Chapter 1001: O Soul, Return! A Dragon Appears Within the Clouds (I)

Beneath a sky shrouded in dusky haze, sand and stones whipped through the air, reducing visibility to less than ten li. Amid the howling winds, a series of cracking sounds echoed continuously.

Thud!

A pile of shattered rocks spilled from a net and crashed onto the ground. Devil's Cloud crouched down and rummaged through the debris for quite some time before finally pulling out a rhombus-shaped yellow crystal.

A spirit stone? A supreme-grade earth-attribute spirit stone? No... that can't be right. It's only middle-grade, so why is its energy so purely earth-attribute?

Devil's Cloud could not make sense of it. Earlier, they had encountered a stone monster. Although it stood several zhang tall and looked imposing, it had been disappointingly weak. Luo Chen had not even needed to act. Devil's Cloud had dealt with it effortlessly on his own. Having learned from their experience in the Thousand Blade Mountains, where metal-element exotic beasts often yielded valuable minerals, he had carefully searched through the remains. As an artisan, he never passed up the opportunity to collect useful materials. Whether metal-element or earth-element, additional resources were always welcome.

Unfortunately, the result was far from what he had hoped for. Aside from this peculiar crystal, there was nothing of value. It resembled a spirit stone, yet it was clearly something else entirely.

As he was pondering, Luo Chen's voice sounded from nearby. "Let me have a look."

Devil's Cloud did not object and casually tossed the crystal over. Luo Chen studied it for a long moment, then casually stored it inside his dark green storage ring.

Seeing this, Devil's Cloud opened his mouth as though to protest. He wanted to point out that it was his spoil of war. After all, Luo Chen had already claimed that enormous chunk of supreme-grade Nine-Sun Geng Metal earlier. Now he was taking this as well. No matter how insignificant the crystal seemed, the situation left him with a bitter taste.

However, after a brief hesitation, he forced himself to remain silent. Luo Chen's strength far exceeded his own, and the crystal's value was still unknown. Arguing over it would gain him nothing and might even create unnecessary trouble.

Forget it... Let him have it.

With that thought, Devil's Cloud forced down his irritation and deliberately looked away. However, before long, a disturbance nearby caught his attention, and he instinctively turned back. "Devil Lord, what are you—"

A green bird circled overhead while a black flood dragon glided across the ground below. The two spirit beasts were clearly acting under Luo Chen's command. "Nothing. I just have a feeling this place may be dangerous, so I'm sending my spirit beasts ahead to scout."

"Scout ahead?" The words immediately brought Devil's Cloud's thoughts back to the events in the Thousand Blade Mountain Range. That explained how he had tracked their movements and positioned himself so perfectly for the ambush. He had known Luo Chen was powerful, but he had not expected him to be so cautious and meticulous.

After studying Luo Chen for a moment, Devil's Cloud flicked his sleeve. Two streaks of golden light shot out and hovered in the air. "If we're scouting ahead, then my Lamenting Birds should be more suitable."

One of the golden birds quickly took to the air and circled overhead, while the other landed lightly on Devil's Cloud's shoulder. Luo Chen looked at the two glittering birds with surprise. The Lamenting Bird was a rare demonic beast renowned for its ability to detect treasures, among other things. They could also connect spiritually to each other and could communicate across distances. Thus, they were naturally suited for scouting and reconnaissance.

Still, Luo Chen could easily guess Devil's Cloud's true intentions; the man was clearly being more careful around him. Hence, he merely smiled. "In that case, let's scout together."

With a wave of his hand, Heavenjade and Black King immediately set off in different directions.

Devil's Cloud blinked in surprise. He had already offered spirit beasts better suited to the task, yet Luo Chen still insisted on using his own. Then again, considering Luo Chen's character, perhaps that was not surprising at all. Since it had come to this, there was no reason to withdraw his birds. The two birds soon spread their wings and shot off into the distance.

Meanwhile, the Flesh Ganoderma sat atop the yellow gourd and silently watched the exchange. To its surprise, Luo Chen struck up another conversation. "You said earlier that Devil Lord Heaven Refiner mastered the Five Element Laws and even created the sprites. Is that right?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Hmm. Then how do you explain the sprites we've encountered? I've seen sprites before, but even though they were weak relative to their tier, they had proper souls and intelligence. The ones here seem crude and... unfinished, I suppose? They barely act on anything beyond instinct. Can creatures like that actually be considered true sprites?"[1]

The Flesh Ganoderma frowned deeply. Its gaunt face seemed little more than skin stretched tightly across protruding bones.

Before it could answer, Devil's Cloud joined in as well. "That's a good point. Those low-tier sprites are one thing, but that golden eagle was fourth-tier, and it seemed less intelligent than Demon Kings in the outside world."

Faced with their questions, the Flesh Ganoderma remained silent for a long while before finally shaking its head. "I can't give you a definite answer. I've been trapped beneath formations and restrictions for thousands of years. Whatever changes have taken place here since then, I know little about them."

