Chapter 552: Mount Jiuchong! Immortal Jin Yu! Practical Applications of Daoist Alchemy! Young and Impetuous!?

Mount Jiuchong was two hundred li from Mianzhou City.

Yet just now, the Gold-Devouring Insects had already reached Mianzhou. For Immortal Jin Yu[1], these were nothing more than minor tactics, mere admonishments.

By slaughtering a few hundred thousand civilians, he had more or less satisfied his anger.

“Jin Yu, you treacherous dog! Show yourself!” Xu Tiannan, the Chief of the Court of Judicial Review, roared in his bright red official robe.

He then lifted a massive boulder and smashed it violently against the entrance of the Jiuxuan Cave.

Boom!

You want to meet Jin Yu, but the first thing you do is smash their cave entrance to pieces?

Li Yanchu’s lips twitched at the sight.

Buzz buzz buzz!

The next moment, a furious flurry of flight erupted from within the cave, consuming all the rubble at the entrance.

“Shu Earth demon insects!” Master Wuse said.

These demon insects were even stronger than the Gold-Devouring Insects. In the hands of a cultivator skilled in insect-control and beast-taming arts, they could unleash terrifying power. Especially since these creatures could burrow underground, killing without a trace.

Even for cultivators, controlling or countering them was extremely difficult. Thus, everyone immediately activated protective measures, their bodies glowing as they prepared defenses.

Li Yanchu sensed the pure, dense energy of the Shu Earth aura and his eyes immediately brightened.

“How dare you ignorant juniors cause trouble in my cave!” an ancient, stern voice echoed.

The Shu Earth demon insects slowly coalesced into a massive human face, and the aura it radiated was terrifying.

When he saw this, Xu Tiannan’s expression darkened, and he was about to strike.

There was a saying that said,

the appearance reflected the mind

. Even without cultivating martial arts, his own fierce, burly physique reflected his naturally strong and unyielding temperament.

Suddenly, a figure appeared, standing before all of them.

“Allow me to subdue them!” Li Yanchu said in a deep voice.

The four Yang Spirit experts, facing away from him, did not notice the faint excitement flashing in his eyes.

At this time, a light glimmered in Li Yanchu’s gaze. This light caused even the giant human face formed by the Shu Earth demon insects to feel a hint of confusion.

“You’re not even in the third realm, and you’re just relying on a lucky grasp of the Cloud-Riding Immortal Art.l You’re seeking death!” Immortal Jin Yu shouted coldly.

Then, the Shu Earth demon insects flew straight at Li Yanchu, forming a deadly formation. The formation’s aura was dense, imbued with the suppressive power of Shu Earth. It fully activated the demons’ abilities, connecting their energies into a cohesive whole.

This was the true insect-control and beast-taming arts. Simple manipulation of flying insects or wild animals was mere trickery.

Just then, Li Yanchu’s mind shifted, summoning forth his ancient alchemy furnace. This furnace had been obtained in the Mount Taoyuan Blissful Land. It had only ever refined two things: One, a massive python god hundreds of zhang in length. The other, a Fire Qilin infused with the power of a phoenix.

From these, two Blood-Qi Pill were created, granting Li Yanchu his current three-realm-level physicality. Now, his body was brimming with blood and qi, radiating like a blazing sun.

At that moment, the Eight Trigrams Furnace sensed Li Yanchu’s intent. It instantly erupted with immense suction, absorbing all the countless Shu Earth demon insects.

Seeing this, Xu Tiannan, Celestial Master Zhao, Master Baoshu, Master Wuse, and Immortal Jin Yu were all dumbfounded.

A dense brilliance burst from the alchemy furnace, instantly refining all the Shu Earth demon insects. Then, it continued to operate ceaselessly.

“Impressive work!” Li Yanchu silently praised the furnace.

The furnace immediately reflected a sense of joy.

“Is this... alchemy?” Master Baoshu could hardly believe it. “Celestial Master, can Daoist alchemy actually be used against enemies?”

Celestial Master Zhao’s lips twitched. “Honestly, I never considered it.”

In truth, Celestial Master Zhao wasn’t lying. Alchemy had always been an auxiliary technique for Daoist disciples, and no one had ever heard of using alchemy directly in a magical duel. This was truly an eye-opener.

Then, a powerful divine light burst from the alchemy furnace, faintly forming clouds of elixir.

