Chapter 176: Recognize one's own strength

Chen Xun and the big black ox wandered around the immortal cultivation world of Qian Nation, stopping, and starting, inquiring for information everywhere, but their brows only furrowed deeper and deeper.

The Top Ten Sects had sealed off their gates, refusing to see any visitors. Each sect was only concerned with its own affairs, as most of their leading figures had gone to the northern borders to join the war.

The entire immortal cultivation world felt desolate...

What they saw left a bitter taste in their hearts. When they asked a few Foundation Establishment cultivators, they only knew that the northern border was sealed off by a massive formation, and no one knew the current state of the battle.

"Old Ox, don't try to force your way into the Top Ten Sects. Cultivation methods are inherited treasures, unlike spirit medicines." Chen Xun, sitting cross-legged on the ox, which was walking on air, said expressionlessly, "Honestly, I don't really want to come into contact with them."

"Moo~" The big black ox turned to look at Chen Xun, nodding slightly. The impact of that war still lingered in their hearts.

Chen Xun slightly raised the corners of his mouth, slowly extending a hand outward. Clouds passed through it, rolling like tides.

The big black ox looked around, enjoying the scenery and watching the vast lands below grow smaller as it walked slowly eastward.

Unintentionally, they had added their immortal points to defense.

Now that Chen Xun had broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, he finally had a better understanding of adding points. That heavy sense of defense was related to the original strength of his body and the enhancement of his body by the spiritual energy within him.

He couldn't help but marvel secretly. The body-tempering power of the heavenly tribulation had been strengthened at least 140 times, allowing him to withstand simultaneous attacks from over a hundred early Nascent Soul cultivators.

Chen Xun estimated that the number of cultivators in the immortal cultivation world who could break his defense was very few, unless they were a major realm above him, in which case he would be in trouble.

As for the big black ox, it was even stronger than Chen Xun's body and had formations to protect it. Seeing this, Chen Xun felt very gratified. If they encountered danger, the old ox would definitely escape faster than him. As the leader, he would cover the back.

Besides the essence of all things, strength, speed, spiritual energy, and defense were actually complementary. Chen Xun now realized that adding points was not just about multiplying a single body attribute but increasing them all together.

That's why he always felt he had surpassed 90 times when he was at the Golden Core stage!

Reaching the Nascent Soul stage, they truly began to recognize their strength and were no longer people that any strong cultivator could easily manipulate.

Now, with the essence of all things, they could cultivate spirit medicines for 350 years in a month, and together they could increase it by 700 years.

If they were really too bored, scattering immortal fate everywhere in the immortal cultivation world, the entire realm would be elevated by several levels, with strong cultivators emerging endlessly.

After breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, their various life-bound magical treasures could also continue to increase in age. Chen Xun estimated that the peak of the Nascent Soul stage was 280,000 years.

Because of this, Chen Xun became more and more interested in the Water Spirit Art. This art could not possibly have only three levels!

Even now, he couldn't fully understand it. This art seemed to grasp the essence of spiritual energy, truly simplifying complexity and containing profound meaning.

The Water Spirit Art had a wonderful similarity to the essence of all things and complemented each other when they suppressed dead energy. Of course, spiritual energy enhancement also played a role.

However, breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage only allowed a glimpse of the mysteries of spiritual energy, far from reaching the level of the creator of the Water Spirit Art.

"Old Ox, what do you think of the Water Spirit Art?" Chen Xun asked subconsciously while thinking, "I believe this art is an unparalleled treasure!"

"Moo moo~" The big black ox nodded dumbly, always thinking this art was incredibly powerful.

Their resources were limited, so they could only explore a lot of Qi Refining stage spells, but they never looked down on them. Instead, they felt that this contained true wisdom, much more powerful than those strong spells.

"Haha, you think so too? Let's inquire about it when we get the chance."

"Moo moo~"

The big black ox grinned. Having a high cultivation level was indeed wonderful, offering immense freedom to learn anything they wished.

"Moo~~~" The big black ox let out a joyful roar, stomping its four hooves in the air and instantly disappearing into the layers of white clouds on the horizon.

...

In the eastern part of Qian Nation, the border was silent.

There were no cultivators from the east attacking the Qian Nation to take advantage, nor were there any cultivators guarding the border. Instead, they heard that the border of Wu Nation was facing intense battles.

Chen Xun merely smiled indifferently, believing that seeing is believing and rumors are not to be trusted. The big black ox let out a sigh of relief. It was good that there were no wars at Qian Nation's border; the great northern battle of the immortal cultivation world had nothing to do with them.

They floated on a few beams of golden light, suspended hundreds of feet above the ground, overlooking the vast, majestic landscape below, enjoying yet another splendid view.

"Let's go, old ox."

"Moo?"

"I was thinking, let's return the spirit medicines we took from those sects and plant a couple of them back."

Chen Xun thought for a moment. Borrowing and returning would make it easier to borrow again in the future. After all, pills were still pills, and there was quite a difference.

Moreover, they had forcibly stolen them, which left him feeling a bit uneasy.

"Moo~~" The big black ox glanced towards the horizon, remembering the routes to those sects.

"Old ox, I'll leave the navigation to you. I'll think about our next plan." Chen Xun floated down onto the big black ox, eyes thoughtful, "Nascent Soul techniques, the essence of a hundred schools in the cultivation world, our giant flying ship plan..."

"Moo?!" The big black ox was startled, listening to Chen Xun's muttering, realizing there were still so many things left undone.

"Hehe, what did you think, old ox?!"

"Moo moo~~"

The big black ox swished its tail, breaking through the clouds and fog, leaving behind two wild, laughing voices in the sky. The days of longevity were truly wonderful.

In the days that followed, on every moonless, windy night, there was always a big black ox breaking through the protecting formations of various sects with a swing of its hooves, while another shadow quietly stepped into their gates.

They went to the secret lands of these sects, planting back double the spirit medicines they had once taken, without being detected even by the cultivators stationed nearby.

There was even an occasion when a Golden Core cultivator personally guarded the sect's spirit medicine secret land and inexplicably passed out.

Upon waking, he was shocked and quickly checked the spirit medicines, only to find that the rare herbs that had been stolen long ago had somehow grown... two extra plants?!

Such incidents occurred in all the sects from which spirit medicines had been stolen. The elders of these sects quickly gathered in their respective sect halls to discuss the matter intensely. They believed it was impossible for such a benevolent senior to exist in the cultivation world, suspecting that it wasn't done by humans at all!

When the spirit medicines were stolen back then, no sect had publicized it because they had received pills in compensation, and it wasn't something to be proud of.

Furthermore, due to the northern expedition, the major sects had sealed off their gates and did not communicate with each other, each thinking this strange event happened only in their own sect.

After their discussions, the sect leaders ordered that from then on, their sects' spirit medicine gardens and secret lands would no longer be guarded by people.

They simply set up formations and prohibitions around them, ready to welcome anyone who came to take the medicines, even almost rolling out the red carpet.

Years later, this matter gradually became a spooky tale among the lower disciples of the sects and a source of amusement for the upper elders, who no longer pursued it.