Taoist Myth: I am the last true immortal in the world

Chapter 844 Did you sell Emperor Chen?
Huangting Temple, in a quiet room.

Upon his return, Chen Yun immediately went into seclusion to circulate his profound energy and recover from his depletion.

In his battle against the Brahman Trinity, he used the ultimate power of the sword formation, the evolution of the innate void, and truly exhausted all his magical power.

"Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu are all at a very high level of spiritual attainment."

As Chen Yun circulated his internal energy to absorb the power of the Great Dao and refine it into a true Qi to recover, he recalled the battle.

His battle with the Brahman Trinity appeared to be a complete suppression, but the reality was quite different.

“I used the ‘Sword Formation’ to try to sever the connection between Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu and the life I entrust to. The connection should have been completely severed, but they were still able to connect to each other to some extent, and even formed an immense world-destroying divine fire power from outside the great world.”

Chen Yun analyzed the gains and losses of this battle, saying, "It seems that my sword formation is not perfect enough, which is why this situation has occurred. According to my initial plan, Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu could not have unleashed such tremendous power."

He vaguely realized that simply using the sword formation to evolve earth, fire, water, and wind was not enough to completely isolate the internal and external connections.

"It seems I need to 'upgrade' the sword formation to achieve complete isolation."

Chen Yun pondered how to "upgrade" in order to achieve the effect he envisioned.
He hasn't thought of that yet.

However, one thing is certain: the sword formation is powerful enough for now.

It's enough, at least until we encounter someone at the level of a half-step Great Luo Immortal like the Six Emperors or the Five Elders.

As for whether he could be completely trapped inside if he encountered the Six Emperors and the Five Elders, he didn't know since he hadn't fought them.

Chen Yun felt that if the Six Emperors and Five Elders didn't have super powerful magic weapons, they would probably have a hard time breaking the formation.

However, at this level, it's impossible without an extremely powerful magic weapon.

Take the Jade Emperor's Haotian Sword as an example.

That's a divine weapon that can briefly evolve into the Heaven-Opening Axe.

The Heaven-Opening Axe can split open even the primordial void, thus creating heaven and earth and giving rise to all things in the universe.

Therefore, Chen Yun had good reason to believe that his sword formation was no match for the Heaven-Opening Axe.

Although he and the Jade Emperor are currently on the same side, who knows what their relationship will be like in the future?
Cooperation between those who are only halfway to the top level is often driven by self-interest.

If they fall out in the future because of interests, how will I face the power of the Haotian Sword?
After Chen Yun attained the half-step Great Luo realm, his perspective on problems began to change. He no longer focused on the absolutes, but became more comprehensive.

"The sword formation must be upgraded in power. Let me think of a solution slowly, and then use the True Qi to enhance the power of the sword formation."

Chen Yun thought to himself, "This is just the right time for me to recover my magical power and also gives me enough time to think."

Let's not think about these things for now; the important thing is to recover more mana.

He cleared his mind of all distractions and focused all his energy on recovering.

Time passed bit by bit.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

As the sun rose that morning, Chen Yun opened his eyes with a hint of confusion and temporarily stopped practicing his internal energy to recover.

"Ok?"

He was somewhat surprised, "Why do I feel that my recovery speed has increased?"

A month ago, Chen Yun judged that he would need to practice his internal energy for a year to recover to his peak condition.

However, after a month of practicing his cultivation, he was surprised to find that he had recovered 15% of his magical power.

At this rate, it would probably only take me a little less than seven months to recover to my peak condition.

This time has been reduced by almost half.

After a moment's thought, Chen Yun immediately understood what was going on.

Having experienced the battle with the Brahman Trinity, his control over power has reached a new level.

In this way, the speed at which one absorbs the power of the Great Dao from its trajectory and refines it into true Qi naturally becomes faster.

"According to this, my cultivation speed will almost double?"

Chen Yun's current practice is not simply cultivation; he relies more on absorbing the power of the Great Dao from its operational trajectory and refining it into true Qi.

If the recovery speed is faster, doesn't that indirectly mean the cultivation speed will also be faster?

"Indeed, fighting to the death with others can greatly improve oneself, and this applies to any realm."

He couldn't help but sigh to himself, thinking to himself, "Haven't I been like this all along?"
Each time one breaks through to a new realm, there are always life-or-death battles that occur, which rapidly improve one's cultivation.

Yes, my cultivation level improved rapidly, and a large part of the credit goes to the Spirit Soup. However, the Spirit Soup is ultimately an auxiliary means. It raises my cultivation to a certain level, but it can't raise it any further. After that, I can only rely on myself.

