From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 558 Untangling the Archipelago, Destiny Begins to Emerge

Fang Qingxue put away the Undying Lightning Talisman, and the eternal thunder in this sea area dissipated. The lead-gray clouds were drawn back like a curtain by an invisible hand, and the long-lost sunlight and moonlight shone on this scorched archipelago.

The seawater, no longer a somber deep purple, has returned to its profound azure, shimmering and reflecting the starry sky, appearing serene and mysterious. Only the still-abundant, lingering thunderous energy in the air, and the occasional tiny sparks of electricity emanating from the cracks in the island's rocks, testify to what this place once was.

Fang Qingxue stood in mid-air, her white robes fluttering in the breeze. She felt the exhilarating sensation of her body merging seamlessly with the Undying Lightning Talisman. Her aura as a Celestial Realm cultivator was perfectly harmonious, and she even faintly touched the threshold of the Unity Realm. She looked down at the dozens of islands scattered like stars below, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her clear, cool eyes.

“Cousin, look,” Fang Qingxue said, her voice clear and melodious, “this place has been tempered by the Undying Lightning Talisman for ten thousand years. Although the earth's veins appear scorched, they actually contain a vast amount of thunderous essence. Moreover, it is located on the edge of the Ruins of Return, with complex spatial nodes, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. If managed well, it is indeed an excellent place to establish a base.” Fang Qingxue’s voice was clear and melodious, with a hint of barely perceptible excitement. Although she was the Heavenly Lord of Lightning in her previous life, that was a high and mighty giant in the celestial realm. In this life, building a force from scratch is a novel experience for her.

Li Chengqian stood with his hands behind his back, his green robe fluttering in the wind. Hearing this, he smiled slightly and said, "Indeed. It's a good place. However, the complete absence of thunder here will inevitably attract the attention of nearby cultivators, and we'll need to deal with it."

Just as the two had expected, the anomalies in this sea area quickly attracted the attention of cultivators in the nearby seas. Within a few days, several waves of divine sense cautiously probed into this sea area that had just calmed down, and several streaks of light lingered and watched in the distant sky, not daring to approach easily.

On this day, three streaks of light, unable to contain themselves, landed on the edge of the central main island. The newcomers were two men and one woman. The one with the highest cultivation was a middle-aged man with a wiry face, wearing a fish-skin robe, possessing the cultivation of the second level of the Divine Power True Qi Realm. The other man and woman were at the first level of the Divine Power Mana Realm. They were clearly independent cultivators from the nearby seas, their eyes filled with vigilance and inquiry.

"What fellow cultivators are here cultivating in seclusion? The thunder in the Thunderclap Sea has suddenly ceased, and we have come to investigate. If we have caused any disturbance, we hope you will forgive us." The middle-aged man cupped his hands and said, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

As soon as he finished speaking, an incomparably terrifying aura pressed down. The three cultivators at the Divine Power Realm changed their expressions drastically and tried their best to stand up. However, under the suppression of that tangible aura, the three of them could only gasp for breath and could not even utter a word.

Then, they saw two young men, a man and a woman, appear before them.

Li Chengqian stepped forward, exuding an undeniable air of authority: "We are the true disciples of the Feathered Ascension Sect, Li Chengqian and Fang Qingxue. The lightning of this sea area has been received by my junior sister. From this day forward, this archipelago and the surrounding sea area will be our training ground, as well as the overseas branch of the Feathered Ascension Sect."

"The true teachings of the Feathered Ascension Sect!"

"Li Chengqian? That prodigy of the Feathered Ascension Sect who punched the Demon General Ying Tianqing to pieces!?"

"........."

Upon hearing this, the three men's expressions changed instantly, and they inwardly gasped.

Recently, Li Chengqian's reputation has been extremely high in Guixu. After all, the incident on Bixue Island happened in public. He defeated the Demon Commander Ying Tianqing and two Celestial Realm guards all by himself. Such combat power has far exceeded their imagination. Of course, the identity of a true disciple of the Ten Immortal Sects is like a mountain in itself, let alone such a famous and fearsome genius.
The middle-aged man quickly bowed and greeted them with utmost respect: "So you are Senior Brother Li and Senior Sister Fang from the Feathered Ascension Sect! I am Liu Mang from Blackwater Island, and these two are my companions. We were unaware that you two had established your immortal abode here. Please forgive our intrusion! If you have any requests, we will do our utmost to fulfill them!"

The other two also quickly expressed their agreement, adopting extremely humble postures. Having been through this kind of life, they knew that this person was definitely not someone to be an enemy of; to be an enemy was tantamount to courting death. Instead, befriending him and establishing a relationship, even if it only resulted in some guidance or a few spare resources, would be immensely beneficial to them, poor, independent cultivators.

