novelraw Chapter 243 : 【Spiritual Field】Upgrade Materials
Chapter 243 : 【Spiritual Field】Upgrade Materials
Chapter 243: 【Spiritual Field】Upgrade Materials
Ji Yuan extended his senses and was able to detect the faint connection between himself and Real Person Heaven Silkworm.
That confirmed it—this corpse servant was indeed a true corpse servant.
One that had crawled out from the 【Grave Mound】.
One he could control.
With this realization, the worries in Ji Yuan’s heart eased considerably. No matter what, as long as this resurrected Real Person Heaven Silkworm remained under his control, that was enough.
As for that aura...
It was erratic.
At one moment it was at Early Golden Core Stage, the next it dropped to Pseudo-Core Realm, and occasionally it would even fall to Peak Foundation Establishment, though in a blink, it would return to Early Golden Core again.
The Golden Core Mid-Stage strength he had in life—Ji Yuan hadn’t sensed it even once.
As for the reason behind this volatile aura… Ji Yuan suspected it was due to his body being only half intact.
With only half a body, spiritual energy couldn’t circulate properly.
The only fortunate thing was that although half his dantian was missing, it hadn’t caused his Golden Core to vanish... only a small portion was gone. The large remaining half still glowed with a faint green light.
‘So the old thing actually cultivated a wood-element technique.’
Ji Yuan mused. Though this corpse servant was indeed a corpse servant, it wasn’t ideal for his body to stay in this half-missing state—especially the Golden Core in his dantian.
Once a fight broke out, Ji Yuan worried it might fall out.
So ideally, he’d sew that half body back together. Just as that thought arose, he noticed the yin energy within the 【Grave Mound】 madly surging toward Real Person Heaven Silkworm’s body.
Simultaneously, the green Golden Core within his dantian began to emit a steady light. Along with this came changes—the wounds on his half-body slowly started to mend.
However, the newly grown flesh was pitch black, looking truly ghastly.
More like a ghost than a ghost.
Especially that half-missing face.
After a while—how much yin energy this Golden Core corpse servant had absorbed was unknown—but the inside of the 【Grave Mound】 no longer felt so deathly cold, and his body had recovered slightly.
Even his fluctuating aura no longer dipped into Peak Foundation Establishment.
It now jumped only between Pseudo-Core and Early Golden Core Stages.
That was enough!
It meant when Ji Yuan traveled, he now carried a Pseudo-Core Realm-level bodyguard with him. And when it came time for action, he could even lend him his Life-Bound Magic Treasure for a while.
With that thought, Ji Yuan casually waved his hand, storing Real Person Heaven Silkworm in his storage pouch.
He now lay quietly beside Yin Tongzi.
Two corpse servants ready to follow him into battle—one Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, one Early Golden Core. That was plenty.
Ji Yuan also brought along the remaining Spirit-Devouring Bees, and this time the number was far greater than before. When they swarmed out, it would truly resemble a demonic insect plague.
As for the rest of the demonic spiritual artifacts—those went without saying.
With that thought, Ji Yuan once again reminded Tu Yue on the island to guard the place well and not forget to collect the daily protection fees and such.
As for outsiders... there was no need to worry about any breaking into Forgotten Worry Island.
Then, Ji Yuan boarded the Wind Locust Flying Boat, made a circle in the sky, and soared upward, transforming into a streak of green light heading straight south.
...
The days on the road were always dull.
Fortunately, Ji Yuan could still snack on eggs daily. He had even placed a small iron box on the flying boat to activate the 【Cave Dwelling】 effect for cultivation.
Or open the 【Meditation Room】 to nourish his divine soul.
So while the journey was boring, it at least strengthened him.
That was good enough.
Heading south, Ji Yuan first passed by Misty Island, then arrived at Linshui City.
Almost two months later, he reached a familiar place—Great Love City. He even stayed a day there, just to inquire about news from his sect.
Which sect?
Naturally, the Great Love Sect.
Not only had he obtained the Corrupt-Firefly Yin Locust from Mourning Taoist to upgrade his extremely useful 【Chicken Coop】, but he had also learned the 《Black Mist Dispersing Body》 technique from him, which Ji Yuan still used to this day.
So as an original server veteran of the Great Love Sect, he naturally cared about his sect's fate.
But it would’ve been better not to ask—because when he did, he discovered that the Great Love Sect... was gone.
