Three months ago, Author: Xun Chun Xu Zhou
Chapter 60: North Sea Xuan Copper Chun Yu Dian
The night was tranquil, with the sea waves rolling for thirty thousand miles, and the moonlight casting down like silver under the heavenly wind.
Beneath the dark night, the bright moonlight illuminated the boundless, deep waves.
At this time, even the sound of Chu Weiyang's solitary boat cutting through the waves became jarring and harsh.
Yet, sitting at the bow, Chu Weiyang paid no heed to these disturbances.
The vast sea was a place that could leave one feeling lost, but having cultivated the Nine Faced Xuan Turtle Taiyi Spell, beneath the expansive waves, as the dark light swirled in the water, there was no creature that could hide its tracks in the wake of his solitary boat.
For Chu Weiyang, capturing the ordinary demon fish had become almost effortless.
At this moment, with a lift of his hand, another fish was ensnared in the dark light, swirling and flipping out of the sea, plunging directly into a large cauldron.
When he looked again, within the dark light of the water, under the continuous boiling of the Jade Fire, the water, which had been as cold as a spring, was now bubbling vigorously.
In no time, as the white fish soup rolled, it almost transformed into a gelatinous, crystalline fish meat, exuding a rich dan fragrance, swirling with abundant spiritual light.
It was precisely at the right moment.
However, at this time, Chu Weiyang did not feel joy; instead, he slightly furrowed his brows.
For in Chu Weiyang's eyes, this pot of fish soup could have possessed deeper medicinal power and spiritual qi.
After all, this was not merely cooking; beneath the appearance of the witch soup lay the profound principles of alchemy.
The Jade Fire and Dark Light Water that Chu Weiyang employed were both of the highest quality, derived from the supreme methods of Tingchang Mountain.
Yet, even with this perfect timing, it still fell short of Chu Weiyang's expectations by three parts.
In the moment of his thoughts flowing, the voice of Chun Yu Zhi resonated in his mind.
"I know what you are thinking. Whether it’s alchemy or truly cooking food, have you ever seen anyone frying fish with their palm? I never expected you could comprehend the essence of the Xuan Ming Dan Ding to such an extent—yet this pot of fish soup has the Xuan Ming intent, the principles of alchemy hidden beneath the witch soup, but the cauldron itself is lacking something, no, it’s lacking more than just a bit! I have never heard of a celestial dan being refined from mortal iron!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Weiyang seemed to recall something, and with a flip of his hand, he held in his palm a fragment of bronze that had once been buried under the dust in a secret chamber.
If discussing the top-tier materials he had seen before, aside from the Purple Toad Dan Furnace, the only thing Chu Weiyang could think of was this bronze fragment.
This same relic of a life-bound treasure, the Purple Toad Dan Furnace, must have consumed countless materials in its forging; it was certainly not something Chu Weiyang could manipulate with his current strength.
Moreover, Chu Weiyang held a three-part reverence, knowing that within that dan furnace lay the residual echoes of a great cultivator's Dao fruit.
To use it for mere food, even if it involved alchemy, would be too wasteful.
On the contrary, this bronze fragment, not to mention being an object of the Xuan Ming Dan Ding lineage, posed no psychological burden for Chu Weiyang to use.
Given that the relic had shattered, and with no residual echoes of the Dao fruit left, no matter where Chu Weiyang used it, it should naturally undergo a transformation, becoming reborn.
"Miss Zhi, look..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the spiritual light on his sword swirled, and in an instant, a sword qi slashed down, striking directly at the bronze fragment.
The sharp sound of metal clashing rang out suddenly.
When Chu Weiyang looked down again, there were no traces of the sword qi cutting through the bronze fragment, not even a hint of rust was scraped off.
Yet the young man understood that the intent of this sword was not merely superficial.
Before long, Chun Yu Zhi's voice rang out again.
"Indeed, I had my suspicions earlier. The Daoist Xing in that illusion mentioned the origins of this treasure, saying it was a treasure of a Dao City master. You derived the Yun Ji Jing from it, and I suspected that this treasure must be forged from North Sea Xuan Copper.
But then I thought again, this Xuan Copper is truly extraordinary. In the whirlpool of the extreme north of the outer sea, countless gold and iron are swallowed and buried each year, almost like a furnace grinding wheel, refining the spiritual qi from the water and the malevolent qi from the seabed into it.
Thus, throughout the year, for someone to fortuitously obtain a piece of North Sea Xuan Copper the size of a fist is already a stroke of luck that would make several generations of ancestors proud. So, when I saw the size of that large cauldron, I thought there could not be such extravagance..."
