Primordial Era: Reborn as a Qi Immortal, Steadily Cultivating

Chapter 104 Disciples' Battle
Since Ma Yuan built the "Five-Colored Thunder Pool" at the foot of the Five Elements Platform, using the mid-grade innate spiritual root Five Thunder Golden Apricot as its core.

The once quiet Skull Mountain suddenly became incredibly lively.

The mountains are home to countless demons and monsters who have long since awakened their intelligence, yet suffer from shallow origins and find it difficult to make any progress in their cultivation.

They all regarded that Thunder Pool, filled with the aura of destruction and creation, as their only hope for leaping over the dragon gate.

They poured in one after another, trying to use their still relatively resilient demonic bodies to seize that slim chance.

The process involved was, of course, incredibly cruel.

The Five Thunder Golden Apricot is, after all, a mid-grade innate spiritual root, and the Five Elements Divine Thunder derived from it is incredibly powerful.
Every day, many beings with shallow foundations or weak wills are struck down and annihilated by the violent lightning, turning into ashes and becoming the purest nourishment in the lightning pool.

However, where there is death, there is also life.

More often, however, are creatures with great perseverance and determination, yet constrained by their own circumstances and opportunities, who grit their teeth and persevere through those repeated brushes with death!

Amidst the destruction and creation of that thunder, they cleansed and tempered their impure demonic bodies, and even purified their ignorant true spirits!
Whenever a living being successfully emerges from that thunder pool.

Their foundation and cultivation will undergo a transformative leap!
In an instant, spiritual light shone throughout the entire Skull Mountain area, and ominous clouds gathered.

Almost every few years, there are beings with solid foundations who attract heavenly tribulations in the Thunder Pool and successfully step into a higher realm!
Fortune and blessings intertwine.

The overall strength and fortune of the Skull Mountain lineage have become increasingly profound and stable since Ma Yuan established the Five-Colored Thunder Pool.

In the blink of an eye, thousands of years have passed.

On this day, in the Spirit Herb Garden.

The garden has long since transformed into a verdant sea of ​​bamboo.

Beneath those three pure and tranquil glass bamboos.

Ma Yuanzheng sat leisurely on a smooth bluestone.

He was holding a shimmering jade slip in his hands, engrossed in examining it.

On that jade slip, countless profound and complex array runes appeared and disappeared, as if expounding some kind of ultimate truth of heaven and earth.

It was the essence of the Great Dao of Formation that the Three Immortals of Sanxiao had given them.

On an open space not far from him, two figures were locked in a fierce battle.

The divine light and the vast dragon's might intertwined and collided, causing the void to hum.

It was Shi Ji and Ao Xuan.

Throughout these thousands of years, Ma Yuan has never been stingy in cultivating his two personally taught disciples.

He not only frequently preached and answered questions for the two of them on the Five Elements Platform.

He even bestowed upon the two the tea leaves from the "Da Hong Pao Mother Tree," a top-grade innate spiritual root obtained from Wuyi Mountain, so they could savor the tea and comprehend the Dao.

It is precisely because of this that Shi Ji and Ao Xuan have made great progress in their cultivation over the past few thousand years, and their foundation in the Dao has become increasingly solid.

It seems that it's only a matter of time before they reach the threshold of the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm.

At this moment, on that dueling arena.

Shi Ji and Ao Xuan both used all their skills and fought to a standstill.

Ao Xuan had already revealed his true form as a black dragon, thousands of feet long, with a mighty dragon aura and overwhelming power!
With a single open of his dragon mouth, the superior-grade innate spiritual treasure "Sea-Suppressing Divine Seal," which he had already refined to perfection, transformed into a sky-covering azure seal and crashed down upon Shi Ji!

Every time Ao Xuan activated the treasure seal, it seemed to draw upon the power of the four seas, carrying an unparalleled force capable of crushing the ancient divine mountain.

Furthermore, the acquired spiritual treasure, the Demon-Binding Rope, transformed into a golden phantom dragon, hovering in the void, constantly searching for Shi Ji's weaknesses, attempting to bind her!

On the other side, facing Ao Xuan's fierce and relentless attacks, Shi Ji remained completely unfazed.

She stood in the void, her light blue palace dress fluttering in the wind, her temperament as aloof as the moon.

