Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 339 The peach blossoms shine brightly

Marshal Deng, whose given name was Xie and courtesy name was Bowen, was the chief commander of the Thunder Department, in charge of all military affairs. He was also known as the Great God of Thunder Department, the True Lord of One Qi Divided into Thunder Flame Emperor, the Heavenly Lord of Fire Law, and the Primordial Northern Pole Heavenly King Thunderous Lord Deng. He resided in the Southern Palace Fire Order Residence, was in charge of the Danxiao Ziying Palace, and sat in the Thunder Law Order Mansion.

In ancient times, Marshal Deng fought alongside the Yellow Emperor against Chiyou, achieving great military merit and being deified. His divine form was:

It has a phoenix-shaped beak and silver teeth, crimson hair and an orchid-like body. It holds a thunder drill in its left hand and a thunder hammer in its right. It is a hundred feet tall, with wings growing from its armpits. When these wings are spread, hundreds of miles of darkness will be created. Its eyes emit two beams of fire that illuminate hundreds of miles. Its hands and feet are all dragon claws.

The Thunder God soars through the void, devouring spirits and slaying demonic dragons. Those who practice thunder magic, by chanting the god's name and invoking his divine power, can drive away great evils, shake mountains, and with the flapping of his wings, overturn the waters of the four seas.

Demonic dragons, water monsters, ghosts, poisonous creatures, and mountain goblins all tremble at the mere mention of this god's name.

The statue and tablet of this deity are enshrined in the Wulei Temple on the Shuji Mountain of Sanqing Mountain.

Cheng Xinzhan focused his mind on the "Tianshu" acupoint, visualizing Marshal Deng's spirit and form there.

Embrace the primordial unity, contemplate and preserve the spirit, create something from nothing, and let light shine from an empty room.

Marshal Deng is present.

The moment the Marshal's divine form was born, the dragon-shaped energy within the "Tian Shu" acupoint instantly disintegrated, dispersing into protective energy, which then transformed into a purple shawl, wrapping around the Marshal's arms. Here, the dragon thunder energy stored up by Cheng Xinzhan over the years transformed into lightning liquid, prostrating itself at the Marshal's feet.

The Water Thunder General Xia Guan in the nostrils and the Divine Thunder General Qiu Guan in the forehead bowed respectfully to the newly born Marshal Deng. In the gallbladder, the Divine Might Demon-Subduing Thunder True Lord nodded in greeting to Marshal Deng.

Marshal Deng opened his eyes and returned the greetings to the three parties.

Immediately afterwards, the marshal's eyes blazed with fire, illuminating the inner world and surveying all the places where dragon breath was raging. Then, he snorted coldly, holding a thunder drill in his left hand and a thunder hammer in his right, and the two weapons clashed.

"boom!"

A deafening roar erupted from Cheng Xinzhan's inner world.

Then, Cheng Xinzhan felt his heart, blood, scales, and all his acupoints quiet down. The unbearable pain of his body being dismembered also quickly subsided.

He was relieved.

"By the way, do you have anything on you...?"

Long Jun had only uttered half of his thoughts when he happened to hear Marshal Deng unleash a thunderbolt, which banished his voice as well.

However, after a while, the Dragon Lord's voice rang in Cheng Xinzhan's ears again. It must have been some kind of telepathic magic. The Dragon Lord said...

"Your treasure, which belongs to the dragon family, is indeed quite domineering."

Long Jun's tone was tinged with amusement, and he sounded noticeably more relaxed. Moreover, he said this merely as a remark, not a genuine question, and before Cheng Xinzhan could answer, he continued with the sentence he had just been interrupted from.
Do you have any medicines on you that replenish qi and blood, heal flesh and bones, or preserve life? How many do you have?

Yes, quite a few.

Cheng Xinzhan opened his mouth to reply, knowing that the Dragon Lord would definitely hear him.

As for the medicine that Long Jun mentioned, in addition to the medicine he had refined himself and the medicine that Brother Ji Hu had given him for daily healing, he also had the "Chiming Liyu Ointment," a specialty of Siming Mountain, which had been given to him by Daoist Cun Si of Siming Mountain.

Furthermore, before he was executed in the mountain village, the sect leader had also given him "Life-Regenerating Ointment." Back when he was undergoing his first alchemical tribulation in western Hunan, both Master Wen and Master Dong had given him pills to lock his core and prolong his life. He had kept these sacred items all this time without ever using them.

