50: Chapter 50 The Spiritual Source of the Cave Heaven

The hustle and bustle of the first day of the Mineral Exhibition Fair settled into the twilight, and the silhouette of Sunset Town was enveloped in a layer of pale gold Spiritual Qi.

After Lin Yue finished handling the closing affairs of the market, he did not return to the ancestral hall but walked straight toward his own courtyard—

The Blood Shadow Tower assassin captured today had been sent into the Grotto-Heaven to serve as "new nourishment" for the World Tree.

He had to personally confirm the operational status of this "mobile spiritual power source."

The moment Lin Yue stepped into the Grotto-Heaven, the dense Spiritual Qi almost condensed into substance, a hundred times purer than the outside world; as he inhaled it into his lungs, even his Meridians felt a slight tingling sensation.

Lin Yue raised his hand to brush aside the stray hairs at his temples, his gaze immediately turning toward the World Tree at the center of the Grotto-Heaven—

The trunk was half a finger thicker than yesterday, and the golden-red spiritual patterns among the branches and leaves flowed more actively, clearly having begun to absorb new spiritual power.

Within the Binding Formation beneath the tree, five figures sat cross-legged in a circle, each person's wrists locked to the formation eye by spiritual power chains.

Densely packed Spirit-Guiding Runes were engraved on the chains, continuously directing their spiritual power toward the root system of the World Tree.

The newly added Blood Shadow Tower assassin was placed on the easternmost side; the spiritual power fluctuations around him were the most violent, stretching the chains taut.

Every time spiritual power was drawn away, his entire body trembled violently, his eyes filled with humiliation and rage.

“Clan Leader Lin.”

The Tall, Thin Cultivator closest to the formation eye was the first to speak, his voice carrying a hint of weakness, yet unable to hide his awe.

“This Blood Shadow Tower fellow's spiritual power is quite overbearing; in half a day, he has funneled nearly ten points of spiritual power to the World Tree, more than any one of the four of us.”

Nearly half of the spiritual power in his body had been drained, making his face as pale as paper, yet his eyes were much clearer than when he was first captured—

Being forced to output spiritual power long-term had instead allowed him to break free from the erosion of the Bone-Corroding Art on his mind.

Lin Yue walked to the edge of the formation and lightly touched the spirit-iron chains; the runes immediately lit up, clearly displaying the spiritual power output data of the five individuals:

Tall, Thin Cultivator: 12 points/day; Fat Cultivator: 8 points/day; Scrawny Cultivator: 10 points/day; Young Messenger: 15 points/day; and the Blood Shadow Tower assassin: as high as 30 points/day.

“Not bad. As expected of a Middle Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.”

He nodded slightly.

“This is the value of your existence—”

“Using your spiritual power to nourish the World Tree to atone for the killings you committed in the past.”

Hearing this, the Blood Shadow Tower assassin suddenly looked up and said through gritted teeth:

“Wishful thinking!”

“How could the spiritual power of a Blood Shadow Tower Cultivator be used to raise this broken tree?”

“Once I break free from these bonds, I will certainly tear you into ten thousand pieces!”

He tried to circulate his Cultivation Technique to resist, only to be violently repelled by the counter-runes on the chains.

A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the formation ground, which instead increased the spirit-guiding efficiency of the chains by a bit.

“Save your strength,”

the Fat Cultivator said, panting heavily.

“These chains are generated by the World Tree's power of laws; the more you resist, the harder they drain you.”

“I tried it once a few days ago and was forcefully drained of thirty percent of my spiritual power; I had to lie down for two days before recovering.”

He had learned his lesson now, obediently outputting spiritual power through the chains; although weak, he avoided the pain of backlash.

Lin Yue ignored the assassin's shouting and turned toward the spiritual fields on the eastern plains.

Moonlight spilled over the field ridges, where the low-grade Spiritual Plants sown during the day had already sprouted.

The leaves shimmered with a lustrous glow under the nourishment of spiritual power—

The spiritual power absorbed by the World Tree was not only used for its own growth but would also dissipate to all parts of the Grotto-Heaven, with the spiritual fields being the greatest beneficiary.

In the irrigation channels beside the fields, spirit river water flowed slowly, with fallen leaves from the World Tree floating on the surface; each leaf released a faint Spiritual Qi, acting like natural fertilizer.

“At this rate, these Spiritual Plants will be mature within three days.”

Lin Yue crouched down, his fingertips brushing over the grass leaves, clearly feeling the spiritual power contained within.

“By then, they can be distributed to the clan's alchemy room, enough to refine over a hundred low-grade Medicinal Pills.”

By the bank of the Spirit River, several Spirit Stream Fish were chasing spiritual power bubbles, their bellies shimmering with a faint golden light—

This was the result of long-term absorption of dissipated spiritual power.

Lin Yue remembered what Lin Zhong had said: the meat of the Spirit Stream Fish was ten times more delicious than that of the outside world.

The spiritual power it contained was also gentler, making it an excellent product for Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators to replenish their physical strength.

