Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 133: Cultivation and Management, Fifteen Years of Advancement to the Ninth Level of Foundation Building

The ghost cave in the Yinfeng Land is cold and gloomy. When the cold wind blows across the body, the coldness invades the skin and seeps into the meridians and internal organs. If one does not use magic power to resist and nourish from time to time, even the body of a cultivator will be damaged over the years.

"Your Excellency, this way please."

A middle-aged Taoist priest wearing a thick gray and black Taoist robe led a man and two women to the underground palace.

"Lord Nangong went out to hunt underground demons a few years ago and has not returned for many years. After Lord Shangshi came here, all matters here will be decided by Lord Shangshi."

Although he was saying flattering words, the environment can change a person's temperament. Even when this middle-aged Taoist said these words, he had a sinister aura, which made people misunderstand that they had entered a shady shop and that he had many terrible calculations in his mind.

Seeing that the palace had been cleaned up everywhere, Lu Cheng nodded and said, "Okay, you can go down. If there is still need, I will call you."

"Yes."

The middle-aged Taoist bowed and stepped back. Naturally, palace maids came forward to pay their respects to him. However, most of them were Seljuq women, and their age and appearance were far inferior to those of the maids in the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace.

This ghost cave in the dark wind is connected to several important mineral veins. There are nearly a thousand monks from the Northern Sect and hundreds of thousands of miners stationed there. It is an important place for the sect as it produces a lot of spiritual resources.

However, for individual cultivators, it is difficult to cultivate magic power in the ghost cave of Yinfeng. Although the Yinfeng here has the effect of tempering the body and spirit, in general, the longer the time spent staying there, the more it will hinder the path of cultivation.

Therefore, Fourth Senior Brother Nangong Jing did not hesitate to risk going deep underground, hoping to redeem himself for his crime and leave here as soon as possible.

This ghost cave of gloomy wind is not occupied exclusively by the Northern Sect of the Palace of the Incarnation of Ten Thousand Beasts. Most of the spiritual stones and spiritual mines are occupied by the Northern Sect, but the Nine Palaces Demon Realm also has a share here. There is also the Thousand Corpse Sect, which is hated by everyone, and is also hiding deep underground. It suddenly attacks from time to time to kill monks from various sects.

The cultivator guarding this place is the Jindan Grandmaster, the red-haired ancestor Gongsun Lie. It is said that he has Semu ancestry and has been practicing alchemy for hundreds of years. He has profound magical powers and extraordinary supernatural powers. Even Master Huang Longzi has to respect him as a senior.

After Lu Cheng, Xue Yuzhen and Yun Ling'er settled down in this palace, they watched Yun Ling'er's breath turn pale and her face turn slightly blue.

Lu Cheng took out two jade bottles from his sleeves and handed them to Xue Yuzhen and Yun Linger respectively: "Take a small amount, your body should be warmer."

Xue Yuzhen and Yun Ling'er picked up the jade bottle and took some each. Both of them looked obviously surprised and happy.

"So sweet!"

"Master, is this honey from spirit bees?"

The spiritual object that Lu Cheng took out was, of course, the jade bee jelly of the auspicious jade bee. Jade bee jelly is a neutral spiritual object. If one has a yin and cold constitution, it will replenish yang energy and moisten the lungs. If one has a yang constitution, it will moisturize and reduce inflammation. So in terms of medicinal properties, it can tonify the middle, invigorate qi, moisturize, relieve pain, and detoxify.

"Take one bottle every seven days with warm water. I'm not asking you to eat it as a snack. Although the environment of the Yinfeng Ghost Cave is harsh, it can temper your body and spirit and strengthen your foundation. You have this honey to nourish you, so you should concentrate on practicing Taoism."

"Yes."

Just like that, Lu Cheng and the other two settled down in this gloomy ghost cave.

Lu Cheng took some time to visit the Red Haired Ancestor and presented him with a few bottles of Jade Bee Honey. The Red Haired Ancestor bestowed upon him a few magical instruments and gave him some advice on cultivation. They then completed the ceremony.

No matter where they go, practicing Buddhism is the core of a monk's life, whether in the underground palace or in the stone chamber for practice.

"At that time, the Heavenly Venerable Savior of Suffering filled the ten directions, and with his mighty power, he rescued all living beings from their lost paths. Living beings were unaware, like a blind man seeing the sun and the moon. I was originally in the middle of nothingness, and my guidance was boundless. Auspicious clouds opened the door to life, and auspicious smoke blocked the door to death..."

Lu Cheng was reciting "The Wonderful Sutra on the Salvation of Suffering Spoken by the Most High Mysterious and Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Venerable".

In front of him, there was a peach wood statue: a Shinto instrument, the statue of the Red Heart God.

