Chapter 470

Chapter 470: From Taiqing to Taiqing

Li Hui was astonished. How large could a human body be? Yet at this moment, the amount of murky qi being expelled was unimaginable.

So much of it instantly covered the lake, sinking towards the bottom, where a loud boom could be faintly heard. The Legal Form turned around to look outside and saw the winged monster fish circling above the water.

As the monster fish attacked Zhao Yuxi, it also destroyed the Boundless Cliff Thunder Peak Talisman, being just one last strike away from breaking the Jade Symbol. However, upon seeing the murky qi overflow from the lake, it quickly took flight, not daring to come any closer.

That was not all; centered around the lake, violent changes occurred. The stone walls thickened, and the ground rose higher. Looking further out with Bai Ze’s divine eye, Li Hui was extremely shocked.

“So, this is still within the Zhuang Mountain range; it has just moved deep underground. After my body expelled the murky qi, Zhuang Mountain is expanding outward.”

The peaks rose up, and the earth elevated. Fortunately, Zhao Yuxi had terrorized this area for many years, so there were no nearby inhabitants, not even many birds or beasts. However, evil spirits appeared endlessly.

Ruan Xingxing unleashed the Surveillance Pavilion, capturing those cultivators meant for offerings and sending them flying away. No matter how many potion zombies and evil ghosts were in the mountains, if they couldn’t soar into the sky at this moment, they would be helplessly buried beneath the earth and stones.

Zhuang Mountain rapidly grew upward, having already reached six thousand nine hundred zhang. Li Hui found it hard to believe that simply holding the Stone Stele during his cultivation could create such a scene. Suddenly, he understood: “No wonder the Great Xia’s national fortune suppresses the Dai Character Stele. If everyone uses it for cultivation, who knows how much land would be affected? The national fortune attracted this monster fish to guard this stele and keep people away.”

“Zhuang Mountain? Isn’t this exactly Zhuang Mountain! The murky qi sinks and compresses the earth; how can a mountain forcefully raised not be called Zhuang Mountain? However, on another note, if this Dai Character Stele is connected to the legendary Mount Tai, then is Mount Tai the result of ancient cultivators using this stele for their cultivation?”

Thinking this way, Li Hui felt it was highly possible.

The lake also began to rise, though slowly, it steadily ascended from underground to the surface.

Some say it takes five hundred years for the ocean to turn into fields, but today, Zhuang Mountain forcefully ascended; in just a stick of incense, it broke through seven thousand zhang and then reached eight thousand zhang.

Stones tumbled, cliffs collapsed, and dust flew…

The Ghost Emperor, Zhao Yuxi, who had been accumulating power in this area for many years, was even more shocked than Li Hui and roared in anger: “Ah! Why is this happening? Before I obtained my opportunity, Zhuang Mountain was already five thousand zhang tall. After cultivating for a thousand years, I entered the lake three times, and only then did Zhuang Mountain increase by five hundred zhang. Why can he reach eight thousand zhang after such a short time?”

“Boom…” Zhuang Mountain continued to grow, reaching nine thousand zhang.

Nine thousand one hundred zhang, nine thousand two hundred zhang, nine thousand three hundred zhang… until it finally stopped at nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine zhang, beginning to connect with the mountains as though taking root.

At that moment, Li Hui’s profound qi peaked, reaching the pinnacle of the ninth level. All the profound qi divided into two, transforming into clear qi, while the murky qi had already exited his body. He felt his body become light, ethereal, and airy, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

“Completion? I really achieved it! Completion means that The Mystical True Explanation of the Three Elements has been cultivated to its peak. To advance further, I will need another cultivation method. But what changes come after reaching completion? Does the profound qi turning to clear qi only enhance the power of Dao arts? Wouldn’t that make this clear qi quite useless?”

After pondering this change, Li Hui shook his head.

