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

Meanwhile, deep within the Blackwater Abyss.

The aftershocks of the water and fire killing formation had not yet dissipated.

The ashes that Qinglin had turned into after his body and soul were destroyed, mixed with the remaining evil energy of the earth fire and weak water, drifted slowly in the cave.

Chen Jiao stood with his hands behind his back, his black robes fluttering slightly in the turbulent air, his expression calm and undisturbed.

His gaze swept lightly over the spot where Qinglin and General Jing had vanished, and after confirming that there was no sign of life, he did not linger there.

He had clearly heard the urgent cry for help from the Xuan Gu Shangren outside the formation.

With a slight thought, he followed his senses and hurried toward the fork in the road filled with earth fire and poisonous energy where the Xuan Gu Shangren was.

The passage was filled with scorching heat, the rock walls were as red as branding irons, and viscous, toxic fire energy swirled around, emitting a sizzling, corrosive sound.

At this moment, the figure of Master Xuangu, struggling to hold on, appeared and disappeared in the sea of ​​fire.

The scorching waves of fire twisted and churned, trapping him in a corner, unable to move forward or backward, leaving him in a rather disheveled state.

His body, formed from the Yin energy of Xuan Yin, was riddled with holes and cracked under the relentless burning of the Earthly Venom Fire.

The shield was charred black, emitting a piercing sizzling sound. The bone surface melted away and was slowly filled by the mysterious yin energy.

Xuan Gu's face was as pale as paper, a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his body trembled slightly, clearly on the verge of exhaustion.

The violent fire not only eroded his protective spiritual light, but also a scorching poisonous gas seeped into his meridians, causing his soul to feel waves of burning pain.

If it weren't for the fact that his cultivation technique, the [Mysterious Yin Scripture], had a certain suppressive effect on earth fire, he would probably have been devoured by this raging fire long ago.

Upon seeing Chen Jiao appear, Xuan Gu's eyes immediately blazed with hope, and he said urgently:

"Brother Daoist! Brother Xuanling!"

Please save me! I, Xuan Gu, will serve you like a dog or a horse in the future!

Chen Jiao nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

His gaze sharpened as he looked at the raging, roaring fire.

Ordinary cultivators, when faced with such violent Yang energy, would naturally choose to suppress it with the power of Earth or Water.

The profound insights into the transformations of water in the "General Record of Xuan Tian Sword and Divine Power: Water Volume" flowed gently through my heart like a clear spring and waterfall.

He was deeply versed in the art of water, and at this moment, with a slight thought, he had already made his plans.

One drop, two drops... The surrounding water elemental energy, drawn by its true meaning, quietly converged into a stream like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea.

The water flow was initially thin, but it quickly grew stronger, and silently transformed into a three-foot-long, completely transparent water sword.

This sword has no fixed form; its blade ripples slightly, as if flowing water, yet it is incredibly refined, with an inner sharpness.

"go."

Chen Jiao's lips moved slightly, and he uttered a single word.

The transparent water sword moved in response to the sound.

The moment the water sword touched the poisonous fire, the raging, fiery flames melted away as quickly as boiling water splashed on snow.

The true essence of water contained within the water sword quietly dispelled its violent aura.

The immense fiery aura surrounding the Xuan Bone instantly dissipated, transforming into countless streams of fire that scattered and quickly dimmed and extinguished.

A water sword forcefully carved out a passage through the raging sea of ​​fire.

The flames still burned on both sides of the passage, but they were much gentler and no longer rampant.

This approach uses the gentleness of water to overcome the strength of fire, guiding the situation to transform violence into peace.

The understanding and control of water contained within it have reached a state of perfection.

Master Xuangu was astonished.

I never imagined that Brother Xuanling was not only so powerful in his thunder magic, but also so profound in his water magic.

He cultivated the Xuan Yin Dao and believed he had a fairly good understanding of the principle of mutual restraint between water and fire.

However, seeing Chen Jiao's exquisite skill in dispelling the earth fire with every gesture today, I realized that what I had learned in the past was merely a superficial understanding.

"Why aren't you coming out yet?" Chen Jiao reminded him calmly.

Master Xuan Gu suddenly awoke with a start, daring not to be negligent. His Xuan Yin Qi surged and transformed into a streak of gray-white light.

It shot out swiftly along the temporary passage opened by the water sword and landed steadily beside Chen Jiao.

Having escaped his predicament, Xuan Gu breathed a long sigh of relief, staggered forward, and quickly bowed to Chen Jiao, his tone filled with gratitude and awe:

"Thank you for saving me, fellow Daoist!"

Brother Dao, your supernatural powers are profound and your Daoist arts are unfathomable! I, Xuan Gu, am utterly humbled!

Chen Jiao nodded slightly, but his gaze was fixed on the deeper part of the Blackwater Abyss, at the source where the earth fire and the weak water intertwined, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He sensed that the essence of the Weak Water seemed to be even stronger than before.

