Chapter 240

At this moment, the one sitting in the Xuanyang Cave was Cheng Xinzhan's true physical body, housing the Fetal Light Primordial Spirit.

All this time, the one reading and practicing in the Wuyou Cave was Cheng Xinzhan's bamboo body, housing the Refreshing Spirit Primordial Spirit.

To him, an avatar was a shell, a weapon, a magic treasure, and the clothing worn when the Primordial Spirit traveled; it was very convenient, but it could never replace his true physical body.

He now had two avatars: one was the Seven-Section Seven-Hole Bamboo Staff avatar, which was also his most precious and frequently used avatar, with a Primordial Spirit residing in it year-round; this body favored wood.

The other was the Nine-Hole Dustless Lotus avatar, which had been refined not long ago; this body favored water.

He was currently refining a third avatar, one that favored fire.

At this moment, looking closely into the furnace, one would find it was not empty.

The golden solar Bing fire was burning quietly in the furnace, and above the furnace fire, a blood-red lotus flower was suspended.

This was the third avatar Cheng Xinzhan wanted to refine.

This "Floating Life Burning Karma Fire Lotus" had always been used by the mountain demon as a talisman to suppress corpse energy. Ever since he brought it back to the mountain, he had been scorching it with solar Bing fire to remove the corpse energy and rot. After nearly a month, it was finally completely cleaned.

It was still that saying, "Oranges grown south of the Huai are oranges, but north of the Huai they become trifoliate oranges; the soil and water are different."

At this moment, after being washed by the solar fire, the fire lotus was like a rebirth from the flames, emitting a bright and brilliant radiance. The lotus petals closed and opened, as if blown by a gentle breeze, or as if a heart pulse were beating, and there was even a sweet, intoxicating fragrance drifting about.

The bamboo body put down the gourd, the clean bottle, and the two Golden Cores, turned around, and left, returning to Wuyou Cave; he still had other things to attend to.

The physical body opened its eyes and received the two treasures and two pills.

There was naturally a reason for Cheng Xinzhan to arrange it this way.

The bamboo body favored seclusion and quiet, which was perfectly in tune with the Refreshing Spirit Primordial Spirit, so it was placed in Wuyou Cave to study and practice.

The physical body was affected by the tribulation lightning, and its apertures were blocked, requiring them to be cleared as soon as possible, so it had to be placed in a sunny location, allowing the lightning and fire to intersect and rejuvenate its vitality.

Then, the subsequent refining of the avatar, treasures, and pills would naturally be done by the main body himself.

He first handed the two treasures and two pills to the two young attendants, letting them first refine away the demonic energy and filth on the objects, handling them right in the Poison-Swallowing Cauldron. These two attendants had followed him for a long time and were respectively skilled in wind and fire, so handling these small matters was naturally no problem.

Subsequently, he himself began to refine the fire lotus avatar.

With the experience of refining the water lotus avatar before, this was not difficult for him, but he still could not afford to be careless.

Refining an avatar was the same as refining pills or treasures; it was about balancing yin and yang and manipulating creation, and it was also about realizing the Dao and practicing the Dharma. However, refining an avatar had a special point: because it was refining a human body, it could better touch upon the Inner Alchemy and understand the Life-Embedded Realm.

He pinched the Dharma seal and channeled his fire-attribute magic power into the lotus flower. The lotus flower received the nourishment, and thus, snowy-white roots slowly grew out from under the lotus base.

These newly born roots floated in the air, like willow branches made of silver silk and jade belts, clearly incomparable to the fleshy roots that had grown out in the mountain demon's hands while suppressing the evil corpse.

This process continued until nightfall.

The snowy-white silver radiance shone into the cave, spilling onto the roots, making them appear even more ice-clear and jade-pure.

Under Cheng Xinzhan's control, these roots grew and intertwined, slowly outlining the appearance of a human skeleton and meridians, which was truly miraculous.

Immediately, he took out a jade bottle from the cave stone, moved his fingers lightly, and the bottle stopper opened by itself, flying out a stream of snowy-white jade sand into the furnace.

