Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 891 Golden Lotus Saves from Calamity
After discussing the matter, Ji An returned to his cave at Crimson Flame Peak and entered the small world.

He and his fellow disciples had gained a great deal from the battles of the past few days, and now it was time to take stock of their spoils.

He activated the Azure Lotus Heart-Burning Flame and began the work of incinerating corpses at the Nascent Soul level, burning them into ashes and placing them into urns.

He now holds thirteen urns containing ashes, two each from cultivators at the eighth and sixth levels of the Nascent Soul stage, and the rest from early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

Looking at the row of black pottery urns placed next to the Gathering Yuan Tree, Ji An felt a sense of satisfaction.

He always felt that fighting and killing was meaningless, but if fighting and killing could obtain scarce resources, that would be a different story.

With little magical power remaining in his body and his spiritual energy severely depleted, he began to cultivate.

A vortex of spiritual energy rose and formed above his head, but it was only a dozen acres in diameter, far weaker than usual. This was because after the overall level of the spiritual treasure was improved, his efficiency in refining spiritual energy was further enhanced.

The fourth-grade superior spiritual vein was already difficult to meet the needs of him and his many spiritual plants, and upgrading the spiritual vein's grade had become another problem he faced.

Silent all night.

At dawn the next day, Ji An woke up from his sleep refreshed, took out several confiscated Sumeru bags, and released his metal element spiritual energy to impact the bags.

Although the Dharma Protector Vajra is a body cultivator at the Nascent Soul level, he seems to be an appendage of the Sangha Kings, possessing nothing but a set of clothes.

Several hours later, Ji An frowned at the mountain of stones and third-grade timber.

"You're here to be architects, aren't you?"

He muttered to himself that the enemy only had a small amount of Tier 4 resources, and most of them were building materials, which made him quite frustrated.

Most of these fourth-tier resources are Bodhi fruits and Vajra Bodhi fruits, which are not rare to him at all.

In addition, he obtained three lotus seeds with golden patterns, whose vitality strength reached the fourth-tier superior level.

He was familiar with this kind of lotus seed; he had planted one in the gourd world, which was currently a mid-grade fourth-level seed.

Logically speaking, this kind of hybrid should have already flowered and produced lotus pods, but I don't know why it has never flowered.

Ji An held the golden jade slip in his hand, looking troubled. The jade slip contained a key, but he had no idea how to open it.

He placed the jade slip on the table, picked up the two yellow jade bottles and opened them. This was his final reward, and he had a little expectation that he would receive a pleasant surprise.

He poured out a handful of shimmering, multicolored glass beads, shook his head with a wry smile:

"What use are relics?"

He scattered the relics on the table, and the light of one of the relics near the jade slip suddenly dimmed rapidly.

Ji An felt the energy in the relic being absorbed by the golden jade slip, and he was startled, taking half a step back and watching all of this intently.

Before long, the light of the relic dimmed considerably, but the jade slip emitted a warm and lustrous glow.

He picked up the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the sealed contents were completely revealed.

Inside is a Buddhist practice called the Heart Sutra, which is a method of cultivation only for those in the Samsara realm.

He patiently read through it once, a smile appearing on his face. He didn't need the cultivation technique, but it also contained records of pills that Buddhist cultivators could use to improve their cultivation.

The refining of elixirs requires the power of will. He had no use for the elixir recipe, but it mentioned a special spiritual plant—the Golden Lotus of Merit.

Ji An picked up the lotus seed covered with golden patterns, and he finally understood the name of the exotic lotus he had planted.

The Golden Lotus of Merit can purify vows, and all influential Buddhist temples will plant one.

In addition, this spiritual plant needs to be watered with the Qi of Xuanhuang Merit to bloom. After the lotus withers, the lotus pod that is about to mature can be picked and used to refine an external avatar. It can also be used to refine the treasure of substitution for death - the Golden Lotus for Salvation.

The secret method does not record how to refine an external avatar, but it does record how to refine a substitute for death. This method of refinement does not require the secret method of Buddhist monks; the requirements can be met by refining it with the essence blood and divine sense of a cultivator.

After carefully studying the efficacy of the Golden Lotus for Saving from Calamity, he laughed with great joy:
"Haha, I can be even more fearless in battle from now on!"

This magical treasure can withstand one fatal injury, while allowing the body to travel to a place ten miles away. It can also restore 30% of magic power and divine sense. With this treasure that can take one's life, fighting against someone is like having two lives against one.

"These people are really pitiful. They have the method to refine spiritual treasures but no raw materials."

After giving Shi Xiu a serious look of disdain, Ji An flew to the shore of the Black Earth Lake and hovered above the Golden Lotus of Merit.

The reason this spiritual plant doesn't bloom is because it lacks the nourishment of merit energy, and now he is sending it merit energy.

His hand rested on the lotus leaf, and the nascent soul in the Guanghan Palace manipulated a magic seal to send the Xuanhuang merit energy out of the upper dantian and along the immortal meridian to his fingertips.

