Chapter 344: Celestial Spirit Fruit, Unleashing Full Power!

“These Golden Bodhi Dates aren’t fully ripe yet, handing them over won’t bring many Spirit Stones.”

“We’ve already gathered quite a bit this time, four to fifty thousand Spirit Stones. We don’t need these; it’s better to improve ourselves.”

Lu Quanzhen knew his elder brother was frugal, so he smiled as he spoke.

“Ah, that’s a lot of Spirit Stones!?”

Lu Ping’an was quite surprised.

Although he knew they had gained a lot, he hadn’t calculated the exact amount.

He couldn’t help but be shocked by the number.

After all, before coming to the Purple Secrets Realm, his entire fortune was just over a hundred Spirit Stones.

He had even spent thirty-eight Spirit Stones to buy a Spirit Horse for travel, which ended up dead along the way, causing him grief for a long time.

“That’s right, so you don’t need to worry about wasting it.”

“Besides, there are still many opportunities in the realm. If you improve your strength now, you’ll gain even more later.”

While speaking, Lu Quanzhen handed two Golden Bodhi Dates to Lu Ping’an, saying, “These Golden Bodhi Dates have potent effects, so be a bit careful.”

Even though Lu Ping’an had a strong physique, Lu Quanzhen still reminded him out of concern.

Then, he continued to nibble on the Golden Bodhi Dates in his hand, slowly refining them.

“Alright.”

Hearing this, Lu Ping’an didn’t hesitate and bit into half a Golden Bodhi Date.

The flesh melted in his mouth instantly, but it wasn’t fully ripe, so it tasted intensely bitter.

However, the sour and bitter taste immediately transformed into a surge of overwhelming power that rushed through his entire body.

Though the power was fierce, Lu Ping’an, who had undergone countless body refinements, quickly circulated the Hundred Refined Body Technique to refine the medicinal power.

“Hmm.”

After a long while, Lu Ping’an finished refining the medicinal power of the half Golden Bodhi Date, frowning slightly as he assessed his physical state.

During the body refinement process just now, he faintly felt the medicinal power penetrating into his flesh and bones.

After thinking for a moment, he looked at the remaining one and a half Golden Bodhi Dates in his hand and swallowed them whole.

“Boom!”

In an instant, Lu Ping’an felt as if he was struck by lightning. The Golden Bodhi Dates transformed into a surge of power that rampaged through his flesh, meridians, and every part of his body.

His heart pounded fiercely, his blood roared like a river, and his organs resonated with a metallic sound.

“Hmm!?”

Hearing the commotion, Lu Quanzhen immediately opened his eyes.

He saw his elder brother’s face twisted in pain, his body radiating an intense heat like a blazing sun, and an overwhelming vitality and aura erupted from within him.

“What’s happening?”

Lu Quanzhen was stunned.

How did his elder brother end up like this in the blink of an eye?

He noticed that Lu Ping’an had already eaten the Golden Bodhi Dates and guessed what might have happened, his expression changing slightly.

He knew that the medicinal power of the Golden Bodhi Dates was extremely potent.

He had only eaten one-third so far.

Eating too much could be harmful; the body might not be able to refine it, leading to injury.

But now, Lu Ping’an had consumed two whole Golden Bodhi Dates.

However, Lu Quanzhen knew his elder brother was steady and wouldn’t act recklessly.

He immediately stood by to protect him, quietly observing Lu Ping’an’s condition.

After a long time, the overwhelming vitality within Lu Ping’an gradually subsided. He opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Brother, what happened?”

Lu Quanzhen asked with concern.

“Quanzhen, I just felt that during the body refinement process, the Golden Bodhi Dates seemed to penetrate into my bones, expelling impurities from my flesh and bones, achieving a true cleansing and transformation.”

“But half a Golden Bodhi Date’s medicinal effect wasn’t enough, so I tried consuming more. By taking more at once, the medicinal power was sufficient to penetrate the flesh and bones.”

Lu Ping’an smiled as he explained.

Since he had practiced martial arts and body tempering for years, he had precise control over his body.

After consuming half a Golden Bodhi Date earlier, he had keenly sensed some effects, so he decided to try consuming the remaining one and a half.

The results were as he had anticipated: his meridians, bones, and internal organs were significantly enhanced.

Moreover, it could stimulate the refinement of his Magical Treasure and improve the Hundred Refined Body Technique.

Of course, he dared to do this because he was confident in his abilities.

“By allowing the potent medicinal power to penetrate the flesh and bones, one can achieve a true cleansing and transformation.”

Lu Quanzhen immediately understood the principle.

But he also knew that the process was incredibly painful and dangerous.

