Stealing Immortal

Chapter 134: Chapter 133: Golden Needle

The more abundant the Spiritual Qi, the faster one could cultivate.

Simply being in such an environment felt comfortable. Chen Qingyang had observed over the past few days that even the grass and trees in his small courtyard were growing with unusual vigor.

One day, inside the Alchemy Room.

The rosy glow on Chen Qingyang’s Mingtang Hall faded as he exhaled a long breath of Dense Qi. He looked out the window and saw the stars and moon high in the sky.

In the direction the offering table faced, Xu Baoling stood still, like a statue of a jade maiden. Her eyes were lightly closed and her arms hung naturally at her sides. Her ten slender fingers were poised in a delicate orchid gesture, and her legs were pressed tightly together, taut and straight, as if straining upward.

Her pure white dress seemed to stir in an unseen breeze, making the fabric appear clean and translucent.

After sneaking a few more glances, Chen Qingyang stood up, gathered his belongings, and slipped on a pair of Cyan Boots. He used the Void Step Introduction to soar through the air, and before long, he arrived outside Peach Blossom Valley.

Today, he was here at Lu Sheng’s invitation. Just yesterday, Lu Sheng had sent Jiao Sheng to personally deliver the invitation, and Chen Qingyang had, of course, readily accepted. He was facing a test, and his conduct had been flawless.

’At this point, I’ve seen three of the Seven Arts of Immortal Cultivation: Yu, Array, and Talisman. I wonder what other tricks they’ll pull. Will they try to use the power of that Peach Demon again?’

Chen Qingyang sent his Conscious Fish out first. It circled the massive peach tree again, examining it closely, but he detected no openings. He tried to send the Conscious Fish into the trunk, but he could feel a force repelling it, preventing any external Qi Mechanism from penetrating.

[Great Soul Scripture (Volume 2): (3714/5000)]

[Available Immortal Seedlings: 595]

’Not much more to go. I can only hope for another breakthrough in the Great Soul Scripture.’

”Junior Brother Chen, you’re here! Come on in. What are you doing just standing out here?”

After Chen Qingyang had stood at the entrance to Peach Blossom Valley for a moment, He Sheng came out to greet him.

’It seems the Seven Immortals of Peach Valley really put some thought into how their animal names fit their appearances. Take this He Sheng, for example. With his long, thin legs, sharp chin, long face, and a full head of white hair despite his middle-aged appearance, he really does look a bit like a crane.’

”The scenery here is lovely. I was just taking it in,” Chen Qingyang said. ”Thank you for coming out to greet me, Senior Brother He.”

”This way, then!”

He Sheng led him to the base of the great peach tree. The arrangement was similar to his last visit, except that of the Seven Immortals of Peach Valley, only five were present; Long Sheng and Hu Sheng were nowhere to be seen.

’This is a good sign. It means the bad blood between those two and Lu Sheng hasn’t faded. It seems my little game of sowing discord can continue.’

Lu Sheng was lounging casually on a soft couch. When he saw Chen Qingyang, he stood up and boomed, ”Haha, at last! We’ve been eagerly awaiting you, Junior Brother Chen! Please, have a seat!”

Lu Sheng’s expression radiated warmth, but Chen Qingyang remained unmoved. He scanned the area and asked, ”Senior Brother Lu, why aren’t Senior Brothers Long and Hu here?”

Lu Sheng must have anticipated the question. ”They are in seclusion,” he said smoothly. ”Their Cultivation has reached a critical stage, and they mustn’t be disturbed. The six of us are more than enough for this peach blossom banquet.”

As he spoke, he reached out to guide Chen Qingyang to a seat, but Chen Qingyang didn’t move. ”In that case,” Chen Qingyang said, ”does this mean I brought too many elixirs?”

He opened his hand to reveal seven Tier Three Qi-Introducing Pills. The eyes of all Five Immortals of Peach Valley were fixed on them. It would be impossible to claim they weren’t interested.

Lu Sheng laughed heartily. ”Don’t be so hasty, Junior Brother Chen! Why don’t you let me handle the distribution?”

Of course, Chen Qingyang agreed. He watched as Lu Sheng said, ”Junior Brothers Jiao Sheng, Que Sheng, and Bao Sheng, these are for you.”

The three couldn’t help but feel a secret delight at being called. Chen Qingyang handed one elixir to each of them. Four pills remained. Lu Sheng certainly knew how to distribute them—he and He Sheng each took two.

