Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 364 The Pulse Connects the Mountains, and an Old Friend is Seen Again

After plunging into the sea of ​​fire for about a hundred feet, they finally reached the bottom. The scorching molten lava distorted the golden light emanating from the bronze bowl.

Wu Qingbo, carrying a bronze bowl, patrolled the seabed, drawing a seabed map. At the same time, he also activated his divine eye, sensing the flow of fire spiritual energy and searching for traces of earth veins.

He didn't put away the "Nine Yang Fire Cloud Chains," but draped them over his body so that his benefactor could see the runes on the chains.

Cheng Xinzhan watched intently. He had never seen such a restriction before. As everyone knew, the Xuanmen (mystical sects) valued techniques over the Dao (the Way), and treasures over methods, so their treasure-refining restrictions must have something unique about them. Since he had such a close-up opportunity to observe, Cheng Xinzhan certainly didn't want to miss it.

Wu Qingbo's search lasted for more than ten days. During this time, he could not bear the terrifying high temperature and poison under the sea of ​​fire and had to go up from time to time to recuperate and recover his magical power. In addition, his subordinates who were exploring above could not endure the fire and poisonous smoke for long, and they did not have passage tokens, so Wu Qingbo had to take them out to get some fresh air.

"Saw!"

On this day, Uncle Qing, who was patrolling the seabed, suddenly shouted.

Looking through Qingbo's divine eye, Cheng Xinzhan saw a flowing, flickering flame not far underground, like a shimmering stream hidden underground, like a winding, gnarled tree root underground, or like a human blood vessel channel transporting essence and blood.

This is the earth's veins.

In the soil, it is called the earth vein; in the mountains, it is called the mountain range; in the water, it is called the water vein; and in the fire, it is called the fire vein. These are the channels through which the earth's spiritual energy circulates.

These veins are hidden underground, difficult to find, and invisible to the naked eye. The general direction of the veins can only be known by observing the flow of spiritual energy.

Moreover, among the many types of ley lines, fire veins are the most difficult to find, as they are flexible and dynamic, unlike ordinary mountain ranges which are fixed and static. For example, the one that Qingbo discovered was like a snake swimming in water, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Where to go!"

Qingbo gave a silent shout, then activated his supernatural power. A flash of light appeared on his face, and in an instant, two more pairs of eyes appeared above and below his eyes, making six crimson eyes open at the same time.

The flow of spiritual energy in the seabed suddenly became clear in Qingbo's eyes. He also saw the traces left behind by the fire vein after it fled, and immediately chased after it.

Qingbo was proficient in fire escape techniques, transforming into a streak of flame as he traversed the sea of ​​fire, quickly locating the fire vein. However, he did not immediately take action, because if he wanted to form an array, connecting only one fire vein would not suffice; he needed to find the junctions where several fire veins intersected to make the array foundation more stable.

However, one fire vein has already been found, and all the underground fire veins are interconnected; finding the node is only a matter of time. The requirements for Chishiti are neither low nor high; three fire vein nodes will suffice.

After about fifteen minutes, Wu Qingbo found such a node by following the moving fire veins.

“My Lord, I’m about to begin.”

In the purple palace, Qing Bo Yuan Shen Dao.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded.

No matter what, this place is still under the control of the Crimson Corpse. One is a Fourth-Realm Dinghuo Corpse with an avatar, and the other is a Fourth-Realm Jinlong Corpse at sea; both are well-established figures, and outsiders can't possibly cause any trouble. Moreover, Qingbo isn't the only one in the Fire Cave. Since delaying is futile, it's better to gain more merit before Shi Mengyang arrives, thus earning the Crimson Corpse's greater trust.

So Qingbo untied the chains from his body, swung them like wheels, and swung the ends of the chains straight, making a whooshing sound in the sea of ​​fire. The runes on the chains drew the flames, forming a tornado in the fiery land.

When the whistling sound turned into a sharp explosion, Qingbo suddenly let go, flinging the chain out like a shooting star chasing the moon or a rainbow piercing the sun. The chain flew out of Qingbo's hand like a crimson ribbon, heading towards the junction of the three meridians.

"boom!"

The chains, like spears, pierced the ground as if they had struck a giant python. A burst of intense flames, like blood, gushed out and surged into the sea of ​​fire, then surged like a powerful undercurrent, stirring up the flames.

The underground fire veins were churning violently, trying to break free of their restraints. However, these chains were no ordinary objects; they were treasures used to bind the five realms. No matter how the earth veins struggled, the chains remained unmoved.

After a while, the fire vein, like a wild horse with reins, finally calmed down after a period of powerless struggle. At the same time, the other end of the chain began to glow red, as the runes on the chain were activated one by one, turning into runic fire, and quickly burning towards the end in Qingbo's hand.

At this point, if one were to use the Qi Observation Technique again, one would discover that the fire spirit energy in the fire vein was being guided by the chains, and a portion of it was being extracted and leaking out along the chains, surging towards the other end in sync with the talismanic flames burning on the chains.

"Fiery clouds burn the sky, long spears lock the sun—swiftly!"

