Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 272 Great Fortune
"Xiangzi's Life-Creating Treasure Bamboo, combined with the Dragon Palace's precious treasure 'One Yuan Water Essence,' can heal Ao Yi's injuries."

Upon hearing his master's words, Zhao Yifu instantly understood what he had to do.

Without any pretense, he simply and decisively took out the precious bamboo that could heal the dead and restore flesh to bones from his bosom and placed it in front of the Dragon King, saying, "Does the Dragon King know what this is?"

The old Dragon King couldn't tell for a moment, but after taking a closer look, he was suddenly moved and exclaimed, "Is this the divine bamboo from the Purple Bamboo Forest in the South China Sea?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "This was bestowed by my next grandmaster, and it may be of some help to the Dragon King."

This time, the old Dragon King didn't pretend to be polite. He picked up the green bamboo and carefully wiped it, then sensed it for a long time... His cautious manner was as if he was afraid of making a mistake.

Zhao Yifu waited patiently and did not take this minor rudeness to heart.

After a long while, the old Dragon King raised his head in disbelief, looked at Zhao Yifu, and remained silent for a long time.

Zhao Yifu looked at the old Dragon King with amusement, wondering what kind of internal struggle he was going through at that moment.

After a moment, the old Dragon King asked in a strained voice, "I wonder where the immortal found this magical object?"

Zhao Yifu replied, "As I said before, it was a gift from one of my grandmasters."

The old Dragon King pressed on, "And who is that immortal?"

They seemed determined to get to the bottom of things.

Zhao Yifu understood his concerns and told the truth: "It was a gift from Grandmaster Han, one of the Eight Immortals."

Upon hearing this, the old Dragon King's brows suddenly relaxed.

He smiled warmly once again, but this time the smile was noticeably more friendly.

He said, “I see. Then I will accept this precious treasure without hesitation. If the immortals or the Eight Immortals need my command in the future, I will obey without question.”

The old Dragon King seemed to have figured something out.

But it was all unclear and vague. Zhao Yifu didn't explain it clearly, nor did he ask any further questions, leaving him feeling confused.

But that's where the old Dragon King's wisdom lies.

He only said he was willing to listen to Zhao Yifu and the Eight Immortals, but not to Youquan... This was a kind of insurance.

Indeed, none of the ancient things that have survived from ancient times to the present are simple.

Zhao Yifu laughed; he sensed a tacit understanding.

He then paused and said, "Dragon King, are you satisfied with the gift I gave you?"

The old Dragon King smiled and said, "Satisfied, extremely satisfied."

Then, realizing what Zhao Yifu meant, he added, "This item is of great use to my dragon clan. I am deeply grateful that the immortal has gifted it to me. How about we go to the Dragon Palace Treasury and choose a suitable item as a return gift?"

Zhao Yifu bowed and said, "Your Majesty is too kind."

Without refusing, he followed the old dragon to the Dragon Palace.

He went to the Dragon Palace and finally saw the 'Clam Dance Troupe' that the old Dragon King had praised... Their delicate and boneless, graceful dance was indeed very alluring. Of course, most importantly, Zhao Yifu remembered that there seemed to be a giant clam spirit imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison as well.

Then came another round of toasts and drinks, and the treasures from the Dragon Palace Treasury were brought out one by one for Zhao Yifu to inspect.

The Dragon Palace is not a high-class establishment; it would never allow guests to personally select items from its treasure vault.

Zhao Yifu didn't bother to choose carefully and just picked out a treasure called 'Azure Wave Crystal Chain'.

The old Dragon King explained, "This 'Azure Wave Crystal Chain' is forged from special spiritual crystals found in the deep sea. When placed in water, it is invisible and intangible, as if it does not exist. However, as long as it is swung, it can create a raging torrent of water..."

In short, it is a divine weapon that enhances the ability to gather and control water.

Zhao Yifu was extremely skilled in the Dao of Water Elements, and he felt that he might be able to use it as well.

He said, "In that case, thank you for your hospitality, Dragon King. Now it's time to enjoy myself and head home."

