You Longzi Weeps Blood and Remembers His Enemy; Kang Dabao Preserves the Essence to Refine a Nascent Soul
---- Joyful Sight Mountain and Lingguang Hall
As You Longzi led the cultivators of Joyful Sight Mountain past the handfuls of their own Qi Refinement Refining and Foundation Establishment Soul Lamps in the outer room, they arrived at the deepest part of the hall, where they saw twenty or thirty green nanmu lamps burning in a neat and orderly fashion on the lamp stand.
The stage was noticeably empty, with each remaining lamp fueled by Xuan Yin Zhi oil.
This oil is extracted from the Dew-Burning Mystic Yin Ganoderma, and is imbued with pure and spiritual essence.
Once lit, the light is warm and gentle, perfect for nourishing the life-bound spiritual threads of sect cultivators wrapped in the wick. It is exclusively for use by disciples of Joyful Sight Mountain Golden Core stage and above, and is far superior to the meager materials used by ordinary, humble households.
On the highest jade lamp stand in the hall, where two soul lamps originally stood side by side, one was bright and the other dim, one whole and the other broken.
The wick of True Person Tiger Spring's soul lamp had turned into a charred, blackened remnant, and the Xuan Yin Zhi oil had solidified into a pale blue paste, sticking to the edge of the lamp.
A few lingering black wisps still clung to the corner of the lampstand, seeping into the jade patterns like ink stains, clashing with the warm, spiritual light of the other soul lamps in the hall.
Strangely enough, this soul lamp, though clearly an inanimate object, seemed to exude an aura of despondency.
At this moment, some of the Golden Core cultivators surrounding the lamp stand were sobbing as they leaned on the black wood lamp base, their fingertips stroking the cold lamp again and again; some were even breathing with trembling hands; and some were simply silent, shedding tears and murmuring without making a sound.
Lei, the cultivator who was the first to rush into Heavenly Punishment Cliff to report the news, was now slumped beside the Ling Shu Jade Lamp stand, showing no semblance of his Golden Core form. He looked up dejectedly at You Longzi, Chan Master Huiming, and Fei Tianqin, who had rushed over, and said in a sorrowful voice:
"Senior brother, I just came to Lingguang Hall for a temporary inspection, but as soon as I arrived, I saw Master's soul lamp flickering, and then..."
The senior cultivator surnamed Lei spoke with a heavy heart, and the sincerity in his words deepened the sorrow on the faces of all the cultivators from Joyful Sight Mountain in the hall.
However, You Longzi was considered an exceptionally outstanding figure among the Golden Elixir cultivators of Golden Core Joyful Sight Mountain, it was clear that he was not tainted by this sorrow. He merely stared intently at the flickering lamp for a while, then retreated to stand before Chan Master Huiming and Fei Tianqin, suppressing his grief, and bowed deeply, saying:
"I would like to request that you two seniors accompany me to Broken Stone Hollow so that my master's remains can be collected and placed in the coffin."
At this moment, the human and the bird had different expressions in their eyes, and their inner thoughts were complex and difficult to describe.
You Longzi was not stupid; he quickly understood and stopped asking. Instead, he summoned a simple, beautiful woman beside him who was weeping and whispered:
"Junior Sister Qin, news of Master's passing will inevitably leak out sooner or later. The sect's treasury is still lacking strong reinforcements. You must take this letter with you and quickly invite the high-ranking cultivator from the Fei Household to come and help us. You must ensure that the treasures of Joyful Sight Mountain are not lost!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the scholars in the hall varied.
Many of them clearly had words of indignation stuck in their throats, but as soon as they glanced at the man and the bird, they knew what to do.
They were all highly accomplished cultivators who had practiced for hundreds of years, yet they lacked the Blood Qi often associated with such people.
Those who are trusted by the You Longzi and entrusted with the important task of guarding the Joyful Sight Mountain Treasury are naturally more than just loyal.
Upon hearing what the You Longzi had said, the handsome man surnamed Qin did not elaborate further, but simply lowered his head with his rosy eyes and responded in a low voice.
