Stealing Immortal

Chapter 107: Chapter 106: Beast Taming

Chen Qingyang didn’t notice the Seven Immortals of Peach Valley exchanging glances, seemingly wondering why something had suddenly gone wrong with Peach Spirit Granny.

The Wood Spirit Qi enveloping him seemed to possess its own Spiritual Sense. Seeing that the Wood Spirit Qi inside his body had been dispelled, an even stronger wave surged toward him.

’As the saying goes, it’s rude not to reciprocate. It’s at the Essence Condensation Eighth Realm and has such a massive body. Its True Essence must surpass that of an ordinary cultivator at the same level. I wonder how many Immortal Seedlings I can steal with just a touch of this flame?’

Chen Qingyang hardened his resolve. He focused his mind, and the Nine Dragon Separation Pearl unleashed its full power. The flame shot out, following the trail of the surging Wood Spirit Qi.

WHOOSH!

A gust of wind seemed to stir outside. The peach tree trembled slightly, shedding many of its blossoms. All the Peach Talismans hanging on it fell to the ground, and the men standing nearby were all greatly alarmed.

"Not good!" Bao Sheng cried out under his breath, startling the other six Immortals, who all turned to look at him.

Bao Sheng looked at Chen Qingyang. He had a thought but couldn’t say it aloud, so he just mouthed the words, "Separation Huo Dragon Pearl."

Instantly, the few who understood him paled. Long Sheng, the leader of the group, was especially shocked and yelled at Chen Qingyang, "Junior Brother Chen, are you all right? Junior Brother Chen, quick... stop!"

Perhaps because Peach Spirit Granny’s body was so enormous, her vast True Essence had to be spread out to cover all aspects. As a result, Chen Qingyang didn’t feel much pressure. He only felt that the instant his flame shot out, the opponent retreated.

The flame lost its hold and returned to the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl.

By the time Long Sheng shouted at him, it was already over. Chen Qingyang was looking at the small golden characters in front of him, mentally calculating how many Immortal Seedlings he had stolen.

[Available Immortal Seedlings: 4349]

He had stolen over eighteen hundred Immortal Seedlings in that single exchange. ’So my greatest opportunity was right here all along. Such a massive tree, yet it moves so sluggishly... it almost makes me want to join Master Water Moon and offer to watch over this peach tree for him.’

’If I buried a bottle of Star Meteor Powder at its roots every day, I could probably reach Foundation Establishment in no time.’

He opened his eyes, a look of confusion on his face. The brothers once again exchanged glances. "What’s wrong, Senior Brother Long? Did... did something just happen?"

Lu Sheng was about to speak but was shoved aside by Long Sheng, who was growing anxious. "Did you see anything unusual just now?"

Chen Qingyang laughed inwardly. "I don’t know why, but the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl suddenly acted up. It shot out a flicker of flame, and then nothing!"

’With a divine object like this, how could these people possibly guess whether it acted on its own or was controlled?’

"Aiya!" Holding his Dragon Staff, Long Sheng beat his chest and stomped his feet. "What a disaster, a total disaster! Hurry up and pick up all the Peach Talismans!"

His brothers scrambled to obey. Faced with this scene, Chen Qingyang feigned curiosity. "Senior Brothers, what just happened?"

Long Sheng was too angry to speak and could only shoot Lu Sheng a look. Lu Sheng came over and said, steeling himself, "It’s nothing. It’s just that you, Senior Brother Chen, carry the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl, which startled Peach Spirit Granny. It was our oversight. We’d forgotten about that!"

Chen Qingyang was relentless and pressed on, "So... it won’t cause any major trouble, will it?"

Lu Sheng could only grit his teeth. "Junior Brother Chen, are you sure you didn’t do anything just now?"

Chen Qingyang said, "No. I don’t know what happened, but this Separation Huo Dragon Pearl just went crazy. Could it be... this Peach Spirit Granny..."

