Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 344 Traveling to the Three Mountains and Gaining the Wind Force Again

After Cheng Xinzhan returned to his sect, he only stayed for about ten days. The Dragon King left at the end of February, and on the first day of March, he was summoned to Gezao Mountain by the visiting Daoist Shengying.

When Master Shengying explained his purpose, Sanqingshan had no choice but to comply. Sanqingshan had contributed greatly to the establishment of the mountain and the founding of the sect at Gezaoshan. Even today, Moyashan and Danxiashan still regard Gezaoshan as their outer sect.

Cheng Xinzhan couldn't refuse. Back then, he had secretly learned the sect's sacred scripture, the *Taishang Dongxuan Lingbao Wuliang Duren Shangpin Miaojing*, from Tianqiao Mountain, and the sect hadn't held it against him. This time, the welcoming dragon prince had been guided by the sect in the rituals and had been taught the *Dongxuan Lingbao Shengxuan Buxu Zhang*. Given such kindness, and now the sect was merely inviting him to give a lecture and even opening its scripture pavilion to him, what more could he ask for?

After staying at Gezao Mountain for three months, on the first day of June, the deputy leader of Sanyuan Mountain, Master Zhenchang, who lived not far from Gezao Mountain, came to knock on the door.

As a result, Cheng Xinzhan was seamlessly transferred to Sanyuan Mountain.

This infuriated Daoist Nengyue. He had only learned that Sanqing Mountain was finished when he saw the Dragon King's return to the sea, so he came to invite the person. However, upon entering Sanqing Mountain, he was told that the person had already been taken away by Gezao Mountain. Daoist Nengyue was helpless, but he knew about the friendship between the two Ges, and besides, the other party had come first, so there was nothing he could do but think of waiting for the person to come out of Gezao Mountain before picking them up.

But to everyone's surprise, there were even people blocking the door and intercepting the food!

Master Nengyue got into a fight at Sanyuan Mountain, complaining that the Jingming Sect was acting unfairly.

But the Jingming sect was equally assertive, insisting on a proper order of arrival, and that once the person was taken, there was no going back. Besides, the person didn't belong to the Juqu Mountain family, and they were already the first to reap the rewards; the Master had lectured at Juqu Mountain for four years straight, that was enough.

This made Master Nengyue laugh in anger. He said that he had good judgment back then, so how could this be a mistake? He started it, and now one after another is following suit, and they still want to blame the one who started it?

They were all at the level of vice-leaders, yet they were still banging on the table and glaring. Upon hearing the news, Cheng Xinzhan rushed over and quickly tried to mediate, saying that he was in Sanyuan Mountain just like he was in Gezao Mountain, and that he would leave after three months. He also assured Daoist Nengyue that he would definitely arrive at Juqu Mountain before the beginning of winter.

In addition, Cheng Xinzhan also felt guilty. He had promised to take time to preach at Juqu Mountain, and the two leading figures of the younger generation at Juqu Mountain were currently mentoring his disciples. So he secretly sent a telepathic message to Daoist Nengyue, saying that he would stay at Juqu Mountain for a longer period of time this time.

With these words, Master Nengyue turned his anger into joy and happily told Cheng Xinzhan to go ahead with his work, as he still wanted to have a chat with Master Shengying.

Juqu Mountain and Sanyuan Mountain are the backbone of the Haoran Alliance's demon-slaying efforts. Their disciples are mostly sworn brothers, and they would let bygones be bygones when they quarreled. The two immediately changed their tune and started talking about exorcising demons.

And so, Cheng Xinzhan stayed at Sanyuan Mountain from the first day of the sixth month to the first day of the ninth month.

On the first day of the ninth lunar month, he left Sanyuan Mountain after being persuaded by his fellow Daoists of the Jingming Sect.

However, after leaving Sanyuan Mountain, he neither went directly to Juqu Mountain nor returned to his clan. Instead, he traveled north, crossing Qing and Lu, and traversing the Bohai Sea to reach Liaodong.

After crossing the Bohai Sea, it was obvious that the weather was getting colder. In the southeast, it was only slightly chilly at this time, but by the time we reached Liaodong, the ground was covered with white frost.

