The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

The next instant, the golden talisman trembled violently, detached from Zhao Qing's palm, and hovered in mid-air, transforming into an ancient Dao diagram that was constantly rotating and interpreting profound imagery!
Its edges melt and overflow naturally, and the blazing white slurry seems to slowly but actually quickly outline and differentiate, causing the entire ancestral mountain space to hum in response.

Countless golden runes, invisible to the naked eye and seemingly constructed of the purest light, carrying the laws of "expulsion" and "stripping," solidified instantly under her finger's flick, intertwining and transforming into a flowing veil of light, as thin as morning mist yet heavier than stars, enveloping the giant purple jade tree.

"Tsk-!"

It soared through the raging torrent of energy, and wherever it passed, even the smallest specks of stone in the air were suddenly frozen in place, as if they had fallen into an eternal silence.

Immediately afterwards, the giant tree enveloped in runes began to struggle, its branches flailing wildly, countless purple jade leaves on its crown rustling, and the purple jade liquid flowing from its fleshy tendrils faintly emitting sharp hissing sounds, as if countless tiny consciousnesses were howling in pain, emitting teeth-grinding groans.

"All things are inherently empty; clinging to appearances is delusion. Since this tree's form is eroded and illusory, obscuring its true nature, then let us sever the root of this delusion! Let us erase this distorted appearance, unify the distinction between inside and outside, and thus regain our advantage through the inherent consciousness of human beings."

"Stop!" Zhao Qingqing shouted, her left hand clenching loosely.

The thousands of golden runes covering the tree suddenly lit up with blinding light, transforming into an incomparably solid barrier that crushed and contracted from the outside in, penetrating every pore! It was as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand, forcibly squeezed back into a core—the stiff, crippled body of Tuoba Wuchou, who was sitting cross-legged!

The tree-like form represents the external manifestation of obsessions and obstacles; breaking through these external obstacles is, in order to clarify one's inner consciousness.

The colossal creature, tens of feet long, with its thick branches and gnarled roots, was forcibly compressed to a few feet in just a few breaths... In the end, it transformed into a ball of deep purple liquid crystal, only the size of a fist, yet so dazzling and translucent that it was breathtaking, and it burrowed into the crack where the two were connected by fleshy tendrils.

The scene was bizarre and unparalleled: it was as if time had reversed, or as if a monster rooted in the earth had been forcibly sealed back into its host's body.

The boundaries between trees and people have been completely broken down and disrupted.

"Only the form is restored, not the spirit. External demons are easy to break, but the mind is difficult to purify." After the first step, Zhao Qing's eyes were like deep pools and ancient wells, discerning the more dangerous battlefield of consciousness within Tuoba's body.

The obsession of the "fallen leaves" guarding the ancestral mountain, and the unpredictable corrosive will of the elixir of immortality, the pure white self and the evil purple intent, were engaged in a life-or-death tug-of-war within the origin of the soul, like a small boat in a turbulent current, ready to capsize at any moment.

"Scattered soldiers and rogues are no match for a formidable enemy. We need a commander-in-chief to unite and train them!"

Her thoughts raced silently, her right hand's five fingers shifting as if grasping an invisible string of laws, drawing upon the supreme Zen essence contained within the golden talisman to stimulate the opponent's remaining will. "Consciousness is as turbid as boiling water; it must be subdued with concentration. Find stillness in boundless emptiness, first breaking through the barriers of form and substance, making the sea of ​​consciousness boundless and vast..."

"Consolidate in the boundless realm of knowledge, and then observe the vastness and immensity of the mind, which is neither empty nor existent..." Another rune fell, like a stone thrown into a deep pool, yet it stirred up brilliant spiritual ripples.

"Find peace in the place of nothingness, transcend the sea of ​​consciousness, and enter the subtle and wondrous realm..."

"In the state of neither perception nor non-perception, thoughts neither arise nor cease..."

