Chapter 1026: Essence of Five Elements

These were no ordinary jujubes; they were spiritual jujubes containing the five elements essence!

Li Qing recalled a passage from a classic text he had once read, his exceptional memory instantly retrieving the relevant details:

"In this world exists a wondrous jujube, growing in forests. Its fruits are brilliantly colored and contain the quintessence of the five elements."

"When consumed in the sequence of the five elements' generative cycle, they enhance mana, fortify vital energy, and seal primordial essence. These are known as five elements jujubes."

Li Qing remembered the records about the five elements jujube with perfect clarity. He was now deeply tempted to land on the island, pluck the jujubes, and consume them.

This was undoubtedly a heaven-sent opportunity. An entire jujube forest lay before him; to let it pass would truly invite divine retribution.

Boom!

As this thought crossed his mind, a thunderbolt conveniently struck the sky above.

"To refuse what heaven offers is to invite disaster. I'll see what mysteries this isolated island holds."

With these words, Li Qing resolutely flew toward the island. The terrain was mountainous, with steep cliffs and sheer rock faces on all sides.

The five elements jujube forest grew in the narrow gap between two small peaks on the island. Had he not spotted the peculiar five-colored radiance emanating from the area, Li Qing might never have discovered it.

As Li Qing flew over the island, his expression suddenly changed. His body plummeted downward, unable to maintain flight.

Bang!

A deafening crash shook the air, causing even the surrounding peaks to tremble violently.

Li Qing's fall created a massive crater. Fortunately, his sturdy fleshly body prevented any serious injuries, leaving him with only minor aches.

Yet, compared to these physical pains, the shock in his heart was far more profound.

On this island, he found himself completely unable to use his mana. Even the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings refused to activate, causing his sudden plunge from the sky.

"This place is a spirit-restricted zone," Li Qing murmured, his voice tinged with disbelief. "No wonder the island is so eerily silent, devoid of even birds or beasts."

Next, he tried opening his storage bag and activating various treasures he carried.

All attempts failed. His mana seemed frozen, utterly unresponsive to his will.

Worse still, his divine sense couldn't leave his body, confined to his sea of consciousness. No matter how powerful it was, it remained trapped within.

A place where one couldn't use mana or divine sense!

Any ordinary cultivator would likely turn back immediately. Without divine sense or mana, unable to use magic treasures or talismans, what difference was there between them and a mortal?

"The only good news is that my fleshly body cultivation remains intact here," Li Qing murmured to himself, finding some solace in this realization. "This place is a paradise for body refiners."

Although his physical body was formidable, the limitations on his mana and divine sense left him feeling disoriented. He hadn't relied solely on his physical strength in combat for ages—not even in the World of Eternal Night, where he could still use his divine sense for observation.

After careful consideration, Li Qing resolved to traverse the mountains and valleys to reach the five elements jujube forest. These rare treasure medicines were worth the effort; having already landed on the island, he was determined to try harvesting them.

Thus, he began scaling the rugged, uneven terrain. Despite being an isolated island, its vastness made rapid traversal by physical means alone no easy task.

Li Qing moved with the agility of a nimble ape, leaping across steep cliffs and scaling treacherous slopes.

After some time, he finally arrived at the foot of the peak where the five elements jujubes grew.

Gazing down at the swirling, five-colored mist below, Li Qing's eyes burned with intense desire.

Without a word, he leaped down toward the jujube forest at the foot of the mountain.

Thud!

A dull thud echoed through the air.

Li Qing found himself blocked by a five-colored barrier. The jujube forest lay just beneath his feet, seemingly within reach yet impossibly distant.

"A barrier formed from the essence of the five elements? Things are clearly more complicated than they appear."

Realizing the barrier's nature, Li Qing's brow furrowed deeply.

In the outside world, breaking such a five elements barrier would be a simple matter. He could simply channel the Primordial Energy of Heaven and Earth and brute-force his way through.

But here, he could rely only on the raw power of his fleshly body. To shatter this barrier with brute force alone would require a body refinement realm comparable to the void refinement realm.

With this in mind, Li Qing threw several punches at the barrier.

The barrier remained utterly still, not even rippling.

Confirming that his physical strength fell far short of what was needed, Li Qing's expression darkened slightly.

"Just look, but don't touch? Are they treating us like monkeys?"

With those words, Li Qing ceased his brute-force assault on the five elements barrier and began to observe it meticulously.

The jujube forest lay nestled between the foothills of two mountains, its approach blocked by the five elements barrier.

After circling the forest once, Li Qing quickly realized that the barrier wasn't a natural formation. Instead, a restriction mechanism was drawing upon the five elements essence within the forest to create the barrier.

When Li Qing attempted to trigger the restriction, a mutation immediately occurred.

"What is the dao of the five elements?"

A voice like the resounding toll of a great bell echoed in Li Qing's mind. This was a question related to the dao of the five elements, demanding that he articulate his understanding and comprehension of this fundamental principle.

"Is this a puzzle? A test set by some ancient powerhouse. What a twisted sense of humor."

Li Qing's lips twitched, but he quickly composed himself, focusing his thoughts on the five elements-related question.

Though he specialized in the fire dao, he wasn't entirely ignorant of the five elements daoist arts.

In the lower realm, he had thoroughly studied the five elements spirit pearls and later obtained numerous cultivation manuals and secret texts related to the dao of the five elements from the Five Elements Spirit Saint.

"Since I'll need to comprehend the mysteries of five elements harmony before advancing to the void refinement realm anyway, I might as well spend some time here and clarify my future path."

With that, Li Qing calmed his mind and sat cross-legged on the ground.

He closed his eyes tightly, recalling the cultivation manuals and secret texts related to the dao of the five elements that the Five Elements Spirit Saint had given him. The contents rapidly surfaced in his sea of consciousness.

"The dao of the five elements: mutual generation and mutual restraint."