Ye Tai held aloft a lotus pedestal carved from ancient, faintly glowing spiritual wood. Within the pedestal, a doll of pink and jade perfection cradled a small, exquisite crystal lotus seed in its palm. This seed served the same purpose as a jade slip, used for recording cultivation techniques.

Ye Qin channeled a wisp of divine sense into the crystal seed and meticulously examined the spell within. After finishing the entire text of the Lotus Codex, he couldn't help but frown. "The opening of the Lotus Codex states the prerequisite for cultivating this text.

One must prepare a complete set of Lotus-element Nascent Soul Dharma Artifacts before practicing this scripture." "The Lotus Codex records a Spiritual Lotus Ranking from the cultivation world of the East Sea. These East Sea spiritual lotuses can all be used to forge Lotus-element Nascent Soul Dharma Artifacts for cultivating this technique." "At the top of the Spiritual Lotus Ranking is one called the 'North Sea Ice Lotus.' This thirteen-tiered ice lotus has only appeared in a single ancient record scroll. Legend says this lotus once drifted to the East Sea with a massive ice floe from the North Sea, obtained by an ancient Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, becoming the foremost divine ability artifact in the East Sea cultivation world at that time.

This lotus was a flash in the pan and has never appeared again." "Second on the Spiritual Lotus Ranking is the 'Karma Fire Red Lotus.' This fire lotus is twelve-tiered, born deep within the earth, amidst rolling streams of blazing magma, nurtured by the earth fire. Even late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators would find it difficult to locate this spiritual lotus underground." "Ninth on the Spiritual Lotus Ranking is the 'Ziyou Lotus.' This ten-tiered spiritual lotus grows in the extremely Yin regions of the sea, flourishing in the still, gloomy waters, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to become the Ziyou Lotus. This lotus has no inherent specific attribute; it sprouts lotus seeds corresponding to the type of spiritual energy it absorbs." "The artifacts forged are all initial-stage power Nascent Soul Dharma Artifacts.

Of course, the power of the initial-stage Dharma Artifacts forged from different materials varies in quality. The higher the quality of the raw materials, the more potent the resulting Nascent Soul Dharma Artifact." "This set of the Lotus Codex places no special demands on the cultivator's spiritual roots. The spiritual root only needs to harmonize with the Dharma Artifact.

If it does not align with the cultivator's spiritual root, the efficacy will be greatly diminished, perhaps even inferior to ordinary cultivation techniques." Ye Qin was inwardly stunned. As an alchemist cultivator, he was quite familiar with spiritual lotuses, which were common ingredients. However, he had barely heard of the top ten spiritual lotuses.

Only the ninth-ranked Ziyou Lotus was currently in his possession. This Lotus Codex was incredibly comprehensive regarding the variety of spiritual lotuses. "Aside from the extreme rarity of the top ten, the rest are second-tier spiritual lotuses, ranging from six to nine tiers.

Those below the sixth tier are not included in the Codex. After all, spiritual lotuses of too low a quality will not yield high-grade artifacts." Ye Qin rapidly reviewed the forging techniques for the spiritual lotus artifacts more than ten times in his mind, including the methods for refining the lotus pedestal, the lotus flower, and the lotus avatar. A degree of certainty settled in his heart.

He put away the Lotus Codex and sank his divine sense into his Purple Mansion. In the boundless void shrouded in hazy grey mist, three Purple Mansion floating islands were distributed in a triangular formation. Upon the Earth Mansion floating island, a large quantity of spirit stones were piled up, currently settling.

On the Fire Mansion floating island, countless Blue Flame Earth Fires burned, their transformation into higher-grade earth fire uncertain. The Wood Mansion floating island, the first to form, supported countless spirit chariots, spiritual flowers, and spiritual wood. A small wooden hut, intended for storing seeds and sundries, grew in the center, encircled by plants arranged according to grade, attribute, and function.

