Chapter 72: Black Flame Enters the Body

The fire lotus suddenly appeared, and while it wasn't lethal, the burning pain was still unbearable for most cultivators; even though the resources within Five Finger Mountain were abundant, the cultivators from all sides no longer dared to stay and began withdrawing.

"Let's withdraw too."

The disciples of Taisu Palace were relatively fast and had advanced deep into the second peak of Five Finger Mountain. After helping a few junior fellow apprentices extinguish the fire lotus, Liu Yiyun counted the number of people and gathered everyone to retreat.

"Wait."

Just as they were about to fly out of the second peak, Yan Xiaoyang suddenly stopped.

Liu Yiyun looked over: "Sixth Junior Brother, what's wrong?"

Yan Xiaoyang looked around: "I sense a special aura." Feeling that the aura came from the east, he immediately flew over there.

Seeing this, the others quickly followed, and soon they saw Yan Xiaoyang pulling a golden clump out of a crevice on the cliff.

"What is that thing?"

Liu Yiyun and the others crowded around and then saw clearly what Yan Xiaoyang was holding in his arms.

It was a little golden monkey, which looked like it had only been born a few days ago.

Yan Xiaoyang looked at the little monkey in his arms with pity: "The parents of this little monkey are probably in grave danger. I wonder how it managed to hold on these past days trapped in the stone crevice?"

Liu Yiyun and the others exchanged helpless glances at Yan Xiaoyang's expression.

Well, given Sixth Junior Brother's kind nature, he was definitely going to take this monkey back to Taisu Palace again.

Liu Yiyun said: "Let's get out of the mountain quickly; don't keep the elders waiting."

Yan Xiaoyang carefully held the little golden monkey and quickly caught up with the group.

On the other side, the people from the Shura Sect were also frantically fleeing out of the mountain. Just as they were about to fly out of the first peak, a fire lotus appeared out of thin air, blocking their path.

"Branch Leader, what do we do?"

The Branch Leader of the Shura Sect's Qingzhou Branch quietly took out a black jade lotus petal. A black light flickered at his fingertip, and soon black flames erupted from the jade lotus petal.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"

Several wisps of black flame flew out and sank into the bodies of the Shura Sect disciples.

"Go block the fire lotus."

As soon as these words were spoken, the Shura Sect members, as if controlled, charged recklessly toward the fire lotus, while the Qingzhou Branch Leader took the chance to escape.

However, he hadn't expected that before he could run far, he would be blocked by two figures, one large and one small.

The Qingzhou Branch Leader looked warily at the two people before him, the black light at his fingertips blazing intensely, as if he were ready to ignite the jade lotus petal in his hand at any moment.

Hua Changxi furrowed her brows and glanced into the distance at the Shura Sect disciples who, instead of fleeing, were fighting desperately against the fire lotus, further confirming that this Shura Sect was no righteous sect.

"Leave the mine spirit behind."

Upon hearing this, the Qingzhou Branch Leader's face turned cold: "We caught the mine spirit with great difficulty. If you want it, go catch it yourself. If you think you can get it without lifting a finger, take a good look at who you're facing."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Qingzhou Branch Leader ignited the black jade lotus petal in his hand.

"Whoosh~"

"Whoosh~"

Two wisps of black flame shot swiftly toward Hua Changxi and Shanling.

Hua Changxi also hurled a fire lotus at the same time.

The fire lotus and the black flame passed through each other, like two completely unrelated forces, neither able to overcome the other.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi was momentarily stunned, and that brief hesitation gave the Qingzhou Branch Leader an opportunity.

When the Qingzhou Branch Leader saw the fire lotus, the image of that massive fire lotus that had blocked the giant monkey immediately sprang to his mind, nearly scaring him to death. He guessed that the person blocking him was the fierce one who had dared to fight the giant monkey, so he gritted his teeth, expended most of his spiritual power, and sent out a mass of black flame.

Hua Changxi dodged aside, and though she was quick, the black flame unexpectedly exploded in midair, scattering countless sparks of black flame, and in the end, one wisp struck the back of her hand.

The black flame, like a drop of water falling into the sea, instantly burrowed into Hua Changxi's body.

"Clear the path and go kill the other cultivators in the mountain."

Seeing that the black flame had entered Hua Changxi's body, the Qingzhou Branch Leader breathed a heavy sigh of relief and immediately began chanting to issue orders.

Hua Changxi heard a fairly loud voice explode beside her ear, compelling her to follow its instructions, but the voice was somewhat drifting and lacked firmness.

The Qingzhou Branch Leader was only a Qi Sea realm cultivator, so Hua Changxi only hesitated briefly before quickly breaking free of the manipulation.

Hua Changxi, who had originally harbored no intention to kill, now looked at the Qingzhou Branch Leader with a thick surge of murderous intent rising in her heart.

"Boom~"

The fire lotus, which could have been extinguished with a little effort, suddenly blazed with intense light. The Qingzhou Branch Leader, who had been trying to seize the chance to escape, watched helplessly as the fire lotus grew more solid, until he was completely trapped by it.

