Wet viviparity

Chapter 818 Forging Furnace, Battle Continues
Beside Daci Village lies a treacherous, poisonous spot.

This inauspicious burial site is hidden in a secluded valley, surrounded by mountains that resemble iron, with gnarled, barren rocks.

The valley entrance is narrow, allowing only one person to pass sideways. The cliffs on both sides are towering, their color like burnt iron. When the sunlight reaches this point, it seems to shrink back, casting several pale, slanting rays. This is the gateway to the evil acupoint, which the rogue cultivators in Daci Village call the Rejecting Sun Gorge.

After entering the gorge for ten zhang, the space suddenly opens up, revealing a depression.

The ground was covered with fine cracks, and the earth fire surged upward, bringing out the five metal elements, which condensed on the outer shell of the soil into spiritual iron sand, each grain round and smooth.

Here, array banners are set up every five steps, and magic stakes are placed every ten steps. These array banners and magic stakes are either planted on the top of the canyon or deeply driven into the soil. Their energy is interconnected, causing wind and thunder to rage in the air, and the scenery has become dark.

On the high ground on both sides of Juyang Gorge, there is a high altar erected on each side. The two gentlemen, Linshui and Jiehuo, sit on it respectively, with disheveled hair and bare feet, chanting incantations.

As the two gentlemen chanted their incantations for a longer period, dark clouds surged and rolled in from all sides, crashing against the surrounding mountains time and again. They slowly rose above the mountains, reaching the sky and separating the inside from the outside, while the thunder in the sky became even more violent.

At the center of the burial site, the depression is like a cauldron. There are no raging flames or waves of heat rising from it; instead, one feels a sense of stagnation and dryness.

At the center of the bottom of the cave lies a round mound, shaped like an inverted cauldron, covered with honeycomb-like holes.

From these openings, wisps of pale golden smoke occasionally emanated, condensing and rising in a spiral.

When it reaches a height of about ten feet, it condenses on its own, becoming the size of a fingernail, and is collected into the furnace opening of the red copper smelting furnace above the cave.

The substance condensed from the smoke is the Yang Sha within the acupoint, which is extremely refined and pure, yet also extremely poisonous. Only the Yang Sha within this Poisonous Yang Sha acupoint can condense such a refined and pure Yang Sha.

Outside the copper furnace, Wen Daoyu sat cross-legged, the bright red furnace wall making his face appear as red as a jujube. His ten fingers flew as he cast different incantations into the furnace opening, using this most mentally taxing technique to control the delicate temperature within.

Behind Wen Daoyu, Shu Si and Mo Ya Zi were resting with their eyes closed, ready to take over for Wen Daoyu at any time.

Outside the cave, beneath several withered pine trees that had sprouted from the cracks in the rocks, stood the red-haired Luo Ji, sitting cross-legged on a patch of green lotus leaves, her arms crossed over her chest, radiating an aura different from the others present—relaxed and at ease.

"I really don't understand."

Luo Ji looked around and caught sight of a guardian ape under the Daoist priest, as well as a river spirit named Qingbolong from the Crane Cry area.

"Since there are already many powerful figures protecting this place, why did he need to call me here?"

Xu Yanzi, who was also under the withered pine tree, sat on the dragon carp and stared intently at the furnace hanging in the sinkhole in front of him. He said, "Because Senior Brother Lingxu is enough to suppress villains, and we just need to follow orders."

Furthermore, Sister Luo, if you wish to participate in the battle in Daci Village, we will not stop you; this is your right as one of the leaders of Taiping Mountain.”

"never mind."

Luo Ji shook her head and said, "Those people are like clay chickens and earthen dogs under Ling Xuzi's hands. Even if I win, it won't be meaningful and I won't be able to show my abilities. On the contrary, being here will make Ling Xuzi owe me a great favor."

"Let me think about it. Adding the favor he did for supporting Little Blessed Land before, he already owes me twice. These two favors shouldn't be any less valuable than the two magic treasures in the future, right?"

"Two favors."

Xu Yanzi glanced at Luo Ji with envy, then quickly returned his gaze to the furnace, and said meaningfully, "This magic weapon is definitely not ordinary. I have a feeling that after it is completed and brought to the world, Senior Brother Lingxu's cultivation and potential will be no weaker than that Flying Immortal."

