46: Chapter 46 Refining the Moonflower Fruit, Comprehending Void Escape, Wind Rises from the Duckweed

After successfully reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage and stabilizing his Dao foundation, Ye Qing did not rush to leave the "Five Elements Void Prohibition Formation."

He knew well that having just entered the Foundation Establishment Stage, he needed to fully master his surging power and explore the newly added spatial functions to walk more steadily on the perilous path of cultivation.

He first turned his attention to the three glowing, fragrant moon essence fruits within the space.

The moonlight jade tree, benefiting from the feedback of his Foundation Establishment, was vibrant with life. These three fruits, having gestated for a long time, were now fully mature—the perfect time for harvesting.

With a thought from Ye Qing, the three fruits—each the size of a dragon's eye, crystalline throughout, and appearing to have moon essence liquid flowing within—detached from the branches and slowly flew before him.

The fruits felt warm and smooth in his hand. The cool, pure aura of the moon essence combined with the vast, refined vitality instantly refreshed his spirit, making his Divine Soul feel incomparably comfortable.

"moon essence fruit, top-tier Grade 2, primarily used to nourish and strengthen the Divine Soul, purify magic power, and calm the Heart Demon; it is a spiritual object craved even by those in the Foundation Establishment Stage. With my current Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation and spatial control, perhaps I can attempt to use it as the main ingredient, combined with other spatial Spirit Medicines, to refine a higher-grade Medicinal Pill or spirit liquid?"

He pondered for a moment but did not act rashly. The art of Alchemy is vast and profound; he currently only had a rough understanding of fusing medicinal properties and was far from the level required to refine Grade 2 Medicinal Pills. Forcing it might waste the spiritual objects.

To be safe, he decided to consume one first to personally experience its medicinal power, which would also accumulate experience for future Alchemy.

Ye Qing sat cross-legged and took one moon essence fruit into his mouth.

The fruit melted upon contact, transforming into a cool, sweet, yet gentle and mellow nectar of moon essence that slid down his throat before exploding outward!

It was not the violent impact of medicinal power he had imagined, but a permeation and nourishment like moonlight falling or a clear spring flowing.

The vast, pure power of the moon essence rushed mostly into his Sea of Consciousness, turning into wisps of cool silver airflow that merged with, nourished, and strengthened his Divine Soul. Ye Qing felt his Divine Sense as if it were soaking in a warm spiritual spring, rapidly recovering from the consumption during his Foundation Establishment, and becoming increasingly refined, clear, and resilient at a steady and considerable speed. His perception range, based on the original hundred zhang, expanded slightly outwards by several zhang, and his sensitivity to spiritual power and spatial fluctuations also became sharper and more precise.

The remaining small portion of moon essence power merged into his limbs and bones. Wherever it passed, his magic power seemed to be cleansed and made more refined and condensed, with less sluggishness and more smoothness and ease in its circulation. Even his Physical Body and blood energy were gently nourished, with vitality becoming even more vigorous.

The entire process lasted about an hour.

When the last trace of the moon essence medicinal power was absorbed, Ye Qing slowly opened his eyes. The divine light in his pupils was brilliant, clear, and profound, as if he could see through delusions. His Divine Sense strength had increased by nearly 30% compared to when he had just reached Foundation Establishment! The circulation of his magic power was also significantly smoother.

"As expected of a top-tier Grade 2 spiritual object, its nourishing effect on the Divine Soul is a hundred times superior to the 'moonlight heart-clearing powder'! Moreover, the medicinal power is gentle, easy to absorb, and has no side effects. The remaining two must be utilized properly."

He carefully stored the remaining two moon essence fruits on the Floating Landmass within the space, nourishing them with the Qi of Chaos stars to keep their vitality intact.

Next, he began to explore the new functions of the space, especially the application of the "Void Dao Seed" and his Foundation Establishment magic power.

