Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 419 Flying Needle Removes Poison, Monkey Scoops the Moon

Located in the central part of Yuyang, north of Guangzhou Prefecture, in Qingyuan County.

The mighty Beijiang River flows northward, passing through Qingyuan and winding its way up a mountain.

The mighty river stretches like a ribbon, while this mountain rises in verdant layers like a screen. The mountain range is seamless, with rolling green peaks, often shrouded in mist. From afar, it resembles a giant turtle carrying a book; from below, it looks like a phoenix spreading its wings.

On clear mornings and evenings, the rosy clouds shine brightly, illuminating the mountains and waters. The rosy clouds, along with the mountain mists and water vapors, reflect each other, forming colorful waves and rainbows that flow, change, and fly rapidly through the mountains, creating a scene of "waves moving and rosy clouds flying," hence the name Feixia Mountain (Flying Rosy Clouds Mountain).

In addition, there are two other legends. One says that in ancient times, immortals refined elixirs here, and the elixir's aura was as radiant as the morning glow, hence the name. The other says that an ancient immortal attained enlightenment here and "ascended to heaven" from the mountain peak, hence the name.

This mountain was originally the residence of various minor sects of Daoist alchemy in Yuyang, including the Cangxia School, the Wuke School, and the Cuiwei School, totaling twelve sects. It was once a bustling and peaceful place. In particular, when the furnaces were lit at dawn and dusk, the smoke from the alchemical furnaces would rise up and float with the rosy clouds, creating a magnificent and beautiful scene, which was one of the scenic wonders of Yuyang.

However, when the demonic tide arose, the Southern faction came with overwhelming force, occupying the North River and sweeping across both banks. The minor sects on Feixia Mountain scattered like birds and beasts, and Feixia Mountain also became a stronghold of the demons. Later, the Eastern Daoist sects worked together to recover the North River, drive out the demons, and bring Feixia Mountain back under their control.

Just as Feixia Mountain was in dire need of reconstruction, Dong Shouren Dong Xuanzai, the Grandmaster of Dan Dao of Yuzhang and the Deputy Master of Sanqing Mountain who had rushed to Yuyang to repel the demon army, led more than a hundred disciples of Sanqing Mountain to Feixia Mountain to take up residence in Qingyuan, calling on Shaozhou to the north and responding to Guangzhou to the south, and firmly defending the Beijiang defense line.

From that time on, the smoke and fragrance of cinnabar rose again on Mount Feixia. Consequently, the various sects and minor factions that had previously abandoned the mountain requested to return and rebuild their sects. Dong Xuan, being benevolent, welcomed all who came, but he stipulated beforehand that those who returned must obey unified commands and jointly resist the demonic tide, ensuring that the tragedy of twelve sects abandoning the mountain together could not be repeated. The sects, ashamed, all agreed.

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That evening, Feixia Mountain once again witnessed the scene of sunset glow and red smoke flying together. Suddenly, a streak of fire appeared from the south and flew into the sunset glow.

"Who is coming!"

Feixia Mountain was not only a spiritual land for alchemy in Yuyang, but also a frontline hub established by the Haoran Alliance on the Yuyang North River defense line. Naturally, it was heavily guarded, and the fire was immediately stopped as soon as it approached.

"Wei Min? Quickly take me to see Master Dong!"

The flames dissipated, revealing a human figure—Cheng Xinzhan.

The one who blocked the flames was a familiar face—Fang Weimin from Danxia Mountain, Cheng Xinzhan's old friend and fellow disciple.

"Uncle Master?!"

Fang Weimin was overjoyed to see Cheng Xinzhan and wanted to go forward to reminisce and chat, but seeing Cheng Xinzhan's solemn expression and his urgent need to see the vice leader, he knew it was something extremely urgent, so he disregarded everything else and said...

"Come with me!"

So Cheng Xinzhan followed Fang Weimin into the depths of Feixia Mountain, and they arrived at a Taoist temple nestled atop a precipitous peak.

The temple is named Cangxia Temple.

