Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 389 Qingyuan
West Sea, Qingchen Reef.

Many cultivators stood on the sea cliffs, opening altars to pray for lightning. Inside the treasure hall on the central island, azure light emanated, and lightning flashed.

An old monk in a green robe stood in front of the hall, with a young boy in green beside him. The boy was quite handsome and looked to be no more than four or five years old, with bright golden eyes.

"The real man has been brought here."

Lin Yu's voice was tinged with fear and worry. He kept a slight distance from the child beside him, glancing at him from time to time.

"Ruan Qing, how is she doing now?"

A calm male voice came from the palace, accompanied by flashes of azure lightning; it was Zhou You.

"We've already sent her back to the mountain gate and given her some calming pills. She should be fine now. She almost strangled her own child to death earlier, I don't know why."

"Bring him in."

The sound of boats drifting in and out became somewhat erratic. Suddenly, wind and thunder howled. Lin Yu looked at the child beside him, took a few steps closer, took the child's hand, and they entered the hall together.

In the center of the hall stood a section of green spiritual wood, about the height of a person. Its light flowed and its green aura flickered, giving people a boost of vitality and accelerating the flow of qi and blood.

Below the spirit branch was a pool of clear water, where the light of the dark blue Gui water manifested, slowly nourishing the spirit branch within.

Lin Yu was startled when he saw this. This spirit branch was taken from the [Taiyuan Green Wood]. The [Taiyuan Green Wood] is one of the most precious spirit woods, comparable to spirit objects such as the [Sun Crystal Seed] and the [Taiyin Origin Soul].

This single branch of spirit wood, if given away, would be worth as much as a Purple Mansion spiritual artifact, and many Purple Mansion cultivators would be willing to trade for it.

“I obtained this Qingyuan Branch from the sect and also borrowed the Soul Inquiry Book from my master. Today is the perfect time to take a look at it.”

As soon as Zhou You finished speaking, Lin Yu broke out in a cold sweat and said in a trembling voice:

"Master, please bring out the [Soul Inquiry Book], Ruan Yuan."

He turned his head and looked at the child beside him, recalling many of the child's strange traits: first, he was born with unusual signs that drove several maids who approached him crazy, and later even his own mother wanted to strangle him.

"It's nothing. Everything is under the control of the sect. I asked my master and roughly guessed why he was acting strangely. Today is just to confirm it."

Zhou You slowly stepped forward, his brow furrowed with overlapping, shimmering wind and thunder patterns. He reached Lin Yu, took the child's hand, and led it up.

"Are there any rumors circulating in Qingchen?"

As he led the child to the treasure pool where the spirit branch was located, he asked Lin Yu about it. His words didn't sound like he was asking questions, but rather like he already knew something and just wanted Lin Yu to tell him.

"Many disciples say that he was born of Ruan Qing and is a demon."

“This is utterly absurd. We should stop this trend as soon as possible and prevent our disciples from spreading these pointless rumors.”

Zhou You was somewhat angry at this moment, which shocked Lin Yu even more. He had never seen this real person in front of him get angry before, but now he was angry about this matter.

"Yes, I will lead men to stop this."

Lin Yu dared not be negligent, feeling that there were many secrets behind this matter that he, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, could not fathom. So he had no choice but to follow the orders of the True Person.

Zhou You, leading the child beside him, stood in front of the pool. Looking into the child's bright golden eyes, he felt a stirring in his heart and activated his supernatural power to make the child stand quietly.

"Lin Yu, you are from the main clan of my sect. Do you still remember the origin of my Shangxiao lineage?"

Zhou You asked the question at this moment. Shangxiao was led by the Lin family, and even his master Bi Mo was from this lineage. Lin Yu, as an elder, was quite famous in the sect, which was why he was able to come with him to collect thunder.

Lin Yu was unaware of why the master had brought this up, but he respectfully replied:
"Of course I remember that the Patriarch himself attained the Dao and became the Heavenly Thunder Master. It was only when the Song Dynasty was established that the lineage was established, which became my [Shangxiao] lineage."

He was naturally very familiar with this history, and everyone in the sect knew about it. The only problem was that this True Lord Xiaolei had never appeared in person. When he established the lineage, he only appeared in the Purple Palace.

Now, hundreds of years have passed, and there has never been a response. Generations of the sect have had some speculations, but none of them have ever been made public.