Above his head, an ancient and radiant mirror floated on the surface; it was the superior-grade innate spiritual treasure, the Illusionary Light Mirror, bestowed upon him by Ma Yuan!
Each time the precious mirror turned, it cast forth countless dazzling lights, channeling the terrifying power of the Sea-Suppressing Divine Seal into the unknown void, making it impossible for the seal to harm her in the slightest. At the same time, a plain white silk handkerchief embroidered with cloud patterns also fluttered around her, cascading down countless streams of pure merit energy, firmly protecting her within, making her impervious to all magic!

This treasure was originally a postnatal spiritual treasure casually crafted by Ma Yuan, but Shi Ji has also received a small amount of merit from it over the years of sorting out the earth's veins and managing the Taoist temple.

In a stroke of inspiration, she infused all her merit into the cloud-shaped handkerchief, transforming it into a rare and wondrous treasure with endless uses!
The two exchanged blows, unleashing their supernatural powers and magical treasures, yet neither could gain the upper hand.

In the end, Shi Ji seized a fleeting opportunity.

She used the Merit Cloud Light Cloth to withstand the attack of the Sea-Suppressing Divine Seal, and took this opportunity to activate the Illusionary Light Mirror, shooting out an invisible and intangible illusory divine light.

In an instant, it shattered Ao Xuan's protective dragon essence, forcing him back hundreds of miles!

Seeing this from beneath the bamboo grove, Ma Yuan couldn't help but reveal a faint smile.

He put away the jade slip, looked at Ao Xuan who had transformed into human form and flew back with a sullen expression, and slowly said, "Lost again?"

Upon hearing this, Ao Xuan hung his head in dejection, bowed deeply to Ma Yuan, and his voice was filled with confusion and helplessness:

"Reporting to Master, I am foolish. Over the years, I have sparred with Senior Sister Shiji more than a hundred times, but I have lost more than I have won. I still can't figure out where I am lacking."

Ma Yuan smiled calmly and slowly shook his head: "It's not that you didn't practice diligently, nor that your supernatural powers weren't exquisite."

His gaze fell on Shi Ji, who had also finished her practice and stood there, her demeanor even more calm and composed. He said in a flat voice:

"It is only because Shiji is a naturally formed stubborn rock, and its origins are far beyond what you can compare to."

Even if you received the blessing of the Dragon Gate and cleansed some of your karma, you are ultimately not a pure-blooded five-clawed true dragon.

"The difference between you two lies in this one thread of innate talent and origin. If you want to surpass her, the only way is to completely wash away the last shackle in your bloodline and transform into a true five-clawed dragon. Only then will there be a sliver of possibility."

Upon hearing this, Ao Xuan's resolute face revealed a hint of bitterness.

“Master, please understand. Our dragon race is burdened by karma and is hated by the Heavenly Dao. This is a destiny that has been predetermined since the Great Calamity of the Dragon-Han Dynasty.”

Although I was fortunate enough to receive my master's help and enter the Dragon Gate to cleanse some of my karma, as my cultivation progresses, the karmic burdens of tribulation hidden deep within my bloodline will resurface.

"This is something that Heaven cannot tolerate, and it is not something that human power can easily reverse."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yuan also fell silent for a moment.

He was naturally aware of the dragon race's current predicament.

Otherwise, why would the proud ancient overlords have been running around in later generations, trying to please various sects?
Whether it's the Heavenly Court, the Western Religion, or the Chan and Jie sects, the dragon race is present in all of them.

Ultimately, it's nothing more than using the fortune of a great religion to eliminate the endless karma of one's own race.

This matter cannot be accomplished overnight.

Ma Yuan said no more, but simply waved his hand, signaling the two to go and cultivate on their own.

Once the herb garden had returned to tranquility, he turned his gaze back to the array jade slip in his hand.

Over these thousands of years, besides instructing his disciples and consolidating his own cultivation, he also...

He was mostly absorbed in comprehending the profound principles of the Three Heavens Formation.

He discovered that he actually had quite a talent for this art of formations.

With the array formation inheritance given to him by the Three Immortal Sisters, his understanding of the Great Dao of Array Formations has improved significantly and is now far beyond what it used to be.

He further integrated this new understanding into the causal protective array that enveloped the entire Skull Mountain.

It was then refined and polished several times, inside and out.

"Now, this Karma Mountain Protection Array is no longer like it used to be, where a few demon gods in the late Golden Immortal stage could easily see through the true nature of the mountain gate."

(End of this chapter)