Tao and Heaven

Chapter 240: The Way of Love and the Way of Ruthlessness

Lu Chan intimidated all forces, but no one had any intention of leaving.

If they are respectful enough, then their duties as the Heavenly Lords should also be fulfilled.

Lu Chan knew that she couldn't avoid talking about it, so she said, "I already know about the matter, and you have already sent the people out of Huajianzhou. Then we will wait for Dao Zong to come. Then in the court, you can bring everything up, and everything will be decided by the Three Pure Ones."

"Now go back and stay quiet, don't bother me."

After saying this, she waved her sleeves, turned around and disappeared.

The strange color in the sky disappeared, and the powerful people from all sides had different expressions. Some left directly if there was any interest involved, some whispered to others, and some remained neutral and watched the situation.

As the first person to charge, Yin Xu naturally became the focus of all parties. Some people came forward to compliment him, "Tianzun Yin Xu, in the future, Huajianzhou will return to the Yin-Yang Hehuan Sect."

"Eight hundred years ago, Huajianzhou was so magnificent. Now it has been ruined by these women."

Yin Xu shook his head repeatedly and said modestly: "I don't deserve it. It's not eight hundred years ago now. The position of Heavenly Venerable has the final say from the immortals."

Someone said sarcastically, "Indeed, eight hundred years ago, the one with the most power could become the Heavenly Venerable, but that is no longer the case. Everyone, calculate your own merits, and maybe you can become one too."

As soon as these words were spoken, the enthusiastic atmosphere was poured with a bucket of cold water.

There was a gleam in some people's eyes. They were not as strong as Yin Xu, but times had changed.

Yin Xu's smile remained on his face, he naturally knew the rule.

But as long as Lu Chan, who was promoted to the position of Heavenly Venerable due to his military achievements, stepped down, the remaining people would not be able to support the position of Heavenly Venerable. According to the investigation of Yin Yang He Huan Sect, not all Heavenly Venerables of the Thirty-Six Continents were people with both strength and merit like Lu Chan, and many of them were often replaced after a few decades.

Because they were unable to quell local unrest, unable to eliminate evil spirits, and even discovered that famine was occurring.

Merits can be gained by eliminating evil spirits, and it is no problem with a little operation.

It just so happens that he knows the biggest evil leader, so he can get as many merits as he wants.
-
In the Morning Flower City, morning flowers that look like morning glories bloom all over the city walls every morning, absorbing the spiritual energy in the air.

Two notices were hung at the city gate, one of which was a "Confession of Sins" from a powerful Taoist named Yin Xu, urging him to reflect on his offense against the Heavenly Lord.

One is about the Ninghua Sect incident. Its successor has arrived in Taiyi City and took a shuttle to the Sanqing Taoist Sect.

Gu Wen stood at the foot of the city wall and explained to Chi Yuzi and Xie Yunan the principles of this city defense formation and the stories he knew.

"It is said that thousands of years ago, there was a woman named Chen who was seriously ill. Her husband traveled thousands of miles to seek elixir and died on the way. The woman named Chen waited year after year. When she was about to die, a fairy transformed her into a flower, looking in the direction of her husband's return."

Akabane took over the conversation and said, "Now it violates public order and morality and has been banned from spreading. You should have heard this from Yu Hua. The legend from eight hundred years ago has long been lost."

"why?"

"Because humans are not allowed to turn into monsters, this is clearly stipulated. For example, in strange novels, operas, and brothels, the main theme of human-monster romances is that monsters harm humans."

"I remember that Master has a fox fairy friend."

"This is not the decree of Immortal Qingcang, but the consensus reached by the first-class sects from all over the world after communicating with each other. The previous Sword Master of Zhejian Mountain said that monsters are not all evil, and humans are not saints, but since it is a life-and-death battle, we cannot let external objects affect the efficiency of cultivators in killing monsters."

Akabane gave an example: "When I kill a demon, I have to think about whether they are good or bad, but I don't have that much time to think about it when I'm on the battlefield. When humans and demons fight, it's a battle of great magnitude. If you don't win, you die."

Not from the perspective of good and evil, but from the perspective of efficiency and winning. Compared to when he was in the immortal land, Akabane is now much more mature, and he is already a powerful person in his bones.

There is less sentimentality and more consideration of interests.

Xie Yunnan remained silent, but couldn't help showing surprise on her face. This was completely contrary to the education she had received.

Monsters are not all evil, and humans are not saints.

This sentence was said by his master.

As you walk into the city, you can see exotic flowers and plants everywhere, colorful buildings and buildings, and you can see people with cultivation everywhere you go.

There are even more people who have pure energy. These people have no problems, but there is more or less pure energy remaining in their qi sea.

Gu Wen probably figured out the boundary between mortals and monks in the cultivation world, and there was no need for artificial rules. The more monks there were in a city, the higher the cost of living would be, and the fewer mortals there would be.

Or it may be built on a high mountain and the only way to reach it is by flying.