A Taoist priest stood in front of the temple. He looked to be around forty or fifty years old, with a vigorous and energetic appearance. He had a square face, tiger-like eyes, thick eyebrows, thick black hair, and a long, beautiful beard. He was dressed in the standard robes of the deputy leader of the Sanqing Mountain sect.

It was none other than Dong Shouren, the deputy leader of the Yuanyin Hall of Sanqing Mountain.

"What happened?"

This Xuanzai must have sensed Cheng Xinzhan's arrival in the mountain, and now he comes out of the temple to greet him and ask questions.

"It is my Lion King, who is critically poisoned. It is no ordinary poison, so I have come to trouble Master Dong."

Cheng Xinzhan was also somewhat relieved, thankful that Master Dong was stationed in Yuyang, which was very close. With such a potent poison, Cheng Xinzhan could only rely on the alchemy masters within the sect.

"come on in."

Dong Shouren left those words behind and turned to go inside.

Cheng Xinzhan followed closely behind.

Fang Weimin consciously stood guard at the gate.

"Let it out and see."

Dong Shouren said.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, took out the Earth Book from his bosom, and transformed into his true form, rushing forward. His true form was killing insects in the book, and it wasn't until they were more than halfway through the journey that he finally managed to burn and kill the insects. He was so busy that he didn't have time to switch bodies.

At this moment, he opened the Book of Earth, turned to the page with colorful lotus flowers, and with a flick of his wrist, Cheng Xinzhan himself jumped out from the page.

At this moment, the page remained vibrant with color, the lotus in full bloom. After eliminating the insects, Cheng Xinzhan did not retract the flames into the gourd, but instead used talismanic magic to seal the entire page of fiery lotuses, leaving them within the paper to form a lotus fire talisman. In the future, if any emergency arises, tearing out this page and releasing it will create a fiery grotto.

Cheng Xinzhan leaped out of the paper, then put away the Fire Lotus Incarnation and the Earth Book, and released the lion from his leopard pouch.

His series of movements dazzled Dong Shouren.

However, once the lion was released, Dong Shouren shifted his gaze from Cheng Xinzhan and focused intently on the lion.

"how did you make it?"

Dong Shouren asked.

"The Gu worm bites resemble the Golden Silkworm Gu from Mount Jiuyi, but they look even more unusual. When the worm bites, only a wound is left; the poison lies dormant. After multiple bites, it suddenly erupts all at once, and the lion couldn't withstand it immediately. I used the 'Nine-Turn Jade True Powder' you previously bestowed upon your disciple to prolong his life."

Cheng Xinzhan quickly explained the situation.

Dong Shouren nodded upon hearing this, then placed his hand on the lion's body, closed his eyes to sense it, and remained still for a full quarter of an hour. Next, he took out a needle pouch, unfolded it, and found it filled with all sorts of greenish-blue jade needles. He explored and inserted the needles, a process that continued for another quarter of an hour, until the lion's body was covered with jade needles.

Just when Cheng Xinzhan thought it was over, he saw Master Dong produce another item, a jade box with flame patterns on its surface. He watched as Dong Shouren opened the jade box and found that inside were more jade needles, which were crimson red and had flames dancing on them, as if they were burning.

Dong Shouren picked up the jade needle with his fingertips. After the jade needle flew away from the needle case, it drew a fiery mark in the air before being inserted into the lion's body.

This process took longer. After half an hour, there were more than six hundred jade needles of different colors, blue and red, on the lion's body before Dong Shouren stopped. At the same time, Cheng Xinzhan noticed that the bases of the red needles that were first inserted into the lion's body began to slowly turn black. Although the speed was very slow, he could still see that the blackening was constantly rising, as if it was going to stain the entire red needle.

"You arrived just in time, and you fed him the Nine-Turn Jade True Powder in time as well; otherwise, this mountain lord would truly have perished."

Dong Shouren put away the needle pouch and needle case, and said.

Cheng Xinzhan understood; it meant the lion's life was saved. So he asked again...

"Master, how long will it take for the lion to wake up, and will it fall into a lower realm or suffer any hidden injuries as a result?"

Dong Shouren smiled upon hearing this and said,
"In your heart, is my medical skill really that inadequate?"

