Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 48 Water and Fire
There is a small pond on the top of the mountain, shaped like a crescent moon.

The water from the pond flowed down the mountain into a clear stream, which flowed into the back of the Huo residence at the foot of the mountain. Lu Xingzhou's bamboo house was built beside the pond. When he stepped out of the house, he could see the shimmering waters before his eyes, gently rippling in the north wind.

"I've been staying here these past few days just to ponder this..." Lu Xingzhou whispered, "It can be basically concluded that it's not this pond, or rather, it's not just this pond... This is still a misleading trick. The idiots of the Huo family have been deceived by this pond for countless years."

Shen Tang hesitated to speak.

Not to mention the Huo family, their attention is only attracted by this pool of water, so are they all idiots...

"Come here." Lu Xingzhou rowed his wheelchair to the back of the house, where there was a large area of ​​rocks with no other features.

"The two mountains are shaped like yin and yang, embracing each other. I've surveyed the most intense fire area in Danxia Mountain, and it's indeed a yin-yang fish eye. So the corresponding fish eye here should be where the Zhentan is, that is, this rock." Lu Xingzhou said, "I tried a few methods a couple of days ago, but it feels like something's missing... Today is the beginning of winter, so perhaps it's just the right time."

As he spoke, a group of talismans suddenly appeared in his hands. He swung them in the wind and stuck them all on the rocks.

The rocks were moved away by the talisman without a trace of smoke, forming a circle around the open space.

The Five Ghosts Moving Method.

Shen Tang was surprised to find that these rocks could fit perfectly together, surrounding each other tightly, as if it was supposed to be that way.

Lu Xingzhou whispered, "Qingli."

Dugu Qingli responded subconsciously: "Yes."

"I've already set up a traction formation around this area, but perhaps I'm still lacking a trigger... Using your Frost Moon Sword, pierce the center from top to bottom. Your icy cold energy should be a perfect pull."

"Clang!" The ice sword was unsheathed and flew into the sky in an instant.

Dugu Qingli and the sword became one, like an extremely cool ice sword flying down from top to bottom, piercing the open space in the center of the rock.

With a loud "bang", the ice sword broke through dozens of feet and formed a deep pit.

A chill rose from the deep pit, and frost and mist swirled around. Lu Xingzhou and Annuo both stuck their heads out and were shocked by what they saw.

This little white-haired guy is so strong...

Dugu Qingli's sword power has been exhausted. He is alone underground, with a slight movement in his heart.

The ice power she cultivated had an extremely strong resonance at this moment. There must be a water spirit in the belly of the mountain, responding!

It just seems to be sealed. When you try to sense it carefully, there is always a barrier.

As he hesitated, he heard Lu Xingzhou's incantation from above: "Waves are generated in the Kan position, the earth veins open and close, yin and yang are in harmony, transforming qi into form... rise!"

Dugu Qingli's heart trembled. Why did Lu Xingzhou's spell seem familiar? It seemed to have some connection with the holy land... Wasn't he an evil cultivator? How did he get such an orthodox and grand spell?

Before she could think about it, Lu Xingzhou above her spat out a mouthful of blood with a "puff" sound.

This technique of drawing water from the earth veins was overloaded for his current condition, and his practice was far from enough.

An Nuo anxiously stuffed a pill into Lu Xingzhou's hand. Just as Lu Xingzhou was about to speak, he suddenly felt a warmth in his palm.

Turning around, he saw Shen Tang holding his hand with her slender hand, and a vast and long spiritual energy was transferred to him without reservation, which was basically compatible with his practice.

Lu Xingzhou didn't have time to say anything more. He flipped his right hand and chanted the magic formula again.

The surrounding formations moved violently and rushed straight into the clouds.

Dugu Qingli below finally noticed a slight tremor coming from the surroundings, as if there was an extremely strong suction force bypassing her existence and reaching the bottom of the Nine Netherworld, calling for the spiritual spring below to rise.

Dugu Qingli no longer hesitated, and with his hand, he pressed the sword formula and swept across the sword: "With my sword spirit as the guide, the gate of heaven will open, the nine underworlds will be clear, and delusion will be broken and the truth will be revealed... appear!"

The two methods are indeed somewhat similar...

"Clang!" The cold light pierced through the sky.

Looking up, the clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, and the warm sun of the beginning of winter appeared high in the sky, shining into this deep well.

Everyone nervously looked down to see a spring slowly overflowing from below. Dugu Qingli swooped back to the surface and peered down. The spiritual spring below rose higher and higher, gradually reaching ground level. The surrounding rock formations seemed to protect it, perfectly enclosing the spring in the center, preventing it from spilling out.

The rich spiritual energy is refreshing. After staying in Xiazhou for a long time, where the spiritual energy is thin and lacking, suddenly coming into contact with this spring will make you intoxicated by the oxygen.

Dugu Qingli retracted her ice sword and stared at it in amazement. Even though she had created it with her own hands, she still felt a sense of unreality.

There really is a spiritual spring here, and it was really brought out with everyone's cooperation... The girl who wanted to gain experience found that she didn't seem to know what she was doing, and just did whatever she was told. Is this experience effective?

"Sure enough, on the day of the winter solstice, the weather is favorable and the seal is at its weakest... Water and fire work together, yin and yang go hand in hand, and the momentum is established." Lu Xingzhou showed no complacency as he quickly set up a magic circle around him to conceal the spiritual energy.

