Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology-Chapter 320 - 286: Ranked Among the Immortals, Meeting Old Friends Again
As soon as Song Lin emerged from seclusion, he noticed a silhouette appear by the Flame River.
The figure was clad in silver armor, with a bright silver forehead, wielding a treasure sword, driving a chariot, and surrounded by twelve white-robed cultivators.
Each of them possessed exceptional skills and profound cultivation.
"You must be Master Jade Tripod?" The general looked down his nose at Song Lin arrogantly, his nostrils flaring with disdain.
"Who are you?"
Song Lin furrowed his brows.
The man’s cultivation was impressive, comparable to his own; he suspected his visitor came with ill intent.
"Never mind who I am, kneel before me at once!"
The general pointed his silver spear directly at Song Lin.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Song Lin gave a cold laugh.
Whoosh!
The Emperor Sword unsheathed!
The dazzling golden glow lit up the surroundings with such brilliance that no one could keep their eyes open, and the sword’s qi pierced sharply between their brows.
In the blink of an eye, the serenity sword energy of the Emperor Sword reached the general.
The sheer force of collective human faith overwhelmed any defense.
"Not good!" The Silver Forehead General’s face paled in terror. He swiftly spun his spear to intercept.
Bang!
The sword qi struck, sending him flying. His white-robed cultivators spat blood and fled in disarray.
"Retreat!"
Song Lin addressed Erlang God. He boarded the Sun Golden Chariot and vanished over the horizon.
There was no need to pursue unknown individuals recklessly.
Song Lin left Flame River, preparing to return to the Eastern Land.
This was during the Sui Dynasty period.
The 37th year of Journey to the West.
Song Lin returned to Eastern Great Sui.
With the Sui Dynasty unifying the empire, the common people’s livelihood had begun to recover.
However, Song Lin knew that in a few years, when Yang Guang ascended the throne, the people’s days would take another grim turn.
The family genealogies of emperors and generals always look grand, but who considers the cost borne by the common folk?
Song Lin settled down at Divine Residence Mountain in Yangzhou.
This was the birthplace of Emperor Yao, renowned for its dense essence and qi from heaven and earth.
Song Lin continued practicing alchemy and cultivation.
He consumed Qi Storage Golden Pills regularly, whose immense medicinal power accelerated the formation of Silver Flowers.
The essence and insights of the Great Dao here were easier to grasp than in the real world.
In the real world, forming a Silver Flower would likely take 300 years, but here it would only take 100.
Coupled with the accelerated effects of the Qi Storage Golden Pill, perhaps in 40 years or so, a second flower would bloom.
"Forty years? Not long."
Song Lin thought to himself.
Forty years would still fall within the time he had agreed to meet with the Golden Tripod.
This world remained too perilous.
The Silver Forehead General encountered earlier was already so formidable.
It was better to wait until the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top before venturing out.
Thereafter, Song Lin resumed refining Qi Storage Pills and cultivating.
The 38th year of Journey to the West.
Song Lin gazed outside his straw hut at Erlang God, and suddenly felt a spark of inspiration, summoning forth the Jade Tripod.
He placed sulfur and mercury into the tripod and refined them with True Fire.
After thirty-six days, a flow of pure qi wafted outward, revealing a round, golden pill suspended within the Jade Tripod.
"Here, eat this!"
Song Lin called over Erlang God.
Erlang God consumed the golden pill, meditated to adjust his breaths, and after a while, his gaze grew clearer.
"How do you feel?"
Song Lin asked.
"My Spirit Platform is pure, my thoughts unclouded."
Erlang God replied succinctly.
This Erlang God was a Taoist Soldier; though his intelligence remained intact after being forged as one, he lost much of his spirit.
The pill was called the Spiritual Pill.
Consuming it could enhance one’s spirit, potentially allowing Erlang God to shed his status as a Taoist Soldier and transform into someone with limitless possibilities.
