Chapter 480: Fortune and Favor

It was not yet noon; the blazing sun had risen but a short while ago in the east. The sky was filled with clouds, and the sunlight sparkled brilliantly, dazzling the eyes like a painting traced in gold and colors, magnificently indescribable.

When Chen Heng slowly withdrew his sword light and arrived at the peak, several strange birds resting on an old pine tree were startled; they cawed loudly, flapped their wings, and flew far away, leaving only a few disordered feathers hanging on the branches, which, blown by the wind, drifted lightly down again from the ten thousand fathoms of Qingshan.

"At noon, pick a green lotus flower on the peak?"

Chen Heng recalled the final words Master Master Kongkong had left behind when they were at the Year-Punishment Land, and a look of contemplation floated between his brows.

He was now standing at the highest point of Fish Lake Mountain.

Looking around in all directions, all that met the eye were several vigorous old pines hanging upside down from the cliff edge, arranged at varying heights, their shapes strange and peculiar; beneath his feet was fine grass like felt, of some unknown exotic species, growing so deep it reached his knees, emitting a sharp, sweet fragrance quite different from the ordinary.

The reason those few strange birds had taken the trouble to fly to this peak to rest was likely precisely because the grass and leaves on the peak tasted sweet, like honey nectar.

Chen Heng merely lowered his gaze and swept the ground, seeing dense claw marks everywhere: the large ones were as big as a winnowing basket, while the small ones were comparable to a human palm, bustling as if at a market, all intermingled together.

However, although there was some vitality at this high peak, it was not entirely barren.

Yet the green lotus flower mentioned by Master Master Kongkong could not be found anywhere, no matter how hard he searched.

"Is it because it is not yet noon?"

Chen Heng pondered silently.

His thoughts shifted, and he did not dwell on it further; he simply stood quietly at the peak, looking down at the scenery beneath the clouds.

Jade-like mountains stood tall, filling the view with green and blue; amidst the clouds and mist, flocks of phoenixes and cranes flew together, their clear, melodious cries drifting over, dreamlike and illusory.

As one of the few famous mountains and great peaks within Hongjing Heaven, even though it had suffered repeatedly from calamitous fires and was far from its former glory, the scenery of Fish Lake Mountain was still incomparable to ordinary landscapes; coupled with the abundance of Yuan Zuo Wang Zhi produced in the mountain, this place was truly a rare Xuanzhu Xuanzhu Fudi of extraordinary value.

And in the deepest part of the mountain range, there was also a vast, boundless great lake.

In the center of the lake, white mist rose like steam; emerald cliffs and green peaks emerged and vanished within the vast waves, as if they had stood thus in the lake water for hundreds or thousands of years, and would continue to do so thereafter.

When Chen Heng fixed his gaze, he further perceived that the great lake vaguely resembled the shape of a giant palm, as if a huge hand had crashed down from the heavens and forcibly smashed this shape into the earth!

"Opposition of fortune and misfortune, the vastness of calamitous destiny..."

Chen Heng sighed lightly, then withdrew his gaze, standing motionless in place, settling his mind to wait.

This wait did not last long.

Several hours later, as the sun wheel had quietly moved toward the zenith, scattering ten thousand threads of golden radiance and colorful beams, creating a scene of brilliant mutual illumination.

At this moment, Chen Heng, standing at the peak, felt a buzzing sound in his brain; suddenly, a sensation of dizziness and bewilderment arose, as if someone had struck the back of his head with a jade ruler while shouting fiercely at the same time.

In that trance, he felt a great burst of brightness before his eyes, as if a thousand great suns had risen together, shining simultaneously upon this land.

Perfectly pure and clean, filling the entire void realm!

Faintly, the sounds of cymbals clanging and Sanskrit chants of praise came to his ears—

But in merely an instant, that solemn atmosphere, as if a Buddha sat in full lotus position enlightening all beings, shattered with a crash.

In its place came a thunderous roar that reached everywhere, beyond words and thought, beyond signs and omens, immeasurable and unfathomable!

The rolling thunder came from a nameless end, piercing through the river of time and space, finally transmitting across the distance to the present world and falling into his ears.

That familiar aura, fiercely yang and unmatched, seeming capable of crushing one hundred and eight thousand worlds, made Chen Heng involuntarily stern; he abruptly turned his divine consciousness back, and clarity returned to his mind.

