Chapter 1240: Six Roots Clear and Pure Bamboo, Wanlan Spiritual Dao Kung

After the black and white twin snakes were cut apart, the orb glowed with yin-yang energy and then restored them, reforming them into a complete single entity.

However, Chen Mobai’s sword strike had already awakened it. It no longer dared to act recklessly and timidly retreated back into the Yin-Yang Orb.

“Come out and answer my questions honestly, or I will reduce you to ashes.” Chen Mobai cradled the Yin-Yang Orb in his palm. With the Cantong Qi circulating, even as the black and white twin snakes’ sentience resisted, it was slowly being refined.

The black and white twin snakes clearly understood that if this continued, by the time the orb was fully refined, it would have no escape.

It felt a sense of indignation. As the esteemed spirit beast of an ascended cultivator, it had nearly reached the Sixth-Tier Yin-Yang Great Dao before its own demise. Who knew that without its physical body, it was now like a tiger on flat ground, bullied by dogs.

But having lived for a very long time, it also understood that when it was time to yield, one must yield.

“Please spare my life, True Lord. I will come out now.” As the black and white twin snakes’ sentience pleaded for mercy, it re-emerged from the Yin-Yang Orb, its two heads bowing repeatedly in salutation.

Chen Mobai asked, “What are you?” As he spoke, the Yuanyang Sword flew out from behind Chen Mobai, its golden tip landing between the two heads of the black and white twin snakes, making it feel even more humiliated.

“I am the sentience that evolved from this inner core over several millennia. Although I inherited the memories of the original Yin-Yang Twin Snakes, I can also be considered the Yin-Yang Twin Snakes…” Under Chen Mobai’s piercing gaze, the black and white twin snakes, which had initially intended to mislead him, suddenly felt a chill and immediately revealed its true origin.

It turned out that the Yin-Yang Twin Snakes had failed its attempt to reach the Sixth-Tier several millennia ago. However, before its death, it infused all its essence, qi, and spirit into its inner core, allowing it to successfully transform and preserve a portion of its memories. Failure to reach the Void Refinement stage meant its True Spirit was assaulted by the Great Dao, causing its soul to scatter. Thus, the sentience of the black and white twin snakes, which had revived from the Yin-Yang Orb, possessed the memories of the Yin-Yang Twin Snakes but could not truly be considered the Yin-Yang Twin Snakes.

“Aside from this Yin-Yang Orb, are there any other Sixth-Tier spiritual items in this Lanyuan Valley?” Chen Mobai, leveraging his professional expertise as a formation master, asked a crucial question. Before the Yin-Yang Twin Snakes attempted Void Refinement, Daoist Tianlan had already set up a Sixth-Tier grand formation in Lanyuan Valley. Given the standards of formation masters in the Tianhe Realm, there surely had to be a Sixth-Tier item anchoring its core. If it wasn't this Yin-Yang Orb, then there must be another!

Upon hearing Chen Mobai’s question, the black and white twin snakes realized that this Nascent Soul cultivator was a formation master. To have safely reached this grand hall, he had to be the top formation master in the Tianhe Realm. With this understanding, its idea of using Lanyuan Valley’s grand formation to suppress Chen Mobai began to dissipate.

“To be honest, True Lord, there is indeed an item called Pure Bamboo. My master acquired it from the Pure Upper Palace. Originally, it was only a peak Fifth-Tier item, but after being cultivated in this spiritual vein for a thousand years, fed with various spiritual liquids, heavenly dew, and earthly essence, it ascended to the Sixth-Tier. Upon reaching the Sixth-Tier, this Pure Bamboo became extraordinary and could be called the 'Six Roots of Purity Bamboo'. It has the power to instantly dispel worries, purify the mind, and constantly keep any cultivator who possesses it in the optimal state for cultivation and enlightenment.”

“However, the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo is no longer useful for Void Refinement cultivators. That’s why my master left it behind when he ascended, hoping I could use it to comprehend the Sixth-Tier realm.” As it spoke, the black and white twin snakes’ expression dimmed. Despite possessing such a spiritual item, it had still failed.

“Where is this item now?” Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai felt a surge of anticipation. While he himself, having attained the realm of the Five Sounds, did not need the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo, those around him would greatly benefit from it. With it, Qing Nü might be able to attempt the Nascent Soul realm in the shortest possible time. Even O Yun and Zhou Wangshen could use it to comprehend the true essence of the Scripture of Immortality. The Pure Upper Palace has maintained its status as the foremost holy land in Xizhou for tens of thousands of years precisely because it possesses a Six Roots of Purity Bamboo. Such a treasure ensures a baseline for the Pure Upper Palace’s cultivators, enabling them to fully realize their talents. Under these circumstances, even without spiritual items like the Saint-Attaining True Spirit Pill, the Pure Upper Palace has consistently produced Nascent Soul cultivators across generations.

