Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 115 Eight Scenery Ceremony
Although cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage have cultivated magical powers to nourish their bodies, thus preventing them from getting sick and extending their lifespan, they still need food and sleep under normal circumstances.

Meditation can replace sleep to a certain extent, but if it is to replace it completely, it would almost free itself from the limitations of the innate physical body and become closer to being a god.

However, the state of meditation in which monks sit in seclusion for a long time without drinking, eating or moving is somewhat similar to the state of internal breathing and fetal breathing. Even a mortal can persist for a long time if he practices properly.

Lu Cheng was already a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, having established his foundation through the Five Qis Converging to Origin. His foundation was extremely solid, so he meditated in seclusion for a month. When his mind returned to normal, he only felt that the blood circulation in his body was a little sluggish and his vitality was slightly damaged.

Lu Cheng sat on a stone bed cushion, chanted a spell, and the clear spring flowing in the cave flew out of thin air and formed a ball of water in front of the Taoist.

Still, a golden light flashed on the palm that was waving the seal, and gurgling globules of jade honey flew out, without the need for cups or bowls, as they were swept together with the water flow out of thin air. Then Lu Cheng opened his mouth, and the mixed honey water poured into his mouth, gurgling into his stomach, replenishing his vitality and nourishing his body.

The honey of the auspicious jade bee is a natural elixir that is very beneficial to cultivators. That group of auspicious jade bees have been living and multiplying in that world for who knows how many years. Their natural accumulation of cultivation has reached the peak of the third-grade upper level. If combined with the catalytic secret method of the Ten Thousand Beasts Incarnation Palace, Lu Cheng is sure that he can upgrade them to the fourth grade in a short period of time. At that time, the jade bee nectar will be enjoyed even by Jindan Zhenren.

If it is upgraded to the fifth level, it will become a secret treasure of the Jindan Zhenren cultivators. It can remove inner fire, ward off evil thoughts, break up evil spirits, nourish the body, and restore vitality. It can be said to be of infinite benefit.

At this moment, it was just third-grade honey water. After Lu Cheng swallowed a large amount of it, his face, which had originally been slightly pale due to loss of vitality, quickly regained its rosy color.

With his damaged vitality, there was no need for him to use this kind of spiritual item, but Lu Cheng cherished his body and it was his own thing, so he had no reluctance to give it up.

"In fact, this is the biggest gain in the short term. It is really an unexpected surprise." Amidst the flashing golden light, a green-scaled snake king with horns on its head and white hair on its neck turned into the size of an ordinary python and fell to the ground to form a snake formation.

It did not follow the path of condensing evil and refining qi in this world, but after absorbing the essence and spiritual energy of the sun and the moon for many years, it did reach the fourth level.

After being injected with a large amount of poison by the Golden Silkworm Gu, he was controlled by it and fell into a half-dead and half-alive state, and could be driven out of the Jiuli Ding by Lu Cheng.

As he spent more and more time mastering this artifact, Lu Cheng gradually understood some of the tricks of using it.

For example, the Jiuli Ding cannot subdue humans, but if the opponent is a zombie, it can subdue it.

For example, summoning a fourth-order dog demon will greatly consume Lu Cheng's spiritual consciousness, but by controlling other poisonous insects with the Hundred Poisons Golden Silkworm Gu and then summoning them out, Lu Cheng's spiritual consciousness consumption will be extremely low.

This fourth-order green-scaled snake king may not be stronger than the dog demon, but it can sustain its existence for several hours, which can be used as a regular fighting method.

Outside the stone chamber for training, Lu Cheng tidied himself, washed and adjusted himself before flying out.

I met the concubine Xue Yuzhen who was waiting outside:
"Master, you have finally finished your retreat."

"What time is it now? Has the Eight Scenery Ceremony already started?" Lu Cheng also knew what Xue Yuzhen was worried about, so he asked.

