Lingyuan Immortal

Chapter 865: Thunder and Fire Emerge as Black Carp

Danshui County, Qingzhou, and the Thousand Peaks Songtao Mountain.

The clouds suddenly cracked and a green light appeared.

Muffled thunder rolled along the mountain ridge, shaking the thousand-year-old pines. Pine needles fell on the green rocks in pieces, making a dense sound of golden swords clashing.

After the thunder, rain came, and bean-sized raindrops fell, followed by pine needles, which cracked into silver-white mist on the exposed rock surface, and dark green smoke rose up in the entire forest and mountain.

Countless winding lightning flashes wandered in the fog, like thousands of restless thunder dragons, making the dark sky flicker.

In the blink of an eye, the outlines of six or seven figures appeared on a narrow mountain path, climbing the mountain against the current in the thunder and rain.

Perhaps because of the overwhelming power of heaven, most of the people on the trip kept silent and just moved forward under the leadership of the first person.

Only a young man in the middle was in a state of unrest. He looked around cautiously, as if he was extremely curious about the situation here.

"Hang'er, walk calmly."

The thunder rolled past, and another loud cry was heard.

With the sudden brightness of the sky, one could see that these people were all wearing dark blue round-necked robes with the same willow leaf pattern embroidered on the chest, which shimmered slightly, preventing them from getting wet in the rain curtain.

The person who spoke was an old man wearing a wooden crown. He was intimidating without even getting angry. From the subconscious reactions of the others, it could be seen that his status or strength must be extremely impressive.

The young man who was reminded also did not dare to disobey. He shrank his neck and lowered his head, but he still couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked:

"Third Grandfather, before we came here, didn't you say that the Dao Traces here are fast to come and go, and if we miss the time, it would be a wasted trip. If that's the case, why don't we cast a spell and fly through the air?"

When these words came out, the rest of the team couldn't help but shake their heads and laugh.

"I told you not to follow me, but you insisted on following me. Isn't this just a joke?"

The old man with the wooden crown also smiled: "Only your uncles are family members. If it were someone else, they would see at a glance that you are a family member who is ignorant of the ways of the world and has only reached the foundation building stage. At that time, they might even eat you up completely..."

Seeing the young man scratching his head in embarrassment, a bearded man at the end of the team said with a smile, "But that's exactly why Liu Hang has to make a few more trips with us."

"That's right, Hang'er, remember to read more and learn more. Dao Traces are the most highly regarded resources for cultivation among those who practice Taoism. You will inevitably have to find them yourself in the future." Another uncle reminded.

"Yes, nephew, I've got it in mind." Liu Hang agreed quickly.

Seeing this, the old man in the wooden crown stroked his beard and smiled with relief, pointing to the thunderclouds in the sky and began to explain his confusion to him.

"The Dao Mark here is a rare thunder Dao Mark. It is difficult to form and extremely sensitive. If there is any interference from other Qi, it will collapse and cannot be dissipated."

"If we fly away in a hurry, we will inevitably have extra inspiration, which will disrupt the formation of the Dao Mark and backfire."

At this point, the old man with the wooden crown said earnestly, "Hang'er, you are gifted, but your cultivation has been confined to your family. Now that you have established a foundation for the Tao, you must remember this consensus on cultivation..."

After saying this, he smiled again and looked up at the top of the mountain.

"But Hang'er's worries are not wrong. Dao Scar is about to appear. Time is running out. We need to speed up."

"Yes!"

The group strode forward, stepping on the water to form a whirlpool. After a short pause, it flowed down the mountain again...

The dark clouds were hanging very low, and purple and green lightning were moving like a python on the mountain top.

Liu and his group finally reached a high place and were excited looking at the thunderclouds in the sky.

"Father, looking at this majestic energy, this Dao Mark is not only for the third level, but perhaps we can even gather enough to fill a whole pot!"

A gleam of brilliance flashed in the bearded man's eyes, and he took out a special jade pot from his sleeve. This was a special vessel used by the clan to hold lightning Dao Marks.

"A full pot of third-level thunder Dao Marks...how many spirit stones can it be exchanged for?"

Everyone was delighted and became more and more eager to take action.

