Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 31: Taoist Banquet, the Moon Fairy Descends
Before dawn that day, teams of fierce and rough soldiers were already standing outside the gate of Chixin Temple.

In the early morning, the three Taoist priests Lu Cheng, Chen Qingfeng and Chen Qingyun came out of the Chixin Temple with a group of Shinto disciples. The disciples stood on both sides waiting for the distinguished guests.

After two cups of tea.

In the eastern sky, a group of people came flying on clouds and mist.

The leader was a handsome middle-aged monk with feathered robes and a tall crown, and eyebrows reaching his temples. Behind him followed twelve Taoist children, six men and six women on the left and right. Some held whisks, some held swords, some held peach wood tokens, some held incense burners, and some held prayer mats. They were truly immortals, with a great demeanor.

Tang Shi, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, is the second generation disciple of the Moyun Cave Mansion of the Gu God Cult.

He was originally a cultivator of the grandson of the Yinshan Patriarch, but he was a man of strong will and hardworking character. Unlike his fellow disciples who were only concerned with quick results, he delved into Taoism, honed his cultivation, and eventually developed an authentic foundation-building body.

Therefore, he was appreciated by the Yinshan Patriarch and was directly accepted as a second-generation disciple. As for his previous cheap master, the Yinshan Patriarch dug out his heart and liver and ate them:

It would be fine if you couldn't cultivate yourself, and it would be fine if you couldn't teach your disciples well, but now, you can't even find good materials and beautiful jade, so what's the point of keeping you?
This is the truth, but since then, the suppression of disciples by the second and third generations in Moyun Cave has become more and more serious. Anyone who is unwilling to go along with the crowd will even be killed by his own teacher.

A Chixin Taoist temple was built in Ishihara County to eliminate the blood-eating ghosts and gods. Tang Shi received the order from the ancestor to come and negotiate.

Before coming, Tang Shi carefully studied the intentions of the ancestors and the background of Huoyun Cave Mansion.

He felt from the beginning that the Patriarch had no intention of making enemies with Huoyun Mansion, and after carefully investigating the background of Huoyun Mansion, he became more determined to make friends with it:
The three real people of Huoyun Mansion's lineage:

The eldest senior brother Huang Longzi, a giant of the magic world and the great elder of the Palace of the Incarnation of Ten Thousand Beasts, is in charge of the Palace of Ten Thousand Beasts and enjoys immortal blessings in the Western Regions.

The second senior brother is Chi Shen Zi, the founder of Huoyun Mansion, the national religion of the Tang Dynasty.

The third sister Mie Hongzi, the law enforcement elder of Cangjian Palace.

Even if these three were masters, they wouldn't want to offend them for no reason, let alone myself?
So Tang Shi ordered people to prepare gifts, and sent his trusted people to visit Chixin Temple first with courtesy, and then he came to visit in person.

Lu Cheng, Chen Qingfeng and the others were not seeking death. The other party had profound cultivation and was willing to make friends with him. He was also willing to restrain his followers who were poisonous insects. So the three people from Chixin Temple decided to receive this second-generation disciple of Moyun Cave Mansion well.

After four years, as both sides were interested in making friends, they actually got along quite well. Tang Shi had a profound cultivation and was well-versed in the customs and events of southern Xinjiang. Lu Cheng, Chen Qingfeng, and Chen Qingyun, as true practitioners of the righteous path, each had their own strengths and would not let the other side look down on them.

Today, the same is true.

"Brother Tang just likes this kind of pomp." Chen Qingyun said with a chuckle.

"That's right. In the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the Gushen Sect monks are considered immortals. Even the three of us here are also immortals. If we pay attention to such etiquette and pomp, we can save ourselves a lot of trouble on weekdays."

Chen Qingfeng answered, and Lu Cheng stood between the two of them without saying a word, until Tang Shi and the Taoist boys and girls behind him landed, then Lu Cheng extended his arm and invited everyone to enter the temple.

"The peach orchard at Chixin Temple is in full bloom."

Those barbarian soldiers did not enter the Chixin Temple, but waited outside. Tang Shi was followed by twelve Taoist boys and girls, and Lu Cheng and the other two were followed by only six disciples from the temple.

They strolled around the garden, watched the fish, played chess, read scriptures, and discussed Taoism from time to time. Several hours passed like this.

As it was getting close to night, Chixin Temple set up a banquet to entertain Tang Shishangxiu.

