Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 423 The Wutong Tree Covered in Dust, A Single Thought of Immortal Bud

Yuyang, Bao'an County.

Yangtai Mountain, Shiyang Palace, Danqiu Hall.

“Mr. He Lao came to see me specifically.”

Xu Shiren said with a smile, his face was a little pale, and he coughed from time to time.

"We are brothers by blood, so let's not talk about such things. Fellow Daoist, you are so badly injured, is the fetus alright?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked.

Xu Shiren shook his head.
"It's out of the way."

If it's nothing serious, then it's just that something's wrong.

Cheng Xinzhan took out a jade box from the illusory realm, handed it over, and said,

"This is the 'Longevity Rock Pill,' which I refined myself. It has the effect of strengthening Qi and stabilizing the fetus. Fellow Daoist, please don't refuse. I know that Luofu Mountain is the Southern Ridge Alchemy Sect and must have even better pills, but this is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

Before Xu Shiren could even decline, Cheng Xinzhan interrupted him. Sensing Cheng Xinzhan's concern, and knowing it was personally crafted by him, Xu Shiren didn't say anything more, repeatedly thanking him and accepting the gift, smiling as he did so.
"Sir, you refine elixirs on Feixia Mountain. The endless red clouds and strange phenomena on Feixia Mountain have long been known throughout Lingnan. No matter how good the elixirs of my Luofu Mountain are, few can compare to your skill."

"You are too modest."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this, and then brought up another matter.

"Fellow Daoist, I have a question to ask you."

"Sir, please speak."

"I would like to inquire about the situation at Wutong Mountain. Do you know any details?"

"Wutong Mountain?"

Xu Shiren's eyes lit up, and his tone suddenly became excited.
"Is Sanqingshan going to reclaim Wutongshan?!"

Cheng Xinzhan replied upon hearing this.

"The legal system has been passed down through generations, and it is natural that it cannot be lost."

"Haha, okay, okay!"

Upon hearing Cheng Xinzhan's words, Xu Shiren was overjoyed, as if he were also a member of the Wanfa Sect. He then proceeded to explain to Cheng Xinzhan in detail the fall of Wutong Mountain and its current state.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Kowloon Island, formerly known as the Hung Luk Islands, is a vast archipelago consisting of the Po On Peninsula and numerous islands surrounding it, comprising more than two hundred islands of varying sizes.

The Honglu Islands were originally a place of refuge for independent cultivators from Lingnan and the South China Sea. At its peak, it was known as Huangshan in Qingzhou, with the saying: "Huangshan and Honglu are the land of immortals, and the blue sea and red heart are the sky of freedom."

However, Huangshan is located in the heart of the East, surrounded by righteous immortals, making its status as a sacred place for independent cultivators unshakeable. On the other hand, the Red Furnace Islands are frequently harassed by the Southern Demonic Sect and demons from the South China Sea, which has made it difficult for them to grow and expand. Their periods of prosperity are often short-lived, merely fleeting moments.

Following the "Jiwei Demonic Transformation," the infamous Twin Fiends of the South China Sea, with the assistance of the Green-Robed Ancestor, led a horde of South China Sea demons and a group of Southern School masters to conquer the Red Furnace Islands in one fell swoop. The island's independent cultivators were either killed or fled. This sacred land for independent cultivators on the South China Sea coast was renamed Nine Dragons Island, and thus became a den of demons, a situation that has persisted for forty years.

The islands and Bao'an County are separated by a small river called Luoxi. This river originates from Wutong Mountain on the east side of its north bank and flows westward into the Lingdingyang.

Like the Red Furnace Islands, Wutong Mountain also fell into the hands of demons during the demonic tide. In addition, at that time, Yinhu Mountain and Meilin Mountain, located on the north bank of Luoxi, and even further afield, Maluan Mountain, Yangtai Mountain, Nanmen Mountain, and so on, in fact, all the mountains south of the Five Mountains Defense Line had fallen.

