novelraw Chapter 213 - 115: Core of the Pagoda Tree
Chapter 213 - 115: Core of the Pagoda Tree
The white light transformed into a sharp, long line, shooting straight into the opening blasted by the Five Elements True Thunder. The Sword Light vanished in a flash, and only a breath later did a thunderous roar echo out.
The momentum of the Flying Sword carved into the mountainside, piercing straight into the rock and leaving behind a hole over a hundred feet deep.
As Metal Overcomes Wood, the majority of the Big Locust Tree’s trunk was severed by this single sword strike.
Viscous black fluid gushed from the wound in the trunk.
The Fur God dwelling within the Big Locust Tree let out a pained shriek.
From beneath the earth, a massive number of roots burst forth, blotting out the sky as they twisted toward Yang Jing, attempting to wring him into a bloody pulp. Tangled among these roots were all manner of white bones, both human and beast—the remains of victims the Fur God had devoured over the years.
The entire ground beneath the mountain village had long since been overrun by the Big Locust Tree’s roots.
Yang Jing formed a hand seal, and a raging fire chain immediately materialized around his body.
"Bingding Fire Chain!"
The crimson fire chain, so condensed it looked solid, danced wildly, cleansing everything around it. Imbued with the power of Sun True Fire and Kunli Earth Fire, it instantly incinerated the roots—which were as tough as refined iron under the blessing of the Filthy Divine Light—turning them to ash. The Fire Chain not only burned away all the encroaching roots but also saved the four disciples behind him.
Yang Jing then used Five Elements Gold Slaughter to manifest a Golden Flying Sword. He used it to relentlessly hack away at the roots on the main trunk, severing its appendages, before maneuvering the whistling Fire Chain to wrap around the Big Locust Tree’s trunk.
The instant the Bingding Fire Chain coiled around it, the Big Locust Tree let out a piercing shriek.
The scorching True Fire instantly ignited its trunk.
Wood feeds Fire. The Sun True Fire already possessed an extremely potent Power of Exorcism, and the flames instantly surged, turning the Bingding Fire Chain a brilliant gold.
Amidst the raging True Fire, the Big Locust Tree let out agonized wails.
A moment later, a streak of dark green Spiritual Light escaped from the Big Locust Tree’s trunk, trying to flee.
Yang Jing was prepared. He had been monitoring the Big Locust Tree with his Grotto Dark Dharma Eye the entire time, just to prevent the Fur God possessing it from escaping.
He directly unleashed a bolt of Five Elements True Thunder, blasting the dark green Spiritual Light.
With a deafening CRACK, the Spiritual Light was blasted apart, revealing the true form it had concealed: an inch-tall creature with disheveled hair, a greenish-blue body, and the head of a deer.
Yang Jing took out a Jade Box, placed the creature inside, and sealed it with a Spirit Talisman.
To a Cultivator, a Fur God is also a rare Spiritual Material, which can be used as the main ingredient for Refining Emperor’s Liquid.
Emperor’s Liquid was originally the Moonlight Flowing Liquid from the Upper Realm, capable of helping Gold, Stone, Grass, and Wood Demons that struggled with Demon Transformation. After the Central Continent fell, this particular Spirit Medicine vanished from the Nine Heavens World.
The current version of Emperor’s Liquid, which uses Fur Gods and Evil Gods as the main ingredients, was a Pill Formula created by the founder of the Alchemy Cauldron Sect after much experimentation.
The effectiveness of this Emperor’s Liquid varies depending on the Power of the Evil God used as the main ingredient. Judging by the Fur God in his possession, Yang Jing figured it could likely only grant sentience to Spirit Medicines and Spirit Wood rich in Spiritual Essence.
The founder of the Alchemy Cauldron Sect once used a major deity from among the folk gods as the primary ingredient to refine a dose of Emperor’s Liquid. Its medicinal potency far surpassed even the original version from the Upper Realm.
The founder used it to grant sentience to a piece of Red Essence Fire Copper that stood thirty feet tall.