This was the "Xuanming Bingyi Jade Marrow," which he had dug out from a snow mountain while traveling in the Northern Border; it was extremely suitable for shaping bones and creating meridians.

At the same time, he manipulated the furnace fire, changing the solar Bing fire to the Six Ding Divine Fire, blowing it slowly with the Xun wind, adjusting the fire with moderation, and the fire force was as long and continuous as breathing. The "Xuanming Bingyi Jade Marrow" flying sand adhered to the roots, slowly seeping into the roots under the scorching of the furnace fire. At the same time, the flying sand also changed the color of the fire, making it blue-white like ice.

When the moon hung in the middle of the sky, at the Zi and Chou hours, he sacrificed the Star-Moon Retention Basin again. This magic tool was something he had picked up from a stall in the Eastern Heaven Dao when he was in the First Realm. Its initial grade was relatively low, but Cheng Xinzhan had always used it to catch moonlight and constantly warmed and filled its spiritual prohibitions with his magic power, so its grade had also been slowly rising, and he could still use it now.

The Star-Moon Retention Basin was sacrificed high in the air outside the cave, so moonlight and star dew slowly accumulated in the basin, and then he took them and melted them into the roots.

This was:

"The waning moon acts as the furnace and cauldron, the White Tiger acts as the tempering pivot."

Thus, urging the roots by day and shaping the bones by night, thirty-six days passed in the blink of an eye.

Looking at the lotus roots now, all the bones were complete, the meridians were like a net, and they were emitting a brilliant jade light on their own.

When the thirty-seventh day arrived, the furnace fire returned to Yang, changing from gentle to fierce, burning with great refinement. Thus, the lotus petals fell off one after another, which Cheng Xinzhan took out and placed aside, continuing to scorch the lotus seed pod with solar fire.

After burning and refining for nine days like this, the blood-colored lotus seed pod slowly dissolved, dripping like blood onto the root jade bones.

At this time, he took out another jade box, which contained a bright red flowing paste. This object was called "Red Bright Leaving Jade Paste," a gift given to him by Daoist Cunsi when he visited Mount Siming. It was a specialty grown in the Red Water of the Pill Mountain of Mount Siming and was an excellent medicine for nourishing flesh and blood.

Seeing the little fox's expression, Shi Tongxuan laughed and said:

At noon, he sacrificed a precious mirror again.

This precious mirror was a ceremonial magic treasure bestowed upon him by the sect when he was appointed as a Wanfa Scripture Master. At that time, in addition to the Dharma robe and the Ruyi, there were also the Hu tablet, the awakening bell, and this precious mirror.

This was an uncommon square mirror, and it was quite large, like a vertical plaque, nine feet nine inches long and three feet six inches wide. It had a purple copper mirror surface, a mirror edge cast from six-alloy gold essence, and a Xuanwu plate button embedded on the back of the mirror, called,

"Yaoling Tongming Qianyuan Precious Mirror."

Now, he sacrificed this mirror externally, gathering the light of the great sun into a pillar of fire, shooting it straight onto the flesh and blood transformed from the lotus seed pod. In this process, the flesh and blood slowly surged and gradually took on a human form.

This was:

"The red mirror hangs in the pill room, the fire dragon melts the blood essence."

After another twenty-seven days, Cheng Xinzhan lifted the furnace lid; the fire lotus avatar had already taken shape.

However, this avatar now only had the appearance, without the internal spiritual apertures.

Cheng Xinzhan placed the avatar opposite him, sitting cross-legged with knees touching, and summoned the lotus petals that had fallen off earlier.

The lotus flower had sixteen petals, so he used the lotus flower as paper, cut his blood to make ink, manipulated yin and yang with his fingers, drew talismans, and added apertures.

After another full month, as one talisman after another was struck into the avatar, the three palaces, five viscera, and seven apertures were all complete, and the avatar became increasingly spiritual and full.

When the scorching summer arrived and the cicadas on Mount Meizhi were chirping louder and louder, as Cheng Xinzhan's last spell fell,

"The left eye observes the sky, the blue void opens, the sun shines brightly, breaking delusions to see the truth! The right eye examines the earth, the Yellow Springs take shape, the moonlight shines through, and the netherworld reveals its tracks!"

