Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 582 Fallen Leaves
Sirius Palace.

The evil energy from the earth slowly receded back into the shadows at the four corners. The dragons and snakes formed from the blood energy ceased their violent movements, leaving only the sorcerer's spirit energy emanating from the portal, which covered the four walls with a layer of cold iron light.

A dim, lackluster figure emerged from the doorway, its iron-gray skirt swaying gently as it stepped out in gold-embroidered boots. The shadow slowly swept upwards across the robe embroidered with white horses and blue oxen, finally settling on a beautiful, pretty face.

She bowed slightly, revealing that she had already reached the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm.

"Xiao Xuelin greets General Fu Xuanjingye and Bodhisattva of the Great Wilderness."

Feng Yan's gaze sharpened slightly, the platinum armor clashing together with a clanging sound, and his tone softened a bit:
"Now that [Xunlin] has arrived, I won't bother arguing with this monk."

The evil earth, standing to the side, remained calm and said nothing. It broke through the void, transformed into rolling yellow sand, and disappeared into it. A muddy, pure land ravaged by wood energy could be faintly seen.

His identity is special; he not only represents the person in charge of the Hua family lineage outside the region, but is also a respected figure. Therefore, he is a person of extremely high status in Liaodong, and few people can command this Bodhisattva.

Feng Yan, seated in the main position, gently clenched his fist, causing a flow of blood and wind that dispelled all the evil aura in the hall, filling the space with a magnificent and violent martial might.

"Gu Huaixu, ha, this man is extremely scheming. Although his cultivation is high, he is unusable."

Xiao Xuelin, who was standing below, slowly stepped forward, her skirt swaying. Beside her, the iron-gray witch spirit light transformed into streaks of beast shapes and rushed out, condensing into a scroll that marked the situation between Shengle and Yinshan.

"I came from Dadu and heard that a great commotion has taken place on the frontier, with even the blood of the True Lord being offered up?"

"It was offered up by Qinghua and left behind by Panzhang."

Feng Yan's gaze was intense, as if he were deep in thought. He circled the situation map formed by the condensed light of magic, and finally fixed his gaze on the location of Yinshan.

"When Tuoba Yuanye died, it disturbed the earth's veins, causing the energy in the area from Shengle to Yinshan to become chaotic, rendering the formations and talismans ineffective. If we want to stop Li Xiu from heading north..."

Xiao Xuelin stepped forward at the opportune moment and said softly:
"If the formation fails, the Pure Land can be established. Right now, we can only wait for the monk of the Evil Land to restore the [Empty Pure Land]. With his abilities, it won't be long before he can resolve the situation."

"There is only one thing I need to report to you, sir."

A hint of worry appeared on her face, and her tone became slightly somber.

"I heard that Emperor Li persuaded the one at the Hanging Temple. If the Ancient Boat Bodhisattva makes a move, Lord Gu will probably be too busy to care about anything else. The other Buddhist Pure Lands are not good enough to counter it, after all, the [Dancui Pure Land] is one of a kind in the world."

"Guzhou?"

Even with Feng Yantian's fearless nature, he suddenly felt a bit of a headache. The monk on the ancient boat was the foremost Buddhist monk in the country, and was hailed as a person with the true qualities of an enlightened being.

Xiao Xuelin sighed and continued:

"The Hanging Temple is a sacred site of Zen Buddhism. It rarely makes a move, but it should not be underestimated, let alone someone who has reached the [Non-Retrogression] level. Such a person is not even seen in Liaodong."

Feng Yan paced slowly, as if deep in thought.

"Gu Zhou follows ancient methods and avoids getting involved in karma, so why would he come to this stinking mud pit? Isn't he afraid of defiling his Buddha image?"

“We do not know. After all, he is a highly accomplished monk with his own insights, and it is difficult for outsiders to understand his thoughts.”

Xiao Xuelin spoke of the other person with a hint of respect in her tone.

"I understand. I'll go to the Land of Delight and see if there's any way."

