Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 623: Dragon Prince's Bloodstained Revenge - Kang Dabao's Refined Nascent Soul
— Yuejian Mountain, Lingguang Hall

As Longzi led the cultivators of Yuejian Mountain past the handfuls of their own Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Soul Lamps in the outer room, they arrived at the deepest part of the hall, where they saw twenty or thirty green nanmu lamps burning in a neat and orderly fashion on the lamp stand.

There were many empty spaces on the stage, and each of the remaining lamps was fueled by Xuan Yin Zhi oil.

This oil is extracted from the root of the Rhubarb-infused Mysterious Yin Ganoderma, and is imbued with pure spiritual essence.

Once lit, the light is warm and gentle, making it ideal for nourishing the life-bound spiritual threads of sect cultivators wrapped in the wick. It is exclusively for use by disciples of Yuejian Mountain at the Golden Core level and above, and is far superior to the meager materials used by ordinary small households.

On the highest jade lamp stand in the hall, where two soul lamps originally stood side by side, one was bright and the other dim, one whole and the other broken.

The wick of Master Huquan's soul lamp had turned into a charred remnant, and the Xuan Yin Zhi oil had solidified into a pale blue paste, sticking to the edge of the lamp.

A few lingering black wisps still clung to the corner of the lampstand, seeping into the jade patterns like ink stains, clashing with the warm, spiritual light of the other soul lamps in the hall.

Strangely enough, this soul lamp, though clearly an inanimate object, seemed to exude an aura of despondency.

At this moment, some of the Golden Core cultivators surrounding the lamp stand were sobbing as they leaned on the black wood lamp base, their fingertips stroking the cold lamp again and again; some were even trembling as they breathed; and some were simply silent, shedding tears and murmuring without making a sound.

Lei, the cultivator who was the first to rush into Tianxing Cliff to report the news, was now slumped beside the Ling Shu Jade Lamp stand, showing no trace of his Golden Core cultivation. He looked up dejectedly at You Longzi, Zen Master Huiming, and Fei Tianqin, who had rushed over, and said in a sorrowful voice:
"Senior Brother, I just came to Lingguang Hall for a temporary inspection, but as soon as I arrived, I saw Master's soul lamp flickering, and then..."

The senior cultivator surnamed Lei spoke with a heavy heart, and the sincerity in his words deepened the sorrow on the faces of all the cultivators from Yuejian Mountain in the hall.

However, since Long Zi was considered an exceptionally outstanding figure among the Golden Elixir cultivators of Yuejian Mountain, it was clear that he was not tainted by this sorrow. He merely stared intently at the flickering lamp for a while, then retreated to stand before Zen Master Huiming and Fei Tianqin, suppressing his grief, and bowed deeply, saying:
"I would like to ask that you two seniors accompany me to Duanshi'ao so that my master's remains can be collected and placed in the coffin."

At this moment, the human and the bird had different expressions in their eyes, and their inner thoughts were complex and difficult to describe.

You Longzi was not stupid; he quickly understood and stopped asking. Instead, he summoned a simple, beautiful woman beside him who was weeping and whispered:
"Junior Sister Qin, news of Master's passing will inevitably leak out sooner or later. The sect's treasury is still lacking strong reinforcements. Take this letter with you and quickly invite the senior cultivator from the Fei family to come and help. You must ensure that the treasures of Yuejian Mountain are not lost!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the scholars in the hall varied.

Many of them clearly had words of indignation stuck in their throats, but as soon as they glanced at the man and the bird, they knew what to do.

They were all highly accomplished cultivators who had practiced for hundreds of years, yet they lacked the youthful vigor and hot temper of the younger generation.

Those who are trusted by the dragon prince and entrusted with the important task of guarding the Yuejian Mountain Treasury are naturally more than just loyal.

Upon hearing what the dragon prince had said, the handsome man surnamed Qin did not elaborate further, but simply lowered his head with his rosy eyes and responded in a low voice.