Although the Cultivation of this Red Essence Fire Copper progressed slowly, its lifespan far exceeded that of ordinary Cultivators and mortals, and it has lived to this day. Though its Cultivation is only at the Late Stage Nascent Soul, the toughness of its physical body surpasses even that of Body Refining Cultivators at the Divinity Transformation Realm. It is a pillar of the Alchemy Cauldron Sect.
Even the two Divinity Transformation Cultivators among the current Six Great Sects must respectfully address it as Copper Venerable.
However, the Six Great Sects were not enthusiastic about Refining Emperor’s Liquid. For one, the success rate of using Emperor’s Liquid made from ordinary Fur Gods and Evil Gods to grant sentience to metals and stones was appallingly low, making the effort far from worthwhile. For another, when plants gained sentience, their medicinal potency did not increase; on the contrary, it decreased.
Once these plants underwent Demon Transformation and gained intelligence, the Spiritual Qi they absorbed was no longer converted into medicinal potency but into Magical Power or Demon Power. Some Spirit Wood, after undergoing Demon Transformation, never again spent Magical Power to bear fruit.
Yang Jing carefully placed the Jade Box into his Storage Bag.
He had many options now; he would have to think carefully about which Spirit Plant to use this on.
Without the Fur God, the Big Locust Tree lost its mystical properties, standing motionless as the raging True Fire consumed its trunk.
Yang Jing used his Magic Sword to slice open the trunk. Pushing aside the wood, which was heavy with Yin Qi, he found and cut out a section of the tree’s heartwood. This piece of heartwood contained abundant Wood Form Spiritual Qi, and its material was unique, suffused with a dense Yin Qi. ’Perhaps by using yin to generate yang, I can succeed,’ he thought.
The Sun True Fire that Yang Jing had previously condensed using Nine Breath Qi Refining was just a tiny spark. If he didn’t start Refining it soon, it would extinguish and revert back to Sun Essence Qi.
He had tried using various types of Spirit Wood as kindling before, but all his attempts had failed.
Because a Fur God had possessed it, this locust tree’s heartwood had become a rare Yin Wood. Perhaps by using yin to generate yang, he could succeed.
Although the Big Locust Tree was enormous, aside from this piece of heartwood, there was almost nothing else of value.
Yang Jing simply urged the Spiritual Fire raging on the trunk to burn the entire village and the astonishingly large locust tree to ash. He then converted the Spiritual Fire back into Magical Power and drew it back into his Dantian.
In the wake of the Spiritual Fire, the once gloomy, Yin Qi-filled valley was left with nothing but a field of ash. Aside from some ruined walls, nothing remained.
"Master, why did they hide deep in these mountains, only to become food for a Fur God?"
Ji Feng felt conflicted. She had just killed more than a dozen mortals who had been controlled by the Fur God.
"The world is harsh and fate is fickle. How many can truly transcend it?"
Yang Jing summoned his Five Clouds Pouch and flew away with his disciples. A single glance had been enough for him to guess the village’s story. Events like this were very likely happening in other parts of the Northern Domain.
Ordinary mortals in this age had no ability to withstand such calamities.
After that, Yang Jing didn’t linger. He traveled nonstop via Cloud Escape, returning to the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion at top speed.
The Northern Army Governor’s Mansion seemed rather empty and desolate, as it had dispatched a large portion of the Demon Suppression Army to hunt down and suppress Demon Cultivators.
The moment Yang Jing appeared at the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion, he was met with many gazes of awe and respect.
He didn’t grow arrogant from his accomplishments. He first went to the secret repository of the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion to exchange for the Five Elements Gang Sha that Iron Head needed to refine the Five Elements Wheel. He also exchanged for nine Upper Grade Earth Spirit Stones to nurture his Kunli Earth Fire, lest excessive Refining cause it to degrade.
Afterward, he returned to his Cave Mansion and placed the Kunli Earth Fire on a Spiritual Qi Node inside his Quiet Chamber.
For the next few days, Yang Jing remained in secluded cultivation within his courtyard. He polished his Magical Power, refined the Kunli Earth Fire, and cultivated his True Yang Body, all while occasionally giving his disciples pointers on their own cultivation. He did not step foot outside.