Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 352: Nine-Leaf Star Grass Vanishes

The ice path was narrow and steep, with slippery ice underfoot. The ice walls on both sides radiated a bone-chilling cold. The faint light emitted by the bits of Ore could only barely illuminate a few steps ahead; further on was a thick, impenetrable darkness. Fang Hao did not dare to be careless. His Divine Sense extended forward cautiously like tentacles, while he channeled a trace of Chaos Spiritual Power to the soles of his feet to firmly grip the ice surface, moving downward step by step.

The further down he went, the heavier the chill became, and his breath instantly condensed into white frost. Yet, within this chill, there was also a refreshing aura that lifted one’s spirits, carrying a faint Power of the Stars that seemed to come from beyond the Nine Heavens.

"This Spiritual Qi indeed contains the Power of the Stars; the records in the scroll were not false." Fang Hao felt slightly more settled, but his vigilance did not decrease. The Immortal Caves of ancient Cultivators were often filled with mechanisms and hidden killing intent; he did not want to fail in such an unexpected place.

The ice path seemed endless, winding downward and occasionally branching off. Relying on his vague sense of the concentration of the Power of the Stars, Fang Hao chose the direction where the refreshing aura was most potent. After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the path suddenly opened up.

He stepped out of the ice path and entered a massive cavern composed entirely of ice crystals. This cavern was about dozens of zhang in diameter, with countless crystal-clear icicles hanging from the ceiling, some even reaching the ground to form ice pillars. In the center of the cavern was a small, milky-white cold pool. The water did not freeze and emitted wisps of cold air. On the surface of the pool, there were actually specks of starlight flickering, as if a miniature starry sky had been placed inside the pool.

"Stellar Cold Pool?" Fang Hao’s eyes lit up. This kind of cold pool, formed by the Fusion of pure Power of the Stars and ten-thousand-year ice energy, was an excellent place for nourishing certain special Spirit Medicines. The nine-leaf star grass might just be nearby!

He immediately began a careful search of the cavern. The cavern was not large and was soon thoroughly investigated. Unfortunately, besides that miraculous cold pool and some Ores on the walls that spontaneously emitted faint light and contained weak Power of the Stars, he found no trace of any Spiritual Plants, let alone the nine-leaf star grass.

"Could it not be here?" Fang Hao frowned slightly, his gaze falling once more upon the Stellar Cold Pool. The water was crystal clear and only about a zhang deep; besides smooth rocks at the bottom, there was nothing else.

Unwilling to give up, he released his Divine Sense again, probing every inch of the cavern’s ice walls, even using Chaos Spiritual Power to sense for hidden secret rooms or Formations. However, he found nothing. This seemed to be a naturally formed ice cave containing the Power of the Stars.

"Strange... the scroll said that nine-leaf star grass might be at the top of Heavenly Pillar Peak. With the Power of the Stars being so dense here, it is the most suitable place for it to grow. How could it not be here?" Fang Hao was somewhat disappointed. The nine-leaf star grass was one of the nine main ingredients for the nascent soul forming pill; without it, the pill could not be refined.

He walked to the edge of the cold pool and scooped up a handful of water. The pool water was bone-chillingly cold, but the pure Power of the Stars it contained refreshed his spirit. This water would be of great benefit for Cultivating certain special Cultivation Techniques, tempering Magic Treasures, or nourishing the Divine Soul.

"I can’t leave empty-handed." Fang Hao took out several jade bottles, filled them to the brim with the water from the Stellar Cold Pool, and stored them in his storage ring. Whether he used it himself or sold it, this water was a valuable item.

After storing the water, Fang Hao turned his gaze toward another direction in the cavern. There was a deeper, downward-sloping passage that led to an unknown destination. At the entrance of the passage, the chill was even more piercing, and the faint sound of wind could be heard.

"Could the Immortal Cave be even further down?" Fang Hao looked at the cold pool and then at the dark passage. He hadn’t found the nine-leaf star grass, but since he was already here, he couldn’t return empty-handed. The clues regarding the Tian Zhu True Persons Mansion and the ten-thousand-year star wood were even more attractive to him.

After a moment’s hesitation, he walked toward that passage. Since he had already come inside, he naturally had to investigate thoroughly.

This passage was even more difficult to traverse than the previous ice path. Not only was it steep and slippery, but natural patterns resembling runes began to appear on the ice walls on both sides. These patterns were not carved by man but seemed to have formed naturally over long ages under the influence of some special force field. However, they faintly formed a natural Formation, causing the pressure within the passage to increase sharply and the cold air to become more corrosive, making his protective spiritual light emit a "sizzling" sound.

Fang Hao had to increase his spiritual power output, with a faint platinum light flowing over his body to resist the chill and pressure. He walked very slowly and carefully, fearing he might trigger some unknown Restriction.

After descending for about another half-hour, light appeared ahead once more. This time, it was no longer the faint reflection from ice crystals, but a soft, cold glow like moonlight.

Fang Hao quickened his pace and stepped out of the passage. The sight before him made him catch his breath.

This was an even more massive ice grotto, spanning hundreds of zhang! The dome of the grotto was extremely high, and above it was not rock, but a deep scene like a real night sky, with "stars" flickering and casting a cold starlight that illuminated the entire grotto. This was not a real starry sky but an extremely sophisticated illusion formed by the natural terrain and Formations, or rather, a projection that drew upon the actual Power of the Stars!

In the center of the grotto was not a cold pool but a small, ice-sealed jade platform. The jade platform was crystal clear, and one could vaguely see something sealed inside. Growing around the jade platform were several strange plants. There was the "Cold Star Grass," entirely icy blue with leaves like ice crystals; the "Star-Vein Vine," with intertwining vines and small star-shaped flowers; and even a few "Ice Soul Stellar Fruit Trees," about a foot tall, with thumb-sized fruits like ice beads at their tips!

