Cultivating Immortality in Two Realms

Chapter 162 Great Virtue Carries

"We are both wanderers in this world, how about we explore this place together?"

Fang Qing took over the management of the sword's body and offered suggestions.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Liu Junyan nodded repeatedly, and the two landed together on the mountaintop. Immediately, they felt a pulling force on their bodies, landing in front of the gate of a building complex. "Within this complex, there are remnants of magical restrictions... preventing escape."

Liu Junyan's eyes flashed, and he spoke.

"Is Benefactor Liu also proficient in formations?"

Fang Qing was slightly surprised.

"I know a little bit, I know a little bit..."

Liu Junyan sighed inwardly. Mastering array formations was no easy feat. Even though the Liu family was a Dao Foundation Establishment family and he possessed talent, he had still spent countless amounts of spiritual resources over the years. They were just waiting for him to achieve Dao Foundation Establishment and become a master of array formations, so he could help the family.

These investments, one by one, are not fake.

"However, once the order came down from the upper sect..."

Liu Junyan shook his head inwardly, forced himself to stay alert, and looked at the array: "The power of this spell has been loosened by more than half. As long as I don't force myself to fly, there will be no major problems..." As he spoke, he pushed open the door and entered.

Fang Qing, naturally, had no more taboos and followed them inside.

The buildings in this area were mostly collapsed and destroyed, leaving only a few scattered structures.

Fang Qing casually picked up a piece of yellowish-brown fragment: "It seems to be a fragment of a Dao Foundation spiritual artifact... Could the owner of this place be a Dao Foundation cultivator?" "To be able to occupy a peak in the cave heaven for cultivation, one must be more than that."

Liu Junyan looked on with some anticipation, but unfortunately, after searching through the entire area, he found no Dao Foundation Spiritual Items, only a few decorative items for Qi Cultivation. He casually put them away and followed Fang Qing to the last area.

The room was empty and spacious, with only a shrine in the center and a portrait hanging on it.

The figure in the portrait is clad in golden armor and wields a long mace, exuding an indescribable aura of majesty, yet his face is blank. "Who is this?"

Liu Junyan forcibly suppressed his unease and spoke.

"Perhaps it is... the 'Dongyuan Siming Lingying Shenjun'! Also known as the 'Kitchen God'."

Fang Qing, however, had a smile on his lips.

He had met the Three Realms before and had personally visited the blessed land of Yanbo, so he had some guesses about the inside story of this situation.

"Is he the True Lord? The one on [Stomach Earth]? I've only heard he's long since lost his position..."

Liu Junyan's expression suddenly became incredibly complex.

"What? Do you have a connection with this True Lord?"

Fang Qing smiled and asked, but a cultist asked about the cause, which was a very dangerous matter.

Liu Junyan hesitated for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "This was originally a family secret, but since my family is unkind, I am no longer obligated to abide by it... Master, do you know that I cultivate the [Willow Earth] style? This type of earth is associated with growth and benefits plants and trees; it is also known as [Heavenly River Earth]... I once held the true nature of earth!"

"Upright?"

Fang Qing was startled: "Isn't the correct position [Stomach Earth] now? Could it be... that the correct positions of the Five Virtues can change?"

"I don't know either..."

Liu Junyan gazed at the image of the Kitchen God and murmured, "In ancient times, my [Liu Tu] had a True Lord appear in the world, possessing great divine power and the meaning of 'bearing all things with great virtue'... But later, [Wei Tu] took over the position and changed 'bearing all things with great virtue' to 'bearing the people with great virtue,' implying a conflict between heaven and man... From then on, the 'bearing all things with great virtue' foundation passed down in my Liu family could no longer be cultivated, and our family fortune declined as a result. We could only find a lesser foundation and have been making a living by cultivating plants for others ever since..."

"What is the meaning of this conflict between heaven and man?"

Fang Qing clasped his hands together, his eyes shining brightly.

