Chapter 168: Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root

The Ancestor of Shanju Guan knows how to mix gunpowder and craft External Elixir Divine Thunder; Xu Jia actually quite likes this stuff, as it has great power, and he also knows how to make fireworks. Knowing how to make fireworks is basically equivalent to knowing how to make cannons and firearms; the principles within are basically the same.

It is just that one is a simple explosion, and the other is an explosion in five colors.

Of course, if the Shanju Guan Ancestor uses this to bomb Xu Jia, just pretend Xu Jia never said this sentence.

"Can True Person Xu's art of divination roughly calculate his whereabouts?"

Xu Jia was speechless for a moment: "I can divine the location of an Earth Immortal? Earth Immortals are True Persons of Omniscience!"

Xu Jia said: "We can only try using human effort, or perhaps those Daoists of Shanju Guan can use secret methods to sense him."

The City God also felt that the question he raised was somewhat unreasonable, so he nodded: "Very well, I will also return to dispatch the Riyoushen, Yeyou, and all the Earth Deity and Underground Lord types in this territory to investigate and find clues."

"I shall not disturb you further here." The City God turned around, boarded his carriage, and swayed away from the Dharma Realm.

Xu Jia watched him leave and thought to himself: "This Fifth Rank treatment from the Wuyue Prefecture—it didn't specify what the treatment is; is it just the standard of reception? Is there a salary? What about performance bonuses?"

However, he had finally managed to obtain a divine position for Luejue. Xu Jia summoned him and discovered that Luejue was already wearing military armor and riding that big rooster mount, looking quite imposing.

"This armor of yours? How does it look like it was condensed from official Qi?"

Luejue said: "The Fox Immortal obtained a small seal of a Ninth Rank military Scattered Official, which was used to sacrifice to the wandering mountain spirits. It has been organized into a system, and this subordinate has been added as a minor patrol officer of the mountains."

"That is good. Now that the City God has approved your position as a Third-Rank Underground Lord, this is your Yin Contract of the Earth!"

"A Third-Rank Underground Lord is a non-official third-grade position and is a necessary path for a Ghost Immortal to be confirmed as a Ghost God. Do you need me to tell you what to do?"

Spirit General Luejue said: "I know. I must carve out a piece of land in the Dharma Realm and establish a village!"

"Not bad," Xu Jia said. "You must manage it and form a Blessed Field to help defend against the evil ghosts, evil gods, and various lonely wandering souls in the Dharma Realm, protecting those souls who have signed a Yin Contract with you—accurately speaking, their Earth Souls—until no one remembers them and no one burns incense for them anymore."

"However, compared to other lonely Underground Lords, you have many other Immortal families, as well as halls and small temples forming small Daochang, which can protect your place. Those spirit mediums and shamans will all register the deceased of this place with you. Even if they are not buried in Jijuezi Mountain, your responsibility is great; you are to govern the afterlife of the believers of our halls."

Luejue's learning ability was very strong, but he still did not quite understand these things: "Besides building a village and protecting this place, what else should I do?"

"Serve the dead as if they were living. You must arrange work for these souls, such as farming the Blessed Field free of Evil Qi, or mining the Yin ores in the Dharma Realm, forging weapons, collecting the incense tax from the ghosts within your territory, battling the ghost demons in the Dharma Realm, purifying them, and expanding your territory until you have covered the entire Qingtian Zhen, or the Dharma Realms of all the towns outside the City God's Yin City."

Xu Jia pointed out a clear path.

Luejue's chicken head tilted as he thought for a while. Having roughly understood what his mission was, he nodded and said: "Understood, I will become a good parent-official."

This is what Taoism calls "governing"—governing both the world of the living and the Dharma Realm. The so-called "Dharma Official" is an official of the Dharma Realm.

Compared to other empty titles, this was Xu Jia's true foundation.

"Can I go catch a batch of lonely wandering ghosts first?"

"Of course you can, as long as you can afford their incense food and incense money, you can catch them to work; otherwise, it will damage your Merit."

"Then can I go borrow a batch of money from the Golden Toad God first?"

"Suit yourself," Xu Jia said. "But I suggest you first find a good paper-craftsman. A good paper-craftsman is a construction team; he burns them in the mortal world, and you receive them in the Dharma Realm—it is actually about the same."

Luejue thought about it: "Okay, I understand!" He then rode the big rooster and disappeared into the Dharma Realm.

Only Xun Taizi looked at the soul of that big rooster and felt an inexplicable intimacy; after all, that was the soul of the Reverse-Feather Chicken demon, his own biological mother.

Xu Jia raised his finger, and Xun Taizi landed, wrapping around his forearm and exhaling gusts of wind.

The feathers on the Sparrow Spirit Zhan Ying had gradually grown hard, but she was still hopping about: "Zhan Ying, you and Kan Yinwu, one on the ground and one in the sky, have you found any news about the Shanju Guan Ancestor?"

