Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

After returning from the market at Fubo Mountain, the Xuanqing Cave in Yunmang Mountain has returned to its former tranquility.

Chen Jiao sat cross-legged in the quiet room. On the stone platform in front of him was a piece of Gui Shui Lei Wen copper, which was dark in color like bronze and had faint cloud and thunder patterns.

And a long, narrow blade with a dark, magnetic scabbard containing thunder patterns, a thunder-attribute magic sword.

He did not rush to take action, but instead calmed his mind and spirit, drawing upon the water elemental energy gathered within the cave to cleanse his body until his heart was clear and his mind was pure.

He then joined his fingers like a sword, and a wisp of extremely pure dragon essence emanated from his fingertips. It was jet black in color, but crimson lightning threads moved within it. He gently touched the piece of Gui Water Thunder Pattern Copper.

When the true qi touched the copper block, it was like spring rain nourishing all things, quietly seeping in.

At first, there was nothing unusual, but after a few breaths, the cloud and thunder patterns on the surface of the copper block seemed to come alive, slowly flowing and emitting a faint "sizzling" sound, as if lightning was being generated and destroyed within the copper.

The copper gradually softened, releasing wisps of impurities and black energy, which were then completely cleansed by the thunderous power contained within the true qi.

Chen Jiao's eyes were calm as he manipulated his true qi, like peeling silk from a cocoon, guiding the yin water nature and yang thunder essence within the copper block to slowly merge and temper each other.

What he needed to do was to use his own more refined Water Thunder True Meaning to completely refine it, purifying it into a spiritual essence that is both extremely soft and extremely strong, mutually reinforcing and complementing each other.

The process lasted half a day.

Finally, the entire piece of stubborn copper transformed into a fist-sized ball, its color as deep as the night sky, with fine electric arcs silently dancing on its surface, a liquid metal that floated quietly in the air, radiating a pure and powerful aura of water and thunder.

His gaze then turned to the lightning-attribute magic sword.

The sword is made of decent material, but the forging technique is crude, the internal lightning energy is chaotic, and its spiritual essence is obscured.

With a flick of his finger, the newly refined essence of Gui Water Thunder Pattern Copper enveloped the sword like flowing water.

"Sizzle—"

A sudden burst of lightning flashed, like silver snakes dancing wildly.

The sword trembled violently, emitting a mournful cry as it could no longer bear the weight.

Chen Jiao remained unmoved, his divine sense like a net, firmly locking onto the sword body. At the same time, he drew upon the Xuanjiao True Essence within his dantian, which had reached perfection, transforming it into a vast and gentle force to protect the sword's core and nourish it with water element.

Driven by the true meaning of thunder, the essence of Gui Water Thunder Copper seeps into every minute structure of the sword like lava, dispelling impurities, repairing hidden damage, and reforging thunder patterns.

The originally dim sword light gradually became clearer, its sharpness becoming more restrained yet even more piercing.

The sound of the sword's chanting also changed from chaotic to clear and melodious, faintly resonating with Chen Jiao's aura.

Another day passed, and the tempering was finally completed.

The magic sword was brand new, about three feet and three inches long, with a dark blue base color and silver-white thunder patterns flowing naturally on it, like thunderclouds intertwined in the sky.

With each swing, the sound of wind and thunder could be heard, and the water shimmered. The yang thunder was contained within, while the yin water was revealed on the outside, making it a rare and precious dual-attribute magic sword of water and thunder.

With a slight thought, Chen Jiao named it Hidden Thunder.

……

After practicing his magic sword for over a month, Chen Jiao left the mansion and traveled to a secluded mountain hollow on the east side of the cave.

This place is backed by green cliffs and faces a clear stream. The soil and water are fertile, and the spiritual energy here is more gentle and peaceful than elsewhere.

With a flick of his sleeve, the soil on the ground naturally churned up, revealing five shallow pits.

Immediately, he carefully took out the several pieces of lightning-struck green willow wood from his storage artifact.

This piece of wood is about three feet long, and its entire body presents a peculiar image of fusion.

Most of it was charred black, the wood grain cracked, as if burned by heavenly fire, exuding an aura of deathly stillness and destruction after a catastrophe.