Then he heard the Dragon King say,

"Then don't be reluctant. Use it when necessary. Let your physical body undergo the tribulation together with the Dragon Pearl. Oh, you should call it the Golden Core. Share the burden with the Golden Core and don't break it. Magical treasures can't stop the Dragon Tribulation, but the physical body can."

"it is good!"

Cheng Xinzhan responded, then swayed as he got up, intending to fly to the mountaintop to join the Golden Elixir.

"You don't need to worry too much, your luck is extremely good. This dragon lightning of yours is the Eastern Azure Dragon Wood Tribulation Lightning, which is responsible for creation and growth. Among dragon lightning, its killing power is the least, and it is the tribulation lightning that all dragon descendants in the world dream of."

"The Seven-Nine Dragon Thunder, as long as you can get through it smoothly, will be extremely beneficial to your physical body. After being reborn, you should be able to rival the fourth-realm dragon descendants."

Hearing the resolute tone in Cheng Xinzhan's reply, Long Jun smiled and told him to relax. He then added...

"You just focus on your tribulation, I'll keep an eye on things outside."

"it is good."

Cheng Xinzhan replied with another word. He knew that this Dragon Thunder Tribulation was so powerful that even the Thunderstorm of Awakening of Insects wouldn't be able to hide it. However, after the Dragon Lord's repeated reminders, he had indeed relaxed a lot.

He flew to the side of the Golden Core, and sure enough, the dragon lightning split into bolts and struck.

A tingling and stinging sensation swept through his body once more. The dragon's breath throughout his body, like wild grass that had just been wilted by frost, was now revived by the spring breeze.

Moreover, unlike the previous tribulation lightning which struck the Golden Core and then flowed through the connection between the user and the Golden Core to the physical body, this time the lightning struck the flesh directly, like a whip, a knife, or a halberd, instantly tearing the skin and flesh apart.

While the flesh and blood were about to transform into a dragon and fly away, they were also suffering the pain of being destroyed.

The dragon's breath within his body was suppressed by Deng Tianjun's thunderous attack, while flesh and blood flew everywhere from his body. Cheng Xinzhan could only endure it, swallowing ointments to allow new flesh and blood to grow back, ensuring his physical form remained intact. However, the growth of new flesh caused unbearable itching, adding to Cheng Xinzhan's suffering.

What offered him some solace was the radiant light emanating from the fresh flesh and blood growing within the embrace of the dragon and thunder, emitting a strange fragrance, as cool and refreshing as pine trees after rain. Occasionally, lightning would blast a bloody hole in his body, deep enough to expose the bone, revealing the white bones gleaming with a jade-like luster.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Cheng Xinzhan didn't know how much time had passed, but he knew that he had completely consumed all the "Muscle Regenerating Jade Red Ointment" he had refined, the "Rejuvenating and Blood Activating Soup" and "Marrow-Nourishing and Bone-Setting Pill" given to him by Daoist Jihu, as well as the "Red Bright Jade Ointment" from Siming Mountain and the "Flesh-Activating and Fracturing Ointment" given to him by the sect leader. He felt that his bones and flesh had been completely replaced.

The sect leader's "Flesh-Regenerating Ointment" is a sacred medicine; once ingested, it continues to work, and for every bit of thunder that is extinguished, the flesh and blood grow back in equal measure. However, Cheng Xinzhan has already obtained the "Nine-Turn Jade True Powder" given to him by Master Dong, and will continue to ingest it once the effects of the "Flesh-Regenerating Ointment" wear off.

However, in his drowsy state, Cheng Xinzhan felt that his ears were suddenly much quieter, and his physical body seemed to have calmed down, no longer experiencing birth and death.

Is this the end?
Cheng Xinzhan looked up at the sky and saw that there was indeed no more thunder, and the purple tribulation clouds were slowly dissipating.

"call--"

He let out a long breath, feeling that time had never passed so slowly.

A gust of wind blew by, and Cheng Xinzhan felt a chill. Looking down, she realized that she was completely naked, and her newly formed skin was as smooth and white as jade.

His expression changed drastically. He suddenly remembered that when he was in a daze during his tribulation, he felt extremely uncomfortable with the torn flesh sticking to his clothes, so he set fire to the clothes and burned them all. He quickly searched for his clothes in the illusory realm. Although his physical body was now as smooth as ice and as radiant as jade, he still couldn't expose himself like this.

Cheng Xinzhan didn't have high demands for his appearance, so he didn't have many clothes. He always wore the set of lake-blue outer robe and light peach-colored inner garment that he was given when he entered the sect. After his clothes were destroyed when he fell into the evil abyss in his early years, he learned his lesson and received many more sets of clothes at once after returning to the mountain. So now he took out an exact set and put it on.

