Chapter 353 - 340: The Supreme Elder’s Reminder

Chapter 353: Chapter 340: The Supreme Elder’s Reminder

In the blink of an eye, five years passed, and Zhang Chi finally returned to his Volcano Cave Mansion in the Canglan Oasis.

Compared to when he left, Zhang Chi was completely unharmed. He also had quite a few more Spirit Stones and materials on him.

He had sold off most of the supplies he didn’t need.

During these five years, Zhang Chi not only visited the Beichen Oasis but also took Teleportation Arrays to several large oases nearby, and even traveled to two top-grade oases.

Because he had been to so many places, Zhang Chi successfully purchased a total of eleven Tier Four Low Grade Turtle Shells and one Tier Four Middle Grade Turtle Shell.

At a trade fair for Nascent Soul Cultivators, Zhang Chi also managed to collect another type of Spiritual Object needed to cultivate the Heaven-Reaching Tree Seed.

This item was called Thousand Spirit Ashes. It was a black powder and an extremely rare fertilizer.

With this, he had now obtained seven of the materials needed to cultivate the Heaven-Reaching Tree Seed.

Unfortunately, there were still no clues about the final two, and they couldn’t be found even in the various black markets.

Seeing this, Zhang Chi didn’t waste any more time and chose to return to continue his Cultivation in Seclusion, waiting for the right moment to resume his search.

Furthermore, Zhang Chi used a Tier Four Turtle Shell to perform a divination and discovered that the two remaining Spiritual Objects did indeed exist in the Endless Desert Sea, but they were too far away.

Zhang Chi also believed that they could definitely be found on the Central Continent where the Desert Divine Palace was located, or on some of the top-grade oases he had yet to visit.

However, those oases were too far away. Even with Teleportation Arrays, reaching them would require many transfers, and the price was so high that even he couldn’t afford it.

For example, traveling to the Central Continent where the Desert Divine Palace was located involved a teleportation distance even greater than when he had left the Demon Abyss. As a result, each trip required a top-grade Teleportation Order, and the price was naturally astronomical.

Of course, if he could join the Desert Divine Palace and attain a high position, such as becoming a disciple of one of the three Palace Masters, he could get an internal discount or even travel for free when on missions.

But that was obviously very difficult.

Unless one was a top prodigy from the Central Continent, there was basically no chance of truly joining the Desert Divine Palace.

Even if one found a way to join a branch, climbing the ranks step by step would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Fortunately, although he couldn’t divine the specific whereabouts of the Spiritual Objects, Zhang Chi did manage to glean one piece of information: there was a high chance of a major turn of events regarding this situation within the next hundred years.

This was one of the reasons Zhang Chi didn’t continue his needle-in-a-haystack search.

SPLASH!

At this moment, inside the Volcano Cave Mansion, Zhang Chi took out the Eye of the Spirit Spring again and threw a massive amount of Spirit Stones into it.

Immediately, the water in the Eye of the Spirit Spring began to roil violently, the surrounding space trembled, and the spring emitted an even purer and more abundant stream of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Then, a massive pillar of white Spiritual Light shot into the sky. Dark clouds gathered, and lightning flashed and thunder roared for a long time before finally dissipating.

This was the heaven and earth phenomenon triggered by the Eye of the Spirit Spring’s advancement.

That’s right. After devouring a massive amount of Spirit Stones, the Eye of the Spirit Spring had finally reached Tier Four Middle Grade.

"Not bad."

Zhang Chi couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction.

Then, he resumed his Cultivation in Seclusion.

Time quickly passed. In the year Zhang Chi turned three hundred and twenty, nearly a century had gone by since he had achieved the Nascent Soul realm.

On this day, after he finished refining an Upper Grade Magical Treasure, a sudden wave of insight washed over him. After he digested it, his Artifact Refining Techniques had risen to another level, reaching Tier Four Middle Grade.

"Good!"

Zhang Chi was quite pleased. It had been over eighty years since his Artifact Refining had reached Tier Four, and now he had finally broken through.

In the future, although he still couldn’t refine Top Grade Magical Treasures, he was now one step closer.

