient as an offering for sacrifices.

"I desperately need a complete Earth Core; it's very important to me."

"If possible, I hope Senior Sister Yang could inquire for me what kind of bargaining chips are needed to exchange for this Earth Crystal Core?"

"For this, I am willing to use all the resources that the abbot will give me next as a bargaining chip."

He was determined to obtain the Earth Crystal Core. As for the things the abbot usually bestowed upon him, most of them were spiritual medicines to nourish blood and strengthen the body.

The purpose of these things is to help him complete the "Blood Transporting Scripture" as soon as possible. However, since Lin Mo already has the "Spirit Wood Meridian Refining Technique," these things are not very meaningful to him.

It might accelerate the cultivation of the Blood Refining Scripture, but once this body-refining method is perfected, his death will be imminent.

Lin Mo certainly didn't want to die so quickly; he wanted to make the most of these resources to arm himself.

After hearing this, Yang Xiaoran thought for a moment, then looked deeply at Lin Mo and said:

"I can pass this on to Master, but I can't guarantee whether Master will agree to make this deal with you."

"Furthermore, I must remind you that the abbot will never tolerate you delaying your own cultivation. If he discovers that you are deliberately slacking off, you can imagine the consequences yourself."

Even without Yang Xiaoran saying it, Lin Mo himself understood what the consequences of this matter would be.

The abbot was already nearing the end of his life, but after consuming a Human Essence Pill, his lifespan was extended by thirty to fifty years.

For ordinary people, thirty to fifty years might be a lifetime, but for a cultivator in the Contemplation Realm, it is still too short.

Perhaps after one or two periods of seclusion, he will soon be worrying about his impending death again.

Therefore, the abbot said that this second Human Essence Pill would be refined within ten years.

Lin Mo's estimate is ten years, but this period may be shorter.

"I know what I'm doing, so there's no need for Senior Sister Yang to worry about it."

After the conversation, Lin Mo was once again escorted out of the Hall of Punishments.

He had only been at Jinyang Temple for less than half a year, but he had already entered the Hall of Punishments three times, making him quite the seasoned veteran.

Returning to his cave dwelling with practiced ease, Lin Mo assessed his current situation.

"I need to focus my energy on practicing the Stone Skin Technique from now on."

"The matter of worshipping the gods cannot be neglected. In addition to the Tu De Emperor, the second worship of the Mother of Wan Sen must also be put on the agenda as soon as possible."

As for one's own cultivation level, there's no need to worry too much about that.

Once the abbot returns to the mountain, a steady stream of elixirs will be delivered, igniting his life force and allowing him to enter the Candle Illumination Realm—it's only a matter of time.

What the abbot cares about most is the progress of cultivating the "Blood Transporting Scripture".

"After a while, it will be time to feed the Dragon Blood Tree."

Lin Mo muttered to himself, a glint of light in his eyes. He was going to bleed the tree alone this time, determined to extract a mouthful of the Dragon Blood Tree's life essence.

The thought of the immense life force contained within that precious tree stirred an uncontrollable tremor within him.

If one could possess it and take a puff every now and then, what would be the problem with achieving the Great Dao?

However, he only dared to think about this in his heart. If he really dared to do it, it probably wouldn't be long before that Old Ancestor Jinyang would have to leave seclusion.

...

The failed escape attempt last night had no lasting impact, and Lin Mo enjoyed a rare period of relaxed and peaceful cultivation.

With the abbot no longer on the mountain and free from pressure, his life became much more comfortable.

During the day, when he had nothing to do, he would go to the Sutra Repository and occasionally go to the preaching platform to listen to Elder Wu's sermons and expound his own views on spiritual practice.

At night, he would use the remaining fragments of the earth crystal cores in his cave to practice the Stone Skin Technique.

While his cultivation level hasn't improved much, his earth magic is progressing rapidly. After consuming several fragments of earth crystal cores, he's nearing the minor completion stage of this technique.

During this time, Yang Xiaoran secretly sent a message through someone.

The Elder of Punishments actually agreed to his trade request!

This greatly excited Lin Mo, and a surge of joy welled up inside him.

"However, there's one more condition!"

