owlsbooks Chapter 87 Merit and Virtue Soil
Chapter 87 Merit and Virtue Soil
Chapter 88 Merit and Virtue Soil
Before long, Daoist Duobao's magical powers gradually recovered.
He let out a long sigh and slowly opened his eyes. The weariness in his eyes caused by the depletion of his magical power had mostly dissipated.
Seeing that he was unharmed, Xuan Yao stood up and said with a gentle smile, "Fellow Daoist has a profound foundation. You were able to recover your vital energy in just a short while. You are indeed extraordinary."
Daoist Duobao smiled wryly and waved his hand, but he did not try to hold on any longer.
The two of them found a blue stone next to the innate spiritual spring and sat facing each other.
Lingxiao, who was standing by, stepped forward with great insight. She took out a set of white jade tea utensils from her sleeve, drew upon the gushing innate spiritual spring water, and slowly brewed the tea with a gentle fire of wind and thunder.
Before long, the spring water began to boil.
Lingxiao took out the Enlightenment Tea he had obtained in Wuyi Mountain and put it into the jade cup.
A wisp of clear tea fragrance rose with the steam and slowly diffused across the mountaintop.
The fragrance was neither strong nor overpowering, yet it possessed a unique ethereal and profound quality, seemingly capable of cleansing away the impurities of the primordial spirit.
The sound of pine trees rustling in the wind blends with the aroma of tea, adding a touch of tranquility.
Lingxiao held the cups with both hands and respectfully offered one cup to each of them.
Daoist Duobao picked up the white jade teacup and took a small sip.
The moment the warm tea touched his throat, it transformed into a wisp of clear, spiritual energy that flowed straight into his mind. The last trace of heat remaining deep within his primordial spirit was also cleansed by this enlightened aura.
"Good tea: It really is good tea."
Daoist Duobao sighed, put down his teacup, looked at Xuan Yao, and a hint of shame appeared on his round face.
He said frankly, "To be honest, Fellow Daoist Xuanyao, although I have reached the realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal and my foundation is decent, my lineage is ultimately incomplete."
I am naturally inept at killing, and having suffered from a lack of guidance, my magical power is a mixed bag. Just now, when dealing with two cultivators from the Purple Mansion Continent of the same realm, I almost ran out of magical power.
"If it weren't for your timely intervention, fellow Daoist, I would have lost all face in Dongkunlun today."
At this point, he shook his head and sighed.
"I am ashamed, truly ashamed."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yao gently comforted him, "Fellow Daoist Duobao, why belittle yourself like this? Those two from Zifu Continent are both Taiyi Golden Immortals, and they brought several Golden Immortal disciples with them in formation. Their aura is not weak to begin with."
"Fellow Daoist, you single-handedly summoned a pagoda and completely suppressed two Taiyi cultivators of the same realm. Such a feat is extraordinary even in the primordial world."
He paused, then said, "If that green-bearded Taoist hadn't recklessly ignited his primordial spirit, you would have already achieved great success."
"This battle is not due to your lack of magical power, but rather because your opponent's actions were too reckless."
Upon hearing this, Daoist Duobao felt much more at ease.
Looking at Xuan Yao's upright and peaceful expression, and recalling the superior-grade innate spiritual treasure that the other party had wielded with ease, as well as the sharp sword energy that broke the formation with a single sword strike, he felt even more respect for this outstanding disciple of Xi Kunlun.
The two men chatted idly over tea on this secluded mountain peak.
From the grand sweep of the primordial era to the principles of spiritual practice.
Xuan Yao was knowledgeable and his words were not aggressive.
Daoist Duobao was extremely familiar with all kinds of spiritual objects and treasures, and he could even tell you a thing or two about the origins of many precious materials and spiritual roots.
After their discussion, both of them felt they had gained a great deal.
Daoist Duobao pondered for a moment, as if he had made a decision in his heart.
He reached into his sleeve, fumbled around for a moment, and pulled out a simple, unadorned jade slip.
Daoist Duobao held the jade slip in his palm, looked at Xuan Yao, and solemnly said, "Fellow Daoist Xuan Yao, I have something to tell you."
