Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chen Mu's perception might not match a Celestial Human's level, but it was still a flight of fancy to think one could spirit away the Xunmu Spirit Liquid right under his nose. In a short moment, he had nearly wiped out all the fleeing Spirit People who had tried to escape with the liquid.

In total, he gathered about fifty-three catties of Xunmu Spirit Liquid.

"Elder Chen."

At this time, Fang Yuan approached with a smile, holding up a wooden long bottle, and said, "These Spirit People thought they could escape with the Spiritual Liquid, but it wasn't so easy. I caught one, and in here there's a full thirteen catties of Xunmu Spirit Liquid..."

Fang Yuan said this as he handed over the wooden long bottle to Chen Mu without any intention of keeping it for himself.

It's not that he had no greed for the bottle of Xunmu Spirit Liquid, but he was a smart man who knew when he could afford to be greedy and when he couldn't. For now, safely traveling with Chen Mu provided a degree of security, so he couldn't expect to reap any rewards, especially since Chen Mu had breached this large settlement on his own, having little to do with Fang Yuan.

The only contribution he could claim was leading the way, which wasn't enough to justify a share of the Xunmu Spirit Liquid.

Chen Mu reached out to take the wooden long bottle, weighed it slightly, and indeed there were fully thirteen catties of Xunmu Spirit Liquid inside. He also sensed that Fang Yuan had not held any back; this was the last share.

That is to say, this large settlement had contained a total of sixty-six catties of Xunmu Spirit Liquid, which was slightly less than the previous large settlement, but still roughly the same, immediately bringing his remaining Xunmu Spirit Liquid to over a hundred catties.

"I wonder what Grandmaster Fang seeks in Xunmu Cave Heaven?"

After taking the bottle of Xunmu Spirit Liquid, Chen Mu casually asked Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan smiled and replied, "There is a Body Tempering Prescription that requires Xunmu Spirit Liquid as one of the main ingredients. However, the amount needed is not large, just three catties would suffice. I've already gathered some previously and am not far short now."

After hearing this, Chen Mu pondered briefly, then with a wave of his hand, he separated about three catties of Xunmu Spirit Liquid from the long bottle, which flew towards Fang Yuan as he said, "Grandmaster Fang has troubled himself to guide the way; please keep these for your use."

Fang Yuan repeatedly waved his hands, saying, "Guiding the way is merely a small effort, and I will still rely on Elder Chen for safety."

He had already collected some Xunmu Spirit Liquid before, lacking only a small amount. As long as he could leave Xunmu Cave Heaven safely, he would be able to acquire more, more or less, which would be sufficient. Therefore, he preferred not to take even a fraction from Chen Mu.

"As fellow clan members, we should assist each other. If Grandmaster Fang is concerned about safety, then continue to travel with me."

Upon hearing Fang Yuan's words, Chen Mu unceremoniously took back the Xunmu Spirit Liquid.

Having breached a large settlement, neither Ling Huan nor Ling Ji, the old and new Spirit Ancestors, had shown up. That meant that they either weren't present or didn't plan to take action against him, or perhaps they found it more assured to attack other teams, which was also good news for him.

Although he did not fear these two Spirit Ancestors, if they continued to entangle him, it would significantly slow down his collection of Xunmu Spirit Liquid. If they persisted for a month or two, his subsequent gains could be negligible, making it difficult to gather the required amount of Xunmu Spirit Liquid to refine the Qiankun Martial Body to its limit, and he would have to continue searching after leaving Xunmu Cave Heaven.

"I shall scout the path for Elder Chen."

Fang Yuan said with earnest, his tone also carrying a hint of respect.

He didn't feel out of place at all. Although he was nearly three times Chen Mu's age, in this world, strength was always what commanded respect. If Chen Mu of Ice State Abyss could barely qualify for a title of 'Supreme', then the strength Chen Mu now demonstrated was undoubtedly on par with any Blood Exchange Realm, far above any Grandmaster.

Strength was the measure of status, and though he was much older and senior to Chen Mu, it was perfectly natural to honor Chen Mu's superiority.

"Let's go."

Chen Mu nodded slightly to Fang Yuan and then stepped forward to continue on.

...

Elsewhere.

Dozens of Grandmasters gathered in one place.

These Grandmasters formed three different teams; one team was led by Jiang Han, another by Yan Hong, and the last was led by Hong Shida and Grandmaster Zong Gang, two peerless Grandmasters.

Among the three groups, the one led by Hong Shida and Grandmaster Zong Gang had the fewest Grandmasters, only eleven. This was a reflection of their confidence as peerless Grandmasters, trusting in their combined strength to retreat from Ling Huan's grasp.

However,

at this moment, both Hong Shida and Grandmaster Zong Gang furrowed their brows frequently.

"Facing a newly risen Spirit Ancestor indeed poses some difficulty," one said.

"With one new Spirit Ancestor already having emerged, who knows if a second will appear," the other pondered.

With their abilities, joining forces against Ling Huan gave them some assurance of safe withdrawal, but facing two Spirit Ancestors would be overreaching, even with nine other Grandmasters, they would be no match, and a total annihilation wasn't out of the question!

Moreover, all intel on the Spirit People Race had suggested that Xunmu Cave Heaven couldn't sustain someone of Blood Exchange Realm, and Ling Huan had barely stepped into that level. The entire Spirit People Race was only supposed to have one Spirit Ancestor, but now it seemed that estimation was wrong. If two Spirit Ancestors could indeed emerge, then perhaps three or four could as well!

Of course, a Spirit Ancestor wasn't as common as cabbage; these beings were on par with the Blood Exchange Realm and didn't arise casually. But the mere possibility added an invisible pressure, weighing heavily on one's heart.