Chapter 58: Master of the Primordial Spirit

Back then, Mu Yuan could only manage to use the six extremely simple yet profoundly strange Brilliant Salvation Curse talismanic seals. Naturally, he had no idea that the Buddhist patriarch who devised this Brilliant Salvation Curse was originally a demon himself. Later on, even after switching to Buddhist cultivation, he never lost the penchant for strange and crafty methods. These six seals could be called the synthesis of demonic sorcery and Buddhist Dharma. Though their name sounded virtuous – ‘Brilliant Salvation’ – they were actually a divine ability secretly left for the demons. Demonic cultivation was incredibly arduous. Even after becoming a Buddha, this demonic sage constantly sought to revitalize the demon race, using all his wisdom to create these simplified seals—a crafty trick plucked from the heavens.

Seeing the powerful effect of the Brilliant Salvation Curse, Mu Yuan couldn’t help recalling the other incantations stored within his sea of consciousness. As soon as his mind sank inward, countless bizarre and elusive runes began churning and darting like lightning deep within his sea of consciousness. He simply couldn’t see them clearly or grasp them securely, making cultivation impossible. Though he felt somewhat disappointed, he remained calm, understanding that the more profound the incantation, the harder it was to master. He settled his mind and focused intently on the scene before him.

The Saber-Toothed Drake was covered in wounds, howling in pain. The earth shook. It suddenly belched out its Dragon Breath, sending a stifling wave of scorching, foul-smelling air surging towards Yuan Neng and Yuan Jue.

Though the two monks’ Infinite Void Great Hand Seal was mystically profound, the foul blast immediately tainted it. The hand seals, once wreathed in Buddha Light and shimmering with color, were suddenly covered in a layer of murky, grey pollution that steadily crawled upwards. Panicked, both monks channeled their own profound power. A scorching ‘Great Sun True Fire’ instantly ignited atop the Infinite Void Great Hand Seals, driving back the foul vapor!

At that very moment, the Saber-Toothed Drake endured several sword strikes and blasts of fiery energy, forced its way through the encirclement, and fled swiftly into the mountains!

The group quickly gave chase. The blood-red mist and aura scattered like dew beneath the morning sun, vanishing back into the mountains as the group rode the winds, chasing straight after it!

The Saber-Toothed Drake looked incredibly clumsy, but its speed was astonishingly fast. Along its path, trees were shattered, forests crushed, and sand and stones flew wildly, leaving behind a long trail on the ground. It disturbed countless wild beasts and birds, sending them scattering and fleeing chaotically under the pressure of the pursuers’ zhenqi aura, disappearing into the unknown!

Ling Siyuan took the lead, followed closely by Hua Xin, then Xiao Tian Yun. These three hot-blooded young men were filled with a sense of righteous purpose to eliminate demons and monsters. Mu Yuan, however, secretly kept an eye on Xiao Tianyu, thinking only of seizing an advantage amidst the chaos.

Yuan Neng and Yuan Jue were the last to catch up. Their Infinite Void Great Hand Seals had been stained with the Saber-Toothed Drake’s polluted Dragon Breath, taking significant effort and their own Great Sun True Fire to purge it. Their faces flushed with anger, they reached the group just as everyone had stopped beside a mountain lake!

The hills flanking Fenghua City weren’t actually large, stretching only about ten miles. The lake was also small, perhaps ten zhang wide, surrounded by utter calm. Only ripples disturbing its surface marked where the Saber-Toothed Drake had vanished.

“The spirit energy here is incredibly thick!” Mu Yuan stood by the lakeside. A rich, thick spiritual aura engulfed him—pure and unadulterated. A single deep breath brought a cooling sensation deep in his heart, immensely comfortable!

The others also sensed the unusual aura. They exchanged glances, each feeling a jolt of surprise.

“How could this Saber-Toothed Drake not know such an advanced spirit gathering formation?” Hua Xin, while hot-tempered, was also perceptive and knowledgeable. He observed that the rocks, plants, and trees around the lake formed a subtle formation pattern. Moonlight and starlight from the sky, along with the surrounding spiritual and primordial energies, were all drawn into the lake like moths to a flame. Even the chaotic, impure currents mixed within the energy were filtered and purified by the formation into refined essence, a marvel of technique!

“Evil must be vanquished utterly! The Buddha is compassionate, but holds fury against demons! Regardless, we cannot let this demon escape today!” Yuan Neng, furious at having his holy aura tainted by the beast, yelled sharply.

“Master speaks truly,” Ling Siyuan nodded, “Having come this far, we can’t return empty-handed. This demon beast seems quite extraordinary; perhaps it has treasures.” He then continued, “Let us all strike the lake together! Churn it into turmoil!”

The group agreed. Instantly, colorful lights, sword beams, raging flames, and piercing ice crystals all churned the water. The lake surged violently, rapidly forming a giant whirlpool that spiraled straight down to the bottom.

Water erupted skywards in massive jets, flung aside by the group like discarded silk. The small lake drained completely in moments. As the vapor cleared, revealed before them was a massive cavern, dark and deep, narrow and treacherous. How the massive drake squeezed inside was baffling!

