Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 459 The Dao Reaches Heaven, the Heart Remains in the Mortal World

Hongmu Ridge is extremely large, with practitioners and ordinary Miao people living together, making it difficult to define its boundaries. The mountainous region of southeastern Guizhou is entirely mountainous, with no clear boundaries. Centered on Tiangou Cliff, all areas planted with redwoods fall within the sphere of influence of Hongmu Ridge, roughly two to three hundred li in circumference.

About a hundred miles southeast of Tiangou Cliff, still within the red forest, lies a gorge. This gorge has a complex, maze-like terrain, with rushing streams in its depths. These streams are all flowing water, originating from underground springs and caves that emerge from the cliffs. Although the volume of water is not large, the gorge's steep drop and sharp turns make the current quite turbulent, accompanied by the rapid, surging sound of the water and the fine, drifting mist.

The canyon is towering, with mountains on both sides that pierce the clouds. The rushing water echoes and reverberates between the mountain walls, creating a tremendous sound like thunder. The water flows swiftly, crashing against the river rocks and the precipitous cliffs on both sides, stirring up large amounts of water vapor along the way. This vapor permeates the canyon like a veil of clouds and mist.

With its swift currents, precipitous rocks, and ever-present clouds and thunderous roars, this place boasts a truly unique landscape. It is a renowned scenic spot in Hongmuling and enjoys a great reputation throughout southeastern Guizhou.

In addition, because the water here splits into three after flowing out of the gorge, and then merges with streams and rainwater along the way, it forms three rivers, namely Rongjiang River, Congjiang River and Taohua River.

This canyon is the source of these three rivers, hence its name, Sanjiang Gorge (Three Rivers Gorge). In the past, many disciples of Hongmu (a Miao ethnic group) carved caves here to cultivate, practice magic, and engage in martial arts battles. It is also a sacred place in the hearts of the Miao people of Rongjiang, Congjiang, and Taojiang villages.

After the demonic transformation, Hongmu Ridge was breached, and the Hongmu side sects fled north in panic, heading far to the Wujiang River. The Hongmu Ridge area was then occupied by the Southern Demonic Sect. Furthermore, because the Southern Sect's patriarch entered the water and traveled down the Peach Blossom River to merge with the Dao and transform into a dragon, the Three Rivers Gorge became an extremely important and sacred place for the Southern Demonic Sect, heavily guarded by troops.

The Southern School has four Elephant Kings stationed at Redwood Ridge. Their duties are threefold: first, to humiliate the Redwood Sect and seize their ancestral home; second, to monitor the Azure Dragon Cave, which is too close to the Southern Wilderness, so even though the mountain is supposed to be closed, we cannot let our guard down; and third, to protect the Three Rivers Gorge to prevent anyone from damaging the Peach Blossom River.

Xianglong is a powerful demon of the four realms, possessing true dragon blood, so he should be more than capable of guarding Hongmu Ridge. Moreover, Hongmu Ridge is located on the border of southeastern Guizhou, only three hundred li from Sanjiang Gorge to Shimen Gorge, and beyond Shimen Gorge lies the territory of the Southern Wilderness. A hundred li further south of Shimen Gorge is Rotten Peach Mountain, the Daoist temple of the Green Robe Ancestor. In the event of any emergency, the Green Robe Ancestor could personally rush to the rescue in an instant.

Green Robe's arrangement was correct. The vast West River was crisscrossed with waterways, and he was too busy to take care of himself. He could only find people to guard some key places.

However, the devil may be one foot tall, but the righteous are ten feet tall. Cheng Xinzhan also set his sights on this place.

Hongmu Ridge is located in the southeastern corner of Miao territory. He then used his Qi body to openly attack Wumeng Mountain, located in the northwestern corner of Miao territory, and used immortal scriptures and secret texts to make the Wumeng Demon Ancestor waver, and then lured Green Robe there. His true body and two or three Qi bodies came here and used the Luotian Faban and Kuodi Fashu to seal off heaven and earth, completely surrounding Hongmu Ridge and isolating it from the outside world. As a result, even though the elephant dragon was suppressed and the Hongmu changed hands, Green Robe did not notice.

Until he attained enlightenment, even the Book of Padmas could not conceal the extraordinary phenomena.

The arrival of the Green Robe was indeed a matter of moments. The strange phenomenon on Redwood Ridge had just appeared, and the Green Robe's true form was still entangled by Cheng Xinzhan's Qi body, but his backup plan left in Peach Blossom River had already been activated.