The most important thing is that after the Great Luo Spirit Soup rapidly improves one's cultivation level, the power gained increases by leaps and bounds, which often prevents one from using it skillfully.

The reason Chen Yun could wield power so skillfully at every level was entirely due to his relentless fighting.

Allow yourself to gain insights through combat, thereby integrating strength with all the knowledge you have learned.

"The rest of the half-step Great Luo cultivators basically don't go all out when fighting others."

Chen Yun recalled the Investiture of the Gods war. Apart from Lei Zu and Mo Li Pu Tian fighting with all their might, the other half-step Great Luo cultivators basically held back their strength in their battles.

For example, the battle of wits between Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun and Shakyamuni Buddha.

The two did not actually fight each other; they were merely using the starry chessboard to test their magical power.

Chen Yun vaguely understood, "Those half-step Great Luo are too concerned about gains and losses, so they can't possibly fight to their heart's content. Naturally, they can't gain as much as I did after my life-and-death battle with the Brahman Triad God."

It's certain that there are benefits to the competition, but it's like being a high school student who only works on high school problems—how much improvement can you expect?
Chen Yun's cultivation level was much lower than that of the Brahman Trinity God.

Using a sword formation to fight is like a middle school student defeating a college student by "cheating".

Although it's a case of "cheating," the process of analyzing the "problem" is already presented before our eyes.

As long as he is willing to work hard to learn, he will naturally be able to master it.

That is why he improved so much after this life-or-death battle with the Brahman Trinity.

"I originally just wanted to seek revenge, but I never expected to have such a big unexpected gain."

Upon realizing this, Chen Yun chuckled to himself, “Shiva for some reason prevented me from seeking the Dao, but in the end, he enabled my cultivation to grow faster. It has to be said that misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise. Everything has its consequences.”

He was very satisfied with the results of this battle.

This kind of gain, though seemingly intangible, is actually more gratifying than any tangible material gain.

……

Years ago, Chen Yun had received a favor from Master Huang.

This Master Huang was the broker who initially bought Chen Yun from Daheishan, and he was also a distant relative of Chen Yun's family.

After Chen Yun became a disciple of Master Zhengyang at the Ningyang Cave Taoist Temple in Zhongnan Mountain, he did not see Master Huang for a long time.

Later, during a chance encounter at a restaurant, Chen Yun learned that Huang Sanye's house was haunted. He personally intervened and not only subdued Qin Liang, who was now the commander of the Divine Soldiers and Generals, but also obtained the core spiritual root of heaven and earth, the Vermilion Fruit, needed for the Refining Essence Soup.

Because he obtained the Vermilion Fruit, Chen Yun promised the Huang family that they could ask him for help with anything in the future, as long as it wasn't illegal or criminal.

Sixty or seventy years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the Huang family has never looked for Chen Yun.

The main reason is that Huang Sanye's family was living a relatively comfortable life and there was nothing wrong with them at all.

However, something happened today.

That is, the long-lived Master Huang lived to the age of 108 and passed away.

Living to 108 years old is considered a long life in this era, so naturally, the funeral should be celebrated with a happy ending.

While the living world was celebrating a funeral, Huang Sanye, as a human trafficker, was arrested and taken to the underworld of Fengdu for trial.

The underworld of Fengdu has six palaces: the first is the Palace of the Extinction of Yin Heaven of Zhou, the second is the Palace of the Compassionate and Merciful Affairs of Tai Sha, the third is the Palace of the Bright and Enduring Offenses of Ming Chen, the fourth is the Palace of the Sinful Qi of Hu Zhao, the fifth is the Palace of the Seven Non-Affairs of Zong Ling, and the sixth is the Palace of the Connecting Gardens of Gan Si.

All the dead go to the Palace of Ghosts and Gods on these six days to be judged.

Beneath the palace of the six heavenly spirits lies the thirty-six levels of hell.

People who commit five thousand evils are condemned to the five hells.

Six thousand evildoers were imprisoned in twenty-eight prisons.

All evil is the fall of the creeping fig.

Each palace in the Six Heavens Ghost Palace has a supervisor.

The highest palace, the Yintian Palace of Zhoujue, was managed by the Great Emperor of Fengdu alone. He lived and received his subordinates in this palace.

