Chapter 623: Inheritance (I)
The deafening roar of a waterfall echoed throughout the secret realm. The scenery was breathtaking. A clear spring bubbled endlessly from the mountaintop, its source unknown, as though it would never run dry.
Standing beside Tu Mingzhen, Lin Zheyu felt the gentle breeze carrying the earthy fragrance of fresh soil brush across his face. The environment was so lifelike that it felt indistinguishable from the real world, leaving him thoroughly astonished.
Three kilometers away, in a forest at the foot of the mountain, lay a foul-smelling marsh that reeked of decay. At its center floated countless bleached bones along with heaps of yao flesh infused with dense demonic qi. A wisp of translucent flame flickered gently above the heart of the marsh. This was the Nether Refining Flame that Tu Mingzhen had coveted for so long, the treasure she needed to elevate the grade of her Golden Core.
Holding the skull-shaped dharma artifact in his right hand, Tu Yangming poured earth-aspect spirit power into it. Two eerie rays suddenly shot from the skull's hollow eye sockets. As they struck the Shamanic Clan restrictions enveloping the marsh, the restrictions unexpectedly parted before them.
"It really works! Such dense earth-aspect spirit power. It seems the former master of this secret realm truly was an earth-aspect Shamanic cultivator." Tu Yangming raised an eyebrow, confirming his earlier speculation. The power contained within the two dharma artifacts in his hands was also highly compatible with the earth-aspect spirit power cultivated by the Tu Family.
"Go!" Tu Yangming took out a paper effigy from his storage pouch.
With a casual toss, the paper effigy drifted in the breeze before rapidly expanding into a lifelike human figure. At a single thought from Tu Yangming, it shot into the marsh and flew toward the flickering Nether Refining Flame above.
Before it had even reached halfway, invisible flames suddenly erupted across the paper figure's body. In an instant, it was reduced to a pile of ash.
"Still not enough. This place was deliberately created by that Shamanic Clan expert as a special environment to nurture the Nether Refining Flame. Even with the Shamanic Clan restrictions weakened, obtaining the Nether Refining Flame won't be easy," Tu Yangming murmured.
His eyes flickered as he withdrew a palm-sized earthen-yellow figurine from his storage pouch. It appeared to have been crafted from a special type of spiritual clay and was saturated with dense earth-aspect spirit power. As powerful spirit power poured into it, the figurine's earthen color gradually faded. Its eyes slowly opened, and it suddenly leaped from Tu Yangming's hand.
The instant it landed, its feet touched the earth and began frantically drawing upon the power of the land beneath it. Within a few breaths, it expanded into an earthen-yellow giant over three zhang tall. A suit of armor as hard as solid rock formed around its body, and the aura it radiated was astonishing.
With a wave of his left hand, Tu Yangming tossed the special dharma artifact forged from a thigh bone into the giant's grasp. As torrents of spirit power surged from the giant into the artifact, the bone, which had looked no bigger than a toothpick in its massive hand, rapidly expanded. The densely packed, intricate shamanic patterns engraved across its surface began to emit an eerie ghostly glow.
The earthen-yellow giant leaped forward and charged into the marsh. The instant it intruded, an overwhelming pressure descended from above. It was as though tens of thousands of tons of force had slammed into the giant at once. Its body lurched violently before plummeting toward the marsh. At the same time, the wisps of Nether Refining Flame flickering at the center of the marsh suddenly gathered into a colossal fire dragon, which opened its massive jaws and lunged at the giant.
Roar!
The giant let out a thunderous roar and swung the enormous bone club in its hand down at the fire dragon.
A deafening explosion erupted. Invisible waves of energy rippled outward as scorching heat spread from the marsh in all directions.
This is bad!
A warning flared in Tu Yangming's mind, and every hair on his body stood on end. The clash between the earthen-yellow giant and the fire dragon formed from the Nether Refining Flame had triggered a chain reaction, activating the restrictions spread throughout the forest.
A crack suddenly split open across the sky. A massive, rough-hewn hand emerged from the rift and struck toward Tu Yangming. He immediately shot backward at high speed. His hands formed seals so quickly they blurred, and surging spirit power erupted from his body. An enormous earthen-yellow cauldron instantly materialized above his head.
