Chapter 335

Chapter 335 Five Elements Gourd, Ancient Secret

[Magic Gourd: A prototype of a top-grade treasure, with limitless potential.]

[Originally a shamanic magic weapon forged by the Soul Cultivator Plague Elder, it was later cleansed of its restrictions and re-refined into a prototype of a magic weapon.]

[This magic weapon contains Chaos Divine Iron, capable of encompassing all things and absorbing power of any attribute.]

[This magic weapon has been infused with multiple attribute restrictions, encompassing all five elements, forming a self-contained cycle—indescribably marvelous.]

…

Looking at the purple supernatural light emanating from the gourd and the messages,

Lu Qing’s face lit up with satisfaction.

This was his first formal attempt at refining a weapon.

Although he had already used his supernatural powers to simulate and comprehend it many times before,

succeeding on the first try, with virtually no mistakes, was still something to be proud of.

“From now on, call this the Five Elements Gourd.”

Lu Qing named the magic weapon in his hand, then tossed it, levitating it in front of him, and sprayed it with a stream of his own life essence.

With the magic weapon’s restrictions complete, the next crucial step was to recognize its master.

Moreover, the process of recognizing a master for a natal magic weapon is far more complex than for ordinary magic weapons.

It requires long, uninterrupted rituals and refinements using one’s own vital essence and the power of one’s soul, allowing the magic weapon to become one with one’s mind and heart, merging into a single entity, as effortless as a finger pointing.

At a higher level, one must use one’s own vital energy to cultivate a certain spirituality, enlightening the weapon’s spirit and elevating it to a spiritual weapon. The reason

the old man with the plague was able to so easily abandon his body and become a weapon

spirit was because the spirit of the plague gourd itself was of the same origin as him.

Otherwise, transforming from a human body into a magic weapon while maintaining an immortal spirit would be far too simple.

“Young Master, the technique you’re practicing is the [Five Elements Body Refining Technique], and you’ve even reached the state of radiant light.”

Yan was astonished when he saw Lu Qing’s vital energy, infused with the five elements, and the radiance that surfaced from his body as he practiced it.

Ever since Lu Qing refined the Lihuo Cauldron, he had sealed the restriction.

As a result, Yan knew very little about Lu Qing, not even the cultivation method he practiced.

Previously, when Lu Qing had helped it refine the Plague Ghost, he had mobilized the power of the cave’s formation, not his own spiritual energy.

So, only now did Yan realize that Lu Qing was practicing the [Five Elements Body Refining Art], a technique virtually ignored in the ancient era of immortal cultivation.

“What was the young master thinking, practicing this technique? Could it be that this was the only cultivation technique he inherited from the Lihuo Sect?

Or is he unaware of its drawbacks?”

Yan was puzzled.

The [Five Elements Body Refining Art] wasn’t a particularly advanced technique.

Its practice was slow, and its upper limit was low.

Even the cultivator who created it ultimately reached perfection at the Golden Core stage.

Lu Qing’s practice of this technique was truly unexpected.

However, Yan knew that now was not the time to question him, so he simply watched Lu Qing quietly as he practiced his magic weapon.

As Lu Qing expelled mouthful after mouthful of his life essence, the Five Elements Gourd was thoroughly branded by him, refining it into a life-defining magic weapon.

Once imprinted, the Five Elements Gourd immediately transformed into a stream of light, merging into his body before settling into the sea of qi in his dantian.

It absorbed all of Lu Qing’s five elements of spiritual energy, circulating it within him before releasing it.

Then, it absorbed and released it again.

As the Five Elements Gourd continuously absorbed and released spiritual energy, Lu Qing discovered that with each cycle, the spiritual energy in his dantian became even more refined and condensed.

He was pleasantly surprised.

The Five Elements Body Refining Technique he was cultivating required the constant tempering of his own spiritual energy.

As his physical strength grew, the required purity of spiritual energy also increased.

Now that the Five Elements Gourd could purify his spiritual energy, it was effectively assisting him in his cultivation at all times.

This would significantly accelerate his cultivation.

“Sure enough, choosing to refine the Five Elements Gourd as my natal magic weapon was the right decision.

I’ve only just begun to refine this treasure, and it already possesses such miraculous effects.

When I continue to refine it, and it’s fully formed and elevated to a spiritual instrument,

the benefits to me will be unimaginable!”

Lu Qing has only refined one layer of restrictions on the Five Elements Gourd.

This restriction incorporates all five elements, forming a

five-element formation. He combined the heritage of the Divine Talisman Sect with the refining techniques of the Lihuo Sect.

With just one layer of restrictions, it should only yield a magical instrument-level weapon, and that’s the most basic.

