Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 285 Entering the Maze Again, Planting Trees to Form an Array

The northern bank, near Wangxian City, lies a mysterious place called "Nine-Bend Forest," where deep fog makes it extremely easy to get lost.

Like the Moth King Valley, the Nine-Bend Forest is rich in spiritual materials. Therefore, just like the Weixian Town outside the South Bank Water Curtain, a major town called "Luoxian" was also established near the Nine-Bend Forest!
Gongsun Huoyao was waiting solemnly at the Gongsun family's outpost in Luoxian Town.

He had just received instructions from the High Priest to prepare a topographical map of the North Shore Misery Land and wait here for someone to come and retrieve it.

Night had fallen.

The farms outside Luoxian Town are still bustling with activity.

During this period, Gongsun Huoyao led a large number of his Gongsun family members to garrison here, continuously using the Five Elements Technique to accelerate the ripening of grains and transport them to the cities on the north bank.

The Gongsun family suffered heavy losses when they raised the Heavenly God, and now the five families are almost defunct. At this moment, because the conquest of Mi'e is imminent, no one mentions this matter.

If the Gongsun family still doesn't show any outstanding performance after this cleansing of the bewilderment, then being removed from the list of the five surnames is almost a foregone conclusion.

Therefore, for this war, the Gongsun family either needs to cultivate another Golden Core cultivator at the level of an elder of one of the Five Clans, or they need to exert even greater effort than other prominent families.

At this time, no one in the Gongsun family dared to slack off, not even Gongsun Huoyao.

But upon receiving the high priest's message, Gongsun Huoyao did not hesitate for a moment and returned directly to Luoxian Town. He began collecting topographical maps of the Misty Land on the North Shore from the various families stationed there.

Gongsun Huoyao already held the High Priest in high esteem, and after being elevated to the status of a celestial being, he dared not show the slightest disrespect.

The story of the High Priest wielding the Blood Bone Dharma Form to turn the tide and thwart the conspiracy of the Immortal Mountain, and then rampaging across the sky to eliminate the Moth King Flying Insects, has spread throughout Wangxian City and even the entire Huazhou during this period.

Within Wangxian City, some people are even compiling the biography of the High Priest.

At this moment, who would dare to defy the High Priest's authority?
"buzz"

Just then, a buzzing sound rang out in the hall where the Gongsun family was stationed.

Gongsun Huoyao and the Gongsun family elder sitting beside him looked toward the center of the hall.

The once hard and flat bluestone ground suddenly rippled like water.

The two men were startled and exchanged a glance, becoming alert as well. They were skilled in the Five Elements techniques and could feel an earth element power spreading in the hall.

This is clearly not the High Priest!

When did a master skilled in earth manipulation appear in Wangxian City?
The two quietly got up, and in the next instant, the originally pure earth element power suddenly changed, and extremely pure wood element power was born from the earth element power.

Native wood?
So tactful?

Unlike Gongsun Huoyao, this elder of the Gongsun family cultivated the arts of earth and wood. But this was the first time he had ever seen such a harmonious and seemingly natural earth and wood technique.

This made him feel serious. He knew that even Elder Gongsun, who was a practitioner of all five elements, had not been so relaxed and at ease when demonstrating the mutual generation and restraint of the five elements.

To put it bluntly, the two are worlds apart.

Who exactly is this person?

Today, upon hearing Gongsun Huoyao say that the High Priest was going to send someone to retrieve the topographical map of the Land of Misery, he took it as seriously as Gongsun Huoyao.

They understood the High Priest's power far better than the ordinary people of Wangxian City.

The Gongsun family is in dire straits right now. If they could get in touch with the High Priest, the entire clan would surely be safe and sound!
A milky-gray halo flashed in the hall, and the two finally saw who had come into view.

With gray hair, a gray dress, and a graceful figure, her beauty was so striking that it was almost blinding; she was none other than the Tree Goddess.

The two glanced at the figure, then simultaneously composed themselves and dared not look any longer.

They didn't recognize the woman, but they felt a sense of oppression emanating from her.

The moment he sensed the other party's aura, even the Five Elements spiritual power that was flowing smoothly within his golden core suddenly became obscure and stagnant.

The two dared not be negligent, and after bowing respectfully to the Tree Goddess, Gongsun Huoyao asked:
"Gongsun Huoyao greets fellow Daoist. May I ask if you have come here on the orders of the High Priest?"

