Chapter 691 - 545: Transforming Essence Divine Mud Formula

Liu Mingli rode the cloud away, Master Yuxiao coughed lightly and said:

"Junior Brother, what good things are you hiding here?"

The other party mentioned another area that needed addressing, arousing his curiosity.

Lin Lan widened her eyes at her master, she also wasn’t sure what secret place this was, and it was obviously not suitable to enter that territory now.

"Not really good things, just a place with low utilization. Allow me to keep it a mystery, and you will know in time."

Ji An spread his arms, "Senior Brother, let’s go to the living room and have some tea while we wait."

The three returned to the living room, Lin Lan transformed into a maid, serving tea and water to the two Daoist Masters.

Master Yuxiao put down his tea cup, speaking with a hint of reluctance in his tone:

"Junior Brother, have the necessary arrangements been made?"

The other party could be said to be crucial to the sect’s revitalization; leaving the sect would be a huge loss.

However, he couldn’t intervene, as the resentment affecting a cultivator’s path is significant. Besides, the other party had made great contributions to the sect.

In terms of influence on the sect, he surpassed many past sect leaders in history.

Ji An nodded, "I’ve said goodbye to several senior and junior brothers and a few disciples. I will leave directly tomorrow."

On the day of departure, he couldn’t bear to say goodbye.

The sect was his comfort zone, and he could obtain a large amount of Spiritual Mechanism from Red Flame Peak; choosing to leave meant giving up a lot.

Master Yuxiao glanced at Lin Lan, "I need to speak privately with your master for a moment."

Lin Lan nodded slightly, carefully exiting the room and closing the door.

Master Yuxiao took out a silver bracelet engraved with elegant patterns, embedded with a stone covered in wave patterns.

"You’ve made great contributions to the sect. There are many Small Merits you haven’t exchanged; the sect owes you a lot.

This Grotto Void Stone contains some resources you can take with you, as expenses will be everywhere once you leave the sect."

"Senior Brother, the resources in my possession..."

Master Yuxiao waved his hand, stuffing the bracelet into Ji An’s hand, "Inside is also some research data from the Dan Ding Institute about pharmacology and medicinal properties.

I know you took a set of this data half a year ago, but there have been breakthroughs over the last six months, with major breakthroughs a few days ago! I believe you’ll like it."

Ji An smiled, "Alright, I’ll accept it."

"That’s more like it!

There’s another matter to clarify: the reason for tallying the top-grade Spirit Plants and tier three Spirit Plants’ numbers today is because I’ve decided to continue assigning ten percent of these plants’ production to your name, for five hundred years.

If you return to the sect, these things will be returned to you,"

Master Yuxiao could sense his junior brother’s determination to leave and understood it was unlikely he would return to the sect, as his junior brother had already returned the Sect Jade Token to him.

Leaving some things behind, then, is also to leave some remembrance.

"Senior Brother, I will return to the Western Continent, but I likely won’t stay long in the sect; no need to keep these resources for me."

Ji An said softly, unless the path ahead is completely blocked and his cultivation hits a wall, he would continue striving in the Central Continent.

Returning to the Western Continent was because he held grudges and intended to seek revenge.

During the Demon Calamity, he was targeted by the Golden Feathered Eagle Demon King, suffering hardships for years, and this debt needed to be settled with the Demon King’s Inner Core.

Upon reaching late-stage Golden Core, he planned to return and confront that Demon King.

"Junior Brother, the sect will always be your permanent harbor. I’ll keep these resources for you, so you can deal with them however you like when the time comes."

Master Yuxiao said firmly, the connection must remain unbroken.

Ji An, unable to persuade him otherwise, simply complied.

The two began discussing the situation in the Western Continent. Over the years, Luofeng Valley had produced another Golden Core Daoist Master. Now Zhengyang Daoist Master had ascended, and with Ji An leaving, the high-level combat capabilities of the two sects returned to a balanced state.

Master Yuxiao smiled mockingly, "Now Fire Cloud Zhenren should be able to sleep soundly, though his lifespan has at most seventy or eighty years left, after which the sect will regain the advantage."

The relationship between the two sects has developed cracks, but neither side intended to mend them.

Ji An advised:

"It’s best not to have open confrontation between the two sects, as it brings no benefit."

Yuanhe Mountain remains sealed, and if a Golden Core Daoist Master emerges there, we on the outside won’t be able to see it.

"I’ll maintain restraint, as the sect lacks the strength to swallow Luofeng Valley."

"The disappearance of the Demon Cultivators always leaves one feeling uneasy, I’ve entrusted a batch of Purifying Talismans and ten Spirit Stabilizing Talismans to the Treasure Pavilion, and hope they’ll never be needed."

Ji An took out a Jade Slip, lowering his voice to say:

"Stored within that Bodhi Tree are two Treasure Talismans, tier three lower grade Spirit Stabilizing Talismans.

This Jade Slip contains the inheritance of a Talisman Maker, capable of crafting tier three Talisman Paper and Cinnabar."

He briefly explained the contents of the inheritance, and Master Yuxiao’s eyes suddenly widened.

He was not only the sect leader but also a Talisman Maker, understanding the significance of this inheritance for a Talisman Maker.

"No need to say more thanks, Junior Brother’s contribution to the sect makes me, as an elder brother, feel inadequate.

Oh, if the sect had a Nascent Soul inheritance, would you still leave?"

Ji An showed a reserved smile, "In that case, I’d wait to break through and become a Nascent Soul Daoist Monarch before departing for a true journey."

