Journey to the West: The Immortal Clan Begins by Feeding Monkeys at Five Elements Mountain

Chapter 243 Refining the Heartfire, Jiang Chao's Skill is Complete

Two springs and autumns have passed, and another two years have gone by in the blink of an eye.

Under Jiang Jun's careful care, the peach tree behind the house gradually recovered.

The branches and leaves are more abundant than before, and their color is slightly moist. Although they have not yet blossomed, they have long since shed their lifelessness and gained a touch of vitality.

The dragon grass on the back mountain has grown into a vast expanse, its leaves a deep green, and a spiritual aura seems to emanate from it as the wind blows.

The three venerable spirit chickens patrolled the area, their feathers glowing warmly, their expressions serene, and even their eyes reflecting a hint of spiritual intelligence.

The two little ones in the yard have also grown a few inches taller.

Their punches and kicks are now more disciplined, and their playfulness is more measured; they are no longer as reckless as they used to be.

Jiang Yi occasionally stood under the corridor watching them, his expression indifferent, smiling before he spoke.

In the past two years, he has spent most of his time in the fire-making room.

A living fire burned in the room, emerging from the fire coral; its flame was gentle, neither fierce nor cold.

He used this gentle fire to hone his spirit day after day.

Fire has a spirit; it can nourish the heart, but it can also burn it.

The anxiety and delusions in my heart were gradually melted away by the living fire, leaving no trace.

Sometimes, when I close my eyes and sit quietly, I feel that my mind is as clear as a mirror, and worldly thoughts come without lingering and go without leaving a trace.

Those things we couldn't let go of in the past are nothing more than dust on a mirror or catkins in the wind.

The thought barely stirred before it dissipated.

This is the effect of refining away all the impurities of fire.

With a calm and secure mind, external evils cannot invade.

Once the fire in the heart is calmed, the five elements will naturally rotate.

Next up is the spleen earth.

The family has no earth element heritage, but fortunately the grandson had already made plans.

Jiang Yi took out several jade bottles that Jiang Hong had sent back earlier, and picked out the one with the most rustic feel.

The bottle was sealed with wax. When opened, the fragrance of medicine mixed with the somber earthy aura instantly filled the air.

The scent made me feel rooted to the spot, my mind calmed down, and even my breathing became more steady.

Of the five turbidities, fire is turbid and restless, while earth is turbid and stagnant.

If one is not careful when refining fire, one's heart may be burned.

If one cannot refine the earth, it is most likely to impair one's spirit.

The alchemy methods of the Celestial Masters sect do have some semblance of structure.

He took out a pill and swallowed it with the spiritual spring water.

The medicine enters the abdomen without being explosive or harsh, like a handful of warm soil, slowly sinking into the spleen.

As heavy as a mountain, yet as silent as a gentle stream, it gradually dissipates the innate stagnation.

In the past two years, Liu Xiulian has successfully purified herself of both water and wood impurities.

Now he has taken Jiang Yi's place and often stays in the fire-refining room, cultivating together with Jiang Chao.

She was already gentle and kind, and now she has gained even more of the air of Tsinghua University.

Her eyes and brows were clear and bright, and her every move exuded the spirit of spring.

Occasionally, when I tend to the flowers and plants in the yard, they bloom even more profusely than usual.

As for Jiang Xi and Liu Zi'an, they are young and have good potential.

Over the course of two years, he had completely purified all the turbid qi in his four internal organs.

The body's energy flows smoothly and harmoniously, and the pulse is like a ring.

Only one more hurdle remains before achieving a body free from all five elements' impurities.

Each member of the family is going their own way, but all are steadily moving forward.

But Jiang Yi's thoughts had already drifted to faraway places.

With the five defilements exhausted, where is the way forward?
This question had been bothering him for a long time.

He had subtly inquired about it.

However, whether it is the West Sea Dragon Palace, the Celestial Masters Sect, or the Gui family's Yin magic methods, they are all different paths.

The Western Sea Dragon Clan are born as dragons, and their bloodline is their cultivation, making them a world apart from the mortal realm.
The Celestial Masters sect emphasizes talismans and traditions, using deities to cultivate oneself, but this is not the true source.
As for the Gui family, they follow the unorthodox path of ghosts, immortals, and spirits, a dark and mysterious path that is not worthy of being followed.

