If the Origin Realm's Nascent Soul was the essence tree formed by the condensation of spiritual energy within one's body, then the Saint Realm was like countless Origin-force trees forming an entire forest.
Advancing from the Origin Realm to the Saint Realm was equivalent to a single tree growing into an entire forest.
Within
Given Jiang Chen's aptitude and talent, advancing from the Origin Realm to the Saint Realm was only a matter of natural course—there were no significant obstacles to speak of.
Jiang Chen naturally hadn't forgotten the scene of his breakthrough to the Origin Realm. It had coincided with the alliance ceremony between the Treasure Tree Sect and the Danqian Palace.
While comprehending the Dao beneath the Treasure Tree Sect's Morning Glow Treasure Tree, Jiang Chen had suddenly broken through to the Origin Realm, triggering a cataclysmic upheaval of heaven and earth. The astonishing celestial phenomena left everyone present at the Treasure Tree Sect dumbstruck and speechless for a long time.
Such shocking celestial phenomena were, naturally, completely unheard of.
Fortunately, this time he was within the forbidden grounds of the Danxiao Ancient Sect. In this secret realm, even terrifying celestial phenomena wouldn't alert anyone else.
Within Illusory Wave Mountain, three figures roamed across a low hillside.
These three had just forced their way through a gap in the outer formation of Illusory Wave Mountain. Once inside, they immediately sensed that the interior was a completely different world from the outside.
The second-rank Pill King
The stout Wu Heng was probing everywhere, checking whether Illusory Wave Mountain harbored any hidden formations.
After observing for a while, Cao Jin leaped down from the high ground and approached Wu Heng. "How is it? Are there any hidden offensive formations nearby?"
Wu Heng shook his head. "There aren't many offensive formations in this area. Along the way, I did spot several teleportation arrays. But with the grand formation shut down, the teleportation arrays won't activate either. If we want to get out, we'll have to force our way through the formation."
Cao Jin nodded and turned to Shi Zhen. "Junior Brother Shi Zhen, there's Spirit-Confusing Miasma inside Illusory Wave Mountain. You'll need to make early assessments."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Shi Zhen had been brought along specifically to handle unexpected situations within Illusory Wave Mountain.
Using intelligence from the Three Stars Sect, Cao Jin had made thorough arrangements for everything inside Illusory Wave Mountain. Wu Heng had been recruited to break formations, and Shi Zhen to deal with the Spirit-Confusing Miasma.
The territory of Illusory Wave Mountain was vast. Now that the three had made it inside, they didn't rush. There was no urgency to leave.
Along the way, Shi Zhen frequently sighed in frustration. "The spirit seeds are still here, but the spiritual medicines have been harvested. It seems Illusory Wave Mountain really did contain quite a few good things."
Shi Zhen was a second-rank Pill King who had seen many fine treasures. Yet some of the spirit seeds in Illusory Wave Mountain still managed to astonish him.
"Who would have thought the Myriad Phenomena Domain had such a wonderful place."
The three launched a methodical search throughout Illusory Wave Mountain. Occasionally they found something, but these were all merely True Saint Grade spiritual medicines.
Cao Jin was generous about it and didn't claim any for himself—they were split evenly between Shi Zhen and Wu Heng.
These days, True Saint Grade spiritual medicines held little appeal for Cao Jin. Unless a massive batch appeared.
Like several thousand stalks of Sacred Infant Herb, for instance.
Illusory Wave Mountain was indeed vast. Even though the six great sects had sent in three waves of people, it was impossible to scour every last corner clean.
The three searched the outer regions of Illusory Wave Mountain for many consecutive days, uncovering numerous hidden corners along the way. Their haul turned out to be quite substantial.
All three of them had even managed to acquire Earth Grade spiritual medicines.
After roughly half a month, the three had swept through Illusory Wave Mountain from end to end. There was virtually no place their divine sense hadn't probed.
However, the Jiang Chen they were looking for remained nowhere to be found.
One day, the three arrived before a great waterfall. Cao Jin's face lit up with excitement, yet his expression was also extremely grave. "According to the Three Stars Sect's intelligence, Illusory Wave Mountain has mountains beyond mountains. Our current position is only the main peak—inside, there's an ancient medicinal garden. That ancient garden opens only once every three thousand years. Its entrance is right here, near this great waterfall."
"Right here?" Shi Zhen gazed at the great waterfall, at the dreamlike, illusory waves, and was captivated by the mesmerizing sight.
However, as a second-rank Pill King, Shi Zhen remained extremely vigilant.
After observing the surroundings for a while and confirming there was no danger, he returned to Cao Jin. "Senior Brother Cao, there's no Spirit-Confusing Miasma around this great waterfall."
Cao Jin nodded and glanced at Wu Heng. "Junior Brother Wu, are you confident?"
Wu Heng's expression turned grave. "These formation restrictions are many times stronger than the ones in the outer area. With my abilities, breaking through this formation is almost impossible."
"Not even with the Formation-Splitting Technique?"