The runes that followed were deeper and more refined than the previous ones, gradually condensing into a clear, pure, and cool colorless light of the heart, like a sweet spring!
"Finally, the cessation of perception and feeling severs the flow of the first six consciousnesses, subdues the defilement of the seventh consciousness, and glimpses the true nature of the eighth consciousness. However, this is a forced entry into meditation, not a realization; it only gives the form and temporarily borrows its power to suppress demons!"

In an instant, the obsession of the "fallen leaves" that were originally fluttering, withered, and dull was suddenly enveloped by this light of the heart!

The scattered, restless, and nearly extinguished will to resist, as if infused with the purest essence of life, was imbued with a breathtaking emerald green, which stubbornly spread and permeated the landscape.

With a strength that makes it even more vigorous after weathering storms, the leaves unfurl and radiate a tenacious luster!

Standing at a distance, Tang Xin, though not versed in Buddhist principles, felt her consciousness being infinitely elevated and extended by these chants, as if she had detached from her heavy physical body and flown into a silent universe without beginning or end, empty of everything.

His burning passion for freedom, in this clear and bright space, seemed to have lost its object of obsession, leaving only a more fundamental and expansive "unhindered" feeling.

Emptiness is like still water, cleansing away all dust.

“The Realm of Stillness has stabilized its ‘true self,’ securing the foundation of the battlefield of consciousness. But that’s not enough!” Zhao Qing’s mind raced.

Although he stabilized his spirit and unified his "true self" with the colorless meditative state, the battlefield of consciousness was not only within Tuoba Wuchou's body. The vital energy laws that influenced the outcome of this war had already filled the entire stone hall and even the wider sealed land.

"A clash of wills also requires the right location! The imprint of the laws left by the elixir of immortality is too deep here, making it a breeding ground for corruption."

"If that's the case, then let's change the world!"

She smiled calmly, her left hand outstretched, fingers spread, as if grasping some invisible key.

"Boom——!"

Outside the stone hall at the bottom of the valley, the weather above the entire ancestral mountain suddenly changed!

No longer was it the black rain of star-like evil energy summoned by Tuoba Wuchou, but countless dazzling seven-colored divine lights, like glazed glass, tore through the sky, like thousands of celestial rainbows falling, illuminating the entire valley as if it were a world of glazed glass! This was the forced manifestation of the "Blessed Land" law!

The "blessed land" of the sword realm that Zhao Qing had previously spent a lot of time creating, the many laws of primordial energy that it had been irradiated with, the myriad phenomena contained within, and the magnificent chapters that evolved countless true meanings of the sword path, were now being brought into this stone palace at the bottom of the valley by her using a talisman as a guide, like a floodgate being opened!
Ignoring the thick layers of rock, they penetrated without hindrance, illuminating the entire deep valley stone palace with exquisite detail and bizarre light, and flowing with a majestic yet extremely complex and mysterious ethereal rhythm, instantly submerging and covering the original gloomy atmosphere of the ancestral mountain.

The palace walls, the stone coffin, and even Tuoba Wuchou's seated body were all enveloped and soaked by this abundant glazed light, continuously removing and rewriting the unique imprint of the elixir of immortality that had permeated this place for hundreds of years, transforming it into a "geographical advantage" environment belonging to human cultivators, especially those who are compatible with the Peerless Wind and Rain Sword.

"With multiple measures in place and everything ready, we're just waiting for the final step! The final step, which is also the most crucial, the most devastating, and the most dangerous step in the entire redemption plan, is to strip away the strange medicinal power that is deeply ingrained in every pore of his flesh and soul!"

"This is a radical solution, rendering the corrupting consciousness derived from the elixir of immortality rootless and adrift, severing its source of power. It is a plan to cut off its roots, but it is also the most dangerous step!"

"After all, this is tantamount to stripping away the life force that has sustained this body for hundreds of years! If the extraction is too fast and too ruthless, the contamination from the medicine may not be completely removed before Tuoba Wuchou will die of old age, decaying and dying, and all his previous efforts will be in vain!"

