Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 444 Simplifying Complexity, Refining Magical Treasures

Cheng Xinzhan communicated with his mind and learned that during his seclusion, winter had turned to spring twice. He had entered seclusion in the mid-spring of the 480th year of the Ming Dynasty, and it was now the early spring of the 482nd year.

I didn't expect it to take so long.

Cheng Xinzhan felt a little regretful that he had missed the golden autumn dew of the Gengzi year, a rare occurrence that only happened once every twelve years. Furthermore, after passing through the "Annihilation Thunder" and the "Barrier-Breaking Thunder," the "Uncertain Thunder" hadn't made a sound either. Was it not going to come? He wanted to see what he was like when he was restless, and besides, he had a free sixty-year lifespan; no one complains about having too much life.

But then Cheng Xinzhan smiled again. Compared to what he had gained, these things were insignificant. With the path clearly defined and the future bright, what more could he ask for?

Looking back now, this lightning calamity was truly dangerous, and also truly interesting, as it was the "annihilation lightning" and the "barrier-breaking lightning" that came together. The "annihilation lightning" provided cover for the "barrier-breaking lightning," and the transformation from breaking the silence and darkness to how to break the silence and darkness with one's own unique path of the Great Dao naturally stirred up one's inner thoughts about the Great Dao.

The combination of these two factors significantly increases the difficulty and the level of danger.

Because of the existence of the "Thunder of Breaking Barriers," the "Thunder of Annihilation" becomes much more difficult, requiring one to attain enlightenment and realize one's true nature, breaking through the darkness and silence using one's own methods. Furthermore, due to the existence of the "Thunder of Annihilation," the consequences of failing to overcome the "Thunder of Breaking Barriers" become extremely perilous. If the tribulations are experienced separately, the inability to break through the barrier of knowledge merely results in being trapped at a bottleneck; however, when the two are combined, the inability to break through means eternal stagnation in darkness.

Nirvana is the outer form, the cage; the obscuration of consciousness is the inner form, the knife. This is the true danger, but also the true destiny.

Cheng Xinzhan felt more fortunate than fearful about this. He thought that if he hadn't been forced to seek enlightenment under the guidance of the "Breaking Barrier Thunder" in the silent darkness, and had a sudden flash of inspiration in that silent and dark world, he didn't know when he would have been able to comprehend the principle of "nothingness".

Or perhaps, it is precisely because what one has realized is "nothingness" that the thunder of anger intentionally refrains from coming. After all, what anger or agitation is there that "nothingness" cannot tolerate or soothe?
Cheng Xinzhan stood up, reached out and pushed aside the air like lifting a beaded curtain, and stepped inside. The next moment, his figure disappeared from Mingzhi Mountain and arrived in front of the Sanqing Palace on Pingding Mountain.

Ji Hehe's desk was piled high with petitions and divination slips, and the moment Cheng Xinzhan appeared, he sensed him, poking his head out from behind the documents and exclaiming in delight.
"You're out of quarantine?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded with a smile.

"Come, sit down."

Ji Hehe greeted them, asking repeatedly,

"It really is 'Annihilation Thunder,' two years have passed in the blink of an eye, much longer than I expected. I thought that given your temperament, it would only take three to five months."

Cheng Xinzhan then answered,
"This time, the 'Breakthrough Thunder' and the 'Annihilation Thunder' arrived together, which took considerably longer. However, this misfortune turned into a blessing, allowing me to see through the illusions and clarify the Great Dao."

Upon hearing this, even though Ji Hehe had mentally prepared himself to not be shocked by his master's words again, he still showed the same astonished expression as he had two years ago that night.

"Together?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded.

"What about the 'Unpredictable Thunder'? Has it already struck? Or is it still ringing?"

he asks.

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head and said regretfully,

"This time, no. Only two of the three tribulations arrived, and the 'Unpredictable Thunder' didn't follow closely, so it probably won't come again."

"Oh."

Ji Hehe nodded, taking the opportunity to process what he had just heard during the question-and-answer session. After a while, he asked again.
"Together?"

Cheng Xinzhan had no choice but to nod again.

Ji Hehe paused for a moment, because he himself had experienced the "Breakthrough Lightning" during the Three Calamities of that year. He knew how difficult it was. He had a deep impression of how he had been trapped by the "Barrier of Knowledge" for half a century. After passing through it, he broke through the bottleneck of cognition and then merged with the Dao.