If one couldn’t handle the fierce medicinal power, the raging force might shatter the meridians and bones.

“I’ll give it a try.”

Lu Quanzhen looked at the remaining half of the Golden Bodhi Date in his hand and swallowed it.

Instantly, the violent medicinal power surged through him, causing him to groan in pain, his face contorting.

Pain! Pain! Pain!

As Lu Ping’an mentioned, the potent medicinal power penetrated deep into his flesh and bones.

But the pain also pierced to the very marrow!

He quickly endured the pain and activated the Five Elements Kun Peng Technique to refine the medicinal power.

Yet the surging power still made his body tremble as if in convulsions.

After a while, the medicinal power gradually calmed down.

After a long time, Lu Quanzhen opened his eyes and assessed his condition.

He felt that the primary effect was still an increase in cultivation, with some improvement in the body refinement, but it wasn’t very significant.

“Is it because the medicinal power wasn’t enough, or because I consumed the Dragon Scale Fruit before?”

Lu Quanzhen frowned slightly, pondering.

Years ago, his uncle Qu Changge had returned and given him two Dragon Scale Fruits.

Those two Dragon Scale Fruits had transformed his body from the inside out, laying a solid foundation.

He looked at Lu Ping’an and said, “Brother, I had some fortuitous encounters before, so the Golden Bodhi Dates don’t have much effect on me. You should take them all.”

Continuing to consume the Golden Bodhi Dates might work, but the effect would be minimal.

Moreover, if he consumed one whole Golden Bodhi Date, he might need a long time to recover before consuming a second one.

The current situation clearly wasn’t suitable.

“It’s fine, I don’t need so many.”

Lu Ping’an thought his brother was giving them to him and quickly waved his hand.

Lu Quanzhen could see his elder brother’s intention and explained that he really couldn’t use them. He had already consumed similar Natural Treasures in the past.

Moreover, his body was only average. If he consumed too much, the overpowering medicinal effect might require him to heal.

Hearing this, Lu Ping’an nodded, picked three Golden Bodhi Dates from the nearby tree, and swallowed them in one go.

Lu Quanzhen, watching from the side, noticed Lu Ping’an’s muscles swell, his bones clattering, but he only let out a groan, making Lu Quanzhen marvel at how tough his elder brother really was.

He then went to the stone cave and carefully picked thirteen Illusion Heart Grass plants, placing them into the Spirit Plant Bag.

This Spirit Plant Bag was a rare one that Lu Changsheng had prepared in advance.

It could keep the spiritual herbs alive and active.

Otherwise, this kind of spiritual herb would require a special Jade Box to store, or else its potency would gradually fade.

Afterward, Lu Quanzhen took a formation tool out of his Storage Bag and set it up at the entrance of the stone cave.

Although the stone cave was hard to find, there was no guarantee that no one would discover it, so he had to be cautious.

After finishing, he waited patiently for Lu Ping’an to finish refining all the Golden Bodhi Dates.

At that moment, in a valley to the southeast of Purple Secrets Mountain.

Two forces were at a standoff, fighting over three half-meter tall, bright green spiritual flowers, exuding a rich life force.

The spiritual flowers stood proudly, with buds bearing a fist-sized, jade-like fruit that emitted a purple glow and a fragrant aroma that refreshed the soul.

This flower was called the Celestial Spirit Flower, and the fruit it bore was the main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill, the Celestial Spirit Fruit!

“We killed this Thunder Horned Lion, so the Celestial Spirit Fruit should belong to us. Out of respect for the Sunset Glow Sect, we’re willing to give up one fruit. That’s already a concession, so don’t push your luck!”

A man in his forties, holding a sword in one hand and a Magic Pearl in the other, spoke up.

He had four companions, each wielding Artifacts, forming a formation as they faced three disciples from the Sunset Glow Sect.

“Hmph, since you killed the Thunder Horned Lion, giving you one fruit is already generous. Don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit.”

One of the Sunset Glow Sect disciples replied coldly.

Though they were only three,

they still had the upper hand in momentum against the five.

“Hmm? Celestial Spirit Fruit?”

At that moment, a voice came from not far away.

Moments later, a young man in a white-gold robe, with sword-like eyebrows and a handsome face, walked over confidently.

He looked at the situation ahead and saw the two groups in a standoff, with the corpse of a purple lion lying on the ground, its head separated from its body.

Blood was still flowing from the corpse, forming a pool.

Not far from the pool were three half-meter high spiritual flowers bearing the Celestial Spirit Fruits.

“It really is a Celestial Spirit Fruit. As they say, finders keepers. Since there are three fruits and you can’t divide them evenly, I’ll take one.”

