Chapter 181 - 180: Breakthrough

Lies.

This was Master Water Moon's lie.

To steal another's Dao lineage and take their life by such means—how was that any different from the Demon Sect? A True Demon... At least the Demon Sect was true to its name, openly declaring its intent to seize lineages and lives.

But since entering the Tai Xu Sect, he had seen many such things, all wrapped in a veneer of righteousness. Not to mention the more distant past, just look at that Master Jing Yuan. His entanglement with him would likely last a very long time.

He would even try to stop Chen Qingyang the moment he learned he planned to awaken Li Qianxue.

Chen Qingyang couldn't communicate with the Peach Demon through words. She likely couldn't even see his presence; she was just a muddled being, able to sense his Qi Mechanism.

He wondered what would happen if he were to shatter this layer of golden light right now.

The Conscious Fish activated the Li Yang Earth Fire Technique. Its two long whiskers extended like a pair of great dragons, one on the left and one on the right, and began to burn away the golden light.

Long Sheng, who was meditating, seemed to sense something and snapped his eyes open, but he detected no disturbance. Thinking that Senior Brother Wuji had just left, he submerged his mind once more.

The roaring flames burned for only a moment before the layer of golden light was completely erased. If this Peach Demon had enough spiritual awareness, she would flee now. That way, he would have at least secured the Immortal Seedling that belonged to Master Water Moon.

But to his utter surprise, the girl's eyes went wide with anger. "Who are you? You're not Xu Wuji, and you're not one of those seven people! Why are you trying to harm me?"

She had been thoroughly deceived, completely unable to comprehend Chen Qingyang's good intentions.

The Conscious Fish once again gathered a ball of fire, forming three words: "Flee this place."

He had mastered this trick after his last exchange with the True Dragon.

But the girl shook her head like a rattle. "Do you really think I'm a three-year-old? Why should I listen to you? Your appearance is so strange. Aren't you suspicious?"

Chen Qingyang felt helpless, but explained once more: "To... take... your... Verdant... Peach... Profound... Wood... to... help... Water... Moon... achieve... the... Great... Dao... of... Foundation... Establishment..."

Controlling the Li Yang Earth Fire to display these sixteen words was more exhausting than killing someone. Having explained it so clearly, the girl should finally understand, right?

A look of confusion appeared on her face. "Before I met the Master, I could only grow wild. But with the Master's careful guidance, she has cared for my every need, treating me, a rare species, just like a Disciple."

"She saw that my body was too large, making it difficult to reach Foundation Establishment, so she came up with this method of cultivating my Divine Soul and body separately. She even personally refined this Dao Field for me. You must have ulterior motives for saying such things..."

"I get it! You humans are experts at scheming. You must be an enemy of Master Water Moon, here to harm me. I'll take your life..."

The crucial point was that she couldn't see the truth of a single thing, yet her own chain of reasoning, connecting all these events, seemed perfectly sound to her.

As she spoke, the girl gathered a green-blue light and, like flicking water sleeves, sent two bolts of energy streaking toward Chen Qingyang's position.

Heaven's wrath may be survived, but one's own folly is inescapable. The cage around her was gone, but the shackles on her feet remained. Chen Qingyang showed no more courtesy. He immediately unleashed his power, sending a torrent of flame surging toward her.

It was, after all, True Dragon Fire, and in the cycle of the Five Elements, Fire overcomes Wood. The girl was instantly knocked back.

She was furious. "You... If I weren't in a soul form... I would definitely refine you completely!"

Not bothering to argue with her, the Conscious Fish struck again. Within the Wood Element Mystic Core, the girl's figure fell heavily.

She clutched her chest, seeming to have sobered up a little. But her next words drove Chen Qingyang to complete despair. "Since I can't deal with you, I'll leave this world and find Master Water Moon to help me!"

He had kindly tried to persuade her to leave earlier, but she had been unmoved. Now, in order to take his life, she was willing to go out. The poison truly ran deep.

Chen Qingyang was not an indecisive person, nor had he ever been soft-hearted. He pushed the Nine Yang Separation Fire Technique to its absolute limit, and raging flames enveloped the girl, beginning to incinerate her.

The girl screamed from within the inferno, but Chen Qingyang, having already decided to kill, remained utterly unmoved.

CLINK... CLANK.

「Outside.」

Long Sheng, who was meditating, suddenly saw the Command Talisman begin to tremble, striking the Bronze frame and making it clang. Unsure of what was happening, he hastily recited the Technique in his mind, but it had no effect on the Talisman.

Pale with shock, just as he was wondering whether to report this to his master, the Mystic Core suddenly fell silent, as quiet as it had been before.

He gently touched it with his hand. Aside from being slightly warm, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.

'Could it be... Senior Brother Wuji didn't tell me everything?'

Chen Qingyang himself hadn't expected that the Peach Demon's Divine Soul would actually be refined by his True Fire!

The Peach Demon's consciousness had completely dissipated, leaving only a single bead, like a drop of peach resin, floating quietly in mid-air, faintly emitting Wood Spirit Qi.

In this vast world, everything was suspended in mid-air. There was no sky to be seen, nor solid ground to stand on, only an all-encompassing green-blue light.

Without the Peach Demon's existence, the key to opening this Array was likely useless now.

It had all happened so fast that he hadn't even had time to absorb more than a few breaths of Wood Spirit Qi.

