Chapter 86: The Five Elements Spiritual Veins (Part One)

“Thank you, Brother Bai.” Ji Mo’s eyes curved into a smile. After a year together, she had come to regard Bai Ze and Geng Xiao as true friends and elder brothers from the bottom of her heart. Over this year, the two had looked after her with great care. In that time, Geng Xiao and Bai Ze had experienced over fifty battles, while Ji Mo had only fought three times in total.

Those three times happened to be against a first-rank demonic beast and two second-rank demonic beasts. For such low-level creatures, Geng Xiao and Bai Ze naturally found it beneath them to even lift a finger, and when such beasts encountered the likes of Geng Xiao and Bai Ze, they were usually too busy fleeing to even consider provoking them. However, the situation changed now that Ji Mo was with them.

Ji Mo had entered Flame Domain as a representative of the Ten Directions Cultivation World to participate in the cultivators’ tournament. For the sake of their world’s reputation, and out of their own curiosity, neither Geng Xiao nor Bai Ze would let such convenient opportunities for Ji Mo to practice slip away. And so, these three unfortunate beasts were forced by Geng Xiao and Bai Ze to fight Ji Mo with all they had.

At her current level, a first-rank demonic beast was no match for Ji Mo. Of the two second-rank beasts, one was a low-tier demon rat, the other a mid-tier brown bear. She dispatched the first-rank beast with three punches, and the demon rat posed little more trouble. After all, demon rats are known for their cunning and speed, but with monsters like Bai Ze and Geng Xiao present, it had no chance of escape. Once stripped of its greatest advantages, it was no match for Ji Mo’s raw power.

Neither Geng Xiao nor Bai Ze found it surprising that Ji Mo killed a peak first-rank beast in three blows. If she didn’t at least have that level of skill, her sect would never have sent her into Flame Domain in the first place. However, watching her take down a low-tier second-rank demon rat with minimal effort did catch them somewhat off guard. After all, a second-rank beast is roughly equivalent to a human Foundation Establishment cultivator, and even if the demon rat wasn’t a combat specialist, it was still far from something an ordinary cultivator could handle.

But on further thought, considering Ji Mo cultivated all five elements and her body refinement had reached the fifth transcendence stage, it wasn’t impossible for her to easily slay a demon rat. What truly astonished the two was her battle with the brown bear. A mid-tier second-rank brown bear’s strength was approaching that of an average high-level Foundation Establishment cultivator. The gap between a Qi Refining cultivator and one at Foundation Establishment was like an unbridgeable chasm; at a certain level, Qi Refining cultivators were still considered mortal. Whether in lifespan or physical toughness, they remained within the realm of the ordinary.

Once a cultivator broke through to Foundation Establishment, however, their entire life would undergo a qualitative transformation. In the cultivation world, only those who succeeded in establishing their foundation were considered truly to have stepped onto the path of immortality. Bai Ze and Geng Xiao had only intended to let Ji Mo test her limits against the brown bear, never expecting that, in the end, she would kill the beast at the cost of her own serious injuries. The result left the two of them utterly speechless.

They had their own expectations for Ji Mo’s strength—she was undoubtedly a genius among geniuses, or her master would not have cast her into the Flame Domain while she was still at the fourth stage of Qi Refining. But even so, must she be this monstrous? Geng Xiao and Bai Ze were each top talents in their own sects; few in their world could rival them at the same stage. Yet, looking back, neither thought themselves capable of matching Ji Mo when they were at the Qi Refining stage.

Unfortunately, Ji Mo herself was unaware of this. Seeing Geng Xiao and Bai Ze easily slay beasts above their level, she naturally found nothing extraordinary about herself killing two ordinary second-rank beasts. She was instead grateful for the care the two had shown her over the past year, and without realizing it, came to genuinely think of them as friends and older brothers.

Bai Ze and Geng Xiao were far from ordinary themselves, and keenly sensed Ji Mo’s changing attitude. Because of this, a thread of guilt began to creep into their hearts. The main reason they had invited Ji Mo to join them in the first place was her remarkable cooking skills.

As the time spent together increased, they found that not only was Ji Mo an excellent cook, her personality was also a perfect match for theirs. She was poised and lively, with a hint of mischief, but none of the arrogance or affectation so common among female cultivators. After witnessing her astonishing fighting prowess, even without realizing it, Bai Ze and Geng Xiao began to treat Ji Mo as their own younger sister.

In the past, their association with Ji Mo was mostly prompted by spur-of-the-moment interest. Now, their primary concern was her safety. Given her demonstrated combat strength, if they could help her find a five-element spiritual vein and raise her cultivation by another stage or two, Bai Ze and Geng Xiao were all but certain that Ji Mo would shine brilliantly in the Flame Clan’s tournament.

