Wang Hong and his team of five found a secluded spot. Using their Flying Swords, they dug out a small mountain cave and concealed the entrance with some miscellaneous grass. The team entered the cave, seeking refuge.
Immediately, they began to take Elixir to heal their injuries. Among the five, Wang Yi had the least severe injuries, so he took on the task of standing guard.
It had been a long time since Wang Hong had suffered such heavy injuries. He hadn't expected that the cultivator they encountered would possess so many powerful treasures. It was a narrow escape for him, making him realize that he had underestimated the heroes of the world. From now on, he needed to be more cautious.
At this moment, Wang Hong's skin was charred, with many places cracked open, revealing the red muscles underneath. He was in pain all over, and touching any part of his body caused intense pain.
This time, he had recuperated for ten days. A new layer of tender skin had grown beneath the charred one, without leaving any scars.
The injuries of the others also healed to some extent. Initially, Elder Brother's team had eight members, but now only three remained.
The other two surviving cultivators were from Kaiyang Peak, named Yue Hao and Zhang Zhuo. Both were at the ninth level of Qi Cultivation.
According to Elder Brother, they had regrouped with three more sect members, making their team a total of eleven people.
In the canyon, they discovered the three-tiered spirit fruit tree. However, they were not the only ones who had found it. Powerful demonic snakes surrounded the tree, led by a snake king who could rival five Qi Cultivation experts.
During their battle with the demonic beasts and the subsequent struggle for the spirit fruit, four of their sect members died, and the rest suffered various injuries.
The three-tiered spirit fruit was a treasure even Golden Core cultivators would fight over. For Qi Cultivators like them, the competition was inevitably fierce.
These spirit fruits of three or higher tiers, when directly consumed by Qi Cultivators, had a chance to assist in Foundation Building.
In ancient times, when the Spirit Qi was abundant, and various Spiritual Herbs were plentiful, there were no Foundation Establishment Pills. Cultivators could casually consume various natural treasures, although the success rate of Foundation Building was lower than with pills. However, the abundance compensated for it.
As the number of cultivators increased, the resources were quickly depleted, endangering the cultivation world. To address this crisis, the ancient cultivators invented Foundation Establishment Pills, using a large quantity of then not-so-precious second-tier Spiritual Herbs. This invention significantly saved resources, allowing the cultivation world to thrive for nearly a million years.
Nowadays, even finding natural treasures of three tiers or above was rare, let alone the precious herbs for Foundation Establishment Pills.
If not for the protection measures of the six major secret realms, the cultivation world might have already declined.
Many smaller groups of cultivators were annihilated in the quest for three-tiered spirit fruits. Fortunately, Elder Brother's team was relatively strong among the same-level cultivators. They managed to snatch a few spirit fruits and quickly leave the battlefield.
However, cultivators from Beast Spirit Sect and Hunyuan Sect collaborated to block the perimeter, targeting those attempting to leave. To break through the blockade, two more of Elder Brother's team members sacrificed themselves.
Cheng Zan, Wang Hong's neighbor, also perished in this battle. Wang Hong remembered him as a somewhat stingy and opportunistic old man, especially during their gatherings, where he would only take a small bite of the offered spirit fruits and Spirit Wine, then pack them up to take away.
It was said that Cheng Zan, the old man who perished in the battle, had a grandson with decent potential. Feeling old and without much hope for himself, Cheng Zan had cut down all his expenses to provide for his grandson. Entering the secret realm this time, he had the mindset that he might as well take the risk, hoping for a stroke of luck to survive.
According to Elder Brother, Beast Spirit Sect had gathered dozens of cultivators. To continue intercepting others, their leader only brought around a dozen followers.
This implied that once those Beast Spirit Sect cultivators learned that their leader had been killed, they might seek revenge, especially considering the high status of the young cultivator they had slain.
It seemed staying in this place for long was not wise. They all sat together in a circle inside the mountain cave.
Everyone brought out their captured Storage Bags and emptied the contents in the center of the cave, creating a small mountain of items that crowded the temporary space.
Despite the excitement in their eyes, nobody spoke. All eyes turned to Wang Hong, clearly indicating that they expected him to oversee the distribution.
While Wang Hong owed their life, he couldn't claim all the items for himself. Each person had contributed during the battle, and it was essential to allocate accordingly. If effort wasn't rewarded, resentment might brew over time.
Understanding the dynamics, Wang Hong decided to distribute based on each person's contribution in the battle. He and Wang Yi, having played significant roles, would choose two items first. Elder Brother would then select one, and the rest would be divided equally.
No one objected to this plan.
Wang Hong chose a Copper Mirror from the pile, a powerful Spiritual Weapon. This mirror had nearly been the end of him if Wang Yi hadn't arrived in time. Considering its formidable strength, he wanted to keep it for himself.
Upon Wang Hong's insistence, Wang Yi chose a defensive Spiritual Weapon used by the young cultivator. The Ancient Jade emitted a defensive radiant light that had required the combined effort of a second-tier talisman and nearly two hundred first-tier talismans to break.
In the hands of a Qi Cultivator, the true potential of a Spiritual Weapon couldn't be fully unleashed. With this item, Wang Yi's safety would be more assured in the future, as long as they avoided provoking Golden Core cultivators.
With each brother choosing a Spiritual Weapon, Wang Yi's gaze turned to three spirit fruits stored in Jade Boxes.
"Are these the three-tier spirit fruits you fought for?" he asked.
"Exactly, these are Dragon Scale Fruits, three-tier spirit fruits," Elder Brother replied.
Wang Hong and Wang Yi chose one Dragon Scale Fruit each, leaving the last for Elder Brother.
With the three of them having priority, the remaining items were to be shared among the five.
Following the same method, they took turns selecting items, a bit time-consuming but ensuring each person got what they desired.
Starting the selections, Wang Hong found a mature Seven-star Mushroom. With this, the Medicinal Herbs needed for his Foundation Establishment Pill were now complete.
Wang Yi followed suit, choosing another Foundation Establishment Pill main herb. Others made similar choices, prioritizing Foundation Establishment Pill components.
After several rounds, it came back to Wang Hong. This time, he didn't choose another Foundation Establishment Pill main herb. Instead, he picked a second-tier Spiritual Herb he didn't possess. With the main herbs already collected, he could cultivate them in the spatial dimension.
In subsequent rounds, Wang Hong continued to select various second-tier Spiritual Herbs.
After more than ten rounds, Wang Hong chose a segment of spirit wood, thumb-thick, five inches long, entirely green. Using his Divine Sense, he observed signs of vitality, indicating it could be cultivated. He didn't know what it was, found in the Storage Bag of the young Beast Spirit Sect cultivator, carefully preserved in a Jade Box with a talisman to prevent energy loss.
Wang Hong guessed its value must be high for the wealthy young cultivator to treasure it. Little did they know that, during these ten days, over thirty Beast Spirit Sect cultivators were diligently searching the area, just three feet away from their hidden cave.
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