Chapter 131: The Ice Mountain Demon Forging

Ji Feichen had once consumed a Flat Peach given by a mysterious person. Compared with that Flat Peach, this immortal fruit fell far short. After all, that mysterious person commanded immense prestige; even the Mother of Heaven and Divine Maiden had to show him utmost respect. The Flat Peach he bestowed could be called the supreme treasure of this realm. Although it was only half a peach, the primordial energy entering his body washed his marrow, thoroughly cleansed the Blood Midge Curse within him, and laid a solid foundation for him to achieve the status of an Earth Immortal. Innumerable energies, otherwise difficult to refine, scattered throughout his body. As long as he cultivated gradually hereafter, he would undoubtedly attain the realm of an Earth Immortal one day.

It was only because the mysterious person had certain taboos in his heart; otherwise, with a flick of his finger, he could have resolved the blood oath. Moreover, had he given the entire Flat Peach to Ji Feichen, flying up to the azure heaven instantly would not have been impossible. Regrettably, the mysterious person harbored deep apprehension regarding the matters behind Ji Feichen and dared not help him openly.

Having tasted the Flat Peach, Ji Feichen held this immortal fruit in low regard. Examining it closely, he carefully checked the uses of this round, plump immortal fruit.

The immortal fruit from the Turtle Immortal possessed a different purpose. This fairy fruit was called the Wisdom-Spirit Bead Fruit, a spiritual fruit borne by the Five-Qi Wisdom-Spirit Treasure Tree. The tree radiated five-colored brilliance, intertwining with the energies of the Five Elements. Its leaves resembled human palms, with veins clearly visible. Its fruit resembled a bright pearl, likewise circulating the fivefold energies and containing the spiritual essence of the Great Dao.

Ji Feichen tossed the immortal fruit into his mouth with an casual flick. Sliding down his throat, a surge of warmth traveled through five regions: his liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. These five regions were the five internal palaces of the human body, as well as the foundation for the "Convergence of the Five Qi."

The Convergence of the Five Qi served as the ultimate symbol of the Human Immortal realm. Only when one's internal fivefold energies returned to oneness and merged into a primordial unity could one cultivate the true body of an Earth Immortal.

The Wisdom-Spirit Immortal Fruit was formed by gathering the five energies of heaven and earth, and could itself be regarded as a minor cycle. Swallowing the immortal fruit into the body planted the seeds of the five energies deep within the five palaces, allowing the two of them to comprehend this wondrous realm in advance.

Both Pavilion Master Fang and Consort Chen understood the marvelous utility of this immortal fruit and thus sought it from the Turtle Immortal, hoping to enable their disciples to attain the Earth Immortal realm at an early date. Likewise, this was also the Turtle Immortal's reliance to prevent himself from falling into the cycle of reincarnation after death.

As the two ingested the immortal fruit, auspicious mists billowed across their skin, and five-colored halos of light gathered at the back of their heads to form the Dao Fruit Halos. These Dao Fruit Halos were symbols of one's cultivation having reached a certain realm, also known as the Crown Dao Wheels.

Presently, the halos behind their heads differed vastly from before. Ji Feichen's Dao Fruit Halo should have been the Taisheng Divine Statue nurturing heaven and earth, while the female immortal's should have been the Taiji Halo evolving the principles of primordial yin and yang. Yet now, the halos behind both their heads were identical—Five Elements Dao Wheels composed of cyan, crimson, yellow, white, and black hues.

Seeing this, the Turtle Immortal instructed: "After taking my Wisdom-Spirit Immortal Fruit, it will cause the two of you to temporarily comprehend the mysteries of the 'Convergence of the Five Qi,' filling your bodies with the energies of the Five Elements. Within three days, your primordial energy will be abundant, comparable to the realm of Profound Mastery. You may swiftly go and suppress that demonic cultivator, bringing the karmic entanglement of your Cloud Firmament Pavilion to an end."

