Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 101: Journey Thousands of Miles West to Seek the Way

After being taken onto the chariot by the great magical power of the ancestor Huang Longzi, Lu Cheng, Xue Yuzhen and Yun Linger could only see each other. They stepped on the clouds and the scenery around them moved rapidly backwards.

Not long after, the Jiaolong flying car landed on Guizang Mountain.

I saw palaces and buildings scattered all over Guizang Mountain. There was a building every five steps and a pavilion every ten steps. The buildings were decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and they looked like they were not from the human world.

These palaces and buildings were all covered in golden light. Looking from afar, Lu Cheng could feel the tremendous magical power contained in them.

At the key nodes of the palace, there were giants in golden armor on the left and right, who half-knelt on the ground respectfully and were extremely submissive as the sedan chair arrived.

Even in Lu Cheng, even Xue Yuzhen and Yun Linger, who were all from decent families, had never seen such grandeur and luxury.

After arriving at the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace, a golden halo enveloped the three of them and pushed them into the inner hall of the Taoist Palace.

The golden light suddenly became brighter. When Lu Cheng slightly closed his eyes and then slowly opened them, he found himself inside a magnificent hall.

The steps are made of white jade and gold stone, and the pillars in the courtyard are painted in gold and colorful colors.

Everywhere is tall and wide, and the momentum is magnificent and solemn.

Apparently, extremely precious incense was burning in the purple copper incense burner in the main hall. It rose up like wisps of green smoke and spread out, filling the room with a unique fragrance that refreshed the mind and invigorated the spirit.

The smooth marble floor underfoot was so bright that it reflected people's shadows. In the main hall, there was an old man sitting high on a dragon throne. Although he had gray hair and was wearing a Taoist robe, his skin was as solid as jade and his face was handsome. He exuded an aura like a god who was the only one in the world.

On his left side, sitting on a purple brocade couch was a graceful and beautiful woman with skin as white as jade and snow. Her face was like white plum blossoms under the moon, her eyebrows were picturesque, and there was a gentle light in her eyes.

She was wearing gorgeous clothes with intricate peonies embroidered on her lapels and a gentle smile on her lips, making people feel extremely kind.

On his right side, behind the jade table, was a pair of young and beautiful sisters, one in a white dress and the other in green, one cool and the other lively. They were also looking at Lu Cheng and the others, and they were chatting and laughing softly.

Counting further to the left and right, there are four cultivators, one woman and three men, but they all have extraordinary temperaments and powerful magical powers.

"I have read your master's letter. He will cause trouble for me. Back then, he went to Huoyun Mountain to establish a sect. My wife and I retired to the Western Regions to enjoy the blessings of immortality. A hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. Is your master doing well recently?"

An elegant and powerful voice was heard, echoing in the palace.

"Master has devoted himself to cultivation these years. Some time ago, he even fought a sword duel with Taixu Zhenren of the Xiantian Sect and won a great victory. Everything is fine."

Lu Cheng performed the Taoist ceremony and then talked about the recent situation of Huoyun Mansion.

"Hahahahahaha, that's good, that's good... This is my first wife, Baoxiang. You can just call her Master's Wife. These are my daughters, Xiao Yuhong and Xiao Yuxue. The rest are my useless disciples. You can get to know them slowly."

"Since you have come to my place, you can live in the Thunder Fire Hall from now on. If you have any questions about Taoism, you can ask me. If I am in seclusion, you can also ask your master's wife for advice."

Although Uncle-Master Huang Longzi always called Lu Cheng an old man, it was obvious that he was still quite protective of Lu Cheng.

The Thunder and Fire Palace is obviously the palace closer to the main palace, which is obviously a privilege.

"I came here to learn Taoism, and I have prepared some gifts for my uncle and mistress, as well as all my brothers and sisters."

As he spoke, Lu Cheng took out the Red Blood Ganoderma King from his ring and presented it to Huang Longzi with both hands. Xue Yuzhen and Yun Ling'er, who were standing by, also presented him with robes, rouge, powder and other treasures that girls liked, which they had picked out along the way.

Even to the four senior brothers and sisters, Lu Cheng presented each of them with a fourth-level talisman. When arriving at a place for the first time, if one has enough money, it is obviously better to make more good friends than to make more enemies.

"Red Blood Ganoderma King!?"

Seeing this fifth-grade spiritual medicine that is at least thousands of years old, even Taoist Huang Longzi's expression changed slightly.

He looked at Lu Cheng deeply. Huang Longzi knew his junior brother well. With Chi Shenzi's personality, it was impossible for him to bring such a precious gift to Lu Cheng.

"Well, with this treasure, you can refine the elixir and keep your youthful appearance for hundreds of years."

Taoist Huang Longzi was very happy to get the treasure.