Since the approaches are different, there is nothing to learn from them.

Although the old ancestor of the Tushita Palace is a deity worshipped by the gods, he is ultimately not a cultivator.

He relied on human offerings and the accumulation of merit to attain divine status; his divine position was "acquired," not "forged."

In fact, I am not very proficient in my own spiritual practice.

The path of spiritual practice is still unclear, but the winds from outside the mountains are gradually getting stronger.

The world has become increasingly chaotic in the last two years.

Occasionally, traveling merchants would pass by the village entrance and bring news during their casual conversations.

The names of people and places that he mentioned sounded somewhat familiar to Jiang Yi.

Those figures who once stirred up a storm in books are now stepping into the spotlight.

The drama of war and the change of dynasties seems to be all set, just waiting for the drums to sound.

If it were anyone else, they would have been deeply moved.

Jiang Yi merely listened and then let it go, without even raising an eyebrow.

He still remembers how his family was almost caught up in the Taiping Dao vortex back then, and how terrifying it was.

The feeling of being splashed by sparks is something you only need to experience once.

From then on, I understood that such a small family was nothing more than a small boat on the edge of a huge wave; when a wave came, not even a trace would be left.

Such a monumental undertaking is beyond our control.

Once I understood this, I felt at peace.

The hustle and bustle outside the mountains, separated by layers of ridges, fades into a few faint echoes here.

He simply ignored the echo altogether.

Life continued as usual: practicing Qi cultivation, tending trees, feeding spirit birds, and occasionally sparring with his grandson.

There wasn't much contact even with Tianshui.

He would often send messages through intermediaries, urging the Li family to take good care of him.

The world is in chaos, the political landscape in Luoyang is in turmoil, and the court has undergone several changes.

Fortunately, the Li family ultimately made their living through medicine.

Every emperor has his own court, but the senior physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy, whose medical skills are unparalleled, are indispensable to everyone.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death ultimately return to human hands.

Therefore, the Li family remained quite stable amidst the storms.

On this day, Jiang Yi sat alone by the peach tree.

The elixir circulated slowly within the body. Deep within the spleen, the heavy energy moved like a millstone, meticulously grinding away the last trace of impurity.

There was no sound all around, except for the occasional rustling of the wind through the orchard.

Suddenly, a familiar aura of divine spirit quietly condensed beside the spiritual spring.

It is the young Jiang Liang.

The illusory image of the divine soul was extremely stable, yet a hint of urgency flickered between its brows.

The voice hadn't been uttered, but it had already resonated in Jiang Yi's heart:

"Father, news has come from Eagle Sorrow Gorge that there is definite news from Flaming Mountain."

"Old Gui asked you and your mother to take Chao'er there as soon as possible, saying that the time has come to enter the Ming Shen Formation for the final activation."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi suddenly opened his closed eyes.

The tranquility in his eyes, which he had maintained during his cultivation, was shattered in an instant by the sharp edge.

More than a year ago, Chao'er had already completed his second enlightenment at Yingchoujian, and his foundation was solid.

However, the third and most crucial step failed to materialize.

The "opportunity" that the ancestor of the Liu family asked about from the land deity of Flaming Mountain was originally just a vague approximate time.

In matters of spiritual practice, a slight error can lead to a huge mistake.

After weighing the options, everyone decided that it was better to be slow than to make a mistake, so they waited patiently for a definite lead.

Life is fleeting, and time passes silently.

At this moment, that glimmer of opportunity has finally arrived.

Once the news arrives, the secrets of heaven cannot be delayed.

With a thought, Jiang Yi's inner energy dissipated, and his figure flickered, already separated from the spiritual spring.

Inside the fire-refining room, Liu Xiulian was teaching Jiang Chao how to cultivate his inner energy and refine his breathing.

Firelight illuminates the wall, and the sacred spring murmurs softly.

Jiang Yi stood outside the door, his words brief and urgent:
"Xiulian, take Chao'er with you, a letter has arrived from Yingchoujian!"

Liu Xiulian was taken aback, but then she understood what she meant.

Her expression remained unchanged; she simply responded with a soft voice and turned to call Chao'er.

The twelve-year-old boy stood up, his eyes showing a hint of excitement but not a trace of panic. A breeze rose from Jiang Yi's sleeve, and a white cloud emerged from beneath his feet.

