Immortal Path Space

Chapter 440: Eight Years

After returning from the Taihao Sect, Wang Hong secluded himself in Mountain Valley, focusing entirely on cultivation.

Initially, he had some concerns about the insufficient Spirit Stones to sustain the operation of his Space. However, this time, he had traded for two million low-grade Spirit Stones from the Taihao Sect, which would be sufficient for a long time.

He extracted the core of the Golden Dewspirit fruit he had obtained from the Taihao Sect and planted it within his Space.

As expected, the Mysterious Seed he received from the Taihao Sect sprouted within his Space. Although it grew rather slowly, as long as it survived, time was not a concern within the Space.

While Wang Hong continued his own cultivation, he distributed a large quantity of Green Spirit Peaches to his subordinates, enabling them to rapidly improve their cultivation levels.

They remained concealed within Mountain Valley, only occasionally sneaking out to hunt down some Demonic Beasts.

Their actions were always cautious, ensuring that the Demon Clan, which had taken over the Qingxu Sect's territory, remained oblivious to the presence of so many people hiding under their noses.

Time passed swiftly while they dedicated themselves to cultivation, and eight years went by in this manner.

It took Wang Hong five years to finally reach the pinnacle of Foundation Building cultivation.

Initially, his dantian sea had already surpassed that of most Foundation Building cultivators. With the constant expansion brought about by the Foundation Pills, his dantian sea reached an unprecedented size of twenty zhang.

Eventually, even the consumption of Foundation Pills ceased to have any effect on him, as these pills had their limitations. No one had ever reached this limit before, making the Blue Beauty Grass a rare and sought-after resource. The ability to refine one or two pills, expanding one's dantian sea by a few feet or a zhang, was considered a tremendous achievement.

In preparation for Core Formation, most cultivators aimed to reach a dantian sea size of two zhang. In these eight years, Wang Hong had cultivated 1,800 Foundation Building cultivators among his subordinates.

His Revival Battle Team had expanded to a thousand members, and the Inner Valley had also grown to five hundred individuals.

Nearly three hundred loyal and reasonably talented individuals were added to the Inner Valley, ensuring the overall quality of the newcomers.

In its prime, the Qingxu Sect had only boasted a little over three thousand Foundation Building cultivators within its sect, excluding peripheral members. Wang Hong had already reached half of that number within the Foundation Building realm.

As for the substantial supply of Foundation Establishment Pills, Wang Hong shifted the responsibility to Liu Changsheng's Immortal Way Trading Company, further shrouding it in mystery.

However, with over two thousand people confined in a single Mountain Valley, their resources were quickly depleting. Even with all the spirit fields opened up, there was only enough land to support a thousand mu, far from sufficient for their needs.

Especially with the addition of the 1,800 Foundation Building cultivators, the consumption of various resources had increased significantly. To sustain their needs, they had to hunt Demonic Beasts and trade their materials at the Immortal Way Trading Company.

Yet, at this point, their resources were stretched thin, and the newly recruited Foundation Building cultivators lacked even a single Spiritual Weapon. This considerably hampered their combat capabilities.

Equipping over a thousand individuals with Spiritual Weapons would require raiding a major faction's warehouse. Although Wang Hong's Space could cultivate spirit wood and refine tools, some auxiliary materials were still indispensable.

For instance, crafting a set of bows and arrows would require materials like animal tendons for bowstrings and metal for arrowheads. Even if they managed to avoid using metal, they still needed feathers for the arrow fletching.

In a hidden chamber, Wang Hong and Liu Changsheng were in deep discussion.

"I need to prepare for Core Formation. Do you have any suitable recommendations?" Wang Hong inquired of Liu Changsheng.

Over these eight years, the cultivators within Mountain Valley had steadily increased their strength, and Liu Changsheng's team from the Immortal Way Trading Company had not been idle either.

Their members excelled at remaining covert and were tasked with gathering intelligence, providing Wang Hong with invaluable information.

To empower them further, Wang Hong had even contributed five Golden Core pills and five Five-Color Spirit Jujubes, but only two individuals had successfully formed their cores. Wang Hong wasn't disappointed by this; in fact, he was quite pleased with the outcome.