So he ordered a night banquet and called on the beautiful women in the Taoist palace to sing and dance to entertain the guests.

Those blond, blue-eyed, and fair-skinned Seljuk girls, dressed in Middle-earth clothes, singing and dancing, were a unique sight.

In this Taoist palace, there are mountains of gold and seas of silver, and beautiful artists of various races, and endless enjoyment. During the banquet, Lu Cheng was given three treasures by Huang Longzi:

A bottle of fourth-grade Qingxin Yunyuan Dan can increase the magical power of a cultivator.

A third-grade top-grade Ten Thousand Beasts Transformation Banner, this is the most common and most powerful magic weapon of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. Legend has it that the sect's inherited treasure is the Seven Demons Banner, and seven golden elixir-level demon beasts are sealed inside it, with power so great that it is unimaginable.

A white jade key. With this key, one can freely enter the first three floors of the Sutra Library of the Ten Thousand Beasts Heavenly Palace. Why only the first three floors? Because the first three floors correspond to the classics of the three realms: innate, Qi training, and foundation building. If a cultivator is too ambitious and comprehends too many classics that are far beyond his own realm of Taoism, it is easy for the inner demons to grow and he will go astray.

Especially since the Palace of the Incarnation of Ten Thousand Beasts is still a place of evil, the inner demons are particularly severe.

"Lu Cheng, I have six disciples and two daughters. I don't want to take in any more disciples because it would cause me more trouble. But since your master has sent you here, I can't refuse. You will be the ninth disciple from now on. Your magic power is too weak. In addition, I hope that since you have come here to practice, you will also participate more in the affairs of my Northern Sect."

"Disciple, obey."

In this way, Lu Cheng and the other two settled down in the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace in Guizang Mountain in the Western Regions.

Uncle Huang Longzi has six disciples in total. The eldest disciple Yuwen Zheng is ordered by his master to guard a place outside. The third disciple Ou Bai is refining Gangsha in another place. The second disciple Wu Lingjun, the fourth disciple Nangong Jing, the fifth disciple Niu Meng, and the sixth disciple Zhongli Ling are all serving their master in the palace.

Those senior brothers and sisters accepted Lu Cheng's benefits at the banquet, and after the banquet they sent many servants and various tools and treasures to Lu Cheng's Leihuo Palace.

In Huoyun Mansion, it is a quiet and hard place to practice. Chishenzi has more disciples than servants. The old servants and cooks take care of the young children who were brought to the mountain at a young age. Chishenzi himself does not have any servants or Taoist children.

But this is not possible in the Demon Sect. There are countless Taoist temples on Guizang Mountain, which is like a small city. Every day when the sun rises in the east, the sunlight shines down.

There are countless Taoist temples on Mount Guizang, which seem to be built of countless gold, silver, colored glaze, agate, pearls and jade. In addition, Taoist Huang Longzi can control the clouds and rain and wield the authority of heaven and earth. The people in the surrounding Western Regions regard this place as a holy city.

Countless wealthy people and nobles offered all their property, just hoping that someone in their family could enter the Holy City as a servant.

If they could kiss the toes of the immortals in the holy city, they would be willing to die immediately.

It can be said that the ascetics in this Palace of Ten Thousand Beasts, in addition to practicing Taoism, enjoy services and pleasures far beyond those of earthly emperors.

It is the endless enjoyment and boundless happiness.

The Palace of Ten Thousand Beasts, the Palace of Thunder and Fire.

"The body is a bodhi tree, the mind is like a bright platform. Wipe it frequently and do not let it collect dust."

"There is no Bodhi tree, nor is there a platform for enlightenment. There is nothing at all, so where can dust gather?"

Sitting upright on the cushion, Lu Cheng held the banner of the transformation of all beasts in his hand and softly recited the verses of two Buddhist sages from his previous life.

What he was thinking about in his mind was the similarities and differences between Master Chi Shen Zi of Huoyun Mansion and Uncle Master Huang Longzi in their respective cultivation.

Master Chi Shenzi was obviously a hard-working person, always cleaning himself, seeking gradual progress and the great way. Master Huang Longzi... Thinking back to his god-like majesty, Lu Cheng didn't believe that he had given up the pursuit of Taoism. On the contrary, he might have chosen a more dangerous and radical path, seeking only progress without considering the whole.

Lu Cheng only felt that these were just foggy thoughts. He didn't even think that what he thought was necessarily right. Perhaps Master Huang Longzi had already given up on the path of Taoism. The reason why he kept glorifying his uncle in his heart was only because he was oppressed by the aura of the other party, a Jindan Zhenren, and instinctively surrendered.

In the following days, Lu Cheng began to hold the White Jade Key and go to the Sutra Library in the palace to read every day. The collection of books in the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was very different from that in the Fire Cloud Mansion. Even a cursory look would take decades. Even if he only looked for the parts related to his own practice, Lu Cheng would have to spend several years reading the relevant classics on the foundation-building realm.