The three stood still, the clouds dimmed slightly, and not a speck of dust rose.

In the next instant, the clear light pierced the sky and traveled thousands of miles away.

Under the clouds, the mountains and rivers recede like flowing shadows, and the rivers appear as thin lines, their verdant greenness blurred.

After successfully refining his heart fire, Jiang Yi's Taoist skills became even more refined.

The cloud beneath my feet can transform at will, calming all wind and thunder, turning into a wisp of pure light, faint and indistinct, a trace on the horizon.

In just over a day, the mountain scenery had changed.

The familiar outline of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge rises from the distant mountains, shrouded in a thin mist, with a subtle surge of spiritual energy.

A cloud drifted down, transforming into a gentle breeze.

Old Gui stood with his hands behind his back in front of the courtyard gate, having been waiting for a long time.

The runes of the Bright God Array behind him, which had been dormant for a long time, were now slightly flowing, and spiritual light was flickering, as if it were breathing.

This time, Lao Gui's expression was less lazy than usual.

He simply nodded in acknowledgment, skipping even the small talk, and with a thought, an echo came from the other end of the mountain path.

Before long, Jiang Qin emerged steadily from the mountain mist.

Dressed in plain clothes, with a solemn expression, he greeted the troops and went straight to the front of the battle.

Jiang Chao remained calm, bowed, and walked to the center of the formation to sit cross-legged.

The four people stood at four corners, their auras already in sync.

No words are needed, nor are eye contact required.

In the silence, the four of them simultaneously began to form hand seals.

A spiritual light rose from the earth, and the array patterns revived.

In an instant, the center of the formation roared, the talisman light shone brightly, and thousands of rays of light intertwined, turning the entire village shrine into a spotless daylight.

Three flowers were faintly visible on Jiang Chao's head, and the light of his soul shone through his body, becoming several times more solid than it had been a year ago.

Deep within that soul, a wisp of pure yang fire burned fiercely, its flames a deep crimson gold, illuminating almost the entire formation.

The fire was not violent, but rather still.

The purer the yang energy, the more intense the spirit.

Silent scriptures seemed to flow within the light, encompassing the very essence of heaven and earth.

A moment later, the light within the formation gradually faded.

The wind was still and quiet all around, leaving only the young man sitting cross-legged in silence.

His brows relaxed, his breathing became long and even, his soul had returned to his inner self, and he fell into a deep sleep, his face still bearing a trace of lingering flush.

Only when the intense aura emanating from him completely subsided did the group in the courtyard breathe a sigh of relief.

Liu Xiulian stepped forward and gently tucked his clothes in, her fingertips trembling slightly, yet her smile was extremely tender.

Old Gui was already waiting by the stone table, brewing tea with mountain spring water, the air filled with mist.

"Take a break," he said casually, as if the strange phenomenon just now was merely a rumble of thunder in the sky.

Jiang Yi took the teacup, the aroma of the tea permeating his senses. He took a small sip before asking in a deep voice:
"My dear in-law, this time, have you really received definite news?"

This matter is of great importance; his gaze was calm, but his words betrayed his caution.

Old Gui chuckled, a hint of smugness creeping into the lines around his eyes.

"It is certainly true."

After saying that, he slowly added:
"This news came from the Banana Cave on Cuiyun Mountain to the west."

Jiang Yi was taken aback upon hearing this, but before he could ask for details, Old Gui stroked his beard and smiled, saying:
"The cave master, the Mighty Bull Demon King, and his wife are pregnant."

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, but did not interrupt, and just listened quietly.

Old Gui smiled and said, "That child was diagnosed as having 'pure yang fire bones' while he was still in his mother's womb, meaning he was born with the element of fire. The Bull Demon King and his wife loved their son dearly and had long ago decided to send him to the Flaming Mountain to cultivate as soon as he was born, so as to strengthen his foundation and nourish his vital energy."

"Therefore, messages are being sent throughout the land and the earth to recruit those who can withstand the wildfire. Firstly, they need to go into the mountains to dig caves, build mansions, and set up magic arrays; secondly, they need to find a few capable and trustworthy followers for that young prince."

He paused, took a sip of his tea, and said calmly:

“My family has a long-standing connection with Cuiyun Mountain, so we received this news long ago. Chao’er’s trip to the mountain is a done deal, so you can rest assured, my in-laws.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi simply hummed in response, as if he had already understood.