Zhou You slowly shook his head, first glancing at the child beside him, then looking at Lin Yu, and simply said:
"You only know one thing, not the other. Before the Patriarch attained the Heavenly Thunder, he was already a True Lord and a follower of the Primordial Wood." Upon hearing this, Lin Yu was shocked, as if struck by thunder. The sect's records only stated that the Patriarch attained the Golden Core at the height of the Feng Dynasty and was honored with the title Qingxiao, but there were no other records.

“I believe that if we calculate carefully, we should be able to connect with Donghua and trace back to the [Jian Sui] True Lord after the fall of Xia. In the past, in the Jian Shi Hall, the Patriarch studied Taoism under this great man.”

"Later, when the True Lord Jian Sui ascended to heaven and departed, the Patriarch attained the position of Yuan Mu and, upon arriving at Feng Chao, ascended to the position of Xiao Lei."

Zhou You slowly recounted these events, not so much to Lin Yu, but more to the young children beside him.

"This is also the origin of the Taiyuan Green Wood. This wood corresponds to the position of the Yuan Wood. It was obtained by the ancestor from Donghua and was left by the Jian Sui Zhenjun."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu understood immediately. The [Taiyuan Green Wood] could transform into a spiritual embryo, which was extremely miraculous. Perhaps only Donghua had such a method.

"You should know this, but you must not tell anyone else."

Lin Yu accepted the order and immediately retreated to the side of the hall. He saw Zhou You take out a mysterious book with black and white energy flowing through it, and gently open it. A faint breeze then blew through the hall.

This book is an artifact of the underworld, belonging to the Dao of Hearing the Netherworld. It can be used to inquire about past and future lives and is already of the level of a spiritual treasure. Zhou You activated it immediately, and the black and white energies circulated, causing the green wood spiritual branches to droop and fall towards the child in front of the pond.

Zhou You felt a little uneasy. He had noticed something was wrong with Ruan Yuan recently, which was different from the behavior of ordinary spiritual fetuses, and he had a guess in his heart.

He had borrowed the [Azure Origin Branch] and the [Soul Inquiry Book], and had already consulted his master, Bi Mo, who allowed him to come and see them in person.

Is it reincarnation, favor, manifestation, or...?

Regardless, once the Soul Inquiry Book is completed, along with this Azure Origin Branch, the true nature of the child will surely be revealed. Only after this can he feel at ease passing on the Azure Origin One Yang Book.

The black and white energies flowed slowly, connecting the child before them with the green wood spirit branch, as if they were connected by a thread.

Zhou You looked at the child's shadow. If it was a reincarnation, it would reveal its past life at this moment. Even the Golden Core technique could not conceal it, nor could it block the spiritual treasures of the underworld.

However, the figure behind Ruan Yuan did not change at all, which made Zhou You's eyes sharpen. His guess was wrong. At present, there is probably only the so-called favor of the orthodox lineage and manifestation.

"Master is right, I was overthinking it."

Zhou You understood. He dispersed the black and white energies, but the piece of green wood spirit branch shone brightly at this moment, shining down and transforming into a beam of spiritual light, which landed directly in Ruan Yuan's hand as a green and mysterious pattern.

This strange phenomenon startled Zhou You slightly, but he saw that the child's Qi Sea was gradually opening up within him, and in just one breath, he had already entered the realm of fetal breathing.

Lin Yu, standing to the side, was even more shocked. Normally, one would start cultivating at the age of eight, when one's spiritual root was fully developed, before attempting to break through. But this child had directly broken through to the embryonic breathing stage.

"Lin Yu, you go out first. This matter must not be told to outsiders."

Zhou You's voice was stern, only allowing Lin Yu to leave the hall first. At this moment, only he and Ruan Yuan remained. This True Person slightly lowered his posture and said:

"From this day forward, I will be your master."

Looking into Ruan Yuan's golden eyes, the confusion on his face lessened somewhat, and he simply nodded slightly and said:
"Master."

"Alright, here is the 'One Yang Breathing Method' for you. Just practice according to the instructions in this book."

Zhou You smiled broadly, took out a scroll of blue pages, and handed it to the child before him. Ruan Yuan looked at it, then asked in confusion:

"I don't know how to read."

Upon hearing this, Zhou You's smile vanished instantly. He hadn't considered this matter. By the time he turned eight, someone should have already taught him, and he didn't need to interfere.

But at such a young age, to already possess the ability to cultivate at the embryonic stage would be too terrifying if he were to venture out. He could only stay here for now, under his care. The True Immortal thought for a moment, then took out a jade slip, sighed, and said:

"Come on, learn to read."

(End of this chapter)