Chapter 194 - 193: Generation and Overcoming

Chapter 194: Chapter 193: Generation and Overcoming

The flame was the color of fresh blood, while the water was inky black.

Following closely behind Xu Wuji, the plumes of black mist ahead were the Five Elements Water.

Chen Qingyang was starting to understand this Grotto Heaven. In places where the Five Elements Qi was densest, a Five Elements Essence would be embedded in the void.

Xu Wuji seemed to have an innate sense for it, heading straight forward. Though surrounded by endless darkness, his target seemed exceptionally clear. He must have discovered something up ahead.

Chen Qingyang sent his Conscious Fish ahead in the same direction and quickly discovered a black stone embedded in midair where the Five Elements Qi was thickest.

It was irregularly shaped with a crystalline luster, emitting a potent Water Qi. It nearly blended into the darkness, making it extremely difficult to spot.

Xu Wuji had to walk slowly, trying to sense its location, so he wasn’t fast. Chen Qingyang, with a clear target, shot out from the side and snatched the Five Elements Essence right in front of him once again.

"...You again, you brat!"

After two such "coincidences," his rage had reached its peak. If circumstances allowed, he would surely crush Chen Qingyang to death right here.

Chen Qingyang held the Water Element Essence in his hand. It felt cool and nourishing to the touch. He wore a kind smile. "Senior Brother Xu, fancy meeting you again. What a coincidence!"

"Hmph!" In this Cave Mansion, all Xu Wuji could do was snort coldly to express his anger. "Are you following me, kid?"

It had happened twice now; he couldn’t help but be suspicious.

Chen Qingyang put on an innocent expression. "Senior Brother Xu, look around. You can’t even see a person’s silhouette more than ten feet away in this place. Even if I were scared and wanted to follow you, I’d need your permission to keep up, wouldn’t I?"

Xu Wuji stared at him for a long moment, annoyed and somewhat baffled. "Hmph, I can’t be bothered with this nonsense. This time, I’m going to watch you leave first!"

It was the only thing he could do inside this Grotto Heaven.

Chen Qingyang certainly wasn’t about to argue. He cupped his hands in salute. "Senior Brother Xu, farewell... no, no, I mean, let’s hope we don’t meet again, at least not in this Cave Mansion. I wouldn’t want you to get angry."

Anger flared in Xu Wuji’s heart, but there was nothing he could do. He could only watch helplessly as Chen Qingyang vanished into the darkness.

He was a cautious person. Fearing Chen Qingyang might double back, he used the plume of Water Qi as a reference point and circled it, scanning his surroundings. Only after confirming that all traces of Chen Qingyang were gone did he flick his sleeves and mutter two words: "Rotten luck!"

Then, he continued on his way.

Chen Qingyang was no longer physically there, but his Conscious Fish watched everything unfold clearly. He’d once heard that Master Water Moon cultivated the Path of Water and Fire, while Xu Wuji claimed to practice the Mountain and River Daoist Lord’s Method.

One method could sense the Qi Mechanism of water and fire, while the other granted a natural sensitivity to things born of heaven and earth. Seeing that Xu Wuji was only searching for water and fire, Chen Qingyang deduced that he must have a special way of sensing them. So, he continued to trail him with the Conscious Fish.

’This Senior Brother Xu probably still doesn’t realize what a persistent shadow he’s acquired.’

It all started when his seven underlings provoked Chen Qingyang. Then he himself had gone to issue a warning, and now it had escalated to this. Chen Qingyang had even disrupted Master Water Moon’s grand cultivation plans. That was what it meant to be a persistent shadow.

Fortunately, Master Water Moon had still managed her breakthrough and was now at the Foundation Establishment Sixth Realm.

Xu Wuji walked to an isolated spot and formed a hand seal. A faint black and red light shimmered around him. Through the Conscious Fish, Chen Qingyang felt the change in the Qi Mechanism.

Executing this Dharma Gate seemed incredibly draining; beads of sweat formed on his forehead. After muttering for a moment, he fixed on a new direction and pressed on.

With no sun or moon to mark time, and no mountains or rivers to gauge distance, it felt like an eternity had passed. Xu Wuji walked on, repeatedly performing his technique until he was soaked in sweat. Only then did he faintly see the color of flames ahead.

Gradually, Chen Qingyang figured it out. He could treat this Five Elements Cave Mansion as a separate, extremely vast dimension where one could travel in any direction—up, down, left, or right. The so-called Five Elements Qi and Five Elements Essences were scattered throughout this space.

Once a Cultivator entered, their Qi Mechanism was suppressed by this realm, and their vision was reduced to darkness. Thus, without special techniques, searching for the Five Elements Qi was extremely difficult.

Even with his Conscious Fish, it would have cost Chen Qingyang some effort. Now, he was letting Xu Wuji do all the work for him.

After entering the plume of Fire Qi, Xu Wuji adjusted his technique and changed directions several more times. By the time he was done, he was panting from exhaustion.

Just as he was about to reap his reward, as ill luck would have it, he saw Chen Qingyang again. With one hand, Chen Qingyang was grasping the Fire Element Essence that had been embedded in the darkness.

’Snatching it away right in front of Xu Wuji each time is a huge risk,’ Chen Qingyang thought. ’Creating a grudge that obstructs his path will be almost impossible to resolve later.’ He had wanted to be quicker, but it just so happened to be this "coincidental."

Xu Wuji was dumbfounded at first, then his eyes went wide. The flesh on his pudgy face trembled as he pointed a shaking finger at Chen Qingyang. "You... you scoundrel... And you still say you’re not following me!"