This young man was Lu Qingshan. He glanced at the two sides, his expression indifferent as he spoke calmly.

His calm and indifferent words sounded domineering and absolute to the seven people present.

“Lu Qingshan!”

The three Sunset Glow Sect disciples immediately recognized Lu Qingshan.

When Lu Qingshan had arrived with Immortal Tian Yuan, the disciples from the Four Great Immortal Sects had been there, and they had heard him announce his name.

“Lu Qingshan, you’re too overbearing. You want to take a Celestial Spirit Fruit all by yourself!”

One of the Sunset Glow Sect disciples spoke up.

They didn’t dare underestimate Lu Qingshan, who was a disciple of a Golden Core cultivator.

But to want to take a Celestial Spirit Fruit with just a few words, he was clearly treating them with contempt!

Moreover, their elders had instructed them not to lose face when dealing with Lu Qingshan.

“Swoosh!”

In response, a dazzling sword light shot out.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The Sunset Glow Sect disciple immediately summoned a shield Artifact to block the sword light.

But under the sword light, the shield’s glow dimmed, and he staggered back several steps.

“Do you have any objections?”

Lu Qingshan’s expression turned cold, his sharpness on full display. The Magical Sword in his hand hummed, as if brewing a terrifying sword strike.

The five clan cultivators nearby were shocked.

They hadn’t expected Lu Qingshan to be so domineering, daring to take on the three Sunset Glow Sect disciples by himself.

And with just a casual sword strike, he forced one of them back. His strength was terrifying, completely on a different level!

This kind of person was likely a true genius of the Immortal Sects, a Golden Core seed!

The five exchanged glances and immediately said, “If this fellow cultivator wants to take a Celestial Spirit Fruit, we have no objections.”

Given the situation, if they continued to hold out, they might attract others, which wouldn’t benefit them.

It was better to take the initiative and offer up the fruit.

Hearing this, the three Sunset Glow Sect disciples remained silent.

From that simple sword strike earlier, they had seen how powerful Lu Qingshan was.

If they really fought, neither side would come out on top.

So, the five closest to the Celestial Spirit Flowers picked one Celestial Spirit Fruit and slowly retreated, watching both sides as they left.

The Sunset Glow Sect disciples also snorted coldly, reached out, and picked a Celestial Spirit Fruit before leaving.

“Hmm? They don’t want the Celestial Spirit Flowers? That saves me the trouble.”

Lu Qingshan chuckled as he saw both sides leaving with just the fruits.

Then, he uprooted the three Celestial Spirit Flowers and placed them into the Spirit Plant Bag.

After all, his father had told him that if he encountered rare spiritual herbs, he should uproot them, especially the Celestial Spirit Flowers.

Although Celestial Spirit Flowers were hard to cultivate in the outside world and couldn’t bear fruit.

But since his father had said so, he naturally took them along.

Maybe his father really had a way to cultivate the Celestial Spirit Fruits.

After finishing, Lu Qingshan took out a palm-sized, cute, golden hamster from his sleeve, gently rubbed it, and signaled it to continue.

This golden hamster was the Earth Spirit Mouse that Lu Changsheng had given to his daughter, Lu Qingzhu, years ago.

Naturally, Lu Qingshan had brought this Earth Spirit Mouse with him to the Purple Secrets Realm.

After all, Second-Tier spirit beasts couldn’t enter the realm, but first-Tier spirit beasts could.

And his rewards along the way were substantial, partly because he went wherever there was movement.

The other part was thanks to this Earth Spirit Mouse’s sensitivity to Natural Treasures.

After all, for a treasure-seeking mouse like the Earth Spirit Mouse, the Purple Secrets Realm was perfect.

“According to the records, there’s a hidden cave with a Golden Bodhi Date Tree here.”

At that moment, four people dressed in the Beast Taming Xu Family’s attire arrived at a cliff.

For the four great Immortal Sects and the large Golden Core families, every time the Purple Secrets Realm opened, they would enter and gain some rewards.

So, to ordinary rogue cultivators and clan cultivators, the mysterious and dangerous Purple Secrets Realm was very familiar to them.

They not only had a rough map but also knew some locations where spiritual herbs grew.

Whenever the disciples or clan cultivators entered the realm, they would visit these locations to see if they could find anything.

The four of them began searching the cliff.

But after searching for a long time, they couldn’t find the hidden cave mentioned in the records.

Then, one of the female cultivators patted her Spirit Pet Bag and released a small silver ferret.

As a beast-taming family, the Beast Taming Xu Family naturally kept many treasure-seeking beasts.

This silver ferret was one of those beasts.