At the foot of Rotten Peach Mountain, a dragon's roar was heard, and the river surface suddenly exploded. A dark green pearl, as big as a human head, flew out from the riverbed, exuding a terrifying dragon's might.

The pearl emitted a burst of mysterious light, which twisted and transformed into a human form—the very image of the Green-Robed Ancestor. This pearl avatar was also at the fifth realm of cultivation!
The man in green robes, his face as still as water, sped towards the source of the Three Gorges in the upper reaches of the Peach Blossom River.

Rotten Peach Mountain is only about 400 miles away from Redwood Ridge. In front of the green-robed incarnation of the Five Realms Pearl, it is only a step away. Moreover, he went upstream along the river, and with the help of water transport, his speed was three times faster, and he arrived in an instant.

Redwood Ridge was in sight, but before he even arrived, his move was already out. He formed a sword-finger gesture, and a thin, bright divine light burst forth from his fingertips, striking directly at the Dharma image figure in Redwood Ridge.

This light was a vibrant purple-red, with magnificent colors, resembling both light and fire. It moved incredibly fast, and when it pierced through the void, it emitted a burnt smell.

The divine light was initially thin, but it grew longer as it flew, becoming as thin as a line. By the time it reached the sky above Redwood Ridge, it had formed a hundred-zhang pillar of light, larger than the three-colored mirror wheel, and shot straight at the face of the Dharma Image.

This move seemed familiar; it was the "Purple Flame Void Divine Light" that Cheng Xinzhan had used to probe the enemy in the Cloud Ladder Mountain during the Four Seasons, which Wen Sukong had blocked with the Immortal Mirror. Even with the Immortal Mirror's ability to absorb the flames and transform their power, Wen Sukong had still suffered considerable internal injuries, but she endured it without showing it and recuperated in her cave for a long time afterward.

However, compared to when he was in the embryonic stage, Cheng Xinzhan's magical power had greatly increased, and he possessed more than one immortal artifact, making him much more composed in dealing with the situation. The Qi body guarding the south immediately drew its sword, "Peach Capital," which transformed into a dazzling golden rainbow, as thick as the purple light, and crashed head-on into it.

With a deafening roar, the two collided, creating a spectacular explosion that sent countless sparks flying.

While the golden rainbow and purple flames clashed, the green-robed avatar arrived at lightning speed. Furthermore, under his command, the Peach Blossom River beneath him surged and churned, its giant waves surging upstream. The river water detached from its bed, leaping off the ground and forming a hundred-mile-long suspended river dragon, crashing towards Redwood Ridge.

At this time and place, the green-robed avatar of the pearl was on the river, using the river as a weapon. With the support of water transport, the attack was extremely powerful, destroying mountains and shattering rocks. In fact, the aura was even stronger than that of the real body on Mount Wumeng!
At this moment, the Southern Qi Body once again summoned the Earth Book, which shone brightly and transformed into a towering cliff that took root on the ground to act as an obstacle.

"boom!"

Another thunderous roar followed as the water jet struck the cliff, sending spray soaring into the sky, washing over the clouds, and then falling as rain.

The Earth Book was already at the level of a celestial artifact, but it was still somewhat powerless against the river of water that the Li Zhu avatar was fully mobilizing. Although it was not shattered or knocked away, it was pushed back rapidly by the river dragon.

Upon seeing this, Qi immediately went behind the fossil cliff of the Earth Book, braced his arms against the mountain, and did his best to resist.

However, the difference in their realm and strength was too great. Under Jiang Long's impact, his Qi body and the earth book cliff were pushed backward towards the Three Rivers Gorge, leaving deep ravines in the way of flying sand and stones.

From the appearance of the strange phenomenon at Redwood Ridge to the Green Robe's attack, only a few breaths passed. The Green Robe's backup plan was undoubtedly sufficient, and his reaction was undoubtedly swift.

However, Cheng Xinzhan's progress in achieving Dao was also astonishingly fast.

After the extraordinary phenomenon appeared, he immediately invited the heavens and earth to respond. When the green-robed dragon pearl flew out from under Rotten Peach Mountain, the Redwood Ridge region had already responded. Once the golden rainbow blocked the purple flames, he began to absorb his energy and merge it into his Dao Domain. As his Qi Body and the Earth Book were forced back by the water dragon, he had already entered a meditative state.

The Qi Body and the Earth Book were pushed all the way to the Three Rivers Gorge, enduring the power of the Fifth Realm, but finally could not withstand it any longer. The Qi Body dissipated, turning into a Qi Seed, and the cliff also turned back into the original form of the Earth Book, about to fall.

