Chapter 190: Purification
After taking the third-rank supreme-grade Fire Returning Pill, not only was the absorption speed fast, but it also left no pill toxins in the body. Tong Yao felt his depleted Dantian rapidly filling with Spiritual Energy, his eyes flashing as he looked at Hua Changxi and tentatively asked, “Fellow Daoist Hua, are you a successor of the Dan Sheng Hall?”
The Five Great Sacred Lands of the Central Continent actually had secret connections.
A cultivator’s energy is limited, and a large amount of time is spent on cultivation, leaving little time to learn other skills.
Alchemy, artifact refining, talismans, and formations are indispensable auxiliary skills for cultivators. Even learning just one is a very energy-consuming endeavor. To compensate for deficiencies, cultivators inevitably need to exchange resources.
The Spiritual Energy Revival actually began a very long time ago. How long exactly, even Master himself didn’t know, only inferring it was before the founding of Great Jin.
However, at the beginning, the degree of Spiritual Energy Revival was very low. The Spiritual Energy concentration in some Ruin Secret Realms could at most nourish the physical body, not even enough to allow one to induce Qi into the body.
Later, as time passed, the degree of Spiritual Energy Revival gradually strengthened.
During this period, a group of cultivators emerged. To meet the needs of mutual exchange and resource sharing among cultivators, nine Ghost Markets spontaneously formed around the outer perimeter of the Nine Great Passes guarding the Demon Prison.
In Ancient Times, the places for cultivators to communicate and exchange resources were actually in the bustling marketplaces across the Human World.
The reason for establishing marketplaces in the Nine Netherworlds now is mainly because cultivators who embarked on the path of cultivation earlier did not want the news of Spiritual Energy Revival to be known by more people, and did not want the already scarce Cultivation Resources to be divided among more people. They all tacitly kept the matter of Spiritual Energy Revival a secret.
Establishing marketplaces in the Nine Netherworlds, where entry and exit from the Ghost Market require a Token, is undoubtedly the best means to control the leakage of information.
Before the earth-shattering Great Battle broke out at Qingzhou Five Finger Mountain, the matter of Spiritual Energy Revival was well hidden by all parties. The Royal Family, as well as Nobles and Noble Families, were all secretly accumulating their Strength.
It wasn’t until the incident at Five Finger Mountain that the matter of Spiritual Energy Revival could no longer be concealed, and during that period, Spiritual Energy Revival was in full swing.
When Tong Yao now recalls the incident at Five Finger Mountain, he feels the timing was too coincidental. If it weren’t for that Great Battle between Buddhas and Demons, the current number of cultivators would be eighty to ninety percent less, and most of them might still be mere enforcers living by the grace of the Royal Family and various Nobles and Noble Families.
In his opinion, this was not a good thing.
Among the Five Great Sacred Lands, the Central Sacred Land is the formation core of the Demon Prison, and the other four Sacred Lands serve as Formation Eyes, naturally forming the same alliance. Before the matter of Spiritual Energy Revival was exposed, the Five Great Sacred Lands had little contact. However, after the incident at Qingzhou Five Finger Mountain, the Five Great Sacred Lands secretly established contact.
For example, he knows disciples from the Talisman Saint Pavilion and the Formation Saint Sect. The last time he went to Kunmen Pass, it was at the invitation of Jing Le, the successor of the Talisman Saint Pavilion, to help and gain experience.
As for the Dan Sheng Hall, because its Ruins were occupied by the Imperial Court and converted into the Medical Affairs Department, most of the Alchemists there relied on the Royal Family and Nobles and Noble Families, so he didn’t have much contact with them.
Fellow Daoist Hua casually gave him a third-rank supreme-grade pill, and not just one bottle but several. This superb Alchemy Technique and generous giving made him have to suspect she had a connection with the Dan Sheng Hall.
Hua Changxi listened to Tong Yao’s inquiry and remained silent for a moment.
To say she was a successor of the Dan Sheng Hall, she didn’t seem to have received any inheritance from the Dan Sheng Hall.
To say she wasn’t, yet she obtained ten Wooden Tokens, unlocked nine Qihuang Halls, and also had the Shen Nong Cauldron in her Sea of Consciousness, which seemed to have some connection with the Dan Sheng Hall.
She didn’t feel much sense of belonging to the Dan Sheng Hall. Staying in the Medical Affairs Department was only because she wanted her Medical Skills to have a place to be used and to possess a social identity to stand in the world.
Now that she knew the Dan Sheng Hall was to bear the responsibility of guarding the Demon Prison, she inwardly did not want to be too deeply involved with the Dan Sheng Hall.
After thinking for a while, Hua Changxi vaguely replied, “I am a Physician, working in the Medical Affairs Department.”