This was the third time in a row. He couldn’t think of any other explanation besides being followed.

Chen Qingyang saw Xu Wuji’s Qi Mechanism flaring out of control—a clear sign of extreme rage. Knowing his own Cultivation was far inferior, he offered enthusiastically, "I just acquired this. If Senior Brother truly wants it, I can give it to you."

The offer made Xu Wuji pause, his expression flickering between suspicion and surprise. "What a vicious brat! Trying to set me up with a trick like that? Do you think I’m new to Cyan Bamboo Peak?"

Despite his sincere attitude, Chen Qingyang was still met with insults. His own temper started to flare. "Senior Brother Xu, your words are too harsh. Are you saying you don’t want it even if I offer it to you?"

"Hmph!" Furious, all Xu Wuji could do was snort. "In treasure hunting, it’s always finders keepers. This item is already in your hands. If you give it to me now, you’ll surely claim I stole it from you once we get out. Are you trying to make me lose face in front of all the Masters and the True Monarch?"

Chen Qingyang hadn’t actually considered that. Since he wouldn’t accept it, he put the Fire Element Essence away. "Senior Brother Xu has a point. I wouldn’t want a treacherous person like myself to bring you harm!"

Seeing his casual demeanor, Xu Wuji felt a new wave of anger mixed with regret. "You... this Grotto Heaven is enormous! Why do I keep running into you?"

Chen Qingyang looked back at him, feigning puzzlement. "I can’t figure it out either, Senior Brother. Don’t tell me my great opportunity in this place is... you?"

"Pah! Pah! Pah!" Xu Wuji spat repeatedly at his words. Gone was his usual calm and composed demeanor. "I’m trying to get away from you, you brat! Just stay far, far away from me!"

Based on his earlier test, he was sure Chen Qingyang couldn’t possibly keep up with him. He could only chalk it up to his own rotten luck and a series of coincidences.

Chen Qingyang knew Xu Wuji was on the verge of a breakdown. If he pushed any further, he was afraid the man might actually lash out. Even if his own master would seek retribution later, the damage would already be done.

"In that case... I’ll take my leave. Until we meet again, Senior Brother."

Hearing the words "until we meet again," the corner of Xu Wuji’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

As before, Chen Qingyang left, but his Conscious Fish remained.

This time, however, Xu Wuji didn’t move on immediately. He hovered in the darkness, clutched a handful of Spirit Stones, and began to meditate to replenish his Qi Mechanism.

Having followed him this whole time, Chen Qingyang could see clearly that this Senior Brother of his was exhausted. The technique he’d been using must have consumed a great deal of True Power.

After waiting for a while, the man remained deep in meditation, showing no signs of moving. It seemed he wouldn’t recover anytime soon. Seeing that waiting was a waste of time, Chen Qingyang had the Conscious Fish begin searching on its own.

But after a long time, it had found nothing. He had even lost track of Xu Wuji’s position. It seemed that without a Secret Technique, finding the Five Elements Essences was incredibly difficult.

He could, of course, use the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl as a lure again, but that would only lead him to Fire Element Essence. Chen Qingyang needed all Five Elements. Besides, he couldn’t take the essences out of this place, or else he could have traded them at Gentle Breeze.

With the search proving fruitless, he held the Water Element Essence and circulated the Inner Nourishing Five Elements Sword technique. A moment later, the Water Element Essence was absorbed into his body, and his Lifebound Magical Treasure grew significantly stronger.

He was now missing three: Wood, Metal, and Earth.

At this thought, an idea struck him. True Qi surged through his body, and a green aura enveloped him as the Jade Peach Incense Burner materialized, hovering before his eyes.

The Five Elements Qi could sense one another. Just as Xu Wuji, who specialized in water and fire, could sense the presence of their essences.

And his Jade Peach Incense Burner had absorbed the Wood Spirit Qi from an entire peach tree, making it a supreme Wood Element artifact. If Chen Qingyang used it as a focus, he should be able to sense the Wood Element Essence.

There was no time to waste. With this idea in mind, he had his Conscious Fish patrol the surrounding area while he used the Jade Peach Incense Burner as a guide, feeling his way forward through the darkness.

At first, he found nothing. But Chen Qingyang was convinced his method was sound and refused to give up. He persisted for an unknown length of time, until he was beginning to feel weary. Then, his Conscious Fish suddenly spotted something cyan fluttering in the distance.

He scanned his surroundings again. Seeing no one, he composed himself and headed toward the light. As he drew closer, he could indeed see a great deal of Wood Qi. If he wanted, he could use the Incense Burner to absorb this energy for future Artifact Refining.

Unfortunately, he was too pressed for time to be bothered. He simply guided the Incense Burner toward the densest concentration of Wood Qi. At last, in the dark void, he saw something embedded in space. It was the color of cyan jade and emitted pulsing waves of a greenish-blue halo.

He reached out and grasped it tightly.

He activated the Inner Nourishing Five Elements Sword technique, and Mingtang True Fire erupted from his palm. He began to refine the Wood Element Essence from the object. In moments, it was completely absorbed by the Lifebound Magical Artifact in his Dantian.

The Magical Artifact’s power grew once more. He now had the Wood Element Essence, but how was he to find the remaining Metal and Earth?

Chen Qingyang knew he needed a proper method. Blundering around like a headless chicken would get him nowhere.

The Five Elements both generate and overcome one another.

Wood generates Fire, Fire overcomes Metal, Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, and Water generates Wood. Right now, the Qi of Wood, Water, and Fire were all flourishing within his Dantian. Since he cultivated the Five Elements Swordsmanship and could control the Five Elements, he should be able to find his breakthrough from there.