After this incident, Cheng Xinzhan's mind returned to normal, and his head became clearer. He then clenched his hands, feeling the power of a dragon and an elephant, and waved his hand to make a sword-finger strike, which produced a whistling sound.

This tribulation lightning was indeed extremely beneficial to the physical body.

However, the changes brought about by this tribulation lightning seemed to be numerous. Cheng Xinzhan did not intend to delve into it at the moment. He put aside the changes in his physical body and turned to look at his golden core.

Then he saw a perfectly round white bead, the size of a lotus seed, shining brightly in the void, illuminating the area. But if he stared at it for a long time, he felt that it was not a cinnabar bead, but a flame, a white flame, burning through the void and creating a white hole.

Upon closer inspection, the white flame seemed to have ignited the void itself, and the spiritual energy around the pill distorted like a heat wave, resembling the faint, ethereal smoke emanating from the pill.

Light smoke?

Cheng Xinzhan was startled and focused his attention on watching again.

Sure enough, it was not an illusion! He could clearly see that the golden core was emitting wisps of pure, white, almost transparent pill energy from the inside out!
This is the radiant glow of cinnabar fire!

The peaches ripen after three washes! And the golden elixir swirls after seven or nine cycles!

Cheng Xinzhan's lips unconsciously turned up, and joy shone in his eyes. He felt a sense of peace and relief, all pain vanished, and his whole body relaxed. He then burst into laughter, his voice echoing throughout the world.

He opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing the pill. Then, he made a grasping motion in the air, and the clouds and mist that enveloped the entire Nine Peaks Iron Chariot Mountain condensed into a handkerchief, which he then put into his bosom.

Just then, the weather cooperated perfectly; the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, revealing a bright rainbow hanging overhead. The sea was calm and still, smooth as silk and a mirror, blending seamlessly with the sky, clear and vast.

He was inspired and, moved by a sudden feeling, spontaneously composed the following poem.
"The wind drives the rain and the waves rise high."
The clouds press the blue thunder and the ground sounds loudly.

After the rain, I wonder where the dragon has gone.
A vast expanse of sea reflects the clear sky.

After reciting the poem, Cheng Xinzhan was in high spirits and wanted to go to the Dragon Palace to express his gratitude. Just as he was about to head south, he noticed a tiny figure standing on the sea in the distance to the south. Upon closer inspection, he recognized Yan Zhengyang.

He smiled knowingly; this friend must have appeared to protect him after hearing the dragon's roar.

Cheng Xinzhan seemed to remember something, and looked around. Sure enough, he saw Jiao Buping in the north, Fan Shanshui in the east, and Li Yangxing in the west, each guarding their own territory.

His heart warmed, so he stopped and said aloud,
"Thank you all for protecting me. My tribulation has passed. Please come up the mountain to meet me!"

The sound traveled out, and several people heard it, so they flew towards Iron Cha Mountain.

Cheng Xinzhan stood there, thinking about what to prepare to express her gratitude for the protection of her path. It didn't need to be too expensive, but the sentiment would be appreciated. How about some incense? She had made quite a few incense sticks in the past two years. They could purify the body and calm the mind, exorcise ghosts and ward off evil spirits, and could be used for daily meditation and rituals.

He had an idea in mind, and a faint smile appeared on his face. At this moment, his excitement at successfully passing the tribulation and the significant improvement in his physical body and golden core had subsided somewhat.

However, as soon as his mind cleared, he immediately sensed something was wrong. Looking up, he saw a long rainbow shining brightly in the clear sky after the rain, piercing through the sun like a long sword, radiating a scorching and dazzling aura.

"A white rainbow piercing the sun"?
To his surprise, he reached out to grab it, and the white rainbow suddenly shrank, turning into a bright veil of energy lying in his palm.

It truly is a celestial being!
Is this an unusual celestial phenomenon caused by my successful tribulation?

Cheng Xinzhan slapped his forehead, inwardly scolding himself for not cultivating his mind enough. He had only just undergone the Three Cleansing Pill Tribulations and the Dragon Transformation Peach Ripening, yet his mind was so agitated that he didn't even see the Heavenly Gang above his head.

But the next moment, he smiled broadly again, for this would make for a more suitable gift of thanks.

At this moment, the four who had volunteered to protect the Dharma approached.

"Master, you are truly talented! Congratulations on your longevity and attainment of enlightenment!"

Li Yangxing from Laoshan laughed.

