Ning Cheng’s first thought was to dig up all the dao fruit trees, but he had only dug up a few before realising that it might not be possible. The dao fruit trees here were different from the previous medicinal gardens. Each group had a unique restriction protecting them. Just removing the restrictions and digging out a group took a little more than half an incense stick worth of time.

  Just then, the Underworld Crow Ghost Rattan King sent him a spirit sense message. “Master, you just need to weaken the restrictions. I can dig out those dao fruit trees safely.”


  Ning Cheng’s heart moved. By himself, it wouldn’t be possible to dig them all up within the time limit, but with the Underworld Crow Ghost Rattan King, he could.

  Thinking of this, Ning Cheng threw out a large handful of formation flags which quickly weakened most of the restrictions around the individual groups. Just when he noticed that the sand in the hourglass had almost finished trickling down, the central node connecting all the restrictions suddenly let out a ‘click’ and shattered.

  The moment the restrictions shattered, the Underworld Crow Ghost Rattan King’s roots, which it had already stretched out in preparation, dug into the soil and swept away all the dao fruit trees.

  Ning Cheng looked back at the trickling sand and found that he still had a few breaths, although the sand had almost finished trickling down. Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness immediately selected a random batch of low-grade spirit grasses collected earlier and put them into his storage bag. The sand also finished trickling down when he finished, and Ning Cheng suddenly felt a powerful force wrap around his body.

  Looks like it was about time to teleport out. Ning Cheng had just thought of it when a ghost-like aura suddenly rushed into Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness, not giving Ning Cheng time to react at all.

  If not for the fact that Ning Cheng let his guard down as he was about to be teleported out, this ghostly aura couldn’t have invaded Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness. One could say that this ethereal aura chose the most opportunistic time.

  A violent tearing power suddenly erupted in Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness. It felt like he had fallen into a huge blender and was about to be swallowed by a terrifying power.

  Immediately afterwards, Ning Cheng felt his control over his body growing weaker and weaker as if his soul was about to leave his body.

  “Huh, what a powerful Sea of Consciousness, what a powerful spirit soul and spirit sense……” A startled voice resounded deep within Ning Cheng’s consciousness.

  “No. This is the Starry Sky Sea of Consciousness? Wait, eight different elemental spirit roots, each top-grade, oh heavens……” This voice no longer had any surprise in it; rather, it dripped with ecstasy. It felt like a man about to die of thirst in the desert suddenly saw a huge lake of water right in front of him.

  Body possession?

  Ning Cheng immediately understood. He had previously experienced body possession attempts; as such, he quickly realised that someone wanted to take possession of his body.

  Daring to seize this father’s body, seeking death. Even if I have to fight with my life on the line, I will end you.

  Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort, protect my Purple Palace and my Sea of Consciousness. Celestial River, burn this bastard to death for me……

  Ning Cheng’s Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort instantly condensed in his Sea of Consciousness, forming a fort out of thunder arcs around it. In the same instant, the flames of the Celestial River erupted with berserk rage, wanting to incinerate everything in its path.

  What he was most unafraid of was someone trying to take possession of his body. Even so, he never expected to encounter such a situation in this place. In just an instant, Ning Cheng finally understood the purpose of the Illusionary Fruit Orchard.

  Most likely, the Illusionary Fruit Orchard was built by this fellow trying to seize his body. Although outwardly, it looked as if he[1] created this space to contribute to the Grand Essence Realm. But more likely, it was to find a suitable body to take over. The target, the pill master who could open the thirteenth gate of the Illusionary Fruit Orchard, which coincidentally was him.

  “Wait-wait, I don’t want my Sea of Consciousness to be destroyed. If you don’t resist, I will even let you reincarnate or even forge a body for you.” When Ning Cheng activated the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort and the Celestial River Flame, a voice rang out in Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness.

  Ning Cheng felt so angry that he even laughed out aloud. This bastard actually treated his Sea of Consciousness as his and said such shameless words.