Strands of golden spiritual light entered the lotus leaf from its very center, and the golden veins of the lotus leaf radiated a precious light several feet long. Ji An could feel the joyful emotions emanating from the spiritual plant.

The merits stored in the Moon Palace flowed away like water, and he couldn't help but feel a little heartache.

Over the past few decades, I have gained a great deal of merit energy by transforming the barren land, and I only used some of it when refining the Five-Colored Pill to upgrade the grade of spiritual treasures.

He considered himself a 'millionaire', and other cultivators would probably need five or six hundred years to accumulate so much merit by dispersing the essence of the sun and moon.

Gaining so much merit by capturing meteorites from outer space depends on luck; most cultivators have neither good nor bad luck.

Now he felt like a penniless wretch, and the Golden Lotus of Merit was like a bottomless pit, constantly devouring the strands of golden light.

When the remaining merit energy in the Moon Palace decreased by 70%, the Golden Lotus of Merit slowed down its absorption speed, and after a while it finally stopped absorbing merit energy.

Ji An let out a long breath; the remaining merit was less than one-tenth of what he had accumulated.

He extended his divine sense deep into the water and discovered a tiny sprout emerging from the lotus root.

"It's done!"

Ji An relaxed. He no longer needed to inject merit energy into his growth; otherwise, he would go crazy.

It's unknown how long it will take for the flowers to bloom. The jade slip states that this depends on the concentration of vows in the merit pool, but there is no merit pool here, so there's no way to compare.

Outside the Golden Spirit Sect, all was calm and peaceful, and no trace of Shi Xiu was found within a radius of a thousand miles.

Three days later, all the Nascent Soul cultivators gathered at the Wuji Palace.

Li Haoran's gaze was deep and serious as he spoke slowly and deliberately:
“Senior brother, the Buddhist cultivators have made no move. In my opinion, they must be lying in wait for an opportunity to retaliate. Why don’t I head to the Taixu Sect in the Central Continent now?”

Senior Brother's cultivation and combat power are the highest. He should stay in the sect as a pillar of strength, and he can handle the errands.

Ji An nodded, "Alright. However, the passage to the Land of Absolute Spirits is not safe. Junior Brother, it would be best to take the extreme north route, circle the coastline to the northern region of Central Continent, and then land."

If he were to travel to the Central Continent, he would take the passage through the Land of Extinction, because he is no longer afraid of the ambush set by the Shi Xiu. The other party's cultivation level is still a bit low, so it is not safe.

"Alright, I went to the Arctic Ocean in the far north to break through to the Golden Core stage back then, so I'm quite familiar with that route."

Lin Lan sighed softly, "I wish True Lord a safe journey." If a large army of Buddhist monks were to attack in the future, it would mean that the enemy was fully prepared and that they were confident in dealing with Master.

If it really comes to that, it will be a battle for life and death.

Li Haoran's lips curled up slightly, "With the cold light of a sword, one can have an easy time wherever one goes."

If a sword cultivator loses their belief in invincibility, then they shouldn't be a sword cultivator at all.

Being weak now does not mean being weak forever. Sword cultivators not only need the momentum to break through all laws with one sword, but also the mentality of never giving up.

Ji An cupped his hands in greeting, "Junior brother, you can leave tomorrow. I'll give you a farewell dinner tonight."

In the evening, send the other party some spiritual fruits and incense, just in case.

Just then, a golden communication sword flew in with a whoosh.

The golden sword flew away silently, but the Talisman Crafting Hall has launched a special product this year that, because of its speed, will cause a howling wind.

Lin Lan took the golden sword and probed it with her divine sense to read the information within. Then, with a strange expression, she said:

"True Lord Haoran, perhaps you do not need to go to the Central Continent."

The disciple reported that outside of the sect's Sunset Peak, two True Lords claimed to be from the Taixu Sect, and another True Lord claimed to be True Lord Xuanfeng from the far north.

Li Haoran raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that Zhongzhou already knows what happened here?"

If the Taixu Sect was unaware of the situation here, why would they send a True Lord here?
Ji An stood up and said:
"We'll know what's going on once we welcome the guests in. Nascent Soul cultivators, come with me to greet them."

Nascent Soul cultivators can fly fast enough to cover hundreds of miles in less than a quarter of an hour.

After leaving the Wuji Hall, the group returned to the main hall a moment later, exchanged pleasantries, and took their seats.

Lin Lan did not stay here. The Nascent Soul True Monarch intentionally or unintentionally released his aura, which put a lot of pressure on her, a Golden Core cultivator. In order to avoid making a fool of herself, she had no choice but to leave.

Xuanfeng Zhenjun had a rough and rugged appearance, resembling Zhang Fei, and looked just like a butcher in the mortal world. If he hadn't released his aura, no one would have guessed that he was actually a Nascent Soul Ninth Level cultivator.