Moreover, there was a faint, extremely subtle, unusual fluctuation mixed in with it.

"This place is not safe to stay for long."

Chen Jiao withdrew his gaze and said to Xuan Gu:

"First, seek out Fellow Daoist Li Yang, then explore the root cause."

After saying that, he turned and left, his steps steady.

Xuan Gu naturally obeyed orders, quickly suppressing the surging excitement and lingering fear in his heart, and hurriedly followed.

He glanced back at the still blazing cave behind him, where the subterranean fire slowly converged, then looked at the tall, composed figure in black robes ahead.

The look of awe in his eyes grew even stronger.

Following the lingering aura of True Man Li Yang, Chen Jiao and Xuan Gu turned into another, more secluded and narrow side path.

The air here is filled with the chill of the Weak Water, a thin layer of black frost has formed on the rock walls, and a gloomy atmosphere pervades the air.

After walking only a few dozen steps, they saw Master Liyang sitting slumped on the ground with his back against the rock wall in a relatively dry depression ahead.

He looked utterly miserable at that moment.

The right half of the body, from the shoulder to the waist, has mostly melted away.

There was no blood flowing from the wound; instead, it was covered with a layer of constantly writhing, life-eroding black ice crystals.

His face was ashen, his breath was so weak it was almost nonexistent, only his eyes were wide open, his pupils burning with a stubborn flame.

He was enveloped in a pale golden halo, as if he were a life-saving talisman.

It was struggling to resist the erosion of the weak water's energy, but the halo had already dimmed considerably and was on the verge of collapse.

Hearing footsteps, Master Liyang struggled to turn his eyes and saw Chen Jiao and Xuan Gu.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile of relief managed to squeeze out from his ashen face.

He couldn't even release his divine sense; he could only move his lips, emitting a hoarse sound like a broken bellows.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanling, you... have arrived."

Chen Jiao stopped, looking down at the dying Golden Core cultivator, his expression calm and undisturbed.

He spoke slowly:

"Even a celestial being cannot save someone whose soul has been corrupted by the weak waters."

Master Xuangu looked sorrowful and sighed silently.

Master Liyang gasped for breath several times, and said intermittently:

"Old Taoist, your life is over... I have no complaints."

But there's still one thing I can't let go of in my heart.

His eyes held a final plea as he stared intently at Chen Jiao, summoning the last of his strength to barely keep his voice from breaking:

"This old Taoist comes from a family of cultivators in Aolai Country of the East Sea. I do not ask fellow Daoists to take care of my entire clan."

"I only hope that if you happen to pass through Aolai someday, you can take care of the girl in our clan named Han Liyan. She has decent talent and a kind heart."

At this point, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength and began to cough violently.

The ice crystals at the wound began to wriggle, and his breath grew increasingly weak.

But he still forced himself to stay upright, and with trembling hands, he fumbled for a jade slip, its color as red as fire, in his robes and laboriously handed it to Chen Jiao:

"Ahem... This item was obtained by chance during my travels in my early years. It contains a clue about the Qi of Bing Fire."

It seems to be related to the ancient Southern Ming Fire, and contains the true form of the Vermilion Bird.

This old Taoist priest was unable to obtain it. Today, I present it to my fellow Taoist.

Please, do not refuse...

He tried his best to explain, as if afraid that Chen Jiao would look down on him.

The jade slip was only about an inch long, but it was completely translucent.

A faint shimmering light flows within, emanating a pure and blazing fire elemental aura that stands out starkly against the surrounding cold and gloomy environment, making it clear at a glance that it is no ordinary item.

Chen Jiao listened quietly, his gaze lingering for a moment on the crimson jade slip before looking into the expectant yet unwilling eyes of True Person Li Yang.

He did not immediately accept the jade slip, nor did he make any promises. He simply spoke calmly and steadily:

"Aolai Kingdom, Han Liyan."

I've noted it down.

A few words, devoid of joy or sorrow, yet carrying an undeniable weight.

Upon hearing this, the last glimmer of obsession in Li Yang Zhenren's eyes suddenly shone brightly, then slowly dimmed again.

A relieved smile appeared on his face as he murmured:

"That's...very good...very good..."

Before he could finish speaking, the pale golden protective aura around him shattered completely with a "poof" sound!

The chilling aura of the Weak Water instantly swept up, engulfing and freezing his remaining body and that relieved smile.

It eventually transformed into a frozen, pitch-black ice sculpture.

Only the crimson jade slip, protected by Li Yang's last bit of magical power, had not yet been eroded by the cold air and lay quietly in his left palm, which had turned into ice crystals.

Chen Jiao remained silent for a moment, then reached out and gently took the jade slip.

The jade slip was still warm to the touch.