The Tree Goddess looked at the two Golden Core cultivators before her, who were somewhat reserved, and a smile appeared on her lips.

She could now see the general flow of spiritual energy in the two people's bodies at a glance, even though they were both Golden Core cultivators.
Withdrawing her gaze, the Tree Goddess nodded slightly and replied:

"Second Master, let me retrieve the topographical map of the Misty Land on the North Bank."

Her voice was melodious, as if it had been steeped in honey, and the ending notes were as soft and smooth as silk, as if she were about to pull one's soul into a vortex.

Upon hearing this, the two men broke out in a fine sweat.

After a moment of stunned silence, Gongsun Huoyao was the first to react.

The other party came to collect the map, and it was clear that the "Second Master" he mentioned was the High Priest. Although he didn't know where the title "Second Master" came from, he guessed that it was the title used by the Great Lord of Zhenhai.

This woman is very likely another expert assigned by the Great Lord of Zhenhai to the High Priest.

So he quickly took out a topographical map and used his spiritual power to lift it up and deliver it to the woman.

"This is the map the High Priest requested. It contains all the known topography outside the eighteen cities on the North Bank and is the most complete topographic map to date."

Gongsun Huoyao lowered his eyes slightly and introduced in a soft voice.

But he remained focused throughout, and at this moment he felt a strange sense of awe towards the Tree Goddess.

He had long regarded women as mere skeletons, but just now he had actually lost his composure for a moment, which was clearly abnormal.

He glanced at the clan elder beside him and realized that he wasn't the only one who felt this way; the elder seemed to be even less able to do so than him.

The Tree Goddess reached out and took the map, glanced at it, and memorized it. With a thought, a flame suddenly ignited in her hand, and the map instantly turned to ashes and disappeared into her palm.

fire?
Following earth and wood, this woman once again used the power of fire, still with such ease and fluency.

The elder beside Gongsun Huoyao was shocked. He cultivated the earth and wood arts, and he thought that the Tree Goddess was the same as him, but he did not expect that she would also know the fire arts.
This is different from the mutual generation and restraint between two systems. Generally, those who can control three systems are all cultivating the five elements.

What the Gongsun family lacks most right now is an elder who can hold his own. If this person joins the Gongsun family, then the reputation of the Gongsun family as one of the five great families will be preserved.

Thinking this, he could no longer restrain himself, and clasped his hands in greeting to the Tree Goddess, asking:
"May I ask your name, fellow Daoist? Do you cultivate the Five Elements Technique?"

The Tree Goddess nodded slightly and replied, "My name is Tree Goddess!"

Seeing the Tree Goddess nod, the clan elder was overjoyed. Suppressing the pounding in his heart, he slowly said:

"The Gongsun family wishes to invite you, fellow Daoist, to become their Supreme Elder, using their family's Five Elements Method. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, the Tree Goddess covered her mouth and smiled.

The threshold of the Gongsun family was once as high as a mountain to her, insurmountable.

Now they're begging me to agree to become the head of the Gongsun family?

This world is really interesting!
The Tree Goddess was in high spirits, but she had no interest in the invitation whatsoever. She knew she didn't have that kind of power; the other party was just trying to borrow the Second Master's authority.

With a gentle smile, the Tree Goddess replied:
"I am just a little maid serving the Second Master, I am not worthy of being called the Supreme Lord of the Five Surnames Gongsun."

Before the two could react, a rustling sound rose in the hall, and the Tree Goddess vanished from the spot.

Gongsun Huoyao and the clan elder were left dumbfounded. How could someone who had cultivated the Five Elements Technique to such an extent call himself a little maid?

Is the High Priest really this imposing?

Nine-Bend Forest Barrier
The Tree Goddess quietly emerged from the ground.

The distance from Luoxian Town to this place is nearly a hundred miles. The Tree Goddess used the power of earth to travel underground, and the whole journey took only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

While such speed cannot compare to that of Li Wushou, it far surpasses that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators, and even Elder Yun and his ilk find it difficult to match.

This is also one of the reasons why Li Wushou chose to let the Tree Goddess enter the Land of Calamity.

With time running out, completing the layout of the Land of Calamity within a month would be impossible without extraordinary speed.

The Five Elements Method of the Gongsun family records this Five Elements Escape Method.

