Fire Virtue Immortal Clan

Chapter 229 Preparing a Congratulatory Gift
After learning that Liu Miaozhen had begun her seclusion to break through her cultivation level, Shang Lan and the other Golden Core cultivators of the Spirit Gu Sect quickly discussed the matter. Then, Shang Lan and Huo Yong, a married couple, informed Lu Cheng'an of the results.

"The remaining five Yuanming Gu will be temporarily sealed away by our Linggu Sect until Lu Chengping and his wife's cultivation has all broken through to the Golden Core realm, at which point the remaining Yuanming Gu will be given to other cultivators in the sect!" Shang Lan said.

This was something they had agreed upon with Lu Cheng'an beforehand, and after witnessing the formidable strength Lu Cheng'an displayed, they naturally wouldn't easily make any changes.

As for the two minerals, Jellyfish Gold Jade and Fire Copper Marrow, that Lu Cheng'an collected in the secret realm, they didn't mention them again, simply considering them as gifts for Lu Cheng'an.

"Please don't take offense, Fellow Daoist Lu. Our sect leader is currently in seclusion, breaking through her cultivation level, and she cannot personally tell you these things," Shang Lan said apologetically.

"Then congratulations in advance to Fellow Daoist Liu on breaking through to the Golden Core stage!"

Lu Cheng'an chuckled and said, "Once Fellow Daoist Liu's cultivation has successfully broken through, please send me a message in time, and then we can discuss the matter of going to the Wanling Sect ruins."

The group of blue-horned antelopes in the Wanling Sect ruins are much stronger than the Gu worms in the Linggu Sect's secret realm. Unlike the Jade Silkworm Gu and other Gu worms, these blue-horned antelopes are not intelligent, so it is not an easy task to deal with them silently.

Their task is not only to obtain the Blood Essence Rice from the ruins of the Myriad Spirits Sect, but also to prevent the news from leaking out.

They would need extremely powerful strength to suppress that herd of blue-horned antelopes.

Therefore, Lu Cheng'an planned to tell Shi Ningyu about this matter, and then have Shi Ningyu join him in taking action.

If the two of them were to unleash their full power, suppressing that herd of blue-horned antelopes shouldn't be too difficult.

Moreover, as his and Shi Ningyu's spiritual power increases, the number of third-tier demonic beasts they can control using the Taiyuan Demon Control Soul Secret Spell will also increase.

The alpha sheep in the herd of blue antelopes was at the third-order perfect realm of cultivation. Lu Cheng'an actually wanted to leave the Taiyuan Demon-Controlling Soul Secret Spell imprint in the soul of this alpha sheep.

If they succeed, they might be able to take control of the entire herd of blue antelopes.

The Spirit Gu Sect is currently unsure of the exact strength of the Azure Horned Antelope herd within the Myriad Spirits Sect ruins, but since there is a leader sheep at the third-order perfect realm among the herd, there must be more than one third-order Azure Horned Antelope in the herd.

If they could subdue all of these blue-horned antelopes, it would greatly enhance their strength.

After Lu Cheng'an announced his departure, Shang Lan and her husband pretended to try to persuade him to stay.

However, Lu Cheng'an did not linger at the Linggu Sect. After leaving the Linggu Sect, he went straight back to his family.

Without Lu Chengping and his two companions to slow him down, his speed was much faster on his way back.

After he returned to his family, he immediately sent a message to Shi Ningyu, asking her to come to the Lu family when she had time.

Lu Cheng'an summoned Shi Ningyu to the Lu family not only to tell her about the Wanling Sect ruins, but also to help her refine her natal magic treasure, the Divine Jade Dragon Pagoda, to the middle grade of the third rank.

At the same time, he also refined the Fire Cloud Gourd in Shi Ningyu's hand into a magic weapon!
Lu Cheng'an now had some ideas in mind; he wanted to try to refine the two Fire Cloud Gourds into one.

At that time, the limits of the Fire Cloud Gourd will be broken, and there is a considerable chance that it will be refined into a third-grade high-quality magic weapon.

The function of this Fire Cloud Gourd remains unchanged, but as its grade increases, the power of this magical artifact will be greatly enhanced.

The Fire Cloud Gourd, a mid-grade third rank, unleashing its eight Fire Cloud Magic Swords simultaneously might threaten a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. However, if this magic weapon were to be successfully upgraded to a high-grade third rank, it could severely injure a late-stage Golden Core cultivator and even pose a threat to a cultivator at the Golden Core Perfection stage.

After Lu Cheng'an sent a message to Shi Ningyu, Shi Ningyu quickly replied. However, she told Lu Cheng'an that she did not have time to go to the Lu family for the time being and asked him what had happened.

This is because Shi Ningyu's grandfather is currently trying to break through to the Golden Core realm, and Shi Ningyu is somewhat worried about his condition.

Upon learning the news, Lu Cheng'an immediately replied to Shi Ningyu. After comforting her, he did not go directly to Dan Ding Sect to accompany her, but returned to his cave to begin refining magical artifacts.

Shi Mingxin cultivates an earth-attribute technique, specifically the Earth Origin Secret Manual.