"Some time ago, I hunted a Jade Fire Toad. Its meat is extremely tender after being cooked. You three must try it."

As Tang Shi waved his hand gently, the twelve Taoist boys and girls following behind him came forward one after another and placed all kinds of wine, meat, melons and fruits on the table for four people. They were all spiritual objects containing spiritual energy and eating them was beneficial to spiritual practice.

As for the fine wine and delicious food that Chixin Temple had prepared earlier, they were naturally served to the table of the boys who came with both parties.

"Brother Tang is spending money again." Chen Qingyun picked up a piece of spiritual meat with shining eyes and put it into his mouth to taste.

"Brother, Senior Brother Lu, this is really delicious!"

If Tang Shi wanted to kill them with his cultivation level, there would be no need to waste the poison. Moreover, this was in Chixin Temple. The Chen brothers and sisters had already known from Lu Cheng that ordinary poisons could not escape the light of Chixin God, and those that could be hidden could not be guarded against by the three of them.

Therefore, it is better for everyone to relax.

During the banquet, the four of them talked about their Taoist experiences from time to time. Tang Shi had a high level of cultivation, while Lu Cheng and the other two had deep accumulation of Taoist knowledge. They all gained something from time to time during the conversation. If not for this, Tang Shi would not have humbled himself to such an extent in the past four years. He only came here often because of the benefits.

"Brother Tang, Senior Brother Lu has been teaching me swordsmanship recently. I will perform sword dance today for you to watch and help you get drunk."

Chen Qingyun tasted a few bites of the specially cooked green fire toad spirit meat and drank a few sips of spirit wine. He became interested and took out the sword Hong Ling.

Her sword is a magic weapon, and Hong Ling is also a magic weapon.

In order to increase her ability to protect herself, Lu Cheng specially created a set of sword techniques for her according to her personality traits.

At this moment, Chen Qingyun was practicing among the four people, and his sword was like a flaming dragon and a flying rainbow.

After four years of interaction, Tang Shi was well aware of Lu Cheng's superb swordsmanship, but he had never seen Lu Cheng really use his swordsmanship. When he saw Chen Qingyun dancing with a sword, Tang Shi didn't care at first, but as time went by, the gaze of this middle-aged Taoist priest gradually became serious.

Because of his cultivation, he could understand and comprehend the ferocity and sharpness inherent in this sword technique even better than Chen Qingyun himself.

"Good, great swordplay! Qingyun dances well, but this swordplay is even more exciting."

After Chen Qingyun finished the dance, he was in high spirits.

Tang Shi clapped his hands in cheers and was also in high spirits.

His eyes slowly moved to Lu Cheng, and the young Taoist just chuckled and raised his ox-horn cup to indicate that he wanted to drink with him. Seeing this, Tang Shi also raised his cup to drink.

Three more rounds passed.

Chen Qingfeng walked out from his seat, holding a cup in one hand and chopsticks in the other, clapping his hands and singing:

"A tree without roots, with beautiful flowers, who would be willing to stop being obsessed with splendor?

The affairs of life are like a boat in the sea of ​​suffering, drifting freely.

There is no border and no shore, and it is difficult to moor, and often swim in the dangerous places of fish and dragons.

If you look back, you will see the shore. Don’t wait until the storm destroys your boat.”

This is the true words and aphorisms used by the senior Taoists to persuade the younger generation of Taoists. Lu Cheng listened for a while, shaking his head, and couldn't help but sing along:

"A tree without roots, with its flowers still young, grows old and is reattached with young branches.

Plums are grafted onto willows, and pears are grafted onto mulberries. These are passed down to the Taoists as examples. Immortals have been grafting since ancient times, and there are medicines to treat old age.

Visit a famous teacher, ask for advice, and start practicing as soon as possible, otherwise it will be too late. "

He is a time traveler, which is exactly in line with the "immortal's method of grafting". When he sang the line "it turns out there is medicine to cure aging", he couldn't help but be drawn into the story.

The immortal secret of immortality, the Taoist family whose life span is as long as the sky.

This "recipe" would not be available even if human civilization developed to the Martian era. How lucky I am to be able to come to this world and seek the elixir of immortality and the golden elixir.

The four of them feasted and sang together, and the little boys on both sides burst into tears when they heard it.

