Chapter 182 - 181: Observing the Situation

Lately, Chen Qingyang had noticed that Zhang Ping and Hong'Er were growing closer and closer. Now, they even had to be together when farming the fields.

Looking at their expressions, Zhang Ping kept his head down, looking rather shy. Hong'Er, on the other hand, looked over at him, her eyes full of pleading.

"No problem. The path of cultivation is long, but the future is promising. It's a good thing that you're willing to give him a hand."

Hearing his approval, the two were overjoyed. "Thank you, Senior Brother Chen! In the future..."

Chen Qingyang raised his hand gently. "There's no need for such formalities. Just remember that you cultivate for yourselves. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Senior Sister Xu for guidance."

After giving a few more instructions, he returned to the Alchemy Room. Once he sat down cross-legged again, he shifted his attention to the Conscious Fish.

「Meanwhile, in Peach Blossom Valley.」

Long Sheng had gathered his junior brothers. In the center of the group lay the Command Talisman. It was completely devoid of luster and showed no sign of a Qi Mechanism, as if it were a dead object.

"Senior Brother Long, what in the world did you do? Why did it become like this?" The one questioning him was Lu Sheng.

Long Sheng seemed too lazy to argue with him and simply ignored him. Bao Sheng, however, picked up the Command Talisman and examined it again. "This is strange. It's as if the Peach Spirit... has vanished. This is a huge deal! We have to report it to Master!"

"We should tell Master, but *how* to tell him is the problem." This was Long Sheng's greatest concern.

Lu Sheng spoke again. "Senior Brother Long, this thing has been in your hands the whole time. Are you expecting us to take the fall for you?"

Long Sheng replied nonchalantly, "In any case, the talisman was just sitting there, and it mysteriously ended up like this. You should all think about it—given Master's temperament, do you really think I could bear the blame for this alone?"

At this, Lu Sheng fell silent.

Meanwhile, inside the Command Talisman, an explosion of golden light filled the sky. Within the light, countless fine threads linked together to form an intricate web that seemed to cover the entire world.

A massive fish, its head and tail indistinct, lay across the horizon, integrated with this fine web. A Qi Mechanism flowed between them, as if the entire world existed only because of the fish.

It turned out that after the Peach Spirit's Divine Soul was destroyed, the Golden Pearl it left behind had transformed into this boundless golden light. The Conscious Fish's ability to merge with all things was to absorb as much of another's Qi Mechanism as possible. Now, in this place, it had become identical to its surroundings.

The golden lines streaking across the sky were originally just the Meridians within the Conscious Fish's body, used for circulating its Qi Mechanism.

Only a single hour had passed, yet such a great change had occurred. One could even say that the Conscious Fish was the key to controlling the Array.

With a thought from Chen Qingyang, the fish inside the Command Talisman's space began to glow. Outside, the group of senior and junior brothers were all startled.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother, it's moving again!"

Long Sheng, having the highest Cultivation, was the quickest to react. He snatched it up to observe it for a moment before handing it to Bao Sheng. "You take a look too!"

Bao Sheng said, "This is the Qi Mechanism of the Wood Element Mystic Core. Its presence is what allows this to be the key to opening the Array."

After him, Jiao Sheng also took a look. "It feels like Peach Spirit Granny is inside. I think we can communicate with her."

Lu Sheng, as if in disbelief, took it and inspected it carefully before passing it back to Long Sheng. "Senior Brother Long, why don't we try activating the Array once? Just to make sure the Command Talisman is working and prevent any more mishaps."

At this suggestion, Long Sheng couldn't remain calm either.

The seven senior and junior brothers walked in a crowd to the base of the peach tree. Long Sheng, who was in the lead, began chanting, trying to activate the Array.

Chen Qingyang decided to play along. He had a bit of Wood Spirit Qi flow from the treetop, and the Array obediently opened a crack. Long Sheng, holding the Command Talisman, felt the nourishment of the Wood Spirit Qi. It was no different from any other day, and the seven of them finally relaxed.

"Thank goodness... Nothing's wrong!" Long Sheng also let out a long sigh of relief.

"I think we should still mention this to Senior Brother Xu next time we see him. Have him investigate in advance so we don't end up in a passive position like today. No one can bear the blame for something like this." Long Sheng turned his head. Surprisingly, it was Hu Sheng who had spoken.

"Junior Brother Hu's suggestion is a good one!"

After all that commotion, the Seven Immortals of Peach Valley finally dispersed. And Chen Qingyang's Conscious Fish had now completely become the key he had always wanted.

The ability to open the Array was now entirely in his hands. With this, he could steal the Wood Spirit Qi and empower the Incense Burner he possessed.

'It's true that Master Water Moon had never offended him, and taking her things so rashly was a bit immoral. But that was only in the past. Who's to say she wouldn't offend him in the future?'

...

「Night fell again.」

The entire peach tree emanated a pinkish glow, like a full moon shining down upon all the other peach trees in Peach Blossom Valley. The light flickered like bright flames, creating a strangely beautiful scene.

Flanked by green mountains with a turquoise river running through the middle, Chen Qingyang thought, 'It would be quite an elegant affair to establish this place as my Dao Field.'

The Seven Immortals of Peach Valley were each busy with their own affairs. No one noticed an aura drift out from the Command Talisman and fly toward the lush branches of the Peach Demon tree. It passed through layers of branches and past clusters of blossoms, where a man in a profound robe was now standing at some unknown point in time.

He was tall and slender, with thin eyebrows and Phoenix Eyes. His face was sharp, as if carved by a knife, yet his gaze was exceptionally gentle, softening his entire presence considerably.