The Earth Origin Secret Manual is of good quality. It was originally a fourth-order Nascent Soul cultivation technique that could be cultivated to the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

The Dan Ding Sect did not collect the complete Earth Origin Secret Manual, but only the cultivation methods for those who had reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

Among the inheritances of the Burning Flame Sect that Lu Cheng'an obtained, there was a complete set of Earth Origin Secret Manual techniques.

Previously, Lu Cheng'an had given Shi Ningyu two fourth-level Nascent Soul cultivation techniques, namely the Five Prisons Secret Manual and the Black Water True Scripture.

These two Nascent Soul cultivation techniques are more advanced than the Earth Origin Secret Manual, but they are not suitable for Shi Mingxin to cultivate.

Lu Cheng'an only recently learned that Shi Mingxin was practicing the Earth Origin Secret Manual.

Although the Earth Origin Secret Manual is a fourth-order Nascent Soul cultivation technique, it does not include any minor supernatural abilities or methods for refining natal magic treasures at the Golden Core stage.

Only those who reach the Nascent Soul stage will be able to acquire the corresponding supernatural powers and natal magic treasures from this cultivation technique.

Supernatural powers and minor supernatural powers differ by only one character, but their power is vastly different.

Only Nascent Soul cultivators can successfully cultivate and unleash the power of supernatural abilities.

Although the Earth Origin Secret Manual does not include minor supernatural abilities or natal magic treasures for the Golden Core realm, the Burning Flame Sect has matched two third-tier magic weapons in its cultivation method inheritance.

These two third-tier magical artifacts are the Earth Element Secret Armor and the Earth-Shaking Hammer!

The Earthly Secret Armor is a defensive magic weapon, while the Earth-Shaking Hammer is an offensive magic weapon. Although these two magic weapons are not magic treasures, their power is far superior to that of ordinary third-tier magic weapons.

The Earthly Secret Armor is difficult to forge and requires a lot of materials, so Lu Cheng'an cannot forge this magic weapon in a short time.

However, the conditions for forging the Earthshaking Hammer are much simpler, and Lu Cheng'an currently has all the materials needed to forge it.

He plans to start refining the Earth-Shaking Hammer now. If Shi Mingxin's cultivation successfully breaks through to the Golden Core realm, he will send him the complete Earth Origin Manual and the third-grade low-rank Earth-Shaking Hammer as a congratulatory gift!

This gift was very valuable, but Shi Mingxin was no ordinary person; he was Shi Ningyu's grandfather.

Let alone the Earth Origin Secret Manual and the Earth-Shaking Hammer, even if it were something more valuable, Lu Cheng'an would still give it away!
Not to mention that he and Shi Ningyu had already become cultivation partners in private, and had simultaneously broken through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm through dual cultivation.

Even with his long-standing friendship with Shi Ningyu, he could still give away the Earth Origin Secret Manual and the Earth-Shaking Hammer as congratulatory gifts. The Earth-Shaking Hammer wasn't particularly difficult to forge, and Lu Cheng'an was already a mid-grade third-tier weapon refiner, so forging a low-grade third-tier Earth-Shaking Hammer wouldn't be a problem for him.

After spending nearly a month, he successfully forged the third-grade low-level Earthshaking Hammer.

After recuperating in his cave, he left the clan and rushed to the Dan Ding Sect.

"Brother An, you're here!" Shi Ningyu's face immediately lit up with a smile when she saw Lu Cheng'an arrive.

Her grandfather had been in seclusion for over a month, and during this time she couldn't concentrate on her cultivation at all, constantly worrying about her grandfather's condition.

"I should have come immediately after receiving your message. The reason I'm only coming now is to refine this low-grade third-tier magic weapon!"

A smile appeared on Lu Cheng'an's face as he took out the Earth-Shaking Hammer, a newly crafted low-grade third-order magic weapon.

"This is a low-grade third-tier Earth-Shaking Hammer, an earth-attribute magic weapon. Once my grandfather's cultivation breaks through to the Golden Core realm, this low-grade third-tier magic weapon can be given to him to use!"

After receiving the Earth-Shaking Hammer from Lu Cheng'an, Shi Ningyu immediately examined the magical artifact.

The earth-shaking hammer was of superior quality and perfectly matched her grandfather's design, clearly showing that Lu Cheng'an had put a lot of thought into it.

This discovery brought a touch of sweetness to Shi Ningyu's heart, and her previously worried mood relaxed considerably.

"The cultivation method my grandfather practiced was the Earth Origin Secret Manual. I found the complete cultivation method of the Earth Origin Secret Manual in the inheritance of the Burning Flame Sect. Now I have copied the cultivation method of this Earth Origin Secret Manual into this jade slip."

Lu Cheng'an then took out the jade slip containing the cultivation method of the Earth Origin Secret Manual and handed it to Shi Ningyu.

"The Earth-Shaking Hammer is a third-tier magic weapon used by Golden Core cultivators of the Burning Flame Sect who cultivate the Earth Origin Secret Manual. In addition to the Earth-Shaking Hammer, there is also a matching third-tier defensive magic weapon, the Earth Origin Secret Armor."

