Chapter 48: Water and Fire Combined

There was already a small pool on the mountaintop, shaped like a crescent moon.

The pool water flowed downstream to form a clear stream, merging behind the Huo residence at the foot of the mountain. Lu Xingzhou's bamboo hut was built beside this pool; stepping out now, one could see a shimmering expanse of rippling waves before the eyes, gently undulating under the north wind.

"I've been staying here these past few days pondering this..." Lu Xingzhou said in a low voice, "It can be basically concluded that it is not this pool, or rather, not merely this pool... This is still a deceptive illusion. The fools of the Huo family have been deceived by this pool for countless years."

Shen Tang opened her mouth to speak but stopped.

Let alone the Huo family, their gaze would only be drawn to this pool water; so does that mean everyone is a fool...

"Come over here." Lu Xingzhou paddled his wheelchair to the back of the hut, where there was a vast expanse of mountain rock, nothing distinctive about it.

"The two mountains form a shape of Yin and Yang embracing each other. I have surveyed the place where the earth fire is most intense in the Danxia Mountains, and it indeed belongs to the eye of the Yin-Yang fish. Therefore, the corresponding fish-eye position on this side should be the location of the true pool, which is this expanse of mountain rock." Lu Xingzhou said, "Two days ago, I tried several methods, feeling something was missing... Today is the Start of Winter; perhaps the time is finally right."

As he spoke, a batch of talismans suddenly appeared in his hand. He flicked them into the wind, and they all stuck onto the various rocks.

Without a trace of smoke or fire, the talismans moved the mountain rocks aside, arranging them in a ring around the open space.

The Method of the Five Ghosts Moving.

Shen Tang discovered with surprise that these mountain rocks actually fit together perfectly, surrounding the area tightly, as if they were meant to be so.

Lu Xingzhou called out in a low voice, "Miss Qingli."

Du Gu Qingli instinctively responded, "Here."

"I have already set up a guiding formation around these surroundings; perhaps it still lacks a catalyst... With your Sword of Frost and Frozen Moon, pierce straight down from above into the center. Your Ice Yuan cold qi should be a very appropriate guide."

"Shing!" The ice sword left its sheath and flew into the sky in an instant.

Du Gu Qingli merged with her sword, becoming like an extremely cool ice-sword shape descending from above, flying to pierce the open space in the center of the mountain rocks.

With a loud "Boom," the ice sword fiercely broke through dozens of zhang below, forming a deep pit.

Coldness rose within the deep pit, with frosty mist swirling around. Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo both poked their heads out, looking somewhat speechless.

This little Bai Mao is so strong...

Du Gu Qingli's sword momentum had exhausted, and she was alone underground, feeling a slight stir in her heart.

The ice power she cultivated resonated extremely strongly at this moment; there must be a Water Yuan spirit within this mountain belly, responding in kind!

It seemed sealed, however; whenever she tried to sense it carefully, there was always a barrier.

Just as she hesitated, she heard Lu Xingzhou's incantation from above: "Let waves arise at the Kan position, open and close the earth veins, let Yin and Yang achieve balance, transform qi into form... Arise!"

Du Gu Qingli felt a chill in her heart; why did Lu Xingzhou's incantation feel somewhat familiar? It seemed to have some connection with the Holy Land... Wasn't he an evil cultivator? Where did such orthodox and grand incantations come from?

Before she could think further, Lu Xingzhou above let out a "Pfft" and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

This technique for guiding the water of the earth veins was far too overwhelming for his current state; his cultivation was far from sufficient.

A Nuo anxiously stuffed a pill into Lu Xingzhou's mouth. Just as Lu Xingzhou was about to speak, a warmth suddenly came to his palm.

Turning his head, he saw Shen Tang's slender hand holding his palm. Vast and long-lasting spiritual qi was transferred to him without reservation, and it was actually basically compatible with his cultivation.

Lu Xingzhou had no time to say more; he flipped his right hand, and the technique resumed.