Feng Yanxuan frowned. Among the Buddhist cultivators of Northern Liao, the one with the highest cultivation level was naturally Evil Earth. It would be barely feasible for him to deal with Ancient Boat, but it would be difficult to use [Dancui Pure Land].

As for the other Pure Lands of Buddhism and Taoism, unless the path to rebirth in the Pure Land is willing to offer up its most fundamental Pure Lands, none of them can withstand the Buddha's teachings of that ancient boat.

After much thought, the only solution seemed to be to seek a way out in the Desire Demon Land, since that Lord of Desire and Taoism had considerable ties to Buddhism and Taoism, and perhaps knew how to deal with him.

"Are we still a little short of being certain that the Heavenly Pivot Sword Immortal might make a move?"

He looked at Xiao Xuelin and suddenly asked a question.

Upon hearing the mention of that sword immortal, Xiao Xuelin's gaze held a hint of apprehension, and he respectfully replied:

"We've heard that this sword immortal went to search for the ruins of the ancient Heavenly Court, entered the wilderness, and has not been seen since. Moreover, this person represents the will of Heaven, and it's already the best thing that he's willing to stand on Liaodong. How can we possibly mobilize him?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Yan felt somewhat annoyed:
"Since that's the case, let's ignore him and mobilize all available manpower. How many supernatural powers and Bodhisattvas have arrived on the front lines now?"

Xiao Xuelin's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said respectfully:

"Reporting to the general, both ancestral spirits of Leishan will be coming, bringing with them items retrieved from the [Spiritual Source] in the North Sea. Da Leitian is still cultivating his supernatural powers and should not be acted upon rashly."

"Yelü Xingye has cultivated four divine lightning techniques, and now he is in a difficult situation."

Feng Yan's tone was laced with sarcasm.

Xiao Xuelin continued, seemingly oblivious:

"In the Imperial Palace, Xueya and I will both be on the field. Lord Tiesui has also recovered from his injuries and is ready to come. Several figures from the Immortal Path have also been dispatched. As for Shimo, Wangsheng and Qingchong will send people, and you know Leyu's situation best."

"No movement from Xuanmi?"

Feng Yan frowned slightly. Since the start of the war, this lineage had not made any statement. However, with a True Monarch in charge, outsiders dared not say anything.

"I'm afraid they're busy with things in the South China Sea."

"Alright, you can leave now."

Feng Yan sighed, waved his hand to dismiss the woman beside him, and sat on the throne in the hall, his gaze deep and thoughtful as he continued to ponder the current situation.

The Shengle Society has fallen.

It's a done deal; the fall of Changwu Ancient City is inevitable. In order to completely stabilize the border front, the Li Kingdom will go all out to retake it.

His mission was not to defend this place to the death, but to take advantage of the fact that the Li Kingdom's mind was focused on Sheng Le, and to lead his men to take a good bite out of the enemy, weakening the Li Kingdom's strength as much as possible.

Who should we kill?

He quickly simplified this complex problem: as long as he could kill a few influential figures in the battle of Shengle Dadu, he would have successfully fulfilled the Emperor's mission.

His blood boiled, the candlelight flickered, and he quickly made up his mind about someone.

After a short while, the void suddenly shattered, white liquid flowed out, and a woman dressed in a pure white silk dress fell from it, turning into water demon light that lingered around the place.

"Sir, it's about my younger sister."

The allure on Zhixi's face faded, replaced by a sorrowful look that made her even more captivating. At this moment, she lowered her posture to an almost pleading level.

"Since Taizhen has captured her, her fate is unknown. Since Wan Jin can activate the golden scales, there must be something Geng Jin, that lord, is behind this."

Feng Yan sighed softly.
"Since Chouxi has received my orders, as long as I remain here to lead the battle, I will keep this matter in mind. However, the battle is of utmost importance and cannot be delayed. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Zhixi seemed somewhat dazed. She bowed and left, disappearing from sight.

Silence returned to the main hall.
-
Yan, Taixu.