Apart from the spirit herbs used for refining elixirs for cultivation, most spirit medicines were planted only one or two stalks, kept ready for immediate need. The most conspicuous were a few stalks of Ice and Fire Thorns. These were the earliest spiritual woods Ye Qin had acquired.

Although these thorns were too low in grade to be useful now, Ye Qin had never removed them; as long as they weren't supplied with spirit stones, they wouldn't continue to grow. Swarms of thorn bees busied themselves shuttling among them, lending a vibrant and pleasing spectacle. Generally, spiritual woods possessed a single attribute.

A few spirit grasses and woods held dual or multiple attributes. Furthermore, these attributes rarely changed, passed down through generations. However, the Ziyou Lotus was exceedingly peculiar.

Its most miraculous aspect was producing lotus seeds based on the spiritual energy it absorbed during growth. The single stalk of Ziyou Lotus planted in Ye Qin's Purple Mansion had naturally generated a Five Elements Lotus after absorbing the dense Five Elements vital energy within the mansion. Ye Qin withdrew his divine sense and could only offer a wry smile.

Bing'er possessed Ice and Fire dual-element spiritual roots, ranked forty-eighth and forty-ninth respectively, slightly lacking in Ice-element potential. He needed to specifically cultivate an Ice-Fire dual-element Ziyou Lotus to forge a 'Spiritual Root Potential Pill' and a set of lotus-themed Dharma Artifacts for Bing'er. However, he was currently unable to refine the Spiritual Root Potential Pill, so there was no immediate rush.

Ye Qin and the group of Golden Core cultivators reached the fifth day on the deserted island. Elder Wang, after consuming the Fire Phosphorus Golden Pill Ye Qin specially concocted to counteract the (Míng Hǎi Yāo Xiē Zhēn - Abyssal Sea Demon Scorpion Sting), combined with the full effort of the middle-aged cultivator of the Wang family to expel the poison, finally purged the toxin completely, leaving no lingering issues. When Elder Wang awoke and learned everything from his nephew, despite his residual weakness, he approached Ye Qin and bowed deeply.

"Daoist Brother Ye's immense grace, this Wang will never forget! Should you have any need in the future, the entire Wang clan is at your command!" "Daoist Brother Wang, there is no need for such formality; it was merely a slight effort." Ye Qin smiled and accepted the bow. Cultivator Pang and the others emerged from their respective meditation chambers upon learning that Elder Wang had recovered.

They had not idled away these past few days, either cultivating or comprehending techniques. In this perilous Sea of Blood Color, an increase in strength meant an increased chance of survival, so none dared to slacken in this regard. "Daoist Brother Wang has actually recovered; we should set out now," Cultivator Pang surveyed the group.

"Daoist Brother Wang, although you have removed the scorpion venom, you probably need to rest for a month or two to fully restore your vitality. Perhaps you should return to the ancient ship stronghold to recuperate for a while. The six of us will proceed to the Ancient Ruins," Ye Qin suggested.

"No matter, after I expelled the poison, the wound from the scorpion stinger is just a minor injury; I only need..." Elder Wang waved his hand, "My nephew has too little experience in external expeditions; this old man is rather worried. Moreover, one more person adds to our strength. If we can find one or two decent treasures in this Ancient Ruin, it will be a fortune, and I won't need to risk coming here again for several years." Since Elder Wang insisted, the others stopped persuading him.

The group of treasure-hunting Golden Core cultivators set off again, leaving the deserted island and heading toward the Ancient Spirit Ruin. Cultivator Pang, though saying nothing outwardly, felt a knot of anxiety in his heart. That Ancient Spirit Ruin had appeared in the East Sea for over ten days.

The departure had been delayed by five days due to Elder Wang’s injury. Even if the ruin was situated in a remote location, after such a delay, there were likely many cultivators who had already discovered the ruin and entered to seek treasure. The more cultivators vying for treasure, the harder it would be to obtain the valuables within the Ancient Ruin.