The Dragon King warmly escorted Zhao Yifu to the door, and only after Zhao Yifu burst out of the sea and leaped onto the clouds did he turn back to the Dragon Palace with a heavy heart... He needed to think carefully about what was to come. Zhao Yifu's arrival had brought many variables, and he could not afford to be careless.

But in any case, there was news about his eldest son, and his second son could receive treatment again... This was better than anything else.

After leaving the East China Sea, Zhao Yifu randomly found a mountainous area and then drilled into the earth's veins to find a space carved out by an underground river.

Then, he splashed ink to draw an array, creating a summoning array for the Netherworld Spring.

Now that the mission is complete, it's only natural that we should receive some benefits.

The array was set up, and the gurgling sound of the spring water created a unique way of sound that belonged to the secluded spring.

"You...it's you, isn't it? Only you call me that."

The summoned Youquan was like a blind man, having no idea who was calling him. However, since this was the only person in the world who would call him that so far, he could only accept it.

Zhao Yifu chuckled and said, "Fuyinzi greets Venerable Youquan. Did you send Lingji to deliver a message to me?"

Furthermore, because Zhao Yifu did not use his own blood to draw the array, the Nether Spring could not even contact him on its own initiative.

Youquan said, "That's right, it was indeed I who sent Lingji to find you. Since you are unwilling to strengthen our ties, then let him relay messages between us from now on."

"As for your mission... if you can establish a relationship with the dragons, I will surely give you a reward that will satisfy you."

Zhao Yifu pressed further: "So, to what extent does this 'relationship' refer to?"

Youquan said, "All you need is to be able to speak to the Dragon King."

Zhao Yifu felt that Youquan was being a bit too humble; his demands were too low.

But he still said frankly, "Yes, Venerable One, then I think I have completed my mission."

Youquan didn't react for a moment, and murmured, "The Dragon Clan is proud and aloof, yet they are a rare force in the Three Realms that is suspected by the Heavenly Court but can still maintain a certain degree of independence. We must strive to win them over..."

"Wait, what did you say you accomplished?"

Zhao Yifu said, "I have completed the task you assigned me."

He didn't hide anything and briefly explained how he 'completed the mission'.

He said, "I have a younger brother in the mortal world. He was originally a close attendant of the Third Prince of the East Sea Dragon Clan. Later, he descended to the mortal world to undergo tribulations and was reincarnated into my family."

"I learned from my brother that the Dragon Clan once suffered a great calamity, and even the second prince of the Dragon Clan was seriously injured and unable to leave the palace."

"I remembered that my grandmaster Han had once given me a spirit bamboo that could regenerate the physical body, so I sent it to the Dragon Palace..."

Upon hearing this, Youquan couldn't help but interrupt, "And then you became a guest of honor in the Dragon Palace?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "I gave away the spirit bamboo, and the old dragon king asked me to choose a return gift. I think this counts as a reciprocal gesture to establish a friendship, right?"

Youquan had to admit that Zhao Yifu's "give and take" approach to making friends was far more sophisticated than simply giving away "spiritual bamboo" in exchange for a favor.

Expecting a favor in return for kindness only earns you a personal favor, which is essentially a transaction.

This kind of "give and take" may seem like settling a debt of gratitude on the spot, but in reality, it leaves a lasting friendship.

Youquan said, "Good, good. It's a good start to establish such a friendship. As we exchange visits more often, we can start to talk about some things..."

He seemed very pleased; perhaps he had never encountered such capable subordinates before.

After all, it had only been a few days since He handed over the instructions.
When Zhao Yifu contacted Him this time, He probably thought that Zhao Yifu was suspicious and came to Him specifically to confirm the situation... Who knew that things had already been handled perfectly!
Youquan felt extremely pleased. Compared to him, what were those guys under his command?

Unbeknownst to him, Zhao Yifu had also brought the 'Power of the Scroll' into Youquan's team.

It's foreseeable that Youquan's team will also get involved next.