Cheng Xinzhan knew he had made the right decision to come.

He had been to Liaodong twice before, once with Yongliang to find the ginseng fruit core, and once with Qingbo to find the place to transcend tribulation. This was his third time coming, and his purpose was to collect Sufeng.

He had consulted the local gazetteer and found that around the time of Frost's Descent, the places most prone to frost and with the most frost were Liaodong and the Western Regions, so he came.

Cheng Xinzhan didn't know any familiar places here. Although Shiyi Niang had businesses in Liaodong, time was tight this time, and she was still in the sky, so it was best not to bother her. Therefore, Cheng Xinzhan went directly to the tribulation site that Qing Bo had found last time, a Taiji Canyon carved out by a spiritual spring.

Liaodong is a vast and resource-rich land, but sparsely populated, with few people to be seen on the vast white expanse. Especially the Taiji Canyon that Cheng Xinzhan was going to, located at the junction of Liaodong and the Lelang Peninsula, is a barbarian area, so there are even fewer people there—when Wu Qingbo was looking for a place to undergo tribulation, he took seclusion into consideration.

This made Cheng Xinzhan feel more at ease.

The canyon was concealed by Wu Qingbo using a simple formation. Such a sophisticated formation would not be difficult for someone who knew the location and was willing to break it. However, unless one had prior knowledge of the location, it would be very difficult to find in the vast Liaodong Plain.

When Cheng Xinzhan arrived at the location, there were indeed no signs of damage.

He deactivated the formation, reinforced it, and expanded the area of ​​the illusion. Formations, unless they are naturally formed, need to be reinforced regularly, otherwise they will inevitably cause problems over time.

Then, he took out the "Eight Treasures Cloud Light Handkerchief," and with a flick of his wrist, the handkerchief merged into the void and disappeared.

Having made these arrangements, he leaped into the valley.

The canyon's elevation change isn't significant, and the valley itself is quite wide, with lawns on both banks and a few scattered trees, all of which have already lost their leaves. In the very center of the valley flows a stream, only about five steps wide, unfrozen and gently babbling. The grass on both sides of the stream is still green, fresh and vibrant; further away from the stream, the grass is mottled, patches of green and yellow.

Cheng Xinzhan came to the stream and sat down on the ground.

Today is only the first day of the lunar month, but the Frost's Descent falls on the 27th this year, so we'll be spending the entire month in the valley.

He had just sat down when he thought of Zongli again, wondering how the sect leader would arrange things.
The effects of the wind and the method of harvesting it were told to the sect leader after returning from Xikang. The sect leader was naturally overjoyed when he heard the news, but this was followed by worry.

First and foremost, the scope must be controlled, because this is a time-consuming activity. The method of harvesting itself isn't difficult, although it's a delicate task, but it can't withstand a large number of people. Once it spreads, everyone will know and go to collect it. Sanqing Mountain isn't that generous.

But precisely because collecting folk materials is not difficult, and it can only be done once every twelve years, the fewer people in the sect know about it, the fewer celestial spirits they can collect, and the one who suffers is their own family.

Furthermore, when Ji Hehe learned that this substance was the "Five Calamities and Decays Wind" controlled by the Queen Mother of the West, he immediately understood the risks of this aura—not everyone is virtuous enough to use it to hasten their tribulation; doing so would be similar to those unorthodox methods of shattering the elixir to form an infant. While this method might not have any side effects, the dangers are comparable. The Sect Leader, having survived the wind calamities of the Four Realms, surely knew that a single misstep could cause the wind to rise from within, resulting in annihilation of both body and soul!

To shorten the tribulation time, one must be quite confident in one's golden core; in other words, one must be an elite disciple of the sect. However, if an elite disciple dies not from fighting demons or reaching the end of their lifespan, but instead dies from being too eager for quick success, then that is one's fault. But if one only allows these disciples to collect materials without letting them refine them, and demands that they hand them all over to the sect, it seems too domineering, and there's no guarantee they won't hoard them.