Though Taoist Soldiers could be resurrected after death, their strength ultimately remained constrained.
It would be better to free Erlang God, cultivating him as a powerful ally, giving him the freedom to grow.
Even in the real world, a mountain guardian expert could emerge within the Donghua Jungle.
And so, Song Lin continued alchemy alongside Erlang God.
Erlang God advanced rapidly.
The 40th year of Journey to the West.
Boom!
Divine Residence Mountain was enveloped by purple qi and radiant auspicious vapor.
Erlang God sat cross-legged, with a sleek black dog circling around him, and an eagle spinning high in the skies above.
The third eye on his brow suddenly opened, unleashing a golden beam directly into the heavens.
Song Lin quickly employed an Eye-blocking Technique to conceal the phenomenon, for fear of the commotion it would cause among the mortals below.
After some time, the sight dispersed.
Erlang God rose slowly.
"Taoist, I have succeeded." Erlang God said excitedly.
"Congratulations!"
Song Lin shared in his joy.
As a Taoist Soldier of the Little Giant Spirit God lineage personally forged by Song Lin at the highest refinement level, Erlang God’s strength was equivalent to a Late-stage Core Formation cultivator.
Now, having broken past his limitations, his cultivation had naturally advanced into the Purple Mansion stage.
This experience could be applied to the real world, enabling Erlang God and even the Seven Great Saints to transcend their bounds.
However, given the Seven Great Saints’ innate talents, shedding their Taoist Soldier status would at best elevate them to Late-stage Core Formation.
Of course, this would only be a first step; once freed, future breakthroughs would remain possible.
As for other Taoist Soldiers, there was no need to liberate them.
Losing the advantage of limitless resurrection offered no benefit to soldiers of ordinary aptitude.
Song Lin continued refining pills in the ensuing days.
One day, a cloud of auspicious light descended from the heavens.
"Where is Master Jade Tripod?"
It was once again the Silver Forehead General. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
This time, he no longer bore his earlier arrogance and instead displayed a much improved demeanor.
Buzz!
Song Lin was unmoved.
The Eight Sceneries Divine Sword sealed off the Silver Forehead General’s routes of escape from all directions.
"You’re back? Then don’t think of leaving!"
Song Lin scoffed.
A tide of sword qi surged forward like waves crashing ashore.
Having prepared in advance, the general spun his spear, conjuring a dozen silver star-like blooms.
The blooms erupted into dazzling explosions, each spanning several hundred feet.
Gun blooms and sword qi neutralized each other.
"Hmph! Is this all you’ve got?"
The Silver Forehead General bellowed, his figure growing to two hundred feet tall.
"I am the General of the Imperial Chariot! How dare you underestimate me!"
The Silver Forehead General roared furiously.
"Huh? Just a chariot driver—what are you so smug about?"
A shadow loomed over the Silver Forehead General.
He instinctively looked up to see a three-eyed monster far larger than himself.
Smiling as he regarded the general, the monster tossed out a handful of beads.
Kaboom!
Yin Thunder exploded against the Silver Forehead General’s body, while Yin Fire burned him painfully.
"Ah!!"
The Silver Forehead General suddenly felt sharp pain in his foot—a black dog had sunk its teeth into his ankle.
Erlang God stepped forward, grabbing hold of the general’s massive form.
Meanwhile, the eagle in the sky prepared to gouge out his eyes.
At the critical moment, Song Lin intervened.
"Stop! Let him go!"
Upon hearing this, Erlang God released the Silver Forehead General, and the two reverted to their dharma bodies.
Song Lin walked up to the general and asked, "Are you from the Heavenly Court?"
The General of Imperial Chariot—isn’t that Zhu Bajie’s previous title?
Could the general truly be Zhu Bajie?
The Silver Forehead General shivered, glancing warily at the nearby black dog.