The current Medical Affairs Department could not be equated with the Dan Sheng Hall. After hearing Hua Changxi’s answer, Tong Yao was momentarily unable to discern whether she was a successor of the Dan Sheng Hall or not, but he didn’t ask further.
Feeling that the Spiritual Power in his body had recovered considerably, enough to repair the damaged humanoid stone sculpture, he took out the Boundary Stone Powder he carried and began to refine and repair it with concentration.
Hua Changxi watched Tong Yao skillfully repairing and refining on the spot, and mentally gave him a ‘worthy of friendship’ label. Afterward, she began to investigate the center of this Formation Eye, which was made of Boundary Stone.
“Hmm?”
Because she had mastered the Law Power of flames burning and tearing space, Hua Changxi was quite sensitive to spatial fluctuations. When she investigated the edge of the Boundary Stone Platform to the north, she sensed that the spatial barrier in this area was somewhat weak.
With a thought, a wisp of Great Sun Divine Flame was condensed by her and burned towards the weak space.
Soon, a brilliant red light shot in.
The Great Sun Divine Flame burned open a spatial rift, and the red light passed through the opening.
Through the opening, Hua Changxi saw the thick trunk and lush branches of the Fusang Divine Wood.
This place actually connected to the Divine Wood Space!
“Fellow Daoist Hua, what are you doing?”
Just as Hua Changxi was surprised that the center of the Formation Eye was connected to the Divine Wood Space, she heard Tong Yao’s surprised exclamation from behind. Turning her head, she saw Tong Yao rushing over in a hurry, but he stopped after running only a few steps.
Tong Yao looked at the white-gold flame in Hua Changxi’s hand in disbelief, feeling the scorching heat emanating from the flame, and dared not approach further, “This… this is…”
Hua Changxi: “This is the Great Sun Divine Flame.” After speaking, she quickly put away the flame.
Tong Yao’s face showed both shock and disbelief, “How did you obtain the Great Sun Divine Flame?”
Xia Yang and Xia Xue knew about this matter, so Hua Changxi did not hide it, “I fused it with the Seven-Colored Exotic Fire from Tang Valley.”
Tong Yao’s expression became even more shocked, “How is that possible? I also subdued five kinds of Exotic Fire and tried to fuse them, but it’s very difficult for two Exotic Fires to fuse together. How did you fuse seven kinds of Exotic Fire?”
Hua Changxi’s eyes moved. If she didn’t have the Floating Light Sword, she would definitely not know how to fuse seven kinds of Exotic Fire, “This… is something I cannot disclose.”
Seeing that she was unwilling to say more, Tong Yao felt a little regretful. Thinking that they were not yet familiar with each other, he didn’t ask further, but walked curiously to the spatial rift burned by the flame, “I know the Great Sun Divine Flame is terrifyingly powerful, I didn’t expect it to be able to burn through the spatial barrier.”
Listening to his confused words, Hua Changxi remained silent, naturally not revealing that she had already mastered the Law Power of flames burning and tearing space.
Because the spatial rift opened a connection between the Boundary Stone Platform and the Divine Wood Space, the Fire Spiritual Energy on the Boundary Stone Platform side instantly surged by dozens of times. The pressure from the Fusang Divine Wood also seeped through, causing the humanoid stone sculptures that were slightly shaken by the Demonic Aura to stabilize instantly.
Both Hua Changxi and Tong Yao noticed this.
“Do you want me to burn the rift a bit larger?”
“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Hua.”
Afterward, Tong Yao busied himself with repairing the damaged humanoid stone sculpture, while Hua Changxi held up the Great Sun Divine Flame to burn the spatial rift.
By the time Tong Yao had repaired the humanoid stone sculpture and sealed the rift where Demonic Aura was leaking, the spatial rift had grown from its original fist size to a doorway large enough for one person to pass through freely.
“Thank you, Fellow Daoist!”
Looking at the doorway, which was over a person tall and connected to the Divine Wood Space, Tong Yao thanked Hua Changxi again.
With the pressure from the Divine Wood seeping through, the center of the Formation Eye became even more stable.
Hua Changxi clearly perceived the suppressing effect of the Divine Wood’s pressure on this area. She glanced at the Divine Hammer in the center, pondered for a moment, and then looked at Tong Yao, wanting to do him a favor, “Do you want to take the Divine Hammer?”
Tong Yao’s heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the Divine Hammer in the center of the Boundary Stone Platform.
If he obtained the Divine Hammer, both his Strength and his artifact refining skills would improve significantly. Moreover, the one who obtains the Divine Hammer becomes the Sect Leader of the Artifact Saint Palace.
Tong Yao suppressed the fervor in his heart with difficulty, “. The center of the Formation Eye still needs the Divine Hammer to suppress it. Now is not the time to take the Divine Hammer.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi blurted out that she could continue burning the spatial rift. The larger the rift, the stronger the Divine Wood’s pressure would be. With the Divine Wood suppressing it, the Divine Hammer’s role would be less significant.
