Chapter 1166: Spirit Ground

After 15 minutes, everyone stopped. The extreme cold—countless times more severe than their home—didn't matter; even their breath froze into icicles. They were stunned by the scene before them.

A vast spirit pond shimmered, surrounded by white and green jade seats and octagonal tables. The setting was opulent beyond belief. Dozens of maids stood frozen in place, each holding a plate; some plates bore white kettles and spirit fruit, now petrified. Like the scene outside, the maids were encased in ice, their features preserved but lifeless. Even the spirit pond itself was completely dry.

"Just like outside," Luo Fei said bitterly.

Lin Yiban nodded. "Yes, but notice—while cold, it's not as frigid as the outskirts of the Ice God forbidden grounds."

"Is this the Ice God forbidden grounds?" Gan Liang asked.

Ye Mo shook his head. "Definitely not. If it were this comfortable, it wouldn't be called the Ice God forbidden grounds. I've been to the Truth Fall Palace forbidden grounds, and since the Ice God grounds rank higher, they'd be far more dangerous than just a little chilly."

"This place looks like a small immortal gathering. Who are these people?" Tang Beiwei asked shakily.

"There are Spirit Devouring Bugs here, too," Xu Tong interjected.

Ye Mo saw them; they had hatched. "These Spirit Devouring Bugs likely came from outside seeking a place to evolve," he said, eyeing the several hundred insects.

He released Shadowless. The Spirit Devouring Bugs scattered, but Shadowless was too swift. In moments, all the bugs were devoured.

Ye Mo went to the bugs' point of entry and erected several formation flags. A meter-tall tree materialized, bearing nine fruits, though not fully ripe.

"A level-nine spirit tree, Sha Fruit!" Lin Yiban exclaimed in shock.

Ye Mo recognized it—a level-nine spirit herb, a key ingredient in the Disaster Life Pill, increasing the chance of a cauldron-filling cultivator reaching the disaster transformation state by twenty percent.

"I heard the Sha Fruit is flavorless," Xu Tong said, equally shocked.

Ye Mo explained, "It's not flavorless; we just can't smell it. It emits a scent only spirit bugs can detect. No matter the distance, spirit bugs will find it."

"Spirit Devouring Bugs?" several people questioned simultaneously.

"Yes," Ye Mo confirmed, needing no further explanation. The stealth and defense formations outside kept others out, but any tiny opening would be exploited by the bugs, drawn by the scent.

Indeed, more Spirit Devouring Bugs appeared, only to be quickly consumed by Shadowless. Without hesitation, Ye Mo moved the Sha Fruit tree into his Golden Page World.

He knew it would be nearly impossible for more Spirit Devouring Bugs to intrude, save for a few exceptionally lucky ones. Still, he sealed the remaining gap with more formation flags.

Relieved, Ye Mo thought that even if the remaining bugs hatched, without a place to evolve, they would perish. He'd just thwarted someone else's plans. He wondered if the person would be enraged, but he didn't care. He'd offended many; it no longer mattered. As long as his power grew to the point where no one dared challenge him, it was fine.

Then, he summoned Snow Fox. Without Snow Fox, he would have left some Spirit Devouring Bugs alive to find other spirit grounds.

"Such a pretty fox! Husband, is this the fox you were looking for in the Mei Nei Snow Mountains?" Luo Ying asked.

Everyone adored Snow Fox; the little creature was adorable, with shiny white fur and a chubby build. Everyone wanted to pet it.

"No, I found it here. I don't know what happened to the one from the Mei Nei Mountains," Ye Mo replied.

Snow Fox, seeing Tang Beiwei's attempt to catch it, turned into a white blur, evading her. Even Tang Beiwei's level-six Golden Core state power was insufficient.

"Amazing speed!" Tang Beiwei marveled.

Xu Tong smiled. "This spirit-seeking beast is a level-five peak stage spirit beast, nearing level six. No wonder you couldn't catch it."

"What? This little fox is almost a level-six spirit beast?" Tang Beiwei gasped.

When Ye Mo first obtained Snow Fox, it was a level-five primary stage beast, but the abundant spirit chi in his Golden Page World had accelerated its growth.

Snow Fox clawed frantically at a corner. Ye Mo quickly erected more formation flags, revealing another stealth formation and a semicircular door.

Inside, a sense of profound comfort enveloped them.

"My god, so much spirit marrow!" Xu Tong exclaimed, the others echoing his astonishment. Luo Ying and Ning Qingxue rushed forward; the sheer quantity of spirit marrow was breathtaking. The dense spirit chi indicated that it wasn't low-grade; at least top-grade, if not extreme-grade.

Ye Mo sealed the area before surveying it. A vast palace; nothing but spirit marrow ponds, each brimming full, untouched for a considerable time. Scattered throughout were spirit crystals, some high-level. No one cultivated; they waited for Ye Mo's instructions.

He counted sixteen spirit marrow ponds for ten people. This spirit marrow far surpassed the quality of that found in the herb valley.

"One each," Ye Mo announced, "and collect the spirit crystals near your pond."

Lin Yiban and Xu Tong claimed ponds first, followed by Gan Liang and Luo Fei. Tang Beiwei made her selection, and then Ye Mo addressed Luo Ying and Ning Qingxue. "You two are at the peak of the Golden Core state. I have Cao Huan Pills here; you can break through to the Nascent Soul state and then cultivate in the spirit marrow pond. Use my cultivation method."

Under Ye Mo's protection, they safely advanced to Nascent Soul state. After the divine damnation, Ye Mo, Ning Qingxue, and Luo Ying also began cultivating, after setting up a level-seven defense and attack formation.

Even here, Ye Mo remained vigilant. One never knew when someone might appear. He observed everyone cultivating diligently, spirit chi whirlpools swirling above them. He knew their power would increase significantly, but he wasn't in a hurry. He took out his time formation disk.

He didn't plan to let everyone cultivate here indefinitely; even for his own use, the spirit chi consumption would be considerable.