409: Chapter 409: The Five Elements and Mutual Generation

Tian Xin sat cross-legged by the tower gate, holding a sensing talisman. The patterns on the Talisman shifted constantly, cycling through colors from crimson to ice blue, emerald green, earthy yellow, and dark gold, moving faster and faster.

"The Origin Qi on the sixth floor isn't a single type," Tian Xin opened her eyes and handed the sensing talisman to Gao Feng. "All Five Elements are present. Moreover, they aren't simply mixed; they circulate in the order of mutual generation. Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, and Earth generates Metal. The Five Elements generate each other in an endless cycle. The Puppets on this floor should also possess all Five Elements attributes, making them nearly immune to Spells of a single attribute."

"Does that mean we need to attack with multiple attributes simultaneously?" Situ Lan asked.

"More than that." Su Ning's spatial perception had also probed the sixth floor. "The Puppets have high resistance to Five Elements Spells, so ordinary multi-attribute attacks will have limited effect. We need to execute a chain of cooperation following the order of Five Elements mutual generation, making each attribute's attack an amplification for the next."

Elder Xuanqing had approached them at some point and nodded upon hearing this: "The sixth floor tests exactly the chain cooperation of Five Elements mutual generation. When Wanfa Sect Disciples challenge this floor, they need a team of at least five people, each specializing in one element, striking in sequence according to the generation order. The final blow is delivered by the one with the highest cultivation. Your advantage is that each of you can use multiple attributes, but the disadvantage is your varying cultivation levels, which makes coordination more difficult."

Master Lieyang stood on the high platform, looking down at them without saying a word. However, Gao Feng noticed the Elder behind him quietly making a hand gesture toward the tower gate—it was the signal to activate the second layer of Restrictions within the tower. The Puppets' resistance was likely about to increase again.

"No need to worry." Gao Feng withdrew his gaze and began assigning tasks. "We will split into two groups for the sixth floor. The first group will handle output: Tian Xin, Chu Lan, Luo Li, Su Ning, and Lin Jingyu—you will attack in the order of Five Elements mutual generation. The second group will handle defense and support: Lin Yue will protect everyone, Yaoguang will provide healing at any time, and Situ Lan and I will act as mobile support for finishing blows."

He paused and added, "Tian Xin, use your Talisman to simulate Water Origin Qi as the lead-off. Chu Lan, follow Water with Wood. Luo Li, follow Wood with Fire. Su Ning, follow Fire with Earth, using Space Folding to focus it. Lin Jingyu, follow Earth by using the flowing cloud sword to guide Metal for the final strike. I will control the rhythm at every transition point to ensure the cycle of mutual generation remains unbroken."

Tian Xin nodded and took a stack of ice-blue Water Talismans from her sleeve. Chu Lan gripped several Wood-attribute spirit seeds, her palms already sweating. Luo Li held the flowing sound zither steady, and Su Ning's hands began to form seals. Lin Jingyu drew the flowing cloud sword half an inch, the blade letting out a low hum in the night wind.

Lin Yue strode directly beneath the tower gate and formed a seal with his hands. An earthy yellow halo spread from his body, enveloping everyone. The defense range of the Rock Demon Prison-Suppressing Array shrank to protect exactly the nine of them, making its defensive power even more concentrated. Yaoguang stood behind Lin Yue, one hand on his back and the other holding a rejuvenation pill, ready for any emergency.

The tower gate slowly opened, and the purple-black light of the sixth floor spilled from the gap, illuminating everyone's faces.

Gao Feng was the first to step into the sixth floor.

The space inside the tower was larger than the previous five floors combined. The vaulted ceiling was too high to see, and the four walls were carved with array patterns of Five Elements mutual generation. The formation on the ground exceeded ten zhang in diameter, its patterns flowing so fast it made one's eyes dizzy. In the center of the formation, a massive Puppet slowly rose, two zhang tall, half-human and half-beast, composed entirely of five-colored crystals—crimson Fire crystals, ice-blue Water crystals, emerald Wood crystals, earthy yellow Earth crystals, and dark gold Metal crystals, all interlaced into a single entity. The Puppet's eyes were two pure white crystals without pupils, which lit up the moment the nine entered.

Master Lieyang activated the second layer of Restrictions. The formation's light suddenly intensified, and the five-colored crystals on the Puppet's body brightened. Elder Xuanqing sensed this change from outside the tower and frowned deeply, but he did not speak up to stop it.

"Tian Xin, start!" Gao Feng's voice echoed in the empty tower.

Tian Xin tore open a Water Talisman. Spiritual power transformed into an ice-blue pillar of light that shot straight at the Puppet, accurately hitting the ice-blue crystal region on its chest. Water Origin Qi spread across the Puppet's surface, forming a thin layer of ice. An ordinary attack would have been halved by the Puppet's high resistance, but Tian Xin's step was merely to introduce Water, not to attack.

"Chu Lan, take Wood!"

Chu Lan threw several Wood seeds at the Puppet's feet and channeled her spiritual power. The seeds burst from the ground, and frantically growing vines entangled the Puppet. They didn't attack the Puppet directly but instead absorbed the ice-blue Water Origin Qi on its surface—Water generates Wood. Chu Lan's spirit plants converted the Water Origin Qi left by Tian Xin into an amplification for the Wood attack. Thorns on the vines began to grow and harden, piercing into the Puppet's joint gaps.

The Puppet struggled, snapping several vines, but new ones grew back immediately.

"Luo Li, Fire!" Gao Feng's voice was steady.

