Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 213 Building trees and side branches
Five hundred li away from the Five Elements Mountain in the Southern Continent, there is the Daojun Temple.

The Divine Physician Daojun and Yuanze were gazing towards the interior of the Southern Continent.

“Yuanze, the Southern Continent is not like the Western Continent. Here, the divine way is flourishing, the people are outstanding, and the land is rich in resources. Many of the Heavenly Court’s divine lineages and inheritances are here. There are relatively few demons, but we still cannot let our guard down.”

"Because in this place, whenever there is chaos, demons still appear and wreak havoc on the region. Moreover, there are some cultivators who, although they have not entered the ranks of immortals, are still quite capable and do not respect the immortals and saints in heaven."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ze solemnly cupped his hands and said:
"Please rest assured, Daoist Lord, Yuanze will definitely take good care of the Daoist Lord Temple!"

The Divine Physician Daoist nodded slightly and smiled:
"I trust you to do things, but in the years to come, before the immortal officials of Daojun Palace have matured, you will have to work hard."

“Niu Li, Niu Feng, and the other two are usually worshipped and are willing to contribute their efforts at this time. Every six months, one of them will take turns coming here to help you take care of the Daojun Temple.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ze was delighted. Having spent time with these four generals before, how could he not know that they were all formidable fighters? Even if only one of them came to help, he would have an easier time.

"Yes, Yuanze understands."

"As for now, Yuanze, I will use the power of incense and divine energy to reforge the divine magical treasures on your body."

"Thank you, Daojun!"

After instructing Yuanze, the Divine Physician Daojun used a large amount of incense and divine power to reforge the magical treasures on Yuanze's body, making them even more powerful. Then, he left the Daojun Temple, rode the clouds, and headed to the overseas immortal mountain, Fangzhang.

Since Emperor Donghua is willing to meet him, that would be wonderful.

Before leaving, he asked Lü Dongbin what the emperor's preferences were, so that he could be prepared when he went to visit him. Lü Dongbin said frankly that the emperor was carefree and that if he went to visit him, he should bring some of his own brewed wine as a token of his goodwill.

Daojun gladly accepted.

Before long, Daojun arrived at the East Sea and saw the Fangzhang Immortal Mountain standing in the center of the East Sea.

The mountain is majestic and magnificent, shrouded in mist and clouds. The cries of black cranes can be heard from time to time. The mountain is full of life, and one can vaguely see patches of peach and plum trees, jade springs, and purple jade fields.

Even from a great distance, one can smell the ethereal fragrance emanating from this sacred mountain, which invigorates the spirit and brings great comfort.

"Amazing, truly amazing, no wonder it is a renowned overseas fairy mountain."

Daojun looked at Fangzhang Immortal Mountain with admiration. Putting aside everything else, even his own Golden Gourd Mountain, which he had managed to develop to this point, could not compare with these three overseas immortal mountains.

Daojun rode on the clouds and soon arrived at the foot of Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, where he saw a young boy walking slowly towards him.

"I wonder if you are the Divine Physician Daoist in person?"

"Exactly."

"I would like to ask Daoist Lord to come with me. My master knows that Daoist Lord will be coming soon, and he has specially ordered me to wait for Daoist Lord here."

"Very well~ Then I'll trouble you, Fairy Boy."

The celestial boy bowed again, repeatedly saying he dared not accept such a greeting, and then led the Daoist Lord up Fangzhang Mountain.

Before long, Daojun followed the fairy boy across fields of sesame and arrived at a magnificent palace, which was predominantly green and white.

At this moment, a dashing middle-aged man dressed in white and green robes, with black hair and beard and a wooden hairpin in his hair, appeared before Daojun.

Upon seeing the person before him, Daojun stepped forward and bowed in greeting.

"This junior greets Your Majesty."

Although the Donghua Emperor before us is unassuming, he is a figure from the same era as the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West, so it is appropriate for him to consider himself a junior.

The Eastern Emperor looked at the middle-aged Taoist in a magnificent purple robe, but his eyes reflected a young Taoist in a blue robe with an elegant and refined demeanor.

The Emperor nodded, laughed heartily, and said:
"You're too kind, Daoist. Please come inside for a chat."

Emperor Donghua raised his hand and led Daojun into the palace. They sat down in front of the emerald screen, and two servants immediately came to serve tea.

Emperor Donghua looked at Daojun and slowly said:

"I know why Daojun has come here. I suppose it is for this Wood Spirit Pearl?"

With a flick of his wrist, the Emperor revealed a vibrant green spirit pearl in his palm, radiating a soft green light and spinning rapidly, seemingly containing boundless vitality.

"It is good that Daoist Master knows that although this treasure is useless in my hands, I have many disciples. If this treasure is kept to train disciples, it would be excellent."

Daojun nodded, not surprised by this.

