Time flew, and Mist Smoke Mountain was tranquil, with three months passing in the blink of an eye.
Twenty meters beneath the bamboo cottage, in a secret chamber about the size of two bedrooms, Chen Mu sat cross-legged on a large, soft couch, his eyes closed.
Next to him was a low, square table, on which a fist-sized incense burner wafted curls of blue smoke.
Above his head, more than ten fist-sized jade spheres were embedded, whose inner glow-worms twinkled, casting a gentle light.
In the corner, seven pots of sea heart pine were placed, their branches and leaves trembling slightly, as if breathing and purifying the air.
After a good while, a low hum came from within Chen Mu’s body.
Invisible ripples spread outwards like water waves, abruptly bending the vertical strands of blue smoke.
Inside the Jade Seed, four layers of Netherworld Talismans nested closely together, while a perforated sphere of silver with hints of black rotated chaotically, somehow revealing a sense of orderly rhythm amidst the turmoil.
"Success!"
Chen Mu looked joyfully at the gray wall in front of him.Netherworld Grand Summary: 32/10000/Fifth Rank;
After traveling from Jade Spring Mountain to Mist Smoke Mountain over seven or eight months, he had finally managed to solidify the fourth layer of talismans.
The Jade Seed had expanded to the size of three fists, and his total mana had increased once more, allowing the Longitudinal Rainbow Light to lift Chen Mu up to the height of a three-story building.
At the same time, in the vicinity of his back, almost opposite to his navel, a new secret orifice had appeared.
"Heh, this Spirit Armor Technique..." Chen Mu raised an eyebrow.
Although the wall indicated that the Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique was still at its limit,
As he focused intently on that entry, insights began flooding into his mind.
This inadvertently acquired secret technique had quietly advanced a significant step forward.
"Is it an associated effect of the Netherworld Grand Summary, or is it influenced by the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain?"
"I won’t turn into a ghost, will I?"
The Spirit Armor Technique is a path for outsider sects to reincarnate into heavenly demons, aiming to cultivate the Heavenly Demon True Body, like that White Tower real person who once transformed into a black dragon.
"If only I could really turn into a black dragon; at least that would be imposing."
"But a mass of black smoke mixed with the howls of ghosts and wolves... That style is clearly crooked and unorthodox!" Chen Mu scratched his head.
His dream of becoming a carefree sword immortal seemed to be getting further and further away.
"Sigh... keep practicing."
Whether it was the Netherworld Grand Summary or the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain, there was no way he could stop practicing.
Besides, the capability of Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles that the Spirit Armor Technique granted him could see through the secret methods of Qing Lu!
With these thoughts, an invisible exotic force unfolded, and in an instant, an invisible, intangible hemisphere with a diameter of over four hundred meters covered the surroundings of the bamboo cottage.
"The range has increased? Good news!" Chen Mu’s eyes lit up with delight.
The wider the area of Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles, the less he feared the Qing Lu’s secret techniques.
As long as the opponent’s clone appeared, he would detect it immediately.
"No matter how sophisticated your secret techniques, Qing Old Man, they won’t escape my Qi Forbidden surveillance!"
...
After being pleased with himself for quite a while,
Chen Mu called up the gray wall and started to review from top to bottom.
Having been in this world for more than ten years, without realizing it, there was already a long list of entries on the gray wall.
He looked down the list one by one.
Writing: 2162/10000/Fourth Rank;
Drawing: 1037/10000/Third Rank;
Culinary: 2640/10000/Sixth Rank;
Pharmaceutical Technique: 6117/10000/Sixth Rank;
"These four skills were learned quite early, yet who knows what year they can reach the limit."
Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse: 8031/10000/Ninth Rank;
"Close to the top? Not bad!"
Laundry, cooking, and cleaning—a Five Ghosts Bag was involved in every corner of Chen Mu’s life, accumulating day by day and approaching the threshold of the next level.
Shape-shifting Technique: 1696/10000/Fifth Rank;
"Hmm, it’s useful; no rush, keep accumulating."
Planting: 6933/10000/Third Rank;
"This skill is probably done for. Without planting Yellow Bud Rice for money, it’s likely hard to improve further."
Fire Cloud Curse: 3461/10000/Third Rank;
"The Fire Cloud Gourd as a magic artifact has followed me like pearls cast into darkness." Chen Mu shook his head.
Even though it was an offensive artifact, the most frequent use for Chen Mu turned out to be roasting meat!
Tsk!
Manipulation: 4286/10000/Second Rank;
"Sufficient."
Truthful Listening Technique: 3601/10000/Seventh Rank;
"Accumulate."
Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique: 1998/10000/Fourth Rank;
Five Qi Primordial Technique: 4316/10000/Third Rank;
"No rush."
Netherworld Grand Summary: 32/10000/Fifth Rank;
"Yes, this is a top priority, we cannot slack off."
In these unstable times, having even slightly more power is always good.