At that moment, a hand caught the book from the ground.

Then he swung the book at me again.

Jianglong was shattered by the immense force, turning into a shower of rain. Under the deliberate control of the attacker, all the rain fell into the upper reaches of the Peach Blossom River, flowing back into the already dried-up river.

Cheng Xinzhan collected the strange phenomena and Qi seeds, held the book behind his back, and looked at the green-robed man.

At this moment, even he couldn't help but feel admiration and astonishment.

With his current eyesight, he could naturally tell that the green-robed man in front of him was a manifestation of the Dragon Ball and also possessed the cultivation level of the fifth realm.

Cheng Xinzhan knew that the Dragon Ball could be separated from the body and refined into an external avatar, a unique Golden Core supernatural power of the Dragon Clan. For example, the Red-Haired Corpse was divided into two parts by the Crimson Corpse, one refined into an avatar and the other into a corpse slave, both at the fourth realm.

However, as the source of all magical power, the Dragon Pearl's strength would drastically decrease once separated from the body. Together they are strong, apart they are weak; the dragon body and the Dragon Pearl together would likely only reach about 64% of the dragon's full power. This means that on Mount Wumeng, the green-robed true form, even without the Dragon Pearl, still possessed such divine might, able to suppress his own Qi body!
The heroes of the world should not be underestimated.

"What brings the Dragon King to my temple?"

he said.

The man in the green robe laughed in exasperation and replied,
"Guang Hong, don't think that just because you've attained the Dao, I'm afraid of you."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this and said,
“The Dragon King need not fear me, but I am not afraid of the Dragon King either.”

The green-robed man's face darkened instantly. If this were an ordinary fifth-realm cultivator, it wouldn't be so bad. In places rich in water resources, a true dragon's strength is far superior to other beings; this is an unreasonable innate ability of the dragon race. And the Three Rivers Gorge, as the source of the three rivers, is clearly a place rich in water resources, so even with its body separated from the dragon pearl, it can still surpass an ordinary fifth-realm cultivator.

But he is no ordinary man!

At this moment, amidst the mist of the Three Rivers Gorge, he could sense that the Taoist priest before him possessed the same innate supernatural abilities as the Dragon Clan, and with the blessing of water transport, his strength far surpassed that of ordinary Fifth Realm cultivators!
Why? !
Why is that?!
Why is he so deeply connected to the dragon race by fate? Is he human or dragon?! The green-robed man was extremely unwilling to accept this.

The green-robed man understood that although the other man's aura was currently weaker than his own, this was merely because his Dao Integration Realm was larger and he had been in the Fifth Realm for a longer time. In reality, there was no longer any fundamental difference between the two of them!

Moreover, at this moment, the Three Rivers Gorge has become his place of Dao integration. In this place, he has become an outsider, rejected by heaven and earth. Now, even if his physical body rushed over and reached its peak of unity with the body and pearl, it would probably be difficult to defeat him!

But how long has he been cultivating?
What hardships has he endured!

Thinking of this, the green-robed man's face twisted in pain.

At the same time, he felt very regretful.

He regretted why he hadn't completely merged the Peach Blossom River into the Dao Domain, why he had abandoned the four hundred miles of river water and the source of the Three Rivers Gorge after tracing back to the Rotten Peach Mountain, and why he had so impatiently shifted his attention and energy to the Red Water River and the Nanpan River in the west.

If the Three Rivers Gorge is my own training ground, then I will be able to sense this boy the moment he enters the mountain, and my incarnation of the Pearl will be able to descend here immediately to interrupt his path to enlightenment.

But upon further reflection, Green Robe felt wronged.

Who can achieve enlightenment so quickly?!

The Rotten Peach Mountain section of the Peach Blossom River has already been incorporated into his Dao Domain, and Rotten Peach Mountain is only four hundred miles away from the Three Rivers Gorge. To completely refine these four hundred miles and incorporate them into his Dao Domain is not easy and will take a lot of time and effort, while his avatar can fly from Rotten Peach Mountain to this place in just a few breaths.

In addition, he also ordered Xianglong to guard the area so that he could intercept and warn others as soon as possible.

Can't such an arrangement be called careful?

Whoever wants to harm Peach Blossom River, as long as the Elephant King blocks him for a moment, his incarnation of the Pearl will arrive instantly. In the Three Rivers Gorge with its abundant water transport, what opponent could he, as a True Dragon of the Fifth Realm, possibly have? Suppressing or driving them away should be a very easy matter.

