Jinhua Situation

Liu Jin also sat down on the stone bench. After the two had some tea, the City God got straight to the point: "Thank you for removing the old locust tree at Lanruo Temple for Jinhua. That tree demon has been entrenched here for hundreds of years. I have fought her several times, and we have each won and lost."

The City God Temple of Jinhua governs an area of ​​a hundred li, but this particular mountain forest has always been troubled. Now that the tree demon has been eliminated, I can finally have some peace and quiet. Whatever reward you require, as long as it is within my power, I will certainly not refuse.

"The reward isn't urgent," Liu Jin said. "Since Your Majesty knows this area so well, what other monster forces are nearby?"

The City God put down his teacup, pondered for a moment, then took out a scroll from his robes and slowly unfurled it on the stone table. The scroll depicted a map of Jinhua Prefecture, with mountains, rivers, cities, and villages marked with tiny cinnabar characters as fine as mosquito legs.

He stretched out his long, slender finger, pointing beyond the mountains and forests north of Jinhua City, towards a location further north. There, he drew a low, entirely black mountain, surrounded by concentric circles of red crosses drawn in vermilion—not markers, but warning lines.

"Black Mountain." The City God's tone turned somber. "There is an old demon named Black Mountain on Black Mountain who escaped from the underworld five hundred years ago."

As for which palace in the underworld he escaped from, why he was able to escape, and why the underworld hasn't made a full-scale pursuit after his escape, the relationships involved are too complex for me to elaborate on. But the result is that the underworld can't control him for the time being.

Liu Jin nodded, indicating that he understood. The City God continued, "After the Black Mountain Demon took over Black Mountain, he gradually recruited many demons as his subordinates over the past few hundred years."

However, his place was cold and damp, unsuitable for most spirits, so he had few truly capable subordinates. The tree demon was his most reliable ally near Jinhua. Last month, a demon named Shi, one of Black Mountain's subordinates, came to Lanruo Temple to deliver a message, but was stopped and sent back by the ghost messengers.

The Black Mountain should already know the tree spirit is dead. They're not stupid; they won't rashly cause trouble. So as long as you don't go to the Black Mountain, they won't come looking for you.

He moved his finger to the upper left of the map and pointed to a mountain range marked with blue paint.

The mountain range stretched endlessly, its outline only roughly drawn on the map. The text markings were much denser than those on the Black Mountain side, with names like "So-and-so True Man," "So-and-so Taoist Temple," and "So-and-so Cave" densely covering the entire mountain.

"Laoshan. Among the Xuanmen sects today, Laoshan is the only one with genuine cultivation. Other sects are either nominally powerful or have long since lost their lineage."

Only Laoshan still has the authentic teachings passed down to this day, and there are several true masters in the sect with profound Taoist skills, who are incomparable to those charlatans who can only draw talismans and exorcise ghosts.

The flames on your body are righteous, but they are not from this world's cultivation methods. Perhaps you could visit the Taoist priests of Laoshan. As fellow practitioners, you would surely gain something from exchanging ideas.

Liu Jin understood the City God's unspoken meaning. This City God had clearly already seen that he was not using the cultivation methods of this world. Having cultivated the Golden Light of Merit for nearly a thousand years, his insight was extremely shrewd. How could he possibly believe his excuse that "his cultivation had gone wrong"?

However, the City God did not expose him; instead, he offered him a way out, which shows that the City God had no ill intentions towards Sanyi Temple. At least in terms of the tree demon being eliminated, the City God remembered his good intentions.

"Thank you for your guidance, City God. As for the reward, it is more than enough that you personally made this trip to inform me of the information about Black Mountain and Laoshan."

The City God rose, and golden light shone again in the morning light. As he stepped out of the courtyard, the azure cloud beneath his feet reappeared, steadily supporting his figure. He paused, turned around on the cloud, and the two ghost messengers floated out from their hiding place, standing on his left and right sides.

He gestured for the two guards to leave first, then gave Liu Jin a few more instructions: "The Black Mountain Demon rarely leaves his territory. But he holds grudges. Although the tree demon is only his ally, its destruction is still a slap in the face to him. So, as I said before, if Black Mountain doesn't bother you, don't go looking for him. Although his five hundred years of cultivation is not as great as mine, he's in the shadows while you're in the open, and you'll be the one who suffers in the end."

After the City God left, Zhao Fengnian peeked out from the kitchen, made sure the golden light at the courtyard gate had completely dissipated, then let out a long sigh and plopped down on the threshold.

His forehead was covered in sweat, and the back of his clothes was soaked, sticking to the door panel and making a slight tearing sound.

He rubbed his palms repeatedly on his apron, his knuckles trembling slightly involuntarily. He had tried to remain calm while pouring tea, but now all the fear was washing over him.

He wasn't afraid of the City God, but he was afraid that he would make a mistake and implicate Liu Jin.

"Brother, was that really the City God? A living deity? I poured him a cup of tea, and he even praised the tea. I never imagined in my life I'd be able to pour tea for a deity."

Liu Jin stood up from the stone bench and briefly explained the map to him. The Black Mountain Demon, with five hundred years of cultivation, was a fugitive from the underworld and an ally of the tree demon. The Laoshan Sect possessed genuine cultivation. The Black Mountain Demon wouldn't actively seek trouble, but they couldn't be underestimated.

After hearing this, Zhao Fengnian slapped his thigh, his lingering fear replaced by excitement: "So we've officially passed the test? The City God personally came to thank us and even gave us information. From now on, our Sanyi Temple can operate legally in Jinhua."

Liu Jin didn't dampen his optimism, but simply asked him to clean the stone table in the courtyard. Zhao Fengnian responded, picked up the teapot, and walked towards the kitchen, his steps much lighter than usual.

Over the next few days, Zhao Fengnian entered a state of almost manic cultivation.

The essence fire had been completely refined into his body. The wisp of dark blue flame in his dantian burned steadily. He no longer needed to deliberately suppress the Gluttony Seal. The Gluttony Seal was forced into a corner of his soul by the essence fire, shrinking into a dark red lump of flesh. The tiny mouthparts on its surface were still opening and closing, but they could no longer gnaw at the soul barrier that had been tempered by the essence fire.

He began to refine Qi Fire. Qi Fire is different from Essence Fire. Essence Fire refines the skin, flesh, bones, and muscles, while Qi Fire refines internal energy. He puts all the magical power, witchcraft power, and life force he has gained through cultivation into the flames to burn them, removing the dross and retaining the essence, transforming them into a purer form.

Zhao Fengnian's original wizarding powers were mixed and chaotic, including third-rate spells he stole from a magic academy, secondhand witchcraft he traded with a wild mage on his escape, and fragments of beast transformation techniques he had painstakingly studied from books.

This magical power within him was like a pot of mixed stew made from various leftovers, with all sorts of flavors but nothing refined. Now he poured this mixed stew into the furnace of Qi fire, using the most laborious method to boil it spoonful by spoonful, burning away the impurities and leaving only the essence.

The first transformation lasted a full day and night. Zhao Fengnian locked himself in the meditation room, sat cross-legged on the bed, formed a mudra with his hands, and was drenched in sweat. Qi fire rose from his dantian and slowly advanced along the meridians, each inch of advancement feeling like using a red-hot wire to unblock blood vessels.

He gritted his teeth to suppress a cry, his teeth clenching so tightly that a deep line of blood appeared on his lips. But the pain was rewarding. He could feel his magic becoming lighter, purer, and faster; what used to take three breaths to prepare for a single beast transformation spell now only required one.