After seeing this technique from Gongsun Huoyao, Li Wushou became determined to use the Tree Goddess to gather the five elements and send her into the Land of Bewilderment.

The moment the Tree Goddess stood still, a cloud-like pattern quietly appeared on her forehead.

At the same time, ripples spread across the barrier, opening a portal.

With one step, the Tree Goddess was already within the barrier.

The world was in flux. On one side of the Nine-Bend Forest, a place of great peril, a thick fog hung in the air, with rustling sounds as if something was lurking there.

Tree Goddess looked around. It was her first time in the Land of Misery. Although the Second Master had told her some common knowledge about the Land of Misery in the afternoon, she still felt novelty when she saw it with her own eyes.

After getting used to the scene, the Tree Goddess determined her direction and disappeared into the forest.

The Nine-Bend Forest, which others would avoid at all costs and where it is extremely easy to get lost, is like flat ground to the Tree Goddess.

His figure flickered among the trees and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

This is the Wood Release technique, a talent that the Tree Goddess herself possesses.

Her first destination was a medium-sized city outside the Nine-Bend Forest—Tiger Roar City!

Tiger Roar City's geographical location is similar to that of Kaiping City outside Moth Emperor Valley, making it one of the important hubs connecting Nine Bend Forest and the great city of Linhai.

After a long and fast journey of nearly half an hour, the Tree Goddess arrived outside Tiger Roar City.

Tiger Roar City is shaped like a crouching tiger, filled with a chilling atmosphere. A huge tiger head is carved on the city tower, and two crystal red glass beads serve as the tiger's moo, scanning the eerie mist.

Once any evil spirits approach, the killing intent in the tiger's eyes will instantly annihilate them.

When Wangxian City clashed with them, two Golden Core cultivators died under the gaze of those tiger-like eyes.

As the Tree Goddess gazed into those tiger eyes, her expression turned solemn. She had originally intended to enter Tiger Roar City directly, but for some reason, she felt a chill run down her spine.

It wasn't that she was afraid, nor that she couldn't get in, but it seemed that if she got any closer, those tiger eyes would fixate on her, even if she was lurking underground.

It seems that it will be difficult to infiltrate silently on my own.

Shaking her head somewhat helplessly, the Tree Goddess's pride subsided a bit.

After the five elements were united, she always felt that she could go anywhere in the world. Apart from the three masters of the Three Immortals Pavilion, she looked down on everyone else.

At this moment, I realize that I still have a long way to go.

The Second Master is a man destined for great things!
I need to be at least on par with the baby to keep up with the Second Master, otherwise I'm afraid I'll really have to compete with that withered paper doll, the Paper Goddess, for the job of cook.

Whether before or after her death, the Tree Goddess has never done any kitchen work. She absolutely refuses to accept it! This time, she is determined to do a perfect job.

Thinking this, the Tree Goddess bowed slightly and murmured:

"Second Master, we've arrived at Tiger Roar City!"

The moment the words fell, the Tree Goddess keenly sensed that the world before her had darkened. She didn't see any figure, but she knew that the Second Master had appeared.

She didn't know if it was the Second Master's magic weapon or something else.

All she knew was that the second master referred to her as a dragon seed.

Immediately afterward, the void around her solidified, and the Tree Goddess felt herself detached from her original world, as if her body was enveloped in a barrier.

"Let's go!"

A clear voice rang out, and the Tree Goddess bowed in response, then walked confidently toward Tiger Roar City.

The tiger's eyes, scrutinizing all directions, seemed oblivious to her presence.

The Tree Goddess moved like a ghost through the city walls and entered the city, then headed straight for the city lord's mansion.

Once inside the city, Tree Goddess became even more unrestrained, using earth magic to travel underground and soon arrived at the city lord's mansion.

Tiger Roar City is ruled by the three Tiger brothers: Hu Jie, Hu Yang, and Hu Lie. The three brothers were born of the same mother and together cultivate the Tiger Immortal Technique.

This Tiger Immortal Technique is extremely powerful in its killing intent. After the three brothers all achieved Golden Core, they could transform into half-human, half-tiger forms. With their combined strength, few in the Golden Core realm could rival them.

Therefore, the three brothers were assigned by the Nascent Soul True Lord of Linhai City to the strategically important location of Huxiao City.

Unlike most of the people who were asleep, the city lord's mansion was filled with music and revelry.