Burn incense and offer sacrifices, and spiritual light flows.

Between the two, there was a long banner placed horizontally with countless human faces on it. These faces included men, women, young and old, and they kept wriggling on the banner as if they were alive. All of them had an expression of pain, which was extremely terrifying.

Originally, this was the Ten Thousand Souls Banner that Lu Cheng had taken from Master Yinshi. However, after a battle between him and Fu Chenghao of Dongyang Orthodox Sect, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner absorbed a large amount of evil spirits and fierce souls from the Netherworld White Bone Banner, and it actually advanced as a result. It is now a fourth-rank mid-grade magical weapon.

As long as the material of the magic weapon can bear it, the more souls the Ten Thousand Souls Banner absorbs, the higher the grade of the magic weapon will be. This is why this type of magic weapon is valued by the monks of the magic path. Of course, the backlash is also severe.

At this moment, even if there was no one controlling it, the soul in the banner continued to howl fiercely, as if it wanted to devour someone.

At this moment, as the "Miraculous Sutra for Relieving Suffering" was recited, a sense of qi resonance naturally occurred between the two parties.

From the young Taoist's body, a five-colored aura seemed to spread, covering these evil spirits.

In the long banner, the sealed residual souls and evil spirits greedily devoured the young Taoist's magic power and energy. Because they were satisfied, they gained temporary clarity of mind and were able to hear a few words of the wonderful scripture of salvation from suffering. Some souls also swelled up and became stronger as a result. They wanted to break the seal and be free.

But then they were suppressed again by the even more powerful magic power from the Taoist in front of them, which surged like a huge wave.

The statue of the Red Heart God also emitted a red divine light, which worked together with the Taoist to attack from the front and back, suppressing all spirits.

Lu Cheng tried to save the souls of these evil spirits. It was okay for them to try to reincarnate, or to recover some of their intelligence and instincts and put them into the Red King's divine light, but he could not just let them get away.

Whether they devour living people or eventually wander around with their souls scattered, it is Lu Cheng's sin. On the contrary, if he can save them, it will be Lu Cheng's merit. When he ascends to heaven in the future, it will be easier for him to be favored by heaven and reduce many demonic calamities.

After chanting the scriptures for seven days and seven nights, Lu Cheng used both hands to cast spells and re-seal the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. He added many more spells and was very careful, because in the special environment of this gloomy ghost cave, the power of this magic weapon increased a lot out of thin air.

The effect of the first salvation was not good, or it could be said to be extremely poor. Whether it was the souls that were willing to let go of their grudges and reincarnate, or the souls that were willing to join the Red Lord's divine glory, the number was extremely small.

However, Lu Cheng was not in a hurry. He just needed to practice Taoism step by step.

The True Secret of Tianyi, the secret book of refining the Five Elements Sword, the method of refining the Five Elements True Evil, the wonderful calculation of Yin and Yang of Taiyi Tiandun, and some auxiliary Taoist scriptures.

These days, Lu Cheng has been reading, comprehending, and thinking every day. Of course, he has not neglected his Qi training, but in the underground palace of this ghost cave, the cold wind is everywhere, which wears down the body. It is very difficult to increase the power in such an environment, but Lu Cheng still practices seriously and refuses to slack off.

Time passes like this day after day.

Lu Cheng himself stopped taking the jade bee syrup because this spiritual item had the effect of increasing cultivation, and Lu Cheng felt that he should not rush to increase his magic power.

Master Huang Longzi warned himself that after arriving at the Yinfeng Ghost Cave, he should not rush to practice magic power to improve his realm, but let nature take its course and pay more attention to comprehending the method of condensing evil spirits.

Even if he ignored his master's warning, Lu Cheng also felt that cultivating profound skills and advancing to the Condensing Demon stage was extremely important to him:
If you cultivate this step well, you will be connected along the way and each step will be solid. If you make a mistake in this step, it will be difficult to catch up in the next ten or a hundred steps.

Of course, from Huang Longzi's perspective, Lu Cheng was too sharp at the Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly, and he should have hidden his edge for a while under his nose. Huang Longzi gave up the path of sword cultivation because of an old incident and embarked on the path of dual cultivation of Dharma and body, which was proven to be true. Although body cultivation is not as sharp and swift as sword cultivation, it has more capital and has relatively more room for survival when encountering external disasters.

In the blink of an eye, two years had passed.

Lu Cheng comprehended the Eight Views of Heaven's One True Secret, and gradually comprehended and mastered the extremely sophisticated concealment technique among them. He introduced it into his Five Elements Sword Escape, making the Five Elements Sword Escape become even more ethereal and unpredictable.