Xuan Yao's expression turned slightly serious, and he said, "Fellow Daoist, please speak."
Daoist Duobao said, "I am naturally most sensitive to the spiritual energy and wonders of heaven and earth. Thousands of years ago, I was traveling in the southern part of the prehistoric world when I accidentally entered a wild and desolate land shrouded in ancient calamity energy."
"That place is a broken void, with broken Dao traces left from the time of the Great Calamity of Ferocious Beasts everywhere. Those Dao traces are extremely violent. Ordinary cultivators, let alone going deep into them, will have their true spirit worn down by the resentment of the ferocious beasts remaining in them. At best, their Dao foundation will be damaged, and at worst, they will die on the spot."
Xuan Yao's expression shifted slightly, but he didn't interrupt, only listening quietly.
Daoist Duobao continued, "Relying on the spiritual sense of the Innate Treasure Rat, I discovered an ancient cave deep in that desolate land."
That cave dwelling had been nourished by the essence of the thick earth for countless eons, and within it lay a palm-sized patch of fertile soil imbued with merit.
"The soil of merit and virtue."
Xuan Yao felt a slight tremor in his heart.
Daoist Duobao nodded, a hint of eagerness flashing in his eyes, and said in a low voice, "This is it. This thing was formed when a wisp of the merit of creation accidentally merged with the essence of the primordial earth element at the time of the creation of heaven and earth, and it is ranked as a top-grade primordial earth element spiritual object."
It not only contains the purest essence of earth virtue, but also a trace of the power of creation, which can eliminate disasters and resolve karma, suppress fortune, and has many wonderful uses.
At this point, he looked at Xuan Yao.
"Fellow Daoist is currently lacking a precious earth-element treasure to condense the five elements of Taiyi. This Merit-Bestowing Soil is considered a top-tier earth-elemental opportunity even in the vast primordial world."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yao felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
He now has thirty-six Zhou Tian Sha Banners, and he is just missing a heavy earth-elemental divine object as the base of the formation.
If one can obtain this meritorious soil, not only will the Taiyi Earth Qi be formed, but the power of the Tiangang Sheng Sha Grand Formation will also greatly increase.
However, Xuan Yao was not blinded by joy.
He looked at Daoist Duobao and asked slowly, "Why didn't you take this divine object back then, fellow Daoist?"
Daoist Duobao gave a wry smile, a hint of lingering fear on his face.
He handed the jade slip to Xuan Yao and said solemnly, "It's not that I don't want to take it, but I'm simply not up to the task. Inside that ancient cave dwells a remnant of an ancient ferocious beast at the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal."
The ferocious beast was enveloped in surging calamity energy, having long lost its mind and acting solely on instinct. It was using the power of merit within that patch of fertile soil to dissipate the boundless karmic burdens it had accumulated during the great calamity, day and night.
Daoist Duobao's expression was extremely serious, and he added, "That ferocious beast is no ordinary Great Luo Immortal. It is shrouded in ancient calamity energy, bloodthirsty and brutal, and its physical body is incredibly strong, far surpassing those demon cultivators of today."
"I only caught a glimpse of it from afar back then, and I was almost locked onto by its aura, so I had to quietly retreat."
"If you are determined to retrieve this treasure, you must not venture out alone. Going there below the Great Luo level is tantamount to suicide."
We need to find a powerful being from the primordial era to help us, only then will we have any chance of winning.
Xuan Yao accepted the jade slip with both hands and probed it with his divine sense.
In an instant, a complex map appeared in my mind.
The map marks many dangerous places in the southern part of the prehistoric world, with simple records of the terrain and the remnants of calamity.
Deep within the map, the location of an ancient cave was firmly marked by the Taoist Master Duobao with a mark of precious energy.
Xuan Yao stared at the mark, his mind racing.
If we're talking about dealing with the remnants of the Great Calamity of Ferocious Beasts, probably no force in the world is more experienced than the Phoenix Clan.
It should be known that during the ancient calamity of ferocious beasts, when the gods ravaged the primordial world, it was only by the Phoenix Clan, the Dragon Clan, the Qilin Clan, and the hundred innate clans fighting side by side that the ferocious beast clan was completely wiped out.