"No~"

In terror and despair, the Qingzhou Branch Leader was swallowed by the flames.

The cultivators still holding onto hope in the mountains shuddered when they heard the Qingzhou Branch Leader's final scream.

The people from the Supreme Purity Palace and the Demon-Suppressing Army also heard it.

"As expected, the master of Five Finger Mountain does kill people after all."

"At least she didn't start a massacre right away—that's something."

"Retreat quickly!"

"Fairy, are you all right?"

After the Qingzhou Branch Leader was incinerated, Hua Changxi began to sense her own body, trying to locate the wisp of black flame that had entered her.

Seeing her stand motionless, the Mountain Spirit grew a little worried.

Hua Changxi's brows knitted together: "Actually, I didn't want to kill anyone."

The Mountain Spirit nodded hurriedly: "I know, I know—the Fairy is a benevolent and kind person."

Hua Changxi saw that the Mountain Spirit had misunderstood her meaning: "Don't flatter me. I really didn't intend to kill, but just now, I couldn't suppress the murderous intent."

Although that person from the Shura Sect hadn't managed to control her, she was definitely affected by the black flame.

What exactly was that black flame?

Feeling somewhat worried, Hua Changxi decided that after resolving the matter of the Mine Spirit, she would return to the Third Peak and thoroughly examine her body.

"Fatty, is there any kind of tree in the mountain that can block auras?"

"Yes, there is—Darkwood can block all auras."

Hua Changxi pointed at the black jade lotus petal left by the Shura Sect members: "Get me a piece of it to store this in."

The Mountain Spirit nodded, vanished with a 'whoosh,' and reappeared just as quickly with a tree branch as thick as an adult's thigh in his arms.

Hua Changxi manipulated her spiritual power, simply crafted a wooden box, placed the black jade lotus petal inside, and stored it into the Divine Farmer's Cauldron.

Seeing that the matter with the Shura Sect was settled, the Mountain Spirit grabbed the inch-long, vibrating multicolored insect queen from the ground: "Fairy, look quickly—this is the Mine Spirit."

Hua Changxi looked down and beckoned with her hand, making the multicolored insect hover above her palm: "This is the Mine Spirit?"

The Mountain Spirit nodded: "That's right. Those black-robed men were too evil and greedy. Mining is fine, but they wanted to take the Mine Spirit away. If the Mine Spirit is drawn out, the spiritual mine becomes a dead mine—once it's used up, it's gone."

Hua Changxi looked at him: "Do you mean that with the Mine Spirit here, the spiritual mine can continuously generate?"

The Mountain Spirit thought for a moment: "If the circulation of spiritual energy in heaven and earth isn't obstructed, then yes."

Hua Changxi: "Is our spiritual energy unobstructed right now?"

The Mountain Spirit: "It's obstructed—severely obstructed. We've been sealed off, and the spiritual energy recovery has only just started."

"Wait."

Hua Changxi quickly stopped him: "We've been sealed off—what does that mean?"

The Mountain Spirit: "It means we've been sealed up."

Hua Changxi: "We've been sealed? Why were we sealed?"

The Mountain Spirit shook his head: "I don't know."

Hua Changxi found that the more she learned, the more confused she became: "If we're sealed, where does the spiritual energy come from?"

The Mountain Spirit: "It's been accumulated from before. Now that the seal is loosening, spiritual energy is slowly seeping in. Only when the seal is completely broken and spiritual energy from outside can come in will the circulation begin. Otherwise, we're just consuming what's already here, and the spiritual energy will eventually run dry."

Hua Changxi felt a bit overwhelmed, sensing she had learned something tremendous: "Who sealed us?"

The Mountain Spirit shook its head again: "I don't know either." As it spoke, it extended its right hand, pressing its thumb against its pinky fingertip, and said with an air of maturity, "Mountain spirits are the lowest tier of gods; we have no way of knowing the matters of the higher-ups."

Afterward, Hua Changxi learned many things about cultivation from the Mountain Spirit, discovering that if a Mine Spirit was placed anywhere, the spiritual energy there would become rich and abundant, and after some accumulation over time, new Spirit Mines could form.

Hua Changxi and the Mountain Spirit returned the Mine Spirit to the excavated Spirit Mine.

Watching the Mine Spirit sink into the Spirit Mine, Hua Changxi squinted her eyes: "Most people, when they see a Spirit Mine, only think about digging it up; getting some spirit stones is enough to satisfy them."

"But the people of the Asura Sect... they seemed to already know that Mine Spirits existed. When they saw the Spirit Mine, instead of mining spirit stones, they directly went for the Mine Spirit. This Asura Sect has a truly ancient heritage."

Only with a sufficiently long heritage could one know of the existence of Mine Spirits.

After retrieving the Mine Spirit, the Mountain Spirit went to patrol the mountains, while Hua Changxi returned to the Third Peak.

The former Monkey Cave had become the Fire Spirit Spring Pool. Earlier, she had been in such a hurry to chase the Mine Spirit with the Mountain Spirit that she hadn't taken a good look at the scenery here.