The female cultivator took out a few Spirit Nourishing Pills from her Storage Bag, fed them to the silver ferret, patted its little head, and let it search.

Before long, the ferret began chirping and pointing its front paws at the cliff.

“Hmm!?”

The four of them looked at the cliff and exchanged glances, surprised.

One of them immediately flicked a Fireball Technique at the cliff.

The cliff didn’t explode under the fireball; it only rippled, neutralizing the attack.

“A formation!”

“Someone got here first and set up an illusion formation!”

“No wonder we couldn’t find it after searching for so long!”

“The person who set up this formation must have seen the Golden Bodhi Date Tree and planned to leave after the realm closed.”

The four of them immediately understood the situation.

They looked at the cliff ahead, summoned their Artifacts, and released their spirit beasts, preparing to break the formation.

After all, the disciples and young masters who entered the realm were all searching for Natural Treasures.

Setting up a formation to hide in the cave was likely the work of a rogue cultivator or a young master from a small family.

They had no fear of dealing with such people.

“We’ve been discovered, haven’t we?”

Inside the stone cave, Lu Quanzhen sighed softly.

He had heard the commotion outside earlier and knew someone had found the place.

But since his brother, Lu Ping’an, was still refining the Golden Bodhi Dates, he hadn’t spoken up, hoping the formation would buy them some time.

However, after the Fireball Technique and seeing the situation outside, he knew a fight was inevitable.

“The Beast Taming Xu Family.”

Lu Quanzhen saw the four people’s attire through the formation and knew they were not to be underestimated.

“Whoever’s inside, I’ll count to three. Come out!”

At that moment, a voice rang out from outside.

Lu Quanzhen’s eyes turned cold as he glanced at the stone cave where Lu Ping’an was and calmly said, “Brother, some people are here. I’ll go deal with them.”

Lu Ping’an was in the critical stage of refining twenty or so Golden Bodhi Dates.

His heart pounded fiercely, his blood surged, and his organs resonated continuously, creating an invisible pressure.

He was like a volcano about to erupt, or a dam about to break, with endless radiant energy flowing across his body, forming some mysterious patterns, exuding an overwhelming aura.

After speaking, Lu Quanzhen released a Second-Tier puppet from his Storage Bag and hid it nearby.

Then, he placed a Talisman Treasure in his sleeve, held two Second-Tier talismans in his hands, and walked out of the cave.

After all, the formation was only set up using a simple formation tool.

At most, it could withstand a few attacks from a peak Qi Refining cultivator, but it definitely couldn’t hold up against the four people outside.

If the four of them started bombarding the cave, it would definitely affect Lu Ping’an.

“Fellow cultivators, hold on!”

Lu Quanzhen put on a slightly panicked expression and shouted at the four people.

He continued, “I was just trying to hide here. I don’t know how I’ve offended you.”

“Heh, you know what you’ve done.”

“Hand over your Storage Bag and leave, and we might spare your life.”

The four people and their spirit beasts stared at Lu Quanzhen with a menacing presence.

One of the men in his thirties, standing on a large red bird, looked down and spoke.

“This…”

Hearing this, Lu Quanzhen put on a troubled expression and said, “If you want the cave, I’ll leave now.”

“Stop pretending! Hand over the Storage Bag, or die!”

A cultivator with a green snake coiled around him shouted coldly, his voice domineering.

As he spoke, the green snake’s cold eyes fixed on Lu Quanzhen, its tongue flicking out as if ready to devour him.

The four people and their spirit beasts were not to be underestimated, except for the woman with the silver ferret, whose spirit beast didn’t seem dangerous.

This made Lu Quanzhen realize for the first time how troublesome Beast Taming cultivators could be.

“Fine, I’ll hand over the Spirit Pet Bag.”

Lu Quanzhen put on a conflicted and fearful expression, pretending to throw out a Storage Bag.

But in an instant, he activated the talisman in his left hand.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz—”

A series of heavy syllables appeared in the air, rolling towards the four people.

It was a Second-Tier lower-Tier talisman—Mind Shaking Talisman!

It disturbed and shook the minds of others, causing fear, panic, and terror.

Lu Quanzhen’s use of the Mind Shaking Talisman immediately caused the four people to falter, their minds momentarily distracted.

He then activated the other Second-Tier lower-Tier talisman, the Thunder Fire Talisman, directing the thunder and fire towards the woman with the silver ferret on her shoulder.

Her spirit beast was for support, meaning her combat strength was likely weaker.

To defeat all four, he had to end the fight quickly!

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

The Thunder Fire Talisman turned into a surge of purple thunder and flames, rushing towards the four.

“Watch out!”

These four were not simple.

