“Peep, peep, peep…”

An unusual mist suddenly rose from above the 10,000-legged Venerable One’s poisonous pill. Instead of spreading in all directions, it slowly entered the poisonous pill that the spirit was in.

The poisonous pill that had formed a world was similar to a bottomless hole as it absorbed the abundant poison.

Ou Yangming released his mental conception and entered the poisonous pill’s world in an instant.

He did not know that one of the omnipresent roots in the secret realm shook all of a sudden beneath his feet.

If the Wutong Tree had not witnessed the intimate interaction between Ou Yangming and the poisonous pill’s spirit earlier, it would have stepped in and stopped the young fellow already. It knew it was unlikely that the spirit would harm him, but it was still fearful.

‘Is he entering the spirit’s world with his mental conception?

‘It’s unbelievable that someone has the guts to act so rashly.

‘But seeing how familiar he is with the process, this is definitely not his first time.’

The Wutong Tree was deeply confused at this moment. ‘Has Ou Yangming fully grasped the spirit’s world already? But he denied it before this. Besides, if he really grasped the power, how could he have been in such a mess when it was pursued by the 10,000-legged Venerable One?’

Ou Yangming was naturally unaware of how surprised the Wutong Tree was. Entering the poisonous pill’s world with his spiritual power had almost become instinctive for him.

With a flash of thought, he could easily enter the mysterious and wonderful world.

Inside the world, everything was marvelous. It was a constantly growing world, and Ou Yangming could observe its growth process from his perspective.

This was an incredibly rare experience that could not be replicated; even top-notch powerhouses from the Phoenixes might not have such an opportunity.

Amidst the dark and endless starry sky, drifting nebulas could be seen. There were more of them as compared to before, and they had become more tangible.

Ou Yangming could sense the nebulas’ changes in the magnanimous yet peculiar world, and he could even sense the enormous energies gushing in from the outside world. They were the energies that were converted from the 10,000-legged Venerable One’s poisonous pill. Perhaps because they had the same properties as the poisonous pill, none of them were lost during the conversion.

The energy conversion was even more effective than absorbing poisonous mist directly.

Ou Yangming spread his spiritual conception completely and became immersed inside.

He vaguely felt that the nebulas, which were continuously being condensed, would one day turn into land and sea and would give rise to all things; the empty world would be colorful.

The only thing was that Ou Yangming was not sure if he would have the chance to witness the magnificent scene.

After an unknown period, Ou Yangming exhaled deeply and left the captivating and dreamy starry sky.

His eyelids ached the moment he opened his eyes. In particular, when he was greeted with the first light, the feeling became stronger.

Ou Yangming was slightly stunned. He asked, “Wutong, how long have I been fathoming?”

The Wutong Tree’s voice was immediately heard. “Master, you’ve been fathoming for almost a month.”

Ou Yangming twitched his mouth. ‘Luckily, I’m a legitimate Spiritualist now. I can’t control space like Venerable Ones, but I’ve preliminarily apprehended Heaven and Earth, or I would’ve been starved to death from cultivating in isolation for a month.’

He could not help but sigh when he touched his interspatial bag.

The young fellow’s trip to the secret realm to grow the Phoenix Fire Bamboo was simple. He initially thought that he could go back in advance, but he ended up being ambushed by an insect Venerable One. In the end, he spent time comprehending the spirit’s world and delayed more time.

Nonetheless, Ou Yangming did not regret this. He vaguely understood and perceived how the spirit’s world was formed, hence it was a great opportunity. Perhaps he still could not tell how beneficial the world would be, but he believed that it would unleash its exceptional mightiness in the future during a crucial moment.

It might not be too much to describe the spirit’s world as a turning point in his life.

Ou Yangming took a deep breath and curbed his thought. He suppressed his comprehension from the spirit’s world and asked in a deep voice, “What’s the situation outside the spirit realm? Did Blood Shadow come inside?”

“It didn’t,” the Wutong Tree answered without any hesitation, “Master, my powers are only limited to the secret realm. I can roughly sense the situation outside the realm, but it’s hard for me to find Venerable Ones if they’re hiding outside.”

The young fellow was extremely important to it, thus it dared not boast about its abilities.

Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows and mumbled, “Since you can’t be sure if Blood Shadow’s still hiding outside, does this mean that… I won’t be able to leave?”

The Wutong Tree suggested, “Master, I suggest that you cultivate here. Once you surpass a Venerable One, you’ll be able to go out without any restraints.”

Ou Yangming raised his eyebrow and thought, ‘That’s a great idea indeed, but once I surpass a Venerable One?’

