Chapter 23: Stone Gu

  Captured the giant monster, Mu Yuan was overjoyed in his heart, and summoned Feng Luan to transmit a message with his divine sense, asking about the origin of this monster!

  Like the phoenix and the luan, these spiritual beasts have not yet acquired the ability to speak, but they are naturally intuitive, wise with age, and knowledgeable about human affairs. They communicate directly through divine consciousness, eliminating the constraints of language, allowing for free exchange at will.

  After listening to Feng Luan's chaotic explanation, Mu Yuan finally understood the origin of this giant monster.

  It is said that deep mountains and vast marshes often give birth to dragons and snakes, while the rocks, trees, and grass of these mountains can also produce spirits after many years. This giant monster was born from the essence of this mountain in the forest sea, equivalent to the mountain gods passed down in the secular world, but in the eyes of cultivators, it is called a Mountain Goblin!

  The various monsters born from different objects have different abilities, such as this mountain goblin. Its body is extremely powerful, but its movements are clumsy. Moreover, being a spirit of the mountain rocks, its physical body is extremely sturdy, and even flying swords cannot pierce its skin. If not for Wood Element having the Dragon Soul Sword in hand today, it would be impossible to defeat this mountain goblin!

  Among the five elements, Li Huo subdued Xi Jin, and Feng Luan's black fire also posed a threat to it. However, this mountain imp was born with an endless supply of time, and had learned the skill of stirring up mountain winds. Although it couldn't compare to Feng Luan, a divine bird, it also wouldn't be scorched by its flames.

  Having learned the root cause, Mu Yuan finally understood the origin of Shan Xiao. He secretly congratulated himself that Shan Xiao had the attribute of gold and his divine consciousness was as solid as the ancient mountains and rivers, making it impossible for external evil spirits to enter. However, he couldn't subdue its spirit like he did with Feng Luan using his overbearing methods, so he could only temporarily trap it and wait until he had the means to subdue it later, or perhaps ask for help from his sect.

  Hei Shui Hu Lu can be said to be Mu Yuan's first acquired treasure, although the time was not long, but with a body of true energy cultivated day and night, it was quite familiar. With a wave of his hand, he set up several arrays, and the black water element within rolled and churned, binding the Shan Xiao in a space of about ten miles in diameter, and then he let go without caring.

  Subduing the mountain goblin, Mu Yuan had a mind to see what other strange creatures were in this forest sea. He leaped onto the broad back of the Feng Luan and had it slowly circle low over the forest, scanning below with his eyes. All he saw was an endless array of precious and rare things: beasts running, birds flying. Whenever they encountered the Feng Luan, they all let out low cries and avoided it. The Feng Luan suddenly became arrogant, breathing fire to scorch them, letting out happy cries, feeling extremely pleased.

  Mu Yuan saw a dozen or so giant birds being burned to ashes by the dark fire, and hastily restrained Feng Luan, circling over the forest for half a day, even Mu Yuan felt somewhat tired. Suddenly, he saw a wisp of smoke rising from a mountainous area on the eastern edge of the forest, his heart rejoiced, urging Feng Luan to descend.

  Flying close, presenting in front of the eyes, is a village that occupies a considerable area, with a radius of about ten miles at the end of the month. In the middle are houses made of bamboo and wood, and now it's dinner time, with smoke rising from each household, exuding a warm and cozy living atmosphere!

  "Unexpectedly, there is a village in this remote mountainous area!" Muyuan jumped down from Fengluan's back, stroked Fengluan's feathers as hard as steel, and smiled, "Brother bird, sorry to trouble you!" A burst of black light like smoke suddenly appeared on his neck, and Fengluan was taken away.

  Mu Yuan then tidied up his collar and walked slowly into the camp, seeing that the scenery inside was indeed different from elsewhere. Everywhere were lush green trees and grasses, especially bamboo, which grew in dense clusters. Although it was already deep autumn outside, with leaves falling and plants withering, this place remained lush and luxuriant, dense and verdant!

  Perceiving the wooden spiritual energy stored in the surrounding bamboo and wood, it was rich and dense, as if each life was gestating and bursting forth. Mu Yuan felt that his own Longevity True Qi was fluctuating wave after wave, as if responding to the resonance between heaven and earth, joyful and delightful, causing Mu Yuan's spirit to be refreshed wave after wave!

  "The Secret of Longevity is the supreme wonderful secret. I observed the Dragon King's movement, actually it is a method for the dragon clan to pursue great martial power, far inferior to the Secret of Longevity in terms of longevity. This is not surprising, as dragons are born strong and long-lived, and with just a little cultivation, they won't suffer from death. They have an advantage in the path of longevity! On the other hand, the Tides and Ebbs method emphasizes adapting to external changes, even if the heavens collapse and the stars extinguish, it's just a change in form, still considered as the path of longevity!

  Mu Yuan walked slowly, suddenly having a feeling, comparing his own three cultivated heart methods, distinguishing their differences, choosing his own direction!"

  The Dragon King is vigorous, controlling thunder and lightning, making clouds and rain, which is indeed a great divine power. However, for the dragon tribe, who are born with an extremely long lifespan, the technique they created does not pay much attention to the way of longevity, but rather emphasizes the divine power against enemies, which is not the best choice for Mu Yuan.

  While the concept of tidal flow is so open-minded, Mu Yuan doesn't like it either. In the end, he still has to work hard on the Longevity Formula!

