Chapter 37

"No, this giant python is definitely not ordinary! It's likely not a high-level demonic beast, but a second-stage demonic beast comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage!"

Just thinking about spending the past few days with such a dangerous creature made him break out in a cold sweat.

The cultivation realm of cultivators is divided into nine stages: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Departure, Spirit Division, Body Fusion, Tribulation Transcendence, and Great Ascension!

Each stage is fraught with difficulties and challenges. Of course, once one advances, their strength surges dramatically.

As the saying goes, each stage is a different world, and this is exactly the case.

In the state of Zhao where Yun Ge Sect is located, Golden Core cultivators are already rare, and Nascent Soul cultivators are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. The stages beyond are only found in legends.

Reluctantly glancing at the seven fruits hanging on the tree, Su Shier took a deep breath and decisively retreated.

He was very clear that he was already struggling against a Sixth Qi Condensation opponent, and the Foundation Establishment stage was far too distant for him.

No matter how good something is, preserving one's life is more important!

Moreover, his current harvest was already extremely abundant, so he had no regrets.

Thinking this, Su Shier felt much more at ease.

But before he could retreat far, the entire spirit plant garden suddenly experienced an abnormal fluctuation of spiritual energy.

"Oh no, could it be... she's here?!"

Realizing the situation was dire, Su Shier immediately reacted.

He quickly took out a concealment talisman and attached it to his body, then hurriedly moved to a nearby area with a pile of boulders.

Hiding between the gaps of two large boulders, he activated the Small Circulation Breath Retention Technique to the extreme, completely concealing his presence.

Su Shier wasn't sure if this breath retention technique could hide him from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he had experience with the peak of the Heavenly Sound Peak being unable to detect him after his cultivation was sealed.

Almost as soon as Su Shier hid, a graceful figure descended from the sky.

Shen Miaoyin held a disk in one hand and made a seal with the other, tearing open a gap in the array and calmly entering a corner of the spirit plant garden.

As the peak of the Heavenly Sound Peak, Shen Miaoyin was also the first in array techniques in Yun Ge Sect.

For others, entering this place was a perilous death trap. But for her, suppressing her cultivation to participate in a trial was still manageable.

The moment she landed, her gaze quickly swept over the entire courtyard.

She saw vast stretches of barren land, with a few withered or barely surviving spirit plants visible on the ground.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she then directed her gaze to the two areas that Su Shier hadn't collected from yet.

One area was piled with boulders, on which grew a few stone-colored flowers.

The other area was a towering tree over a hundred meters tall, which was particularly eye-catching.

"Hmm? So many places have become barren? Could it be... because too much time has passed?!"

"Fortunately, there are still some spirit plants over there. The flowers growing on those boulders should be second-grade supreme spirit medicines, at least five hundred years old stone斛flowers! As for this tree..."

Thinking to herself, Shen Miaoyin moved gracefully and soon arrived near the century-old Zhu fruit tree.

Seeing the Zhu fruit tree before her, even her usually indifferent expression showed a hint of a smile.

Shen Miaoyin's lips parted, and she exclaimed in surprise: "A century-old Zhu fruit?! This thing is really here!!"

"Wait... this Zhu fruit has grown for at least a thousand years. One fruit can be worth twenty years of cultivation!"

"If I can consume two Zhu fruits, even without going to Thunder Drum Peak, I have confidence in condensing a Golden Core within ten years!"

Speaking softly, Shen Miaoyin's face turned slightly red, and her eyes shone with intense excitement!

A century-old Zhu fruit was already highly attractive, but a thousand-year-old one was something even Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators would desire!

Especially for Shen Miaoyin, it was extremely tempting.

Her cultivation technique was special. If she couldn't break through to the perfected Foundation Establishment stage within ten years and condense a Golden Core, she would have to disperse her cultivation and start over.

And each time she dispersed her cultivation, the difficulty of breaking through to the next stage would increase exponentially.

Hiding in the gap between the boulders, Su Shier was also startled by Shen Miaoyin's words.

"What? That's actually a thousand-year-old Zhu fruit? One fruit can increase cultivation by twenty years?"

"Unfortunately, I can't possibly be a match for that second-stage demonic beast. I'll have to find an opportunity to escape later!"

Thinking this, Su Shier quickly dispelled any unrealistic thoughts and patiently waited for a chance to escape.

At this moment, he was very grateful for his foresight. Otherwise, if the other party discovered that someone had beaten her to it, they would certainly search thoroughly.

Shen Miaoyin was excited, but her expression quickly calmed down.

She quickly approached the Zhu fruit tree and was about to pick the fruits.

Suddenly, she felt a sense of unease and immediately leaped back into the air.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

The branches of the Zhu fruit tree swayed, and a giant python over ten zhang long quickly emerged.

The python's body was covered in mottled patterns, reflecting a shimmering light in the sunlight. Its size alone was already astonishing.

Sensing the presence of a stranger, the python flicked its tongue, twisted its body, and lashed out at Shen Miaoyin like a long whip.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Before the attack even landed, a strong wind had already disheveled Shen Miaoyin's clothes.

Feeling the danger, Shen Miaoyin called out in alarm and changed direction in mid-air, sliding to the side.

"Bang!"

The python's body slammed heavily into the ground, causing the earth to crack and split.

A nearly hundred-meter-long crack appeared on the ground, and the shockwave made the earth tremble.

Hiding in the gap between the boulders, Su Shier felt a tingling sensation all over his body and lay flat on the ground, not daring to move an inch.

Such an attack was something he couldn't possibly withstand with his current strength. Even a glancing blow would be fatal!

On the other hand, the python, enraged by the missed attack, opened its massive mouth, releasing a foul odor.

Then, a spatial energy fluctuation occurred, and a towering flame spewed from the python's mouth. The dark red flames were not only extremely hot but also filled with poisonous sand, rushing straight at Shen Miaoyin.

"It's actually a mid-stage second-grade Fire Cloud Python?! It seems... I have to take a risk today."

Feeling the imminent danger, Shen Miaoyin's brows furrowed. A hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes, but she quickly made up her mind.

A mid-stage second-grade demonic beast was difficult to deal with, but for her, it wasn't impossible. She just needed to release her cultivation restrictions.

However, doing so would make her vulnerable to the ancient restrictions of this place, which could result in severe injuries or even death.

But with a thousand-year-old Zhu fruit in front of her, such a harvest was worth the risk.

As for leaving, Shen Miaoyin didn't even consider it.

Her eyes flashed with a cold light, and she wasted no time.

She chanted a spell, and her delicate fingers moved swiftly, forming seals.

A stream of spiritual energy intertwined between her hands, forming a complex pattern, which then suddenly merged into her body.