Condensing the Essence Flower, Slaying Demons with a Sword

Impatient by nature, Xuan Yang headed straight down the mountain.

Once they confirmed that a flood had indeed struck, the Daoists united in purpose, and the entire Truth-Seeking Abbey sprang into action.

Busy as they were, they made no mistakes, proceeding in orderly fashion.

In the Scripture Pavilion, the fragrance of tea curled through the air.

Xuanming held a volume of Daoist scripture, his head bowed in absorbed reading.

Since he had nothing else to do, he might as well study scripture and comprehend the Dao rather than merely watch them work.

In truth, Xuanming had felt conflicted when his junior brother Xuanxu told him to remain on the mountain.

He felt both disappointed that he could not go down to help the people and warmed by their trust in him.

He understood that the Truth-Seeking Abbey was the foundation of all these Daoists, the seat of their lineage. Nothing could be allowed to happen to it.

He stayed behind to prevent anyone from raiding their home base.

Of course, Xuanming had not done nothing.

His father in this life had left him some savings, and his two elder sisters in this world often sent people with money and goods.

He contributed five hundred taels as a modest token of support.

Saving lives was as urgent as fighting a fire.

The Truth-Seeking Abbey moved swiftly.

Within a mere two hours, the Daoists led their disciples and granddisciples down the mountain. From the Scripture Pavilion, Xuanming watched intently.

Then he smoothed the ripples in his heart and resumed reading the scriptures.

Time slipped past, and three months went by in a flash.

The Daoists had still not returned to the mountain.

The flooding below was far worse than they had imagined.

News arrived from time to time.

For instance, his junior brother Xuan Yang had slain several lesser man-eating demons and fought dozens of exchanges with a Fourth Realm snake demon, severing one of its arms.

Then there was his junior sister Xuan Su, who was urgently treating the epidemic that had followed the great disaster.

Xuanming held the fort at the Truth-Seeking Abbey. Apart from contributing more money to support their efforts, he spent the rest of his time as usual.

He was not coldhearted; he simply saw things clearly.

He knew that even if his heart burned with anxiety, it would only add to his troubles. When it came to handling worldly affairs, he was far less capable than his junior brothers.

Since that was the case, he might as well read a few more volumes of scripture.

Only by advancing his cultivation and traveling farther along the great Dao could he prevent such things in the future, slaying the culprit before danger arrived and resolving the problem at its source.

Reading scripture and savoring its principles, comprehending the Dao and cultivating, practicing martial arts to strengthen his body, refining his powers and learning techniques...

Xuanming's cultivation gradually entered a flourishing phase.

In just three months, his attainment advanced by leaps and bounds.

The morning sun rose in the east as the waning moon sank in the west.

In the Path-Seeking Courtyard, atop a tree.

The white-haired old Daoist sat cross-legged.

Mountain winds brushed past, setting his Daoist robes fluttering.

Xuanming closed his eyes and focused, drawing on the harmonious mingling of sun and moon to regulate the yin and yang energies within his body.

As Primordial Chaos Qi transformed into Magic Power, flowed through the Ren and Du Meridians, and entered the Lower Dantian, his tranquil Magic Power stirred. Drawn upward, it formed an enormous vortex.

A vortex rose in the sea of magical power, and suction arose within the vortex.

His vast Magic Power was drawn into it in its entirety.

Within the spacious dantian, only the vortex remained, turning soundlessly.

It spun faster and faster, shrinking smaller and smaller.

At last, the vortex vanished.

In the silent darkness, a point of light shone like the sun, releasing a dazzling radiance that illuminated the entire dantian.

It was an elixir, perfectly round and whole.

It was also the medicine of cultivation, jade-like in hue.

Daoist cultivators called it the Essence Flower.

Half an hour later, Xuanming opened his eyes. The meaning of the Dao rose and fell within his timeworn gaze before fading a moment later.

After nine months, he had broken through again.

He had advanced from the Third Realm to the Fourth Realm.

This came as no surprise to him.

A day and night amounted to a year.

He had spent a full century honing himself at the Hundred-Day Pass.

With deep, firmly established roots, abundant nourishment, and fertile soil, lush branches and leaves naturally followed, making it easy to blossom and bear fruit.

In the ninth month after his breakthrough, the nine nines naturally returned to one, condensing the Essence Flower. As for the grade of the flowers that would bloom when the three flowers gathered at his crown, that depended on his foundation and fortune.

A breakthrough in cultivation lifted the spirits.

For once, Xuanming did not read scripture and contemplate the Dao.

He wandered Floating Cloud Mountain, enjoying its mountains and waters.

He climbed to the summit and gazed upon ancient glaciers.

He entered secluded valleys and listened to waves surge through the sea of bamboo.

His spirits were bright, his heart as water, the highest good.

Since Xuanxu and the other old Daoists were absent from the abbey, and the remaining disciples lacked sufficient cultivation, no one besides Chang'anzi next door knew of Xuanming's breakthrough.

Xuanming thought this was just as well.

Keeping a few more of his capabilities hidden would let him catch enemies unawares should calamity strike, giving him a better chance of victory.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind high.

Several figures stole onto Floating Cloud Mountain.

