Chapter 437 Wutong

Thick black smoke spurted upward from the mountain pass, straight into the clouds.

There is no grass growing around the mountain pass, there are bare crystal stones everywhere, and there is not a trace of green for thousands of miles. It is a place completely cut off from life.

At the mountain pass, a crater with a width of ten miles was spewing out strong underground fire. With the spurting of the underground fire, clusters of fiery red magma hit the surrounding spar that had been burned and tempered by the underground fire for countless years.

"Boom~"

There were dull explosions, and the terrifying high temperature caused the air to make crackling sounds. The ferocious beasts that passed by from time to time, thousands of miles away, were instinctively afraid of this place, and they only dared to wander outside, but did not dare to approach.

However, in such a desperate place, and in the center of the crater, there is a tall tree growing, with fiery red looming in the black body, and a solid gold stone.

Sycamore!

It is recorded in the myth that it is the tree of phoenix breath. This alone shows its magical effect.

Not to mention myths, even the phoenix tree in the common world has precious value.

"Compendium of Materia Medica" records that the bark, leaves and seeds of Wutong can be used as medicine to treat intestinal hemorrhoids, burns, aphtha in children, etc. In addition, the sycamore tree is tall and straight, with a beautiful crown shape. It has strong resistance to toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide and chlorine. It is a good tree species for parks, green spaces, communities, campuses and garden greening, and has high ornamental value. Yu Shinan, a writer in the early Tang Dynasty, wrote in "Cicada": "Drinking the clear dew, the sound of the clear dew flows out of the sparse tung trees. It is not just to borrow the autumn wind to raise its voice far away." Praising the noble nature of the cicada, it chooses a good tree like the sycamore. interest.

"Compendium of Materia Medica" records that Wutong has the effects of lowering blood pressure, stopping bleeding, lowering blood lipids, and sedating, and is often used for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, traumatic bleeding, etc. Indications: Diarrhea, hernia, premature graying of beard and hair.

The seeds of Wutong are sweet in taste; neutral in nature, clearing away heat and detoxifying, harmonizing Qi and stomach, invigorating the spleen, eliminating food, and stopping bleeding.

The flowers of Wutong are sweet in taste; neutral in nature, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, clearing away heat and detoxifying.

The bark of the sycamore tree with the cork removed is sweet; bitter; cool in nature, dispelling wind and dampness; promoting blood circulation and promoting menstruation.

The root of Wutong has a sweet taste; it is neutral in nature, dispelling wind and dampness, regulating menstruation and stopping bleeding, detoxifying and treating sores.

The leaves of Wutong are bitter in taste; cold in nature, dispel wind and dampness; detoxify and reduce swelling; lower blood pressure.

Sycamore wood is also an economically valuable wood. It is light and soft and is a good material for making wooden boxes and musical instruments. The seeds can be eaten after being fried or squeezed for oil. The oil is non-drying and can generally be dried to make the seeds air-dried, boiled, and taken orally to have a good anti-swelling effect.

The bark fibers are white and can be used to make paper and rope. Wood shavings can leach mucus, which is called shavings and moisturizes hair. The leaves are used as soil pesticides, which can kill aphids and have strong resistance to toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide and chlorine.

Wutong has the names of Qingtong, Biwu, Qingyu and Tingwu. It is one of the earliest famous tree species recorded in poetry in China. The earliest description of the sycamore tree can be found in the pre-Qin document "The Book of Songs". "Daya·Shengminzhi·Juan" contains the sentence "The phoenix is ​​singing on the high hill there. The phoenix tree is growing on the rising sun there", It became the earliest origin of the legend that Wutong attracted the Phoenix.

It shows that at the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, the sycamore tree attracted people's attention at that time. Subsequent pre-Qin documents such as "Shangshu", "Zhuangzi", and "Lu Shi Chunqiu" all mentioned the sycamore tree. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Fu Chai, King of Wu, built the Wutong Garden and planted sycamore trees in the garden. Liang Renfang's "Shu Yi Ji" records: "The Wutong Garden is located in Wu Palace. It is also the old garden of King Wu Fu Chai and is named Qinchuan."

