Chapter 202: Jade of the Spiritual Eye
Chapter 202: Chapter 202: Jade of the Spiritual Eye
Inside the secret cave mansion.
Li Ping was immersed in cultivation, completely unaware of what was happening in the outside world.
A year passed imperceptibly. His own cultivation had progressed, but what truly delighted Li Ping was that the Desolate Fire Sparrow had finally advanced.
The Spiritual Qi within the cave mansion fluctuated slightly. With a clear cry, the Desolate Fire Sparrow shot straight into the air and transformed into a ball of fire, dancing back and forth across the sky.
This commotion naturally startled Li Ping from his cultivation.
He opened his eyes, stood up, and smiled as he watched the excited Desolate Fire Sparrow in the sky.
The Desolate Fire Sparrow’s advancement to Tier Two Middle Grade meant he had gained another capable helper. This was especially true when dealing with nefarious cultivators like Demon Cultivators and Ghost Cultivators. The ’Slaying Evil’ property of its Lifebound Spirit Fire made it a powerful asset.
However, Li Ping had always been a peaceable person and disliked engaging in Magical Combat, so the Desolate Fire Sparrow’s Lifebound Spirit Fire had no use for the time being.
Suddenly—
Just as Li Ping was smiling, the Desolate Fire Sparrow’s gaze fell upon the Tier Three Array Shield in the center of the secret realm.
"SCREECH!"
It let out a sharp cry and then dove directly toward the shield.
Li Ping was slightly taken aback by the Desolate Fire Sparrow’s actions; he didn’t understand what it was trying to do.
However, there were no other living beings in the secret cave mansion, nor was this a moment of crisis. Therefore, he didn’t rush to recall the Desolate Fire Sparrow and instead patiently observed its next move.
He watched as it happened.
Just as it flew within a few yards of the Tier Three Array Shield, the Desolate Fire Sparrow suddenly stopped, hovering in place with frantically flapping wings.
"CHIRP CHIRP~"
A look of urgency filled its eyes, as if something inside the array was attracting it.
Upon seeing this, Li Ping shook his head, both surprised and a little amused.
He had never expected the Desolate Fire Sparrow to possess a treasure-hunting ability. It was a genuine Treasure-Hunting Bird.
’Then again, it’s not that strange,’ he thought. ’It’s a Spirit Bird of heaven and earth, with a True Spirit Bloodline. What’s a little uncanny ability for finding treasure? Xiao Yunzhi’s Blazing Sun Bird could see through my disguises and track me down just by my aura.’
’As for there being treasure inside the Tier Three Array Shield? It’s so obvious. How could I not know? Even an idiot would know that. The problem is, I can’t break through the Tier Three Array to get to the treasure inside. Unless I had the power of the Core Formation Realm or was a high-tier Array Master, there’s absolutely nothing I can do about a Tier Three Array.’
In truth, Li Ping had originally planned to enter the secret cave mansion only after becoming a high-tier Array Master.
But unexpectedly, on his way back to the Immortal City, he had killed Hua Hong. This act offended Hua Wuji, a Late-stage Core Formation Cultivator.
As a result, he no longer dared to take his time collecting the legacy of a high-tier array. Instead, he had fled into the secret cave mansion in a panic.
His plans had been completely upended.
"Easy there, little bird," Li Ping gently soothed the Desolate Fire Sparrow. "I know you’re eager, but just be patient. We’ll get the Spirit Vein, and we’ll get the treasure."
But to his surprise, his reassurances failed to calm the Desolate Fire Sparrow. Instead, it grew even more agitated.
Li Ping was about to offer more comfort, but in the next moment—
He watched as the Desolate Fire Sparrow circled a few times before abruptly spewing a crimson, high-temperature flame at the Array Shield. A thin line of fire connected the bird to the Tier Three Array Shield.