"Please speak!" Lin Mo quickly regained his composure. He was well aware that the prices he had offered earlier were far from enough to trade for a complete Earth Crystal Core.

It's normal for the other party to propose additional conditions.

"Senior Sister said that after you advance to the Candle Illumination Realm, you need to do something for her."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo was slightly taken aback, unable to think of anything he could do for the other party.

But he readily agreed, figuring that he had plenty of debt to burn and would just have to pay it off later.

"Your order will be delivered to you within a month. Please wait patiently."

"I understand, thank you!"

The ceremony to worship the Earth Deity can finally be put on the agenda.

Lin Mo couldn't help but begin to look forward to just how powerful that treasure called the Zhenyue Xuanyuan Bell really would be.

However, he was also somewhat worried that the crafting difficulty of this treasure might be too high.

The fear is that by then you'll have the refining method but won't be able to actually refine it.

"Never mind, let's just take it one step at a time." Lin Mo shook his head, shaking these worries out of his mind.

Time flies, and more than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The abbot has still not returned to the mountain. It is time for Lin Mo to water the Dragon Blood Tree this month. This time, he can go to the forbidden area in the back mountain alone!

With a touch of unease, he made his way to the forbidden area behind the mountain.

Apart from the sound of the wind, there was no other noise around, and normally no one would come near this place.

Lin Mo took out the dark gold token and activated it with his spiritual power.

Once a halo enveloped his body, he strode forward and easily passed through the barrier.

The Dragon Blood Tree, resembling a crimson, coiled dragon, stood before him, its lush branches completely blocking out the sunlight.

Lin Mo walked to the tree roots, took out the lapis lazuli dagger, and cut his wrist as usual.

Crimson blood splattered out; he did not cheat or shirk responsibility, but instead released enough blood on time and in the correct amount.

The Dragon Blood Tree thirstily absorbed his blood, and in no time, every drop of blood on the ground was completely absorbed.

Standing in front, Lin Mo could clearly sense that the vitality contained within the Dragon Blood Tree had grown even stronger.

After the bloodletting was finished, he did not rush to leave, but closed his eyes.

"I've supported you so many times during this period, it's time to pay back the debt."

With that in mind, Lin Mo activated the "Spirit Wood Meridian Refining Technique" without hesitation!

The abundant and enormous spiritual essence of the Dragon Blood Tree was clearly and shockingly presented in his field of vision.

The dazzling red light almost filled his entire field of vision. What a magnificent source of life it was! In front of it, Lin Mo felt like an ant.

He tried to extract a wisp of spiritual wood essence from that thick red light source, but to his surprise, the Dragon Blood Tree seemed to possess some kind of intelligence, and actually locked away the essence, preventing him from taking it away.

You dare to resist?!

Lin Mo laughed in anger. He had come to bleed himself every month without fail, and he didn't know how much of his essence he had depleted.

Today I just wanted to collect some interest, and they dared to refuse me!

With this thought in mind, Lin Mo activated the Spirit Wood Refining Technique to the maximum extent, like a robber, fiercely plundering a small wisp of spirit wood essence from that ball of red light.

Almost instantly, a vast amount of spiritual wood essence surged into his body.

The life essence contained in the spiritual wood essence of the Dragon Blood Treasure Tree was so abundant that Lin Mo could hardly bear it, and his meridians began to feel a faint swelling and pain.

But soon, the immortal palace in his mind appeared on its own.

The statue of the Mother of Ten Thousand Forests in the Immortal Abode emitted a rich, crystalline green light.

The vast life essence that he had just stored in his body hadn't even been properly enjoyed before it was completely absorbed by this statue!

Just as Lin Mo was about to curse inwardly, the statue of the Mother of All Forests emitted wisps of blue light.

[Successfully completed the second worship of the Mother of the Sea statue and obtained the "Deeply Rooted Talisman"!]

[Next visit reward: Wood Shadow Escape!]

Lin Mo gasped. He hadn't expected that absorbing the essence of the Dragon Blood Tree would lead to his second pilgrimage to the Mother of Ten Thousand Forests!

"Is it just my imagination? I feel like the statue in the immortal palace is showing a satisfied smile."