A point of verdant light emanated from the infinite heights, like a dragon soaring through the sky, surrounded by wood energy. It was none other than the location of the Qinghua Immortal Sect's [Qingwantian], where various strange phenomena were now manifesting.

Countless green leaves fell from the sky, turning into dust in an instant. A sense of withering emanated from the heavens, making the grotto appear shaky and unstable.

Inside the grotto-heaven. This grotto-heaven is not large; what comes into view is a vast expanse of verdant greenery, with lush trees. Only on the sacred mountain in the center of the grotto-heaven sits a palace, where it seems that cultivators come and go.

At the summit, shrouded in clouds, sat a magnificent palace built of green wood. From the main hall's entrance came bursts of dark red light emanating from the wood, which eventually coalesced into a single point, soaring into the sky and transforming into broken wooden roots, with clusters of flames clinging to them.

Guangmu Shentong, [Shoufen Gen].

If the ancient trees still possessed some vitality, after repeated calamities, they had been completely transformed into dead wood, like wood burned by fire, with broken roots and branches, as straight and rigid as gold.

This wood can be used to build nests and palaces, and is highly beneficial for formations and the raising of beasts. However, it is afraid of thunder and fire, as its wood energy leaks out and will cause the person to become stiff upon contact with it. Its nature depends on the transformation of Li Hui, and ordinary people cannot cultivate it.

A tall woman walked out of the palace gate. Guang Su was wearing a green robe. There was little joy in her eyes at the realization of her supernatural powers. Her determination was tinged with worry.

A woman emerged from another side hall. She was a young girl with an air of nobility, wearing a long brown dress with black bird patterns. She gracefully bowed and offered her congratulations:

"Congratulations, Master, on the renewed attainment of your supernatural powers."

"It's not a good thing. My supernatural powers are cultivated in dead wood. In this cave, it was not easy to achieve anything, but suddenly I broke through the bottleneck and the profound phenomena came naturally. This is a sign that the wood is about to die."

Guang Su, accompanied by his disciples, rose into the air and looked down the mountain. There, they saw a withered and half-collapsed green treasure tree with bark that looked like scales. Its roots had shriveled and no longer displayed its former wonder.

"The Eastern Azure Tree has long since died. It was erected by the Lord himself. It was originally a spiritual root of the same level as the Primordial Green Tree in the heavens, and it was also a giant tree that reached straight into the sky."

Upon entering this grotto, Chen Xiyue saw only this withered tree. She had only seen a description of this spiritual root in ancient books, which said that it was "as tall as the sky, with dragons and snakes coiled around it".

She tried to imagine the former glory of this spiritual root, but she couldn't picture it.

The azure light above the cave changed at this moment, shaking and vibrating, the wood energy rubbing together, and bursts of purple lightning. The vast azure clouds slowly broke apart, revealing a huge, pale green dragon body churning, its scales peeling off, its aura heavy and gloomy, its flesh and blood seemingly about to turn into a wooden body, falling straight towards the center.

Guang Su's expression changed drastically. He rode the wind forward, only to see the blue light dissipate and the wooden dragon disappear, leaving only an old man leaning on a dragon-headed cane.

"Master!"

Her tone was filled with deep worry. She took a few steps forward, only to see Yili gently wave her hand.

"I'm fine."

The old master had blue scales growing on his neck and wrists. He looked around with a slightly bewildered expression and continued:

Where did Guang Chan go?

Guang Su sighed and replied slowly:

"Senior brother is now going to Taizhen to visit the Mei family to deal with the matter of the cave's fall. The agreement is almost finalized, and it will be transformed into a blessed land of green and tranquility."

"well"

There wasn't much solace in Yi Li's words; rather, there was a sense of helplessness.

Guang Su let Chen Xiyue leave first, while he accompanied the old man to the main hall at the top of the mountain. Both of them remained silent.

Only upon seeing the withered [Eastern Azure Treasure Tree] did Yi Li regain some of her spirits. She covered her hand with her sleeve, pointed to the dead tree, and said:

"I am the same as it."

