Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 368: Living in Death and Seeking Escape

"He did have a bad reputation back then. He caused trouble everywhere, offended many human and demon masters, and got into a lot of trouble. He was a rat that everyone wanted to kill, but he was the best at escaping, hiding from place to place... No, he relied on his magic to become invisible, and often wandered under the noses of masters from various forces, causing trouble, but he was safe and sound for hundreds of years."

The old man showed a trace of reminiscence on his face, smiled and shook his head, and said: "Later, he suffered a loss at the hands of a woman and was completely defeated. I came forward to plead for him with several immortal masters, and even fought with Gao Jian."

Xu Yuanchang was immediately filled with awe.

A ruthless person who can fight with Gao Jian, the strongest swordsman eight thousand years ago, is definitely not a weakling.

Before Lao Li ascended to heaven, he passed a note to him in a riddle, asking him to help the old man out of trouble. It was to repay the favor, and there is a big possibility that it was to get more powerful helpers in the upper world in the future.

"What is your name?"

Zeng Wanglou bowed and asked for advice. He was quite knowledgeable about the dispute between the immortal way and the Shinto way back then.

Taoist Master Yanshan, Gao Jian, Mu Xiaoxiao, and Lin Sanren are all famous masters, and have been mentioned in many ancient books.

He couldn't guess which person Ye Changmeng was the reincarnation of, but since he could be compared with Gao Jian and others who had been causing trouble for hundreds of years, he must be an extraordinary figure.

The transparent old man returned an ancient greeting and said with a smile, "Xuan Xiao. I didn't expect there are still spiritual cultivators in the lower world. Very good."

Zeng Wanglou hurriedly bowed again using the ancient etiquette of spiritual practitioners, and said, "I am a new student to Zeng Wanglou, and I am honored to meet Senior Xuan Xiao."

This name is well-known.

It was mentioned in the Shinto skills he obtained that Xuan Xiao was one of the top three Shinto masters in the Qianfang Realm at that time, and was in no way inferior to the eighth-level beings of Taoist Master Yanshan and others.

"You're welcome. My condition is terrible right now and I'm afraid I won't be able to get through this."

The old man held out his hand and asked, "How many years have passed since the last time the Dark Realm Gate was closed?"

Zhao Jun has not been practicing for a long time, only a dozen years longer than Xu Yuan. He has spent most of his time studying arithmetic and formations. He has limited knowledge of the magnificent battle between immortals and gods eight thousand years ago, so he didn't react much when he heard names like Gao Jian and Xuan Xiao.

But when he heard Mr. Mu call himself "Zeng Wanglou", he was secretly surprised and glanced at Xu Yuanchang who was looking at the old man.

The name Zeng Wanglou is considered a taboo in the Qingping County government.

It was only after he was promoted to the third level that he had the authority to access the past of Zeng Wanglou.

The remnants of the previous dynasty are in possession of valuable treasures and can be killed by anyone.

However, after a complete Hundred Years War in the Dark Realm, many things were broken.

Zeng Wanglou, under the name of Mr. Mu, has made great contributions. He is also a sixth-level cultivator. He has lost all contact with the secular dynasty. He also has a close relationship with Lao Xu and a close friendship with Meng Shanhe, and becomes a guest protector of the Monster Mountain.

There are some secrets that Mr. Mu should keep to himself and not tell anyone, even if he no longer cares about them.

There's no point in saying it out loud, it will only annoy people.

"It's been three thousand years. This Dark Realm catastrophe has only been over for over twenty years."

Zeng Wanglou looked up at the frail old man and replied.

"Another reincarnation... What is the result?"

Without waiting for Zeng Wanglou to answer, the old man smiled and shook his head, saying, "Master Yanshan is good at calculating with wisdom. He regards the world as his way. There is only one last calamity left. He must have made arrangements in advance. I am afraid that Ye Changmeng will become a powerful piece on the chessboard involuntarily, and only then will he have a chance to ascend to the upper realm."

He looked at the silent Xu Yuanchang, and with just a few words of information, he was able to tell the general direction of the situation.

Zeng Wanglou suddenly realized that Ye Changmeng was the Senior Li who had displayed great power at the beginning of the Dark World War.

Now it makes sense, otherwise why had Taoist Xu never met Ye Changmeng who appeared out of nowhere, and their relationship was so good that it seemed like they had known each other for hundreds of years.

"Senior Xuan Xiao, please understand."

Xu Yuanchang said politely, and then asked, "You were reincarnated as Shizuo, a fisherman in a small fishing village. You built a stone dam to accumulate merits, and you were restored to the spirit by the incense, and awakened to your previous life?"

The old man didn't rush to answer. He smiled and glanced at the three people below, and said, "Which of you has the note that Ye Changmeng entrusted to you? Can I take a look at it?"