Zhao Yifu and this big shot weren't going to stand on ceremony. He asked directly, "Your Excellency, I've completed the task of contacting the Dragon Clan. What about the reward you promised..."

Youquan said, "What I promised you, I will give you. You can choose to use your own blood to draw an array to strengthen your connection with me, which will give you a significant boost. Alternatively, you can use your primordial spirit to enter the dark void through the dark spring and directly receive the reward, which will grant you unimaginable power."

Zhao Yifu gave a silent, cold grin, then said in a gentle and polite tone, "Young man, you should accept the reward as it is. Please bestow your favor as you see fit."

He knew all too well that the greater the benefit in such situations, the more potential pitfalls there were. In any case, his first impression on Youquan was probably that of a 'rebellious' person, so it didn't matter if he just bluntly stated it.

Youquan said, "In that case, the rewards you receive will probably be reduced by dozens of times."

Zhao Yifu said, "Well, I'll let it go this time. But next time you need my help, Venerable One, could you please prepare something I can use in this Three Realms?"

"Look, I even gave away the precious Life-Creating Bamboo myself in order to contact the Dragon Clan. If I don't get any more income, won't I suffer a huge loss?"

"Moreover, I still need to maintain relations with the dragons, which means there has to be give and take... But I can't just take the treasures that the dragons gave me and then return them, can I?"

Youquan paused for a moment...

Goodness, after experiencing just how capable this kid is, Youquan is actually getting a little anxious.

This is the true value of being a top salesperson...

A true top salesperson never has trouble finding a new employer, and Youquan really values ​​talents like Zhao Yifu.

He said, "Don't worry, you won't suffer any losses."

The next moment, the entire formation began to operate rapidly.

A tremendous force surged into it from the outside, and the losses caused in the process are unknown, but this is the price that the big boss has to pay to get his subordinates to work.

Zhao Yifu sensed that the dark source energy injected into the formation was being rapidly transformed into some special substances and injected into the underground river and ley lines, causing earth-shattering changes to this place... or rather, a transformation!

Observing this process, he suddenly gained a more genuine understanding of the dark source power.

This power is ethereal, yet it is also the source of all things.

It is destruction, but also rebirth.

As expected of the dark source power...

Zhao Yifu was worried that the commotion here would attract attention and affect the outside world, so he quickly activated the Mountain God Seal he had obtained and used his divine power to suppress the abnormal movement of the earth veins.

Amidst these short, rumbling sounds, a fist-sized mass of dark energy finally emerged from the void... like someone suffering from constipation.

Looking at the dark source energy floating in front of him, Zhao Yifu sensed its essence.

However, he dared not be careless in the slightest. The demonic fire burned in his palm, and he used the demonic fire to support this ball of dark source power to continue to observe it carefully.

The demonic fire is the flame of emotion; what it burns is actually spiritual power.

Therefore, if Youquan had tampered with it, the Demon Fire would definitely have been able to sense it.

then……

This seemingly pure and flawless primordial dark energy trembled and slowly shrank by about one-fifth of its size when burned by the demonic fire. Good heavens, it really produced something bad!

At this moment, Youquan, who was 'blind' and couldn't see what Zhao Yifu was doing, sensed something and angrily said, "Are you questioning the Venerable One?!"

Zhao Yifu said quietly, "Your Excellency, I still think that being more careful is the best way to survive..."

What kind of person is this? Caught red-handed, they still try to shift the blame?
Youquan was a little angry, but he didn't dare to really give Zhao Yifu a hard time.

What if you drive people away?
Although Zhao Yifu was lured into the demonic path by His people, this kid was quite serious about being a demon. How could he be happy to see himself being controlled by others when he was so wholeheartedly devoted to being a selfish and self-serving demon?

Therefore, Youquan really didn't have any good solutions for Zhao Yifu.

He even had some expectation of Zhao Yifu's 'rudeness' and lack of cooperation.

Zhao Yifu held the ball of dark source power with demonic fire but did not absorb it directly. Who knew if there were any other bad things inside this thing?

He wasn't that confident in his demonic fire.