Hearing her tone filled with sighs, it was evident she was once again astonished by the lineage of the Xuan Ming Dan Ding.
In place, Chu Weiyang imitated Chun Yu Zhi, shaking his wrist, with the Jade Fire illuminating his palm, enveloping the bronze fragment within and refining it.
After several breaths, when Chu Weiyang withdrew the Jade Fire and cautiously poked at the bronze fragment with his finger, there was no sign of melted copper or iron; the touch was only the original coldness of the bronze fragment.
He smirked, and only then did Chu Weiyang sigh and speak.
"It seems that such a treasure material, even if it is just a palm-sized fragment, even without the residual echoes of a great cultivator's Dao fruit, the toughness of the material itself leaves me almost helpless..."
Upon hearing Chu Weiyang's lament, Chun Yu Zhi's reaction seemed to indicate she had a solution—
"Is cultivation really such an inconvenient matter! If you were to use your own flame to refine it, unless you reach the Golden Core realm, don’t even think about melting it. The toughness of the items emerging from the sea whirlpool is among the most formidable even among Golden Core materials!
But since it is right in front of us, held in your hand, there is no reason we cannot manipulate it! Whether through rituals or using spiritual talismans to set up formations to draw upon the power of heaven and earth, we can surely manage it!
However, that being said, rituals and talismans are things that will be destroyed after one use, and they are not something your current resources can support. To be both economical and effective is the real challenge; I need to think carefully."
As the conversation progressed, Chu Weiyang increasingly admired Chun Yu Zhi's aura, stemming from her background in Tingchang Mountain, mastering the profound mysteries of myriad laws.
With a flip of his hand, he stored the bronze fragment, placing the sword across his knees, his fingertips pinching a strand of malevolent qi, forming a sword finger that rested on the intertwining golden yellow and silver white sword spine.
"Good! Good! No rush, Miss Zhi, take your time to think. Considering the profound mysteries of Tingchang Mountain, there must be a method that can be applied, not inferior to my Xuan Ming Dan Ding lineage..."
Just as he spoke, it was unclear which sentence triggered Chun Yu Zhi, but when she spoke again, her clear voice was almost tinged with anger.
"What profound mysteries of Tingchang Mountain? Clearly, it was I who once cultivated the myriad laws to their profundity here!"
Seeing the spiritual light on the sword swirling, Chu Weiyang merely smiled and continued to stroke it.
"Good, good, Miss Zhi, whatever you say about Tingchang Mountain, that is what it is..."
In the extreme north of the outer sea.
The towering waves surged, a roar yet to pass, followed by a surge that shot skyward.
From afar, the continuous rumbling sounded almost like thunder, echoing between the "endless mountains" formed by the towering waves.
Looking beyond the "mountains" towards the distance, the source of the thunderous sound, where the sea met the sky, a deep and pure darkness cleaved the heavens and the earth apart.
Sea Eye Whirlpool.
It was as if the endless might of heaven and earth was manifesting.
In the face of this majestic celestial phenomenon, amidst the surging storm formed by the intertwining spiritual qi from all directions, even Song Qingxi, a Golden Core great cultivator, turned pale.
She seemed to be struggling for breath; upon closer inspection, her originally neat palace attire was dampened by the moisture, flapping in the fierce wind, tightly clinging to her body, revealing her protruding figure, making it easy to see her chest heaving violently from her labored breaths.
In the howling wind, the dim spiritual light of the sword qi flickered around her, and the once abundant divine radiance only cast a hazy glow behind her head.
Looking again, even the sword-shaped jade hairpin she held in her hand had developed a deep crack, from which black gas began to rise.
At this moment, a hint of panic appeared on Song Qingxi's cold face, and she instinctively turned to look behind her.
Sure enough, in an instant, a beam of spiritual light fell from afar, illuminating a woman whose figure was concealed beneath a heavy veil, standing in mid-air, locking her aura onto Song Qingxi the moment she revealed herself.
Immediately after, another beam of sword light swept across, and when she looked again, it was Ding You Nian, whose earlier disheveled appearance was now replaced by a sinister glare filled with hatred towards Song Qingxi.
Seeing the woman's figure, Song Qingxi suddenly seemed to give up her struggle; the panic on her face abruptly faded, leaving only a cold expression.
"You..."
Just as she was about to say something, her words were interrupted by the woman.
