Chapter 979 The Hermit of the Five Mountains

Ah Yun was overjoyed and quickly cupped her hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

Her eyes sparkled with starlight; possessing a fifth-order body meant she also had some of the abilities of a cultivator at the Three Flowers Realm level.

Even the weakest Three-Flower Realm cultivator can play a far greater role than a Nascent Soul level puppet.

Ji An watched A Yun's expression. The curve of the puppet's lips and the dimples on its face all showed its joy.

At this moment, he was very curious about whether the other person could be considered a completely new life, because she had emotions.

Other puppets, though intelligent, always exhibit a programmed behavior and lack a sense of 'self'.

In the event of a battle, emotions will most likely affect a cultivator's performance, but they can also create miracles at certain moments.

He withdrew his gaze, coughed softly, and said:

"This is what you deserve. You've managed your little world so well all these years."

If you really think about it, A-Yun is the humanoid creature who has been with him the longest.

Ji An took A Yun and flew to the blue spirit field, where he used magic to cut the spirit tree at its roots.

Amidst a flash of lightning, the lightning-struck Azure Dragon Wood collapsed with a desperate howl, revealing a smooth, mirror-like cut.

He stroked the fish-scale-like patterns on the bark, feeling the rugged grooves within, pondering how this peculiar spiritual wood was formed.

Perhaps back then, the aura of a Azure Dragon at a level above the Cave Heaven nourished a certain kind of spiritual wood, and after a long period of nourishment, the spiritual wood mutated into a new variety.

After the spirit tree was cut down, Ji An spoke:

“Keep the twigs; these things can also be used as spiritual materials in the future.”

All the leaves were picked, dried in the shade, and then burned and buried next to a similar fourth-tier top-grade plant.

After all, it is a fifth-grade low-level spiritual material, which can be used as material for making puppets.

Ayun nodded and responded gently:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, there will be no waste. Even branches thicker than a little finger will be kept and preserved."

The next day, at Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Ji An arrived at the cave dwelling of the Recluse of the Crescent Moon with various spiritual materials and said:

"In addition to the spiritual soil I brought this time, I also brought three fifth-grade low-rank lightning-struck Azure Dragon Woods. Please help me upgrade my spiritual treasure to the fifth grade."

He took out various materials and summoned the Azure Lotus Banner.

Lingbao transformed into a blue dragon, circling his body twice before landing on his right arm.

The dragon's head rested on its shoulder, with tiny sparks of electricity crackling around its horns, and its eyes were filled with majesty.

The dragon's tail swayed gently at Ji An's elbow, rippling with azure light.

The dragon scales are like black jade, with a bright color and a mirror-like sheen.

The eyes of the Crescent Moon Hermit lit up. As a weapon refiner, he could tell the condition of a spiritual treasure at a glance.

He stretched out his hand, "Fellow Daoist, please let your spiritual treasure reveal its true form."

The azure dragon transformed into a small flag, with a dark green flagpole, an emerald green flag surface, and azure dragon embroidery, all radiating a vibrant spirit.

It also deliberately showed off, exuding the aura of all trees vying for spring, and in an instant, the cave changed its appearance.

The grass is lush and green, dotted with flowers of various colors, and the trees are dense and lush, making it feel like being in a fairy mountain.

"Flowers have their fragrance, and grass has its taste. The fact that Lingbao can evolve such a realistic environment without being manipulated shows that you have nurtured it very well."

The Crescent Moon Hermit sighed, realizing that this alone revealed the other party's cultivation level. Although he was unwilling to admit it, he understood that the thousands of years he had lived longer than the other party had been wasted.

He extended his divine sense to sense the current condition of the spiritual treasure, scratched his head, and said:

"Fellow Daoist, we should have more than enough of the three Azure Dragon Woods. Even if we use spirit wood to offset the refining costs, there will still be a lot of surplus. Could you sell the remaining spirit materials to me?"

It can be said that the opponent's spiritual treasure has reached its limit, and it is only one step away from breaking through to the fifth-grade low-level.

Ji An stroked his chin and asked:

"How much does it cost to refine, fellow Daoist, and approximately how many materials are left?"

Judging from the other party's tone, there is likely a large amount of material left that cannot be used. If two spirit trees are enough, he will suffer a significant loss.

"I will use two portions of materials as refining costs. I estimate that there will be about half a spirit tree left, approximately eight portions."

Ji An breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:

"We can sell the remaining materials and use the proceeds to buy fifth-tier high-grade materials."

Crescent Moon Hermit bowed and said, "Haha, thank you, fellow Daoist."

This humble Taoist will begin processing the materials this afternoon, and expects to upgrade the spirit treasure's grade within half a month. Please await good news, fellow Taoist.

After returning to his cave from the Recluse of the Crescent Moon, Ji An immediately entered the gourd world.

At this moment, the Five Sacred Mountains True Lords were waiting beneath the Gathering Yuan Tree. He stepped forward a few paces and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, my bloodline purification has been progressing smoothly over the years. A few days ago, I had some insights, which greatly improved my progress. I have now completed the final step."

