Chapter 749 - 588: Dead Wood Meets Spring

The azure lightning lit up the space, while the Spiritual Mechanism continuously diminished, the insight into magic techniques increased.

Unsure how much time had passed, the Stone Turtle Space closed, and Ji An’s Divine Sense returned to his body.

[Yi Wood God Thunder (Perfection 97% → Perfection 100%)]

The line of text for Yi Wood God Thunder quickly faded and eventually disappeared.

The Jia Wood Dao Seed in the Hua Gai Acupoint and the Yi Wood Dao Seed in the Liver Wood Mansion suddenly flashed brightly, and a special aura permeated his body.

"Hehe, after all these years, my wish is finally fulfilled."

Ji An beamed with joy. He had a plan to execute, waiting for the Yi Wood God Thunder to reach the Great Perfection Level, and now it had finally come true.

He drank two more cups of tea, and his Divine Sense probed into the Grotto Void Stone, searching for a moment before retrieving a dark red rectangular wooden box.

Attached to it was a Tier Two Top-grade Sealing Spirit Talisman, whose spirit light had dimmed.

"This box is over a hundred years old too!"

Made of Profound Yang Wood, the box was filled with memories of Red Flame Peak.

Ji An sighed, opening the box to reveal a dried black tree root.

This was the tree root of a Tier Two Top-grade Spiritual Peach, from the spiritual peach tree that had been watched over by his master for many years in the sect.

In this moment, he couldn’t help but think of his master, Daoist Master Zhengyang, and many others, as memories buried deep within awakened vividly.

Everything in Golden Spirit Sect was not forgotten, just buried in the deepest part of his memory.

After a long while, Ji An regained his composure:

"Ah..."

A long sigh, feeling the passage of time.

The spiritual peaches in the Little World were already Tier Three Middle Grade, yet they never tasted the same as they did back then.

He took the tree root out, activating the Cyan Lotus Heart-Burning Fire; the tricolored flame leaped from his fingertips, instantly devouring the wooden box.

This century-old object turned to flying ashes, akin to the lost years and a past that can never return.

"All that is gone, look forward."

Ji An clenched his fist, his eyes full of reminiscence turned sharp again, as the True Demon Tribulation drew closer by the day; he must find opportunities in the danger.

He stood up and tossed the tree root onto an open space, his hands swiftly changing the Dharma Seal to release Yi Wood God Thunder, precisely controlling the thunder technique.

Emerging azure thunder seemed to tear through the void, striking the withered tree root just at the tip of the lightning.

The thunder dissipated, the lingering magic faded, as if nothing had happened.

Ji An executed the Object Control Technique to bring the tree root closer, suddenly overjoyed in his heart, uncertain if it was luck, yet he achieved the desired result.

Thunder possesses destructive power, but because thunder is stimulated by the interaction of Yin and Yang, it also contains a trace of the Power of Creation.

The tree root was entirely charred, half of it carbonized, yet the other half emitted a very faint spirit light, its quality now uneven.

For spirit plants, the Yi Wood God Thunder can transform death into life, much like when a withered tree in the mortal world struck by lightning sprouts anew, the principle of regrowth after adversity is the same.

The spiritual peach’s root had lost the last trace of Life Force, but now vitality resurfaced!

The spiritual peaches grown in the Gourd World weren’t of particularly rare varieties, but if it’s a Thunderstruck Spiritual Peach that has lived through death, it not only lived a second life but also became an entirely new variety.

Ji An felt the potential of this spiritual peach had already surpassed some Treasure Plants, possibly reaching the heights of the Phoenix Wood in the future.

He summoned the Cyan Lotus Treasure Banner to his side and, treating the tree root as a precious treasure, brought it to the Red Spirit Field, planting it next to the Gathering Essence Tree.

Then he released the Earth Vein Spirit Ascension Technique, letting the Earth Element nourish and infuse the magic intent into the Thunderstruck Spiritual Peach.

Subsequently, he released the Green Dragon Water Moon Skill and Azure Sky Yangming Skill, as if the sun and moon were high above, with the warm bright golden light and the moist cool silver light merging together.

Two cyan dragons softly roared, azure brilliance spread across the sky, gentle Spirit Rain fell silently, nourishing everything.

The water mist spread, adorning the place like an Immortal Realm.

As the rain ceased and the mist scattered, the sun and moon faded away, a spiritual peach emerged from the soil.

It was only half a foot tall, with a trunk red as fire, studded with azure spots.

Sparse branches bore a dozen emerald green leaves, the edges serrated, occasionally flashing with a trace of lightning.

Ji An placed his hand against the leaves, feeling a weak electric current flowing when the lightning flickered.

"Haha, such a wonderful occasion deserves a few drinks for celebration!"

In high spirits, the Thunderstruck Spiritual Peach seemed an extension of his master’s life, a testament of bygone days.

Riding the cloud back to the Gathering Essence Tree, he instructed the puppet:

"Stew a Treasure Dragon Fish, roast a Red Grouper, prepare two plates of vegetables and a dish of fennel beans, and bring out two jars of Tier Three Middle Grade Pine Nut Wine."

...

Awaking full of Primordial Qi, Ji An almost bounced out of bed. Such joy, this must be what the so-called success and happiness feel like.

The Thunderstruck Spiritual Peach sought life in death, the spirit fruit it bears would contain that trace of the Power of Life, likely having a better effect than Longevity Peaches, particularly for cultivators whose lifespan was nearing its end.

He left the Little World and returned to the grotto mansion, sensing peculiar magical power fluctuations from outside, immediately understanding that a Communication Golden Sword had arrived.

Striding out of the cave mansion, he formed a spell to open the Dharma Prohibition, a golden light flew toward him.