Seeing this, Wu Qingbo immediately channeled his magic power into the chain and recited a spell given to him by the Red Corpse. Immediately, the runes on the end of the chain on his hand split in two, then in four, growing out of thin air. Then, these tiny runes connected end to end, sticking together and piling up, creating a new link at the end of the chain.

One, two, four, eight...

The chains are linked together, and they are growing longer and longer.

At the same time, Cheng Xinzhan could also sense that Qingbo's magical power was being rapidly depleted.

Immediately, Wu Qingbo pulled on the chain and leaped upwards, while the fire vein spiritual energy chased after him along the chain.

Within the Purple Palace, Cheng Xinzhan's primordial spirit stared intently at the derivative and interconnected runes, transforming from ethereal to tangible. Over the past half-month, he had already gained considerable insights from observing the treasure's restrictions, and now, upon further observation, he discovered even more.

"Wow—"

Wu Qingbo broke through the molten lava and flew out of the sea of ​​fire. He then continued his rapid journey through the underground passage, heading towards the bottom of the vertical shaft. At the same time, he once again swung the chain in his hand in a circle, and just before reaching the bottom of the shaft, he flung the chain out.

"Shh-"

The chains stretched like a rainbow across the void, the runes on them still forming loops and flying towards the bottom of the well, with the rune fire and the spiritual energy of the fire vein following closely behind.

"Boom!"

The rocky well walls were much more solid than the molten mud beneath the fiery inferno, so when the chains pierced them, they produced a crisp sound. This sound echoed repeatedly throughout the deep well, eventually transforming into a thunderclap.

At the same time, just as the chains pierced the well wall, the fire vein energy that had been drawn in arrived, and the entire chain burst into flames.

"call!"

The fiery spiritual energy climbed along the chains to the well wall, which was located at a spiritual eye of the earth vein on Fire Dragon Island. Many runes were also inscribed on the well wall. The fiery spiritual energy continued to spread and burn along the well wall, then connected with the earth veins of Fire Dragon Island, instantly forming a fiery tornado of spiritual energy that surged rapidly upwards within the well, emitting a tremendous roar.

"Oh no! The wellhead is protected!"

Wu Qingbo opened his mouth and cried out in surprise, then was about to fly into the well to chase the fire tornado.

"Do not worry if you see a dragon!"

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out from the fire cave, a child's voice.

Then, a streak of fire flew down from the well against the fire tornado, stopped beside Wu Qingbo, and then in a flash, transformed into a bald boy.

"Greetings, Divine Lord!"

Wu Qingbo clasped his hands in a salute.

The newcomer was none other than Wu Lao, the Crimson Corpse.

"Don't worry, when I set up the wellhead restriction, I already thought about the impact that would occur when the fire vein connects to the earth vein. Although the impact is stronger than I imagined, I also strengthened the restriction just now."

Wu Lao explained with a smile. He was clearly pleased, looking at the chains stretching across the void with a broad smile. He patted Qing Bo on the shoulder and said,
"And your movements were even faster than I expected," Qingbo replied.

"The deity said to hurry up."

Upon hearing this, Wu Lao laughed loudly, then said,

"If this method can truly succeed, then the foundation of the island-protecting formation will no longer need to use the Fire Banner to convert the earth's spiritual energy into fire elemental energy. There is even better and more fire elemental energy below the Li Abyss. Jianlong, you deserve the greatest credit!"

Qingbo replied solemnly,

"This was all the God's plan, and it was the God's magic weapon that was used. I was just doing some hard work and dare not take credit."

Wu Lao shook his head and said,

"What are you saying? You've done both hard work and made great contributions. It's not comfortable to stay under this sea of ​​fire, and fire veins are much harder to find and tame than mountains. In addition, the earth veins are intertwined and interconnected. Now that you've fixed three nodes, it's extremely beneficial for continuing to search for other nodes, saving a lot of time."

Wu Lao thought for a moment, then handed over two items: a lead bottle and a jade box, and said,

"Merit deserves a reward, so take these two. The bottle contains a small amount of 'Yellow Smoke Melting Evil,' just two ounces. It's a pity about this Abyss Fire Cave; we arrived too late, and the true evil spirit died of old age, so we missed it. This one I'm giving you is from the Yin King; its origin is the same as the 'Nine Yang Fire Cloud Chain,' both coming from the fire cave where he was trapped years ago. Moreover, when the Yin King escaped, that fire cave had been drained of its spiritual energy and had withered, so it will no longer produce this evil spirit."

"Once you refine this evil spirit, you'll find it much easier to enter the sea of ​​fire in the future."

"Inside the jade box is a thousand-year-old 'Twilight Fire Spirit Mushroom,' which only grows in places illuminated only by the evening glow. Eating it will replenish and purify your magical power, and refine your Corpse Pill. This spirit mushroom has already transformed into a wood spirit, a fire monkey. Be careful when you open the lid, lest it burrow underground and escape."

Upon hearing this, Wu Qingbo naturally feigned reluctance and said,

"The divine lord bestowed a generous reward, but Jianlong felt his contribution was insignificant and dared not accept it."

