Starting Cultivation During a Trip-Chapter 311 - 174: The Terrifying Li Changgeng! Zhang Fan and the Evil Gods (5,000-Word - )
Refining a Great Pill from the Primordial Spirit, transformed into an Immortal, escaping the mortal world.
This is the Wuwei Sect, its existence nearly spans the entire history of the Daoist Sect.
Establishing temples on mountains, determining outlook upon mountains, governing all the world’s demonic ghosts, encompassing the incense of the four seas, sweeping across the six directions, and reigning over the universe of the Dao.
This line once had boundless glory; at its peak, all Daoist sects in the world had to show respect.
From the very beginning, the struggle between Wuwei and the Daoist Sect has never ceased.
Nine instances of [Mountain-breaking and Temple-attacking] were almost entirely led by the Dragon Tiger Zhang Family, causing the Wuwei Sect to wither multiple times, nearly to extinction, with countless masters buried in the passage of time.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Wuwei Sect and the Dragon Tiger Zhang Family are sworn enemies; even if heaven and earth were to collapse, and everything decay, such hatred, such grievances would be hard to diminish, even if one were to exhaust the waters of the East Sea, they would still be hard to wash away.
Be aware, Li Yishan’s mother merely stole a man with the surname Zhang, and their family acted as if the Zhangs had dug up their ancestors’ graves, avoiding all contact and association with anyone of the Zhang surname.
Let alone the blood-deep hatred borne by the Wuwei Sect.
But who would have thought that the once greatest master under heaven, the true former owner of the Wuwei Sect, was also surnamed Zhang.
For the Wuwei Sect, this was inconceivable.
However, all the past of the Three Corpses Daoist is shrouded in mystery; no one knows his origin, his teachings, not even his name.
Yet, White Crane Temple discovered from the faint clues left by the Three Corpses Daoist in this world, a sliver of light, a sliver of illumination regarding his past.
"What of being the greatest under heaven? Without evidence of being an Earthly Immortal, he’s just a speck of dust in the light." Li Changgeng said expressionlessly.
It has been a full cycle since the demise of the Three Corpses Daoist, now, only those elderly in the Daoist sect still remember his name; in another cycle, who would even remember someone like him once existed?
"Let’s go."
Li Changgeng’s words were unhurried; in his eyes, Jiang Lai had considerable research value.
"Legend says, once an Immortal carrying a Golden Glow descended into the mountains, the Three Corpses Daoist imprisoned immortals and refined the path, achieving the Three Corpses Illuminating Fate."
Just then, Jiang Lai looked at the portrait hanging on the wall veiled by yellow silk and suddenly spoke.
"What do you mean?" Li Changgeng asked coldly.
"Li Changgeng, this is Imprisoned Immortal Temple, not White Crane Temple, do you really think you’re invincible under heaven, that whatever you say goes?"
Suddenly, Jiang Lai’s voice seemed to change personas, she turned around, a trace of mockery appeared on her fair face, an expression that didn’t belong to her.
"Hmm!?"
Li Changgeng raised an eyebrow, slowly extending his hand, Jiang Lai’s figure seemed to dissolve like a reflection in water.
"Outer Scenery!?" Li Changgeng was momentarily stunned.
With such cultivation, what technique could trap him into an Outer Scenery without him realizing it, only now becoming aware?
"Who are you?"
Li Changgeng looked up, facing the vast side hall, without knowing whom he was questioning.
"Aren’t you amazing? Aren’t you the unrivaled prodigy?"
The mocking voice echoed again: "Today let’s make a dish of stir-fried crane meat to spice things up for you."
Abruptly, the voice ceased, and the vast side hall became eerily silent, like a pool of dead water.
Li Changgeng turned around, not knowing when, the yellow silk that originally veiled the wall was lifted, revealing the painting behind it...
Deep in the Cang Mountain, under a black sky, a sinister white crescent moon hung high, like the squinted eyes of a fox, indifferently overlooking the mortal world.
A tall and thin silhouette stood upright on the magic altar, the large Daoist Robe made his figure even more discordant, with a "Shou" character hanging behind him, in an unfamiliar script, like ghostly talismans, he was holding an Immortal Peach in his hand, countless dark shadows surged from all directions, swathed in eerie demonic qi, worshiping the tall and thin silhouette.
"Group of Demons Birthday Celebration Painting!"
The Dao Ancestor of Dragon Tiger Mountain, Zhang Daoling once said, one thought arises, myriad thoughts scatter, and the group of demons must arrive, to consume one’s life span.
This means that when one thought arises, countless thoughts follow closely, these scattered thoughts are like demons descending from heaven, depleting your vital energy, damaging your spirit, engulfing your Primordial Spirit, and consequently wearing down your life span.
For this reason, there once existed a painting in Dragon Tiger Mountain named [Group of Demons Birthday Celebration Painting], where the chaotic demonic shadows represent people’s thoughts, they come bearing congratulations on a birthday, delightful and intoxicating, yet they voraciously share and consume your lifespan.
That high and thin silhouette, in their eyes, was a delicacy of the mortal world.
Roar...
The painting seemed to possess boundless magical power, almost instantaneously, Li Changgeng’s gaze changed, his eyes wide open and bloodshot, his Daoist bun immediately recoiled and unraveled, black hair standing on end, countless thoughts intertwined and filled his mind.
"Tch, tch, to not arise a single thought is akin to a boulder, and to follow no thoughts even at every moment is the path to truth, you have not yet reached such a realm, how could you withstand the [Group of Demons Birthday Celebration Painting]? How about this appetizer?"
The mocking voice once again reverberated in the great hall.
In Daoist cultivation, achieving a state of mind where every thought does not follow is an exceptionally high realm, where the initial thought arises and is immediately noticed, not giving rise to a second thought, naturally avoiding the chaos of the group of demons.
As for not arising a single thought, this is not truly ’without thought’, for without correlates with having, such distinctions mean it is still a thought.
True absence of any arising thought is emptiness, within emptiness lies the possibility of existence, and the possibility of void, it can be or not be, it cannot be or can be...
Such a realm cannot be clearly articulated with words, only the Pure Yang Wuji Realm can fully comprehend it.
Though Li Changgeng is a prodigious talent, he had not yet reached the realm where thoughts do not follow, thus he naturally couldn’t withstand Dragon Tiger Mountain’s [Group of Demons Birthday Celebration Painting], the more his Primordial Spirit awakens, the easier he is to ensnare within it.