"We must strike a balance... proceed gradually, allowing my pre-stored 'Longevity Qi' to simultaneously replenish, nourish, and take over the bodies and tissues where the medicinal effects have faded, ensuring that key areas such as meridians, acupoints, and internal organs do not completely die, leaving room for rescue and revival..."

"However, whether I can hold onto this glimmer of hope and reunite my shattered soul is beyond my power alone. On the battlefield of consciousness, willpower, mental resilience, and even a mysterious and elusive opportunity are all crucial... It is difficult for others to help each other, but only by helping oneself can one attain enlightenment."

Although Tuoba Wuchou had survived hundreds of years of erosion and torment without being assimilated, and his will was tempered to the point of steel, Zhao Qing had no confidence at all that he could overcome the emptiness and depletion after "losing his roots" and be "resurrected." She could only say that she had done the best theoretically and had almost exhausted all her strength.

"The initial purification and stabilization of the soul is not something that can be accomplished in a short time; it will probably take quite some time... In that case, it would be better to take the first step."

Her gaze shifted to the spot where the giant purple jade tree had originally taken root—the now empty, several-foot-square, pitch-black well, and the stone steps leading downwards. Wisps of a more subtle and dangerous aura than that of the peerless wind and rain swordsman, a figure at the eighth realm, seeped out from it.

After the strange tree that blocked the well disappeared, Zhao Qing naturally sensed some profound changes that only those at the eighth level could barely perceive. She experienced a sense of oppression on a life level, as well as a strange desire mixed with fear, greed, and longing, which was an incredible attraction to her.

It should be noted that in Zhao Qing's self-assessment during this period, purely in terms of life level, she was at least comparable to the peak of the eighth realm. So what she found incomparable could only be the core of the immortal medicine that destroyed the entire Tianliang in the true ninth realm.

"Interesting... I wonder if we can glean the key steps to breaking through from the eighth realm to the ninth realm from this? Why is there such a huge difference between the two realms? Lifespan increases countless times in an instant? I hope it's not some kind of innate ninth-realm immortality, otherwise it wouldn't be interesting."

Zhao Qing glanced at Tang Xin, who was still in shock, immersed in the many mysterious methods she had just witnessed, and unsure of what to do next. He pondered to himself.

Compared to the stone palace at the bottom of the valley, which could only be described as a "blessed land" at best, the area below this well is a completely different "world," so dangerous that it could absolutely kill an ordinary Eighth Realm Qi Refining cultivator.

Although she was confident that she could pass the level smoothly, it would be better to use some special shortcuts if she could preserve the research value of the mechanisms and restrictions without violently destroying them.

"Tang Xin, listen up."

The swordsman jolted awake, forcibly pulling himself back from his dazed state, and subconsciously looked up at Zhao Qing.

"On the outskirts of the ancestral mountain, beside the skeleton of that gluttonous beast, hides a great shaman from the Wu clan, Zhan Mohe, a descendant of the Tianliang people. His cultivation is at the upper level of the seventh realm, and he has also mastered part of the Wind and Rain Sword Scripture..."

Zhao Qing spoke calmly, adding, "This person has secretly plotted many schemes, aiming to profit from the chaos and seize the elixir of immortality. If you go and capture him alive, questioning him about some things should help Tuoba Wuchou's consciousness 'revive'."

“Next, I’m going to explore this well. You… stay here and wait. If there’s any significant change in the aura of the Peerless Wind and Rain Sword… well, you know what to do.”

"What should I do?" Tang Xin said she really didn't know.

"...Just throw in a few stones with inscriptions on them."

"understood."

Unbeknownst to him, this ambitious Sword God Emperor had become almost completely obedient to Zhao Qing, becoming a follower-like figure.

……

In early winter, the wind in Baiyang Gorge takes on a sharp, razor-sharp quality.

They scraped through the exposed gray-black rock walls with a sharp, whistling sound, swirling up the scattered, withered bamboo leaves on the ground, and mercilessly slamming them onto the jagged rock edges, shattering them into even smaller fragments.

