Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

An hour had swiftly passed, and the dense fog showed no sign of dissipating.

At that moment, Zhao Sheng suddenly had a terrifying thought—he might have been swept into the "Death Treasure Land."

Instantly, he broke out in a cold sweat.

The sunny side and the shaded side of Heavenly Pillar Mountain were completely different worlds.

Heavenly Pillar Mountain was so tall and vast that the sunshine could never reach its shaded side. This caused the shaded side of Heavenly Pillar Mountain to be constantly enveloped in thick fog, hidden from the sun year-round. The brightness during the day was extremely low; even at noon, one couldn't see a few yards ahead, and at night it was pitch black, not even allowing one to see their own hand.

For this reason, vast unexplored "Barbaric Territories" existed on the shaded side of Heavenly Pillar Mountain. It was a paradise for Spiritual Medicines, Spirit Plants, demon beasts, and fierce beasts but also the final resting place for countless medicine collectors.

Mysterious and unknown, it was extremely dangerous yet contained countless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

"Death Treasure Land" was the term countless medicine collectors used to jokingly refer to the shaded side of Heavenly Pillar Mountain, fully expressing their complex feelings of both love and fear towards it.

The area Zhao Sheng found himself in was undoubtedly in some unknown corner of the shaded side of Heavenly Pillar Mountain.

After escaping the peril, unknowingly, Zhao Sheng had climbed several hundred yards up the mountain face. Along the way, there were many hazardous spots, not to mention poisonous creatures and fierce beasts. As he climbed higher, the air became thinner, and the temperature dropped unusually quickly. Ice formed everywhere on the mountain face, its surface wet and slippery. A single misstep could send him plummeting into the Cloud Sea, his life out of his own hands.

With great effort, he found a small crevice to rest and catch his breath.

The cold here was bone-chilling, quite reminiscent of winter.

However, for Zhao Sheng, the most difficult part wasn't the temperature, but the feeling of fear.

The most useful senses for humans are sight and hearing, with most external information being gathered by these two senses.

The thick, heavy fog "sealed" Zhao Sheng's eyes and ears, and the world became eerily "silent." A little further away, and he could neither hear nor see anything clearly.

Deprived of the senses of sight and hearing, and well aware of being in an extremely dangerous place, most people would instinctively feel fear, and Zhao Sheng was no exception.

He was even more aware that the nights here were far busier than the days, with the number of fierce beasts roaming the Cloud Sea at least fifty percent greater than on the sunny side. Moreover, some enormous creatures roamed the higher and deeper parts of the Cloud Sea, their mere presence exerting a pressure that could make him, a mere mortal, hold his breath.

In fact, Zhao Sheng had already consciously entered the Fetal Breathing State, and his superpower, the Spirit Nose, was operating at full capacity, constantly sniffing out the dangers lurking in the fog.

Because the shaded side world was more dangerous, bloodier, and more elusive. The fierce beasts were always roaming about, seemingly searching for something, which led to frequent conflicts.

In just four hours, there had been four or five extremely brutal fights, each ending in the death of one or both parties involved. The smell of blood permeated the air, mixing with the fog, becoming a part of this unique ecology.

Only then did Zhao Sheng realize why this place was called "Death Treasure Land." Without the Divine Sense unique to Foundation Establishment Cultivators, even those at Qi Refining Perfection would struggle to survive here. Ordinary medicine collectors could not last a day.

However, soon after, this foggy land revealed to Zhao Sheng why it was also known as a treasure land.

Half a day later, he climbed up to a sloping area recessed into the mountain wall.

The slope below was extremely steep, while the upper part was somewhat flat, receding into the mountain for about ten yards. The vegetation on the slope was dense, which was out of the ordinary. This area was usually concealed beneath thick fog, not exposed to sunlight, and besides some mosses and fungi, plants should find it difficult to survive.

But once he remembered this was Heavenly Pillar Mountain, Zhao Sheng immediately understood.

Just as he stepped onto the sloped land, Zhao Sheng couldn't help but sneeze in response to the strong medicinal scent in the fog—it was as if hundreds of Spiritual Medicines were growing together, with over a dozen different fragrances mingling into one, overwhelming upon first whiff.