These were all rare Spiritual Plants seldom seen in the outside world, which would be of great benefit to Cultivators with star or ice attributes! Their age did not seem low, at least several hundred or even a thousand years old.

However, Fang Hao’s gaze quickly swept over these Spiritual Plants, and his heart sank again. No, there was still no nine-leaf star grass! Although these plants were precious, none were the main ingredient he urgently needed.

His gaze finally locked onto the deepest part of the grotto, onto a massive ice wall as smooth as a mirror and hundreds of zhang high.

The ice wall was not naturally formed; it was carved with complex and ancient patterns of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers, as well as some runes he could not understand. In the very center of the ice wall, about ten zhang above the ground, was a distinct portal-shaped indentation. Around the indentation were five distinct grooves, arranged exactly like the ones on the platform outside!

"The entrance to the Immortal Cave!" Fang Hao’s heart raced. This was the true entrance to the Tian Zhu True Persons Mansion! The one outside might have just been a peripheral barrier or a test.

He approached the ice wall and looked up at the tightly closed, ice-sealed "door." There was no keyhole on the door, only those five grooves. It seemed he had to collect five of those Black Tokens and insert them into the grooves to open this door.

Fang Hao tried taking out the Black Token again. As soon as the token appeared, it seemed to resonate with the ice wall, vibrating slightly and emitting a faint dark light. The corresponding groove on the ice wall also lit up with a faint starlight.

But that was all. With only one token, he couldn’t possibly open this door. The other four grooves remained dark.

Fang Hao tried using Chaos Spiritual Power to strike the ice wall or search for other possible mechanisms. As a result, the ice wall remained motionless, being unimaginably sturdy. His attacks hitting it didn’t even chip off a single flake of ice. His Divine Sense was also completely blocked, unable to penetrate behind the ice wall at all.

"It seems I can’t enter without collecting all five tokens." Fang Hao felt somewhat helpless. The Restrictions set by this ancient Cultivator were far too strict.

He stepped back a few paces and scanned the entire grotto once more. Starlight flowed, Spirit Medicines were everywhere, and the ice-sealed jade platform in the center also exuded mystery. This was an excellent cultivation treasure land; the Power of the Stars was so dense it was almost tangible and exceptionally pure. If one were to Cultivate star or ice attribute Cultivation Techniques here, it would surely yield twice the result with half the effort.

"Although there is no nine-leaf star grass, the Power of the Stars and these Spirit Medicines here are also a rare Opportunity. And this ice-sealed jade platform..." Fang Hao walked to the jade platform. It was sealed by thick Profound Ice, making it impossible to see exactly what was inside, but he could feel that the sealed object emitted an even more ancient and pure stellar fluctuation, and even... carried a faint aura of life?

"Could there be a living creature sealed inside? Or some kind of natural spiritual treasure?" Curious, Fang Hao tried to use the Earthly Fiend Golden Flame to melt the Profound Ice. However, this Profound Ice had existed for an unknown number of years and was exceptionally hard; it even seemed to absorb heat. When the Earthly Fiend Golden Flame burned against it, the melting speed was agonizingly slow. At this rate, it wouldn’t melt even after a year or more.

"Forget it, I’ll deal with it later." Fang Hao abandoned this thankless idea. The priority now was to find the nine-leaf star grass and refine the nascent soul forming pill.

He turned his gaze toward the Spirit Medicines growing in the grotto. Although none were the main ingredient, they were of great age and full of medicinal power, making them excellent for trading for other resources or aiding cultivation. Especially those few Ice Soul Stellar Fruits, which condensed pure ice attributes and Power of the Stars, would be of great benefit for tempering his Physical Body and consolidating his cultivation.

Fang Hao did not hold back. He took out his jade shovel and jade boxes and began to carefully harvest these Spirit Medicines, leaving behind some seedlings and roots so they could continue to grow. He also picked over a dozen Ice Soul Stellar Fruits and sealed them in jade boxes.

After finishing all this, the Power of the Stars in the grotto seemed to dim slightly, but it was still dense.

Fang Hao took one last look at the closed ice door and the ice-sealed jade platform, firmly etching this location into his memory. He would return to the Tian Zhu True Persons Mansion and for the ten-thousand-year star wood sooner or later.

"The nine-leaf star grass is not here. Does it really only grow at the peak and not inside the Immortal Cave?" Filled with doubt, Fang Hao returned the way he came. When he passed the Stellar Cold Pool, he paused for a moment, always feeling that this pool was not as simple as it seemed, but with his current knowledge and means, he couldn’t see any more mysteries.

Returning to the entrance of the ice path, the opening had already disappeared, and the ice wall had returned to its original state. Fang Hao tried again with the token; the ice wall vibrated, and the opening reappeared. It seemed this token was not only a key but also controlled the opening of this temporary entrance.

Stepping out of the opening, the outside was still filled with biting cold winds and snow. Fang Hao stood on the platform, looking up at the summit shrouded in clouds, mist, and snow.

"The nine-leaf star grass grows by absorbing the Power of the Stars... This summit of Heavenly Pillar Peak is the place closest to the stars. Perhaps..." A look of determination flashed in Fang Hao’s eyes. Since he was already here, he wouldn’t be satisfied without reaching the top to see for himself.

He took a deep breath and, braving the skin-piercing gales and bone-chilling cold, began the arduous climb once more. This time, the goal was the true absolute peak of Heavenly Pillar Peak!