Daoist Competition-Chapter 977 - 228: Refining the Dharma Body with True Fire, Entering the Sea to Capture the Dragon Carp (Part 2)
Some bold cultivators simply find a secret cave to hide their physical body, using their Dharma Body to wrap their Primordial Spirit and go out traveling. By doing this, they ensure that the powers of their Dharma Body are not diminished.
But there are also cautious individuals who only send out a thread of essence and consciousness, attaching it to the Dharma Body. Although the Divine Skills and Power they can display are less than the former, it has the advantage of being more stable, avoiding complete destruction of both form and spirit in case of fatal encounters.
In the past, True Master Tao faced enemies over the East Sea using his Dharma Body, while his Primordial Spirit remained in his True Body, waiting for the Immortal Mansion to emerge. Because of this, his combat power was slightly weaker, otherwise, the three Nascent Soul Elders besieging him wouldn’t have held out against him until the moment he achieved the Grotto Heaven.
Shen Lintu was inherently a prudent person, and he did the same, so although his Dharma Body was destroyed, his Primordial Spirit was not lost, and his life could be preserved.
However, after this calamity he encountered, his own cultivation was as if he had lost more than half of it. A Nascent Soul cultivator has a lifespan of only around a thousand years. Without heavenly materials or earth treasures or great fortune, it might be difficult to cultivate back again before the end of his lifespan.
Zhang Yan thought to himself, even though Shen Lintu didn’t die, he would find it difficult to achieve anything in the next few hundred years.
But even so, this old daoist, however bad, can reincarnate, unlike those cultivators he slaughtered before, whose Primordial Spirits couldn’t even escape.
Zhang Yan sighed, reaching this stage of cultivation, not only does one have overpowering Mana, but it is as if one has gained an extra life.
Actually, only disciples of a Great Sect such as himself would have such thoughts. Cultivators from side sects and independent sects, even if they reach this degree of cultivation, would only become doubly cautious, daring not to place their physical body in a Cave Mansion to cultivate.
Once the Nascent Soul’s Dharma Body leaves the body, the true self becomes extremely vulnerable, if someone comes with the intention to destroy it, there really is no power to resist.
In the Great Dao cultivation, companions, wealth, and land are indispensable. Divine Skills and cultivation external objects are without question. Having a prime cultivation Cave Mansion not only offers the supplement of spiritual energy but also allows setting up prohibition arrays, so when the owner leaves the mansion, there’s no worry of others coming to attack.
For instance, Zhao You Heavenly Pond, with the Little Pot Realm as its reliance, as long as there’s a competent person overseeing it, it can even withstand the attack from Cave Heaven True Master.
If Zhang Yan cultivates to the Nascent Soul Third Realm and his Dharma Body travels, he wouldn’t fear anyone sneaking up to destroy his physical body.
Moreover, disciples of a Great Sect have fellow disciples and elders supporting each other, which eliminates such worries.
Zhang Yan beckoned with his hand, collecting the Qiankun Leaf and the few Dharma Treasures left by Shen Lintu, without carefully examining them, he tossed them all into his Sleeve Bag.
Then, he lowered his gaze, observing the drifting blood on the ocean waves below, contemplating: "I wonder what happened to the Dragon Carp, if it’s severely wounded, such an opportunity is rare in a thousand years, it must not be missed."
With this thought, he didn’t hesitate, leaped up, and employed the Water Escape Technique, heading into the deep sea.
With such a divine Daoist Skill in hand, his speed surpassed that of fish swimming in the sea. In a short while, he traveled dozens of miles.
As he tunneled through, he saw countless corpses of fish and shrimp demons all around, the deeper he went, the more he found.
Wherever he looked, there were scattered limbs, shells, and scales pieces. Even the sea python and demon shark that followed the Dragon Carp previously were severed into countless pieces, their remains drifted in the water, with the stench of blood so strong it nearly dyed the sea water red, indicating how brutal the battle had been.
After diving dozens more miles, he reached the deep sea, slowed his speed, and cautiously moved around this part of the ocean.
After about an hour, he discovered a Black Jade Stone Belt several miles long below, winding and clinging to the seabed with a dragon-like shape, its spiritual energy vast and unrestrained, comparable to a Cave Heaven Blessed Land, yet the surroundings were unusually silent, without any Water Clan nearby.
His expression changed slightly, after a brief thought, he followed the stone belt forward.
After traveling over a hundred miles, the Black Jade Stone Belt converged into a place where spiritual energy accumulated, layers of rocky formations piled up, forming a hill resembling a dragon head. He scrutinized it for a while, and suddenly his gaze focused.
On the dragon’s head, there lay a massive shadow hundreds of feet wide, guarded by dozens of Shark Demons. The old Dragon Carp Demon lay quietly within, its two claws tightly clutching two jade ridges resembling dragon horns, its back rising and falling as if resting.
At this moment, it looked ridiculously terrible, no longer having its previous majesty, not only were its tail fins severed, emitting bloody stench occasionally, its scales were battered, full of blade marks and wounds, exposing large areas of underlying flesh, especially a wound on its neck that was particularly alarming, almost severing its head, with golden scales shattered revealing the bone.
At this time, at its lip edge, two three-meter-long golden beard whiskers extended out, drifting with the water flow, as they swayed, spots of spirit light emerged from the Black Jade Stone, pouring into the injuries to soothe them.
Zhang Yan watched with silent awe, the Dao cultivation of this Dragon Carp nearly comparable to a cultivator of Nascent Soul Third Realm. He has witnessed the might of this demon before, never expecting Shen Lintu to injure it to this degree, proving how formidable Shen’s Mana was. If it confronted him heedless of life and death, without employing the Beiming Sword, it might be impossible to resolve peacefully.
The Dragon Whale sensed Zhang Yan approaching, its initially dull eyes suddenly condensing a gleam, fixedly staring at him, its throat growled threateningly at him.
Zhang Yan maintained a calm expression, though this old demon looked pathetic, it should still retain considerable battle power. Half a day past, perhaps it had recovered somewhat, when it glared at him just now, he already felt the surrounding ocean currents faintly surging, as if brewing a furious wave.
But he dared to come here, confident in his ability to subdue this demon.
Shen Lintu not only gravely injured this demon but also killed most of its Water Clan guards, those remaining in the vicinity were no longer a concern.
He pointed his finger and said: "Go!"
Brilliance flashed, seventy-two banners of the "Ten Thousand Beasts Sleeping Moon Banner" collectively flew out, over two hundred thousand demon soldiers marched from the banners, forming formations, swiftly forming the "Six Reversal Earth Coffin Formation", encircling the Dragon Carp and its subordinate Water Clan.
Zhang Yan leaped up, reaching the main Dharma Platform, holding the Main Banner single-handedly.
This was the first time after this great formation truly formed that he used it against an enemy, precisely seizing this opportunity to test the formation’s sharpness!
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...(To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