However, in recent years, the Five Mountains Defense Line, in conjunction with the Humen Defense Line, has launched a counter-offensive and has recovered many mountain strongholds and sacred sites. For example, Pingzhang Mountain, Nanmen Mountain, Shiyan Mountain, and Songlin Mountain, which are close to the Five Mountains Defense Line, have all been recovered and rebuilt. Among them, the most influential was Xu Shiren's entry into the four borders and the recovery of Yangtai Mountain. This mountain is only two hundred li away from Luoxi, which is very close and greatly boosted morale.

Wutong Mountain, located further south than Yangtai Mountain, faces Kowloon Island across a stream and is still in the hands of the Demonic Sect.

Wutong Mountain is the highest peak in Bao'an County, located on the South China Sea. It is a famous scenic spot in Lingnan, known for its beautiful scenery and panoramic views of the sea and sky. It is also one of the branches of the Wanfa sect of Taoism.

Many years ago, when Cheng Xinzhan was dueling with swords in Baiyujing and his soul left his body, all the disciples of the Wanfa Sect who were present came to protect him, including the Taoist priest from Wutong Mountain.

Cheng Xinzhan owed Wutong Mountain a favor, and as the contemporary master of the Ten Thousand Laws Sect, now that he had come to Yuyang, he could not stand idly by and watch Wutong Mountain fall into the hands of the demonic path.

According to Xu Shiren, when the demons of the South China Sea occupied the islands and attacked the mainland, the resistance from Wutong Mountain, Yinhu Mountain, and Yangtai Mountain was the fiercest. It was precisely because of their tenacious resistance that the Yuyang Daoist sect was able to establish a temporary defensive line along the five mountains. However, for the same reason, these three sects also suffered the heaviest casualties. After being occupied by the demonic sect, the palaces and pavilions on the mountains were used by the demons to vent their anger, and they were the most severely damaged.

The leader of Wutong Mountain died in front of the Ancestral Hall, and the vice leader led the surviving disciples in retreat. Some are now on the Five Mountains Defense Line, and some are on Feixia Mountain. In recent years, the alliance has also been organizing manpower to further recover lost territory. This year, they have made several probing attacks on Meilin, Yinhu, and Wutong Mountains on the north bank of Luoxi. However, this has also drawn strong resistance from Kowloon Island. A month ago, Xu Shiren was injured in a battle against Hu Hailong, one of the two villains of the South China Sea, during the attack on Meilin Mountain.

Currently, those guarding the three mountains of Luoxi are all elites under the two villains of the South Sea. The one stationed at Wutong Mountain is a demon from the South Sea, nicknamed "Red-Bearded Dragon," though he is actually just a shrimp monster. This demon possesses the cultivation of a sixth-stage Golden Core cultivator and has considerable brute strength, especially his two natal whips forged from red dragon whiskers, which, when unleashed, possess the power of a fourth-stage cultivator, making them quite extraordinary.

Of course, the truly troublesome ones are not these demon generals, but the two villains of the South China Sea on Kowloon Island. These two great demons clearly do not want to lose the three majestic mountains on the north bank of Luoxi, and once a powerful figure from the righteous path makes a move, these two will follow suit.

Xu Shiren explained to Cheng Xinzhan that Hu Haitao, the eldest son of the Hu family, rarely showed his face unless his younger brother was in danger or couldn't handle the situation alone. He usually cultivated on Honglu Island, the largest island in the southernmost part of the archipelago. Hu Hailong, the second son, was in charge of the attack on the mainland, and he was the one who injured Xu Shiren.

These two demons are twin brothers, cut from the same mold, with no difference in appearance or clothing. They can only be distinguished by their magical weapons and fighting habits.

