Sect Leader Is Under Great Pressure CH 105 A Flower Holds A World, A Leaf Contains Enlightenment
Xiao Yang is getting more and more over the line. Does he think he can tease my disciple?
Ji Yunlai was slightly displeased and mentally marked a cross next to Yang Fuyin’s name, thinking that it might be time to discipline this apprentice. However, this was a small matter. After considering it for a moment, he continued to gaze into the distance.
This travel trip was so much fun!
Yun Capital rose high into the clouds, with a sea of clouds flowing around it. From afar, it looks like a city floating in the sky. Adding in the occasional appearances of spirit demons and creatures flying in and out, Ji Yunlai felt as if he had stepped into a fantasy world.
There was no place for the flying peaks to land in Yun Capital, so they landed on a flat space outside the cliff.
This city, if it could be called a city, was more like a massive beast demon's nest. Here, one had to be constantly on guard against possible attacks from spirit demons and monsters, so they must move in groups.
Feng Qingxiu’s group, of course, included his master.
After going through various preparations for landing the flying peaks and activating wards, Ji Yunlai excitedly carried his apprentice up to the beast demon's nest that was Yun Capital.
Upon arriving at the nest, they saw a rule posted: The beast demons in Yun Capital must not exceed the size of the nearby stone monument. The stone monument was six meters tall, wide, and long. Standing next to it, Ji Yunlai and Xiao Qing instantly appeared small in comparison.
As they walked, the two chatted.
Ji Yunlai said, "For the free-spirited spirit demon clans, a gathering place like a city is really rare. They usually just take whatever they lack by force, or they wait by a spiritual herb for a thousand years to mature. Only Great Sages can suppress these unruly spirit demons."
Feng Qingxiu smiled faintly, then sighed a bit. "I pity those great spirit demons who guard their spiritual treasures for years, only to have them snatched away at the last moment, even becoming prey themselves."
"This is the survival law of the spirit demons: the strong prey on the weak, and nature takes its course," Ji Yunlai nodded, recalling his own experiences. He mused, "In truth, the human race is no different, except we’ve learned to defy the heavens."
"Isn't it about following the will of the heavens?" Feng Qingxiu had been following his master's train of thought but suddenly couldn’t reconcile this idea. "Humans observe the changes of the seasons, summarize the 24 solar terms, and follow the rhythm of farming. Even cultivation often involves proclaiming 'this is the will of the heavens.'"
"On the surface, yes. But if we truly followed the will of heaven, we wouldn’t be cultivating for immortality at all. Humans are smarter than spirit demons because they learn from experience and exploit loopholes." Ji Yunlai spoke casually while examining the various spiritual items around the beast demon nest. Here, if one wanted something, they had to ask about it and trade; it was like a primitive society.
Though in some ways, it was even less civilized—at least in primitive society, there wasn’t the principle of eating someone just because it was a moment of pique.
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from the side, "Two pounds of Azure Rice, deal or no deal?"
Feng Qingxiu turned curiously and saw Black Snake holding a bag, negotiating with a peacock whose feathers were incredibly brilliant. The object the peacock guarded outside its nest was exactly what Black Snake was pointing at—a dark, indistinct item.
The peacock tilted its head. "Three pounds."
"Deal!" Black Snake agreed instantly, taking out the rice from his pouch and handing it over.
The peacock eyed Black Snake's pouch, clearly still filled with rice, with a predatory gleam.
Black Snake, having taken the dark item, turned to leave.
The peacock glanced over and followed closely behind.
Feng Qingxiu was about to step forward to assist when he noticed a few disciples from Wenjian Peak also looking pleased and following along.
Well, Feng Qingxiu backed off; it seemed his help wasn’t needed.
However, in the next second, they all saw the peacock cry out in alarm and fly away, panic-stricken, dropping a flurry of feathers.
A massive seven-headed snake appeared in Yun Capital, its body spanning a thousand meters, hissing, "That beauty snake is my beloved. No one is allowed to touch him!"
The other spirit demons, seeing this, said nothing. They silently memorized Black Snake’s appearance and returned to their own business.
