Chapter 82

As the red-clothed old woman disappeared, the many cultivators at the Immortal Gathering began to chatter and sigh incessantly.

Some said that the red-clothed old woman must be a transcendent expert, and Amu and the others might have obtained a treasure; others said that the red-clothed old woman was just putting on a show, and Amu and the three others were likely deceived out of their spirit coins. Some even suspected that this might be a setup by the Northern Cold Sect to lay the groundwork for the next Immortal Gathering.

In short, everyone had their own opinion, and they were not all the same, with some ideas being quite ridiculous. However, such things were not uncommon at the Northern Cold Immortal Gathering. The Northern Wasteland was vast, and many things could happen. After a round of discussion, everyone dispersed.

Only Meilingfeng, staring at the back of the red-clothed old woman, took a long time to recover his composure, then quietly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Look at my red clothes, don't they look like they're stained with blood!" A single sentence and a glance made a Spirit Cultivator spit blood. What kind of cultivation is this?

Although Meilingfeng remained calm, he was inwardly terrified. There were actually such experts at the Northern Cold Immortal Gathering. He hoped that this person was just a passerby.

However, Meilingfeng was Meilingfeng. His expression changed naturally, and he turned to Amu, bowing and smiling, "Congratulations, Junior Brother Amu, you have encountered a great opportunity!"

"Senior Brother Mei, you are too kind. I must also thank you for your good intentions to help earlier!" Amu also smiled broadly.

"Not at all! I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave!" Meilingfeng bowed to the three of them, turned around, and left with a frown and a hint of resentment.

As Meilingfeng left, Amu secretly sneered, then turned to Han Bingyi and said, "Senior Sister Han, Li Shui and I are returning to the Heavenly Passage Peak. Would you like to come with us?"

"Sure!" Han Bingyi nodded, "I'll go with you!"

The three left the Immortal Gathering and returned to the Heavenly Passage Peak. On the way, Amu only told Han Bingyi that the red-clothed old woman was no ordinary person and that they must take good care of the Forget-Worries Grass, as it might have great use in the future.

Han Bingyi nodded. With her wisdom, she naturally sensed that the red-clothed old woman was not ordinary. Recalling the old woman's various actions, it seemed that every word had deep meaning. Han Bingyi could not help but take the Forget-Worries Grass seriously.

Upon reaching the Heavenly Passage Peak, the three were about to part ways.

"Amu, thank you for the Forget-Worries Grass!" Han Bingyi lightly bit her lip and then said, "Be careful! If anything happens, you can call me anytime!"

"Senior Sister, don't worry! I wish you a life free of worries!" Amu chuckled.

"Sure!" Han Bingyi rarely showed a smile, but when she did, it made all the flowers pale in comparison.

Amu suddenly thought of something and said, "In six days, there will be a small examination within the sect. I hope you can come and watch!"

"Huh? What's so interesting about the selection of cultivation disciples?" Han Bingyi was puzzled.

"Hehe! You'll see when you come. That day will definitely have some excitement, and both Li Shui and I will be there!" Amu had not mentioned his and Li Shui's challenge to Han Zixiang.

"Alright! I'll come." Han Bingyi nodded at the two of them and then left gracefully.

Watching Han Bingyi leave, Li Shui couldn't help but sigh, "Amu, you are really amazing! I feel that although the first beauty of Northern Cold is indifferent to Senior Brother Mei, she seems to have taken a liking to you!"

"Hehe!" Amu chuckled, neither confirming nor denying, but his mind was filled with the image of the red figure from the Liu family in Liu Town. He wondered how Yu'er and his master were doing.

The two brothers returned directly to the small courtyard on the back mountain. Amu told Li Shui about the final message the red-clothed old woman had sent him.

"Only form cause and effect, do not forget or lose it?" Li Shui sighed, but he had never heard of the name Qianhua Old Woman.

Deciding not to dwell on it, the two were eager to study the two pots of plants given by the Qianhua Old Woman.

One pot contained black wood, and the other contained seeds. Both pots of plants were very peculiar.

The pot of black wood looked like a piece of dead wood, forcibly inserted into the red-black soil in the pot. The black wood was only half a foot long, palm-wide, and two inches thick, black and unremarkable, with some unclear patterns on it, making it look like a piece of scrap wood.

