Taiyi Dao Fruit

"Will not lose?" Daoist Guang Cheng asked.

"Will not lose."

As Jiang Li spoke, he clasped his hands together and then parted them again, between his palms emerged a miniature Five Finger Mountain, inside which was suppressing an object—a Sword Qi.

"Daoist, please."

He pushed his reversed palm forward, and the Five Finger Mountain flew in front of Daoist Guang Cheng, the Seal of the Great Brightness Mantra on top and the Sword Qi inside becoming increasingly prominent.

"The Sword Qi of Manjusri..."

Daoist Guang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly. With a wave of his large sleeve, he gathered the small mountain into it and then turned to leave.

He still had related affairs to handle to prevent chaos from arising at Yuxu Temple.

No matter if Manjusri's words were to cause confusion or to provide cover, Yuxu Temple must prepare itself to avoid being attacked from both inside and outside.

Yin Tulong, on the other hand, stayed with Gongsun Qingyue. One was to protect Jiang Li and the other was to cultivate together with him.

Staying by Jiang Li's side would not only allow for True Qi Dual Cultivation but also make use of the ability of Qingyuan Miaodao True Monarch Dao Fruit to facilitate the circulation of True Qi and advance in power. Aside from interacting with Jiang Li, the Dao Fruit mainly resonated with Gongsun Qingyue's Dao Fruit, thereby aiding her cultivation.

And so, the three lingered on this desolate peak for a long time.

Jiang Li placed the Ochre Whip across his knees and summoned the Divine Farmer's Cauldron, letting it hang in mid-air and shower down streams of Essence Qi, nourishing both himself and Gongsun Qingyue, as well as aiding Yin Tulong in healing.

Yin Tulong himself possessed the Divine Skill of "Lotus Embodiment," which combined both the nature of wood and fire. The Essence Qi from the Divine Farmer's Cauldron was quite compatible with him.

Meanwhile, Gongsun Qingyue could also use the Divine Farmer's Cauldron to promote her Wushan Divine Woman Dao Fruit.

"Fifth Grade Dao Fruit: Wushan Divine Woman · Yaoji"

"Category: Divinity"

"Fitting Conditions: Sixth Grade Human, Divine Dao Fruit, female with the Fire Element"

"Promotion Ceremony: Essence Soul Reliance on Grass"

"Divine Skills: Daughter of Emperor Yan, Morning Clouds and Evening Rain, Dream Escape, King's Image, Essence Soul Transformation Grass"

The promotion ceremony of the Wushan Divine Woman was actually not difficult, mostly requiring patient labor.

Gongsun Qingyue needed to separate a part of her Essence Soul and attach it to a Spirit Grass, or she could simply use the method of corporeal dissolution to affix her Divine Soul onto the Spirit Grass in order to promote.

After the promotion, the skill "Essence Soul Transformation Grass" could be utilized, which was capable of transforming part of her Essence Soul into Spirit Grass to heal injuries and restore power, with both Divine Soul and essence energy able to recover by absorbing the essence of plants.

Furthermore, the Spirit Grass used during the promotion could transform into a corporeal body, acting as a marvelous embodiment, and could even be used to take one's place in death. However, dying as a substitute only worked once; after use, it needed to be cultivated anew.

The other Divine Skill "Daughter of Emperor Yan" allowed Gongsun Qingyue to double the effectiveness of Fire Attribute Techniques and enhance her Qi Shu protection ability; "Morning Clouds and Evening Rain" granted her the ability to call upon winds and rains, supplementing fire with water, and performing the deeds of the Water Element.

"Dream Escape" provided Gongsun Qingyue the capability to enter into dreams—Tianxuan would find it difficult to take advantage of her again in the future.

As for the last "King's Image"... as the name suggests, it meant to be an ideal match for a king, plainly speaking a prosperous fortune for her husband, provided the husband must be a king.

This Dao Fruit Divine Power was indeed very subtle and practically of no use.

Overall, the Dao Fruit of the Wushan Divine Woman was more supportive, not much bolstering combat power, but the aid to cultivation was not minor, capable of significantly accelerating Gongsun Qingyue's advancement.