He temporarily sealed it away, and then asked, "Does Your Excellency have any other tasks for me?"

Youquan said, "For now, your task is to maintain relations with the Dragon Clan and try to take them to the next level... As for any other tasks, I will contact you when needed."

Zhao Yifu said "Oh" and ended the communication.

He then carefully examined the burial site and felt that it had become a feng shui treasure land suitable for burying people.

If someone's ancestor is buried here, it will surely bring blessings to their descendants.

Zhao Yifu returned to the ground only after he had dealt with everything.

He was eager to investigate whether the newly acquired Dark Source Power was usable.

But when he came outside, he found a Taoist priest in a yellow robe guarding the mountain pass...

He immediately beamed with delight and ran over excitedly, saying, "Grandmaster, what brings you here?"

It was none other than the Grand Master Xuandu.

Xuandu glanced at him, seemingly disgusted, but said helplessly, "You've caused such a commotion, if I'm the only one who can keep an eye on things for you."

Zhao Yifu asked in surprise: "A big commotion?"

He subconsciously looked around.

He was shocked.

He originally chose a barren mountain with sparse vegetation and relatively poor spiritual energy.

But now, looking at this place again, a lush forest has grown out of it in a very short time!

Moreover, the vegetation in this forest is extremely diverse, with plants from different seasons blooming all at once at this moment, creating a visually striking effect.

The spiritual energy in these mountains is incredibly abundant, giving it the feel of a blessed land.

Xuan was very puzzled and asked, "How exactly did you manage to make Youquan relentlessly inject dark energy into this world?"

"It should be understood that the changes here are only a small part; the real beneficiaries are the entire Three Realms."

Zhao Yifu blinked. So this is how awesome Youquan is?

At this moment, Xuandu smiled mysteriously and said, "However, because Youquan is not in this realm, nor is it within the rules of this realm."

"Therefore, with the shift of cause and effect, the benefits of this creation of heaven and earth are also shifted."

Zhao Yifu pointed at himself and winked.

Xuan Du smiled and nodded, saying, "It's not obvious yet, but the benefits will gradually become apparent."

Zhao Yifu was itching to try it... Good heavens, he's basically getting two birds with one stone!

But... it feels so good.

Judging from what Master Xuandu said, even without considering the dark source power he had just obtained, he had already made a fortune.
But thinking about it this way, transporting such a mass of dark energy required so much power; if all that lost power were transferred to him…

Tsk tsk, that scene is too beautiful. Zhao Yifu doesn't want to be Youquan's puppet.

So he explained the whole story to his grandmaster, Xuandu...

"In short, it was because Venerable Youquan didn't want me to look down on him that he used a great deal of magical power to transfer this ball of dark source energy to me."

"However, I would appreciate it if my master could take a look at this mass of dark energy, because I have a feeling that there is definitely some hidden trick by Youquan here."

Upon hearing this, Master Xuandu could only say with satisfaction, "You are fortunate to be able to remain steadfast in the face of temptation."

"Let me check for you."

The way Grand Master Xuandu examined Zhao Yifu's dark energy was quite peculiar. He didn't take the energy directly from Zhao Yifu's hand; instead, a rotating yin-yang symbol appeared in his palm, and he examined it through calculation.

After a while, he said, "Use it with confidence, this thing poses no threat to you."

Zhao Yifu nodded and put it away. He still didn't plan to use it immediately. His master had said it posed no threat to him, but that didn't mean it was completely harmless. In any case, it was better to be cautious.

Xuan Du then said, "You did very well. Your teacher is very satisfied with your work. I hope you can continue to work hard."

"By the way, here is a golden pill bestowed upon you by your teacher. You have just entered the Celestial Immortal realm and it is not yet stable. This pill can help you quickly stabilize your realm."

Zhao Yifu was thrilled to hear this; this was exactly what he needed right now.

Heaven help him, he has been so busy since breaking through his realm that he hasn't even had time to stabilize it.

My boss is always the most considerate.

In comparison, that ball of dark energy seemed less important.

