Gathering Qi to Forge Mountains and Rivers
"Did it succeed..."
Qin Xiao stood before Muxuan Mountain, gazing up at the summit, keeping solitary watch over the stone steps leading to the top...
He naturally knew of the news that Qin Lu was in seclusion.
For this day, his Qin Family could be said to have exhausted everything, nearly hollowing out the clan treasury and turning ten years of accumulated wealth into ashes!
As long as it succeeded, then everything was worth it!
Compared to Qin Xiao guarding the front of the mountain-
Qin Hui sat sedately outside the Pill Pavilion. He was the last line of defense, while the Qing Centipede coiled atop the Pill Pavilion, blanketing the surroundings in Yi Wood Toxic Miasma...
"Father..."
"You must succeed. For your sake, Big Brother has already paid too much..."
In the blink of an eye-
The outer perimeter of Muxuan Mountain...
Wang Jian led five hundred Township Army soldiers, occupying the four directions at the foot of the mountain. Every single one of the five hundred Black-Armored Army soldiers stood at strict attention, lacking only for their precious swords to clear their scabbards and their long halberds to drink blood!
Seven-year-old Qin Wu shouldered a two-meter-long great halberd, fully displaying the heroic bearing of a youth!
"Abba..."
"With Wu'er here, no one can block your path!"
Yingchuan County city-
Qin Wen sat in the Wenge Pavilion, gazing toward the north.
Paper was stained by ink, yet he was completely unaware of it, letting the ink dye the paper black. It was unknown what his heart was thinking of at the moment...
Though his body was outside, his mind and spirit remained tethered to Beichuan...
Amidst the mountain forests-
Qin Zhao held his breath and concentrated, continuously absorbing Spiritual Qi. Very soon, relying on this Spirit Rain, and as smoothly as water flowing to form a channel, he broke through to the True Martial Second Realm!
The moment he broke through, countless impurities were expelled from his body...
Qin Zhao gazed at Muxuan Mountain, his mind and spirit calm.
"The books say that gathering Qi converges the spirit, collecting the spiritual essence of heaven and earth to form rosy-clouded spirit rain, nurturing all living things and feeding back into the mountains and wild forests..."
"This is the portent of Qi Condensation. Father, he..."
"Has done it!"
Within Deer Valley-
Although the Spirit Rain was not heavy, the Spiritual Qi nurtured the wild mountains, subsequently feeding back into the earth...
Within the pool, the deer's cry resounded loud and clear!
Rays of water ripples surged, kicking up waves several zhang high. The Forest Peak Giant Deer burst out of the water, and accompanied by the convergence of Spiritual Qi, its physique expanded once more!
Growing a full half-zhang taller, its aura abruptly reached the First-Tier Mid-Grade!
Qin Zhuang felt it in his heart, gazing toward the north.
Following the giant deer's feedback, his cultivation actually gradually approached the True Martial Second Realm Great Perfection. If Qin Zhuang had not intentionally suppressed it, he likely would have broken through once again!
"Father..."
"Uncle, you say why can't we guard the mountain, but instead stubbornly hold Deer Valley?"
Hearing this-
Chu Shan gave a detached smile and stroked Qin Zhuang's head.
"Because you are the hope of the Qin Family..."
"If sudden disaster strikes and everything ends, Zhuang'er is the hope for the future. As long as Zhuang'er is here, the Qin Family will still retain a thread of incense..."
The fine rain fell silently, nurturing all living things.
Countless spiritual essences bloomed among the grass and trees, accelerating their growth, and even ordinary grasses and plants birthed a trace of spiritual opportunity...
They became First-Tier Lower-Grade spirit plants.
At this moment, the entire Muxuan Mountain seemed to have obtained sublimation!
A grandiose tide of Spiritual Qi surged in the vault of heaven, nurturing this solitary peak, causing it to grow verdant and lush with thriving grass and trees...
Disordered earth veins and water swamps were progressively dredged, accompanied by the scouring of the Spiritual Qi tide!
Mountain rocks tumbled down, akin to heavenly thunder.
Muxuan Mountain rose higher section by section, and countless earth and rocks surged along with it!
The waters of the Ba River agitated accordingly, whipping up billowing tides across the river's surface!
At the summit of the mountain, standing proudly above the world-
With me in this realm, there is the heavens. Clad in a black robe, he stood between heaven and earth. His black hair cascaded like a waterfall, and his long robes fluttered. Every movement and action was transformed from mighty power!
Qin Lu stood in the vault of heaven. Within his Dantian, the True Essence underwent reverse refinement, transforming into spiritual liquid...
Roughly the size of a bowl rim, this was Spiritual Power!