  “I have waited for one million and nine thousand years for someone to open the thirteenth gate. Originally, I opened the Illusionary Fruit Orchard once every ten thousand years. I then changed it to one thousand years, then again to one hundred years. But I still couldn’t find the person I had been waiting for. I would have given up in a few years, but heavens took pity on me and sent you to me. Your Starry Sky Sea of Consciousness is perfect, and I don’t want to ruin it because of my attacks. You’re also the most powerful spirit soul I have ever seen, so I hope you won’t make a move either; I’m willing to……”


  This spirit soul that wanted to take over his body hadn’t even finished speaking when Ning Cheng’s Celestial River Flame blasted out. “Cut the crap. Do you still have to act so shamelessly? When did my Sea of Consciousness become yours? Whether my Sea of Consciousness is Starry Sky or not, whether it is perfect or not, when did it become your business? Die to this father……”


  “Boom……” A sharp tongue of flame suddenly rushed out and coiled around Ning Cheng’s Celestial River Flame.

  A terrifying scorching heat accompanied the tongue of flame, and Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness rumbled for a moment. Ning Cheng’s eyes flashed. He understood that the flame coiling around his Celestial River in his Sea of Consciousness was the same grade as the Celestial River Flame. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have felt that terrifying scorching sensation.

  It could be said that if it wasn’t for the Celestial River Flame and the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort, his Sea of Consciousness might have already collapsed. No, he absolutely couldn’t let this spirit soul continue to fight in his Sea of Consciousness. Although this was his territory, he had to end this fight quickly.

  “You actually possess a spirit-grade Celestial River Flame…… Oh heavens, is that the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort? Wait, I can even feel a hint of origin aura……” The spirit soul’s voice in Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness grew even more excited, and he couldn’t contain himself from what he found in Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness. In fact, even Ning Cheng could feel the spirit soul’s ecstasy.

  As long as he seized Ning Cheng’s body, all of these would become his.

  “You better stop, or I can destroy your spiritual consciousness and Sea of Consciousness in an instant.” After this spirit soul controlled himself, an even more terrifying aura filled Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness. It felt as if it would devour Ning Cheng’s entire Sea of Consciousness in the next moment.

  “Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll?” Ning Cheng spoke up in shock.

  The Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll was just too familiar to him. He had not only obtained his technique but had even spent a significant amount of time improving it to fit his needs.

  “Hehe, you also know about the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll? That couldn’t be better. Since you know about the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll, you should know that as long as I cast the Dark Consciousness Storm and trap your spirit soul, you would no longer be able to attack me at all. In fact, once I drag you into the Dark Consciousness Storm, you could only let me abuse and kill you.”


  “If I were to then devour your spiritual consciousness, your Sea of Consciousness wouldn’t even be enough for a single gulp. The only reason I didn’t do this is that I don’t want to damage such a perfect Sea of Consciousness.” When the spirit soul in Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness saw that Ning Cheng knew about the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll, his tone immediately relaxed.

  The ignorant were fearless; he was afraid that Ning Cheng wouldn’t know about the power of the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll. Now that he knew that Ning Cheng knew about it, he felt relieved instead.

  Ning Cheng sneered in his heart. After knowing that the other party could also use the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll, he also understood why the other party hadn’t attacked immediately. It’s just that Ning Cheng didn’t know if this fellow was also the one who created the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll or someone who simply came across it by chance. After all, the original technique significantly changed the user’s spiritual consciousness and left behind some fatal after-effects.

  When Ning Cheng devoured another person’s spiritual consciousness back then, it caused a trace of foreign spiritual consciousness to fuse with his Sea of Consciousness. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t expel it. In the end, if not for the Empyrean Consciousness Transmutation Pill, Ning Cheng couldn’t have resolved that hidden fatal problem. Judging by how this fellow spoke about his Sea of Consciousness, it most likely indicated that his own had collapsed. Perhaps it had swallowed too many foreign spiritual consciousnesses that he couldn’t expel, which caused his fall.