"The imperial carriage that was waiting for you arrived half a month ago, but you were in meditation at that time, and the Great Elder said not to disturb you until today."

"Well, OK, I will go and pay my respects to Master right away."

As soon as Lu Cheng finished speaking, he felt the scenery outside him changing rapidly. When he calmed his mind, he appeared in front of Master Huang Longzi's seat.

However, Huang Longzi thought he was slow, so he used his great magical power to capture him.

"Yes, you have sufficient vitality and a clear mind. It seems that you have gained a lot from your enlightenment this time." Taoist Huang Longzi looked him up and down and nodded.

Not all monks can gain something from their sudden enlightenment. Many monks have a flash of inspiration in their minds, but they cannot capture or control it no matter what. In the end, they can only waste the opportunity and regret it for the rest of their lives.

"It's because of Master's proper teaching."

“Hahahaha, you’ve only been with me for a few years, but I won’t take credit for this. It’s just that in this Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly, you not only represent the face of my Ten Thousand Beasts Incarnation Palace, but also the face of Huoyun Mansion. People who are familiar with you will know the relationship between you and my junior brother.”

"Okay, enough of the small talk. Every previous Eight Scenic Spots Dharma Assembly would host a banquet for participants one month in advance, inviting them to visit scenic spots and discuss the Dao. Now half a month has passed. With your level of Dao, you can still make it to Chang'an in the remaining half a month. As your master, I will lend you a helping hand."

As soon as Master Huang Longzi finished speaking, Lu Cheng felt a tremendous magical power enveloping him.

The next moment, just like before, the surrounding scenery moved and changed rapidly, but Lu Cheng himself was wrapped and protected by a force of magic, so he was not directly squeezed into a meat paste by the pressure of the energy.

boom.

Just like a meteor from the sky, it was first thrown obliquely and then fell straight to the ground. The moment Lu Cheng landed, the rocks on all sides collapsed and shattered, and the ground cracked, but he himself was not subjected to any external force, and he landed lightly.

Looking further west, Guizang Mountain has completely disappeared.

"My new master is also impatient. I didn't even bring any luggage with me, and I didn't even leave a word with my concubine's daughter."

Although he complained, Lu Cheng did not dare to fly back. He could only look up at the stars and determine his current location in his mind.

But at this moment, sword lights and colorful lights flew up from the nearby forests and surrounded them.

"Who are you? Why are you disturbing my Nether Sword Sect's base?"

The young man who flew over first and spoke, dressed in black clothes and carrying a long sword on his back, had a cold temperament, and had the cultivation level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. The sword energy emanating from his body could be described as sharp.

A group of male and female nuns followed beside and behind him, the men carried swords and the women were charming.

"The Netherworld Sword Sect, one of the Nine Palace Sects in the Nine Palaces Demon Realm of the Western Region."

At this time, Lu Cheng thought of the old man Ren who made a living by telling stories in the City That Never Sleeps. He regarded Burning Wood Mountain and the City That Never Sleeps as subordinate forces of the Gu God Cult, and the Nine Palaces Demon Realm and the Thousand Corpse Cult as subordinate forces of the Ten Thousand Beasts Incarnation Palace.

The situation in reality is ten thousand times more complicated than in the storytelling. Burning Wood Mountain and the City That Never Sleeps do pay tribute to the Gu God Cult, but the Gu God Cult does not have the power to directly command these two forces, and it also has to provide protection and maintain the stability of the southern border cultivation world.

The Thirty-Six Kingdoms in the Western Regions fought several bloody battles with the Tang Dynasty, and the space was unstable. There were several Yin veins connected to the underworld, so there was a fertile soil for the survival of such spiritual practices as the Thousand Corpse Sect and the Nine Palaces Demon Realm.