Like most sea demons, the second brother, Hu Hailong, preferred close combat, especially long and heavy weapons. He wielded a long-handled, three-pronged steel fork, powerful, heavy, and extremely sharp. In addition, Hu Hailong always carried a short dagger, only two feet three inches long, at his waist. The two weapons, one long and one short, one offensive and one defensive, were quite formidable. The eldest brother, Hu Haitao, was different. Years ago, he somehow acquired a flying sword that emitted a dazzling crimson light when wielded, and was also incomparably sharp. He was also a descendant of dragons, possessing a powerful physique, but rarely engaged in direct combat; he always fought from a distance with his flying sword.

These two brothers also share a common trait: they are bold yet meticulous, ruthless yet cautious. If they judge that they can gain an advantage, they will pursue relentlessly. But once they perceive danger, they will disregard everything and immediately withdraw.

Xu Shiren repeatedly warned Cheng Xinzhan to be extremely careful if he encountered the Hu brothers. He also said that if Cheng wanted to reclaim Wutong Mountain, he should definitely ask him to join him so that they could look after each other.

Cheng Xinzhan agreed.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Xu Shiren found Cheng Xinzhan an elegant place to stay on Yangtai Mountain. The window faced southeast, and one could see Wutong Mountain just by opening the window.

Cheng Xinzhan naturally opened the window and looked out. At this moment, Wutong Mountain was no longer the magnificent fairyland scene of "green paulownia trees emerging from purple mist, white springs hanging from green peaks" that it used to be. Instead, there was only a bloodthirsty demonic aura soaring into the sky.

This sight naturally evoked disgust, making one wish to burn it all to the ground. The main reason he didn't immediately confront the source was that his cultivation of internal alchemy had reached a crucial stage. The next transformation of the life embryo was the "Immortal Bud," and the amniotic membrane could envelop and protect the life embryo, which was extremely advantageous in combat.

As the saying goes, "A skilled craftsman must first have the right tools." The two villains of the South Sea are highly skilled, and Hu Hailong is also adept at close combat. If the embryonic life form is accidentally injured, it will be a big problem. Therefore, Cheng Xinzhan would rather wait until the amniotic sac is fully formed and the embryonic life form is protected. At that time, it will be much safer to take action, and he will have fewer concerns.

He closed the window, sat cross-legged on the wooden couch, concentrated his mind, and looked inward to observe himself.

In the Crimson Palace, after undergoing six transformations—"Flesh Sprout," "Dragon Bow," "Lotus Pod," "Lotus Root Essence," "Sure Result," and "Ginseng Treasure"—the embryo finally took on the appearance of an embryo, complete with limbs and facial features, plump and white, its soft belly rising and falling slowly with its breath.

The next step is to create the "Fairy Bud".

He has no shortage of things like Heavenly Gang, Earthly Fiend, Spiritual Qi, Spiritual Materials, and Magical Treasures, but which of these is the Crimson Palace willing to accept, and which one does the embryo of destiny like?

Cheng Xinzhan pondered.

Ok?
He had just begun to seriously consider this question when his attention was drawn to an object above the embryo's head.

Ground book.

He suddenly remembered that when the Earth Book was first refined, he initially planned to put it in the Earth Palace. However, Crown Prince Bingling and the Earth Sword reacted strongly, preferring to leave rather than share a room with the Earth Book. When he was about to put it in the Yellow Court, the Golden Core was equally restless, unable to sit still in the presence of the Earth Book.

Cheng Xinzhan vividly recalled feeling quite helpless at the time. The Earth Book, being of the element of the earth, was a heavy and substantial object, suitable for nurturing in the Earth Palace and Yellow Court, but unfortunately, both places already had owners. The Purple Palace contained light and ethereal objects, and the other four palaces, three residences, and two halls were all unique in their attributes, making them unsuitable for storing the Earth Book. He then tried placing the Earth Book in the temporarily vacant Crimson Palace, which governed physical life, and thought that if that didn't work, he would have to put it in a small earth-attribute aperture.

However, at that time, Jiang Palace readily accepted the Earth Book, and the Earth Book moved in without saying a word.

