172: Chapter 131 Countless Schemes

Chen Xuan landed on the edge of the altar ruins. After the flying boat stabilized, he jumped off the gunwale. When his boots stepped onto the red gravel, they made a faint rustling sound, which mingled with the sound of the wind blowing over the hills, making them indistinguishable.

He walked to the trace of the hidden Formation and crouched down, reaching out to touch the ground. The moment his fingertips touched the gravel, an extremely familiar aura surged up.

Immortal Master Kumu.

He was already very familiar with that aura. The pressure of a Late Stage Golden Core Master had been deliberately restrained to an extremely faint wisp, like a corroded iron tool hidden deep in the gravel. However, Chen Xuan had directly withstood the pressure of that aura during the competition, so he would not mistake it. When Huike stayed here, the residual mana of Immortal Master Kumu had adhered to the Formation base, assisting him in completing the teleportation. Immortal Master Kumu himself did not come to the scene in person, but a strand of his mana had crossed the distance and landed precisely on this Formation base, like a hand reaching across the long Void Realm and pressing on Huike's shoulder.

Chen Xuan withdrew his hand, stood up, and scanned the surroundings of Red Sand Ridge again. After confirming that no other traces were left, he returned to the flying boat and sat down in the cabin.

He did not rush to start the flying boat, but instead summoned the heavenly book golden decree from his Dantian. Golden tadpole-like characters appeared before him, emitting a warm light in the dim cabin.

[Today's Fortune: Neutral.]

[Today's Heavenly Secret: Giant Gate.]

[Today's Destiny: Seeking Truth.]

[Neutral: The Red Sand Ridge altar base is a hidden stake laid by Immortal Master Kumu in his early years, used for emergency contact between the Southern Frontier and the Central Plains. Huike used this to teleport to a secret chamber on the first underground level of the White Lotus Sect's main altar to meet with Immortal Master Kumu.]

[Minor Ominous: Immortal Master Kumu has set up a "Heaven-Shifting and Sun-Changing" Formation underground at the White Lotus Sect's main altar, with the remains of Maitreya as the core, supplemented by multiple Gold-Attribute fragments as guides, intending to strip away the Heavenly Fire Golden Essence within the Fire Phoenix True Spirit and transfer it into himself to change his Innate constitution.]

[Major Ominous: If you go directly to the White Lotus Sect's main altar to stop it now, you will face the "Heaven-Shifting and Sun-Changing" Formation, which is being fully operated by a Late Stage Golden Core Master. It will be a near-death situation.]

Chen Xuan read these three lines twice, his gaze lingering on the four words "Heaven-Shifting and Sun-Changing" for a long time. Then, he put away the heavenly book golden decree.

"Heaven-Shifting and Sun-Changing." What Immortal Master Kumu truly wants is not to use the remains of Maitreya for Nirvana and Rebirth, nor to expand the influence of the Buddhist Sect in the Southern Region. What he wants is to change his Innate constitution, transforming himself from a Late Stage Golden Core Master who attained the Dao through Acquired means into a Dao body capable of condensing Innate Gold-Attribute essence. Once successful, his Foundation would no longer be a temporary Dao Foundation constructed from Acquired mana, but the Heavenly Fire Golden Essence itself—an Innate body that existed before Cultivation. At that time, he would no longer be a Golden Core Master who has "achieved success in cultivation," but a Gold-Attribute being who was "born as such." His cultivation Realm would point straight to the Nascent Soul or even higher without any Bottleneck.

But "Heaven-Shifting and Sun-Changing" requires one thing as a core—a complete Gold-Attribute essence. Immortal Master Kumu does not have Gold-Attribute essence in his own body, and the remains of Maitreya do not have sufficiently complete Gold-Attribute fragments. What he has set his sights on is the complete Heavenly Fire Golden Essence that has been sleeping within the Fire Phoenix True Spirit for who knows how many tens of thousands of years.

