The Lord of Void and Real-Chapter 1761 - 1757: Deep in the Underworld

"Back in ancient times, that World Tree was chopped down by someone and no longer exists." Fire Spirit Child sighed and shook his head.

Shen Luo, upon hearing this, also sighed regretfully.

Such a sky-reaching tree, unable to witness it firsthand, is truly lamentable.

"Who was it that cut down the World Tree?" Nie Caizhu asked.

"That I do not know." Fire Spirit Child shook his head and replied.

Shen Luo remained silent, his gaze flickering, as if deep in thought.

After saying this, Fire Spirit Child no longer paid attention to the two of them, searching the surroundings for fragments scattered from the Ancestral Spirit Statue, and piled them on the statue’s base, while his hands continued to form seals, as if he was performing some kind of God’s Power.

"What are you doing?" Shen Luo asked curiously upon seeing this.

"I just find it strange why the Qingqiu Fox Clan would use the World Tree to forge the Ancestral Spirit Statue." Fire Spirit Child said.

"The World Tree can accommodate any vitality, whether it hosts the power of the Fox Ancestor or contains other forces; it has great utility. With the financial power of the Qingqiu Fox Clan, gathering fragments of the World Tree to forge this Ancestral Spirit Statue is no big deal." Shen Luo said.

"Perhaps, but earlier when I manipulated that Dayan Immeasurable Heavenly Array, I faintly sensed there was something unusual about this statue. To be safe, I decided to cast a spell to investigate." As he spoke, Fire Spirit Child finished his secret technique, and a ball of red light shot from his fingertips, enveloping all the statue fragments.

On those fragments, many Red Threads immediately appeared, merging with each other and, in the blink of an eye, forming half of the statue.

Most of the Ancestral Spirit Statue was completely destroyed by Nie Caizhu using the Ruo Mu Divine Bow, leaving only these fragments.

Fire Spirit Child signaled Shen Luo and Nie Caizhu to stay quiet; he bent his right finger and sent a red beam into the half statue, making it ripple with waves of red light, resembling some special investigation God’s Power.

Fire Spirit Child then moved to the damaged base of the statue, lay on the ground, intently listening to something.

Shen Luo and Nie Caizhu watched this scene and waited beside him.

"Cousin, can you give me two pieces of these World Tree fragments later?" Nie Caizhu suddenly transmitted to Shen Luo.

"Of course, but why do you need World Tree fragments?" Shen Luo asked.

"Besides specializing in Five Elements Technique and Healing Secret Technique, our Mount Putuo excels in a special Gem Secret Technique, refining various strange gems using special materials and essence blood. These gems can be embedded in Magical Treasures to increase their power. The World Tree is an Ancient Divine Wood, possessing magical ability to store vitality, making it an excellent material for crafting Wood Attribute Gemstones." Nie Caizhu said with gleaming eyes.

"Gem Secret Technique?" Shen Luo’s expression shifted, recalling the Mount Putuo disciples he had encountered before, whose Magical Treasures were indeed embedded with some strange Treasure Pearls that enhanced their power.

He originally thought it was a unique refining secret method from Mount Putuo, but it turned out to be the Gem Secret Technique.

"Alright, once things here are done, I’ll give you some World Tree pieces. But can others use these special gems?" Shen Luo asked.

The Gem Secret Technique had piqued his interest.

"The Gem Secret Technique doesn’t require our sect’s Skills as a foundation; as long as one understands the incantations, outsiders can use them." Nie Caizhu hesitated briefly, glanced around, and discreetly handed a green jade slip to Shen Luo.

Shen Luo took it and immersed his Divine Sense into it.

The jade slip contained numerous gem refinement methods and activation techniques; each gem had different effects, some enhancing attack, some defense, and others increasing speed for Spirit Boots and Flying Boats.

Besides these common gems that amplify the power of the Magical Treasures themselves, there were rare gems that endowed new abilities to the treasures, such as a Combo Gem which, when embedded, had a fifty percent chance of causing additional damage with every attack; and a Spirit Absorbing Gem that could absorb the opponent’s Spiritual Power during battle, subtly reducing their power.

This Gem Secret Technique, unlike Talismans or Magical Treasures, was novel and intriguing even to Shen Luo.

Unfortunately, the gem refinement process was very complex and time-consuming, and he was too busy to attempt it himself.

Luckily, the gems could be crafted by others, and he could simply recognize them with a blood drop and use them.

Shen Luo planned to keep only a few World Tree fragments for personal research, and give the rest to Nie Caizhu to refine gems; maybe she could craft one or two that are truly useful.

"Cousin, Mount Putuo values this Gem Secret Technique greatly. You should not tell others that you understand this technique, to avoid trouble." Nie Caizhu transmitted again.

"I am merely curious about the Gem Secret Technique; since Mount Putuo values it highly, you shouldn’t have shown it to me." Shen Luo frowned slightly.

"You’re not an outsider. Viewing it doesn’t matter. Besides, I am Mount Putuo’s Minor Sect Leader; even if the sect knows, they wouldn’t do anything to me." Nie Caizhu didn’t care.

Since they merged their cultivation, in her heart, Shen Luo’s position surpassed that of Mount Putuo.

Shen Luo shook his head and immediately put the jade slip away.

At this moment, Fire Spirit Child rose from the ground, looking excited.

"Fire Daoist friend, have you discovered anything?" Shen Luo asked promptly.

"Just as I expected, there is something below that resonates with the Ancestral Spirit Statue; a special relationship exists between them. However, a strong and chaotic Spiritual Power Fluctuation below prevents clear investigation." Fire Spirit Child said.

"There’s really something underground!" Shen Luo’s gaze focused.

"Underworld..." Nie Caizhu’s expression shifted, seemingly recalling something.

"Since there’s something unusual below, let’s go down together and take a look." Shen Luo suggested.

Neither Fire Spirit Child nor Nie Caizhu opposed.

Shen Luo swept his sleeve to collect them, along with the World Tree fragments, into the Free and Easy Mirror, then quietly reached the mountain’s foot, performed the Escape Ground Technique, and vanished underground.

Following Fire Spirit Child’s directions, he traveled deeply through Qingqiu Mountain’s Underworld, finally reaching the destination.

Shen Luo suddenly felt emptiness beneath his feet, as if penetrating a layer of array, entering a massive Underground Cave.

As he descended, he immediately stabilized his form and looked around.

This Underground Cave was large, nearly a thousand feet wide; though underground, it was quite bright, and the inside of the cave was visible at a glance.

All around the Stone Wall, arm-thick roots spread everywhere, crisscrossing like countless intersecting roads, converging toward a main vein.

The main vein was a gigantic root over ten feet thick, stretching for hundreds of feet, extending into a wall, and burrowing into a fissure, seemingly not the primary root.

All the black roots connected to the center of the cave, where a massive black tree stump protruded from the Ground, resembling a flat, giant black High Platform, covered in countless complex Formation Patterns, appearing to be a vast Array.

Unfortunately, the stump was riddled with intersecting blade and sword scars, destroying most of these Formation Patterns, and the Fox Ancestor Statue originally on the stump was intentionally shattered by someone.