Seeing that the dragon prince had become enlightened without needing to be reminded, Fei Tianqin was finally satisfied.

After pondering for a while, Zen Master Huiming nodded in agreement.

The two men and the bird instructed the disciples left behind to be on high alert. They weren't too worried at first, but when Fei Tianqin was about to leave, he heard Fei Nanying report that Kang Dabao hadn't returned yet, and some bad thoughts began to arise in his mind.

It knew that if this practical and useful son-in-law really died here, it didn't know if the Fei family of Yingzhou would ever see another one of their hundred legitimate daughters after they married off.

However, at this moment, it was more important to find out whether Huquan Zhenren was alive or dead. Fei Tianqin had no choice but to ask Fei Nanying and Jiang Qing to lead people to search for him. At the same time, he kept this matter in mind and wanted to see if he could find him along the way.

The two people and the bird were all quite fast, and they arrived at Duanshi'ao in no time.

The Xuan Yuan Concealment Array had been broken, and the narrow cavern that Master Yun Fu had moved there at some unknown time was now exposed. Several foolish second-tier demonic beasts, with keen senses, were peeking out from outside the cavern, but they were killed by the enraged Dragon Prince Shangxiu with a single hook of his five fingers.

Upon seeing the minced meat on the ground, Zen Master Huiming uttered a soft Buddhist chant. After that, he said nothing more, but prepared his supernatural powers and carefully made his way into the grotto.

The monk stood on a lotus flower, and a pale golden halo of light condensed around him. As soon as he stepped into the cave, he felt a residual malevolent aura rushing towards him, extremely violent.

He raised his hand to form a mudra, and Buddhist light flowed across the ground like water. Wherever it passed, wisps of black evil energy rose from the cracks in the rocks and dissipated as green smoke.

Fei Tianqin followed closely behind, concealing his figure, his golden wings half-spread, his sharp eyes scanning the four walls of the cave, a low shriek emanating from his throat: "Something's not right. Although the baleful aura here is heavy, I can't see Hu Quan's physical body, not even a trace of his nascent soul disintegrating."

Its gaze fell on the three hanging black iron chains in the center. The chains were covered in rust, and the Corrupting Heart Qi wrapped around them had become dull and lifeless. The clasps at the ends were broken, as if they had been forcibly broken, rather than being corroded by the evil Qi.

You Longzi rushed to the iron chain, his hands touching the cold chain, his fingertips rubbing against the cracks in the lock, his voice trembling: "It is true that there is residual spiritual energy from Master."

Afterwards, Longzi looked down at the ground but could not find any trace of Master Huquan.

Zen Master Huiming walked slowly to the edge of the Spirit Pool, his fingertips lightly touching the ice on the surface of the pool.

With a "crack," the ice layer split open, revealing a pale blue spiritual energy flowing slowly beneath, mixed with a few extremely faint nascent soul spiritual lights—so faint as to be almost imperceptible, yet still discernible as the orthodox profound energy of Tiger Spring.

“Even Fellow Daoist Huquan’s Nascent Soul aura cannot be found,” he said, closing his eyes and concentrating his mind. Buddhist light spread along the earth’s veins, probing every corner of the cave.
Zen Master Huiming sensed that some powerful and violent force had been used in the cave, disrupting the spiritual energy within the cramped space. Unable to find who had been there, he could only whisper:
"Yes, we can't find anything. Perhaps Yunfu came in person and killed Fellow Daoist Huquan."

"Hiss," even an old bird as experienced as Fei Tianqin could only make a soft exclamation based on the deduction of Zen Master Huiming.

"I never imagined that even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't escape from Tiger Spring?!"

Fei Tianqin sighed inwardly again. It wasn't because of the old friendship between the man and the bird, but because he had finally managed to prepare a promising strong ally for the Fei family of Yingzhou, and now his plan had fallen through again.

Zen Master Huiming also frowned, knowing that the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Great Wei Dynasty were extremely valuable, each capable of being a local lord or a distinguished guest of the royal family.