Because this was already a high success rate, having a Golden Core pill didn't guarantee a successful Core formation.

"Congratulations, East Master! However, the former Chuyun Sect's old location is no longer suitable. A group of Demonic Beasts has taken over that hilltop. These Demonic Beasts are quite formidable and not easy to deal with.

If we were to forcefully take control, it's possible, but it would create too much commotion, take too much time, and attract other nearby Demonic Beasts. The area surrounding that hilltop is already occupied by numerous Demonic Beasts, and it wouldn't be easy to handle the aftermath.

On the other hand, there's another location, a medium-sized Spirit Vein. Currently, only a Tier Three low-grade Demonic Beast occupies it, but it's a Qing Fox, and that could be problematic."

Liu Changsheng hesitated as he spoke, not because the Qing Fox was particularly powerful, but because of its ancestry.

Now, eight years had passed, and the situation in the East Zhou Cultivation Realm had solidified. The West Zhou and the Eastern Sea Demon Clans had united to wipe out the major Human Clan forces in East Zhou and divided the region among themselves.

As the war ended, the Demonic Beasts that had previously gathered had dispersed, each taking control of different Spirit Veins. Encounters with Demonic Beasts had become much more common when venturing outside.

Even around his Mountain Valley, there had been an increase in Demonic Beasts curiously inspecting the area. Some had even attempted to intrude, only to be ensnared by the Devilish Vine.

The former Qingxu Sect's old site was the most resource-rich area in this region, and it was now under the control of the Qing Fox Clan.

If they were to kill important members of the Qing Fox Clan while under their watchful eyes, it could lead to a major conflict. The Qing Fox Clan possessed absolute power in this area, and just one Tier Four Demonic Beast in their ranks could easily level Wang Hong's Mountain Valley.

After some consideration, Wang Hong realized that creating a Core would attract too much attention, making it unsuitable for Mountain Valley and risking exposure.

Of the two alternative locations, he leaned toward attacking the Qing Fox Clan, taking over the Spirit Vein, and leaving after forming his Core.

"I plan to attack the Qing Fox Clan. In addition, can you send someone to investigate a certain place for me?" Wang Hong asked as he handed Liu Changsheng an address. It was the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, a place he had passed through on his way to the Taihao Sect during his last journey.

Back then, he had saved a city of mortals, but he suspected that it might have fallen victim to other Demonic Beasts by now. Ordinary people had no means to protect themselves against Demonic Beasts.

He contemplated the possibility of moving his subordinates to the Cloud Mist Mountain Range in the future. It not only had a Spirit Vein but also spirit ore that could be mined to supplement their resources. Most importantly, the Cloud Mist Mountain Range was relatively distant from major powers, reducing the risk.

Meanwhile, Mountain Valley was too close to the former Qingxu Sect's location and not suitable for long-term development. If they stayed there for an extended period, they would eventually be discovered by Demonic Beasts—it was only a matter of time.

After making arrangements with Liu Changsheng, Wang Hong returned to Mountain Valley to prepare for his Core formation.

He first entered his Space. Despite eight years passing in the outside world, nearly three thousand years had elapsed within his Space. During this time, he had spent most of it planting Spiritual Herbs, and the consumption by over two thousand people had been significant.

He had already harvested two batches of Golden Core Spiritual Herbs, refining them into Golden Core Pills in secret. The quantity of completed Golden Core Pills was staggering.

The Mysterious Seed he had obtained from the Taihao Sect had grown into a Spirit Vine over these three thousand years, sprawling across the ground, covering almost half an acre, and still expanding.

Wang Hong approached the Golden Dewspirit fruit tree, which hadn't fully matured yet, bearing only five fruits, with just one being ripe.

He plucked the ripe Golden Jadespirit fruit and another Five-Color Spirit Jujube. Both of these spirit fruits could increase the success rate of Core formation by half, bringing it up to one-tenth. Coupled with his unique dantian, he could further increase the Core formation success rate.

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