Later, he sent his life essence and elixir into the Crimson Palace and formed a life embryo. The Earth Book did not react to this visitor. At the same time, the life embryo did not have any hostility towards the Earth Book treasure that had moved into its inner chamber first.

The two have lived together peacefully and happily ever after.

Does that mean the Earth Book is a magical treasure that the Crimson Palace is willing to accept and that the embryonic destiny likes?

Could the Earth Book be the preordained womb?
As soon as Cheng Xinzhan had this thought, the Earth Book in the Crimson Palace suddenly opened on its own, the pages facing down, and emitted a burst of apricot-yellow spiritual light, enveloping the ginseng-fruit-like life embryo. Despite the sudden change, the life embryo was not startled at all; on the contrary, it seemed to be enjoying itself, bathing in the apricot-yellow spiritual light and letting out a lazy yawn.

Immediately afterwards, the Earth Book transformed into a ball of apricot-yellow light, like a transparent, unopened flower bud, growing on the cloud bed and enveloping the embryonic life within. The embryonic life offered no resistance and slept soundly within the bud.

Even someone as knowledgeable as Cheng Xinzhan was momentarily stunned as he watched the changes unfold in the Crimson Palace. What did it mean? He had only thought for a moment, and the transformation into the "Immortal Bud" was already complete?

According to the sect leader, refining the embryonic membrane is an extremely complicated and demanding task. It requires finding suitable spiritual objects, getting the Crimson Palace and the embryo familiar with the energy, refining the shape and forming the membrane, wrapping the embryo and stabilizing the fetus, and possibly dealing with any possible rejection, and so on.

But none of that exists for me.

After calming himself down, he had a sudden realization. His Earth Book originally inherited the virtues of Xuanhuang and the laws of Houtu. And the words "fetal membrane" immediately revealed that they were the treasure of Xuanpin and the vessel of life. Since the two were so interconnected, it seemed that it was not so difficult to understand why the Earth Book naturally transformed into the life embryo membrane.

At the same time, Cheng Xinzhan thought that since he conceived, even though he had fought many battles, his life embryo was still growing vigorously. He had previously thought it was because the quality of his life essence was exceptionally high. But seeing it today, he wondered if the Earth Book had been spontaneously protecting the life embryo, invisibly eliminating external influences?

Whether this is the true situation or not is unknown, but in any case, the fact that the Earth Book has turned into a fetal membrane is truly great news. This not only means that Cheng Xinzhan's life embryo is stable, but also that it means that the recapture of Wutong Mountain will not be long away.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A month later.

Cheng Xinzhan arrived at the foot of the northern slope of Wutong Mountain.

He used his geomantic and qi-observation skills to observe Wutong Mountain. Even though the soaring demonic energy obscured the view, he could still see everything clearly. Although the various mountain peaks had been damaged and destroyed in the battle, with some caves and pavilions collapsed and others occupied by demons, the overall terrain and ley lines of Wutong Mountain had not changed much.

This brought Cheng Xinzhan a lot of convenience.

Through the exchanges with the deputy leader of Wutong Mountain over the past month, coupled with the on-site observation of the aura, the entire distribution of the mountain's roots and veins, as well as the positions of the array eyes and feet of the old mountain-protecting array, are now clearly presented in Cheng Xinzhan's mind.

Furthermore, he clearly saw that the formation set up by the overseas demons here was so rudimentary that covering Wutong Mountain with such a formation was like wrapping a fine jade sculpture in a dirty, tattered rag—a terrible disservice to a masterpiece and a waste of its precious resources.

Cheng Xinzhan cast the [Concealment] spell, climbing the mountain from the northern foothills step by step towards the main peak. He moved effortlessly through the forest, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. Demons and monsters could not detect him, nor could their formations.

At the same time, he tossed out one blue triangular command flag after another as he walked, and these flags landed silently in the ground.

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(End of this chapter)