  “You wouldn’t dare to use the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll here. If I’m not wrong, you must have swallowed too many cultivators’ spiritual consciousness, which resulted in your fall, right?” Ning Cheng replied with disdain.

  “You really do know about it.” The spirit soul calmed down even more after confirming that Ning Cheng knew about it. “That’s right; that’s the reason why I’m not willing to devour your spiritual consciousness. But you should know that if I were to devour your spiritual consciousness, even if you possessed the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort and the Celestial River, you wouldn’t be able to escape. Moreover, even if I don’t devour your spiritual consciousness, I can still finish off your spirit soul with the Spiritual Consciousness Storm.”


  “You must have been looking for alchemists to take over, to solve the hidden danger of the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll, right?” Ning Cheng asked as he prepared his attack.

  He was least afraid of someone trying to take possession of his body, but this spirit soul was the most powerful one he had ever encountered. After all, an ordinary spirit soul trying to take over his body wouldn’t last for a moment or three after entering his Sea of Consciousness. Ning Cheng had never seen one as strong as this spirit soul still hidden yet trying to take over his body. Especially one that could even confront him head-on without missing a beat.

  This spirit soul also didn’t seem to not want to destroy Ning Cheng’s Starry Sky Sea of Consciousness, as it already considered it his own. As such, his tone calmed down even more and said, “That’s right. You have a good head on your shoulders. My search for a genius alchemist was indeed to take over his body to solve the hidden danger of the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll. As long as you give your body to me, I will help you leave behind your alchemic heritage and will also guarantee to not exterminate you.”


  Ning Cheng showed a warm smile, “Care to answer another question for me? I have an eight-line spirit root. According to common knowledge, I should be the weakest in cultivation. But you seem to be a bit too happy about it; why?”


  The spirit soul listened to Ning Cheng’s question and spoke up in a soft voice, “That’s because people are ignorant and stupid. Those who want to truly go after the heavenly dao can only do so with a full set of spirit roots; quality doesn’t matter. In fact, the best spirit root within heaven and earth isn’t a single-line pure spirit root but a full set of balanced spirit roots. You not only have a full set of balanced spirit roots, but your eight spirit roots are also pure. Once I obtain your body, I will naturally chase after the limits of the heavenly dao. To be honest, your Sea of Consciousness is the purest and the most powerful I have ever seen. If it were an ordinary person, I could have already taken over their body a long time ago……”


  As the spirit soul said those words, the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll suddenly rolled out. Spiritual Consciousness Storms and Spiritual Consciousness Cuts blasted towards Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness entirely without caring about the world.

  “Just die already……” The spirit soul grunted with jealousy as it attacked without any warning. A mere Dao Sculpting more dared to bargain with him. With this body, along with the Celestial River Flame, the Everlasting Blue Thunder Fort, and that Origin Aura, how could he possibly leave the other party alive?

  Ning Cheng’s disdainful voice emerged amidst the chaos, “I already knew that an old bastard like you wouldn’t keep your words. Spiritual Consciousness Storm, Dark Nether Spirit Devourer, devour ……”


  “You actually cultivate the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll as well? It’s impossible, absolutely impossible……” The spirit soul in Ning Cheng’s Sea of Consciousness let out a startled cry filled with disbelief.

  How could a Starry Sky Sea of Consciousness be so pure after cultivating the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll and devouring spiritual consciousnesses?

  Plus, he could tell that Ning Cheng’s mastery over the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll was even more powerful than his. If his version of the Dark Nether Devouring Spirit Scroll was a stream, then Ning Cheng’s version was like a raging river. Not only did it carry a terrifying devouring aura, but it also carried a crushing momentum with it.

  [1] The ‘he’ here is not gender-specific and is a common term to refer to a person. I could replace it with ‘it’, but it doesn’t feel appropriate here, and ‘this spirit soul’ feels a bit too much of a mouthful.