Rustle, rustle
Tree roots surged and coiled, closing up the soil and completely consuming the charred corpse.
Li Ye gently patted the now significantly thicker trunk of the Voidrealm Tree, a warm smile on his face.
"Two more Foundation Establishment bodies as fertilizer. One of them even mid-stage should be enough for another growth spurt, right?"
The Voidrealm Tree swayed slightly, and it seemed to visibly grow just a little at that very moment.
Compared to when it had first broken through, the Voidrealm Tree now rooted in a second-tier spiritual vein was growing much faster.
It hadn't even been that long, and it had already gained several more meters in height. Li Ye estimated that once it fully digested the two Foundation Establishment corpses, it would likely surpass thirty meters tall. Its mystical properties would rise alongside it.
[Your bonded fourth-tier spiritual plant, "Jianmu Variant – Voidrealm Tree Offshoot," has grown. Connection deepened. Spiritual Essence Solidification +0.1%…]
As the tree grew, a panel notification popped up in front of Li Ye.
The Voidrealm Tree had rarely provided this kind of "solidified spiritual essence" feedback lately.
By his estimation, if the current pace held, it might take at least another ten years to fully complete the solidification and unlock the tier-two [Tongtian] trait.
For someone with his current lifespan, that wasn't a problem. He had time he could afford to be patient.
Though a mid-grade spiritual root was of no help in reaching the Golden Core stage and might even hold him back it didn't negatively affect his Foundation Establishment stage cultivation much. Practicing like this for another decade wouldn't be an issue.
Still, it was worth noting that ever since he'd started feeding the tree Foundation Establishment "fertilizer," the feedback frequency had noticeably increased.
Clearly, to the Voidrealm Tree, cultivators were considered high-grade nourishment!
"But I can't just go around turning into a bandit cultivator, hunting down Foundation Establishment cultivators for fertilizer…"
Li Ye shook his head with a sigh.
"All I got was a bit more feedback risking my life like that isn't worth it."
Besides, most of his strength came from the numerous abilities granted by his proficiency in the Hundred Arts of Cultivation. While not weak, his actual cultivation level was still at the bottom rung among Foundation Establishment cultivators.
He simply lacked the adaptability and resilience for confrontations.
Unless he meticulously laid out a trap every time to lure enemies in, there was no guarantee things wouldn't go wrong.
Someone as cautious as him would never take such risks lightly.
Now that all three of the Ma Clan Foundation Establishment cultivators had died by his hand, it was better to stop dwelling on it and focus on seizing their assets while the opportunity remained!
Compared to the Ma Clan's patriarch, Ma Yuquan's storage pouch was a real disappointment.
Aside from spirit stones and a high-quality jade bottle artifact, there was almost nothing else worth taking!
Oddly enough, neither of them carried secret techniques, cultivation manuals, or skill books clearly, they had stored all their important texts in the family archives.
This, in a way, reflected the Ma Clan's tight internal cohesion.
But killing two Foundation Establishment cultivators and coming up empty-handed left Li Ye more eager than ever to get his hands on the Ma Clan's full stash of treasures!
After publicly announcing he would be going into seclusion for a few days, Li Ye changed his appearance that same day and quietly set off for the Ma Clan stronghold in Jing Country.
...
Ma Clan Ancestral Grounds - Clan Leader's Study
"The Ancestor and Elder Yuquan have been gone to the Chidi Mountains for quite some time now, and there's still no word..."
"Our clan has never extended its influence into that no-man's-land. It's too far, and now even if we wanted to gather information discreetly, there's hardly anything we can do..."
"If something happened to the Ancestor and Elder, what are we supposed to do?"
Several of the Ma Clan's senior members, all at mid- to late-stage Qi Refinement, sat in silence, their expressions grim.
It had been quite a while since word had come from the Chidi Mountains that their Ancestor had been injured and summoned Ma Yuquan to personally assist.
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators working together by now they should've easily subdued that newly-advanced cultivator Li Ye, who hadn't even been in Foundation Establishment for a year!
But this long silence... Even if the Ancestor and Elder had gotten caught up in exploring some hidden realm, someone should have returned with news.
Such complete silence was, in a way, an answer in itself.
"First, we stabilize our position."
The clan leader, whose hair was already graying, tapped the desk a few times and spoke firmly.
"No matter what, when the Ancestor and Elder Yuquan departed, they took great care to hide their movements. As of now, no outsiders know our clan is vulnerable... We still have time to await good news from the Ancestor."
He paused, glancing at the others in the room, then said in a low voice:
"But if... if the Ancestor and Elder Yuquan truly perished in the Chidi Mountains..."
"Then we may have no choice but to offer up the matter of the Lava palace as a tribute and pledge allegiance to Thousand Island Water City in exchange for the clan's survival."
As a clan that once had three Foundation Establishment cultivators, they naturally had contingency plans for various crises.
At the mention of such a drastic step, everyone present grew even gloomier, but no one objected.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out:
"If that's your plan, then I can't let any of you leave here alive."
A completely unfamiliar voice intruding into a confidential family meeting what could be more terrifying?
Everyone in the room instantly felt a chill down their spine.
"Who's there?! Stop hiding!"
The Ma Clan leader shouted, a command token suddenly appearing in his hand as he tried to activate the clan's defensive array.
"What?!"
He discovered the formation was completely unresponsive as if overridden by a higher authority.
Worse yet, the same formation he couldn't command now turned against him and the others, instantly binding them in place, unable to move.
"What are you doing, Ma Lou?!"
Someone shouted at the clan leader, only to see him frozen, sealed by falling spiritual light.
Panic swept through the room.
At that moment, Li Ye pushed open the door and stepped in, his gaze sweeping over them before breaking into a smile.
"How obedient of you all gathering in one place to save me the trouble. Now, swallow these gu bugs so I can verify something."
He ignored their horrified struggles and calmly produced several Heart-Bewitching Gu insects, planting them one by one into their bodies.
As their expressions turned dazed and blank, Li Ye's spiritual sense pierced directly into their consciousness, interrogating them one by one.
…
"All the insiders are here. The Ma Clan hadn't yet managed to offer the Lava palace as a tribute to Thousand Island Water City..."
"From this day forward, unless that lava palace explodes on its own, no one else will know it ever existed."
Li Ye strolled out of the clan leader's study. Inside, the only things left were a few drifting piles of black ash.
Thousand Island Water City was located in the Thousand Lake region of Jing Country a vast expanse of water with no known boundary, built into a loose alliance of rogue cultivators.
Its City Lord, Bihu Sanren, was a seasoned and powerful Golden Core expert.
Back when Li Ye had fled from Huan Country, he'd once considered heading to Thousand Island Water City to attempt his Foundation Establishment breakthrough.
But the difficulty of securing a spiritual land there made him abandon the idea.
Had the Ma Clan passed on the Lava palace's secrets to a Golden Core faction like that, Li Ye would've known no peace from that day on.
"Good thing I got here in time…"
Li Ye muttered a trace of relief in his voice. Then his lips curled into a faint smile.
"All the loose ends are tied up… Now then, let's see what treasures the Ma Clan has hidden away."
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