Chapter 71: Gaining a Dojo

After the firebird disappeared, the Five Finger Mountain began to rain spiritual rain.

There was no helping it—the spiritual energy that had surged up earlier was too dense. Now that the giant monkey and giant hand had both dissipated, the spiritual energy overflowed, and when it reached an extreme density, spiritual rain began to fall.

Within the Five Finger Mountain, clouds and mist churned, and five-colored spiritual light flickered faintly among the peaks. The vegetation in the mountain seemed to be injected with hormones, constantly growing taller and stronger.

On the periphery, the cultivators from various factions saw all this clearly, their faces filled with shock.

“What was that firebird?”

“In ancient times, there were the Four Guardian Beasts: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Turtle. That firebird was the Vermilion Bird, one of the Four Guardians.”

“The Four Guardian Beasts guard the four cardinal directions, warding off evil, averting disasters, and bestowing blessings upon all living beings.”

The elders of the Taisu Palace and Sanqing Palace exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat complicated. They had scoured the world for disciples with extraordinary cultivation talent and trained them meticulously, yet the very first person to summon one of the Four Guardian Beasts turned out not to be from their own schools.

“Look quickly! People from the Shura Sect are entering the Five Finger Mountain.”

Someone shouted, and all the various factions mobilized at once, charging into the Five Finger Mountain.

The spiritual rain was falling, and strange phenomena occurred frequently within the Five Finger Mountain. There was bound to be rare treasures appearing—if not now, when would they seize them?

“Go ahead. You’ve been here so long; it’s time you entered the mountain to train a bit.”

Qingyun Daoren of the Taisu Palace smiled and instructed his disciples: “Remember, don’t go too deep into the Five Finger Mountain, and don’t separate.”

Senior Brother Liu Yiyun took the lead, and the disciples under his command charged into the Five Finger Mountain one after another.

At the end of the line, Chu Junmo noticed that Hua Changxin seemed unwell and quickly asked, “Seventh Junior Sister, are you feeling unwell? You don’t look very good.”

Hua Changxin couldn't quite explain what was happening to her. Just now, she had felt a life-threatening danger, as if she were about to die at any moment. But now the feeling was gone, though her heart was still beating a bit fast.

She was perfectly fine, so why did she have that feeling of near death?

Hua Changxin pressed her hand to her chest, recalling the first time she had felt the threat of death.

It was in summer. She had gone with her sisters to play by the river, and she accidentally fell into the water. Ninth Sister pulled her to shore but was herself swept away by the current.

Back then, she had also been perfectly fine, yet she had felt that same terrible sensation of almost dying.

Ninth Sister...

Had something happened to Ninth Sister?

“Second Senior Brother, after this training exercise ends, I want to return to the capital.”

“Return to the capital?”

“I haven’t seen my family in a long time. I miss them. I wonder how they are doing.”

“Alright. I haven’t returned to the palace to see my mother in a long time either. I’ll go back with you.”

“Mm. Let’s hurry and catch up with Senior Brother and the others.”

At the locations of the Demon-Suppressing Army and the Qingzhou Army, Prince Dong'an and Chu Junyi watched the cultivators from various factions charging into the Five Finger Mountain without making any move to stop them.

Prince Dong'an looked at Chu Junyi: “The commotion from the Five Finger Mountain just now was too great—there’s no way to stop them. Even if the factions outwardly agree to let the imperial court take over the Five Finger Mountain, they will secretly sneak in anyway.”

Chu Junyi, wearing a qilin mask, had an unreadable expression, but his eyes were extremely serious at this moment: “The Five Finger Mountain… I’m afraid the imperial court won’t be able to take it over.”

Dong'an Wang's eyes flickered, suddenly recalling the excuse the spy from Asura Gate had used to persuade him to enter Five Finger Mountain: capture the mountain spirit of Five Finger Mountain and take the mountain for himself.