Compared to its previous desolation, the place was now bursting with vitality. Rows upon rows of spirit fruit trees filled Hua Changxi with delight.

She now felt an unreal sense of having struck it rich overnight.

Happiness had come too suddenly!

Hua Changxi picked some fire-type spirit fruits, eating as she strolled. About a hundred meters from the spring pool, she saw the Buddha's Hand that had suppressed the Monkey King.

At this moment, the Buddha's Hand was covered in cracks, as if it could turn to powder at any moment.

Hua Changxi walked over and carefully picked up the Buddha's Hand. When she had seen it from above the cave while standing on a cloud, it seemed mysterious; now, holding it in her hand, she found it even more profoundly enigmatic.

"Buddha's Realm in the Palm."

Hua Changxi saw these four characters on the thumb of the Buddha's Hand, and her eyes immediately lit up.

Thinking of that enormous hand that had covered the sky and seemed capable of annihilating heaven and earth, she felt a longing—if only she could possess such power.

"Buddha's Realm in the Palm... This must be some kind of divine ability."

Hua Changxi examined the Buddha's Hand carefully, but no matter how she looked, she couldn't make out its secrets.

Unable to do otherwise, Hua Changxi had to set the Buddha's Hand aside for the moment, deciding to examine it later. She tried to put it into the Shennong Cauldron, but it wouldn't fit.

With no choice, she carefully placed the Buddha's Hand by the edge of the spring pool.

Afterward, Hua Changxi took out the top-grade Fire Spirit Stone bed and lay down on it. As soon as she began circulating the Little Bird Breathing Method—no, it should be called the Vermilion Bird Breathing Method—she sensed something was wrong.

The image of the Vermilion Bird Breathing Method in her mind used to be very clear, but now it had become somewhat dim.

Had the Vermilion Bird burst out of her body?

Hua Changxi could now be certain that she had received an extraordinary inheritance. This inheritance not only taught her a cultivation method but also came with a life-saving function.

She knew in her heart that if the Vermilion Bird hadn't flown out this time, she would definitely have died.

Even now, thinking about it made her feel a lingering fear.

Perhaps it was because stepping onto the path of cultivation had been somewhat accidental; afterward, she had often acted recklessly, taking chances rather than carefully considering the seriousness of the consequences.

"From now on, I must not be so reckless."

"Steady and enduring—that's the right path."

As she immersed herself in cultivation, Hua Changxi's consciousness entered her Qi Sea. Upon entering, she saw her Inner Core, and at that moment, she was standing on top of it.

Previously, she and the Inner Core had been separate.

Hua Changxi didn't quite understand what was happening, but standing on the Inner Core, the expanse of the Qi Sea she could see was clearly much larger.

Moreover, beneath the Inner Core, she saw a wisp of black flame the size of a fingernail.

The Black Flame had actually gotten into her Qi Sea!

Hua Changxi tried to extinguish the Black Flame, but no matter what she did, it burned steadily.

"What exactly is this Black Flame?"

Unable to eliminate the Black Flame, Hua Changxi couldn't be at ease. Thinking of its creator, the Asura Sect, she decided that once her body fully recovered, she would find the people of the Asura Sect.

She had to figure out the purpose of the Black Flame!

Hua Changxi began to cultivate. Seeing that the black flame did not hinder her cultivation, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

This cultivation session lasted a full day and night.

When Hua Changxi opened her eyes again, there was an irrepressible delight in them.

Her cultivation speed had increased. Previously, she could only increase her spiritual power by 2,000 points per hour, but now she could increase it by 10,000 points per hour.

Could it be because she had merged with her inner core that her speed had become so fast?

[Realm: Core Formation 2,050,000 / 10,000,000]

Hua Changxi loved the feeling of her cultivation data continuously rising. For the next month, aside from eating, occasionally chatting with the Mountain Spirit, and observing the Buddha's Hand, she immersed herself completely in cultivation.

While Hua Changxi was focused on cultivating, the commotion caused by the Five-Finger Mountain had the entire Great Jin buzzing with discussion and uproar.

The imperial court had been trying to conceal the spiritual energy recovery, but with the Five-Finger Mountain stirring things up like this, even if they wanted to keep hiding it, they could no longer do so.

Even ordinary people, who had the least access to information, began spreading news of the mountain god's appearance, let alone the well-informed nobles and officials.

At the Medicine Bureau, Hall No. 1 on Second Street, Gu Jinan listened with furrowed brows to the disciples chattering inside.

"Have you heard? In this world, the strongest in combat aren't martial artists, but cultivators."

"Do you know what a cultivator is? A cultivator is a celestial."

"Wow, there really are celestials in this world? I always thought that was nonsense."

Gu Jinan didn't listen to any more of this idle talk. He turned and walked toward the square in the back.

It might be good to have the spiritual energy recovery spread early. That way, local cultivators could gain more time to cultivate, so that when foreign cultivators came attacking, they wouldn't be completely powerless to resist.

Gu Jinan arrived at the square, looked at the Medicine Ancestor Cauldron covered in dust, looked at the ruined Alchemy Saint Hall, took a deep breath, and knocked on that dilapidated door once again.