“True Lord, please follow me!” One of the black and white twin snakes’ heads pointed toward the area behind the grand hall. Chen Mobai, daring due to his high skill and with the Tongtian Zhi giving no warning, followed immediately.

Behind the hall was an undecorated courtyard. In its very center stood a tall, slender bamboo, clearly the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo. The bamboo stalk was smooth as jade, exuding a faint luster. As Chen Mobai’s gaze met it, he felt a profound sense of peace, as if his mind had been purified. Its emerald leaves, seemingly dripping with dew, swayed gently with the breeze as Chen Mobai approached, producing soft rustling sounds like celestial music—clear, subtle, and pleasing to the ear. These clear notes, accompanied by the bamboo’s fresh fragrance, made Chen Mobai feel as though he was listening to the performance of a profound musical cultivator.

No wonder it was named the “Six Roots of Purity Bamboo”! Chen Mobai nodded in slight realization. With such a spiritual item, the Five Elements Sect could quickly address its relative shortage of high-tier cultivators compared to other holy lands.

He immediately moved to take the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo with him. However, he discovered that this Sixth-Tier spiritual plant had, over a long period of time, integrated itself with the spiritual vein of the entire Lanyuan Valley. If he were to take it, he would inevitably disrupt the spiritual vein and the Sixth-Tier grand formation of Lanyuan Valley. Doing so, however, would surely implicate the Bitter Bamboo, who was currently undergoing Nascent Soul transformation, and might even cause him to fail.

“True Lord, I can actually replace the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo and become the core of the formation and the spiritual vein…” Seeing Chen Mobai’s expression, the black and white twin snakes had already guessed that this Nascent Soul True Lord wished to take the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo. It couldn’t help but volunteer itself. It didn't intend to help Chen Mobai; rather, it merely thought it could use this opportunity to escape Chen Mobai's control, or even completely master Lanyuan Valley’s Sixth-Tier grand formation. Perhaps it could even turn the tables and, utilizing the power left by Daoist Tianlan, suppress the Nascent Soul True Lord who had humiliated it.

“Oh, you can?” Listening to its words, and factoring in his own mastery of formations, Chen Mobai had already devised a solution. As the black and white twin snakes nodded repeatedly, Chen Mobai pushed his Yingdi Ling realm to its utmost, even using the Sound of Empty Valley to listen to the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo, thereby perfecting his plan.

After confirming there were no issues, Chen Mobai first used the Yin-Yang Orb to temporarily replace the grand formation’s core. The black and white twin snakes cooperated fully with this step. However, just as the core replacement was completed, it was stunned to discover that it had no authority to control the grand formation. Chen Mobai would naturally not hand over the grand formation to it; with his level of mastery, adding a restriction was effortless. After the black and white twin snakes’ plan failed, Chen Mobai unleashed the Yuanyang Sword. Under a burst of golden sword light, the upper part of the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo was severed, though its roots remained in the ground. Only half of the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo remained Sixth-Tier, though its effect for Nascent Soul cultivators would be diminished. But Chen Mobai didn't need it; for Qing Nü and others, even half a root would suffice.

After taking half of the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo, Chen Mobai marked the spot. Once the Bitter Bamboo's Nascent Soul transformation yielded results, he planned to have other disciples from the Five Elements Sect come to Xizhou and inherit this Lanyuan Valley annex.

Next, Chen Mobai searched through his reserves, found over a dozen Fifth-Tier medicinal herbs he had just unearthed in Lanyuan Valley, and using the Art of Void Transformation, expanded the courtyard’s soil and planted them. This location possessed Sixth-Tier spiritual energy, which for these medicinal herbs was akin to moving from a humble dwelling to a grand villa, making their spiritual vitality even more active. Chen Mobai estimated that these Fifth-Tier medicinal herbs would likely mature within a century thanks to this environment. Future disciples of the Five Elements Sect who come to inherit this annex will be truly blessed.

After reconfiguring the grand formation’s core, Chen Mobai retrieved the Yin-Yang Orb once more. The black and white twin snakes, looking aggrieved, settled back into Chen Mobai’s palm. It had just attempted every incantation left by Daoist Tianlan for controlling the formation, but it simply could not break through the restrictions Chen Mobai had set. This meant the grand formation had been completely deciphered by the Nascent Soul True Lord before it. Which holy land produced such a young Nascent Soul cultivator, whose cultivation was not only profound but whose formation attainments also reached the Sixth-Tier level?

“Where is Daoist Tianlan’s inheritance?” Chen Mobai then asked another crucial question. While Lanyuan Valley’s ownership undoubtedly belonged to Daoist Tianlan, the ascended cultivator, and then to the couple Bitter Bamboo and Xuan Shui, to truly legitimize their claim, they would need to cultivate Daoist Tianlan’s techniques. Since Bitter Bamboo and Xuan Shui both already cultivated Nascent Soul techniques, they certainly couldn’t change. Thus, he needed to see if anyone suitable existed within the Five Elements Sect. Ideally, their child would be the one to inherit. However, it also depended on the suitability of Daoist Tianlan’s cultivation method.