But Lu Cheng was not in a hurry. He was only 47 years old and had already reached the fourth level of magic power. The speed of cultivation was certainly not very fast, but as long as he laid a solid foundation and practiced step by step, he would be able to condense his evil spirit and refine his magic.

Among the two steps of Condensing Sha and Refining Gang, the most important one is to temper the true form. This is a step that cannot be rushed, as mistakes will occur if you rush.

Therefore, Lu Cheng trained his mind every day to calm his anxious emotions. He even did not take the bottle of Qingxin Yunyuan Pill given to him by Uncle Huang Longzi.

Lu Cheng knew clearly what Uncle Huang Longzi was thinking. At the fourth level of foundation building, taking Qingxin Yunyuan Pill would greatly increase his magic power, allowing him to cultivate to the late stage of foundation building in the shortest time. As for the pill poison and the impure magic power, they would be slowly resolved in the late stage of foundation building. The magic power in the late stage of foundation building is stronger than that in the middle stage of foundation building, and has more self-preservation ability. This way, he would be more confident of getting through any disaster.

Even if disciples of a large sect have the protection of their teachers, their teachers may not always be around.

It's just that Lu Cheng is proud of his swordsmanship. Even if there are a few ninth-level foundation-building cultivators in the world who he cannot defeat, it will not be difficult for him to escape unscathed. And if those who have concentrated their magic power or refined their energy take action, the added combat power of a little extra mana will be limited.

Therefore, Lu Cheng was not in a hurry to increase his magic power, but instead recited more Taoist books to enhance his own Taoist foundation.

In the following days, Lu Cheng practiced cultivation, sword skills, and reading. Occasionally, he would go to listen to his uncle's lectures on Taoism.

During this period, the senior brothers and sisters living in the Taoist Palace, and even Senior Sister Xiao Yuxue, had invited Lu Cheng to go out for banquets and outings to enjoy endless immortal blessings.

But Lu Cheng politely declined all the invitations and just focused on cultivating his Dao. Gradually, no one invited him anymore.

Snapped.

The colored glaze jade cup was smashed to pieces. A young girl in white with bright eyes and white teeth as white as jade and snow was so angry that her eyebrows raised. The maids around her were so scared that they all knelt on the ground and trembled.

"What do you mean? I was worried that he was having a boring time in the palace, so I invited him to banquets again and again, but he was either in seclusion or sending his concubine or adopted daughter to deal with it. I, Xiao Yuxue, have no face in the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace?"

Yuxue Palace, banquet.

Wu Lingjun, Nangong Jing, Niu Meng, and Zhongli Ling were all present, and in the center of the banquet a group of skilled jugglers were performing hard.

They took ice from the water, used magic ropes, performed thrilling acrobatics and performed hilarious crosstalk.

These artists have done their best by performing for the immortals.

If the performance is good, a few spirit stones will be given as a reward, which will last a lifetime. If the performance is not good, there are cases where one may not even leave this place.

But their efforts could not extinguish the anger of the noble lady of the Xiao family.

"Alas, Junior Sister, Junior Brother Nine has not yet completed his profound cultivation, and cannot rest assured to enjoy the blessings of immortality. It is right for him to work harder now. Don't be so angry."

Wu Lingjun lightly tapped the wine glass at hand, and ice crystals immediately appeared in the grape wine inside. Then, she pushed the wine over with her magic power, and Xiao Yuxue took it and drank it all.

"What's so difficult about cultivating immortality? All of my father's disciples have achieved profound skills and can enjoy hundreds of years of immortality. Only foolish people like this would take it so seriously, but they don't realize that they are too concerned and end up struggling."

Most of the people in the world who fail to accomplish things are not crushed by the things they do, but by their own thoughts. The more difficult you think something is, the more difficult it becomes.

No matter what, just go for it, sometimes you can achieve your wish.

Xiao Yuxue has been educated by her parents since she was young, and she has a great talent for practicing Taoism. When she practices, she follows the right path, step by step without haste or delay, and has never encountered any difficulties.

In her opinion, it was not good for Junior Brother Lu Cheng to be so thoughtful, so she frequently invited him out to play, but she didn't expect that she would be rejected.

The sisters Xiao Yuhong and Xiao Yuxue were not counted as Huang Longzi's disciples. Those with higher cultivation than them were called junior sisters, and vice versa, they were called senior sisters. Xiao Yuxue had been a junior sister for decades, and when she saw someone younger than her coming, she didn't expect that he was a useless guy.

