Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 874: Visit the clan’s land and obtain treasures from a secret place!
Cangming Yuanchen sighed, with a look of reminiscence in his eyes:

"Back then, when Zi Yu Tian Jun traveled to the East China Sea, he saw that our clan was being harassed by sea beasts, so he helped us and passed down the 'Blue Sea Thunder Sound Art' to help our clan gain a foothold. Our clan is grateful for his kindness and vowed to serve the Lei Xiao Sect for generations."

"Unfortunately... Later, the Heavenly Sovereign fell, and Fang Jiuzun rose to power. He exterminated all the former members of the Lei Xiao Sect, and our clan had no choice but to hide here."

"It has been thousands of years!"

"Then how do you know about Zhou?" Zhou Xun asked curiously. He had learned a lot about the grudge between him and Fang Jiuzun from the elder.

"Haha, Master, you don't know that although my mermaid clan has fled to avoid disaster, we have not cut off contact with the outside world. We have secretly left behind several teleportation arrays."

"If a member of the tribe reaches the fourth level, he can travel outside. I have even gone to the Western Desert to fight the ghost tribe myself!"

Cangming Yuanchen explained.

"I see!" Zhou Xun took a sip of the 'Deep Sea Dew' and nodded slightly.

As a relatively large ethnic group in the human world, we naturally need to keep a close eye on changes in the outside world. If we blindly stick to our own ways, we will only become more and more closed.

There is no development of ethnic groups.

The reason why Dajin became a holy place for cultivation in the human world is inseparable from its open-minded cultivation atmosphere. Many cultivators from other continents came here.

The collision of various thoughts and cultivation systems has resulted in the highest success rate for cultivators in Dajin.

"Since the True Lord is the descendant of the Purple Jade Heavenly Lord, then the treasure that my mermaid clan has guarded for many years should also be handed over to the True Lord for disposal!"

Suddenly, Elder Cangming changed the subject and talked about something that interested Zhou Xun.

"treasure?"

"Yes, before the Emperor of Heaven passed away, he entrusted a treasure to our clan for safekeeping. It can only be opened after the successor of the Lei Xiao Sect arrives!" said Elder Cangming.

"There is such a secret!"

It seems that before True Lord Zi Yu passed away, he had already made plans to protect the inheritance.

"However, the treasure is now stored in the secret place of our clan, and it requires the cooperation of the elders of the five major clans to open it!"

"Please stay here, Master, while I gather the other four elders here!"

Cangming Yuanchen took out a sea-blue jade conch, and with a glow on his fingertips, he tapped the conch three times.

Suddenly, a distant echo came from the screw hole, as if penetrating the deep ocean.

"This is the 'Chaoyin Conch', a unique communication treasure of our mermaid tribe." The old man held the conch to his lips, and uttered strange sounds from his throat. Four shadows appeared on the surface of the conch - the emblems of the four tribes, Chilin, Chaoyin, Xuexiao, and Jinfin, lit up one after another.

After the interrogation was over, Cangming Yuanchen bowed to Zhou Xun:
"In one month at the latest, the other four elders will be able to gather here. You may as well stay in the 'Tingtao Pavilion' temporarily. There is a warm current flowing through there, so it is the most comfortable place."

Zhou Xun nodded in agreement, then followed the maid's lead through the crystal corridor.

The fluorescent corals inlaid in the niches along the way flickered, casting his shadow on the clear wall, interweaving with the shadows of the passing fish.

This kind of underwater palace was the first time he had seen it, and he was quite interested in it.

Soon, we arrived at our destination.

Tingtao Pavilion was built inside a giant clam shell, and the dome was covered with night-shining pearls. Zhou Xun had just sat down on the mica couch when he heard footsteps outside the door.

"senior."

Ah Zhen and Ah Hai stood timidly outside the bead curtain. The girl's ear fins twitched nervously, while Ah Hai held a food box woven from seaweed. At this time, he already understood Zhou Xun's identity.

"Come in." Zhou Xun flicked his sleeves lightly, and the curtain opened automatically. The young man and woman walked in slowly.
"I have seen the true king!"

Ah Zhen pulled Ah Na's head and bowed.

