Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 233 The Transformation of the Dead Tree
Compared to the much-anticipated Yanqiu, Muyu Island is extremely quiet, with its verdant forests isolating it from the outside world's storms.

Thanks to Tao Yao's efforts in organizing things, Muyu Island has become increasingly vibrant and has indeed taken on the appearance of a cultivation sect.

At this very moment, inside the Spirit Cave, as Jiang Chen waved the peach wood branch, a torrent of spiritual energy poured out, instantly engulfing the entire Spirit Pool. These were all his gains in Changfeng County. These days, he had stirred up trouble in Changfeng County and reaped considerable rewards.

Although the primary source of spiritual energy is the spiritual cave on Wujin Mountain, the accumulation of small amounts from other smaller sources of spiritual energy is also a considerable gain. It can be said that today, one-third of the spiritual energy in Changfeng County has fallen into Jiang Chen's hands, and all of this has now become a boon for Muyu Island.

With a whoosh, spiritual energy surged like a tide. Stimulated, the suspended Flaming Sun Spirit Stone immediately shone brightly, with rays of golden light cascading down, releasing an extremely intense vitality.

It was at this moment that the peach wood roots wrapped around the spirit cave began to move, and Tao Yao's withering and flourishing true energy began to circulate rapidly.

Noticing this change, Jiang Chen raised his head.

Through his spiritual eyes, he saw Tao Yao's transformation.

"Withering and flourishing, life and death, a new round of changes has finally begun. In the last transformation of withering and flourishing, Tao Yao transformed her low-grade true qi into mid-grade. Will it be high-grade this time?"

Sitting cross-legged, Jiang Chen allowed his mind to merge with the peach blossoms, silently experiencing this mysterious cycle of growth and decay.

Time passed, and seven days and nights quietly went by. Jiang Chen's dormant consciousness returned to normal, while Tao Yao was completely dead.

"Neither born nor dead, it is a new cycle."

The true meaning of life and death lingered in Jiang Chen's heart, and a trace of twilight enveloped him.

However, with a sigh, the gloom around him instantly dissipated, replaced by an extremely vigorous and energetic life force. Compared to before, he seemed to have undergone some kind of baptism, and his life force became more vigorous and resilient.

"The true meaning of life's cycle of growth and decay involves the transformation of life forms. Perhaps one day I can glean from it the means to prolong life."

"Although I didn't figure out such a method this time, it wasn't without its gains."

With a single thought, Jiang Chen circulated his true energy, and his aura vanished at an extremely fast speed, eventually disappearing completely. At this moment, he resembled a piece of withered wood, with various auras hidden within, making it difficult to detect anything amiss from his appearance.

"This secret technique can be called the transformation of withered wood, which contains life force within and is best at concealing one's own aura."

Sensing the changes within himself, Jiang Chen smiled.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of the peach blossoms' withering and flourishing, he went a step further into the true meaning of withering and flourishing, and comprehended a bit of its mystery.

"The words 'withering and flourishing' within Tao Yao's body hold great potential. My understanding of the transformation of withered wood is merely a superficial understanding. This fusion has also refined my Formless True Qi, improving its quality."

"In this way, once Tao Yao has cultivated high-grade true qi, I may be able to truly elevate my own true qi to a new level."

As his thoughts turned and reflected upon himself, Jiang Chen exhaled, his breath transforming into mist that condensed and did not dissipate.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen was very satisfied.

"Tao Yao's transformation will take some time, but it can't be rushed."

Shaking his head, Jiang Chen cleared his mind of all distractions and stopped thinking about it.

The next instant, Jiang Chen patted his storage bag and took out pieces of spirit ore and beast bones. "With my current refining skills, it is extremely difficult to forge a spirit weapon. I still need to hone my skills to succeed."

As he activated his magic, Jiang Chen unleashed the Blood Fiend True Flame.

Thus, time passed silently. With the blessing of the Blood Fiend True Flame and enough materials to squander, every now and then, a surge of weapon-fiend energy would emerge from the weapon pool.

Under these circumstances, Jiang Chen's weapon-refining skills improved rapidly. At the same time, nourished by the aura of the soldiers, the bitter lotus grew even better.

While Jiang Chen was engrossed in his own cultivation and weapon forging, Daoist Chai finally arrived in Changfeng County from the distant capital, Huoyuan City.

"They're not even in Yanqiu, or even in Changfeng County?"

Looking at the collected information, Chai Daoren's face showed astonishment.

Upon arriving in Changfeng County, he did not delay and rushed to Yanqiu without stopping, only to find that Jiang Chen was still in seclusion recuperating from his injuries.

He naturally didn't believe it, and after some investigation, he was basically certain that Jiang Chen was not in Yanqiu at all, or even in Changfeng County.

"Bad news, I missed it."

"Good news, the Aoki family also tried to contact Frost Serpent, but they also came up empty-handed."

His expression shifted as he pondered many things. Judging from the current situation, it was virtually impossible for the Third Prince Chen Jinglang to complete the task he had been given.

"After the great battle in Yellow Wind Valley, the Frost Dragon's power was at its peak. Instead of waiting for a better price to sell and seek benefits, it immediately went into hiding, which is rather strange. Could it really be that it was acting in the name of the country and its people and couldn't stand seeing demons causing trouble?"

A certain possibility surfaced in his mind, and Master Chai quickly shook his head.

"There are two possibilities for the Frost Dragon's decision to hide. One is that it really did use a secret technique back then, which damaged its core and it needs to heal in peace. The other is that it is guarding against someone who is going to deal with it. It may have obtained some kind of spiritual treasure that suits it and is preparing to break through to the Dao Foundation."

"If it's the former, then it's alright. Although such a Frost Dragon is still very strong, it's still within an acceptable range. Whether it's recruiting or killing it, it's still possible. It just depends on whether you're willing to pay the price."

"If it's the latter, then it's troublesome. We have no shortage of spiritual treasures or inheritances, but it will be extremely difficult to win over the Frost Flood Dragon. Once the Frost Flood Dragon successfully establishes its Dao Foundation, many things will be completely different."

"Judging from the current situation, the deaths of Zhou Hu and Huang Feng Sanren are most likely related to Shuang Jiao. At that time, only Shuang Jiao had the ability to kill Zhou Hu and Huang Feng Sanren. Although it may not be aware of the inside story, it is still a hidden danger."

With his thoughts colliding, Master Chai pondered various possibilities.

The thought that Jiang Chen might be able to establish his Dao foundation filled him with unease.

"First, send the message back and see how the Third Prince decides. In addition, I will try my best to track down the Frost Dragon. As long as we can successfully find the Frost Dragon, no matter which possibility it is, we can gain a certain degree of control."

After a moment of contemplation and reflection, Chai Daoren made a decision. Although his greatest skill was alchemy, he also possessed considerable expertise in tracking. Furthermore, he could leverage the Third Prince's plans in the four southern prefectures.

Without hesitation or delay, Master Chai immediately took action.

(End of this chapter)