His physical body would remain stationed along the main West River, refining the main stream's waterways in preparation for a return journey. His avatar, the Pearl, would remain stationed along the Peach Blossom tributary, ensuring the entry point into the water was unobstructed and maintaining tight control over the Rotten Peach Acupoint. Once his physical body merged with the main West River, he would return to completely refine the Peach Blossom tributary, and not only the Peach Blossom itself, but all the major tributaries along the way. At that point, the entire southwest would be under his control.

Can't such an approach be considered thorough?

But the world is unpredictable. There was such a person who could suppress the Elephant King silently, and in just a few breaths merge with the Redwood Ridge, taking the Three Rivers Gorge as his own. This person also possessed the supernatural powers of the Dragon Clan.

Is this reasonable?

The man in the green robe was puzzled and helpless.

Just as the two were facing off, a crack appeared in the nearby void, and a speck of light flew out from it, which Cheng Xinzhan caught.

This was the seed of Qi from which he condensed his first Qi body.

—Just before the second Qi body was dispersed by Jiang Long, the first Qi body, far away in northwestern Guizhou, had already been torn apart by the green-robed true body.

The two Qi bodies were completely scattered and returned to Qi seeds. It would take several years to re-condense them.

Although it was a troublesome matter, the two Qi bodies had indeed completed their mission, stopping the green-robed man, who was at the fifth realm, for a moment, allowing them to successfully merge with the Dao, so there was nothing to regret.

Immediately afterwards, the void rift widened, and a green shadow flashed out, revealing the true form of a man in a green robe with a gloomy expression.

At this moment, Cheng Xinzhan's third Qi body also flew in from the north, holding a celestial mirror, and stood side by side with Cheng Xinzhan's true body, who was holding a celestial book.

Two against two.

The two green-robed figures changed color simultaneously and looked at the Qi body.

That clone actually possessed the cultivation level of the fifth realm!
What's going on here?!

He himself has only reached the fifth level, how could his clone have reached the fifth level as well? What kind of clone technique is this?

He endured countless hardships and expended immense energy practicing external alchemy to achieve a fifth-realm incarnation. How could someone just casually claim to have one?!
Furthermore, at the same time, Green Robe could sense that the world of Redwood Ridge had begun to suppress him. The spiritual energy in the world was repelling him, and even the blessing of water on the dragon's power was slowly disappearing!

At this moment, the green-robed figure that had arrived first transformed back into a black pearl, which was then swallowed by the true form of the green-robed figure. In an instant, the green-robed figure returned to its peak, radiating a terrifying dragon's might, and confronted this world.

“Is it worth it?”

he asks.

The green-robed man simply couldn't understand it. This Taoist priest clearly had a limitless future. With his talent and skill, ascending to immortality should have been a sure thing. Wouldn't it have been better to go to the immortal realm and live a carefree life? Why did he stay in the mortal world and fight to the death? And why did he choose a place like Redwood Ridge?

A place that aligns with the Dao is not a game. If used well, it is a stepping stone to the Great Dao, a blessed land; if used poorly, it becomes a weakness, a self-imposed prison.

A man like him could go anywhere, find a place to belong, so why would he choose to come to such a remote and impoverished place as Miao territory?
Is it just to target me?

Green Robe didn't know whether to be sad or proud of it.

Upon hearing the question, Cheng Xinzhan smiled, recalling that not long ago, the old chieftain of Chiyou Cave had asked him the same question. He thought for a moment, gazing at the Peach Blossom River winding south, just as it had always been, while the Miao villages on both banks were dilapidated from years of neglect. Feeling a pang of sympathy, he answered…

"Don't say that a poor place is not good, wherever my heart finds peace is my home."

Peach blossoms drift away on the flowing water, while the sounds of chickens and dogs carry the aroma of wine.

Upon hearing this, the man in green robes fell silent.

A Taoist whose Taoist magic is all-powerful yet whose heart is still in the human world?

This doesn't sound very friendly to the evil cult.

As he remained silent, feeling the growing pressure from this world, the green-robed man was at a loss as to how to end the situation!
Just then, he suddenly looked westward and saw that far to the west of the Miao region, demonic energy soared into the sky, covering eastern Yunnan, and a series of maniacal laughs echoed from there.

"Haha—Green Robe, you go and reclaim your Peach Blossom River, but as for the Nanpan River, just give it back to me!"

Upon hearing this, Green Robe felt inexplicably relieved. Without pausing for a moment, he transformed into a streak of green light and left without looking back, heading straight for Mount Maxiong in Yunnan.

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(End of this chapter)