The Cave Dwelling of Eight Treasures Great Immortal, the Secret of Heavenly Immortals!

*Whoosh.* At the exit of the Tianyuan Ancient Immortal Battlefield, a succession of figures suddenly materialized. Every single one of them was a True Immortal or a Great Immortal. With grave expressions, these immortals kept the Giant Axe Immortal safely surrounded in their midst. Even now, the Giant Axe Immortal found it somewhat difficult to believe what they had told him. Could Lu Changsheng truly have commanded all these immortals to come searching for him? It was nothing short of incredible. After all, when Lu Changsheng had first entered the Heaven Realm, he had merely been in the Ancestor Realm, not an immortal. No matter how swiftly Lu Changsheng might have cultivated to attain immortality, how could he possibly order so many immortals around? Still, the Giant Axe Immortal had no power to resist. Yet as he stepped out of the Tianyuan Ancient Immortal Battlefield and caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance, he froze slightly. Lu Changsheng! Yes, it was indeed Lu Changsheng! Without a shadow of a doubt! Only now, Lu Changsheng was completely different from how he had been back in the Boundary Sea. An immortal! Lu Changsheng unmistakably radiated the aura of an immortal. A True Immortal! Lu Changsheng had truly become an immortal. *Whoosh.* Lu Changsheng opened his eyes at the same moment. He immediately took note of the Giant Axe Immortal. "Fellow Daoist Giant Axe, we haven't met in many years, yet your bearing remains as magnificent as ever," Lu Changsheng said, taking the initiative to speak. Indeed, though the Giant Axe Immortal had been relentlessly hunted, his aura did not appear weak in the slightest. On the contrary, he was considerably stronger than before. Furthermore, he was someone blessed with tremendous fortune; having obtained the Eight Treasures Golden Light Shroud, he would be able to establish a Dao field in the future and become a master of a Dao field. That made him far better off than most True Immortals, the vast majority of whom could never manage to establish one. "It really is you, Lu Changsheng..." Seeing Lu Changsheng, the Giant Axe Immortal's eyes filled with utter shock. Only now did he truly believe that the person before him was indeed Lu Changsheng. "Changsheng True Immortal, we have safely escorted the Giant Axe Immortal to you. Might we...?" Great Immortal Yuanling took the initiative to ask. He did not wish to linger for even a single breath. "Gentlemen, please take your leave." With a wave of his hand, Lu Changsheng directly retracted the mental imprints from their minds. Feeling his mental imprints vanish, the immortals finally breathed sighs of relief. One after another, they offered their farewells and swiftly departed from the Tianyuan Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Seeing each immortal look as though a crushing weight had been lifted from their shoulders as they hurried away from the battlefield without a moment's delay, how could the Giant Axe Immortal fail to realize that what they had told him earlier was not an exaggeration in the least? If anything, they had understated it. The look in their eyes revealed deep wariness, even sheer terror, toward Lu Changsheng. Among them were quite a few Great Immortals. How could dignified Great Immortals be so terrified of a mere True Immortal like Lu Changsheng? The Giant Axe Immortal was utterly baffled. Only after all the immortals had vanished into the distance could the Giant Axe Immortal contain his curiosity no longer. "Fellow Daoist Lu, what was going on with those immortals just now?" He still wished to hear the explanation from Lu Changsheng's own lips. Lu Changsheng naturally understood what he meant and smiled faintly. "I imagine they already told you a great deal. In truth, it was simply as they said..." Without concealing anything, Lu Changsheng briefly explained everything that had transpired. Listening to the account, stormy waves surged through the Giant Axe Immortal's heart, leaving him utterly astounded. So those immortals had not lied to him. In fact, their words had indeed been conservative. The true Lu Changsheng was far more terrifying and powerful than anything they had described. "Fellow Daoist Lu, you... you truly are still just a True Immortal?" The Giant Axe Immortal could hardly believe that a True Immortal could possess such terrifying strength. Lu Changsheng neither confirmed nor denied it. "Let us return to the Changsheng Dao Field first. Only within the Dao field will we be truly safe." And so, Lu Changsheng led the Giant Axe Immortal in a swift flight back toward the Changsheng Dao Field. Five months later, the two of them arrived at the Changsheng Dao Field. Upon entering, the shock within the Giant Axe Immortal's heart surpassed all measure. It truly was a Dao