Cheng Xinzhan repeatedly said he dared not. Dong Shouren responded,

"It's definitely not a fall from grace or a hidden injury, but I can tell that this lion was seriously injured before and has some hidden injuries. Although it has recovered to about 80 or 90 percent, there are still some stubborn hidden dangers that have not been completely removed, so I treated them as well."

"Learn from the master's skill, revive the dead, and mend the heavens."

Cheng Xinzhan naturally offered his praise.

Dong Shouren waved his hand, then answered the first question Cheng Xinzhan had asked.
"This poison is extremely potent; I've never seen it before, so there's no readily available antidote. Prescribing the right antidote would be too time-consuming, so I'm using the 'flying needle extraction' method—a rather rudimentary approach. Furthermore, I know little about the mountain spirit's body; I've only examined the Kui Mountain Spirit a few times before. Even though they are both mountain spirits, their lion and python forms are different, so I'm being quite cautious with my needlework. As a result, the treatment will definitely take longer; I estimate the entire course will last a year."

"Look at these jade needles. They're used to protect the heart and slow down the release of the 'Nine-Turn Jade True Powder'—basically, to keep it alive. The red needles are for drawing out the poison. Since you possess yang fire, you'll keep an eye on this yourself. Every time a red needle turns completely black, pull it out and use your yang fire to heat it, forcing out the toxins. Once the jade needle turns red again, insert it back in, making sure the position and depth are exactly the same, without the slightest mistake. When all the red needles stop turning black, the poison will be completely gone. Also, find something to store the extracted poison; I need to keep it for research."

"it is good."

Cheng Xinzhan agreed.

"Who did you fight that caused the mountain tiger to be bitten like this? How about you? Are you alright?"

After the lion's life was spared, Dong Shouren then inquired about other matters.

"This disciple is unharmed. It is still unclear who made the move. Someone in the shadows set up an altar and cast a spell from a distance to send the insects. However, judging from their methods, it could be one person or two, at least at the fourth realm, and most likely the fifth realm."

Cheng Xinzhan replied.

Dong Shouren frowned and said,

"Then let's go back to the sect and ask Yaoguang Mountain to perform a divination. Oh, Wujiu went to Dianwen, so the remaining ones probably won't be able to determine the fourth or fifth realm. If that doesn't work, let's find the sect leader. We have to find out who's behind this so we can be on guard."

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head.
"No need, I can calculate it myself and I'll figure it out."

Upon hearing this, Dong Shouren offered his advice.

"Although I am not good at divination, I still know the basic taboos of divination. Divining about oneself or a higher realm can easily shorten one's lifespan. Since you have deduced that the enemy's realm is above yours, then you should not take action yourself."

Cheng Xinzhan paused briefly. He knew he shouldn't claim power over himself or a higher realm, but finding someone else now wasn't appropriate either. Divination, which probes the secrets of heaven, has a great backlash, and there are already few cultivators who can do it. As Master Dong said, within the sect, only Master Fashan and the Sect Leader could claim power over the fourth or even fifth realm. However, Master Fashan had only just reached the fourth realm and was temporarily in charge of the Doumu Pavilion in the complex situation of Dianwen, handling countless affairs daily, so it wasn't good to disturb him. The Sect Leader was about to ascend and was constantly suppressing his realm to avoid the secrets of heaven, so it was even more unwise to trouble him.

"This matter is not urgent. At worst, I'll just keep to myself."

He said with a smile.

Dong Shouren was also helpless upon hearing this. He knew this young Master Wanfa before him; in this man's heart, consideration for others and for the sect always outweighed his own, leaving one unsure whether to be happy or worried. Furthermore, given this man's current status within the sect and in the Daoist community, if he had made up his mind, it would be inappropriate for Dong Shouren to offer much advice, lest he be seen as abusing his seniority.

At this moment, Cheng Xinzhan, knowing that the lion was unharmed, felt relieved and changed the subject, saying...

“Master, I still have a question in my mind that I would like to ask you.”

"You said."

Cheng Xinzhan then asked,

"The fifth transformation in the Nine Transformations of Embryo Formation is 'Guoran'. This disciple wishes to observe the true form of 'Guoran' to aid in the formation of the embryo. However, I have heard that this spiritual beast has long since disappeared from the land of Shenzhou. Master, you are knowledgeable and experienced; do you know where this beast can still be seen? Even if there is no living creature, observing its image would be beneficial."