Unfortunately, the Five Elements Gourd’s foundation is simply too excellent.

The old man who suffered from the Plague invested his entire life’s accumulation into refining this natal magic weapon,

even inadvertently incorporating a piece of the legendary Chaos Divine Iron.

This means that even without any restrictions, the Five Elements Gourd, based solely on its inherent material and power, is already considered a top-grade treasure.

As long as Lu Qing continued to cultivate it and place it under restraint, it would eventually transform into a spiritual weapon.

As the owner of a spiritual weapon, and indeed, his own natal magical weapon, he would undoubtedly reap immense benefits.

“Congratulations, young master! You’ve successfully cultivated it and now possess your own natal magical weapon.”

Yan congratulated Lu Qing upon seeing him absorb the Five Elements Gourd.

He also internally marveled at Lu Qing’s incredible luck.

He’s only at the Qi Refining Stage, yet not only does he possess two spiritual artifacts, he’s now even successfully refined a natal magical weapon with the potential to become a spiritual artifact.

This level of luck is practically unprecedented, even in the ancient era of immortal cultivation.

In the tens of thousands of years since it was created, nothing like this has ever happened.

“I’ve only refined one level of restriction. I still have a long way to go,” Lu Qing said, shaking his head.

However, at his current level, refining one level of restriction is already the limit.

To continue refining, he’d have to wait for another breakthrough.

“With your talent, it shouldn’t take too long for you to reach the level of refining the second level of restriction,” Yan complimented.

“But, young master, there’s something I don’t understand. May I ask you?”

“Senior, what is it?”

Lu Qing, naturally noticing Yan’s change in attitude, simply offered a casual comment without emphasizing it.

“I just observed the technique that the young master is practicing, and it seems to be the [Five Elements Body Refining Technique].

I wonder why the young master chose this technique to practice. Don’t you know its flaws?”

“What flaws do you mean, senior?”

“The [Five Elements Body Refining Technique] cultivates all five elements, and the time it takes to cultivate one point of spiritual power is more than five times that of other techniques.

Therefore, its cultivation speed is notoriously slow.

Moreover, the upper limit of this technique is not high. The cultivator who originally created it only cultivated to the Golden Core Perfection stage.

Before his lifespan was exhausted, he died.

“Don’t you know these, young master?”

“Yan” asked in a somewhat puzzled tone.

“Senior, are you talking about these flaws?” Lu Qing smiled. “Of course I know, but for me, these are not a problem. The [Five Elements Body Refining Technique] is very suitable for me. It is a technique that I carefully selected before practicing. Senior, there is no need to worry.”

But he did not explain why the [Five Elements Body Refining Technique] was suitable for him.

“I see. I asked unnecessary questions.”

Upon hearing this, “Yan” knew that Lu Qing did not want to talk about this matter.

Although he was curious, he did not continue to ask.

Moreover, he now had some understanding of Lu Qing’s character.

Although this young man was young, he was meticulous and ruthless, and would never do anything that would harm himself.

Since he dared to practice this technique, he must have something to rely on.

“By the way, Senior Yan, I have been hearing you talk about the Five Decline of Heaven and Man. I wonder what this catastrophe is. Could you tell me in detail? “

At this time, Lu Qing also opened his mouth to inquire.

“Yan”‘s heart suddenly trembled.

Lu Qing had asked it this question before, but at that time it had used it to negotiate with Lu Qing.

Now that Lu Qing asked again, “Yan” did not dare to mention it again.

Instead, he solemnly said: “The Five Decays of Heaven and Man is actually a great catastrophe caused by the decline of spiritual energy and the changes in the laws of heaven and earth at the end of the previous era of immortal cultivation.”

“This catastrophe mainly targets cultivators above the Foundation Establishment Stage. It has little impact on cultivators at the lower levels.

The main reason is that the laws of heaven and earth were constantly evolving at that time, and the world was gradually unable to accommodate powerful cultivators.

This was especially true for cultivators at the Golden Core stage and above.

Even if they did nothing, their cultivation and spirit would continue to decline under the influence of the laws of heaven and earth.

You must know that any powerful cultivator’s realm and cultivation are achieved through long years of hard training.

Even their own lifespan is maintained by cultivation, which allows them to maintain their immortal spirit and live a long and healthy life.

Once their spiritual power and spirit have weakened to a certain degree, powerful cultivators will experience signs of physical decay.

Not only will their cultivation vanish, but even their true spirits will struggle to maintain, collapsing.

This is known as the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.

At the end of the Age of Immortal Cultivation, all powerful cultivators must face this devastating catastrophe!

