Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 685 - 669: [Earth Element Magnetic Light] and [Bone-Devouring Golden Snake]

The cave dwelling where Jiang Fengxian stayed within the Wilderness Jungle, though secluded, only had a Tier Five spirit vein, insufficient to supply her regular cultivation needs as a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Therefore, over these twenty-some years, she did not focus her efforts on improving her cultivation but devoted herself to practicing a certain great divine technique.

When Zhouyang arrived, she was at a critical moment in her divine technique practice and could not interrupt her seclusion to meet him.

It wasn't until four years later, when she had achieved a minor success with the divine technique, that she finally emerged from her secluded chamber.

"Fengxian, I heard from Feng'er that you plan to take her to the Celestial Phoenix Race with you. Why is that?"

In the cave dwelling, after decades apart and reuniting as lovers, Zhouyang asked his beloved beside him directly about his inner doubts without hesitation.

Both he and Jiang Fengxian understood that even aside from the hardships and dangers they might encounter on the way to the Celestial Phoenix Race, it was uncertain if they could even coexist peacefully with this alien race once they arrived.

Such a journey, filled with potential danger, made Zhouyang reluctant for his dear daughter to take such risks.

However, upon hearing his words, Jiang Fengxian replied softly, "I understand very well that taking Feng'er might put her in peril, but only by going to the Celestial Phoenix Race is there a possibility of resolving her hidden ailment. Without solving this issue, she has no chance of succeeding in reaching the Nascent Soul stage in the future!"

On hearing this, Zhouyang's eyes flickered with a strange light, and he looked at her, asking in a low voice, "But how do you know the Celestial Phoenix Race can solve this problem? Have you been in contact with them all these years?"

Jiang Fengxian did not answer his question this time, choosing to remain silent.

But Zhouyang was not ready to stop there and continued, "The Celestial Phoenix Race might indeed have a way to resolve Feng'er's hidden ailment, but who knows if they'll have ulterior motives upon discovering Feng'er possesses the True Phoenix Body? Pinning your hopes on them is playing with fire!"

On hearing this, Jiang Fengxian could no longer keep silent and had to voice her defense: "Even if they have other motives, at least Feng'er's life won't be at risk."

"How can you be certain Feng'er's life will be safe? What if one of their old monsters takes a fancy to Feng'er's True Phoenix Body and tries to possess her? Can you stop them then?"

Zhouyang's voice rose sharply, his tone turning stern.

Having been possessed twice himself, though unsuccessfully, he had become particularly sensitive to such matters.

In his view, his daughter Jiang Yufeng, with her True Phoenix Body, was an ideal target for possession in the eyes of the bloodline-obsessed alien race like the Celestial Phoenix Race.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Fengxian shook her head without hesitation upon hearing his words, immediately rejecting his worries: "Zhou Lang, you're overthinking. Feng'er absolutely cannot be successfully possessed. Those old fellows of the Celestial Phoenix Race might have other schemes, but possession is definitely not included!"

"Fengxian, are you saying this because you truly know something? Is there anything you can't tell me, considering the relationship between us?"

Zhouyang looked at his beloved, his expression somewhat unpleasant.

No one likes being deceived, especially when it concerns their daughter's safety.

Yet their relationship made it difficult for Zhouyang to take any approach to force her into answering his questions.

"I have no intention of hiding anything from you, Zhou Lang. It's just that my understanding is purely speculative, and I find it difficult to put those speculations into words. I hope you can understand my predicament."

Jiang Fengxian met Zhouyang's gaze with difficulty, explaining her dilemma in a low voice, while her eyes resolutely conveyed, "In any case, believe me, Zhou Lang, I would never harm Feng'er!"

Having reached this point, Zhouyang could say no more; trying to press further would only lead to an argument.

He could only shake his head helplessly, saying in a bitter voice, "Alright, since you've made your decision, I respect it. I just hope that your choice this time is indeed without error!"

The disagreement between them was not disclosed to their daughter, Jiang Yufeng. Over the next six months, the three lived in peace within the cave dwelling in a valley basin.

Six months later, when all preparations were complete, Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian finally embarked on the journey to the Celestial Phoenix Race with their daughter Jiang Yufeng.

As one of the Hundred Barbaric Tribes, the Celestial Phoenix Race was little known within the Human Race Cultivation Realm.

Zhouyang had tried researching this barbaric alien race within the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, but his findings were sparse, with most of his knowledge coming from Jiang Fengxian.

However, even Jiang Fengxian's understanding of the Celestial Phoenix Race was quite shallow.

After all, neither she nor her mother had ever truly visited the Celestial Phoenix Race's territory, and all she knew came from her father, whom she had never met.

Nevertheless, over the twenty-some years in the Wilderness Jungle, she seemed to have located the Celestial Phoenix Race's territory and determined a specific route to take.

Upon leaving the cave dwelling, Zhouyang and she, guided by her knowledge, journeyed south into the Wilderness Jungle, avoiding many perilous areas and territories occupied by barbaric alien races, with occasional skirmishes against Tier Six barbaric alien tribes trying to hinder them.