Furthermore, his Alchemy and Turtle Shell Divination Skill had both reached Tier Four Middle Grade several years ago.

One could say that the level of these skills had even surpassed his Cultivation.

SWOOSH!

Several more months passed like this. One day, a Communication Golden Light suddenly flew over from the direction of the Canglan Sect.

"Junior Brother Chen, come to the Sect quickly! The two Supreme Elders have come out of seclusion and have specifically asked to see you!"

Zhang Chi received the message, and the jubilant voice of the Canglan Sect’s Sect Leader immediately sounded out.

’So that’s it. They’ve been in seclusion ever since I joined the Sect. It’s been a full hundred years, and they’re finally coming out? A hundred years... Nascent Soul Powerhouses really do spend a long time in seclusion!’

Realization dawned on Zhang Chi, and he couldn’t help but sigh in amazement.

But even though he was also a Nascent Soul, he was clearly different from these other Cultivators; he rarely entered death-like seclusion.

Immediately after, Zhang Chi’s figure flickered, and he transformed into an Escape Light, flying straight toward the Sect.

Besides, his Cultivation and Combat Power were far greater than before, so he felt no pressure about the situation.

Soon, in the Floating Celestial Palace deep within the Sect, he saw two white-robed old men with the ruddy complexions of youths despite their white hair.

"Greetings, Supreme Elders!" Zhang Chi said immediately, clasping his hands in salute upon seeing the two men.

"So, you are Chen Bufan? Not bad, not bad at all."

"No need to call us Supreme Elders. Just call us Senior Brother. I heard you achieved Nascent Soul Formation in your three hundreds. I imagine that in another three or four hundred years at most, you’ll have a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage."

An age in his three hundreds was precisely what Zhang Chi had lied about when he first joined the Sect.

In any case, with his Divine Concealment Technique, and his Divine Thought and physical body being overly powerful, the Canglan Sect couldn’t determine his true age, not even with the help of an Array. They could only roughly judge that he was probably quite young.

And now, he was similarly revealing only a portion of his Cultivation.

Otherwise, they would definitely discover that his aura was powerful and profound, and that it wouldn’t be long before he could attempt to break through to the next realm.

"In that case, it would be disrespectful to refuse. Chen Bufan greets Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Mei. Congratulations on coming out of seclusion, Senior Brothers."

Zhang Chi immediately went along with it agreeably.

Lu and Mei were the surnames of the two Supreme Elders. Senior Brother Lu was relatively tall, while Senior Brother Mei’s Cultivation was more profound.

"Hahaha, good."

Seeing how straightforward Zhang Chi was, both Supreme Elders laughed heartily.

Afterward, the three of them chatted for a while, and the two Supreme Elders gave Zhang Chi a congratulatory gift for reaching the Nascent Soul realm.

It was a Storage Bag that contained quite a few supplies: Spirit Stones, Tier Four materials for Artifact Refining and Alchemy, and a white Jade Scroll.

However, Zhang Chi didn’t know what was recorded in the Jade Scroll, and it wouldn’t be polite to take it out and examine it right away.

Furthermore, inside the Storage Bag was also a small piece of Star Divine Iron, enough for Zhang Chi to refine several more Star Swords.

Clearly, the two Supreme Elders had done their homework before giving this gift, knowing exactly what Zhang Chi needed.

Zhang Chi naturally appreciated and accepted it, immediately offering a round of thanks.

"Junior Brother, there is something we need to remind you about," Senior Brother Lu said suddenly.

"Please speak, Senior Brother Lu," Zhang Chi said, a little curious.

"It’s like this. In the future, aside from Alchemy and Artifact Refining, don’t forget to improve your Cultivation and Combat Power. According to the Desert Divine Palace’s predictions, a massive Beast Tide will erupt before long. We came out of seclusion so suddenly precisely because of this matter," Senior Brother Lu explained in detail.

"A large number of Tier Four Demon Beasts will appear during this massive Beast Tide, and almost every oasis will be threatened. Therefore, every Nascent Soul True Monarch in our Sect must participate," Senior Brother Mei added.

