Chapter 123: Jade Pears and Fiery Dates, The Descent of Taibai

The moment the iron touched his hand, Cao Kong felt a sudden heaviness; weighing it carefully, he judged it to be nearly ten thousand jin.

Looking at the divine iron in his palm, then at the Jiao pear in Cao Xiang’s hand—green on the outside, white on the inside, with a spiritual resonance so profound it seemed to have captured the very essence of heaven and earth—he could not help but marvel at the Barefoot Immortal’s generosity.

Having read extensively on rare treasures within the Green Splendor Long-Joy Realm, his horizons were far broader than before, and he knew well the value of these two items. What he held was the Refined Divine Iron Essence, also known as Divine Binde Iron. Capable of forging magical weapons, it was a top-tier ore in the world. The Upper Treasure Qin-Gold Rake wielded by Marshal Tianpeng, for instance, was forged from this very material. Though the Second Brother appeared unremarkable in the original legends, his nine-toothed rake was truly extraordinary—an imperial gift from the Jade Emperor himself. In the eyes of the Yellow Lion Spirit, its value even exceeded that of the Ruyi Golden Cudgel. While this was partly due to the collaborative forging by Lord Taishang and other great immortals, it nonetheless spoke to the exceptional nature of Divine Binde Iron. Now that he had acquired this metal, he could consider requesting Lord Taishang to forge a sword for him once he had gathered the Five Elements Essence.

As for what Cao Xiang held, it was equally remarkable: a Jiao pear, which, along with the Fire Date, ranked among the Nine Great Supreme Void Immortal Fruits. As the texts say: "Jiao pears and Fire Dates are medicines for ascension." In other words, consuming them together could enhance one’s cultivation, allowing for ascension in broad daylight and a life free from disaster.

"To think that I set out in search of the Ding Fire Essence and ended up with such a harvest," Cao Kong mused again. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and he glanced at the beaming Cao Xiang. *Could this be little Xiang’s good fortune? If so, I really must bring him along more often in the future.*

Setting aside these stray thoughts, Cao Kong noticed a faint, swirling aura of immortality around the Jiao pear—a safeguard intentionally left by the Barefoot Immortal to ensure the fruit’s spiritual energy did not dissipate. He cautioned, "Keep the Jiao pear safe. If you are ever accepted as a personal disciple by the Longevity Immortal, this will be a great stroke of destiny for you." Cao Xiang nodded repeatedly.

"Since we have obtained the Ding Fire Essence, let us return to Hidden Mist Mountain," Cao Kong said with a smile.

...

About a day later, the two returned to Hidden Mist Mountain. With this, the city of Qingyun had lost a wandering physician and a wine merchant; it was unclear how many would miss them.

Originally, they had planned to be away for three to five years, so their return in less than a year came as a surprise and a delight to Hu Yan and the others. They swarmed around the pair, chattering excitedly about the events in the mountains during their absence and how they had manifested their spirits to assist those who believed in the True Lord in the Kingdom of Qindao. Finding their stories amusing, Cao Kong and his brother settled back into the mountain to cultivate in peace.

Among the Five Elements Essences, he now lacked only the Gui Water. He was patient, however, knowing that the trade routes of the Yellow Lion Spirit would eventually bring him good news. In his spare time, he drafted several wind talismans, hoping to store the Samadhi Divine Wind within them to serve as protection for the Yellow Lion Spirit and his kin. Alas, the Samadhi Divine Wind was too ferocious; as soon as it touched the yellow paper, even the cinnabar turned to ash. He had to settle for a lesser version, storing only one of the "Eight Winds."

When the Seven Lions returned from their travels, he gifted them the talismans. They accepted them without ceremony, offering in return a vast quantity of spiritual materials—some as his share of the profits, others as payment for Cao Kong and Cao Xiang to brew spiritual wine and refine elixirs. Cao Kong promised that they would do so in their leisure time. After all, such items were exceptionally scarce among the spirits and demons of the Western Continent, and no matter how much they refined, it was never enough to meet the demand.

...

Sun and moon revolved, time slipped away, and seven years passed in the blink of an eye. During these years, Cao Kong never faltered in his practice. By utilizing the Great Five Elements Escape, he gained significant insight into the Great Dao of the Five Elements, and he could now wield all five escape techniques with ease. The Wood Escape was his most proficient; by evolving it into a Wind Escape, he could cover three thousand li in an instant—a superb divine ability for both travel and combat. The other four techniques had also advanced to the point of traveling a thousand li in an instant.

He also made great progress in the "Fire Arriving at the Origin" stage, expecting to achieve it within a decade. Cao Kong looked forward to the day his five internal energies would return to their origin. Reaching the Golden Elixir stage was akin to the gathering of the three flowers; once he achieved the return of the five energies, he would be as ageless as the heavens, a true Immortal of the Three Realms.

One day, while Cao Kong was using the technique of "Spreading Qi to Nurture Spirits" to nourish the ley lines of Hidden Mist Mountain, he simultaneously employed "Storing Wind and Gathering Qi to Nourish the Spirit"—one technique being the foundation of Earth Immortals, the other a natural art he had intuited from the mountain itself. When used together, they complemented each other perfectly.

Over the years, this had made Hidden Mist Mountain increasingly vibrant with spiritual energy. Many creatures in the mountain had gained sentience, all of whom were sent to be mentored by Hu Yan and the others. On this day, as Cao Kong practiced these two arts, it seemed as though Hidden Mist Mountain reached a critical threshold, triggering a premonition in his heart. He felt as if he and the mountain were one.

With a flick of his mind, Cao Kong naturally manifested the latter half of the Earth Immortal foundation he had intuited at the Five Villages Temple. No, it was not so much a manifestation as it was as natural as eating or drinking. The latter half of the Earth Immortal foundation was: "Commander of the Earthly Origin."

Without using magical power or Daoist Qi, he merely glanced at a cliff, and his body naturally vanished from where he stood, emerging from the rock face on the cliff a moment later. He looked at a boulder, and with a shift of his will, the rock changed; though it was hard stone, it transformed at his whim into a stone tree, a stone leopard, a tiger, an eagle, and more. He felt that if he wished, the entire Hidden Mist Mountain would become his assistant, the ley lines shifting at his command to serve as his strength.

"So, this is what 'Spreading Qi to Nurture Spirits, Commander of the Earthly Origin' means—to draw upon the vast, thick power of the earth for one's own use. It is truly miraculous."

Of course, for now, he could only draw upon the ley lines of Hidden Mist Mountain. Cao Kong laughed with joy, wondering if, one day, he could spread his Qi across the Four Great Continents and command all the ley lines of the world. He quickly dismissed the thought, however; it had taken him decades to nurture just this one mountain. To attempt the Four Great Continents would be nothing more than a fool’s dream.

He was about to further explore the wonders of "Commander of the Earthly Origin" when he suddenly paused and looked down the mountain. Hu Yan and his companions were just returning from the Kingdom of Qindao and were about to ascend the mountain when they were intercepted by an old man wearing a golden crown, holding a horsetail whisk, with white hair and beard, and the very air of an immortal.

Seeing the four foxes, their bodies thick with the scent of incense and clarity, the old man stroked his beard and smiled.

Hu Yan asked in confusion, "Old grandfather, why are you blocking our path?"

The old man replied, "I am an emissary from the heavens, come to seek your Mountain Master. I hope you will inform him quickly."