Hai Chaoxu, satisfied, transformed back into the form of a graceful young man, though his lower body was still that of a long tail. He seductively wrapped it around Black Snake’s leg, wearing an overbearing expression like a king. "Beauty, you’ve finally come. I’ve been waiting for you in Yun Capital for so long. Do you know? Ever since you lashed me with your tail in bed that last time, I haven’t been able to forget you..."
"Slap!" Black Snake's long tail appeared instantly, mercilessly slapping him across the face. "Idiot! Don’t you dare come looking for me again!"
With that, he stormed off in a rage.
The several disciples from Wenjian Peak looked at each other, speechless.
After a while, one disciple sighed, "I told you that snake couldn’t be trusted..."
"Such hindsight!" The other disciples angrily bombarded him.
"How about we find his brother, that bird?" someone suggested. "Fishing requires bait, after all, and weak spirit demons are the best bait here."
"But that nightingale’s talent is camouflage. It can make itself completely unnoticeable. Bringing him out wouldn’t attract anyone’s attention." Another objected.
"Just paint him a bright color to make him stand out. Let’s ask Huang Wei."
"Great idea."
Feng Qingxiu and Ji Yunlai, both amused, wandered around for a while longer before finally returning to the flying peak.
Yan Zhao and Bai Shuixian came to ask him to keep an eye on the flying peaks, as they were going to find the Great Sage here to inquire about collecting Earth Essence.
Feng Qingxiu, of course, agreed readily. Then he asked his master, "What exactly is Earth Essence?"
Ji Yunlai carefully explained it to him.
Earth Essence is found in a tributary that splits from the Abyss and flows into the river here. The eerie underworld energy causes all sorts of fierce beasts to grow in the river, which are extremely numerous and violent. However, this energy also causes the occasional appearance of a grain of extremely black and heavy sand at the river bottom. Collecting this sand is incredibly difficult.
Such is the wonder of the world—these things that are useless to spirit demons are key to cultivating Cloud Talisman Dao Seeds. A single grain of this sand can sell for 5,000 spiritual stones in Kun-Lai. Powerful cultivators then make it into Cloud Talisman Dao Seeds, which can easily sell for 10,000 spiritual stones.
Kun-Lai once lost a Cloud Talisman Dao Seed, and it ended up being auctioned off at the Ten Thousand Immortal Conference in the Central Continent. The three major sects fought fiercely for it, and it eventually sold for more than 100,000 spiritual stones.
So, this expedition's most important objective is to collect grains of Earth Essence. According to legend, this material was once used by Yu the Great to control floods. Just a tiny bit can fill valleys and mountains. Back then, Ji Yunlai also used the infinitely growing nature of Earth Essence to make Cloud Talisman Dao Seeds, which could be placed in a cultivator's spiritual sea of consciousness and turned into a small world, cultivating alongside its owner. This solved the issue of weak foundations in cultivation.
"The spiritual sea of consciousness, what exactly is it? How can it hold an entire world?" Feng Qingxiu was filled with curiosity about this question. Although he could observe the spiritual sea of consciousness within his spiritual platform during meditation, his cultivation level was still too low to fully understand it.
"The spiritual platform is located at the center of the forehead, where the soul resides. It is the place where the human body connects with heaven and earth." Ji Yunlai lightly tapped his apprentice's forehead. "In cultivation, there’s a saying that the human body is a boat to cross the sea of suffering in the mortal world. This is because the human body aligns with the Dao, giving people a chance to attain eternal life. Although the spiritual platform occupies only a small space in the forehead, it can be expanded by the power of the soul."
Feng Qingxiu understood some of this but had many more questions.
"Consider a storage pouch. It may appear small on the outside, but the space inside is vast. To further expand the space, wouldn't you need better materials to support the spatial wards that hold the contents?" Ji Yunlai patiently explained.
Feng Qingxiu nodded. "Exactly."
"The spiritual platform is the same. If you want to expand its space, your soul must be strong. There are legends of great masters from the ancient times, who could create entire worlds with a single flower or leaf. Our Peak Master Tu of Shenong Peak can create up to a thousand acres of spiritual fields, but even he is still far from that level." Ji Yunlai patted his apprentice’s head.