Seeing this, the trio’s secret delight instantly soured into resentment, though they dared not let it show on their faces.

The elixirs were passed out. Some of the men consumed their pill on the spot, while others carefully stored them away. Lu Sheng and He Sheng, however, each took one of theirs immediately—after all, they each had another to spare.

Chen Qingyang gained 96 Immortal Seedlings. The first part of his harvest was in.

’Even with fewer people, they didn’t skip any of the formalities. Just like last time, they all took turns presenting their treasures. Of course, I know this is all just a show to get me to relax and lower my guard.’

So, Chen Qingyang played along, seeing the lively prelude through to its end.

”Junior Brother Chen,” Lu Sheng began, ”the last time you performed the Three Bows of Peach Blossoms, the final bow didn’t bring you any benefits. As the senior brother who has accepted so many of your elixirs, I’ve prepared something special for you today. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

The speaker was, of course, Lu Sheng.

’It wasn’t just Lu Sheng; I was waiting for this part, too. Last time, I was at the Qi Refining Ninth Realm. Now, I’ve entered Essence Condensation. No matter what they try, they can’t possibly make waves against me.’

Chen Qingyang feigned curiosity. ”Is that so? Then I’m eager to see what it is!”

With that said, the group once again thronged around Chen Qingyang. He cast the Wind Control Technique and ran straight up the massive peach tree. It seemed that whatever they had planned was, once again, intrinsically linked to this tree.

The spot was different from his previous two visits, though it was still on a thick branch of the tree. A meditation cushion sat there, next to a large, gnarled burl protruding from the wood.

Chen Qingyang had used his consciousness like a Yu’Er to observe this place many times, but he had never found anything amiss.

He pointed. ”There’s a cushion here. Is this where one of you senior brothers normally cultivates?”

Lu Sheng stepped forward. ”That would be me. I do all my daily cultivation and meditation right here. By relying on the protection of this peach tree, I’m able to absorb a bit of Wood Spirit Qi to bolster my Cultivation. Junior Brother Chen, look!”

As he spoke, Lu Sheng produced an object. It resembled a piece of Mei Yu, smooth and entirely greenish-blue, with no carvings on its surface.

’I recognized it at a glance. That’s the Wood Element Mystic Core—the key to this entire Array.’

Seeing it made his eyes burn with envy. The secret to opening the peach tree’s barrier lay in that object. ”This is...”

Lu Sheng answered truthfully, for once. ”This is the Array Talisman that suppresses the peach tree. Whoever holds it controls the Array. As it is, all of the Wood Spirit Qi is suppressed by this Array. It’s incredibly difficult for us to absorb any of it, which is why we must use the Three Bows of Peach Blossoms method.”

”But with this, everything becomes much easier. When I activate it, all you have to do, Junior Brother, is sit here and earnestly receive the Wood Spirit Qi. This is a significant opportunity. I’m even going against our Master’s orders by doing this for you!”

After he finished, He Sheng, Que Sheng, Jiao Sheng, and Bao Sheng all took turns trying to persuade Chen Qingyang, praising the opportunity so extravagantly that he couldn’t help but suspect they had rehearsed their lines.

’For a moment, I couldn’t figure out their angle. Were they planning to use the Peach Demon to poison me again? If so, I wasn’t afraid. I had the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl on me, and I could probably even gain some Immortal Seedlings from the encounter.’

’But on second thought, that didn’t feel right. Lu Sheng is a cautious man. He knows I have the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl, yet he hasn’t mentioned it. He must have something else up his sleeve.’

At this thought, Chen Qingyang released his Conscious Fish, letting it drift just outside his body.

Lu Sheng pointed to the cushion again. ”You can sit there, Junior Brother Chen. I’ll begin drawing out the Wood Spirit Qi for you!”

”Then I’ll be in your debt, Senior Brother Lu.”

Chen Qingyang settled onto the cushion, his hands tucked into his sleeves and his eyes lightly closed. Though he couldn’t see them, he knew the five men were exchanging meaningful glances.

”Junior Brother, I’m starting now.”

He heard Lu Sheng speak, and then Lu Sheng clasped the piece of Mei Yu in both hands. He began to chant, and a greenish-blue luster emanated from the object.

Through his Conscious Fish, Chen Qingyang faintly sensed a barrier within the peach tree opening. The barrier seemed to be formed from the interwoven Qi Mechanisms of countless branches.