"However, the Earth Origin Armor is much more difficult to forge, and it also requires a lot of materials. I don't have all the materials to forge the Earth Origin Armor right now, so I haven't forged it yet."

"Brother An, you've gone to so much trouble. The Earth-Shaking Hammer and the Earth Origin Secret Manual are enough. If Grandfather knew about the gifts you gave him, he would be very happy!" Shi Ningyu said with a smile.

Lu Cheng'an smiled and said, "You don't need to worry. With the help of the Golden Core Pill you refined, Grandfather will definitely be able to break through smoothly this time!"

Shi Ningyu nodded slightly. Lu Cheng'an's arrival eased her worries and made her feel much more relaxed.

With the help of the Golden Core, even if her grandfather fails to break through, he will not be in any danger.

After sensing that Shi Ningyu's mood had eased slightly, Lu Cheng'an told her about the Wanling Sect ruins.

“I just returned from the Spirit Gu Sect a while ago… Blood Essence Rice is extremely important to our cultivation forces. We must obtain Blood Essence Rice from the ruins of the Myriad Spirits Sect!”

Lu Cheng'an's face was full of solemnity. This kind of spiritual plant was even more important to their cultivation families.

After all, these cultivation families rely on bloodline inheritance. If they can obtain Blood Essence Rice, their families will be able to produce a continuous stream of cultivation geniuses!
"We also need to find a way to subdue the herd of blue-horned antelopes in the Wanling Sect ruins. If we can get those blue-horned antelopes to work for us, our strength will increase significantly!" Lu Cheng'an said.

"The Azure Horned Antelope King is a demon beast at the third-order perfect realm. With our strength, it probably won't be an easy task to subdue it, will it?" Shi Ningyu frowned slightly.

Although she and Lu Cheng'an possessed strong spiritual power, controlling a third-tier perfected demon beast using the Taiyuan Demon Control Soul Secret Spell was not an easy task.

Moreover, they each used this spell to control a mid-stage third-tier demon beast. There is only a sliver of hope if they release their control over the Sparrow Meteor and the Turtle Demon.

Although the two demons, Queyun and Guilao, have now shown signs of submission, this is only because their souls contain the curse mark of the Taiyuan Demon-Controlling Soul Secret Spell.

If they were to remove the curse seal from the souls of the two demons, Sparrowfall and the Demon King, they would certainly no longer be willing to be driven by them.

"Whether it succeeds or not, we have to give it a try!"

"I have an idea now: the two of us can use the Taiyuan Demon Control Soul Spell to control the leader of the Green Horned Antelope!"

He and Shi Ningyu both practiced the Taiyuan Demon-Controlling Soul Secret Spell. More importantly, they were a dual cultivation couple, which made it possible for them to simultaneously condense the Taiyuan Demon-Controlling Soul Secret Spell.

Of course, they need to try again.

"When I came here, I captured a few second-tier demonic beasts from the Burning Flame Mountains. Now we can try to jointly condense the seal of the Taiyuan Demon-Controlling Soul Secret Spell!"

As Lu Cheng'an spoke, he took out several second-tier demonic beasts that had been sealed in the Sky Palace.

The Burning Flame Mountain Range now has a large number of demonic beasts, many of which have reached the second rank.

This is all thanks to the efforts of third-tier demonic beasts like the Azure Flame Lion.

Recently, the demonic beasts of the Burning Flame Mountains have been constantly invading human territory, testing the reactions of human cultivators around the Burning Flame Mountains.

The guard team formed by the Lu family has been monitoring the situation of the demonic beasts in the Burning Flame Mountains. These demonic beasts that came out of the Burning Flame Mountains were immediately killed by the guard team cultivators after entering the territory of human cultivators.

However, some still managed to slip through the net, and after entering human territory, they caused great harm to ordinary people and low-level cultivators within the territory.

Lu Wenxing had already told Lu Chengan about this situation. He felt that soon, a large number of first and second-tier demonic beasts would invade the Burning Flame Mountains.

Lu Cheng'an instructed Lu Wenxing to prepare in advance. If the third-tier demonic beasts such as the Azure Flame Lion launched an attack by the first and second-tier demonic beasts of the Burning Flame Mountain Range, they must prevent these first and second-tier demonic beasts from entering the territory.

Although first and second-tier monsters are not very strong, they have the advantage of being numerous enough.

Even if only a small portion of them enter human territory, they could potentially cause devastating damage to ordinary people and low-level cultivators within the territory.

During his trip to the Burning Flame Mountains to capture those second-tier demonic beasts, Lu Cheng'an also gained some understanding of the situation of the demonic beasts in the Burning Flame Mountains.

There are indeed a great many first and second-tier demonic beasts in the Burning Flame Mountains, and they need to be careful in dealing with them.

However, Lu Cheng'an was no longer thinking about this matter. After releasing those second-tier demonic beasts from the Sky Palace, he tried to work with Shi Ningyu to condense the Taiyuan Demon Control Soul Secret Spell!
Moments later, the soul of the first second-tier demon beast tested was completely destroyed!
(End of this chapter)