Inside the hall, a group of scantily clad women were dancing gracefully. At the head of the hall, the three Tiger brothers were drinking wine and swallowing bloody food, occasionally letting out a low tiger roar.

The deeper they cultivated the Tiger Immortal Technique, the stronger the tiger aura became on the three of them. Their every move resembled that of a tiger king, cold and bloodthirsty.

The orioles and swallows dancing below were terrified.

Suddenly, one of the women lost her footing and fell to the ground, disrupting the graceful dance formation.

Panic-filled gasps filled the hall, and the other dancers quietly scattered, but dared not stop dancing.

Tiger Yang, who was eating above, suddenly raised his head, his eyes narrowing, with a sliver of scarlet meat still hanging from the corner of his mouth.

His right hand was outstretched, but it turned out to be a furry tiger paw.

With sharp claws, he grasped at the air, and the girl who had fallen cried out in surprise, flew directly into Hu Yang's arms.

Hu Yang sniffed the fragrance that filled his body, then lifted the girl's left foot high and placed it in front of him.

A hint of a smile appeared in his tiger-like eyes as he scrutinized her and asked softly:

"Little beauty, did this foot trip you up?"

The girl's eyes were filled with tears. Hu Yang had lifted her legs too high, and a sharp pain shot through her groin. But she dared not speak. When she heard Hu Yang's question, she shook her head silently, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly pitiful.

The smile in Hu Yang's eyes grew even wider.

"She's such a delicate beauty, she must taste delicious!"

The moment he finished speaking, fine, yellow, black, and white striped hairs grew on Hu Yang's face, sharp teeth appeared in his mouth, and tiger saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth.

A scarlet tongue, covered with dark brown barbs, extended and gently licked the girl's instep, instantly turning her smooth foot into a bloody mess.

A sharp pain shot through her, and the girl gritted her teeth and whimpered softly.

"Hahaha"

Hu Yang laughed wildly, accompanied by roars, his mouth wide open, ready to devour the girl in his arms.

The other two Tiger brothers, Tiger Jie and Tiger Lie, were also tempted, their tiger-like eyes sweeping over the dancing girls below.

Just then, a clear voice quietly rang out in the hall where the tiger's roar echoed.

"Confinement!"

The dancing girl froze in place, and the three Tiger brothers sitting on the throne also stood frozen in shock.

The three men looked around frantically, only to find that they couldn't move their bodies no matter what they did.

Ripples spread across the void, and a figure in a long gray dress emerged gracefully from within.

The Tree Goddess looked at Hu Yang's drooling tiger head, a look of disgust on her face. She slowly walked up to him, pulled the girl in his arms to her side, pinched the girl's cheek, and sighed softly.
"She really is a pitiful little girl. Your Majesty feels sorry for her."

Li Wushou, whose spirit sat serenely within the formless golden elixir, watched this scene and softly reminded:
"You have five breaths left."

The Tree Goddess's expression turned solemn, and the Five Elements Ring on her wrist quietly enlarged before tightening abruptly around Hu Yang's neck.

"Crack. Sizzle!"

Tiger Yang's neck was snapped, and just as his enormous tiger head was about to fall, Tree Goddess grabbed him in her hand.

Then she turned around and walked out of the courtyard. Behind her, a vine emerged from the ground, wrapped around Hu Yang's mutilated corpse, and quietly followed behind her.

In a flash, the Tree Goddess arrived at the central square of Tiger Roar City.

With a thought, the soil in the square churned, creating a deep pit.

With a flick of the vines behind her, the headless tiger corpse was thrown into the pit. As the vines retracted, a blood pill wrapped around them. The Tree Goddess examined it for a moment; this must be Hu Yang's golden core.

A blood seed flew out from the sleeve and landed in the tiger head in the hand, instantly devouring the tiger head.

The Tree Goddess formed hand seals, and a flesh and blood tree seed slowly took shape and floated into the pit.

As the soil was backfilled, a tree exuding the scent of flesh and blood sprouted from the ground. As the tree grew taller, the scent of flesh and blood gradually receded and disappeared.

The Tree Goddess nodded slightly, took out a Ren Plate, and a leaf suddenly floated down from the sacred tree, turning into a stream of light and falling into the Ren Plate.

A bright light flashed across the Ren Pan, illuminating a black dot.

There are 107 such highlights on the Ren plate.

After doing all this, the Tree Goddess put away the Ren Plate and then flashed back to the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion.