The pot of seeds showed nothing inside, just buried in green sand. If it weren't for the red-clothed old woman's words, "Ancient Sage Lotus, one thought and it blooms," Li Shui would have thought it was just a pot of sand.

The two pots of plants were placed in front of them, but for a moment, the two brothers could not understand them. However, they knew these two items were definitely mysterious.

"Amu, the old woman hinted at my pot! Do you know what's special about your piece of black wood?" Li Shui looked at the unremarkable black wood.

"This black wood can resonate with the demonic aura in my dantian, it must be a demonic cultivation item!" Regarding the demonic coffin, because it involved too much, Amu had not told Li Shui, so Li Shui did not know. On that day, Amu attributed everything to the Heaven-Numbered Cave Mansion. The black vine was a mysterious item given to him by his master who made the coffin.

"Can it resonate with demonic aura?" Li Shui's divine sense scanned, but he could not detect any fluctuations from the black wood.

"Hehe! Can't sense it, right!" Amu laughed. Amu's demonic sense could clearly feel that Li Shui's divine sense scanned the black wood but found nothing.

"Amazing! It seems your demonic sense is really different from ours. Probably only you would think this is a piece of scrap wood." Li Shui shook his head and sighed.

"Let's try to irrigate it with cultivation energy as the red-clothed old woman said. Maybe we'll see something!"

Saying this, Amu held the pot of black wood in one hand. Whenever he got close to the black wood, the demonic aura in his dantian became active, and the shadow of the demonic coffin trembled slightly.

This black wood was definitely extraordinary, as it was the only thing so far that could make the shadow of his demonic coffin vibrate, except for the items in the Heaven-Numbered Cave Mansion.

Thinking of this, Amu released his demonic cultivation energy, which turned into black mist and enveloped the black wood.

Originally, Amu just wanted to try if his demonic cultivation energy could irrigate the wood, but unexpectedly, as soon as the black mist touched the black wood, the black wood emitted a dazzling black light, extremely strange.

"Whoosh—" When all the demonic aura was absorbed by the black wood, it suddenly flew out of the pot.

"Huh!" Amu was taken aback, and he tried to communicate with the black wood, to see if he could control it with his cultivation energy.

"Settle!" Amu shouted, and the black wood flew towards a green stone in the courtyard.

"Puff—" The black wood pierced through the green stone without any resistance.

"Huh?" Amu and Li Shui were both stunned. It seemed that the black wood was as heavy as a mountain and as sharp as a sword, otherwise, how could it pierce through the green stone so easily?

But what surprised them even more was what happened next. A flash of light, and the black wood flew out, turning the green stone into black mist, which dissipated in the wind.

Amu's mind raced, and he quickly stabilized the black wood in the air, where it emitted endless light. A mysterious and eerie aura spread from the black wood.

"What is this thing? It can turn a green stone into black mist in an instant!" Amu was greatly alarmed.

Li Shui was also shocked, staring at the eerie aura, which made him shudder.

"Senior Brother Li Shui, try using ice techniques on it!" Amu slightly activated the black wood.

Li Shui nodded, raised his hand, and a burst of extreme cold energy shot out. At the initial stage of cultivation, this cold energy could freeze even boiling lava.

However, when the cold energy reached within three feet of the black wood, it hissed and instantly turned into black mist, dissipating.

"Use immortal fire!" Amu's expression changed.

Li Shui changed his technique, and a burst of immortal fire shot out. But this fire, which could melt gold and refine stone, also turned into black mist and dissipated within three feet of the black wood.

"Uh!" Amu flicked his wrist and directly shot out an eighth-grade flying sword.

"Puff—" At three feet away, it turned into black mist.

"Hehe!" Amu flicked his wrist again, and four or five magical tools, talismans, and even a low-grade cultivation treasure, all turned into black mist at three feet away from the black wood.

This completely shocked Amu and Li Shui. What was this thing, that nothing could get within three feet of it?

Amu's mind raced, and a black light shot out, summoning the black vine.

"Go!" Amu directly shot the black vine at the black wood, but he was careful not to destroy his magical tool. He wanted to test the power of the black wood.