A hazy demonic aura lingered through the mountain forest.

Whispered conversation sounded.

"Brother, Floating Cloud Mountain is the Truth-Seeking Abbey's lair. It must be heavily guarded, with danger lurking on every side."

"Isn't it too risky to come here so rashly? Why don't we plan this carefully and first find some Spirit Herb to regrow your severed limb? Once we've recovered our strength, we can come back for revenge and kill those ox-nosed old Daoists' disciples and granddisciples."

A toad demon with a forehead covered in bumps offered this suggestion. No sooner had he finished than the gloomy, fair-skinned man beside him angrily interrupted.

"Bullshit!"

He flicked his forked tongue and said in a shrill voice:

"I never leave my revenge until the next day."

"Waiting several days already was bad enough."

"I must avenge my severed arm."

Remembering that he would need the lesser demons under his command to help him infiltrate the Truth-Seeking Abbey, he softened his tone. "Don't worry. I'm not acting rashly in the heat of the moment."

"Before coming here, I investigated thoroughly. Most of the Truth-Seeking Abbey's disciples have gone down the mountain. Only a few young disciples who have just entered the Dao and one Third Realm old Daoist remain. They're nothing to fear."

"With our strength, slipping inside will be child's play. There must be Spirit Herb in the Truth-Seeking Abbey."

"Once I've restored my arm and killed a few Daoists to vent my anger, we'll leave immediately. We won't linger—the longer the night, the more dreams can haunt it."

"When I've become a greater demon someday, I'll return and wipe out everyone on Truth-Seeking Mountain to quell the hatred in my heart."

After hearing this, the demons felt considerably reassured.

All that mattered was that their elder brother had not been completely blinded by anger and would not lead them to throw their lives away.

Seeing a trace of hesitation still lingering among them, the snake demon coaxed, "Daoists excel at refining elixirs. The Truth-Seeking Abbey has quite a reputation within a hundred li of Floating Cloud County, and its lineage stretches back more than a century. It must have spiritual elixirs stored away. Cultivators' flesh and blood also benefit our cultivation. If you don't come, don't blame me for keeping all these benefits to myself."

These words tempted the demons.

They had gathered together for profit in the first place.

If there were benefits to be had, why not take them?

The toad demon glanced around. Though unease lingered in his heart and he still felt this was unwise, refusing would surely get him ostracized by the other demons. He could only steel himself and agree.

Once the demons agreed, the gloomy snake man's expression improved considerably. Concealing their movements, they continued onward.

Just as they reached halfway up the mountain, a streak of sword light suddenly struck.

The sword struck, blood splashed, and a fine head flew into the air, scattering droplets of bloody rain before rolling to the ground.

Amid a scream, a fish demon was beheaded. Reverting to his original form, he died, his Dao extinguished.

The sudden turn of events drained the color from the demons' faces.

They all scanned their surroundings warily, their eyes guarded and their expressions grave.

A streak of sword light burst from the mountain forest, attacking again.

Only then did the demons see clearly that it was a Peachwood Sword.

It seemed the old Daoist on the mountain had discovered them.

But how had he done so this quickly?

They had not even entered the Truth-Seeking Abbey.

Despite their surprise, the demons reacted swiftly, each unleashing demonic arts to resist the sword light.

The toad demon spat out a ball of water and commanded surging waves.

The two shrimp demons joined forces. Their pincers abruptly enlarged, radiating the sharp aura of metal weapons as they clamped toward the Peachwood Sword.

The snake demon spewed great clouds of demonic mist. Wherever the mist spread, plants corroded, and leaves turned yellow and withered in an instant. Clearly, it was deadly poison.

At the same time, he lashed out with his snake tail, shooting it through the air straight toward the Peachwood Sword.

The wooden sword swept across the sky, its light swelling explosively.

The demons' combined attack was like flimsy paper before the sword light.

The water ball burst, and the shrimp pincers shattered.

The waves and snake tail were cleaved in two.

The demonic mist hissed, dissipating completely beneath the sword light.

Even the two weaker shrimp demons were slain in passing, reverting to a pair of three-foot crayfish.

The Peachwood Sword turned and attacked again.

Its light grew sharper, its murderous intent fiercer.

The snake demon's expression changed drastically. Knowing he could not withstand it, he turned and fled. The toad demon did the same.

The sword light pursued relentlessly.

Gritting his teeth, the snake demon reached out, seized the toad demon, and hurled him behind without hesitation.

At the brink of death, he sacrificed another demon to save himself.

The toad demon's expression changed drastically. At the instant the sword light pierced him, a sudden gleam burst from his fading eyes. Fueled by fury, he opened his mouth and shot out his long tongue, wrapping it around the snake demon.

Truly, a grip that would not loosen even in death.

Terrified and furious, the snake demon tried to cast a spell to sever the tongue, but it was already too late.

A brilliant streak of sword light pierced his chest, then severed his head.

Before his awareness faded completely, he seemed to glimpse a white-haired old Daoist and realized he had been careless.

How was this a Third Realm old Daoist?

Calling him a Qi Refining True Person would not have been an exaggeration at all.

Then he sank into utter darkness.