  Since the strange encounter, Muyuan has somewhat neglected the Longevity Technique. After all, whether it's the tide or the dragon king's movement, they are unpredictable and have many means of dealing with enemies. As for Muyuan's practiced Longevity Technique, except for the one door of Qingmu Divine Spear, most of the divine powers have not been learned, so naturally there is a sense of being put on a high shelf!

  At this moment, surrounded by countless lush bamboo and trees, my mood is calm and joyful. With a turn of the eye, the confusion of many days has been broken, and my heart has returned to clarity. I have come to understand the key to longevity, and I am beginning to understand why, after the five elements dispersed, only the Wooden Path's Fei Long Zi single-handedly created the Palace of Longevity, while the other four paths remained silent and unknown. The reason is simple: the secret to longevity is the closest path to immortality. Compared to the other four paths, it can refine the most people's primordial spirits, with the highest success rate. Therefore, the entrance to the Palace of Longevity is bustling, with many people seeking immortality and asking about the Tao, allowing the Palace of Longevity to stand firm in the cultivation world!

  Mu Yuan was overjoyed, and his heart felt relieved. Originally, the Longevity True Qi that had broken through to the third layer of Refining Qi had a tendency to grow again, which made him even more surprised. It's worth noting that the first three layers of Refining Qi are all methods for cultivating the physical body, and the so-called Dao realm comprehension will only become apparent after reaching the fourth layer of Refining Qi. The first three layers require great patience and perseverance, with no possibility of sudden success. Now, having just broken through to the third layer of Refining Qi not long ago, there was actually an increase again, how could he not be overjoyed!

  However, Mu Yuan also knew that this was not without reason. Whether it was the tide or the dragon king's movement, it did not conflict with the Longevity Technique, but rather had a beneficial effect on it. In recent days, he had been contemplating the two techniques, and unknowingly increased the source of the Longevity True Qi. The clouds and rain, thunder and lightning were all necessary for the growth of all things, and could amplify the Longevity True Qi, which was not unusual at all!

  His footsteps were much lighter, and Mu Yuan looked around again, while in the village streets, there were many children playing outside, seeing Mu Yuan's outfit, they were very curious, and stopped to watch, lingering and not leaving!

  He was only seventeen or eighteen years old, and at that time he was already considered to be of marriageable age and should have been starting a family and career. However, since childhood he had been practicing in the Longevity Palace, with little contact with worldly affairs and human emotions, and still retained some childish innocence. Seeing these children wearing strange clothes, which were quite different from those worn by children in Tiandu Country, he searched his body all over but couldn't find any candy, and was at a loss for what to do.

  As I was looking around, a girl with a full body of jade rings and bells walked out of a pavilion on the left side, loudly calling out to a mischievous boy who was playing with mud on the ground. She glanced at Mu Yuan, saw that he was dressed in the attire of a foreign country, and found it very strange. She immediately came over to strike up a conversation, "Original guest, as night is approaching, why not come in together for dinner?"

  Mu Yuan was delighted to see her so enthusiastic and hospitable, and he didn't refuse. For the past few days, he had been hunting wild beasts in the mountains and eating meat, which had become somewhat tedious. As a cultivator, although he wasn't forbidden from eating meat, overindulgence would still harm his body. The five flavors would confuse his mind, and greasiness would injure his body. It was rare to come across a home-cooked meal, so he might as well go in!

  Entering the attic, he saw that there was another couple in the house, both of whom were around thirty years old. When they saw Mu Yuan, they were also extremely enthusiastic and hurried to entertain him. After a round of conversation, Mu Yuan had a general understanding of the situation here!

  This place is called Fei Long Zhai, because it is located in the southern border of Tian Du Guo, deep in the mountains, and close to the barbarians outside. In essence, it leans towards the Southern Barbarians, often raising gu insects, practicing flying corpse techniques, similar to the cultivation schools that raise ghostly creatures. Generally, cultivators from the Central Plains do not want to come here, mainly because the gu insects are vicious and difficult to defend against, one careless move and they will be affected by the Dao.

  Mu Yuan listened to this explanation, his heart slightly tightened, and he hastily circulated the true energy of longevity throughout his body, but didn't find any discomfort. Only then did he feel slightly relieved.

  Mu Yuan saw the couple's expression, and the host smiled slightly. It was only then that they learned through conversation that the husband's name was Cha Ying, the wife was called Xin Shuangling, and their son and daughter were the two people Mu Yuan had just seen - the girl was Cha Yun'er and the boy was Cha Feng.

  Mu Yuan saw the shadowy smile and felt a bit embarrassed, so he asked himself, "I've heard that the Gu insect is very fierce, but I don't know what it looks like. Can Uncle show me?"

  "Ha ha, it's nothing much, the rumors about the Gu worms are exaggerated. Although they're indeed formidable, our tribe's method of raising them isn't like that of true immortals who can cultivate shapeless and soundless Gu worms that can kill silently. These Gu worms are just some small toys!"

  He said, taking out a stone the size of a goose egg from his bosom. It was like jade but not jade, like stone but not stone, and it was quite round. He held it in his hand and said, "This is just an ordinary stone token, not a living thing, just a piece of stone that has been refined with medicine."

  Mù Yuán's curiosity arose, and he carefully reached out with his hand to receive it, taking precautions by laying a layer of dense Longsheng true energy on his palm, grabbing towards the Shí Guī!