He did not tell Lao Li's real name, but called him Ye Changmeng, because he sensed something fishy.

The information he obtained was limited, and he was somewhat confused about the relationship between Lao Li and everyone else. It made sense that he wanted to make friends with the spiritual cultivator Zeng Wanglou, but judging from the situation, it seemed that the Taoist priest in green robe was more familiar with Lao Li and had a better relationship with him.

However, Taoist Xu had learned a wide range of things. He was proficient in Taoist Yanshan's magical skills and was also good at the illusion of heaven and earth, especially the life-saving phantom and invisible escape, which was exactly the same as Li Dan.

He was suppressed under the underground palace, but he was not asleep. After dozens of key nodes of the formation were broken, he was able to spy on the situation outside.

He listened to what the three men said and did to rescue him.

Xu Yuanchang took out the doodled paper from his sleeve, held it up to the old man, and said with a smile, "Old Ye didn't explain anything clearly. He left without even meeting us. He is playing a guessing game with us. We still don't have a clue about the first two figures."

The old man carefully looked through the four figures drawn on the paper and said in a voice transmission: "The crow sits on the altar... Go to Laizhou overseas and look for clues in a large lake in the northeast. He has left some benefits for you."

He is the only one in the world who can understand the secret code like this.

It also confirmed that Lao Li and Taoist Xu were indeed life-long friends, but there were many concerns in between.

It should be because of Taoist Master Yanshan.

He did not ask why Lao Li knew that his reincarnation was suppressed in Shigong Dike. Perhaps Lao Li had other secrets?
Seeing the old man switch to voice transmission, Xu Yuanchang did not want the other two to hear him, so he asked again, "What does that old, mottled bronze tablet mean? Are there any clues?"

The old man shook his head, looked at the God-Suppressing Stone that was slowly cracking from the inside out, and turned to answer the previous question.

"My reincarnations were not smooth. I was manipulated by others until three thousand years ago, when the Dark Realm Gate opened. I was reincarnated as a fisherman in a small fishing village. With my passion, I spent nearly thirty years persistently building a typhoon dam. I worked from a young age to an old age. Less than five years after the dam was built, I died of illness caused by overwork."

"Fortunately, the villagers helped me build a small stone temple out of gratitude. With the blessing of incense and merit, my soul did not go to the netherworld. Within seven days, I achieved the lowest level of deity."

"At the beginning, I was ignorant and didn't know that offering sacrifices in wild temples violated the rules. I only wanted to do my best to help the villagers and protect the safety of fishermen when they went out to sea. Even if I received incense, most of it was spent on the villagers."

"For decades, I have enjoyed my work, responding to requests within my ability, and have made a name for myself in the surrounding 200 miles. I thought too simply that I had done enough good things and the local government would surely recognize it. Later, a fisherman went out to sea too far and died in a storm... Someone reported my small temple to the county."

"The government sent Taoist priests and yamen runners to demolish the Shigong Temple, smashed the clay statues and buried them in the mountains, and performed a ritual. They didn't know that I had been receiving incense for decades and had already used the embankment as a temple. I had a place to stay and was not wiped out by the government. After learning from this, I was wiser. I selectively received incense, let the wicked get their comeuppance, no longer had to respond to requests, and spent my time on spiritual practice."

“Later, the villagers secretly rebuilt the temple, but they were unlucky. Ten years after the gate to the dark world was closed, a cultivator from the sixth floor was passing by the sky near Shigong Dike and happened to run into me. I had broken the seal of my soul due to my advancement, which caused quite a commotion… Then an old fellow who had stayed here thousands of years ago came and recognized my identity from my previous life. I was too weak to be defeated and was suppressed, and Shigong Dike sank into the sea.” The old man sighed and gave a long speech about the past.

The subsequent battle process was skipped over using the Spring and Autumn style, as if the author did not want to bring up the past again.

The old man looked at Zeng Wanglou and bowed, saying, "I would like to ask you, Brother Zeng, to help me get rid of this by practicing the way of the gods."

Zeng Wanglou hurriedly returned the greeting and said, "Senior Xuan Xiao, please tell me what to do."

The old man pointed to the huge rock below and said, "Please use your divine power to break this divine stone. After I get rid of my restraints, I will face the catastrophe of heaven and earth. You should stay away."

Zeng Wanglou hesitated for a moment and asked, "Senior, are you sure you can survive this catastrophe?"

The catastrophe of heaven and earth is of great significance and is much more powerful than the sixth-level heavenly thunder.

He couldn't see how the weak Senior Xuan Xiao in front of him could survive the life-and-death catastrophe that required the eighth-level cultivation?

The old man looked up at the sky and smiled, "Some things must be faced and cannot be avoided."

Li Dan left him a secret letter on the paper, which prompted him to make up his mind to burn his boats and take a gamble.