Moreover, even those at the fourth realm would find it difficult to remain unmoved by a wind force that had never appeared before and was related to the Dao of the Universe, and they would not dare to say that they could definitely refine it safely.

Perhaps only those who have survived the storm and reached the fourth and fifth realms, as well as those with little lifespan left, can truly face it with equanimity.

However, there are not many people, and if only these people are sent to collect folk songs, Ji Hehe feels that it is a waste.

Anyway, when Cheng Xinzhan left Sanqing Palace, Ji Hehe hadn't come up with a way to both ensure safety and maximize the collection of spiritual energy. Now, the Frost's Descent of the Wuzi year is almost here, and I wonder if he's figured it out yet.

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head, deciding not to think about it. These matters were meant to give the sect leaders headaches, and this was a kind of worrisome kind of joy. In any case, the more Heavenly Gang the sect accumulated, the more resources it had, and it also provided a way out for those trapped in the Pill Tribulation. The sect leader and vice sect leaders must be very pleased with themselves.

Speaking of the Heavenly Gang, his family was quite generous to him. Because they needed to perform the ritual to welcome the Dragon King, the leaders and elders discussed it and decided to make it a grand affair. They decided on the "Three Lights Welcoming Guests" ritual and actually gave him two Heavenly Gangs from their treasury: the "Midnight Moonlight Gang" and the "Weak Water Washing Star Gang".

Cheng Xinzhan never expected that when he chatted with the sect leader before forming his core, the sect leader mentioned several types of Yin Gang for him to choose from, and his family actually had them all!
However, upon closer reflection, it seems to make sense. He alone had contributed two techniques to the sect: "Purple Fire Rotten Peach Fiend" and "Pure Wind Cool Heavenly Gang." With 100,000 fellow disciples and six thousand years of history, it's not surprising that the sect had accumulated countless treasures.

This is the foundation of the Immortal Sect. Cheng Xinzhan calculated that since returning from Xikang, he had refined "Hibernating Dragon Yin Saliva Fiend" from the four insect golden pills of the Five Poison Heavenly King, totaling five taels. He also refined an additional "Earth Fire Heavenly Star Fiend" from the spider's poison pill, which was one tael. After receiving the heaven-sent "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun Gang" during his tribulation, he had less than four taels left after giving some away.

Adding to what he had gained before, he now possesses thirty types of Divine Fiends. Among them, there are eleven Heavenly Divine Fiends, six Yang and five Yin; and nineteen Earthly Divine Fiends, eight Yang and eleven Yin.

This number is staggering, no matter when or where it is placed.

Fortunately, there were still about twenty days before Feng Gang descended to earth, so I took advantage of this quiet time to deeply comprehend the Yin and Yang principles within the Feng Sha, and to refine the two supernatural powers, "Yin-Yang Extinction Divine Light" and "Yin-Yang Five Elements Hoop," once again.

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.

September 20th, night.

The frost here is already very thick, and it keeps increasing. The autumn wind howls, creating a mournful echo in the valley, and a few bare trees shiver with cold.

Cheng Xinzhan was vaguely worried. Although the chances of capturing the wind energy were greater under such celestial conditions, the strong autumn winds also made the trapping net easier to break. Fortunately, this time it wasn't as rushed as last time, and the preparations were more thorough, with more nets being refined.

In addition, such celestial phenomena also require keen eyesight, because frost is forming every moment. This requires him to detect the extra growth brought by the pure wind amidst the frost covering the ground and make his move at that moment.

It is the end of the Hai hour.

Two beams of spiritual light surged from Cheng Xinzhan's body, falling to either side of the canyon. Upon landing, the light revealed his bamboo incarnation and fire lotus incarnation. Now that both incarnations had formed their cores, their movements were more agile, allowing them to gather even more dew and wind. Moreover, if he gathered enough dew and wind this time, he could share it with his incarnations.

As midnight approached, Cheng Xinzhan activated his Dharma Eye and carefully observed Bai Shuang.

Time passed slowly, the night wind grew colder and colder, and the frost on the ground thickened. However, Cheng Xinzhan did not observe any additional changes brought about by the plain wind.

Soon, it was the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), and all the waiting that night had been in vain.

