Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon!
Cultivation Cabin.
Ning Zhuo sat cross-legged, floating mid-air.
Sun Lingtong stood behind him, also floating, a chubby, tender little hand placed on Ning Zhuo's back.
Ning Zhuo was cultivating the Three Superior Sect Techniques.
First the Mirror Stand Spirit Communication Technique, then the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art, and finally the Demon-infused Bloodline Technique.
At times he looked dignified, his face radiant with Buddha's light, at other times he floated ethereally as if celestial, and yet at others, he was enveloped in a rich bloodiness, exuding a demonic presence.
Sun Lingtong's Divine Sense permeated through, observing Ning Zhuo's three Dantians.
The Upper Dantian was cloudless for thousands of miles, and the areas above and below it were flat and smooth, like two immense mirrors, serving as the heavens and the earth of Qiankun.
In between the mirrors, numerous small mirrors quietly floated. Thoughts rapidly proliferated within these mirrors and were extinguished in the blink of an eye.
Indeed it was the Bright Mirror Spirit Light Dantian!
Within the Middle Dantian, a five-colored vortex spiraled like a tornado reaching up to the heavens, majestic and grounding. The qi of the Five Elements at times was distinct, at others intermingled as one, and still at others continually transformed between each other, showcasing the profound mystery of the generating and overcoming interactions of the Five Elements.
Indeed it was the Five Qi Tian Shu Dantian!
Inside the Lower Dantian, the Blood Qi was dense, covering the entire Dantian, forming a vast expanse of red earth. Layer upon layer of blood vessels intertwined like vines, crisscrossing and weaving a vast network.
Within the blood vessels, the Blood Qi was intense, flowing endlessly. With every beat of Ning Zhuo's heart, the qi that clung to the blood vessels undulated naturally like tides.
Indeed it was the Blood Earth Demon Vessel Dantian!
Ning Zhuo had already ascended to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and his three Dantians had almost taken shape, undergoing profound transformations in their forms.
At the end of the cultivation session, Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes.
Sun Lingtong too gradually withdrew his palm.
The Array slowly ceased, and the two of them floated down to the ground.
Sun Lingtong exclaimed, "Wonderful, truly wonderful, the Three Superior Sect Techniques are indeed exquisite. Just taking any one of them would be a top-grade Cultivation Technique."
"Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would have found it hard to imagine that such excellent techniques could be cultivated simultaneously. The founders of the Three Superior Sects were too amazing!"
"Such achievements are truly earth-shattering."
"We've been lying low for over a decade, just to fight for the Lava Fairy Palace, and it really was the right move!"
"Little Zhuo, if you continue to cultivate like this, you are sure to have a boundless future!" Sun Lingtong stated with certainty.
Ning Zhuo nodded, "It's just a pity that the Dharma Transmission Bell only transmitted the Foundation Establishment Chapter to me, the techniques for the Golden Core Level will still require me to return to the Lava Fairy Palace for further transmission from the bell."
Sun Lingtong hummed in agreement, "That is indeed a troublesome matter, and on this point, we must be extra vigilant against the Meng Family."
"Boss, I don't quite understand the part in the Demon-infused Bloodline Technique where it talks about 'the heart melding with the technique, the spirit connecting with the flesh,'" Ning Zhuo sought guidance.
Sun Lingtong stroked his chin, "I haven't cultivated the Three Superior Sect Techniques myself, and earlier I was only using my Divine Sense to observe your practice. I can only offer my views, which may not necessarily be correct."
"Grasping a technique is not just about intellectual contemplation of its Dao and principles, but also about experiential understanding. This requires practice to deepen your understanding of the technique."
"You are only at the Foundation Establishment Stage now, and advice from others can still be somewhat effective. Once you reach the Golden Core Stage and beyond, you will rely mainly on personal enlightenment."
"So, do you still want my help?"
Instantly, Ning Zhuo understood Sun Lingtong's meaning.
In the future, cultivators will increasingly rely on themselves for grasping techniques. If one does not cultivate the habit and ability to self-enlighten during the early stages, one will greatly suffer in this aspect later on!
"I should try to comprehend it on my own first," said Ning Zhuo.
Sun Lingtong clapped his hands with a laugh, "Ha ha, a wise choice indeed!"
"Come, let us explore this Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon properly."
The Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon used its spine as the central axis, with many cabins positioned on either side.
The Cultivation Cabin where Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo were currently situated was one of them.
Beside it, there were also the Dragon Head Cabin, Refining Void Cabin, Storage Cabin, Active Furnace Cabin, Nursery Cabin, and more.
After touring them all, they discovered that the Storage Cabin contained a massive amount of Fire Essence. The Active Furnace Cabin was teeming with heat and near inaccessible. They could open the Refining Void Cabin, but neither dared to take the risk. The Nursery Cabin was empty.
Finally, they arrived at the Dragon Head Cabin, where they met the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit.
It lay curled up, dwelling inside a Clam Pearl.
The Clam Pearl, about the size of a grinding stone, was a semi-transparent, rounded, and plump pearl.
Ning Zhuo stretched forth his hand, covering the pearl with his palm. In the next moment, dense and intricate Array Patterns emerged, extending from the pearl across the desk and then lighting up the walls before finally traveling along the dragon's spine, awakening all the mechanical parts of the entire Mechanical Dragon's body.
Ning Zhuo tried to control one of the mechanical parts, and immediately a round hole appeared in the ceiling. The hole emitted a whirring sound, a large amount of airflow was swiftly extracted and just as quickly replenished into the Dragon Head Cabin.
This was the Qi Integration Valve of the mechanical parts.
When activated, it could regulate the airflow between the various cabins. In cases like fires and such, the simplest measure would be to immediately deplete the air in that cabin, allowing the flames to be quickly extinguished.
