Chapter 142: Turbulent Hearts, Gathering Winds and Clouds
Chapter 142: Turbulent Hearts, Gathering Winds and Clouds
Xing Yuzhu was born into a noble family. She practiced martial arts from a young age, developing a well-proportioned figure with long legs. Later, True Lord Liuguang noticed her and took her in as his disciple. She specialized in cultivating the Dao, including supreme body-refining and bone-forging techniques, which allowed her to become even more slender.
Mu Yuan had now cultivated both his Yin and Yang spirits. Without even looking, he could sense the distinct, full curves of the figure crashing into his arms.
The moment they collided, his spiritual sense instantly simulated the physical sensation. The alluring curve outlined by the rounded, upturned rear and her slender, graspable waist, the astonishing elasticity pressing against his abdomen – instantly his blood began to boil, his masculine vigor surged violently!
Mu Yuan was at a vigorous age, filled with untamed energy. Having cultivated the Dao since childhood, he had never been close to a woman like this! Suddenly feeling such soft, trembling, warm, and fragrant flesh rendered him momentarily dizzy!
But this dizziness dispersed swiftly. Caught off-guard by the unexpected collision, Xing Yuzhu’s protective zhenqi burst forth uncontrollably. In that instant, countless needle-sharp strands of Eternal True Qi shot towards him. Before they even reached him, every hair on Mu Yuan’s body stood on end, and a chill swept over his brows and lashes!
“Bad!”
Mu Yuan cursed inwardly. He flipped backward in the air to evade most of the blinding-white Eternal True Qi. However, some strands still pierced through his flank and abdomen, sending waves of scalding pain. He felt a strand of incredibly fierce Eternal True Qi rolling relentlessly within his meridians, tearing him apart with excruciating agony—a mix of numbness, fullness, and piercing pain! He hastily focused his mind, gathered his Clear Water True Qi, and formed countless tiny, precise whirlwinds within his body. These whirlwinds dissolved the invading Eternal True Qi strand by strand, transforming it into wisps of Clear Water True Qi!
“What do you think you’re doing!”
Xing Yuzhu’s face flushed red, and she spun around furiously, her fingertip shimmering with a white, flowing aura, looking ready to strike at any moment.
Mu Yuan’s distracted mind, coupled with a body tempered by the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force, brimming with vibrant blood and potent yang energy, had also fiercely startled this seemingly open and passionate yet inwardly reserved young woman. She thought Mu Yuan harbored evil intent and swiftly readied her Eternal True Qi, bracing herself!
Mu Yuan reined in his wandering thoughts. Seeing Xing Yuzhu tense as if facing a powerful enemy and understanding her suspicion, he quickly explained, “Fellow Daoist, please don’t misunderstand! Just now, I was worrying about Master Yuan Kong – collaborating with those tigers, hoping he doesn’t suffer because of it. I was distracted and didn’t notice that you suddenly stopped, hence the collision. It was entirely unintentional!”
Hearing Mu Yuan’s explanation, Xing Yuzhu’s expression softened slightly. A hint of worry also appeared between her brows. “I was worrying about Bai Zhaoyuan too. Those people are not ones to be trifled with. Partnering with them like this, how could anyone be at ease? No, I must go back and check!”
Mu Yuan’s heart leapt with delight. “You are absolutely right, Fellow Daoist! With both of us there, even if something unexpected happens, we won’t be at a disadvantage, nor let those three gain any undue advantage!”
They both immediately flew back at top speed. Xing Yuzhu was again leading the way with her escape light. Mu Yuan’s gaze fell on her fluttering robes stirred by the high-altitude winds. Her figure, its alluring curves—the prominent front and the curved rear—were clearly outlined. He couldn’t help but vividly recall that sensation of softness and smoothness he felt earlier and swallowed hard.
“If I held her in my arms, and grabbed that with my hand…”
Mu Yuan suddenly felt his entire body ablaze, his blood and qi circulating much faster than usual. The chill from the icy wind outside snapped him back to his senses. “Mu Yuan! Mu Yuan! Where are these thoughts coming from? Where has all your tranquil, guard-your-heart cultivation gone?!”
