abnabooks Chapter 233 The Mind Monkey Appears, the Jianmu Tree Emerges
Chapter 233 The Mind Monkey Appears, the Jianmu Tree Emerges
Lu Qian gazed at the sapling that was gradually shedding its stone-like exterior, his clear voice echoing in the empty room.
He seemed to be asking and answering his own question as he took a few steps toward the saplings that were bursting with color.
"Shh..."
Footsteps gradually sounded, and as Lü Qian approached, the Samadhi True Fire swirling around him grew even more intense, with surging waves of fire leaping out from his sleeves and reflecting off the sapling in the center of the stone chamber.
"Click click click..."
It looked like an eggshell breaking, or like rocks cracking and soil collapsing. The cracks of flame spread across the saplings, and light and shadow flickered in the cracks.
"Thump! Thump! Thump..."
The rhythmic beat of a heartbeat, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, was clearer in the space, in sync with the flickering light.
At this moment, Lü Qian also arrived in front of the sapling, and a crimson, blood-red, yet dazzling, aura of energy bloomed from his heart.
The Qi that had been guided into my heart seemed to have been tinged with the color of the heart, and the Qi descending from the spiritual platform was completely refined at this moment.
"The restless mind is my true nature, and it is also myself."
Lu Qian looked down at his chest, where his heart was beating in rhythm with the space around him.
No, it wasn't that his heart beat in sync with the space, but rather that the entire space resonated with his "heart," releasing the voice belonging to Lü Qian, the traveler.
Someone once said that the sound of a heartbeat is everyone's declaration to the world.
It proclaims the existence of everyone!
The white tiger, wrapped in a yellow banner, stared with its golden eyes, a look of astonishment vividly appearing on its large, furry face.
At this moment, it sat quietly in place, not daring to make a sound to disturb it.
"Boom! Boom! Boom..."
Gradually, the heartbeat also transformed, and the rhythm of its contractions and relaxations grew increasingly powerful, like thunderous explosions and the thunderous beating of giant drums.
Lu Qian slowly extended one hand and placed his palm on his chest. The Qi that had been circulating within his heart emanated from his body, gathered in his palm, and transformed into a ball of crimson-gold lightning.
"Sizzle sizzle..."
Dense bolts of electricity danced and swirled in Lü Qian's hand, a buzzing sound emanating from between his fingers, and subtle life force blossomed with the dance of lightning.
Lu Qian looked down at the raging lightning in his palm, his fingertips twirling as he carefully examined and played with this life-giving power.
This power is the result of the latter half of Tongtian Valley being guided out, and it is also the key to unlocking the opportunities in the latter half.
But at this moment, Lü Qian just looked at the "key" in his hand and did not take any action. Instead, he looked up at the air and asked.
"Master Ziyang, do you want me to break off this towering Jianmu tree?"
The loud voice mingled with the thunderous heartbeat, but it was not drowned out; instead, it spread out and echoed throughout the space.
Yes, the opportunity for the second half of the road to heaven was right in front of Lü Qian, and it was this sapling that looked like a stone.
This sapling is also the true core of Tongtian Valley, and the reason why [Ziyang Zhenren] Zhang Boduan established Tongtian Valley.
This is the very tree that gathers the blessings of creation from all directions and grows on the dragon vein of the Qinling Mountains, reaching the heavens.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas, Southern Classic of the Seas Within, records: "There is a tree that looks like an ox, and when you pull it, you find its skin, which resembles a tassel or a yellow snake. Its leaves are like silk, its fruit is like a pine, and its wood is like a jujube. Its name is Jianmu."
The Jianmu tree is a passage connecting heaven and earth, through which people can reach the heavens!
The Twenty-Four Heavenly Valley, on the surface, guides cultivators on the path to heaven, but secretly also hides a tree that can reach heaven.
When Lü Qian was in a dream, the patriarch Guo Shouzhen from Northeast China told him that there was a tree that could reach the heavens hidden in Tongtian Valley, which was the petrified sapling in front of him.
"call--"
A gentle breeze suddenly arose in the blazing fire, its force mild, like a spring breeze caressing the willows.
"Junior, you wouldn't dare, would you?"
A familiar voice drifted on the wind, its tone somewhat teasing, as if the speaker was mocking Lü Qian's cautious actions, or perhaps encouraging him to be bolder.
"There's nothing I wouldn't dare to do!"
"With the peaches of immortality placed in front of Sun Wukong, what is there that he wouldn't dare to do?"
Since Patriarch Ziyang had already asked him to take action, how could Lü Qian, a humble junior, refuse to give face to his elder?
As if his competitive spirit had been ignited by the words, a look of excitement flashed in Lü Qian's eyes. Without further hesitation, he swung the surging lightning in his palm and struck the trunk of the Jianmu tree.
"Snap!"
Lightning, carrying a subtle life force, washed over the tree trunk. The cracks, shimmering with light, appeared even more dazzling under the lightning, as if they were about to tear open the outer stone shell and burst forth at any moment.
"Click click click..."
Subtle sounds emanated from the cracks in the stone shell, and the faint signs of life gradually accumulated with the shimmering light. From a trickle, it grew into a mighty river.
"Thunder is the pivot of heaven and earth, and the source of the growth of all things."
Lu Qian watched the changes unfold before him without blinking. He was well aware of the effects of the thunderbolt, having experienced it himself in the past.
Once, during the Thunderfire Refining Hall, Lü Qian almost failed because he lacked vitality and was unable to complete the circulation of the five elements in his internal organs.
Fortunately, his great-uncle, Grandmaster Zhou Sheng, summoned thunder and lightning, which awakened his own life force with the vitality of the outside world, thus restoring his life and completing his circadian rhythm.
The lightning bolt that just separated from Lü Qian's heart was exactly like that.
That crimson-gold lightning bolt gathered a wisp of Lü Qian's mind and carried a trace of his life force; it was also the key to awaken the [Jianmu].
This "key" was forged by Lü Qian. If it is used to awaken the Jianmu tree, then this tree that reaches the heavens will be inextricably linked to Lü Qian from now on.
In other words, this tree will now bear the surname "Lü"!
"boom!"
As life flourished, flame-like cracks on the stone shell suddenly erupted, and crimson-gold fire clouds, radiating golden light, engulfed the entire space.
The light was fleeting, and at that moment, the Jianmu tree completely shed its stone shell, becoming lush, upright, and with gnarled branches.
The crimson-gold fire clouds slowly contracted, and the branches clinging to the Jianmu tree coalesced into shimmering bark, with vibrant life pulsating beneath it like a tide.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
In the measured rhythm, Lü Qian felt a connection between himself and the Jianmu tree; this feeling of blood ties was quite wonderful.
He reached out and touched the leaves of the Jianmu tree, feeling the vitality surging in the veins of the leaves, and asked softly.
"Master Ziyang, are you really at ease entrusting the survival of your descendants to me like this?"
The existence of Jianmu is not simply about reaching the heavens and the earth, but rather about influencing the environment of a region.
Under the shelter of the Jianmu tree, extraordinary individuals can find a glimmer of hope for cultivation.
As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle breeze rose again, and a figure dressed in brown clothes and straw sandals appeared on the spot.
"What do you think, pilgrim?"
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Today's competition is over. I'll try to post a lot more tomorrow. I need to get back into the swing of things first.