Seeing that the You Longzi had become enlightened without needing to be reminded, Fei Tianqin was finally satisfied.
After pondering for a while, Chan Master Huiming nodded in agreement.
The two men and the bird instructed the disciples left behind to be on high alert. They weren't too worried at first, but when Fei Tianqin was about to leave, he heard Fei Nanying report that Kang Dabao hadn't returned yet, and some bad thoughts began to creep into his mind.
It knew that if this practical and useful son-in-law were to perish here, it didn't know if the Ying Prefecture Fei Household would ever see another one of their hundred legitimate daughters again after they married off.
However, at this moment, it was more important to find out whether True Person Tiger Spring was alive or dead. Fei Tianqin had no choice but to ask Fei Nanying and Jiang Qing to lead people to search for him. At the same time, he also kept this matter in mind and wanted to see if he could find him along the way.
The two people and the bird were all quite fast, and they arrived at Broken Stone Hollow in no time.
The Mysterious Origin Concealment Formation had been broken, and the narrow cavern that True Person Cloud Trust had moved there at some unknown time was now exposed. Several foolish Second Tier Demon Beast, with keen senses, were standing outside the cavern, peeking out, but were killed by the You Longzi Shangxiu with a single hook of his five fingers.
Upon seeing the minced meat on the ground, Chan Master Huiming uttered a soft Buddhist chant, then said nothing more. He simply prepared his Divine Ability and carefully made his way into the grotto.
The great monk stood on a lotus flower, and a pale golden halo of light condensed around him, forming a half-foot-long halo. As soon as he stepped into the cave, he felt a residual malevolent aura rushing towards him, extremely violent.
He raised his hands to form a mudra, and Buddhist light flowed across the ground like water. Wherever it passed, wisps of black evil energy rose from the cracks in the rocks and dissipated as green smoke.
Fei Tianqin followed closely behind, concealing his form and spreading his golden wings halfway. His sharp eyes swept across the four walls of the cave, and a low growl escaped his throat, "Something's not right. Although the Sha Qi here is heavy, I can't see Tiger Spring's physical body, not even a trace of his Nascent Soul dissipating."
Its gaze fell on the three hanging black iron chains in the center. The chains were covered in rust, and the Heart-Corroding Sha wrapped around them had become dull and lifeless. The clasps at the ends were broken, as if they had been forcibly broken, rather than being corroded by the Sha Qi.
You Longzi rushed to the iron chain, his hands touching the cold chain, his fingertips tracing the cracks in the clasp, his voice trembling. "It's true that there's residual spiritual energy from Master."
Afterwards You Longzi looked down at the ground but could not find any trace of True Person Tiger Spring.
Chan Master Huiming walked slowly to the edge of the Spirit Pool, his fingertips gently touching the ice on the surface of the pool with a radiant Buddhist light.
With a "crack," the ice layer split open, revealing a pale blue spiritual energy flowing slowly beneath, mixed with a few extremely faint Nascent Soul spiritual lights—so faint as to be almost imperceptible, yet still discernible as the orthodox profound energy of Tiger Spring.
"Even Tiger Spring Huquan's Nascent Soul aura cannot be found," he said, closing his eyes and concentrating his mind. Buddhist light spread along the earth's veins, probing every corner of the cave.
Chan Master Huiming sensed that some powerful and violent force had been used in the cave, disrupting the spiritual energy within the cramped cave abode. Unable to find who had been there, he could only whisper:
"Yes, we can't find anything. Perhaps Cloud Trust came in person and killed Fellow Tiger Spring."
"Hiss," even an old bird as experienced as Fei Tianqin could only make a soft exclamation based on the deduction of Chan Master Huiming.
"I never imagined that even Nascent Soul couldn't escape Tiger Spring?!"
Fei Tianqin sighed inwardly again. It wasn't because of the old friendship between the man and the bird, but because he had finally managed to prepare a promising ally for the Ying Prefecture Fei Household, and now his plan had fallen through again.
Chan Master Huiming also frowned, knowing that Nascent Soul True Person of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty were extremely valuable, each capable of being a local lord or a distinguished member of the royal family.