The formation around them surged greatly, shooting straight into the clouds and rosy mists.

Down below, Du Gu Qingli finally sensed a slight tremor coming from her surroundings, as if an extremely strong suction force bypassed her existence, reaching straight to the nine netherworlds deep underground, calling for the spiritual spring below to rise in waves.

Du Gu Qingli hesitated no longer; she pressed her sword technique against the blade and said, "With my sword soul as the guide, let the Heavenly Gate open wide, let the nine netherworlds be thoroughly connected, break illusions and return to truth... Appear!"

Indeed, their techniques were somewhat similar...

"Clang!" A cold light pierced through the clouds.

Looking up, the layered clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, and the warm sun of the Start of Winter appeared high in the sky, shining directly into this deep well.

Everyone nervously looked down. A pool of spring water slowly overflowed from below. Du Gu Qingli "Whooshed" back to the ground, poked her head down to look, and saw the spiritual spring below rising higher and higher, gradually becoming level with the ground. The pre-set mountain rocks around seemed to protect it, enclosing the spring water exactly in the center without any spillage.

The dense spiritual qi was refreshing to the heart and mind. Having stayed for so long in Xiazhou where spiritual qi was scarce and lacking, suddenly coming into contact with this spring was almost enough to make one drunk on oxygen.

Du Gu Qingli withdrew her ice sword and stared blankly.

Although she had essentially created it with her own hands, she still felt a sense of unreal dreaminess.

There really is a spiritual spring here, and it was actually drawn out by everyone's cooperation... The young girl who wanted to undergo trials found that she didn't even know what she was doing; she was just doing whatever she was told. Was this trial effective?

"Indeed, on the Winter Solstice, with the assistance of the heavenly timing, the seal is at its weakest... Water and fire combine, Yin and Yang accompany each other, and the momentum is achieved." Lu Xingzhou, however, showed no sign of pride, and quickly set up a formation around the area to conceal the spiritual qi.

Only then did he sigh with relief, leaning wearily against his wheelchair: "I say, the Sect Master's residence should be moved here in the future. This Pool of Sun and Moon, overflowing with spiritual qi, is very suitable for you."

Suitable for me for what, bathing? Shen Tang expressionlessly quietly withdrew her slender hand from his palm, stole a glance at Du Gu Qingli, and wondered if the dead Bai Mao had seen it.

Fortunately, Du Gu Qingli was in a daze; otherwise, she would have been scolded by her again.

Such a spiritual spring, besides being beneficial for cultivation while soaking in it, is even more important for a sect in terms of guiding the spring to irrigate the medicinal gardens and for forging water. At the very least, the medicinal herbs planted on Danxia Mountain in the future can be considered for the high-end market... This person was so serious just now, but now he is only thinking about bathing.

Besides, if you live here, what does it mean for me to move here as well...

Shen Tang ultimately did not bring this up; in fact, the current upheaval shocked her deeply, and she felt that the purpose of her coming to Xiazhou was about to be revealed.

Such a change in the earth veins, given time, will make the spiritual qi here become more and more dense. Two ordinary mountains suddenly became a feng shui treasure land, seeming even more high-end than the original location of the Tianxing Sword Sect's mountain gate. The Imperial Preceptor's guidance to come to Xiazhou, if only for these things, this divination has already been calculated accurately.

She asked somewhat solemnly, "Since the secret here has been solved, what should be done next?"

"Of course, first conceal this change here so outsiders do not know; otherwise, there will be trouble. As for the decryption, actually we have only solved half of it." Lu Xingzhou said, "This is like a complete mechanism assembly that lost a tenon; now that it is connected, the mechanism can finally be activated. We still need to find the key to unlock the mechanism."

Shen Tang said, "Then the key to opening it will still be arranged according to what you said before: the Illusion-Breaking Array and the Spirit-Gathering Array. I will go arrange them immediately."