Unlike the previous three times, the Eastern Azure Emperor, as one of the Four Emperors, took care of his disciple in his place. The Earth Spirit Orb was the reward that the disciple had agreed upon with his master long ago. He was also suited to the Earth Dao, which is why he obtained the Earth Spirit Orb.

On the West Sea Dragon King's side, his sworn brother entrusted him with the care of his child, and he gave him the Water Spirit Pearl. This was done for three reasons: first, Taibai Jinxing's help; second, so that he could treat Ao Xuan well; and third, the West Sea Dragon Palace knew that he had an extraordinary background and also intended to befriend him.

As for Taiyi Zhenren, Nezha was born with the element of fire, and Taiyi Zhenren only had Nezha as his disciple, so he didn't need the Golden Spirit Pearl to teach him.

The True Man himself had Yuanshi Tianzun as his master, so he was not lacking in magical treasures. The Golden Spirit Pearl was truly dispensable to him. In addition, he was free-spirited and the two of them got along well, which is why the Golden Spirit Pearl was given to him.

When it came to the Eastern Emperor and the Fire Star Lord, the situation was different, especially for the Eastern Emperor, who had quite a few disciples. Judging from the current state of Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, it should be clear that the Wood Spirit Pearl was perfectly suited to the cultivation of this lineage.

Emperor Donghua took a sip of tea, a faint smile on his face as he looked at the Daoist Lord who was deep in thought, and slowly said:
"I won't make things difficult for Daoist Lord. If Daoist Lord wants this Wood Spirit Pearl, that's not impossible. But I would like to ask Daoist Lord to do something for me."

As Donghua Dijun spoke, he flipped his hand and took out a potted plant, placing it on the table.

Daojun stared intently, and his expression couldn't help but change slightly.

The plant in the pot was a seemingly ordinary, lifeless woody root with many roots.

The top of the tree root looked as if it had been cut off by something, with a clean cut surface.

In his early years, he had thoroughly studied pharmacopoeias and medical books, and knew almost all the rare treasures of the Three Realms. In the Heavenly Court over the years, he had also seen many treasures that were hard to find in the world, but this plant in front of him still moved him.

"May I ask Your Majesty, is this treasure a root of the Jianmu tree?"

"This tree is merely a branch of a Jianmu tree. I had nurtured this branch using a secret method, but unexpectedly, due to an accident, the tree root was severed in half, losing its miraculous vitality." "If this tree were still here, why would I need this Wood Spirit Pearl to cultivate my disciples?"

The Emperor looked at the wooden root in his hand with some regret and then presented it to the Daoist.

"If Daoist Lord has the means to restore this tree root to its former life, I will offer the Wood Spirit Pearl with both hands."

"As long as I can restore even a sliver of life, I am confident that I can revive this tree root. Although it will take at least four or five years, I can leave it on my mountain and nurture it slowly."

Daojun looked at the potted plant in front of him, quietly sensing the vitality within it, but found that the roots were no different from dead wood, with no hidden vitality.

If it were an ordinary spiritual root, the Emperor would not need to seek its help. Even if this tree root is just a branch of the Jianmu tree, it is still a spiritual root of heaven and earth, and it is a spiritual root of heaven and earth that has already died.
Before obtaining the Heavenly Treasure Bottle, Daojun would have definitely shaken his head and left.

But now that he has obtained this Heavenly Treasure Bottle, and with countless medical books and pharmacopoeias he has studied over the past three hundred years as fuel, he is no longer far from refining the nectar that can revitalize the spiritual roots of heaven and earth.

In his hands, this item might be able to regain a glimmer of life.

After pondering for a while, Daojun nodded and said:

“Very well, in that case, I will give it a try.”

The Emperor laughed heartily and nodded, saying warmly:
"Very well, then I'll trouble you, Daoist Lord. It's rare for you to come to my mountain, so please stay and enjoy yourself for a few days. The peaches and plums on the trees have ripened quite a bit these days, so please have a taste."

"The purple ganoderma and jade grass in my field are extremely difficult to find outside. Daoist, you might as well select a few plants and take them with you."

Upon seeing this, Daojun hurriedly took out his own brewed wine, which he had treasured for over a hundred years and was considered the most precious batch he currently possessed.

The Emperor's smile deepened upon seeing the fine wines.

It wasn't that these wines were particularly precious or delicious to him, but rather that the person before him was bringing a large quantity of his own homemade wines to pay homage to the mountain, which was also a token of his goodwill.

Although I had heard some things about this person from the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, based on my interactions with him so far, he is indeed a courteous and likable person.

At the invitation of Emperor Donghua, Daojun stayed at Fangzhang Immortal Mountain for several days. He was served by a page every day and sometimes discussed the cultivation of spiritual plants with the Emperor, from which he benefited greatly.

