by Mars Gravity
“As for the Wood Spirit Orb, that is the life origin orb of the Wood Spirit Race, we can only obtain it from the body of someone belonging to the Wood Spirit Race.”
“Wood Spirit Race?” Yun Che was briefly stunned by those words. He instantly recalled that he had heard this name from Jasmine’s own mouth before and she also seemed to have mentioned that this race possessed very strong nature energy.
Mu Xuanyin glanced at him before continuing, “The Wood Spirit Race is a branch of the elven race. They possess nature energy that is unsurpassed in this world and they are also able to speed up the growth of spirit herbs and plants. But what does not match up with their extremely pure and special nature energy is the fact that the offensive power of said energy is extremely weak. Due to this fact, they were often taken as slaves who helped to cultivate spirit medicine. Moreover, not only does their life origin orb… which is also the Wood Spirit Orb, contain the purest form of natural energy, it could also be used as a high quality ingredient. Furthermore, it also has one other immense effect known to everyone.”
“As the quality of medicine increases, the difficulty of refining said medicines increases as well. Furthermore, the moment one fails, it would result in a huge loss. In fact, it’s possible that hundreds or even thousand of years worth of accumulated materials would be completely lost as well. But if you were to pour in the energy of a Wood Spirit Orb during the refining process, the rate of success will rise by a tremendous amount. The greater the spiritual energy within the Wood Spirit Orb, the easier it will be for that refining to succeed. Because of this, the people of the Wood Spirit Race have been cruelly enslaved and hunted down and there are very few of them left. Even though the enslaving or hunting of the Wood Spirit Race has now provoked the wrath of the righteous sects and no one dares to brazenly run wild anymore, the number of profound practitioners who have secretly sought or hunted the Wood Spirit Race has not decreased at all. As a result, the Wood Spirit Race has been on the brink of extinction since many years ago.”
“…As the possessors of the purest nature energy in the world, they should have been protected by the very heavens. But who would have thought that the extremely and obviously sacred nature energy within their bodies would turn out to be the source of their nightmares.” Yun Che muttered softly. One could well imagine that the price of the Wood Spirit Orbs would definitely soar as the Wood Spirit Race slowly dwindled and in turn, this would naturally cause those hunters to grow even more crazed and desperate.
“Even though hunting and killing the Wood Spirit Race is in violation of heaven’s laws, compared to the other four items, the Wood Spirit Orb is the easiest to obtain. As long as you are willing to pay a sufficient price, one would be able to purchase it in the black markets of the lower star realms. But if one wanted to find a Wood Spirit Orb composed of more than seventy percent spiritual energy… it would be a hundred times harder than usual!” Mu Xuanyin proclaimed as her brows knitted together.
“Why? Is it because it is very easy for the spiritual energy within the Wood Spirit Orb to dissipate?” Yun Che asked.
“You’re exactly right, the Wood Spirit Orb needs to be housed within black jade of the highest quality. However, the spiritual energy is usually not lost when the Wood Spirit Orb is being stored. It is lost when the Wood Spirit Orb is being extracted.”
Yun Che, “When it is being extracted?”
“The Wood Spirit will die the moment the Wood Spirit Orb is extracted. But because the energy contained within the Wood Spirit Orb is far too pure, the moment it leaves the Wood Spirit’s body, the energy within the orb will swiftly begin to dissipate. Furthermore, when a wood spirit knows that he is definitely going to die, he will destroy his own spirit orb. If that is the case, even preserving fifty percent of the spiritual energy will be extremely hard, much less seventy percent. So if one wants to obtain a Wood Spirit Orb which still has seventy percent or more of its spiritual energy, one needs to kill a Wood Spirit while they are still unawares and extract and store the Wood Spirit Orb within a black jade box at the greatest possible speed… Even in such a case, being able to preserve eighty percent of its spiritual energy is already the best possible scenario.”
“But… a Wood Spirit’s power grants them extremely keen powers of perception. As a result, they are also extremely sensitive to things like wicked intent, so trying to hunt and kill a Wood Spirit without them being aware of it is something that is incomparably difficult to accomplish.Since that is the case, Wood Spirit Orbs which still contain the majority of its spiritual energy are practically priceless.”
