Chapter 229: The Land of Blessings

Buzzing!

Inside the Daoist monastery’s side room, two forces collided, sending invisible ripples vibrating through the air.

If an observer capable of perceiving spiritual auras were present, they would see the two forces—one green and one yellow. The green was overwhelming, forcing the yellow into a corner.

“Worth it!”

Wu Ming’s eyes gleamed with an unusual light. He did not even use any magical treasures, relying purely on his own Dao cultivation to resist the opposing force. “To witness the secrets of a terrestrial immortal’s domain, even if I must sacrifice this manifestation, it’s a great gain… Just hold on a little longer. If I could see the Jade Clarity Daoist’s triple blossoms gathering at the crown and the five energies paying homage to the Origin, this journey would be truly worthwhile!”

Boom!

Just then, the immense pressure across the sky suddenly receded.

The Jade Clarity Daoist smiled faintly, “Daoist Friend Zhaixingzi inherited the Maoshan sect’s lineage and achieved great feats under the command of King Han Hulin. You summoned winds and rains, flooded seven armies, and your bearing is truly admirable!”

This old Daoist immediately revealed Wu Ming’s identity at the beginning, displaying great confidence and underlying strength.

“What a pity… What a pity…”

Wu Ming, however, silently shook his head, somewhat regretful for not witnessing the full might of the Jade Clarity Daoist.

“Still… this is not yet the true blessed land of a terrestrial immortal. If it were, I likely wouldn’t have lasted even a moment…”

Inwardly, he assessed Jade Clarity’s strength: “He should be a newly ascended terrestrial immortal, who hasn’t yet had time to establish his own blessed land. Could it be that his breakthrough occurred only after he pledged allegiance to Ji Yi?”

A blessed land is the stronghold of a terrestrial immortal.

Wu Ming did not know much about it, only that such existences as cave heavens and blessed lands existed in the world, roughly similar to demi-planar realms in the West.

Within a blessed land, a terrestrial immortal’s power would multiply, becoming nearly invincible—something entirely different from a domain or law realm.

At this moment, the Jade Clarity Daoist continued, “Since you, Daoist Zhaixingzi, serve under King Han Hulin, why have you secretly infiltrated my Qianzhou?”

“Haha… Daoist Jade Clarity, your magical power is impressive!”

Wu Ming shrugged his shoulders. “What if I say I was simply bored and decided to travel here? Would you believe me?”

Even at this point, he remained composed and at ease.

It was similar to his audacity in flooding seven armies with water: since this was only a manifestation, even if it were destroyed, it wouldn’t be a great loss, and thus he remained fearless.

“Of course I don’t believe you!”

The Jade Clarity Daoist’s brows slightly furrowed. He had assumed he had already uncovered Zhaixingzi’s weakness and thoroughly investigated his background before preparing to subdue him. He hadn’t expected to encounter an opponent who completely defied conventional logic.

Moreover, he could sense that the Daoist opposite him seemed shrouded in a layer of mystery.

He immediately sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, and his clear, jade-like voice came forth, “The Maoshan sect’s lineage is merely a branch of solitary cultivators, whose methods for refining qi are incomplete. In past generations, only a few achieved great success, such as the Blackheart Daoist and the Holy Mother Red Lotus… Daoist Friend, your cultivation progress is truly admirable!”

Earlier, they had merely clashed with spiritual energies without truly engaging in combat. Now, it seemed even more like a visit between friends, though when mentioning those two names, his expression was clearly disdainful, obviously only offering praise in deference to Wu Ming.

The Jade Clarity Daoist continued, “Now, should I address you as the Blackheart Daoist or Zhaixingzi?”

“Names are but labels. For now, just call me Zhaixingzi!”

Wu Ming had nothing to hide about this body, so he answered directly.

“Excellent!”

A few inches of sharp light seemed to shine from the Jade Clarity Daoist’s eyes: “Then, Daoist Friend, are you here as an enemy or as a friend?”

“As an enemy, how so? As a friend, how so?”

“If as an enemy, then we must settle it with life and death!”