The Spirit Bird of heaven and earth clearly couldn’t hold back any longer. It began to directly attack the Tier Three Grand Array, attempting to destroy it.
Li Ping shook his head slightly. ’This silly bird.’
’A Tier Three Grand Array... Even a Core Formation Cultivator would need half a day to break it by force. The Desolate Fire Sparrow is just a mere Tier Two Middle Grade. The gap between it and a Core Formation Cultivator is astronomical. Isn’t this just a futile effort? Worse, it might provoke a counterattack from the array.’
Just as Li Ping hesitated, wondering if he should stop the silly bird, he suddenly saw something astounding.
The spot on the shield where the Desolate Fire Sparrow was spewing its Spiritual Flame wasn’t counterattacking. Instead, like ice under a blazing sun, it dissolved at a visible rate. In the blink of an eye, a circular hole over a foot tall had formed.
"SCREECH!"
Before Li Ping could even react, the Desolate Fire Sparrow let out an excited shriek, transformed into a ball of fire, and flew into the array.
After the Desolate Fire Sparrow flew into the array, the Array Shield began to rapidly mend itself, returning to its original state in just a moment.
Seeing this, Li Ping finally understood. The Desolate Fire Sparrow’s Lifebound Spirit Fire had the special ability to break through restrictions; even a Tier Three Array couldn’t withstand its power.
He couldn’t help but stare, dumbfounded. "Hey, you went in alone? You were supposed to wait for me! I haven’t even gotten on yet!"
...
With the Desolate Fire Sparrow inside the array, Li Ping could only wait patiently outside.
He was anxious, wondering what treasures lay inside the array.
It would be fine if it were Dharma Artifacts or Magical Treasures, but if it was Spirit Pills or Spirit Medicines, he could only hope the Desolate Fire Sparrow would leave some for him.
Fortunately, Li Ping didn’t have to wait long. With a POP, the Array Shield burst like a bubble, revealing the scene inside.
Apparently, the Desolate Fire Sparrow had destroyed the Tier Three Array from within.
"CHIRP CHIRP~"
The moment the array broke, a ball of fire flew out from within, circling Li Ping excitedly.
"Huh?" Li Ping couldn’t help but look astonished.
As the Desolate Fire Sparrow moved, he could feel the Spiritual Qi throughout the cave mansion begin to churn violently.
In his immediate vicinity, the concentration of Spiritual Qi skyrocketed, reaching the level of a Tier Three Spiritual Land in just a few moments.
His gaze fell on the Desolate Fire Sparrow’s right claw. It was gripping a fist-sized cyan jade stone, which continuously emitted a faint cyan glow, twinkling incessantly.
If Li Ping’s senses weren’t mistaken, the Spiritual Qi was emanating from this very cyan jade stone.
"Come here," Li Ping quickly beckoned, calling the Desolate Fire Sparrow over.
The Desolate Fire Sparrow flew before Li Ping as if presenting a treasure. With a smug look, it placed the cyan jade in his palm, its expression seeming to say, "Hurry up and praise me."
But at this moment, Li Ping had no time to praise the Spirit Bird; his entire attention was captivated by the jade stone in his hand.
The cyan jade stone was semi-translucent. Inside, an inch-long, vivid red Phoenix with wings spread as if about to take flight pulsed with the aura of life. Streams of pure Spiritual Qi continuously wafted from it.
’This must be a Jade of the Spiritual Eye.’ After observing for a long time, Li Ping finally identified the object.
In the world, aside from places with Spirit Veins, the Spiritual Qi everywhere else was too thin to support a cultivator’s practice.
And even in lands with Spirit Veins, the distribution of Spiritual Qi was not uniform.
Take Fenglan Immortal City, for example. Although situated on a Tier Three Spirit Vein, only the peak of Cyan Dragon Mountain had a Spiritual Qi concentration that reached Tier Three. That place was the Spiritual Eye of the Tier Three Spirit Vein.
