Inside the Grotto Heaven, warm sunlight illuminated the entire place.

The golden Golden Light Bamboo grew exceedingly charming.

The Jade Ring Rat continued to farm the Spirit Field, with Tier Four Primordial Star Forging Fruit Tree and Longevity Tea Tree planted in Tier Four Spirit Soil.

This Spirit Soil is extremely hard, and the Jade Ring Rat often needs half an hour to loosen it up a bit.

Most of the time, it’s the Earthworm doing the work.

The Earthworm occasionally raised its head to look at the Jade Ring Rat.

Though its numb face, inscrutable, said nothing.

But it made the Jade Ring Rat pause, flicking its Jade Ring Ears, revealing its large incisors.

"Squeak!" Although the Jade Ring Rat could speak, it communicated with the Earthworm through Soul Thought, since even if the Earthworm was at the Purple Mansion level, it wasn’t fluent in speaking.

The meaning was clear: loosening this Tier Four Spirit Soil was a challenge for it.

With each bit of progress, it could rightfully indulge in the Spirit Pill provided by Ye Jingcheng and look forward to the next breakthrough.

Its gaze inevitably turned to the Golden Scale Beast, estimating that it was close to successful advancement, for the beast challenged its limits time and again within the Celestial Spirit Body Refining Array.

It’s still far behind the Golden Scale Beast.

Speaking thus, it began loosening the Spirit Soil again, the expansion of the Spirit Medicine Garden benefiting it as well.

Previously, a lack of Spirit Medicine and Spirit Soil meant a single Earthworm sufficed.

Now it’s just right, making life more challenging for it.

Meanwhile, at the pavilion on the mountain peak, Ye Jingcheng naturally didn’t see this scene.

Unlike the bright sunshine outside, within the pavilion, Gang Wind raged sinisterly.

Some black mists encircled Ye Jingcheng’s body.

Ye Jingcheng’s face twisted as if bearing great pain.

He recited incantations to spur on the Spirit Technique.

Sweat covered Ye Jingcheng’s brow after a while, and only then did the eerie Gang Wind disperse.

Ye Jingcheng finally opened his eyes, breathing a long sigh of relief.

But his Divine Sense uncontrollably spread outside, quickly changing his expression from pain to joy.

"Maybe just a few more times and I’ll breakthrough to the late stage of Golden Core in Divine Sense!" Ye Jingcheng took out a Yin Wind Bottle.

The bottle contained some remaining spiritual substance resembling Gang Wind, known as Earth Yin Qi - a form of Nine Yin Qi, found only in High Tier Fiend Pits.

Of course, its rarity far surpasses Earth Fiend, much like the difference between Thousand-Year Spiritual Milk and Centennial Spiritual Milk.

Moreover, this Earth Yin Qi can directly affect the Divine Soul, often used as an attack, with Secret Techniques as defense.

This bottle came from Master Mo Yu, and he was practicing the Nine Yin Profound Soul Secret Manual just now.

Ye Jingcheng estimated that the remaining Earth Yin Qi might not suffice for a breakthrough to late-stage Golden Core Divine Soul.

But once the Dream-Devouring Worm completes its breakthrough, it should be enough.

So Ye Jingcheng wasn’t worried.

Instead, he took out a Qi Blood Soul Bead.

Following Ye Xuecang’s advice, he began to evoke the Blood Soul Bead’s illusions.

As time passed, soon a vast blood light enveloped Ye Jingcheng, transforming into a Blood Shadow resembling him.

The feeling made Ye Jingcheng feel particularly odd, yet the Soul Shadow could converse and perform various thoughts and actions with him.

Ye Jingcheng tested it a bit, then, satisfied, handed over the pill formulas for the Earth Dragon Pill and Jade Qilin Pill to the Blood Shadow for research.

This Blood Soul Bead, as a Spirit Treasure, is indeed wondrous, prompting Ye Jingcheng to test it after an hour of research.

Only after observing the results did he truly relax.

Freed up, Ye Jingcheng first fed the Spirit Beasts and Wood Demons within the Grotto Heaven, rewarding those with good performance with extra Spirit Pills, and withholding Treasure Light from the poor performers.

Among them, the Jade Ring Rat and Earthworm naturally performed well, whereas the Star Pear Wood Demon and Five-Colored Cloud Deer did not.

After handling these, Ye Jingcheng left the Grotto Heaven.

Despite feigning injury, he remained concerned about Xiaoshan Prefecture’s stance.

Mansion Master Xiao left him with a good impression.

But since the opponent belonged to one of the Divinity Transformation Sects, Ye Jingcheng had seen the methods of the Penglai Demon Sect. After the upheaval of the Cyan Cloud Sea Domain, Nascent Soul Cultivators were dispatched to investigate, and even people arrived personally.

Ye Jingcheng wouldn’t think the Demon Saint was summoned by him or those Nascent Soul Cultivators.