A few days later, Daojun bid farewell to Emperor Donghua, and with the dead Jianmu branch, left Fangzhang Immortal Mountain and headed towards his own Jindu Mountain.

At the summit of Jindu Mountain, Niu Yi sat cross-legged under a peach tree, looking at the side branches of the Jianmu tree in the wooden basin in front of him, with several fine purple ganoderma and jade grass beside him.

Niu Yi slowly tilted the Heavenly Treasure Bottle in his hand, causing a drop of vibrant green water to fall onto the lifeless wooden root.

"Tick tock~"

As the water droplets fell, an incredibly rich vitality instantly spread from the tree roots, and the surrounding spiritual roots excitedly stretched out their branches.

However, even though the water droplets completely seeped into the tree roots, the incredibly rich vitality did not cause any change in the tree roots; it was as if the tree roots had truly died completely.

In contrast, the surrounding spiritual roots, which were affected by the lingering vitality, were covered in a green hue, clearly having benefited greatly.

"As expected, the water droplet I refined is far from being a sweet dew. No matter how much pure and abundant life force it contains, it cannot bring the spiritual root of heaven and earth back to life."

"Fortunately, I have now figured out many tricks. Based on the Great Dao of Life and Death and the many pharmacopoeias and medical books I have studied over the years, according to the results of my deduction, the nectar I will refine in the future will be different from that of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the difference in effect should be minimal."

Niu Yi put down the wooden root in his hand and held the Heavenly Treasure Bottle in his hand. Strands of black and white Daoist energy of life and death were constantly swirling around it and surging into the Heavenly Treasure Bottle.

His understanding of life and death was originally superficial, but since the day that the Supreme Dao Ancestor and the Ancient Buddha Dipankara preached, his understanding of the many great Daos has advanced by leaps and bounds.

He also made another breakthrough in the Earth Element Dao. His understanding of the power of virtue and creation brought him closer to the Great Luo realm of the Earth Element Dao Fruit and the unity of the Dao.

Besides, his cultivation path and all his skills are closely related to magical treasures. For example, as he is now taking steps on the Earth Path, the power of the Earth Spirit Pearl will also be much stronger.

The same applies to the other Great Daos he comprehended and the magical treasures in his hands; only when the magical treasures and the corresponding Great Daos harmonize with each other can they unleash their full power.

Cultivating the various great paths together is fraught with difficulties, but if one succeeds, one will naturally achieve extraordinary results.

If all paths are completed by then, even if he hasn't entered the Great Luo realm, his abilities will be no less than those of the Great Luo immortals.

"No matter what, we have now made progress on the Wood Spirit Orb, which has allowed the branches of the Jianmu tree to revive. I am now more confident. All that remains is the Fire Spirit Orb in the hands of the Fire Virtue Star Lord."

"However, the Fire Deity Star Lord resides in the south and governs fire. The Fire Spirit Orb must be quite important to him as well. This matter may not be easy to handle."

Niu Yi pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

This matter is still far off for him. It would be better to refine the sweet dew first, revive the wood root, obtain the Wood Spirit Pearl from Emperor Donghua, and then consider the Fire Spirit Pearl.

Furthermore, he also planned to visit Zen Master Wuchao again after some time. He had brewed another batch of wine with the water of the Milky Way, and the taste was even better than before. Since he was going east, he might as well visit Meishan and Jinguang Cave on Qianyuan Mountain.

However, there's no rush; we should wait until the nectar is fully refined before making any decisions.

Just then, Niu Ping came up the mountain, found his leader, and said:

"Chief, the local deity of Cherry Blossom Valley and Miss Yao Qing'er have arrived at the foot of the mountain. They are carrying a century-old cherry blossom wine and would like to invite you to taste it with us."

Niu Yi smiled, nodded, and said:
"Alright, please bring these two up. Niu Ping, go find the local earth god and invite all of you here. We shall drink together."

"Yes, leader!"

The path to immortality is long, but with Brother Yang's guidance, his cultivation of the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts is progressing by leaps and bounds.

Once he has mastered the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts to perfection, fully realized the Immortal Metal Nature, comprehended the transformations, and obtained the Dao Fruit of the Earth Element Great Dao, merging his body with the Dao, he can directly enter the Great Luo Realm and endure countless tribulations without perishing.

A long life without companionship would truly be incredibly lonely.
Thirty years later.

At the summit of Daojun Mountain, the publication of the three volumes of "Acupuncture" made the incense offerings at the Divine Physician Daojun Palace even more prosperous.

Even though the banks of the Tongtian River have experienced another war in recent years, the faith of the Divine Physician Daojun continues to radiate outwards from the Tongtian River region.

Numerous temples dedicated to Daojun were built, and among the many itinerant doctors, the belief in the divine healer Daojun was the most prevalent.

(End of this chapter)