The Jade Clarity Daoist waved his hand, “Although my King has received an imperial decree from the Shang Dynasty, the martial arts of the old ways are being renewed. We are not adversaries of King Han Hulin. Since you serve under him, we should be friends, not enemies!”

“My Maoshan sect indeed supports Han Hulin!”

Wu Ming’s expression slightly shifted: “What does the Daoist Master intend?”

“Even better!”

The old Daoist Jade Clarity showed visible delight: “The Twelve Golden Men of the Shang Dynasty are terrifying! If you, Daoist Friend, would assist us, it would be a great strength. We should immediately head to the Golden Pond of the Tenfold Barrier Pass and strive to facilitate an alliance among the feudal lords to jointly oppose the Shang Dynasty!”

“The Twelve Golden Men, terrifying?”

Wu Ming was genuinely surprised this time.

If the Jade Clarity old Daoist, with his terrestrial immortal-level strength, still feared them so greatly, the Twelve Golden Men must indeed be extraordinary.

“I have heard that these Twelve Golden Men were conceived through decades of effort by the Sage Emperor of the Shang Dynasty, who assembled experts from the Military, Legalist, and Mohist schools, aided by witchcraft techniques, to develop a secret method. If successfully refined, they could eternally stabilize the land’s geomantic energy, suppress the rise of dragons, safeguard the Shang Dynasty’s imperial fortune, and even enable Emperor Shang Jie himself to ascend to divinity, transcending the mortal limits of emperors and attaining immortality. Is this true or false?”

Since there was this “venerable elder” present, Wu Ming naturally wanted to make good use of the opportunity.

“Though there are a few inaccuracies, most of it is true! The Twelve Golden Men gathered all the weapons in the world and were forged with toxic fires from the earth’s lungs, embodying the accumulated violent and malevolent energies of the entire human realm. Once completed, their power will be even more terrifying than imagined!”

A rare expression of fear appeared on the Jade Clarity Daoist’s face: “Moreover, once they suppress the spiritual veins, all across the land, whether Daoists, legalists, military cultivators, martial artists, or even the shamanistic practitioners of the wilds, will fall under their control! The Shang Dynasty will certainly become the first dynasty capable of unifying the entire cultivation world, achieving the great undertaking that several generations of emperors have failed to accomplish!”

The Twelve Golden Men could suppress geomantic forces and prevent dragons from rising. If applied in warfare, even the blessed lands of terrestrial immortals might be subdued.

“…Fortunately, I have studied the Golden Men for decades and have already devised a method to counter them!”

The Jade Clarity Daoist flicked his sleeve: “Well then, Daoist Friend Zhaixingzi, are you willing to accompany this old Daoist to the Golden Pond of the Tenfold Barrier Pass? Your decision will settle it!”

Clearly, after Wu Ming’s further probing, he was no longer willing to reveal more information.

“As for my response…”

Wu Ming smiled faintly: “Naturally, it is no!”

Though softly spoken, these words conveyed unwavering determination.

“What?”

The meditation cushion beneath Jade Clarity Daoist split, as he had clearly not expected Wu Ming to reply in such a manner.

“Have you forgotten my mastery of innate divination? Right now, the Tenfold Barrier Pass is nothing more than a death trap! Yet you sincerely invite me there—what are your true intentions?”

Boom!

As these words were spoken, it was as if thunder had directly exploded in Jade Clarity Daoist’s ears.

“This is practically a matter of celestial fate! How could you possibly know this?”

In an instant, his expression twisted into something terrifying. His immense domain force expanded, and behind him, a faint shadow of a spiritual land appeared.

Peng!

An overwhelming force instantly lifted the entire side room, explosions erupting everywhere, terrifying flames shooting straight into the sky, alarming the surrounding Daoists.

“The place is on fire! The place is on fire!”

Several disheveled Daoists rushed out in panic, preparing to organize rescue efforts, only to be stopped by another old Daoist.

“Abbot, you?”

One Daoist asked in confusion.

“Don’t speak, don’t move!”