Luo Chen was clearly dissatisfied with that answer, but he did not pursue the matter. Instead, he looked toward the endless sea of yellow sand ahead. There, Black King casually swung his massive tail and smashed a stone monster to pieces.

Luo Chen narrowed his eyes. "In this Quicksand Sea, are these stone monsters also sprites created by the Devil Lord?"

The Flesh Ganoderma hesitated.

Luo Chen's gaze sharpened. "Yes, or no?"

Under his stare, the Flesh Ganoderma let out a bitter laugh. "Probably. I'm not entirely sure myself. This place has existed for thousands of years. Not every living being within it was created by the Monarch. The lotus and I both developed naturally over time. And since I was trapped, how could I possibly know the background of every creature that exists here now?"

Luo Chen frowned, but this time he did not question the answer. If the Flesh Ganoderma's main body had indeed been imprisoned for so long, then it was only reasonable that it had no idea of the later changes within the Heaven of the Five Elements.

Then, another question soon surfaced in his mind. "What was the Devil Lord's purpose in creating the Heaven of the Five Elements?"

The Flesh Ganoderma blinked. "Purpose? This world was merely one of his portable estates. You can think of it as his garden. What other purpose could there be?"

"Uh... That's a lot of effort for a garden."

The Flesh Ganoderma laughed. "The Monarch was also an exceptionally skilled artisan. The Heaven of the Five Elements is filled with resources. They may look decorative, but whenever he needed materials for creation, they were right at hand."

Luo Chen nodded slightly. That explanation made sense. However, it only deepened his curiosity. "What about the Quicksand Sea? We've been traveling for an entire day, and, aside from a few stone monsters, I haven't seen any noteworthy resources."

The Flesh Ganoderma burst out laughing. "So that's what you've been trying to get at all this time."

Luo Chen showed no embarrassment. That was precisely what he wanted to know. The more he understood the layout and purpose of this place, the better prepared he would be for whatever dangers lay ahead.

Then, the Flesh Ganoderma pointed forward. "Well, I suppose I can tell you. The Quicksand Sea was made to house only one thing; nothing else. However, that one thing is both incredibly desirable and hidden extremely well. Ordinary people would never be able to find it."

Luo Chen's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

"Have you ever heard of Living Soil?"

The moment those words left its mouth, two people took in a sharp breath almost simultaneously. Both Luo Chen and Devil's Cloud were visibly shaken.

Living Soil!

The name alone was enough to stir their emotions. Among earth-attribute heavenly treasures, Living Soil was the absolute most legendary, as famous as Weak Water and just as rare. According to legend, it originated from the Immortal Realm itself, so how could such a thing possibly exist in the lower realms?

For artisans in particular, Living Soil was a treasure beyond comparison. As the significance of the name sank in, Luo Chen's heart naturally stirred. After years of nurturing, the impurities within the Primordial Unity Cauldron had become increasingly scarce. It had already reached the point where additional materials could be incorporated to elevate it further. If the Quicksand Sea truly concealed Living Soil, then it might be exactly the opportunity he needed...

The Flesh Ganoderma shattered the fantasy. "Don't get your hopes up. I did say that this place was made to house Living Soil, but I never said you can find it here. When I say it's unimaginably rare, I mean it. Even the Monarch couldn't obtain it."

Luo Chen was speechless. "Huh? Then why bring it up? Are you messing with us?"

The Flesh Ganoderma chuckled. "The Monarch couldn't obtain Living Soil... but intended to create it."

"Create Living Soil?!"

Both Luo Chen and Devil's Cloud exclaimed at the same time, each filled with disbelief.

The Flesh Ganoderma nodded. "Yeah. The Monarch gathered countless earth-attribute treasures here, including Tracing Mud, Evolving Earth, Profound Yellow Sand, Clear Tide Dust, Devil-Transforming Mud, and many others. They were all concentrated in this place and supplemented with the Earth Laws, in a hope to recreate the legendary Living Soil."

Luo Chen and Devil's Cloud found themselves holding their breath as they listened to the list of minerals. Some of those treasures, such as Tracing Mud and Evolving Earth, were renowned throughout the cultivation world. Others were so rare that even their names were unfamiliar. To gather so many precious earth-attribute materials in one place and use them in an attempt to recreate a treasure from the Immortal Realm was an undertaking so grand that it bordered on madness.

1. If this seems illogical, that's because it is. First, Luo Chen has encountered only two actual sprites until now, one being the Hidden Dust Sand and one the Withered Blood Vine, so he has very little experience to speak of. Second, the Withered Blood Vine was fifth-tier but barely as intelligent as a fresh Demon King, which is perfectly consistent with the sprites here. Third, it's been fairly clear so far that fourth-tier plants have very limited sentience, if any. It's confirmed in the later chapters that plants and minerals in general gain sentience and intelligence much later than beasts, so this part is definitely a miss on behalf of the author. ☜

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