The afternoon sun hung loosely, meager and thin, slanting through the simple window frames of the three connected thatched huts, carving out several rectangular patches of light on the slightly rough floor.

Ding Ning slowly gathered the surging Nine Deaths Silkworm True Qi deep within his dantian, letting it lie dormant in the most secluded corner of his Qi Sea, and opened his eyes. The futon, still warm with spiritual energy, lay on his lap, the dark green broken sword resting there.

The sword's blade was dark, as if it held within it an unyielding past.

As in the original story, after learning of the extraordinary talent of this Baiyangdong disciple, Li Daoji quickly purchased this broken sword from the fish market—the natal sword of Yan Xinlan from the Bashan Sword Field in its nearly destroyed state.

In a sense, the Jade Flower Sword is the most suitable sword for Ding Ning right now. Its sword intent is like a pure white jasmine flower, and it has the best extensibility and ability to withstand true energy in the world, just like the sharpness and resilience that he must hide at this moment.

"I've reached the middle level of the fourth realm... With the yeast and spirit fungus brewed by the 'Tai Xu Seed Jade Technique,' my cultivation is growing faster than I imagined."

He sighed inwardly, gently stroking the unyielding sword with a gesture that was almost mournful. Then he stood up, sheathed it at his waist, pushed open the wooden door, stepped into the crisp air outside, and walked toward the suspension bridge that swayed slightly in the wind.

Reaching the middle of the journey, Ding Ning put aside his anxiety about Zhao Qing's inexplicable disappearance without a trace. He paused briefly, touched the cold, hard jade talisman in his pocket, and calmly turned his gaze towards the outside of the gorge—towards Changling. The weather was unusually fine today.

The sky was washed clean and clear, a pristine blue, like a single, solidified piece of blue glass.

The Changling Mausoleum, which was usually shrouded in mist and smoke, was now clearly outlined against the horizon under the cold sunlight, like a huge and silent bluish-gray relief, appearing even more magnificent and austere, carrying an inviolable pressure.

The canyon breeze carries a subtle, fragmented sound, amplified by distance. The indistinct human voices are not the natural clamor of birds, but human language, imbued with emotion, rising and falling, yet lingering and cohesive.

The sound was coming from the core area of ​​the Baiyangdong sect at the foot of the mountain, where the continuous flying eaves and brackets were built along the slope of the main peak.

Each word and phrase was like a grain of ice striking the empty mountain cliffs, shattering into an even sharper echo.

"...Fellow instructors, this is not our intention to make things difficult for you!"

A young voice rose to a very high pitch, with a penetrating quality, carrying a deliberately inflamed indignation. It was Su Qin, the second senior brother of Baiyang Cave who was currently enjoying great popularity. Ding Ning was already familiar with this man's style and scheming.

"We, as citizens of the Great Qin, dare not disobey the orders of the Zhengwu Division! However, everything must be done according to rules and fairness! Promoting the Great Way benefits the country and its people. Although Su Qin is young and of low rank, how could he not know this?"

"However, Baiyang Cave is the place where we fellow disciples establish ourselves and cultivate! It is not a bustling marketplace! Nor is it an official post station or a pleasure garden!"

"Today, peddlers and laborers can pass through freely, but what about tomorrow? The Taoist temple is right next to the mountain gate, bustling with noise and disturbing the peace. The spiritual energy is waning day by day, and the instructors are overwhelmed... If this continues, where will our sect's foundation be? Where will our inherited essence be preserved?"

"I'm afraid this tumultuous worldly affairs will wear down my spirit and destroy my soul!"

"What difference is there between a secluded monastery or a dilapidated temple that has lost its soul?"

Ding Ning remained expressionless, his gaze calmly fixed on the source of the sound—a relatively open stone platform about several dozen feet away, where many disciples of the White Sheep Cave had already gathered.

Su Qin stood at the front of the crowd, his posture upright, his face slightly flushed with excitement. He delivered a passionate speech to two middle-aged instructors who looked embarrassed, completely suppressing them with his words.

