What is an immortal?
Chapter 978 - 943: Something Fishy
After She Li left, the defeated ones on the steps appeared like bamboo shoots after a rain.
They were either mercilessly crushed by Space Power, or collapsed to the ground in despair due to depleted Mana. Once they lost the possibility of continuing to climb, they would be ruthlessly teleported down by Jie Cha.
Di Huo busily weaved through the crowd, marketing Jade Spirit Rejuvenation Pills to every Devil Cultivator who was defeated on the steps.
Soon, almost all the defeated demons received a pill from Di Huo.
These elixirs were indeed effective. Shortly after consumption, these demons recovered one after another.
"After leaving this place, inform the Flame Wolf King to have the Fire Wolf Clan refine some more of these elixirs," Wu Yu said quietly to Xuan Ye beside him.
"Yes." Xuan Ye nodded in response.
The effectiveness of the Jade Spirit Rejuvenation Pill not only caught the attention of the Devil Cultivators but also began to attract the gaze of the Human Clan's cultivators.
As a large number of defeated individuals began to appear among the human cultivators, they too longed for elixirs that could restore Mana and Qi-Blood.
However, there existed a longstanding animosity between the Human and Demon Clans in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range. Though both sides harbored doubts and curiosity, no one dared to easily ask.
It was at this moment that Di Huo took the initiative to approach, holding several pieces of Jade Spirit Rejuvenation Pills, and smiled, "Fellow Daoists of the Human Clan, do you need elixirs for healing?"
A Returning to Void Cultivator from White Emperor City looked at Di Huo in surprise, "You demon clan actually willing to offer elixirs to help us?"
Di Huo smiled and said, "We are all trapped inside this Three Realms Immortal Boat now. Helping each other is merely mutually beneficial, so why bother with the distinction between human and demon?"
The cultivators of the Human Clan exchanged glances. Finally, a cultivator from White Emperor City couldn't resist the temptation, taking out two pieces of Level 5 Spiritual Grass to purchase a Jade Spirit Rejuvenation Pill from Di Huo.
However, he didn't consume it immediately but handed the elixir to Gu Chuanting for inspection.
After examining it carefully for a moment, Gu Chuanting said, "No problem."
Getting Gu Chuanting's confirmation, the Returning to Void Cultivator finally felt at ease and swallowed the elixir.
Soon, he felt the Mana surging within his body, as if he had returned to the state before climbing the steps.
Other Returning to Void Cultivators seeing this also came forward to exchange elixirs for consumption.
Before long, even Wulu and Nan Shangfeng were defeated, sustaining considerable injuries.
"Brother Wulu, that elixir seems good; do you want to try one, too? It's on me," Nan Shangfeng said, watching others benefit from the elixir with inclination.
However, Wulu shook his head and said, "No, I have my own elixirs for healing."
"Then I'll just buy my own," Nan Shangfeng said and then approached Di Huo.
At this time, Yuan Ming's voice suddenly rang in Nan Shangfeng's Sea of Consciousness, "Fellow Daoist Nan, this Di Huo is suspicious. The appearance he shows now is a disguise. He's not actually from the Ten Thousand Demon Country."
Startled by the words, Nan Shangfeng scrutinized Di Huo carefully, yet he could not find anything unusual.
"There's no need for futility; his disguising methods are extraordinary. It's normal if you can't find anything. I just suspect there's something odd about his elixirs, but I can't say specifically what purpose. Just be cautious," Yuan Ming transmitted his voice again.
Nan Shangfeng hesitated, looking at the other cultivators who had already consumed the elixirs. Eventually, he decided to come forward and buy one. However, seemingly influenced by Yuan Ming's reminder, he didn't consume the elixir immediately, appearing to plan to observe others' situations further.
Yuan Ming took this opportunity to glance at the Jade Spirit Rejuvenation Pill in his hand. The elixir was smooth as jade, emanating a faint glow, with a rich aroma, clearly a top-notch healing elixir.
Even with Yuan Ming's insight, he couldn't find any flaws, let alone see anything unusual.
He became even more puzzled in his heart, but without solid evidence and not wanting to complicate matters, he had to temporarily give up.
As time passed, the first wave of Returning to Void Cultivators attempting to climb the stairs was defeated.
Most among them only managed to climb to about the hundred-level, while the best only reached the 210th Level before halting.
From the mouths of the defeated, the Dharma manifestation Cultivators gained a clearer understanding of the situation on the steps.
However, they still refrained from taking action, intending to continue letting their subordinates try to gain more information about the steps.
Beside Yuan Ming, only Wulu stood silently; he also did not participate in the second wave of attempts. Other Dharma manifestation Cultivators tacitly did not rush to climb the stairs.
As time passed, the second round of Returning to Void Cultivators also concluded their attempts. The results remained unsatisfactory, with no one able to reach three hundred steps.
"It seems it's time for us to step in personally," Long Hou suddenly chuckled softly, his figure flashed to the front of the stairs.
Seeing this, the other Dharma manifestation Cultivators no longer waited, flashing forward one by one, stepping onto the stairs in succession.
Naturally, Yuan Ming didn't continue to wait.
Jie Cha mentioned earlier that the first person to reach the summit could control the Three Realms Immortal Boat.
Those Returning to Void Cultivators obviously couldn't complete this task, so the Dharma Phase Cultivators present allowed them to try first. At this moment, a group of Dharma Phase Cultivators began participating, and naturally, no one wanted to fall behind.