He took out a fishing net, caught the two largest fish, washed them with spirit river water, and planned to take them back to the ancestral hall to provide an extra meal for the guards on duty.

When he reached the central mountain range, the miner Puppets generated by the Grotto-Heaven's power of laws were still tirelessly mining the dragon pattern jade ore vein.

The "clink-clank" of stone-chiseling echoed through the valley.

At the entrance of the mine, over ten freshly mined pieces of dragon pattern jade were piled up, their stone texture warm and moist, emitting a faint glow under the moonlight.

Lin Yue picked up a piece and could feel the power within that nourished the Divine Soul—

This was the resonance effect created between the jade and the World Tree's spiritual power after it dissipated into the ore vein; the quality had improved once again compared to yesterday.

“Once I have saved up fifty catties, I will carve a jade pendant for each of the children in the Merit Hall.”

He placed the dragon pattern jade back in its original spot, calculating in his mind.

“With these jade pendants to assist them, they will be able to avoid many detours during their Cultivation.”

When he returned to the World Tree, the Blood Shadow Tower assassin's spiritual power output had dropped to 25 points/day, clearly due to physical exhaustion.

Seeing this, the Tall, Thin Cultivator took the initiative to speed up his spiritual power circulation:

“Clan Chief, the four of us can take on a larger share to ensure the World Tree's absorption amount does not decrease.”

He had now bound his own state to the growth of the World Tree; the more lushly the tree grew,

the denser the Grotto-Heaven's Spiritual Qi became. Although they, as "spiritual power sources," were being drained of spiritual power,

they could recover faster in the high-concentration Spiritual Qi, which could be considered a peculiar balance.

Lin Yue nodded:

“Don't force yourselves; just maintain stability.”

He walked to the roots of the World Tree, where the newly condensed Spirit Marrow Crystals were a size larger than during the day, shimmering with a lustrous glow.

His fingertips lightly touched the crystal, and a surge of pure spiritual power flowed through his fingertips into his Dantian, instantly smoothing away the fatigue from days of hard work—

This was the feedback from the World Tree; the more spiritual power it absorbed, the higher the quality of the condensed Spirit Marrow Crystals.

“At today's absorption rate, in another seven days, the World Tree's spiritual patterns will be able to cover the entire Grotto-Heaven continent.”

Lin Yue felt the abundant spiritual power within his body, and his heart felt at ease.

“By then, the gestation speed of the spiritual fields and the yield of the Spirit River will all reach a new level.”

Just then, the transmission talisman suddenly vibrated slightly; it was a message from Lin Hu:

“Clan Chief, a suspicious figure has been discovered on the west side of the market, suspected to be a scout from the Blood Shadow Tower.”

Lin Yue's eyes narrowed, and he took one last look at the spiritual power Binding Formation—

The five people were still stably outputting spiritual power, and the leaves of the World Tree swayed gently in the night breeze, as if whispering.

With a thought, he left the Grotto-Heaven, having already made a decision:

The more anxious the Blood Shadow Tower was to rescue him, the more it proved the importance of this assassin.

No matter what, he had to protect this "mobile spiritual power source."

When he returned to Sunset Town, the night was deep, and the Cultivators of the Sharp Soldiers Camp had already set up hidden sentries around the market; their dark figures were hidden in the shadows like crouching leopards.

Lin Hu stepped forward quickly to meet him:

“Clan Chief, that scout is quite skilled; he is an Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He avoided the visible sentries but was discovered by the hidden sentries' warning formation. After I captured him, he was locked in the cellar.”

“Mhm, good work. Go down and rest first; I will handle it.”

Lin Yue spoke concisely, thinking to himself:

“Another free laborer. One more person means one more portion of spiritual power.”

Lin Hu was stunned for a moment, then reacted, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes:

“Yes!”

In the cellar, the captured scout was struggling incessantly, cursing and swearing.

Lin Yue stepped forward and, without giving him a chance to say more, directly activated his power to send him into the Grotto-Heaven.

The five people within the spiritual power Binding Formation heard the commotion and looked up one after another.

When they saw another "companion" being locked by the chains, the Tall, Thin Cultivator couldn't help but laugh:

“It seems the Blood Shadow Tower thinks our spiritual power isn't enough and has specially sent reinforcements.”

While the new scout was still roaring, the Spirit-Guiding Runes had already begun to operate, drawing his spiritual power toward the World Tree.

The World Tree seemed to sense the new spiritual power source; its branches and leaves trembled slightly, and the golden-red spiritual patterns instantly brightened a bit.

Lin Yue stood outside the formation, watching the six "mobile spiritual power sources" operate stably, his heart filled with peace.

Although the Blood Shadow Tower's harassment was annoying, it had inadvertently provided a boost to the growth of the World Tree.

He knew that as long as this Grotto-Heaven continued to grow, the Foundation of Sunset Town would become increasingly solid, standing firm no matter what storms it faced.

As the night deepened, the lights of Sunset Town went out one by one, with only the lights of the ancestral hall still burning.

Lin Cang was leading the Clan Elders to check tomorrow's guard schedule.