Plant VS Cultivation

Chapter 157 – A New Spiritual Land

"Yuwei, you should go stay at the Crimson Coral Archipelago for a while."

Gu Mo summoned Shi Yuwei. Since he was about to seize General Golden Claw's spiritual land, there was a high chance of encountering sea demons stationed on Giant Crab Island. Bringing Shi Yuwei along would be inconvenient and potentially dangerous.

"Take these two cherries. If you're in danger, throw them out." After a moment's thought, Gu Mo handed her two top-grade Tier-2 Cherry Bombs, giving her a last-resort safeguard.

These top-tier Tier-2 Cherry Bombs were powerful enough to pose a fatal threat to pseudo-Core and Outer Core cultivators. Even Core Formation cultivators would be wary of them.

Given that Shi Yuwei was only a Qi Refining cultivator, it was unlikely she would provoke a Core Formation-level opponent. So these two bombs were more than sufficient to protect her.

"Thank you for the gift, Senior!"

Shi Yuwei accepted the large cherries respectfully. After all, she had just witnessed him use one of these very cherries to obliterate a terrifying top-tier demon beast.

"Go on."

Gu Mo nodded.

Then, he casually stuffed the curious Little Carp into the Black Mist Space. The space could store living beings—something that had already been tested many times with Little Carp. In theory, Gu Mo could take Shi Yuwei into the Black Mist Space as well.

But that space contained Gu Mo's deepest secrets—something no one else could be allowed to see. Even Little Carp, who was a contracted spirit pet, was always placed in a secluded corner and put into a dormant state whenever stored inside. That way, it wouldn't glimpse the vending machine or the cultivation chamber.

Once everything was ready, Gu Mo's figure transformed into a wisp of breeze and vanished. He was heading to Giant Crab Island, and thanks to the intelligence provided by Xuan Shui, he had a detailed location to work with.

As Gu Mo set off to claim General Golden Claw's spiritual land, the aftermath of the earlier battle drew the attention of powerful sea monsters who had been keeping a close eye on the general's every move.

When they confirmed that General Golden Claw had been killed, shock and disbelief washed over them. A human cultivator had slain the general, who had ruled that stretch of ocean for countless years—an event so startling it was practically earth-shattering.

None of the sea monsters dared obstruct Gu Mo as he departed.

---

Crimson Coral Archipelago

Shi Yunjie felt deep unease as he sensed the terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations in the distance. After reading the intelligence Xuan Shui had provided about General Golden Claw, Shi Yunjie finally understood just how formidable an enemy the Core Formation cultivator had provoked.

At this point, all Shi Yunjie could do was silently pray that the Core Formation expert would survive this calamity. After all, if he failed to stop General Golden Claw, the Crimson Coral Archipelago—which had accepted large quantities of crab meat from the sea monsters—would likely be in grave danger.

"Is the battle over?"

As the spiritual turbulence in the distance began to subside, Shi Yunjie's heart leapt to his throat. The outcome of that battle would determine the fate of the entire archipelago.

"Leader, Miss Yuwei has arrived."

While he waited, a scout who had been sent to monitor the situation rushed over, delivering news whose implications were still unclear.

"Greetings, Leader Shi," Shi Yuwei said with a respectful bow.

"No need for such formality, Miss Yuwei. Do you have any news?" Shi Yunjie responded with brief pleasantries before cutting straight to the point.

"Senior has already slain the enemy and is now heading to the enemy's base to eliminate the threat once and for all." Shi Yuwei didn't know that Gu Mo had left to seize General Golden Claw's spiritual land, but her guess wasn't far off. After all, taking over an enemy's territory was essentially eliminating any chance of future revenge.

After all, demon beasts needed spiritual lands to grow stronger. Without one, their development would slow drastically.

"Killed… So General Golden Claw is already—"

Shi Yunjie's eyes filled with disbelief. The most optimistic outcome he'd imagined was that Gu Mo would force the general to retreat. But now, the general had been slain outright—a being whose combat power rivaled a peak Tier-3 demon.

To be able to kill such a monster, just how terrifying was this Core Formation cultivator's strength? And to think the Crimson Coral Archipelago had managed to align with such a powerful ally—it was nothing short of a blessing.

