Chapter 283: Corn Cannon
"The aura vanished!"
Outside the Qinghe Cultivation World, the reborn body of that Void-Refining elder looked grim. Just now, the aura of the Void-Refining cultivator who had barged in suddenly disappeared.
A Void-Refining cultivator—even if suppressing his cultivation to enter this minor world—wouldn't be invincible, but he should never have disappeared so easily.
Yet such an unbelievable scene had truly happened.
"What in the world happened in there?"
The reborn body of the elder fixed his gaze on Qinghe Cultivation World. That seemingly ordinary place had now claimed the lives of two Void-Refining experts in succession.
Very quickly, other cultivators keeping watch sensed something was off. At that moment, all were in an uproar. A Void-Refining cultivator, and one from a great sect at that, had simply vanished without a trace.
"Finally, some peace!"
Borrowing the deterrent effect of his Giant-Mouthed Flower devouring a Void-Refining cultivator, Qinghe Cultivation World finally returned to calm. Gu Mo, at last, could continue farming and accumulating foundation.
While Qinghe returned to peace, the battle in the Tianyuan Cultivation World had reached a fever pitch. With the addition of demonic cultivators, the zombies had grown much stronger, but the cultivators' side was still mightier, even managing to suppress the zombie tide.
The reason was that the supply of immortal relics at the exchange points was dwindling. To seize the final treasures, all the major sects were sending in even more powerhouses, eager to take the last scraps of fortune.
This created the cultivators' overwhelming advantage—but it was one that could not last. Once the immortal relics at the exchange points were gone, the situation would flip completely.
At that point, those foreign cultivators might very well withdraw altogether. After all, with no immortal relics to tempt them, why stay? As for the Corpse Immortal's fortune, righteous cultivators could never outcompete the demonic ones.
"What should we do now?"
The local Nascent Soul great cultivators, including Azure Venerable, found the situation thorny. Once those outsiders withdrew, Tianyuan would have no way to withstand the zombie tide and the invading demonic cultivators.
"Why not increase the number of treasures available for exchange?" suggested the Yin-Yang Sword Sect's Nascent Soul cultivator.
"If we raise the quota now, those outsiders won't agree," shook his head the Taiqing Sect's Nascent Soul. If their strength was enough to suppress the outsiders, then maybe they could raise it. But in the current balance, they had no such ability.
Without strength, one cannot change the rules.
If they could not economize, they would have to expand their resources. The only way was to ask Senior Suxin, the Immortal Spirit, for further support with treasures.
Thus, the three went to Qinghe Cultivation World. They all knew that Senior Suxin resided there. Since a Void-Refining had mysteriously vanished in Qinghe, it seemed certain to them that Suxin had acted.
Of course, the three could not directly reach Senior Suxin, so they sought out Gu Mo, hoping he could make contact.
But when they saw Gu Mo, their faces showed shock. Clearly, they were stunned by the powerful Nascent Soul aura he radiated.
"Three seniors, please return. Senior Suxin no longer has any treasures." After learning their purpose, Gu Mo shook his head.
From the immortal ruins, the immortal stones and treasures had already been brought out by Suxin. What remained were things that could not be handed out.
"This…"
Hearing that no more immortal relics remained, the three grew uneasy. Didn't this mean Tianyuan would soon fall?
"Senior Suxin used immortal relics to buy us time. From here on, we must hold on ourselves." Gu Mo's gaze swept over the three. With the influx of inheritances from the great worlds outside, their strength had leapt dramatically.
To have reached Nascent Soul in such a barren minor world already marked them as extremely gifted, even by the standards of the vast great worlds. Now that their inheritances had been supplemented, their cultivation naturally soared.
Not only these three—the overall strength of Tianyuan's cultivators had grown significantly.
"How could we possibly hold the line?" The three laughed bitterly.
On the battlefield, the main combatants were late-stage Nascent Soul experts. Even though the three of them had reached mid-Nascent Soul, it was far from enough.
"When the time comes, I will make a move."
Gu Mo's words carried such confidence that the three exchanged glances.
He waved his hand, opening up his cave-heaven. Inside, the three saw vast fields of spirit plants. The Taiqing and Yin-Yang sect cultivators froze in astonishment.