“I have it in my memory. My master also left inheritance jade slips in the west side hall; I will take True Lord there.” After the incident with the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo, the black and white twin snakes understood it was no match for Chen Mobai and became exceedingly cooperative.

The west side hall also had restrictions. Before Chen Mobai even spoke, the black and white twin snakes chanted incantations and actively opened them. Inside was a cultivation room, with a meditation cushion in the center and an incense burner nearby. Both were made of Fifth-Tier materials, but the refining technique used was inadequate, resulting in only Fourth-Tier quality. Chen Mobai disliked such a waste of materials. He planned to take them back and re-refine them when he left, then hand them over to the Five Elements Sect disciples who would eventually inherit the Lanyuan Valley annex.

On three walls of the cultivation room were wooden bookshelves, holding hundreds of various jade slips. Chen Mobai’s divine sense swept across them, revealing not only Daoist Tianlan’s inheritance but also ancient texts and miscellaneous notes he had collected. These were extremely ancient, some even local myths and legends from Xizhou. In Chen Mobai’s view, many were contradictory, but they could be used to enrich the Five Elements Sect’s library and broaden the disciples’ knowledge.

Finally, Chen Mobai concentrated on examining Daoist Tianlan’s inheritance.

This ascended cultivator’s technique, named the 'Myriad Mist Spirit Dao Skill', required a wind spirit root for initiation and was a dual cultivation of dharma and body. In Chen Mobai’s opinion, the skill itself was only average, but it possessed unique aspects. After both the primordial spirit and physical body reached the peak of the Fifth-Tier, this skill allowed for a secret technique to merge the two into one, forcefully pushing into the Void Refinement stage and stepping onto the Great Dao. Daoist Tianlan successfully achieved Void Refinement and ascended to the Upper Realm using this method. In other words, cultivating this skill would certainly allow one to achieve Void Refinement. Furthermore, since Daoist Tianlan succeeded, it implied a non-trivial chance of success.

However, there were both advantages and disadvantages. If one used this method to reach Void Refinement, the physical body painstakingly cultivated would be absorbed by the primordial spirit. However, after Void Refinement, the primordial spirit would have already stepped onto the Great Dao. Even without a physical body, one could directly travel in spirit form or even create external avatars. If a physical body was truly desired, it could also be re-condensed using various spiritual treasures of heaven and earth. Of course, conversely, perhaps one could use the primordial spirit to nourish the physical body, attempting rebirth from a single drop of blood. This was Chen Mobai’s thought upon reviewing the skill, though he couldn't be certain if it was truly achievable.

After thoroughly comprehending the 'Myriad Mist Spirit Dao Skill', Chen Mobai noted down the most essential parts of its dharma-body dual cultivation and Void Refinement impact, then analyzed them using the Five Sounds, thereby integrating them into his own understanding. Among all Nascent Soul cultivators in the entire Tianhe Realm, only he, with his mastery of the Five Sounds, could achieve this. Other cultivators wishing to use this method to attempt Void Refinement would first need a wind spirit root and cultivate the 'Myriad Mist Spirit Dao Skill' itself.

This period of profound comprehension lasted another two months. When Chen Mobai opened his eyes, he noticed that the incense burner beside the meditation cushion had been lit, and wisps of misty incense smoke curled upwards, instilling a sense of tranquility within him. Upon asking the guarding Yuanyang Sword Spirit, Chen Mobai learned that the black and white twin snakes had lit it, and had also retrieved the incense from another side hall. Such thoughtfulness made it difficult for him to act.

After hearing this, Chen Mobai hesitated slightly. He had originally thought that the black and white twin snakes would hinder future Five Elements Sect disciples inheriting the Lanyuan Valley annex, and had planned to deal with it before leaving. However, its remarkable cooperation had yielded Chen Mobai numerous benefits, making him somewhat reluctant to take action against it.

“Come here. I’ll give you two choices.” Finally, Chen Mobai called the black and white twin snakes over and spoke.

One choice was for Chen Mobai to take it from here, so it could accompany the chosen disciples of the Five Elements Sect when they return to inherit Lanyuan Valley in the future. The other choice was to remain in Lanyuan Valley. Chen Mobai would transfer it into the remaining Six Roots of Purity Bamboo, making it the formation spirit of this place. In the future, any Five Elements Sect disciple arriving with Chen Mobai’s token would need to acknowledge it as their master.

“Then the orb…” The black and white twin snakes eyed the Yin-Yang Orb in Chen Mobai’s palm with longing. Under his half-smiling gaze, it swallowed the rest of its sentence and chose the second option. It was somewhat afraid of Chen Mobai and felt it was better to stay.