Therefore, the death of any Nascent Soul cultivator is a major event that will shake the world.
Unfortunately, True Person Cloud Trust had betrayed the emperor, managed to escape, while True Person Tiger Spring, who was loyal to the imperial family, perished.
Once this news gets out, the merit that Chan Master Huiming had painstakingly earned for the Original Buddha Sect over the past century will be somewhat diminished, which would be a loss for him.
Moreover, this incident may also affect Kuang Liuting's reputation within the Mystic Firmament Palace.
Although You Longzi's heart had already turned cold, he still suppressed his grief and respectfully bowed, saying, "May I ask if you two seniors have been able to find my master's remains?"
Fei Tianqin tilted his large head, his sharp eyes avoiding the burning gaze of You Longzi, and searched for Chan Master Huiming. The great monk was helpless, and could only sigh and chant Buddhist prayers.
"If that's the case, we still need to report this matter to the officials in the Duke's office as soon as possible so that they can make preparations."
Fei Tianqin spoke in a low voice. Although Chan Master Huiming knew this was his duty, he was still somewhat annoyed. Just a few days ago he had gone to the Office of the Duke of Qin to report a victory, and today he was going to the Mountain North camp to report a death.
"Alas," Chan Master Huiming closed his eyes, pondering for a moment how to explain this to Zen Master Huihai.
Although You Longzi was filled with grief and indignation, he was not crushed by this sudden turn of events. He was only thinking about how to proceed and keeping True Person Cloud Trust in his mind.
"The hatred for the murder of my master must be avenged."
The You Longzi clenched his fists until they turned white, his knuckles pressing against the rust on the black iron chain, and he bit down the words "hatred for killing his master" until each word was stained with blood.
He said no more, only bowed deeply in the direction where Tiger Spring had been bound, and when he stood up, the grief in his eyes had turned into a cold glint.
Chan Master Huiming and Fei Tianqin were both too busy to respond to him. Cloud Trust had already rebelled and Tiger Spring had died, so the remaining cultivators of the Nascent Soul sect at Joyful Sight Mountain were no longer of much importance in the eyes of this man and bird.
The former showed no sign of grief, but simply clutched the talisman in his hand tightly. At the same time, he thought that he should tell Zen Master Huihai everything that had happened here later, as the matter he had witnessed was of great importance and he should explain it clearly.
Fei Tianqin's thoughts had already drifted to the treasury of Joyful Sight Mountain. This old bird was not at all pedantic, nor did he feel the slightest bit of guilt because of his friendship with True Person Tiger Spring.
Regardless of whether Chan Master Huiming appeared or not, or whether the two True Person of Joyful Sight Mountain lived or died, for the Ying Prefecture Fei Household, this great achievement has already been accomplished; it is merely a matter of whether the harvest will be plentiful or not.
So the old bird thought to himself, "Even if the treasures of a prosperous Nascent Soul sect are all in the hands of the two True Person, they should still be somewhat pleasantly surprised. And where did that brat Kang go? Did that bastard Cloud Trust really manage to take him?"
Another cup of tea's time passed, and after carefully examining the cave, the two people and the bird did not linger any longer.
Fei Tianqin and Chan Master Huiming exited the cave one after the other, with You Longzi Zizhui bringing up the rear. Long Zizhui carried a handful of black soil containing the Essence Blood of True Person Tiger Spring. Finally, he left only a single tear to wet the cave abode before chasing after the two.
A gentle breeze swept away the last trace of sorrow remaining in the murderous Sha Qi. From beginning to end, neither the two people nor the bird had ever imagined that Master Huquan, True Person Tiger Spring Nascent Soul, would be defeated by a mere Golden Core cultivator.
A secluded, low cliff a thousand miles away
The array plates that were hastily set up were in disarray, not only failing to unleash most of their power, but also revealing that the guests here were somewhat flustered and at a loss.
On the leeward side of the low cliff, the snow was ankle-deep. The broad-faced, heavy-chinned Sect Leader Kang Da and beard were covered in white snow, with only white steam constantly emanating from his pores, clearly indicating that he was healing his injuries.