Though he had some guesses, Prince Dong'an still pretended not to know and asked, “Why do you say that?”

Chu Junyi shook his head. “Just a feeling.”

Prince Dong'an narrowed his eyes, looking at the young commander of the Demon-Suppressing Army before him.

In fact, ferocious beasts and demonic beasts had appeared long ago, but it had always been kept secret. Whenever a famous mountain or great river yielded demonic beasts, the imperial court would attack it, and the ones at the forefront were always the Demon-Suppressing Army.

The Demon-Suppressing Army must know about the existence of mountain spirits, right?

“What do you think of that battle just now, Commander Yi?”

Hearing this, Chu Junyi looked at the Demon-Slaying Sword in his hand, which was still humming. The moment the giant monkey appeared, he had almost lost control of the sword.

“Its aura was terrifying, but nothing to fear.”

Prince Dong'an clearly hadn’t expected Chu Junyi to downplay that battle so lightly.

Chu Junyi saw the Prince of Dong'an staring at him in surprise, and recalling that Yan Xiaoyang had helped the Demon Suppression Army several times, he explained, "Whether it's the giant monkey or the giant hand, they are both formed from condensed spiritual energy and won't last long."

Prince of Dong'an: "But the spiritual energy of Five Finger Mountain is very dense." The implication was that the giant monkey and giant hand could last for a long time.

Chu Junyi: "But the giant monkey and the giant hand will consume each other."

Prince of Dong'an: "The giant hand was shattered by the giant monkey."

Chu Junyi: "The giant monkey only shattered the giant hand formed from spiritual energy; the giant hand's true form cannot be broken by a giant monkey formed from spiritual energy. In the end, the giant monkey will definitely be obliterated by the giant hand."

Even if the true form of the giant hand were really shattered, once the Demon-Slaying Sword was drawn, it could still slay the giant monkey.

Prince of Dong'an looked thoughtful: "No wonder you weren't worried earlier about the giant monkey breaking out of Five Finger Mountain."

Chu Junyi didn't continue speaking with the Prince of Dong'an, but instead frowned at the third peak of Five Finger Mountain: "The giant monkey and giant hand are merely leftover problems from the past, not a real threat. The true trouble is the one who can summon the Vermilion Bird."

Prince of Dong'an thought of the mysterious cultivator who had used the Fire Lotus to rescue him in Five Finger Mountain, and said nothing.

Chu Junyi looked at the Prince of Dong'an: "Your Highness, please keep a close watch outside Five Finger Mountain."

Prince of Dong'an laughed: "What, the Demon Suppression Army wants to slack off?"

Chu Junyi glanced at him: "I'm about to lead the Demon Suppression Army into Five Finger Mountain."

Prince of Dong'an immediately asked: "You're going to capture the one who summoned the Vermilion Bird?"

Chu Junyi: "The Minister has given a strict order—all cultivators capable of summoning one of the Four Spirits must be arrested and taken to the Heavenly Department's prison."

Prince of Dong'an frowned: "Why?"

Chu Junyi shook his head: "If Your Highness wishes to know, go to the capital and ask the Minister yourself." With that, he clasped his hands in a salute, turned around, and went to assemble the Demon Suppression Army.

Meanwhile, in a cave at the foot of Five Finger Mountain, Jiang Guanyun's face darkened as he stared into the depths of the mountain. The Vermilion Bird successor—that wild girl was actually the Vermilion Bird successor!

Once the Four Spirits appear, it means the struggle for the fate of the Four Spirit Realm has begun.

This was too fast, far faster than he had expected.

Damn it, that wild girl truly deserves to die.

If it weren't for her, the Four Spirit Realm's fate struggle wouldn't have begun so soon, and the Jiang family would have had time to seize resources and lay a foundation. There would definitely be a place for the Jiang family in the fate struggle.

All of this has been ruined by that wild girl.

