Chapter 86: Tiangang

Mu Yuan never intended to keep the divine ability mind techniques to himself. He explained the method of the Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light in detail. Chu Yunfei’s Profound Yin Mind Technique was strange and deceitful, while Qi Wei’s Longevity Art was pure and profound. Among the three, Mu Yuan’s insight ranked first. Each had their own strengths, and through mutual exchange and study, Mu Yuan also benefited greatly. It was much deeper than studying alone!

Before long, Chu Yunfei and Qi Wei each condensed a thin, five-colored halo, but it was different from Mu Yuan’s mirage light. Around Mu Yuan, scattered specks of light drifted and swirled, somewhat similar to the colorful starry river transformed by the Minghe Immortal Sword. Qi Wei’s Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light was a clear, watery mass, pure like water, without many changing colors. Chu Yunfei’s, however, was dominated by black energy mixed with purple and blue, looking like black mist and smoke, indescribably eerie and sinister.

When Mu Yuan saw Chu Yunfei’s version of the Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light, he laughed heartily, “Brother Chu, you really can’t put dog meat on a banquet table! The righteous divine ability of Mount Shu—how did you manage to make it so sinister?”

Mu Yuan wasn’t too surprised by Chu Yunfei’s changes, but he was curious about Qi Wei, who also cultivated the Longevity Art. Why did her mirage light turn out like this? He immediately asked, “Senior Sister, didn’t you condense the mirage light with Longevity Qi?”

Qi Wei smiled and shook her head, “Of course not. This was condensed with Tide True Qi, not as gorgeous as your halo.”

Mu Yuan gave a wry smile and didn’t dwell on it. He dispersed the Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light and noticed the fishing hook sink. He quickly pulled it up and caught a fish over a foot long from the sea. Excitedly, he scaled it, gutted it, and cleaned it. He gathered his Zhenqi into a boiler shape and used Tide True Qi to form a pot of clear water. There were no seasonings on the boat, so Mu Yuan selected some uniquely flavored dried fruits, squeezed out their juices, and used Longevity True Qi to create a burning fire, slowly stewing the fish.

While waiting, Chu Yunfei also caught a fish. He cleaned it on his own and began cooking it the same way as Mu Yuan. Only Qi Wei, having newly acquired the technique, returned to her cabin to cultivate diligently.

“I say, Little Mu, your senior sister is really boring. All she does is sit and cultivate every day—how dull!” Chu Yunfei sighed as he sensed the changes in the surrounding spiritual energy after Qi Wei returned to her cabin.

Mu Yuan shook his head and ignored him. He also found Qi Wei’s relentless cultivation somewhat disagreeable. After all, cultivation wasn’t just about that. Refining Qi and moving the spirit were only tangible efforts; tempering the Dao Heart and comprehending the heavens and earth were the real steps to advancement. However, Mu Yuan couldn’t be bothered to say anything. True Lord Qinghua had surely explained this principle. Everyone made different choices; perhaps she even thought the two of them were lazy and indolent!

“Hey, Brother Chu, what’s that Five Ghosts Divine Transport Technique? Tell me about it.” Mu Yuan suddenly spoke. By then, the pot in front of him was emitting a tantalizing aroma. Mu Yuan smacked his lips and quietly asked.

Chu Yunfei made a surprised sound, “Weren’t you uninterested in this? Besides, you already have the Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light. Even I stopped thinking about cultivating those five ghosts. Why bring it up now?”

Mu Yuan chuckled, “Having one more skill is never a bad thing. Besides, even though our mirage light looks different from that of the Mount Shu disciples, it’s only superficial. Anyone with a keen eye can tell it’s a Mount Shu technique. Who would use it openly and easily? When we need to impersonate others or hide our identities in the future, your Five Ghosts Divine Transport Technique would be just right!”

