Chapter 491: Tushan Lady
The golden dragon was groggy, still unclear on what had happened. When its pupils finally focused, it discovered the deathless elixir had been gnawed down to a bare stalk — leaves, petals, and fruit all devoured to nothing.
It was shocked, and traced the thief’s qi, only to see those several Blue Goats standing there in a daze.
“The Immortal asked me to guard this treasure, to save lives when the tribulation opens! Now it’s been gnawed bare, what am I to do?”
The golden dragon lunged forward and seized the Blue Goats.
The ram cried out, “It was done by foreign sheep, nothing to do with us! That one Blue Goat went over there!”
The dragon looked and saw only emptiness where the ram had pointed.
The golden dragon hung them up and flogged them, torturing them for a confession. The Blue Goats protested loudly and unjustly.
When Ascendant Withered Glory returned and saw the deathless elixir in such a state, he flew into a rage and had the golden dragon hung up and beaten.
The dragon protested and told the truth. Ascendant Withered Glory interrogated the Blue Goats further, half believing them, half doubting, and said, “This immortal realm is my Dao Unification place, who could sneak into my immortal realm so quietly?”
He counted using finger signs, frowning heavily, but he could not calculate who had stolen the deathless elixir.
“Strange, even the roots were wiped away. Who could be so hostile to me?”
He looked back at the deathless elixir and breathed a sigh of relief, speaking in a low voice, “Fortunately the elixir hasn’t died. If carefully cultivated for a hundred years or so, it can grow again. If it dies, I fear I will have no medicine when the tribulation opens!”
The Blue Goat dashed out of the Pure Yang Immortal Realm and returned to that winding goat path, cheerfully running toward the end of the road.
As he ran, he felt his body grow lighter, his steps more nimble, as if every step shed a layer of filth and worry.
Before long he reached the end of the path and felt light as a feather, his Primordial Spirit robust, buoyant as if about to take flight.
He turned and froze.
On this road, countless Blue Goats filled the path, each keeping a running posture, each with a smile on its face.
All those Blue Goats were him!
The Blue Goat stood stunned, not knowing what was happening.
At that moment the road began to collapse and disintegrate. One by one the Blue Goats on the road were swallowed by the Sea of Darkness and vanished.
The Blue Goat hurried forward and hurled himself into the light. When he steadied his figure, he found himself back in the Empress Temple.
He quickly bowed to the Empress of Earth on her lotus seat.
The Empress of Earth lifted a vague hand and smiled, “Do you know what you ate? That deathless elixir is the treasure Ascendant Withered Glory painstakingly found and planted in his Pure Yang Immortal Realm to preserve his life during the tribulation. What you discarded along the way were countless past versions of yourself that had already died, the versions that could not become immortals. Now, under the elixir’s influence, you have undergone a metamorphosis, died and been reborn, and formed an immortal body.”
The Blue Goat was both surprised and delighted, and bowed again in thanks to the Empress.
The Empress of Earth said, “You ate Ascendant Withered Glory’s treasure to prolong your life, forming a karmic bond with him. What will come of it in the future, I do not know. Be careful yourself.”
The Blue Goat was bewildered, not understanding the deeper meaning of her words.
Elsewhere, the celestial fox passed through a ring and arrived at the hill inside. This place was lush and verdant, the vegetation ancient and primeval, though completely uninhabited.
He transformed into a burly Bearded Man and strode through the mountains, wandering, puzzled: “The Empress of Earth ordered me here to search for the tomb of that Nine-Tailed Immortal Fox, perhaps by fate. But how to find it in this deep mountain forest?”
Then a zither sounded, faint and distant, the tone deep and mournful.
Hu Xiaoliang followed the music and, from afar, heard a woman singing with the zither. The song went:
“Tushan meets the jade shadow, taming the waters reveals immortal grace.
Spirit contracts span mountains and seas, cloud garb becomes the betrothal’s time.”
Then the melody shifted, becoming plaintive and sorrowful.
“Your heart rides the waves afar, my shadow turns to stars that part.
Nine tails shake the empty moon, for a thousand years I gaze upon them alone.”
Hu Xiaoliang thought, “The first four lines seem to say someone who tamed the waters passed Tushan and met an immortal maiden. They were kindred in spirit and, with cloud attire as their betrothal, became husband and wife. The next four lines say the water-tamer left Tushan to govern the floods, and the maiden’s longing turned into stars that never part. She waited a thousand years on Tushan, yet the water-tamer never returned. How full of resentment. Could the one playing the zither be the Nine-Tailed Immortal Fox I seek?”
He approached and found a palace in the mountain, built of white jade without any discoloration.
A fox maiden from the palace greeted him, “The lady knows that a descendant has come, and asks the Young Master to speak.”
When Hu Xiaoliang took human form, his appearance was rough and coarse. This was the first time anyone called him “Young Master,” and he felt nervous.
He followed the fox maiden into the palace. The place was antique and elegant but carried a chill of yin energy — likely the transformation of a tomb.
The fox maiden led him across overlapping corridors to the deep inner palace. Layers of white curtains hung there, blocking his sight. Behind them a lady sat, plucking the zither.
The fox maiden guided him to sit, and the music halted.
Hu Xiaoliang felt uneasy and broke the silence, “I apologize for disturbing you, Lady.”
A pleasant voice came from behind the curtain, “We are family; what disturbance is there? Are you of the Qingqiu lineage, or the Xuanyuan Tomb lineage?”
