Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled – Chapter 418: Refining the Heavenly Secret

On Qitian Ridge, the Phoenix and the Qilin still sat facing each other atop the peak. The Great Peng, however, was not by the Phoenix’s side but was healing in a cave below. The Qilin said, “Buddha’s every move is extremely strange. He always starts things with great enthusiasm but ends them half-heartedly, suffering many losses. It seems trivial, yet it’s truly odd.”
The Phoenix replied, “I didn’t know either before. Today’s events are indeed strange. Could he return soon?”
The Qilin asked, “I wonder what Wu Kong intends to refine. Judging from all those people involved, it must be something significant. Does Buddha want to seize this item?”
The Phoenix nodded. “Of course. But according to Wu Kong, the Heavenly Secret Rod isn’t yet refined. Even if Buddha takes it, it’s useless. What he really wants is likely the Essence of the Five Elements.”
The Qilin said, “If he really wants to take it, he probably won’t give up so easily.”
Seeing the yellow-robed Buddhas scattered around the peak on Ling Mountain, the Phoenix said, “Since the Lamp-Burning Buddha has gotten involved, Buddha won’t succeed that easily. But how is Qitian Ridge so close to the Lamp-Burning Buddha?”
The Qilin laughed. “The Lamp-Burning Buddha is Wu Kong’s master. I was deceived for a long time too.”
The Phoenix nodded. “I see.”
At the foot of the peak, Wu Kong and his seven companions were in a stone chamber, unaware that a great battle had just taken place outside. Wu Kong and the five who held the Essence of the Five Elements sat in meditation, while only Dayu remained standing.
At that moment, time seemed to stand still. Only the Xirang Furnace, enclosing the Heavenly Secret Rod, rotated slowly inside the chamber.
Finally, a faint yellow light flashed briefly on Hou Tu’s body. She opened her eyes with joy. Seeing that everyone was still in meditation and only Dayu was smiling at her, she asked softly, “What are you doing?”
Dayu replied, “Twenty-one years and 218 days.”
Hou Tu was slightly surprised. “It’s been that long?”
Dayu nodded. “It seems that among these people, you still have the highest cultivation, which is why you woke up first.”
Hou Tu said, “The Essence of Earth is truly remarkable. Without today’s experiences, I doubt I could ever reach this state of mind.”
Dayu asked, “State of mind? Isn’t it about controlling earth?”
Hou Tu replied, “At first, I thought the art of the Five Elements was merely about controlling earth and water. Only today do I realize that the concept of ‘control’ is actually inferior.”
“What then?”
Hou Tu shook her head. “I don’t know what it is right now, but it’s definitely not ‘control’. At this moment, all earth in the world is like my dear friend.”
Dayu thought for a while, finding it somewhat unclear.
Hou Tu placed her hand on the ground, closed her eyes, and focused on meditation again.