Chu Yunfei wasn’t secretive about it and told Mu Yuan the method for refining the five ghosts. Refining the five ghosts wasn’t difficult. One just needed to find five sets of male child remains over a year old, preferably each representing one of the Five Elements; otherwise, the refinement process would be troublesome. Set up an altar, chant spells, and perform the ritual for forty-nine days to complete the process. These five sets of remains could be refined into five ghostly flames that followed the cultivator, or they could transform into ghostly human forms, similar to an External Incarnation. However, they could develop their own consciousness while remaining utterly obedient, making them excellent assets.

Excited by their discussion, Chu Yunfei immediately wanted to search for remains. Mu Yuan noticed that the surrounding islands were scarce, and even if there were any, they were only the size of a palm, with no inhabitants at all, so they gave up.

With nothing to do and surrounded by monotonous, endless seawater, Mu Yuan increased the boat’s speed. The energy pool inside the Jade Sunken Dragon Boat roared, Lingguang spreading all over the vessel as it advanced rapidly. Mu Yuan and Chu Yunfei practiced sitting meditation and refined their Qi. When they had nothing else to do, they fished for fun. One day, they suddenly encountered a storm at sea. Fierce winds howled, rain poured down like a waterfall, and the seawater beneath them boiled and surged with the hurricane’s movements. Vast stretches of seawater rose and fell unpredictably. Even the Jade Sunken Dragon Boat couldn’t withstand the might of nature, being tossed up and down. The raindrops whipped by the hurricane stung their faces!

Seeing the mountainous waves around them, Mu Yuan formed hand seals. A hazy stream of light suddenly emerged around the Jade Sunken Dragon Boat, with countless Lingguang darting back and forth within it. The dragon boat gradually sank into the deep sea. At first, the pressure from all sides felt like mountains, with roaring, turbulent forces crashing around. But as it descended deeper, the seafloor became calm and peaceful. Fish swam among coral as bright as fire, and rare flowers, plants, and trees unseen on land created a world entirely different from the surface.

Watching the fish and shrimp swim leisurely, resting among rocks and seaweed, the three felt a sense of envy at their carefree existence. The dragon boat, separating them from the seawater, continued to move steadily. Mu Yuan gazed contentedly into the distance but suddenly froze in shock. Within his line of sight, he once again saw Bimo’s Primordial Spirit blood radiance!

Bimo’s Primordial Spirit blood radiance seemed somewhat dim. He sat cross-legged on a protruding undersea peak. Not far opposite him was a figure enveloped in sea-blue electric light, emitting waves of oppressive pressure. The electric light surrounding him resembled over a hundred blue coiling dragons, appearing extremely dazzling. It blended with the surrounding seawater, as if the entire sea area was affected by his electric light, generating electric sparks!

“To encounter this old ghost again—what terrible luck!” Seeing the two in a standoff, Mu Yuan immediately stored the dragon boat and hid with Qi Wei and Chu Yunfei.

Bimo and the blue-light Daoist were locked in a fierce battle. That day, after Bimo escaped from Lingyuan Reef, he flew directly back to the mainland. His Dharma Body had just formed, and his Primordial Spirit was newly established. Moreover, he didn’t understand Daoist Sect mind techniques and could only use his Primordial Spirit to activate some of his original divine abilities. Not only was his power greatly reduced, but the vital energy he had been suppressing for a thousand years hadn’t yet recovered. On his way, he encountered several cultivators and, without distinguishing right from wrong, captured and devoured them. This provoked the Daoist to pursue him!

The Daoist enveloped in blue lightning was a elder from the Shenxiao Sect named Tiangang. Most in the Shenxiao Sect cultivated the Heavenly Rectitude Thunder of the Celestial Stem. Although this elder was named Tiangang, he practiced the little-known Starry Cosmos Shining Dawn Thunder, which focused on defense. Nevertheless, he was a Primordial Spirit expert and held the upper hand against Bimo!