Cheng Xinzhan has a peaceful state of mind.

His mindset is different now than it was twelve years ago, and he's not in a hurry to use divination techniques to calculate. Back then, he felt his cultivation level was too low to accomplish anything significant, and he was very anxious about the Dan Tribulation. He had also recently learned the Wind Bird Divination technique, so he couldn't wait to use it.

Now that he has cleansed his inner energy and possesses the Mysterious Pearl, his desire for the Pill Tribulation is no longer as strong. More importantly, he knows he is no longer a minor cultivator powerless to influence the situation. Therefore, he avoids using divination techniques that reveal heavenly secrets if possible. As for the spiritual energy of Su Feng, which can trigger the Pill Tribulation, it is not absolutely necessary for him.

Before long, dawn broke, and the next day, the sky, which had been overcast for days, was sunny, melting away the thick, snow-like frost that had accumulated on the ground.

The sun sets and the moon rises; it's midnight again.

Cheng Xinzhan was completely focused.

Around 11:30 AM, the moonlight was like water.

His gaze sharpened as he noticed that the grass, cleansed by the warm sun during the day, had suddenly sprouted white frost, spreading in large patches. Even the trees were covered in frost, as if they were in bloom.

coming!

They arrived the very next day!

Cheng Xinzhan was overjoyed. His main body and two avatars attacked simultaneously, each throwing out four extremely fine nets that stretched for more than eight miles, extending from one end of the canyon to the other.

"puff--"

With a soft thud, the net was unfurled, and in less than five breaths, a three-foot-diameter gap was blown open in front of Huo Shen's net by the fierce autumn wind.

Cheng Xinzhan naturally saw it, and there was nothing he could do about it. Xin metal is inherently soft, and the threads of the Xin net are so fine, so even if he had been careful to choose tougher Xin metal materials, he couldn't guarantee that the net wouldn't break.

Once the net has a hole, it will only get bigger and bigger as it blows. The Fire Lotus incarnation immediately took back the broken net and put out a new one.

"call--"

The wind was so strong that it blew in many broken branches and fallen leaves.

"Clouds lock a thousand peaks!"

Cheng Xinzhan was prepared. "Youdu" transformed into thousands of sword threads that flew out and merged into the wind, pulverizing the branches and leaves that were blowing towards him and igniting evil fire, burning all the powder away.

Meanwhile, dew began to condense on the net.

The three primordial spirits controlled the three bodies, took out lead bottles, and began to collect the dew.

If it were ordinary Qi Lu, he would have dared to swallow and refine it directly, but he didn't intend to take that risk with the Feng Qi in front of him.

By the sixth quarter of the hour of midnight, no more dewdrops had condensed on the nets, and seven nets had been damaged. The ground looked as if a heavy snow had fallen, and the trees were covered in glistening frost.

Cheng Xinzhan quickly pulled the net in. He then combined the spiritual dew collected by his three avatars into one, and to his delight, he obtained a total of twelve zhu of spiritual dew this time, more than twice as much as last time!
Liaodong is indeed a great place for field research!
This put Cheng Xinzhan at ease, as having these spiritual dews would give him more options for the future.

Then he waited quietly. It would be better if it happened a second time, but it wouldn't matter if it didn't.

They waited until the day of Frost's Descent, and that very night, they actually reaped another harvest, obtaining another four zhu of Gang Dew.

However, no strong winds were seen again until the fourth day of the tenth lunar month.

Cheng Xinzhan was already quite satisfied with the full one or two ounces of Ganglu (罡露), and no longer desired more. He sealed off the formation here, and also used it as a villa, just as Tiecha Mountain was a place for transcending tribulations, this place could also serve as a place for collecting folk songs and a summer retreat in the future.

He then departed gracefully, heading south, flying directly across the Yellow Sea to Jinling to keep his appointment at Juqu Mountain—a promise he was bound to keep. Moreover, Juqu Mountain had always been at the forefront and main force in the fight against the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Corpses, so this was a perfect opportunity to learn about the latest developments regarding the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Corpses and the Three Corpses.

　Requesting monthly votes and recommendations! Comments and messages are welcome!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)