field—and an exceedingly formidable one at that. The instant he stepped inside, he felt an overwhelming suppression. He even gained a crystalline awareness that, within the Changsheng Dao Field, even if he wielded the Eight Treasures Golden Light Shroud, he would be completely powerless against the Dao field's crushing force. This was a genuinely powerful Dao field! "Fellow Daoist Giant Axe, go rest for a while." Lu Changsheng summoned Qi Guangmao and instructed him to escort the Giant Axe Immortal to his quarters. The Giant Axe Immortal parted his lips, hesitating as if wanting to speak, but in the end he followed Lu Changsheng's arrangement and went to rest under Qi Guangmao's guidance. He sat quietly in meditation on the ground. In truth, as immortals, they never grew fatigued and had no real need for sleep or rest. Yet immortals still required peace of mind. The Giant Axe Immortal, in particular, had been hunted relentlessly for so long, his heart in his throat every waking moment. Only now had he finally found complete safety. This sense of peace allowed him to lower his guard entirely. He began to piece together everything that had happened along the way. He noted that, throughout their journey from the Tianyuan Ancient Immortal Battlefield to the Changsheng Dao Field, Lu Changsheng had never once inquired about the Eight Treasures Golden Light Shroud, nor had he asked about Eight Treasures Great Immortal. Was it because Lu Changsheng did not know? Certainly not. Lu Changsheng undoubtedly knew. Yet he had deliberately chosen not to bring it up, all to put the Giant Axe Immortal at ease. Lu Changsheng did not covet his immortal treasure. That in itself was an expression of trust, letting the Giant Axe Immortal see that Lu Changsheng remained the same person he had always been. Considering Lu Changsheng's current accomplishments, why would he care about a mere fortune-suppressing immortal treasure anyway? Look at the Changsheng Dao Field. The treasure anchoring its fortune was likely far superior to the Eight Treasures Golden Light Shroud even in its prime, let alone the damaged state it was in now. Perhaps the only thing of any value to Lu Changsheng would be the secret behind Eight Treasures Great Immortal surviving twelve physical tribulations. Yet Lu Changsheng had attained the True Immortal realm at such a young age and had even established his own Dao field. His aspiration was surely to ascend to Heavenly Immortal, not to withstand physical tribulations. Compared to advancing to Heavenly Immortal, Eight Treasures Great Immortal's supposed secret was practically negligible. With these thoughts, the Giant Axe Immortal's mind was set completely at rest. Lu Changsheng truly had no reason to covet anything on him. Even the secret of Eight Treasures Great Immortal, which he held most dear, amounted to very little in Lu Changsheng's eyes. Before, the Giant Axe Immortal had been too panicked and terrified to think clearly, but now that his mind was calm, many things became obvious. With Lu Changsheng around, his protection was guaranteed. Under Lu Changsheng's backing, he might even be able to establish a Dao field of his own. And once he had a Dao field, he would be able to preserve the Eight Treasures Golden Light Shroud. *To think that Lu Changsheng, who once needed my protection back in the Boundary Sea, has now grown to such heights that I am the one needing his shelter... Still, this is a wonderful thing. With Lu Changsheng's protection, there is hope for me to establish a Dao field. However, the secret of Eight Treasures Great Immortal cannot be delayed any longer. It would be best to inform Lu Changsheng and have him retrieve it, ensuring that nothing goes amiss...* Countless thoughts flashed through the Giant Axe Immortal's mind until, at last, his resolve hardened. The very next day, he took the initiative to seek out Lu Changsheng. "Fellow Daoist Lu, I do indeed possess the Eight Treasures Golden Light Shroud, and I also hold the secret of Eight Treasures Great Immortal. However, that secret lies inside a hidden cave dwelling, and with my strength, I cannot retrieve it..." He laid out everything concerning Eight Treasures Great Immortal's cave dwelling in full detail. Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. He truly had no interest in the Eight Treasures Golden Light Shroud. He already possessed the Dragon-Suppressing Pillar and an entire Dao field; acquiring another treasure like the shroud held little meaning. However, Eight Treasures Great Immortal was a different matter entirely. That immortal had survived twelve physical tribulations, possessing a physical body of unfathomable strength. It was said his combat prowess had rivaled that of a Heavenly Immortal. Though Lu Changsheng was confident in his ability to ascend to Heavenly Immortal, obtaining the secret to surviving physical tribulations would be immensely beneficial. It might even provide a shred of insight for his future breakthrough. Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng said, "Very well. No time to lose. Fellow Daoist Giant Axe, come with me to Eight Treasures Great Immortal's cave dwelling, and we shall see for ourselves!" With that, the two departed the Changsheng Dao Field. Guided by the Giant Axe Immortal, they flew toward the mysterious cave dwelling. The cave dwelling of Eight Treasures Great Immortal was located extremely far away and hidden with extraordinary care. Eight Treasures Great Immortal had once possessed a Dao field as well, but when that Dao field collapsed, his private cave dwelling was not inside it. Perhaps he had foreseen that many immortals would seek his secrets after his death, and thus had deliberately established his abode elsewhere, unknown to any other immortal. It had remained undisturbed until the Giant Axe Immortal stumbled upon it by chance. Before long, the two arrived at a canyon. Along the cliff face of the canyon hung a colossal waterfall. Pointing at the cascading water, the Giant Axe Immortal said, "The cave dwelling lies behind that waterfall." "Behind the waterfall?" A strange sense of familiarity brushed over Lu Changsheng. Sweeping his consciousness across the area, however, he failed to detect anything out of the ordinary behind the torrent. It appeared to be a completely ordinary waterfall. Yet since Eight Treasures Great Immortal had gone through the trouble of establishing a hidden dwelling, he would have naturally taken precautions. It was most likely an immortal array capable of deceiving an immortal's senses. "Let's go." Lu Changsheng and the Giant Axe Immortal flew straight through the waterfall. Passing through the deluge, Lu Changsheng indeed saw a magnificent cave dwelling. The Giant Axe Immortal evidently possessed the method to enter, allowing the two of them to pass inside smoothly. "It was in this cave dwelling that I obtained the Eight Treasures Golden Light Shroud," the Giant Axe Immortal explained. "However, there is also a secret chamber here. By my deduction, the secret behind Eight Treasures Great Immortal's survival of the physical tribulations should be inside it. The trouble is, the chamber is guarded by a mysterious immortal array that I cannot break..." Together, they arrived before the secret chamber. Sure enough, an immortal array shielded the entrance. After a brief pause, Lu Changsheng threw out a direct punch. *Boom!* An invisible ripple surged outward in all directions—the sheer force of his fist. Yet it was not enough. The punch failed to budge the immortal array in the slightest, let alone breach the chamber. It fell far short. "Divine ability, Mighty Power!" When it came to brute strength, Lu Changsheng feared no one. Channeling his divine ability, he unleashed its terrifying power into another punch that slammed directly against the immortal array outside the chamber. *Rumble!* A violent tremor ran through the entire cave dwelling, causing the stone walls to shudder faintly. Yet that was all. Once the dust settled, the array outside the secret chamber remained unbroken. "Huh? This array is truly remarkable. For Eight Treasures Great Immortal to lay down an array like this, how could he have merely been a Great Immortal?" Sharp light flickered in Lu Changsheng's eyes. Constructing an immortal array was not something just anyone could achieve. True Immortals and Great Immortals possessed limited comprehension of the Great Dao; even if they laid down arrays, their skill was constrained, making it impossible to establish anything profoundly advanced. Only immortals at or above the Heavenly Immortal realm, blessed with profound realms of attainment, could construct truly powerful immortal arrays. In Lu Changsheng's judgment, the craftsmanship of this array approached the Heavenly Immortal level, or was perhaps directly comparable to an array of that tier. How had Eight Treasures Great Immortal managed to set it up? Could he have purchased array flags? That was certainly a possibility. "Fellow Daoist Lu, what should we do now? If even you cannot break it, I'm afraid there truly is no other way..." The Giant Axe Immortal had placed immense hope in Lu Changsheng. If even Lu Changsheng could not break the array, there would be no way to uncover Eight Treasures Great Immortal's secret for withstanding the physical tribulations. While such a secret might not mean much to Lu Changsheng, to the Giant Axe Immortal it was of paramount importance. After all, he knew his own limitations. In the past, his ambitions had reached the heavens, believing he could cultivate all the way to the pinnacle. Yet since attaining immortality, he had come to understand that advancing to Heavenly Immortal would likely prove far too difficult for him. He