Chenhua City is only one-fourth the size of Youcheng where I stayed a few days ago, and the distance between the front, back, left and right is no more than twenty miles.

The largest road in the city is not used for transporting goods or passing through, but is an exhibition of exotic flowers and plants, and cultivators from all over the human race come here to visit.

Walk 1230 steps along the flower path and turn right, where you will find a tea shop with a Qinghua cake.

"Master, do you want to buy some pills?"

A servant in the Qi Refining Stage was standing at the door. Upon seeing Gu Wen, who was wearing a simple white robe and looked ordinary, accompanied by two fairies, he immediately came forward to greet him.

Gu Wen was slightly dazed. He looked up but could not see the word "Ming". The red wooden plaque read "Yin Yang Dan Fang".

“Isn’t there food for sale here?”

"It was indeed a restaurant under the Ninghua Sect before. Later, the entire Ninghua Sect died killing monsters, so the shop was transferred."

A somewhat wealthy foundation-building cultivator came out. Sitting at the counter, he noticed that Chi Yuzi and Xie Yunnan had extraordinary demeanor and were very enthusiastic towards Gu Wen.

"Senior, have you been here decades ago? If you want to find food in your old residence, it may not be easy to find. However, the shop has a Qingqi Pill that can assist in cultivation and increase the chances of condensing a golden pill."

He took out a bluish-white pill and promoted it, "Look at its luster. Three energies gather at the top of the head to create a bright day. It is indeed a top-quality pill."

Gu Wen picked up the sword, and a ray of clearness was reflected in his calm eyes.

Chi Yuzi at the side leaned forward and sniffed, saying, "It's really good. Who made this pill?"

"This involves the secrets of our sect, so it is not convenient to disclose it."

"Help me get three."

"Okay, please wait a moment, Master."

After leaving the pharmacy, Akabane picked up a pill and rubbed it, sometimes frowning, sometimes puzzled.

"Strange, really strange, how could there be such a medicine?"

Xie Yunan immediately became alert and asked, "Uncle Chi, is there something wrong with this elixir? Is it related to evil spirits?"

Spiritual veins, spiritual fields, and elixirs are the most important pillars of the human race and have always been under the strictest control. There are strict regulations on the crops grown in each spiritual field. It is said that Dao Zong has raised the Spiritual Mountain again above the Nine Heavens. There is a formation on it that can overlook the earth and observe the spiritual fields.

As soon as you change the fields from growing spiritual grains to growing spiritual medicines, people will come to your door. The sects that sell elixirs are the richest. If even they become evil spirits, then I'm afraid I'll have to ask Dao Sect to dispatch monks from other regions to suppress them.

Of course, this is the general situation. Xie Yunnan feels that the three of them can handle it. Uncle Gu and I can sweep the world!
"The aura of this elixir is completely natural and has no leaks. I'm afraid it requires a great master of alchemy to refine it. But it is just an elixir that can be used to break through the golden elixir."

Akabane licked it and found that there was not a trace of drug residue on the surface. When he probed with his spiritual power and magnified it a hundred times, it was still smooth.

If this is an elixir that can help a person improve their Taoist foundation, break through their Taoist realm, and achieve Taoism and ascend to heaven, then it is normal for it to have such a perfect form.

But this is just a pill that can break through the golden elixir.

"Is this made by Xuan Yue Banxian?"

Chi Yuzi looked at Gu Wen for confirmation, and the latter nodded slightly and said, "It should be. The alchemy furnace on him seems to be a rare treasure."

“Hiss! Xuan Yue Banxian is not a great master of alchemy. He is able to refine this level of elixir. It is obviously due to the alchemy furnace.”

The five-and-a-half-foot-tall girl's eyes sparkled as she said, "If we take it, we can use your heirloom cave to refine elixirs to be self-sufficient in the future, and it's not impossible to escape to the void."

Even the little saint Gu Wen said it was a rare treasure, so this might be another treasure that surpassed the Taoist artifacts. She had only seen treasures of this level from the Three Pure Ones Taoist sect, the Three Pure Ones Immortal Artifacts, the Taiqing Eight Diagrams, the Shangqing Jade Ruyi, and the Jade Pure Millet Pearl.

And these things all belong to the Three Pure Ones Taoist Sect. If they want to leave in the future, they will need such a treasure.

In addition to the demons, there are actually many recluses who do not care about worldly affairs in the spiritual world.

She pulled Gu Wen's clothes, not hiding her greed at all, and said, "This thing is meant for both of us!"

"It's good if you can get it, but it doesn't matter if you can't."

Gu Wen took out a Qingqi Pill, put it into his mouth and swallowed it. The pill entered his stomach like falling into the universe, with a wisp of clear air swirling around.

As soon as the thought came to mind, the pure energy immediately began to move, flowing along the meridians into the Qi Sea, just like a drop of water into a river, or a mayfly like a sea.