This fire lotus avatar suddenly opened its eyes!

It was done!

————

The summer was scorching. Although the terrain of Mount Tianqiao was special and covered by dark clouds, it was still dark as night inside. However, celestial phenomena were celestial phenomena; how could they be completely isolated by man-made arrays? Therefore, there was still a sense of dryness haunting the gloomy Mount Tianqiao.

But this sense of dryness might not just be because of the summer season; after all, Mount Tianqiao had not had a single day of peace in the past three months.

Three months ago, the Elder of the Wood Temple took the lead in making trouble, saying that the Temple Master Li Xiahua had received a distress message from the Earth Temple Master Tian Xiue and had rushed out of the mountain gate in a hurry. Since that departure, he had never returned, and he wanted to demand an explanation from the Earth Temple.

And the Earth Temple's own Temple Master had been out crossing the tribulation for more than ten years without news. This sudden distress message did not reach their own temple, but instead went to the Wood Temple, also causing the Wood Temple Master to never return. How could the Earth Temple admit to it? They believed the Wood Temple was talking nonsense.

However, at this time, the Elder of the Fire Temple also expressed astonishment, saying that on the same day, their own Temple Master had also gone out, and likewise had not returned!

With the Wood and Fire temples saying this, the Water Temple also panicked; they could no longer contact their own Temple Master either!

Thus, the Water, Fire, and Wood temples immediately stood together, demanding an explanation from the Earth Temple.

What explanation could the Earth Temple give? They directly threatened, asking if someone had seen their Temple Master not return after many years of crossing the tribulation and had harbored bad intentions, looking for an excuse here!

The three temples were naturally furious. They really couldn't contact their own Temple Masters and were already panicking. Seeing the Earth Temple still shirking and mocking them, they almost started fighting on the spot.

This was a damp and humid place on Mount Tianqiao, but the situation was like a pile of dry firewood, ready to ignite at a touch.

However, just a few days later, the Fire Temple Master, covered in wounds, returned to the mountain and, without a word, went straight to kill at the Earth Temple, relying on the might of the Drought Demon to behead the Earth Temple's Great Elder on the spot!

The Jin Miao Master Tie Tie Po Feng, who had also been anxious for many days, was shocked and hurriedly stepped forward to ask what had happened, that they would actually turn their weapons against their own kind. Although this had not been unheard of in the history of Mount Tianqiao, it was indeed rare.

The Fire Temple Master was furious, saying that Tian Xiue had colluded with outsiders to set a trap for him, wanting to ambush and kill him. He had exhausted all the magic treasures on his body to carve out a bloody path and escape with his life!

Tie Tie Po Feng of the Jin Miao repeatedly asked why. The Fire Temple Master said bitterly that Tian Xiue did not know where she had found helpers, wanting to conspire from inside and outside to seize the position of Mount Tianqiao's Mountain Master and become the first female Mountain Master in the history of Mount Tianqiao.

And before this, naturally, she had to subdue all of them, the Temple Masters. Tian Xiue had said that if he was willing to offer his Primordial Spirit and be planted with the Corpse Slave Seal, he could save his life.

But how could he agree?!

Speaking of this, the Fire Temple Master hurriedly advised Tie Tie Po Feng never to leave the mountain gate!

Tie Tie Po Feng naturally nodded repeatedly, while the Water and Wood temples were shocked upon hearing this and repeatedly asked if he had seen their own Temple Masters.

The Fire Temple Master immediately expressed with grief that although he had not seen them with his own eyes, Tian Xiue had clearly used the personal magic treasures of Xue Linglong and Li Xiahua when she made her move!

Once these words were spoken, it was naturally earth-shattering. The elites of the Water, Fire, and Wood temples all came out, surrounding the Earth Temple tightly.

At this time, let alone Tie Tie Po Feng, even the Earth Temple itself believed it, because their own Temple Master had indeed said many times in private that she was determined to become the Mountain Master. They were just complaining in their hearts: if their Temple Master wanted to do something big, why didn't she explain it to them, her subordinates, in advance?