Luo Li's fingers moved rapidly across the flowing sound zither. She wasn't playing any existing piece, but a melody woven specifically for this battle. That melody carried a scorching aura, resonating and transforming the Wood Origin Qi released by Chu Lan's spirit plants into Fire soundwaves. Blazing soundwaves surged from the flowing sound zither, condensing in the air into a crimson pillar of light that slammed into the Puppet's head. The Fire attack's power was amplified by the Wood—Wood generates Fire. The power of Luo Li's strike far exceeded any Fire Spell she usually cast.

A crack was scorched into the crystal on the Puppet's head.

"Su Ning, Earth!"

Su Ning formed hand seals, and her Space Power compressed, condensed, and settled the residual scorching Origin Qi from Luo Li's Fire attack, transforming it into Earth power. A dark yellow light pressed down from above the Puppet's head—not an attack, but a suppression. Under the pressure of the Earth power, the Puppet's body sank visibly; its legs bent slightly, and its knees nearly hit the ground.

"Jingyu, Metal, the final blow!"

Lin Jingyu unsheathed his sword. The blade of the flowing cloud sword condensed his own Sword Intent, Su Ning's transformed Earth power, and all the Five Elements Origin Qi passed down through the previous four steps. Metal Origin Qi condensed at the sword's tip into a dazzling white light. He took a deep breath and thrust out his sword.

The sword light was as fast as lightning, following the chain of Five Elements mutual generation to pierce the Metal crystal on the Puppet's chest. Earth generates Metal. The power of this sword strike was amplified to the extreme by the previous Earth suppression, and the Puppet's defense was like thin paper before the sword light. The Metal crystal shattered, and the five-colored light across the Puppet's entire body dimmed simultaneously.

However, the second layer of Restrictions activated by Master Lieyang allowed the Puppet to hold on for a few more breaths. Its right arm suddenly lifted, swinging a palm toward Lin Jingyu. Lin Yue's defensive array blocked the palm; the Rock Demon Phantom's arm was jarred with cracks, and blood seeped from the corner of Lin Yue's mouth, but he did not retreat a single step. Yaoguang's healing power surged into him at the same time, minimizing the shock damage.

Lin Jingyu's sword pierced the Puppet's core. The Puppet's body vibrated violently as the five-colored crystals shattered one by one—from crimson to ice blue, emerald green, earthy yellow, and dark gold—until finally, even the white crystals of its eyes went dark. It crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Silence fell within the tower.

Gao Feng took a deep breath and stepped out from the corner. He had originally prepared to act as mobile support if any link in the chain stalled, but the coordination of the Five Elements mutual generation chain was so smooth that he never had an opportunity to act. The vajra sword had remained sheathed throughout, though his gaze had never left the Puppet as he directed everyone's rhythm.

"Well done," he said briefly.

Elder Xuanqing, sensing the dissipation of the Puppet's aura on the sixth floor from outside, remained silent for a long time. He recorded the clearing process on a Jade Slip. He turned to look at Master Lieyang, who did not respond, only staring toward the tower gate with a complex expression in his eyes.

When the nine filed out of the tower, the first ray of morning light was just piercing through the sea of clouds. They had spent the entire night on the sixth floor—not because the battle took too long, but because waiting for the optimal moment for Five Elements mutual generation required patience.

Elder Xuanqing walked up to Gao Feng, gave him a deep look, and took a dark gold Jade Slip from his sleeve. "This is the Five Elements Evasion Technique, a secret of the Wanfa Sect. It is not the Five Elements Return to Origin Method promised by the Sect Master, but a reward I am personally giving you."

He looked at the eight people behind him, his voice soft but his words carrying great weight. "This kind of coordination has never existed since the founding of the Wanfa Sect. You have proven that some things are more important than Spells."

Gao Feng took the Jade Slip, bowed solemnly in thanks, and handed it to Tian Xin to keep safe.

Master Lieyang came down from the high platform. Without looking at Gao Feng or Elder Xuanqing, he strode past them, his robes stirring a cold wind as he disappeared at the end of the corridor. He never said another word.

The purple-black light of the Wanfa Tower's sixth floor returned to tranquility, as if nothing had happened. But the nine knew that the most difficult trial had passed.

After clearing the sixth floor, Master Lieyang's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, and the Disciples of the Wanfa Sect gradually dispersed.

In the twilight, only the nine remained standing on the plaza in front of the Wanfa Tower. The silver-white light of the seventh floor flickered above them—quiet and frigid, like a sword hanging over their heads.

"The seventh floor tomorrow," Gao Feng spoke, his voice not loud, but clear to everyone in the empty plaza. "Master Lieyang added a second layer of Restrictions to the Puppet; the seventh floor will be no exception. We need to be prepared."

Chu Lan squatted on the ground, using a branch to draw the spiritual power distribution map of the seventh floor on the stone tiles. Her spirit plant perception was extremely sensitive to Origin Qi concentration, and she had captured the spiritual power fluctuations of the seventh floor the moment the sixth floor was cleared. Those fluctuations were not chaotic but highly ordered—the Five Elements Origin Qi were not acting independently but were fused into one.

"The Five Elements Origin Qi on the seventh floor are fused together," Chu Lan pointed at the five overlapping rings drawn on the stone tiles, forming a complete circle. "It's not a sequential circulation like the mutual generation chain, but rather all five attributes existing and operating simultaneously without repelling each other. The Puppet on that floor should possess a Five Elements shield."