Guang Su's face showed a hint of reluctance, but she took a deep breath and helped the old man beside her to continue walking, listening to Yi Li's scattered and disordered words.

"The lord erected three precious trees; [Dongcang] has withered, but [Yinyu] is here."

Yi Li took out a small piece of green wood, about the size of a finger, with marks from locusts gnawing on it, which was slowly healing. His eyes were somewhat blank, as if he was searching for something.

Where is Wei Jinbaomu?

"Master, have you forgotten? It has already been sent to Taizhen."

Guang Su's voice was strained as she looked at the swaying blue light in the sky and simply said:

That drop of blood

"The great man has passed away. The one sitting in that position is no longer Him."

Yi Li's hands trembled slightly, as if she was trying her best to suppress the changes within her body. "The Golden Position also has memories and biases. It remembers the sacred and divine beasts very deeply and heavily!"

"Therefore, there was a crisis of the former emperor usurping the throne. The dragon's subordinates also used tricks. This position should not have been proven, nor could it have been proven. It was only because of the circumstances at the time."

The old master's eyes suddenly became empty, and he remained silent for a long time before continuing:
"Tian Yu's death was suspicious and there was no definitive conclusion. However, when the adults were witnessing the incident, that spot was indeed empty."

The wood energy surged violently, dragons coiled around, Yi Li spoke in a melancholy tone, and the surrounding vegetation began to grow wildly, with purple lightning occasionally rising from the wood energy.

Guang Su was about to speak, but Yi Li waved her hand, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes.

"It is [Qi Heng]."

"This is?"

Guang Su looked puzzled, but then noticed that Yi Li beside her was becoming increasingly agitated, and said bitterly:
"Retreating and returning, using it to prove myself, is called [Qi Heng]; mutually serving as the source and path, transforming the Dao fruit, is called [Kui Du]. Indeed, indeed, that person, with such a close relationship with Tian Ye, must understand this wonderful method."

"A mystery to deceive us, a mystery—"

He seemed to be consumed by rage, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and the wood energy in his body continued to surge violently.

Yi Li's expression grew even colder. He flipped his hand and took out two long nails, cast from gold and iron, belonging to the Geng and Qian metals respectively, displaying distinct gold and red colors.

Without hesitation, he pierced his heart and dantian with the two golden nails.

Geng represents emptiness, signifying that all metals break through the earth and emerge; Qian represents fullness, signifying that all metals are hidden and do not emerge. When these two metals meet, it is difficult for them to generate wood.

The rampant metal energy made his already aged and frail body appear even more wretched, as if it had drained away the last bit of his life force.

"Master——"

Guang Su's eyes showed sorrow, but she saw that Yi Li's expression was calm and she looked at him quietly.

"I am going overseas to prepare for my passing away peacefully."

The features of this great master's face had been completely destroyed by the energies of metal and wood, leaving him unrecognizable as human. He could only murmur:
“If I die, the grotto-heaven will surely fall, and my body will transform into a wooden dragon. You will go and cut it into three pieces, keeping one for yourself, and sending the rest to the Tai Zhen Immortal Sect and the South Sea Tomb Mountain respectively.”

"Remember, remember, my Qinghua Dao originally belonged to Tianye, and Yin Guang accepted it. The ancestor of my Dao worshipped the Ancient Crack True Lord."

"If the magic treasure left by the True Lord, the Azure Ruler, is left in the cave, it should be placed in the east position, with the Azure Dragon and Yumu Immortal statue standing beside it. There is no need to think about this treasure anymore; just wait for the master to retrieve it."

"The Earth element will return, and Xiyue has a promising future. She is a good seedling and should be carefully nurtured."

His face was no longer recognizable as human, but a gentle gaze lingered.

"Suyun, you and Qingchan should support each other and carry on the tradition. Don't let me down."

The aura of green wood rose into the sky, and a faintly visible azure dragon soared and headed south.

Guang Su knelt respectfully on the ground, his eyes lowered and his expression unreadable.

"Best regards, Master."

(End of this chapter)