Thinking about it made Ye Jingcheng rather apprehensive; as the Silver Moon Demon King was the primary target for Jade Qilin Pill Essence Blood, he naturally wanted it.

But the day he was discovered by the Demon Saint was at a Spirit Lake within the Silver Moon Demon King’s territory.

It felt a bit like provoking again.

Thinking for a while, Ye Jingcheng finally decided it was better to draw out the Silver Moon Demon King.

The object to lure the Demon King could be either the Thunder Roc Demon King or Three-eyed Demon King.

This was also an opportunity for both to show their loyalty.

Especially with the Thunder Roc and Mammoth Demon King, he planned to have Ye Haicheng and Ye Jing Hu form contracts if suitable.

Latterly, if he wanted the Earth Dragon Demon Emperor to advance, the pressure on his Divine Soul might greatly increase, so it was better to leave these less significant Spirit Beasts for family members to contract with as Communication Beasts.

Very quickly, Ye Jingcheng left the Grotto Heaven and landed atop Sha Huang Mountain, where its Spirit Vein had once more improved, reaching Tier Three Peak level.

Atop the mountain, earth-colored Spiritual Radiance persisted without ceasing, creating a particularly spectacular view at sunset with the evening glow.

Thus, the flattened summit of Sha Huang Mountain was named Guanxia Cliff.

The entire Sha Huang Mountain featured numerous grand halls and buildings, and Ye Jingcheng glanced, proceeding directly to the main hall.

Ye Haiyan and Ye Xingliu were there.

The two were not cultivating but were discussing Array knowledge, both being Array Masters.

Seeing Ye Jingcheng approach, they smiled happily.

Seeing this, Ye Jingcheng thought Ye Haiyan’s visit to Xiaoshan Prefecture must have been successful.

"Uncle Haiyan, Third Uncle, was this Xu Family’s compensation?"

"Haha, I knew Jingcheng would guess right at a glance!" Ye Xingliu couldn’t help but speak.

Ye Haiyan also burst into laughter.

"Indeed, we old guys have been surpassed in reading faces now!" Ye Haiyan nodded.

"This time, not only did we receive two thousand one hundred merit points, but the Xu Family also compensated us with a Tier Four Spirit Mountain, which is the Profound Distant Peak."

Hearing Ye Haiyan’s words, Ye Jingcheng was taken aback.

He expected the Xu Family to compensate, given he preserved critical evidence and learned from Master Zifu about Xu Qiukui’s intentional delay.

Although Ye Jingcheng exploited Xu Qiukui to successfully breach Demon Jade Mountain.

But he didn’t foresee compensation being a Tier Four Spirit Mountain.

The Xu Family had four Tier Three Spirit Mountains, but only one Tier Four Spirit Mountain.

Offering it up meant effectively submitting the Xu Family to the Purple Mansion Clan.

Even though the Xu Family, with deep foundations, could arrange Cultivators to advance Fake Pill and cultivate Spirit Veins, their path in Xiaoshan Prefecture was clearly on a decline.

"However, it certainly is a wise move, at least preventing us from further targeting the Xu Family!" Ye Jingcheng continued.

Following their Ye Family’s modus operandi, the Xu Family targeting them meant they wouldn’t leave a loose end like the Xu Family.

Ye Jingcheng then took the exchange Jade Record and began checking Treasures.

Merit points totaling two thousand one hundred, neither a lot nor a little.

Ye Jingcheng had to carefully consider it.

"These Yellow Dragon Grass and Cyan Locust Juice definitely need trading for!"

The first of these treasures can refine the Earth Dragon Pill, the second helps Ye Haicheng breakthrough the Purple Mansion Peak, both quite important.

"Also trade for a Gold Condensing Pill, and additionally this Celestial Smoke Fruit!" Ye Jingcheng soon decided.

The Cyan Locust Juice costs four hundred merit points, Gold Condensing Pill six hundred fifty, and Celestial Smoke Fruit three hundred fifty!

All together one thousand nine hundred merit points, adding to one hundred thirty merit points owed previously.

Leaving just seventy merit points.

The Celestial Smoke Fruit is indeed one of the primary ingredients of the Five-Colored Pill, quite precious.

As for the Gold Condensing Pill, though he had three Gold Condensing Pills and two Gold Condensing Fruits, the Golden Core Sect trades them whenever available, so he couldn’t be unrealistic, lest it seemed like Celestial Sand Sect didn’t need Gold Condensing Pill.

Moreover, the Gold Condensing Pill truly was valuable.

In the future, Ye Family members breaking through Golden Core would increase.

Such as Ye Haige, Ye Jingyu, Ye Haifei, among others.

Even with so many meritorious contributions, Mansion Master Xiao probably set aside an extra Gold Condensing Pill for him, creating doubt if not traded.