But the next scene left Amu completely speechless.

The black vine, which was invincible in Amu's hands, could cut through spirit-level magical tools like tofu. But this time, the black vine suddenly stopped three feet away from the black wood, emitting a bright light, surrounded by black mist, humming like a dragon, but not moving forward. The black wood also trembled slightly, and the patterns on it suddenly glowed gray, barely holding back the black vine.

The black vine and the black wood, like tigers meeting tigers on the mountain, dragons meeting dragons in the clouds, were evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand.

"Ha!" Amu couldn't help but laugh, "Qianhua Old Woman, I thank you! Such a cause and effect, how can Amu forget it!"

A magical tool that could hold its own against the black vine, Amu couldn't even determine its level. Not to mention 5,000 copper spirit coins, even 50,000, 500,000, or 5,000,000 spirit coins couldn't buy it. Such a magical tool was beyond the value of spirit coins. How could Amu not laugh? How could he not thank Qianhua Old Woman?

Amu retracted the black vine and then used his cultivation energy to wrap the black wood. This black wood would be very useful in the future. As long as he summoned it, it could break through all treasures, and hanging it above his head, it would be hard for any technique to approach him. Amu wanted to put it in the All-Heaven如意 Bracelet, but as soon as the black wood approached the bracelet, it hummed, seemingly unwilling to accept the black wood.

Amu smiled bitterly. It seemed this was a heaven-defying item, even the low-grade cultivation treasure All-Heaven如意 Bracelet dared not contain it. Since that was the case, Amu had to put the black wood into his dantian.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the black wood entered his dantian, it was like a dragon returning to the sea. It floated in the shadow of the demonic coffin, stable as a mountain, quickly merging with Amu's dantian.

It seemed this black wood was prepared for Amu.

"Senior Brother Li Shui, try yours! These things are not ordinary!" Amu took a deep breath. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh, "Such heaven-defying things, could they all be grown by Qianhua Old Woman?"

Seeing how powerful Amu's black wood was, Li Shui was eager to try his own.

He raised his hand, and a ball of milky white cultivation energy appeared in his hand. If it came to the use of cultivation energy, Li Shui far surpassed Amu. Almost all the techniques of Northern Cold, as long as his cultivation allowed, Li Shui could master them without a teacher, and even because of the Northern Cold Holy Soul Technique, he could perform many techniques beyond his level.

Seeing Li Shui's pot of unknown plants, as soon as they touched his cultivation energy, they were like dry crops meeting spring rain. The green sand greedily absorbed the cultivation energy.

Seeing this, Li Shui couldn't help but smile. He rotated his palm, and the cultivation energy turned into a fine rain, starting to irrigate the plants.

Amu couldn't help but marvel, although this was just a small technique, Li Shui performed it with great skill and ease, making Amu doubt that Li Shui had only achieved root cultivation for two days.

"Ancient Sage Lotus, a prodigy!" Amu shook his head in admiration.

Seeing Li Shui's pot of plants, as his cultivation energy irrigated them, they emitted a green glow. The green sand in the pot loosened slightly, as if something was about to break through the soil.

Li Shui was delighted and continuously channeled his cultivation energy, the fine rain falling into the pot.

After a while, a tender sprout finally broke through the soil, gradually emerging, like a living being, raising its head to sense the world.

"It's sprouting!" Amu said happily.

But after just a little sprout, no matter how much Li Shui channeled his cultivation energy, the sprout did not grow further.

Currently, it was still unclear what kind of plant it was, let alone its effects, but the presence of seeds meant that the red-clothed old woman had not deceived them.

"It seems we can't rush things! This flower will bloom, but we need to wait a few more days!" Li Shui shook his head, somewhat helpless.

"Sure! Don't rush! I think this thing is also a heaven-defying treasure." Amu smiled at Li Shui, "Ancient Sage Lotus, one thought and it blooms. Qianhua Old Woman might be hinting that the flower will bloom with just your thought."

Li Shui frowned and nodded, feeling that Amu's words made sense. If that was the case, it couldn't be rushed. With six days until the small examination, as long as this pot was also a treasure like the black wood, Li Shui would have a good chance against Han Zixiang.