Clearly, it was a place where the thunderous roars resounded, yet the lazy voice that emerged from beneath the veil was distinctly audible in this realm, as if the wind and rain could not invade it, as if the thunder could not shake it.
"Song Qingxi, you might as well say less nonsense! Most of your Sword Sect members are unreasonable madmen, ready to draw swords and decide life and death over a single word; the remaining few are the fools of your Jieyun lineage, clearly sword cultivators, yet for years they only speak of cause and effect. How can one die without mentioning these two words?
Did you not expect today? Wasn't my second disciple killed by you with a single sword when he encountered your dharma body? Don’t you understand cause and effect? How does this cause and effect work out?
Today, your dharma body, your life-bound treasure, shall all remain here!"
As her words fell, the woman's hazy figure almost instantly dissipated into the howling wind, and when one looked again, only the overwhelming malevolent qi wrapped in the moonlight rushed towards Song Qingxi.
At the same time, that lazy voice thundered in Ding You Nian's ears.
"The lady came here for a swift resolution, but don’t think to drag the Hundred Flowers Tower down with you! Be sensible and scram quickly! Otherwise, after I slay her dharma body, I will personally take your life!
Scram—!"
The moonlight was hazy, rising straight to the center of the nine heavens.
At this moment, Chu Weiyang still sat at the bow of the boat.
He had stopped contemplating the bronze fragment and had begun to cook the second pot of fish soup.
As the fragrance of the dan intensified with each breath, it soon reached the peak of perfection.
Without raising his hand, Chu Weiyang gently opened his mouth, and then, as the Jade Fire and Dark Light Water enveloped, the water and fire spiraled together, wrapping the fish soup, transforming into a stream of light that flew into Chu Weiyang's mouth.
In almost an instant, as Chu Weiyang swallowed, the witch soup transformed into blazing fire, plunging directly into his stomach's dan ding.
The steaming spiritual qi and medicinal power, under the refining of the water and fire in the ding, continued to rise.
Rarely, Chu Weiyang's pale face gained a hint of color.
In that fleeting sense of fullness, he slightly squinted his eyes, seemingly lost in a mild intoxication.
Just as Chu Weiyang was immersed in this experience, carefully savoring it, suddenly, his expression changed, and he opened his eyes wide.
The young man's somber gaze turned towards a distant empty space, where several howling sounds almost simultaneously erupted from the slightly calm sea surface.
Under the clear moonlight, several streams of dark light shot forth like sharp swords!
Swish—!
Before the dark lights could converge in that empty space, in the next moment, a blue spiritual light swirled and burst forth from beneath the sea surface.
When Chu Weiyang looked again, he saw a thin Daoist standing on the water, meeting Chu Weiyang's gaze with an awkward smile.
However, on Chu Weiyang's face, there was no trace of a smile; on the contrary, as the thin Daoist's figure became clear, Chu Weiyang's somber expression grew darker, his hollow gaze unmoving, almost unable to suppress the killing intent surging forth.
At the same time, the howling sounds from beneath the sea abruptly ceased, and several streams of dark light scattered in the water, disappearing without a trace, yet they were not retracted by Chu Weiyang.
In the outer sea, where there are people, there are dangers; if one wishes to avoid trouble, they can only adopt such a fierce expression.
Thus, after several breaths of silence and mutual staring, Chu Weiyang's hoarse voice finally broke the stillness.
"I didn't announce my arrival; were you not planning to come out?"
As the words fell, the smile on the man's face grew even more awkward, and for a moment, he even bent at the waist.
Yet Chu Weiyang observed closely; from beginning to end, the man remained calm, standing on the water, unaffected by the surging waves.
"It is my fault, my fault! Seeing my fellow Daoist here refining water and fire, your technique is truly exquisite; I was so entranced that I committed a grave taboo. However, fellow Daoist need not worry; regarding your cultivation, I can swear that I will not leak a single word!
Oh, by the way, I observed that your marvelous technique, amidst the interplay of water and fire, contains the blood and malevolent qi of demon beasts. I have only heard of such a method in one place; I wonder if you are a disciple of Tingchang Mountain? To make amends, I have another opportunity to offer you!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Weiyang remained seated, still unperturbed, but when he raised his eyes to look, the depths of his gaze swirled with the spiritual light of water and fire.
On the calm sea surface, the young man's hoarse voice resonated.
"I am not a disciple of Tingchang Mountain; I am a cultivator from the Chun Yu family of Dongshan, named Chun Yu Dian. This fellow Daoist may elaborate on the opportunity."
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