Jiang Li's own Dao Fruit also had many supportive abilities; his rapid progress was largely due to these.

Moreover, this Dao Fruit could also neutralize an excessive Fire Element, paving the way for the future accommodation of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady Dao Fruit.

And there was also...

Jiang Li glanced subtly at the Divine Light behind him.

Very good, no reaction.

It seems the Wushan Divine Woman, Yaoji, has nothing to do with Yang Jian; Yang Jian's mother must be that Yunhua Heavenly Maiden, unrelated to Yaoji.

If there were any relation, Jiang Li feared that the Dao Fruit would explode right away, blowing up his damn head.

Jiang Li feigned the gesture of healing, Gongsun Qingyue was consecrating Spirit Grass, while Yin Tulong was indeed healing; the three of them acted on their own, preparing for battle with all their might.

Time passed slowly, day by day, providing Jiang Li and Gongsun Qingyue with a rare sense of peace.

But as the month's end drew nearer, the calm before the storm gradually passed.

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On the twenty-fifth of the first lunar month, in the Jiachen year, the Dingmao month, the Wuchen day, it was Jingzhe.

The spring thunder begins to stir, and all living things start to grow, as it's said that all things come out of shock, shock is thunder, hence called Jingzhe, it was as good a time as nature can provide as the beginning of the new year was, a great cosmic timing.

Unfortunately, Jiang Li had already passed through his Heavenly Tribulation; this Jingzhe cosmic timing could not be utilized. Instead, it corresponded to another meaning.

"Jingzhe, it is when hibernating creatures awaken and flee; the spring thunder rouses all creatures, those hidden in darkness should also come forth to show themselves."

Jiang Li rose from the ground, the Divine Light behind him fluctuating, as the Dao Fruit was again stirred.

The wind, it picked up.

The spring wind from the east blew into this perennially frozen area, bringing omens of tribulation and murderous intent.

The Wind Stabilizing Pearl had been put away, no longer keeping the wind at bay; the long-absent Wind Force appeared, hastened by the pull of the Dao Fruit and the pressure of Jiang Li, and also by the rebound following suppression.

In just an instant, the sky grew overcast as the strong winds made the heavens turn dark and grim; the piercing spring cold turned into a bone-chilling freezer, and gust after gust of Wind Force slashed through the firmament like steel knives, leaving clear trails.

After nearly a month of suppression, the storm that was invoked was now threefold stronger than anticipated.

"Has it come?"

Jiang Li felt the plummeting temperature and looked towards the west.

There, clouds surged, and mist spread across, bringing with them the icy chill of winter and a deadly cold, intent on reversing this early spring back into harsh winter.

This was the stir caused by the travels of the Immortal Queen; it was the chill brought by Winter God Xuanming.

At the same time, Yuxu Temple.

The gates slowly opened, and Daoist Guang Cheng stepped out, looking at the fluttering snow and also the Buddha Light gradually emerging in the midst of the snowstorm.

"In both heaven and earth, nothing compares to Buddha, nor in all the worlds around us. Everything that exists I have seen, and nothing is like that of Buddha."

Manjusri ascended the stone steps in front of the temple, holding his sword upside down in his right hand, resting it against his back, with the sword's golden tip emerging from behind his left shoulder, swirling with Sword Light like sparks of wisdom.

Following behind him, his massive Dharma Manifestation progressed alongside him, step by step ascending, gradually shrinking until Manjusri reached the summit and the Dharma Manifestation seamlessly merged into his body, revealing the Bodhisattva Undying Body.

In this moment, Manjusri's Qi Mechanism reached its peak.

His eyes spun with golden light, tinting his pupils a solid gold, and his gaze fell directly upon Daoist Guang Cheng, voicing with a smile, "Daoist, can the Yin Yang Two Extremes Sword still compete with the Wisdom Sword?"

"Of course, it can."

Daoist Guang Cheng replied indifferently.

Two mighty beings approached from different sides, as the wind rose at Tianxuan Gate, and above the vault of heaven, as if enraged dragons roared, twisting and forming into a vast whirlwind.

Simultaneously, more Qi Mechanisms, bright and obscure, moved through the mountains, drawing near to this place.