In the Han Dynasty, sycamore trees were planted in the royal palace gardens. "Miscellaneous Notes of Xijing" records: "There are three tung trees in Shanglin Garden: chair tung trees, sycamore trees, and jingtong trees." "There is Qingwu Temple in the west of Wuzha Palace, and there are three sycamore trees in front of the temple." It was planted in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. The number of plane trees began to increase. Xia Houzhan of the Jin Dynasty wrote in "Tong Fu": "There are shabby dormitories in the south, and tung trees are planted in the front yard." Xie Tiao, a famous scholar in the Southern Dynasties, wrote in his poem "Yong Tong in the East Hall": "The lonely tung tree branches hundreds of feet high outside the window to the north. "The leaves are growing gracefully, and the fallen leaves are more lush and sparse." The sentence is about planting tung trees in the courtyard.

Jin Fucheng's "Wutong Fu" describes the grand spectacle of planting sycamore trees in front of the door to attract phoenixes. There is a poem saying "the lush trees are arranged in rows, sandwiching two doors with parallel ripples".

It was Fu Jian, the king of the former Qin Dynasty, who planted sycamore trees on a large scale. "Book of Jin Fu Jian's Records" records: "Jian believed that a phoenix would not live unless it was a sycamore tree, and it would not eat anything other than bamboo. So he planted hundreds of thousands of sycamore trees in Afang City. "Wait for it." Jia Sixie's "Qi Min Yao Shu" of the Northern Wei Dynasty said that "when transplanted in the middle of March next year in front of the hall, it will be beautiful and beautiful, and it will be extremely lovely."

Planting of sycamore trees was very common in the Tang Dynasty. "Jia Hua of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" records: "In the early Tang Dynasty, there were few trees in the palace. Empress Xiaoren ordered to plant poplar trees... and more sycamore trees." Therefore, sycamore trees were planted in the palace. Duan Chengshi's "Youyang Zazu" said: "The home of Fangjia in Licheng (today's Jinan), the mountain and pond of Junbao in Qi Boling, are full of trees. Someone once broke off the paulownia branches, and the public said: "What is the injury? "My phoenix strips will no longer be broken by future generations." They are planted in private gardens. Li He's poem "The Ballad of Heaven" reads, "Concubine Qin rolls up the curtains at the northern window for dawn, and plants green tung trees and small phoenixes in front of the window", which is a portrayal of the sycamore trees planted in the courtyard.

There were also many sycamore trees planted in the Song Dynasty. Zhu Changwen of the Northern Song Dynasty built a music garden in Suzhou. In his "Records of the Music Garden", he said that the garden was planted with sycamores, pines and cypresses and other trees: "Ke leaves are in the same stream, and the wind is blowing, and they are as high as the sky." Li Gefei of the Northern Song Dynasty, "Records of Famous Gardens in Luoyang" "" records nineteen famous gardens in Luoyang in the Northern Song Dynasty, many of which were planted with sycamore trees. The most famous one is Congchun Garden, where "tongzi, junipers and cypresses are all lined up." Xu Ji's poem "The Garden of the Prefect of Huazhou" has the sentence "But it is the sycamores that are planted, and the phoenixes come from Danshan." describes the planting of sycamores in the official gardens of Huazhou City in Guanzhong.

The planting of phoenix trees in courtyards in the Yuan Dynasty can be verified by Yuan Dynasty poems. For example, Ding Henian's poem "Inscription on the Wuzhu Pavilion of Fang's Family in Fengpu" reads: "I have heard that phoenixes and crows have passed by this place, and now the hills are full of phoenix trees and bamboos." Tan Shao, a native of Wuxing (now Huzhou, Zhejiang), wrote in the poem "Green Wu Cuizhu Hall": "Last year, phoenix trees were planted, and the green leaves were high and cool." These are all descriptions of the phoenix tree landscaping in the Yuan Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, phoenix trees were often planted in front of courtyards, windows, doors, and roadsides. Wang Xiangjin's "Erru Pavilion Collection of Flowers" says: "The phoenix tree's skin is green like emerald, and its leaves are as green as flowers. It is elegant and pure, pleasing to the eye, and people grow many phoenix trees in their studios and pavilions." Chen Jiru's "Xiao Chuang You Ji" records the configuration of phoenix trees in the courtyard as follows: "In any quiet room, plant green phoenix trees in front and green bamboos in the back. The front eaves are open, and dark windows are used in the north. They are closed in spring and winter to avoid wind and rain, and can be opened in summer and autumn to keep cool. However, the fun of the green phoenix tree: it sheds its leaves in spring and winter to relieve the joy of basking in the sun; it shades in summer and autumn to shield the power of the scorching sun."

