Chapter Ninety-Four: Immortal Roots and Spiritual Beings, The Heart and One’s Origin

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The Law of Dimensional Trade — No Interruptions

Wood was puzzled that the ever-reliable “Miraculous Bean” had no effect. At the corner of his eye, a figure appeared beside him. Turning his head, he saw Qingfeng standing behind him with a strange expression.

For some reason, an ominous feeling rose in Wood’s heart. Warily, he asked, “Senior, you…”

Qingfeng ignored Wood and instead gazed at Yaxinyi, murmuring, “After endless searching with no result, it comes effortlessly! I didn’t expect you to take human form and hide among mortals!” With that, he reached out to grab Yaxinyi.

Fury surged within Wood. Regardless of Qingfeng’s immense cultivation, he raised his sword and stabbed. Yet, their difference in power was like heaven and earth. Qingfeng snapped his fingers, striking Wood’s “Azure Clarity.” Wood felt a massive shock to his spirit, barely holding onto his sword, which slipped from his grasp.

“Hmph! If not for your exceptional talent and potential, I would have destroyed you already!” Qingfeng said, beckoning with his hand to draw Yaxinyi closer. Wood quickly stepped forward, placing himself before Yaxinyi, and angrily retorted, “For a so-called senior master, to lust after a woman is truly disgraceful!”

Qingfeng was momentarily taken aback, then laughed heartily. “What do you take me for? How could I be seduced by mere beauty?” His eyes darted between Wood and Yaxinyi—whose breathtaking beauty could captivate even celestial beings—and he suddenly understood. “So that’s why you risk your life to protect her—you’ve taken a liking to her!”

Qingfeng’s words made both Wood and Yaxinyi blush faintly. Wood thought to himself, “Since ancient times, beauty has been a bane; I am no exception.” He glanced at Yaxinyi and noticed her shy yet affectionate gaze returning his look, which warmed his heart and filled him with boundless courage.

“Hmph, you fool, do you know what she really is? Even her soul has been stolen by her unparalleled beauty!” Qingfeng sneered disdainfully.

A chill ran down Wood’s spine; he sensed a hidden meaning. As expected, Qingfeng continued, “I’ll tell you straight so you won’t persist. She’s not human but a tree spirit. Just now, when she was gravely wounded by the Qiongqi beast, she revealed her true form, and that’s how I realized it.”

Hearing this, Wood recalled that when Yaxinyi was struck earlier, she seemed to transform into a towering, flourishing tree. At the time, he assumed it was a survival technique, but now he knew otherwise.

However, there was no time for further thought. Wood still stood protectively before Yaxinyi and declared boldly, “I only know she is a junior sister of the Shuiyue Sect.”

Qingfeng flew into a rage and blurted out, “You insolent brat! You defend this ginseng fruit tree? It belongs to my master—I have every right to take her away!”

“Ginseng fruit tree!?” Wood’s mind flashed. Pointing at Qingfeng, he trembled as he spoke, “You… you are Qingfeng?”

Qingfeng frowned, uncertain of Wood’s implication. “Nonsense, I’ve told you already!”

Wood pressed on, “Qingfeng, Mingyue, the ginseng fruit tree… your master is the progenitor of the Earth Immortals, known as Zhenyuanzi—the Great Immortal Zhenyuan. You are his attendant!”

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Qingfeng was astonished. “Ah! I never expected that someone in the cultivation world would know my master’s name! Even my senior brother knows it.”

Wood was amazed as well. Hearing Qingfeng mention the ginseng fruit tree and recalling his title, he instinctively connected it to a story from the Chinese classic “Journey to the West.” It told of a profound Taoist master at Wuzhuang Temple on Xiniu Hezhou. This master only offered incense to the words “Heaven and Earth.” His disciples said the Three Pure Ones were his friends, the Four Emperors his acquaintances, the Nine Luminaries his juniors, and the Prime Spirits his guests. Thus, no one could receive his incense offerings except the words “Heaven and Earth.”

This master was Zhenyuanzi, also called the Great Immortal Zhenyuan. He possessed a ginseng fruit tree that matured once every nine thousand years. Merely smelling the miraculous ginseng fruit granted 360 years of life; eating one extended life by 47,000 years.

Qingfeng pointed at Wood, his face full of surprise. “My master relocated to this world but never established a sect here. How did you come to know of his name?”

Wood was stunned. He had once obtained magical artifacts from high-ranking figures in the Jie sect of the “Investiture of the Gods,” but never imagined he would meet a character described in “Journey to the West.” He was momentarily speechless. He certainly could not admit to Qingfeng that he learned this from some book.

What puzzled him more was that the enchanting Yaxinyi was actually the incarnation of the ginseng fruit tree. Yet he had no idea what Qingfeng intended to do with her.

“Since you know my master’s name, you must know the ginseng fruit tree belongs to him. Now that I am taking her, you have nothing to say, right?” Qingfeng said calmly, confident his master’s renown would deter any opposition.