The Phoenix Clan only truly rose to prominence in the southern part of the prehistoric world after the Great Calamity of Ferocious Beasts.
Now, within the Undying Volcano, not only are there ancient ancestors of the Great Luo Golden Immortal level such as Qingluan and Honghu presiding over it, but deep underground, the Primordial Phoenix Ancestor is also suppressing the old calamity.
Xuan Yao had previously traveled south, where he not only rescued Hong Ling, a junior member of the Phoenix Clan, but also returned the Nanming Li Fire Pearl and brought back the Fire Phoenix Branch for Yuan Huang, thus forging a good relationship with the Phoenix Clan.
Given his status as a disciple of Xikunlun, and considering this connection, it shouldn't be difficult to persuade one or two Grand Luo Ancestors of the Phoenix Clan to assist in eradicating the remnants of a ferocious beast shrouded in calamity energy.
After all, eliminating the remnants of the ferocious beasts is a good thing for the Phoenix Clan, as it brings them heavenly merit and helps them erase past karmic obstacles.
Xuan Yao had already made up his mind, but he didn't show it on his face.
He carefully put the jade slip into his sleeve, then stood up and bowed deeply to Daoist Duobao.
"Fellow Daoist Duobao's gift of this opportunity and clue is no less helpful to my path to enlightenment than it is to me. I will remember this kindness and repay it generously in the future."
Seeing him perform such a grand gesture, Daoist Duobao quickly reached out to help him up, saying with a smile, "What are you doing, fellow Daoist? This information would be useless to me anyway, but since it can help you, it has finally found its home."
He waved his hand again, his tone sincere.
"Besides, if it weren't for your intervention, I fear I would have been in grave danger. What is a mere piece of news compared to that?"
The two exchanged a smile, and much of the heaviness from the previous battle dissipated with the wind.
In the following days, the two chatted idly by the Lingquan Spring.
Once the Taoist Duobao's magical power was fully perfected and the damaged restrictions on Duobao Pagoda were temporarily stabilized, the two stood side by side atop the side peak.
Looking out into the distance, one can see the Kunlun Mountains in the east resembling dragons, with purple clouds rising from the east and a sea of clouds surging and undulating among the peaks.
The mountains are majestic and imposing, with glimpses of spiritual light, truly a scene of a primordial immortal mountain.
Daoist Duobao patted the several treasure pouches at his waist, turned to look at Xuan Yao, and said with a smile, "Although I failed to obtain the Nine-Colored Spirit Tree this time, I did make the acquaintance of Fellow Daoist Xuan Yao. To be honest, this friendship is more valuable than any treasure."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yao smiled.
He looked at this future senior disciple of the Jie Sect and said gently, "Fellow Daoist Duobao is magnanimous. If you have time in the future, you are welcome to visit Qinghei Mountain, which is thousands of miles southeast of Xikunlun. Although my Daoist temple is not as magnificent as Dongkunlun, it still has some tranquil scenery."
"At that time, I will treat you to this Enlightenment Tea, paired with the Jade Dew Blessed Mushroom, a specialty of the mountains, and discuss the Great Dao with you again."
"Haha, great!"
Daoist Duobao readily agreed, overjoyed.
"With your words, fellow Daoist, I will certainly have to trouble you in the future."
Having said that, he didn't waste any more time and, with a wave of his sleeve, summoned a pure white auspicious cloud.
Daoist Duobao stepped onto the cloud and bowed to Xuan Yao in farewell.
"Fellow Daoist Xuan Yao, we'll meet again!"
Xuan Yao smiled and bowed, saying, "Take care on your journey, fellow Daoist."
A gentle breeze blew by, and the round, plump figure rode on auspicious white clouds, gradually disappearing into the layers of clouds and mist of East Kunlun.
After Daoist Duobao had gone far away, Xuanyao stood on the peak and slowly withdrew his gaze.
"Of the five elements of Taiyi, the wood element now has a nine-colored spirit pearl, and only the last element of earth is missing."