One pursued while the other fled. They fought from the Divine Land back to the East Sea outside the continent. After several intense battles, both were somewhat exhausted. That day, when Mu Yuan was attacked by Bimo, it was because Bimo was wary of Tiangang’s pursuit that he didn’t have time to finish them off, allowing the four to escape. Who would have thought they’d encounter Bimo again here!

Bimo was wrapped in blood radiance, but above his head, a seal tumbled up and down—it was the Demon Suppressing Stone. Unfortunately, this divine object of heaven and earth wasn’t very effective against Tiangang’s Primordial Spirit Dharma Body. It suppressed all tangible forms but exerted little pressure on the Primordial Spirit. Tiangang only needed to allocate a strand of spiritual energy to resist it and still held the upper hand in his fight with Bimo. After all, Bimo was eager to escape and hadn’t had time to replenish the deficiencies of the Reverse Blood Spirit Transformation Method!

The two Primordial Spirit experts resumed their battle. The Shenxiao Sect’s Elder Tiangang used a hammer-shaped magical treasure, quite famous in the Shenxiao Sect, called the Heaven-Shaking Hammer. Driven by Tiangang, it generated endless blue electric light that twisted and tangled. On Bimo’s body, a pale blue Daoist robe appeared, with spell formations swirling and jade-white light radiating from it. The old ghost Bimo defended desperately, and even Tiangang’s Starry Cosmos Shining Dawn Thunder couldn’t break through.

“Another magical robe—truly a supreme treasure. But now that I have the Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light, when I achieve minor success in the future, it won’t be hard to refine a Daoist robe for protection. Plus, with your old man’s Heavenly Demon Bone-Dissolving Whip, it won’t lose to your shabby robe!”

Mu Yuan saw that the two were engaged in a battle of attrition. Tiangang’s thunder method wasn’t highly offensive, and Bimo didn’t have particularly strong divine abilities either. He only transformed a skeletal white bone seal within the blood radiance to grab at the air. It looked like the Bimo Sect’s long-renowned “White Bone Seal.” However, it couldn’t break through Tiangang’s Starry Cosmos Shining Dawn Thunder barrier. It was hard to say who would win or lose in their fight.

Seeing that neither had time to notice their surroundings, Mu Yuan quietly pulled Chu Yunfei and Qi Wei and retreated unnoticed. They rose back to the sea surface and traveled swiftly through wind and rain, leaving the previous sea area far behind.

“Little Mu, do you know that strange Daoist?” Chu Yunfei asked as he noticed Mu Yuan’s flustered state. Only when the three slowed down did he speak up.

“I know a little,” Mu Yuan nodded and recounted his encounter with Bimo, leaving Chu Yunfei and Qi Wei sighing in amazement at the identity of such a powerful figure as Bimo.

“A thousand-year-old monster! To think he could break free—truly, the wicked live long. But speaking of which, Little Mu, where’s that bone whip you mentioned? Let me see it!” Chu Yunfei exclaimed, his expression suddenly shifting to one of intense curiosity about the Heavenly Demon Bone-Dissolving Whip Mu Yuan had mentioned, as if he wanted to drag Mu Yuan over and take out the bone whip to examine it.

Mu Yuan chuckled, flicked his wrist, and the white jade belt at his waist suddenly fell into his hand. He whipped it a few times proudly and said, “Well? See it clearly?”

Chu Yunfei looked envious and quickly said, “Don’t rush! Let me take a closer look!”

Seeing his eager expression, Mu Yuan secretly formed a hand seal. The bone whip in his hand suddenly flew out, transforming into a white arc that wrapped around Chu Yunfei several times, binding him tightly. Caught off guard, Chu Yunfei burst out with his Profound Yin Zhenqi. However, upon contact with the bone whip’s white light, it was steadily pushed back. Later, the bone whip’s white light turned into sharp needles, sealing all the acupoints throughout his body. Unable to mobilize his Zhenqi, Chu Yunfei broke into a sweat and urgently shouted for Mu Yuan to let go. Only then did Mu Yuan retrieve the jade belt and retie it around his waist.