Setting Up the West, Obtaining the Jin Ling Stone

借助混沌珠蒙蔽天机,混淆阴阳,李茶与墨染如同两道无形的影子,悄然穿越层层封锁,最终抵达了西方之地的核心,亦是魔道气运汇聚之所——须弥山.

This mountain was towering and majestic, its entire body showing a dull metallic luster. The rugged, steep cliffs seemed piled from countless sharp swords. Before even drawing near, a sharp, soul-tearing Geng Metal aura rushed forth, causing even Mo Ran, a peak Golden Immortal, to feel a faint sting on his skin. He instinctively slowed his pace, letting dark light swirl around him to resist the blade-like Geng Metal energy.

"Master, this place is perilous, with killing intent and Geng Metal intertwined. It must be Luo Hou's lair," Mo Ran transmitted through divine sense, his tone thick with vigilance.

Li Cha nodded slightly, his gaze deep as he looked toward the massive mountain shrouded in faint black-red mist. In his perception, that pure, refined trace of Geng Metal origin emanated from deep within Mount Sumeru. The last piece—the Metal-attributed divine stone—must be found here.

However, knowing the divine stone was on Mount Sumeru and actually finding and obtaining it were two entirely different matters. Mount Sumeru was vast, its terrain complex, filled with countless demon caves and formations personally laid by Luo Hou. Where exactly the divine stone was hidden was hard to pinpoint precisely. More importantly, this was Luo Hou's territory. The slightest disturbance could alert that fearsome Demon Ancestor, inviting a full-scale pursuit by the entire Western demonic path. Even with the Chaos Pearl in hand, it would be a monumental headache.

"No brute force. I need to outsmart him." Li Cha's thoughts raced like lightning, and soon he had a plan. He needed eyes—no, countless eyes—to monitor the entire Mount Sumeru and catch any hint of the divine stone's appearance.

He signaled Mo Ran to move away from the main body of Mount Sumeru, stopping in a relatively hidden hollow. Then, Li Cha sat cross-legged, sinking his divine sense into his body to communicate with his own origin. As a transformed innate Dao-Understanding Tea Tree, though his foundation had fallen, it wasn't hard for him to nurture some spiritual seeds imbued with his own Dao rhythm. Green light swirled at his fingertips, life energy surged, and grains of rice-sized, jade-green tea seeds with faint Dao patterns on their surfaces were continuously condensed.

Each of these seeds contained a trace of his origin and the essence of the Tea Dao. If they grew smoothly, they could become acquired top-grade spiritual roots—Mist Cloud Spirit Tea Trees. Though far inferior to his true body, they still had their own wonders, gathering spiritual energy and emitting a refreshing tea fragrance. More crucially, they shared a mysterious bloodline connection with Li Cha.

"Go, monitor this realm for me," Li Cha murmured softly. With a flick of his sleeve, the thousands of gleaming green tea seeds, as if alive, turned into fine streams of light, silently flying toward the surroundings of Mount Sumeru. They avoided the core areas thick with demonic energy and strict formations, scattering at the mountain's base, cliff crevices, valley forests, and other inconspicuous spots.

To help these seeds take root and sprout quickly, Li Cha took out spiritual spring water stored in the Chaos Pearl and watered them one by one. It wasn't that he didn't want to use spells, but being behind enemy lines, he dared not act rashly. He didn't even dare use Mo Ran, fearing Luo Hou would detect them.

After finishing, Li Cha and Mo Ran hid at a secret vein node far from Mount Sumeru, waiting patiently. He closed his eyes, focusing his mind, tightly connected to the three thousand scattered seeds. Through them, vague but broad "images" gradually formed in his mind. The flow of demonic energy around Mount Sumeru, the movements of low-level demons, subtle changes in earth veins... all fell into his perception. These three thousand spirit tea trees had become his eyes in the Western demon realm.

This wait lasted twenty years.

During these twenty years, through the tea trees' "eyes," Li Cha clearly felt the increasingly terrifying, heart-stopping sword intent deep within Mount Sumeru. It was a sign that the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords were being refined to completion!

He "saw" countless souls and blood essences of beings from the three races, and even some powerful demon cultivators, forcibly drawn by demonic formations, converging like rivers into the sea toward some place in the mountain's belly. The killing aura grew fiercer by the day, the sword intent so sharp it seemed able to sever all karma and laws, even making space itself fragile before the four sword intents, showing signs of being annihilated by their edge.