He spun his Clear Water True Qi around his body, secretly blending in the Ice Soul Divine Light technique. An icy coolness suffused him, and a thin layer of frost even formed on his skin!
The Ice Soul Divine Light method he had taken from the Ice Soul Sect only went up to Qi Refining Third Layer and lacked the techniques for Condensing Fiend and Refining Yang. Later, the Mountain Elf cultivated the Ice Soul Divine Light. Mu Yuan, borrowing the method within the Tidal Flow for refining the Yang Qi from the Northern Sea cold aura, also acquired some Ice Soul Divine Yang Qi. The Mountain Elf refined precisely this type of Yang Qi!
Although Mu Yuan wasn’t currently absorbing Ice Soul Divine Yang Qi, he couldn’t resist drawing in wisps of it, melting it into his Clear Water True Qi to borrow its chill to cool his mind!
They had left quickly and returned even faster. Soon, they were back near the area where the demon beasts roamed. Above them, a colossal ball of light rolled through the air. Streams of fiery and watery aura continuously bubbled and churned within it. Occasional monstrous roars echoed from the center, shaking the clouds and setting the sand surging like water!
“Everyone else went to find the earth veins and source of Primordial Qi!” Mu Yuan’s Five Great Curses had naturally followed them down. He could clearly see that the four individuals were currently tunneling through sand and rock, heading deeper underground. “Once they find it, even if they don’t betray us immediately, that will almost certainly be the moment they do!” He knew exactly what was happening.
“Right, we need to catch up fast!” Xing Yuzhu shared the same thought. Spotting a narrow circular tunnel entrance, only about three feet wide, leading deep underground, they exchanged a glance and flew into it one after the other.
Just as their figures vanished into the mouth of the tunnel, five streaks of sword-light suddenly arrived from afar, hovering nearby. The figures who emerged were uniformly dressed in moon-white Daoist robes, their hair tied in identical topknots, long swords strapped to their backs. Leading them was the same “Senior Brother Lu” from Kunlun that Mu Yuan had encountered earlier.
“The Fiend-refining Water-Fire Metal Formation!”
Senior Brother Lu’s discerning eye quickly assessed the scene and recognized the massive formation’s origin!
“This is Thousand Clouds Mountain’s Heavenly Roc Venerable One’s signature defensive formation! What is it doing here?”
Senior Brother Lu was deeply puzzled. They were patrolling the nearby area when the surge of Primordial Qi unleashed the instant the formation activated caught their attention. Rushing to the scene, they found this spectacle!
Faintly audible monstrous roars echoed from within the formation. Claws and scales occasionally broke through the swirling elemental auras. The immense pressure radiating from it all visibly startled the five cultivators.
“Senior Brother, look over there!”
A handsome Kunlun cultivator, seeing their leader deep in thought, pointed towards the cave entrance nearby.
“Hmm, let’s investigate. Cheng Feng, Cheng Yun, the two of you stay on guard outside. Cheng Zhong, Cheng Tao, you come with me!”
Senior Brother Lu didn’t dare underestimate the situation. He activated his sword-light first. The brilliant light flickered, seemingly entwined with seven stars, enveloping his entire form as he swiftly flew into the cave.
Meanwhile, Yuan Kong and the three grey-clad figures had been burrowing through the sand and earth. They occasionally encountered large rocks and hard layers of soil, all crushed before their potent spiritual energy.
The zhenqi of the three grey-cloths merged, coalescing into two massive, silver-glinting claws. Stone shattered before them, soil was effortlessly bored through—suitable for penetrating mountains and pulverizing metal, let alone soft sand and dirt.
Yuan Kong released his Great Sun True Fire, forming two rotating spheres of light. Whether encountering rock or earth, they burned through it all upon contact. His method was far more domineering than the others’, though also far more taxing on his Primordial Qi.
