The night fell.
Amidst the vast Mogan Mountain range.
Giant shadows of ancient trees stood silently in the darkness, when suddenly a light flickered within them.
Zooming in, it was Ling Fan.
The Samsara Divine Cauldron floated before him, a strange power enveloping the land below.
As time passed, streams of light were absorbed into the Samsara Divine Cauldron, leaving behind a small pool of earthy yellow spiritual liquid, about ten drops.
"After working half the night, I only got this much Earth Spiritual Liquid. It seems I can't just rely on the earth itself; I need to find heavenly treasures with earth attributes."
Ling Fan pondered.
He opened his mouth and swallowed, absorbing the Earth Spiritual Liquid.
However, this amount of spiritual liquid was far too little, not even enough to open a single earth-attribute meridian.
At this rate, it would take at least several months to accumulate enough spiritual liquid to open twelve earth-attribute meridians.
But Xue Yi's Nine Deaths Spirit Phoenix Body's first tribulation had less than a month left, and Ling Fan didn't have time to slowly grind away at this.
After thinking for a moment, Ling Fan returned to Lan Family Fort and summoned Liang Hu Tu.
"Master, you called for me."
Liang Hu Tu's face was still flushed, clearly still excited from Ling Fan pushing him to the peak of the Profound Gang realm today.
"You often frequent the Mogan Mountain range. Do you know of any earth-attribute treasures there, preferably an Earth Spiritual Vein?"
Ling Fan asked.
"Earth-attribute treasures... Earth Spiritual Vein?"
Liang Hu Tu repeated the words, his expression showing signs of deep thought.
After a good while, Liang Hu Tu shook his head. "Reporting to Master, as far as I recall, there aren't many earth-attribute treasures in Mogan Mountain, let alone Earth Spiritual Veins. Mogan Mountain is more abundant in wood and fire attribute heavenly treasures; earth-attribute ones are quite rare."
Ling Fan nodded.
This was indeed the truth.
If the earth spiritual energy in Mogan Mountain were abundant, he wouldn't have collected so little Earth Spiritual Liquid with the Samsara Divine Cauldron just now.
It seemed he had to find another way.
"Right, Master, I remember now!"
Liang Hu Tu suddenly slapped his head, excitement flashing in his single eye as he called out, as if seeking merit.
Ling Fan nodded, signaling him to continue.
Liang Hu Tu said, "Have you heard of Star Sand City? In Star Sand City, there's an ancient ruin called Star Sand Lake. It's said that this Star Sand Lake was formed after a top-tier Heavenly Origin Realm master failed in his cultivation. This Star Sand Lake ruin opens once every three years, and according to the timeline, it will open in half a month."
At this point, Liang Hu Tu scratched his head somewhat sheepishly. "I was originally planning to go to this Star Sand Lake ruin to seek a breakthrough opportunity, but I was tricked by the City Lord's Mansion and ended up in Lan Family Fort. I wanted to use that Fire Crystal Vein to break through to the peak of the Profound Gang realm, or even Quasi-Heavenly Origin."
"However, Old Liang has also found fortune in misfortune, being able to become your disciple is the greatest fortune of my three lives. My admiration for you, Master, is as endless as the surging rivers, and as continuous as..."
"Stop flattering me. What does this have to do with earth-attribute treasures?"
Ling Fan asked.
Liang Hu Tu said, "Master, please listen. This Star Sand Lake is no ordinary place. It's a lake composed of peculiar sand. Inside, there's a five-colored altar that guards the core area of Star Sand Lake. If any strong individual approaches, the five-colored altar will manifest five soil giants of five different colors, each with strength no less than a Quasi-Heavenly Origin!"
"That's why, even though Star Sand Lake has existed in Star Sand City for so many years, no one has been able to obtain the opportunities within it."
The moment he heard of the five-colored altar, Ling Fan's gaze sharpened.
"Elaborate on that five-colored altar. What are the five colors?"
Liang Hu Tu quickly replied, "It seems to be azure, red, yellow, and... what were the last two colors? I'm not too sure. I only heard it from others; I haven't been inside myself."
Ling Fan said calmly, "Are the colors azure, red, yellow, white, and black?"
Liang Hu Tu's body trembled violently. A flash of lightning crossed his mind, and with Ling Fan's prompt, he immediately remembered.
"Yes, yes, yes! It's these five colors, azure, red, yellow, white, and black. Master, how did you know?"
Liang Hu Tu was greatly astonished.
Ling Fan smiled and said, "This kind of soil is called Sheji Soil, and it's no ordinary heavenly treasure."
However, Ling Fan didn't elaborate further on the profound mysteries of Sheji Soil.
Seeing Ling Fan in such good spirits, Liang Hu Tu couldn't help but feel cheerful as well.
Though he appeared rough and impulsive, he was actually an intelligent person with a keen mind, knowing when to ask and when not to.
At times like these, it was best to just be happy with the boss.
His boss's secrets were not something he was qualified to know.
"Go and prepare. We will set off for Star Sand City in three days."
Ling Fan instructed.
Liang Hu Tu respectfully accepted the order and left.
After Liang Hu Tu departed, Ling Fan's eyes became deep, and a smile played on his lips.
This was Sheji Soil.
It was a rare treasure, even in the Heavenly Realm.
Even the Great Emperors, who stood at the pinnacle of the universe, would fight fiercely for it. This substance could be used to refine heirloom sacred weapons, or even ultimate imperial weapons. It could also be used to construct immortal heavenly formations, enduring for eternity, possessing all sorts of miraculous uses.
It could be considered a top-tier earth-attribute heavenly treasure.
There were even legends that Sheji Soil was the soil of buried gods.
However, gods were mere legends. Even the ten great Heavenly Realms, standing at the apex of the cosmic sea, had no trace of divine intervention.
Ling Fan, in his previous life, was already the foremost figure among the ten great Heavenly Realms, yet he had only touched the threshold of godhood.
Whether gods truly existed remained an unknown.
He never expected to encounter such a treasure as Sheji Soil in the lower realm, and it was a pity that the people of this lower realm didn't recognize its value.
The top-tier master from Star Sand City in the past had somehow obtained the five-colored Sheji Soil and only used it as the foundation for an altar, which was a complete waste of a divine item.
Now, it had fallen into his hands.
The five-colored soil – azure, red, yellow, white, and black – though all earth-attribute, possessed subtle differences.
Azure soil represented the Eastern Azure Wood, red was akin to fire, representing the Southern Blazing Fire, yellow was central, representing pure earth attribute.
White represented the Western Geng Metal, and black represented the Northern Profound Water.
In essence, the five-colored soil was not only an earth-attribute treasure but also a supreme treasure of the unified Five Elements.
Opening the final earth-attribute meridian with the five-colored soil would make the previously arduous process of unifying the Five Element meridians significantly easier, reducing the difficulty by at least sixty to seventy percent.
Recalling his thoughts, Ling Fan began preparing to refine a pill for his father-in-law, Lan Tian Xiong.
The pill he intended to refine was called the Longevity Pill.
This pill was a top-grade Yellow tier, not only capable of enhancing cultivation but, more importantly, also possessing the effects of healing hidden ailments, old injuries, and extending lifespan.
Lan Tian Xiong had been busy with the affairs of the Lan family over the years, working tirelessly. His cultivation was also not stable, and he had suffered several injuries in the past. Refining the Longevity Pill for him was the most suitable course of action.