“There is also another scenario. One where a Wood Spirit willingly sacrifices his own life and extracts the Wood Spirit Orb from his body. Under these kind of circumstances, due to the fact that there will still be some connection with the Wood Spirit’s vitality, it will perfectly preserve all one hundred percent of the Wood Spirit Orb’s spiritual energy. However, this kind of scenario naturally almost never happens.”
Yun Che nodded his head as he earnestly listened to Mu Xuanyin’s words.
“As for the Nine Star Divine Buddha Jade and the Immortal Emperor Grass…” Mu Xuanyin’s brows knit together once more as she continued, “These are items which are extremely hard to find in the entire God Realm, rare treasures which not many people even know about! Their existence is not something the current you can even begin to understand. I have already sent others to look for them. Whether we can find them or not entirely depends on your good fortune!”
“Then… what about the Qilin horn?” Yun Che unwittingly asked. Because it was the only thing that Mu Xuanyin had not talked about.
“This is the task that I am going to entrust to you next.” Mu Xuanyin said.
Sudden comprehension washed over Yun Che. “Could it be that there is already news of a Qilin horn?”
“The Qilins in the Eastern Divine Region have long since gone extinct, so I sent people to search for them in the Western Divine Region. But after that, I managed to find out something completely by chance. What I found out was that there was still a complete Qilin horn somewhere in the Snow Song Realm.” Mu Xuanyin said emotionlessly, “It is in the northern part of the Snow Song Realm, a place called the Ice Wind Empire.”
“Ice Wind Empire?” Yun Che muttered under his breath. But after that, he immediately recalled something, “The Ice Wind Empire where Mu Hanyi was born?”
“That’s right.” Mu Xuanyin gave a slow nod of her head, “The Qilin horn we’re talking about is an Ice Qilin Horn and the Ice Wind Empire has passed it down for nearly one hundred thousand years. They have designated it as their halidom. Countless nations have risen and fallen in this Snow Song Realm but the Ice Wind Empire has been able to flourish for nearly one hundred thousand years. This is without a doubt due to the existence of their halidom. So it is definitely something that is held in extreme reverence and importance. So it will naturally be difficult to get them to hand it over.”
“Furthermore, it is soon going to be the one thousandth birthday of the current ruler of the Ice Wind Empire. So you should go together with Mu Hanyi to the Ice Wind Empire to obtain that Qilin horn and bring back. But this is something that even Mu Hanyi cannot know, much less the Ice Wind Empire. As to how you are going to obtain it… That will depend on your own ability.”
If Mu Xuanyin simply uttered a single word, the Ice Wind Empire would definitely run thousands of miles to offer it up without caring whether it was a halidom or not. They would not even dare to make a single fart, so how could it be “difficult”.
Yun Che immediately understood after that. This was clearly a test and a form of tempering that Mu Xuanyin wanted him to undergo. At the same time, it would also allow him to truly come into contact with the God Realm—After all, he had not taken a step outside of the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect ever since he had come to the God Realm.
“Understood.” Yun Che unhesitantly gave a heavy nod of his head. “This disciple definitely will not let Master do
wn.”
After all, he was the direct disciple of the Snow Song Realm King. Once he presented his status, even the emperor of a country would have to treat him with deference and respect. Even if it was a halidom, it should not be too hard to obtain, right? After all, in this Snow Song Realm, who would dare not give any face to the Snow Song Realm King.
These thoughts whirled in Yun Che’s heart.
“Very good.” Mu Xuanyin slowly nodded her head, “When you go to the Ice Wind Empire this time, there will be no one around to protect you. So, you not only have to obtain the Qilin horn, you also have to accomplish one other thing.”
“Come back alive!”
Yun Che’s mouth fell open but after that his gaze sank, he nodded his head yet again. “Yes, disciple will engrave it in his heart.”
Mu Xuanyin’s hand stretched out and with a light swing of her hand, a white and red jade bottle gently flew out and landed in Yun Che’s hands.
“The white bottle contains the breath of a horned dragon.” Mu Xuanyin said, “Bingyun was struck by its poison one thousand years ago, so I have been researching it ever since as I hoped to find out a way to purge it. But now that the poison in Bingyun’s body has been completely cleansed, there is no point in keeping it any longer. As you have the Sky Poison Pearl on your person, it is naturally much easier for you to handle poisons, so I’m giving it to you.”