The abbot of the monastery appeared to be an old Daoist in his sixties or seventies, with white beard and hair, yet his face was as rosy as a baby’s. With a wave of his hand, he immediately silenced the commotion among the Daoists: “Remember, whatever happened tonight must never be spoken of outside!”

“Understood!”

The Daoists exchanged glances, only to then hear an even greater explosion coming from the side room.

“Jiejie…”

Ghostly laughter echoed all around. A giant skull emerged from the flames, its enormous mouth opening to reveal a Daoist stepping out. Everyone recognized him—it was none other than Zhaixingzi.

“Haha… Old Daoist Jade Clarity, was it really necessary to get so angry over just a little truth revealed? It’s not good for your cultivation!”

With a booming laugh, Wu Ming left a trail of blood across the sky. Five streams of black qi flew from his body, wrapping around him as he swiftly departed, leaving a dark trail across the heavens:

“The Boundless Cosmos, Five Specters’ Evasion Technique!”

“Cursed!”

The Jade Clarity Daoist emerged from the flames, his body emanating a glowing aura. Even the red tongues of fire could not approach him. However, his expression was now solemn, mixed with alarm, completely devoid of his previous refined and noble demeanor.

“How could he know about the Golden Pond?”

Gazing in the direction Wu Ming had fled, Jade Clarity felt his spirits sink. He knew that even with all his efforts, the chances of capturing Wu Ming were merely fifty-fifty. He did not pursue: “If this information leaks out and alters the heavenly mechanism, the King Wu’s struggle for supremacy will certainly suffer a major setback!”

Seeing the illusory five ghosts emerging alongside a white skull, wrapping around Wu Ming as he fled, Jade Clarity’s face showed further astonishment: “The Maoshan sect’s heritage is nothing extraordinary, yet today I witness a Dao seed capable of transforming heterodox techniques into righteous ones…”

“But… If not for my unstable Dao foundation and incomplete blessed land, having dispersed most of my power, he would certainly not have escaped this place alive today!”

Jade Clarity Daoist’s expression darkened. Then, seeing a group of fire dragons approaching from the foot of the mountain, his frustration deepened: “Damn it!”

…

Swoosh!

Wu Ming, carried by the power of the five ghosts and hastening with a talisman-horse, truly covered over ten miles in an instant, even flying directly over city walls and into the wilderness.

Once there, he immediately let out a long breath of relief: “Indeed… the Jade Clarity Daoist has not yet fully mastered his powers. This is my opportunity!”

However, a terrestrial immortal is still a terrestrial immortal. Even with most of his power dispersed, the clash had nearly gravely wounded Wu Ming.

“Worth it! Still very much worth it!”

He found a cave, sat in meditation to cultivate his energy, and swallowed several medicinal pills to suppress his injuries. Joy appeared on Wu Ming’s face: “The key to becoming a terrestrial immortal lies in the blessed land… The Jade Clarity Daoist, not yet fully accomplished, hastily activated the power of his blessed land, which actually benefited me…”

The transition from human immortal to terrestrial immortal hinges on the gathering of the three blossoms at the crown and the five energies paying homage to the Origin, along with acquiring domain power. Of course, in the Eastern divine path, this is referred to as the divine domain, while cultivators call it the “law realm.”

“A heavenly master aligns with the will of heaven! A terrestrial immortal’s domain is his own domain, where within a small range, his will is the heavenly decree!”

Wu Ming continuously recorded the insights gained from the earlier battle, transforming them into solid assets for his cultivation: “The three blossoms represent essence, energy, and spirit, while the five energies represent the five elements. In this aspect, my expertise in the Five Elemental Thunder Techniques makes the gathering of the five energies relatively easy for me, and the unification of the three blossoms at the crown is also soon within reach!”

Although he had not yet obtained the terrestrial immortal section of the “Yellow Court Yin Fu Jing,” Wu Ming already had a vague understanding and direction for his cultivation.

The benefits gained from this battle, if quantified, would mean that previously Wu Ming estimated needing a hundred years to deduce the methods of a terrestrial immortal, but now he only needed fifty!