Wet viviparity

Chapter 839 Ruyi, Dawn Breaks
In the center of that low-lying, cauldron-like cave, on a round mound riddled with honeycomb-like pores, a warm, bluish-green spiritual light surged from the once-flowing spring. This light grew stronger and stronger, as if something was being gently pushed out.

It was a tender apricot sapling, which, as if it had been thoroughly irrigated by sweet spring water, sprouted branches and buds at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, it had grown tall and graceful, with gnarled branches, exuding a powerful spiritual energy and a peaceful and serene charm.

In this area recently ravaged by violence, this apricot tree stands out as the only bright spot.

This is no ordinary apricot tree; it was actually created by the green energy of the Yi wood element.

Amidst the lush foliage, specks of golden light gradually bloom—these are golden flowers of merit, their petals and stamens distinct, their tassels drooping with auspicious fragrance.

As soon as these golden flowers bloomed, dewdrops fell from their petals to the ground. The scorched and cracked land quickly lost its blackness and regained its moist, dark brown color, allowing the latent fire in the earth's lungs to be released onto the surface once more.

The pervasive stench of blood and burnt flesh was replaced by a faint fragrance of apricot blossoms, which invigorated the spirit and gradually dispelled inner demons.

This was a method left behind by the Qingnang Ancestor of Taiping Mountain. These merit flowers were meant to provide Ji Ming with the final "water and fire not yet in harmony" essence for refining the treasure, and also to ensure that the spiritual cave in this world would not be damaged. It was truly a meritorious deed.

Almost at the same time that the golden flower bloomed, Ji Ming's consciousness became clearer and clearer in the depths of his slightly opened eyes.

He felt as if he had just had a long sleep, and in a half-asleep state, he chanted a spell. Twelve "streams" surged into his body, and tender flesh sprouted from the wound where the bone rod had pierced him, trying to forcefully push out the charred bone rod bit by bit.

The twelve living furnaces, hidden far outside the evil abyss, had their invisible primordial demon life lamps burning brightly among the three flowers on their tops.

Their bodies rapidly vaporized, becoming a pool of human-shaped filth in the air, on the ground, or even on the stone wall. The Yuan Demon Life Lamp refined their lifelong cultivation into pure physical yang essence, which Ji Ming used to refine and replenish his body.

With the continuous replenishment of the body's yang energy, the five elements' true qi corresponding to the five internal organs—heart fire, kidney water, liver wood, lung metal, and spleen earth—have been pushed to an unprecedented state of balance and strength. This is a sign that the five elements are in their proper positions within the middle dantian before breaking through the five realms.

To break through the five realms, one must move the elixir embryo into the Crimson Palace, which is also known as the Middle Dantian or Yellow Court.

The process of the embryo moving from the lower dantian, the place where essence is stored, to the middle dantian, the place where qi is stored, is not without risks. If the embryo is not in the correct position after moving to the yellow court, forcibly moving the uterus at this time will only result in the embryo dying, just like a pregnant woman having a difficult childbirth.

Even if the infant barely survives, the one who ascends to the Crimson Palace will be born with deficiencies and will find it difficult to cultivate a Yang Spirit.

Therefore, it is necessary to stabilize the five elements in order to ensure a stable fetal position.

Within Ji Ming's body, five-colored light emanated from his five internal organs, intertwining and flowing, ultimately returning to the Yellow Court in the middle dantian, where it suppressed the five elements within his body.

The curled-up embryo within the Golden Core slightly stretched its limbs, and an unprecedented sense of completeness and freedom replaced the previous feeling of weakness and impending death. Ji Ming was seeing everything with a completely new perspective.

When his gaze shifted to the outside and he saw those young, lifeless corpses, his expression darkened.

"Yunyu Temple!"

He uttered three words, filled with bone-deep hatred.

"No more people should have died in this catastrophe."

Ji Ming threw the bone stick aside, looked at the furnace, raised his sword finger, and held it in front of him. The apricot tree instantly sensed this, its trunk swayed slightly, and golden flowers of merit floated upwards and fell into the furnace.

Inside the furnace, the final transformation is underway.

