Da Xuan Martial Saint

He put away the Evil-Breaking Thunder Spear.

Chen Mu once again leaped into the pool, vanishing within this stone cave.

He retraced his steps on the way back, passing the previous water cavern, but the trace of the black water demon snake was nowhere to be seen.

"There are indeed many demons that breed within the earth's veins."

Chen Mu's gaze carefully swept over his surroundings; finding no trace of the black water demon snake, he decided to let it be for the moment. After all, if a fifth-rank demon appeared on the surface, the harm it could cause would be severe, as martial artists below the Five Viscera Realm would struggle to resist it.

But this black water demon snake, appearing in such deep underground, may not necessarily run to the surface.

Whoosh.

Chen Mu made his way back along the narrow water channel.

In the underground cavern, numerous passages branched out in every direction. However, for a martial artist of his level, losing his way and being trapped to death wasn't a concern; he could easily return along the routes he'd passed.

Earlier, carving through the rock wall had taken far too much time. Although the shattered earth's veins were unlikely to heal quickly, he still needed to check again soon to ensure all was secure else getting trapped underground would be a serious predicament.

Moments later.

Chen Mu shuttled through the stone cave and finally returned to the water marsh above. However, he did not surface; instead, he checked the nearby broken earth's veins. Estimating that they would still need some time to recover, he once again dove into the water.

He returned to the stone cave where Meng Danyun had been previously surrounded, but the cave was empty and desolate, with no sign of Meng Danyun or the several Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion stewards.

"Han Guang was killed by me, and that assassin from Blood Hidden Pavilion was seriously hurt. With Senior Sister Meng's Kan Water Artistic Conception skills, she should have been able to retreat easily. She's probably fine, but I have no idea where she's gone after all this time."

Chen Mu pondered.

He tried to sense the fluctuations in the water flow, but it was beyond his capability. After mastering the Xun Wind Artistic Conception, he should have practiced the Kan Water Artistic Conception next. Yet by some twist of fate, he acquired the Gen Mountain Diagram at the He Family and obtained an Earth Element Pearl, so he began to cultivate the Gen Mountain Artistic Conception first.

If he now had mastery of the Kan Water Artistic Conception, he would have been more at ease within this cavern.

However, life is unpredictable, and if the cavern weren't flooded, then the Gen Mountain Artistic Conception would be more useful. To be prepared for all changes in the weather and terrain, one must master all the Qiankun Eight Phases.

In any case, after returning from this trip, he would still follow the original plan, step by step. He would first advance the Gen Mountain Artistic Conception to the second phase, then cultivate the Kan Water Artistic Conception. Though, more likely, he would visit the Seven Profound Sect to attempt Qian Heaven first.

Whoosh!

The surging waters stirred, and Chen Mu's figure disappeared from the cave once more.

…

Elsewhere in the underground cavern.

This place was also a stone cave, but it was filled with pitch-black mud. Suddenly, the mud bulged, and a figure emerged, shaking slightly, causing the black mud to scatter and fall off.

Meng Danyun looked at the palm-sized, black-colored pearl with a faint gleam in her hand, a hint of joy on her face.

This was a Yuan Female Earth Pearl, only produced deep within the mud of earth's veins. Its effect was not just to nourish Qi-Blood and enhance cultivation for those in the Five Viscera Realm, but it also had rejuvenating properties for women, making it extremely valuable. It was worth the long search through such a large patch of mud.

After escaping earlier, she relied on her sense through the Kan Water Artistic Conception and tracked the badly wounded assassin from Blood Hidden Pavilion, eventually slaying him with her sword. However, she couldn't find the three Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion stewards who had fled in different directions.

As for Chen Mu, needless to say, chasing after Han Guang, she had no idea where he had gone; the cavern was complex and labyrinthine with passages going every which way. Even if her Kan Water Artistic Conception were at the second phase, she wouldn't be able to sense every trace within such a complex terrain—that would not be a martial artist but a deity.

Perhaps,

If one's Artistic Conception reached the third phase, then it would be possible to sense all traces and fluctuations within such an intricate cavern. However, reaching the third phase of Artistic Conception is immensely difficult; not only for her as a true disciple in the Five Viscera Realm, but even for a Martial Arts Grandmaster who has reached the Marrow Cleansing Realm of Body Refining, not everyone can achieve the third phase of Artistic Conception.

The gulf between the third and the second phase of Artistic Conception is even wider than between the second and first phase—it's like the difference between heaven and earth. Although it seems just one step away, the actual distance is vast and incredibly remote.

After discerning a direction,

Meng Danyun pocketed the Yuan Female Earth Pearl and continued her exploration.

Following the water channel deeper into the cave system, after several twists and turns, her gaze suddenly shifted, faintly sensing something unusual, and revealed a slight look of surprise.

"This feeling is... "

She indistinctly sensed that if she followed this waterway to its end, she seemed to leave the water's surface.

But this place should still be deep underground.

Meng Danyun's thoughts flashed by, realizing she must have encountered one of the rare air pockets in the underground cavern, not completely submerged by water, so she immediately set off forward, traveling along an upward-sloping waterway.

Eventually, like a fish, she burst forth from a pool of water in one swift motion.

