Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 866 Yunyang Valley

Xiaguang Ridge is located thirty miles southwest of Chiyan Peak. Liu Yu, who was pondering his cultivation technique, heard the thunder and immediately rushed out of the main hall, activating his natal magic weapon with all his might as he sped toward the direction from which the sound came.

It can be said that the thunderous roar disturbed the order within a radius of dozens of miles around Crimson Flame Peak, and many disciples felt terrified.

The instigator was completely unaware of all this. He subconsciously ignored the effects of releasing the Yi Wood Divine Lightning, and at this moment all his attention was focused on the land below that had been ravaged by lightning.

One by one, the red pine trees were destroyed by lightning. Not only did the parts above ground lose their vitality, but the roots underground were also not spared.

His gaze slowly swept over the devastation, then suddenly brightened and landed on a sacred tree.

This red pine tree was also charred black, with most of its branches gone, but it still stood proudly, like a crane standing out from the crowd.

Ji An looked away, trying to find other survivors, but to no avail.

He flew to the spirit tree that had retained its height, extended his divine sense to examine it, and indeed found that life was still hidden beneath the charred bark.

"What good luck!"

Ji An smiled. Fifty acres of spirit fields, with an extremely high planting density, contain about ten thousand spirit trees. However, based on past experience, the probability of successfully cultivating lightning-struck wood is close to one in ten thousand.

He immediately rode a cloud to the warehouse near the cold pool, took out several bags of pine nuts, which were all mid-grade third-level pine nuts, perfectly meeting the requirements.

He rode the cloud back to the spirit field and scattered the seeds as evenly as possible on the somewhat scorched land. Then he released the Great Virtue Spirit Evolution Spell.

The Earth element of the Wu and Ji elements shimmered with light, and the natal spiritual treasure exuded a mysterious aura, forming a harmonious resonance with magical power.

Yellow spiritual light spread, the soil in the spiritual field became soft, and the seeds on the surface fell into the soil.

The hand seals changed with a wondrous melody; the Ren-Gui water element seeds were deep in color, with surging water waves; and the Jia-Yi wood element seeds emitted a vibrant green light, full of vitality.

The Azure Lotus Banner and the Mysterious Origin Water Control Banner emitted rays of light that merged together, breathing in unison with the magical power.

A cloud of mist appeared above the spirit field and then quickly spread out, enveloping the spirit field.

A full moon, radiating a cool, clear light, rose, while the Azure Dragon and the Black Dragon tumbled in the clouds and mist, and lightning flashed in the rain and fog.

The raindrops fell in a torrent, glistening like pearls under the cold light.

The dragon's roar is like the first thunder of spring, and the seeds sprout rapidly. When the forces of water and wood combine, the power of life is brought to its fullest potential.

Ji An stood with his hands behind his back on the colorful auspicious clouds, feeling the harmonious blend of water and wood, his heart filled with pride, which reminded him of the excitement of releasing the Minor Cloud Rain Technique by the Azure Lake years ago.

As soon as Liu Yu entered Chiyan Peak, he noticed the auspicious clouds at the foot of the mountain. He swooped down and landed beside the auspicious clouds.

Ji An turned his head and asked curiously:

"How did you know I returned to the sect, senior brother?"

He didn't inform anyone when he returned this time; it's possible that the Five Sacred Mountains True Lord made a fuss about it.

"The thunder shook the area, affecting a radius of dozens of miles. I thought something had gone wrong."

"Huh? I overlooked that."

Ji An scratched his head. He rarely released the Yi Wood Divine Lightning outside before. This time, he used the most exaggerated method to release the spell. With the blessing provided by the Dao Seed and the spiritual treasure, the momentum was indeed quite grand.

"Your cultivation level is too high, and you have overlooked the impact of powerful spells on lower-level disciples."

Liu Yu sighed inwardly. The battles of high-level cultivators were no different from the destruction of the world in the eyes of low-level cultivators. He didn't know when he would be qualified to break through the core and form a nascent soul.

His gaze shifted to the spirit field, pointing to the scorched earth and the vast amount of broken branches and ashes, and he asked:

"What happened?"

He was very curious as to why planting spirit fields would release lightning magic; it made no sense at all.

“Artificially created lightning-struck wood, such spiritual plants can break through the limits of species, and it will not be difficult to cultivate them to the fourth level in the future.”

Senior brother may not know that there are not many spiritual plants in the sect with the potential to grow to the fourth rank.

Without enough fourth-tier spiritual plants, the sect's foundation is far too shallow.

Ji An explained that precious plant seeds are rare in the sect, so quantity is a priority. Apart from precious plants, only the spiritual plants he brought back from the Central Continent have the potential to be cultivated to the fourth rank.

If a sect cannot possess the ability to refine Nascent Soul Pills and provide the pills needed for Nascent Soul cultivators, it is like a rootless duckweed.