Li Cha's mind trembled. The power of the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords far exceeded his imagination. No wonder it took Dao Ancestor Hongjun, joined by several great powers, to break them. He silently thanked himself for not acting rashly, while also feeling a bit more "anticipation" toward the future Dao Ancestor—Hongjun, you sly one, this mess is all on you.

On this day, from deep within Mount Sumeru, four terrifying sword cries suddenly pierced the heavens, shaking the entire Western land! Immortal-Slayer, Life-Slayer, Trap-Slayer, Absolute-Slayer—the four swords were finally complete! Boundless killing aura erupted like a tsunami, instantly shrouding the entire Western realm. The sky turned dark red, all life withered, and laws wailed.

As the four swords reached perfection and the killing aura peaked, in an inconspicuous corner of Mount Sumeru, the earth veins were squeezed by the fierce energy. A pure, sharp, platinum-white light burst forth from the rock layers! A divine stone, like liquid mercury, containing pure Geng Metal energy, was forcibly "expelled" from the depths of the earth veins by the overwhelming killing aura!

Essence Metal Stone! The Five Elements divine stone containing innate Geng Metal origin!

The moment it appeared, Li Cha sensed it through a nearby spirit tea tree and immediately locked onto its exact location!

"Now!"

Li Cha's eyes blazed with light. Without hesitation, he activated his self-created technique, combining his Wood-element origin with his insights into the Dao of Space—Spirit Branch Boundless!

His form instantly turned illusory. Following the bloodline connection between the spirit tea tree that sensed the Essence Metal Stone and his true body, ignoring the spatial distance, the next moment, he appeared right where the Essence Metal Stone had just broken ground!

The timing was perfect! Li Cha moved like lightning, grabbing the Essence Metal Stone firmly in his hand! The stone was heavy, its sharp energy cutting into his palm with a metallic clang.

The Five Elements divine stones were finally complete!

With his goal achieved, Li Cha didn't linger. With a thought, he activated Spirit Branch Boundless again, vanishing from the spot and returning to the hollow where he had hidden Mo Ran.

However, the moment he grabbed the Essence Metal Stone, as his mana clashed with the stone's aura, creating a faint ripple, a cold, violent, destructive divine sense, like a giant net, instantly enveloped the entire Mount Sumeru region!

Luo Hou! They were discovered!

Li Cha could even feel the shock, anger, and murderous intent in that divine sense!

"Go!" Li Cha reacted like lightning, not giving Luo Hou a chance to lock onto him. With a sweep of his sleeve, he stashed the still-reacting Mo Ran into the Chaos Pearl. At the same time, he activated Spirit Branch Boundless for the third time!

This time, instead of fleeing far, he did the opposite—using the coordinates of the nearest spirit tea tree, he instantly returned to the foot of Mount Sumeru, where the killing aura was thickest and most dangerous! The darkest place under the lamp.

As soon as he appeared, he immediately activated the Chaos Pearl with all his might, transforming his entire body into a speck of dust. Silently, he dove deep underground, completely sealing off all his aura, karma, and heavenly secrets. The Chaos Pearl contained its own chaos within, cutting off all forms of detection.

Almost the moment he vanished into the earth, a blurry figure tore through space, appearing where the Essence Metal Stone had been. Luo Hou's divine sense swept violently over every inch of space, his killing aura churning, scouring the land for hundreds of miles again and again, turning countless rocks to dust, but finding not a single trace of the intruder.

"Who?! How dare you steal a spiritual treasure on This Seat's territory!" Luo Hou's furious voice echoed over Mount Sumeru, making countless demons tremble. He personally acted, his demonic thoughts spreading like liquid mercury, searching the entire Western realm several times, almost turning over every inch of ground, but finding nothing. The thief seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

Meanwhile, the one who had ignited the Demon Ancestor's towering rage, Li Cha, sat calmly inside the Chaos Pearl.

Before him, the five divine stones—Green Willow Stone, Kunlun Stone, Cold Dew Stone, Bathing Fire Stone, and Essence Metal Stone—floated in the air, radiating the light of the Five Elements origin. What happened outside was none of Li Cha's concern. His eyes were fixed only on the Five Elements divine stones. Steadying his mind, he began to mobilize the Five Elements True Fire, using supreme Dao rhythm as a guide, carefully refining the five stones together, preparing to fuse them into one and forge the key to bearing the Tea Dao's flame—the tea furnace.