As Li Xinnian stepped into the Immortal Grotto-Heaven, a place possessed of a rich and profound heritage, Su Chen was already left tongue-tied.
"This... we've hit the jackpot. We've truly hit the jackpot!"
This was the first time the people of the Azure Cloud had set foot in the Immortal Grotto-Heaven.
Upon entering, the crowd could instantly feel the dense Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth.
Bathed in such spiritual Qi, the towering structures within the Immortal Grotto-Heaven appeared like a fairyland.
Even someone as steady as Li Xinnian could not stop his hands from trembling.
He gazed excitedly at the treasure, which seemed to radiate a golden glow.
"Our family... has struck it rich!!!"
"The days of frugality are finally over!" Nangong Qingya grabbed Li Xinnian's hand, her eyes brimming with tears.
Seeing the couple's reaction, the corners of Su Chen's mouth twitched.
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
"No, Big Brother, you don't understand."
Speaking of this, Li Xinnian almost burst into tears.
Only he knew just how destitute the family had been over the past century.
In order to fund the Void-Soul Exchanging Dao Technique, the family elders had all gone out to earn Spirit Stones and resources, and the family's stockpile of heavenly treasures had been all but exhausted.
Even Grandpa Old Tree... every five years, he had to sacrifice his withered bark to be sold.
The entire population of Merit City had to be provided for; pensions had to be paid for the cultivators sent to their deaths on the Wu Clan Battlefield over the years; and disaster relief had to be issued during years of great calamity...
Li Xinnian had gone so far as to hold grand banquets for the birth of every single grandchild, solely for the purpose of finding an excuse to swindle some gift money from the various clans and sects.
As for the various branch families that had moved out—aside from Yuanshang—the others could only maintain the most basic level of resources.
They, too, were forced to go out and earn resources on their own, and every year they would beg Li Yuanshang for a few Spirit Stones to spend.
Li Xinnian vividly remembered one year when, in order to pay the annual stipends for the family servants, he arrived at the storehouse only to find it completely void of heavenly treasures and Spirit Stones.
To issue the stipends, he had been forced to take the Devil Sect leader kept in the South Sea, and travel tens of thousands of miles to participate in the Wu Clan War, hijacking the supplies escorted by two Wu Clan elders.
These god-forsaken days of hardship were finally over!
"Qingya, go call Grandpa Huang quickly!
Tell him to bring all the family servants here immediately.
Big Brother, go call Heng'er and the others—we cannot overlook a single corner of this Immortal Grotto-Heaven!"
After swiftly arranging the manpower, Li Xinnian, his eyes gleaming, charged forward like a hungry wolf.
And it wasn't just him.
[You have entered the game world...]
...
"Holy shit! Holy shit!"
Li Wei's figure instantly appeared deep underground within the Immortal Grotto-Heaven, right where the Spirit Vein was located.
There, he saw a flood dragon composed entirely of Spirit Stones swimming through the crystalline underground.
It appeared mist-like and was glittering brilliantly.
[Third-Rank Spirit Vein]
[Living Spirit Vein: It has gained sentience and possesses the ability to partially self-produce Spirit Stones.
It feeds on the Qi of Heaven and Earth to generate spiritual energy and produce Spirit Stones.
The Soul of the Spirit Vein nurtures a cultivation base at the peak of the Divinity Transformation realm, acting as a guardian deity of the region and seizing the creative fortunes of Heaven and Earth.
Within the area protected by the Spirit Vein, cultivators below the Golden Core realm will see a 50% increase in the speed at which they gather Spiritual Qi.
Nourished by time, all things within its influence have a chance to gain intelligence, and there is a probability of natural spiritual objects being born.
The growth rate of heavenly treasures is increased by 30%...]
"We hit the jackpot! We really hit the jackpot!"
Never mind everything else—this Third-Rank Spirit Vein alone was enough to ensure the family's prosperity!
He had heard that even the Min Clan—the clan of the Imperial Capital's Grand Preceptor—possessed one.
This was not something one could possess simply by having great strength; it required the accumulation of countless years to form naturally.
It was a supreme treasure that every Immortal Cultivation clan and sect yearned to possess.