Thirteen years and sixty-nine days passed again, and Rùshōu woke up first. Unlike Hòutǔ, when Rùshōu awoke, the room was filled with white light, like the edge of a sharp blade, which lasted for a long time before fading away. Learning that he had awakened thirteen years later than Hòutǔ, Rùshōu felt no disappointment at all; instead, he said joyfully, “I know the Wood God woke up earlier than me.” Dayu smiled and asked, “Could it be that metal overcomes wood?” Rùshōu replied, “No, if that were the case, the Fire God should have awakened before me.” After saying this, he also sat in lotus position. They all knew that the chance to come into contact with the extremes of the five elements was extremely rare—probably only once in a lifetime—so it needed to be cherished even more. Five years passed, and Zhurong jumped up happily, shouting, “I’m awake!” Dayu gave her a glance. Seeing that the others were in meditation, Zhurong stuck out her tongue and asked, “Am I the first?” Dayu shook his head and pointed to Hòutǔ and Rùshōu, saying, “This one woke up eighteen years earlier than you, and that one fifteen years earlier.” As soon as he finished speaking, a green light filled the room, covering Zhurong’s red light. Jùmáng opened his eyes and sighed, “That’s a huge mistake!” Zhurong asked, “What’s so wrong?” Jùmáng replied, “During my previous cultivation, I almost went down the wrong path. If it weren’t for obtaining the extreme of wood, I don’t know how far wrong I would have gone.” Zhurong said, “The same goes for me, but things are different now.” Dayu said, “Only Wuzhīqi is left.” Zhurong and Jùmáng continued to cultivate, waiting for Wuzhīqi to wake up before starting to refine the Heavenly Mechanism Staff. Meanwhile, Wukong had already immersed himself in the Thirty-Six Transformations of Tiangang. He hadn’t cultivated in this way for a long time, and his mind was incredibly peaceful and serene. Since receiving the blessings from Xuannv that day, his cultivation level had improved greatly, and he now had a deeper understanding of powers such as moving mountains and filling seas, shaping land into rivers, and reversing wind and fire. Although the Thirty-Six Transformations did not belong to the powers of the five elements, they still relied on them as a foundation. Wukong had pondered the extremes of the five elements for several days, which unknowingly also benefited him. Coupled with his already complete mastery of the five elements, his cultivation in these forty-odd years had improved all the powers related to the five elements. Dayu had great patience. Although he seemed to be standing with his eyes open, he was actually cultivating as well. He knew that Wuzhīqi had the lowest cultivation level, only at the level of a Hunyuan Jinxian. It would take dozens or even hundreds of years for him to reach that level. Since the Water God Gonggong was not around, Wuzhīqi was the only one capable of taking on this role, so there was nothing to be done about it. Fortunately, in this realm, one day outside corresponded to forty or fifty years inside, so there was no need to worry about the long wait. Finally, on the 170th day, a dark, shiny glow appeared on Wuzhīqi’s body, as if water was flowing. A suppressed roar came from his throat, and his eyes shone brightly.

Dayu watched and exclaimed in shock, “The pinnacle of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal!”
Wu Zhiqi slowly calmed his excitement and nodded, “The extreme of water makes me feel as if I’ve returned to chaos!”
Dayu said, “There’s no rush in refining the weapon. Take some time to reflect in silence.”
Wu Zhiqi also knew that in cultivation, after reaching each new level, it was best to reflect in silence to stabilize one’s mind and avoid arrogance or impatience. He sat there for several more months before opening his eyes again. By then, his eyes were as clear as water, and his expression was peaceful.
Only then did Dayu nod in satisfaction and say, “It’s done!”
The others had already completed their tasks. They had taken advantage of Wu Zhiqi’s unconsciousness to gain more exposure to the extremes of the five elements. When Wu Zhiqi woke up, Zhu Rong and the others immediately returned to their senses, though a hint of disappointment lingered in their hearts.
Dayu used his divine power to enlarge the Xirang Furnace several times over and said, “To refine the Tianji Stick, earth should be the foundation.”
Hou Tu, hearing this, lifted the Extreme of Earth in her hands. A yellow light emanated from that bright stone and shone on the Xirang Furnace. Zhu Rong asked, “Using this Xirang Furnace might backfire, won’t it?”
Hou Tu replied, “By no means. The Xirang Furnace belongs to earth by nature. Under the influence of the Extreme of Earth, they naturally blend together. If it were a copper or iron furnace, I wouldn’t be so sure.”
The yellow light spread, seemingly taking on a tangible form as it colored the entire Xirang Furnace yellowish-brown. As the color deepened, when it stopped changing, Hou Tu channeled her magic, and the furnace emitted a brilliant yellow glow. Inside, the Tianji Stick, which had originally resembled the Ruyi Jingu Bang, returned to its true form—a slightly curved black stick.
Hou Tu said, “The furnace foundation is ready!”
Dayu added, “Wood serves as the catalyst.”
Jiu Mang imitated Hou Tu’s actions and introduced the energy of green wood into the furnace. Everyone knew that wood could overcome earth, so wherever the green energy reached, the yellow light immediately retreated. Hou Tu murmured, “It’s not wood overcoming earth; rather, earth absorbs wood.”
Upon hearing these words, Jiu Mang seemed to gain some insight. The green energy suddenly became softer and merged with the yellow light, blending seamlessly.
As Jiu Mang continued to channel his magic, the green energy gradually filled most of the Xirang Furnace. Only along the furnace walls did it still blend with the yellowish-brown aura, without a clear boundary.
Hou Tu nodded. Refining weapons using all five extremes at once was likely a first in the history of creation. The interplay of generation, restriction, and complementarity among the five elements was extremely complex, but it was imperative not to choose one over the other. Only by using the power of earth to blend them together could the result be optimal.
Dayu declared loudly, “Fire serves as the intermediary.”
Before this, Zhu Rong did not understand the meaning of the phrase “fire serves as the intermediary.” Seeing the green energy blend with the yellowish-brown aura yet remain far from the Tianji Stick in the furnace, he finally understood.