Fire Fox guards the magma lake, but she is only guarding the outer perimeter. What Immortal Master Kumu truly wants to take is the eternal Golden Essence core within the Fire Phoenix True Spirit. Huike appeared on the outskirts of Nanming Volcano today; on the surface, he came to intercept and kill Chen Xuan, but in reality, his true task was to investigate the awakening cycle and sleep patterns of the Fire Phoenix True Spirit. Immortal Master Kumu needs to know exactly when the Fire Phoenix will enter its deepest state of dormancy, as that is the only feasible time to strip away the Golden Essence.

Chen Xuan stood up and walked to the gunwale. In the distance, Red Sand Ridge looked like a dark red scar in the night, and the gray-white altar base exposed in the moonlight looked like the edge of a skull revealed by a giant beast. He glanced to the north, the direction of the White Lotus Sect's main altar, and then to the south, the direction of Nanming Volcano. The two lines of sight intersected in the air, forming a faint cross.

The half-month agreement of Fire Fox and the "Heaven-Shifting and Sun-Changing" Formation of Immortal Master Kumu—the time nodes for these two events almost overlapped. The dormancy cycle of the Fire Phoenix True Spirit is in half a month. Fire Fox knows about this, and Immortal Master Kumu obviously knows it too. The fact that Immortal Master Kumu set up a teleportation stake at Red Sand Ridge in advance shows that his preparation for this matter has been much longer and more thorough than Fire Fox's.

He looked down at his own palms. The City Wall Earth Golden Essence in his Dantian was still floating quietly, like a miniature anchor, pinning him firmly to this land. He did not yet have a complete Gold-Attribute Divine Ability, nor did he have the power to confront a Late Stage Golden Core Master head-on. But he had one thing—he could arrive at the core area of Nanming Volcano earlier than Immortal Master Kumu, and he could capture the fluctuation frequency of the Gold-Attribute essence within the Fire Phoenix True Spirit more accurately than Immortal Master Kumu.

Fire Fox wants him to fulfill the agreement just to watch her take the Golden Essence, ensuring that the Fire Phoenix True Spirit will not destroy her cave in a fit of rage.

Immortal Master Kumu wants to take the Gold-Attribute Imagery to perform the "Heaven-Shifting and Sun-Changing" and change his Innate constitution.

Chen Xuan wants to take that Gold-Attribute Imagery to attain the Great Dao Golden Core for himself.

Three people, the same Gold-Attribute Imagery, the same time node.

Chen Xuan stood by the gunwale for a while, the wind blowing over the bow, causing the edges of his robes to flutter. He turned and walked into the cabin, starting the flying boat. The boat slowly rose into the air, and he changed direction, no longer flying north or south, but towards the only place in this delta that was still under his control.

Wanyao Immortal City.

He had half a month.

He needed to adjust himself to his best state before that, confirm every link in the plan, and then return to Nanming Volcano to take the Heavenly Fire Golden Essence before Immortal Master Kumu.

Chapter 132: Net of Heaven and Earth

The morning mist of Wanyao Immortal City had not yet dispersed, and Chen Xuan was already standing in Master Liu Yun's Immortal Cave. It took him less than three days to recount everything he had discovered at Red Sand Ridge, Huike's whereabouts, Immortal Master Kumu's "Heaven-Shifting and Sun-Changing" Formation, and the dormancy cycle of the Fire Phoenix True Spirit.

Liu Yun was silent for a long time after listening. He sat on the cushion without moving. The spiritual tea on the table had already cooled completely, and a thin film had formed on the surface of the tea, but he never looked down at it. The morning light from outside the window leaked in through the gaps in the spiritual bamboo leaves, falling on the bluestone floor and shattering into golden spots, like sand scattered by the wind.

"...Are you sure the Fire Phoenix True Spirit has left Nanming Volcano?" Liu Yun spoke, his voice a few degrees lower than usual.

"Not certain. But I speculate that it should have long been gone from there." Chen Xuan said, "Fire Fox has guarded the outer perimeter of the magma lake for so many years, and her perception is much sharper than mine. If the Fire Phoenix True Spirit were really still sleeping at the bottom of the lake, she could not have set up traps and Formations on the east side of the volcano so ostentatiously. The fact that she dared to break ground near there shows that she knew the True Spirit would not wake up. Either the True Spirit has completely fallen into a deep sleep, or it is no longer there."