"This, this…"
But Azure Venerable's face was already filled with awe. As a fifth-rank spirit-plant master, she instantly recognized them—all of these spirit plants were rank five.
She herself had only ever cultivated a single fifth-rank spirit plant, yet Gu Mo had produced so many.
What she did not know was that this was only a fraction of what Gu Mo had.
The three left different from how they had come: they had arrived with worry written all over their faces, but when they departed, not a trace of gloom remained.
The sight of Gu Mo's vast fields of rank-five spirit plants had given them immense confidence. Even if the outsiders left, Tianyuan might yet stand.
"Master, Master!"
Not long after the three departed, Ruan Ruan came running over, brimming with excitement.
"Ruan Ruan, did you sneak out again today?" Gu Mo caught the little girl as she leapt into his arms, ruffling her hair.
These days, Ruan Ruan had been training within the immortal ruins under Senior Suxin's guidance, her cultivation and combat power soaring. Especially her combat skills—Suxin's former master was a sword fairy, and Ruan Ruan, having received that inheritance, had now embarked on the path of the sword.
That same sword fairy had left behind a legacy in this minor world, including the nameless sword manual Gu Mo had once obtained.
"N-no I didn't!"
The little girl's face went taut with nerves.
Just then, Yuan Niya appeared, her eyes narrowing at the girl nestled in Gu Mo's arms. "Ruan Ruan, have you finished your assignments today?" she asked sharply.
"Finished!" the little girl declared, lifting her chin proudly.
Because Ruan Ruan trained under Suxin, Chu Feifei and Yuan Niya also benefitted, occasionally receiving Suxin's guidance.
Though neither of them walked the sword path, Suxin's realm was so high that even her casual guidance was more than sufficient.
"Oh? Then let's see you demonstrate." Yuan Niya arched her brow.
Hearing this, twelve flying swords appeared around Ruan Ruan's body. These twelve flying swords were precisely Gu Mo's twelve natal swords. Although Ruan Ruan possessed an independent soul, in essence she was still a manifestation crafted by Gu Mo, the two sharing the same source of power. Therefore, Gu Mo's natal swords could be wielded freely by Ruan Ruan.
With the twelve natal swords bestowed upon her by Gu Mo, Ruan Ruan's starting point was countless times higher than that of other cultivators. As for Gu Mo himself, with the current might of his plant battlefront, the power of twelve natal swords could no longer compare.
One could say that the might of these twelve natal swords had already fallen behind. Of course, since they were natal swords, they could still be refined and elevated. It was only that Gu Mo had devoted all his time to his plants and truly had no time to enhance his swords.
Thus, Gu Mo gave these twelve natal swords to Ruan Ruan. This not only strengthened her foundation, but also allowed her—drawing upon the sword-immortal inheritance she had received—to temper and refine them further.
In the end, these twelve natal swords would be refined into twelve immortal swords.
By then, Gu Mo would also be able to experience the might of immortal swords himself. Since Gu Mo's natal swords could be used by Ruan Ruan, in the future Ruan Ruan's natal immortal swords could likewise be borrowed by Gu Mo.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Within the martial arena, the figures of Ruan Ruan and Yuan Niya flickered back and forth, the sound of clashing metal ringing out.
Though only at the Golden Core stage, Ruan Ruan was evenly matched against Yuan Niya, who was at the Nascent Soul stage—a clear testament to Ruan Ruan's combat strength.
"Stop!"
Yuan Niya backed up a few steps and called a halt to the spar. She had realized that she was no longer this little girl's opponent. Though Yuan Niya still had hidden trump cards she hadn't used, she knew well that Ruan Ruan's hidden cards were only more numerous.
"Hide-and-seek, hide-and-seek!"
Having finished her assignment check, Ruan Ruan exclaimed excitedly. It was her favorite game.
"Alright then."
Yuan Niya nodded.
At that, Ruan Ruan cheered and scampered off, quickly pulling Chu Feifei into the game. After all, hide-and-seek would hardly be complete without her.
Tianyuan Cultivation World.