Therefore, the death of any Nascent Soul cultivator is a major event that will shake the world.

Unfortunately, Yunfu Zhenren, who had betrayed the emperor, managed to escape, while Huquan Zhenren, who was loyal to the imperial family, perished.
Once this news gets out, the merit that Zen Master Huiming had endured for a hundred years to obtain for the original Buddhist sect will be more or less diminished, which would be a loss for him.

Not only that, this incident may also affect Kuang Liuting's reputation within the Xuanqiong Palace.

Although You Longzi's heart had already turned cold, he still suppressed his grief and respectfully bowed, saying, "May I ask if you two seniors have been able to find my master's remains?" Fei Tianqin turned his large head to the side, his sharp eyes avoiding You Longzi's burning gaze and searching for Zen Master Huiming. The great monk was helpless, and could only sigh and chant a Buddhist prayer.

"If that's the case, we still need to report this matter to the officials in the government office as soon as possible so that they can make preparations in advance."

Fei Tianqin spoke in a low voice. Although Zen Master Huiming knew this was his duty, he was still somewhat annoyed. Just days before, he had gone to the Duke of Qin's mansion to report a victory, and today he was going to the northern military camp to report a death.
“Alas,” Zen Master Huiming closed his eyes and pondered for a while how to explain this to Zen Master Huihai.

Although Longzi was filled with grief and indignation, he was not crushed by this sudden turn of events. He was only thinking about how to proceed and keeping Yunfu Zhenren in his mind.

"The hatred for the murder of my master must be avenged."

The dragon prince clenched his fists until they turned white, his knuckles pressing against the rust on the black iron chain, and he bit down the words "hatred for killing his master" until each word was stained with blood.

He said no more, only bowed deeply in the direction where Huquan had been bound, and when he stood up, the grief in his eyes had turned into a cold glint.

Zen Master Huiming and Fei Tianqin were both too busy to respond to him. Yunfu had already rebelled and Huquan had died, so the remaining cultivators of the Nascent Soul sect at Yuejian Mountain were no longer of much importance in the eyes of this man and bird.

The former showed no sign of grief, but simply clutched the talisman in his hand tightly. At the same time, he thought that he should tell Zen Master Huihai everything that had happened here in the future, as the matter he had witnessed was of great importance and he should explain it clearly.

Fei Tianqin's thoughts had already drifted to the treasury of Yuejian Mountain. This old bird was not at all pedantic, nor did he feel the slightest bit of guilt because of his friendship with Master Huquan.

Regardless of whether Zen Master Huiming appeared or whether the two immortals of Yuejian Mountain lived or died, for the Fei family of Yingzhou, this great achievement has already been accomplished; it is merely a matter of whether the harvest will be plentiful or not.

So the old bird thought to himself, "Even if the treasures of a prosperous Nascent Soul sect are all in the hands of the two True Immortals, they should still be somewhat pleasantly surprised. And where did that brat Kang go? Did that bastard Yun Fu really manage to take him?"

Another cup of tea's time passed, and after the two people and the bird had thoroughly explored the cave, they did not linger any longer.

Fei Tianqin and Zen Master Huiming exited the cave one after the other, with Long Zizhui bringing up the rear. Long Zizhui carried a handful of black soil containing the essence and blood of True Man Huquan. In the end, only a single tear soaked the cave, and then Long Zizhui followed closely behind the two.

The gentle breeze swept away the last trace of sorrow remaining in the murderous aura. From beginning to end, neither the two people nor the bird had ever imagined that Master Huquan, a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, would be defeated by a mere Golden Core cultivator.

—A secluded, low cliff a thousand miles away
The array plates that were hastily set up were in disarray, not only failing to unleash most of their power, but also revealing that the guests here were somewhat flustered and at a loss.

On the leeward side of the low cliff, the snow was ankle-deep. The broad-faced and heavy-jawed Sect Leader Kang's hair and beard were covered in white snow, and only white steam was constantly emanating from his body's pores, clearly indicating that he was healing his injuries.