"Haha," Master Yuxiao laughed for a moment, solemnly cupping his hands:

"The sky is high and the road is far, take care on this journey, Junior Brother."

"I will."

The two enjoyed tea and chatted, quickly finishing a pot of tier three Jade Dew Golden Bud tea.

Ji An raised his voice and called:

"Lin Lan, bring another kettle of Spirit Tea."

"Alright," came the response from outside. Lin Lan walked in carrying a steaming kettle.

"I already boiled the water and added the tea leaves; it will be ready to drink soon."

Lin Lan placed the kettle on the table, bending slightly:

"Master, Guu Hongming from the Artifact Refining Hall seeks an audience, saying he has something important to discuss privately."

Ji An nodded gently and said:

"Brother, I need to step out for a bit."

A few days ago, he had summoned Guu Hongming and informed him of his impending departure.

Master Yuxiao chuckled warmly and said:

"Junior Brother, take your time; the longer you are gone, the better. I can finish this entire kettle of Spirit Tea."

"Haha, Senior Brother, drink as much as you like, I have more tea leaves! I’ll bring you some later."

Ji An walked out of the living room, "Hongming, what’s the matter?"

This disciple is not only the grandson of Guu Tai but also Zhuu Xiangrong’s closed-door disciple. He is the sect’s youngest Artifact Refining Grandmaster, currently at the Third Transition of the Chao Origin Realm and a Golden Core Seed of the sect.

Guu Hongming held a small jade slip with both hands, speaking with deep emotion:

"Ancestor, I have a treasure to offer you, thanking you for your years of care."

Over the years, he had received many good things from Red Flame Peak, including various high-tier Spirit Tea, Spirit Fruits, Soul Incense, and Soul Nourishing Pendants.

The ancestor’s care for him far exceeded the contributions his grandfather had once made.

"What good thing, let me take a look."

Ji An smiled as he took the jade slip, placing it on his forehead to probe its contents with his Divine Sense.

Inside was a refining technique for synthesizing Spiritual Objects, using Tier Two Top-Grade Materials, with a complex synthesis process.

From the materials, it appeared the final result was an Earth-elemental Spiritual Object.

After reading the entire contents of the jade slip, his expression could no longer remain calm, for the final part of the jade slip revealed the name of the spiritual object: Transforming Essence Divine Mud.

At that moment, he recalled the scene when Guu Tai was refining the Celestial Soaring Armor, which also incorporated Transforming Essence Divine Mud.

"It’s too precious; you should offer it to the Sect Leader."

"I will offer it to the Sect Leader. Tomorrow, I plan to visit Sunrise Peak to see the Sect Leader."

"No need to wait until tomorrow, come with me."

Ji An walked into the living room, took out a blank jade slip, copied the recipe, and handed it out.

"Senior Brother, Guu Hongming from the Artifact Refining Hall wants to offer this recipe to the sect."

Master Yuxiao took the jade slip with interest, held it to his forehead, and examined its contents.

"Such a spiritual object, it’s extremely important to the Artifact Refining Hall!"

The Transforming Essence Divine Mud has excellent effects on Earth Element Spiritual Artifacts or Magical Treasures. If the recipe is genuine, it will greatly enhance the sect’s foundation.

Master Yuxiao stood up, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back:

"How should I reward you!"

He did not believe the disciple would offer a fake recipe. Given the gravity of the matter, the disciple had surely conducted experiments and obtained correct results before submitting the recipe.

He would verify the authenticity of the recipe again and could not distribute rewards directly.

Ji An suggested, "After verifying the authenticity of the recipe, Senior Brother should fully support Hongming’s Core Formation.

Additionally, for every pound of Transforming Essence Divine Mud sold by the sect, give Hongming a share of the profits."

"Actually, this proposal is comprehensive; let’s go with it!

Hongming, come to Infinite Hall at the Chao Origin Stage at 7:00 AM in three days."

"As you command."

Ji An invited everyone to sit down, taking advantage of the leisure today to answer the disciples’ cultivation questions.

About half an hour passed, Liu Mingli returned to the living room.

Ji An glanced at the light outside the door, stood up, and said:

"It’s about time; let me show you the other side of Red Flame Peak."

Everyone followed him, riding clouds to the top of Red Flame Peak.

"Stay close."

Ji An led the way, flying into the volcano’s interior, pausing in a small tunnel where Fire Coral was cultivated.

Master Yuxiao saw clumps of luxuriant Fire Coral and exclaimed:

"Junior Brother, there’s no place you can’t utilize. To think of planting in such an environment, it’s brilliant!"

Ji An smiled modestly, "The Spiritual Qi here is very rich, and I discovered that Fire Coral can purify Fire Fiend.

Moreover, this spirit plant can be used to nourish Fire Element Beast Taming. After grinding and mixing with the red sand produced by Fire Crystal Ants, it can be used as high-tier Spirit Soil, thus improving the soil."

After tallying the number of Top-grade Spirit Plants here, the group flew away.

They had a sumptuous dinner, and the others departed separately.

The night was cool as water, with the bright moon illuminating, while the surrounding stars appeared dim.

Ji An unusually did not cultivate; he gazed up at the sky, quietly sitting at the entrance of the grotto mansion, his thoughts flowing freely and filled with emotion.

When he recollected himself, thick fog had risen in the mountains, veiling the moonlight.

Returning inside the grotto mansion, he took out the jade slip for refining Transforming Essence Divine Mud, placed it on his forehead, and began to study it further; this could be a stable source of income.