"Fun, so much fun. Hurry, hurry, let me try," Sun Lingtong watched Ning Zhuo trying out various mechanical parts, itching to join in, his face full of excitement.
The Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon was a very classic mechanical artifact.
Its combat capability was weak, but it was highly suitable for long-distance travel by cultivators. The various cabins of the mechanical dragon provided not only the functions for the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, but also provided a relatively stable and safe environment for practicing cultivators on board.
When Sun Lingtong took over and activated the observational mechanical components, Sun Ning and another person saw a series of images in the cabin.
These were the surroundings of the current location of the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon.
Almost all around was the faint lightlessness of darkness, with silver lines crisscrossing through the blackness, shooting straight past the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon.
The silver lines were sometimes sparse, other times dense, and occasionally clusters of silver light would form blocks.
"Is this what it feels like for a Nascent Soul Cultivator to traverse through the void?" Sun and Ning were both entranced for a moment.
The Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, being of the Nascent Soul Level, had its strongest point in imitating Nascent Soul Cultivators' ability to traverse the void and achieve long-distance directed transmission.
As they neared their destination, the speed of the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon gradually reduced. The silver lines underwent change, at first extremely thin, then rapidly thickening. Swelling silver lines merged with one another, eventually forming the reality of the world.
The process was brief.
Sun Ning and the other person felt a slight tremor in the mechanical dragon, felt momentarily disoriented, and discovered that the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon was already among mountains.
Ning Zhuo immediately took out the map jade slip and deployed his divine sense to search.
He discovered that the surrounding landscape did not match the depiction on the map.
The Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon was newly refined and had no information such as the navigation route—it was a blank slate, relying solely on external maps for guiding direction.
This map jade slip had been requested from Ning Jiufan and detailed the landscapes and terrains the Ning Family had encountered on their migration route.
However, the map was not accurate, forcing Ning Zhuo to adjust the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon and take a look around.
Under such circumstances, there was no need to enter the void.
The Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, small as an earthworm and with restrained aura, flew through the sky, quite unremarkable.
After circling around for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, Ning Zhuo finally saw his destination—Mist Hidden Mountain!
This mountain stood tall and majestic, entwined with strands of mist.
At dusk, between the gaps in the mist, green pines stood tall and vibrant. Streams murmured, merging into a symphony of clear sound.
The Ning Family had undertaken a long journey, migrating all this way, and at this spot, they were once shrouded by dense fog, like being in a labyrinth, trapped for three days and four nights before they managed to break free.
To cure the Buddhist Physician, Meng Yaoyin, Ning Zhuo had to address both symptoms and the root cause.
For the root cause, he had no clue at the moment.
But for the symptoms, he already had a plan. That was to retrace the migration route of the Ning Family, collecting Meng Yaoyin's relics along the way.
To see if through these relics he could find clues to Meng Yaoyin's identity and the cause of her Dao injury. At the least, he could enhance her spirituality by cremating the relics, extending the time she had to wait for a rescue.
Ning Zhuo controlled the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon to circle around Mist Hidden Mountain from high above.
Like a flexible earthworm, and with its breath contained, the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon attracted no attention whatsoever.
At the foot of the mountain, Ning Zhuo found a mountain village.
Moments later, he slightly enlarged the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, wrapping it around his waist like a belt.
He and Sun Lingtong, disguised, deliberately entered the village.
The male villagers, who were on patrol, loudly halted Sun Ning and his companion upon seeing them.
Sun Ning and the other person both released their Foundation Establishment aura.
The patrolling man, being in the Qi Refinement Realm, felt a great pressure but still stood his ground and stubbornly stopped Sun Ning and the other.
Ning Zhuo reassured him kindly, explaining their intentions.
The patrolling man, hearing Ning Zhuo's gentle words, gradually relaxed, no longer tense, "Oh, you want to go to the Mountain God Temple. Would you like to go to the true temple or the false one?"
Ning Zhuo was surprised, "This is within the Southern Bean Country, I recall that the Southern Bean Country has long since leveled mountains and destroyed temples, strictly prohibiting licentious worship. How can there still be a false temple?"
Ning Zhuo needed to search for his mother's relics, relying solely on the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, and he and Sun Lingtong were insufficient to conduct a comprehensive search.
After all, Mist Hidden Mountain was massive in scale.
Thus, the best approach was to enquire with the Mountain Gods of the land.
The patrolling man hurriedly explained, "The false temple is also true, as the Mountain God worshipped there is recognized by the Royal Family, the guest need not worry. We speak of true and false temples, only to differentiate between one being effective and the other not."
Ning Zhuo then asked him to elaborate further.
The patrolling man pointed out: the true temple was the Fox Fairy Temple of the Deputy Mountain God, and the false one was the Tiger God Temple of the True Mountain God. Both were situated to the north and south of Mist Hidden Mountain respectively.
Sun Lingtong was momentarily taken aback, "The common saying goes, 'A fox borrows the tiger's might.' But on Mist Hidden Mountain, the Fox Fairy is truly efficacious, while the Tiger God is not—how has it become the opposite?"
"Let's go take a look, and then we'll know," Ning Zhuo said before leaving, taking out a spirit stone as a token of gratitude, and handed it to the patrolling man.
"Thank you for the enlightenment." Ning Zhuo smiled faintly at him.
The patrolling man accepted the spirit stone, and when he saw the two of them about to leave, hesitated for a moment and hurriedly stopped them, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I will report back to the Village Chief to see if it's possible for you to stay overnight in the village."
"Gentlemen, it's better not to enter the mountains at night."
"The mountain mist is thickest at night, and many villagers have lost direction amidst the mist, ultimately losing their lives in the mountains."
"Perhaps it would be better to wait until daylight returns to ascend the mountain."