Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 956 - 616: Tao Qian’s Explosive Demise, Refining the Absurd Body

Tao Qian's mind stirred, the Demon Child knew it well.

Thus, he chuckled in his heart and replied:

"You and I are one entity. What I do is naturally also your doing. Why are you crying injustice?"

"Stop rambling. I sought a trial for you to find a path, and upon entering the world, I encountered troublesome ones like the Seven Slaughter Bodhisattva and Red Rope Divine Monarch. It's like climbing mountains of swords and plunging into seas of flames. What's a little tarnish to your reputation?"

"Besides, it's not necessarily tarnishing you..."

The muttering of the Demon Child made Tao Qian's face grow darker.

Yet, he indeed couldn't do much against this guy.

The Incarnation Technique bestowed by the Demon Lord Yin Zhou had effects comparable to One Qi to Three Pure Ones, allowing him to easily evade the Guanyin Master's subtler implantation of Buddha Seeds.

Having received benefits, the cost was inevitable. Although the "Abnormal Soul" exempted him from various costs, allowing him a certain power over the Demon Child's body, it was only in dire situations that it was best to use. Using it ordinarily was truly wasteful and would impair the growth potential of the Demon Child's body.

Deciding left and right, he could only sigh and say, "Forget it, perhaps it's part of the Daoist Transformation Tribulation. A little reputation, tarnished as it is, is tarnished."

...

Having made up his mind, Great Demon Tao no longer paid attention to the ramblings of his main body and immediately began to act.

He subsequently eliminated the three great enemies within Liang Country, leaving only some insignificant evil spirits and immoral sacrifices of wild gods, which he could sweep clean within several hours.

Tao Qian couldn't even be bothered to take action personally. He simply handed the Plague God Umbrella and Heart-binding Rope to both elder and younger Liang, who were the Jiang Sisters, this pair of Peach Blossom Goddesses, and also dispatched the Fish Basket Bodhisattva as the final enforcer.

A day later, Liang Country, which had been in turmoil without a ruler, surprisingly became peaceful again.

No matter what chaos arose, it was easily quelled.

The wild gods who were quicker to see the situation had already moved to neighboring countries.

Those slower to react were sent to fill the murderous thoughts of the Fish Basket Bodhisattva.

Tao Qian had no interest in the power of the throne, so he continued to have the children of the two goddesses under his command succeed to the throne without even bothering to change the national name.

Also, the Search God Realm customs were quite different; royal power was the lowest, and godly power was supreme.

Peach Blossom Temples!

Like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, they began to proliferate crazily within Liang Country.

Normally, such large-scale construction of temples and palaces would be detested by the populace.

Even in the Search God Realm, it often aroused some resentment.

This is understandable. No matter how many "sweeteners" All Gods may offer initially to the Search God Realm, in the end, every god demon will expose their true nature. They are essentially here to plunder and oppress. People in the Search God Realm are only influenced by the Heavenly Dao to believe in All Gods, but they are not fools; they will eventually realize the truth.

But the Peach Blossom God seems completely different. Constructing so many temples, there is not a trace of plundering or oppressing believers.

Instead, it brings benefits to the believers.

In addition to many accompanying miracles, there are also numerous truly bestowed good items.

For a time, the entire population rejoiced.

The efficiency of temple construction was unprecedented.

Approximately three days later!

Within Liang Country, the great feat of one temple per village had been accomplished.

Millions of members of the Human Clan all began chanting the Peach Blossom Scripture, which Tao Qian made up, praising the name of the Peach Blossom God day and night, especially during intimate moments, with the utmost zeal.

Even surrounding countries of Liang, like Tang Country, Song Country, and Zhou Country, gradually started seeing signs of the Peach Blossom God. Some highly imitative citizens in these countries quietly began spreading the Peach Blossom Scripture, secretly building Peach Blossom Temples, hoping to enter the Paradise free from illness and calamity where they could live peacefully.

With such a booming trend, the first to reap great benefits was not Great Demon Tao, but the Divination Worm.

Now, this worm's body had grown to half the size of Liang Country, covering several counties. Its insect silk filled every corner of Liang Country and began to crazily expand to surrounding countries.

Almost every moment, Tao Qian heard joyous thoughts transmitted back by the worm, along with numerous secrets.

The secrets of this country were as clear as palm lines to him.