"Tai Yi Shen Lei!"

Chen Heng suddenly lifted his head.

Where his gaze fell, a hazy green lotus flower, as large as a cart wheel, had somehow quietly bloomed at the peak.

It was only a few zhang away from Chen Heng; as the mountain breeze brushed past, a subtle, wonderful fragrance was gently delivered.

Although the green lotus flower had now revealed its form, since there was still a quarter-hour until noon and some time remained, it was not yet a solid entity, appearing blurry and indistinct.

When Chen Heng reached out to touch it, he grasped only a patch of clear wind.

In that instant, a realization surged up in Chen Heng's heart.

He knew that as long as he stepped forward later and plucked the lotus flower once it had fully manifested, within moments there would be an earth-shattering change, stirring up a brilliantly overwhelming momentum here that would shake the ten directions!

"In that case..."

Chen Heng, seemingly thoughtful, pointed a finger at the empty sky, suddenly raised his hand, and sent out a streak of sword light; then, not rushing to act further, he waited quietly in place for the final hour to arrive.

A short while later, in a deep valley of Fish Lake Mountain.

Lu Rong, who had been silently circulating his Gong Fa and tempering his divine abilities, suddenly felt something.

He stood up, swallowed the mass of thick cloud qi above his head, sealed it back within his chest and abdomen, then raised his hand and grasped, catching precisely the streak of sword light sent by Chen Heng.

After reading through the divine intent attached to the sword light, Lu Rong did not hesitate; he immediately formed a hand seal and summoned the Blood Spirit Avatar he had sent out earlier.

"I just found a Yuan Zuo Zhi grass of fairly superior quality and haven't made my move yet; what matter do you have now?"

A ball of blood flame suddenly fell from the high sky, then exploded with a crash, igniting the surrounding Lin Mu in a surge; amidst the blazing Xiong Xiong fires, a Blood Spirit Avatar identical in appearance to Lu Rong stepped out and spoke with displeasure.

"How many have you already gathered?" Lu Rong asked.

The Blood Spirit Avatar did not answer, but raised his hand, causing a stream of flowing light to shoot over.

Lu Rong caught it and looked; inside were more than ten Yuan Zuo Zhi grasses of various sizes, all of superior quality and brimming with spiritual qi. He nodded, stored them all deep within his Purple Palace.

Seeing this, the Blood Spirit Avatar frowned slightly and voiced a doubt that had been pressing on his heart:

"You have clearly already obtained the Yuan Zuo Wang Zhi; as far as I know, with the help of such a rare external medicine, plus your own Mei Mei Gongxing, you already have more than enough to suppress the backlash brought by the Six Desires Great Demon True Light.

Since that is so, why are you still gathering these external medicines? Do not tell me you intend to sell them; given your wealth, you surely need not concern yourself with such merchant affairs."

Ever since searching the souls and reading the spirits of those male favorites dearly beloved by Xiao Xiao Lingji, Lu Rong had been determined to obtain the Yuan Zuo Wang Zhi in Fish Lake Mountain; on this point, having spent day and night with Lu Rong, the Blood Spirit Avatar naturally knew it clearly.

The Six Desires Great Demon True Light was one of the supreme great divine abilities of the Xuehe Sect; the key to this method lay in the "Heart Seal."

Once a cultivator overcame numerous obstacles and successfully condensed the Heart Seal, they could mobilize the power of desire and greed between heaven and earth to greatly empower the divine ability, making its power unbearable!

If the Heart Seal was not condensed, the Six Desires Great Demon True Light was merely an ordinary immortal divine ability, mediocre and without many remarkable features.

The Blood Spirit Avatar had originally thought Lu Rong sought the Yuan Zuo Wang Zhi to borrow the power of such a precious medicine to suppress the backlash when exercising the Six Desires Great Demon True Light.

After all, Lu Rong, being merely a Jin Dan, wished to easily wield this famous killing great art, renowned even across the Nine Provinces and Four Seas; more or less, he was bound to suffer some backlash.

But now Lu Rong already held the Yuan Zuo Wang Zhi; although it was only about eighty percent complete, it was already sufficient for his use.

Then why did he still insist on gathering Yuan Zuo Zhi grass? What exactly was his intention?