"I don't know either, it's just that's how it's recorded in Taoist books... However, the ancient Kitchen God should have had some pity for those who cultivate below... Nowadays, among the four elements of Earth, the Di Earth and Nu Earth have fallen into demonic ways, and the Liu Earth is not flourishing..."

Liu Junyan gave a wry smile.

"So... those who cultivate [Stomach Earth] might be a breath of fresh air among demonic cultivators? Are there good people among them?"

Fang Qing chuckled, "Don't you know that since ancient times, cultivators have been divided into righteous and demonic sects not by lineage, but only by their individual actions?"

After he finished laughing, he strode forward, took down the image of the Kitchen God, infused it with his magic power, and directly refined it.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Liu Junyan was so frightened that he immediately lay down on the ground: "This is the image of a True Lord! If even a trace of its former power remains, we'll all be child fans!"

"Indeed, it is as heavy as a mountain."

Fang Qing weighed the options carefully. If he hadn't possessed a second-level body refinement technique, he truly wouldn't have been able to handle this scroll.

However, he is now completely unrestrained and does whatever comes to mind.

After infusing his magic power, he discovered that the portrait was quite ordinary, except for a trace of mystery that made it as heavy as a mountain, impervious to water and fire. However, there was a cultivation technique hidden within the scroll!

"The Treasure Land Returns to Origin Scripture? Scripture? Purple Mansion Technique?"

Fang Qing's heart stirred. After a brief glance, he discovered that it was indeed the [Stomach Earth] Purple Mansion Technique, the first foundational cultivation method, "Refining Yuan Cauldron"!

Furthermore, this Purple Mansion Technique has a wondrous aspect: even if the True Essence consumed initially was of inferior quality, one can still gradually improve the True Essence grade by consuming spiritual objects of the [Stomach Earth] series within the body.

Of course, it is only effective for the [Stomach Earth] system.

Moreover, considering the cost, it's only slightly less expensive than searching for the "Heavenly First Water"...

He glanced at the trembling Liu Junyan and chuckled, "Since you don't want it, I'll keep it for now..."

A thought suddenly struck him: "As expected of a grotto-heaven, it truly possesses the Purple Mansion cultivation technique..."

"Compared to the locals, I lack a bit of reverence for the higher beings and the True Lord. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing?"

Taibai Island.

"If the Earth element can be repositioned, why can't the Water element? What about the Sun and Moon?"

Fang Qing whispered, increasingly sensing the chaos and terror of the ancient Shu Taoist tradition.

If you choose the wrong path, one wrong step will lead to utter ruin!

Even if you choose a lineage with boundless light, if the powerful figure in charge of the Golden Palace gets into trouble, you'll still end up as a nobody on the side of the road... like that [Liu Tu]!

"Oh? So I can change it whenever I want? Never mind then..."

He let out a long sigh: "It's amazing that the Magic Sword has such good luck, picking up a Purple Mansion cultivation technique so easily. Is there a trap here?"

"Whether there are pitfalls or not, at least there's definitely an opportunity."

Fang Qing's gaze shifted and landed on Liu Junyan: "To be able to forge the Earth Virtue Dao Foundation and then be sent here, he is clearly the true chosen one, the destined one of Taihuang Heaven... So it's not that the magic sword and I are lucky, but rather that we stole someone else's fate?"

"In that case, it seems best for Fa Jian to continue acting with Liu Junyan, and Fa Quan should also try to benefit from the Chosen One's good fortune... Coincidentally, Fang Wuchen can also be considered a destined person..."

Fang Wuchen wandered aimlessly through a forest.

"How come what was originally an underground palace has now been completely transformed?"

"Where is Master...?"

He flew aimlessly, then suddenly his eyes sharpened.

On the horizon, a strange peak rises out, growing larger and larger until it is almost a pillar of heaven, emitting an earthy yellow glow, clearly indicating its extraordinary nature.

