With the Salamander Heart Lotus and the fire mana stones secured, Oasis took a moment to survey the now quiet cave.
The battle had left the area scorched and damaged, but the treasures within had made the struggle worthwhile.
"Phew!" Oasis exhaled.
"I am still weak. If I hadn't caught those two off guard, and if their cultivation had been stable, I'd be in their place right now," he thought, finishing collecting the fire mana stones.
Oasis questioned his strength, comparing it to the two adults he had fought.
He felt inferior and believed he had only won because he caught them off guard since they underestimated him due to his youth and seemingly lower cultivation level.
Suddenly, Oasis sensed a presence near Aya.
"Someone is near Aya!" Oasis thought, alarmed.
Without wasting time, and without even putting on new clothes, he dashed towards Aya, his damaged clothing fluttering in the wind.
Meanwhile, near Oasis's barrier...
"Little brat, lift off the barrier, and this uncle won't bite," a man spoke to Aya, who was awake inside Oasis's barrier.
"Ha ha ha!" the man's companions laughed.
"Go ahead, kid, lift the barrier," they urged, laughing.
There were four of them, and they were trying to lift the barrier using their spells and artifacts, but Oasis's barrier seemed firm and stronger.
The wind barrier continued protecting Aya, who was surprisingly not scared or shocked.
She sat in a lotus position, calmly looking at the men.
"Big brother left me alone and went to where the intense energy was coming from," Aya thought.
"It seems the fight is over there, and big brother's energy is the only one that remains."
"These men are all dead as soon as he comes back," Aya thought.
"Hey, big uncles, I would advise you to leave."
"If you don't, today shall be your last day under the heavens," Aya finally spoke to the men, ever since they had been trying to break the barrier.
"Ha ha ha ha!" they all laughed heartily at what they considered a child's threat.
"Kid, you're a funny one. Do you think this uncle will be scared of a threat from an infant that still reeks of breast milk?" one man said, making a scary face.
"Don't worry, kid. Sooner or later, we're going to break this barrier," the man spoke to Aya.
Suddenly, Oasis appeared, speaking to the men.
"She wasn't making threats, she was promising you guys."
!!!
"Another piece of meat just delivered itself. Ha ha ha!" one of the men laughed.
"Brat, just give us your storage bracelet and we'll kill you quickly. Or we'll kill you and take the bracelet ourselves," the man spoke to Oasis.
Without a word, Oasis unleashed his spiritual energy.
"Phoenix Gaze!" Oasis whispered, slightly unleashing his spiritual energy.
!!!
The four men collapsed before Oasis.
Oasis took their storage bracelets and lifted the barrier.
"Why did you leave me here, big brother Oasis?" Aya asked.
"Aya, we will be staying in this place for a few days before we move elsewhere," Oasis replied.
"Since we both have a fire affinity, this place is rich in fire mana. Cultivating here for some time will definitely be fruitful."
Oasis and Aya moved back to the salamander's cave, where Oasis cast a double barrier consisting of fire magic and wind magic around the cave.
They then started cultivating inside the cave.
Meanwhile, in the bamboo forest...
Zion's barrier suddenly started unleashing energy, creating strong winds around the bamboo trees, visibly bending them.
After some time, the energy burst around Zion, breaking the barrier and leaving a big pit around him.
As the energy faded away, Zion emerged with a faint aura radiating around him.
"So this is the Awakened Realm," Zion thought, clenching his fists, feeling immense strength and mana within him after breaking through to the awakened stage.
"This is the soul realm that Father talked about," Zion thought, noticing the change in his spiritual energy.
In Zion's perspective and knowledge, when one reaches the Awakened Realm,
they start comprehending the laws of their affiliated elements, their bloodline awakens, and they gain access to their soul realm...
The soul realm is a deeper part within the conscious realm.
The core of the conscious realm is the soul realm, where the cultivator's soul dwells.
The conscious realm exists within the spiritual realm. The spiritual realm converts mana to spiritual energy to nourish both the conscious and soul realms.
Spiritual avatars, which navigate the conscious realm and soul realm, are also created and stored in the spiritual realm.
Zion's appearance slightly changed, especially his eyes, which now had clear blue irises. His hair had also grown.
After taking a few steps out of the bamboo forest, Zion's body started glowing with intense light, and he suddenly disappeared.
It seemed Tir na Nog had rejected Zion's presence.
Days flew by in Tir na Nog...
With everyone busy hunting treasures, many died, and many survived, growing stronger as they seized opportunities among the great treasures.
The Starfall Consortium had been searching for these treasures, but most had already been claimed.
The Salamander Heart Lotus was with Oasis, the Moon Blooming Lotus was with Zane, and the Grimoire of Space and the Pond of Eternal Youth were yet to be found.
Other treasures in Tir na Nog changed owners frequently, as cultivators killed each other whenever the chance arose.
Zane continued traveling with the woman he had encountered while she was bathing.
They seized opportunities together, hunted, and defended themselves against threats.
Meanwhile, Magnolia and Tyla moved together, searching for Azalea and Oasis, encountering opportunities along the way.
The Abyss Hounds and the Starfall Consortium were also busy snatching treasures and killing other cultivators.
After about three months since Zion disappeared from Tir na Nog, the Starfall Consortium realized that two of their members had been killed.
They had agreed to meet at a designated spot after four months in Tir na Nog, and the absence of their comrades signaled their demise.