The current flourishing prosperity is all thanks to the output from the gourd world.

One day when he embarks on the path to stardom, even if he leaves behind a vast legacy, his descendants will eventually squander it all.

In short, the sect's foundation is not yet worthy of being called a qualified Nascent Soul Grand Sect.

In his view, only those who possess the ability to refine pills to enhance the cultivation of mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators can reach the threshold of top-tier sects, and this is a long and arduous task.

Without the aid of elixirs, even the most talented cultivator cannot reach the Nascent Soul stage by relying solely on their own cultivation.

"I see. I don't understand the intricacies of Lingnong. Please excuse my ignorance."

Liu Yu pointed to the charred spirit wood, "Has this been successfully cultivated?"

The entire spiritual field was full of seedlings, but this one, though not very attractive, still stood proudly upright.

"Indeed, the sect's fortune is at its peak. I never expected that it could be cultivated so quickly."

Ji An sighed, “When the time is right, heaven and earth lend their support. When luck is on your side, you’re truly a favorite of the heavens. You can’t deny that.”

"Senior brother, there are still fifty acres of Emerald Mulberry trees over there that need to undergo the baptism of the Wood Divine Lightning. Shall we go and take a look?"

"Of course, but please don't unleash that kind of shocking power again."

The two flew to the azure spiritual field. Ji An made a hand seal, and his magical power surged within him. The Azure Lotus Banner and the Jia-Yi Wood Dao Seeds each shone brightly.

Three bolts of blue lightning struck in succession, and Liu Yu witnessed the lush mulberry forest shatter into dust in the lightning.

"Two plants are still standing and haven't completely fallen over!"

He exclaimed in surprise and asked again:

"Does this prove it's a success?"

Ji An was taken aback. He flew to a charred mulberry tree, sensed its dormant vitality, and nodded slightly.

He flew to another mulberry tree and sensed the dormant life force there as well. He said to his senior brother who had flown to his side:
"Success! It's incredible!"

This is incredibly lucky; he said he couldn't understand it.

If such a chance existed in the world of gourds, there would probably be at least a thousand lightning-struck trees accumulated.

"A sign of the sect's prosperity, haha, I must inform my fellow disciples."

Liu Yu smiled broadly, which meant that the sect would suddenly have three more fourth-tier spiritual plants, which would be able to support more Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

After chatting and laughing for a while, Liu Yu took his leave, and Ji An began his inspection of Crimson Flame Peak. At the summit, Ji An faced the setting sun, exhaling wisps of crimson spiritual light and absorbing its essence.

A moment later, the setting sun was swallowed by the distant mountains. He stood up, rode the clouds to the mountainside cave, and found Lin Lan standing at the door.

"Meet the Master."

Lin Lan cupped her hands in greeting, looking spirited and confident.

She wore an ochre-colored Taoist robe, with a small golden tripod pattern embroidered on the left cuff and a silver unicorn pattern embroidered on the right cuff. This was the sect leader's exclusive Taoist robe.

Ji An nodded with a smile, "No need for formalities, come in and talk."

He activated the seal with a hand gesture, stepped into the cave, where spirit lizards devoured the dust, and the place remained spotless even after twenty years of neglect.

The master and disciple sat down, and Ji An carefully examined his disciple's spirit and asked with a smile:

"How does it feel to become the sect leader?"

"I've only been in this position for a month, and I haven't fully sorted things out yet."

Lin Lan humbly said that before taking over, Lin Jiuxiao had explained the affairs of the sect leader very clearly and had let her handle some of them personally to accumulate experience.

The sect has been very stable over the past month, and the transfer of power has been smooth.

In fact, most cultivators who have achieved success in their cultivation are indifferent to power and have few desires. They only become indulgent when they have no hope of cultivation in their later years.

Who controls the Ministry of Agriculture now?

"It was Liu Mingze, who broke through to the Golden Core stage in the same batch as Junior Brother Wei. He was a lucky old man who broke through to the Golden Core stage at over four hundred years old."

After his breakthrough, this person became the deputy hall master of the Ministry of Agriculture. Perhaps feeling that he would never be able to break through to the Nascent Soul stage in his lifetime, he became enthusiastic about managing the affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture. Therefore, I appointed him as the hall master.

My initial plan was to have Junior Brother Han take over, but he disagreed, so I had to give up on that idea.

Ji An felt gratified upon hearing this. He had high hopes for his second disciple, who was able to maintain his original intention and was most likely to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Lin Lan then said:
"Master, are you planning to stay in the sect for a long time, or will you go out in a few days?"

"I'll leave after half a month. Transforming the Spirit-Severing Land can yield Xuanhuang Merit Qi, so I will stay in the border area between the Western Continent and the Central Continent for a long time."

