Volume Five: The Dawn of Eminence Chapter Two: The Great Art of the Ji Yin Nine Conflux Life Force

Li Chengzhu entered the defensive formation, unsure of when he would be able to emerge. He placed the Little Thing into the Jade of Azure Blood, filled the space with a vast quantity of Heavenly Mystery Stones, and revoked the creature's ability to enter and exit at will.

Li Chengzhu had originally intended for Yuan Mu to look after the Little Thing, but upon recalling its unique constitution—which rendered it immune to the spells within the barrier—he decided against it. He warned the creature not to consume the eight nascent souls inside the ring and, ignoring its protests, tossed it inside.

For the first time, Li Chengzhu felt the greatness of fatherhood. Although this sense of greatness arrived inexplicably—before he was truly prepared—it could not mask the joy, excitement, and bewilderment in his heart.

He had only been in the Immortal Realm for a little over four years, yet he had inexplicably married two immortal wives and was now inexplicably expecting a child. Life moved far too quickly.

Li Chengzhu and Gu Linglong had both used their primordial spirits to peer into Xiaoying’s womb. Though the baby was only just beginning to take form, they could discern that it was a girl.

Thinking of the bold and reckless behavior of both Xiaoying and his mother-in-law, Li Chengzhu could not help but worry for his daughter. He hoped the little girl wouldn't grow up with the same temperament as her mother, bringing home some opportunistic son-in-law; that would be a headache indeed.

Once inside the formation, Gu Linglong followed the previously agreed-upon steps to regulate and stabilize the fetal energy within Xiaoying, while Li Chengzhu began to implement his own plan on the other side.

He had specifically asked his father-in-law if the Heavenly Mystery Stones used for the formation could be replaced by higher-grade energy stones. Xiao Changchuan had teased him, telling him that only "Heavenly Mystery God Stones"—legendary artifacts that might only exist in the Heavenly Court Palace—could serve as a substitute. Xiao Changchuan did not believe for a moment that his opportunistic son-in-law possessed such noble items.

Li Chengzhu offered no explanation, keeping his own counsel. If higher-grade energy stones could be used, then the Essence of Wood would certainly suffice.

He had originally possessed three pieces of the Essence of Wood. One had already been shattered and integrated into Gu Linglong’s dantian, becoming part of her Immortal Soul. Since even Ke Ba had said that the substance possessed a spirit—and perhaps even the soul of all things—it was surely a grade higher than the Heavenly Mystery Stones. Li Chengzhu even had a premonition that the Essence of Wood surpassed even the finest quality Heavenly Mystery God Stones.

Although only two pieces remained, for his unborn daughter, it was a price worth paying.

As for the God-Slaying Bow, it was something he had discovered by chance. To cultivate immortality, one had to cultivate oneself; one could not rely too heavily on magic treasures or immortal artifacts. Therefore, Li Chengzhu decided to use the pieces of Essence of Wood to replace the two most critical high-grade Heavenly Mystery Stones.

Li Chengzhu glanced at his two wives. Gu Linglong sat with her eyes closed, meticulously channeling spiritual energy into Xiaoying. The boss of the Li family smiled slightly, formed a hand seal, and summoned the Amethyst Bracelet from within his own nascent soul.

Although the energy of the Essence of Wood was contained, he had to guard against the kind of shockwave it had unleashed within Gu Linglong’s body previously. If the leaked energy were sensed by someone with ill intentions who tracked it here, Li Chengzhu would have nowhere to weep. For the sake of the life growing inside Xiaoying, he had never been more careful.

He placed the Amethyst Bracelet at a point in the formation to shield against any potential energy fluctuations, then cautiously summoned his God-Slaying Bow. The emerald-green longbow appeared before him at his command.

Li Chengzhu reached out to grasp the weapon that had saved him from crisis so many times. This bow, which had long since fused with his own bones and blood, might become a mere piece of scrap after these few months.

He sighed softly, let the bow go, and recalled the incantations, weaving them rapidly with his fingers.

As he had seen before, as the incantations poured in, the God-Slaying Bow emitted a ringing sound, like wind whistling across a blade, as if sighing in sorrow for its own future. The bow body trembled uncontrollably. After a long while, with two soft "puffs," the Essence of Wood was stripped from the bow, swirling continuously around it.

Feeling that warm, cyan radiance, Li Chengzhu’s exhaustion vanished, replaced by a sense of total ease, even the spiritual energy within his own body leaping with joy.

Li Chengzhu steeled his heart, reached out to take the two floating pieces of the Essence of Wood, and stored the God-Slaying Bow within his body. He then began to set up the formation.

***

The formation, known as the "Jiyin Nine-Pulse Life-Generating Grand Array," relied primarily on two key positions: the *Ji* and *Yin* coordinates. Once the fifty stones were placed, all spiritual energy would flow into these two points, where it would be converted before entering Xiaoying’s body. Thus, these two positions were of the utmost importance.

The two pieces of Essence of Wood in Li Chengzhu’s hands were destined for these exact spots.

The matter was of such consequence that the boss of the Li family dared not be negligent. The Jiyin Nine-Pulse Life-Generating Grand Array was a secret technique of the Hehuan Sect, and naturally, it had its own intricacies. The order of placement, the positioning, and even Xiaoying’s posture could not be off by even a hair’s breadth; a tiny error could lead to a catastrophic failure. If the energy conversion went wrong, Xiaoying’s life could be at stake.

