Chapter 1423: Sea Spirit Gold

There were countless spiritual herbs and plants in this world, but few were memorable enough for Zhao Yuqing to keep in mind. Sea Spirit Gold was one of them.

To a cultivator, this item possessed the power to defy fate. When it first appeared in the Cultivation World roughly a thousand years ago, countless cultivators fought over it. Nearly a thousand people died for a piece this small, including seven or eight experts of the Dongxu Realm. Even a mighty cultivator perished for it.

"Back then, the patriarch of Lingyue Immortal Island relied on a single piece of Sea Spirit Gold to extend his Lifespan by three hundred years," Zhao Yuqing said.

"Three hundred years?"

Chen Changsheng was quite surprised to hear this. "What are the consequences of using it?" he asked.

"It is said that the medicinal toxicity is negligible and can be purged effortlessly."

"It was exactly for this reason that so many people died over it back then," Zhao Yuqing said.

"I saw that piece of Sea Spirit Gold in the past. It was only half the size of the one right in front of us."

Chen Changsheng looked at Zhao Yuqing. "You owe a massive favor this time."

Zhao Yuqing carefully examined the Sea Spirit Gold. "That may be true, but..."

He found the item rather bizarre.

"What is it?"

"I wouldn't dare use this thing."

"Although the patriarch of Lingyue Immortal Island extended his Lifespan after using it, he kept his mouth completely shut about the Sea Spirit Gold afterward," Zhao Yuqing explained. "There must be something wrong with it."

Chen Changsheng rubbed his chin. "Then you should figure it out completely before trying it."

Zhao Yuqing suddenly looked at Chen Changsheng.

"Or..."

"How about you try it first?"

Chen Changsheng paused in surprise. "This Chen?"

"Yeah."

"You won't die anyway," Zhao Yuqing said.

Chen Changsheng gave a helpless smile. "You really don't treat This Chen like a human being, do you?"

"Are you even human?"

Chen Changsheng shook his head helplessly. "Let me say this up front: don't let your heart ache over the loss."

"I won't."

Zhao Yuqing raised his hand, broke off a piece of the Sea Spirit Gold, and handed it to Chen Changsheng.

"How do I use it?"

"There is a spirit within it. You can just absorb it directly."

Chen Changsheng placed the Sea Spirit Gold in the center of his palm. Soon, several threads of golden light seeped out from the metal and burrowed directly into his body.

A wave of warmth immediately washed over him, spreading through his entire body.

Chen Changsheng tried to unravel the cluster of threads, only to find something very strange about them.

"This thing... it feels like it's alive..."

Chen Changsheng frowned. The threads constantly swam through the bones and meridians of his limbs, eventually pausing one by one in his dantian sea of qi before surging out to cling to his meridians.

In that moment, it was as if these golden threads had become his Dantian and meridians.

Chen Changsheng tried circulating a heavenly cycle. It was unimaginably smoother than before. Moreover, the Yin-Yang Qi entering his body traveled straight to his Dantian, seemingly not even requiring refinement.

Chen Changsheng stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.

"Alive?"

Zhao Yuqing asked curiously.

Chen Changsheng nodded. "Yes, it seems to have a consciousness of its own. It isn't pure energy or spirit, but more like a living creature. They sought out my meridians and my dantian sea of qi, then attached themselves to them."

Zhao Yuqing reached out a hand to investigate.

He also found it incredibly marvelous. "These golden threads have turned into your Dantian and meridians," he said.

"No..."

Chen Changsheng shook his head. "They replaced them!"

Zhao Yuqing was stunned. "What do you mean?"

"It is as if This Chen has become their host."

Chen Changsheng continued, "This is somewhat similar to the Gu insects I heard about in the Mortal World before."

Hearing this, Zhao Yuqing immediately stood up.

He said, "In that case, this thing is actually alive?"

"It is hard to say for sure. Perhaps they don't possess actual sentience, but simply gather autonomously in places dense with Magical Power or Spiritual Energy."

"What about your Lifespan?"

Chen Changsheng replied, "My Lifespan has indeed increased!"

He took a look at his Soul Fire. The Sea Spirit Gold was indeed effective; it made his Soul Fire burn a bit brighter. However, the increase in Lifespan wasn't very long—only a few days. But to Chen Changsheng, even a few days was exceptionally hard to come by.

Zhao Yuqing fell into thought, still looking somewhat perplexed as he stared at the Sea Spirit Gold.

Chen Changsheng advised, "I don't recommend you use it. If anything goes wrong, this thing might just be treating the cultivator as a vessel, constantly absorbing their Magical Power and Spiritual Energy to grow stronger."

"I'm more curious about how this thing came into existence," Zhao Yuqing noted.

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment before saying, "Anything capable of letting a cultivator escape their fated lifespan is absolutely not simple."

"The outside world?" A thought suddenly sprang into Zhao Yuqing's mind.

Chen Changsheng paused, but shook his head. "I actually think it's more like a relic left behind from ancient times."

"Why couldn't it be from the outside?" Zhao Yuqing asked.

Chen Changsheng considered it, then replied, "If we're talking about the outside world, I'm afraid it's highly unlikely. Heaven and earth wouldn't allow things from the outside to fall in here."

Zhao Yuqing set down the Sea Spirit Gold. "Speaking of which, I'm also quite curious about the outside world. They say there is a sky beyond the sky, but I've never seen what lies beyond it."

"In my early years, I once tried to fly out of this firmament, but in the end, I was blocked by a thunder tribulation. The higher I went, the thinner the Spiritual Energy became, until I couldn't even catch my breath."

Chen Changsheng chuckled. "You could try it again now."

"Do you know what's out there?"

"Perhaps it's pitch black?" Chen Changsheng said. "Or maybe it's a river of stars."

"A river of stars?"

"Mhm, completely different from what we see right now."

Thinking of this, Zhao Yuqing was somewhat tempted.

"You'd better stop thinking about it," Chen Changsheng told him. "The Heavenly Dao is already annoyed it can't find you. If you fly up there, you'd just be courting death."

Zhao Yuqing gave a soft sigh. "We'll see if the opportunity arises."

"How did we end up talking about this?"

Chen Changsheng pulled the topic back. "What do we do with this Sea Spirit Gold?"

"We'll set it aside for now."

Zhao Yuqing added, "Even though it definitely has hidden dangers, if there's no other choice, it truly does have miraculous uses."

"That's true."

Zhao Yuqing looked at Chen Changsheng. "I'm more curious about whether this Sea Spirit Gold will remain in your body after you die, or if it will seek out a new cultivator."

Chen Changsheng paused, feeling the sensation in his body once more. "Don't bother farming this year. Just stay here in the Wine Tavern. You can observe this Sea Spirit Gold while you're at it, and see if you can figure anything out."

Zhao Yuqing readily agreed. He wanted nothing more than to uncover the origins of this Sea Spirit Gold.

After night fell, Chen Changsheng also kept sensing the movements of the Sea Spirit Gold.

Inexplicably, a sense of familiarity toward these threads bloomed in his heart. They felt like something he knew, yet he couldn't quite put it into words.

He shook his head and simply stopped thinking about it. He would probably figure out exactly what this thing was trying to do once he died.