Surrounding the monk were more than ten demons who had cultivated into human form, and dozens of tigers, leopards, wolves and insects that had just awakened their spiritual consciousness and had not yet shed their original forms. They were all listening with rapt attention, seemingly floating on air, as if they were about to ascend to immortality.
These are all just appearances. Within the Eternal Light Curtain, one can clearly see that the monk's head is filled with black mist and blood-red light soaring into the sky. It is unknown how many lives he has slaughtered to accumulate such a dense aura of bloodlust.
"Blood River creature, I've finally found you." Lin Yi immediately used his Fire Crow transformation and flew over.
Under the big tree, the yellow-robed monk glanced at the demons listening to his lecture and thought to himself, "These demons combined are enough for a big meal."
Just then, a fire crow flew in from afar. The yellow-robed monk was overjoyed and began to preach the Dharma with even greater fervor, hoping to convert it as well.
The fire crow circled once in the sky, as if it were attracted by something below.
"Come down, come down... The mortal world is full of suffering. For the sake of this humble monk's cultivation, please go to the Pure Land." The yellow-robed monk murmured to himself.
The next moment, seventy-two fiery arrows rained down from the sky.
The fire crows above flapped their wings, and the domineering true fire of the sun descended from the sky, igniting the trees and flowers, instantly turning into a prairie fire.
Faced with a life-or-death crisis, the group of lesser demons, whose minds had been bewitched by the yellow-robed monk, awoke and scattered in all directions. However, a few demons, having been converted for too long, had completely fallen into the trap.
A black bear demon roared loudly, its voice echoing for miles around, and spewed out a cloud of gray-black demonic energy from its gaping maw.
This black bear spirit was only at the level of Condensing Evil, but its demonic energy was cultivated in a very strange way, producing a sticky force as soon as it was exhaled.
The fire arrows, flying back and forth, slowed down as they got closer.
Lin Yi transformed, dispelling his fire crow form. Surrounded by pale golden flames, he descended from mid-air step by step, as if there were invisible steps beneath his feet.
Looking at the black bear spirit on the ground, Lin Yi shook his head slightly. This black bear spirit was too deeply poisoned and could no longer quit.
He raised his right hand and pressed it down in mid-air, and a giant, pale golden hand made of true solar fire fell towards the black bear demon.
The black bear spirit's demonic aura erupted, and his body seemed to grow several sizes larger, but all these efforts failed to break through the gap in their cultivation levels.
The pale golden giant hand landed, leaving only some charred marks on the ground.
Lin Yi stood on the ground, and the five wolf demons pounced on him together.
These wolf demons were cunning and treacherous, and they knew how to launch coordinated attacks. The five wolf demons attacked from five different directions, trying to make Lin Yi unable to defend himself.
Lin Yi stretched out his left hand, and a jet-black true water, as deep as the ocean, appeared in his palm. It was the Xuanming True Water, known as the "Commander of All Waters".
Thick water vapor gathered, and transparent loaches rushed towards the five demon wolves, exploding the moment they touched them.
The five demon wolves were immediately blasted to pieces, and then the cold air brought by the Xuanming True Water invaded their bodies, making them move slowly. Then came another round of bombardment.
Soon, the five demon wolves turned into ice sculptures.
Lin Yi walked towards the yellow-robed monk under the tree, water and fire dancing together to pave the way.
The yellow-robed monk no longer dared to impersonate a virtuous monk. Thick blood light surged from his body, and he transformed into a blood-red streak, rushing towards Lin Yi like lightning.
Lin Yi clasped his hands together in front of his chest, then his ten fingers blossomed like lotus flowers. The Xuanming True Water and the Sun True Fire collided, creating a turbulent and ever-changing interplay of water and fire.
The blood-red light surged and crashed within the alternating vortex of gold and black, yet it could not break through and be eliminated.
"Water and fire at will, Tai Chi seal."
Lin Yi changed his hand seals, and a fist-sized ball of light, changing between gold and black, flew into his right hand.
After putting away the orb of light, Lin Yi was preparing to return to Caiyun Residence to interrogate the yellow-robed monk and find the passage to the Blood River.
Suddenly, a dark cloud drifted over from afar and landed on an open space not far away, revealing a yellow-faced boy with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes.
After recognizing the person, Lin Yi smiled and said, "Brother Jiao, how have you been?"
"Master Lin, I didn't expect to meet you here?" said Jiao Fei, the yellow-faced youth.
Lin Yi sighed and said, "I want to go out to sea to gather evil spirits, but I'm struggling because I don't have a good means of transportation. A few days ago, I finally found a method for forging a treasure ship, but I couldn't find the materials. Later, I heard that there might be some in the Western Regions, so I searched all the way here, but unfortunately, I found nothing."
"What kind of materials does Master Lin need?" Jiao Fei asked with some curiosity.
"It requires a divine tree that has matured over a thousand years ago." Lin Yi said, flicking his sleeve, and thirteen crystal-clear jade slips appeared in front of him, displaying the pictures and texts on them.
After glancing at it a few times, Jiao Fei thought to himself, "When I met Master Lin in Chang'an, he talked to Senior Sister Meng Tianzhu about how he came to Chang'an not for the 'Chun Jun Pot,' but for another important matter. Could it be this? I do know of a thousand-year-old divine tree, but..."
------------
Chapter Fifty-Nine: Crimson Fire Yuan Copper, Deep into the Tiger's Den
"There are seven kinds of divine trees in the world, which correspond to Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. Among them, the most famous are Fusang, Laurel, Bodhi, and Jianmu. I once heard that the Tianhe Sword Sect used to grow the Crimson Fire Yuan Copper Tree, which is born from the essence of fire and metal. This kind of divine tree has the attributes of both metal and fire in its nature and is one of the seven superior materials for refining flying swords. Unfortunately, when I inquired here, I learned that the Tianhe Sword Sect had abandoned the Crimson Fire Yuan Copper Tree for some reason."
Lin Yi shook his head as he spoke, clearly puzzled.
Jiao Fei's mind raced. He had already entered the second stage of Qi Refining, the Aperture Realm, through the cultivation of the Heavenly River Orthodox Method. After opening up all the acupoints in his body and passing the test of sensing heaven and earth, he would have to consider the issue of condensing evil energy.
Although there are many Yin veins in the world, they are all outside the seventy-two earth veins.
There are only five paths that are most compatible with the foundation of the Heavenly River Orthodox Dharma. Among them, the Xuan Shuang Yin Sha, Zhen Long Sha, Jiu Yin Di Sha, and Tian She Yin Sha are the four paths that are most compatible with the Yin veins of the water system.
In addition, there is another Five Elements True Fiend that is also suitable for Jiao Fei to cultivate, but it is even harder to find than the four mentioned above.
Because this Five Elements True Evil is suitable for the vast majority of Five Elements Taoist practices, it was immediately used once it was discovered.
The Tianhe Sword Sect was established in Tongtian River because there are more than ten Yin Veins of Earthly Fiends near Tongtian River, all of which are suitable for the sect's disciples to cultivate.
Of the five Yin Veins of Earthly Fiends that Jiao Fei needed, there were two near the Tianhe Sword Sect: the True Dragon Fiend and the Heavenly Serpent Yin Fiend.
However, Jiao Fei would never consider cultivating within the sect.