The cultivation systems of the barbaric alien races were bizarre, mastering divine techniques vastly different from human cultivators. It was a significant challenge for Zhouyang to confront such powerful beings without understanding their methods.

Fortunately, aside from his cultivation and magical power being at the bottom of Tier Six, Zhouyang possessed a robust physique and Divine Sense, along with a myriad of powerful magical artifacts for protection. This ensured that even the strangest and most unguardable divine technique attacks wouldn't easily harm him.

Moreover, Jiang Fengxian, revealing her Seven-Colored Phoenix Wings, caused many barbaric alien races to hesitate in obstructing their descent into the wilderness, generally opting to drive them from their tribal lands rather than pursue aggressively.

However, the dangers in the Wilderness Jungle were not limited to the barbaric alien races, as natural perils and barbaric demon beasts also loomed.

"I was careless, not expecting such a seemingly ordinary canyon to harbor Earth Element Magnetic Light, let alone imagining it could be manipulated by a group of mutated Iron-Feathered Grey Eagles!"

In a temporary cave dwelling within the mountainside, Zhouyang awoke from meditation, his complexion pale as he recalled the events of three days ago, his expression turning grim.

Three days prior, while flying over a canyon, Earth Element Magnetic Light within suddenly erupted, sweeping them from the sky.

Before they could escape the naturally occurring strange light, a swarm of mutated demon birds, Iron-Feathered Grey Eagles, lunged to attack them.

Normally, even with many Tier Five demon beasts among the Iron-Feathered Grey Eagles, they posed no real threat to two Nascent Soul cultivators like Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian.

But when these Iron-Feathered Grey Eagles could harness the power of Earth Element Magnetic Light, they became quite vexing to deal with.

The Earth Element Magnetic Light, renowned in the Cultivation Realm akin to Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, would deactivate any metal-infused magical artifacts and cause severe harm to a cultivator's body and Divine Sense if caught within.

A sword cultivator like Li Shuhua, caught in such peculiar light, would have to abandon their physical form and opt for Nascent Soul Emergence to preserve their life.

It was only because Zhouyang's physical body reached an abnormally resilient state that he managed to extricate himself from the Earth Element Magnetic Light with his robust cultivation.

Compared to him, Jiang Fengxian fared much better.

Her Lifebound Spiritual Artifact, the Phoenix Feather Robe, having no metal, shielded her and allowed her to escape despite the Earth Element Magnetic Light.

During Zhouyang's vulnerable moments when the Iron-Feathered Grey Eagles launched a malicious attack, it was Jiang Fengxian who scattered those obnoxious creatures, allowing Zhouyang to escape in time.

As for Jiang Yufeng, when she was swept by the Earth Element Magnetic Light, Zhouyang immediately used the Dongxuan Pearl to take her in, so she wasn't harmed at all.

Thinking of the Earth Element Magnetic Light that injured him, Zhouyang's expression shifted, and he murmured to himself, "It is said that in the Cultivation Realm, there's a Great Divine Technique called Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, which can refine this Earth Element Magnetic Light for your own use. Perhaps in the future, I should pay attention to any information about this technique!"

The Earth Element Magnetic Light is already enough to inflict significant damage on a Nascent Soul Cultivator. The Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, which requires it as a medium to cultivate, must be even more powerful. It's no wonder that Zhouyang, who possesses several kinds of cultivation techniques for Great Divine Techniques, would be tempted by it.

However, he had only heard of the name of this Great Divine Technique, Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, and as for anyone who has truly mastered it, he was unaware.

Instead, there is another equally famous Divine Technique, Crimson Dawn Radiance, which Zhouyang had heard someone had mastered. That person is a well-known late-stage Nascent Soul Loose Cultivator named Chixia Primordial Monarch in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm.

Because Zhouyang was injured by the Earth Element Magnetic Light, their group had to temporarily halt their journey. They did not set off again until six months later when Zhouyang had fully recovered.

When they set out again, Zhouyang and his companion learned from their previous mistakes and did not recklessly charge forward with the reassurance of their Nascent Soul Cultivation. This cautious approach allowed them to detect and avoid several danger spots in time.

On this day, after traveling through the Wilderness Jungle for a year, Zhouyang, along with his two companions, stopped outside a mountain range shrouded in a vast amount of crimson-golden radiance.

"There's no mistake. This mountain range covered in Crimson Golden Radiance marks the boundary of the Celestial Phoenix Race's territory. Once we go around these mountains, we'll reach their territory,"

Jiang Fengxian looked at the endless mountains ahead, her expression excited and her tone full of excitement.

She indeed had reason to be excited as her long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled.

In contrast, Zhouyang appeared much more composed than the extremely excited Jiang Fengxian.

He frowned slightly at the mountain range ahead and said in a heavy tone, "Since the Celestial Phoenix Race considers this range their boundary, it might not be easy to go around it!"

