The Portal of Wonderland

Shi Mu did not ask anything. He released his spirit sense and started choosing his spirit land.

As soon as his spirit sense came into contact with the dark area, a more complete image of the map immediately formed in his mind.

Mountains, rivers, lakes… Everything was in front of him. This included information about the characteristics of these spiritual places.

Shi Mu observed the terrain of the second layer was entirely different from the first layer.

The first floor was basically full of forests while the second floor was mostly surrounded by mountains and rivers. There were many waterfalls around and each of the spirit sites had several waterfalls as well.

In addition, all these waterfalls looked a little different from ordinary waterfalls.

“Elder Hou, why are there so many waterfalls in this spirit land?” Shi Mu asked.

“These are not ordinary waterfalls, but spirit waterfalls,” Elder Hou said with a smile.

“Spirit waterfall?” Shi Mu glanced at them.

Elder Hou replied, “The spirituality of the second layer leans toward the water attribute which is very different from other places where their aura gathers. Over time, a spirit waterfall will form. These spirit waterfalls have rich auras which are highly suitable for building a cave residence or opening up a spirit land for planting. The quality of the land can be judged by the number of its waterfalls.”

Shi Mu was stunned and nodded.

“It’s different from the first layer. This layer of spirit land can be expanded. In addition to the land, there are the waterfalls. If you want to expand your spirit range, you can also go to those wild areas, which are filled with waterfalls. However, most of them are occupied by monsters. You need to kill them in order to classify it as your own territory.”

“I guess that’s the way it is…” Shi Mu muttered to himself.

Elder Hou’s face looked dignified as he explained, “Well, the higher-ups arranged such a situation to encourage one to develop more wild areas. If you’re able to gain a territory from a monster, it would be a huge achievement as those monsters in the wild areas are formidable. There were even beasts and monsters that reached their Saint Rank cultivation.”

“Saint Rank cultivated beasts?!” Shi Mu took a cold deep breath. With the strength he currently possessed, he would definitely die in battle if he ever encountered one of them.

“In addition, between millennial disciples, the spirit waterfall can also be regarded as a kind of wealth. Some disciples would challenge each other and place their bets in an area within the range of the spirit waterfall. If they were to win, the spirit waterfall would be considered theirs,” Elder Hou said.

Shi Mu nodded. “I see. I understand everything now. Thank you for your teaching.”

His spirit sense carefully explored the second-floor map. After half an hour, his eyes fell on a spirit land near the wilderness.

“Elder Hou, I’ve made up my decision. I choose this land,” Shi Mu said as he pointed his fingers at a spirit land surrounded by nine waterfalls.

With nine spirit waterfalls, the land he chose was a good location for meditation.

According to the information, this spirit land was left after a thousand-year-old disciple was promoted to a million-year-old disciple and thus sealed up by the Holy Land.

“Oh, this spirit land is so close to the wilderness. You have to be careful at all times. The monsters in the wild areas are feral and they often break into the spirit fields of the disciples,” Elder Hou reminded him.

Shi Mu heard his words and nodded.

“Yes, I understand.”

He had chosen this spirit-land for other purposes. Since it was close to the wilderness, it was more convenient for him to explore the location of the treasure map left by the white azure ape ancestor. It would not easily attract the attention of the other disciples.

“Since you now have spirit land in the second-floor area, the residence on the first floor will be recycled for the sects according to the regulations.”

“Yes, I understand,” Shi Mu said again, nodding.

Since Shi Mu made a choice, Elder Hou did not say anything more and began to wave a charm rune.

The bleak area suddenly brightened up and Shi Mu’s name appeared on it.

He also waved a blue light and fused it with Shi Mu’s Xuanling Wall. The mark from the first floor was erased and the proof of ownership for the new spirit land appeared.

After choosing a new residence, Shi Mu did not stay much longer and soon left.

…

Half a month passed on the second floor of the Holy Land in the Xuanjie region.

At the entrance to the Xuanling Tower, two or three hundred figures flashed as they appeared one after another.

The head of the group wore a green robe. He was tall and had distinct facial features. His eyes were golden and especially bright.

He stood with his hands straight. They were as pale as white jade. He gave the impression that he had mastered some unfathomable power. It was none other than Shi Mu.

About three hundred attendants followed close behind him, including Qi Feng.

All of them stood in front and looked forward, appreciating the scenery of the second floor.

In the middle of the sky, the white clouds were blossoming and huge mountain peaks rose from the ground. The mountains were green and there was a river running between them.

Above the peaks, a few huge silver waterfalls could be seen descending from the sky. The water rumbled and the mist rolled.