Unexpectedly, Wood remained firmly in front of Yaxinyi. “If she is merely a ginseng fruit tree, then I will return her to you, senior. But now she has taken human form and has the right to choose.” He glanced at Yaxinyi again before continuing, “Besides, she is currently a disciple of the Shuiyue Sect. Even if you wish to take her, you must ask her master’s permission!”

“Hahaha!” Qingfeng laughed loudly, then his expression turned grave. “If I take her, who dares to stop me?” Raising both hands, electric light crackled between his palms, and a terrifying aura erupted around him. “Chen Mu, you are talented and I have been lenient. But if you dare block me again, beware for your life!”

Wood knew a battle was inevitable. The “Azure Clarity” sword shimmered with blue light as he prepared to defend. Yaxinyi retracted her seven-string zither, alert and ready.

Suddenly, a fierce roar rang out. A streak of lightning accompanied a foul wind as the Qiongqi beast, sensing Qingfeng’s threat, lunged forward to strike first.

This unexpected move startled everyone. Qingfeng shouted, “Filthy beast, how dare you be so arrogant!” His crackling electric light struck the Qiongqi, knocking it back.

But this beast was extraordinary. Angered by the blow, it ignored the three sect leaders and roared fiercely, lunging at Qingfeng with claws flashing like lightning, attacking with all its might. Perhaps, in the beast’s mind, Qingfeng was the true foe.

Seeing Qingfeng engaged with the beast, Zhengyi Zhenren shouted, “Retreat!” Then he soared into the sky on his sword. Wood and the others quickly followed suit.

Qingfeng, seeing them escape, bellowed angrily, but he could only focus on the formidable beast before him.

Though Zhengyi Zhenren and the others fought the beast with all their strength, they overheard the conversation between Wood and Qingfeng and sensed ill intent. Noticing the beast’s attention on Qingfeng, they hurriedly urged the others to flee.

After flying for a while, the six descended into a dense forest filled with towering, lush trees—the perfect hiding place. They vanished amid the foliage.

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“Xinyi! Are you alright?” Shui Wufeng asked with concern.

Yaxinyi shook her head slightly, but her pale face betrayed the severity of her wound from the Qiongqi’s strike.

Tianxin Daoist snorted, “Sect Leader Shui, who exactly is this disciple? How could that Taoist say she is the incarnation of a ginseng fruit tree?”

Shui Wufeng’s expression stiffened. She opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by Zhengyi Zhenren, “Unparalleled Celestial, we know of ginseng, but the ginseng fruit tree is new to us!”

Wood was stunned. How could these two knowledgeable and highly cultivated sect leaders not know the ginseng fruit tree? Shui Wufeng sighed softly and explained.

“This ginseng fruit tree was transplanted by our sect’s founder from an immortal’s cave. According to his notes, it is a spiritual root of Heaven and Earth. It blooms every three thousand years, bears fruit every three thousand years, and matures once every three thousand years. Each time, it produces only thirty fruits. Just smelling one grants 360 years of life; eating one extends life by 47,000 years.”

Upon hearing this, Zhengyi Zhenren and Tianxin Daoist were astonished. Their gaze toward Yaxinyi shifted. They thought, if one of our cultivators ate such a fruit, achieving celestial immortality would be effortless. Moreover, such a marvel surely aids cultivation greatly.

Shui Wufeng continued, “Our sect’s founder never intended to harvest the fruit. He valued this tree because it gathered the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, greatly benefiting cultivation. So he did everything possible to transplant it here, allowing Shuiyue Sect disciples to cultivate more efficiently.”

The two sect leaders finally understood why the spiritual energy in Shuiyue Sect was always so abundant.

Zhengyi Zhenren asked, “Your founder was also a reincarnated celestial? She brought back a celestial artifact, the seven-string zither, and also this ginseng fruit tree?”

Shui Wufeng nodded. “This tree has been with Shuiyue Sect for a thousand years but has never bloomed or fruited before. We never saw the so-called ginseng fruit. Then, about twenty years ago, a strange white flower blossomed, and soon after, a fruit formed.”

“At first, we were overjoyed, thinking this was the legendary ginseng fruit. But when it ripened, it fell and burst open, revealing a delicate, adorable baby girl.”

As she spoke, Shui Wufeng gently caressed Yaxinyi’s cheek. “At that time, only the three of us sisters were present. Though astonished, we told no one. Especially since this child showed exceptional talent, mastering the seven-string zither’s divine powers without a teacher. We believe she is a heavenly gift to our Shuiyue Sect.”

Everyone listened with wide eyes, amazed by this talent’s origin. They wondered, was she human or something else?

Just then, a hearty laugh echoed from above the forest, “Wonderful, wonderful! So she is a spirit born from the immortal root nurtured by Heaven and Earth’s spiritual energy. I have hope of becoming immortal…”