Yet deep within the scorched marks, a stubborn hint of green peony shines through, with tender buds peeking out, brimming with life. There is also a trace of pure and peaceful thunder essence contained within, not violent, but rather adding to the solemnity.

Chen Jiao gently traced the boundary between the scorched marks and the green shoots of the lightning-struck wood with his fingertips, feeling the Daoist spirit of facing death and living life within it, his eyes calm and serene.

This wood is not a top-grade material for refining weapons, but it contains profound principles of heaven and earth, and is of immeasurable benefit to cultivation and enlightenment, especially in harmonizing yin and yang and tempering the mind.

He gently placed the lightning-struck wood into the shallow pit, drawing the surrounding stream water, which turned into a continuous mist that, like sweet dew, nourished its roots.

Then, he took out a Wutu Gathering Spirit Talisman obtained from Fubo Collection. Although this talisman was not of high grade, it was good at stabilizing the earth's energy and nourishing spiritual roots.

With a slight twitch of his fingertips, the talisman transformed into a beam of yellow light and disappeared into the bottom of the pit. The spiritual energy around the pit instantly condensed, becoming even more substantial and peaceful.

After planting was complete, he pointed his fingers and sent a wisp of extremely subtle, warm, and peaceful water elemental demonic power slowly into the spirit tree.

This will nourish its roots, help it adapt to the local environment, and allow it to recover naturally.

After the planting was completed, Chen Jiao stepped back and observed the situation.

At first there was nothing unusual, but after about an incense stick's time, a little pale yellow bud quietly sprouted from the charred top of the lightning-struck wood!

The tender shoots, though small, are full of vitality, swaying gently in the mountain breeze.

Around the tender shoots, extremely fine electric filaments flickered and moved, absorbing the essence of sunlight and the earth's water.

At the same time, centered on the five newly planted lightning-struck trees, a cool and calming aura slowly spread out, covering an area of ​​several feet.

Its aura possesses both the unique supple vitality of willow wood and the pure, serene essence of being cleansed by heavenly thunder, instantly calming the mind.

Nourished by this fragrance, the surrounding plants and trees appear even greener.

The local deity of Yunmang Mountain watched in amazement, overjoyed, and clapped his hands, saying:

"How wonderful! This wood can actually bring a dead tree back to life, and it also possesses the mysterious power of thunder and fire."

Planted here, connected to the energy of the Demon Lord Xuanqing Cave, it will surely become a spiritual hub in the future, bringing blessings to the vast wilderness.

"The Demon Lord is truly blessed; I envy him greatly. Given time, he will surely achieve the Golden Core stage, and the Nascent Soul stage is within reach."

Chen Jiao glanced at the beaming Earth God and felt somewhat helpless:

"You old man, don't try to act innocent after getting a good deal."

The sacred tea in the cave has been prepared; please enjoy it with us.

The two then entered the Xuanqing Cave to taste the spiritual tea.

During the casual conversation, Chen Jiao seemingly unintentionally mentioned:

"I recently heard from the local earth god that news of rare and precious blood coral crystals from overseas was circulating in the market of independent cultivators on the border of Aolai Kingdom?"

The Earth God stroked his beard and laughed:

"The Demon Lord is indeed well-informed. Just the other day, I overheard a passing wandering deity mentioning that a strange thing had indeed happened in the market recently."

There was a demon who seemed to have taken out several pieces of blood coral crystals, intending to barter for something else.

Legend has it that this object is formed from a thousand-year-old blood coral from the depths of the East China Sea, which was stained with dragon blood and contains a trace of true dragon blood essence.

It has remarkable effects on stabilizing one's foundation and purifying one's bloodline, attracting the attention of many cultivators from both the human and demon races.

Chen Jiao's hand holding the cup paused slightly, a barely perceptible glint flashing in his eyes:

"Oh? Such a thing exists?"

Unfortunately... such spiritual objects are already rare even for people like us, but for some whose bloodlines are damaged and whose foundations are shaken, they are probably comparable to life-extending elixirs.

The Earth God, unaware of anything amiss, echoed:

"What the Demon Lord says is absolutely right."

Alas, this item is so rare that no one has ever seen it with their own eyes; all the stories are hearsay, yet it still causes quite a stir.

Chen Jiao sipped his spiritual tea, his eyes shimmering with light and shadow.