"Yes!"

Zhan Ying said: "Half a month ago, when you, Great Immortal, went to have a talk with Lao Zhupo, in the second half of the night, someone crawled out of a coffin. An owl friend of mine happened to be catching mice to eat in that area, and a person glowing with night light went deep into Yushan."

Xu Jia muttered: "Went deep into Yushan? Perhaps it has to do with Chang Yu."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"You didn't ask, Great Immortal!" The little sparrow ate a grain of millet; the feathers on her body were indeed more colorful than before, but it was like an "oil film on water"—it did not look fresh, but rather seemed to carry a sense of filth.

"Very good." Xu Jia felt that this little creature had the potential to rebel and directly ordered Xun Taizi to chase after it.

He then picked up Gui Linggao: "This turtle shell of yours, it must be very good for burning and divination."

Gui Linggao shrank his head in fear: "Go find my grandfather; he is an old turtle and is better at divination than I am."

The next morning, Zhang Zhenji came over with Xiaopangdun. Xiaopangdun looked furious: "I won't do it, not for any amount of money! What do you take me for?"

Zhang Zhenji still had a look of righteousness: "This is the only way."

Watching them perform like a crosstalk act, Xu Jia couldn't help but say: "What play are you two putting on?"

Xiaopangdun—no, he had already lost nearly ten pounds, and his face had become uglier than when he was fat, especially his eyes. When he was fat, they were squinty and looked very kind, but now his features had changed, revealing a sharp, shrewd light.

One would not know better and think Kan Yinwu had possessed him.

"True Person Xu, I have finally seen you!" Zhang Zhenji used honorifics when bowing this time, making Xu Jia feel that he had come for a reason.

"Last time True Person Xu dispatched the two Mountain God ladies, Chang Yu'e and Chang Yuying, to tell us that the Ancestor's grave had been found, we immediately went to the Ancestor's grave, but we only saw a split opening in the earth and an opened Stone Coffin." Xu Jia: "? You think I dug up your ancestor? I found the Stone Coffin, but I didn't open it!"

Zhang Zhenji hurriedly explained: "No, I misspoke. I am not doubting you. From the traces at the time, and our familiarity with the Shanju Guan's Gen Mountain Qi-Swallowing Method, we have inferred that the Ancestor pushed open the Stone Coffin himself and then walked out."

"We found several footprints nearby, and each footprint has already begun to turn into something like jade marrow or agate."

"Our Ancestor has been resurrected!" Zhang Zhenji said. "Before, we thought you, True Person Xu, were our Ancestor reincarnated. After all, you only heard our Gen Mountain Qi-Swallowing Method once and made improvements. Now, our entire Daoist temple has followed your instructions to repair and restore it, harmonizing the five tones, climbing mountains and looking into the distance... But an Ancestor is an Ancestor, and he is an Earth Immortal True Person. If we have a living Earth Immortal Ancestor, our Shanju Guan will have a higher status among the Jiangnan Circuit Daoist lineages... Of course, if you are willing to join our Shanju Guan, that would be two Earth Immortal True Persons, and you have also improved our Dharma lineage, turning it from an Earth Immortal Method into a God Immortal Method, or even a Heavenly Immortal Great Method..."

"No, no, no!" Xu Jia said: "I only lowered the threshold for Earth Immortals a little bit. Don't even mention God Immortals or Heavenly Immortals; I haven't even cultivated to that level myself."

"So why did you go to find Xiaopangdun again?"

"He said to let me perform planchette writing to invite the Ancestor to possess him, just like when we invited Chang Yu to possess him last time. Since Chang Yu is a living thing that can possess someone, the Ancestor must also be able to possess someone."

Hearing this, Xu Jia directly roasted Zhang Zhenji: "I think you've lost your mind."

He then took his As-You-Will Staff and followed him out the door: "I will go with you for another trip; the City God just happened to mention this matter as well."

Seeing that he had moved Xu Jia, Zhang Zhenji smiled: "It would be best if the True Person is willing to take action."

"Don't be happy too soon, there are conditions." Xu Jia happened to be setting up a distillery and needed these Daoists who understood chemistry and chemical engineering.

Of course, Xu Jia was also interested in the Shanju Guan Ancestor who could achieve "ice-skin and jade-bones." Being able to cultivate oneself into jade was also a very awesome skill.

Xu Jia said to Hui Zhuo: "You come along too, and go to Lan Shi Huo to temper your courage Qi."

The three of them used Jia Ma and walked to the vicinity of Lan Shi Huo, where they saw thirty or so people facing the yellow earth with their backs to the sky, not chatting or idling. At most, they would take a sip of water and then continue working, as if there were invisible farm owners waving whips, telling them to plant cotton and pick cotton; everyone looked bitter and deep in hatred.