The famous private garden Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou built in the Ming Dynasty has the "Phoenix Bamboo Pavilion" scenic spot, with phoenix trees and green bamboos planted next to it. Today, the phoenix trees have become ancient trees. The famous private garden Yingyuan in Yangzhou in the late Ming Dynasty also planted several phoenix trees.

The enthusiasm for planting phoenix trees in the Qing Dynasty did not diminish. Chen Fuyao's "Hua Jing" said about the landscaping of phoenix trees: "The vines are shaded, the phoenix trees and bamboos are clear, it is suitable for a lonely pavilion in a deep courtyard, and it is good for Wu Xianguan." During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Gao Shiqi, a famous scholar in Zhejiang, built the "Jiangcun Thatched Cottage" garden in Pinghu City, Jiaxing, where he lived in seclusion. There was a "Biwuxi" scenic spot in the garden. His work "Jiangcun Thatched Cottage Records" recorded that the scenery was "behind Lanzhu, green wutong trees lined the road, and those who walked under them had green clothes. When the dew spread, new branches began to be drawn; when the breeze moved slightly, a leaf floated in the air; there were trees everywhere in the villa, but there were so many in this place". Li Dou's "Yangzhou Huafanglu" recorded that the "Linshui Hongxia" scenic spot had "Tongxuan behind Feixia Tower, and there were many wutong trees on the land". In addition, the "Shuangtong Book House" of Zhang Qinxi's family in Yangzhou and the Xing'an of Ma Ripo were also famous for planting wutong trees.

Noble Character In ancient poems, wutong trees symbolize noble and beautiful character. For example: "The phoenix sings on the high hill. The phoenix grows in the morning sun (The Book of Songs, Da Ya, Juan'a)." The poet uses the phoenix singing in harmony, the song flying over the hill; the phoenix growing wildly, covered with the bright morning sun to symbolize the noble and beautiful character. In ancient times, there was a saying that "planting phoenixes attracts phoenixes".

Loyal love According to ancient legend, the phoenix is ​​a male tree and the phoenix is ​​a female tree. The phoenix grows and ages together, lives and dies together, and the phoenix has tall branches, deep roots and lush leaves. In the poet's writing, it has become a symbol of loyal love. Loneliness and sorrow The wind blows the fallen leaves, the rain drops on the phoenix, and the phoenix becomes the image of loneliness and sorrow in the writing of literati. For example, "I go up to the west tower alone without saying a word, the moon is like a hook. The lonely phoenix in the deep courtyard locks the autumn" vividly describes the desolate appearance of the king of the fallen country living in a lonely deep courtyard.

Parting feelings In Tang and Song Dynasty poems, the phoenix tree is the most used image and meaning of parting feelings. For example, "Spring breeze brings peach and plum blossoms, autumn rain brings sycamore leaves" (Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow"), the poet contrasts the past grandeur with the present desolation, describing the desolate situation of Emperor Minghuang of Tang after he lost Yang Guifei due to the An-Shi Rebellion.

At this time, the sycamore tree on the cliff of the volcano is the sycamore species of the immortal world.

If you look closely, you can see that its roots are deeply embedded in the earth fire, and it is unknown how deep they are.

The blasting, boiling magma of the earth fire can't cause any damage to the sycamore tree, and even the flow of fire makes the black and red sycamore tree more spiritual.

At the root of the sycamore tree, there is a magical spring filled with gentle yang energy flowing.

"Boom~"

The earth fire is blazing, and explosions are heard from time to time, but it can't affect the spring water at all, and even makes the gentle yang energy around it more abundant.

In the air, the three forces of earth fire, green wood, real water, and real gold are hidden in the circulation, and the five elements are blended. This spring water is the Yuyang Divine Liquid bred by the extremely high-level five elements!

Yuyang Divine Liquid, an extremely high-level natural treasure!