would likely spend the rest of his life languishing in the True Immortal realm. And if he could not ascend to Heavenly Immortal, he had to find ways to survive the physical tribulations to prolong his life. How to weather those tribulations was a matter of life and death. He had pinned all his hopes on Eight Treasures Great Immortal's cave dwelling, praying that Lu Changsheng could shatter the defenses and uncover every secret within. Seeing his crestfallen look, Lu Changsheng offered a faint smile. "Do not fret; that was merely a test. For this chamber's array to be so formidable, it is most likely at the Heavenly Immortal level. A Heavenly Immortal-level array cannot be breached by brute force alone. But do not forget, I am a Mortal Immortal! Given enough time, I will certainly break it!" His tone was resolute, brimming with absolute confidence. This rekindled a spark of hope within the Giant Axe Immortal. "Fellow Daoist Lu, I leave everything in your hands," the Giant Axe Immortal said, pulling himself together. Lu Changsheng said no more. Words were useless; actions spoke for themselves. Sitting down cross-legged right before the immortal array, he began employing his analysis ability to dissect it. Analyzing immortal arrays was something Lu Changsheng knew intimately; he was practiced to the point of absolute mastery. A Heavenly Immortal-level array was indeed potent, but his analysis ability was far stronger, backed by his supreme comprehension. When it came to analyzing such constructs, even a Heavenly Immortal would likely fall far short of him. Days slipped by. One month, two months, three months, four months, five months... Lu Changsheng never ceased his analysis. In fact, the process went exceedingly smoothly, though it required a great deal of time. *Hum.* Suddenly, the cave dwelling trembled faintly. Immediately following, the immortal array outside the secret chamber blazed with brilliant light, flickering erratically several times. In the next breath, the array slowly dissolved and dispersed into nothingness. The array was broken! The massive door to the secret chamber was finally revealed. "It succeeded!" The Giant Axe Immortal was ecstatic. By his reckoning, roughly eight months had passed. In a mere eight months, Lu Changsheng had dismantled an array suspected to be of the Heavenly Immortal tier! What kind of terrifying analysis capability was that? The Giant Axe Immortal was no novice; he knew that a Mortal Immortal's analytical prowess was monstrous, but even among Mortal Immortals, there were vast differences. Lu Changsheng's analytical ability stood in a league of its own, peerless and supreme! He had never seen a Mortal Immortal who could rival him. "Let's head inside." Lu Changsheng offered no lengthy explanation. Together, they stepped smoothly into the secret chamber. Upon entering, Lu Changsheng immediately spotted a skeletal corpse. "Eight Treasures Great Immortal?" Lu Changsheng instantly guessed the skeleton's identity. It was almost certainly Eight Treasures Great Immortal. Great Immortals were different from Heavenly Immortals. A Heavenly Immortal possessed an imperishable physical body, but if a True Immortal or Great Immortal died, their flesh might endure for a long time, yet as the ages rolled on, it would eventually decay until only dry bones remained. Neither True Immortals nor Great Immortals could maintain an imperishable physical form; only those at or above the Heavenly Immortal realm could achieve that. The physical body Lu Changsheng had refined back in the Boundary Sea had naturally not belonged to a Heavenly Immortal; it simply had not been dead long enough to decay completely into a skeleton. Had it truly been a Heavenly Immortal, its imperishable nature would have made it impossible for him to refine. "The dignified Eight Treasures Great Immortal, a cultivator who survived twelve physical tribulations... Even an immortal of such brilliance and talent could only die alone in such a desolate cave dwelling..." Lu Changsheng murmured softly, a sigh coloring his words. Even someone as formidable as Eight Treasures Great Immortal had perished. In the face of time, even Great Immortals held little advantage. "Fellow Daoist Lu, come look here!" the Giant Axe Immortal suddenly called out. Lu Changsheng turned and walked over. On a stone table, the Giant Axe Immortal had discovered a jade slip. "Fellow Daoist Giant Axe, what did you find?" Lu Changsheng asked. "This jade slip contains a shocking secret regarding how Eight Treasures Great Immortal survived the physical tribulations..." The Giant Axe Immortal appeared deeply shaken, yet equally thrilled, as if he had uncovered something truly extraordinary. "Oh?" Lu Changsheng prepared to examine it as well. Sweeping his consciousness through the jade slip, he found that it indeed contained the records left behind by Eight