When Xiao Fei arrived at the ancient secret realm, the secret entrance was already fully open, with two evil cultivators guarding the entrance and charging a toll from everyone who entered.
"This secret realm now belongs to the Heavenly Demon Sect. All cultivators entering must pay one thousand spirit stones," a Foundation Establishment evil cultivator from the Heavenly Demon Sect shouted at the entrance.
This newly discovered secret realm had already become the private property of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Many evil cultivators were indignant and secretly vowed to kill a few Heavenly Demon Sect disciples if they had the chance. However, glancing at the Golden Core stage evil cultivator from the Heavenly Demon Sect sitting cross-legged not far away, they obediently paid the 1000 spirit stones.
Xiao Fei also paid 1000 spirit stones at the entrance and quickly passed through. The entrance was a portal shimmering with white light, beyond which seemed to be another world. This was completely different from the miasma and surging demonic and ghostly energies prevalent throughout the Eagle Mountain Kingdom.
Within the secret realm, there were green mountains and clear waters, rich spiritual energy, and it was clean and tidy, an ideal place to live. If one had the strength, they would truly want to occupy this secret realm and make it their lair. It was a pity that these evil cultivators had discovered it; from now on, no living creature within would know peace. In a few more years, even the grass would likely be gnawed away by these evil cultivators.
"Wow! The environment here is really nice!" Xiao Lan also emerged from the Soul Nurturing Pearl, transforming into a phantom that roamed around Xiao Fei. After Xiao Fei successfully escaped to the Eagle Mountain Kingdom, it took him two years to break the restriction the Sect Master had placed on the Soul Nurturing Pearl. Xiao Lan had effectively been confined in the Soul Nurturing Pearl for four years. Fortunately, the Soul Nurturing Pearl had the effect of nourishing the soul; otherwise, a ghost would have starved to death over such a long period.
"It's so cramped inside this Soul Nurturing Pearl. I can finally come out for some fresh air." The Eagle Mountain Kingdom was practically a paradise for ghost cultivators. Xiao Lan could catch a few small ghosts for snacks every day, and she had gained several pounds, now being at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.
"Second Sister, can't you just eat a little less? Soul Nurturing Wood is not easy to find, and I can't refine a larger Soul Nurturing Pearl in a short time." As they spoke, the two continued to explore forward. Over the years, they had developed a tacit understanding. Xiao Lan would hover around, responsible for detecting hidden dangers, while Xiao Fei was responsible for the combat output. Xiao Fei was a dead person anyway and was particularly resilient, so he stood in the open, while Xiao Lan hid in the shadows, one in the light and one in the dark.
This secret realm, having been isolated from the world for a long time, contained many rare spiritual herbs. After walking for only half an hour, they had already found several rare spiritual herbs that were not present in Xiao Fei's spatial dimension.
"Little Brother, look! There's a Youth Preserving Fruit tree over here!" Following Xiao Lan's direction, Xiao Fei looked ahead. In front of them stood a small tree, about ten feet tall, with over twenty egg-sized fruits hanging from it. The Youth Preserving Fruit was a very rare spiritual fruit. The entire cultivation world of the Lu Kingdom had only two such trees, both held by the Purple Cloud Sect. The Youth Preserving Pills refined from Youth Preserving Fruits could grant eternal youth. It was a pill that was not very useful in the cultivation world but was highly sought after, with an extremely high price. Whether male or female cultivators, if they had the means, they would want to take one. Especially every female cultivator hoped that when they were old or several hundred or thousand years old, they would still look like an eighteen-year-old maiden, fair and tender, fragrant and soft, as delicate as tofu that would ooze water with a touch. The two Youth Preserving Fruit trees in the Lu Kingdom's cultivation world were simply not enough to meet the demand. Scarcity breeds value, hence each Youth Preserving Pill could be sold for thousands of spirit stones. At this moment, even Xiao Lan, who had become a ghost cultivator, was excitedly watching.
Xiao Lan cautiously floated over and observed the area around the Youth Preserving Fruit tree. Besides a white-faced fox, there were no other dangers. When the white-faced fox saw the two approaching, it merely estimated their respective strengths before turning and fleeing. Xiao Lan continued to guard the perimeter, while Xiao Fei used his flying sword to dig up the entire tree by the roots. He temporarily stored the dug-up Youth Preserving Fruit tree in his spatial dimension, intending to transplant it later when he had time. His spatial dimension now had 36 mu of land and a 20x time acceleration. During the ten years he was on the run in the Eagle Mountain Kingdom, he had cultivated many high-grade spiritual herbs that were over two hundred years old within his spatial dimension. Besides using them for his own alchemy and feeding the Iron Fire Ants, the surplus spiritual herbs and fruits were brewed into spiritual wine by Xiao Fei and stored in his spatial dimension. As for selling them, Xiao Fei had indeed thought about it initially. However, as the number of evil cultivators he killed increased, he never lacked spirit stones. Whenever he was short of spirit stones, he felt it was his responsibility to maintain world fairness and justice, eliminate evil for the people, and confiscate the property of a few heinous evil cultivators.
"Second Sister, let's keep moving forward!" The two walked aimlessly for another hour or so, collecting a few more rare spiritual herbs. Just then, the sound of fighting came from ahead, accompanied by the clashing of demonic and ghostly energies. The two quietly approached!
"Heh! It's that old geezer again!" Xiao Fei discovered that it was an acquaintance, none other than the Black Wind Old Demon, the leader of the Ten Great Evils. The two had fought before not long ago, and the Black Wind Old Demon had almost died at Xiao Fei's hands.
"Black Wind Old Demon, others may fear you, but I don't. This Soul Nurturing Wood must be shared with me today!" The other person Xiao Fei also recognized, and he was also among the Ten Great Evils. The Ten Great Evils of the evil cultivator world were like the Ten Outstanding Youths; they were all celebrity figures. Everyone was familiar with each person's characteristics and signature techniques. As soon as these techniques were used, they would be quickly recognized. However, what Xiao Fei was concerned about at this moment was not these two evil cultivators, but a small tree. This small tree was only a little over two feet tall, completely black, and emitted a peculiar aura that was refreshing to the senses.
"Soul Nurturing Wood!" This was precisely what Xiao Lan had been wholeheartedly looking for.