"Pfft—"

Thinking of his plans being destroyed, Jiang Guanyun's anger surged, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes blazed with murderous intent. Originally planning to rush back to the Jiang family to heal his injuries, he decided to stay.

He had to kill that wild girl. The fate struggle shouldn't have started so soon.

Throughout all of Five Finger Mountain, the densest concentration of spiritual rain was undoubtedly the third peak.

In what had once been the Monkey Cave's territory, countless fresh spiritual plants, fruits, and herbs burst forth like bamboo shoots after rain. Especially where Hua Changxi was lying—the fire spiritual energy was so intensely concentrated that it had directly washed out a pool of fire spirit spring.

Hua Changxi floated on the spring's surface, a red glow radiating around her.

At the edge of the pool, the mountain spirit stared wide-eyed at Hua Changxi, who seemed to be asleep. Seeing the fire spiritual energy in the spring continuously entering her body, he confirmed she was safe and let out a sigh of relief.

The immortal lady is really amazing! He had already prepared for his spirit body to be shattered, but at the last moment, the lady actually summoned the Vermilion Bird.

No wonder the lady wasn't afraid of the Monkey King's domain.

The Vermilion Bird—that is the supreme existence capable of suppressing all evil!

The mountain spirit stared intently at Hua Changxi, once again marveling at his good fortune. He casually picked a spiritual fruit from beside the pool and bit into it, his eyes narrowing into slits with delight.

Suddenly, the mountain spirit's bun-like face wrinkled: "Annoying—those greedy cultivators are entering Five Finger Mountain again."

Because of the previous battle between the Monkey King and the Buddha's Hand, the powerful spiritual impact had caused some terrain to be exposed, revealing certain shallow mineral veins.

The mountain spirit didn't mind cultivators entering the mountain to gather spiritual plants and fruits or hunt spirit beasts, but those cultivators actually wanted to seize the spiritual veins—that was something he couldn't tolerate.

Among them was even a descendant of that disheveled old Daoist who had tried to refine him.

"It makes me so angry!"

He had to drive these cultivators out of Five Finger Mountain.

The mountain spirit stomped angrily at the pool's edge, then looked at Hua Changxi in the pool and suddenly let out an "eh?"

The inheritance seemed to mention that once the Five Finger Mountain became the fairy maiden's cultivation site, others could not enter or leave the Five Finger Mountain freely without her permission; otherwise, they would be punished.

The mountain spirit did not care whether Hua Changxi truly had the ability to punish those who trespassed into the Five Finger Mountain; he was now incredibly convinced by Hua Changxi.

The fairy maiden could even summon a Vermilion Bird and dealt with the Monkey King in one go; handling those cultivators was nothing but an easy task.

Thus, the mountain spirit opened its mouth wide and spat out the Five Finger Mountain seal.

The mountain seal had been condensed after the Monkey King's domain was destroyed; it was a miniature version of the Five Finger Mountain, the size of a baby's fist.

"Fortunately, the fairy maiden had vomited blood earlier, and there were still traces of blood at the corner of her mouth."

The mountain spirit controlled the mountain seal to fly toward Hua Changxi in the pool, rubbed it against the bloodstains at the corner of Hua Changxi's mouth. As the mountain seal emitted a red glow, he also forced out a drop of essence blood and merged it into the mountain seal.

The two red glows merged, and the mountain seal with a "whoosh" plunged into Hua Changxi's dantian.

The cultivation site contract was thus hastily made, and Hua Changxi, while unconscious, gained an additional cultivation site.

Seeing the mountain seal enter the fairy maiden's body, the mountain spirit immediately narrowed his eyes in a smile.

At the same time, all the demon beasts and demon plants that had gained intelligence in the Five Finger Mountain, as well as all the cultivators who had infiltrated the mountain, all looked up at the sky in unison.

Although they could not see anything, they could clearly feel an invisible force descending and enveloping them.