Liu Yun did not answer immediately. He reached out and flicked the cold teacup on the table. The rim of the cup made a faint clinking sound, like a pebble falling into shallow water. A moment later, he raised his head again, his gaze landing on Chen Xuan.

"How many people do you need?"

"Three Golden Core Masters, with enough combat power to restrain Immortal Master Kumu head-on." Chen Xuan said, "Of the Golden Core Masters I know, Xiao Muting counts as one, and Revered Master counts as one. One more is needed."

Liu Yun nodded, took out a cyan jade talisman from under the cushion, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward him. "Take this to the Qingcang Sect and find an old fellow named 'Qingmu'. He owes me a favor, and he has owed it for nearly forty years. Take this message to him—'Chonghe says that the agreement from back then should be fulfilled.'"

Chen Xuan took the jade talisman, glanced at it, confirmed that the patterns on it matched the Sect mark of the Qingcang Sect, and then put it into the top layer of his Storage Pouch. He did not ask more about what the agreement was, and Liu Yun did not intend to explain.

Three days later, in the depths of the back mountain of the Qingcang Sect, Chen Xuan met Immortal Master Qingmu. The Foundation Establishment Elder of the Qingcang Sect, Daoist Heshan, led the way for him, passing through three protective Formations and a valley shrouded in clouds all year round, before finally seeing the figure of Immortal Master Qingmu in the depths of the spiritual bamboo forest that had grown for who knows how many years.

Immortal Master Qingmu sat cross-legged under a thick purple bamboo, with a bamboo staff lying across his knees. His face was old, with wrinkles like tree bark, but his eyes were surprisingly clear and bright. He took the jade talisman from Liu Yun, looked at it in his palm, and was silent for a long time.

"...That old thing Chonghe actually dug up this old debt." Immortal Master Qingmu sighed, "I do owe him a life for the agreement back then. Tell me, what does he want me to do?"

Chen Xuan briefly explained the situation of Nanming Volcano, omitting the details of the "Heaven-Shifting and Sun-Changing" Formation, and only mentioning that Immortal Master Kumu's goal was to act against the Fire Phoenix True Spirit, requiring someone to restrain him at the critical moment. After hearing this, Immortal Master Qingmu was silent for a moment, then stood up, leaned on his bamboo staff, and nodded.

"Alright." He said, "Half a month later, at Nanming Volcano, I will arrive on time."

Within seven days, three trump cards had been set. Master Liu Yun, Immortal Master Qingmu of the Qingcang Sect, and Xiao Muting. Three Golden Core Masters, each with their own expertise and strengths, were enough to restrain Immortal Master Kumu and any Buddhist Sect disciples who might appear beside him on the front line. But Chen Xuan still needed one additional trump card—the tacit understanding of Fire Fox.

On his way back to Nanming Volcano, he took out a blank communication jade talisman and carved a line of words into it with his Divine Sense: "Half a month later, meet at the rift on the east side of the magma lake. There will be others accompanying me then, not for your cave, but only to take that Gold-Attribute essence." Then he threw the jade talisman toward the dark red horizon in the south.

Three days later, he received a reply with only two words: "Understood."

Of the half-month deadline, the first seven days were used to contact helpers and confirm the commitments of all parties. For the remaining eight days, Chen Xuan re-arranged a small Daoist arena next to the Spiritual Vein spring at the underground of Wanyao Immortal City. He wrapped the entire cave in three layers using a Tier 3 defensive Formation Plate brought by the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce, leaving a spiritual power buffer gap between each layer. He sat cross-legged in the center of the Formation eye, took out the black stone slab given by Liu Yun, placed it on his knees, and closed his eyes to re-nurture the City Wall Earth Golden Essence.

On the night of the eighth day, he received a message from Xiao Muting. When the jade talisman lit up in the quiet room, a familiar aura emanated from it, much thicker than it had been half a month ago. The jade talisman contained only a short sentence: "It's done. Middle Stage Golden Core. The Strange Fire Golden Essence has completely fused with me, and my combat power is 30% higher than expected."

