"So that's how it is!" He Chongxu's mouth hung open, and after a long moment of astonishment, he slowly spoke.
The next second, as if he had finally figured something out, he looked at Ying Chen: "I understand now, Master Ying. Your true purpose in choosing Datiancuo was to use this heaven and earth alchemical furnace to refine the magical artifact you desire!"
Ying Chen glanced sideways at He Chongxu: "You're not entirely hopeless."
He Chongxu's old face flushed red.
Indeed, it seemed rather foolish of him to only guess Ying Chen's intentions at this point.
However, He Chongxu soon had a new question: "Master Ying, how do you plan to refine it?"
"Although the mountains and rivers here resemble an alchemical furnace, it's not a true one!"
Ying Chen didn't explain but simply smiled faintly, gesturing for He Chongxu to watch for himself.
With a face full of doubt, He Chongxu stepped aside, beginning to observe how Ying Chen would actually forge the artifact.
To be honest, he wasn't unfamiliar with artifact forging, but this was his first time witnessing refining in the void without any physical tools.
He couldn't fathom how all the materials could be fused into one without form.
Perhaps through sheer will?
Or maybe imagination?
In fact, He Chongxu had guessed correctly.
Ying Chen did intend to use his will!
However, it wasn't the kind of will He Chongxu imagined, but a power derived from the materialized intent of his fist!
In addition to this power, the feng shui energy of Datiancuo, this heaven and earth alchemical furnace, would also be utilized!
That was the true refining force!
Ying Chen first surveyed his surroundings, then raised his foot and stomped on the previous spot filled with malevolent energy.
*Boom!*
The ground seemed to be overturned, emitting a deafening roar.
Immediately, the three surrounding mountain ranges began to shake as well.
Large amounts of rubble cascaded down, and the trees on the mountains trembled. Birds that had been roosting in the trees were startled and flew up rapidly, soaring towards the sky.
Most noticeable was the Flying Arrival Peak.
The entire peak seemed to be embraced by an invisible divine giant, shaking earth-shatteringly.
The force transmitted from the mountaintop to the base, as if it would be uprooted at any moment!
But just as He Chongxu thought Flying Arrival Peak was about to collapse, it suddenly quieted down.
Instead, at the base of Flying Arrival Peak, a long bulge appeared on the ground.
From a distance, it looked like a giant snake hibernating underground, awakened by Ying Chen, and frantically escaping beneath the surface!
"Incredible!"
Upon witnessing this, He Chongxu couldn't help but exclaim.
This was what their feng shui practitioners often referred to as the "Earth Dragon."
However, most feng shui masters might not even see an Earth Dragon in their lifetime.
Let alone seeing one, they might not even be able to locate where an Earth Dragon hibernated.
Even for He Chongxu, who had been in this profession for so long, he had only seen an Earth Dragon a handful of times.
Even when he confirmed the Earth Dragon's existence, he wouldn't dare to disturb it, only daring to make feng shui arrangements that followed its resting position.
But now, Ying Chen had directly awakened and forced it out!
*Swish, swish.* The Earth Dragon traveled rapidly beneath the surface.
On the ground, a continuously expanding bulge formed.
For every meter the Earth Dragon traveled, the land of Datiancuo would tremble.
This wasn't because the Earth Dragon was inherently powerful, but rather that the so-called Earth Dragon was not a real living creature, but a surge of earth energy derived from the earth veins.
When it moved, the entire earth vein accompanied by it would also shake.
Why did people call earthquakes "the Earth Dragon turning over"?
It was because the earth energy leaked out, causing the earth veins to shake, resulting in an earthquake.
What Ying Chen was doing now was akin to creating a man-made earthquake.
However, it was on a small scale and completely controllable.
"Discharge!"
Ying Chen, watching the continuously moving Earth Dragon, shouted coldly.
He then raised his foot and stomped on the ground again.
*Boom!*
The earth shook once more, and the continuously moving Earth Dragon, as if struck by a immobilization spell, was abruptly pinned in place.
Immediately after, the bulge of earth brought about by the Earth Dragon exploded.
From within, streams of extremely potent earth energy erupted!
As soon as this earth energy appeared, the temperature of the entire heaven and earth plummeted by over ten degrees Celsius.
