Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 335: The Mother Peach Tree
The criminal gang sneaked into the peach orchard through a path provided by the monkeys.

This path is not a narrow, winding trail, but a bizarre and fantastical spatial rift.

That's just monkeys; what decent person could find such a path?

However, this also proves that the Peach Garden is actually an independent grotto-heaven located in the Heavenly Court. The guards and formations that Zhao Yifu encountered when he came to the Peach Garden before were all set up at the entrance of the grotto-heaven.

This time, following the monkey to the Peach Garden, they appeared directly in the middle of the garden.

They emerged from a ditch in the peach orchard. Xiao Zhao turned and looked around, saying, "These are all medium-sized peaches."

The Peach Orchard has a total of 3,600 peach trees. The first 1,200 trees bear small peaches, and eating them can make one become an immortal.

The 1,200 trees in the middle bear peaches, and eating them is said to grant immortality.

The last 1,200 old trees bore large peaches, which, when eaten, could grant one longevity equal to that of heaven and earth.

That's great.

Eating the peaches grants immortality, but this immortality depends entirely on the celestial energy within the peaches. Once it dissipates, the immortality is gone, and the person naturally returns to the ordinary, even facing aging and death.

The peach tree goes a step further, nourishing the human spirit and granting immortality upon attaining immortality. This seems to correspond to the realm of celestial immortals.

The claim that eating the giant peach can grant immortality is quite grand, almost a direct indication of reaching the Golden Immortal realm.

Can you really reach this level just by eating peaches?
It's obviously impossible, but this shows just how magical these peaches are.

And this amazing thing actually grows all over the trees?
The monkey led everyone deeper into the peach orchard as if it were its own home, and naturally they arrived at the place with the 1,200 old trees.

He pointed to several trees in the yard and said, "Judging by the days, it should be time for the peaches on these trees to ripen."

Following the sound, Xiao Zhao looked and found that there were many peaches hanging on the five trees, but most of them were green. A dozen or so large peaches could be vaguely seen hanging among the branches and leaves, which were ripe.

He wasn't surprised by this; he already knew it when he came to pick peaches earlier.

The peaches on this peach tree don't ripen all at once. Every thousand years or so, a few new small peaches will appear, and then some peaches will ripen during that time.

The peaches on this old tree took a total of nine thousand years to mature.

There used to be a lot of ripe peaches on the old tree, but a certain mischievous monkey was young and ignorant and ruined a lot of them back then.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Zhao said, "Shall we just dig up this old tree?"

The monkey was a little troubled and said, "Digging it up is easy, but will it grow?"

Xiao Zhao's heart was even darker. He said, "Then let's just kidnap the land of the Peach Garden as well. Anyway, Uncle Yang has the Immortal Binding Rope."

Upon hearing this, the members of the small group felt that although the statement was simple and crude, it was surprisingly feasible.

However, Pigsy had some knowledge and said, "Little Zhao, don't be impulsive. This peach tree is a spiritual root of heaven and earth, and it's probably not so easy to transplant."

"If we don't figure out the conditions that this peach tree needs to take root and grow, we'll probably die if we move it back."

Yang Jian agreed, saying, "Marshal Tianpeng is right. I've heard that this Peach Garden is irrigated with the elixir of the Jade Pool, and therefore it is under the jurisdiction of the Queen Mother."

Xiao Zhao immediately thought, why not rob Yaochi as well?
But thinking about it, it's best to let it go. Yaochi is, after all, the Queen Mother's place. They can pretend they don't see what we're doing in that corner where the two supreme beings can't see us. But if we really push our luck, we might end up making things worse.

Xiao Zhao muttered helplessly, "Why didn't I ask about these things back then..."

He could only say, "Then let's pick these ripe peaches for now; everyone will have relatives and friends who need them."

These peach pits can also grow into peach trees, but those peach trees are just ordinary spirit peaches, much inferior to the peaches in this Peach Garden.

But Yang Jian opened his Heavenly Eye at this moment. He looked at the peach grove and suddenly said, "No, there is another hidden space ahead."

Everyone was surprised, and then they all rushed over there.

Sure enough, they encountered an invisible and intangible wall of air at the edge of this old tree area.

This air wall is usually completely unnoticed; even monkeys have come here many times without realizing that there's anything wrong with it.

It was only through Yang Jian's divine eye that he discovered the difference.

All I can say is that there's a restriction here that can only be seen by 'family members'.

Yang Jian then walked around the 'air wall' and finally arrived at a giant rockery located at the edge of the barrier.

This artificial mountain appears to be merely decorative; beneath the stacked stones lies a small, bottomless cave, adding a sense of depth and dimension to the rockery.

