Chapter 1222 - 851: Suppressing the Peach Tree of Immortality

Under the suppression of the Queen Mother of the West, the Peach Tree had no intelligence, but it still possessed instinct!

Although this tree had no intelligence, it had followed by the Queen Mother’s side and lived for who knows how many tens of thousands of years. Even if it only had instinct, relying on its terrifying foundation, it could still contend with the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit.

And this was even when the Peach Tree had suffered heavy injuries, and under the premise that the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit was innately able to restrain powers of the grass-and-wood attribute. If any of the other Four Spirits of Heaven Opening had come here instead, they absolutely would not be able to do anything to the Peach Tree in the slightest.

"The Peach Tree is too formidable. I still need to cut off the Peach Tree’s Innate Divine Water, otherwise, with Innate Divine Water supplying it, who knows how long it’ll take the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit to bring it down." Countless thoughts spun through Zhang Chen’s mind.

Another day passed

Zhang Chen stepped into the Peach Garden and saw that the once lush and verdant Peach Tree was now completely withered. The branches and leaves on that Peach Tree had all turned a dull yellow, countless leaves had fallen to the ground, and a surge of fiery aura coiled endlessly around the Peach Tree, eroding its Vitality.

"Why have the Peach Tree’s leaves turned yellow? Could it be that the Innate Divine Water I condensed is incompatible, and I ended up watering the Innate Peach of Immortality to death?" Zhang Chen muttered around the Peach Tree, as if he had no idea why the Peach Tree had died.

Then Zhang Chen, holding the Three Lights Divine Water, examined it for a moment, stuffed it into his robe, and was about to turn and leave. But just then, a hazy face emerged on one of the Peach Tree’s branches and called out to Zhang Chen: "Want!"

Seeing that face appearing on the branch, Zhang Chen could not help but be overjoyed: "The Innate True Spirit of the Peach Tree has appeared; it’s finally been forced out by that Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit!"

Looking at the Innate Peach Tree True Spirit whose face was full of yearning, Zhang Chen did not hesitate in the next instant and activated his own Authority of the Wood Element: "Come out!"

He had already sensed the existence of the Peach True Spirit, and as he activated the Authority of the Wood Element, the Innate True Spirit of the Peach Tree flew out from within it.

The Innate True Spirit of the Peach Tree was a mass of azure radiance about the size of a football. As soon as it entered the range of Zhang Chen’s control via the Authority of the Five Elements, it was immediately seized by Zhang Chen.

"Brat, I’ve already forced out the Innate True Spirit of the Peach Tree. Our deal is fulfilled; hurry up and remove the mark in my soul and return my freedom." The Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit appeared on the Peach Tree, its eyes blazing as it stared at Zhang Chen.

At these words, Zhang Chen’s expression turned contemplative and hesitant. Seeing Zhang Chen’s expression, the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit could not help but grow furious: "Don’t tell me you intend to go back on your word? Don’t forget, the Queen Mother of the West is still in slumber."

Hearing the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit’s threat, Zhang Chen let out a soft sigh: "It’s not that I want to break my word. Ancestor, your strength is a thousand times, ten thousand times mine. I was only thinking, if I remove the restriction in Ancestor’s soul mark and Ancestor then intends to kill me, how would I have any power to resist?"

Hearing that Zhang Chen did not intend to renege, the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit’s expression eased slightly: "Then what do you propose?"

"Ancestor, first help me refine this Peach Tree’s True Spirit. Once I refine the Peach Tree’s True Spirit, I’ll at least have some power to resist Ancestor. At that time, I’ll remove the restriction in Ancestor’s True Spirit. How about that?" Zhang Chen asked.

This Peach Tree’s True Spirit was incomparably powerful. If one were to liken it to a great river, then Zhang Chen’s Primordial Spirit was merely a tiny droplet of water.

The Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, feeling that Zhang Chen’s words were not unreasonable. Its own True Spirit was still grasped in the other party’s hand; if he suddenly turned hostile now, that would be bad. Zhang Chen feared waking the Queen Mother of the West—could it be that he himself did not fear it as well?

Thus it said, "I can indeed lend you a hand, but I’m afraid that after I help you once, you’ll raise new conditions."

"I swear by the Heavenly Dao: as long as you help me refine this Innate Spirit Root’s True Spirit, I will unconditionally remove your restraints." Zhang Chen swore to the heavens.

Upon hearing this, the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit believed Zhang Chen’s words, for no one dared make light of a vow taken upon the Heavenly Dao.

Seeing Zhang Chen finish his oath, the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit nodded in satisfaction: "You don’t even have a Primordial Spirit; wanting to seize control and refine this Innate Spirit Root’s True Spirit is not easy. You’ll need to bring it into my suppression ground. I’ll borrow the power of the earth fire to assist you in refining it."

Zhang Chen raised no objections at this. He followed the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit into the underground magma. There, the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit took the Peach Tree’s True Spirit and began tempering it in flame. Once the tempered True Spirit had all marks erased from it, it sent it before Zhang Chen. Zhang Chen directly split off a strand of his Primordial Spirit and let it actively merge into that blank True Spirit.

"To refine this True Spirit will take at least a hundred years. This is still thanks to the fact that this True Spirit had long been suppressed by the Queen Mother of the West, its consciousness entirely wiped away, leaving only instinctual awareness. Otherwise, without several tens of thousands of years, there would be no hope of refining it." The Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit said.

Of course, Zhang Chen could not remain underground forever; he still had to oversee the construction of the altar. He sent a strand of his Primordial Spirit into the Peach Tree’s True Spirit and began directly devouring the Peach Tree’s True Spirit. With the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit’s assistance, he had no fear of being counter-devoured by the vast True Spirit of the Peach Tree.

"You stay here and keep refining the Wood Spirit. I need to go outside and take care of something. Once I finish refining this True Spirit, I’ll naturally come back and remove your restraints." After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he directly cast the Fire Escape Technique and left, leaving the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit cursing and swearing amid the Earth Fire as it tempered that Peach Tree’s True Spirit for Zhang Chen.

Speaking of Zhang Chen, he went all the way out of the great hall, arriving at the place where the Peach Tree took root. Looking at the listless Peach Tree, in the next moment he saw moisture gathering in the void. In an instant, he used his Authority of Water to transform it into Three Lights Divine Water, nourishing the Innate Peach Tree.

Previously, the power of the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit had invaded the Peach Tree, inflicting great damage upon it. Now that he had the chance to refine and take control of the Peach Tree, Zhang Chen naturally would not allow it to remain withered.

As that overwhelming Three Lights Divine Water poured down to nourish it, the Peach Tree once again burst with Vitality. Vigorous Vitality flowed ceaselessly around it, and its originally withered branches actually began to sprout one new twig after another.

In just a single day, the entire Peach Tree’s aura underwent a dramatic change; it had completely come back to life, and buds were even beginning to condense anew among its branches.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Chen couldn’t help but look slightly astonished. "The Three Lights Divine Water really is inconceivable."

After speaking, Zhang Chen turned and left, making his way to the underground palace. Only after overseeing and correcting the Powerful Warriors’ work did he return to the pill room.

At this moment, Lady Biyun was standing in the pill room, holding the Pill Formula and studying it. Seeing Zhang Chen come back, she softly asked, "How did it go?"

On the surface, it seemed like she was asking about the task the Queen Mother had left behind, but in reality she was inquiring about Zhang Chen’s scheme.

"Everything went smoothly." Zhang Chen gave Lady Biyun a slightly calming look. "Don’t worry, everything is under control."

Lady Biyun nodded when she heard this, as if wanting to speak but holding back.

"What is it?" Zhang Chen, noticing Lady Biyun’s expression, revealed a hint of puzzlement.

