CHAPTER 174: THE BLISSFUL LAND OF MOUNT JINTING

After a full night of meditation and breath circulation, all the hidden injuries in Li Yanchu's body had completely vanished. His eyes now shone with radiant light, and he was brimming with vitality.

It felt as though he had limitless strength surging through his body.

His martial mindset, cultivation, and physical form had all been refined to a more harmonious and complete state. The pure yang energy from the talismanic armor had also further enhanced his qi and blood.

His spirit was at an all-time high, without the slightest trace of fatigue.

Knock knock knock!

A steady and unhurried knock echoed from the gate of the Daoist temple.

Li Yanchu walked over and opened the door, finding none other than Chen Yang, the man he'd met briefly the previous day, standing outside.

The same esteemed military official from the Court of Judicial Review had personally come to visit.

“Lord Chen, what brings you here? Please, come in.”

Li Yanchu welcomed him into the temple, and the two sat down across from each other.

“Daoist Master Li,” Chen Yang said respectfully, “Forgive me for the sudden visit. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Not at all. It's an honor to receive you, Lord Chen.”

Li Yanchu had a favorable impression of this young military officer, as he exuded a dignified and unrestrained air.

After a few brief exchanges of pleasantries, Chen Yang got to the point.

“Last night, Celestial Master Zhang of Mount Longhu didn’t return to Wei City. Instead, he sent a messenger to inform me, and asked me to relay a message to you.”

Li Yanchu nodded slightly upon hearing this.

It seemed the old Daoist’s old acquaintance from last night was truly formidable, so much so that even Celestial Master Zhang treated him with caution.

Chen Yang continued, “The Blissful Land near Wei City will open within three days. By then, the city will be teeming with all kinds of people, dragons and snakes mixed together. Daoist Master Li, it’s best to make early preparations.”

Three days.

Li Yanchu nodded. “Thank you for the warning, Lord Chen.”

But in his heart, he felt a bit puzzled.

Why hadn’t his “cheap Senior Uncle” sent someone directly to inform him? Why pass the message through an official from the Court of Judicial Review?

Chen Yang smiled lightly. “To tell you the truth, I’m also technically a disciple of Mount Longhu, though unregistered. I’ll be entering the Blissful Land as well. I hope Daoist Master Li will look after me a bit when the time comes.”

Li Yanchu looked surprised and politely said it was too much honor, but inwardly, things were starting to click.

This Lord Chen Yang... Could he be that old Daoist’s disciple? Was he just here to make an introduction and build rapport?

With that thought, Li Yanchu’s brows furrowed slightly, and he asked, “Lord Chen, do you know where exactly this Blissful Land is, and how we’re supposed to enter it?”

Though he knew the general significance of the event, Li Yanchu’s understanding of this “Blissful Land,” for which the world would fight to the death, was still rather shallow.

Would it suddenly appear with some celestial phenomenon? Would a heavenly Daoist sanctuary just manifest in the world?

He was hoping to get some clarity from Chen Yang.

But Chen Yang simply shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

“Hm?” Li Yanchu looked surprised.

Chen Yang slowly explained, “In Daoism, there’s the concept of Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blissful Lands, but they’ve long since disappeared from the world. So long, in fact, that most of the ancient texts about them have been lost.”

“All I know is that the one appearing near Wei City this time is one of the Seventy-Two Blissful Lands, called the Blissful Land of Mount Jinting. It was once the cultivation sanctuary of a land-bound immortal named Immortal Ma.

“Within it are not only opportunities for immortality but also countless rare treasures, abundant spirit qi, it’s said to be like an immortal paradise, filled with grand Daoist sanctuaries.

“As for how to enter it... that remains a mystery. Celestial Master Zhang once mentioned that fragments of jade are the keys to entering these Blissful Lands. When the time comes, some greater force will guide the way.”

Chen Yang’s description stirred even Li Yanchu’s heart. A paradise like that, for cultivators, was no less than a treasure vault! Once inside, any fortuitous encounters would depend entirely on one's own luck. And most importantly, opportunities related to immortality, and that was what drew countless people to flock toward it with such fervor.

Three days!

Just three more days!

Li Yanchu's eyes reflected deep contemplation. He wondered how many people would enter this Blissful Land of Mount Jinting when the time came.