The second floor, the Tai Sha Liang Shi Palace, was overseen by King Wen of Zhou, Ji Chang. Most of the departments inside the palace were related to hell.
The third level is the Palace of Protecting the Sins and Illuminating Qi, which is responsible for the propaganda and enforcement of the laws of the underworld. The person in charge is King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa.
The fourth floor is the Mingchen Naifan Palace, which is responsible for departments related to reconnaissance and mission planning. The person in charge is Duke Zhou Zhao, Ji Shi.
The fifth floor is the Seven Palaces of the Spirit Sect, which is responsible for souls and ghosts with faith. Whether they are Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, or members of the Hundred Schools of Thought, they are all under the management of the departments in this palace. The person in charge is Xia Hou Si Qi.
The sixth level is the Gan Si Lian Yuan Palace, which is responsible for some rituals and ceremonies related to the Fengdu Underworld. The person in charge is Wu Gongzi Zha, also known as Ji Zha.

The Palace of Protecting Sins and Illuminating Qi. The main departments in this place include the Punishment Department of Judge Zhong and the Underworld Law Department of Judge Cui.

Of course, there are also many departments related to the laws of the underworld in this palace.

At this moment, Zhong Kui, the judge of the Department of Punishment, is interrogating the ghosts of some recently deceased people.

On Zhong Kui's desk, there were many books of sins piled up.

These books of crimes are in black, green, and white, with red and cinnabar bindings.

"Luo Ming, your crimes are heinous, cast him into the twenty-eighth level of hell..."

"Zhang Zi is kind-hearted and very filial. He will be reincarnated and enjoy wealth and honor in his next life..."

"Zhu Tian is half good and half evil..."

"Qin Zhu..."

Zhong Kui, who hated evil as if it were his enemy, judged them one by one.

Suddenly, an old ghost with white hair was brought up and knelt down in front of Zhong Kui.

Zhong Kui asked, "Who is below?"

The white-haired ghost hurriedly said, "Greetings, Judge Zhong. My name is Huang San."

As soon as he finished speaking, a book of sins flew into Zhong Kui's hand and opened, allowing him to see Huang San's good and evil deeds throughout his life.

Zhong Kui frowned. "You are a human trafficker who has sold countless men and women throughout your life. Although you usually do good deeds, human trafficking is a grave crime. Good deeds are not enough to offset your evil deeds."

Master Huang said tremblingly, "Although I am a broker, I have never forced anyone to buy or sell. Moreover, the young men and women I send to are all from wealthy families who guarantee they will not starve. I hope Judge Zhong will have mercy."

Zhong Kui rebuked him, saying, "Being a broker is a heinous crime, why do you still try to defend yourself? I sentence you to the fifth hell."

Master Huang smiled bitterly, knowing that as a broker, he deserved this punishment.

The verdict had just been announced when two ghost messengers were about to escort Master Huang to hell.

Zhong Kui was about to close the Book of Sins.

Suddenly, he noticed that one name was missing from the list of people trafficked by Master Huang.

"Wait!" Zhong Kui called out to the ghost messenger.

The ghost messenger immediately stopped moving.

Master Huang looked completely bewildered, not knowing what had happened.

Zhong Kui stared at the book of crimes for a long time, then frowned and asked, "On the 23rd day of the ninth month of the second year of Guangming, you sold five teenagers. Chen Ergou, Chen Xiao, Zhang Qi and Ding Zhu are all listed. Why is there one person whose name is not on the book of crimes?"

Upon hearing this, the underworld officials standing nearby exchanged bewildered glances.

Such things have happened before, and often indicate that someone has attained enlightenment and become an immortal, thus having their name removed from the register of sins.

In other words, one of the five teenagers who were abducted by Master Huang became an immortal?
This secretly alarmed the group of underworld officials, who thought to themselves, "You old codger, you're doomed! You actually trafficked an enlightened immortal; your crime will likely be compounded."

Master Huang was taken aback. "How...how could I possibly know?"

Zhong Kui asked, "Think about those five teenagers from that day, who else hasn't been recorded in the Book of Sins?"

"Let me think about it carefully." After Master Huang passed away, all his memories from his lifetime were like those stored on a hard drive and could be read. He quickly recalled who the five boys were that day. "I remember now, one of them who didn't have a name seemed to be called Chen Yun."

Chen Yun?

Zhong Kui searched through other books of sins, but could not find it.

He was almost certain that the man named Chen Yun had already attained immortality.

Therefore, in order to find out just how serious Huang Sanye's sins were, he specifically asked the underworld messengers to search in other palaces to see if there was a person named Chen Yun among those who had attained immortality.

A short while later, the underworld messenger returned with his question.

Although Chen Yun was indeed among those who attained immortality, the information recorded does not match the information recorded in Master Huang's Book of Crimes.