Even though the Spiritual Power was shallow and sparse, it was still a qualitative metamorphosis, sufficient to enable him to tread the air and walk. Though it could not last long, it also marked the difference between immortals and mortals!
"Hoo~"
A breath of turbid air was exhaled at length, as if ten thousand pressures were digested into the invisible...
"It is done..."
"This is Qi Condensation!"
"True Essence transforms into Spiritual Power, and the fleshly body sheds its mortal vessel..."
"From this day forth, one can enjoy a lifespan of one hundred and fifty years, and even longer!"
With a thought in Qin Lu's mind, he lightly pointed his fingertip. The instant Spiritual Power surged into the Jinyuan Needle, with a swish, the golden needle streaked across the vast sky like a shooting star!
In a flash, it pierced right through the distant mountain range!
Although invisible to the naked eye, Qin Lu could sense that the mountain rocks were pierced raw as if they were flour!
"Return!"
With a single decree of command!
The Jinyuan Needle arrived in an instant, darting and weaving about the surroundings like a swimming fish...
This was the true might of a Second-Tier Law Artifact!
The three martial techniques he had learned in the True Martial Realm...
At this moment-
They also metamorphosed into three law techniques!
The Toxic Body Miasma was thoroughly fused and refined into the body, transforming into: Toxic Miasma Spirit Body, capable of refining a hundred poisons and integrating them into the physical body! It could then transform them into a hundred kinds of toxic miasmas to attack enemies with poison!
The Qingxuan Needle Technique took Spiritual Power as its foundation-
Metamorphosing into the law technique: Spirit-Breaking Needle! It specialized in breaking those with formidable physical bodies! It could tear apart Spiritual Qi protective shields and possessed the effect of breaking spirits!
The Muxuan Gang Qi combined with the Toxic Miasma Spirit Body...
Transforming into the law technique: Azure Wood Gang Shield, which could invoke the spirit of grass and trees to form a protective shield of gang qi. It could be used both for self-protection and to cause the physical body to transform into the avatar of an azure wood!
At the foot of the mountain, amidst the mortal world.
Mortals, superstitious of gods and Buddhas, prostrated themselves in kowtow before the towering, majestic figure in the vault of heaven who could tread the void out of thin air. If this were not an immortal, what else could be an immortal?
Some bumped their heads to the ground in worship, crying out loud:
"Immortal bless us with favorable winds and timely rain, and grant us a chubby baby next year!"
Others yearned for it in their hearts, remaining dazed in place.
There was even a group of people steering boats upon the water, worshiping from the foot of the mountain...
Liu Ji felt a yearning in his heart, and spoke to the brothers behind him:
"Brothers, now that the Qin Family's power is great, I, Liu Ji, have made up my mind."
"I have decided to temporarily settle down here and establish a Daoist orthodoxy's inheritance, named: Hanbang!"
"We shall submit beneath the great momentum of the Qin Family to plot for resources and strengthen our Hanbang! My brothers, are you willing to accompany me, Liu Ji, on this venture?!"
"We are willing!"
"We are willing!"
"We are willing!"
The momentum of a hundred men shouted in unison, possessing quite the earth-shaking might!
Every single man was exceptionally brave and martial, resembling a towering warrior of the battlefield!
From this day forth-
A force named Hanbang rooted itself in Bayi, becoming an insignificant member among the countless minor forces under the rule of the Qin Family...
At the summit of Muxuan Mountain-
Qin Lu summoned Qin Xiao and Qin Hui.
After giving simple arrangements, he let the two of them take charge of the overall situation...
The collapsed buildings on the mountain were to be rebuilt where appropriate and planned where necessary. At the same time, they were to reorganize those under their rule and pacify the common people...
They could also proclaim it to the world, recruiting worthies and accepting scholars to strengthen the foundation of his Qin Family!
Another contingent was sent to report and memorialize to the imperial court-
Requesting the court to dispatch men to witness the event, demarcate clan lands, establish an immortal clan inheritance, confer a title upon the clan land, and take a firm stand within the territory belonging to Longchuan Prefecture...
When everything had settled down-
Qin Lu once again entered seclusion to consolidate his own cultivation, lest his foundation remain unstable...
Furthermore...
Qin Lu finally opened the Qiankun Pouch left behind by the Zhang household. Its internal space reached a full three cubic meters, which already counted as high-end goods on the market!
One must know that an ordinary Qiankun Pouch was merely one cubic meter in size.
Its value was thirty spirit stones, while a three-cubic-meter space had a market price of no less than one hundred spirit stones at the very least, making it naturally rare and precious!
"Hoo!"
"This is the rhythm of striking it rich..."