It has a promoting effect on the cultivation of supernatural powers by the cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm. It can temporarily improve the understanding of the Nascent Soul cultivators, so that they can better control the supernatural powers and accumulate the foundation. It can be said to be extraordinary. It is a treasure that all the Nascent Soul cultivators in the world are very eager for.

At this moment, outside such a volcano, there are monsters everywhere.

In the crater, the raging fire burns everything, and the choking smoke spreads. There are monsters everywhere. In a fiery world, countless monsters shuttle between them. They are either huge beasts or blood-sucking fire spirits.

Their skins are different. Some are fiery red, some are inky black, some are covered with toxins, and some are full of sharp teeth. They either patrolled around vigilantly with their four hooves, or fought to hone their magic skills, or opened their scarlet eyes and waited for an opportunity to hunt.

Under the crater, it was an even more dangerous place. The lava river meandered like a snake, flowing with boiling lava, and from time to time, lava splashed on the ground, stirring up waves of heat.

The surrounding rocks became twisted and deformed under the high temperature, as if they would collapse at any time. The air was filled with the smell of sulfur, and occasionally there was a volcanic lava eruption, and the smoke column soared into the sky, as if to dye the entire sky a fiery red.

In the center of the crater, there was a large hole with a diameter of hundreds of meters in the center of the sycamore tree and the ground fire. Flames gushed out of it, surrounded by a piece of gray rock, the surface was full of cracks, and it seemed that it would collapse at any time.

In the cracks of the rocks, there were some crystals that flashed with strange light, or source stones containing powerful energy, which made people salivate.

It turned out to be some treasures associated with the Jade Sun Divine Liquid, which had a very good effect on nurturing supernatural powers and the body's foundation.

A giant dog with two heads, two tails, and four hooves stepping on the ground fire walked out of the darkness, as if it had noticed something, frowned and looked up at the sky.

It hesitated as if to do something, but the next moment, a golden light suddenly appeared from the sky, and in an instant it turned into a tall nine-story pagoda.

"boom!"

Terrifying power emanated from the nine-story pagoda, and thousands of formations fired together. Under the terrifying power, the monsters below Nascent Soul wandering throughout the crater died in an instant, and the blood mist that their bodies turned into was also absorbed by it.

"roar!"

A total of three monsters exuding powerful magical aura erupted with bright magical power, trying to compete with the sudden appearance of the treasure.

"Ouch~"

The giant wolf that came out of the cave looked up to the sky with scarlet eyes and roared. A pair of powerful wolf fangs flew out from its body. It actually contained the power of a powerful spiritual treasure, and it resisted the attack from the air. The power of the incoming nine-story pagoda.

But the next moment, the thunder and lightning on the first floor of the nine-story pagoda swayed, and the divine thunder struck down, instantly shattering the wolf's fangs, and then the power of the five elements was emitted, together with the power of thunder and formation. Down.

"Ouch!!"

The eyes of the two-headed Sun-devouring Demonic Wolf were about to burst. It roared and ignited terrible flames, colliding with the divine power of the nine-story pagoda. However, after all, the power contained in the nine-story pagoda was too powerful. It was difficult to withstand this kind of collision, and he could only be extinguished out of reluctance, and his body was put into the pagoda.

"This Yuyang Divine Liquid Mine is one of the most precious among all the occupied resource points of the [Jiuli Dynasty]. This guarding demon king is also a sun-devouring demon wolf, but his talent is not as good as that famous one, but The strength is really extraordinary. There must be the mark of the sun-eating demon wolf left here. If we destroy it now, the sun-eating demon wolf must be on the way out at the same time. "

The magic weapon destroyed monsters all over the place. Two figures turned into escaping light and landed above. One figure put away the pagoda, and the other figure quickly collected the resources and distributed them to his companions. Then he spoke with gleaming eyes. .

“I’ve picked so many places along the way, so it’s time to attract it.”

Li Yang chuckled softly at the corner of his mouth, and with a little movement of his hand, a large sealing formation was branded down from the [Nine-story Mysterious Tower], confining the entire volcano's earth fire. Then he raised his eyes and looked forward, with the corner of his mouth exposed. A smile.

"It's finally out."