However, as the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back.
Almost in a flash, she suddenly understood some things.
Being overly eager is not a good deal. Even if she wanted to befriend Tong Yao, she should maintain control of the initiative.
Although she wanted to do him a favor now, she had handed over the decision-making power to him. If she ever needed Tong Yao’s help in the future, even if the probability of Tong Yao agreeing was high, she would put herself in a passive position.
The Divine Hammer is a treasure of the Artifact Saint Palace. She didn’t believe Tong Yao had no interest in it. As long as he wanted it, there would be a day when he needed her.
With this carrot dangling, she would have more initiative in their future interactions.
She had made a big mistake in her previous cooperation with Elder You and his companions, which led to her being in a passive position in a series of subsequent events.
This mistake must not be repeated.
Hua Changxi closed her mouth and no longer mentioned the Divine Hammer.
Although the rift where Demonic Aura was leaking had been sealed, the Demonic Aura that had leaked out earlier had dispersed into Tang Valley.
“Demonic Aura can actually disturb one’s state of mind!”
Hua Changxi discovered that when she approached areas with dense Demonic Aura, the black Awakening Mark on the back of her hand would appear.
The appearance of the black Awakening Mark indicated that the Black Flame was growing. The growth of the Black Flame meant she was being affected by the Demonic Aura, triggering some negative emotions in her heart.
Tong Yao, having tidied up his state of mind that had been disturbed by the Divine Hammer, explained, “It’s not Demonic Aura, it’s the Demonic Aura mixed with Demonic Energy. Demonic Energy is generated by dead Great Demons and Fierce Beasts. Because of their heavy resentment and Ferocity, they can easily affect one’s state of mind.”
Hua Changxi: “Demonic Energy?”
Tong Yao nodded, “What spreads from the Demon Prison is not just Demonic Aura, but also violent Demonic Energy.”
Hua Changxi: “So that’s how it is. Then how can this Demonic Aura be removed?”
Tong Yao shook his head, “Demonic Aura cannot be removed, only purified!”
Hua Changxi: “How is it purified?”
Tong Yao: “In some Territories of the Nine Netherworlds, there are rare treasures that possess purification abilities. However, for cultivators nowadays, our range of activity in the Nine Netherworlds is limited to the Nine Passes. Beyond that, it is quite dangerous. To remove the Demonic Aura in Tang Valley, there is no immediate solution.”
“By the way, do you know Taisu Palace?”
Hua Changxi nodded, “I do.” Wasn’t Shi Niang a disciple of Taisu Palace?
Tong Yao: “It is said that among the direct disciples of the Taisu Palace Sect Leader, someone’s Bloodline Ancestral Return allowed them to obtain the purification Divine Ability of the World-Purifying Green Lotus. That person can purify Demonic Aura.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi’s heart skipped a beat, and she inexplicably thought of Hua Shiniang.
She and Shi Niang are twins. She obtained the Fire Lotus Divine Ability, and Shi Niang obtained the Green Lotus Divine Ability… it seems quite plausible.
“Do you know that person’s name?”
Tong Yao shook his head, “Taisu Palace protects that person very well and has not announced it to the public.” He paused, “Besides the World-Purifying Green Lotus’s purification Divine Ability, the Yang Flame from the White Jade Lotus Petal can also purify Demonic Aura, but the Yang Flame can only purify Demonic Energy.”
Hearing this, Hua Changxi noted down Hua Shiniang’s matter in her heart and quickly took out the White Jade Lotus Petal she had obtained earlier, “How do I ignite the Yang Flame?”
Tong Yao looked at the White Jade Lotus Petal in Hua Changxi’s hand in surprise. He didn’t ask how she obtained it, but simply shook his head, “I also don’t know how to ignite the White Flame. I’ve heard that only those who are absolutely pure and kind can ignite it.”
Hua Changxi frowned, “Absolutely pure and kind? That means absolute good people. Are there such people?”
Tong Yao: “Yes, among the people I know, there is someone who can ignite the Yang Flame. If Fellow Daoist Hua wishes to meet them, I can introduce you in the future.”
Hua Changxi was indeed in a hurry to resolve the issue of the Black Flame, so she didn’t stand on ceremony, “Alright, thank you, Fellow Daoist Tong.”
Not wanting to linger on the Boundary Stone Platform where Demonic Aura was dispersed, Tong Yao walked towards Xia Yang and Xia Xue, asking Hua Changxi to help Xia Xue up, “Fellow Daoist Hua, let’s leave here.”
Hua Changxi: “How do we leave?”
Tong Yao, supporting Xia Yang, walked to the side of the spatial doorway. He drew a Rune in the air with his Spiritual Power, and soon, a light array engraved with complex Runes appeared on the ground.
Hua Changxi’s expression brightened, “Teleportation Array!”
