Shan Hu traveled by flying sword, moving with the speed of a shooting star, almost instantaneously traversing the towering mountains.
After leaving Shennongjia, he headed west, eventually arriving at the ancient mountain range in the Southwestern border regions of China, known as the "Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains." The mountains here were majestic, with peaks reaching into the clouds. The spiritual energy was more abundant than anywhere else in the interior, proving that even the spiritual exhaustion of Earth could not completely erase its ancient foundation.
Shan Hu paused on a main peak, extremely high in altitude and perpetually snow-capped.
This peak was named "Kunlun." While not the true Kunlun of the Immortal Realm, in the mortal world, it was the undeniable core of the Earth's spiritual veins.
Shan Hu released his Divine Sense, and the vast, surging consciousness poured into the earth. He was not looking for superficial spiritual herbs but delving deep into the earth's crust to search for the legendary Five-Colored Earth Heart, rumored to be connected to the Chinese Dragon Vein.
Thousands of meters deep underground, Shan Hu's Divine Sense encountered immense pressure and the intense heat of Earth Fire. The deeper he went, the purer the Earth energy became, but it also grew chaotic and restless under the high temperatures of the Earth Fire.
Finally, his Divine Sense located an anomaly.
About five thousand meters beneath the Kunlun main peak, there was a massive cavern—a "vacuum zone" seemingly forcibly isolated from the surrounding Earth Fire. At the center of this cavern, a mass of matter, emitting a faint yet extremely pure Earth-element aura, floated quietly.
The mass was small, only about the size of a child's fist, yet it exhibited an almost imperceptible blend of red, green, black, white, and yellow colors. It hovered silently in the depths of the earth, constantly absorbing the surrounding Earth energy and transforming it into pure, Five-Element Earth Origin.
"It is indeed the Five-Colored Earth Heart." A satisfied smile appeared on Shan Hu's lips.
This Five-Colored Earth Heart had been nurtured by the Earth's spiritual veins for hundreds of millions of years. It was the absolute finest Earth-element spiritual material, and the Earth Origin power it contained was sufficient to support his Foundation Establishment breakthrough.
However, acquiring this item would not be easy.
Surrounding the Five-Colored Earth Heart, an ancient and powerful Nine Palaces Earth-Locking Array emitted a heavy radiance. This array was clearly laid down by an ancient Daoist lineage to protect the Earth Heart. Though countless ages had passed and it was severely degraded, its core power remained formidable.
What surprised Shan Hu further was the presence of three powerful auras guarding the perimeter of the Nine Palaces Array.
These were three Basalt Rock Turtles, their bodies made of solid rock, bearing thick, heavy shells. Each one was the size of a small car, covered in rock and moss, their eyes tightly shut in deep slumber. Yet, the aura emanating from them was undeniably at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!
"Three Mid-Foundation Establishment Basalt Rock Turtles guarding it. It seems the people who set up the array long ago were thoroughly prepared," Shan Hu silently praised.
Mid-Foundation Establishment—on present-day Earth, this was a power level capable of sweeping through any ancient martial sect. Even the Pavilion Master of the Nine Tripods Sword Pavilion would be defeated facing just one of them.
Shan Hu chose not to disturb them. If he could acquire the Earth Heart without a fight, it was the better option.
He retracted his Divine Sense, and his figure shimmered, instantly appearing beneath a waterfall at the foot of the Kunlun mountain.
Beside the waterfall, a simple wooden hut stood isolated in the valley.
The owner of the hut was an old Daoist priest with white hair and beard, wearing a coarse Daoist robe. He looked like an immortal sage, currently setting up a small pot beside the waterfall, cooking some unknown wild vegetables.
The old Daoist priest saw Shan Hu suddenly appear before him. A flicker of brilliance crossed his eyes, but it quickly returned to calm.
"Where does the guest hail from? I have been living here in seclusion for many years and have not seen an outsider for quite a while," the old Daoist priest said, putting down his firewood and bowing slightly, his tone placid.
Shan Hu was direct and to the point: "This Emperor has come for the Five-Colored Earth Heart."
The old Daoist's pupils constricted, his hands pausing mid-motion. He quickly recovered and laughed: "The Five-Colored Earth Heart? The guest must be joking. I have cultivated here for sixty years, and all that is here are wild herbs and mountain rocks. Where could a Five-Colored Earth Heart be?"
"You are the core eye of the array guarding this place. Why bother feigning ignorance?" Shan Hu's tone held a hint of impatience. "The Nine Palaces Earth-Locking Array is built upon the Earth Vein. Your wooden hut, this waterfall, and even the pot in your hand are all disguises for the array you control. The peak Foundation Establishment True Essence within your body has already exposed your identity."
Shan Hu's words struck the old Daoist priest like a thunderclap.
He, the last guardian of the ancient Kunlun array, Daoist title "Xuanji" (Mystic Mechanism), had cultivated arduously for a century, finally breaking through to peak Foundation Establishment five years ago. He was confident that no one on Earth could see through his disguise. Yet, the young man before him saw through all his secrets in a single glance!
The old Daoist's face changed drastically. The smile in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by extreme solemnity.
"Who exactly are you, Sir? Which secluded Daoist lineage are you a successor of?" He no longer denied it, and the peak Foundation Establishment aura on his body instantly erupted, causing the surrounding waterfall current to momentarily stagnate.
Shan Hu's gaze was cold, looking down on all living things.
"This Emperor is Shan Hu. I give you three breaths to open the Nine Palaces Earth-Locking Array and hand over the Five-Colored Earth Heart. Otherwise, this entire Kunlun Mountain will be flattened because of your refusal."
That absolute pressure from a higher life-tier descended once more. Daoist Xuanji, facing this calm threat, felt a fear deeper than facing the three Basalt Rock Turtles. He understood that the person before him was not a common martial artist but a true Immortal Dao Grand Power!
His peak Foundation Establishment cultivation was laughably weak, like that of an infant, before this person.
Daoist Xuanji's knees buckled. In the end, he chose submission.
"Immortal... please quell your anger! This junior obeys! Please follow me, Immortal!"