"Are you telling us disciples to abandon our daily cultivation and meditation to teach those peddlers who don't even know what 'Qi Sea' is? And to be treated like laborers, at the beck and call of the Construction Bureau?"

Su Qin's voice grew increasingly impassioned, his gaze sharp as he swept over the growing number of Baiyangdong students who were gathering around him.

On those young faces, confusion, discontent, and indignation were clearly visible. "Isn't this the greatest desecration of the path of cultivation? The greatest insult to the qualifications you have gained through rigorous selection and countless hardships to gain entry into the sect?"

He took a sudden step forward, almost touching the noses of the two instructors, his voice abruptly lower, yet even more penetrating, each word like a knife:

"Not to mention, they actually allowed those peasants to set foot in my White Sheep Cave secret place! To browse and copy my sect's classics—even if it's just some rudimentary introductory skills, that's the result of our ancestors' hard work!"

"Do you expect the martial arts manuals and sword scriptures of my sect to be treated like pickled vegetables at a street stall, to be casually picked over and wasted by anyone?!"

At this point, Su Qin suddenly swung his arm, pointing directly towards the mountain gate, his fingertips trembling slightly with anger: "Look! Look at what kind of people those are!"

Ding Ning's gaze followed Su Qin's indignant and inflammatory fingertips, landing in the direction of the mountain gate.

Inside the ancient and solemn blue stone boundary marker of Baiyangdong, the last vestiges of tranquility can still be maintained. Outside the marker, the scene is quite different from the past, and it has become a bustling stronghold for outsiders.

Several Qin soldiers, dressed in standard black iron armor, were pointing and gesturing around a newly completed lead-gray object.

The object was cast from an unknown lead and iron alloy. It was square, low and sturdy, and exceptionally heavy, like a huge stone block cast into the ground, but covered with rough rivet joints.

Several thick metal pipes connect at one end to the "Talisman Pivot Mechanism" that roars deep in the mountain. This is the key device used by the imperial court to promote the "popularization of cultivation"—the Lead Chamber.

Heavy lead can prevent the flow of vital energy and also bind pressure. By forcibly infusing and compressing the vital energy of heaven and earth, it can greatly accelerate the "qi sensing" of low-level cultivators and even their initial breakthrough. It is said to be far more efficient than the spirit-gathering arrays that various sects used to cherish.

Beside the lead chamber, a dozen or so young men dressed in coarse cloth, clearly ordinary people from the city, craned their necks to peer inside, their faces a mixture of curiosity and awe of an unfamiliar power.

Even from a distance, you can feel their longing and bewilderment at the possibility of such a "meteoric rise".

"Hey, look at that 'lead coffin,' is it really as powerful as the legends say?"

"They say it allows you to absorb divine energy! A short time inside is worth half a year of hard work!" Another rough voice was full of excitement. "That silly boy from Wang Laosan's family over there, he went in and stayed for two incense sticks' worth of time, and when he came back he was complaining that his stomach was burning hot and he kept asking for water, saying that what they call... sensing the energy! He's reached the profound realm!"

"Damn it! We've toiled our whole lives and haven't even gotten close to the door... These kids are just lucky!"

"I heard the imperial court has assigned titles and statuses? From now on, entering this 'Taoist academy' will also be divided into different ranks? Based on those work points?"

"To hell with it! It's better than having no connections at all!"

Another voice shouted, with a reckless and desperate spirit, "Whether it's mining or risking my life to guard the border, with this strength of mine, am I afraid I won't even get a basic entry level?"

He spat heavily towards the lead chamber, "What do those young masters and ladies from those sects know! It's easy for them to talk when they're not the ones suffering!"

Not far away, several people dressed as merchants were surrounding an impatient-looking deacon from Baiyang Cave, asking him questions with forced smiles, such as "Where to pay the fees" and "When can I be included in the list?"

The bustling atmosphere of the city is gradually seeping into the once quiet and secluded Baiyangdong Mountain Gate, and it is hard to stop it.