When the final immortal relic was exchanged, the atmosphere subtly shifted. Most obvious was that the enthusiasm of the foreign cultivators toward hunting zombies dropped drastically.
Some even prepared to leave. After all, the chief opportunities of this place were gone; there was no longer any point in staying.
"Boom—!"
Just as the foreign cultivators were about to depart, a violent surge of energy suddenly spread across the sky. Then, to their shock, the realm gate above vanished.
The disappearance of the realm gate meant no one could leave.
And the one who destroyed the realm gate was none other than the Remnant Soul. With so many cultivators gathered, if they were allowed to escape, where would he hunt for souls?
"Ah!"
As realization struck, the foreign cultivators erupted into furious, despairing cries. This was cutting off their retreat entirely.
Without ongoing reinforcements, they would ultimately be swallowed by the endless tide of zombies. With that thought, despair spread among them like wildfire.
"Fellow Daoists, the realm gate can be repaired," the three soul Transformation experts quickly called out, sensing the despair. "We will immediately invite the Spirit of Su Xin to act."
Hearing that the gate could be repaired, much of the despair dissipated. Their sects outside should even now be trying to locate this minor world. Perhaps, before the gate could be mended, their sect's powerhouses might descend by tearing through the void.
Of course, that was only a beautiful fantasy. Unless one of the top sects' core heirs was trapped here, such void-rending experts would never act. Still, inner-outer cooperation should indeed hasten the repair of the gate.
"It should be about time."
Gu Mo gazed at the shattered gate above, then swept his eyes across the plants in his cave-heaven space. He knew the moment had come. After so many years of dormancy, it was time to deal with that Corpse Immortal.
With that, Gu Mo's figure flickered and vanished. Over these years, besides nurturing his plants, he had never ceased his studies of various secret arts and divine abilities.
Arriving in the Tianyuan Cultivation World, what he saw everywhere was slaughter—zombies and cultivators locked in brutal combat. With the realm gate severing reinforcements, the cultivators' losses could not be replenished, leaving them at a growing disadvantage, one that would eventually lead to total collapse.
But Gu Mo did not choose to enter the battlefield directly. He had something more important to do. Evading zombies, he made his way to the former mountain gates of the three great demonic sects.
Though long since desolate, the fifth-rank spiritual vein still remained. Though polluted, it was nothing serious.
Gu Mo had already prepared a purification array. With the aid of Solar Essence, the purification would be even faster.
As the array ran, naturally it attracted nearby wandering zombies. Yet these were weak; the stronger ones had long since been dispatched to the frontlines against the cultivators.
One could say the foreign cultivators had drawn the firepower, granting Gu Mo the time he needed.
Soon, as the array cleansed the death aura of the surrounding land, Gu Mo summoned forth from the Black Mist Space a gigantic ear of corn.
So massive it required a heavy cart to bear it, it looked exactly like a great cannon. Not just like one—this was a cannon: the Corn Cob Cannon.
Name: Corn Cob Cannon.
Grade: Fifth-Rank, Lower Grade.
Effect: Fires corn shells, causing large-scale area damage.
Cultivation Requirement: Fifth-Rank Spiritual Field.
Looking at the Corn Cob Cannon before him, Gu Mo felt a deep sense of wonder. This was no starter plant, meaning it could not be drawn directly from blind boxes. At best, a blind box could yield its base form: the Kernel-pult.
It wasn't until Gu Mo expanded the Black Mist Space again and discovered a greenhouse garden—an independent space akin to the cultivation zone—that he realized the difference.
The cultivation zone was meant for upgrading plants, while the greenhouse garden was for plant evolutions.
For example, a Peashooter could evolve into a Repeater, a Snow Pea, or a Triple Pea. Just a single Peashooter had many evolutionary paths.
Though other plants had fewer branches, their evolved forms were just as powerful. The Kernel-pult's advanced form was precisely this Corn Cob Cannon.
This was a long-range, large-area, mass-destructive plant—perfect for clearing the field.
As Gu Mo set it down, thick roots sprouted from the cannon-sized corn, plunging into the ground to draw in spiritual energy.
As the fifth-rank spiritual vein's aura was continuously siphoned, the huge kernels on the cob began to glow faintly with light.
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