"We are destined to be together. There is no need to do this. Just call me Mr.!"

Zhou Xun waved his hand gently, and a gentle lifting force lifted the two of them up.
This attitude also made the two of them feel more relaxed, and they all smiled.
"gentlemen!"

"This is a delicacy of our mermaid tribe. I made it myself. I added silver algae to it. Sir, please try it!"

He put the food box on the table.
The moment it was opened, a puff of hot steam rose up, revealing a glutinous rice cake wrapped in deep-sea algae, with crystal fish roe embedded on the surface.

"Have a heart."

Zhou Xun picked up a piece. The glutinous rice melted in his mouth, and the bursting sweetness of the fish roe was mixed with a faint scent of thunder spirit - it was clearly the fish roe of a spirit fish with thunder attribute.

"Yes, the food of the mermaids is indeed different in flavor!" Zhou Xun praised it highly!
"You two are here for something?"

Seeing Zhou Xun's gentle expression, Ah Hai knelt down boldly:

"I would like to ask for your guidance in cultivation!" He knocked his forehead heavily on the giant clam ground, making a dull echo.

Zhou Xun smiled, this silly child is really honest!

With a wave of his hand, a jade slip appeared in front of him:
"This 'True Explanation of Controlling Water' is a top-level water-attributed technique, which is perfect for the two of you to practice in the future."

Although Ah Hai's spiritual root aptitude was extremely low and not at all up to par, Zhou Xun's powerful divine sense still allowed him to detect that he had water spiritual roots.

Therefore, this practice is extremely suitable.

Then he took out a jade talisman with thunder pattern.

"This talisman was made by me drawing the power of thunder essence. It contains my thunder intention. When in danger, I can call upon the purple thunder and lightning to protect my body."

As he said this, he handed it to Ah Hai.

But the young man did not answer. He just waved his hand and said:

"This technique is already a great gift, how can I accept anything more from you, Master? This is absolutely unacceptable!"

"You are indeed a fool. You don't even want the treasure!"

But this kind of simplicity and innocent heart made Zhou Xun feel good about her. Otherwise, he would not have stayed.

"By the way, Ah Zhen and I have decided to hold a Taoist couple bonding ceremony in seven days, and I would like to invite you to come and sit and witness it!"

As he spoke, Ah Hai handed over another wedding invitation.

"Don't worry, I will definitely be there when the time comes!"

Soon, five days passed and it was time for Ah Hai and his friend's ceremony.

The main hall of the Crystal Palace is decorated with lights and colorful coral beads adorned on the fluorescent jellyfish tentacles hanging from the dome, making the entire hall look like a dream.

Zhou Xun stood at the entrance of the palace with his hands behind his back, looking at the wedding arrangements of the mermaids with great interest.

In the center of the hall was laid a wedding carpet made of polished thousand-year-old shark skin, and the pillars on both sides were wrapped with glowing silver seaweed, swaying gently.

"Please forgive me, my clan's wedding ceremony is crude." Cangming Yuanchen said. Behind him, a maid came over holding a carved conch shell.
"This is the 'Concentric Conch'. The newlyweds must drink the spiritual fluid from it together."

Zhou Xun took it and looked at it carefully. He found that there was a space inside the snail body, which was filled with amber viscous liquid and faintly glowed with starlight.

If he hadn’t heard that Zhou Xun was coming, he would not have participated in this Taoist couple ceremony for the foundation-building clan members.

Not to mention, giving up the main hall.

As they were talking, the sound of a conch shell was heard from outside the palace. Two teams of mermaid girls entered slowly, holding various magical instruments.

They have different shapes, such as seashells, anemones, etc.

In the middle of them, Ah Hai was wearing a deep blue robe woven from shark silk, with the colorful scales given to him by Ah Zhen pinned on his chest.

The bride wore a snow-white wedding gown, and the scales behind her ears were covered with gold foil, sparkling in the phosphorescent light.

"May the sea god bless us!" the emcee sang.

The newlyweds knelt and bowed towards the deep sea outside the temple. The spirit fish in the water-repellent beads suddenly turned in the same direction. "Bow to the ancestors again to continue the incense!"