He trailed off, but Lu Sheng certainly knew what he was implying. "Junior Brother, it’s all a misunderstanding. Don’t overthink it!"

’He seemed to be the one suffering the most but unable to voice it. I suppose this whole "Three Meetings of Peach Blossoms" scheme was his idea.’

Since things had come to this, Chen Qingyang was curious to see how the Seven Immortals of Peach Valley would continue their act. He went on to ask, "Now that two of the three meetings have passed, I wonder what this ’Zhao Dance’ you mentioned is?"

Lu Sheng seemed afraid to make another decision and could only glance at Long Sheng. But it was Long Sheng who pounded his Dragon Staff. "Things have already come to this. Of course we must continue with the three meetings. Leaving things half-done is not our way of treating guests. Junior Brother Lu, this time, you’d better pay attention!"

Apparently, this Senior Brother Long held considerable authority. His words carried a threatening undertone, which made Lu Sheng’s heart jump. When he looked at Chen Qingyang again, he seemed to be forcing himself, his expression strained.

"Regarding this third meeting, there’s a story behind it. Junior Brother Chen, allow me to start from the beginning."

’They’ve really had a hard time keeping this act up.’ Chen Qingyang cupped his hands in a salute. "Please, Senior Brother Lu, do tell me in detail."

"Sigh!" Lu Sheng sighed, his gaze drifting into the distance. "This matter is inextricably linked to the birth of Peach Spirit Granny. It must have been several thousand years ago. Back then, Peach Spirit Granny was nowhere near as lush as she is today, nor was she a Spiritual Object of the Immortal Sect. She was merely the divine totem of a small mountain clan."

"That clan was the Zhao Clan, with about three hundred members. Seeing how miraculous this tree was, they worshipped it annually and even built a shrine beside it to pray for the tree spirit’s blessing. As the years passed and generations went by, through these annual rites, Peach Spirit Granny absorbed the essence of the incense, gathered True Essence within her body, and began to awaken a sliver of her True Spirit."

"This Zhao Dance was performed for Peach Spirit Granny by the Zhao Clan in those ancient times. It was from this dance that Peach Spirit Granny was truly born. Therefore, when she sees this dance, she will briefly attach her Divine Soul to the dancer. The one possessed will have their meridians cleansed and their Divine Soul purified. They can even borrow Granny’s divine power for their own use. This is the origin of the third meeting."

Chen Qingyang understood. This was essentially inviting Peach Spirit Granny to possess someone. While using her power to cleanse oneself, one could also use it to fight enemies. It could even create a situation where the stronger Peach Spirit Granny became, the stronger the Zhao Clan would become.

Such methods were also recorded in the Immortal Cultivation Realm. This was one of the Seven Arts of Immortal Cultivation: Beast Taming.

Any Spirit Beast in this world will have its own unique abilities, such as innate clairvoyance, clairaudience, summoning clouds and rain, controlling fire and moving mountains, or even a natural affinity for the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, and so on.

Those who practice Beast Taming seek out such Spirit Beasts, raise them from a young age, and form a symbiotic bond with their souls. They borrow the Spirit Beast’s power to aid their own ascension on the Immortal Dao. This method, by cultivating the Beast Soul, allows one to reach Foundation Establishment, form a Golden Core, and even seek the Dao in the void. Its power is in no way inferior to the other six Arts.

What they described didn’t quite reach the level of Beast Taming, but it wasn’t far off. After all, if spirits of rocks and mountains could be called Spirit Beasts, then so could spirits of plants and trees.

"So, this should be quite beneficial for me too?"

Lu Sheng nodded. "Naturally. It can increase one’s cultivation, sharpen the senses, and whether you’re practicing a True Skill or studying the Alchemy Dao, you’ll achieve twice the results with half the effort in a short time. The previous benefits strengthened your True Essence; this one strengthens your Divine Soul. For a cultivator at the Seventh Realm of Qi Cultivation like you, Junior Brother Chen, the benefits are immense."