Xinzhan, however, spent two years passing through the "Thunder of Annihilation" and the "Thunder of Breaking Barriers."
"Hey!"

After a moment of silence, Ji Hehe suddenly smiled and said,
"Your three calamities are truly unique and varied."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this.

“Write down your disaster relief experience and make it your own book, keep it secret and don’t put it with ours. I’m afraid that if younger generations read it, they will feel too much of a sense of loss, which will not be good for them to cope with disasters.”

Ji Hehe said.

Cheng Xinzhan didn't care, he only said,

"All is subject to the Master's arrangements."

Ji Hehe nodded, then smiled and said,
"Then wouldn't you be able to leave the sect? Perfect timing! You have no idea how I've been these past two years. Now that I'm older, I'm really not up to the task of handling administrative affairs. It would be more reassuring for the Pope to entrust the reins to you!"

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and shook his head.

"No, I still have to leave the sect."

"Oh? What's the reason?"

Ji Hehe asked repeatedly, observing his expression and listening to his tone. If Cheng Xinzhan did not give a reasonable explanation, he would definitely not be willing to release him.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled slightly and said,
"My two corpse-dissolving avatars are about to undergo the Golden Core Tribulation."

"That's it."

Ji Hehe tapped his fingers lightly on the table, then flipped his hand, producing a lead bottle, which he handed to Cheng Xinzhan, saying,

"You missed the autumn dew of the Gengzi year, and your protective aura is about to be exhausted, isn't it? Take this bottle and use it."

Cheng Xinzhan took the bottle with his right hand, opened his left palm, poured the dew directly into it, took only five zhu (a unit of weight), then drank it down, and returned the bottle to Ji Hehe. He said,
“I collected a lot last time, and I also refined some when I was dealing with the wind disaster. Taking another five zhu will be enough. My primordial spirit has undergone four cleansings with my main body’s golden core, two cleansings with my avatar, and there will be another two cleansings soon, making a total of eight cleansings. Moreover, I have already sensed that the effect of the lightning tribulation on the primordial spirit will be lower as time goes on. Nine is the extreme number. After this cleansing, one more cleansing will be enough. Any more is useless, so there is no need to waste any more celestial energy.”

Ji Hehe nodded upon hearing this, put the bottle away, and said,

"Yes, this gale is indeed magical, but the only downside is that it wears down too quickly. If such a gale were refined into a golden elixir or a magic weapon, it would be more than enough. But if it were used for alchemy, seeing it deteriorate day by day is truly heartbreaking."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled after hearing this.
"Of course, there are always trade-offs. If such amazing effects were accompanied by low losses, it wouldn't make sense."

"Too."

Ji Hehe nodded and said,

"The dew and wind gathered in the sect are now being used exclusively by Wuji. He passed the Eighth Tribulation of Core Formation a few years ago. It seems that the day he completes the Ninth Tribulation shouldn't be far off." "Oh! Is that so?!"

Cheng Xinzhan raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly."

Ji Hehe nodded slowly.

The two looked at each other, their lips curving into uncontrollable smiles.

"hey-hey."

The two men, who looked like phoenixes, now wore fox-like smiles.

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One month later, at Tiecha Mountain.

The thunderstorm has just subsided.

The bamboo staff transformed to survive the "Seventh Nine Heavens Earth Transformation Thunder Tribulation".

Thunder of Earth, Thunder of Transformation, Thunder of Hidden Nature.

The Fire Lotus incarnate survived the "Yellow Heaven Six-Nine Star Flame Thunder Tribulation".

It is the thunder of Ding fire, the thunder of brilliance, and the thunder of darkness.

After two tribulations, Cheng Xinzhan's primordial spirit became even more radiant, and a large number of his magical treasures and spiritual objects also reached a higher level. At this time, Cheng Xinzhan found the cleansing tribulation of the elixir refining process exceptionally easy. After passing two tribulations, his primordial spirit was not tired, and his magical power was not depleted. Therefore, he thought that there was no time like the present, so he simply went into seclusion in the Cloud Light Cave to set up his furnace and set aside some time to refine his magical treasures.

Now, having nurtured his holy infant and overcome all three calamities, his essence, energy, and spirit are vastly different from before. His understanding of the Great Dao and his control over the immortal fire have also improved significantly, allowing him to elevate his magical treasures to a higher level. Furthermore, his rapid advancement in cultivation urges him to do so. If he doesn't refine his magical treasures now, many of them will become insufficient to keep up with his combat power.