Cangming Lanyue and his wife sat at the top. Chao Yinhong had tears in her eyes as she hung two jade pendants engraved with the clan's crest around the necks of the newlyweds.

The moment the jade pendants touched each other, they merged into the shape of a pair of lotus flowers.

"The Taoist couple is of one mind!" The master of ceremonies said loudly while holding the conch, "Please witness it, my dear guests!"

Everyone in the hall instantly focused their attention on Zhou Xun.

He chuckled, and used his spiritual power as a pen to write a spiritual letter in the void, announcing it to heaven and earth.

Then he took the conch from the maid and handed it to the newlyweds: "Drink the spiritual liquid, and we will be together forever."

Ah Zhen took the conch with trembling fingertips, and drank from it with Ah Hai.

The moment the amber liquid entered their throats, a faint golden chain shadow appeared around their bodies and quickly sank into their bodies - this is the "life contract" unique to the mermaids, which is more overbearing than the marriage contract of humans.

"The ceremony is completed——"

As the host drew out the last line of the song, the entire palace suddenly burst into dazzling blue light.

Countless schools of deep-sea fish swarmed in from all directions, forming ever-changing blessing patterns outside the temple.

The wedding banquet lasted a whole day. Zhou Xun sat in the guest of honor seat and tasted all the spiritual foods unique to the mermaid tribe, such as the "Thousand Layer Coral Cake" and "Thunder Caviar".

After the banquet, Zhou Xun returned to his residence to rest.

Soon, another half month passed.
One day, Zhou Xun was meditating on thunder magic in Tingtao Pavilion when he suddenly felt the entire Crystal Palace tremble slightly.

Four powerful auras came from the undercurrent of the sea, each one was no weaker than Cangming Yuanchen.

"Master, the four elders have arrived!" Cangming Yuanchen's voice came through the sound transmission shell.

Zhou Xun straightened his robe and pushed the door open, only to see four figures standing in the square in front of the palace:

The old man on the left has red hair like fire, and is wearing a scale armor robe. The beautiful woman next to him has silver hair that falls to her waist, her ear fins are like gauze, and her body is surrounded by ice crystals.
The sturdy man on the right has golden scales all over his body and carries a trident on his back. The last one is an old dwarf with indigo skin and a coral staff in his hand.

"Red-scaled Lieyang, Snow-gauze Congealed Frost, Golden Fins Breaking Waves, and Chao Yinwu, pay homage to the True Lord Wangchuan!" The four of them saluted in unison, and the sound waves shook the water.

Zhou Xun glanced over and was secretly shocked.

These four people are all at the peak of the fourth level, especially the old man with red scales, whose aura is even more astonishing, at least at the level of the top ten cultivators of the Dajin Dynasty.

"There's no need to be so polite, fellow Taoists." Zhou Xun flicked his sleeves lightly, and a soft force lifted everyone up.

Chilin Lieyang took a step forward, his long fiery red beard moving without wind, and said in a loud voice:

"You have come from afar, and you have a deep connection with our mermaid race, so we should do our best to be the host."

With a wave of his hand, he took out a red jade box, opened the lid, and inside was a red spiritual fruit with faint flame patterns flowing on the surface, emitting a burning breath.

"This is the 'Red Flame Coral Fruit', which grows deep in the volcanoes and sea abysses of our tribe. It only ripens once every hundred years. Eating it can temper the body and increase the magical power of fire."

Zhou Xun's eyes moved slightly. Although this item was not a thunder-type spiritual material, the pure fire spiritual power contained in it was extremely precious. He nodded with a smile: "Daoyou Chilin is thoughtful."

Xue Xiao Ning Shuang moved lightly with lotus steps. She flipped her white hand and a crystal clear ice crystal appeared in her palm. The cold air was so thick that even the surrounding sea water froze slightly.

"This is the 'Mysterious Ice Soul', a secret item passed down by my Xue Xiao lineage. It can calm the inner demons and help cultivators stabilize their minds when breaking through bottlenecks."

Zhou Xun took it and felt a cool feeling go straight through his purple palace. Even the thunder essence in his body was faintly calmed down. He couldn't help but praise: "What a great treasure for calming the mind."