He concentrated his thoughts on the phantom of the "Void Dao Seed" deep within his Divine Soul.

The Dao Seed trembled slightly, emitting a trace of mysterious Void Realm true intent.

Ye Qing attempted to merge this trace of true intent into his own magic power, while simultaneously visualizing the operation method of the "Wind Spirit Wings" and the vague concepts of spatial travel and folding he had comprehended from the "void wind seed" and spatial turbulence.

Gradually, rather than light wings condensing behind him, the space around him began to produce subtle, water-like ripples.

He took a step forward.

His figure appeared three zhang away in an instant like a ghost! Only a faint, rapidly dissipating afterimage remained in place.

There was no sound of wind, no violent fluctuation of spiritual power, only a trace of extremely weak spatial ripples oscillating.

"Void teleportation? No, it doesn't count as true teleportation, more like 'short-distance Void Realm blinking' or 'Void Step'? The distance is short, but the consumption is not small, yet for Foundation Establishment Stage magic power, it is still bearable. The key lies in being unexpected and ignoring some physical obstacles."

Ye Qing was excited and tried repeatedly, adjusting the way he combined magic power output with the Void Realm true intent.

From the initial three zhang, he could gradually and steadily blink to five zhang, then eight zhang. The direction also changed from solely forward to being slightly deflectable. It was only when exceeding ten zhang that he felt strained, and it had extremely high requirements for Divine Sense positioning, making it easy to make mistakes.

"Let's call it 'Void Step'. It is currently just a prototype, but it is sharp enough for surprise attacks, evasion, and crossing simple obstacles. In the future, as my comprehension of the Void Dao Seed deepens and my cultivation improves, the distance, frequency, and precision can be greatly improved."

He also tried to integrate the Void Realm true intent into the hidden spiritual light of the "Five Elements Void Prohibition Formation," and the concealment effect of the Formation indeed improved by another notch, merging more perfectly with the surrounding spatial environment.

"The Void Dao Seed truly has infinite wonderful uses, pointing directly to the Great Dao of space. In the future, there is great potential to be tapped in terms of escape techniques, concealment, trapping enemies, and even attacks."

Having familiarized himself with the new abilities, Ye Qing began to handle other resources on hand.

Inside the space, another batch of Spirit Medicines such as moonlight flower, iron wire vine, night firefly grass, and purple thread grass had matured. He carefully harvested and processed them, storing them in categories. Especially the moonlight flower, because of the upgrade of the moonlight jade tree, the quality had generally improved, and there were quite a few that were nearly twenty years old, which were of higher value.

He packed up some ordinary Spirit Medicine Materials and organized the remaining Tier 1 Yao Beast Materials obtained from previous hunting after being purified by the space. To him now, these things were of little value, but they could still be used to exchange for low-grade information or miscellaneous items.

Finally, he removed some of the outer Restrictions of the "Five Elements Void Prohibition Formation," his figure flashed, and he appeared outside the valley.

After Foundation Establishment, his Divine Sense could reach a hundred zhang, easily encompassing the entire valley and the surrounding area of several miles within his perception.

Confirming that no one was spying and there were no abnormalities, he then activated the "Wind Spirit Wings," his figure turning into a barely perceptible green rainbow, flying unhurriedly towards Blackwater Market.

The speed was several times faster than during the Qi Refining Stage, and it was more effortless and composed.

Along the way, his Divine Sense swept through the mountains and forests, and he could clearly perceive the traces of many low-grade Yao Beasts, and even discovered several points of weak Spiritual Qi fluctuations, which might contain low-grade Spirit Medicine or Ore. But he did not stop; the vision of the Foundation Establishment Stage was already different from the past.

Soon, the messy outline of Blackwater Market appeared in his field of vision.

Ye Qing landed several miles outside the market and changed his disguise again. His aura was restrained to the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, and his facial features were slightly adjusted with magic power, appearing weathered and cold. He did not enter the market directly but circled to a "Clear Heart Tea House" outside the market, which was a conventional place for high-level Cultivators to stay temporarily and exchange information.