Comprehending the secret book of the Five Elements Sword and the method of refining the Five Elements True Evil was also of great benefit. In the past two years, although his realm has not been promoted, his magic power has grown, and the unity of man and effort has strengthened his foundation.

In the past two years, Junior Sister Xiao Yuxue had come to the Yinfeng Land Ghost Cave twice to look for Lu Cheng to go out and play, but after the two times, the next time she came was a letter. The letter said that she was sent by her father and sister to the East China Sea to condense the black frost evil spirit. The words were timid and unwilling, which made people smile.

"Junior sister, did you choose to condense the Mysterious Frost Evil Qi? Yes, she is different from Senior Sister Yuhong. She has realized the True Dragon's Dharma. Forcibly condensing the True Dragon's Evil Qi will do more harm than good to her. It is better for her to cultivate and condense the Heavenly Fox True Blood to the extreme. The potential of her bloodline is enough to cultivate to the Golden Core."

On the stone bed, Lu Cheng looked at Xiao Yuxue's letter, smiled slightly, then put it away and continued to temper his own magic power.

Two years later, Lu Cheng was already fifty-three years old, and Xue Yuzhen was fifty-two years old, but they had both established their foundation very early, so their vital energy was as strong as that of a young couple.

Yun Linger is already 38 years old and has reached the ninth level of Qi training. She takes the foundation-building pill and begins to reach the foundation-building level.

Inside a palace, Xue Yuzhen paced back and forth nervously. Although she knew that with Ling'er's foundation and with the help of enough foundation-building pills, it would not be difficult for her to reach the foundation-building stage, but as a mother, she couldn't help but feel worried at this moment.

"Yuzhen, you're spinning around so much that I'm dizzy." Lu Cheng was originally sitting at the table reading a book. At this moment, he put down the scripture and said this with a wry smile.

"But I always feel uneasy. Master, I will recite the method to you again, and you can help me deduce it to see if there are any mistakes or omissions."

"But we have deduced it four times..."

"Do it again, sir!"

"Okay, okay, then just go ahead and recite it." Lu Cheng had no choice but to sit there and listen to Xue Yuzhen explain the technique.

Xue Yuzhen and Yun Ling'er practiced a technique from Dongji Island called Xuanyu Jue. There are thousands of techniques in the world, but they can be roughly divided into four categories:
One type has deep and powerful mana, and is fierce in fighting. When their own mana is still at a lower level, they have the opportunity to defeat high-level cultivators. Among the low-level casual cultivators who lack elixirs, magic tools, and skills, if they choose to learn this type of skills, they can often live a majestic life just by relying on the means of defeating the enemy by the skills themselves.

The second type is that their magic power improves rapidly, but they have almost no other strengths and almost no means of fighting, so practitioners often die in external disasters. However, if they can successfully avoid disasters and save their lives, they will have the opportunity to glimpse a higher realm.

The third category is the top-notch techniques, which take both into account, but are difficult and abstruse to practice. The core techniques of the twelve top sects in this world are almost all of this type.

It’s just that the twelve top sects are very selective in selecting those who are accepted as true disciples, and will not accept anyone who is not of high quality or excellent quality. Therefore, the difficulty of practicing the top techniques is not that obvious.

In addition, there is a fourth category, which is the skills with special effects. This type of skills can assist cultivators in improving their levels of refining equipment, alchemy, formation, and talisman making.

A skilled weapon refiner can not only earn cultivation resources through weapon refining skills, but also has a strong ability to protect the way among the cultivators of the same level through weapon refining skills. It can be said that it is a perfect choice.

The Xuanyu Jue that Xue Yuzhen and Yun Ling'er practiced was a combination of the characteristics of the second and fourth types of techniques. The full name of the technique they practiced was the Xuanyu Soul Transfer Technique, which was inherited from Dongji Island.

In the early stages of cultivation, one only cleanses the body and magic power. The magic power increases rapidly, and it is a common and widely circulated method.

However, if the Xuanyu Soul Transfer Technique of Dongji Island is cultivated to a high level, it can nourish the soul of the cultivator and assist the cultivator in breaking through the mystery in the womb - the Taoist secret method of turning disaster into reality. Not only the Eight Landscapes are studying it, but Dongji Island is also researching it, but there is no successful example yet.

Dongji Island hopes that someone can master the Mysterious Jade Soul Transferring Technique, and after practicing to the ninth level of Refining Gang, use external alchemy to become a master of Jindan.

He comprehended Taoism and studied the classics. After he reached the age of 800, he used the soul-transferring technique to be reborn and continue his Taoism journey.

With the accumulation of eight hundred years and two lifetimes as a human being, it will no longer be difficult to cultivate a top-grade golden elixir or even transform into a primordial infant in this life and break through the shackles of this world.

