Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

After experiencing so many trials, Lu Yu's perspective had long shed its youthful naivety, allowing him to perceive more clues.

Once, he marveled at nature's magic, but now, he saw it often bore traces of human intervention, especially after quietly learning the Sacrificial Refinement Method from the Supreme Elderly Lord. The more he observed, the more familiar everything seemed.

This Monkey's birthplace was clearly a treasure land created by someone using the Treasure Refinement technique. However, the person was powerful, adept in the laws of nature, which made it seem very natural, as if it were the miraculous work of nature itself.

Within the three realms, perhaps only the Elderly Lord residing beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens could accomplish this. Considering this, the Monkey was originally a spirit stone from the repairing of the heavens, nurtured by the efforts of the Supreme Elderly Lord using the powers of heaven and earth, and later meticulously trained by a great power of Buddhism.

Indeed, it was worthy of its title, Child of the Great Calamity.

"Monkey, do you still have the placenta I asked you to keep?" Lu Yu asked suddenly, his gaze deep. Find your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire

The Monkey, puzzled by Lu Yu's question, honestly replied, "Ever since the last time you asked me to keep it safe, I have hidden it. It is still with me."

Lu Yu's eyes suddenly flashed with an intense look as he excitedly said to the Monkey, "Do you believe I could create another you?"

The Monkey was stunned by Lu Yu's words and asked in confusion, "What do you mean by creating another me?"

"Look at your birthplace, a marvel of nature, clearly a natural site for treasure refinement, using the earth as the furnace and the local veins of Fortune and Destiny as the flame, which enabled them to create someone exceptional like you."

"Now that we have your placenta, and this treasure land is still available, and I've learned the Elder Lord's Treasure Refinement Method, if we imitate their actions, it's very possible we could create another Monkey."

The Monkey was astonished by what Lu Yu said and murmured to himself, "Can it really be done?"

"Why not, with the right timing, location, and cooperation, we surely can succeed after some time. However, the placenta is ultimately not enough; I suspect any creation would only be a reflection of you." Lu Yu expressed a hint of regret, as this act of seizing the creation of heaven and earth would greatly aid his future cultivation path, which excited him immensely.

"That would be fun. Imagine when both my real self and clone appear together; who could tell which is real?" The Monkey suddenly clapped and laughed loudly.

Without meaning to, the speaker spoke carelessly, but the listener found deeper meaning. Lu Yu abruptly felt a shock in his heart, pondering if the real and false Monkey King could indeed emerge in such a manner.

Thinking this, he stared deeply at the gleefully jubilant Monkey.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Is something amiss?" The Monkey scrutinized himself, unable to comprehend the meaning behind Lu Yu's gaze.

"Nothing at all." Lu Yu smiled and replied.

By now, the Monkey was very curious and grabbed Lu Yu, saying, "Tell me in detail, how do we go about this? Are we missing anything? While I'm still in Huaguo Mountain, let me take care of it for you."

He was already eager to see his clone, imagining the scene would be incredibly amusing.

"We're not lacking anything; your placenta is sufficient. When the time comes, I'll harness the local veins, allowing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to converge upon the placenta. However, since you have already been born, the placenta lacks the most crucial core, and without a core, I fear we won't be able to refine a clone." Lu Yu frowned as he spoke.

The Monkey's head drooped immediately, "Where could we find such a core? Could this clone end up just a failed attempt?"

Lu Yu, however, smiled and said, "If it were any ordinary time, it might indeed fail, but with the great changes in heaven and earth imminent, and the Journey to the West fraught with both opportunities and dangers, there might be a chance."

For some reason, the image of the Buddha Relic stolen by Hydra flashed through Lu Yu's mind, and he strongly suspected that this could serve as the core.

"Though the initial work can still be done, let the placenta slowly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and feel the essence of the sun and moon. So that one day, when the core is found, an avatar can naturally be created."