At that moment, he felt dazed, as if the world was somewhat unreal.

He secluded himself for hundreds of years to improve his cultivation, never expecting that a cultivator of the same realm would be born in the originally barren Western Continent.

Zhenyue Zhenjun and Huayin Zhenjun were deeply shocked. The couple had received preferential treatment from the Taixu Sect and had grown into Nascent Soul Stage 7 cultivators in just over two hundred years. They felt a sense of pride.

But the cultivator in front of them repeatedly shattered their pride, his attacks becoming increasingly ruthless.

Zhenyue Zhenjun had mixed feelings, but with a warm smile on his face, he jokingly said:
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Xuanqing, on your further advancement in cultivation. To be in the same era as a cultivator like you, I wonder if it is a blessing or a curse."

He was fortunate to have such cultivators fighting alongside him in the conflict between Taoism and Buddhism; unfortunately, he seemed to see a brilliant star rising, its light surpassing that of the sun.

He knew that the other party had obtained the inheritance of the Five Elements Sect, and now he was even more convinced that the other party had also obtained a treasure, which was why he was able to soar to great heights.

"It's all fate," he sighed inwardly.

Ji An smiled modestly, "Fellow Daoist, you flatter me."

After exchanging a few words of mutual flattery, he spoke again:

"Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng's arrival was unexpected, but it is still within reason. Did you two come from Central Continent because of the matter of Shi Xiu?"

"Yes, we have received news that another group of Buddhist cultivators have crossed the Endless Sea and arrived on this continent. War is inevitable. We can no longer give them time to develop. We must launch a war, or at least curb their development."

The Central Continent has decided on a strategy: my purpose in coming here is to invite fellow Daoists to join the battle.

Not only you, but I will also travel to the Southern Continent and the far north to invite the True Lord to join the battle.

This battle is a contest of principles; there is no room for retreat.

Hearing this, Ji An understood that the Central Continent was still unaware of the movements of the Buddhist cultivators. He shook his head and sighed, saying:
"Fellow Daoist, you no longer need to go to the Southern Continent. A group of Buddhist cultivators has already conquered the Earthly Fiend Sect and the Shadowless Sect. A few days ago, they even came to the Western Continent."

Although we fought bravely and drove them away, they will surely come back again.

"If you don't come today, Fellow Daoist, True Monarch Haoran will also set off for Central Continent tomorrow to seek support."

The Central Continent was slow to realize this, which made him understand that Shi Xiu's control over the East China Sea was extremely tight, and that he was able to carry out large-scale personnel mobilizations without the Central Continent's knowledge.

The expressions of Zhenyue Zhenjun and his wife changed slightly at the same time. "How do you know that the Southern Continent has fallen?"

They were somewhat skeptical of the other party's intelligence sources and wanted to ascertain the truth of the matter.

Ji An did not answer directly, but asked in return:

"Did you two come to the Western Continent via the passage of the Land of Severed Spirits?"

“Yes,” Huayin Zhenjun’s beautiful eyes sparkled:
“We have seen vast stretches of wild grass and trees growing at the border between the Central Continent and the Western Continent. Could this be the work of you, fellow Daoist?”

Now it was Ji An's turn to be surprised. He nodded slightly.
"Yes, I discovered that transforming the barren land can yield Xuanhuang merit energy, so I have been staying there in recent years."

About two months ago, I was performing a land ritual in the Land of Desolation when I encountered two Netherworld True Lords being chased by Buddhist monks.

He recounted the situation in detail, and then talked about what Xizhou had done and the results it had achieved over the years.

He then fell silent, waiting for others to process this massive amount of information.

Xuanfeng Zhenjun had never dealt with Ji An before, and he couldn't believe that the other party could fight so fiercely.

“Fellow Daoist, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but I would like to spar with you to estimate what it would be like to face Shi Xiu alone.”

Zhenyue Zhenjun and the other man wanted to see the current strength of their former friend, so neither of them spoke up.

The information about transforming the land of absolute spirituality to obtain the primordial energy of Xuanhuang was not a secret among the True Monarchs of Zhongzhou.

The True Lords of the Divine Tree Sect will cooperate to carry out the transformation. Some cultivators who come from the Spirit Farming background are not good at fighting, or are naturally averse to fighting and killing, so they will choose to purify the demonic veins and transform the barren land to gain merit.

What intrigued them was that cultivators using this method must be proficient in planting techniques at the Nascent Soul level. How could a True Monarch with such abilities also possess formidable combat power?

Ji An stood up and stretched out his arm:

"Fellow Daoist, let's try it outside the hall."

The Five Sacred Mountains True Lord chuckled inwardly and winked at Qin Yan.

Zhu Zhenjun walked outside the hall, and Xuanfeng Zhenjun summoned an ice-blue tortoise-shell shaped spiritual treasure.

"My natal spirit treasure excels in defense; please, fellow Daoist, launch your attack."

(End of this chapter)