Xiao Tianyu suddenly bellowed, stomping hard on the ground. The earth cracked and Qi surged. His Refining Furnace True Qi struck the cave’s entrance, widening the fissure with explosive light. From deep within came the Saber-Toothed Drake’s furious roar, followed immediately by a heart-stopping aura and an earth-shattering shout: “WHO DARES DISTURB MY CULTIVATION AND HARM MY DIVINE BEAST?”

As soon as Mu Yuan felt that dreadful aura, the Longevity Sword in his dantian trembled violently. Terror gripped him. The power and ferocity of this aura were unprecedented. His own Qi exploded outwards, and he desperately flung himself backwards!

Remembering the stone jar on Zhaoyang Mountain left Mu Yuan deeply fearful of strange energies. Seeing the threat, he fled. However, a vast eruption of light surged from the lake. A flattened, purple clay pot spun upwards. Its small mouth emitted an irresistible suction force. Everyone staggered, grass torn up, stones flying wildly, trees ripped from their roots—all sucked straight towards the pot!

The pulling force was colossal. Despite Mu Yuan’s frantic retreat, he was inexorably dragged back. Amidst the flashing lights, the pot seemed to transform into a slender, gaunt, almost withered human face. Its mouth shimmered with dazzling, starlike radiance. Before he could think, he was swallowed!

Having consumed all ten, the shimmering pot’s lights flickered and coalesced into a humanoid shape. It wore a long robe dusted with stars, with a sharp face, thick eyebrows, and a corpse-like thinness. Raising its hand, the primordial Qi around it vibrated violently. Countless water vapors were pulled, coalescing back into water within the lake basin, restoring its still, calm surface.

Had Mu Yuan and the others seen this, their eyes would have popped out in disbelief. Destruction was easy; restoration harder. Yet this being casually reformed a lake from vapor—simply unimaginable!

Satisfied, the strange figure clapped its hands once. “My Primordial Spirit inhabiting this treasure… awkward, but the power is good. The Demon Refining Gourd is an ancient relic after all. It’s too powerful, not fully attuned yet. Wherever these fools crawled from, thinking they could ‘vanquish demons’… Now they slowly await refinement within the pot!” It dove back into the lake, stroking the Saber-Toothed Drake. The giant beast purred meekly like a kitten, lying low. The wounds on its body began knitting together on their own, a testament to its formidable drake constitution and potent regeneration.

Blood flowed back into its wounds like water reversing its course. The torn flesh slowly sealed. However, the chaotic forces of water and fire, and the tangled sword energies within its body couldn’t be expelled so easily. The strange figure gently stroked the spine of the drake. Gentle starlight radiated outwards. Bright reds, pale whites, and shimmering colors gathered from its body. With a soft pull, he directly extracted them all!

Ling Siyuan’s mountain-and-river Sword Qi, Xiao Tianyu’s Refining Furnace Yellow Earth True Qi, the Huan Chen sisters’ Heavenly Mountain Sword Qi, Yuan Neng and Yuan Jue’s Infinite Void Great Hand Seal, Hua Xin and Jin Yun’s sun-fire True Qi—all coalesced into one sparkling, colorful orb of swirling, changing light. The bizarre sphere spun and whirled in the figure’s palm.

“Not bad cultivation for juniors,” it muttered, “Ten people, but only nine streams of Qi? How odd!” It opened its mouth and swallowed the entire orb, which contained nine distinct energies—even ice and fire opposites blended together. A jewel-like light tumbled within its spiritual cave like an agate, then scattered into dozens of strands weaving through its body, assimilated and absorbed by its own Qi to strengthen itself.

It continued to muse aloud, “I heard Star Extreme Master lost his body to Wu Long’s Five Poisons Yin Spirit Blaze back then—even his Primordial Spirit was crippled. After escape, he found a star with a nascent spirit consciousness formed over countless millennia beyond the heavens and took it. Quite the gain. Though this Demon Refining Gourd body isn’t inherently strong, it excels in refining any foreign Qi, with endless, marvelous applications. If we ever meet again… who knows which one of us is stronger?” Having healed the drake, it settled into meditation. The Demon Refining Gourd was an ancient treasure; few artifacts could rival it. Calling himself the Five Yin Patriarch, a powerful being who had cultivated a Primordial Spirit, he had, many years prior, his physical body destroyed by Mount Shu’s Two Forms Dust Formation. His Primordial Spirit was torn apart, with merely a remnant fleeing. After bitter cultivation over the years, he finally recovered somewhat. By chance, he found the lost Demon Refining Gourd. Considering a superior fleshly form hard to acquire, he seized the gourd body, spending immense spirit essence to eradicate the gourd’s innate spirit. However, he hadn’t anticipated how mysteriously, strangely, and unfathomably capricious the gourd was, rendering it unmanageable. Forced into seclusion here, he cultivated relentlessly, trying to fully master this new ‘flesh’ vessel.

After smoothing over the lake surface, the Five Yin Patriarch returned underwater. He remained unaware of Old Daoist Danhuo lurking outside in the woods, face twisted in panic and anger, muttering to himself: “Unforeseen… completely unforeseen… These youngsters encountered a Nascent Soul Level expert. They’ve kicked an iron board! Alright… Alright! I, old Daoist, must risk everything to rescue Hua Xin, Jin Yun, and that boy. Otherwise, the loss of face would be enormous… How could I explain this to the Sect Leader and Tiemu when I return?”