In his four years in the Immortal Realm, Li Chengzhu had already committed much knowledge of array formation to memory. As long as he had the materials, setting up a grand array was not difficult; the challenge lay in activating it. However, with Gu Linglong, an immortal, by his side, that task would naturally fall to her.

Holding the jade slip containing the secret technique, Li Chengzhu carefully placed the high-grade Heavenly Mystery Stones from his ring, double-checking every step to ensure there were no errors.

When he finished placing the forty-eighth stone, Li Chengzhu finally let out a breath. The remaining two spots were the "eyes" of the formation, the most critical locations. He waited only for Gu Linglong to finish regulating Xiaoying’s fetal energy so she could activate the array.

He looked over at his wives. Both remained with their eyes closed; Gu Linglong’s hands moved gently and slowly over Xiaoying, guiding the flow of spiritual energy to soothe the fetus.

After a long while, Gu Linglong opened her eyes. Seeing Li Chengzhu squatting nearby, watching her nervously, she gave a sweet smile. "Don’t be nervous."

Li Chengzhu’s lips twitched, and he gave a strained smile. "A little."

"All right, give me those two pieces. You look after Xiaoying." Gu Linglong had been briefed on his plan before they entered, which is why she spoke now.

As she took the Essence of Wood from him, Gu Linglong’s body trembled slightly. Li Chengzhu, sharp-eyed as ever, immediately grabbed her hand and asked nervously, "What’s wrong?"

Gu Linglong frowned slightly, tilting her head. "It’s strange. My Immortal Soul is pulsing intensely. I suppose it’s the attraction of these two pieces."

"Does it interfere with the formation?"

Gu Linglong shook her head. "No, it’s just that the feeling is so familiar, so warm, as if these pieces had already merged into my own body. There is no discomfort at all."

Li Chengzhu nodded. He had experienced this feeling more than once; it seemed Gu Linglong was now sensing the attraction of the Essence of Wood as well.

Watching Gu Linglong stand in the formation, Li Chengzhu reached out to stroke Xiaoying’s cheek, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear with unspeakable tenderness.

Xiaoying smiled softly and opened her eyes, looking at Li Chengzhu with deep affection. "Zhuzi, kiss me. Next time I wake up, I might be ready to give birth."

The boss of the Li family leaned down and brushed his lips against her crimson ones. "Don’t worry. With Linglong and me here, you’ll be fine."

"But I’m a little nervous," Xiaoying said, her voice trembling.

"It’s okay. It’s your first time; it’s always like this. Once you’re used to it, it won’t be so scary next time."

"I don't want to do this again!" Xiaoying pouted. "Carrying this belly around all day is miserable. I can’t do anything."

"Alright, be good and listen. When you wake up, I’ll take you to travel across the Immortal Realm." Li Chengzhu tried to calm his own excitement, stroking Xiaoying’s head.

"Really?" Xiaoying smiled happily.

"Yes." Li Chengzhu nodded. By then, Gu Linglong was ready. As the two pieces of Essence of Wood were placed into the *Ji* and *Yin* positions, the formation erupted in a brilliant light. Even though Li Chengzhu was standing with his back to her, the world turned white before his eyes, blinding him.

After a long while, his sight returned. Li Chengzhu immediately sensed that the formation was filled with an overflowing, vibrant energy. The white-and-cyan spiritual energy drifted through the room in visible ribbons.

"Holy..." Li Chengzhu’s jaw dropped.

The density and quality of this spiritual energy were comparable to the areas near the Immortal-Bearing Lake—or perhaps even richer. Though the energy at the Immortal-Bearing Lake was dense, it hadn't been visible to the naked eye.

That such a small Jiyin Nine-Pulse Life-Generating Grand Array could produce such an effect was staggering. While it certainly depended on the quality of the stones used, it was still beyond extreme. If a powerful sect could deploy this formation, they wouldn't need to fight tooth and nail for the title of Immortal Envoy; they could just cultivate here.

However, the consumption rate of this formation was massive. According to his father-in-law, the formation could only be maintained for five months before the Heavenly Mystery Stones were completely drained. Even the most powerful sects in the Immortal Realm wouldn't dream of spending such a fortune for five months of cultivation; even a Great Luo Golden Immortal lacked such resources.

Turning to see Gu Linglong standing elegantly to the side, Li Chengzhu felt a sense of relief. An immortal’s power was truly formidable; if he had tried to activate this formation himself, he would surely have been exhausted to the point of collapse. That Gu Linglong was completely unaffected left the boss of the Li family feeling a bit inferior.

"Xiaoying, it’s time," Gu Linglong said.

"Yes." Xiaoying stood up and opened her arms. Li Chengzhu stepped forward, holding her for a long time before they parted. He then turned to Gu Linglong and gave her an embrace as well, before walking to the center of the formation and sitting down.

Just before entering deep meditation, Xiaoying couldn't help but add, "Don't go anywhere. When I open my eyes, you two must be the first things I see."

The day Xiaoying opened her eyes would be the day she gave birth. Although there was little danger in childbirth in the Immortal Realm, she was still afraid.

Li Chengzhu nodded firmly. Only then did Xiaoying close her eyes in peace, form a spiritual seal with her hands, and enter meditation.

The surrounding spiritual energy surged toward her like a tide, passing through her body and flowing out again, forming a grand, rhythmic cycle. Li Chengzhu felt at ease, knowing this was exactly what his father-in-law had described: Xiaoying was in the process of realigning the Five Elements within the child in her womb.