But that wasn't all. Xuandu continued, "First, take the pill to stabilize your realm. Then I will explain to you the 'Civil and Martial Fire Force' and the 'Impermanent Water Force.' These two methods are also important foundations of my Taiqing Dao, and I will pass them on to you."

Zhao Yifu felt a sudden sense of clarity upon hearing this.

He has now fully entered the core circle of the Taiqing lineage and is beginning to receive a lot of resources for his development.

Without any hesitation, Zhao Yifu took the golden pill on the spot.

What could be safer than having your master watching over you?
Only after swallowing this golden pill did Zhao Yifu feel the difference.

This is a golden elixir that has been refined with all the insights of heaven and earth!
As the medicine's effects spread throughout his body, Zhao Yifu felt endless principles rapidly filling his primordial spirit, also filling his newly established and still very fragile worldview.

He began to desperately try to comprehend the effects of the elixir, as its efficacy depended entirely on how much information he could receive.

But at that moment, he noticed something was different.

Originally, he needed Yang energy and spiritual energy to lubricate and connect with the universe to perceive it.

But now, he finds that the world around him seems to be completely open to him, revealing its mysteries to him without reservation.

Zhao Yifu was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized that this was probably the benefit his master had mentioned.

Although it was done unintentionally, Youquan did indeed give the Three Realms a much-needed boost.

And this credit was given to him; this was the response from heaven and earth.

This made it easy for him to receive the knowledge within the Golden Elixir, as the surrounding world would fully reveal itself to him.

On the other hand, seeing that he still had energy left, Master Xuandu nodded in satisfaction and said, "You are indeed a person with great fortune and outstanding talent. Since that's the case, I'll take this opportunity to explain the 'Civil and Martial Fire Force' and the 'Impermanent Water Force' to you."

He then proceeded to explain to Zhao Yifu, who was still meditating.

Zhao Yifu was speechless for a moment, and could only muster great willpower to devote some of his attention to trying to memorize it.

Understanding is impossible... Sigh, it seems like it's still understandable.

Zhao Yifu truly understood.

Memorizing "The Power of Civil and Martial Fire" is fundamental, and because I've been using Demonic Fire a lot lately, I've quickly developed a unique understanding of it.

The same applies to "The Unpredictable Power of Water." He was already skilled in water-based magic, and he could understand almost anything that his master, Xuandu, said.

He nodded to himself: His master said this was a basic technique, and it really was about the basics.

Xuan Du felt a sense of pressure as he watched him nod knowingly.

What's the problem?
no problem?

Do you understand now?

So he said, "If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

Zhao Yifu said, "Grandmaster, I am still comprehending the Golden Core, I don't have time to think about this right now."

Xuan Du finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that he seemed to have become a bit neurotic... He should find time to talk to his disciple later and see how he raised this child. The pressure must have been immense!

In that instant, Xuandu suddenly realized that the disciple he had taken in was also a capable person.

After all, it takes real skill to earn Zhao Yifu's sincere respect for him as a teacher.

Twelve hours later, the effects of the golden elixir wore off, and Zhao Yifu finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

His realm had become completely stable, and he had thus come to understand what the Golden Immortal realm was all about.

If celestial beings are beings equal to heaven and earth, then they are the symbol of cultivators separating themselves from heaven and earth.

So, the Golden Immortal is the process by which a cultivator perfects their own worldview and begins to form their own inner world.

Even Zhao Yifu, a Great Luo Golden Immortal above the Golden Immortal level, knew what was going on.

Its inner world is fully formed, encompassing all phenomena and capable of evolving... This is the Great Luo!

At this moment, Master Xuandu said, "You should also use the dark source power while I'm here to keep an eye on it for you."

Zhao Yifu nodded in agreement.

He then took out the dark source energy and swallowed it in one gulp.

Master Xuandu's eyelids twitched after watching for a while. This silly kid puts everything in his mouth!

That's because he didn't see it; Zhao Yifu even put the Heavenly Demon into his mouth...

(End of this chapter)