Just then, Yang Jian said, "Come with me."

Upon hearing this, everyone obediently followed Yang Jian into the stone cave.

It was indeed a place where you could see the end at a glance, but Yang Jian somehow turned around and disappeared.

The monkey following behind him rolled its eyes, took two steps forward, and disappeared as well.

Xiao Zhao followed, and only when he turned around did he discover that there was an extremely narrow crevice at the bottom of the cave. A gentle breeze blew through the crevice, creating a very comfortable spiritual energy.

Looking at the flies squeezing through the cracks ahead, Xiao Zhao knew that this was the place he needed to use his divine power to get to.

He himself cannot perform seventy-two transformations, but don't forget that this is just an incarnation of his evil corpse, and he is not a physical being.

He walked straight forward, and his body naturally slipped into the gap.

Pigsy also possessed the art of transformation, but he was too lazy to use it on the journey to the West. However, since there was a secret treasure at hand, he immediately transformed into a fat centipede with big ears and crawled into the crevice.

As for Nezha, he is also proficient in thirty-six transformations.

To be honest, it's perfectly normal for a Taoist disciple to know some transformation techniques for self-defense, and they all use the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Transformations.

Xiao Zhao squeezed through the crevice and discovered another hidden paradise.

The spiritual energy here is more concentrated than anywhere else in Heaven.

In the middle of this cave, a towering tree rises from the ground, reaching a height of several hundred meters!
The tree was lush and leafy, with branches hanging down so low they almost dragged on the ground.

"This is... the Mother Peach Tree?!"

The monkey was extremely surprised; no one knew the peach tree better than it.

Xiao Zhao looked around and asked, "Why aren't there any peaches?"

He was somewhat disappointed, as he had thought the mother peach tree would be laden with large peaches, making the trip worthwhile.

Everyone was at a loss, and none of them knew what to do.

While they were helpless, Zhao Yifu himself had guests arriving.

It was Dongyue Mulu, dressed in a simple Taoist robe, his black hair tied up in a simple bun, and he walked barefoot into the Pingxin Hall.

Empress Pingxin greeted him without surprise: "You've arrived. Do you have something to discuss with my young friend?"

Mu Lu smiled and nodded, then looked at Zhao Yifu, who was sitting cross-legged in the hall and had just opened his eyes, and said, "You bunch of bad boys are really audacious. Aren't you afraid that the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao will punish you first?"

Zhao Yifu was slightly taken aback, then said knowingly, "It seems they did a good job?" Mu Lu smiled, her red lips parted slightly, and her face was as beautiful as a peach blossom.

He said, “You have seized the opportunity well. It is the time when all the celestial stars descend to earth to undergo tribulations, and Youquan has sent Liu Chenxiang to lead a large army to attack the heavens.”

The implication is that the Heavenly Court has no time to deal with them right now.

Zhao Yifu said with a smile, "Then it seems they can do even bolder things."

Mu Lu said helplessly, "Alright, you're already a Great Luo Golden Immortal now, there's really no point in joking with you."

"I've come to give you the 'key' to the secret realm of the Peach Garden."

Zhao Yifu looked over in surprise.

Mu Lu said, "Actually, more than ten years ago, the Queen Mother of the West entrusted me with the 'key' to this Peach Garden. Now I'm handing it over to you."

As he spoke, he tossed a rune stone to Zhao Yifu.

Zhao Yifu took the rune stone, his eyes flickered slightly, and said, "It seems that the Peach Garden was originally intended to be handed over to the Emperor for inheritance."

Mu Lu said with dissatisfaction, "I already said, just call me 'fellow Daoist'."

Zhao Yifu readily agreed, saying, "Fellow Daoist."

Mu Lu then said with slight satisfaction, "How could I possibly inherit the Peach Garden?"

"I can't grow peach trees at the boundary between Yin and Yang. I can only say that the two supreme beings used my hand to hand over the innate spiritual root peach tree to you."

Zhao Yifu listened, seemingly enlightened, and said, "I understand..."

Zhao Yifu silently took back the 'key' but did not use it.

At the same time, Xiao Zhao in the secret realm suddenly realized something, and suddenly put his hands in front of his chest in a gesture of retraction. Then a dreamlike space opened up in front of his chest.

The Dream World has arrived!

He didn't use the 'key' because it was used to manage the space where the Peach Garden was located, and he was already in the Peach Garden.

He couldn't take this space with him, so the key's function was to close and open it.

Perhaps the meaning of Mr. and Mrs. Zhang handing him the key was to keep it safe so that when the Heavenly Court restarts in the next new century, the Peach Garden can be restarted at the same time.

However, the fact that he can't take the 3,600 peach trees outside doesn't mean he can't take the mother tree.