"I just wanted to say, the building you’re constructing now has already shaken Kunlun Mountain’s Dragon Vein. In the future there is bound to be Celestial Punishment descending. You may not fear being struck by Celestial Punishment, but Celestial Punishment isn’t only lightning, you know. Its tribulations include all sorts of killing calamities—Human Tribulation, Killing Tribulation, and so on. What if the heavens drop a star from the sky and smash you to death? Or what if, under the pull of Karmic Force, you get dragged into some great web of cause and effect, and someone makes a move to behead you—what then?" Lady Biyun asked, her voice full of worry.

"Within the Earth Realm of West Kunlun, with the Queen Mother of the West covering me, there shouldn’t be anyone who can kill me. For now I’m still safe." Zhang Chen embraced Lady Biyun and softly comforted her, his voice steady and tranquil.

What could Zhang Chen do? He had no choice either! If he didn’t complete the Queen Mother’s task, how was he supposed to report back to her? When the Queen Mother descended punishment, that would truly be a case of refusing the wine of courtesy only to be forced to drink the wine of penalty.

For the moment, although he’d been screwed over by the Queen Mother of the West, he at least still had a bit of freedom, some room to maneuver, and could seize the chance to raise a few conditions with her.

After soothing Lady Biyun for a while, Zhang Chen once again began pondering that Feng Shui Grand Array. The more he pondered, the more he felt that this Grand Array was meant to gather all the Power of the Dragon Vein of Kunlun Mountain, thereby seizing all the Dragon Qi of the earth and absorbing the power of the earth’s Dao to nourish something.

"The Queen Mother of the West suffered setbacks in the Heavenly Dao and now wants to absorb the power of the earth’s Dao, to take in all the Creation of the land and consummate herself?" Looking at the Feng Shui Grand Array before him, Zhang Chen felt that his conjecture was highly likely.

"If the Queen Mother of the West absorbs all the Vitality of the earth, Heaven and Earth’s Yin and Yang will lose balance and then be destroyed, returning to Chaos. Wouldn’t that mean all future spacetime will be severed? Even the spacetime I’m from would be cut off?" Zhang Chen felt his heart lurch. The more he looked, the more he felt that this Feng Shui Grand Array was wrong. Once the Queen Mother of the West draws in all the Primordial Qi and Creation of the earth, what use is it even if the Heavenly Dao is stronger? Heaven and Earth would have reverted to Chaos.

"This isn’t right! Totally not right!" Zhang Chen muttered to himself, countless thoughts swirling in his heart as his fingers continuously traced over the Array Map:

"If I can modify this Feng Shui Grand Array, secretly reshaping it into a trapping array, and use this trapping array to imprison the Queen Mother of the West, wouldn’t our whole family gain freedom?"

Thinking of this, Zhang Chen couldn’t help his heart leaping. This idea was exquisitely brilliant—if it could be realized, all threats would vanish without a trace.

The key thing is, by then I’ll have integrated the Peach Tree, the Heaven-Opening Fire Spirit, the Heaven-Opening Water Spirit, the Wind Spirit of the Beginning, and the Heaven-Opening Earth Spirit all into the Five Elements River; I should have the power to protect myself, right? By then it will be enough to elevate my Five Elements Dao to an inconceivable height, won’t it?

How could Zhang Chen not know the terror of Cause and Effect Force? Under its pull, Heavenly Tribulation is only one manifestation. With the Kunlun earth’s Dao carrying such vast Cause and Effect Force, there’s a good chance—eight or nine times out of ten—that he’ll crash and burn; and even if he doesn’t, the people around him will be implicated.

"I still need to plan ahead and prepare a safeguard. The Queen Mother of the West is far too ruthless, actually wanting to drain this world’s Origin of the earth’s Dao. When the world is destroyed, I fear I won’t be able to survive either." Zhang Chen muttered to himself.