Above the Great Dao
Chapter 223 - 120: I Excel at Nourishing the Vast and Profound Energy - Part 2

Chapter 223: Chapter 120: I Excel at Nourishing the Vast and Profound Energy - Part 2

The Three Ghost Kings had now become the supreme Ghost King, and suddenly he found himself longing for the days he spent imprisoned.

Although he had been confined by Chen Shi during those days, and was periodically summoned for use, the daily refinement of Righteous Qi and the abundant offerings of incense had rapidly increased his strength, allowing him to usurp the position of the former leader.

"Once you enter the temple’s gates, it’s like the deep sea; I can never go back," he reflected with emotion.

In Sanhe Village, Dingding, cradling a pipa, came to Chen Shi’s side, only to see Chen Shi standing beside a fallen jujube tree, attempting to paint a talisman with his bare hands.

This was his first time painting a talisman without tools.

Previously, his talisman painting involved using black dog blood and cinnabar, mixed evenly, on yellow paper.

Black dog blood, cinnabar, and yellow paper—all elements rich in Yang Qi. With True Qi and spirit infused into the tip of the brush, the three forms of talismans, talismanic scripts, and seals could communicate with the divine. A continuous flow of True Qi enabled the creation of talismans that possessed extraordinary power.

However, painting a talisman with bare hands required extremely high skill and greater cultivation.

Firstly, the person painting the talisman needed an abundance of Yang Qi, even to the extent that their Qi-Blood overflowed!

Today, cultivators rarely refined their physical bodies before reaching the Golden Core Realm. They began to temper their bodies only after achieving the Golden Core, but those in the Golden Core Realm capable of achieving Qi-Blood overflow were rare.

Chen Shi was one of those exceptions.

Previously, he had never considered painting talismans with bare hands. After encountering the Green-robed Scholar and seeing how the scholar had used his own blood, spilled from two severed legs, to instantly form a talisman that grew a Traction Worm’s body, Chen Shi realized that talismans could also be painted in this manner.

He was painting a Spring Rain Talisman.

His overflowing Qi-Blood moved along with his fingertips, drawing the Three Pure Ones in the air, summoning thunder and requesting rain, aided by the Six Ding and Six Jia, gradually forming the structure of the Spring Rain Talisman.

As he retracted his fingertips, his Qi-Blood, surprisingly, remained suspended in the air and did not disperse.

Even a gentle breeze couldn’t scatter this extraordinary symbol!

Chen Shi formed a sword-finger gesture, gently tapped and called out softly, "Hasten—"

"Swish—"

The Spring Rain Talisman, written with his Qi-Blood, instantly turned dazzlingly golden, like a golden flame, hovering in the air!

A wondrous Divine Power spread out, connecting heaven and earth, linking Yin and Yang, gathering wind and thunder, and concentrating rainwater, forming a dark cloud of four or five zhang in size above the jujube tree.

Accompanied by the rumble of spring thunder, a light spring rain began to fall, soaking into the earth and nourishing the old tree.

Chen Shi stood in the rain and painted another Rejuvenation Talisman.

Two shimmering golden talismans stood in the rain, the Rejuvenation Talisman radiating vigorous vitality, possessing a wondrous power that seemed to revive all things!

As time passed, the light from the two talismans gradually dimmed, eventually losing their glow and dissipating.

At the roots of the jujube tree, a new jujube sapling had sprouted.

Chen Shi squatted down to inspect the sapling; it lacked the evil spirit of the human-headed jujube tree and seemed to have been reborn.

Originally, the big-headed doll in the small temple had been crashing around trying to escape. On seeing this, it regained some lucidity, gazing at the sapling with a somewhat hazy look.

It used to be a jujube tree, existing in the world long, long ago. When people passed by it, they would always stop to rest, leaning against the tree and sharing all sorts of strange stories.

Listening to these stories, the faces of those resting under it changed through the generations: from strangers to familiar faces, and then from familiar faces to strangers again. Generation after generation passed away, and new generations were born.

Each year, many children would come beneath it, hitting its branches for jujubes. The adults would scold them, telling the children that this jujube tree was older than their great-grandfathers’ great-grandfather, that it had become spirited, and that they shouldn’t hit it.