Since Chi Shi had already taken everything out, he naturally had no intention of taking it back. Hearing Wu Qingbo's words, he smiled and stuffed the two items into Qingbo's arms.

At this moment, as the Crimson Corpse descended upon the Fire Cave, all the Imperial Envoy's disciples who were exploring the area and digging wells within it turned to look. The Crimson Corpse's gaze swept across their faces, then it spoke loudly,

"The Imperial Commissioner's Office will record all merits and reward those who achieve great things. All young men, go all out and do your utmost to build the Fire Palace Corpse Kingdom together!"

"Yes!"

The crowd responded, and Wu Qingbo bowed in response. When he looked up again, the red corpse was nowhere to be seen.

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.

"He's quite generous."

Inside the Purple Palace, Cheng Xinzhan's primordial spirit spoke with Qingbo.

“At this time, when people’s hearts are scattered and great undertakings are secretly being developed, if he is not generous, who will want to follow him?”

Uncle Qing replied with a smile.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, then asked,

"We still need to dig eight more wells. Do you have eight more 'Nine Yang Fire Cloud Chains'?"

Uncle Qing nodded.
"Yes, there are nine 'Nine Yang Fire Cloud Chains' in total. They are used to lock Gu Chen Shi. The nine chains are used to trap Gu Chen, and the other nine ends are connected to the fire veins to draw on the power of the fire veins to suppress and refine the demon corpse."

"These nine chains are a set, and their power is multiplied when used together. As long as the magic power is sufficient, a single chain can extend up to five hundred feet, or the nine chains can be connected end to end to form a single chain, which can reach up to four thousand five hundred feet in length, reaching straight from the ground into the clouds, locking in the sun and burning the clouds, hence the name."

"However, these nine chains were all refined by the Crimson Corpse. He only taught me the control techniques and incantations. If he wanted to control them, the chains could fly away at any time."

Cheng Xinzhan listened with emotion,

"This one magic weapon alone is enough to imagine the profound mystery of the Emei alchemy and the ferocity of Gu Chen back then."

Wu Qingbo nodded in agreement, "Human strength is finite, but the universe is infinite." He thought to himself, if he were to be suppressed and have his fire vein power extracted by these chains, let alone all nine chains or the entire fire cave, even if only one or two tenths were taken, he probably wouldn't survive. Yet Gu Chen was able to break free of the chains after being trapped for hundreds of years, and even refined the chains into a magical artifact, draining the spiritual energy of the entire fire cave. He wondered what kind of extraordinary power Gu Chen possessed.

"So how long do you estimate it will take after the nine wells are excavated, the nine fire vein nodes are found, and the fire cave is connected to the fire dragon island?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked again.

Uncle Qing thought for a moment, then answered.
“Digging a well is not difficult, but finding the fire vein is difficult. Moreover, today we have only connected a small well. There are still two large wells to go, which will require finding the six vein nodes. It will not be easy. I estimate that it will take at least four or five months, and at most eight or nine months.”

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and said,

"Please try to manage the time frame, at least give me six months."

"Yes."

Qingbo agreed, saying it was no difficult task.

"Does the Fire Fiend and Lingzhi that the Crimson Corpse just gave you need, my benefactor?"

"You can keep the Ganoderma lucidum yourself. I only need a little of the True Fiend; five zhu will suffice. I'll send a little insect to burrow underground and retrieve it, bringing you a portion of 'Earth Fire Heavenly Star Fiend' along the way. I'll also teach you how to refine it into your magic umbrella; the area beneath this sea of ​​fire is an excellent place for weapon forging."

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.

Two months later.

Fire Dragon Island is gradually being reopened. Except for the Faqiu Hall, which is still not allowed to go ashore, the expansion and island-seizing efforts of the Fire Sea are back on track.

During this period, the Three Corpse Seas were almost in a state of retreat, and their sea territory was being eroded by the Golden Soup Sea, the Big Belly Sea, the Black Abyss Sea, the Flying Ridge Sea, and the Qiantang Sea. It would probably take a long time just to reclaim these lost territories.

On this day, Cheng Xinzhan led his men back from the battle at Yulong Bridge. As soon as they arrived at the Hucong Hall, Tang Yusheng summoned them.

He arrived at the general's mansion and walked toward the council hall.

He felt something was off, because generally speaking, Tang Yusheng would only receive guests in the main hall if it was a major gathering or if the Grand Protector or Grand Elder were present. Normally, he would summon his subordinates to his study in private; why was he being asked to come to the main hall this time?

Is there someone else here?
Filled with speculation, Cheng Xinzhan descended the steps of the main hall, glancing into the inner room. But that single glance at the entrance caused his pupils to shrink sharply, though his face remained expressionless. He immediately bowed, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, and said…

"See General!"

But at the same time, he was extremely surprised. Because that one glance was enough for him to see the situation inside the hall.

Two people were sitting on the chairs in the main hall. One was the host, Tang Yusheng, and the other was a young man who looked like a bamboo pole. He was wearing a gray robe, and his face was thin with no flesh on it. His cheeks were sunken and he was all skin and bones.

It was none other than the skinny Taoist priest I had met several times before!
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(End of this chapter)