Ji An replied that he possessed the Calabash World, so staying in a place with scarce spiritual energy did not affect his cultivation. The biggest impact was that the stone turtle could absorb less spiritual energy every day, but it did not affect him much, at least not now.

He looked at his disciple, and his expression began to change, quickly transforming into Li Haoran's appearance.

"This is the Lesser Formless Skill, a technique obtained from Shi Xiu. Many years ago, I had the Golden-feathered Eagle send this information back. If we encounter this situation, has the sect come up with a solution?"

Lin Lan covered her mouth with her hand, but her eyes revealed shock. She knew this information, but only when the things on paper came into reality did she realize how incredible it was.

She coughed softly to mask the shock in her heart:
"Master, how long can you maintain this state? Are you experiencing any discomfort?"

"After casting the spell, there is no need to expend spiritual energy to maintain the state, and there is no discomfort, just like growing naturally."

It will exist forever as long as it doesn't change, only reverting to its original form at the end of its life.

Ji An explained, returning to his original state.

Lin Lan pondered for a moment and said:
"I have discussed this with Senior Brother Lin many times, and also with fellow disciples at the Golden Core level. If a sect disciple is replaced by this method, it will be detected as soon as they enter the sect's protective formation."

If a rogue cultivator or a disciple of a small faction encounters this situation, there's nothing we can do.

Ji An raised an eyebrow slightly and asked with a smile:

"That's great, how did you do that?"

As long as the sect remains in order, any problem encountered outside can be resolved.

"Even if the appearance is very similar, the soul fluctuations can never be exactly the same as the original."

The Array Hall redesigned the identity jade token, which allows cultivators to connect with the token if a connection is established.

If the jade pendant does not match the wearer, it will appear in the landscape painting.

In other words, even if a Buddhist monk infiltrates the sect and deliberately avoids his fellow disciples, he can still be discovered immediately.

Cultivators rely on soul fluctuations to identify people, but they need to actively seek out and get to know them, which is impolite. This is what gives the practice of changing one's appearance an opportunity.

Ji An nodded. "It seems I should get my new identity jade token too. I never knew the sect's magic array had this function."

"Hehe, Master, you may not know this, but the sect's protective array has been replaced with a fourth-order low-grade array, the Life and Death Illusion Dust Array!"

This is a magic array with strict environmental requirements. It is built on two spiritual veins that naturally form a Tai Chi shape, one Yin and one Yang. It can be used not only for defense but also to activate the magic array for attack.

Junior Brother Zhang Zeye said that this mountain-protecting formation could function as effectively as a mid-grade fourth-tier grand formation.

The Formation Hall is playing an increasingly important role, and the legacy left by the Five Elements Sect is beginning to transform into the sect's foundation, rather than just jade slips gathering dust in the Five Elements Hall.

Ji An clapped his hands and laughed loudly, saying:

"This is the best news I've heard since the end of the True Demon Tribulation."

With the establishment of the fourth-order mountain-protecting formation, the sect is increasingly showing the characteristics of a Nascent Soul sect.

He looked outside the cave and asked:

"Once both Yin and Yang spiritual veins reach the fourth rank, they can form an area suitable for the growth of special spiritual plants. What's the situation now?"

He now accepts this theory because the collision of Yin and Yang forces can evolve into the Five Elements, thus creating a special environment that has a special effect on Yin and Yang spiritual plants.

Spiritual plants are classified into five elements, and a larger classification is based on yin and yang. For example, according to the scientific classification method of the previous life, roses belong to the genus Rosa of the family Rosaceae in the order Rosales of the class Magnoliopsida.

Lin Lan subconsciously sat up straight, her eyes shining:

"Reporting to Master, the situation is even better than originally expected. We planted all the spiritual plants that have special environmental requirements in that area, and they all survived."

At first, some of the spiritual plants didn't grow well; they were short and looked malnourished. But as time went on, these plants gradually became stronger and healthier.

This spiritual field is being subtly transformed, providing a special boost to the growth of spiritual plants.

She slightly raised her chin and continued:

"We named this area between Chaoyang Peak and Yunhe Mountain Yunyang Valley. It mainly grows spiritual herbs and plants, as well as spiritual fruit trees used to refine pills for breaking through major realms."

Furthermore, the research by the Ministry of Agriculture on cultivating special growing environments will not be interrupted, and various high-grade spirit trees will be planted outside of Yunyang Valley in the future.

Yunyang Valley is too small, currently only slightly over 700,000 mu.

The good news is that its area will gradually increase over time. Zhang Zeye predicts that, assuming the spiritual vein's grade remains unchanged, it could reach a maximum of one million mu.

One million acres sounds like a lot, but it's actually far from enough. High-level spiritual plants need to be planted very close together to grow strong; they can't be planted as densely as low-level spiritual plants.

(End of this chapter)