In addition, this Mysterious Jade Soul Transferring Technique has many other wonderful uses and unique methods, which made Lu Cheng feel very enlightened after comprehending it. He felt that the reputation of the Great Deserted Island of Dongji, the leader of the three overseas demons, was well-deserved.

Just as Lu Cheng and Xue Yuzhen were still pondering over the rules word by word, Lu Cheng suddenly sensed the direction of the palace's quiet room, and the spiritual energy condensed, then increased and stabilized.

He stood up. Xue Yuzhen was stunned at first and then reacted. Not long after, Yun Linger, whose aura had greatly improved, walked into the palace.

"Mother!"

She first called out to Xue Yuzhen, then saw Lu Cheng, trotted over, knelt down and said:
"Ling'er thanks Daddy for protecting me and helping me achieve enlightenment. Even if Ling'er were to be shattered into pieces, she would not be able to repay even a fraction of this kindness."

If a cultivator is slow in his cultivation, every step will be slow. If it weren't for the Yuxuyan Dao Fruit, Yun Ling'er felt that it would take her ten years to reach the foundation-building stage she is at today.

My father’s protection and grace are the key to my cultivation to this day.

"Okay, there's no need to do that. How about building a foundation for longevity?"

Lu Cheng would not specifically seize the Yuxu Yandao Fruit for Yun Linger, but he happened to have it in his hands, which was also an opportunity for Yun Linger.

Of course, if it really were a trade, the Yuxu Yandao Fruit could probably be exchanged for even a fifth-rank magical weapon. Many cultivators in the Lian Gang realm were willing to spend all their fortunes on it to improve their own foundation.

"It is the foundation of longevity."

Although Lu Cheng was supporting her, Yun Linger still kowtowed to Lu Cheng three times before she stood up and answered.

The foundation for longevity is equivalent to the foundation for supernatural powers. Even in the top sects, it is enough to be ranked among the true disciples.

Xiao Yuxue went overseas to condense the Xuanshuang Yinsha, and Yun Linger cultivated the foundation of longevity at the age of 38 and built a solid foundation on the path.

A year and a half later, Lu Cheng, through his intensive study of Taoism, naturally advanced his magical powers to the eighth level of foundation building, and he could control the gathering and dispersion of sword energy as he wished.

At the same time, he also began to manage the spiritual vein affairs of some ghost caves in the Yinfeng Land. The miners in the caves were mainly defeated prisoners, criminals, and some poor people who could not survive.

The monks who manage this place have an absolute power advantage. They wish they could tax these miners. The environment is already harsh, and without enough food and shelter, the average life expectancy of the miners here can be imagined:

The monks who manage this place don't care. There are constant wars among the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions, and there are always a steady stream of miners joining in.

However, Lu Cheng knew very well which of the two types of work was more efficient: working like a zombie without any sense of responsibility, or working with goals and motivation.

With the cooperation of Xue Yuzhen and Yun Linger, after he sorted out the accounts, he began to assign some loose and standardized management regulations.

He did not kill those monks who were taking bribes at various levels, but just made sure they were clear in his mind and then issued his orders.

Be nicer to the miners, give them some hope, and replace management chaos with order. Even corrupt order can create more wealth than disorderly chaos.

Five years later, the revenue from spiritual stones and spiritual mines in the area that Lu Cheng was responsible for had increased by nearly three levels, and the living environment and average life expectancy of the miners had improved.

"The master never boasts about what he does, but he can do a great job with any task he is given, and his achievements are all very clear. Back then, the ancestor Chi Shenzi sent the master to Southern Xinjiang, and the master established the Chi Xin Temple in Southern Xinjiang, saving 100,000 lives, and was revered by the local people as a god. The ancestor Huang Longzi asked the master to go to the Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly, and the master defeated four upper-level cultivators in a row with his sword alone, and brought back five spiritual objects and four Yuxu Yan Dao fruits. He is now in charge of the Yinfeng Land Ghost Cave."

"That Nangong Jing only knows how to go deep underground to hunt down evil demons, hoping to accumulate merits to return to the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace. Now he is in the underground and no one knows whether he is alive or dead. However, the master has increased the income of the mine by three levels without causing any waves. Who would not value and like such a disciple?"

Xue Yuzhen looked at the accounts in front of him and couldn't help but admire them.

In fact, it is only because the cultivators in this life are much worse at business management than in the previous life that Lu Cheng was given such an opportunity.

Fifteen years after entering the ghost cave in Yinfeng, Lu Cheng cultivated his magic power to perfection in the ninth level, achieved success in the mysterious art, and was able to break through the barrier of condensation.

(End of this chapter)