Ever since Ji Yuan and his companions stormed into the Ghost-Seeking Pit, there had been no word of the Great Love Sect within Great Love City—it had seemingly vanished into thin air.
Rumor had it the city was even considering changing its name.
All signs pointed to Joy Palace erasing any trace of the former Real Person Great Love.
Could it be that Mourning Taoist and the others really had perished in the Ghost-Seeking Pit?
With that question lingering, Ji Yuan went to seek Wu Yunbo, White Piao’s friend—but couldn’t find him either. Even the tavern was gone, torn down completely.
The Great Love Sect had, it seemed, truly disappeared into nothingness.
It had just been a passing curiosity, so Ji Yuan didn’t intend to stop and search. He continued heading south.
Beyond this point, all was unfamiliar territory, so Ji Yuan slowed his pace slightly.
The further south he went, the more distinct the scenery became—even the trees in the mountain forests were noticeably different.
Compared to those near the Water Dragon Sect, the trees near Joy Palace in the south had broader leaves, and many species were things Ji Yuan had never heard of or seen before.
On this particular day—
Having traveled for over ten days straight, Ji Yuan was resting in the mountains, with Yin Tongzi released to keep watch nearby.
After all, he couldn’t always keep his divine sense active.
Ji Yuan had picked a spot beside a mountain stream. Now in the form of a middle-aged man, he sat cross-legged atop a large boulder, slowly absorbing the ambient spiritual energy.
But suddenly, he sensed a wave of panic from Yin Tongzi. Then a burst of intense spiritual energy erupted deep in the forest, and several towering trees came crashing down.
Along with it came a surge of demonic aura.
Ji Yuan immediately released his divine sense, sweeping across the entire mountain range.
He clearly saw what was happening in the dense forest.
Yin Tongzi, who had been patrolling, had been targeted by a demon beast!
Two earthworm-like Second-Tier demon beasts, as thick as barrels and about thirty feet long, exuded a rotten aura from head to tail. But a closer look revealed both ends of these worms were covered in dense black scales.
These were Second-Tier demon beasts… Burrowing Rotworms!
So Burrowing Rotworms were only found within the territory of Joy Palace?
‘Damn it, no wonder no one could collect them when I posted the mission at the Water Dragon Sect.’
Ji Yuan was familiar with these beasts precisely because he had great use for them.
He summoned the panel for a glance.
【Spiritual Field: lv4 (Not Upgradeable)】
【Upgrade Requirements: Middle-Grade Spirit Stones ×500, Third-Tier Demon Core ×1, Scarlet Sun Soil ×10 jin, Profound Yin Soil ×20 jin, Three corpses of Second-Tier Burrowing Rotworms. (Not Fulfilled)】
The requirements to upgrade the lv4【Spiritual Field】included three Burrowing Rotworm corpses.
And now, two lay before him—both already at late Second-Tier.
Even though Yin Tongzi was Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment and wielded the Seven-Slaughter Infant Cry Bell Ji Yuan had lent him, he still couldn’t win.
Worse yet, Ji Yuan had ordered him to remain alert to the surroundings, so he had to endure the fight.
Had he possessed independent thought, he would’ve fled on a flying artifact the moment the two demon beasts appeared.
But now, within just a few breaths, he had already been rammed several times by the Rotworms, coughing up black blood nonstop.
“Return!”
As Ji Yuan sent out the thought, he also released Monday, the Ice Flood Dragon.
That creature had been nurtured for so long, yet never had a chance to shine.
“Hah—”
The Ice Flood Dragon shot out of the Spiritual Beast Pouch, slithering into the forest, heading straight for the two Rotworms burrowing along the surface.
Yin Tongzi fled back in panic.
Ji Yuan immediately stored him in the pouch to rest, then summoned Real Person Heaven Silkworm with half his body.
Not to fight—just to watch from the sidelines. If the battle drew unwanted attention, he was to release his aura to scare them off.
As for Ji Yuan... it had been far too long since he’d enjoyed a proper fight. His battle spirit was thoroughly ignited.
Real Person Heaven Silkworm leapt atop a tree to stand guard, while Ji Yuan tapped his foot and dashed forward.
With a few agile movements through the forest, he reached the battlefield.
The Ice Flood Dragon had arrived early and wasn’t getting thrashed either. Though only Mid-Second-Tier, its innate powerful bloodline granted it Late-Second-Tier strength.