The supreme Yang treasure, "Yangzhi Baoguang Pendant," has long been forged into a mass of crimson jade marrow, radiating pure Yang energy and resembling a lingzhi mushroom, known as the Lingzhi Peak.

The Yin-based treasure, the "Heart-Gathering Yin Pearl," transformed into a spiritual pearl. Its color was dark and deep, giving one the feeling of still water with gentle ripples. It remained firmly at the bottom, forming the base of the spiritual pearl. This Yin and Yang had already formed the prototype of the Ruyi (a type of scepter) on the handle of the Yin-Yang Ruyi Curved Cloud. However, due to their extreme opposition, although they were barely compatible, there was always a sense of disharmony and incompatibility, as if they would separate and disintegrate at any moment.

Beyond the Ruyi, rings of rainbow light rippled outwards, causing the furnace walls to hum.

Golden flowers melt into the rainbow, and mysterious changes occur. The two opposing principles of Yin and Yang are permeated, harmonized, and even transformed into each other by the great merit of benevolence. A bridge is woven between Yin and Yang. The entire Ruyi scepter transforms and flows with a single color of azure rainbow, which is the color of the azure sky.

The true meaning of "water and fire not yet in harmony" is realized in this instant.

The true meaning is neither that water extinguishes fire, nor that fire evaporates water, but rather that fire is above and flames are downward, while water is below and vapor is upward. The two are opposite to each other but do not harm each other. They stimulate and generate each other, and in this state of "not yet crossed", infinite wonders of creation are developed.

The Golden Flower of Merit is the foundation for maintaining this delicate balance.

"Qiang!"

A clear and melodious roar suddenly erupted from the furnace, resounding throughout the Southern Fire Territory and even reaching beyond its borders.

Thousands of rays of light, like a real fountain, gushed out from the furnace opening.

Amidst the radiant glow of the sky, the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind manifested various strange phenomena that swirled and danced around, and there seemed to be the rising and falling of the sun and moon, as well as the illusory scene of immortals chanting scriptures. In the center of the radiant glow and the illusory scene, a Ruyi scepter slowly rose up.

Its form is perfectly natural—atop the Lingzhi mushroom, at the base of the Lingzhu pearl, connected by the winding, flowing Yin-Yang handle. At this moment, a golden flower of merit naturally appears above the neck, always in a state of unfulfilled potential.

As soon as it appeared, the yang energy that had been agitated by the fierce battle on the Poison Yang Sha Cave returned to its original natural state, as if it had never been disturbed by the battle.

Ji Ming just looked at it, at this Ruyi, which was also his Ruyi, and the spirit within the Ruyi also noticed him.

They were like close relatives meeting for the first time, savoring this wonderful feeling and unconsciously wanting to get closer to each other, because only in that way could they feel at peace and make each other feel more complete.

At the edge of the inauspicious burial site, one after another, the Taiping Mountain Masters arrived.

Zhu Zhen stood here, within the influence of Ruyi, and all the injuries from the fierce battle disappeared, as if he had never experienced a fierce battle.

You Rongzi leaned forward, his pupils fixed on the supreme treasure, which was unparalleled in the world. At the same time, he felt the spirituality within the Pure Water Bowl, a magical artifact in his own hand, and its reverence and submission to the treasure. He was filled with mixed emotions.

Luo Ji smiled with relief, feeling that the favor owed by her senior brother Lingxu had become even more valuable.

Wen Daoyu carried Shu Si here, his steps heavy. Looking at the dying Shu Si, he didn't go to the front, for Shu Si, in his final moments, murmured, "Don't let Master be distracted by me, don't let Master be..."

At the same time, the friction between factions within Tianteng Mountain, which had almost escalated to the point of being overt, subsided, simply because the overall situation within the region had now been settled.

As Ji Ming reached out towards Ruyi, dawn broke.

This was not the sunrise in the east, the dawn breaking, but a ray of light descending from the boundless and distant celestial realm, spreading here like white ink.

Ji Ming and Ruyi Bao were of one mind, both immersed in the mysterious and harmonious connection. At this moment, as "dawn" broke, they felt something and together looked up at the sky.

(End of this chapter)