As that force passed through their bodies, a voice resounded in their hearts: The Five Finger Mountain now has an owner; unauthorized entry without the owner's permission is prohibited, and violators will be strictly punished without leniency.

Chu Junyi, who was rushing toward the Third Peak at great speed, stumbled and stopped his journey.

His premonition had come true—the Five Finger Mountain now had an owner!

Was it the one who summoned the Vermilion Bird who obtained the Five Finger Mountain?

"Pfft~"

Jiang Guanyun, who had not given up and infiltrated the Five Finger Mountain again, vomited several mouthfuls of blood, his eyes wide with fury—just a bit more, and the Five Finger Mountain would have been his.

That wild girl deserves to die!

The cultivators from various factions were somewhat at a loss regarding this sudden turn of events.

"Should we continue?"

The spirit herbs and spirit plants in the Five Finger Mountain were truly too numerous; they really could not bring themselves to leave the Five Finger Mountain and give these things up.

"How about we gather a bit more?"

All the cultivators knew how precious cultivation resources were, and leaving like this was truly unwilling; one after another, they tried to stay in the mountain.

Gradually, everyone discovered that nothing happened to them after gathering things, and then they grew bolder and bolder, frantically collecting spirit herbs, spirit plants, and mining spirit ore.

By the spring pool, although the mountain spirit could sense that those cultivators had not left, since the fairy maiden had not woken up, he could do nothing about it.

"When the fairy maiden wakes up, we'll teach them a lesson."

"Captain, should we continue deeper?"

Chu Junyi did not answer immediately. The entire mountain suddenly becoming someone else's cultivation site was something he had encountered for the first time.

Cultivation site...

There were many mountains under the court's administration, but not a single one was a definite cultivation site belonging to the court.

Without being clearly marked, those mountains were, frankly, still up for contention.

Where on earth did that person who summoned the Vermilion Bird come from?

His appearance had completely caught everyone off guard.

Seeing Chu Junyi silent, another Demon Suppression Army officer spoke: "Captain, your subordinate feels that the situation in the mountain is somewhat off."

"According to our speed, we should have already passed through the Second Peak, but now we are still circling within the First Peak."

Chu Junyi also noticed this and frowned, saying: "The Five Finger Mountain has grown larger."

This situation was not unfamiliar to the Demon Suppression Army; they had encountered similar things many times before when fighting demon beasts and seizing mountains, so they were not too worried.

Chu Junyi, however, sighed. He had wanted to take advantage of that person's weakness to seize him in one move, but now that the Five Finger Mountain had grown larger, by the time they reached the Third Peak, that person's injuries might have already healed considerably.

Now that the Five Finger Mountain had become that person's cultivation site, capturing him within the Five Finger Mountain would be difficult.

"There's no need to go any deeper."

"Didn't we see an open-air spirit mine earlier? Let's go back and mine it now."

Upon hearing this, all the Demon Suppression Army soldiers were reinvigorated. Although they handled a great deal of cultivation resources, the vast majority had to be turned in, leaving only barely enough resources in their own hands to cultivate.

They lived frugally day to day. As for the spirit mine they had seen earlier, if they dug it all up, given their commander's nature, he would definitely let them keep a larger share.

Because the Five Finger Mountain suddenly had an owner, cultivators from all sides no longer wandered aimlessly through the mountains as before; instead, they frantically searched for various cultivation resources.

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.

At the Third Peak, above the Fire Spirit Spring Pool, the red light that had been enveloping Hua Changxi slowly receded. When the last trace of red light vanished, Hua Changxi opened her eyes.

"Fairy, you're awake."

Seeing Hua Changxi's eyes open, the Mountain Spirit danced with joy.

Looking at the Mountain Spirit, Hua Changxi showed a startled expression: "Pangwa, how did you grow up?"

Before, the Mountain Spirit had been like a newborn baby; now, it looked like a two- or three-year-old child.