The Nine Palaces Demon Realm is a large special space with a vast territory and rich cultivation resources. There are many cultivation forces entrenched in it. The nine strongest sects among these forces are collectively called the Nine Palaces Demon Realm. They can be regarded as dominating one side, but only five of the strongest sects are relatively stable:

Xuehe Sect, Mingji Sword Sect, Miaohua Sect, Netherworld Sword Sect, and Divine Weapon Pavilion. The last four sects change frequently because the ranking of the sects is directly related to the amount of cultivation resources obtained, so the competition is fierce.

And it's not just the sects that are in chaos. The Xuehe Sect, the Miaohua Sect, and the Netherworld Sword Sect, these three are all thoroughly evil sects, while the Mingji Sword Sect and the Divine Weapon Pavilion, especially the Mingji Sword Sect, are well-known for their strict and upright rules even among the orthodox Xuanmen.

Therefore, the Nine Palaces Demon Realm is listed as one of the sixteen evil sects in the world, but it is a fusion of good and evil that neutralizes the two.

"I am Lu Cheng, the ninth disciple of Master Huang Longzi from the Wanshou Incarnation Palace."

Thoughts raced through his mind as Lu Cheng held the Daoist formula and bowed.

The people from the Netherworld Sword Sect and the Miaohua Sect, who had been looking at each other in a threatening manner, visibly turned to look at each other and their expressions quickly softened.

"Doesn't Patriarch Huang Longzi have only eight disciples?"

"I recently heard that the Immortal seemed to have accepted a new disciple, who went by the alias Beiyue and killed Wan Zongshao of Youhun City. Could it be this person?"

Demon cultivators, most of the time, just bully the weak and always try to avoid clashes with the strong.

It is said that the divine thunder of righteous law and the mysterious light of Buddhism can restrain the devil cultivators. In fact, what the devil cultivators fear most is the devil cultivators who are stronger than themselves.

"My name is Sima Peng. Nice to meet you, Fellow Daoist Lu. Where are you going?"

The young man who had been there at the beginning was still able to hold on, and asked after returning the gift.

"Oh, I wanted to attend the Wanbao Conference, but my master cast a spell on me and I ended up here."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the rubble and cracks in the ground around Lu City. These were originally nothing, but this place was nearly a thousand miles away from Guizang Mountain. What kind of magical power was this?
Sima Peng's expression became softer and his waist became more flexible. "We are also going to participate in the Wanbao Conference. It is said that this Wanbao Conference in Yingyuan Mountain, Chang'an, is funded by the Li Tang royal family. It is very lively. Not only can we know the ranking of the most outstanding cultivators of this generation in the first place, but we can also see many rare instruments, Taoist books, and rare treasures in the world that we don't usually see. If you don't mind, why don't you go with us? We can take care of you along the way."

Lu Cheng declined a few times, but Sima Peng and the female cultivators beside him were extremely enthusiastic, so Lu Cheng had no choice but to go with them.

So, in the next few days, Lu Cheng saw what it meant to be a slutty and unrestrained bitch.

If he hadn't been naturally clean, he would have almost been raped by the female cultivators from the Miaohua Sect.

It was not until Lu Cheng actually killed a female cultivator from the Miaohua Sect that they realized the man's bottom line, and their relationship became much more harmonious.

Originally, the Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly was just a small Dharma Assembly where the Eight Scenery Views, through the changes in the destiny of the world, invited the heroes of Taoism to gather to compare their strengths and weaknesses, discuss Taoism, and taste the Taoist fruits of Yuxu Yan together.

Later, as time went by, the name of this Dharma Assembly spread like wildfire and became more and more famous. More and more cultivators went to the Dharma Assembly on their own initiative without accepting invitations. The Eight Views knew that it was better to guide than to block, so they simply took advantage of the situation and held the Ten Thousand Treasures Conference for group cultivators. These people did not participate in the real Eight Views Dharma Assembly, but they could be the first to know the news of the Dharma Assembly. Ordinary cultivators could also exchange what they had at the Ten Thousand Treasures Conference and gain their own rewards.