Chen Qingyang believed that part. But if he really let Peach Spirit Granny possess him, his own Divine Soul would be suppressed. For a short time, at least, he would have no control over himself.

He could have a Yin Seed planted in his Dantian, be poisoned through his meridians, or even have his foundation damaged and a wisp of his Golden Qi stolen. The loss would far outweigh the gain.

Just as he was contemplating whether to agree, Long Sheng walked up. "However, we’re afraid of startling Peach Spirit Granny, so you can’t have the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl on you this time. For now... I can hold on to it for you."

’Looks like they’re scared. Scared that this Wood Spirit Qi will harm this Peach Demon.’ But of course, Chen Qingyang wouldn’t agree to such a reason. "The Separation Huo Dragon Pearl and I are inseparable. If that’s the case, then I’ll just have to pass."

Hearing this, a muscle in Lu Sheng’s cheek twitched. They had suffered so many setbacks already and were counting on this final meeting. They had used this method to scheme against many people over the years; how could they let Chen Qingyang get away?

"Junior Brother Chen, rest assured. We are interacting with you in good faith. How could we possibly covet your belongings? Besides, everyone knows this treasure belongs to you. How could we risk causing discord between our two lineages by secretly keeping it?"

’That was a joke, of course. Tian Jingzhao had dared to try and rob him under the guise of drunken theft; who knew what kind of excuse these guys would come up with.’

"If that’s how it is, I think we should just forget the whole thing."

At this, Long Sheng became hesitant. Lu Sheng didn’t dare make any promises either. But Bao Sheng, after a moment of thought, stepped forward.

"Senior Brother Long, I suggest we have Senior Brother Chen place the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl on his abdomen and keep his hands behind his back. That way, he won’t startle Peach Spirit Granny."

’Hands behind his back meant he couldn’t actively use it. Placed on his abdomen meant it would be far from his upper Dantian, where the Divine Soul resides, making possession easier. Had Bao Sheng seen through his ruse?’

Long Sheng narrowed his old eyes, seemingly in thought. "That is a solution. Forcing Junior Brother Chen to do something against his will would be discourteous. What do you think, Senior Brother Chen?"

’I wonder how I can pull another trick and scrape off some more Immortal Seedlings,’ Chen Qingyang thought to himself.

"In that case, I can give it a try. I can’t let all of you Senior Brothers’ good intentions for today’s grand event go to waste. If I really do gain some benefit, how about I send some more Elixirs for you Senior Brothers in a few days?"

Long Sheng was pleased to hear him agree. And when they heard there would be more Elixirs, all Seven Immortals of Peach Valley were secretly overjoyed.

Judging from how Liu Tao had used this pill to break through, the Tier Three Qi-Introducing Pill was of no small help even to a Qi Cultivation Ninth Realm cultivator.

Once the decision was made, Bao Sheng led the group up the peach tree again. It seemed Bao Sheng was skilled in Beast Taming, Jiao Sheng was an expert in Talismans, and Long Sheng was adept at Arrays.

The group went straight to the very top. Looking out, all they could see below was a sea of vibrant pink.

Following Bao Sheng’s example, Chen Qingyang danced alone under the moonlight. The movements looked like a set of rather primitive martial arts forms.

After one round, he indeed felt a powerful will pressing down on his own consciousness, descending upon him. It was like a point of bright light trying to pierce his thoughts and occupy his body.

’So this is what it feels like to be forcefully possessed—a kind of numbness.’

At that very moment, the Conscious Fish within Chen Qingyang split off, taking the point of bright light with it. Chen Qingyang himself was completely unaffected. His own consciousness then plunged straight into Long Sheng’s body.

’Possession is Divine Soul affecting Divine Soul, consciousness overwhelming consciousness. The Conscious Fish is also my consciousness, a carrier of my Divine Soul!’

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