---

Giant Crab Archipelago

Everything seemed as usual, clearly indicating that the news of General Golden Claw's death had yet to reach the area. But Gu Mo had already arrived. It was his first time using the Wind Escape Technique at full power, and he had to admit—it was incredibly effective. In terms of sheer speed, it lived up to its reputation as a derivation of the Five Element Escape Techniques, particularly the Gold Escape variant.

Upon arriving, Gu Mo's eyes immediately locked onto the largest of the surrounding islands. Crescent-shaped, the island cradled a smaller isle in its center.

While this central isle appeared smaller in comparison, it was still no less vast than the Tier-3 water-vein island Gu Mo had previously claimed. This spoke to the island's immense scale.

He stepped onto the outer crescent island, finding no defensive formations in place. Or rather, most demon beast lairs didn't have such formations anyway. And since General Golden Claw was already dead, Gu Mo wasn't worried about another peak-level demon emerging from the island.

Still, ordinary Tier-3 demons were bound to be present. Someone had to guard the place while the general was away. Sure enough, just as Gu Mo landed, a large blue crab emerged.

"Human! Do you know whose territory this is?"

The blue crab stared at the intruder, its eyes flashing with shock. Everyone in this part of the sea knew this was General Golden Claw's domain. For someone to barge in like this—was this human mad?

"Of course I know. I have permission from the owner. Here—look at this token." Gu Mo pulled out the pair of golden claws.

"Ahhhh!"

The blue crab shrieked sharply. Being assigned to guard the spiritual land, it knew better than anyone how crucial those golden claws were—they were practically extensions of General Golden Claw's life force.

If a human cultivator was holding them, there was only one explanation: General Golden Claw had fallen.

Zing!

While the blue crab was still reeling from shock, Gu Mo struck. A low-tier Tier-3 demon was no match for him—not with the strength he now wielded, and especially not when he had the advantage of surprise.

Whoosh—

A few breaths later, Gu Mo retrieved the crab's demon core and stored the body in the Black Mist Space. With that, he now had three demon cores in his possession.

Demon cores could only be acquired through swift kills. A cornered opponent like General Golden Claw would always choose to self-destruct their core rather than let it fall into enemy hands.

"Looks like forming my Core will have to wait a bit longer," Gu Mo murmured, feeling the depletion of his Core Formation energy.

His energy had been condensed using Tier-3 Solar Essence, which meant it wasn't self-regenerating. Once used, it was gone. That said, this Solar Essence-based energy was exceptionally pure—much more so than what typical Core cultivators could muster.

Still, this wasn't a major problem. By occupying this new island, Gu Mo would be able to quickly replenish the power he had spent.

His divine sense had already swept the area, confirming it was a top-grade Tier-3 spiritual land—a rare hybrid of earth and water veins.

The central isle held the earth vein—a top-tier Tier-3 one—while the surrounding bay held a mid-tier Tier-3 water vein. Both were far superior to the lower-tier water-vein island he had controlled before, and the larger size meant he could cultivate even more spiritual plants.

After clearing out the remaining sea monsters, Gu Mo moved toward the central isle, where a stone hall stood.

This was General Golden Claw's lair. Upon entering, Gu Mo found no formations, and inside the hall were piles of spiritual materials and precious ores.

Clearly, these were the general's personal hoard. Given his strength, anything he had collected wouldn't be ordinary—at the very least, they had to be Tier-3 grade.

"Doesn't seem like such a loss after all."

Looking at the materials and minerals, Gu Mo's earlier regret over not getting the general's demon core or shell quickly faded. The value of these treasures easily made up for it.

With no time to sort through the goods, Gu Mo stored everything into the Black Mist Space and then dismantled the stone hall itself.

The hall stood at the heart of the spiritual land and helped gather spiritual energy. While not as effective as a proper Spirit-Gathering Array, it was still a decent cultivation site.

But to Gu Mo, the structure was pointless. He didn't need a spiritual land to cultivate. Leaving such a prime spot occupied by a big building rather than cultivating spiritual fields was nothing short of wasteful.

After tearing it down, he began setting up a Nut Formation and an Illusion Formation. This time, however, he deliberately chose not to set up a Concealment Formation.

That's because Gu Mo needed to make a statement—to intimidate any other demon beasts thinking about snatching the land. A spiritual land of this quality was bound to attract attention.

To firmly claim it, Gu Mo had to rapidly expand his network of spiritual plants and root himself deeply into the land. Only then could he secure it for good.