Zhang Zhenji also roughly understood the situation and sighed, "True Person Xu is truly accumulating immeasurable Merit. You must know that these people are all wicked; not letting them out to commit evil now is an act of accumulating virtue."

Xu Jia observed their Qi, seeing them each entangled with baleful Qi, and smiled, "This is only the beginning."

Bypassing the land being cleared and entering through the gap, a relatively clean path had already been opened up; it was evident from the traces that it had been rooted out by Lao Zhupo and a group of wild boars.

Xiaopangdun pinched his nose, "It really stinks here!"

"When the persimmons here start making money, you won't think it stinks anymore."

Not long after, Lao Zhupo Hai Sanniang sensed Xu Jia and hurried over, "True Person Xu, why didn't you say you were coming into the gap beforehand? This old one is willing to serve as a mount!"

"The hair on your body is too hard and prickly; it's not fit for sitting." Xu Jia cracked a joke, "It looks like you've recovered quite a bit."

"I ate some persimmon ash charcoal, along with some bugs and such, plus the time the True Person helped treat me, so it doesn't hurt as much anymore."

"That's good." Xu Jia looked carefully, "It seems your body has even shrunk a little."

"Yes, I have already begun Refining Essence. The old flesh and old bones on my body must all be refined away and replaced with something full of Vitality." Hai Sanniang was not even panting as much while speaking, "Recently, many Lingzhi have sprouted, and I have collected some; I originally intended to offer them to the True Person."

"Bring them when I leave."

Zhang Zhenji felt the presence of Hai Sanniang, who was like an elephant, and couldn't help but ask, "How much do you eat every day?"

"As much as there is, I eat."

Following Hai Sanniang, Xu Jia soon arrived at the Zushifen of Shanju Guan again.

Jingzhu Daoren had already tied banners and set up an altar around those few hundred-year-old trees, using straw ropes to enclose the area. The Stone Coffin was too heavy, and they lacked equipment like a crane to lift it, so they could only dig from both sides while placing supports like benches under the Stone Coffin to allow them to tie ropes around it and use manpower to pull it out.

"The True Person has arrived!" Jingzhu Daoren spoke up, "We discovered a five-colored jade fungus under the Stone Coffin. It is called jade, but it is actually more like a stalactite; however, it is five-colored and possesses the appearance of a Lingzhi, fitting the description of an 'Earth Fungus' in ancient texts."

Xu Jia stepped forward personally, "This is no Earth Fungus; this is a Root of Heaven and Earth, used by your Ancestor to gather the surrounding Earth Vein Vitality. If you dig it and break it, it will be useless. Stop digging."

"We were just saying we would dig it up to try refining pills," Jingzhu Daoren said, "It seems that won't be possible."

"Taking some stone powder is fine, just don't break the foundation."

Xu Jia touched the five-colored jade fungus; it was warm, moist, icy cool, and felt like water on the surface. He sighed, "Good stuff, though I don't know if it's sturdy or not. If one were to sit on it to meditate, would it break?"

"We could try backfilling the soil," Jingzhu Daoren said with some regret, "Could it be that it is just equivalent to a meditation cushion?"

"It is more than that," Xu Jia said, "This is also an auspicious sign. This area produced Red Lingzhi, so it can likely produce other Lingzhi as well; after all, this is a five-colored jade fungus."

Xu Jia said, "Of course, we must also determine if this five-colored jade fungus wasn't cultivated by the five internal energies of your Earth Immortal Ancestor. If he has left and the five energies gradually dissipate, I fear there will be no more spiritual phenomena."

"After all, as you have seen, the stone quality is more like a stalactite than any proper jade, which indicates that the formation time of the five-colored jade fungus perhaps isn't that long. It doesn't span thousands or ten thousand years, so it cannot be counted as an innate Spirit Root or a supreme treasure of the Earth Vein."

Jingzhu Daoren sighed, "I never imagined the Ancestor was actually refining his form at the foot of the mountain; he didn't leave any instructions at all."

"Such matters are naturally kept secret. If one person knows, the whole world knows. Who knows if any unworthy descendants might secretly come to dig up the grave?"

Xu Jia's words made Jingzhu Daoren feel awkward.

"The bird demons under my command said they once saw your Ancestor heading deep into Yushan. If you want to find him, you should still look in that direction."

Jingzhu Daoren nodded upon hearing this, "We also have this suspicion. After all, the Ancestor's footprints are easy to distinguish; he creates jade wherever he steps. Even if he uses Earth Escape, wherever he emerges, some miscellaneous jade will grow in that spot."

Xu Jia judged based on his limited experience, "That sounds rather ominous. His Dharma Power is not contained within but is constantly leaking out... it looks like something has gone wrong!"

(End of chapter)