’Such an Array is truly brilliant,’ he thought. ’Using the branches themselves as the Array Base to seal the Peach Wood Spirit within. Taking from the tree to be used against the tree... The concept is remarkably similar to the Array used to suppress the Li Yang Earth Fire.’

Peach Wood Spirit began to spill from the newly opened gap. As Chen Qingyang absorbed it, a pleasant warmth spread through him, an incredibly comfortable, nourishing sensation. He couldn’t detect anything else amiss. It truly felt like it was all benefit and no harm.

He wanted to circulate a Dharma Gate to begin the Refinement, but he knew that would expose his Qi Mechanism, so he restrained himself for the time being.

Just then, his Conscious Fish observed another stream of Wood Spirit Qi flowing toward the hands of the Five Immortals of Peach Valley. He could see that each of them now held a shimmering golden object.

After absorbing a sufficient amount of Wood Spirit Qi, the five objects rose into the air and merged into a single Golden Needle. It hid itself amidst the flowing Wood Spirit Qi, making it impossible to detect.

’It must be a Magical Artifact,’ he realized. ’So their fourth tactic against me is an Artifact.’

Lu Sheng alone took control of the object, sending it hurtling toward Chen Qingyang’s Baihui Acupoint. But Chen Qingyang’s Cultivation was far superior to Lu Sheng’s. How could he possibly fall for such a scheme if he didn’t want to?

With a mere thought, Chen Qingyang had his Conscious Fish intercept the Golden Needle with a wisp of Li Yang Earth Fire. To the others, the Golden Needle simply vanished in an instant, and they assumed it had successfully entered his body.

Just as they were congratulating themselves on their success, Lu Sheng’s face turned grim. He bit his lip for a moment before he couldn’t hold it back any longer and violently spat out a mouthful of blood.

”Senior Brother! Senior Brother Lu...!”

The others were shocked and rushed to support him. Looking back at Chen Qingyang, they saw he was still meditating with his eyes closed amidst the Wood Spirit Qi, apparently deaf to the commotion.

The Golden Needle was his Lifebound Magical Artifact. It had to be nourished by his own True Essence and was directly linked to his Divine Soul. If the connection was severed by Magic, the owner would suffer a grievous injury that could damage their very foundation.

And now, the connection between the Golden Needle and Lu Sheng’s Divine Soul had been completely severed.

But Chen Qingyang wasn’t finished. He had his Conscious Fish carry another stream of Li Yang Earth Fire and, while Lu Sheng was completely defenseless, sent it surging into his body to rampage through his Dantian Meridians.

”ARGH...” Lu Sheng screamed in agony, spraying another mouthful of blood.

The others had no idea what was happening. Their eyes flickered back to Chen Qingyang, but he remained as still as a statue.

Lu Sheng’s grip had gone slack. Though he still held the Wood Element Mystic Core, he had no strength to use it. The Array remained open, and the Wood Spirit Qi continued to flow into Chen Qingyang.

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Qingyang directed his Conscious Fish to plunge through the opening and explore the trunk of the great peach tree.

It rushed toward the area where the Wood Spirit Qi was densest. There, in the thickest part of the trunk, stood a staff about a foot long and as thick as a baby’s arm. It looked like a section of Mei Yu, smooth and luminously transparent.

This must be the Jade Peach Profound Wood!

A mercury-colored light screen was wrapped tightly around it.

Chen Qingyang’s perception was keen. He realized that this screen of light was absorbing all the Wood Spirit Qi from the entire peach tree, concentrating it into the Jade Peach Profound Wood, and then sealing it away.

’This must be the treasure Refined by Master Water Moon. If I were to tamper with it and let the Wood Spirit Qi leak out, would that interfere with the Master’s Daoist Technique?’

’Or maybe I could just start a fire, like last time, and burn it a little. Would that let me steal this Peach Demon’s Immortal Seedlings?’

’But...’

’With everything that’s happened today, Lu Sheng will definitely realize I was behind it. If I make another move, I’ll likely face the Master’s transferred anger. That’s a risk I absolutely cannot take!’

He had no choice but to withdraw his Conscious Fish. Only after he had absorbed the Wood Spirit Qi for a good while longer did Lu Sheng finally manage to gather his strength and close the Array.

All in all, not only did he steal 667 Immortal Seedlings, but he also absorbed a great deal of Wood Spirit Qi. Now he could go back and properly refine it.