However, he didn't have time to delve into these details now. Lin Mo glanced at the origin of the Dragon Blood Tree again and quickly breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The wisp of spiritual wood essence that he had just plundered was only a very insignificant part, showing no abnormality whatsoever, and not even a single leaf had fallen off.

Draw another thread!

This is a rare opportunity. Who knows when the abbot will return? If there are no more opportunities to come alone in the future, I don't know when I will be able to draw again.

"Baoshu, don't blame me. I've bled you so much these past few days, it's time for me to heal some of your blood."

With a silent murmur to himself, Lin Mo calmly resumed circulating the "Spirit Wood Meridian Refining Technique."

This method was bestowed by the gods and is practically the nemesis of all trees.

No matter how tightly the Dragon Blood Tree tried to lock away its spiritual essence, he still managed to extract a strand of it with ease.

As he drew this wisp of spiritual wood essence into his body, he felt every inch of his flesh and blood rejoice.

After doing all this, Lin Mo quickly opened his eyes and looked at the Dragon Blood Treasure Tree in front of him.

He was somewhat nervous and uneasy, but breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that there was nothing unusual on the surface.

"After all, it is a precious tree that has been nourished by princes of all dynasties who cut their wrists and bled to make it grow. It has only been drained once or twice, so naturally no change can be seen."

Despite saying that, Lin Mo always felt that the Dragon Blood Tree in front of him seemed to have its own sentience.

After drawing two strands of spiritual wood essence, he seemed to sense that the towering tree was generating a sense of anger and fear.

Lin Mo didn't dare to waste any more time. Staying any longer would be inappropriate and would arouse suspicion from others.

Picking up the lapis lazuli dagger from the ground, and with the protection of the dark gold token, Lin Mo quickly left this forbidden area in the back mountain.

...

After returning to his cave, Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief, and the anxiety that had been hanging over him finally subsided.

"This Dragon Blood Tree is very old. It can absorb fresh blood containing dragon blood every month, and its growth rate far exceeds the normal lifespan. It is probably nearly a thousand years old."

"I really don't know what the purpose of Ancestor Jinyang was in cultivating such a precious tree. The reason why he brought the entire Yu Kingdom royal family under his control is probably largely because of this tree."

This nearly thousand-year-old Dragon Blood Tree is truly a treasure from top to bottom.

From bark and leaves to roots and heartwood, everything is incredibly valuable. Even a broken branch can be used as the main material for crafting magical artifacts.

However, after so many years, let alone broken branches, no one dares to go in and pick even a single leaf.

The Golden Sun Ancestor regarded this tree as extremely important. Since the establishment of the Golden Sun Temple, no one has dared to be as audacious as Lin Mo.

And the benefits he gained from taking such a huge risk were quite astonishing.

The essence of the Dragon Blood Tree is of far superior quality to the essence extracted from the Ginkgo Forest.

Even this single strand was the limit of what he could contain and bear.

Feeling the profound life essence contained within his own flesh and blood, Lin Mo even suspected that he could use this to directly cultivate the "Blood Transporting Scripture" from the beginner level to the minor mastery level.

However, he didn't do that because the speed was a bit too frightening.

Even for the most exceptionally talented cultivator, it is an extremely incredible thing to have mastered this body-tempering method to the minor completion stage in less than half a year.

If word gets out, even the Golden Sun Ancestor might personally come out of seclusion to see what secrets he holds.

"No rush. The abbot hasn't sent any spiritual herbs or resources during this time. Let's first refine these spiritual wood essences into our bodies and turn them into our life essence."

Lin Mo did not use this to cultivate the "Blood Transporting Scripture," but instead stored it in every inch of his flesh and blood, allowing it to slowly transform into his foundation.

This process takes a considerable amount of time. Once it is fully digested, the vital energy depleted during this period of bloodletting will be completely replenished, and there will even be a surplus.

Soon, he noticed that the essence and blood in his body seemed to have undergone some changes.

"This is... the Imperial Dragon Aura?! It's being displayed so clearly!"

Lin Mo was both surprised and delighted to discover that the dragon blood in his body seemed to be even purer. The dragon energy that was originally invisible in his blood could now be seen directly!

...