"Congratulations to the Master on your successful completion of the sutra! The path to the Great Dao is now within reach!"

King Yan Zhengyang of Laodong offered his congratulations with clasped hands.

Congratulations, Master! May your spiritual practice flourish daily!

King Jiao Buping of Chengbei offered his congratulations.

"Congratulations, Master! You have penetrated the profound and subtle mysteries, and the elixir has been successfully completed through nine cycles!"

Chengnan King Fan Shan Shuidao Xi.

Cheng Xinzhan was overjoyed, thanked the four of them, then raised the protective aura in his hand and laughed.
"Everyone who sees it has a share."

Under the astonished gazes of the group, he cut the gauze into five pieces, kept one piece for himself, and then divided the other four pieces equally among the four people.

The four of them naturally refused, declining the offer repeatedly.

Cheng Xinzhan didn't refuse them. Seeing that they wouldn't take it, he stuffed it into their hands one by one, and then smiled.

"Thank you all again for protecting me. However, I am in a state of deep thought today and it is not appropriate for me to entertain guests. I need to go into seclusion as soon as possible to organize my thoughts. Therefore, I will not keep you here."

The four looked at each other in bewilderment, and had no choice but to take the burning hot gauze and say goodbye.

As soon as the four left, the Dragon Lord's voice echoed in Cheng Xinzhan's mind once more.

"You should go into seclusion and organize what you've learned as soon as possible. You still have half a month to spare, that should be enough, right? Don't forget, the Spring Equinox is the day our two families forge an alliance, you can't be absent then."

Cheng Xinzhan agreed, and said,

"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle."

"We're family, why stand on ceremony? Go ahead."

The Dragon King replied with one sentence, then cut off his thoughts.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Xinzhan abandoned his idea of ​​going to the Dragon Palace to express his gratitude in person and instead returned directly to Yunguang Cave.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Taoist priest sat down and entered a meditative state, focusing his inner vision.

He first went to see the Crimson Palace Destiny Wheel.

But what he saw shocked him even more.

May you live two more cycles of sixty years!
The maximum lifespan increase for humans after the Elixir of Immortality is half a Jiazi!
Cheng Xinzhan's first and second cleansings both granted him a full lifespan of half a Jiazi, which was already quite rare. However, he never expected that the "Eastern Azure Dragon Wood Tribulation Lightning" mentioned by the Dragon Lord, which governs creation and generation, would transform him and increase his lifespan by two Jiazi, which is four times the previous lifespan!
Is this how dragon descendants extend their lifespan during tribulations?
No, perhaps the lifespan of true dragon descendants is even longer. Take Gu Yi's uncle, for example. He was a famous figure during the Later Tang Dynasty and has not yet reached the Fourth Realm, but he still looks so young. This shows the long lifespan of true dragon descendants!
No wonder the Dragon King said that as long as this tribulation is overcome, there will be many benefits.

He calmed himself down and looked at the golden elixir again.

The golden elixir was only the size of a lotus seed, emitting a blazing white light.

Cheng Xinzhan's Golden Core underwent four changes in size. When it was first formed, it was the size of a chicken egg. After the first wash, it shrunk to the size of a pigeon egg. After the second wash, it was refined to the size of a green jujube. The third change occurred when Yu Qiu Bai Yuxuan generously gifted him a thousand years of Golden Nature cultivation, causing the Golden Core to shrunk again from the size of a green jujube to the size of a longan seed.

The fourth change just happened; the Three Tribulations of Refining the Golden Elixir reduced it to the size of a lotus seed.

The smaller the golden elixir, the stronger its golden nature, and the closer it is to perfection.

The golden elixir, the size of a lotus seed, is proof of its perfection—at this very moment, it is radiating a vibrant, fiery aura.

The elixir's aura was much more noticeable in the inner palace (Huangting Palace) than during the outer ritual. The elixir was like a candle wick, and the aura it emitted was like the candle flame—so dazzling and mesmerizing.

After twenty years of Core Formation and three Core Cleansings, Cheng Xinzhan had already obtained the Core Qi that most Golden Core cultivators in the world dream of and pursue their entire lives.

In other words, at this point, Cheng Xinzhan no longer needed to cleanse his golden core; he could directly send the core energy into his crimson palace and devote himself entirely to the cultivation of the Four Realms Method.

He gazed at the rising elixir energy, carefully sensing the pure and abundant magical power and the world-suppressing, sea-filling magic contained within it.

After a long while, he shook his head.

No, not now.

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(End of this chapter)