At this moment, Hu Jie and Hu Lie stood respectfully in the hall, bowing to the void.

The dancing girls who filled the hall had also disappeared, which made the Tree Goddess feel a little regretful.

But in the next instant, he regained his composure and bowed to the void, saying, "Second Master, the tree is planted! This is the blood pill from that tiger."

Li Wushou slightly rotated the invisible golden core, and the blood pill was swallowed into his own golden core. Then, the golden core quietly resided within the Tree Goddess's body, and Hu Lie instructed Hu Jie, who had just been possessed by the Abdominal God:

"We will perform the ritual of worshiping the sacred tree tomorrow and thereafter!"

The two dared not be negligent and quickly and respectfully agreed.

At this moment, the two were extremely excited. In their minds, the Tiger God had descended to earth, grateful for their piety, and granted them the way to worship the god and enjoy eternal life.

The Tree Goddess found the two of them rather intriguing.

The Second Master is truly charismatic. Not only does she admire him, but even these two beasts were so captivated in less than five breaths?

Just as the Tree Goddess was lost in thought, another instruction sounded in her mind:
"Let's go, to the next place!"

"Yes!"

The Tree Goddess responded and then disappeared from the hall.

Li Wushou was quite satisfied with this efficiency.

Although the elimination of the Mi'e was planned in advance, it was completed much earlier than originally intended.

When communicating with Chi Xiu about the matter of raising the Heavenly God, Chi Xiu made it clear that unless the Misfortune was eliminated and the continent was unified, he was unwilling to raise the Heavenly God here.

At that time, Chi Xiu proposed that the Suspended Mountain should cooperate in illuminating its "Starry Incense Array" at the location of the deepest mystery. This array required 108 incense array bases to be buried on the ground.

The thirty-six cities along the banks of the Hengyang River can serve as the bases for thirty-six incense offerings.

For the remaining mysterious places on both the north and south banks, thirty-six sites need to be buried on each side. As long as a wisp of incense is gathered and lit, he can sense it and activate the incense array to clear away the eerie fog in the shortest possible time.

After learning about the Starry Incense Array, Li Wushou instantly felt that the tree he planted was perfectly suited to the array. The Blood and Flesh Sacred Tree he planted was originally intended to gather incense offerings and could perfectly serve as the array base, so he immediately agreed.

But as the Heavenly God's reign ended, Li Wushou discovered that despite having three incarnations, he was still somewhat overwhelmed.

In the bewildering land on the south bank, although he planted some trees, the first location needed to be adjusted, and the second number was not enough.

Li Wushou from the north bank had never even been here.

In addition, he also needs to refine the dragon's body to improve his cultivation.

For a moment, Li Wushou was overwhelmed with a thousand thoughts.

At this moment, Li Wushou thought of the Tree Goddess.

The Tree Goddess's tree-planting skills surpassed his own, and after the five elements were combined, her speed in using the Five Elements Escape Technique was even faster.

His body also contains his vital energy, which can support his invisible golden core, allowing his golden core to detach from his body. With the combined efforts of the two, entering the Misty Land on the North Bank will be more efficient.

Li Wushou felt very satisfied as he planted the first tree in Tiger Roar City on the north bank.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, a month should be enough.

Meanwhile, in the Misty Land on the south bank, Li Wushou arranged for Xuan Yang Shangren to bring Bai Gu Chan into Moth Emperor Valley to meet up with the old snail, and the three of them would work together to take charge of the south bank.

Because Li Wushou had already planted about ten trees, they split into two groups. The old snail followed Xuan Yang Shangren to plant trees, while the white bone cicada was responsible for adjusting the positions of the trees that Li Wushou had planted earlier.

For them, without the bewitching power of Li Wushou's belly god, the more difficult task was to develop believers' worship of the sacred tree.

Fortunately, Chi Xiu can sense the location of the incense as long as it is produced in a very small amount, and adjust the incense accordingly. This is not difficult, since the worship of ordinary people can also produce incense.

Therefore, on the north bank, Li Wushou should use the power of the Abdominal God to increase the amount of incense offerings as much as possible, so that it will be easier for Chi Xiu to coordinate and clear away the strange fog in one fell swoop.

The process was carried out simultaneously on both the north and south banks, with Li Wushou refining his dragon body in Wangxian City.

Central coordination, waiting for a month later!
(End of this chapter)