"Well..."

Jiang Fengxian's face changed, but she fell into silent thoughtfulness.

In reality, the route she knew ended here, and she wasn't really sure how to cross the upcoming mountain range or what they might encounter while going around it.

Upon seeing this, Zhouyang couldn't help but say, "The Crimson Golden Radiance alone isn't something to be feared; I'm more worried about other dangers within the range. As for taking a detour, I don't think that's a good option!"

"Zhou Lang, you make the decision."

Jiang Fengxian thought for a moment and ultimately decided to let Zhouyang take the lead.

Hearing this, Zhouyang did not refuse. After a brief moment of contemplation, he said to her, "Let's scout ahead first. I'll go in first, and you prepare to assist me."

"Okay, Zhou Lang, be careful. If it doesn't work out, we can always take a detour."

Saying this, she gripped the Tier Six High-Grade Spiritual Artifact, Cyan Simurgh Sword, in her hand, ready to provide support at any time.

Seeing this, Zhouyang immediately formed a hand seal and invoked the Demon-Suppressing Golden Light cultivated from the Golden Solar Demon Exorcism Spell. He activated the protective power of the Exorcism Treasure Robe, transforming it into a Golden Light Shield that enveloped him. Then, he dove headfirst into the mountain range filled with Crimson Golden Radiance.

The Crimson Golden Radiance is a magical light similar to the Earth Element Magnetic Light, but its power isn't as brutally peculiar. Even Golden Core Stage Cultivators have methods to temporarily resist its erosion.

Generally speaking, places with Crimson Golden Radiance have rich metal ore veins underground because this presence is a result of the underground Golden Qi seeping and combining with the sun's radiance at dawn.

Since Zhouyang's Demon-Suppressing Golden Light was cultivated using the Great Sun Essence Qi, its defensive shield, when invoked through the Exorcism Treasure Robe, has strong resistance against the erosion of the Crimson Golden Radiance.

This is why he said that the Crimson Golden Radiance is not something to be feared.

Due to the presence of the Crimson Golden Radiance, not only are plants sparse in the mountains, but birds and beasts are also unseen. Even the usual snakes, insects, and rodents in the Wilderness Jungle are scarcely found.

A vast mountain range, utterly silent and desolate.

However, Zhouyang dared not be careless because of this.

The past year's journey through the Wilderness Jungle taught him a valuable lesson: the more thriving and congregated with birds and beasts a place is, the less dangerous it usually is.

On the contrary, places where birds and beasts are completely absent and devoid of life are more likely to conceal significant threats.

He cautiously moved through the mountains, his spirit highly focused, and several of the artifacts within him were primed and ready to activate at any moment.

After traveling over a hundred miles within the mountain range, he suddenly fixed his gaze as if he had discovered something remarkable.

He saw, about a dozen miles away on a cliff hundreds of feet high, a golden and emerald vine crawling up, with five golden gourds hanging from it, all about the same size.

"It's actually a Gourd Spirit Vine. Given its growth in this mountain filled with Crimson Golden Radiance, could it be that the gourds contain this magical light as well?"

Zhouyang gazed at the Gourd Spirit Vine on the cliff with surprise on his face, his eyes briefly flashing with insight.

The Gourd Spirit Vine is quite a common spirit plant in the Cultivation Realm. The gourds it produces have many uses: they can be used in artifact refining, storage of spirit wine, spirit pills, spiritual water, even some toxic miasma and foul qi, or even directly as a culinary ingredient.

The Gourd Spirit Vine before Zhouyang's eyes was evidently a rare exotic variant, with each gourd exuding dense Spiritual Qi, comparable to those Tier Five Spirit Fruits. From this, it can be inferred that the Gourd Spirit Vine is at least a Tier Five Spirit Plant.

As an Artifact Refiner, upon seeing the Gourd Spirit Vine's growth environment, Zhouyang naturally first thought of its potential use in artifact refining.

"Hmm, if it's indeed as I suspect, then I've truly come across a treasure this time."

With a fleeting smile of joy, Zhouyang waved his hand and sent out a Sword Light toward the spirit gourds hanging from the vine.

However, rather than the expected fall of the gourds, the flying sword was suddenly deflected by a burst of golden light from the precipice as it was about to strike the spirit gourds.

"Hmm."

Zhouyang uttered a soft sound of surprise and looked toward what had deflected his flying sword.

To his surprise, it was a small snake, no more than seven feet long, covered entirely in tiny golden scales, with a triangular-shaped head and a single golden horn about three inches long on top.

Hissssss!

As Zhouyang's gaze landed on it, the little golden-scaled snake bristled its body scales, hissing aggressively with fierce glints in its eyes, its warning intent unmistakably clear.

"Well, it turns out to be a still-maturing Barbaric Exotic Species, the Bone-Devouring Golden Snake. No wonder it managed to escape my Divine Sense undetected!"

A trace of peculiar excitement flickered in Zhouyang's eyes as he recognized the origin of the little golden-scaled snake.