It seemed that after the profound qi transformed into clear qi, it still needed nurturing. Then the profound qi continued to temper his body. Minor injuries healed immediately, and even severe injuries like severed arms or legs could slowly regrow without any side effects. However, a few miraculous alchemies could achieve similar effects. For others, this might be rare, but for cultivators skilled at unearthing ancient artifacts, it was not nearly as significant as achieving body refinement.

“Wait, profound qi is still profound qi. The accidental division into clear and murky qi indicates a huge change in essence. It strengthens the power of Dao arts and accelerates healing. These are just the advantages brought about by the successful profound qi; let me look further.” Li Hui maintained his silver snake Legal Form while observing the mysteries of the clear qi.

Not long after, light and shadow emerged in his eyes. Under focused analysis, he finally found the opportunity.

“I understand now. The secret of clear qi is deeply hidden. It retains the characteristics of profound qi, yet it is no longer profound qi; the two are entirely different.”

“The difference between clear qi and profound qi is akin to that between spiritual energy and profound qi. Spiritual energy is the ethereal energy floating in the universe, while profound qi is the powerful force achieved by the union of Dragon Energy, noble aura, and righteous qi. This clear qi appears even more mysterious than profound qi, as it can wash talismans and convert them into talisman power at any time. It can also break through the constraints of the earth to surge into the Azure Sky and uncover the secrets of the extreme void, which serves as the foundation to propel the Ideal Body and enable void escape.”

Li Hui laughed: “Hahaha! My void escape is not a ghostly escape transformed from Zhao Yuxi’s connection to evil spirits; it is the true Dao escape.”

With a loud boom, the Stone Stele in his hand trembled, instantly igniting a connection in his heart: “I see now! The completion of profound qi is not the same; it can also achieve clear qi, but it’s different from the clear qi attained through the Dai Character Stele. The clear qi I have achieved transitions from murky to clear, and should be called the Qi of Taiqing.”

At this moment, the lake began to rise from underground to the surface, water gushing out with a loud “whoosh.” The Dai Character Stele suddenly enlarged, becoming a three hundred zhang high stone monument standing at the foot of the mountain. It turned out that the lake was the pit it had expanded.

Li Hui hovered in the air, retracting the Boundless Cliff Thunder Peak Talisman. Using Bai Ze’s divine eye to stare into the aura, he could not help but furrow his brows. Zhuang Mountain had grown into Mount Tai, instantly transforming into a perilous place, releasing vast amounts of murky qi, as if it intended to contaminate mountains and rivers for miles around.

“Everything has both Yin and Yang. The greater my fortune from cultivating with this stele, the greater the damage it brings to this land. I cannot afford to ignore this threat, or it will become a major disaster.”

With this thought, he flew towards the peak and suddenly thrust the Boundless Cliff Thunder Peak Talisman into the mountain body, forming seals and proclaiming: “Gather all the murky qi back with all my might and seal it within the Boundless Cliff!”

“Boom, boom, boom…” The mountains trembled as the murky qi was pulled back and flowed in reverse.

Zhao Yuxi heard the words and shouted, “From today on, Zhuang Mountain is my Dao ground! I hope for peace here; it should be called Mount Tai with a big character. Now, it shall be named Taishan, meaning ‘stable peace.’”

“Ah, Zhuang Mountain is my old nest! That stele is my opportunity! You took everything, even suppressing my Ghost Army! I will fight you!” Zhao Yuxi appeared, donned in a black dragon robe, his face twisted in fury.

“Boom boom boom…” A massive club appeared in the air, striking Zhao Yuxi down. This was not all; the club roared down, suppressing him fifty zhang deep into the ground.

“I didn’t intend to let you leave. I will suppress you with all my strength.” As the words reached the Ghost Emperor’s ears, Li Hui had already reached the summit. He shook off the loose items on him, smacking his forehead, figuring he barely had enough to build a small altar. It wasn’t too difficult, but he needed to set things up below.