Even the eight landscapes can earn a large amount of spirit stones through this ceremony, killing two birds with one stone and everyone wins.

One day, Lu Cheng was meditating in the tent when he suddenly heard the sound of flying swords clashing outside the tent. Lu Cheng was extremely sensitive to such sounds, so he dodged immediately.

The two men outside had been fighting with flying swords for a while. One was Sima Peng, the leader of the Nether Sword Sect, and the other was a middle-aged female cultivator in Taoist robes. She was impressive at first sight:
Because she was very ordinary, looking like an ordinary middle-aged woman. If she changed into ordinary clothes instead of Taoist robes, she would probably be lost in the secular world.

A cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage can already change his appearance when his life is sublimated (when he is promoted to the Foundation Establishment Stage), and his magic power also has the effect of nourishing the body.

However, this middle-aged female cultivator had dark yellow skin and ordinary looks, but her swordsmanship was sharp and unique. When the people from the Nether Sword Sect saw that Sima Peng was in an irreversible disadvantage, they all drew their swords. However, even though they were outnumbered, they still could not get away with the sword of this middle-aged female cultivator.

What's more, this female swordsman was not alone. Behind her, there were many male and female swordsmen in Taoist robes following her on swords, all of whom had excellent swordsmanship.

"Mingji Sword School!"

In the Western Regions, a sect with such a distinct style is easy to distinguish. In addition, there are monks from the Divine Weapon Pavilion traveling with them. They are wearing heavy armor and controlling multiple magical weapons.

Before any casualties occurred on either side, Lu Cheng suddenly drew his sword. The swift and sharp sword light instantly separated and forced the two sides back.

"What's your name, fellow Daoist? I am Lu Cheng, the ancestor of Fire Cloud Mansion, Red God Son."

The middle-aged female cultivator with the most advanced swordsmanship present was also knocked back by Lu Cheng's swordsmanship.

The monks of Mingji Sword Sect have upright conduct but they are not seeking death, not to mention that Lu Cheng has already announced himself as a master of an upright sect through his spiritual consciousness.

"I am Han Junru from the Mingji Sword Sect. Since you are a senior disciple of Huoyun Mansion, why do you hang out with these evil spirits? Why don't we join forces to kill all the evil spirits!"

"Fellow Daoist Han, I am here at the order of my master to visit my master at the Ten Thousand Beasts Incarnation Palace. I will not interfere in your fight, but I would like to remind you that you are equally strong. If you continue to fight, you will kill 10,000 enemies and lose 8,000 of your own..."

With Lu Cheng's mediation, the four sects, namely the Netherworld Sword Sect, Miaohua Sect, Mingji Sword Sect, and Divine Weapon Pavilion, temporarily eased the tension and even decided to go to Yingyuan Mountain together.

This was beyond Lu Cheng's expectations. He thought that it was a good result for both parties to part ways here.

However, he had not expected that within the Nine Palaces Demon Realm, good and evil had long been accustomed to mutual compromise and coexistence. If they were really completely incompatible, how could the situation of five factions coexisting continue to this day?

Among the people in the Divine Weapon Pavilion, Lu Cheng unexpectedly met an old acquaintance, the female cultivator Qin Wanning, whom he accidentally rescued when he was Beiyue. Now she had already become a disciple of the Divine Weapon Pavilion. Qin Wanning was overjoyed when she saw Lu Cheng, and was extremely affectionate with her savior.

In this way, half a month passed, and the group successfully arrived at Yingyuan Mountain Eight Views Beppu south of Chang'an.

This is not the mountain gate of the Eight Scenic Spots. As the first gate in the world, the Eight Scenic Spots have Taoist temples and villas in various places in the Tang Dynasty.

In addition, during this half-month trip, Lu Cheng did one thing:
Among the monks of the Nether Sword Sect and the Miaohua Sect, he found a little girl named Miao Chuyun who was responsible for serving tea and taking care of everyone.