And the effects Li Wei saw on the panel were merely one-tenth of the reality.
"Heh... hehehe..."
Rising from the underground, Li Wei wiped a trail of drool from his mouth.
From this moment on, the Old Li Family had thoroughly escaped poverty and struck it rich.
Immediately, Li Wei couldn't wait to dart around the entire Immortal Grotto-Heaven.
Treasures.
They were all treasures!
The rockeries by the roadside were common artifacts, and even the bricks paving the ground in one area provided benefits to cultivators.
It wasn't until he reached a lake that a pink tree caught his eye.
That giant tree was at the early Divinity Transformation stage—it was a Spirit Plant.
With the demise of the Immortal Zhao Clan, the giant tree was trembling in fear.
Li Wei raised a brow slightly; a spiritual plant of this caliber was a treasure of immense value.
"It's pink. Now I can finally find a wife for the Old Tree..."
No sooner had the words left his lips than the leaves of the giant tree trembled, and a rough, gruff voice rang out.
Likely sensing that outsiders had intruded into the Immortal Grotto-Heaven, it panicked, transformed into a young man, and attempted to flee.
"...It's a male..."
[Cloud Peach Demon Venerable]
[Realm: Early Divinity Transformation]
[Nourished by the Spirit Vein of Heaven and Earth, it became a demon, taking 120,000 years to reach the Divinity Transformation realm.
Its peach branches can serve as Fifth-Rank Spirit Materials; they are tough in texture and can repel evil spirits.
Every hundred years, it produces thirty drops of Cloud Peach Spirit Liquid.
If consumed by cultivators below the Divinity Transformation realm, it strengthens the meridians and constitution, granting the protection of the Cloud Peach Bloodline and immunity to external evil influences.
The Cloud Peach Leaves can be refined into a Spirit Tool: Peach Blossom Auspicious Cloud, allowing cultivators to ride upon the cloud and travel at great speed.]
"Truly a fine Spirit Plant!"
Just as the Spirit Plant demon attempted to escape, he was intercepted by Su Chen.
He turned out to be a pampered coward—no wonder he hadn't participated in the earlier battle.
After exchanging merely two moves, the Cloud Peach Demon Venerable was already kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy.
Aside from this Cloud Peach Demon Venerable, there were numerous other sentient spiritual plants within, including three at the Nascent Soul realm that had already taken human form.
[Spirit Vein Grain: Its presence provides shelter for local spiritual plants and can accelerate the growth of spiritual plants of the Eighth Rank and below.
Its mana transforms into a rain of grace, capable of curing a hundred diseases and cleansing the mind and spirit.]
[Red Ginseng King: Its cultivation location can alter the local geology.
Objects possessing "Earth Spirit" properties within its vicinity can, over the accumulation of years, achieve the hardness of Ninth-Rank stone materials; if actively catalyzed, they can achieve Eighth-Rank hardness.
Its blood can increase cultivation speed.
If consumed raw, a cultivator within the Nascent Soul realm can break through a small realm; a cultivator at the peak of the Golden Core realm can directly break through to a Nascent Soul above the Seven-Nine standard...]
[Flying Frost Flower: Can cause snow to fall in a region...]
There were dozens more spiritual plants at the Golden Core stage, all left behind by the Immortal Grain lineage.
Li Wei had never seen so many spiritual plants in his entire life!
"This shit... It's comparable to a Spirit Vein all on its own."
Li Wei's heart surged with excitement.
He recalled that the family's rapid rise in the early days was due to the presence of the Old Tree. But now, here stood a whole group of them!
Any single one would be enough to serve as the foundation for a Nascent Soul family!
The only difference was that they weren't as bloody as the Old Tree; each had its own unique yield and utility.
"I'll keep the Cloud Peach Demon Venerable at home.
We can use his leaves and branches for artifact refining and warding off evil.
Maybe I should place him with the Demon Suppressing lineage?"
"As for the Red Ginseng King, eating it raw is far too wasteful.
I'll use it to nurture the family's territory—turn the ground everywhere into Eighth-Rank hardness. Sss..."
"And the Spirit Vein Grain... with that, we could even farm crops inside the Thunder Fire Devil Cave!"