The man who had spoken earlier seemed to have been prepared or had a spiritual Artifact, so he quickly regained his senses.

But in that brief moment, the Thunder Fire Talisman had already reached the woman with the ferret.

“Ah!”

A shrill scream echoed as the woman, though protected by an Artifact, was instantly reduced to a charred corpse.

“Hongyu!”

The man on the red bird was furious, glaring at Lu Quanzhen with killing intent, “You’re courting death!”

As he spoke, he took out a talisman and activated it, causing his body to glow with golden light as he charged towards Lu Quanzhen.

The red bird under him shook off the effects of the Mind Shaking Talisman, let out a long cry, and spat out a surge of flames, overwhelming in momentum.

The other two cultivators also quickly recovered, their expressions filled with anger and killing intent.

The cultivator with the green snake wielded a long blade Artifact, and both man and snake charged at Lu Quanzhen.

The other one summoned a brown bowl-shaped Artifact into the air, which emitted a brown light, pressing down on Lu Quanzhen.

Facing this onslaught, Lu Quanzhen immediately retreated into the cave, relying on the formation to hold them off for a moment.

As the three attackers, filled with rage, bombarded the formation, a tall, black-gold, Second-Tier puppet with a blade in one hand and a shield in the other suddenly shot out from the cave, charging straight at them.

“Clang!”

The Second-Tier puppet’s black-gold battle blade struck the cultivator with the green snake, forcing him to stumble back, but the green snake let out a hiss before being sliced in two, blood spraying everywhere.

“A Second-Tier puppet!?”

The three members of the Xu Family realized they had underestimated their opponent.

They hadn’t expected a mere rogue cultivator to possess not only rare Second-Tier talismans but also a Second-Tier puppet!

But just as they were shocked, a terrifying aura suddenly spread from the cave.

Lu Quanzhen activated the Talisman Treasure in his hand, turning it into a bronze spear that emitted a sky-piercing killing intent as it shot towards the green snake cultivator.

Caught off guard, even though the green snake cultivator had some defenses, the spear pierced through his chest and back.

“Ugh…”

The green snake cultivator’s face was filled with shock and horror as he looked at the hole in his chest, his eyes full of anger and unwillingness.

He wanted to say something, but his heart had already burst open, blood gushing out, and he died on the spot.

“Xinhai!”

“Run!”

The other two shouted in panic and turned to flee, not daring to continue the fight.

This wasn’t a rogue cultivator!

In just a few moments, two Second-Tier talismans, a Second-Tier puppet, and now a Talisman Treasure!

Even in the Xu Family, they wouldn’t be given such resources!

Only a young master or a Golden Core seed-level character could have access to such things!

“Trying to escape!?”

Lu Quanzhen’s eyes turned cold. He wouldn’t let them go.

He knew there were ten people from the Beast Taming Xu Family, and only four were here, so they were likely acting in separate groups.

If he let them escape, it would definitely cause trouble later!

“Swoosh!”

He focused on controlling the Second-Tier puppet and the Talisman Treasure, attacking the Xu Family man.

Facing this front and rear assault, even though the man was powerful, he couldn’t hold out.

“Boom, boom, boom!”

The protective barrier around him shattered in an instant, and then the bronze spear pierced through his body, destroying his heart and ending his life!

“Screech!”

The red bird let out a mournful cry before being sliced in two by the Second-Tier puppet, its blood splattering across the sky.

“You won’t escape!”

Lu Quanzhen saw the last man fleeing and immediately put away the Talisman Treasure, using the Divine Roc Technique to chase after him.

The Xu Family cultivator had already been terrified by Lu Quanzhen. Seeing him chasing, he was filled with fear and abandoned his spirit beast to delay Lu Quanzhen while he desperately fled.

“Five Elements Kun Peng Technique!”

Lu Quanzhen and the Second-Tier puppet worked together, killing the spirit beast in an instant.

“Blood Burning Escape Technique!”

Seeing the Xu Family cultivator disappearing fast, Lu Quanzhen’s face turned ruthless as he quickly performed the Blood Burning Escape Technique.

The dense fog in Purple Secrets Mountain could cause him to lose track of the target if he let the distance widen.

Moreover, there were always risks of encountering beasts or cultivators in the mountain, so he had to end the fight quickly.

Lu Quanzhen was already faster than his opponent.

Now, fully using this life-draining escape technique, he turned into a blood-red streak and caught up with the man in an instant, delivering a fierce palm strike, sending the man flying.

“Fellow cultivator, spare…”

The man tried to beg for mercy, but before he could finish, a five-colored fish and the Second-Tier puppet struck, breaking through his protective barrier and decapitating him.