The Fire Temple Master was burning with rage, and no one could stop him. He immediately mobilized his subordinates to attack the Earth Temple together, and the Water and Wood temples naturally also attacked the Earth Temple in the name of revenge.

Seeing that the people of the three temples had already broken into the Earth Temple's treasury and corpse cellar, the Jin Miao could no longer sit still. With an order from Tie Tie Po Feng, the four temples attacked the Earth Temple together, and with two Temple Masters controlling the temple-suppressing evil corpses to lead the way, they occupied the Earth Temple like a hot knife through butter that very day.

As for those people in the Earth Temple, those willing to surrender surrendered, those unwilling were used to refine corpses, and those whose physical bodies were broken were used to refine treasures; in short, nothing was wasted.

Then came the division of the spoils.

The Fire Temple Master generously proposed that Mount Tianqiao had thousands of years of heritage, and although there had been infighting before, the five temples and five lineages had always been passed down. And among the five elements, earth produces gold, and the two have an affinity, so the Jin Miao should be responsible for rebuilding the Earth Temple's heritage, and the heritage items of the Earth Temple in the treasury should be collected by the Jin Miao.

Tie Tie Po Feng hurriedly collected the treasures, patted his chest with a loud thud, and said that he would definitely not let the Earth Temple's heritage be cut off.

As for the remaining treasures, the Fire Temple Master also proposed letting the Water and Wood temples take more, after all, the two Temple Masters were highly likely to have been murdered, and the two temples were leaderless, so they should take more resources. After the elders of the two temples took the resources, they should hurry to refine corpses and practice, and push out new Temple Masters as soon as possible.

The Jin Miao Master was slightly unhappy when he heard this, but there were many people on the spot, and he had already taken the most core heritage treasures, so it was not good to be greedy, and he reluctantly agreed.

And the Water and Wood temples were naturally moved to tears when they heard this.

After the division of the spoils, the Fire Temple Master, who had put in the effort and suffered losses, immediately proposed that the five temples must hurry to unite and change the mountain-protecting array, so as not to let Tian Xiue bring people to break in!

Thus, they were busy changing the array for another month.

During this month, Mount Tianqiao sealed the mountain, Tian Xiue did not break in, and outsiders did not know that such a big change had happened inside Mount Tianqiao.

Not long after the array was changed, the mountain was finally stable on the surface.

However, in the dark, the currents were surging again. Several elders in the Water and Wood temples who hoped to be promoted to Temple Master privately sought out Cheng Xinzhan, and their opening lines were even the same, naturally thanking the Fire Temple for its care when breaking the Earth Temple and dividing the spoils.

And Cheng Xinzhan's replies were all the same, not even bothering to change a single word, saying that the Fire Temple had no corpses at the beginning, and it was the help of the two temples that broke the Longbo Village, so how could he forget?

After a few pleasantries at the beginning, the purpose of everyone seeking him out was also the same, which was to ask Cheng Xinzhan to put in a good word in the struggle for the Temple Master position.

Cheng Xinzhan naturally declined, saying that this was a matter within the two temples, and that he had already felt regret for destroying the Earth Temple on impulse that day. If he were to intervene in the selection of the Temple Masters of the two temples now, he didn't know what Shan Xingwei's intentions would be if it got out!

Thus, these elders who came to the door were both helpless and happy, but it was fine not to intervene. Just look at the newly established Earth Temple; the Temple Master was the disciple of Tie Tie Po Feng of the Jin Miao, not even bothering to act anymore.

However, because of this, the infighting within the Water and Wood temples became increasingly fierce, even leading to deaths, and it was Cheng Xinzhan who had to step in to suppress it many times.

It was in such restlessness that Mount Tianqiao arrived at the Start of Autumn.

It was just the time of stuffiness, and a saying quietly spread in Mount Tianqiao:

"Of course, this also includes many wandering ghosts that were already drifting in the world, as well as people who died of old age; it's not all souls summoned from living people!"

Cheng Xinzhan snorted coldly.