It felt like an instant plunge into the depths of winter!
"Such... such strong malevolent energy!"
He Chongxu's expression changed, and he couldn't help but say.
This was all the Yin Sha Qi of the earth.
In reality, the entire earth contained malevolent energy, but during the day, due to the sun's illumination, the malevolent energy couldn't manifest and was buried deep underground.
But as soon as night fell, the malevolent energy, freed from its restraints, would surge from the earth.
Why did it feel cooler at night in the summer?
It was due to the surge of earth energy.
Some people thus felt that sleeping on the ground was cooler and more comfortable, intending to sleep on the floor all night. They didn't realize that this would earn them a scolding from their elders, who would say it would lead to invasion by cold evil.
The so-called cold evil was precisely the earth energy.
However, the earth energy in most human settlements was not concentrated.
But here in Datiancuo, due to the feng shui layout, the earth energy was exceptionally dense!
That profound Yin Sha power could be strongly felt even from a great distance!
The skin felt as if it were being pricked by needles, the face turned pale, and the body couldn't help but tremble.
This was even for He Chongxu, who possessed cultivation. If it were an ordinary person, they would likely have been invaded by this concentrated Yin Sha power and died on the spot!
Ying Chen glanced at He Chongxu calmly and shook his head.
Then he took a step forward.
Strangely, this simple step made all of He Chongxu's abnormal sensations disappear!
Instead, it felt as comfortable as being bathed in a spring breeze.
This only reinforced He Chongxu's previous notion of Ying Chen being like Ksitigarbha guarding hell.
This was the radiance of Buddha spreading everywhere!
And in the distance, with all the earth energy leaked out, Datiancuo had become a veritable "dead village."
Eerie and terrifying, with biting malevolent energy.
Anyone who came here, let alone stepping foot in it, would be scared away just by looking at it from afar!
"Water and fire in harmony, dragon and tiger as one!"
Ying Chen looked at the surging malevolent energy and said calmly.
Then, a blazing fist intent erupted from Ying Chen's body. This fist intent shot up into the sky like a beacon fire smoke signal.
Instantly, it formed a small sun in the sky, emanating immense Yang energy and flowing with radiant light!
The moment the small sun formed, the malevolent energy in the sky was like dry kindling encountering raging fire.
With a tremendous roar, a massive blast wave resembling a mushroom cloud shot up into the sky!
It blotted out the sun and covered the entire Datiancuo!
He Chongxu, caught in the middle, glimpsed the surroundings through the blast wave.
He saw that the three peaks had subtly transformed into the shape of an alchemical furnace.
And the surging blast wave had become the appearance of the furnace fire!
Within the blast wave, the illusory forms of a dragon and a tiger could be seen, chasing and entwining each other.
"Dragon Tiger Golden Elixir Method?"
Upon seeing this, He Chongxu was utterly shocked.
Ying Chen glanced at He Chongxu but said nothing.
Ying Chen didn't know the name of this refining method, as it had no name when he learned it.
But what Ying Chen did know was that it was definitely not called the Dragon Tiger Golden Elixir Method.
The name "Dragon Tiger Golden Elixir Method" must have been a renaming by later generations who learned this method from somewhere.
"Materials!"
Ying Chen suddenly called out.
He Chongxu tensed and quickly took out all the materials he had preserved.
Ying Chen waved his hand casually.
All the materials flew towards the mushroom cloud blast wave in the center.
The illusory dragon and tiger within the blast wave, upon seeing the materials, let out a joyful sound as if they had seen food. They rushed towards the materials.
In an instant, they seized the materials in their mouths and returned to the center of the blast wave!
At this point, the blast wave rapidly pulsed, its color changing continuously, much like the process of flames turning from red to blue, and then from blue to green!
"Divine! Simply divine!"
He Chongxu exclaimed repeatedly, like an unsophisticated bumpkin who had never seen the world.
Ying Chen ignored He Chongxu, flipped his wrist, and a small object appeared in his palm.
The next second, Ying Chen threw that object directly into the flaming blast wave!
Upon clearly seeing the appearance of the object, He Chongxu's expression changed drastically, and he stomped his feet repeatedly: "Master Ying, why are you burning it? This is such a waste of heavenly treasure!"