Hu Xiaoliang’s heart trembled. The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox divided into two lineages: Qingqiu and Xuanyuan Tomb. The fox clans outside revered these two places as ancestral lands!
But that rumor was ancient; few foxes now knew of it.
“I descend from the Qingqiu lineage,” Hu Xiaoliang replied.
“Qingqiu lineage? Then you are my descendant.”
The lady behind the curtain laughed, “Why have you come?”
Hu Xiaoliang explained his impure bloodline, “I branched out and established foxes in the Western Ox New Continent, now I am the clan head there. In this time of crisis, a high one advised me to come seek a fate.”
The lady said, “I see. If the bloodline is impure, removing the mixed blood will restore it. I will teach you a method for the celestial fox’s path of proof; cultivate according to that method.”
After a moment, a fox maiden brought a jade tray bearing a bamboo slip.
Hu Xiaoliang hurriedly bowed in thanks and pocketed the bamboo slip.
From behind the curtain the lady asked, “The high one who sent you — was it the Empress of Earth?”
Hu Xiaoliang dared not hide it, “Yes.”
The lady said, “The Empress of Earth causes me trouble again. Go now.”
A sheet of pure white curtain swept past Hu Xiaoliang’s face. When it passed, all around were green mountains and clear waters; the white jade palace was gone.
Hu Xiaoliang jolted and pinched his sleeve — the bamboo slip recording the celestial fox proof method was still there, and only then did he relax.
He returned the same way and went to the Empress Temple to thank the Empress.
The Empress of Earth smiled, “The place you went to is called Tushan. The Tushan lady is your ancestress; because you sought something, she bestowed a blessing upon you.”
Hu Xiaoliang said, “I have never heard the name Tushan Lady, only that our founding ancestor came from Qingqiu.”
The Empress of Earth said, “Tushan Lady married the water-governing sovereign. At that time he was not yet emperor. After he tamed the waters and ascended the throne, his status became too exalted to marry a fox maiden. She waited a thousand years on Tushan and gradually grew resentful. The human emperor established the Xia dynasty. Later, when the Xia dynasty’s last sovereign ruled, a Nine-Tailed Fox emerged from the Xuanyuan Tomb and transformed into a peerless beauty, ruining the Xia state and avenging the grievances of her ancestors.”
Hu Xiaoliang stared in astonishment. He suddenly recalled something and hurriedly asked, “Lady, the place I visited just now — was it the Divine Continent of China?”
The Empress of Earth smiled without answering and waved him away.
Hu Xiaoliang had no choice but to leave and concentrate on studying the celestial fox proof method.
In recent days Chen Yindu was diligently refining that shred of samsara qi, Du Yiran studied primordial qi, Creation Little Five sat on the lotus seat cultivating, and Chen Shi received an unexpected visitor.
Zhong Wuwang brought the Water of the Dao Spring to Chen Shi and said, “Dao Spring water is exceedingly rare. It is immortal qi condensed into dew, the only true Dao spring in the Western Ox New Continent, unstained by any demonic energy, most precious.”
Chen Shi fetched the big pot he used for medicinal baths and poured in the Dao Spring water.
Zhong Wuwang’s eye twitched; he restrained himself and said, “This thing is Dao spring water, exceedingly rare. The only true Dao spring is in my Despair Slope…”
Chen Shi said in surprise, “You already said that once.”
He picked up the corpse of Wu Qi and placed it into the pot, then climbed in himself.
Zhong Wuwang watched Chen Shi sitting in the pot, his mouth twitching, “Dao Spring is extremely rare…”
“Are you coming in too?”
Chen Shi hesitated, “My pot may not be big enough for the three of us.”
Zhong Wuwang snorted and fell silent.
Chen Shi found the Dao Spring truly wondrous. Strange warm currents seeped through his skin pores, tempering his flesh and Primordial Spirit, making him feel supremely comfortable.
Zhong Wuwang stood by the pot and broke the silence, “I heard someone is crossing the tribulation using the old method. Is that person you?”
Chen Shi spread his arms and said leisurely, “Yes. But it’s my body outside the self that is crossing the tribulation. My Primordial Spirit has already become immortal. By borrowing the immortal light and immortal qi of the celestial realm to temper the flesh, when the body becomes an immortal body I can achieve Dao Unification. You should know, when I unify with the Dao this world will change greatly.”
Zhong Wuwang thought of his yin-yang Dao Field and shuddered inwardly, “You may unify with the Dao by proxy, but your true body’s realm is not greater than mine. I will walk the path of the new method to ascension, surpassing you by far.”
Chen Shi said calmly, “I have four major disciples, four freeholders, each whose cultivation is not inferior to yours. Perhaps before you become immortal, my four disciples will already have become immortals.”
Zhong Wuwang felt pressured.
After a moment he suddenly said, “The Celestial Venerable is injured, a blade wound.”
Chen Shi’s expression stiffened. He sat up and asked in a low voice, “A blade wound? What blade wound?”
Zhong Wuwang said, “A blade wound from the yin-yang energies. He took my Despair Slope’s immortal artifact, the Yin Yang Qi Bottle, and used that treasure to treat the blade wound. They used this same treasure to heal the blade wound on me!”
“So that means the Celestial Venerable is blind in one eye!”
Chen Shi clenched his fist tightly and laughed, “I cut it off! It seems the Celestial Venerable is not invincible after all!”