“As for the red bottle, it contains the blood of a horned dragon.”
The moment she mentioned ‘the blood of a horned dragon, Mu Xuanyin’s gaze grew unspeakably cold and not a single ripple appeared in them. It was as if she had never used this to scheme against Yun Che. “This is already useless to me. Hmph, perhaps you could find some use for it.”
Yun Che had personally experienced the dreadfulness of the horned dragon’s blood. The breath of the horned dragon was so poisonous that it caused Mu Bingyun, a powerhouse of the Divine Sovereign Realm, to nearly lose her life, so he could well imagine how dreadful it was. He carefully withdrew the two bottles before speaking. “Thank you, Master… Also, when should this disciple leave for the Ice Wind Empire?”
“Right now.” Mu Bingyun icily replied.
“Right now?” Yun Che said in a stunned voice.
“Mu Hanyi should already be in Ice Phoenix City. Besides him, there will still be one more person. You’ll find out who it is once you get there.” Her icy brows slanted slightly, “What? Could it be that you still need some time to prepare?”
“Eh… No, there’s no need for that.” Yun Che immediately shook his head, “This disciple will head out now.”
The barrier around the Heavenly Netherfrost Lake opened and Yun Che immediately left and barrelled straight towards Ice Phoenix City.
Chapter 1019: Heading straight to Ice Wind Empire
In the vast region of Ice Phoenix City, snow was flying and falling in all directions.
When Yun Che left the Sacred Hall area, he saw the figure of someone awaiting him in the distance. His aura was completely restrained as he stood quietly without making any noise. It was easy to tell he had been waiting for a long period of time by the thickness of the snow that had fallen on him.
Seeing Yun Che come out, the person immediately approached him while bathing in the snow that was pouring down ceaselessly. With a smile, he performed a standard salutation towards Yun Che. “We meet again so soon, Senior Brother Yun Che.”
“Senior Brother Hanyi, I apologize to have made you wait this long.” Yun Che said as he returned his salutation.
Mu Hanyi shook his head and said with a wry smile, “Hanyi really doesn’t deserve to be called the senior brother, so I ask Senior Brother Yun Che not to address me in such a manner. Otherwise, I would be in a state of sustained uneasiness.”
“Hahaha,” Yun Che laughed. “Alright. Now that I’m going to the Ice Wind Empire, I’d have trouble Junior Brother Hanyi to take care of me.”
Mu Hanyi promptly shook his head. “Senior Brother Yun Che, what are you talking about? It is a matter of unprecedented happiness and glory to Hanyi, Royal Father, and even Ice Wind Empire that you’re coming personally to participate in Royal Father’s Thousandth Birthday Celebration. I am simply undeserving of such a favor from the Sect Master, and truly unable to ever repay.”
“Unprecedented?” Yun Che felt a bit curious. “Something like this has never happened before?”
“It has been quite a short while since you’ve come to the Snow Song Realm. Otherwise, there’s no way you would’ve asked such a question.” Mu Hanyi sighed. “Hanyi has always been proud to have been born in the Ice Wind Imperial Family, but… the birthday celebration of a monarch is quite a low level occasion for a Sect Master’s direct disciple to attend.”
“Hanyi has yet to inform Royal Father about this matter. I’m afraid the moment Royal Father hears of this news, he would find it too exciting and joyous to believe.” Mu Hanyi said in all sincerity. “If the countless other nations and sects of the Snow Song Realm were to know about this, they would probably feel like dying of envy, haha.”
“…I see.” Yun Che nodded slowly. The identity of a Realm King’s direct disciple was anything but ordinary. Even if no more than a few months had passed since he entered the Snow Song Realm, the identity he had attained far exceeded the status of a monarch. It was perhaps the most exaggerated leap in identity, in the history of Snow Song Realm.
“You said that you’ve yet to inform your Royal Father. Does that mean you came to know to about this matter just a while ago?” Yun Che asked all of a sudden.
“Yes.” Mu Hanyi nodded in agreement. “Hanyi was supposed to set off yesterday, but suddenly received a direct order from the sect master, right at the moment of departure. So, Hanyi was waiting until now, completely unaware that it would be such a gargantuan pleasant surprise.”
