Journey to the West Creation Technique

The Southern Desolate State is extremely dangerous, especially at night.

Lu Chengjun fully agrees with this point.

He worked day and night, traveling between the salt station and the sea salt hill.

Although it was just one person and one cat, there were no mishaps within a month.

The rumored extremely dangerous nocturnal monsters did not appear.

Perhaps because powerful demons like the Crimson-Crowned Fire-Feathered Dragon patrolled the territory during the day, no predators dared to approach even at night.

This perilous journey, which seemed like a death trap to outsiders, was one that Lu Chengjun traversed safely for a month.

In less than an hour, he arrived at the valley where Haiyangang was located.

A simple Bagua stone array was also set up in the valley, which could effectively block any monsters or wild beasts that accidentally wandered in.

A ditch has been carved into the valley, and its design is extremely ingenious. Whenever the tide rises, seawater will flow directly into the valley through the ditch, and sometimes it will even bring one or two live fish.

Hidden within the valley walls, salt-boiling sheds were set up, with iron pots arranged among them.

The salt boilers worked through the night, and the blazing campfires they lit deterred nocturnal predators from approaching easily.

Lu Chengjun, carrying a large bamboo basket on his back and holding a hoe, walked slowly towards them.

Upon seeing his arrival, the garrisoned cultivator Chen Shi immediately greeted him warmly: "Fellow Daoist Lu, you've arrived early today."

Lu Chengjun nodded and asked, "Is the salt ready?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi smiled and replied, "This is just coarse salt. It still needs to be mixed with wood ash and boiled again to remove impurities before we can obtain refined salt."

Lu Chengjun nodded slightly: "I will wait here."

After saying this, he took out vegetables, rice, and noodles from his basket and put them into the cellar at Haiyan Hill. Then he sat cross-legged at the mouth of the valley, facing the sea.

Relying on the stars in the sky, he absorbed spiritual energy, drew qi into his body, and devoted himself to cultivation.

At this moment, he was practicing the Qingyun Sect's basic Qi Refining Technique, not the Journey to the West Creation Technique.

The Creation Skill in Journey to the West requires only holding a physical form for cultivation and does not require meditation.

Amiya, the tabby cat, sat quietly beside him, keeping him company as the sea breeze blew with him.

Not long after...

Chen Shi's voice came through: "Fellow Daoist Lu, that's enough."

Chen Shi and the others then carried the two bags of freshly boiled refined salt into a basket, which was then tightly bound with cowhide.

Lu Chengjun slung his basket over his shoulder, bowed in farewell, and turned to walk into the night.

night.

Quietly...

The night breeze was cool and carried a hint of moisture.

Suddenly, I felt a cool sensation on my cheek.

Drizzling...

Each raindrop arrives with the wind.

It's going to rain...

Lu Chengjun looked up at the sky and saw that the dark clouds had already obscured the moonlight.

This rain must be quite heavy.

Fortunately, he was prepared. He put down the basket and untied the cowhide.

"Amiya," a soft voice called out.

The kitten obediently jumped into the basket and rested on the bag of salt.

Lu Chengjun retied the basket and let Amiya take shelter from the rain inside it.

He then took off his straw hat and put it on his head, quickened his pace, and walked on the familiar mountain path.

All I could hear was the howling wind and the soft, continuous drizzle.

Walking alone in the night rain...

He walked silently for a long time, then suddenly stopped.

A fallen tree trunk lay across our view.

Lu Chengjun looked solemn.

He passed by here in the first half of the night and there was no such fallen tree there at all.

It was raining, and the night was very dark.

Even so, Lu Chengjun could sense that the bark of this tree was different from that of the surrounding trees.

It looks like a piece of dead wood...

He had walked this road countless times over the past month, and had never seen this piece of dead wood before.

Do not!

I think I've seen it before, but not on this road.

A dead tree that can move?

Weird!

Lu Chengjun slowly backed away...

Although transporting refined salt back and forth to Haiyangang was his mission, it didn't mean he had to go back today.

If there is danger, evacuate first.

As the saying goes, there's plenty of time...

The Southern Desolate Continent is extremely dangerous; one must always have a sense of awe.

Just as Lu Chengjun was heading home, the motionless "dead tree" suddenly moved.

A pair of scarlet eyes opened, exuding a terrifying aura.