He asked carefully, “Wutong, how long do you think I’ll have to cultivate for?”

“Since you have a spirit that has formed a world, as long as you fathom it often, you’ll be able to speed up your cultivation. Besides, I have some secret techniques here…” The Wutong Tree quickly began to introduce the techniques. “All in all, not only will your safety be guaranteed here, but you’ll also be assisted with various resources, so staying here will be your best choice.”

Ou Yangming waved his hand impatiently. “Give me an exact time.”

“Ah, this…” The Wutong Tree dared not disobey OU Yangming anymore. It fell silent for some time before it answered, “You’ll take 500 years at most.”

The young fellow’s face twitched.

“Master, if you think that 500 years will be too long, you can speed up. What about 450 years

? … Honestly, I think you can do it in 400 years too—or maybe 300 years. I’ll open up my cultivation core and make sure that you’ll achieve that within 280 years…” The Wutong Tree kept reducing the time frame as it noticed the grim look on Ou Yangming’s face.

Nevertheless, seeing as Ou Yangming was unmoved no matter what, the Wutong Tree could not help but wail. “Master, we’re talking about a boundary beyond a Venerable One. In any case, you’ll have to cultivate for 200 years. If not, can other living beings still live?”

Struck with a thought, Ou Yangming asked, “Have you cultivated to that boundary?”

“This secret realm is mine so of course, I’ve reached that boundary,” the Wutong Tree answered proudly.

Ou Yangming sneered. “How long have you cultivated for?”

The Wutong Tree kept quiet for some time before it responded, “I forgot, but I think I took roughly 10,000 years.”

‘10,000 years!?’

Ou Yangming was speechless when he heard its answer.

The greatest thing about the Wutong Tree was not its powers, but its age.

Even the most ordinary human would become formidable if he or she cultivated for 10,000 years without stopping. Unfortunately, how many people could actually live for so long?

Ou Yangming looked around and sighed. “Wutong, it’s a pity that you’re trapped inside this secret realm even after cultivating for so many years.”

If the Wutong Tree could move around freely, Ou Yangming would surely keep it by his side. After all, he would not need to be afraid of Blood Shadow at all if he had such a potent fighter.

The Wutong Tree smiled embarrassedly. “Master, as long as you help me with my resurrection, I can definitely leave the secret realm and soar freely.”

Ou Yangming was moved, and he could not help but laugh.

‘No wonder the Wutong Tree always talks about the Heavenly Phoenix Fire. Looks like it has almost gone mad because of its lonely life that has been going on for several 10,000 years. This must be why it acted like it had stumbled upon treasure when it met me, and it insisted on signing a contract with me regardless of the disparity between our strengths.’

“Buzz…”

When Ou Yangming’s mental conception left the poisonous pill’s world, the spirit floated without a sound. Seeing as the young fellow was done talking to the Wutong Tree, it flew over to him eagerly and laid on his shoulder to fawn over him.

Ou Yangming brushed its body gently. The poisonous pill’s spirit took the form of a centipede, but its skin was smooth as silk, which was comfortable to touch.

The poisonous pill’s spirit closed its eyes as if it enjoyed this moment very much.

Ou Yangming turned to look at where the 10,000-legged Venerable One’s poisonous pill used to be. Who knew, the spot was empty. After pondering for a while, he figured that the poisonous pill had been converted into the spirit’s nutrient so that the nebulas in the self-made world could become more condensed.

Despite that, Ou Yangming did not know how much energy the spirit’s world needed for it to transform into a living world. The fellow was a bottomless pit indeed.

He turned around and asked in a deep voice, “Wutong, do you think that Blood Shadow’s still lying in ambush outside?”

After some thought, the Wutong Tree replied to him, “I have no idea, but I’ve been observing for a month. Unless it’s more patient than me, it would’ve exposed itself long ago.”

“I’d like to go back to the Beast King Sect. Since it’s not outside, I’ll be going out now.” Ou Yangming frowned. He had decided to prioritize his safety first. If he happened to encounter Blood Shadow, he believed that he could get away with the help of the numerous treasures that he had.

Having said that, the Wutong Tree shook its head and commented, “Master, it’s too dangerous. You should cultivate in isolation here.”

Ou Yangming was struck dumb, but he soon chuckled and scolded it, “You’re really doing this for my good…” He sighed and expressed, “I’m aware of your good intention, but I’m still worried about some people outside, so I must go out.”

“Master, you can bring them here. I assure you that nothing can hurt them here,” the Wutong Tree responded seriously.

“I’ll consider—thanks.” Ou Yangming smiled after some thought, then he continued, “Go on, I’ll be returning to the Beast King Sect now…”