The body of the little saint was sitting cross-legged in the qi sea, and a few strands of hair were shining with golden light stretching for thousands of miles.

A new hair grew out, named [Golden Pill], three and a half feet long.

In the following three days, they walked all over the city. They neither went to Qianfeng Sect nor looked for the alchemy furnace. They just visited various places, looking for a food called Qinghua Cake.

Xie Yunan asked, "What kind of delicacy is this Qinghua Cake that Uncle Gu can't forget about it?"

"I don't know." Gu Wen shook his head and said, "I heard that the Qinghua Cake will go bad within an incense stick of time after it is made, so I have never eaten it."

Xie Yunan became even more confused and asked, "Then why do you keep searching?"

"An old friend told me that this Qinghua Cake has the best fragrance in the world."

Gu Wen took out the cloud-patterned paper from eight hundred years ago, picked a beautiful flower from the roadside, and gently shook it to turn it into a pen tip.

[…The city of morning flowers is indeed a great place to travel. Women love the elegance of its attics and the beauty of its scenery. Men are intoxicated by the beauty of its flower buildings. The restaurant you mentioned no longer exists, and it is difficult to find any trace of its descendants.]

[Maybe you know my mind because I know that if the food doesn’t taste good, the store will not exist.]
-
The bamboo forest has dead leaves and the houses are leaking light.

"Can you help me up there and put these thatches down?"

I heard a clear and gentle voice in my ears, and saw a woman in a gray Taoist robe walk in. Her sleeves were rolled up to reveal her snow-white arms, and there was a piece of straw stuck in her hair.

"The house is leaking. When will you fix it?"

"Replace thatch every three months, and repair tiles once a year. You can spend five years practicing in one go, so why bother repairing?"

The Taoist has been sitting cross-legged for five years, with a collapsed bed on his right and a rotten cushion on his left. Time is showing its power all the time, everything will eventually decay, and all living beings will eventually die.

This was what he realized. He could see the insects floating in the void eating everything.

"Because people need a house to shelter from the wind and rain."

The woman in Taoist robe came up to him with light steps, leaned forward slightly, and brought a faint fragrance. The hem of her robe was stained with mud, and her face was as bright as a begonia, yet not vulgar.

"Just like you are practicing now, the house also needs to be repaired. This house was built for you by Jiang Fugui, repaired by Xiao Yunyi, the windows were covered by He Huan, and the paintings on the wall were given to you by Lu Chan."

"That's where you, Jun Yan, Chi Yuzi and the others finished fighting and supported each other to rest."

Memories lingered in his ears. The Taoist remembered everyone. He remembered how clueless they were about cultivation when he first met Lu Chan and He Huan, and he remembered when Chi Yuzi and Jun Yan fought shoulder to shoulder against the enemy.

These are all part of the practice, but not all of it.

The Taoist said, "I remember all of this, and I will never forget it. But just as fallen leaves once sprouted, so too does a person's life. I was once a young and arrogant man, but I will also turn into mud after I wither."

The Taoist robe woman asked, "Are you teaching me how to practice?"

The Taoist said: "I am now a perfect immortal, so I can naturally teach you."

They are both teachers and friends. She was the one who first led me into spiritual practice. When I first started practicing, she was the source of all the great ways.

Now it's time for me to teach her how to become an immortal. She should be a phoenix flying high in the sky, and should not be staying at the bottom of the well with a loach like me.

"Don't be trapped by emotions, don't be stuck by mistakes, cultivate the true meaning and understand the original heart. If people are not burdened by the body, the Daluo Heaven will be in front of them."

The Taoist robe woman was stunned when she heard this, savoring the Taoist rhyme in it, then shook her head and said: "Forgetting emotions is not the great way. If forgetting emotions can lead to the Tao, then all the demons will be immortals."

The Taoist asked, "So how do you prove this path of compassion? From what I have seen, the powerful are emotionless, and the semi-immortals are emotionless."

"Master Qingcang is an immortal, but she has feelings, and she treats you as her own child."

"Master has been an immortal for 800 years, but now he is less than a thousand years old. Ruthlessness is born from age, and time is unstoppable. Who will still have true love after cultivating to the end?"

"You are less than a thousand years old now."

"I am different. If you can't prove the way of sentient beings, then don't come next time."

The Taoist closed his eyes. He didn't want her to come down from the beginning, and it was the same now.

The only difference was that he really began to let go of his attachment to her and his longing for the heaven and earth she spoke of. Everything was transformed into spiritual practice during his cultivation.

The house fell silent. Suddenly, a faint fragrance entered my nose and my lips were gently pecked.

When the Taoist opened his eyes again, the woman in Taoist robes had already taken three steps back. She clutched the hem of her clothes with both hands, which were pulled tight against her body. She pretended to be calm, but her ears were already red.

"Huajianzhou, Chenhuacheng, Qinghua Cake is the most fragrant in the world, which can help you understand the way of love."

(End of this chapter)