He subsequently retrieved the "Primordial Taiji Talisman Seal" and the "Yin-Yang Dragon-Beard Precious Sword," handing them both over.

The Dragon Girl remained temporarily at this place while the two boarded the spiritual boat. Guided by the Turtle Immortal and relying on the two treasures, they sought the location of the whirlpool.

The moment the two set out, the whirlpool concealed by Pavilion Master Fang automatically manifested across the sea area, with a huge iceberg plunging into the seabed like a pillar supporting the heavens. Even Old Monster Toad Palace himself perceived his own crisis.

"Worse! These people are coming—could it be that they intend to take the opportunity to refine me?" The old monster sensed the Taiji Diagram atop the iceberg slowly condensing an even greater might. Two massive dragons coiled around the iceberg, denying him the slightest chance of escape.

Being fellow Earth Immortals, the old monster naturally understood Pavilion Master Fang's intentions. The reason he had not been killed was simply because the time was not yet ripe.

"That bastard wants to take advantage of the cosmic cycle when Dao flourishes and Demons wane to send his successor to kill me. On one hand, he schemes for merit to re-establish the Cloud Firmament Pavilion; on the other hand, he seizes the fortune of our Toad Palace."

Had Pavilion Master Fang killed him with his own hands back then, although it could have prolonged the Cloud Firmament Pavilion for another century, it still ultimately could not have escaped the great trend of destiny. Therefore, the pavilion master had deliberately laid plans for the future, leaving various opportunities for his descendants.

Riding the Azure Empyrean Spiritual Boat, the two quickly arrived at the iceberg.

Seeing the Taiji Diagram atop the iceberg, Immortal Yuzhi sighed: "In my early years, I heard my Master say that Patriarch Fang, as the final grandmaster pavilion master of our Cloud Firmament Pavilion, possessed cultivation reaching the heavens and was merely half a step away from becoming a Celestial Immortal."

Ji Feichen was also quite curious about this legendary pavilion master, so he asked: "Did he ultimately ascend or not?"

"Unclear. After all, the destruction of our Cloud Firmament Pavilion back then happened too suddenly. However, judging by the final outcome, I'm afraid the patriarch's situation was perilous."

After that night, not a single living soul remained throughout the entire Cloud Firmament Pavilion. Moreover, there were traces of scorched earth stretching for a thousand miles, and all suspicion pointed toward Consort Chen.

"Even the grotto-heaven Cloud Realm of the Cloud Firmament Pavilion vanished. Although people speculate that a special technique was used to cast the Cloud Realm into the turbulence of time and space, what the true reality is, remains unknown to anyone."

Back then, the few disciples of the Cloud Firmament Pavilion scattered outside were all survivors who happened not to be in the sect's grotto-heaven. Some of them were fire-stoking laborers, others water-pouring boys; not a single true direct disciple survived.

"Never mind, let's set aside those matters and deal with the present situation first." The fairy looked toward the iceberg and said to Ji Feichen: "Grandmaster Fang made preparations long ago, bestowing a talisman seal to manipulate the restrictive magic and a precious sword to slay the demonic cultivator. I shall hold the talisman seal to manipulate the demon-refining art, while Junior Brother guards the flanks to prevent him from breaking free."

"Very well."

The two commenced their actions, with Ji Feichen standing on the clouds holding his sword on guard. Nearby, Immortal Yuzhi cradled the talisman seal, channeling her own dharma power to resonate with the Taiji Diagram upon the iceberg. Possessing the Turtle Immortal's immortal fruit, the fairy's internal dharma power surged turbulently, leaving her with no fear of depletion.

Strands of profound and marvelous incantations surfaced beside the talisman seal. Holding this Taiji talisman seal, Immortal Yuzhi could feel her understanding of yin, yang, and the five elements continuously rising.

"The ultimate of a Human Immortal lies in the Convergence of the Five Qi, thoroughly comprehending the acquired energies of the Five Elements. Yet in the understanding of our Cloud Firmament Pavilion, the Four Symbols and the Five Elements are originally one entity—both being the evolution of Taiji yin and yang."