"Indeed..." The general composed himself, "I am a messenger from the Jade Emperor, here to invite you to ascend to the Immortal rank in the Heavenly Court."
"Why didn’t you say so earlier?" Song Lin asked incredulously.
"Ah, I...didn’t have the chance."
The Silver Forehead General flushed with embarrassment.
He had actually intended to show off in front of the newcomer, but the other’s overwhelming strength had left him completely humbled.
"How about this—I’ll keep the Jade Emperor’s invitation in mind and give you my reply in fifty years, alright?"
Song Lin avoided rejecting the offer outright.
"Very well, I shall return to the Heavenly Court with your response!"
Relieved, the Silver Forehead General finally departed on his cloud.
Today’s newcomers were truly too frightening.
What he thought was an ordinary Earth Immortal turned out to be a fearsome Independent Immortal with razor-sharp sword qi. He had barely escaped with his life.
After the general left, Song Lin sank into deep thought.
It seemed his identity could not remain concealed for long.
He had to raise his cultivation.
Calculating based on the strongest cultivators of this world, a couple of levels above his current state.
The pinnacle of power here should be cultivators in the Transcendence Tribulation Stage enduring Heavenly Tribulations.
To secure a foothold in the future Journey to the West, at minimum, he needed Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.
With this in mind, Song Lin returned to his cultivation seclusion.
The 41st year of Journey to the West.
The Yangtze River flooded, submerging over ten thousand acres of fertile land.
On this day, Song Lin awoke from meditation.
"What’s going on?"
Song Lin exclaimed in alarm.
"A Jiao-Dragon is wreaking havoc!"
Erlang God replied, "Master, please allow me to slay the dragon!"
"Go ahead!"
Soon after, the floodwaters receded. Erlang God returned holding a peculiar blade; its tip was shaped like a trident, with sharp edges running down both sides.
"Where’s the dragon?"
"It’s this very blade!" Erlang God said with a grin, giving the blade a light shake. Faint roars of a Jiao-Dragon echoed from within.
Song Lin raised an eyebrow, saying enigmatically, "Well done."
Voices called from the mountains below.
"The Zhongnan hermit Tian Yuanzhi and Jin Keji request an audience with Master Jade Tripod!"
"Come up."
A flash of golden light illuminated the path.
The two ascended upon the clouds.
On his left stood an elder with a purple crown and scarlet robes. On his right was a young man with a treasure sword at his waist and a spirited air about him.
"Please take a seat, fellow Taoists!"
Song Lin welcomed the two into the World in the Pot.
"Truly a marvel fashioned by the heavens and earth!" Tian Yuanzhi and Jin Keji marveled.
The three exchanged pleasantries.
The visitors were Earth Immortals who had retreated to Zhongnan Mountain. Hearing of Master Jade Tripod’s renown during their travels, they had come to pay their respects.
"May I ask which sect the two of you hail from?" Song Lin inquired.
"We do not belong to a sect. However, some centuries ago we received the blessings of Master Zhengyang and learned the arts of Taiyin Refining and Inner Pill Skill. If we must claim a lineage, we would be disciples of Master Zhengyang."
"Zhengyang? Where is this esteemed master now?"
Song Lin asked in surprise.
Taiyin Refining—also known as Zhengyang Refining—could it be an acquaintance?
"Master Zhengyang has ascended to the Heavenly Court!"
The two exchanged a glance and replied.
"I see. Could you elaborate on the Taiyin Refining Method? I find it quite fascinating."
"Of course."
Tian Yuanzhi began recounting in detail.
Song Lin mused silently to himself: just as I suspected.
A cultivation method centered around resurrection after death—it could only be the handiwork of Zhengyang.
It seemed imperative to visit the Heavenly Court and seek out this old acquaintance.
What was his current state? Was he still the Zhengyang of the past?
Before that, however, the priority was achieving the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.
Otherwise, meeting his former master with less cultivation would be thoroughly embarrassing.
...
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