One-on-one, it would definitely outlast a Rotworm.
Unfortunately, there were two.
Its icy breath could freeze one, but not both.
In just moments, it too had been rammed several times, its scales knocked loose.
Worse still, these Burrowing Rotworms seemed capable of secreting some kind of rotting fluid.
For on the Flood Dragon’s wounds, necrotic flesh had already begun to form.
Ji Yuan took a few glances, then stopped waiting.
Standing atop a tree, he summoned the Liushuang Flying Sword—white light flashed and instantly pierced one of the Rotworms.
The sword went clean through.
But to Ji Yuan’s surprise, the wound on the Rotworm squirmed and vanished almost immediately.
It felt like stabbing into a lump of rot—effective, but barely.
‘Damn, this thing really is something else!’
His attack had revealed his position to the Rotworms.
One of them burrowed underground, and in the blink of an eye, knocked over the ancient tree Ji Yuan stood on.
He had just landed when the Rotworm erupted from the earth right in front of him, maw wide open, covered in scaled armor, lunging to bite him. A wave of rot rolled in along with it.
“Heh.”
“Courting death.”
Ji Yuan flipped his hand and grasped a bronze cauldron, lifting it up with a smooth motion. At first, the bronze cauldron was only palm-sized.
But as Ji Yuan raised it, the bronze cauldron grew larger with the wind.
By the time it smashed down onto the Burrowing Worm Beast, it had already transformed into a man-sized cauldron.
With a loud “Bang—”!
The Burrowing Worm Beast was immediately flung away by the heavy blow.
Perhaps the attack had been too brutal, leaving the beast utterly dazed, its entire body trembling violently.
A purely physical strike — and Ji Yuan felt only one thing.
That was… satisfaction!
Though the Inverted Golden-Ear Cauldron was clearly a High-Grade Spiritual Artifact used for alchemy, lately Ji Yuan had been using it purely as an offensive artifact.
The key was—it felt great in hand!
As for the damage it had sustained during the battle with Jiang Hong last time, Ji Yuan had long since repaired it using Runjade Fat.
Now, seeing that the Burrowing Worm Beast had landed and was trying to burrow into the ground to escape—
Ji Yuan immediately summoned the Inverted Golden-Ear Cauldron, letting it float above the Burrowing Worm Beast. The entire cauldron emitted a golden glow, spinning slowly.
The light it released firmly suppressed the Burrowing Worm Beast.
“Go!”
At Ji Yuan’s mental command, a Flying Sword Embryo shot out from his dantian, instantly piercing through the head of the Burrowing Worm Beast.
Yet the result remained the same as before — this thing seemed nearly unkillable.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan’s gaze hardened.
He simultaneously activated five Flying Sword Embryos, and in an instant, sword qi swept across the forest in countless streaks.
The five Flying Sword Embryos descended together like five Bone-Piercing Nails, firmly nailing the Burrowing Worm Beast to the ground—
Completely halting its escape.
Ji Yuan reached out with his right hand.
The floating Inverted Golden-Ear Cauldron spun as it was stored back into his Storage Pouch, and in his hand now appeared a massive hammer—
The hammer used for Weapon Refining.
Initially palm-sized, but with a thought, this High-Grade Spiritual Artifact Earth-Pressing Hammer instantly expanded to the height of a person.
Ji Yuan, just like during weapon refining, gripped the hammer handle with both hands. Spiritual energy surged wildly into it as he swung it down fiercely toward the Burrowing Worm Beast’s head.
“Boom—”
Ji Yuan’s muscles bulged as the Earth-Pressing Hammer struck the ground with force.
In that instant, a wave of spiritual energy swept in all directions, slicing through the surrounding ancient trees like they were twigs.
Taking a direct blow from the Earth-Pressing Hammer, the Burrowing Worm Beast naturally turned into a corpse.
Ji Yuan stood still, gripping the hammer handle, and wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead with his right hand.
“Damn thing, I really thought you were immortal.”
Having retrieved the demon core from the corpse, Ji Yuan placed it into his Storage Pouch. The five Flying Sword Embryos floated around him once more.
He turned his head to look at another battlefield.
The other Burrowing Worm Beast that had been fighting fiercely against the Ice Flood Dragon, upon seeing its “comrade” smashed flat, had long since attempted to flee.