“Little Ji Mo, there’s no need for such formality between us. Come, let’s go check out Qingfeng Ridge. With luck, there might be a five-element spiritual vein there.” Bai Ze reached out to ruffle Ji Mo’s hair with a laugh.

“Qingfeng Ridge? What kind of place is that?” Ji Mo ducked out from under his massive palm, looking at him in surprise.

“I don’t know either; Flame Domain is vast, filled with countless secret realms and treacherous grounds. We only learned about Qingfeng Ridge a few days ago from some people we fought. Judging by how they spoke, it seems to be some sort of secret realm. If so, there could well be unexpected treasures there—maybe even a five-element spiritual vein,” Bai Ze replied.

“Do you even know the way?” Ji Mo rolled her eyes. Sometimes Bai Ze was shrewder than anyone, but at other times, his words were so unreliable it drove her mad.

“We don’t, but since those people mentioned it, it’s probably not far from this area. Generally, when a secret realm appears, crowds start to gather. We just need to head wherever people and beasts are converging,” Geng Xiao replied this time, not Bai Ze.

Ji Mo glanced at him in surprise; it was rare for Geng Xiao to agree with Bai Ze! Well, these two certainly knew more about the Flame Domain than she did. Since they’d made up their minds, she had no reason to argue.

And so, the three set off for the so-called Qingfeng Ridge. None of them knew its exact location, and with the Flame Domain being so vast, their search lasted over a month. One night, more than a month later, they finally spotted several groups hurrying in the same direction.

Bai Ze and Geng Xiao exchanged glances, then each grabbed one of Ji Mo’s arms, quietly following after the groups. Another three days passed. Now, after one year and eight months in the Flame Domain, Ji Mo finally saw a shimmering lake. What surprised her even more was that, from several kilometers away, she could already sense the faint presence of all five elemental energies emanating from the lake’s surface.

Ji Mo’s eyes brightened and she quickened her pace. As she reached the lakeshore, a gentle, soothing wave of five-elemental spiritual power washed over her, filling her with an indescribable comfort. For nearly a year, aside from her Thunder God Technique, her other four cultivation methods had remained dormant, but now, bathed in these energies, they slowly began to circulate again.

If not for the presence of many others on the lakeshore, Ji Mo would have shouted for joy. After all, she was still just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl. Having spent nearly two years in the desert, faced always with endless red sands, she had made little progress in cultivation, and her senses had grown dull. Now, confronted with a clear, refreshing lake, her excitement was only natural.

“I never expected such a beautiful place in the Flame Domain,” she whispered, unable to hide the elation in her voice as she turned to Bai Ze and Geng Xiao.

“Though it’s called the Flame Domain, not every corner is barren red sand. Some say the scenery within certain secret realms rivals anything in the outside world,” Bai Ze explained, glancing at her.

“Really? I thought it was all desert here. Hey, over there—aren’t those some of the people you fought before?” Ji Mo’s bright eyes swept around, and she recognized several faces from their previous encounters. Those people noticed her party as well, and their expressions immediately darkened.

However, aside from their unfriendly stares, they made no other moves. Bai Ze and Geng Xiao merely glanced over, then withdrew their attention. Geng Xiao spoke indifferently, “Ignore them. In this place, no one will make a move before the treasure appears.”

“Geng Xiao is right. Little Ji Mo, we’ve definitely come to the right place. The spiritual power coming from this lake isn’t just fire anymore. Even though I don’t have five-element roots, I can still sense several different energies. Your perception should be even clearer,” Bai Ze agreed, turning to Ji Mo.

“I can indeed feel five different elemental forces coming from the lake, but they’re quite faint. It may not be a true five-element spiritual vein,” Ji Mo said.

“Doesn’t matter. When the secret realm opens, we’ll go in and see for ourselves. If there is a five-element vein, we’ll do everything we can to help you claim it,” Bai Ze replied.

“Brother Bai, Brother Geng, we should simply do our best. If it proves too difficult, there’s no need to force it,” Ji Mo insisted—not out of false modesty, but because a place with a five-element vein might be guarded by powerful elemental beasts. If it was only a small vein, the guardians might not be too formidable, but for a medium vein, even Bai Ze and Geng Xiao would be outmatched. Besides, so many others were here seeking treasure; she didn’t want them to pay an unbearable price for her sake.

“Don’t worry, little Ji Mo. We’re not fools. We’d never walk knowingly into a deathtrap,” Bai Ze replied with a laugh, while Geng Xiao stood calmly, hands behind his back, gaze fixed quietly on the lake.

(To be continued…)