Chen Xuan held the jade talisman and sat in the quiet room for a long time. It was not just a Middle Stage Golden Core, but a true Middle Stage Golden Core attained through the Heavenly Fire Golden Essence, which was completely different from those pseudo-cores piled up by Acquired mana. Xiao Muting's Foundation was the Strange Fire Golden Essence, and his method of operating mana was higher than the level of ordinary Cultivators from the very beginning.

He put away the jade talisman and got up to walk out of the quiet room. In the night, the lights of Wanyao Immortal City were reflected on the spiritual light wall of the protective Formation, and the entire city looked like a glowing body in a deep sleep. His gaze crossed the city wall, looking towards the direction covered by volcanic ash in the south. More than half of the half-month deadline had passed, and there was only one day left before the Fire Phoenix True Spirit entered its deepest dormancy period. He had to set off before dawn.

The flying boat rose silently into the night. When it passed through the clouds, the Wanyao Immortal City below had shrunk into a sparse cluster of light points, like a handful of broken stars scattered on black velvet. He stood at the bow, watching the dark red horizon ahead gradually become clear. The wind, carrying the scent of sulfur, blew from the south, causing the crown band binding his hair to flutter behind his head.

Xiao Muting was waiting for him at the agreed place. On the rock ledge above the rift exit on the east side of the volcano, Xiao Muting had already arrived first, standing on the edge of the rock ledge with his hands behind his back, his back to the direction from which he had come. In Chen Xuan's perception, his cultivation was like an ancient well with no bottom, calm and waveless, but there was something slowly burning at the bottom of the well.

"Middle Stage Golden Core?"

"Middle Stage Golden Core." Xiao Muting turned around, "That Strange Fire Golden Essence has completely fused with me. The Nanming Li Fire Strange Fire plus the Gold-Attribute fragments of the Heavenly Fire, nourishing each other, was much faster than expected. With my current combat power, I should be able to hold on for more than an hour when facing a Late Stage Golden Core great demon head-on."

Chen Xuan nodded and walked to the edge of the rock ledge to look down. The magma lake was much calmer than it had been half a month ago, and the frequency of bubbles surging was significantly reduced. The liquid surface was like a slightly reddish mirror, reflecting the firelight occasionally flashing in the rift. Even if the Fire Phoenix True Spirit had left the bottom of the lake, the spiritual power remaining in the sloughed-off skin was still fluctuating slowly.

The two waited on the rock ledge for less than half an incense stick of time before Liu Yun and Immortal Master Qingmu arrived one after another at a hidden cave on the northeast side of Nanming Volcano. Without unnecessary pleasantries, Liu Yun glanced at the direction of the magma lake, then looked at Chen Xuan, and only said one sentence: "Where is Fire Fox?"

"She will come." Chen Xuan said, "But not now."

He took out the heavenly book golden decree and spread it out in his palm. The golden tadpole-like characters appeared in the morning mist, the handwriting clear and stable.

[Today's Fortune: Moderately Auspicious.]

[Today's Heavenly Secret: Seven Killings.]

[Today's Destiny: Unveiling.]

[Moderately Auspicious: The Fire Phoenix True Spirit left Nanming Volcano three years ago. The sloughed-off skin left at the bottom of the lake has been tempered by Nanming Li Fire for many years and can erupt with combat power fluctuations of the Early to Middle Stage Golden Core, which is enough to disrupt Immortal Master Kumu's perception of the Golden Essence. Xiao Muting possesses the same-origin Strange Fire Golden Essence and can temporarily suppress the spiritual power fluctuations of the sloughed-off skin, preventing it from erupting with full force.]

[Minor Ominous: Immortal Master Kumu has set up three layers of killing Formations on the northwest side of Nanming Volcano. If you break in head-on, you will fall into a bitter battle, but with Immortal Master Qingmu and Master Chonghe supporting from the sides, you can break his outer Formation.]

[Highly Auspicious: Xiao Muting's Strange Fire Golden Essence is naturally restraining against Immortal Master Kumu's wood-attribute Cultivation Technique. The core of Immortal Master Kumu's Cultivation Technique, which he has practiced for eight hundred years, is Wood-Attribute. Fire restrains Wood, and the trend of mutual restraint is over 30%. If you can force him to use his full strength, the chance of winning can be increased to 60%.]

Chen Xuan finished reading and put away the heavenly book golden decree.