All this was also sensed by Tao Qian's main body, and thus he couldn't help but sigh in the Ascending Immortal Star Acupoint:

"So clear, so many difficulties in the world seem not so difficult anymore."

"No wonder Master could become the Spirit Treasure Elder Brother, destined next Sect Master. With the divination power of Spirit Treasure Dao and Ten Thousand Treasures Method, there really aren't many things or people in the world that could trouble him."

"This worm's power goes without saying, if you hadn't lent it to me when setting out, do you think I, the Demon Child, would be willing to move?"

"The divination might of Spirit Treasure Dao has been tested. Now let's see the Ten Thousand Refining Spirit God Method of the Secret Demon Sect. Who knows what powerful Dharma Body can be cultivated from it? With the blessing of countless devout believers, it's possible it might even surpass your so-called Spirit Treasure Sublime Body."

...

While boasting with his main body, Tao Demon Child sat firmly in the Peach Blossom Temple, ready to begin refining.

This temple was called the main temple, but its setup wasn't vastly different from other Peach Blossom Temples.

The greatest distinction lay in its location, as the temple was built within the palace and guarded by the two Empress Dowagers of Liang Country.

There was no clay statue of a deity in the temple, only him, shamelessly sitting on the central divine platform, with a satisfied and curious look, observing the incredible scene before him.

To others, it was invisible, but only he could see it.

The world became ethereal, while the sound of people was deafening.

The million-strong population of Liang Country seemed to float before Tao Qian's eyes.

Their prayers!

Their chants!

Every word and thought was incredibly clear.

All turned into endless billowing clouds and mist, filling heaven and earth.

This scene, though awe-inspiring, was extremely perilous.

The current calm was only because it had not yet entered his body.

If it were a cultivator of another Daoist Lineage, even the most skilled in refining such Magic Skills, whether God Demon or someone from Buddhism, would feel immensely troubled if faced suddenly.

Without a Great Bodhisattva's level, it would be impossible to refine.

Tao Demon Child was also amazed, but fortunately, this Secret Demon Method was precisely what he needed to cultivate this time. He had much confidence and was not afraid.

He suppressed his distracting thoughts, adorned with a dignified demeanor, and shouted solemnly, "I beseech the supreme Secret Demon of All Heavens to grant me their blessings. I shall, with the thoughts of all living beings and all people, refine a world-renowned Spirit God Dharma Body capable of subduing devils, suppressing demons, destroying Buddhas, and slaying immortals..."

As soon as the words fell, Tao Qian's previously impenetrable Secret Demon Body suddenly opened entirely.

In a moment!

His body, like a whale swallowing the sea, turned hundreds of thousands of apertures into whirlpools to absorb and devour, drawing the ocean of spiritual thoughts that permeated the world before him into his body.

Just in that instant, the Great Demon Tao experienced what was akin to heaven and earth collapsing.

His face contorted to the limit, his eyes bulged out as if he was about to explode and die.

His heart and soul let out a painful wail that shook his very being.

Even previously when pinned by the Fish Basket Guanyin's "Heavenly Intent Killing Needle" by the thousands into a dead fish didn't hurt this much.

"This pains me to death!"

"Which ancestor with a thousand cuts created this Great Method, and how dare they describe it in the inheritance as: the initial refining method is somewhat painful, but it's only a matter of a thousand cuts, which should pose no threat to the Secret Demon Sect people?"

"This is far from just a thousand cuts; even a hundredfold addition wouldn't be an overstatement..."

With the cultivation of the Great Demon Tao, for him to wail in such an indiscriminate manner, it was evident the pain he was experiencing was extraordinary.

The terrifying changes to his Dharma Body that followed further validated this.

Boom!

A sound explosion, crisp and neat.

The Great Demon Tao exploded.

The Demon Child Body, which had never been defeated since its debut, unexpectedly exploded without warning?

Fine and small fragments of blood and flesh painted the entire inner walls of the Peach Blossom Temple, incredibly vibrant.

Soon after, in another instant, divine light surged as if time was reversing, and that flesh and blood reassembled; he then sat back calmly and unharmed.

Before the painful look on his face eased, the next moment came again...

Boom!

For the second time, Tao Qian exploded again.

And so it was, in the following unending hours, the sound of booming echoed incessantly within the Peach Blossom Temple.

Merely because the Great Demon Tao was enduring a punishment called "exploding body."