She was a clean girl, but she was born in Miaohua Sect. She had an ugly birthmark on her face and was the target of bullying and humiliation by the monks in Miaohua Sect.

So Lu Cheng asked Sima Peng to get the girl and sent her directly to the Mingji Sword Sect.

At the same time, Lu Cheng discovered that Qin Wanning was not satisfied with her current position and future in the Divine Weapon Pavilion, so he helped her get in touch with Sima Peng.

Let those who are ambitious go to a place where their ambitions can grow.

Let those who long for quietness go to a peaceful and tranquil place for practice.

Lu Cheng himself didn’t know why he did this. Maybe he just thought it was interesting. What kind of fruit would two completely different seeds produce if they were planted in soil that suits them?
"Brother Lu, where are you going? The Wanbao Conference is over here."

In front of Jiutian Yingyuan Mansion, Sima Peng watched Lu Cheng walk towards the Taoist temple on the mountain and spoke subconsciously.

"Friend Lu Dao?"

Han Junru also noticed this. She liked Miao Chuyun very much. Although he was born in a place like Miaohua Sect, he was able to keep himself clean from the inside out and yearn for a peaceful and tranquil path. He was simply the destined successor of Mingji Sword Sect. Because of her love for him, she also had a better impression of Lu Cheng as a middleman.

As the two people called out to him, Lu Cheng turned around, smiled and bowed to say goodbye.

Then he came to the Taoist temple and handed his invitation to the Taoist boy guarding the temple:
"I am Lu Cheng, and I am here to attend the Dharma Assembly."

"Why did you arrive only now? Come in, the Eight Scenery Ceremony has already begun."

The Taoist boy guarding the temple was more anxious than Lu Cheng. He immediately led Lu Cheng into the temple.

And he shouted loudly: "The incarnation of all beasts, Gong Luzhen, has arrived!"

The Wanbao Conference at the foot of the mountain was extremely lively, and the Eight Scenic Spots Dharma Assembly in the temple, including the hosts of the eight scenic spots, had a total of no more than a hundred people.

Of course, this is the front temple where the cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage are located, while the cultivators who are concentrating their energy and refining their inner strength are deeper inside the temple.

……

"Brother Lu, this way."

As soon as Lu Cheng walked in, a clear and elegant voice with joy sounded.

Lu Cheng looked over and saw that Xiao Yuxue was already sitting behind a long table. Although she was treated as a Jindan Zhenren, she could sit there if she wanted.

"Why did you come just now? I thought you were going to be late."

Xiao Yuxue was wearing an elegant green dress today, her lapels fluttering in the wind, and she had a friendly smile on her face, making people feel like they were in the spring breeze.

"How can I miss it if I know the exact time?" Lu Cheng sat down with a smile, and soon a Taoist child from the temple brought him fruits and tea.

"My sister's is hosted by the Eight Landscape Master himself, and this one is hosted by a true disciple of the Eight Landscape. The rules are that monks of the same realm draw lots and fight with swords. In the end, nine people will get the treasures of the Eight Landscape. Monks of lower realms can challenge monks of higher realms. Monks of higher realms cannot challenge monks of lower realms, but they can refuse challenges from monks of lower realms."

Seeing Lu Cheng arrive, Xiao Yuxue felt relieved and began to explain the rules of the ceremony to Lu Cheng.

Because the Eight Scenery Assembly brings together the most outstanding cultivators of the younger generation in the world, and the gaps between them are relatively small, so it is broken down into cultivators in the early stage of foundation building fighting against each other, middle stage fighting against middle stage, and late stage fighting against late stage. Otherwise, a small realm gap in mana would be difficult to make up when everyone is the top true disciple of each sect.

At the same time, the female disciple of the Eight Views had also taken out nine treasures: secret techniques, magical instruments, talismans, elixirs and spiritual objects. As the Eight Views of the world's number one sect, everything they took out were treasures, which made many cultivators present excited.

(End of this chapter)