But not all people were happy. A beautiful female cultivator said worriedly, "The noise here is so widespread, will it attract other people?"

The bearded man's face turned cold, and he snorted, "This is the territory of my Liu clan, who dares to offend?"

The female cultivator said, "Others might not, but Zhang has been very active these days..."

Upon hearing this, the bearded man's cold snort stopped abruptly. The others also looked grim and muttered, "The Zhang family has been eating in a rather unpleasant way lately. We really have to be on our guard."

"Zhang?"

Liu Hang was stunned and asked in confusion, "But is it the Zhang clan that Zhang Heng'er belongs to? Hasn't this clan always been dependent on our Liu clan? Why do we have to be on guard against them now?"

The female cultivator sighed secretly and explained, "Hang'er, you have only been out of retreat for a short time, so you don't know what has happened recently."

"It's true that the Zhang family used to be on good terms with our clan, but a few months ago, by chance, they saved a severely injured and dying senior called 'Zhao Xinjing'. To repay this favor, that senior agreed to the Zhang family's request and became a guest ancestor."

"Since then, the Zhang family has revealed their ambitions. Self-assured by their reputation as a 'Zhao Xinjing' elder, they've been intent on annexing surrounding forces. Even my Liu family has had many of their resources taken away from them, both openly and covertly..."

"According to my heart's state?!"

Liu Hang took a deep breath. Zhao Xinjing was another name for the Nascent Soul Realm. That meant he was a fourth-order cultivator, a level higher than Third Grandpa...

"If Zhang finds out what's going on here, there's no guarantee they won't come and fight for it..." The beautiful female cultivator was worried.

After a moment of silence, the old man with the wooden crown finally took action. He first reached out to take the specially made jade pot, and then said in a deep voice:
"It would be fine if other resources were at a disadvantage, but Dao Hen will never give in. If Old Man Zhang really has the guts to come, I will fight him to the death!"

Everyone's expressions became serious, and they all nodded heavily...

Before long, the power of thunder in the sky accumulated to the extreme, with lightning flashing and roaring, heavy rain pouring down, like a picture of doomsday, slowly unfolding.

The old man with the wooden crown stared at the front, his eyes suddenly fixed, and he shouted loudly: "Get up!"

The Liu clan members responded one after another. Except for Liu Hang, they and the old man with the wooden crown took the six positions. Each of them took out a copper bell and hung it three inches in front of their forehead, using their own magic power to activate the Daohen Xuan Jue.

When the thunder exploded from the Tianshu position, six emerald green chains broke through the rain curtain from the pine waves, and the talismans embedded with Qingxie seal characters on the locks rustled.

"receive!"

Before the old man with the wooden crown in the main formation finished shouting, the chains had already entangled the purple-blue lightning flying in the air.

This is the "Green Fly Scar Collection Technique" that has been passed down by the Jiangdu Liu family for three hundred years. Although the grade is not high, it is enough for them to use.

After all, at their cultivation level, collecting Dao Marks at the third level was their limit, and they didn't need the profound and unfathomable Dao Mark Collection Technique...

In the past, the lightning bound by chains would have been considered successfully adopted and would only need to be put away.

But this time it was a little different. Everyone found that the purple-green lightning was shaking constantly, and there seemed to be other changes.

"Father, this..."

The bearded man and others opened their eyes wide, and the old man in the wooden crown was not worried but happy.

The double change means that there is more than one Dao mark here!
"Two Dao Marks, one of thunder, the other of..."

The old man in the wooden crown couldn't wait for the lightning to flash. With a thought, a black tortoise shell slipped out from his sleeve. After silently making a divination based on the scene in front of him, his eyes gleamed with brilliance.

"The upper part is Zhen and the lower part is Li, which is the Thunder and Fire Feng Gua..."

"It's actually a Dao Mark of Thunder and Fire!"

A single thunder Dao Mark is already very valuable, and now that it has two Dao Marks, its preciousness is ten times greater!
Besides being ecstatic, the old man with the wooden crown revealed a hint of doubt in his eyes, as if he had calculated more than just the fire attribute Dao mark.

"Impossible, how can there be the image of the Kan hexagram? It doesn't match the hexagram..."