This is not a dead tree at all, but a dead tree mantis that is well-versed in the art of mimicry.

Skilled at disguise, lying in wait to hunt.

It had actually noticed Lu Chengjun passing by long ago, but in the past, Lu Chengjun went his own way and never tried to explore.

The two had missed each other many times before.

Today, this deadwood mantis has decided to take the initiative.

They deliberately disguised themselves in a place Lu Chengjun was sure to pass by, preparing to hunt him down.

Unexpectedly, Lu Chengjun realized the situation was not right and immediately withdrew.

How can I stand it when the meat that was almost in my mouth is about to fly away?

No more pretense, let's take the initiative!

The withered mantis exuded a murderous aura, and a wave of resentment swept over us.

Lu Chengjun remained calm and simply slapped a light talisman on his body.

In an instant, a gust of wind swirled around his feet, making him suddenly several times lighter and faster.

But the giant mantis behind it had thin wings, which made a buzzing sound as it flapped them, and it kept up its pace.

Lu Chengjun then offered up another talisman.

Fireball Talisman.

An orange-red fireball shot through the air, heading straight for the mantis's scarlet eyes.

The blade arm blocks horizontally.

The small fireball created by the first-tier spell exploded on the blade arm without even damaging the skin.

At this moment, the mantis's wings were fully open, buzzing loudly, a sudden gust of wind arose, and trees fell.

The deadwood mantis can fly long distances when it is young, but it can no longer fly long distances after it becomes an adult. Its wings can only be used for short sprints or to escape.

Now, for this one bite of food, the deadwood mantis has pulled out all its life-saving trump cards.

The enormous, withered mantis approached like lightning, and Lu Chengjun had no chance of escaping.

At this critical moment.

The tabby cat sheltering from the rain behind Lu Chengjun in a basket suddenly emitted golden light from its eyes, and a powerful and unparalleled aura of a demon king erupted from its body.

The oppressive aura of the Sea-Overturning Crocodile.

In an instant, it was as if the boundless sea suddenly surged, with towering waves, and a terrifying scene of a giant crocodile sweeping its tail across the sea appeared out of thin air.

The withered mantis was immediately startled, its sharp bladed arms frozen in mid-air, as if it had been frozen in place.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Chengjun quickly withdrew and left.

Not far away...

The Crimson-Crowned Fire-Feathered Dragon stood in the forest, its fiery red crest folded up, fast asleep.

A sudden burst of demonic kingly pressure swept through the entire mountain forest.

Its crest burst open, its scarlet dragon eyes widened, and a sudden surge of fiery energy erupted from its body.

It's awake!

The next moment, the Crimson-Crowned Fire Feathered Dragon let out a sharp hiss.

I refuse to accept this!

It's a challenge!

It spread its legs and ran forward, leaving a trail of heat as it sped towards the direction from which the aura was coming.

The withered mantis closed its eyes, retracted its bladed arms, and transformed back into a piece of withered wood, stuck diagonally into the soil, motionless.

There is a peak second-tier demon beast nearby, whose strength far surpasses its own.

Mimicry is not only its hunting skill, but also its means of evading predators.

The Crimson-Crowned Fire-Feathered Dragon arrived at the place where the aura of the Overturning Sea Crocodile had just erupted. Its huge and ferocious head looked around, its dragon eyes scanning every corner, trying to find the trace of that demon king.

The dead mantis was right next to it, but it treated it like an ordinary wooden stake.

The aura of the powerful demon king has vanished...

The search yielded nothing.

"Roar!" It raised its head and let out a roar that shook the mountains and forests, but there was no response.

The cultivators located at the salt station and the sea salt hill all heard this earth-shattering roar. They immediately hid in the cellar, their faces pale with fright.

"Fellow Daoist Lu... I'm afraid his chances of survival are slim," Chen Shi said with a sigh.

A huge fire broke out in the mountains and forests...

Unable to find its enemy, the Crimson-Crowned Fire-Feathered Dragon spewed flames and set the mountain ablaze.

Fortunately, the sea breeze was humid and the night rain was continuous, so the fire did not spread and only burned one or two hilltops.

The deadwood mantis, disguised as a dead tree, was in this sea of ​​fire.

It endured it with all its might.

Even when burned black, they dared not move.