Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 356 Yuan Mu
The Western Sea, deep blue.

Among the reefs to the north, there is an island covered in lush greenery. A courtyard built of bluestone stands in the center, surrounded by tall vegetation and falling green leaves.

A group of female cultivators in green robes gathered outside, whispering amongst themselves, while the cries of infants echoed from inside the courtyard.

As the clouds on the horizon parted, an old cultivator in a sky-blue Taoist robe descended on the wind. He had a thin face, carried a wooden sword, and drew talismans. He exuded the aura of a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, which stabilized the situation.

"Elder Lin Yu!"

The female cultivators rushed forward as if they had seen a savior, somewhat flustered. Lin Yu waved his sleeve and stopped outside the courtyard gate, his aged face showing a hint of surprise.

What's going on with this strange phenomenon?

"Reporting to the elder, it is Junior Sister Ruan Qing's child."

Lin Yu's eyes sharpened; he naturally knew about Ruan Qing's situation, and he sighed.

Are the mother and child safe and sound?

"It's nothing serious; we've already sent someone to look after it."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu's expression softened slightly. He parted the crowd and entered the courtyard, where he saw lush greenery covering the ground, with abundant vegetation resembling a verdant sea.

Just by standing there, he felt his body lighten and his blood flow smoothly. His surprise grew even stronger. Just as he was about to go to the inner room, he saw a man in a plain robe standing quietly in front of him, with wind and thunder patterns gleaming between his brows.

"Real person!"

Lin Yu was startled, realizing that he had even alerted Master Zhouyou. He wondered what had happened.

Zhou You turned his gaze, a smile appearing on his refined face, and said calmly:

"That's good, no need to worry."

Lin Yu raised his head, about to ask for details, but saw that this Master Zhouyou was heading towards the inner room. This startled him, but he dared not move rashly and simply waited in place.

Inside the room, azure light surged. A woman leaned against the bedside, her face beautiful. She was covered with a brocade quilt, her black hair slightly disheveled. She held an infant in her arms, who was crying incessantly. There was a golden-white line between her eyebrows.

Several female cultivators were waiting nearby, looking at each other in bewilderment. A woody fragrance suddenly wafted into the room, and various strange phenomena occurred. The green ox and the white deer and the pine tree transformed into a gentle breeze and dispersed.

Ruan Qing's face was half joy and half worry, quite complicated, but when she looked at the child in her arms, her eyes were still gentle.

"Ruan Qing".

A call rang out, the voice deep and resonant. Ruan Qing looked up again, only to find that the female cultivators beside her had disappeared, and a refined Taoist in a plain white robe stood in front of the door, his expression kind.

"A real person."

Ruan Qinggang was about to get up and pay her respects, but she was holding a child in her arms and could not move. A gentle light of lightning fell from the sky and temporarily protected her body.

"No need for formalities. You have indeed given birth to a son of exceptional talent. May I take a look?"

Upon hearing Zhou You's words, Ruan Qing had no doubts and handed the child in her arms over.

The Master in the sect was known for his kindness and gentleness. He was highly accomplished in Taoism, had no airs, and was deeply trusted by all his disciples.

"This is the first [Spiritual Embryo] in our sect in a hundred years. It has the same origin as me and possesses some divine abilities." Zhou You held the infant in his arms, looked at Ruan Qing, and sighed slightly.

"Many female cultivators have gone to worship that [Taiyuan Green Wood] but to no avail. Although you were able to conceive back then, the fetus in your womb was stillborn. You carried the child for nine years and consumed many spiritual items, but to no avail. Unexpectedly, today both mother and child are safe and sound."

Ruan Qing's expression was quite complicated, and he only said in a low voice:
"May I ask, sir, about my child?"

"Your aptitude is exceptional; you may follow me in cultivation."

Upon hearing Zhou You's words, Ruan Qing felt relieved. After hesitating for a moment, she still said:

"May I ask for a name for my son?" "How about Ruan Yuan? After all, he was born from the [Taiyuan Green Wood]."