Treasures Great Immortal—and among them was precisely what Lu Changsheng needed most. Within the slip, Eight Treasures Great Immortal had summarized his life. In his youth, he had been spirited and ambitious, pursuing the Heavenly Immortal realm after achieving True Immortality. But one day, when he learned the truth about Heavenly Immortals, terror struck him. He grew so frightened that he adamantly refused to seek the Heavenly Immortal realm, remaining forever at the True Immortal level until the Five Decays of Heaven and Man descended upon him. Furthermore, Eight Treasures Great Immortal had once obtained the "blood of the You clan." This blood was the critical factor that had allowed him to weather twelve physical tribulations. So long as one could refine the blood of the You clan, one could survive a physical tribulation—even twelve of them. Both Lu Changsheng and the Giant Axe Immortal were utterly astonished. They had practically never heard of the blood of the You clan. What kind of bloodline possessed the power to overcome physical tribulations? It was simply inconceivable. Yet this was a jade slip left by Eight Treasures Great Immortal on the verge of death; it could not be false. As the saying went, the words of a dying man carry truth. The memories he chose to leave behind in his final moments were almost certainly the matters he valued most. "Wait, where is the blood of the You clan?" The Giant Axe Immortal immediately began searching for it. At last, beside Eight Treasures Great Immortal's remains, he found it: a small porcelain bottle. Uncorking the bottle, an eerie, bloody scent wafted out—an odor entirely distinct from that of any immortal beast or immortal cultivator. "This is the blood of the You clan?" Lu Changsheng asked, his curiosity piqued. Unfortunately, only a tiny trace remained in the bottle, barely enough to support a single physical tribulation. *What in the world is this blood of the You clan? And why was Eight Treasures Great Immortal afraid to advance to Heavenly Immortal? What could possibly be so terrifying about being a Heavenly Immortal?* Lu Changsheng's brow furrowed tightly. He was merely intrigued by the blood of the You clan, but he took the reason behind Eight Treasures Great Immortal's fear of the Heavenly Immortal realm with absolute gravity. After all, he intended to become a Heavenly Immortal himself; his cultivation path was one of relentless advancement. Noticing that there was more than one jade slip, Lu Changsheng continued his inspection. The contents of the remaining slips did not disappoint him; in fact, they left him profoundly shaken. The other slips detailed what the blood of the You clan was, as well as why Eight Treasures Great Immortal had not dared to advance to Heavenly Immortal. As it turned out, once one ascended to Heavenly Immortal, one would receive a summons to march beyond the heavens, fighting on the battlefield beyond the heavens to resist and slaughter the You clan. According to the slips, the You clan were terrifying life forms capable of matching the immortals of the Heaven Realm. They were vast in number and overwhelming in strength. Once an immortal attained the Heavenly Immortal realm, they were compelled to battle the You clan, and many Heavenly Immortals failed to survive even a single epoch before falling on that battlefield beyond the heavens. And True Immortals? They did not even qualify to set foot on that battlefield. Instead, they enjoyed ample protection, remaining in the Heaven Realm to cultivate in peace. Moreover, if a True Immortal could endure the physical tribulations, they could live for up to twelve epochs—surviving far longer than those Heavenly Immortals who fought and died beyond the heavens. Put simply, Eight Treasures Great Immortal had been a coward. A deserter. Terrified of facing the You clan, he had chosen to eke out a meager existence within the Heaven Realm. Only on the threshold of death had he finally faced his own heart, choosing to preserve his memories in the jade slips. He had even intentionally destroyed the blood of the You clan, leaving behind merely a single drop so that those who came after him would not follow his path as a coward and a deserter. Reading this, the Giant Axe Immortal was struck dumbfounded. So there had originally been more than a single drop, yet Eight Treasures Great Immortal had destroyed the rest, leaving him with only this pathetic remnant! He hardly knew whether to laugh or cry. It was not that he lacked the desire to become a Heavenly Immortal—he simply lacked the talent! How wonderful it would have been if Eight Treasures Great Immortal had left all the blood behind! Alas, it had all been destroyed. "The You clan..." Lu Changsheng murmured. He felt no fear; instead, a faint thrill of excitement stirred within him. The You clan, the battlefield beyond the heavens, a place