"Yuan Zuo Wang Zhi, a treasure herb of such caliber, is quite rare even in Xudu Heaven; it counts as a unique product of Hongjing Heaven. Yet all things possess yin and yang, and all affairs have their reverse. On the surface, this herb can clarify divine sense and suppress the unruly mind, but if reversed..."

Lü Rong flipped his palm over and explained faintly to the Blood Spirit Child:

"Would that not make it a superior treasure herb capable of fostering demonic thoughts?"

The Blood Spirit Child stared in shock for a moment, then said, "You seek Yuan Zuo Wang Zhi not to suppress the backlash of the Six Desires Great Demon True Light?"

"Who said this was for the Six Desires Great Demon True Light?"

Lü Rong glanced at him and stated calmly:

"The Xudu Great Elixir—this stroke of fortune—I am determined to secure it. Since that is so, naturally I must refine some additional methods and keep a few more tricks up my sleeve."

"Just like that blood gu I secretly planted inside Xiao Xiao Lingji's body while we were engaged in battle earlier. At this moment, there are no signs yet, but wait until her next dual cultivation session, heh!"

While the Blood Spirit Child was still pondering Lü Rong's true intentions, Lü Rong, already weary of further discussion, waved his hand and coldly shouted:

"We should also make some preparations now. Soon, great changes are likely to arise within this Fish Lake Mountain. If we do not move immediately and attract the subsequent attention of numerous demonic cultivators, it will inevitably become a troublesome affair."

The Blood Spirit Child did not understand his meaning:

"Changes? What kind of changes? What changes could possibly occur here? Where did you get such information?"

"True Person Chen just sent a message; he gave prior warning about this."

Lü Rong scanned the surroundings; though somewhat puzzled, he still gave an order:

"Let us go!"

The sky was clear and the clouds pure; the sound of pines roared like a tide.

After flying for a while, Lü Rong finally came to a halt atop a small hill; this was already near the edge of Fish Lake Mountain, and advancing another ten-odd li forward would bring them into contact with the mountain's formation barriers.

Seeing Lü Rong take out a blood-colored precious bell, continuously form hand seals, and secretly offer it up into the air.

The Blood Spirit Child, who had been frowning in confusion throughout their journey, could no longer restrain himself and asked what exactly True Person Chen had said in that earlier message.

Seeing Lü Rong merely offer a few lukewarm, perfunctory replies, the Blood Spirit Child's face just began to show some resentment when suddenly his eyes darted; as if thinking of something, he let out a strange laugh and said:

"You have known that Chen Heng for only a few days, and in the future, you will be rivals at the Dan Yuan Grand Assembly; yet you trust him so readily? Do you not suspect that this fellow has found his own fortune and is deliberately trying to branch you away?"

"However, if that is the case, so much the better!"

"If such laughable, treacherous schemes truly originated from True Person Chen, then he would not be worthy of Lü's direct gaze."

Lü Rong smiled disdainfully:

"But you said 'so much the better'; in what way is it better?"

"Judging by that Chen Heng's abilities, if he does not die, he will inevitably compete with Ji Fa, who hails from an aristocratic clan, for the position of Yu Yu Yuchen Dao Son in the future... And if this fellow wins, then we will have established a connection with a Yu Yu Yuchen Dao Son, or even the Yu Yu Yuchen Sect Master!"

"Do you think I cannot govern the Xuehe Sect?" Lü Rong asked with some amusement.

"No, no, what I mean is..."

The Blood Spirit Child let out an evil laugh, his face displaying unmasked greed:

"The Yu Yu Yuchen Sect Master should be able to wield that Universe Lei Chi, correct?"

Lü Rong did not answer; he gave the Blood Spirit Child a deep glance, and only after a long pause did he speak:

"You certainly have calculated well!"

The Blood Spirit Child was a substance of utmost yin and filth, naturally capable of swallowing and absorbing all the turbid yin spiritual qi of this world to increase wisdom and elevate cultivation.

After being nourished by various turbid qi, this Blood Spirit Child of Lü Rong had become capable of reading Daoist scriptures and cultivating divine abilities on its own; even among the world's Jin Dan cultivators, its divine means were considered formidable and extremely powerful!

However, solitary yin does not generate, and solitary yang does not grow.

Although created dharma spirits like the Blood Spirit Child advance rapidly in cultivation, in the later stages they inevitably become blocked by yin, violent, and deadly qi, making it difficult to easily knock open the gates of the Great Dao; they may remain stuck at a minor realm for tens of thousands of years until their lifespan limit arrives.

