txolops Chapter 43 Stone and Wood
Chapter 43 Stone and Wood
The five descended from the clouds and landed in a dense forest.
The area is lush with trees, surrounded by a vibrant natural landscape, and there is nothing particularly unusual about it.
Taibai released his divine sense and looked around, but found nothing unusual.
There were no unusual spiritual energy fluctuations here, nor could any trace of artificially placed restrictions be found, or even any signs of a naturally formed special field.
"Fellow Daoist Yunxiao, are you sure there really is a secret realm here?"
"I have repeatedly searched with my divine sense, but I have not detected even the slightest abnormal fluctuation of spiritual energy, let alone the entrance to the secret realm."
"Actually... I dare not say for sure that it must be a secret realm."
That strange place only reacts when spiritual energy is channeled into it.
Normally, it is just like these rocks and trees, utterly devoid of any outward presence.
After saying that, she took two steps forward, struck out with her palm, and silently swept across what appeared to be an ordinary clearing in the woods.
The thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground suddenly parted to both sides, revealing the surface that had been covered underneath.
Once the dust settled and visibility improved, a strange stone wall appeared where everyone's eyes were focused.
The stone wall was not upright, but slightly tilted and half-embedded in the ground. Its surface was not smooth due to artificial polishing, but was covered with natural patterns like tree rings.
"What...is this?"
Taibai muttered to himself, and subconsciously took a step forward, arriving at the stone wall.
He infused his magic power, and the annual rings on the stone wall shone brightly in response, but nothing more happened.
"Brother Dao, why not use swift and decisive methods to forcefully break through?"
"The wonder of this wall lies in its natural formation, without any trace of restriction, yet it is indestructible."
We speculate that a specific method may be required to open it.
If you, fellow Daoist, have no other choice, then forcefully breaking through may be the last resort.
"Brother Dao, please do as you please. We will protect you."
The four siblings all agreed to break through with force. Immediately afterwards, they tacitly retreated a hundred feet away, each taking a position and waiting for Taibai's move.
Taibai, however, stared at the stone wall, showing no intention of making a move rashly.
In his view, this object was somewhat strange. The divine sense feedback indicated that it was just an ordinary stone, perfectly integrated with nature, without any flaws.
If we really launch a full-scale attack, there might be some unknown dangers.
After careful consideration, he abandoned Zhao Gongming's suggestion to violently break it open, and deduced that the object's ability to perfectly blend with its environment must contain the laws of wood.
However, he couldn't quite figure out why this thing looked like a stone.
After a moment, Taibai's distracting thoughts gradually subsided, and he stopped daydreaming and decided to verify it himself.
He stood silently before the stone wall, raised his right hand, and continuously channeled his own Wood Laws into the center of the stone wall.
hum...
"Is this thing actively absorbing my power of laws?"
As Taibai continued to absorb the laws of wood, he discovered that the stone wall was indeed absorbing his own power of laws, and the changes became increasingly obvious.
Tender buds began to sprout continuously from its surface, unfolding at a speed visible to the naked eye. The leaves were lush and green, with a faint glow flowing through their veins.
Even more miraculously, at the very top of the tender sprout, specks of emerald green light gathered and condensed into a seed about the size of an egg.
"I remember now, this thing is neither stone nor wood, could it be a stone-wood mixture?"
A sudden inspiration struck him, and he abruptly recalled the chapter on weapon-refining materials in the Jade Void Weapon-Refining Manual:
"There is a wondrous thing in the world, born in a place where the earth's veins converge and the spirit of wood reaches its peak. Over countless years, it absorbs the earth's richness and the essence of all trees, and its form and texture are like stone... It is called Stone Wood. It is the supreme material for refining innate spiritual treasures of the wood element."
"That's it! This thing is definitely stone and wood!"
After Taibai determined what the object was, the four people who had been guarding it from a distance immediately flew over.
At this moment, they witnessed the tender shoots growing on the "stone wall," which completely overturned their understanding.
"Brother Dao, what exactly is this thing?"
Unable to contain his shock, Zhao Gongming pointed at the stone and asked.
"This object is not a portal to a secret realm, but an extremely rare innate wonder called Stone Wood."
It can naturally shield itself from most sensory detection, so from the outside it appears no different from ordinary rocks.
"When the laws of wood in stone and wood reach a critical point, it will sprout again and bear seeds."
After the seeds are picked, the original stone and wood will turn to ashes.
And those seeds will sprout again after being replanted.
After explaining, Taibai lowered his head, picked the seed, and put it away.
The moment the seed fell, the tender buds on the stone and wood began to wither rapidly.
In just a few breaths, all the newly sprouted branches and leaves turned into withered ashes.
Immediately afterwards, the stone and wood itself emitted a faint "crackling" sound, and then disintegrated into countless grayish-white dust particles.
From the moment the seed is picked, to the withering of the tender shoots, and finally to the complete transformation of stone and wood into ashes, the entire process takes no more than thirty breaths.
Beneath the dust, a natural stone depression was revealed, in which a small pool of liquid was quietly gathering.
The liquid appeared ordinary, yet it faintly shimmered with a hazy glow, as if the colors of the sun, moon, and stars were interwoven.
"The Three Lights Divine Water? There are actually sixty drops!"
Even with Taibai's temperament, he couldn't help but gasp in surprise when he saw so much of the Three Lights Divine Water.
"This is the Three Lights Divine Water, a rare healing treasure in the primordial world, and it also possesses unparalleled creative power."
Since none of you four were injured, this item will offer relatively limited benefit to your current cultivation levels. Therefore, I will accept it.
As he spoke, Taibai took out a jade bottle and put all the divine water away.
"Brother Dao, you are too kind. You should accept all of these worldly possessions!"
"Brother is absolutely right. Bixiao owes everything to your skillful hands. These little external things are nothing to worry about."
……
The attitude of Zhao Gongming and his three siblings was clear: it was both a genuine expression of their gratitude for being saved and a joint decision they had made.
In their view, let alone the Three Lights Divine Water that they had obtained by chance, even the most precious treasures could not compare to Bixiao's importance.
However, Li Bai had his own principles.
Although this item is a priceless treasure, it was Zhao Gongming and his sister who first discovered this place and led him here. Their contribution in "creating the origin" should not be overlooked.
As a disciple of the Three Pure Ones and a future fellow disciple, how could he possibly take advantage of this opportunity for nothing and earn a reputation for "using kindness to seek revenge and monopolizing opportunities"?
He reached into his storage pouch at his waist, and four fire dates and rare spiritual herbs appeared out of thin air in his palm.
"These are fire dates and some spiritual herbs. Consider them a return gift. Fellow Daoist Gongming and Fellow Daoist Yunxiao have reached the Perfection of the Profound Immortal realm, just one step away from becoming Golden Immortals."
"Refining this fire date, along with these spiritual herbs, should allow one to attempt to break through the initial bottleneck and reach the Golden Immortal realm."
Then, Taibai said no more, and without waiting for Zhao Gongming and the others to react or whether they accepted it, he transformed into a beam of light and soared into the sky.