However, almost the instant she emerged from the water, a beam of blood light burst forth from the dark shadows, launching an attack towards her—an attack she was all too familiar with, without a doubt, it was another figure from Blood Hidden Pavilion.

"Persistence of an ominous shadow."

A glint of coldness flashed in Meng Danyun's eyes as she swung her Silver Water Sword, blocking the approaching blood light. At the same time, the surface of the pool beneath her feet exploded, and torrents of water surged forth, forming several powerful streams that plunged forward.

But after the blood light missed its mark, the figure retreated at once, disappearing back into the darkness, causing Meng Danyun's counterattack to miss completely. Whether it was in technique or movement, this assailant was much more skilled than the Blood Hidden Pavilion steward who had been struck by Chen Mu and pursued to death by her. However, it was unclear whether this was a true disciple of Blood Hidden Pavilion.

Although Blood Hidden Pavilion is known to have its pavilions above ground, information about its interior has always been scarce. From the master of Blood Hidden Pavilion, who all the Great Sects of the Northern Land greatly fear, down to an ordinary assassin within its ranks, their true names were unknown. Their attire consisted of black robes and a Blood Concealment mask, and unless they were killed, one often couldn't see their true face.

However.

At this moment, Meng Danyun's attention wasn't entirely on the assassin from Blood Hidden Pavilion; instead, she looked toward the distance and saw a quiet pool tens of meters away. In the very center of the pool grew a green lotus pod.
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"Earthly Green Lotus?"

Upon seeing the green lotus pod, Meng Danyun was immediately moved.

Earthly Green Lotus!

One of the extremely rare Heaven and Earth Spiritual Items in the world!

According to the records, it could only grow in the depths of Earth's Veins and would take hundreds to thousands of years to mature. Once matured, consuming a single lotus seed could open the barriers of the Mysterious Pass and enhance the understanding of the Power of Heaven and Earth.

The process of a martial artist's cultivation, regardless of the Artistic Conception, is about deepening the use of the Power of Heaven and Earth. But from birth, a thick 'Spiritual Barrier'—also known as the body's 'Mysterious Pass'—separates people from Heaven and Earth.

Only by reaching the Five Viscera Realm, forming an Inner Breath cycle, can one initially open a gap to the external world. Advancing into the Marrow Cleansing Realm will truly break through that barrier, allowing unobstructed contact with Heaven and Earth.

The seeds of the Earthly Green Lotus, however, are among the very few Heaven and Earth Spiritual Items that can temporarily open the 'Spiritual Barrier', even before the Mysterious Pass has been breached. Although the effect is brief, it is of immense help in understanding the Artistic Conception and perceiving the Power of Heaven and Earth.

Now.

Her understanding of the Kan Water Artistic Conception had already encountered little obstruction; with a period of seclusion upon her return, she was bound to step into the second phase. However, the Xun Wind Artistic Conception was not so easy to grasp.

But with the aid of the Earthly Green Lotus Seed, she was confident that she could bring the Xun Wind Artistic Conception to the second step in a short amount of time. She could even attempt the third Artistic Conception. If she manages to reach the second step of all three Artistic Conceptions before entering the Six Viscera Realm, the benefits would be numerous, and her path in Martial Arts would be significantly broader.

"Gu Hong, Hua Nongying..."

Meng Danyun did not rush towards the Earthly Green Lotus immediately but calmly shifted her gaze towards its side, where two figures were fiercely battling—none other than Heavenly Sword Sect's True Disciple Gu Hong and Hehuan Sect's Hua Nongying!

And the strength these two displayed at that moment deeply focused her attention.

One could see.

Gu Hong stood there with an indifferent look in his eyes, his body immobile, his limbs unmoved. Yet from the void, one sword Qi after another, condensed from Yuan Gang, kept firing and assailing Hua Nongying.

To her sensing, each strand of this Sword Qi was extremely terrifying, with extraordinary power.

"This is the formless Sword Qi of Heart Sword Artistic Conception, but this power... has his Heart Sword Artistic Conception advanced to the second step?"

Meng Danyun's gaze was exceptionally serious.

Although her own understanding of the Kan Water Artistic Conception only required a bit more cultivation in seclusion to break through to the second step, the Kan Water Artistic Conception, after all, was one of the most complete systems among the Qiankun Eight Phases today. It represented one of nature's true essences, making it inherently easier to touch and comprehend than ethereal Artistic Conceptions like 'Heart Sword' or 'Blood Fiend.' The difficulty in advancing to the second step was entirely different.

If Gu Hong could advance his Heart Sword Artistic Conception to the second step, his standing among the True Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect would surely climb significantly, and even if he couldn't catch up to Zuo Qianqiu, he would at least rise from the bottom to the middle or upper echelons.

As for Hua Nongying, though on the defensive, she was able to withstand Gu Hong's second-step formless Sword Qi of the Heart Sword!

While her entire being was enveloped by an enchanting Artistic Conception of 'pleasure,' with the waving of her sleeves, strands of chilling cold spread out, seemingly dropping the temperature within the entire Underground Cavern. The pool kept sending up streams of water that solidified into ice crystals in the air, colliding with Gu Hong's formless Sword Qi and shattering into fragments.