While he was thinking, changes had already occurred in the sky.

The moment the lightning snake wrapped around the chain, a red light suddenly appeared in the depths of the clouds.

The next moment, a lotus fragrance wafted on the wind. The lightning, which should have been contained, condensed into a hundred-petaled blue lotus, its veins flowing with a crimson hue like molten lava. Before anyone could react, the lotus split in two. The left half remained the purple-blue color forged by lightning, while the right half ignited with a three-foot-long flame.

"Hahahaha, it's actually a lightning and fire dual-attribute Dao mark..."

The bearded man and the others cried out in surprise, only then did they realize what was going on.

"Accept it quickly, don't lose your spirit!"

Everyone mobilized their magic power, and the six emerald green chains suddenly tightened.

But the lotus with thunder and fire in the sky remained motionless.

At this moment, except for the old man in the wooden crown, everyone else was stunned.

But where the flame licked, black water vapor rose and condensed into a three-foot-long black carp, which leisurely wagged its tail around the lotus.

"Zhen, Kan and Li appear simultaneously..."

The old man in the wooden cap's throat rolled. This situation was beyond the meaning of the hexagram, and even with his knowledge and understanding, he couldn't explain it.

However, the three-attribute Dao marks do exist.

His face suddenly darkened. With their strength, adopting two Dao Marks was still manageable, but three Dao Marks...

"It seems that I will lose some energy and lifespan."

In the face of such a harvest, lifespan is something that can be discarded without hesitation...

"Work together to cast a spell!"

The old man in the wooden crown shouted loudly, and the tortoise shell in his sleeve flew out by itself. After rising above the three Dao marks, it spun around non-stop, shedding a rosy glow.

The copper bells on the foreheads of the bearded man and others vibrated, and they did not dare to withdraw their magic even though blood was oozing from the corners of their mouths.

The Thunder and Fire Lotus slowly descended without any unusual movement, but the black carp suddenly raised its head and spit out a pearl, and the pearl formed by the water-attributed Dao mark was embedded in the gap between the two lotuses.

In an instant, the torrential rain within a radius of ten miles rolled back into the sky, revealing a dome full of stars.

The chains groaned as they could not bear the heavy burden. Seeing this, the old man with the wooden crown decisively bit his tongue. The blood mist drew the ancient seal character "Zhen" in the air and flew into the sky above the lotus like a sharp arrow.

The Thunder and Fire Lotus finally fell into the special jade pot in the hands of the old man with the wooden crown. The seal characters on the innate Bagua diagram painted on the surface of the jade pot lit up one after another, and the innate hexagram of "water and fire in the same furnace" emerged.

When the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, the bearded man and others could not hide their excitement and sat down to regulate their breathing, looking at the three Dao marks in the jade pot from time to time.

At this time, the Thunder and Fire Lotus had shrunk to the size of a fist. The black carp pattern formed by the water-attributed Dao mark was on the lotus stem, and the tail fin was still shimmering.

The old man with the wooden crown regained his composure, stroked the broken chain, and murmured with emotion: "Since the founding of the clan by the first ancestor, our Liu clan has never seen three of our kind born together..."

In addition to feeling emotional, he also felt confused and puzzled.

"After my investigation, I found that this place should only be the Thunder and Fire Feng Gua, which should trigger the dual-attribute Thunder and Fire Dao Marks. So where did this extra Kan Xiang come from?"

The mountain wind blew up his half-white hair, and blew away all the confusion and speculation in his heart into the air that still smelled of burnt food.

……

When the sky brightened, the Liu family members took a short rest and then hurried back.

The value of the three-attribute Dao marks is difficult to estimate, so it is safer to return to the clan as soon as possible.

But before they could really leave the mountain, their steps suddenly stopped when they were flying over a mountain stream.

"That is……"

The bearded man frowned and looked down, only to see that the water, which should have been clear, was mixed with an extremely eye-catching bright red color.

Blood!

Everyone was stunned. With their realm and eyesight, they could naturally see that the blood was not the blood of a monster, but contained a different kind of spiritual power. It was obvious that its owner must be at a good realm, at least at the Golden Core realm.