"I have made friends with cultivators from Huoyun Mansion and have talked about Lu Cheng. I heard that he is good at dual cultivation and his concubine is indeed a beautiful woman. This person was able to cultivate to the authentic foundation. He probably stayed in Huoyun Mansion to rely on this. That's why Uncle Chi Shenzi was unwilling to teach him and sent him to the master's seat, hoping that he could have a future."

The sixth brother, Zhongli Ling, said this while drinking.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this person anymore. I heard that the Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly has started again. Did you get an invitation, Junior Sister?"

Nangong Jing, who was the most handsome and unrestrained among the crowd, like a young scholar, asked.

The Bajing Sect has a long tradition and profound foundation. It is considered to be the leader of the eight orthodox religions in China. This sect likes to write books to explain Taoism and be kind to others.

It is said that this sect observes the fortune of the world. Whenever the fortune of Taoism is strong, the Eight Scenes Sect will hold the Eight Scenes Dharma Assembly, inviting the world's most outstanding cultivators in the foundation-building realm and the evil-condensing and refining realm to gather at the Eight Scenes Blessed Land, the Daoist Mountain, to evaluate the world's Taoism, and to fight swords and magic on the spot, and give the winners extremely generous rewards:

Taoist books, top-grade elixirs, top-grade magic weapons, spiritual beasts, flying boats. It can be said that except for not being able to directly provide Taoist companions, which makes it inferior to the Demon Sect, the Eight Scenes Sect has everything.

Sometimes, even when the Eight Scenes Sect was clearly at war with the Demon Sect, when the Eight Scenes Dharma Assembly began, they would still invite disciples from the enemy sect. As long as they were able to verify the Tao, they would be rewarded with elixirs and magic weapons, even if the magic weapons awarded would cause the sect's disciples to die and cause rivers of blood to flow.

However, it is precisely this kind of demeanor and behavior that regards the development of Taoism in the world as its own responsibility that has allowed the Eight Scenery Sect to become the leader of the eight orthodox religions in Middle-earth. Even the monks of the Demon Sect are willing to trust the reputation of this sect.

Upon hearing what Fourth Senior Brother said, Xiao Yuxue took a sip of the iced wine and lowered her head in silence.

The Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly only invites the strongest Taoists in the two realms of Foundation Establishment and Condensing Sha and Refining Gang. Although Xiao Yuxue is confident that she has some talent and ability, she is not sure whether she can get the invitation from the Eight Scenery Sect this time.

When the fourth disciple Nangong Jing saw the expression on the face of his junior sister, he knew that he had hit the wrong target with his flattery.

The reason why he asked this was because at the last Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly a hundred years ago, Xiao Yuxue's sister Xiao Yuhong represented the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect in the battle and was awarded the four words: "Jade Sword Flying Rainbow".

Xiao Yuxue's aptitude for cultivation is no less than her elder sister's, and may even be better, but she is too playful and it seems that she is not even sure whether she will be chosen.

"Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly cannot be completed in full. Besides, it will take another one or two years from preparation to the official start of this Dharma Assembly. Maybe Junior Sister will have some enlightenment during this time."

Second Senior Sister Wu Lingjun didn't want to embarrass the younger Junior Sister, so she started to change the subject and talk about other interesting things.

While these people were feasting, Lu Cheng was reading many Taoist books and classics in the Sutra Library of the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace.

From the "Spiritual Insects Catalog", Lu Cheng realized that when he was cultivating the golden silkworm Gu that could produce hundreds of poisons, he made many mistakes and got half the result with twice the effort.

In "A Hundred Mirrors of Wolf and Beasts", Lu Cheng learned that he could refine a special beast pill that would greatly increase the loyalty of dog and wolf monsters to him after swallowing it, thus achieving twice the result with half the effort.

In the "Records of the Sect", Lu Cheng learned about the Taoism of the Ten Thousand Beasts Incarnation Palace. Although it can break through the innate lifespan of human cultivators, it is also very easy to fall into the calamity of being lost, be seduced by the beast blood in one's own body, and completely lose one's humanity and turn into a monster.

A cultivator in the late stage of Qi training lives for 120 years, a cultivator in the foundation building stage lives for 240 years, and the lifespans of cultivators in the stages of condensing evil spirits and refining inner energy vary depending on the evil spirits and inner energy they cultivate. However, most of them are independent cultivators or cultivators from other sects whose skills are not fully inherited.

In a top demon sect like the Ten Thousand Beasts Incarnation Palace, as long as the cultivators condense their true form step by step, they can gain a lifespan of nearly 500 years.

Moreover, these elder-level monks in the Ten Thousand Beasts Incarnation Palace can transform back into monsters, escape the lifespan of humans, and thus achieve immortality.

Unlike the Huoyun Mansion, a newly established sect, no one knows how many elders of the Wanshou Incarnation Palace, a sect with thousands of years of history, who have transformed into monsters, still have not fallen into the calamity of being lost.

(End of this chapter)