Luo Ji's gaze also fell on the stove, where a faint glow shone through the burner and a hazy, misty air emanated from it. She knew that Xu Yanzi's words implied that Ling Xuzi's favor would be extremely valuable in the future.

Looking at her fellow disciples inside and outside the cave, each fulfilling their duties, she knew that the next True Lord position would likely be held by Ling Xuzi, Fei Zhangxian, and Li Zhu Gaozhen.

It's not impossible for him and You Rongzi to be together, but while their cultivation might stand out and achieve something in the Southern Fire Frontier, it would be difficult to compare them in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to the level of Fei Zhang Xian and Zhang Xiaoyuan.

Zhang Xiaoyuan has now been officially listed in the Great Yunfu Frontier, and his physical cultivation is comparable to that of a fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivator. This has instantly raised the level of competition among these candidate True Immortals to the fifth level. Among the four realms of Taiping Mountain, only Master Lingxu seems to be closely following suit.

Thinking of this, she found it amusing. There was a saying on the mountain that the next True Lord position should belong to Li Zhu Gao Zhen, and that these people should compete for the position of the next True Lord.

Now Zhang Xiaoyuan and Master Lingxu are catching up one by one. The gap between them and Zhu Gaozhen in terms of cultivation is gradually disappearing. The remaining difference lies in their achievements, and the greatest achievement is the merit of quelling this calamity.

"Enemy attack!
"The south direction is out of position!"

Suddenly, Wen Daoyu and Shu Si shouted in unison.

Almost simultaneously, the thick wall of dark clouds rising from the surrounding mountains to the south was forcibly torn apart by an immense force.

Within the gap in the clouds, a brilliantly refined sword light, spinning like a halo, surged through the swirling clouds before being suppressed by the raging winds and thunder in the sky. In an instant, the sword light transformed into a dragon soaring through the air, cleaving through wind and thunder, and forcefully entering the Juyang Gorge.

Upon seeing the incoming sword light, Luo Ji beamed with joy and rushed forward.

She knew that the array diagrams held by Lin Shui and Jie Huo were extraordinary, and their techniques for operating the array diagrams were second to none in the sect.

At this moment, the enemy was merely feigning weakness at Juyang Gorge, allowing them to rampage freely within the formation, as if they had broken through all the gates of the formation without any obstacles. In reality, the more freely the enemy rampaged, the deeper they became trapped within the formation.

"You shouldn't have come."

Huo Liezi had just arrived at the ruins of the village and walked to Master Lingxu's side when he heard such a sentence. He subconsciously thought that the master was complaining that he only watched from the sidelines and did not offer any help.

He was about to explain, but then realized something was amiss. How could Master Lingxu be so narrow-minded? After a moment's thought, he said, "Master, you don't want Tianteng Mountain to abandon its stance, even if that stance leans towards your side."

"Tian Teng Mountain is not a monolithic entity. Once someone supports me, someone else will inevitably oppose me."

When this confrontation of attitudes evolves into a battle of wits, it will naturally lead to the Three Monsters and Five Birds personally taking part.

As far as I'm concerned now, since most of the Three Monsters and Five Animals support me, it's too early for them to intervene. Therefore, while this battle between the two factions is still ongoing, you shouldn't have come; you should have waited for me to come to you.

"The battle of wits is not over yet?"

Huo Liezi paused for a moment before speaking.

Ji Ming lifted the relic bottle and said, "There's also a Meridian Champion. From what they've said, that should be his name."

"them!"

Huo Liezi knew that "they" referred to the few who had just been killed, and for a moment she felt sorry for them.

Judging from the intensity of their battle, these individuals were certainly not ordinary fourth-realm or Yuan Dan demons. However, even after their deaths, they were only mentioned briefly by Master Lingxu, making Huo Liezi realize how insignificant the fourth-realm beings were.

"Then I'll leave now."

"Forget it, it's here now."

Ji Ming called out to Huo Liezi.

"The sorcerer used himself as bait to lure out the main force of the Cloud and Rain Temple, as well as many of their spies, and eliminated them one by one, thus stabilizing this territory and preventing our disciples from being disturbed or tempted. Our Danluan lineage will certainly keep its promise and protect this Poisonous Yang Sha Cave so that the treasure refining will not be disturbed."

“I’m at ease there. Now I have a question: why isn’t your Tianteng Mountain family in the Southern Fire Frontier excluded from the border by the Iron Law of the Three Frontiers?”

(End of this chapter)