The baby in his arms stopped crying and suddenly laughed, making Zhou You even more fond of the child. He then took out a jade leaf and placed it in the baby's arms. The green wood shone with a warm light, nourishing the baby's bones and roots.

"Once he is a little older, his physical constitution will be assessed, and then he can begin his cultivation."

Zhou You returned the infant to Ruan Qing, broke through the void, and his figure disappeared in an instant.

On the fragrant bed, Ruan Qing looked at the child in her arms, gently stroking the golden markings on his forehead, and whispered:
"Ruan Yuan, that's a good name."

At this moment, the surroundings returned to normal, the strange phenomena subsided, and several female cultivators stood by the bed, looking at the child with different expressions.

"Congratulations, Junior Sister Ruan. Most of the embryos born from the [Taiyuan Green Wood] lineage have been able to cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment, and even have a chance to reach the Purple Mansion stage. This child's future is naturally bright."

"Indeed, the ability of transformation and conception is only possessed by the Water and Wood paths. Not only our sect's spiritual embryos, but I have also heard that the Great Master Miaolin of the Great Salvation Sect was of this origin."

The group of female cultivators chattered amongst themselves, prompting Ruan Qing to smile as she looked at the child in her arms and said:

"I don't expect him to have a future like that of the Great Master Miaolin. I only wish that he can cultivate peacefully in my sect and enter the ancestral temple. That would be my wish fulfilled."

"That's natural, there's no need to worry."

The women inside were talking, but the baby in Ruan Qing's arms was tightly clutching the jade leaf, its eyes moving around, looking at her blankly.

In the courtyard, Lin Yu's expression shifted slightly as he saw that Master Zhouyou had already come out.

"Real person, this..."

“I have examined it carefully and there is nothing unusual about it. It is suitable for cultivating the Wood element, avoiding the thunder and lightning. The white deer and the pine tree, the green ox and the catalpa tree are rare elements of the original Wood.”

The wind and thunder patterns on Zhou You's brow shifted and flickered, causing the surrounding sky thunder to tremble.

Lin Yu's face lit up with joy, and he said softly:

"So, does this mean the lineage of the Qingyuan sect has a successor? In previous years, everyone thought that the Taiyuan Qingmu lineage only produced children of Qingqi and Xiaolei, but it turns out there really is a Yuanmu lineage."

"【Taiyuan Green Wood】is a spiritual root passed down from Donghua. It is naturally miraculous and is on the same level as the 【Hua Miao Pin Spring】in the South Sea. It has the wonder of creating living beings."

At this moment, Zhou You broke through the void, and thunder surged in the sky. He then gave the order:
“Take good care of this child. You will be in charge of Qingchen Reef for the time being. I need to return to my sect to inquire about this matter.”

"Yes."

Lin Yu received the order and respectfully saw the master off, but his heart was filled with turmoil.

As he stepped out of the courtyard, he was thinking about Ruan Qing's path to enlightenment. If he followed Zhouyou Zhenren's instructions, wouldn't that mean he would have her cultivate the Yuanmu technique?

Although the sect has this lineage, the requirements are extremely high, and few people can master it, so it has gradually been lost.

Yuanmu is the most revered of the five woods, encompassing wind and thunder, combining with Xunhu (the trigram representing the southeast), inheriting from Shaoyang (the lesser yang), and further possessing the [Qingyuan] lineage within the sect, left behind by the patriarch, making it exceptionally significant.

He rose into the air on the wind, causing the surrounding cultivators to disperse. Many of the female cultivators had different expressions, which he noticed.

Among them were those who had sought children at the [Taiyuan Qingmu] temple, all of whom failed and wasted their cultivation years in vain. Ruan Qing's birth of a son this time was indeed enough to shock all the cultivators.

The previous spirit fetus was none other than the True Man Zhouyou. His mother was an ordinary mortal. When he was born, there were changes in wind and thunder, and birds of the sky came to pay homage, but the extraordinary phenomena were far less than those of today.

'This child is likely already destined for the Purple Mansion realm.'

Lin Yu felt a chill run down his spine. If this matter were to be reported back to the sect, it would likely alarm the other True Immortals, and who knew what might happen next.

(End of this chapter)