Having gone to such lengths to discover this ancient site, it could not be wasted like this. Cultivator Pang felt anxious, and his pace became more urgent. In sea zones where the danger was minimal, he directly led the group to rush through using their artifacts.

However, this placed a heavy burden on the Wang uncle and nephew, who were the weakest among them. Elder Wang, having just recovered from a major injury, could only exert sixty to seventy percent of his mid-stage Golden Core strength, clearly dragging down the group's speed. Fortunately, the other Golden Core cultivators were robust enough that he wasn't subjected to attacks by demonic beasts.

After flying continuously for four or five days. Having just shaken off a small group of Blood Feather Vultures, common in the Sea of Blood Color, Cultivator Pang at the front suddenly spotted something and stopped, causing the followers to halt immediately. Before anyone could ask, they saw, ten li ahead in a patch of sea, two streaks of azure-blue sword light, each tens of zhang in size, along with several dazzling lights of various colors, weaving back and forth, crossing and intersecting.

Dark gold-edged array flags were deployed at the four corners, glowing brightly, causing torrents of falling stones to descend from the sky. Interspersed were the thunderous roar of a massive beast and a piercing shriek, creating an astonishing commotion. Even the surface of the sea ten li away, where Pang Cultivator, Ye Qin, and the others were stopped, was affected.

"There are cultivators here hunting high-tier demonic beasts!" Cultivator Pang, being closest, had already discerned the situation and looked astonished. "Red-Eyed Cinder-Tail Turtle?!" Cultivator Yang exclaimed with delight upon hearing this. "This rare demonic beast has a tail like charred wood, covered in countless strange, winding fine pores, capable of emitting a soul-shaking thunderous sound.

It can be used to forge the Nascent Soul Dharma Artifact, the 'Cinder-Tail Thunder Zither.' Its Red-Eyed Turtle Shell, when refined, also offers formidable defensive effects for defensive artifacts or armor." "The one emitting the dull thunderous sound is a massive turtle demonic beast. Based on the exposed shell appearance, it seems to be the extremely rare 'Red-Eyed Cinder-Tail Turtle' of the Sea of Blood Color." "The other one, whose roar is sharp and piercing, flashes in and out near the giant turtle. Judging by the golden, spiraled horns on its head and its full body of black scales, it must be the equally rare 'Mystic Gold Black Flood Dragon'." "Combining the characteristics of both, and seeing them traveling as companions—other than these two species that coexist—" Cultivator Zhu finished speaking, his face also filled with surprise.

Both the 'Red-Eyed Cinder-Tail Turtle' and the 'Mystic Gold Black Flood Dragon' are treasures. They normally only inhabit the depths of the Sea of Blood Color and are extremely rare; it is strange to find them here. Cultivator Pang's joy deepened.

"Correct. That accompanying Mystic Gold Black Flood Dragon is also remarkable. Its spiraled golden horns can also be refined into Gold-element Nascent Soul Dharma Artifacts or top-tier artifacts, possessing sharp, armor-piercing effects.

Its entire black hide can be made into precious armor, impervious to spells below the mid-tier." "Either of these two precious demonic beasts is enough to drive countless hunting cultivators into a frenzy." "It's five cultivators at the mid to late Golden Core stages-surrounding and killing two peak ninth-tier demonic beasts. However, the disparity in strength between the two sides is vast; they will likely collapse before long?" Elder Wang, listening intently to every word, had an expression on his pale face that was both excited and conflicted. His nephew, however, was outspoken and exclaimed with great joy, "If that's the case, let's go and snatch them, lest the treasures fall into others' hands!" Elder Wang shot him a glance and murmured hesitantly, "My nephew and I heard a rule concerning hunting cultivators when we entered the Sea of Blood Color.

It states that if a demonic beast has been discovered and engaged by someone first, others should not intervene midway to seize it, to avoid needless internal strife among human cultivators."