After the snow stopped, Kang Dabao finished his meditation and took out the bag of human and horse sesame seeds that Hu Quan had given him from his storage ring.

The bag was woven from spirit silkworm silk and glowed with a pale blue spiritual light. The moment it was opened, a refreshing spiritual energy rushed out. Three spirit herbs, each half a foot tall, lay quietly in the bag, the spiritual dew on their leaves still trembling slightly.

He dared not delay, crushing the freshest one. The spiritual herb instantly transformed into a wisp of pale blue light, seeping into his meridians through his palm.

As soon as the spiritual light entered the body, it flowed over the damaged spiritual meridians like warm water. The meridians that had been shattered by the Yunfu Xuanyuan True Qi were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the cramping pain in the dantian was also much less.

Kang Dabao looked inward into his dantian and saw that the golden liquid next to the superior golden elixir was becoming increasingly clear. As the star-like spiritual light flowed, even the residual Xuan Yuan Qi that had been left behind was quietly purified.

"After all, he's a Nascent Soul cultivator; he still has some dignity and wouldn't lie to people." He murmured with a sigh, carefully putting away the remaining two Human-Horse Fungus plants.
"Keep it for later use. Once things have calmed down, we can find a pill refiner to make it into a pill." After treating his injuries, Kang Dabao turned his attention to Hu Quan's storage ring.

As it was a precious item used by Nascent Soul cultivators, even though True Man Huquan had been completely destroyed, it still took a lot of effort from Headmaster Kang.

There are many treasures inside, but now is not the time to examine them.

Once his injuries had healed slightly, Kang Dabao forcibly suppressed his joy. Instead, he calmed himself, closed his eyes, and carefully examined the star-patterned golden core in his dantian.

He lacked the inheritance and knowledge, and for many years he did not know what was so special about this top-grade golden elixir that he had painstakingly formed.

To be honest, it's not entirely his fault. After all, even if you asked every single Nascent Soul cultivator in the entire Great David Immortal Dynasty, there might not be many who could explain the superior-grade Golden Elixir clearly.

Even though Sect Leader Kang escaped the clutches of a Nascent Soul cultivator because of his superior Golden Elixir, it's still hard to say he truly understood the situation.

He only saw a bright white light still remaining within the core of the golden elixir. Although it was only the size of a star, the spiritual energy contained within it was abundant. He knew that this was a superior resource left by the deceased Master Huquan to guide his successors.

Even if it's difficult to fully refine all the essence of the Nascent Soul in a short time, it can still ensure that Kang Dabao doesn't need any resources before forming his Nascent Soul. Even now, he has a premonition that once his injuries heal and he cultivates diligently for another three to five years, he might be able to achieve the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

In other words, the only thing to worry about going forward is the invisible and inexplicable bottleneck.

"The great battle is over? Perhaps we can now cultivate in peace and no longer have to deal with this fighting and turmoil? I wonder what the future holds for the three southwestern regions. Perhaps it will be the time for my Chongming Sect to make its mark?"

After muttering to himself for a while, Master Kang sighed softly.

He reached down to his waist, which was not very easy to see, and swept all the thick snow off the gourd. After carefully stroking it for a while, he regained some confidence.

After experiencing such a dangerous event, Kang Dabao had a clear idea: since this last wisp of the Creation Smoke was difficult to use, it should be saved for the most crucial moment.

In ordinary times, we should gradually forget about it and not get used to relying on it.

His current understanding was far superior to when he was a merchant, and he knew how precious this Hunyuan Gourd was. He dared to presume to speculate that perhaps even in the entire Crimson Heaven Realm, there were very few treasures that could compare with it.

But no one knew that fate had struck this useless person.

Kang Dabao chuckled lightly, and as he stood up, his robes suddenly shone brightly, instantly removing the remaining snow that had covered them.

At this time, his robes were tattered and his armor was torn and unrepaired. He also had a small amount of blood in his abdomen for future use. After determining the direction, he headed towards Yuejian Mountain.

(End of this chapter)