His seclusion lasted from spring to summer, another six months passed.

For the past six months, Mount Tiecha has been shimmering with light, its radiance like the glow of a setting sun. The sounds of howling winds, roaring fires, thunderous sword cries, and other unusual phenomena have been constant. Anyone with common sense would know that such commotions must be the birth of a rare treasure, causing these extraordinary signs. However, it is common knowledge that Mount Jiuding Tiecha on the shores of the Yellow Sea is the sacred site of Master Guangfa, so no matter how great the disturbances, no one dares to disturb it.

The strange phenomena didn't stop until late autumn, around the time of the first frost.

Inside the Cloud Light Cave, Cheng Xinzhan extinguished the fire and put away the furnace, a satisfied expression on his face.

This retreat was very rewarding.

First and foremost, it is worth mentioning that "Taodu," which has been by Cheng Xinzhan's side since the beginning of his Qi absorption, underwent nine intangible transformations and officially entered the ranks of immortal artifacts, becoming the first self-refined immortal artifact in Cheng Xinzhan's hands.

Secondly, there is the "Red Goiter" gourd. Thanks to the immortal fire and Cheng Xinzhan's improved understanding of fire magic after the fire, coupled with its own excellent origins, it has now become a true immortal artifact.

This time, the changes to "Youdu" were immense. Ultimately, "Youdu" was a part of Cheng Xinzhan's body, serving as the vessel for the yin essence within his physical form. With Cheng Xinzhan's formation of the Holy Infant and the baptism of the Three Calamities, the quality of "Youdu" also increased dramatically. Furthermore, the lightning tribulations of both avatars were yin lightning, and with Cheng Xinzhan's final refining and tempering, "Youdu" was elevated to the level of a semi-immortal artifact.

The "Taiyi Qinghua Umbrella" and the "Eight Treasures Cloud Light Handkerchief" are also worth discussing in detail.

The "Taiyi Azure Umbrella" was a protective treasure specially crafted by Cheng Xinzhan in the early stages of the Third Realm to cope with the Cleansing Tribulation. It played a vital role, yet was rarely displayed in public. This is the essence of the saying that a skilled warrior has no illustrious achievements. The "Eight Treasures Cloud Light Cloth" was also crafted by Cheng Xinzhan during the Third Realm. Its initial purpose was to conceal his presence and lock his aura. It is a magical treasure that combines miasma, array, and weapon elements, and is also an extremely convenient item to use.

However, as Cheng Xinzhan's cultivation level increased and his style of doing things changed, the effectiveness of these two magic treasures greatly diminished. This wasn't determined by the quality of the magic treasures, but rather by their intended purpose. If the purpose and positioning of the magic treasures weren't changed, even if Cheng Xinzhan refined them to the level of immortal artifacts, they would still be two useless items, neither useful nor worth discarding.

Cheng Xinzhan naturally didn't want to let the two treasures go to waste, so after careful consideration, he made a bold decision—to combine the two treasures into one and completely reforge them.

He defined this newborn treasure as [Heavenly Symbol], [Protective], [Imprisoning], and [Barrier].

The name "Xiangtian" is derived from the Dharma Umbrella, and it represents the core essence of this magical artifact. Cheng Xinzhan crafted it as a treasure that complements the Earth Book. Chaos created heaven and earth, and primordial energy divided into yin and yang. While he aspires to become an Earth Immortal, this does not mean he will abandon the Way of Xiangtian. It is precisely because there is yang that there is yin, purity that there is turbidity; if heaven is discarded, what then is the concept of earth?
Without the sky, without the sun, moon, stars, wind, clouds, thunder, rain, dew, and rainbows, the earth would cease to exist, or rather, it would no longer be called earth, but merely a dead land.

When Cheng Xinzhan was creating the Myriad Manifestations Dao Domain in his inner world, he discovered this. Initially, he wanted to use the Earth Book to evolve the earth and mountains, creating the Jiangshan Dao Domain. However, no matter how meticulously he evolved it, it would always eventually collapse and disintegrate as the Jiangshan Dao Domain expanded, which troubled him for a long time. Until one chance encounter, he saw the spring breeze turn into rain, falling to the ground and giving rise to a patch of green grass, which made him understand the principle that "without heaven, there is no earth; isolated yin cannot form a shape."