"Master, since you’re a Human Immortal, have you ever planted a Cloud Talisman Dao Seed?" Feng Qingxiu asked curiously. After all, his master was Human Immortal.
"I..." Ji Yunlai was about to say no but stopped. Given his personality, if he were to have his people try something, he would definitely be the first to test it himself.
However, since awakening, he had not seen any trace of his spiritual fields within his sea of consciousness.
The spiritual fields were bound to its owner; even if it could be passed on to someone else, it would damage their spiritual platform.
But since awakening, he had not seen any trace of his spiritual fields within his sea of consciousness.
So, where had his fields—or rather, his world—gone, and how large would it have been?
...He would have to go back and investigate thoroughly.
***
On the Sword Peak, Peak Master An gazed from afar at the eerie city, feeling full of energy, confident she could take on ten Synthesis cultivators at once: "It seems the people in that city have changed! We can go fishing now. Qiao Qiao, come, give me makeup that makes me look like a delicate young girl."
Qiao Long was unmoved: "Did you forget? Last time, after you chased that ancient spirit demon's blood for ten thousand miles and killed him here, they all recognize your scent."
An Xian was instantly displeased: "Can't we rob people happily anymore? Fine, Qiao Qiao, you dress as a girl, and I'll dress as a guy. I refuse to believe it won't work!"
You Bazhua: "If you want to fight, just go. Why come up with so many excuses?"
An Xian glanced at him disdainfully: "Useless trash that can't even fight me should shut up! Or else come fight me."
You Bazhua turned and walked away.
Thus, only the master and apprentice remained on the peak.
An Xian's eyes suddenly twitched as she stared into the distance: "The people from Ziyun Dao haven't come to pay ransom for the captives yet, right? Look at those useless people from Medicine Peak; they actually let a captive escape..."
"Luo Chi? He paid his ransom himself." Qiao Long gave her a helpless look. "I just went to Medicine Peak to exchange for some elixirs to mask your scent. Let me do your makeup."
"When he was caught, wasn't he already searched? How did he still have money to ransom himself?" An Xian sat down in front of Qiao Long, her gaze never leaving the captive, as if trying to figure out where the money was hidden.
"He used a detoxification technique that neutralizes the properties of poisons. Guan Yuli is a kind person and appraised it at a high price. Not only did he allow him to pay his own ransom, but he also gave him extra resources. Now he's staying with the unaffiliated cultivators on the flying peak for the expedition." Qiao Long deftly styled her hair into a youthful bun and took out a powder box. "Close your eyes!"
An Xian closed her eyes, allowing her apprentice to apply the makeup: "Qiao Qiao, after we're done robbing, I plan to go to the Black Witchlands. You don't need to come with me."
Qiao Long's fingers paused: "There are still things on the Sword Peak to take care of. There's no rush. The things you gave to Bai Yue aren't much; I know that."
"I promised Yang Fuyin certain things, and I can't delay giving it to him forever." An Xian smiled lightly, "The trials of knife mountains and fire seas, I always have to try them."
Qiao Long finished the final touches of the makeup, coldly standing up: "Do as you wish."
"Don't be angry," An Xian took out a small hand mirror and, satisfied with the delicate appearance in the reflection, casually said, "You know that the thrill of walking between life and death is my favorite. What's the point of idle cultivation every day?"
"You don't need my permission," Qiao Long said indifferently. "An expedition is meant to explore unknown regions and seek new spiritual treasures, which is your duty as a peak master."
"You're so heartless..."
An Xian felt a wave of sadness.
Qiao Long glanced at her, casually remarking: "The Cloud Talisman Dao Seed that Sect Leader gave you, did you store it in that place?"
"Yes..." An Xian abruptly stopped, her face showing suspicion. After a long pause, she finally said softly, "Nothing escapes you. But Qiao Qiao, prying into things you shouldn't know comes with consequences!"
"I'm just confused. Why did Sect Leader give his spiritual world to you?" Qiao Long couldn't understand. "What is your relationship?"