The gigantic palm slammed into the earthen-yellow cauldron with a resounding clang. Tu Yangming frowned slightly but emerged uninjured. He quickly retreated, avoiding any restrictions that might be triggered. After reaching a safe location, he resumed controlling the earthen-yellow giant to retrieve the Nether Refining Flame.
***
At the mountaintop, Lin Zheyu stood in the gentle breeze, his golden Heavenly Eye fixed on Tu Yangming. A trace of indescribable emotion flickered across his face. Every time he witnessed the dazzling array of techniques and dharma treasures wielded by immortal cultivators, the phrase "crude martial artist" inevitably came to mind. The description truly wasn't unfair.
"Aren't you going to help? Fellow Tu Yangming seems to have run into a bit of trouble," Lin Zheyu said as he watched Tu Yangming below.
Explosions continued to echo through the forest. The chaos caused by the earthen-yellow giant repeatedly triggered chain reactions. Tu Yangming was forced into an increasingly awkward situation by the unending attacks, though he appeared to have suffered no real injuries.
"I'd only get in the way if I went." Tu Mingzhen frowned slightly. She appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly she was anything but. Her spiritual sense had been pushed to its limit as she monitored every movement below.
"I really envy you immortal cultivators. Between all your techniques and dharma treasures, you've got so many flashy tricks, they're enough to make anyone's head spin," Lin Zheyu said with a grin.
The golden Heavenly Eye within his sea of consciousness remained active the entire time, analyzing every technique and dharma treasure Tu Yangming employed. Putting himself in Tu Yangming's place, Lin Zheyu imagined that he would instead be the one playing the role of the earthen-yellow giant. Running through a quick mental simulation...
Hmm... I probably wouldn't look nearly this battered.
By fully activating his Golden Body and relying on his overwhelming physical defenses and terrifying vitality, he could simply tank the attacks, march into the marsh, and take the Nether Refining Flame directly. That little bit of damage? Who are they looking down on? Lin Zheyu reckoned he wouldn't even need ten breaths to recover completely. It would just... look rather crude.
"You jest, fellow friend. Every cultivation path has its own strengths. We immortal cultivators are equally envious of the formidable physiques possessed by martial artists. Besides, all cultivation systems ultimately lead to the same destination. Once martial cultivation reaches the Shackles realm and begins comprehending the Dao resonance of the rules, the techniques created there are hardly inferior to the spells of the Immortal Dao." Although she spoke, nearly all of Tu Mingzhen's attention remained fixed on Tu Yangming below.
When she saw Tu Yangming finally succeed, after considerable effort, in using the two dharma artifacts to disrupt the Shamanic Clan restrictions surrounding the marsh and retrieve a wisp of the Nether Refining Flame, Tu Mingzhen let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Success!
With this wisp of Nether Refining Flame, her chances of forging an eight-pattern Golden Core had increased significantly.
"It's still not quite the same. Even after reaching the Shackles realm, we crude martial artists can't hope to master the countless strange and marvelous techniques that you immortal cultivators possess. Hmm... Fellow Daoist Tu Yangming succeeded! You seem to value that flame greatly. I take it this trip was made specifically for it?" Lin Zheyu said with a smile.
"Yes. This flame is called the Nether Refining Flame. Not only can it temper earth-aspect spirit power and enhance its quality, but its greatest use lies in helping earth-aspect cultivators when they forge their Golden Core. It refines the Golden Core itself, purging its impurities and greatly improving its grade. Thank you for your assistance this time. If you ever require my help in the future, don't hesitate to ask. So long as it is within my power, I will spare no effort," Tu Mingzhen said solemnly.
Although the difference between a seven-pattern Golden Core and an eight-pattern Golden Core was only a single grade, the gap between them was worlds apart. In this era, anyone capable of forging an eight-pattern Golden Core possessed monstrous natural talent.
Mu Jianli of the Soaring Sword Sect, whom Lin Zheyu had met once before, was one such genius. Rumor had it that she had recently broken through to the Nascent Soul realm. A Nascent Soul realm cultivator at the age of sixty was almost beyond imagination.