But it was firmly entangled by the Ice Flood Dragon, unable to dive underground.
The Ice Flood Dragon bit relentlessly at its body, occasionally exhaling blasts of cold mist with a “ha—”.
The Burrowing Worm Beast was on the verge of freezing to death.
Ji Yuan raised his right hand again — and with a sweep, five Flying Sword Embryos shot out once more, nailing the Burrowing Worm Beast to the ground.
He then stepped forward, raised the Earth-Pressing Hammer high—
And smashed the corpse.
Both Burrowing Worm Beasts turned into corpses, finally resting in silence.
Seeing this, the Ice Flood Dragon relaxed and flopped to the side, gasping for breath.
Near its wounds, the dragon’s scales squirmed, expelling bits of necrotic flesh and foul blood from its body.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan retrieved the demon core from the beast and tossed it to the Ice Flood Dragon’s side.
Afraid Ji Yuan would change his mind, the Ice Flood Dragon quickly swallowed it in one gulp.
Ji Yuan then stored it back into his Storage Pouch and released his Divine Sense to probe underground.
To upgrade the Spiritual Field, just two Burrowing Worm Beast corpses weren’t enough.
Since this place had produced two of them, there was likely a third.
Sure enough, as Ji Yuan’s divine sense drilled nearly thirty meters down, he found a cave.
Inside, there was indeed another Burrowing Worm Beast.
Its size was smaller, and its aura and cultivation were clearly weaker.
Fortunately, it seemed to have just reached Second Tier.
That was enough.
After all, the Panel only stated three Second-Tier Burrowing Worm Beast corpses were required—it never said they all had to be late Second Tier.
And upon observing the cave… Ji Yuan realized the trembling Burrowing Worm Beast before him was likely the offspring of the other two.
‘Perfect. Time to send the family off for a reunion.’
With that thought, Ji Yuan summoned a small black flag and tossed it forward.
The flag grew in the wind, becoming its normal size by the time it landed on the ground.
From within the Yin Ghost Flag, two Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Yin Ghosts that had been nurtured for a long time eagerly emerged and burrowed into the earth.
Within a few breaths, a screech echoed from underground—
Then silence.
No need to dig—those previous two Burrowing Worm Beasts had already tunneled through the area.
After the Yin Ghosts killed the third Burrowing Worm Beast, they pushed its corpse out through the tunnels.
Ji Yuan placed it into his Storage Pouch as well.
Thus, another condition for upgrading the Spiritual Field was fulfilled.
Ji Yuan considered this matter settled.
The two Yin Ghosts flew back into the Yin Ghost Flag, which he then returned to his Storage Pouch.
He summoned Fenghuai, leapt onto it, and before leaving, even casually swept up Real Person Heaven Silkworm into the pouch as well.
Then his figure traced an arc through the sky, disappearing into the clouds.
Not long after he left, two Late-Stage Foundation Establishment auras approached from afar. The two cultivators hovered over the ruins, exchanging transmissions:
“That person just now—have you seen him before, Brother Li?”
“Those two Burrowing Worm Beasts have occupied this place for decades. No one’s ever managed to deal with them—yet that man dispatched them so easily.”
“No idea. But didn’t you feel it? Besides him, there was also a Golden Core Cultivator present… Such a big shot isn’t someone we can provoke.”
“And look at that aura over there—filled with Yin energy and ghostly qi. Most likely a Demonic Cultivator.”
“Exactly. With the demonic path in Western Shang making moves, all sorts of demons from our Eastern Shang have started crawling out from underground too... Best if we leave now before that person comes back to kill us as well.”
The two Streaks of Light came swiftly—and left even faster.
As for Ji Yuan, he couldn’t care less about what happened after he left. He had already collected the good stuff—no need to worry about anyone chasing him.
After this brief episode, Ji Yuan encountered no further trouble.
And on the fifth month of his full-speed journey south, he finally felt the surrounding air grow humid and stifling.
He activated the Cooling Formation on his Spiritual Robe to relieve the heat.
‘From the looks of it, I should be nearing Southern Sea City.’
Ji Yuan put away the map and muttered to himself.
As for Southern Sea City… On the southeastern coast of Eastern Shang, it was the largest city—comparable to the Water Dragon Sect’s Linhai City.
Another day later, Ji Yuan finally saw a vast expanse of deep blue in the distance.
And towering by the coast—a majestic, colossal city!