Otherwise, if you enter the cycle of reincarnation again, you will find it difficult to escape the fate of being "controlled" even after thousands of years.

"Friend Zeng, please."

The old man bowed casually.

Zeng Wanglou stopped talking nonsense and waved his hand to signal the two of them to retreat to the sky over the southern sea. He put away the black umbrella treasure, gathered his divine power, and a Dharma image several dozen feet tall appeared behind him.

The old man gave some instructions through voice transmission, and then said a few more words, then asked Zeng Wanglou for a blank jade slip, leaving behind some insights and secret methods on spiritual cultivation as a reward.

"let's start."

"offend."

Zeng Wanglou became one with the Dharma and punched the God-Suppressing Stone hard.

"Bang!" The huge rock shattered into pieces, the entire island shook, and a black shadow appeared in the sky, its momentum soaring upwards.

He crossed into the sixth heaven at a speed visible to the naked eye, broke through all barriers and advanced forward, and soon reached the seventh heaven.

The old man's body gradually became clearer and more solid, his spirits were high and his momentum was as strong as a rainbow.

Zeng Wanglou kept flying backwards, his heart was shocked beyond words. Senior Xuan Xiao was too strong. The sky was already turbulent with winds and dark clouds gathering. The power of heaven and earth made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Senior Xuan Xiao...are you going to improve your cultivation all the way to the eighth level?"

Zhao Jun, who had waited at Zengwang Tower dozens of miles away, was so surprised that he stuttered. The process of the heavenly tribulation condensing made him shudder with fear.

"Stand back a little further, so as not to disturb you from overcoming the great calamity."

Zeng Wanglou continued to fly backwards, his eyes fixed on the figure in the darkness shrouded by the calamity cloud. It was so majestic and exciting. The step-by-step improvement in his cultivation was like pointing him on the path to spiritual cultivation, allowing him to avoid many detours in the future.

Xu Yuanchang once had the honor of witnessing Lao Li being forced to endure a great catastrophe of heaven and earth. At this moment, watching Xuan Xiao advancing with great force, he felt that something was a little strange in his heart, so he retreated a hundred miles away.

I am quite confused and can't understand why Xuan Xiao doesn't just endure and practice in seclusion, or reincarnate?

Could it be that Lao Li entrusted them to rescue Xuan Xiao in order to hastily survive the tribulation?

That was definitely not right, because he had heard from Lao Li that unless one was fully prepared and had a suitable eighth-rank magic weapon, it would be difficult to survive the catastrophe of life and death relying solely on one's cultivation.

"Mr. Zeng, did Senior Xuan Xiao have the eighth level of cultivation before?"

"Yes, the senior was the third person in the lower world of Shinto back then, and his supernatural powers and secret techniques were unparalleled."

Zeng Wanglou explained in a low voice, and suddenly his eyes widened, and he shouted excitedly in a low voice: "Senior Xuan Xiao... has made a breakthrough, and has passed the eighth level of the sky in one go. Oh my god, this is amazing!"

He rarely loses his temper.

Witnessing a miracle with my own eyes, I was a little incoherent at this moment.

The calamity clouds in the sky continued to press down and brew, there were silver lightning flashing like twisting spirit snakes, strong winds howling, and the sea waves were heavy like mountains.

Xuan Xiao's silver hair was flying in the wind, and he calmly felt the increasing power of heaven and earth. His hands formed a divine seal that seemed to be real, and transparent runes were distributed around his body, moving like a formation.

He used the enlightenment he gained from the Eighth Heaven to forcibly improve his cultivation and burned the accumulated incense of this god.

He didn't care about the power of incense. He wanted to follow Lao Li's example and use the great catastrophe of heaven and earth to fake his death, completely erase the mark planted deep in his soul, and get rid of the situation where he was controlled by a few old guys from the upper realm.

Only in this way can we live towards death.

"Come on, come harder."

The calamity clouds were like a canopy, there were loud rumbling sounds, and thunder balls of great calamity from heaven and earth fell like rain, engulfing the old man who had just advanced to the eighth level.

Zeng Wanglou stared intently at the thrilling tribulation in the distance. After about a quarter of an hour, he realized something was wrong. Senior Xuan Xiao used his cultivation to form a divine seal to resist, but gradually he could not withstand the endless heavenly thunder and was slowly unable to continue.

Just when I was getting anxious, I heard an old man chanting in the distance.

"Everything is just passing clouds, in the end it's nothing."

Thunder rumbled in the sky, completely submerging the majestic figure.

Zeng Wanglou stood in a daze in the air until the thunder stopped and the dark clouds in the sky scattered in all directions at a very fast speed. He flew anxiously towards the disaster area filled with thunder, searching everywhere.

The sea water below was boiling and surging, and the sinking depth was about ten feet.

The old man left nothing behind.

……

(End of this chapter)