Yet, it loved these naughty children.

It didn’t mind the children hitting it for jujubes; hence, it willingly shook its branches, letting the ripe jujubes fall by themselves.

Seeing this, the adults would come under the tree, looking up in admiration and praising its ancientness.

They offered it incense, brought many children, and worshiped it as a godmother.

It had more and more godsons and goddaughters. As they grew up into adults, they brought their own children to worship the tree, seeking its protection.

Thus, it guarded generation after generation, becoming the godmother to more and more people.

Actually, it wished it could be a playful child, frolicking with the others.

It gradually learned to use its extraordinary powers, slowly gathering its divine form.

Once its divine form had solidified, it became what it was now—a plump baby in a red carp bellyband.

It wanted to play with the other children, but they couldn’t see it.

When it was disappointed, a little doll waved at it and invited it to play together.

It realized that some children could see him and played with him.

It then had friends.

But as these children gradually grew up, they slowly stopped seeing it, which made it somewhat sad. Thankfully, new children were born in the village, so it would have new friends.

During festivals, people from nearby villages would set up a simple stage under the tree where a troupe energetically performed, and the villagers clapped so hard their palms turned red.

These dramas were nominally for it to watch, but actually, the villagers wanted to watch them.

The villagers liked these lively festivals: they slaughtered chickens and geese, caught pigs and roasted sheep, handed out candy, and set off fireworks, then watched the play under the tree, with their families by their sides, indescribably comfortable.

It gradually grew fond of watching the plays. The performances were the liveliest moments. When a play ended, it would shake its body, causing the red dates to fall from the tree, attracting the children to scramble for them, and the troupers loved this reward from their ’godmother.’

They used these dates to honor the elders, saying that eating dates from the Divine Tree could prolong life.

Indeed, there were many long-lived people in the village.

These days went by unbeknownst to how many days or years, plain and peaceful, until one day, the Green-robed Scholar arrived here.

It sensed that the villagers were gradually becoming unusual, sensing a strange aura on these familiar loved ones—an aura that seemed contagious from one to another.

It couldn’t absorb the offerings of incense they gave!

It started to panic.

In its life, it had expelled countless Evil Spirits, but had never encountered such a bizarre Evil Spirit!

It wanted to save these villagers, those who called itself ’godmother.’ Because every villager had a childhood, had played under it, had kowtowed to it, some were even its playmates!

It couldn’t watch these people just die!

But, it gradually couldn’t feel any incense.

Not a wisp could be felt.

It was illuminated by the moonlight, gradually losing its mind.

Saving the villagers became its last obsession before it turned into an Evil Spirit.

So, on a certain deep night, the Date Tree Godmother went mad.

It plucked the villagers’ heads, hanging them on the tree as its own life-prolonging giant dates.

It thought this was a form of protection to shield its godsons and goddaughters from the invasion of Evil Spirits.

It was obsessed with watching the dramas during festivals, obsessed with the villagers’ performances on stage. If the performance wasn’t good, then they were surely possessed by Evil Spirits; hence it took off their heads—godmother was here to protect you.

It didn’t know that it had become something more fearsome than Evil itself, enjoying the dramas on stage with its godsons’ and goddaughters’ heads hanging below, as if they were still alive.

It snapped out of the reminiscence, looking at the small date tree in front of it.

A new date tree grown from its own roots, as if it had been reborn.

It quietly got up and sat down on the shrine.

The temple seemed to hold the Vast Righteous Qi between heaven and earth, cleansing its Evil Qi.

It also voluntarily drew the Vast Qi into its body, attracting the sun, moon, and stars’ Divine Power from the temple, transforming it into more Righteous Qi.

"Eh?"

Chen Shi was quite surprised, feeling the flow of Righteous Qi in the temple, continuously refining and flowing into his Golden Core.

Inside the temple, the sunlight from the ancestral land was splendid, and the speed of practicing the Three Light Righteous Qi Technique was greatly enhanced!

"Why is the Evil Spirit I caught today so calm, so cooperative, even actively helping my cultivation?"

— Seeking monthly tickets at the beginning of the month!

Thank you to Alliance Hierarch Little Fatty Yang for the generous reward, thanks for the support!

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