Seeing this, Li Chengqian's expression softened slightly, his terrifying aura dissipated, and he said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Liu, there's no need for such formalities. We are newcomers and need to familiarize ourselves with the surrounding area. Since you two frequently operate in this sea area, do you know the specific situation of this area? What forces are around here?"

Liu Mang dared not conceal anything and quickly revealed everything he knew. It turned out that this sea area, located on the outskirts of Guixu, was known as the "Thunderous Sea Area" or the "Deadly Thunderous Sea Area." Due to the perpetual thunder and lightning, the environment was extremely harsh. Aside from a very few cultivators practicing special thunder techniques or needing to collect thunder essence, almost no one ventured deep into the area. The archipelago itself was also extremely resource-poor. Furthermore, the Undying Lightning Talisman was hidden within the core of the thunder, making it difficult even for minor Golden Core cultivators to fully perceive its extent. Therefore, it had always been considered a liability by various forces and remained unclaimed. The larger forces in the vicinity included the Blackwater Sect, which occupied Blackwater Island; the Hai family, a Golden Core cultivator affiliated with the Myriad Return Immortal Island and controlling Coral City; and several scattered alliances of independent cultivators.

Having learned the general situation in the vicinity, Li Chengqian dismissed Liu Mang and the other two. Several more groups of cultivators came to investigate, and Li Chengqian dealt with them all in a similar manner.

The identities of the true disciples of the Feathered Ascension Sect and the strength they displayed acted as a stabilizing force, quickly calming the situation. This not only dispelled the covetousness of petty villains but also subtly inspired some rogue cultivators to consider joining their cause.

“Cousin, it seems there won’t be any major trouble in the short term,” Fang Qingxue said.

“Yes, a good reputation can indeed save a lot of trouble sometimes.” Li Chengqian nodded. “Next, we need to start transforming this archipelago. We need to sort out the earth veins, establish the foundation of the formation, and then draw spiritual energy to build a mansion so that it can last.”

At this point, both of them had reached the Celestial Realm, enabling them to gather primordial energy, refine grand formations, and open up cave dwellings. As disciples of the Feathered Immortal Sect, they naturally knew how to do these things.

The two flew to the center of the archipelago. A flash of light appeared between Li Chengqian's brows, and the illusory image of the Azure Mirror appeared. The mirror's light, like mercury spilling onto the ground, silently swept over every island below, penetrating thousands of feet underground. Beneath the mirror's light, the intricate network of earth veins was clearly visible, like the meridians and blood vessels of the human body. Most of them appeared as a bright silver-white color, which was highly condensed thunder essence. At some key nodes, it had even condensed into liquid thunder pools or solid thunder crystals.

“Although the earth veins are strong, they are too singular and violent. They need to be harmonized with the power of the five elements to transform the violence of thunder into a continuous source of life.” Li Chengqian said in a deep voice, “Qingxue, you are in charge of thunder and control the central point. You are responsible for guiding and calming the thunderous essence in the earth veins. I will use the Five Elements Divine Qi to reshape the earth vein pattern and build a cycle.”

“Alright!” Fang Qingxue nodded, sitting cross-legged in the void. The Undying Lightning Talisman flew out from between her brows, hovering above her head, emitting a gentle yet majestic purple electric light. She formed hand seals, and streaks of chaotic lightning, like serpents, probed into the ground, contacting the raging thunderous energy. Miraculously, the originally unruly thunder, upon sensing the Undying Lightning Talisman and the shared yet superior thunderous aura emanating from Fang Qingxue, became docile, beginning to flow slowly under her divine guidance.

At the same time, Li Chengqian took a deep breath, and five-colored light soared into the sky from his body!

The five divine energy streams, each belonging to one of the five elements, began to be channeled, guided, and harmonized under Li Chengqian's exquisite control. The five elements' powers interact with each other, creating a tremendous commotion. However, after learning about the two's situation, none of the surrounding rogue cultivators dared to approach and spy. The two spent a full three days finally completing the most basic initial step in sorting out the earth's veins.

After the earth veins were initially cleared and unblocked, the next step was to inscribe array runes on this vast network of earth veins and refine the great array. This work was more meticulous and extensive, and it took them a full ten days to complete.

"Cousin, something seems to be wrong!"

Just as the scattered islands around them were beginning to take shape, Fang Qingxue approached Li Chengqian with a strange expression.

"What's the problem?!"

"This stone," Fang Qingxue said, taking out a piece of ore, "is what we bought last time on Bixue Island. I noticed a strong aura of lightning on it. Lately, I've been managing the central core of the grand formation, and I was planning to melt down the other pieces of ore I bought. The others are fine, but this one just won't melt, and it always gives me a strange feeling."

(End of this chapter)