where even Heavenly Immortals fell... What a magnificent world that must be! How could anyone dislike it, or even flee from it? Lu Changsheng could not comprehend such an attitude. He was a martial artist, walking the Martial Dao. Even as an immortal, he was a Martial Immortal! Martial artists fought heaven and earth, naturally relishing challenges and combat. Of course, not all immortals were Martial Immortals; many lacked that martial will. Though they were immortals, they feared death deeply and sought only to live a little longer, just as Eight Treasures Great Immortal had shrunk from facing the You clan, content to linger in the Heaven Realm. Still, Eight Treasures Great Immortal was long dead; dwelling on it served no purpose. For Lu Changsheng, this journey to the cave dwelling had been immensely rewarding. Although he had obtained no treasures and the blood of the You clan was of far greater use to the Giant Axe Immortal, learning of the You clan, the battlefield beyond the heavens, and the secret of Heavenly Immortals had granted him a wealth of insight. If it were him, he would never run away. In fact, he looked forward to venturing beyond the heavens to cross paths with the You clan. The two searched the rest of the cave dwelling, stripping it clean of virtually every treasure inside. Lingering no longer, they returned straight to the Changsheng Dao Field. Back at the Dao field, Lu Changsheng asked the Giant Axe Immortal for a tiny speck of the blood of the You clan. He had no need for it to weather physical tribulations; he merely wished to analyze it, and a tiny sliver was more than sufficient. Lu Changsheng began his analysis. The moment he probed it, astonishment gripped him. The blood of the You clan possessed terrifying vitality, terrifying regenerative powers, and terrifying defense. Even completely destroying a single minuscule droplet of it was no easy task. Though Lu Changsheng had never seen a member of the You clan in the flesh, judging solely by the analysis of this drop, they were truly monstrous. A single drop of blood could allow a True Immortal to weather a physical tribulation. Before the You clan, True Immortals would not even amount to cannon fodder. No wonder True Immortals did not even possess the qualifications to go to the battlefield beyond the heavens. "The You clan, Heavenly Immortals..." Lu Changsheng recalled the rumors surrounding Heavenly Immortals. While advancing from True Immortal to Heavenly Immortal was exceedingly difficult, over countless eons and across the vast expanse of the Heaven Realm, the absolute number of them should not have been small. Yet Lu Changsheng had never encountered a single Heavenly Immortal, nor had he heard much about them. Heavenly Immortals seemed veiled in mystery, their names spoken of often, yet their persons never seen. Reflecting on it now, Heavenly Immortals had left behind many legends, yet once someone reached that realm, they practically vanished into seclusion. In reality, they were not living in seclusion—they had gone to the battlefield beyond the heavens. Returning from that battlefield was likely no simple matter either; otherwise, Heavenly Immortals would not be so scarce in the Heaven Realm. As for the Golden Immortals above the Heavenly Immortal realm, they had practically faded into myth, unheard of entirely. Lu Changsheng had once wondered whether the Heaven Realm's immortal heritage was withering away, but now he saw that cultivation had not waned. The Golden Immortals, too, had most likely gone beyond the heavens. Many Heavenly Immortals had probably even achieved their breakthroughs to Golden Immortal while out there. Moreover, Lu Changsheng suspected that Heavenly Immortals did not go beyond the heavens purely out of obligation to a summons. If there were truly no benefits, would Heavenly Immortals be so eager to depart? Would Heavenly Immortals and Golden Immortals comply so willingly? Impossible. Whether Heavenly Immortals or Golden Immortals, every one of them was a figure of supreme renown possessed of an unshakeable will. Even under the coercion of mightier beings, they would never willingly march to that battlefield without immense benefits that even Heavenly Immortals and Golden Immortals coveted. It was simply that Eight Treasures Great Immortal had failed to understand this. After all, he had merely been a True Immortal. Having never ascended to Heavenly Immortal, how could he comprehend what Heavenly Immortals pursued? Regardless, Lu Changsheng's first priority was to ascend to Heavenly Immortal. Without reaching that realm, one did not even qualify to serve as cannon fodder. With that, Lu Changsheng instructed the Qi clan to further expand the scale of their crystal stone acquisitions. At all costs, they were to gather vast quantities of crystal stones as quickly as possible to fuel his cultivation.