Having this Taiji talisman seal in hand granted the fairy a deeper comprehension of Primordial Taiji, Yin-Yang Two Modes, and the Four Symbols and Five Instruments.

"The Primordial gives birth to Taiji, and the Two Modes transform into the Four Symbols!" She traced her finger and pointed it toward the iceberg: "If not issued now, when else?"

With her jade finger's point, a crash of celestial thunder struck the iceberg.

Innumerable bolts of lightning converged with the energies of yin and yang as they descended, hammering the iceberg downward incessantly like a giant nail.

Beneath the iceberg lay a pocket of earth-lung toxic fire, the venomous flames accumulated by the Black Sea for thousands of years. It had been suppressed beneath the iceberg by Pavilion Master Fang using immense dharma power. As the fairy catalyzed the restrictive magic, the toxic fire below began to churn violently.

"Damn it." The Demon of Toad Palace was well aware of the power wielded by the earth-lung toxic fire. Years ago, Pavilion Master Fang had suppressed him here precisely to utilize him to suppress the toxic fire of this place. Likewise, the toxic fire was also one of the means used to keep him in check.

Now that the toxic fire had erupted, the demon could only make another move to suppress the flames, watching helplessly as the fairy performed her sorcery.

...

In Toad Palace of the Northern Territory, a group of Earth Immortals suddenly experienced a premonition.

"The location of Number Three has manifested. Quick! Prepare to rescue him!"

Naturally, they had searched for the missing Earth Immortal and True Demon of Toad Palace. However, Pavilion Master Fang had made precautions; without the Dragon-Beard Fan to draw out the whirlpool, rescuing him was utterly impossible.

Presently was the critical juncture of the demon-refining, but it was also Toad Palace's only chance for a rescue.

Four Earth Immortals made their move simultaneously, channeling their Dao Fruit halos to resonate with Old Monster Toad Palace while preparing to set off for the overseas regions.

Yet before they had taken more than a few steps, a sheet of blazing fire rushed toward their faces. Loud phoenix cries resounded through the sky, and crimson-gold divine birds loomed indistinctly within the flames.

"Feng Qianli?"

Before they could recover their wits, another sweep of autumn-water sword intent cleaved through the void, directly shrouding Toad Palace within its domain.

When the autumn waters arrived, a hundred streams poured into the river. As this stream of sword intent descended, cascading currents converged above Toad Palace, forming a vast expanse of northern sea marsh. If this sea pressed downward, the entire Toad Palace would be instantly transformed into a watery abyss.

Yet this was not the end. Vast expanses of white clouds obscured the heavenly secrets, while drought-demon crimson fire and auspicious-cloud precious lights rose up one after another.

While Ji Feichen and his companion were refining the demon, various overseas Earth Immortals struck simultaneously, striving to buy time for them.

Strange phenomena occurred frequently above the northern snow plains, leaving the Xuanmen Earth Immortals cultivating in the northern lands tongue-tied in astonishment.

"This lineage of ancient cultivating ascetics actually possesses such deep foundations? Those making a move here number eight... no... double digits of Earth Immortals, right?"

"After all, they have backing above—they belong to the direct lineage of the Dao Ancestor. Although they suffered setbacks in our Xuanzheng Prefecture, they still exist just as well in other places." Two immortals stood in the distance observing. Although both were Xuanmen immortals, they were both anomalies. One was a vessel-immortal cultivated from the Ice-Profound Freezing Heaven Pearl; the other was a beast-immortal cultivated from a ten-thousand-year-old cold dragon. Both were elders of a certain Northern Territory sect.

"What is even more astonishing is that most of them are merely beating the drums on the sidelines, and only two are directly attacking Toad Palace. Furthermore, both are presences close to Celestial Immortals." A third Earth Immortal hurried over to watch the battle. This Snow Jade Immortal was a rogue cultivator of the northern lands. While gathering cold qi to practice his arts at home, he had never expected to witness this long-distance clash.