After the snow stopped, Kang Dabao finished his meditation and took out the bag of Centaur Ganoderma that Tiger Spring had given him from his storage ring.
The bag was woven from spirit silkworm silk and shimmered with a pale blue spiritual light. The moment it was opened, a refreshing Spiritual Qi rushed out. Three spirit herbs, each half a foot tall, lay quietly inside the bag, the spiritual dew condensed on their leaves still trembling slightly.
He dared not delay, crushing the freshest one. The spiritual herb instantly transformed into a wisp of pale blue light, seeping into his meridians through his palm.
As soon as the spiritual light entered his body, it flowed over his damaged Spirit Vein like warm water. The meridians that had been shattered by Cloud Trust Mystic Origin True Qi were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the cramping pain in his Dantian was also much less.
Kang Dabao looked inward into his dantian and saw that the golden liquid next to the Upper-Grade Golden Core was becoming increasingly clear. As the star-like spiritual light flowed, even the residual Xuan Yuan Qi that had remained before was quietly purified.
"After all, he's Nascent Soul True Person; he still has some dignity and wouldn't lie to people." He murmured with a sigh, carefully putting away the remaining two Centaur Ganoderma.
"Keep it for later use. Once things have calmed down, we can find Alchemist refiner to make it into a pill." After treating his injuries, Kang Dabao turned his attention to Tiger Spring's storage ring.
As it was a precious item used by Nascent Soul, even though True Person Tiger Spring had been completely destroyed, it still took a great deal of effort from Sect Leader Kang Da.
There are many treasures inside, but now is not the time to examine them.
Once his injuries had healed slightly, Kang Dabao forcibly suppressed his joy. Instead, he calmed himself, closed his eyes, and carefully examined the star-patterned Golden Core in his Dantian.
Lacking the necessary knowledge and experience, he remained unaware of the extraordinary properties of this Upper-Grade Golden Core, which he had painstakingly cultivated for so many years.
To be honest, it's not entirely his fault. After all, even if you asked every single Nascent True Person Nascent Soul the entire Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, probably very few of them could explain the Upper-Grade Golden Core clearly.
Even though Sect Leader Kang Da escaped the clutches of Nascent Soul True Person cultivator because of his Upper-Grade Golden Core Elixir, it's still hard to say he truly understood the situation.
He saw that a bright white light still remained in the core of the Golden Core elixir. Although it was only the size of a star, the spiritual energy contained within it was extremely abundant. He knew that this was Higher Vehicle resource left by the deceased True Person Tiger Spring to guide his successors.
Even if it's difficult to fully refine all the essence of the Nascent Soul in a short time, it can still ensure that Kang Dabao doesn't need any resources before Nascent Soul Formation. Even now, he has a premonition that once his injuries heal and True Cultivator another three to five years, he might be able to achieve the Middle Stage of Golden Core realm.
In other words, the only thing to worry about going forward is that invisible and inexplicable bottleneck.
"The great battle is over? Perhaps we can now cultivate in peace, free from the turmoil of fighting? The future of the Three Southwest Circuits is uncertain; perhaps it will be the time for my Chongming Sect to the Chongming Sect?!"
After muttering to himself for a while, Sect Leader Kang Da sighed softly.
He reached down to his waist, which was not easily discernible, and swept all the thick snow off the gourd. After carefully stroking it for a while, he regained some confidence.
After experiencing such a perilous event, Kang Dabao had come to a clear understanding: since this last wisp of the Azure Smoke of Creation was difficult to use, it should be saved for the most crucial moment.
In ordinary times, we should gradually forget about it and not get used to relying on it.
His current understanding was far superior to when he was a merchant, and he knew how precious this Primordial Gourd was. He dared to presume to speculate that perhaps even in the entire Crimson Heaven Realm, there were very few treasures that could compare with it.
But who knew that fate would strike such a useless person like him.
Kang Dabao chuckled softly, and as he stood up, his robes suddenly shone brightly, instantly removing the remaining snow that had covered them.
At this time, his robes were tattered and his armor was torn Buxiu. He also had a small amount of blood in his abdomen for future use. After determining the direction, he headed towards Joyful Sight Mountain.