“Well, it’s producing actual elixir clouds?” Celestial Master Zhao’s eyes widened.

“You sneaky coward, is that all you’ve got?” Li Yanchu muttered angrily at the door.

Yet his expression held excitement and anticipation. The four Yang Spirit experts, witnessing this alchemical technique, sensed that Li Yanchu seemed to be actively provoking Immortal Jin Yu into taking action...

Inside the Jiuxuan Cave, silence first fell, then a powerful figure emerged, flying out from within.

He was a man from the southern frontier; a huge hat adorned his head, and his clothing was unusual. He was small in stature, roughly the size of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old, Yet his eyes carried the weight of countless years, It was impossible to tell how long he had lived.

The moment this practitioner, dressed in attire characteristic of the southern frontier, appeared, the aura in the vicinity immediately shifted, pressing down on Xu Tiannan and the others.

He was at the intermediate third realm!

This thought flashed through everyone’s mind.

After entering the third realm, there were three sub-levels, but the gap between them was enormous. At present, most of the world’s Yang Spirit experts were in the rudimentary third realm. Yet some ancient demons possess intermediate or even advanced third realm strength. Those individuals hardly took action, and their concerns differed from ordinary cultivators.

“You’re the one who used fire to break my Gold-Devouring Insects earlier, aren’t you?” Immortal Jin Yu said in a deep voice.

“That’s right.” Li Yanchu nodded calmly, showing no hint of intimidation toward this intermediate third realm powerhouse.

“Good, you’re bold, you speak directly to me without fear,” Immortal Jin Yu said, nodding with an aura of mastery.

“Because you can’t beat me,” Li Yanchu replied.

Immortal Jin Yu was speechless at his words. Meanwhile, Xu Tiannan couldn’t help but smile slightly.

This kid had guts!

“I’ve never seen such youthful arrogance in a junior,” Immortal Jin Yu said solemnly.

“Isn’t arrogance the hallmark of youth[2]?” Li Yanchu’s eyes glinted with a confident disdain.

Immortal Jin Yu clearly hadn’t encountered Liu Huaqiang-style bravado before and was momentarily speechless. His expression darkened, and countless flying insects surged toward Li Yanchu like a tide. They were brightly colored, varied in size and shape, yet each radiated a ferocious aura.

However, Li Yanchu remained utterly calm. A golden figure appeared in front of him, a flaming wheel behind his head. With a single punch, he struck the swarm.

Without ordinary civilians restricting him, Master Wuse unleashed devastating power.

Li Yanchu had saved Jinguang Temple and even the monk’s life; he could not allow this insect-controlling fiend to harm him.

Not only Master Wuse, but also Master Baoshu of the Great Xiangguo Temple , Celestial Master Zhao of Mount Longhu, and Xu Tiannan of the Court of Judicial Review, the four Yang Spirit experts struck together, confronting Immortal Jin Yu. Flames, sword auras, mental force, flying insects, and Buddhist light painted the sky in brilliant, shifting colors.

Li Yanchu, however, did not rush to attack. This was a prosperous battle; four Yang Spirit experts had come, leaving him hardly any effort to expend.

He stepped back slightly with the alchemy furnace, sensing the pure Shu Earth energy within, and couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“After a fruitless search everywhere, what I sought came to me without any effort.[3].”

1. Literally, 金羽 means “Golden Feather,” which immediately evokes imagery of lightness, grace, and preciousness. ☜

2. The phrase “不气盛叫年轻人吗” originates from the TV drama

Conquest

, spoken by Liu Huaqing, played by Sun Honglei. It conveys the idea that young people are full of passion and boldness. Here, “气盛” refers to youthful vigor and spiritedness. The phrase isn’t literally asking whether someone who isn’t passionate can be called young; rather, it’s a rhetorical question emphasizing that if young people lack drive and boldness, can they truly be called young? It highlights the energy, ambition, and audacity that are characteristic of youth. ☜

3. “踏破铁鞋无觅处，得来全不费功夫” is a Chinese saying, pronounced tà pò tiě xié wú mì chù, dé lái quán bù fèi gōng fu. It means that in the past, one searched so hard that even iron shoes were worn out and still nothing was found, yet later, unexpectedly, the thing sought was obtained effortlessly.

It originates from Water Margin (Shui Hu Zhuan). The phrase is used metaphorically to describe a situation where something urgently needed proves impossible to find despite great effort, only to be obtained by chance without any effort. ☜