Gu Mo's suspicions were quickly confirmed. As time passed, news of General Golden Claw's fall spread like wildfire. Upon hearing the news, numerous powerful sea beasts surged toward Giant Crab Island, intending to seize the spiritual land left behind. Even if they failed to claim the territory, looting the treasures General Golden Claw had amassed over the years would still be worthwhile.

However, as the beasts approached the island's perimeter and sensed more than a dozen third-rank auras radiating from its center, they halted. Then, when Gu Mo emerged carrying General Golden Claw's massive pincers on his shoulders, the beasts all quietly withdrew.

Only a fool would provoke a cultivator strong enough to slay General Golden Claw. The general had been one of the most powerful sea monsters in the region—almost peerless in this stretch of ocean.

Unless another top-tier beast from a different sea region showed up, no one was likely to challenge Gu Mo. And even then, those dominant creatures had their own territories to guard. After all, if you invade someone else's land, who's going to defend your own?

Moreover, anyone strong enough to kill General Golden Claw wasn't someone other sea overlords could afford to underestimate. Before launching into an all-out war, even they would have to consider whether it was worth the risk.

With the sea beasts retreating, Gu Mo had effectively secured the spiritual land for himself. As for any future complications, he wasn't worried.

Because now was the best opportunity for them to take it from him. Since they gave up this time, they'd likely never get another chance. As time passed, Gu Mo's botanical defensive line would only grow stronger. Anyone attempting to take the land later would end up just like General Golden Claw.

"Phew…"

Successfully intimidating the other sea beasts, Gu Mo exhaled deeply. He could finally enjoy a brief period of peace.

His next step was to fully master and set up the quasi-fourth-rank formation—the Mist Mirage Array. With that kind of formation guarding the land, its security would rise to an entirely new level.

On top of that, Gu Mo planned to increase the number of third-rank sunflowers on the land. After all, this high-grade third-rank spiritual zone could easily support more third-rank sunflowers and other high-tier plants.

With this expanded botanical force, Gu Mo would focus all his efforts on breaking through to the Core Formation stage. Only after reaching the Core Formation realm could he leave this place, safely traverse the dangerous seas, and head toward Shennong Valley.

Gu Mo had no intention of lingering here long. He was, after all, a human cultivator occupying a high-grade third-rank spiritual land that once belonged to a sea beast. The sea monsters wouldn't just let that slide. Sooner or later, if one of them stepped forward to rally the rest, a coordinated assault could easily follow.

If it were just ordinary sea beasts attacking, Gu Mo wouldn't be afraid. But if it drew the attention of a Sea King, things would become troublesome. A lone human cultivator, deep in sea monster territory, occupying their land—it was the kind of thing that naturally invited the gaze of a Sea King.

At that same moment, over on Crimson Coral Archipelago, Xuan Shui gazed at the shattered remains of a third-rank water vein. His eyes held a trace of regret, but mostly, they sparkled with excitement.

The fact that General Golden Claw had been slain by a human Core Formation cultivator surprised and even unsettled him. But ultimately, the result had worked in his favor.

That terrifyingly powerful human had now left, which meant Xuan Shui's gift-gathering plan could resume as scheduled.

There was still a year until Lord Chisha's birthday celebration. No need to rush. If he harvested the gifts too early, they wouldn't feel fresh.

To a Core Formation cultivator like Xuan Shui, a year would pass in the blink of an eye.

But for the Crimson Coral Archipelago, that year would be transformative. With Gu Mo's pills and the vast amount of crab meat they had obtained earlier, the strength of the archipelago's cultivators had increased dramatically.

Although Gu Mo could no longer refine pills for them after leaving for the Giant Crab Islands, the supply hadn't been cut off thanks to Shi Yuwei's efforts.

All of the leftover first- and second-rank pills Gu Mo had refined—those he didn't need—had been entrusted to Shi Yuwei, who used them in trades with cultivators from the Crimson Coral Archipelago.

The stockpile she had on hand was enough to sustain trading for several more years. By the time it ran out, Shi Yuwei believed the senior would likely return for her.

She was already aware that her senior had seized General Golden Claw's spiritual land on Giant Crab Island. This bold act had sparked pride among the human cultivators in the region who had long been oppressed by the sea monsters.

Rumor had it that many human cultivators from other sea regions were already planning to seek refuge under her senior's protection.

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