Mu Yuan’s Five Great Curses trailed them, winding their way along the disturbed earth and sand at the sides.
Despite their considerable speed, they were still slower than Mu Yuan and Xing Yuzhu flying unhindered. Just as the four broke through a layer of bedrock, revealing a vast underground cavern before them, Mu Yuan and Xing Yuzhu caught up!
The leader of the grey-robes, his pale eyes cold, flashed a sharp glint upon seeing them arrive again, which quickly faded. Yuan Kong remained impassive, revealing nothing. However, Mu Yuan’s sharp eye, already focused on the monk, caught a faint twitch at the corner of Yuan Kong’s mouth. Mu Yuan understood: Yuan Kong also lacked confidence in this venture, and their presence now gave him a better chance.
“The two of you turning back – how… unexpectedly delightful!” The leading grey-robed man chuckled, a hollow, insincere sound twisting his features.
Yuan Kong ignored him, stating tonelessly, “This should be the place.”
The six of them crawled through the gap in the rock wall. Inside, the cavern revealed only a single gurgling subterranean stream flowing silently. Occasionally it splashed against stones, producing clear, ringing sounds.
“It doesn’t look like any place capable of nurturing terrestrial Primordial Qi!” Xing Yuzhu muttered under her breath.
“These two earth veins drift with the water currents, elusive,” Yuan Kong explained. “They are only one step away from gaining sentience. It’s impossible to predict how long they’ll linger here, but this isn’t their point of origin!”
Xing Yuzhu retorted skeptically, “Even the famous dragon veins haven’t gained sentience! What could these two obscure little veins possibly nurture? Do you think I’m easily fooled?”
Mu Yuan interjected from the side, “It’s precisely because they are obscure, unknown to anyone, that they can exist undisturbed. Those famous dragon veins across the realm have been tapped and drained by emperors and kings – ruining their foundations, robbing them of any chance to complete their cultivation! The Great Dao itself is ordinary. The five tones, the five colors, rare treasures – all these are hindrances to the Great Dao. The principle is the same for these two earth veins.”
Yuan Kong couldn’t help but glance at Mu Yuan, studying him for a moment before finally saying, “These words of yours, Fellow Daoist, strike true.”
Xing Yuzhu cut in impatiently, “Enough talk. If that’s the case, finding them quickly is paramount! Those three men from Thousand Clouds Mountain are already scouring the area!”
Mu Yuan smiled faintly. His Five Great Curses had already been searching everywhere. Yuan Kong also released a cluster of true fire, which dispersed into several fiery serpents, slithering away in all directions to probe every crack and crevice.
Xing Yuzhu lent her strength, closing her eyes to sense the presence of metal Primordial Qi. Since those three claimed one earth vein here was metal-natured, its Primordial Qi resonance would naturally be distinct.
“Found it!”
Mu Yuan exclaimed silently within his mind. His Great Sun Fire Curse had located the fire vein first. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Yuan Kong’s face also light up with excitement. The monk’s eyes blazed, and his kasaya robe billowed slightly—clear signs of intense agitation!
Mu Yuan certainly didn’t want to pass up such an earth vein. But in front of Xing Yuzhu, competing overtly with her… special friend would be highly inappropriate. He could only discreetly send his Great Sun Fire Curse towards the location.
After all, the Nine Dragons Blazing Fire Pearl resided within the Fire Curse! It could devour this earth vein Primordial Qi just as effectively as Mu Yuan himself could!
Just as Mu Yuan felt a flicker of regret, the distinct sound of clothing tearing through the air came from behind him. His heart clenched tight. ‘Has conflict already erupted?!’
Xing Yuzhu clearly had the same thought. They both spun around simultaneously. Senior Brother Lu, accompanied by two others, flew into the cavern. He seemed simultaneously surprised and pleased to see Xing Yuzhu. However, his gaze flickered to the presence of the three grey-robes. The sword upon his back buzzed fiercely like the roar of a dragon! A dazzling stellar radiance erupted as the sword shot through the air!