In fact, this mother tree is the true innate spiritual root. What Zhao Yifu did through Xiao Zhao was to move this entire cave-heaven secret realm into the dream world!

The people in this mysterious cave felt as if they had entered a dreamlike world, surrounded by bizarre and fantastical sights.

Pigsy was very wary, not knowing what was going on.

The monkey pressed down on its shoulder and said, "Don't be so hasty, you idiot. This is the dream world. We were tricked into the dream world by that little Zhao."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy calmed down slightly and looked at Yang Jian and Nezha, who were both very composed, so he was obviously not surprised.

It said, "That Zhao guy is really something, why did he suddenly start a fight... Could he be up to something bad?"

The monkey laughed and said, "You idiot, you always have such a sharp tongue. I, Old Sun, have been to this dream world many times. It's just a fun place, there's no danger here."

Nezha said with a complicated expression, "The dream world is not dangerous, but this is the first time I have entered it in my physical body during the day."

Yang Jian said frankly, "This dream world has been refined into his own inner world by his junior brother Fu Yinzi, which is why it was able to take us in so easily."

"They were already a powerful being with the cultivation level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, yet they surpassed him later on. You can't argue with that."

Pigsy muttered, "Is it that amazing... such talent is incredible..."

Before it could finish muttering, everyone's eyes lit up, and when they came to their senses, they were back on Baiyun Mountain.

Xiao Zhao appeared unsteady and weak, seemingly exhausted.

He said, "Gentlemen, I've overexerted myself and need to return to my original form to recuperate. I will have another incarnation to speak with you all later."

As they spoke, a spatial portal appeared, and on the other side of the portal were countless points of soul light, exuding an aura of the Netherworld.

Then, the evil corpse Xiao Zhao stepped inside.

A moment later, another avatar of Zhao Yifu stepped forward and said, "Please excuse my weakness, everyone. I am ultimately weak because I do not have a primordial spiritual treasure to rely on."

Without using an innate spiritual treasure as a means to sever the corpse, this evil corpse is actually just an embodiment of someone with many ideas.

The monkey asked anxiously, "So, you're staying in the dream world with the mother tree?"

Zhao Yifu nodded: "The Peach Mother Tree is a true innate spiritual root. If it were exposed to the outside world, it would incur the jealousy of the heavens. Therefore, it can only remain in the Dream Realm."

As for why the mother tree wasn't left in the secret realm?
It can only be said that Venerable Youquan may not be interested in the three thousand six hundred peach trees, but he will definitely be interested in this innate spiritual root.

This is a spiritual root of the Daoist sect, how can it be left to languish outside?
In any case, Zhao Yifu still has a strong sense of ownership about this.

Only after the mother peach tree entered the dream world did he realize that he had received a huge benefit!

He made a mistake first: it wasn't that the secret realm was rich in spiritual energy suitable for the growth of the Peach Mother Tree, but rather that the presence of the Peach Mother Tree was what made the spiritual energy there so abundant!
Why would the mother peach tree be envied by the heavens?
Because it can directly draw spiritual energy from heaven and earth to support its own growth, from the perspective of the Heavenly Dao, it is a thief who steals spiritual energy and will naturally be punished by heaven.

And now, within the dream realm, it is also continuously drawing upon the spiritual energy of the three realms.

Most of it goes to itself, and a small portion is released to the dream world...

However, the Heavenly Dao cannot be traced within the Dream Realm, which is why it can remain peaceful.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yifu's heart stirred; he was not lacking in spiritual energy.

So the forbidden book of the Great Void was sent into the Dream Realm, and then infused with dark source power, from which boundless spiritual energy was generated...

Zhao Yifu was stunned.

Because he discovered that while the mother peach tree could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it had even absorbed a portion of the dark source energy!

Moreover, after drawing some of the dark energy, the peach tree's branches and leaves visibly stretched out, as if it felt quite comfortable.

Zhao Yifu was shocked.

This was the first time he had encountered a creature from the Three Realms that could extract dark energy!

This discovery was extraordinary, and he immediately injected more dark energy to test it.

Sure enough, the mother peach tree was able to directly absorb the dark source energy!

After absorbing the dark source energy, the mother peach tree released an incredibly rich spiritual energy that permeated the dream world.

Compared to the effects of the Forbidden Book of the Void, the spiritual power released by the Peach Mother Tree is purer, with clear Yin-Yang and Five Elements balance, and can become a cultivator's magic power with almost no additional refining required.

Zhao Yifu suddenly realized something: there might also be a primordial chaos within the mother peach tree, a primordial chaos of a higher level than the one he had placed in the Forbidden Book of the Great Void.

(End of this chapter)