Ji An captured the Communication Golden Sword, extending his Divine Sense to discover the Magic Seal of Profound Wood Daoist Master, reading the information contained within it, and soared into the sky leaving the grotto mansion.

Red spirit light like a sharp sword pierced through the long sky, Ji An descended upon the cloud to Golden Puppet Pavilion’s vacant tower in Cloud Sea Immortal City.

He stepped inside, found Profound Wood Daoist Master, and after exchanging pleasantries, they sat down in the guest room.

Profound Wood Daoist Master said:

"I’ve already received orders from the Business Alliance; the merchant flying ship will depart for the Western Continent in half a month, arriving in about six months."

He felt rather relaxed; the situation at Wulan Mountain had shown signs of tension in the past few years, with rumors circulating that the Business Alliance was preparing to recruit a batch of cultivators to head there.

Leaving now would allow him to avoid being enlisted. As a Puppet Master, if recruited, he would have to sacrifice a lot of time to participate in operations, which is quite uneconomical.

Ji An took out a jade slip and handed it over, saying:

"Please, fellow Daoist, take the jade slip to the Western Continent and hand it to any Golden Core Daoist Master of the Golden Spirit Sect. The key to the jade slip is the map of the operation route of the Fire Element Chapter of the sect’s cultivation technique."

The jade slip is secured with a key; if subjected to force, it will automatically destroy itself.

He left the formula for the Fire Element Pill and refining insights within the jade slip, while also inviting the sect to dispatch cultivators to come.

He believed the sect should not have its eyes fixed solely on the Western Continent, but should look at the entire Cultivation Realm. Regular exchanges with such extremely prosperous regions like the Central Continent are necessary.

Simultaneously, if he maintains such contact with the sect, the release of high-tier spirit plants from his hands would appear reasonable.

Profound Wood Daoist Master took the jade slip with a smile:

"Rest assured, the jade slip will certainly be delivered."

A simple matter, which could also deepen their friendship — why not?

The outbreak of the True Demon Tribulation is inevitable, more friends mean more paths.

It’s essential to have many friends within the sect, but also outside the sect.

Ji An took out ten top-grade spirit stones, "A small token of appreciation, please accept it, fellow Daoist."

For the other party, delivering a jade slip along the way was easy, but it was a great help for him, he had to express his gratitude.

Profound Wood Daoist Master waved his hand to decline, saying:

"You’re too polite, fellow Daoist, just doing it in passing."

"Your gesture in passing is of great help to me, I owe you a favor, fellow Daoist, please accept the spirit stones; these are the remuneration.

A favor is a favor, remuneration is remuneration."

Profound Wood Daoist Master could not refuse, and picked up two of the top-grade spirit stones.

"I’ll accept the remuneration, please take the rest back; you’re too polite, mutual help between friends."

After this small interlude, their relationship grew closer, and they began to chat about cultivation.

Profound Wood Daoist Master sighed quietly and said:

"It’s been a hundred and fifty years since I broke through to the Golden Core Stage, yet I’ve lingered nearly forty years without advancing to mid-stage Golden Core.

If I can’t break through in another five years, I’ll have to purchase pills for breaking the realm."

Golden Puppet Sect is rich in resources, and due to his refined puppetry skills, he lacks no pills in cultivation.

In just over a century, his cultivation reached the perfection level of early-stage Golden Core, yet he never imagined he would waste so much time due to a bottleneck.

Cultivators seem to have long lifespans, but in fact, they are competing with the heavens for longevity.

Ji An scratched his head; he too was experiencing a bottleneck, and the other’s situation was concerning him.

"What causes the bottleneck at early-stage Golden Core? I mean, in what aspect does the bottleneck appear?"

In his cultivation journey, due to his aptitude, he had encountered bottlenecks during the Qi Refining Stage, but since breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, he hadn’t been stuck for long periods; breaking through typically took just a decade or so.

Golden Spirit Sect had recently adopted the Five Elements Rotation Scripture as their inheritance technique, leaving little in the way of prior experiences to reference.

Profound Wood Daoist Master thought for a moment and replied:

"Purity of magical power, understanding of cultivation techniques, cultivator’s own innate talents, strength of spirit soul power, presence of any hidden injuries in the body... all could cause a bottleneck..."

Apart from knowledge pertaining to sect secret techniques, he disclosed what he knew, treating others with sincerity makes it easier to form true friendships.

The two engaged in friendly exchanges, inspiring Ji An significantly.

After sharing cultivation insights, Profound Wood Daoist Master’s voice turned grave:

"Changes are occurring in the Wulan Mountain situation; in the coming years, cultivators might be recruited for dispatch. Fellow Daoist, you should prepare resources to resist demonic qi pollution.

Even if no recruitment happens, these things will prove useful in the future."

All the Golden Core Daoist Masters in major forces knew this news; mentioning it wasn’t considered divulging secrets.

Ji An nodded slightly, cupped his hands and said:

"Thank you for informing me, fellow Daoist, I will make preparations early."

A while back, Feiyun Zhenren had mentioned this news, but he felt it didn’t affect him much.

No matter how intense the battle becomes, it’s unlikely he’d be enlisted as a Pill Master right away, right?

Besides, he had quietly accumulated resources over the years so that even if the True Demon Tribulation broke out now, he wouldn’t be caught off guard.

Profound Wood Daoist Master changed the topic, saying:

"Since you left the sect to travel here, I wonder if your sect can produce tier-three spirit plants to exchange for resources. I hope they can cultivate enough Azure Dragon Wood."

The departure of a Golden Core stage spirit farmer has a significant impact on a Western Continent sect, surely.

Ji An smiled mysteriously, "I believe fellow Daoist will be able to purchase enough quality Azure Dragon Wood."