Chapter Sixty-Nine: Wood Gives Birth to Fire

“Big Brother, is this really for me?”

King Yurong stared in shock at the Spirit Elixir in his hand. He had thought Yuan Wuji was merely trying to comfort him, never expecting that Yuan Wuji would actually bring him a pill capable of raising his cultivation.

Just like the Spirit Elixir once refined by the ancient Water Ape, the moment King Yurong came into contact with this one, made by the ancient Fire Ape, his blood surged with an uncontrollable yearning.

“Of course it’s for you, from your big brother.”

Yuan Wuji accepted King Yurong’s gratitude without a hint of modesty.

“Big Brother, I won’t let you down.”

Having already experienced a period of seclusion, King Yurong knew this time the refinement of the Spirit Elixir would not take too much longer. He had already reached the threshold of breaking through to the Loose Immortal realm; all he lacked was a key.

With his unique constitution, once King Yurong stepped into the Loose Immortal stage, his strength would soar to new heights.

Yuan Wuji gestured for him to return and enter seclusion. When the Seven Saints of Flower-Fruit Mountain gathered, if King Yurong’s cultivation remained what it was before, he would surely be at a disadvantage.

No wonder, in the records of Journey to the West from his previous life, King Yurong was ranked sixth among the Seven Saints of Flower-Fruit Mountain—an indirect admission that he was the weakest of the seven.

After King Yurong departed, Yuan Wuji returned to his own cultivation cave to refine the essence blood of the ancient Fire Ape. Gaining the Fire Ape’s innate affinity for flames, Yuan Wuji sensed the faint presence of Samadhi True Fire hidden in his dantian.

His cultivation cave was the most concentrated nexus of life energy in the entire Wuzhang Cave. Life energy was the highest manifestation of the wood element, and since wood gives birth to fire, it was the perfect environment to ignite the Samadhi True Fire in his dantian to its fullest potential.

As soon as he entered the cave, Yuan Wuji could distinctly feel the Samadhi True Fire in his dantian growing stronger.

He employed the Ninefold Profound Art to rotate his Geng Metal Golden Core, and a wisp of Samadhi True Fire rotated with it. Without the ancient Fire Ape’s talent, he might never have noticed the subtle change in his dantian.

But now that such an opportunity was before him, there was no reason to let it slip away.

He guided thread after thread of life energy to nourish the Samadhi True Fire in his dantian. At present, the fire seed was still in its infancy, unable to withstand an overwhelming influx of life energy. If a tiny flame tried to ignite a great tree, the likely result would be the tree unburned and the fire extinguished.

The Samadhi True Fire seed was derived from the soul of a divine dragon; therefore, it did not require much life energy. In fact, excess would hinder its ignition.

“This must be the limit for now.”

Yuan Wuji attempted to coax the Samadhi True Fire from his dantian, and a cluster of three-colored flames slowly appeared in his palm.

This was currently the limit of his Samadhi True Fire; he could not manifest more. If he could devour the remaining eight dragon souls, he would surely attain the complete Samadhi True Fire.

While Yuan Wuji was solidifying the foundation of his Samadhi True Fire, Hu Baisheng was seething with rage.

“Why… why is it still like this?”

Hu Baisheng swung the black staff in his hand over and over. It was a treasure he had obtained long ago, and since his breakthrough to the Loose Immortal stage, he had kept it close, relying on its power to easily defeat King Yurong.

“Do I really have to destroy my demon core and start over?”

To destroy his demon core would be to return everything to nothing. How much determination did it take to make such a choice? Hu Baisheng had poured so much effort into reaching the Loose Immortal stage; he simply couldn’t bring himself to destroy his demon core.

But if he didn’t, he would remain nothing more than a lamb for Yuan Wuji to slaughter at will.

Ever since Hu Baisheng refined his demon core to the Hundred Demon Realm, there had been a voice within him urging him to break his core and rebuild, growing clearer and more insistent with time.

Yet the immense effort it had taken to reach the Hundred Demon Realm, and the power it bestowed—leaving him virtually unmatched among his peers—made Hu Baisheng ignore that voice altogether.

As he struggled, a voice sounded from outside the door:

“Brother, are you there?”

“Hm?”

Hu Baisheng was startled. He hadn’t expected Cat Snow to come seeking him. Ever since Cat Snow married Black Cheng, she seldom visited, and whenever she did, Hu Baisheng would drive her away with impatience.

“Why are you here again?”

“I heard about your situation from Uncle. You should listen to the king; he will never mistreat you,” Cat Snow said earnestly.

In Cat Snow’s eyes, the fact that Hu Baisheng didn’t trouble Black Cheng after defeating King Yurong meant he still cared for his elder sister. So now, seeing him falter, she felt it her unshirkable duty to comfort him.

She had no idea that Hu Baisheng wasn’t holding back from seeking trouble with Black Cheng out of affection, but rather because he was intimidated by Black Moon’s overwhelming strength.

“Your cultivation was granted by the king; surely he values you highly.”

“Sister, I will think about it carefully.”

The moment Hu Baisheng saw Cat Snow, his mind was not on her concern, but on how best to make use of her.

Now that Cat Snow was Black Cheng’s wife, and Black Moon was Black Cheng’s uncle, if Hu Baisheng managed their relationships well, perhaps in a critical moment he might save his own life.

“Yes, I hope we can be like we were two centuries ago.”

Cat Snow’s face was filled with hope. She was content with her life now, but her only regret was Hu Baisheng.

“Sister, you should go back. If brother-in-law gets worried, it will be hard to explain.”

With these words, Hu Baisheng was indirectly asking her to leave. Yet the mention of “brother-in-law” meant much to Cat Snow—it signified Hu Baisheng’s acceptance of Black Cheng. As for his dismissal, she merely thought he needed time to think, and left his cave without the slightest complaint.

“I underestimated Black Moon back then. I never imagined his cultivation would be so profound.”

Hu Baisheng could only rely on Cat Snow’s connection to Black Cheng, hoping to receive Black Moon’s protection at a crucial time.

Cat Snow had not gone far from Hu Baisheng’s cave when a black shadow appeared before her.

“How did it go?”

“At the very least, he now acknowledges you as his brother-in-law.”

The black figure was Black Cheng. Cat Snow had worried herself sick over Hu Baisheng’s transformation through the years, and though Black Cheng’s intelligence was limited, he understood her concerns and wanted to ease them.

He had put forth much effort with Black Moon for her sake. Seeing the happiness on Cat Snow’s face now, Black Cheng felt it was all worthwhile.

“As long as you’re happy, I’ll take care of Uncle myself,” Black Cheng promised, pounding his chest.

“Thank you, Black Cheng.” Cat Snow embraced him.

Over the years, Black Cheng had done many thankless tasks just to make her happy. She had seen and remembered it all, and felt deeply fortunate that she had chosen him.

Since her birth, the only warmth Cat Snow had known, apart from the childhood years spent with her brother Hu Baisheng, was now found in Black Cheng.