"I can try to break through once I adjust my mindset. For me, as long as the resources are in place, I'm very confident that I can achieve a breakthrough, even if it's not a sure thing."

According to the inherited memories, breaking through to the Three Flowers Realm requires fully igniting one's aura. Once the breakthrough begins, there is only one path forward, with an abyss behind one's back.

The unexpected surprise startled Ji An, who then burst into laughter three times. "Great! I didn't expect your breakthrough to happen so many years earlier than I anticipated."

As long as the resources are available, isn't this just asking for something?

He was still very happy. Spending some resources on beast taming was nothing. As long as it could break through, he would have another trump card.

Moreover, he can also benefit from the other party's breakthrough, and the stone turtle will surely absorb a lot of Daoist essence.

With the Daoist essence, one can transform it into spiritual energy, prioritizing the elevation of the Yin-Yang Spirit Transformation Technique and the Golden Light Across the Earth to the Great Perfection level.

His voice lowered, and he said with some difficulty:

"However, the Panyun Fruit is still far from ripe, so I can only give you two Bixiao Divine Jade Fruits."

"It's alright, two Wood-type Spirit Fruits will do."

"Okay, once you're ready, tell me approximately how long it will take?"

Three days is enough.

The Five Sacred Mountains True Lords received the Azure Heaven Divine Jade Fruit in their hands and solemnly bowed:

"Your Majesty, the great kindness of your nurturing over the years is like a second birth. If I succeed in my breakthrough and return to serve you, in case..."

At this level, there is no such thing as a 100% success rate for breakthroughs; no matter how much preparation you do, there will always be oversights.

Although he felt the success rate was extremely high, if he encountered an unexpected situation and did not handle it properly, the result would be death and annihilation.

Ji An interrupted the other person, "There's no 'what if.' Just remember that I'm preparing a celebration for you."

Before you break through, all you need is 10,000 confidences; there are no "what ifs".

The antlers atop the heads of the Five Sacred Mountains True Lords gleamed, and they nodded sharply:

"Alright, when we drink to our hearts' content, Your Majesty, please don't feel bad about it."

He burst into laughter, casting aside the last vestige of hesitation in his mind.

Ji An led him away from the small world, and then released a golden light that seemed to leap from the ground. A black and white beam of light shot straight into the sky, passed through several wisps of clouds, and flew into the starry sky.

The golden light emanating from the Three Flower Realm was completely different from its colorful appearance back then, appearing much more understated.

Ji An did not stop. After determining the direction, he flew down towards a relatively desolate star field.

He couldn't be disturbed during his breakthrough, nor did he want to be watched by onlookers.

A ray of light streaked across the starry sky and then quickly vanished.

Whether they are cultivators or cosmic behemoths, they are all insignificant in the boundless starry sky.

Three days later, the eyes of the Five Sacred Mountains True Lord were filled with a vast starry sky. "Only by standing here can one understand one's own insignificance."

Ji An smiled faintly, "Insignificance is only in terms of space; the heart can be higher than the sky and encompass the entire universe."

"Your Majesty's heroic spirit is beyond compare, and I am deeply impressed."

"Stop flattering me. This place is spacious. After you've adjusted your breathing, start your breakthrough."

Always remember this: retreating is pointless; only by forging ahead can you create new horizons.

Ji An gave the Five Sacred Mountains True Lord an encouraging look, nodded, and then flew away.

He needed to stay far away to avoid being affected by the lightning tribulation.

The Daoist aura released when a cultivator breaks through to the Golden Core stage is pitifully small after being converted into Yin-Yang Daoist aura. There are also not many cultivators who break through to the Nascent Soul stage in Starfish City.

Cultivators break through to the Three Flowers Realm in the vast starry sky, and everyone tries to avoid other people as much as possible. Therefore, the stone tortoise has not received much replenishment of Dao essence over the years.

The Five Sacred Mountains True Lord sat cross-legged in the void, took a deep breath, and then regulated his breathing.

Since he was being carried by the sovereign while traveling through the starry sky, he did not use any of his spiritual energy and only needed to adjust his mindset.

Half an hour later, he stood up and transformed into his true form, then released his spiritual pressure with all his might, and the antlers on his head flashed with lightning.

Soon, purple tribulation clouds began to gather.

After about fifteen minutes of preparation, the first wave of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning struck, illuminating the dark starry sky.

A few days later, Ji An stared intently into the distance, his hands behind his back, one hand unconsciously clenching into a fist.

The Yin-Yang Divine Thunder is gathering; once it passes, the sky will be high and the sea will be wide.

Whether the Five-Colored Deer, caught in the middle of the situation, had time to be anxious was unknown, but at this moment his heart was in his throat.

He vaguely saw the antlers of the five-colored deer fly up. They were something the other party had deliberately preserved, and it could be said that the antlers were the other party's natal spiritual treasure.

