Chapter 348 The Passing of an Old Friend

After absorbing a wisp of Earth Qi, Ji An ended his Qi-absorbing process.

Similar to the situation with the Great Fire Palace, the Qi of Earth (戊土) and Earth (己土) must be in harmony in terms of Yin and Yang before they can be absorbed by the Earth Element God Palace.

Consuming the Qi of one's own earth requires drawing from the earth's veins, which is the main reason why sects are unwilling for their disciples to consume Qi from the spiritual veins.

To absorb the essence of one's own earth, one needs to be deep underground or in a secluded valley; suitable places can only be found outside the sect.

With nothing to do for the time being, Ji An began practicing the Gengjin Zhanling Sword and the Hunjin Xuanjia Incantation, and occasionally he would also use the Earth Escape Technique.

At the summit, golden light shone brightly, swift as thunder, and vast as a river.

A flash of sharp, annihilating golden light appeared, and the temperature in the air dropped rapidly.

At dawn, Ji An finished his training, rode a cloud to the foot of the mountain, activated the teleportation array, and left.

The next moment, he stepped down from the teleportation array on Ningcui Cliff and arrived at the adjacent cave.

Ge Ying sat in a chair, holding a communication talisman sword in her hand.

Her brows were furrowed, her eyes were silent, and she seemed unaware of her disciple's arrival.

"Greetings, Master."

Ji An cupped his hands in greeting, carefully observing the other party's slightly dejected expression, and tentatively said:

"Master, you seem to have something on your mind."

Ge Ying snapped out of her daze, weakly raised the talisman sword in her hand, and said in a low voice:

"Junior Brother Ye Changqing passed away last night."

She had seen many familiar cultivators go, and thought she had come to terms with life and death, but she found that she couldn't do it at all.

Ji An remained silent. Since breaking through to the Chaoyuan stage, he had had much less contact with Ye Changqing.

Although he still sends people every year to deliver spiritual wine, honey, mulberries and other supplies to Crimson Flame Peak, the opportunity to meet in person is gone.

Looking back now, it seems that the last time they met was seven or eight years ago.

"Junior Brother Ye has no relatives. He once took in several disciples, but they all fell on the path to immortality before him."

The sect's Hall of Diligence will be responsible for his funeral. Following his wishes, after cremation, his ashes will be buried under a sacred tree.

Ge Ying gave a bitter smile and continued:

"Evergreen, on the path to immortality, who can remain evergreen!"

Most cultivators strive diligently, yet their lifespan is less than that of a large tree in the mortal realm—a pitiful and lamentable fate.

She was feeling very down, her energy was draining away quickly, and she felt she couldn't hold on much longer.

Ge Ying raised her head and said softly:

Will you attend the funeral? It will be held three days from now at his cave dwelling, Xuanhua Peak.

Ji An nodded, "I will go. I met Fellow Daoist Ye after I broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and it is only right that I see him off on his final journey."

Back then, he purchased a large number of tree branches for propagation, and the other party took care of everything for him. Whenever there was a suitable task in the sect, the other party would also reserve it for him.

The past shines like the setting sun reflected on the sea.

One by one, things I thought I had forgotten resurfaced in my mind.

He sighed softly, venting his worries and anxieties.

The deaths of his fellow disciples and old friends only strengthened his resolve to pursue the Great Dao.

While there are no bottlenecks now, we should cherish the time and not waste it.

Seize all the power at your disposal, overcome all obstacles, and forge a broad and prosperous path.

Lin Mao was staring blankly at the back of his chair, his head tilted to the side, his face full of disappointment and sadness. On the table beside him was a communication talisman sword.

Ji An stepped into the room and asked:

"You also received Fellow Daoist Ye's message?"

Lin Mao snapped out of his reverie and hurriedly got up. "Palace Master, I was daydreaming. What did you say?"

"I'm asking you, didn't you also receive a message from Fellow Daoist Ye Changqing?"

"Yes, the Diligent Work Hall sent the talisman sword this morning."

Lin Mao's voice carried a sense of sorrow for those who were like him. He was only a dozen years younger than Ye Changqing, and Ye Changqing's lifespan had come to an end. His own life, like incense, was also running out of time.

“Palace Master, there are no particularly urgent matters at the Palace of Agriculture recently. I request to attend Fellow Daoist Ye’s funeral in three days.”

"It's approved, I'll go that day too."

I have business to attend to at Chaoyang Peak today. Whatever happens in the hall, you are in charge of making decisions.

"Yes, ma'am."

Ji An nodded slightly, then turned and left.

Lin Mao then left the room, watching the fiery red auspicious cloud, as radiant as the sunset, depart, a deep look of envy in his eyes.

"It doesn't seem difficult for a cultivator at the Chaoyuan stage who is only a hundred years old to break through to the Golden Core stage!"

The sadness in his eyes resurfaced, and he shook his head, sighed, and walked back to his room.

Golden Core cultivators can live for a thousand years, witnessing countless worldly splendors, and he...

Chaoyang Peak, Wuji Hall.

"Disciple Ji An greets the Ancestor."

Master Zhengyang said with a smile:

"No need for formalities, sit down and let's talk."

I was talking about you with Jia Yu yesterday, and now I see you. Are you having some questions about your spiritual practice?

Once the disciple establishes the Earth Element Divine Palace, he must cultivate the Earth Element chapter of the Five Elements Reincarnation Sutra.

Since the other party has never been exposed to fire-based techniques, they will likely have many questions.

Ji An scratched his head and said:

"Reporting to the Ancestor, this disciple has not encountered any questions at the moment."

He practiced the exercises step by step without any doubts, and everything went smoothly.

"Really not?"