"This sacred mountain is so extraordinary, it's like a landmark... cultivators who see it will all come closer, why don't we go and ask it?"

Fang Wuchen set his goal and flew at full speed. When he arrived at the foot of the mountain, he sensed a force that prevented him from flying.

He readily accepted the advice, landed on the ground, and began climbing the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain stands a gate with the words "Tianzhu" (Heavenly Pillar) inscribed on it.

Sure enough, after climbing for a short while, Fang Wuchen saw a cultivator at the peak of Qi cultivation, whose clothes were covered in bloodstains.

"Fellow Daoist..."

He had barely opened his mouth when the cultivator who had reached the peak of Qi Conquest showed a look of horror and raised his hand to produce a magic weapon!

boom!

The magical artifact was a stone that emitted a dazzling light, causing Fang Wuchen to lose his senses for a moment before being hit on the head!

Snapped!

His head exploded, but his body remained still. He grabbed a handful of mud and used it to glue his head back together, thus imprisoning the attacking magical artifact. "How could an ordinary magical artifact harm me? This is a Dao Foundation Spiritual Artifact!"

"Fortunately, I've successfully cultivated the 'Refining Yuan Cauldron,' and my vital organs have been transferred to my stomach and intestines; otherwise, it would have been quite troublesome..."

Fang Wuchen rubbed his head and opened his eyes, staring at the Dao Foundation artifact in front of him, and was stunned: "A God-Slaying Stone?"

A feeling of sadness instantly welled up in my heart.

"No, the Divine Stone is merely a Qi-cultivating artifact; this is a foundational spiritual artifact, and it's even larger... larger..."

Fang Wuchen seemed incredulous, but soon realized that this "God-Slaying Stone" appeared to be made by piecing together two "God-Slaying Stones". The texture and pattern of one of the stones were extremely familiar to him.

"Master..."

His eyes became bloodshot as he looked in the direction of the cultivator who had accepted the qi.

"what!"

Suddenly, a scream came from that direction. A cold wind surged, and the black earth churned, revealing an armored corpse with a blue face and fangs. Its fingernails were black and sharp, and it was gnawing on a head. Judging from its appearance, it was the same cultivator who had just submitted.

A young man in flowing white robes emerged from behind the armored corpse: "Greetings, fellow Daoist. This humble cultivator dared to offend you, so I took the initiative to deal with him..."

"Are you a Daoist master of the Yin Corpse Sect? What brings you here?"

Fang Wuchen's voice became extremely cold.

"Haha, I just wish to travel with you, fellow Daoist, and ask for your assistance."

The elegant young man said, "I am Yin Xuanzi, and I cultivate [Female Earth], unlike you who cultivates [Stomach Earth]. This gives me many advantages in this Kitchen God's Grotto-Heaven..." "Kitchen God... Grotto-Heaven..."

A glint of light flashed in Fang Wuchen's eyes, and his expression calmed down.

"Finally... we've arrived. Is this the core of the grotto-heaven?"

Taebaek Island Cave.

As Fang Qing watched the magic sword follow Liu Junyan into the Tianzhu Mountain area, a thought stirred in his heart.

Guided by destiny, this place should contain many treasures.

With the magic sword as a landmark, Fa Quan can arrive quickly.

"This grotto-heaven is full of spiritual energy, and the sun and moon revolve... There are many kinds of animals and plants, but there are no... people!"

Thinking of the sights he had seen along the way, Fang Qing fell silent.

[Stomach Earth] Holding the Earth in its proper position, possessing great virtue and bearing the people, yet it lacks the word "people".

It seems that the Kitchen God has been dead for many years.

No wonder a group of cultivators from the Purple Mansion realm dared to plot against the cave heaven.

After all, it is the legacy of a True Lord. I wonder how to enrich it?

"But... in the Blessed Land of Misty Waves last time, to whom did that wisp of [Stomach Soil] divinity ultimately fall?"