Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

The surroundings were already empty, everyone else was a local and probably already had pre-planned routes.

There was some humidity in the air, and he felt the moist aura of Gui Shui permeating it.

Ji An was not anxious despite the emptiness around him; there was still time. He planned to spend two or three days wandering through this Earth Cave.

He took a deep breath and felt a sense of relief all over his body. The concentration of Spiritual Qi here was stronger than that of the rented Grotto Mansion, though not yet reaching the Tier Three level, it was not far off.

If he could achieve his goal early, he could find a Defense Array closer to the exit and diligently cultivate to increase his Magical Power.

He activated his Spiritual Artifact, gathering clusters of Golden Flower underfoot, then took out a Map Jade Slip, along with several Blank Jade Slips to duplicate a few copies.

Cold Qilin True Man once said it was possible to make a few copies for safekeeping, it was not without reason.

After storing the duplicated Jade Slips back in the Void Realm Space, he casually chose a passage to proceed along.

The passage wound downward. As Ji An flew slowly, he checked the map to confirm the location of the red Defense Array.

Half a month passed, and Ji An arrived at a Defense Array, inserting two Middle-grade Spirit Stones into its core.

Yellow Spirit Light illuminated the area, enshrouding it. Ji An took out a Pudun and sat down, leaning wearily against the rock wall.

During these days of continuous searching, he had encountered some Yin Souls and Yin Soul Beasts, but had yet to find a place that produced an Earth-Born Gold Spirit Realm.

The humidity in the air was getting heavier, signaling the rise of the Nether River water.

He pulled out a Jade Bottle and swallowed a second Fasting Pill, feeling a sense of fullness in his hungry stomach, he sighed in contentment.

The calm expression he had upon first entering here was now gone, the long absence of an opportunity to comprehend the Five Elements Mutual Generating Qi Mechanism Changes gave him a sense of foreboding.

Ji An took a brief rest, took out a Wind Furnace, filled it with Spiritual Charcoal, and lit it.

He then took out a Gourd Magical Artifact, filled with Nu Lan River water, and poured it into a kettle placed on the Wind Furnace.

The number of Yin Souls and Yin Soul Beasts was not as few as described by Wey Tianhua, often appearing in unexpected places, then launching swift attacks.

Initially, he was always caught off guard, but later he changed his strategy, responding with a Spirit Roar, which gave him an advantage.

However, the Spirit Roar greatly consumed his Spirit Soul. Even though his Spirit Soul had strengthened considerably since he obtained this Secret Technique, using it repeatedly still left him Spirit Soul fatigued.

"This can’t continue like this."

Ji An murmured to himself, pondering a countermeasure.

He thought that as long as he found a few Spirit Realms, he would likely comprehend the Divine Intent of Gold Generating Water. Yet at this moment, he felt like an outstanding painter searching for a model to replicate.

Finding that model was the only thing he needed, but the awkward part was that he couldn’t find the original.

The sound of boiling water snapped him out of his thoughts. Ji An took out a tea cup and brewed Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea.

The increasing number of Yin Souls was unfavorable, casting a shadow over his heart.

Just yesterday, he discovered a Defense Array that had been damaged, an unusual occurrence.

A Cultivator would never do something so self-destructive, and Yin Souls couldn’t destroy a Magic Array.

This could only mean that a clever enough Yin Soul Beast had appeared, understanding that destroying the Magic Array would trap Cultivators in dire straits.

Ji An drank the Spirit Tea without savoring it, swallowing the tea leaves along with it.

He exhaled a breath, releasing Golden Fur from the Spirit Beast Bag.

"Chirp, chirp," Golden Fur cried out in fright.

It disliked the environment here, always feeling a sense of invisible oppression, sensing the presence of powerful enemies.

Ji An raised an eyebrow slightly, sensing the Beast Taming’s fear. After a spiritual communication with Golden Fur, he understood that an enemy was lurking, and his heart sank.

’Could it be that I was tracked? Or is there a Yin Soul Beast hiding here by coincidence?’

If it were just Yin Souls, Golden Fur would not react so strongly, given its current Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment level as a ’powerful Demon Beast.’

Unable to piece it together, Ji An abandoned the idea of finding out exactly what was going on.