Metal can overcome wood; when the aura of green wood encounters the Sky Mechanism Staff, it fears it too much to approach, let alone get close. Fire, in turn, overcomes metal. Wherever there is fire, metal turns into water, and water can nourish and strengthen the wood’s energy. Thus, using “fire as a medium” is the most appropriate choice.

Zhu Rong drew out the extreme fire energy from the stone, forming a thin thread that pierced through earth and wood directly, landing on the Sky Mechanism Staff. Though this fire appeared as red fire, it was extremely intense, even surpassing ghost flames. It turns out that among all fires in the world, the most basic is red fire, and the highest level is still red fire. It is only by Zhu Rong using her magical power to suppress it that she can control the intensity of the fire and prevent it from spreading.

When the Sky Mechanism Staff came into contact with this fire, it gradually melted into gold and water, yet its shape remained unchanged—still under Zhu Rong’s control. In all metal refining processes, fire plays a key role. This step taken by Zhu Rong took the longest time, as she used extreme fire power to temper the gold and water countless times back and forth.

Finally, the black color on the Sky Mechanism Staff gradually faded, turning into a bright red color identical to that of red fire. Only then did Dayu nod and say, “It’s done.” Hou Tu and Ju Mang continued to exert their energy without pause. The green aura gradually seeped into the Sky Mechanism Staff, causing green spikes to emerge from it, as if they had grown naturally on the staff.

When the Sky Mechanism Staff was entirely covered with green spikes, Dayu said, “Water completes it!”

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhiqi guided out the extreme black water energy. This black energy was extremely dense, like black water, and condensed into a large mass in the air, slowly drifting toward the Xirang Furnace.

At first, Dayu was still worried, but seeing that Wu Zhiqi seemed to be an expert in metal refining without any guidance, he felt relieved.

The black water was gentle yet extremely cold. For metal refining, cooling requires pure water or oil—so is there anything purer than the extreme water in the world?

This mass of extreme black water floated above the Xirang Furnace and suddenly fell as if weightless, instantly enveloping the entire Sky Mechanism Staff. With a loud “bang,” Hou Tu, Ju Mang, and Zhu Rong retracted the earth, wood, and fire energy, leaving only black water and the Sky Mechanism Staff in the furnace.

Wukong was awakened by this loud noise. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the most critical moment of metal refining had arrived.

Dayu urgently shouted, “Zhu Rong, merge water and fire!”

It turned out that Dayu noticed the furnace temperature drop sharply and suddenly remembered that Wukong’s lifeblood had not yet been incorporated. Once the Sky Mechanism Staff was formed, it would no longer be possible to add it.

His shout shocked everyone. They all knew that water and fire cannot coexist—so how could they merge at this moment? Only Hou Tu realized this quickly and shouted, “Ju Mang, do not withdraw your energy.”