The most intense among these was the scent of the Purple Qi Mushroom.

That was definitely the Purple Qi Mushroom.

Zhao Sheng could not possibly mistake the scent, even though he couldn't understand why the Purple Qi Mushroom could grow in a place without sunlight.

But he trusted his nose and his decades of experience collecting medicines.

Immediately, Zhao Sheng's spirits lifted, and he cautiously began his exploration.

The more unfamiliar the place, the more cautious one must be, especially in a "Barbaric" territory untouched for millions of years.

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Fortunately, there were no large creatures on this slope, only some minor poisonous insects like Yin Wu Gui Bie.

As it turned out, Zhao Sheng's nose was even more sensitive than a dog's, for this place was indeed a rare Spirit Medicine Garden in Heavenly Pillar Mountain.

As far as the eye could see, Blood Sword Grass, Strange Spirit Branches, Dragonbane Fruits, Heartless Flowers, Golden Essence Seeds... Various valuable spiritual medicines were growing wildly under trees, in the grass, and between rocks, each of them robust and thick with extremely long medicinal ages.

Of course, the most numerous were the delicate white and indigo Purple Qi Mushrooms.

Eh?

Zhao Sheng suddenly gasped in surprise, his expression ecstatic.

On a dead tree root two yards to his right, there was a washbasin-sized, flaming red and unusual Lingzhi mushroom.

Red Fire Ganoderma?!

Zhao Sheng took a few quick strides over and touched the cap of the mushroom. The burning sensation unique to the Red Fire Ganoderma made him realize that he had truly hit the jackpot.

This was indeed a Red Fire Ganoderma that could be exchanged for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Seeing the densely packed medicinal patterns on the surface of the Lingzhi, even Zhao Sheng's usually steady hands began to tremble slightly.

After counting carefully, there were a total of eight hundred and thirty-one medicinal patterns, indicating that this Red Fire Ganoderma was more than eight hundred years old, sufficient to exchange for a top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

Elixir Pills always come in different qualities, with a top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill offering a cultivator more than a thirty percent chance of successful Foundation Establishment, whereas a low-grade pill offers less than a ten percent chance.

Thirty percent chance of success in Foundation Establishment!

One can imagine just how sought after top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills are in the Cultivation World.

Stable!

The Zhao family's rise to becoming a Cultivation Family was set!

This was the first thought that came to Zhao Sheng's mind.

He never imagined that he could exceed his life goals by such a margin.

With this Red Fire Ganoderma, Zhao Chengle, that disappointing fellow, could be considered to have half-stepped through the gate to Foundation Establishment.

Of course, he would have to cultivate to Qi Refining Perfection first.

Thinking about Old Eight's usual behavior, Zhao Sheng could hardly wait to fly back and give him a couple of hard slaps.

Practice martial arts, what use is that when you could cultivate... isn't it enticing?

But no matter how much he beat or scolded, the stubborn kid remained unaffected.

Zhao Sheng suddenly thought of Han Xuanwu, could it be that he took a liking to Old Eight because they shared similar characteristics?

Sometimes, too much happiness can also be a worry!

There were many spirit medicines growing on this slope, most with long medicinal ages. Those over a hundred years old were common, and he had found three that were over a thousand years old.

One of them was a thousand-year-old Blood Sword Grass, a natural Wood Element Magical Artifact; with a bit of refining, it could become an excellent Spiritual Flying Sword.

There was also a Nine-Section Ink Jade Orchid with twelve hundred years of maturity, as well as a thousand-year-old Golden Essence Seed.

It is worth mentioning that he found another Red Fire Ganoderma, but it was only six hundred and eighty years old.

Zhao Sheng did not feel any regret for not finding a thousand-year-old Purple Qi Mushroom.

As a matter of fact, no one has ever discovered a Purple Qi Mushroom on the shady side of Heavenly Pillar Mountain.

This is because Purple Qi Mushrooms that are over a thousand years old have developed spirituality and naturally possess the characteristics of "becoming mist when encountering clouds, burrowing when encountering soil, and merging with wood".

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