Further away, beyond the edge of the bustling crowd, one can see a sunny, gentle slope near the mountain gate. Dozens of hardy, low-lying hemlock and spotted bamboo trees once grew there, but now most of them have been felled, revealing the fresh, yellowish-brown soil beneath.

A larger, more open area was marked out by wooden stakes and striking red ropes. Several heavy, massive, dark blue foundation stones had been erected, bearing the inscription "Baiyang Taoist Temple" in newly written Qin seal script by a renowned calligrapher.

This will be a place to accommodate more ordinary, uneducated cultivators in the future, like a huge and glaring patch, forcefully pasted onto the ancient body of Baiyang Cave that has stood for thousands of years.

"Why? Why do they have the right?!"

Su Qin was heartbroken and almost wanted to beat his chest in despair: "A bunch of idle farmers, mediocre merchants, and bloodthirsty brutes! Using an official document from the court, they brazenly stepped into the mountain gate! Is this fair?"

"Fellow disciples, what did we seek when we passed the tests and entered the sect? It was this tranquility, this spiritual land, and the meticulous guidance of our masters! Now, all of this has been forcibly diluted and distributed among those... those people!"

"The imperial court's new policy, euphemistically called 'popularizing cultivation,' is meant to benefit all living beings! But where does this 'benefit' come from? It's been forcibly taken from us! What an injustice! This action has chilled the hearts of countless people who have shed blood and sweat for their sects and for the Great Qin!"

"Yes! It's not fair!"

"Senior Brother Su is right!"

"We work hard to cultivate ourselves, so why should they reap the benefits without lifting a finger?"

"Ten years of arduous cultivation are not as effective as a single decree from the imperial court?"

Scattered but resolute echoes of agreement resounded from the crowd.

The students' eyes flickered—a mixture of offended dignity, crushed fear, and anxiety about losing future privileges, like a pile of dry tinder that could explode at any moment.

Su Qin stood surrounded by the crowd, his face as resolute as a rock, like a leader who spoke up for the people.

His eyes gleamed with a sharp light. He straightened his back, then bowed deeply to the two instructors, his posture humble: "May I ask, instructors, are we not also members of the 'common people' and 'millions of people'? Does our future not deserve even a little consideration from the imperial court?"

"You are the seniors of this cave, and you should speak up for us disciples! We should appeal to the Zhengwu Division and the imperial court! We demand compensation from them!"

"At the very least, the activities of those irrelevant people must be restricted, and they must not be allowed to approach the core area! We must ensure that the disciples of Baiyang Cave have priority access to places with abundant spiritual energy! Furthermore, the imperial court must allocate special funds to make up for the cultivation time that we have lost due to teaching and service!"

"This is the bottom line we all share! It's where Baiyangdong's dignity lies!"

An even louder commotion erupted from the group of disciples, echoing Su Qin's sentiments.

"Senior Brother Su is right! We demand fairness!"

"Please, teachers and officers, stand up for us! Let's plead with the imperial court!"

"Compensation! We must be compensated first!"

"Junior Brother Ding Ning? Did you hear that too? Come here and be the judge!"

Whether it was due to sharp eyes or some other reason, Su Qin happened to spot Ding Ning during his rallying speech and immediately dragged him into the fray, attempting to pull him into this turbulent vortex as well.
"Junior Brother Ding! As a disciple personally taught by an elder, you possess exceptional talent, and the Cave Master holds great expectations for you! You should understand the crucial point here! How can you stand idly by at this time? Speak up for your fellow disciple!"

"Am I right or wrong in what I, Su Qin, have said today?"

In an instant, Ding Ning felt the gazes gathering on the hillside below like suddenly rising steam, and many eyes subconsciously looked past the crowd towards him, who was suspended on the suspension bridge.

Was it intentional? Were they specifically targeting me? Was it Su Qin's own idea, or was it orchestrated by someone behind the scenes?

It seems... the winds of Changling have never truly been calm.

...(End of chapter)