Du Gu Qingli hesitated somewhat: "Breaking illusions might be okay, but for gathering spirits, there is currently not enough spiritual qi here to gather; the power will mostly be insufficient... You just spat blood."

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly, turned his head to look in the direction of Danxia Mountain, and murmured to himself, "Then we shall see on the day of the Grand Ceremony whether we can gather enough power... I hope the hundred sects of Xiazhou will not disappoint Lu."

Shen Tang and Du Gu Qingli both stared blankly at Lu Xingzhou's profile, feeling somewhat numb in their hearts.

He wants to hold a Grand Ceremony, and he is hiding such a layer of intention?

No wonder Sheng Yuanyao said, "Can't you just hold a ceremony as a ceremony, and stop pulling stunts?" That melon girl has been tricked by him too many times; she truly understands.

The two women left this mountain peak in a daze. It was only when they were almost back on Danxia Mountain that Du Gu Qingli, who was pushing the wheelchair, suddenly said, "Before, he didn't want to use you as a hired hand, but does this count?"

Shen Tang stared blankly for a while, then shook her head: "Since he explicitly said it, then it doesn't count; it can only be considered killing multiple birds with one stone. And..."

She paused, murmuring to herself in a low voice, "I am willing."

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

Having long absorbed ample manpower from the Red Cloud Gang, the Heaven Traveling Sword Sect had already widely distributed invitations to heroes, inviting all high-ranking families and great sects in Xiazhou and the surrounding areas to participate in the Sect Founding Ceremony on the tenth day of the tenth month.

The so-called "Sect Founding" should actually be counted as a "relocation"; the Heaven Traveling Sword Sect had existed all along, merely moving here from Yongzhou, a thousand li away. But the current Heaven Traveling Sword Sect had changed drastically compared to the original one; saying it was a "heavy Nirvana burden" rebirth was not an exaggeration, and it could indeed be counted as a sect founding.

Originally, such an event would not have caused much of a ripple; sects disappeared and were established every day in the world, visible everywhere. Those who showed respect would come to offer gifts and support, while those who did not would simply not come. But with the Emperor's attitude of "support," it instantly became the focus of the entire world.

People still did not know Shen Tang was the Princess; the forces in Xiazhou and the surrounding areas only felt as if they were facing a great enemy, always feeling that the rise of such a powerful force would encroach upon everyone's space, disrupt the original balance and stability, and even potentially cause oppression.

Therefore, whether the Emperor's "support" truly achieved the effect of support or instead produced the opposite effect was hard to say. After all, while the mouth spoke of support, not a single actual benefit had been seen, not even a single copper coin had been bestowed.

On the tenth day of the tenth month, the day of the Heaven Traveling Sword Sect's founding ceremony, the new edition of the "List of Heroes" had also been released. Those with some connections had already obtained a copy early on; regarding the Heaven Traveling Sword Sect's name on the list, the original entry at one hundred and third place, Shen Shen Chaoqun, was removed, replaced by two other names.

Rising Stars List, number thirty, Sect Master Shen Tang.

Supplementary List, Alchemist Rising Stars List, number thirty-eight, Guest Elder Lu Xingzhou.

This was also the first time Lu Xingzhou's name appeared openly before the eyes of the world.

The people coming to participate in the ceremony filed up the mountain one by one; looking at the plaque on the mountain gate halfway up the slope, everyone's expressions were complex and hard to read.

The pillars of this new sect reborn under the heavy Nirvana burden were two rising stars, one civil and one martial, capable of both fighting and healing; they seemed full of vitality, like a dragon lurking in the abyss. Coupled with the fact that they now possessed mountains, fields, and people, the atmosphere was excellent; it could almost be determined that given time, the achievements of this new sect would absolutely not be inferior to the former Heaven Traveling Sword Sect.

But a lurking dragon is still merely lurking and may not yet withstand wind and rain. Whether it can soar in the sky depends first on what kind of answer sheet they can submit at today's ceremony.

(End of this chapter)