Point Ground into Steel: 669/10000/Second Rank;
"That’s enough."
Giant Spirit Divine: 9466/10000/Fourth Rank;
"To think that even the weight loss divine skill needs upgrading? A pleasant surprise!"
Seven Turns Banquet Primordial Curse: 9913/10000;
"I was wondering why the efficiency of refining the Replenishing Origin Soup kept increasing, it’s almost at perfection."
"So, the cursing method comes from culinary skills, and the Replenishing Origin Soup I refine is popular with ghosts, could it be designed specifically for cooking for ghosts? Heh..."
Alchemy (Rejuvenation Pill): 8266/10000;
"The success rate of producing Rejuvenation Pills is getting higher and higher, good!"
Minor Frost Descend Method: 1015/10000/Second Rank;
"Keep accumulating."
Looking at the rows of abilities pushed to the limit under the grey wall, Chen Mu felt both pride and bitterness in his heart.
For these achievements, he had no idea how much blood and sweat he had expended.
Those dazzling limits were the best affirmation of his past efforts and struggles.
A grey wall? That was a record board!
"I owe what I have today all to myself! Yes!"
...
Eagle Grief Cliff.
Originally towering high into the clouds, the steep cliff unscalable by eagles was sheared in half.
The lush green peaks had become dusty and bare.
On the western side of the cliff, within a surviving pavilion.
Strands of sunlight penetrated the collapsed roof, and dust particles floated silently in the light, ethereal and elusive.
At a certain moment, the dust stirred violently with a sudden, low-pitched, urgent whistling, and a tall, thin figure appeared abruptly in the hall.
"Yang Huan, you actually dare to show up before me, are you not afraid I’ll strike you down with a bolt of lightning." Sun Jian said coldly, staring at the shadows in the broken hall.
"Strike me down? Heh... Don’t you want the Netherworld Atlas anymore?" Yang Huan smirked broadly, his face full of mockery.
"If I kill you, the atlas is still mine!" Sun Jian’s right hand reached out from his wide sleeve, and a streak of lightning leapt between his fingers.
"Tough talk is useless, if you have the ability, go rampage through the Thousand Mechanisms Sect, and see if they will give you the Netherworld Atlas." Yang Huan sneered, "Without the gourd sword box as a knocking brick, you can’t even board their Cloud Bat Flying Ship!"
Sun Jian’s face suddenly darkened.
Yang Huan chuckled lightly, stepped out from the corner’s shadow, and approached the hall’s entrance.
He looked out at the desolate Eagle Grief Cliff and clicked his tongue in wonder, "You guys from Jilong Road are really ruthless, to destroy an Earth Vein Spiritual Spring just to set up a Forbidden Law."
"Don’t talk to me about the East Ridge barbarians, if it weren’t for you helping them along, how could Wei Donglai have broken through Eagle Grief Mountain?"
"Besides, it’s no big secret that you exchanged the Five Qi Gathering Yuan Law Prohibition with the Thousand Mechanisms Sect."
"Too many peaks interfere with setting the Forbidden Law, so you destroy one? These are mountains that can nurture Vital Energy. Tsk tsk, such a waste of heaven’s gifts."
"Speak, what do you want me to do?" Sun Jian stepped beside Yang Huan and calmly asked.
"Heh heh, it’s nothing much, just help plant a few restrictions, and destroy a few more Spirit Mountains." Yang Huan grinned, showing his teeth in a sly smile.
"What, with Zhongshan Path gone and White Tower dead, you still want to take revenge for them?" Sun Jian said scornfully, "I can’t tell that you’re someone of emotion and righteousness."
Yang Huan was nonchalant, "Emotion and righteousness? That stuff isn’t as valuable as the Dao Foundation Secret Method."
Sun Jian fell suddenly silent.
Indeed, what worth is emotion and righteousness in the face of the Dao? Sects and clans are also dispensable.
"I need to see the Netherworld Atlas first." Sun Jian said indifferently, looking into the distance.
Yang Huan immediately grinned, showing a mouthful of sharp white teeth.
...
For a long while, the ruined hall was silent.
Sun Jian stood alone at the entrance, glaring somberly at the barren mountains in the distance.
"Who is behind Yang Huan? The remnants of Zhongshan Path? Or other sects from Yunzhou?"
"Damn it! If it weren’t for the loss of the Spiritual Treasure, the gourd sword box, I wouldn’t be at Yang Huan’s mercy... Hm? The loss of the treasure gourd, could it be Yang Huan’s doing?!"
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His eyes became piercingly sharp.
"No wonder I’ve been unable to find any clues, Yang Huan!"
It took a while before Sun Jian slowly regained his composure.
"Since Yang Huan dared to show himself, there’s no need to think about retrieving the gourd sword box anymore."
"The Dao Foundation Secret Method..."
Sun Jian looked down at the bright yellow scroll in his hand, lost in thought, but soon he became alert and resolute.
"Compared to the path of the Dao, Jilong Road is nothing."
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