Indeed, whether it was Feng Qianli or True Person Qiushui, their true bodies were still in the East Sea at this moment, merely roaming heaven and earth with their primordial spirits and attacking Toad Palace from afar.

Phoenixes cried across the nine heavens, and crimson glows dyed the firmament. Amidst the ancient clouds, only vast feathers loomed faintly.

This entity who had successfully cultivated the Phoenix Great Dao could be described as a supreme figure among scattered immortals. In past years, the Snow Jade Immortal had even listened to lectures seated before him.

Yet the other, True Person Qiushui, was unknown and obscure.

The Cold Dragon Immortal pondered for a moment, then came to a sudden realization: "The Daoist remains unheard, supreme virtue remains unobtained, the great person has no self. If I mistake it not, this person seems to belong to the legendary Nanhua lineage."

The Nanhua lineage, similar to the Supreme Palace, was a single-transmission lineage. They revered True Person Nanhua and practiced the *Nanhua Classic*.

"Every background is grander than the last." The three immortals looked at each other, smiling bitterly one after another. Within the immortal cultivation world of Xuanzheng Prefecture, the northern land possessed the weakest faction. Whether in terms of the number of Earth Immortals, the abundance of sects, or even the scale of mortals, it fell short of the other three regions.

"Never mind, let them fight their fight; as long as we don't participate, it'll be fine." Seeing that the two high experts acted with a good sense of proportion and that this battle would not cause widespread collateral damage, several Earth Immortals turned away and went about their respective business.

...

The people of Toad Palace were obstructed by various scattered immortals, while the old monster trapped within the iceberg could only watch helplessly as hundreds of millions of talisman lights emerged outside the iceberg. Every single talisman light was a miniature Taiji pattern.

Dense, overlapping Taiji diagrams covered the iceberg, using the iceberg as a staff to churn the sea of fire below. Meanwhile, the sea of fire below surged upward along the iceberg, and the demonic cultivator was completely imprisoned within this ice and fire. Toxic flames raged beneath him while biting frost devoured the surroundings; if he wished to stay alive, he had to continuously use freezing ice to suppress the toxic fire below. In doing so, the cold qi extinguished the toxic fire, transforming it into wisps of white vapor that billowed out from the iceberg and flew back into the Taiji diagram to enhance the demon-refining power.

One could say that the old monster struggled in vain; the more toxic fire he extinguished, the stronger the demon-refining power acting upon him became.

"Knowing it is drinking poison to quench thirst, yet he has no choice but to continue." Ji Feichen stood holding his sword, observing the scene clearly: "Speaking of which, this dual attack of water and fire is somewhat similar to the Kan-Li Water and Fire Pillars of the Demon-Suppression Pagoda. Upon careful thought, is this perhaps a method employed by Xuanmen to mobilize yin and yang and harmonize water and fire?" He could not help feeling a sense of fortune inwardly; such techniques of "harmonizing water and fire, dragon and tiger" were no strangers to Xuanmen. Anyone who achieved the Golden Elixir Great Dao and refined the Human Immortal Dao Fruit understood them clearly. Yet having entered the path midway without cultivating the Xuanmen Golden Elixir, he...

"Had I come alone, I'm afraid I would have found it difficult to control the demon-refining restrictive magic of the Cloud Firmament Pavilion during the refining process."

Fortunately, Immortal Yuzhi presided over the demon-refining art; otherwise, under Ji Feichen's sole operation, Old Monster Toad Palace would truly have had a chance of breaking free.

As time ticked away, the iceberg gradually melted amidst the toxic fire, replaced by clumps of white vapor condensing within the Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram. The sea of fire below also began to shrink within the iceberg, its scale far inferior to just moments ago.

At this very moment, the iceberg suddenly exploded. A giant whale emerged from within, fiercely ramming against the Taiji Diagram!