Compared to the Returning to Void Cultivators, the pace at which the Dharma Phase Cultivators ascended the steps was several times faster.
At the start, their stay on each level of the steps did not exceed even half a breath.
It wasn't until they passed the hundredth step that the speed slightly slowed, but they still progressed calmly, showing no sign of pressure.
Yuan Ming was positioned in the upper middle of the group, neither conspicuous nor falling behind. The spatial pressure on his body and the suction power of the steps didn't seem particularly strong, similar to the others.
"You really think fast, using this method to weaken the stair's influence," Xi Ying tilted her head and smiled inside the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space.
Opposite Xi Ying, Yuan Ming sat cross-legged.
This Yuan Ming was not a Divine Soul Transformation but was his actual physical body.
Since the World Tree steps adjusted the suction power based on the cultivator's situation, Yuan Ming used the Undying Body's ability to hide his main soul and over ninety percent of his Qi Blood Power inside the Stealing Heaven Tripod.
At this moment, Yuan Ming seemed no different than usual, but his Qi Blood and Soul Power had dropped to the level of an ordinary Dharma Phase. Therefore, the steps' suction power wasn't particularly strong on him, similar to the others.
"There's no choice. If I don't use this method, these steps will significantly drain my Qi Blood Power and Soul Power. Even I wouldn't last long. After all, recovering Qi Blood and Soul Power is much harder than Mana. This test is very disadvantageous to Soul Cultivators and Body Cultivators. It seems that the Three Realms Immortal Boat favours Magic Practitioners," Yuan Ming said helplessly.
"That's only natural. Among Dharma Body Soul Three Cultivations, Body Cultivators only cultivate the physical body, and Soul Cultivators specialize in the divine soul, each with their shortcomings. Only Magic Practitioners are relatively the most balanced," Xi Ying explained.
"That makes sense," Yuan Ming slowly nodded.
While Yuan Ming and Xi Ying were chatting casually, the group of Dharma Phase Cultivators advanced quickly, soon reaching the three hundredth step.
The moment they stepped on this level of the staircase, all pressure and suction disappeared without a trace.
Everyone immediately felt their bodies lighten and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
This step was unusually wide, enough to accommodate all Dharma Phase Cultivators standing.
"Congratulations on reaching the three hundredth level. You can rest here for an hour. Fighting is forbidden here, and violators will be immediately expelled from the test. You can rest assured, the six hundredth and nine hundredth levels are the same," Jie Cha's figure appeared with a flash of green light and said.
Upon hearing this news, everyone was delighted and promptly took out healing pills to consume, taking the opportunity to refine and recover.
The first three hundred levels were easy to walk, but significant Mana had been consumed.
Moreover, they had no information about the following paths, which would only be harder than before. Therefore, they had to maintain their best state to smoothly handle the upcoming tests.
"Fellow Daoist Jie Cha, previously you mentioned that there would be rewards upon reaching the three hundredth level. Could you reveal a bit, what kind of treasures are they?" Jin Chen, closest to Jie Cha, saluted and asked curiously.
Hearing this, everyone else also turned their eyes to Jie Cha, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Jie Cha smiled slightly without answering directly and waved his hand.
In an instant, a large area of green spirit light emerged on the steps beneath them. These spirit lights danced like elves, quickly gathering in front of everyone to form a phantom screen.
On the screen, words flowed, filled with the names of various treasures.
Counting carefully, there were actually over two hundred items, a dazzling variety, ranging from rare spiritual materials and elixirs to powerful cultivation techniques and spiritual treasures, truly everything one could ask for.
"Seven-leaf Jade Chalice Flower! It's said that consuming this flower can assist in breaking through the bottleneck of the Dharma Phase. This Seven-leaf Jade Chalice Flower has been extinct for millennia; I never expected to see it by chance here!" Long Hou looked at one item on the screen in surprise and exclaimed.
"Flying Spirit Wings, actually a flying spiritual treasure with thirty-five runes! This item is the sacred treasure of the Feitian Sect; it's rumored that a single flap can carry one hundred miles, truly astonishing," Master Tantai also exclaimed in joy, his eyes fixed on that spiritual treasure on the screen.
"These elixirs... are all geared towards enhancing the divine soul! Soul Refining Elixir, Soul Stabilizing Pill, Soul Nourishing Pill, a complete range with such a large quantity. It seems this Three Realms Flying Boat is indeed deeply rooted," the Black Bear King of the Ten Thousand Demon Country muttered with low growls, both eyes flashing with excitement.
Yuan Ming looked at the items on the screen and was also pleasantly surprised.
These items were quite precious; any one of them would greatly aid his current cultivation. Unfortunately, he could only choose one.
His magic and body cultivation had just recently broken through, now only his soul cultivation was still lagging, so he hoped to choose an item that could aid in advancing his soul cultivation.
Of course, although elixirs like the Soul Refining Elixir were also good, he hoped to find a treasure like the Moon God's Three Treasures that could speed up absorbing the Moonlight Power.
While Yuan Ming pondered, his gaze quickly scanned the list on the screen but found no similar treasure.
"Indeed, treasures that aid soul cultivation are rare," Yuan Ming sighed inwardly, intending to settle for another treasure when his gaze suddenly stopped on a certain item.
"There's actually this item..." Yuan Ming's eyes lit up, and he began to contemplate.