Lu Yu decided to act immediately. At this time, the Monkey King had already shed the gloom of being expelled by Tang Monk, and thrown himself wholeheartedly into the great endeavor of creating his own avatar. Having seen much of the world, he also knew this to be a rare experience, greatly beneficial for the Five Qi.

For several days, Lu Yu and the Monkey King were so busy they hardly touched the ground. As time passed, the formations left behind had suffered some damage, and Lu Yu had to inspect and repair each one. At these moments, he couldn't help but marvel at the Elder Lord's skill in seamlessly merging formations with nature, utterly devoid of any trace of artificiality, as if they were naturally formed.

No matter how hard Lu Yu tried, he couldn't achieve this, though he was also able to repair the formations, they lacked that inherently natural feel.

"Finally, it's done. Now it's just a process of gradual accumulation," Lu Yu said to the Monkey King with a smile while dusting off his hands.

"I never thought every rock and every tree here would have laws hidden within them. I've really learned a lot this time," the Monkey King remarked.

The Monkey King had never imagined that the place where he was born and raised harbored so many secrets unknown to him. If not for Lu Yu's guidance, he would never have discovered the hidden formations intertwined within the rocks and vegetation. This indirectly illustrated the immense strength of the Elder Lord.

"Specialization in arts exists. This involves the profound Path of Artifact Refining. It's normal for you not to know. If I hadn't secretly learned the Elder Lord's Artifact Refinement Technique, I'd probably be just as confused. However, working on this has also been very rewarding," Lu Yu said with a smile.

These past few days were merely educational for the Monkey King, but for Lu Yu, they were a rare experiential cultivation. By observing the formations left by the Elder Lord, Lu Yu had gained a deeper understanding and insight into the Artifact Refining technique he had been learning, and it had given him new insights into constructing his Five Qi.

He had a strong premonition that it might not be long before he could reach the threshold of Five Qi.

After wrapping up the matter, Lu Yu bid farewell to the Monkey King. Under the reluctant gaze of the Monkey King, he rode the clouds towards White Tiger Ridge. If he remembered correctly, that was where Madam White Skeleton's cave was located, and the Portrait of a Beauty involving a struggle between the Buddha Ancestor and Demon Lord held by Bai Xiaoyao was hidden there.

Immortals, traveling to the North Sea in the morning and Cangwu by evening, making a journey of thousands of miles in an instant.

Using the Spirit Binding Technique, he summoned the Mountain God and Earth God, and carefully inquired about the location of Madam White Skeleton's cave.

Following what the Mountain God and Earth God had said, he indeed found Madam White Skeleton's White Skeleton Cave, which appeared gloomy and morbid, filled with the corpses of the dead. Without the enhancement of Madam White Skeleton's mana, these once standing corpses had decayed, turning into a chilling sight of sheer bones.

If left undisturbed for countless years in this cave, it might very well give rise to another White Skeleton Demon.

Looking at these skeletons, Lu Yu sighed softly. He breathed out a flame, incinerating the bones to ashes, letting all return to dust.

Walking deeper into the cave, he saw a red bridal chamber that seemed to still carry the scent of its former occupant.

"Xiao Yao!" Lu Yu whispered to himself.

Stepping into the bridal chamber, everything was arranged just as Madam White Skeleton had left it, the room unexpectedly clean, without a speck of dust.

This was owing to a cleaning formation laid down by Madam White Skeleton, a place she considered the sanctuary of her soul, meant to be spotlessly clean.

Lu Yu spotted the bronze mirror on the dressing table at a glance and also saw the shadowy figure within the mirror, a girl he remembered as fiery, he sighed softly and collected the mirror, perhaps Golden Cicada and Little Black Bear would want to see her, even if just a shadow.

Opening his Dharma Eye to look around, he indeed found a secret compartment beneath the dressing table. Opening it, a rolled-up painting was lying quietly inside, enveloped in a unique aura, Lu Yu knew this was the Portrait of a Beauty he was searching for.

Slowly unrolling the painting, he saw an exceptionally beautiful woman smiling back at him.