Lu Qing finally understood why Yan had been so surprised to learn that the Plague Ghost’s true spirit still existed.

It turns out that this so-called Five Decays of Heaven and Man is a must-face for all powerful cultivators.

“Then, Senior, a magical weapon spirit like you doesn’t have to face the Five Decays of Heaven and Man?”

“Yes, we weapon spirits have true spirits, but we are magical weapon spirits, without a physical body, and thus, we don’t experience decay.

Therefore, the Five Decays of Heaven and Man doesn’t affect us.

However, if our spiritual energy is depleted and we lack spiritual nourishment for a long time, our true spirits will still weaken and fall into a deep slumber.

That’s exactly why the old Plague Ghost took over another’s body and became the spirit of his own natal magic weapon. “

Is it truly impossible to resist the Five Decays of Heaven and Man? So many powerful beings from the ancient era of immortal cultivation wouldn’t just sit there and wait for death, right?” Lu Qing asked.

“How could they just sit there and wait for death?”

“Yan” sneered.

“Cultivators cherish their lives the most, especially those powerful, long-established veterans. They fear death the most!

Back in the final days of the immortal cultivation era, when the laws of heaven and earth began to shift and spiritual energy began to decline,

those veterans anticipated this catastrophe and began making plans long ago.” “

The subsequent friction and resource-grabbing conflicts among the various immortal cultivation sects were driven by them.

Their goal was to pool the resources of the entire immortal cultivation world and implement their plan to evade the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.”

“What plan?” Lu Qing asked.

“I’m not sure. There were many rumors at the time.”

Some say those old monsters want to open up a secret realm, evading the influence of the laws of heaven and earth, and await the resurgence of the next era of immortal cultivation.

Others say they’re gathering the resources of the entire immortal cultivation world to forge an unprecedented magical weapon, shatter the boundary wall, and leave this world.

Still others say they’re gathering elixirs from across the world to refine a batch of top-grade elixirs, raising their cultivation to the limit and transcending the tribulation to ascend.

In short, there are so many different opinions, and it’s unclear whether they’re true or not.

In any case, before the Five Decays of Heaven and Man truly arrived, our Lihuo Sect had already engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy sect and was ultimately annihilated. “

Open up a secret realm to evade disaster?” Lu Qing’s heart stirred, and he said, “Senior, there are several secret places in the world today, said to have ancient heritage and tens of thousands of years of history. I wonder if this is the secret realm you’re referring to.”

Then, Lu Qing told “Yan” what he knew about the four secret places.

“Xuankong Mountain, Yunshui Secret Realm, Qingyang Temple, Hanshui Palace? “

“Yan” showed doubts when he heard these names.

“Although these four sects were considered top forces in the ancient times of cultivating immortals, it is reasonable to say that with their foundation, they are not enough to create a secret realm that can avoid the five calamities of heaven and man.

Could it be that after I fell asleep, something big happened in the world of cultivating immortals?”

“What the senior means is that with the foundation of Xuankong Mountain alone, it is impossible to create a secret realm that can be passed down for tens of thousands of years?”

“That’s not the case. In the ancient times of cultivating immortals, there were many secret realms, and they were born and died depending on the space of this world.

If there is a force that is willing to integrate into the secret realm and suppress the space at the cost of a powerful spiritual weapon.

This would allow the secret realm to persist, unenclosed.

Back then, almost all the top immortal cultivation sects possessed one or two secret realms as a retreat.

But as I’ve said, secret realms are dependent on this world’s space and are subject to the same laws of heaven and earth.

Even if one retreats into a secret realm, one cannot escape the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.

Only by expending unimaginable costs and completely isolating the secret realm, shielding it from the influence of the laws of the outside world,

could one have a slight chance of avoiding the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.

But such a cost is simply beyond the reach of any single sect.

So, even if these four secret places you mentioned truly have been passed down for tens of thousands of years, representing forces descended from the ancient era of immortal cultivation,

the disciples within them have likely passed through countless generations. It’s impossible for any of these ancient monsters to survive. “

What if, like the old plague ghost, they’ve survived by possessing a spirit artifact?” Lu Qing asked.

“In that case, it’s possible, but spiritual artifacts are rare, and possessing a spirit artifact that isn’t one’s own natal magic weapon is extremely risky.”

Even if they manage to take over another’s body and become a spirit, they’re still trapped in a cage. Not everyone can make such a decision.

So even if there are still such old monsters alive, there won’t be many.

Only three or two at most. “

Lu Qing felt relieved when he heard this.

“Yan” keenly noticed Lu Qing’s change.

Curiously, he asked, “Why, young master, do you have a grudge against these secret places?”

(End of this chapter)