Yun Che smiled, “Honestly, I also received Master’s order just now. Seems like Master has always been somewhat concerned about Junior Brother Hanyi.”
Mu Hanyi raised his head, and it was not possible to make out his expression. But his tone was clearly shaking with excitement. “That’s why Hanyi said that it doesn’t seem viable to return such a favor. Senior Brother Yun Che might not know that this act of kindness would not only benefit Hanyi, but also enormously change the standing of Ice Wind Empire in the Snow Song Realm.”
Yun Che, “…”
“Oh! What am I doing? I was so immersed in excitement that I almost forgot something so important.” Mu Hanyi took out a shining and dazzling Sound Transmission Jade. “I’ll inform this matter to Royal Father at once, so that he will be able to make sufficient preparations.”
“Wait.” Yun Che stretched out his hand. “It’d be better to avoid informing about this matter to your Royal Father in advance. I’ve been nominated by Master to go to congratulate him after all. If he were to make too many preparations to welcome me, I’d end up becoming the focus of everyone, which would be contrary to the reason behind this trip.”
Mu Hanyi was slightly astounded. Then he put away the Sound Transmission Jade, and said sincerely, “Senior Brother Yun Che not only possess immensely astonishing talent, but is also so broad-minded that Hanyi can’t help but admire. Since that’s the case, Hanyi will gladly accept your advice. Giving Royal Father such a huge pleasant surprise also sounds like a good idea.”
Yun Che smiled as he said, “If it’s broad-mindedness, I’m far worse than you.”
Mu Hanyi smiled with a faintly stiff expression before sighing lightly, “Senior Brother Yun Che, Hanyi doesn’t possess a heart that can accommodate everything. Frankly speaking, I’m very envious… No, jealous of you to be exact. I even held resentment towards you for several days.”
Yun Che, “…”
Mu Hanyi shook his head with a forced smile, “Perhaps, Senior Brother Yun Che has heard about the two things Hanyi has longed for in the sect over these years. First, to become a direct disciple of Sect Master; second, to win over Junior Sister Feixue’s
heart. However, in the end…”
“That day when Hanyi lost to Senior Brother Yun Che at the Netherfrost Heavenly Lake, Hanyi was self-aware that it was a crushing, fair and square defeat. But I still harbored grudge in my heart and felt depressed for several days. And half a month ago, when the Sect Master granted Junior Sister Feixue to Senior Brother Yun Che…” Mu Hanyi closed his eyes at this moment. Although he looked quite calm, but the tone of his voice and the expression in his eyes reflected the unrest in his mind and heart.
He didn’t continue to speak any further, and instead gave a wry smile, “I definitely embarrassed myself before Senior Brother Yun Che.”
“No,” Yun Che said, “If the two most important things in your life were to be snatched away by someone else, even a legendary True Saint would likely find it impossible to get rid of those negative emotions with ease. I can only feel gratefulness and admiration towards you, for being willing to tell me your thoughts so calmly.”
But Mu Hanyi shook his head, “Senior Brother Yun Che’s profound power might be low at the moment, but Hanyi is no match when it comes to talent. It was natural that the Sect Master would choose Senior Brother Yun Che as her direct disciple. Junior Sister Feixue is a fairy-like person, and only of someone with Senior Brother Yun Che’s caliber deserves her in the entire Snow Song Realm. My feelings towards her were no more than one-sided infatuation, and Hanyi is in fact already well aware of it all… It was just that Hanyi was still depressed, it was difficult to feel at peace. Now that Hanyi has confessed everything before Senior Brother Yun Che, Hanyi’s heart is in a lot more comfortable state than before.”
“Senior Brother Yun Che,” Facing Yun Che, Mu Hanyi said with an incomparably sincere gaze, “Hanyi would like to shamelessly beseech you of a thing.”
“…Go ahead.”
“The cultivation of a Ice Phoenix woman would become a lot slower after losing her vital yin. And, Senior Brother Yun Che himself possesses an extremely high talent,” Mu Hanyi took a light breath, “So, there will come a day when Senior Brother Yun Che’s cultivation will surpass Junior Sister Feixue. I only hope that… Senior Brother Yun Che could always treat Junior Sister Feixue well.”