But the problem is, Qianzhang Songtao Mountain is the territory of his Liu family, and there was a special order to close the mountain before coming here to adopt the Daohen. How could the blood of the cultivator appear at this time?
The bearded man and others used their spiritual thoughts to explore in all directions, but they didn't see anything strange. They were startled and almost subconsciously thought that it was Zhang, whom they had been worried about, who was causing trouble.

However, the old man with the wooden crown had a different opinion. His eyes flickered as he thought to himself, "Could it be related to that hurdle?"

He had already guessed a lot in his mind, and when he saw the abnormal blood flow, he unconsciously moved closer.

"Second brother, follow the trail and explore."

Hearing this, the bearded man nodded and was about to go forward. However, the only female cultivator was startled and hurriedly called out, "Father, Dao Hen matters are serious. If this is a trap set by the Zhang family, it would be inappropriate to rush in."

"If Zhang had really discovered something, why would they wait until now?" The old man in the wooden crown shouted coldly.

The female cultivator's expression froze and she stopped talking.

The bearded man quickly calmed down and said, "Fifth sister, don't worry. Father is here. Even if the Zhang clan leader himself comes, he can't do anything to us."

After saying this, he descended with the light, exploring along the bloody stream.

Not long after, he heard his voice calling from a distance: "Father!"

The old man in the wooden crown immediately stepped away, and the others followed closely.

After passing many ancient pines and huge rocks, they came to a blue stone several feet high, and saw a big man with a curly beard pointing forward with a look of surprise, indicating everyone to look.

In fact, there was no need for him to signal, because the moment everyone arrived, they discovered a mysterious scene in front of them.

By the stream shrouded in morning mist, a figure in a black robe lay crouched on a bluestone, his right arm hanging down from the edge of the stone, his five fingers immersed in the gurgling stream. His hair, scattered after the shattered jade hairpin, rippled with the water. His body was covered in blood, and blood was still oozing out from more than a dozen conspicuous wounds, dividing into more than ten thin streams along the natural lines of the stone surface, dyeing the entire stream a crimson color.

More importantly, this figure was surrounded by a hazy water curtain, which easily blocked their spiritual thoughts from prying...

Everyone was silent for a moment, obviously trying to digest the scene before them.

Only Liu Hang was unaware of the situation, his focus still on the novelty. He asked in a low voice, "I see this person is also a human cultivator. Why does his blood and essence seem to be endless?"

"Sanctification of the flesh?"

No one answered him, but everyone had a guess in their mind: "Could this person be from Zhongdu?"

They vaguely remembered that people in Zhongdu seemed to highly respect this kind of Taoist tradition of achieving sanctification through the flesh.

It would be a bit far-fetched to assume that the other party is from Zhongdu based on this alone...

"Father, this person's identity is unknown, and he appeared in my Liu clan's territory while seriously injured. I'm afraid it's a disaster rather than a blessing!"

"Uncle San, I don't know how to deal with this person?"

The bearded man and others stared and said that many of them were also at the Golden Core Realm, but they still could not see through the people in front of them, so it was inevitable that they were afraid.

The old man in the wooden crown frowned and said nothing. He also couldn't see through the water curtain. He thought that the figure in the black robe was at a higher level than him, but why didn't he see any traces of "Dao Mark" on this person?

To illuminate one's state of mind, to illuminate one's true nature, and to condense the Dao Mark, this was the consensus of the Dao cultivators. As for saying that one could achieve the Nascent Soul stage without condensing the Dao Mark, he had never heard of it...

Seeing the elders' worried faces, Liu Hang frowned as well. After a moment, he suddenly remembered what his aunt had said about Zhang. His eyes suddenly lit up and he exclaimed:

"Third Grandfather, Zhang Clan saved a senior from the Zhaoxin Realm by chance. I think my Liu Clan's chance has come too!"

The bearded man and others shook their heads, lamenting their nephew's innocence and simplicity. Danshui County was not very big, so how could such a coincidence happen in the world?
They didn't notice anything else, but the old man with the wooden crown narrowed his eyes and looked at the water curtain in front of him. The image of the Kan hexagram from last night inexplicably emerged in his mind.

After a moment of silence, he made up his mind and ordered, "Second Brother, take this person back to the clan..."

……

(End of this chapter)