A Spiritual Eye is usually formless and colorless. But if the Spiritual Qi gathered at a Spiritual Eye is not absorbed by cultivators for a long period, it can, over eons, gradually solidify and form an Item of the Spiritual Eye.
Generally speaking, this process requires tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, plus some fortuitous opportunities to succeed.
Since forming an Item of the Spiritual Eye was so rare, its effects were naturally heaven-defying.
Possessing an Item of the Spiritual Eye was equivalent to having a portable Spirit Vein. A cultivator no longer needed to be confined to a Spiritual Land and could cultivate anywhere with the help of the item.
Typical Items of the Spiritual Eye include Springs of the Spiritual Eye, Stones of the Spiritual Eye, and Trees of the Spiritual Eye.
And this Jade of the Spiritual Eye in Li Ping’s hand was a relatively high-grade type of Stone of the Spiritual Eye.
The concentration of Spiritual Qi it emitted had already reached Tier Three.
In fact, as Li Ping silently perceived it, he realized that the source of the Spiritual Qi in the secret cave mansion was this very Jade of the Spiritual Eye.
The Tier Three Array had also been reliant on the Jade of the Spiritual Eye for its power.
That was why the Tier Three Array broke the moment the Desolate Fire Sparrow took the Jade of the Spiritual Eye.
Li Ping’s eyes gleamed. "What a treasure!"
Originally, cultivating step-by-step on a Tier Two Spirit Vein, he had estimated it would take him at least thirty more years to break through to the Late-stage Foundation Establishment.
But now, with the Jade of the Spiritual Eye, he had exclusive access to a Tier Three Spirit Vein. Although it could only be considered a miniature one, it was enough to shorten the time it would take him to reach Late-stage Foundation Establishment by more than a third.
This meant he might be able to break through to the Late-stage Foundation Establishment within twenty years.
Time is Spirit Stones, and time is life!
How could Li Ping not be thrilled?
He took out a Jade Box, placed the Jade of the Spiritual Eye inside, and put the box into his Storage Bag.
Li Ping smiled and stroked the Desolate Fire Sparrow’s head. "You’ve performed a great service this time. Come on, let’s see what other good things are in the core of this secret realm."
...
The core of the secret realm wasn’t very large, only a few hundred yards in length and width.
Since Li Ping had put the Jade of the Spiritual Eye into his Storage Bag, the Spiritual Qi concentration throughout the entire secret realm was now slowly decreasing, and the core was no exception.
As Li Ping walked in, the first thing that caught his eye was a tall, pale cyan stone hall.
The ground was entirely paved with jade-white tiles.
As Li Ping was surveying his surroundings, the Desolate Fire Sparrow flew around him chirping, proudly informing him that it had pried the ’stone that gives off Spiritual Qi’ from the roof of the stone hall.
Li Ping smiled and nodded, his gaze falling upon a recess on the stone hall’s roof.
Evidently, that was where the Jade of the Spiritual Eye had been placed.
He scanned the area, and seeing nothing but the stone hall, he hesitated no longer. In just a few strides, he crossed the several-hundred-yard distance and stopped before the hall’s main gate.
The main gate was made of ordinary jade, with no array restrictions on it.
Li Ping gathered Magical Power in his right hand. With just a light push, the door swung open with a rumble, revealing the space inside.
The great hall was empty, save for a long table placed in the center.
On the table sat three Jade Boxes, apparently treasures left by the hall’s master for those who came after.
Although he was eyeing the Jade Boxes covetously, Li Ping didn’t dare to just casually open them.
SWOOSH!
With a wave of his hand, Jia Er appeared by his side.
This Tier Two Upper Grade puppet had been refined with an emphasis on defense. Its tough exterior made it perfect for this kind of task.
While ordering Jia Er to go forward and open the Jade Boxes, Li Ping himself called to the Desolate Fire Sparrow and retreated from the hall, just in case the boxes were trapped.