The Heaven and Earth qi were extremely rich here. It was definitely better than the first floor. Occasionally, a white mist came floating by from the mountains. There was a radiance flashing inside the mist. It was a kind of spirit fog that would apparently form when the qi of Heaven and Earth was incredibly rich.

“The Heaven and Earth aura here in the Xuanjie region is amazingly strong…”

“Look at the fog. It feels like it’s not of the mortal world.”

“This is a fairyland…”

The attendants, who had limited knowledge regarding the second floor, were excited to witness such a scene with their own eyes.

Shi Mu had already seen the second floor, so he was not as surprised.

“In the future, you will all live here, so there will always be time to appreciate the beauty of the scenery. For now, let’s head over to our new cave residence,” Shi Mu said as a couple of floating clouds appeared to transport all of them.

A white cloud several tens of feet formed. At once, it rose high into the air and flew toward the new caving residence.

At his current level, his Qi Cloud Technique no longer had any time or distance restrictions, so he was able to fly for a long time. Although the speed was not as fast as his flaming wings, it was not slow by any means.

Most of the attendants were warriors. Many of them had never flown through the sky. As they sat on the white clouds, they had a little difficulty balancing themselves. After a while, they stabilized. They soon settled down and looked at the surrounding scenery with excitement, whispering among themselves.

The huge white cloud flew between the mountain peaks and deep into the Xuanjie region. The scenery on both sides was unparalleled.

Shi Mu stood on the cloud, but his eyes remained vigilant as he looked around him.

Not far from a spirit waterfall, a huge silver cascade fell from the sky. Clear white water and mist floated and flew around within a few dozen feet.

This mist seemed to be formed by the mixing of auras and it was everywhere around the waterfall. The aura of the Heaven and Earth qi was no doubt richer than any other place he had seen.

Beside the Spirit Waterfall, there were a lot of spirit plantations and materials around. It seemed that they were hundreds of years old.

Shi Mu let out a sigh of relief. This Xuanjie region was so much better than the yellow region. The aura was richer, the water vapor was abundant, and it was highly suitable for planting medicinal herbs.

However, he was not as close to the spirit waterfall and he had yet to pick one or two spirit herbs. Every spirit waterfall here had a lord of its own. All the property inside belonged to Qinglan, including the spirit lands without lords. It could not be claimed without prior permission.

The space in the Xuanjie region was extremely vast. With the Qi Cloud Technique, it had taken a full day before they finally arrived at his spirit land.

It was a vast expanse of mountains and several large rivers flowed through the middle.

There were five towering peaks in the mountain range, like five huge fingers pointing straight at the sky.

“This is indeed the spirit mountain on this blessed land. Such good terrain was faintly formed by a natural array.”

This was the first time Shi Mu had been here. He could not help but look around him in satisfaction.

Qi Feng stood not far from Shi Mu and had to ask, “Young master, did any great battles happen here?”

“Look at the five peaks gathering together right there. The location is special as if the five fingers were closed. The aura from thousands of miles around gathers here. It will not leak out but become thicker by the hour. Such a formation cannot be easily found,” Shi Mu replied.

Listening to Shi Mu’s explanation, Qi Feng took a closer look and realized what he said was true. The aura of the five mountains was indeed richer than the outside which was quite a shock.

“However, this kind of natural phenomenon has many issues. It can only gather the aura of the Heavens and Earth to a certain extent. If it exceeds this limit, it will dissipate. It will be better if a barrier is placed around it. Unfortunately, it was probably arranged on the orders of the Holy Land.” Shi Mu sighed as he shook his head. He waved at the crowd to continue their pace.

Nine spirit waterfalls were distributed among the five mountains. Some palatial buildings had been built near each of the waterfalls and much spirit land had been opened up, probably by the former master of the cave residence.

Currently, these facilities belonged to Shi Mu and he was able to utilize them.

“Qi Feng, you will still manage these spirit lands. The reward and punishment system is still the same and the attendants are to be assigned to the various waterfalls. Since there is much spirit land here, there’s no need to waste time.” Shi Mu commanded.

“Well-said, young master!”

Qi Feng quickly nodded and immediately began to allocate all the attendants to their respective tasks.

Shi Mu had about three hundred attendants and he had no plans to add more into his service. If he divided thirty or forty of them to each of the spirit waterfalls, it would be enough.

Qi Feng then took out the seeds for all kinds of spirit herbs and arranged for the attendants to start planting.

Shi Mu looked and nodded his approval.

The way Qi Feng managed things was well-ordered and looked quite proper.

Qi Feng and others were busy with their tasks, and he was not idle either. He did a few laps in the mountains, going to every spirit waterfall and found that some barriers were set up.

These were prepared in advance and had cost him a lot of spirit stones.

His spirit land was close to the barren area. If a powerful monster were to appear, the barrier might be able to protect them.