He sipped his tea, and after a moment, asked casually:

"Such an origin must be extraordinary. I wonder if he is the reincarnation of some great being, or a spiritual being born from heaven and earth?"

Upon hearing this, Lao Gui's smile faded slightly, and he shook his head, saying, "I don't know."

The fact that he said it so bluntly only added to the eeriness of the situation.

“Logically speaking,” he said slowly, “every being in this world with spiritual roots should leave a name and trace, whether in heaven or on earth. But this one has nothing to rely on.”

He paused, then sighed softly, as if talking to himself: "Most likely, it's neither of those two."

Jiang Yi paused slightly in the teacup between his fingers, and his expression changed subtly.

Others may not know, but he knows it clearly in his heart.

The old woman in the Gui family was the chief protector under Guanyin, in charge of the most important task of granting children.

From mortal infants to divine fetuses and demonic embryos, which one hasn't passed through her hands?
If even she says "I don't know," then that's no ordinary matter.

Jiang Yi's heart stirred slightly, and a hint of curiosity arose within him.

It was neither a divine soul reincarnated into the world, nor a spiritual embryo transformed into human form...

The Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan were, after all, heroes of the demon race; surely they wouldn't actually give birth to a mortal child?

Moreover, before this, the Supreme Dao Ancestor had personally visited the Flaming Mountain and spent a long time there.

He knew he shouldn't inquire into such secrets that involved the origins of celestial beings.

Activating the formation is inherently mentally taxing.

After a moment's thought, he calmed his mind, found a quiet room, and sat down to regulate his breathing.

This continued for the next seven days.

As the sun rises, the array lights up;
As the sun sets, everyone gathers up and finishes their work.

In the daily tempering process, Jiang Chao's soul within the formation was completely refined, with all impurities removed, leaving only pure yang.

On the seventh day, the practice was completed.

Suddenly, a soft tremor was heard, and the boy's long-closed eyes opened slightly.

Deep within his soul, that spark of yang fire suddenly blazed brightly, like a breath of true energy accumulated over thousands of years finally finding an outlet.

Suddenly, the sun mark between his eyebrows emitted a crimson light, with layers of light surging like a tide.

The light was so intense that it turned the rocks red and the trees in the courtyard shone, as if a small sun were hanging in the world.

Jiang Yi's gaze sharpened slightly, and a sense of bewilderment welled up in his heart.

He witnessed the strange phenomenon that occurred when the trendsetter was born that year.

This time, however, the fire was even fiercer, the flames even brighter, almost setting the sky ablaze.

The wind suddenly stopped, and the mountains fell silent.

At that moment, he felt as if the entire world was making way for this wisp of pure yang.

Fortunately, Lao Gui was prepared.

With a slight turn of his fingertips, the array that had long been set up around Snake Coil Mountain quietly came to life.

A thin ripple spread out from the courtyard wall and then gently gathered again.

The light and sound of the world fell silent, gradually gathering the soaring crimson-gold radiance back to stillness.

In an instant, the crimson flames in the sky completely subsided, and were all absorbed back into the sun wheel mark between Jiang Chao's eyebrows.

The courtyard returned to silence, leaving only him standing there.

Her features remained the same, but now held an indescribable intensity.

Those eyes opened and closed, as if a golden flame flashed and disappeared.

Jiang Yi stared at him, her heart suddenly tightening slightly.

For a moment, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

There was an otherworldly majesty and...divine intent in that gaze.

It was as if a celestial being had mistakenly entered the mortal realm, and with just one glance, mortal hearts were filled with shame.

But that looming aura vanished in an instant.

The boy landed steadily on his feet, his energy gathering and becoming as still as water.

He paused for a moment, as if reflecting on something.

Suddenly, he flipped his palms over, and a ball of yang fire appeared in each palm, swirling with light, as gentle as a sparrow.

He smiled and, mimicking his great-grandfather's act of tossing fruit in the orchard, casually tossed two balls of true fire capable of burning gold and turning iron.

The flickering firelight accentuated the playful curve of his lips.

Jiang Yi looked at it and couldn't help but chuckle.

The slight estrangement and distance from before vanished in an instant.

He shook his head and sighed, his eyes filled with pity.

This kid is still the same kid after all.

(End of this chapter)