No doubt, it would turn into a bloody battleground. Just the rumor of a Baxia stone statue had already attracted so many powerful cultivators, and from that alone, he had obtained two extraordinary treasures.

So how unimaginably tempting must the vast, complete Mount Jinting Blissful Land be?

After Chen Yang left, Li Yanchu immediately began enhancing his martial arts manuals.

Though there were only three days left, his blood and qi and blood surged profoundly and steadily like a great mountain. Whatever martial art he practiced now would yield twice the result with half the effort.

Strengthening his physique and blood and qi would also let him better wield the Daoist talismanic armor, that divine treasure.

The first manual he chose to enhance was Divine Astral Hands. This martial art included numerous techniques and packed immense power, making it especially effective for boosting his close-combat prowess.

Moreover, once enhanced into a first-rate martial art, its body-forging effects were said to be incredibly formidable and capable of cultivating the strength of dragons and elephants.

“Enhance!” As Li Yanchu finished mimicking the sound of the Great Dao, Divine Astral Hands began to transform immediately.

1,000 merit points consumed!

Li Yanchu's eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.

This time, Divine Astral Hands expanded by thirty-six additional techniques, elevating it to the level of a peerless martial art. He could now cultivate the strength of ten dragons and ten elephants.

Li Yanchu didn’t quite grasp what kind of elephants the manual was referring to; concepts like thousand-jun

or ten-thousand-jun[1] strength were easier to visualize. The "elephant" comparison was a bit abstract.

Next, he enhanced Six Yang Saber Art and Primordial Chaos Technique. These consumed another 2,000 merit points, upgrading both arts to the level of peerless martial arts.

The Six Yang Saber Art was not only a lethal saber method, but also cultivated Six Yang Force. Previously, with 64 levels of Six Yang Force, it could already injure the primordial spirit of astral-projected cultivators in the second realm.

Now, it had been upgraded to 82 levels!

The Primordial Chaos Technique’s Qi shield had also been greatly enhanced. Ordinary wild ghosts or wandering souls would now be shattered into oblivion upon contact with it.

Originally, after enhancing the Jiaoslayer, Li Yanchu had 35,020 merit points remaining.

Slaying those heretical cultivators from the Bare Body Sect had earned him 13,000 points, with Long Hai alone contributing 5,000 merit points.

Then last night, slaying the Bifang and the ancient corpse had gained him another 12,000 merit points!

Enhancing the Water-Repelling Talisman, the Plague-Dispelling Talisman, and the three martial arts manuals had only cost him 5,000 merit points.

He glanced at his remaining merit points: 55,200.

The extra 180 merit points had come from dealing with various harmful wild ghosts over the past few days, and also that river ghost he’d encountered.

So this is what it feels like to be rich and powerful... Li Yanchu mused inwardly.

He pondered for a moment, then took out the Eight Trigrams Mirror and proceeded to enhance it.

The divine aura within the Eight Trigrams Mirror grew even more powerful. During his previous battles against primordial spirit avatars, Li Yanchu had already used the Eight Trigrams Mirror to wound several of those experts.

The mirror also had the effect of dispelling illusions and invisibility, making it extremely handy in combat.

At present, the artifacts and treasures on Li Yanchu’s person included a four-time enhanced Five-Lightning Talisman, a four-time enhanced Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman, a three-time enhanced Jiaoslayer, a two-time enhanced Eight Trigrams Mirror, a Clearheart Jade Pendant, a talismanic armor, a Heaven-Illuminating Seal, and a divine wooden token.

Any one of these would be enough to drive ordinary cultivators mad with envy.

Next, he began cultivating the three martial arts that had been enhanced to the level of peerless martial arts, and continued to delve into Daoist techniques such as Flame-Sitting Art, Sun Veil, and Immobilization Spell.

He waited quietly for the Blissful Land of Mount Jinting to open.

Three days passed swiftly.

The old Daoist from Mount Longhu was still nowhere to be seen and had not come to find him.

On this particular day, Li Yanchu was in the middle of studying the Flame-Sitting Art, a Daoist art that harmonized perfectly with the yang fire circulating in his body.

All of a sudden, he sensed a disturbance in the spirit qi of heaven and earth. There was a subtle but unmistakable rhythmic fluctuation.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished from Qingyun Temple as if he had never been there at all.

1. Jun is an ancient unit of weight: 30 jin equals 1 jun. ☜