In response to this, the Xuehe Sect's chosen solution is to select a treasure of utmost yang to re-refine the Blood Spirit Child, causing it to shed its old womb and attain a new body.

Through such refinement nurturing yin and yang and harmonizing primordial qi, one naturally obtains the foundation of the Two Instruments, thereby removing that obstruction.

Let us set aside for now the various complexities and difficulties involved in this process.

Furthermore, among the myriad types of utmost yang treasures in the world, there are naturally distinctions of high and low; the quality of the utmost yang treasure selected will also affect the Blood Spirit Child's ultimate ceiling.

Lü Rong knew that the supreme sect master of the previous generation of the Xuehe Sect had borrowed the "Chunjun Imperial Edict" from Huang Ji Heaven, using it to allow his Blood Spirit Child to undergo metamorphosis and divine transformation, aligning with nature, far surpassing all Blood Spirit Children of the same generation!

There were even rumors claiming that the reason the supreme sect master of the previous generation of the Xuehe Sect vanished without a trace after an extraterrestrial journey, leading the three World-Governing Ancestral Masters to rarely manifest their holiness and select a new Xuehe Sect Master,

was because during that former sect master's Tribulation Crossing and ascension, he was suddenly ambushed by his own Blood Spirit Child, resulting in his physical shell and immense magic power being usurped, leaving him merely to tailor wedding clothes for another.

As for such absurd rumors, Lü Rong would naturally not easily believe them.

But this also indirectly reflects that a Blood Spirit Child refined by a powerful utmost yang treasure becomes incredibly formidable, capable even of breaking its innate blood contract and turning against its master; its various marvelous methods defy ordinary reasoning!

And although the Chunjun Imperial Edict is powerful,

compared to Yu Yu Yuchen's Universe Lei Chi, it falls short by more than a single tier...

Lü Rong was aware of the sinister schemes lurking in the depths of his Blood Spirit Child's mind, but he paid them no heed; his thoughts turned a few times before he shifted his attention to the vast blue sky, frowning slightly.

After Chen Heng sent that single message earlier, Lü Rong had immediately gone on high alert and packed up to leave the original location.

But the changes he spoke of had yet to show any signs; what exactly was the matter?

Just as Lü Rong was concentrating his gaze, unknowingly, it had already reached midday.

From a distance, as Chen Heng reached out and plucked the green lotus flower that had now fully manifested, Lü Rong suddenly felt a surge of oppression in his heart, his breath nearly stifled.

"What is this?"

Lü Rong's pupils contracted; he hastily activated the protective treasure bestowed by his sect.

In the next instant, a sky-shaking boom suddenly rang out; shortly after, the mountains shook and the earth quaked, as if half of Mo Wu Continent were trembling along with it!

Countless peaks and mountains collapsed and shattered; chaotic stones fell like rain; turbid qi from beneath the earth gushed forth in rolling waves, raising thick clouds of fire and smoke!

This commotion lasted for the duration of a Zhu Xiang Gong, until a beam of clear light ten thousand zhang tall shot up from the ground, piercing the void, its ultimate destination unknown.

Only then did all the noises gradually subside, and heaven and earth returned to silence...

"What the hell is that noise!"

Rushing over, Huang Xiong, already dumbfounded, trembled as he pushed aside the smoke barrier.

He saw that a huge section in the center of Fish Hushan had suddenly sunk deep, as if scooped out of thin air, and he truly felt like crying without tears in the bottom of his heart.

"Has the sky collapsed?!"

Huang Xiong felt his scalp go numb.

Just as Huang Xiong and the other demon cultivators were mentally shaken, unable to maintain their composure, unsure how to report upward, and agonizing over what to do—

Elsewhere, in an unknown Yizhen Fa Zhi Jie.

As the clear light slowly faded, Chen Heng's vision gradually cleared; the first thing he saw was that in the far distance, a monk and a Daoist seemed to be sitting facing each other, the monk in the west and the Daoist in the east.

The monk's face was obscured by Buddhist light, blurry and indistinct.

As for that Daoist, he wore Yu Chen Fa robes and a Green Lotus Crown; a faint smile seemed to linger on his face, yet his eyes were tightly shut, and he remained utterly motionless.