"Will our Canglan Oasis encounter Tier Four Late Stage or Tier Four Peak Demon Beasts?" Zhang Chi asked, having come to a realization.

He had actually heard about the massive Beast Tide long ago, but he hadn’t paid it much mind because its eruptions followed no set pattern.

Sometimes it happened once every few thousand years, and other times, it was as frequent as once every few hundred.

"There’s a high probability that won’t happen. Even if it does, the Beichen Sect, the power behind the Beichen Sect, or even the Desert Divine Palace will send powerhouses to deal with them. In that case, we would just need to hold on for a while," said Senior Brother Lu.

"That’s good."

Hearing this, Zhang Chi immediately relaxed.

If it was just Tier Four Middle Stage and Early Stage Demon Beasts, he really wouldn’t mind. In fact, he wouldn’t mind if more of them came.

"Junior Brother, you mustn’t be careless. Even Tier Four Early Stage Demon Beasts are very powerful. It often takes several Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivators working together to surround and kill one, to say nothing of Tier Four Middle Stage Demon Beasts," Senior Brother Mei quickly reminded him upon seeing his reaction.

"That’s right. If we faced a Tier Four Middle Stage Demon Beast, the two of us would probably have to rely on an Array to defeat it. If there were too many, we would have to use our trump cards or call for reinforcements," Elder Lu said with a nod.

"In fact, the reason our Canglan Sect has been unable to grow since our decline is largely related to these irregularly erupting, massive Beast Tides. Every time a massive Beast Tide hits, our Sect loses many Cultivators, including quite a few Nascent Soul True Monarchs," Senior Brother Mei continued to explain, afraid that Zhang Chi wasn’t taking it seriously enough.

"Alright, Senior Brothers. I will take this matter seriously," Zhang Chi said, nodding earnestly.

"That’s good."

Only then did the two Supreme Elders feel slightly more at ease.

"By the way, to encourage cultivators to fight bravely, the Desert Divine Palace will offer an opportunity to exchange for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. Junior Brother, haven’t you been collecting certain Spiritual Objects? As long as you have enough merit points, you’ll surely be able to exchange for them," said Senior Brother Lu.

"Of course, remember to act within your capabilities. After all, while Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures are important, your life is more so," Senior Brother Mei added.

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Zhang Chi nodded again.

He thought about it carefully and realized it was true. There was related information in the memories of that Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Hundred Flowers Palace.

’Could it be? The final two Spiritual Objects I need are tied to this?’

At this thought, Zhang Chi couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anticipation.

The Desert Divine Palace was no ordinary power. It controlled all the human territories in the Endless Desert Sea, so it must possess an extremely wide variety of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. It was highly likely that the items he was missing were among them.

After that, Zhang Chi chatted with the two Supreme Elders for a while longer, and they even gave him some specific pointers on his Cultivation.

As a result, the two Supreme Elders discovered that Zhang Chi actually had a profound foundation and excellent Comprehension. Not only did he grasp concepts instantly, but he could also extrapolate and even frequently inspired them.

This couldn’t help but make the two of them admire Zhang Chi even more.

After a while more, Zhang Chi finally took his leave.

"Senior Brother, what do you think of this Junior Brother Chen?" asked Senior Brother Lu.

"He’s cautious yet confident, and remains composed even when facing us. His Comprehension is also extremely strong, and he’s proficient in Artifact Refining. A true talent. If he can survive this Beast Tide, there’s a thirty percent chance he could become our successor in the future," said Senior Brother Mei.

"I think so too. He was in his three hundreds when he achieved Nascent Soul Formation. If he can reach the peak of the Nascent Soul Early Stage by the age of seven hundred or so, we can lend him a hand. That way, when he breaks through, our Canglan Sect will surely benefit," said Senior Brother Lu.

"Yes, if he breaks through in his seven hundreds, with the help of a Lifespan Extension Pill, he’ll have at least six hundred years left to live. Therefore, during this Beast Tide, we must have someone look out for him. We absolutely cannot let anything happen to him," Senior Brother Mei said with a nod.