The two antlers contain the power of the five elements, and are colorful, releasing the five colors of green, red, yellow, white and black.

These five elements of spiritual light quickly merged together, eventually condensing into a black and white light that took the shape of an umbrella, tightly protecting the five-colored deer.

At this moment, Ji An could hear his own heartbeat and the sound of his blood flowing.

He stared intently at the five-colored deer, holding his breath.

The next moment, the black and white spiritual light fell like a roaring dragon, while the 'umbrella' formed by the convergence of yin and yang spiritual light went against the current and took the initiative to meet it.

Ji An's eyes were struck by the white light, and after being stung, tears streamed down her face. She reflexively closed her eyes, and after a while, she heard a roaring sound like waves crashing past her ears.

When he opened his eyes again, he heard ethereal celestial music playing, and countless petals of various colors drifted down from the distant starry sky.

He loosened his clenched fist and a smile appeared on his lips. The Five-Colored Deer must have broken through!

As the tribulation clouds slowly dissipated, the stone tortoise returned to his side and entered his lower dantian.

He connected with the stone tortoise to check his spoils from the trip, and golden characters lit up in the sky above the Moon Palace.

[Master: Ji An]

[Taoist Rhyme: Yin 1572.8, Yang 1524.6]

[Spiritual clues: Kan (坎) spirit 263512.5, Gen (艮) spirit 42624.9, Zhen (震) spirit 46332.1, Xun (巽) spirit 337564.4, Kun (坤) spirit 55762.3, Qian (乾) spirit 28781.5, Dui (兑) spirit 51465.8, Li (离) spirit 46213.7]

[Spell: Yin Yang Spirit Transformation Technique (Perfect 17%)]

Vertical Golden Light (Dacheng 82%)】

[Tao Seed - Yin Yang Two Forms (Middle Grade): Comprehends the principle that Yin and Yang give rise to all things, enhances some understanding of the Tao of Yin and Yang, and increases some magical power.]

The increase in Daoist aura was about 600 points less than it had been back then, a significant difference. He pondered in his heart how far this Daoist aura could advance the Yin-Yang Spirit Transformation Technique.

The improvement of the Golden Light of the Vertical Earth is not urgent. The sooner the Yin-Yang Spirit Transformation Technique reaches its perfect level, the more the entire gourd world will benefit.

After glancing at his harvest, Ji An withdrew his divine sense, released a golden light that seemed to leap across the ground, and flew forward, stopping a hundred feet to the left and behind the Five Mountains True Monarch, whom he should now call the Five Mountains Hermit.

The Five-Colored Deer is still appearing in its original form. Its body is charred black, its antlers have clear cracks, and it is much thinner than before, looking extremely miserable.

The ethereal petals falling from the sky landed on him, instantly merging into the lake like raindrops falling into it.

Black ash fell from the places charred by the divine lightning, and the cracks on the antlers slowly shrank.

Seven days later, Wuyue Sanren opened his eyes. His injuries had mostly healed, his skin had basically grown back, and the cracks on his antlers had completely disappeared.

He bowed to his master and said gratefully:

"Fortunately, I obtained two Azure Jade Fruits from His Majesty, otherwise I would have been unable to withstand the tribulation due to insufficient spiritual power."

One Azure Jade Fruit was consumed immediately after the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning struck, and the other was consumed after the final strike of the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning.

His spiritual power remained above a safe level, which allowed him to survive the tribulation without serious injury.

If it weren't for these two fifth-tier Heaven and Earth Spirit Fruits, he would most likely have collapsed during the final Yin-Yang Divine Thunder baptism.

Ji An smiled and waved his hand, "We're family, so let's not be so formal. Now that you've reached the Three Flowers Realm, you won't be able to enter the Calabash World anymore."

In your legacy of memories, what's the next step?

It's not that they can't enter the gourd world, but rather that the small world can't withstand the demands of two cultivators at the Three Flowers Realm.

The Hermit of Five Mountains said in a deep voice:

"Unlike human cultivators, the demon beast race does not refine small worlds. My next cultivation is to comprehend the power of the void cave heaven, so that I can open up my own small world when I break through the cave heaven realm."

In matters of cultivation, human cultivators are truly blessed with unparalleled advantages.

He was filled with emotion. From the inherited memories, he learned that cultivators would begin to comprehend the power of the void and the heavens in the later stages of the Three Flowers Realm. The advantage of human cultivators was that they could refine small worlds.

If the refined small world reaches the fifth-order top-grade level, it will occasionally manifest the power of the void cave.

With objects to observe, some cultivators find it easier to comprehend the power of the void cave.

Wuyue Sanren was unaware of the situation of other cultivators, but he understood that the sovereign would definitely be able to cultivate the small world to the fifth-order top-grade level.

Your Majesty possesses exceptional comprehension; comprehending the power of the Void Cave Heaven is a piece of cake for you.

(End of this chapter)