Then, in the inner world, he used the Dharma Umbrella to open the sky and the Earth Book to cleave the earth. Above, there was the rising and setting of the sun and moon, wind, clouds, thunder and rain, and below, there were naturally mountains, rivers, lakes and seas, flowers, grasses and forests. Thus, the Myriad Phenomena Dao Domain was formed.

Therefore, after retaining the most core imagery and protective function of the umbrella, he removed all the other restrictive functions. In the early stages of the Third Realm, he aspired to master all laws, so his weapon crafting was "from simple to complex." Now, standing at the peak of the Fourth Realm, he has comprehended the principle of "all laws returning to nothingness," and thus "simplifies the complex."

This doesn't mean he took a wrong turn before; it's just a necessary process in cultivating one's mind and spirit.

[Protection] is something that must be considered, because he has mostly offensive and suppressive treasures, but very few protective magic treasures.

Before leaving the sect this time, he had already returned all the ritual artifacts bestowed upon him by the sect. Because judging from his current level of cultivation and reputation, the ritual artifacts were no longer of much use. If they were to be nurtured by him for a long time, not only would they not be worth the price, but they would also be easily tainted by his aura, which would not be conducive to passing them on to the next master.

After returning the ritual implements, he was left with only the Yin-Yang Mirror as his protective magic treasure. However, this was also a possession of his sect and would have to be returned sooner or later.

Therefore, he retained the protective restrictions of the magic umbrella and magic cloth, added new restrictions, and made it a protective treasure.

Both "lock" and "barrier" are derived from the imagery of Fapa. "Lock" confines the enemy inside, preventing escape; "barrier" keeps the enemy outside, preventing entry. Moreover, both "lock" and "barrier" defend against not only tangible things but also intangible ones. "Lock" locks the aura within the magical artifact to prevent leakage; "barrier" blocks the aura outside the artifact to prevent detection. Both are practical and essential functions.

After being combined into one, the reborn magic weapon Cheng Xinzhan retained the handkerchief shape but removed the umbrella shape. This is because, with the four roles clearly defined above, the unique characteristics of the umbrella shape, such as [concealment], [opening and closing], [ceremonial object], and [spear shape], no longer exist. Retaining a minimalist handkerchief shape is undoubtedly the wise decision.

However, the new handkerchief is quite different from the "Eight Treasures Cloud Light Handkerchief".

The fabric is plain, without any words or patterns, just a pure navy blue. This color looks deep yet soft, containing complex variations. It's like the vast sky, like the sky before rain, like the twilight after sunset, like the night sky before dawn, just like the ever-changing heavens.

If you look at it for too long, you'll get completely absorbed in it, feeling that this dark blue is the whole world, seemingly so empty, yet encompassing everything.

Cheng Xinzhan named it "Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Net Cloth". He refined all the Heavenly Gang he possessed into it, and also incorporated his understanding of the three lights of the sun, moon and stars, as well as his understanding of celestial phenomena such as wind, rain and thunder. Now it has reached the level of a semi-immortal artifact.

As for the Earth Book, to be honest, Cheng Xinzhan didn't know its current level, only that it was no less than a celestial artifact. Because the Earth Book, as the carrier of the Nascent Soul's membrane and Dao Domain, had entered an extremely profound realm, it was now even beyond the reach of Samadhi True Fire. Cheng Xinzhan believed that this magical treasure could perhaps only be nurtured and refined through the Dao Intent of the Earth; relying on furnace fire was no longer effective.

The four-colored feather fan, obtained from the hands of the owl dragon, contains the power of earth, water, wind, and fire. It was forged from the feathers of four kinds of exotic birds that Cheng Xinzhan had never heard of before, and should be an ancient relic. It is a good magical artifact, extremely powerful, but it only has offensive capabilities and no other transformations. Cheng Xinzhan tempered it with immortal fire, removing the impurities and refining it into the shape of a whisk, thus reaching the level of a semi-immortal artifact.

The other treasures, including the Five Elements Sword, Thunder Sword, Body Sword, and Dharma Seal, have all naturally reached the level of Dao artifacts after being repeatedly tempered by calamities, tribulations, and immortal fire.

In other words, Cheng Xinzhan, who is at the fourth level, does not possess any treasures below the fourth level.

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(End of this chapter)