He then sighed, leaning back in his wheelchair somewhat wearily. "I say, the sect leader's residence should be moved here in the future. This Sun Moon Lake is overflowing with spiritual energy, which is perfect for you."

What suits me? Taking a shower? Shen Tang expressionlessly pulled her slender hand out of his palm and stole a glance at Dugu Qingli, wondering if the dead white-haired man had seen it.

Fortunately, Dugu Qingli was in a daze, otherwise she would have told her again.

Besides being beneficial for spiritual cultivation, this spiritual spring, more importantly for a sect, is also beneficial for irrigating medicinal gardens and using it for forging. At the very least, the medicinal herbs grown in Danxia Mountain can be considered high-end in the future... This person had been so serious just a moment ago, but now he was only thinking about taking a bath.

Besides, since you live here, why would I move here too?

Shen Tang didn't talk about this after all. In fact, the current changes shocked her heart. She always felt that the meaning of her coming to Xiazhou seemed to be revealed soon.

With such a shift in the earth's veins, the spiritual energy here will grow increasingly dense over time. The two ordinary mountains have suddenly become a feng shui treasure land, seemingly even more prestigious than the original Tianxing Sword Sect's mountain gate. The Imperial Master had directed us to Xiazhou solely for these reasons; this hexagram was already accurate.

She asked cautiously, "Now that the secret here has been solved, what should we do next?"

"Of course, we must first conceal what's happening here and don't let outsiders know, otherwise there will be trouble. As for the decryption, we've only solved half of it." Lu Xingzhou said, "It's like a complete mechanism with a missing joint. Now that it's connected, the mechanism can be activated. We still need to find the key to unlock it."

Shen Tang said, "Then the key to unlocking the door should be arranged as you said before. I will arrange the Illusion Breaking Formation and the Spirit Gathering Formation right away."

Dugu Qingli hesitated a bit: "Breaking the illusion might be easier, but as for gathering spiritual energy, there isn't enough spiritual energy here right now, so the power is probably insufficient... You even vomited blood just now."

Lu Xingzhou smiled faintly, turned his head and looked in the direction of Danxia Mountain, muttering to himself, "Then it depends on whether we can gather enough forces on the day of the ceremony... I hope the Hundred Sects of Xiazhou will not let me down."

Shen Tang and Dugu Qingli both stared at Lu Xingzhou's profile, feeling a little numb.

He wants to hold a grand ceremony, but he has such an intention?
No wonder Sheng Yuanyao said that if we can just hold a ceremony, we should just hold a ceremony and not make any more trouble… That girl has been cheated by him so many times, she really understands him.

The two women left the mountain in a daze. It was not until they were almost back at Danxia Mountain that Dugu Qingli, who was pushing the wheelchair, suddenly said, "He didn't want to use you as a thug before, but does that count this time?"

Shen Tang was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "Since he said it clearly, it doesn't count. It can only be considered killing two birds with one stone. And..."

She paused and whispered to herself, "I do."

…………

Time flies by.

The Tianxing Sword Sect, which has absorbed sufficient manpower from the Danxia Gang in recent days, has already sent out invitations to heroes, inviting the high-ranking sects in Xiazhou and the surrounding areas to participate in the founding ceremony on October 10th.

The so-called founding of a sect should actually be considered a "relocation." The Tianxing Sword Sect already existed, but it simply moved here from Yongzhou, thousands of miles away. However, the current Tianxing Sword Sect is completely different from the original one. It can be said to be a rebirth from the ashes, and it can be considered a founding of the sect.

Originally, this kind of thing wouldn't have caused much of a stir. Sects were being established and disappeared every day, and it was commonplace. Those who showed respect would come and show their support, while those who didn't would stay away. But with the emperor's "support" attitude, it instantly became the focus of the world's attention.

People still didn't know that Shen Tang was a princess. Xiazhou and the surrounding forces felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy. They always felt that the rise of such a powerful force would occupy everyone's space, disrupt the original balance and stability, and might even cause oppression.

So whether the emperor's "support" really achieved the desired effect or had the opposite effect is hard to say. After all, while he spoke of support, he saw no actual benefits, not even a single copper coin.

On October 10th, the day of the Tianxing Sword Sect's opening ceremony, the new edition of the "Heroes List" was released. Those with connections had already gotten a copy. Regarding the Tianxing Sword Sect, the list had already seen Shen Chaoqun removed from the original 103rd place, replaced by two other names.

No. 30 on the Rookie List, Sect Leader Shen Tang.

Secondary list, Alchemist Rookie List, No. 38, Guest Lu Xingzhou.

This was also the first time that Lu Xingzhou's name appeared publicly in front of the world.

The people who came to participate in the ceremony filed up the mountain and looked at the plaque of the mountain gate halfway up the mountain, all with puzzled expressions.

This newly reborn sect, with its pillars, one literary and one martial, boasts two rising stars, both skilled in combat and medicine. They appear vibrant and full of life, like a dragon lurking in the abyss. Furthermore, with mountains, fields, and people, the atmosphere is promising. It's almost certain that, given time, this new sect's achievements will undoubtedly rival those of the former Tianxing Sword Sect.

But a latent dragon is ultimately just a dormant one, and may not be able to withstand the wind and rain. Whether it can soar into the sky will first depend on what they can show at today's ceremony.

(End of this chapter)