The tea house was simple, with only a few wooden tables and a white-haired old man at the Qi Refining third level guarding it. There were no other guests at this time.

Ye Qing ordered a pot of the most ordinary spirit tea and sat in the corner, but his Divine Sense quietly spread out, covering most of Blackwater Market, collecting recent information.

The market was still noisy, but the atmosphere seemed more tense than before.

"...Have you heard? People from Sky Wolf Fort and Profound Sword Sect had a head-on clash with a group of Yao Beasts at 'Luoying Ravine' the day before yesterday. It is said that a Tier 2 Late Stage Yao Beast appeared! Both sides lost quite a few people!"

"More than that! The depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains have recently been covered by demon clouds. It is said that a Demon King is gathering his troops; I'm afraid there is going to be a big move! Several small towns on the border have already begun to migrate inland."

"Qingyun Sect seems to have completely sealed the mountain, with the large Formation fully activated, allowing entry but not exit. It seems they have really been scared out of their wits."

"Our Black Water Swamp is not peaceful either. A few days ago, at 'Poison Dragon Pool,' the 'Poison Lady' and 'Black Tiger' factions fought over a newly discovered micro-Spiritual Vein, completely tearing their faces off. Dozens of people died, and they are still in a standoff now."

"Sigh, this world is getting harder and harder to get by in. I heard that some lone Foundation Establishment Seniors have already started to head south to 'Liuyun City' or east to 'Ancient Sword City'. After all, those are the hinterlands of the Human Race, with Golden Core Immortal Masters sitting in town, which is safer."

"Liuyun City? Ancient Sword City? Those are big cities with high consumption and many rules. It's not easy to gain a foothold without some ability."

The information was mixed and messy, but Ye Qing extracted the key points.

The conflict between humans and demons has escalated, with suspected Demon King-level existences active, and the clouds of a great war are gathering.

Internal power struggles within the Black Water Swamp have intensified, and the competition for resources has become more bloody.

Some high-level Loose Cultivators have begun to migrate to safer and more prosperous major Human Race cities.

"Liuyun City... Ancient Sword City..." Ye Qing silently noted these two names. These two cities were two relatively large immortal cities controlled by Human Race forces near the Cangyun Mountain Range, each with Golden Core Cultivators guarding them. The order was relatively good, and resources were more abundant, suitable for Cultivators above Foundation Establishment to operate. Perhaps, these were the destinations for his next stop.

He was pondering when, suddenly, an obscure but powerful Divine Sense swept across a certain place in the market, seemingly probing for something. When it passed over the tea house, it paused slightly.

Ye Qing felt a chill in his heart and immediately restrained his aura to the extreme. The "Void Dao Seed" fluctuated slightly, lowering his sense of existence to the minimum, as if he had merged with the tables, chairs, and the air.

That Divine Sense did not linger and soon moved away, probing towards the depths of the swamp.

"Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, or even Late Stage... What are they searching for? Is it someone from the previous Secret Market? Or is it because of the Rotten Bone Forest and the moonlight jade tree?"

Ye Qing was vigilant in his heart, calmly finished the tea in the cup, left a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, got up and left the tea house. He did not enter Blackwater Market but flew rapidly towards the southeast.

The direction was precisely away from the Black Water Swamp, leading to the wider world—Liuyun City.

Develop steadily, do not stand under a dangerous wall.

Since the storm here was rising and the undercurrents were surging, and there was a more suitable place to go, he would leave with the trend.

The Loose Cultivator journey of Foundation Establishment Cultivator Ye Qing would turn from this familiar swamp to a broader stage.

Inside his body, in the one-hundred-and-fifty-zhang cave heaven, the moon essence and stars shone, Chaos flowed, and vitality was infinite.

The road ahead was long, and his Dao Heart was even firmer.