Master Zhengyang felt a little disappointed; he had been preparing to give his disciple a proper explanation of the cultivation of the Earth Path.

From the Foundation Establishment stage onwards, he cultivated earth-based techniques.

The Way of Earth is the Way of the Five Elements that he understands most deeply.

I had already prepared myself to be a teacher, but my student said he had no questions!

“That can’t be said to be nonexistent,” Ji An said, understanding the implied meaning, and began to recount his experience of cultivating the technique.

Listening to the underlying meaning of words is something ingrained in his very being.

Master Zhengyang listened attentively, offering guidance on his disciple's cultivation, and his interest was greatly aroused:

"The element Earth possesses the divine meaning of bearing, nourishing, and encompassing; it carries the weight of all things, nourishes plants and trees, embraces all filth, and also has the effect of warding off evil spirits and malevolent entities."

Two hours later, he smacked his lips and nodded in satisfaction.

Now I feel satisfied. People always have a desire to confide in others and like to talk about what they are proud of.

"I wonder when I will be able to reach the level of the Ancestor," Ji An sighed, offering flattery.

It can't be called flattery; it's more accurate to say it's admiration.

The other person explained a lot, and he understood most of it. Only then did he realize that it could be done this way!

"Haha, once your Earth Element Divine Palace grows to its full potential, you will gain insight into even more things."

Master Zhengyang leaned back completely in his chair and said:

"Is there something you need today?"

"You just remembered?" Ji An grinned.

"That's right, disciple has now opened up the Earth Elemental God's Abode, and can now consume earth and circulate energy."

Master Zhengyang interrupted:

"You want to go out and eat qi right now?"

He would be quite at ease if it were any other disciple who was at the third stage of the Chaoyuan realm going out.

But he couldn't rest easy if even one of his Lingnong disciples went out.

No, that's not true.

Ji An shook his head, "This disciple does not leave the sect too far, but only moves within a radius of a thousand miles, absorbing the Qi of Wu Earth and Ji Earth."

Not for improving cultivation, but solely for forging the supreme spiritual artifact, the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner.

The decaying aura emanating from his master grew stronger, and he vaguely sensed that the other party probably only had ten years left to live.

He will not leave the sect for any long journey during this period.

This is a good opportunity to reflect and calm myself down.

Improve your magical abilities, refine top-grade spiritual artifacts, and research the talismans of the Chaoyuan stage.

Master Zhengyang nodded slightly and said:

"With Chaoyuan Peak as the center, the area within a radius of five thousand miles is covered by the landscape map."

If you encounter danger, you can immediately activate the sect's jade token to call for help.

I bestow upon you a talisman that can withstand attacks from mid-stage Golden Core cultivators and greatly increase your safety.

He took out a talisman and handed it over, saying, "Take it."

The talisman, imbued with a precious light, outlines a delicate, earth-yellow pagoda.

"Ancestor, this is too precious."

Could it be that a great danger is lurking in the Western Continent?

Ji An certainly understood what a talisman treasure was: a consumable item created by extracting the essence of a magic weapon, possessing some of the magic weapon's power.

There are no extra magical treasures in the Golden Spirit Sect.

His forehead was furrowed into a deep frown; if there hadn't been hidden danger, why would the ancestor have bestowed upon him such a talisman?

After all, his activities are limited to the sect's territory, and he can receive support at any time.

"The Western Continent should be settled now. Although the demon beasts have not returned to the deeper parts of the Ten Thousand Mountains, they have retreated to the Mingfeng Mountain area, which is tens of thousands of miles away from here."

The demon cultivators who had been secretly plotting disappeared without a trace after the death of the ninth-level Golden Core Azure Dragon.

The only remaining threat is the two demonic cultivators at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

However, the demonic cultivator was severely injured that day and burned his demonic energy source to escape. Even if he managed to survive, his cultivation level would most likely have dropped, so he was not worth worrying about.

I'm giving you this talisman for no other reason than to add another layer of protection to your safety.

Master Zhengyang used his object manipulation technique to send the talisman to his disciple:

"The talisman has already been made. Even if you don't take it, the essence of my magic weapon can never be returned."

Not only you, but Li Haoran, Lin Qiubai, and Lin Jiuxiao all possess my talisman treasures.

"If I don't give it to you now, I won't feel at ease until you leave the sect and travel abroad, as you'll still need to take the talisman with you."

A core Golden Core disciple deserves all the protection one can give.

For a sect, this means the continuation of its heritage.

The more Golden Core cultivators a sect has, the more resources it can accumulate, and the more likely it is to become a Nascent Soul sect in the future.

It is through generations of accumulation that the Golden Spirit Sect, with its power at the Chaoyuan stage, was able to emerge victorious from the fierce battles.

"Thank you, Ancestor," Ji An stood up, accepted the talisman with both hands, and bowed solemnly.

Master Zhengyang telepathically explained the activation method of the talisman three times, saying:

"The purpose of the elders in the sect is to protect the younger generation and ensure the continuation of the sect."

In the future, when you reach my level, I hope you will be able to create better conditions for the next generation.

Ji An remained silent for a moment, then said:

"If I can break through to the Golden Core stage, I wish to travel to the Central Continent."

But this disciple guarantees that he will leave behind third-tier spiritual plants for the sect in the future.

If this disciple does not return, everything on Crimson Flame Peak will be left to the sect.

He can't stay here forever. If the sect can no longer improve his growth, he will choose to leave.

Master Zhengyang looked at his disciple quietly and said in a deep voice:

"If one day the sect becomes a constraint for you, you can certainly leave."

But I hope that one day, if you have the means, you will still remember the sect in Xizhou that accompanied you through your early, vulnerable years.

(End of this chapter)