Because the process of exploding, gathering, and exploding was so rapid and brief, the Great Demon Tao could barely sustain his swearing, only letting out some intermittent, incoherent curses.

...

This scene, once again alarmed his entity, who, while knowing many things, was not privy to such secret mysteries of Secret Demons, so he had to call upon Yuan Gong for advice.

Listening to the depiction left Yuan Gong equally puzzled and bewildered, leading him to consult with Mother of Thousand Puppets, Jiang Luan, who knew more, to finally get an answer:

"Why did this child go to refining the Spirit God Method?"

"This method's power is immense, yet it doesn't match his temperament, usually only followed by those walking the Divine Dao and preferring brute force battles like the Secret Demon Child would try to temper the Spirit God, and where does it begin with absorbing the spiritual thoughts of millions of the Human Clan?"

"Even with the highest talent, one should start at the level of 'one hundred thousand people' to withstand it."

"The key to this method is to actively relinquish the right to transform the Dharma Body, then absorb the devout spiritual thoughts of believers to transform one's body, leveraging the wisdom and abundant wish power of all beings, and after innumerable tempering, the Spirit God is formed."

"Once cultivated, it possesses immense divine power, yet immense suffering is unavoidable in the tempering."

"Listening to the nagging and tearing of a hundred thousand people was already torture... let alone millions?"

"Among the All Heavens Secret Demon Dao Lineage, only a few ancestors cultivated this divine skill, and most only dabble half-heartedly. It's said that many realize the wording used by the founder describing the cultivation technique was somewhat inappropriate, yet ironically it passed verification, recorded entirely in the 'All Heavens Secret Demon Scripture,' not even requiring the ancestor's name."

"This child never mentioned having a notion to cultivate the Divine Dao, hence the lack of warning, how did this happen?"

After hearing Jiang Luan's reply, both the entity of Tao Qian and Yuan Gong exchanged looks, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

The entity certainly knew why the Demon Child Body fell into the trap, but he wasn't willing to say.

The reason being that the one suddenly had a wild idea to use the entity as a facade, insisted on creating a "Peach Blossom God," and after doing so gained a large number of devout believers, not wanting to waste it, simply used it for refining... upon careful consideration, it had an air of self-inflicted consequences.

Tao Qian just wanted to leave such black history as the Peach Blossom God in the Search God Realm, even Yuan Gong and Jiang Luan, he didn't want to divulge too much.

Thus, he smiled and saved face for his avatar, saying:

"It doesn't matter!"

"Pain is just pain, once this method is cultivated, its divine power is immense... surely this part isn't false?"

After Tao Qian finished speaking, Jiang Luan first nodded.

Then suddenly gave a bitter smile, shook her head, and added:

"The pain is just the first threshold, as the conflicting thoughts of millions of devout believers lead to continuous exploding bodies."

"Following this are various other abnormal sensations, such as the 'Body Shaping Punishment' entwined within. Most ancestors and Secret Demons practicing this method either abandon it at this threshold or manage it half-heartedly."

...

Jiang Luan's words were quickly verified within the Peach Blossom Temple.

The Great Demon Tao was still incessantly cursing at the certain second-generation ancestor who created this perverse technique, when suddenly, after a certain "blood and flesh gathering," he was completely dumbfounded.

It wasn't just because there was no immediate subsequent body explosion this time, but because the reshaped form after gathering left one not knowing what expression to make.

Even with the unpleasant temperament of the Great Demon Tao, he didn't know how to describe it.

Fortunately, he didn't need to, for as soon as the first body shaping was achieved, the corresponding thoughts of the believers emerged.

The densely overlapping jumbled voices erupted:

"Our Lord let us freely imagine His grand divine body, this is of great importance, it requires careful consideration."

"Since our God takes the name of Peach Blossom, He should preside over affairs of the bed, liaisons of dew, the wonders of fleshly desires, and such divine duties. Hence, His Dharma Body should brim with allure, converging the essence of the corporeal of all beings." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Our Lord's body should be covered in peach blossoms, constantly exuding essence, never exhausted for eternity."

"All worldly 'wonders' that bring pleasure, our Lord's Dharma Body should possess them, no, these wonders should originate from our Lord."

"It's rumored there are pillars of flesh connecting heaven and earth, only that our God's body is probably full of these..."