Dong Shouren was surprised to hear this.

"You've reached the fifth stage of transformation?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded.

Dong Shouren smiled and then began to explain to Cheng Xinzhan.
"The beast, also known as the monkey ape, is a kind of agile monkey. As for its true form, it can be found everywhere. The ancestral vessel in the Twelve Ornaments on the emperor's robe uses this beast shape, and it can also be seen everywhere in the decorations of various ancient artifacts."

Cheng Xinzhan frowned, about to ask a question, when Dong Shouren interrupted him.

"I know what you're trying to say. You're saying that although those patterns all look like monkey patterns, they're actually all different, right?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded.

"That's right. These patterns have changed in the course of their development and transmission, but their origin is the Kui beast, just like all bronze Kui patterns originate from the Kui ox."

Dong Shouren offered an explanation, and then continued,
"Indeed, the beast is also a famous Dao form, just like the innate Dao forms such as the tripod, circle, lotus, dragon, tiger and human. Therefore, it is admired by people and has evolved into patterns."

"Indeed, the beast resembles a monkey-like human in form, covered in fur and with a tail. It possesses all five internal organs, all four limbs with twenty fingers, and has three hundred and thirty-three acupoints, second only to humans and dragons. In ancient times, many furry, tailed land beasts, when transforming, not only took human form but also chose to transform into the form of the beast. However, since ancient times, with the flourishing of humanity, all races and spirits have revered human form and considered non-human form shameful. Coupled with the extinction of the beast race, this behavior gradually disappeared."

"The Guoran is indeed a spiritual and benevolent beast. From birth, it understands human emotions, knows how to respect the elderly and love the young, and admires good and dislikes bad. In addition, it is cute in appearance, so it is loved by people. However, precisely because of this, everyone rushes to capture Guoran and keep it as a pet. But Guoran lives in groups and takes the wild forest as its home. If it is separated from its group or the wild, it will die. So soon, this spiritual beast gradually disappeared. Now, I do not know if Guoran still exists in the wild where people rarely go. But I think that even if it does, we should not disturb them."

After listening, Cheng Xinzhan nodded in agreement.
“That’s how it should be. It’s alright. Since we know that the monkey patterns on ancient artifacts and clothing are the same as the Guoran pattern, I’ll look at more of them, take the commonalities, and abstract and restore the form. I should be able to reconstruct the true form of Guoran from them. Visualizing the transformation of the embryo should be enough.”

Dong Shouren laughed upon hearing this.

“You are Master Guangfa of Juqu Mountain, and only you would dare to utter such words as ‘abstract to form.’ However, there’s no need for such trouble; I have a quicker and more precise method.”

"any solution?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked repeatedly, but if there were faster and more accurate methods, he naturally didn't want to waste time and effort collecting spirit patterns and then broaden his knowledge.

Dong Shouren did not answer but asked a question in return.
"I heard from Tongxuan that you refined the Lesser Corpse-Dissolving Pill in the East Sea?"

Cheng Xinzhan didn't know why Master Dong suddenly asked about this. He nodded and said,

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"What form did the elixir take when it was first produced?"

"It's Qinghe! Ah! Could it be..."

Cheng Xinzhan had just answered when he realized what was going on and had a guess in his mind. He looked at Master Dong.

Dong Shouren nodded with a smile.

"All extraordinary phenomena in cultivation have a Dao form. When you refine the Lesser Corpse-Dissolving Pill, the extraordinary phenomenon of purple clouds and blue cranes will appear, symbolizing longevity. Indeed, beasts are also a Dao form, symbolizing wisdom and benevolence, and naturally, extraordinary phenomena will manifest in the world as well."

"As far as I know, there's a phenomenon that occurs after a certain type of elixir is refined, called 'The Monkey Scoops the Moon.' The 'monkey' in this context refers to the Guoran Beast. If you can refine this elixir, you will naturally see Guoran's true form on the day the furnace is opened."

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(End of this chapter)