The Mountain Spirit's eyes curved into crescents: "Because I've grown stronger! To suppress the Monkey King, Five Finger Mountain consumed a huge amount of spirit energy and was also suppressed by the Buddha's hand. Now that the Monkey King's domain has been destroyed and the suppression has vanished, I've become stronger."

Hua Changxi gave an "oh," then looked up and glanced around: "The Monkey King is gone?"

Mountain Spirit: "The Monkey King died long ago. What remained was just a wisp of his aura, and that wisp has already been scattered by you, Fairy."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi recalled the moment when the Monkey King's fist came smashing down.

At that time, she had been in despair, convinced she was going to die. But suddenly, an image of a small bird breathing and exhaling flashed through her mind.

Then, she felt as if she had turned into fire spirit energy, and the small bird burst out from her body and flew away.

"Pangwa, did you see a little bird?"

The Mountain Spirit was taken aback: "Little bird? Do you mean the Vermilion Bird, Fairy?"

"Vermilion Bird?" Hua Changxi was somewhat astonished.

The Mountain Spirit continued: "Yes, Fairy summoned the Vermilion Bird. As soon as it appeared, it scattered the Monkey King in one go."

Hua Changxi was speechless: "That little bird is actually a Vermilion Bird..."

"Fairy!"

The Mountain Spirit suddenly shouted: "Fairy, you need to deal with those greedy cultivators! They're plundering your resources."

Hua Changxi looked over in confusion: "Who's plundering my resources? Plundering what resources of mine?"

The Mountain Spirit was anxious: "Fairy, Five Finger Mountain is now your Dao field. There are many cultivators inside the mountain grabbing spirit plants and spirit fruits, and even mining. All of this belongs to you."

Hua Changxi's mind stirred. Sensing that there was something extra in her Qi Sea, she raised her hand, and a miniature Five Finger Mountain the size of a baby's fist appeared in her palm.

"How did Five Finger Mountain become my Dao field?"

The Mountain Spirit immediately took credit: "I helped you form the covenant."

Hua Changxi was stunned: "Pangwa... you're really... too good to me." Giving her Five Finger Mountain as a free gift.

The Mountain Spirit smiled shyly: "I was acknowledged by you, Fairy. I'm just like your child, so of course I have to look out for you."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and was at a loss for words.

Mountain Spirit: "Fairy, hurry up and drive those cultivators out."

Clutching the seal of Five Finger Mountain, Hua Changxi now knew that without her permission, no one could freely enter or leave Five Finger Mountain; otherwise, they would face punishment.

Punishment?

How was she supposed to punish those cultivators?

The only attack method she knew was burning them with Fire Lotus.

Five Finger Mountain was vast. Hua Changxi could sense its general scope. There were many spirit plants, spirit fruits, and spirit beasts in the mountain. If other cultivators came in and took a little, she didn't mind.

However, since there were rules, they still had to be followed.

"Anyone who enters Five Finger Mountain without my consent will be burned by the Fire Lotus."

The power of the Fire Lotus depends on the cultivator's realm.

Hua Changxi did not want to kill those cultivators; he merely wanted them to leave Five Finger Mountain, so the Fire Lotus's power was only one-tenth of the cultivator's cultivation base.

It would not be fatal, but being burned by the Fire Lotus would still be extremely painful.

Soon, screams arose one after another within Five Finger Mountain, and the cultivators who had previously refused to leave the mountain began fleeing toward its outer edges.

The Demon-Suppressing Army, who had been mining in the fierce wind, was also startled by the sudden appearance of the Fire Lotus. After quickly extinguishing it, they could still feel the scorching pain from the burns.

"Commander, shall we continue?"

Chu Junyi looked towards the depths of Five Finger Mountain: "Withdraw."

He understood that the Fire Lotus's power was not great now—it was merely a warning from the master of Five Finger Mountain. If they did not retreat, the Fire Lotus's power would increase, and by then they might not be able to withstand it.