Given the current situation, he decided to have a good rest. In the past half month, he had only slept three times, the fatigue had accumulated to a certain level.

If he didn’t get proper rest, it would certainly affect his ability in battle.

He gently stroked the top of Golden Fur’s head, a symbolic gesture of comfort.

Taking a thick Beast Hide mat out of the Void Realm Space, Ji An laid down and fell into a deep sleep.

The Defense Array required guarding only a small space, enough to withstand attacks from the Chao Origin Stage level.

With the vigilant Golden Fur, he wasn’t very worried.

He now fully understood the significance of setting up a Defense Array. Without places to rest like this, no Cultivator could endure three months.

The Wuji Xinghuang Banner floated overhead, brightening and dimming rhythmically with its master’s breathing, as if they shared a common rhythm.

Golden Fur watched everything around vigilantly. The area outside the Defense Array in the passage was rather dim, and it was in a bright environment, unable to see the distant darkness.

A semi-transparent, leopard-like Yin Soul Beast appeared in the darkness, its forelimbs erect as it crouched to the ground, its dark eyes fixed on the sleeping figure within the Defense Array.

A moment later, the Yin Soul Beast became completely intangible, vanishing from sight.

...

Ji An was awakened by the sound of the tide, the passage echoed with the roar of waves crashing against rocks, humid air gusting through the corridor.

The Nether River water had risen again, with such a grand momentum.

He sat up straight, stretching his body with a long yawn.

"Finally feeling alive again, did any enemies show up?"

Golden Fur chirped, engaging in spiritual communication with its master, ’All is well.’

Ji An nodded slightly, storing Golden Fur back into the Spirit Beast Bag.

He cast a Defense Magic, summoned the Earth-Departing Flame Banner, and retrieved the Spirit Stones from the array’s core.

"Back on the road, wish me luck!"

Ji An shouted out to boost his morale, then flew away on a cloud.

According to the information obtained, the Nether River water’s most turbulent extent only reached this level, usually in the second month’s middle period.

Half a month had passed, and it was already so overwhelming, indicating things might be spiraling out of control.

If he could find the area where Earth Element nurtures Metal Element sooner, he could more calmly face all challenges.

After flying for about half an hour, Ji An suddenly stopped, sensing something was amiss, as if something was trailing him from afar.

A Cultivator’s intuition is highly accurate; he almost certainly knew that something was afoot.

’Yin Soul or Yin Soul Beast?’

Ji An slightly raised an eyebrow, knowing both soul beasts possessed the ability for Spirit Soul Attack, making them particularly troublesome to handle.

At this moment, the thought of the Body-Stabilizing Talisman from the Wey’s Talisman heritage was particularly enticing. If he had the ability for Spirit Soul defense, things would not be so passive.

Remaining cautious, Ji An continued to search, finding there were many branches in the passageway, with dozens of Cultivators scattered inside; unless they gathered specifically, it would be rare to encounter each other.

After a short while, he suddenly sensed a complex Qi Mechanism flowing in a fork ahead.

This Qi Mechanism seemed like a collective force, carrying the nurturing weight of the Earth Element, the moisture of the Water Element, and a hidden sharpness.

"Could it be?!"

Ji An’s face lit up with joy, he suddenly activated Spirit Cloud Flying Escape and rushed into the fork.

Flying down the winding passage for half a double hour, as he turned another corner, he saw a mass of tricolored Spirit Light.

It was yellow, white, and black, clashing fiercely amidst the Qi Mechanism.

Ji An’s pupils dilated as he froze in place; yellow represented the Earth Element, white was Metal Element born from Earth, so how did the black Water Element come into play?

It was supposed to be Earth-Born Gold, there’s no mention of Water generating Metal, is there?

This was tantamount to his long-held values being overturned; he scratched and tugged his hair, utterly baffled.

Taking a deep breath, exhaling slowly, he repeated this several times, eventually calming his mind.

He closed his eyes to carefully perceive the subtle changes in the Qi Mechanism, softly chanting:

"The Five Elements are a kind of property, Yin Yang Transformation promotes the Five Elements Mutual Generation."

Just then, a leopard-like Yin Soul Beast emerged from the Void.

It growled lowly, raising its paw and swiping viciously toward Ji An’s neck.