Left with no other choice, Zhong Kui could only send someone to the Heavenly Court to the Three Officials to inquire whether there was such a person as Chen Yun.

Those who attained immortality and were recorded in the underworld were all non-Taoist.

The register of Taoist immortals is entirely recorded by the Three Officials.

After a long while, the underworld messengers who had gone to Heaven to inquire returned to the Underworld, dumbfounded.

Zhong Kui asked, "Have the Three Officials found Chen Yun yet?"

"There is no record of the name Chen Yun on the side of the Three Officials," the underworld official said with a look of horror. "But the Three Officials gave me specific information about Chen Yun."

Zhong Kui asked, "Then which deity is Chen Yun?"

The underworld official smiled wryly and said, "Emperor Chen."

"what?"

"Emperor Chen?"

"My goodness, you broker are incredibly bold! You actually kidnapped Emperor Chen back then?"

A murmur of surprise rippled through the group of underworld officials, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Master Huang.

They can't help but admire him.

Everyone knows that Chen Pu is a newly appointed emperor of Taoism. It is said that not long ago, he single-handedly suppressed three half-step Great Luo gods of the Brahman Triad. He was at the height of his fame.

If that were all, these underworld officials wouldn't have caused such an uproar.

Their shock stemmed entirely from the fact that one of the two divine positions bestowed upon Chen Yun by Laozi was the Nine Netherworld Exorcist Daoist Lord.

As long as they are underworld officials, who doesn't know that Laozi's conferment of Chen Pu with this divine position is very likely a prelude to his conferment of the title of Emperor of Fengdu?

In other words, it may not be long before Chen Pu officially becomes the ruler of the underworld, the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

At that time, Chen Pu will be the supreme commander of all the underworld messengers present.

Now that they learned that Master Huang had sold this ruler of heaven and earth, they were all dumbfounded.

Forget the underworld officials, even Zhong Kui was startled and exclaimed in disbelief, "You actually sold Emperor Chen?"

Master Huang looked completely bewildered and asked, "Emperor Chen? Judge Zhong, are you talking about Chen Yun?"

Zhong Kui nearly wet himself in fright and quickly rebuked him, "How dare you address Emperor Chen by his name?"

Master Huang asked in bewilderment, "Just who exactly is Emperor Chen?"

Zhong Kui sneered, "Let me let you know that Emperor Chen is one of the rulers of heaven and earth, a Taoist emperor personally appointed by Laozi. You sold him back then, and your crime is truly unforgivable."

Upon hearing this, Master Huang was greatly alarmed.

He truly never imagined that the skinny, monkey-like boy from back then would actually become one of the rulers of heaven and earth.

Did he sell Taoist emperors?

He could naturally imagine how terrible his situation would be.

Going to hell would be the least of their worries; they'd probably be beaten to a pulp.

Master Huang was so frightened that he hurriedly explained, “Judge Zhong, I am related to Emperor Chen. He still owes me a favor and promised that I can go to him if I need anything in the future. Besides, I have not mistreated him. I sent him to the Ningyang Cave Taoist Temple in Zhongnan Mountain, which is how he was able to have a chance to become an immortal. Please see the truth, please see the truth.”

what?
Emperor Chen owes you a favor because of you.

Zhong Kui and the other underworld officials never expected things to turn out this way.

For a moment, they were all stunned and didn't know how to conduct the trial.

Zhong Kui was undecided and unsure whether what Master Huang said was true or false, so he could only send a messenger to Qingcheng Mountain to inquire about the specific situation.

After waiting for a while, the underworld messenger returned from Qingcheng Mountain and reported: "Judge Zhong, Emperor Chen heard that Huang San had entered the underworld, and personally came out of seclusion to instruct me to give Huang San a good ending."

Zhong Kui understood immediately: Emperor Chen did indeed owe Huang San a favor.

He stared at Huang San for a long time without saying a word, thinking to himself, "You old codger, you're really lucky. You should have gone to hell, but now that Emperor Chen has spoken up, you won't have wealth and honor in your next life, since you can't violate the laws of heaven. But you can find a loophole to let Huang San stay in the underworld as a ghost messenger to 'atone for his sins.'"

This is equivalent to ascending to heaven in one step, directly obtaining a divine position from a mortal.

So Zhong Kui thought for a moment and announced the verdict.

After hearing this, Master Huang was completely stunned.

He never imagined that just because Chen Yun owed him a favor, he would not only be spared from going to hell, but would also be granted a divine position as a messenger in the underworld.

At this moment, he finally realized just how extraordinary Chen Yun's current status and position were—absolutely supreme!
(End of this chapter)