Perhaps... the Conscious Fish could become the new key!

Since its last breakthrough, the Great Soul Scripture allowed it to merge perfectly with its surroundings. If it was with a rock, it would become a rock; with plants, it would become a plant, making it almost impossible for anyone to detect its existence.

If it merged with this Wood Element Mystic Core, wouldn't it become a new Wood Element Mystic Core, allowing him to steal the Wood Spirit Qi and obtain the Immortal Seedling?

Whether Master Water Moon got it or he got it himself didn't seem to make much difference.

No sooner said than done. The Conscious Fish remained inside, and Chen Qingyang stopped controlling it, simply waiting for it to completely merge with the core.

He opened his eyes and found himself still in the small courtyard.

The day was clear and bright, with a gentle, pleasant breeze.

Draped in a gray long robe, he walked around the courtyard. Whenever his mind was overly exhausted, he liked to walk around here to relax.

Only when his head was clearer would he begin Alchemy or meditation.

The three youths now each had their own rooms, and Li Sheng even had his own Alchemy Room—a luxury almost unheard of for a servant disciple. At this moment, a Pill was about to be completed. It was, as always, a Qi Gathering Pill.

Outside the Alchemy Room was a large Spirit Field. The brown earth had been tilled until it was soft, and if any weeds sprouted, Zhang Ping would carefully pull them out.

Just like a farmer tending his fields, the first step in growing Spirit Plants was to cultivate the soil. Sufficient Spiritual Qi was the most basic requirement, along with the soil's fertility. According to Zhang Ping, he had even ground up a handful of Spirit Stones to sprinkle into it, along with other strange items he had exchanged for at the Merit Tower.

To think that even a small Spirit Field required so much effort. Seeing him working up a storm, Chen Qingyang walked past him. When he reached Hong'Er's window, he saw the young girl inside meditating.

Her eyes were squeezed shut and her brow was furrowed. A faint Qi Mechanism reached out to her. Above her head, he could see a hint of faint Profound Light.

Chen Qingyang quickly used his Astrology Skill to make a divination. Starlight emanated from his body, piercing through layers of clouds and mist to gaze upon the glittering stars in the firmament.

As his Cultivation progressed, such divinations had become quite easy, especially for someone like Hong'Er, whose Qi Mechanism was countless times weaker than his own.

Thus, he quickly glimpsed within the Star Map that, in front of the Big Dipper's Dipper, at the mouth of the ladle, a star shaped like a full moon shone with a crystalline light, yet it was faintly trembling.

This was the Wenchang Star, which signified "steady progress yields results, a stable ascent, and success built from small achievements." This meant Hong'Er's breakthrough would happen today.

With this divination, Chen Qingyang's mind was at ease. He then called Zhang Ping to his side.

Thinking about it, he realized he hadn't really taught them the ways of Cultivation. Today was a good opportunity to explain things properly.

"Do you see that? That is the color of Profound Light!"

Zhang Ping's eyes widened, but he couldn't see the color his senior brother was talking about. After waiting for a long time, he finally saw a faint, dark light rise from the top of Hong'Er's head. "Senior Brother, I see it now."

Chen Qingyang said, "This is Profound Light Qi. It is born from the Meridians throughout the body, finally condensing at the Baihui point on the crown of the head, and then emerging from there. Once this step is passed, it means one can store True Qi internally and officially step into the Qi Refining Realm. Now look closely. What's different about this Profound Light Qi?"

Zhang Ping stared blankly for a long moment. "I... don't think I can see a difference?"

"The so-called Profound Light Qi is the first wisp of Qi Mechanism a Cultivator condenses upon stepping onto the path of Cultivation. It contains both pure and turbid aspects. If you can carefully distinguish between the two, it will be of great benefit to your own enlightenment..."

Chen Qingyang explained the matter of the Qi Mechanism to him in detail for a while longer. By then, Li Sheng had also gathered around. The Profound Light Qi inside the room was already beginning to dissipate.

A moment later, Hong'Er opened her eyes. Seeing them, she was unable to contain her joy. "Senior Brother Chen, my Cultivation has broken through!"

The Qi Mechanism flowed within her Dantian. Though only a few strands, it was a clear sign she had entered the state of Qi Refining.

Chen Qingyang just nodded lightly. "Indeed, you have entered Qi Refining!"

With his confirmation, the two boys beside her hurriedly congratulated Hong'Er. Seeing the people around him break through one by one, Zhang Ping showed no trace of dejection, only joy.

"What are your plans for the next step?" Chen Qingyang asked.

The other two boys' gazes also fell on Hong'Er. Without a hint of hesitation, she said, "Of course I'm going to keep staying here!"

Chen Qingyang asked again, "Since you've decided to stay, do you also want to study the Alchemy Dao like Li Sheng?"

Unexpectedly, Hong'Er shook her head. "I want to follow Senior Brother Zhang and grow Spirit Plants!"

Her gaze was resolute, especially when she looked at Zhang Ping. It was truly a surprise.

"Are you sure?"

Faced with Chen Qingyang's second question, Hong'Er remained firm. "Senior Brother Chen, I've really thought it through."

Just then, Chen Qingyang sensed that his Conscious Fish had successfully merged with the Wood Element Mystic Core. It was time to close the net on Peach Blossom Valley.