The Conscious Fish swirled in Chen Qingyang's palm. With a light flick, he sent it toward the peach tree. The light barrier formed by the Array was like a curtain of water, which the fish pierced with ease.

Through the opening, pure Wood Spirit Qi flowed out. With a thought from Chen Qingyang, the Profound Wood Incense Burner materialized before him, absorbing all of the incoming Wood Spirit Qi.

He then activated the Nine Refinements Forging Technique to oversee the process. The Profound Wood Incense Burner, a Magical Artifact, began to strengthen at a visible rate.

The Conscious Fish dove deeper, drawing out a green light from the Jade Peach Profound Wood and immersing the Incense Burner directly within it. Chen Qingyang began to focus his full effort on the task.

Having lost the Wood Element Mystic Core, the Seven Immortals of Peach Valley had effectively lost their connection to the Peach Spirit Array. For now, they were oblivious to what was happening.

Chen Qingyang didn't know when Master Water Moon might notice his actions, so he worked from dusk until dawn before finally stopping.

Looking at the Profound Wood Incense Burner now, it was coated in a thick, bluish-green layer, brimming with potent Wood Spirit Qi. If not used as a Protective Magical Treasure, it could serve as an Array Artifact, capable of nurturing the growth of a Spirit Field. For it to be so coveted even by a Foundation Establishment Master, its power was not to be underestimated.

Considering that the Command Talisman would become a useless piece of scrap metal without the Conscious Fish, Chen Qingyang temporarily left it there, taking only the Profound Wood Incense Burner with him as he vanished into the horizon.

At that moment, the image of a Daoist Nun suddenly appeared before his eyes. She was in secluded meditation, her body half wreathed in water and half in fire. This was Master Water Moon.

The Stealing Immortal Seedling hovered above her head. Immortal Seedlings Stolen: 3652.

It seemed like a lot, but for a Foundation Establishment Master, the amount was negligible. This also showed that the Wood Spirit Qi he had stolen today was only a tiny fraction of what the massive Peach Demon possessed.

He didn't stop along the way, heading straight back to his room to begin meditating cross-legged. If anything happened in Peach Blossom Valley, he would know instantly, thanks to the Conscious Fish.

Moreover, the fish had completely integrated with the Command Talisman. Even if a Foundation Establishment Master were to inspect it in person, they would have to observe it very carefully to notice anything amiss.

[Chen Qingyang]

[Essence Condensation Third Realm]

[Great Soul Scripture: (18/999,999)]

[Tai Xu Star Pivot Purple Micro True Skill (Starlight Body): (4,259/6,000)]

[Danxia Nourishing Truth Sword Manual: (20/24,000)]

[Tier Five Nameless Elixir: (13/10,000)]

[Nine Luminaries Array: (1/1,000)]

[Tier Four Earth Root Rejuvenation Pill: (753/1,000)]

[Tier Four Spirit Yang Breaking Yuan Pill: (174/1,000)]

[Nine Refinements Forging Technique: (76/200)]

[Inner Nourishing Five Elements Sword: (1/20,000)]

[Available Immortal Seedlings: 3653]

Small golden words floated in the air. Chen Qingyang reviewed all his Cultivation Techniques.

Among them, the one that had progressed the most recently was the Earth Root Rejuvenation Pill. It wouldn't be long before he could have a breakthrough. Or rather, by using Immortal Seedlings, he could break through right now.

However, with his current Cultivation at the Qi Refining Realm, even a Tier Five Elixir had to be refined as if it were Tier Four. Otherwise, his true cultivation level would surely be exposed.

In the end, his gaze settled on the Purple Star True Skill. He had enough Immortal Seedlings to achieve another breakthrough with this Dharma Gate.

After a layer of starlight flickered around his body, this stage of his Purple Star True Skill reached Perfection, and he entered the next phase.

[Tai Xu Star Pivot Purple Micro True Skill (Starlight Body): (1/9,000)]

The only thing that changed was the upper limit. The two words 'Starlight Body' were still listed, which meant he had not yet broken through the first layer of the Purple Star True Skill.

This skill had four layers in total, and cultivating each new layer would bring about a qualitative change. Chen Qingyang wasn't sure when he would reach the second layer, so he decided to just use all his remaining Immortal Seedlings on it.

The skill was newly advanced and still far from ready for combat. It needed to be honed properly.

Looking out the window, he saw the sky had not yet brightened.

Chen Qingyang pushed the door open and stood in the courtyard, looking up at the starry sky. The Star Power within him had grown considerably. He could see farther, deeper, and wider, but there was still no qualitative change.

Water Moon was one of the most outstanding Foundation Establishment Masters, with profound Cultivation and boundless Magical Power. Of course, he didn't dare use his Astrology Skill to divine her.

Not only would he fail to get any information, but if he wasn't careful, he could suffer a backlash. If her Qi Mechanism was powerful enough, she might even discover him.

Chen Qingyang could only divine his own future. After sitting and contemplating the Star Map for half a day, he summed it up in three words: "Observing the Situation."

The so-called "Observing the Situation" meant to be cautious and not act rashly, prioritizing the analysis of every rustle of the wind and blades of grass.

He had stolen a great deal of Master Water Moon's Wood Spirit Qi today, and he wanted to know if it would be risky to continue tomorrow. But these three words were practically useless for what he was planning to do.

Because Chen Qingyang was exceptionally cautious no matter what he did.

For the entire next day, he carefully monitored the information sent by the Conscious Fish. Apart from the seven senior and junior brothers taking the Command Talisman to the peach tree and muttering under it for half the day, there was no other activity.

When the seven of them saw Wood Spirit Qi flowing out again, their worries were finally dispelled.