Then, Jin Chi Po Lang and Chao Yin Wu presented extremely precious gifts.
Zhou Xun thanked them one by one, then raised his hand and motioned for everyone to take a seat.

He took out the tea set himself:
"You have come from afar, and I have nothing to repay you, so I will treat you with this 'Cloud Tea'."

It was his fourth-grade medium-quality cloud tea. He had prepared a lot of it back then, but had not finished it yet.

Soon, the tea was ready.

Everyone raised their glasses and sipped the wine.

When the tea goes in your mouth, it tastes slightly bitter at first, then turns sweet. A warm current rises from your dantian, and the spiritual energy in your body becomes slightly more active.

Chi Lin Lie Yang closed his eyes and savored the tea. Suddenly he opened his eyes and said with emotion, "What a good tea! It can actually improve my understanding!"

Zhou Xun smiled without saying anything, and refilled everyone's cups before speaking:

"The five major clans of the mermaid tribe each have their own strengths. After seeing them today, I can see that they are indeed worthy of their reputation!"

Cangming Yuanchen stroked his beard and smiled, then took over the conversation: "My mermaid clan is originally the descendant of the ancient sea clan. Later, due to the dramatic changes in the world, the clan dispersed. Tens of thousands of years ago, five ancestors each got the opportunity to cultivate the five meridians of 'Cangming', 'Red Scale', 'Xue Xiao', 'Golden Fin' and 'Chao Yin', thus establishing the five major clans."

"The Cangming lineage is good at divination, Chilin focuses on attacking, Xuexiao is proficient in illusion and ice magic, Jinfin specializes in formation and refining, and Chaoyin is good at music and the art of the soul."

Zhou Xun seemed to be thinking: "No wonder you all have different auras. It turns out that the root cause is here."

Then, Zhou Xun discussed philosophy with everyone and gained a lot.

It was not until the next day that they set out for the secret place of the mermaids.

After leaving the palace, everyone turned into streams of light and dived into the deep sea.
After half a day, we came to a sea eye.
"The secret place is within this sea eye!" Cangming Yuanchen said.

"When our ancestors discovered this place, they regarded it as a secret place!"

Zhou Xun nodded, and followed the others into the room.
Inside the sea eye, the water spiritual energy is extremely abundant. Zhou Xun guessed that there should be a fourth-grade high-quality spiritual vein remaining below.

After diving about ten thousand feet along the sea eye, a whirlpool with a diameter of one hundred feet suddenly appeared in front.

The center of the vortex was as dark blue as ink, and five bronze pillars engraved with runes surrounded it.

"Get into formation!"

The five elders each sat on a pillar.

Cangming Yuanchen took out a jade ring with thunder patterns and embedded it into the groove on the top of the pillar. The other four took out a token of similar shape, slowly injected magic power into it, and then hit the ancient totem on the pillar.

"boom--"

The bronze pillar suddenly lit up, and the five-colored light pillars converged at the center of the vortex. The dark blue water surface shattered like a mirror, revealing a huge bronze door with seven star patterns inlaid below.

"Open!" the five elders shouted in unison.

The bronze door slowly opened, and when the dust settled, a square-inch jade platform was revealed behind the door.

A purple jade box was quietly placed on the stage, with lightning patterns on the box surface interwoven into the pattern of the Big Dipper.

"This thing has been here since the death of the Heavenly King. Today it finally sees the light of day again." Jin Chi Po Lang said with emotion.

Cangming Yuanchen respectfully picked up the jade box and handed it to Zhou Xun:

"According to what has been passed down in the clan, the restrictions on the box require the spiritual power of the Purple Sky Thunder Art to unlock them. Please open it yourself, Master."

After saying that, he looked at Zhou Xun, and the others also looked over.

Zhou Xun took the jade box and it felt cold to the touch.

The lightning patterns on the box body sensed the lightning energy in his body and began to move like a living thing.

He took a deep breath, inhaled and exhaled the purple thunder power from his palm, and slowly injected it into the star map on the box.

"Click——"

After seven gentle sounds, the jade box opened.

Revealing the two treasures inside.

(End of this chapter)