Most of them think of their parents who lived a life of hustle and bustle, and could only barely get three meals a day. How could they have imagined that there is a true immortal path in this world, and that people practiced hard just to escape the Three Realms and not be bound by the Five Elements.

"Drink, drink! Beautiful scenery, fine wine and beautiful women. Today we have fine wine, but we lack beautiful women."

Lu Cheng seemed to be drunk. He stood up shakily, walked to the center, and grabbed the bright moon in the sky with both hands.

Tang Shi, Chen Qingfeng and Chen Qingyun didn't know what he wanted to do.

It seemed as if Lu Cheng had grabbed some rope and began to pull it down with all his strength. He pulled so hard that his forehead turned red with sweat.

but……

"The moon, the moon was pulled down by the master!"

Accompanied by the uproar of the Taoist children on both sides, even though Tang Shi, Chen Qingfeng and Chen Qingyun were still able to sit upright, their bodies could not help but tremble slightly.

Because, the bright moon that was originally hanging in the sky was actually pulled down little by little by Lu Cheng through the rope that he was holding in his hand, and it became bigger little by little.

"No, this should be some kind of illusion!"

Tang Shi bit his tongue hard, closed his eyes and opened them again, he saw the scene around him change, the original pavilions in the temple courtyard disappeared, he was now sitting above the empty universe, with no sky above and no earth below, all around him were the imaginary world full of ancient and vicissitudes of life, the sun, moon, stars, time and space storms and other vast things.

Fortunately, there were wine tables and boys all around, and Lu Cheng and the other two were also present, so he didn't feel like he had no place to stand.

At this time, the bright moon had been pulled very close.

Everyone seemed to be having a feast in the middle of the moon, and at this moment, the Taoist Lu Cheng drunkenly shouted:

"Fairy Chang'e, why don't you come out and drink with us!"

As soon as the drunk Taoist finished his words, two teams of graceful and elegant girls in fairy clothes wearing Moon White Palace costumes floated in from the moon and landed in the middle of the banquet, dancing gracefully.

"The Fairy in the Moon has arrived!" Taoist children all around exclaimed in surprise.

Tang Shi looked intently and saw that every fairy-dressed woman in Moon Palace dress was beautiful and charming, each one was different.

However, Lu Cheng pulled out all the top beauties he had seen in his previous life, and had them dance facing the moon to entertain the guests.

"Fairy, it's really a fairy!"

Those young Taoist boys, both men and women, had never seen such a beauty before. They all seemed to have lost their minds, staring at one woman infatuatedly, and then at the other. Both of them were of different colors, both were of the most stunning beauty in the world, with both color and soul, which they had never seen in their lives.

“Even though I know it’s an illusion, this Lu Cheng can actually control the thunder magic power of the Thunder and Fire Realm to this extent, turning it from pure yang to pure yin! In this dojo, even if I…”

Tang Shi gently touched the hand of a Moon Palace fairy, causing her to shy away. The touch was smooth and cold, just like human skin.

But Tang Shi knew that beneath that skin there was no flesh and blood, but instead a divine power of thunder and fire.

During the banquet that night, all the Taoist children got drunk under the guidance of the Moon Palace fairies. They may never forget this night in their entire lives, but it would be a good thing if they could transform this into motivation for spiritual practice.

Chen Qingfeng and Chen Qingyun had never seen such a gorgeous and beautiful dance. They drank a little too much due to their excitement and fell asleep on the table.

Seeing this, Lu Cheng clapped his hands lightly, and the entire illusion world suddenly collapsed: the Moon Palace, the universe, the beauties, the stars, everything was like fallen glass, and it all disintegrated and shattered in an instant with the Taoist's clapping of his hands.

"Brother Tang, there is no point in using magic on two people who are not mesmerized by it. Let's forget about drinking." Lu Cheng raised his glass and said with a smile. In the past five years, he has incorporated all the Taoist systems of his predecessor into himself, and even made further innovations.

The predecessor Lu Cheng was quite talented in magic, but now Lu Cheng dared to say that the other party was no longer as good as himself in magic.

"Just now, you cast such an illusion that even I was confused for a moment. Brother Lu, did the Red God Patriarch send a disciple like you to the Southern Border just to obtain the remaining blood of his relatives from four hundred years ago?"

A cultivator who practices immortality for thousands of years can be said to have cut off the six emotions. This does not mean that he really has to kill all his family members, but after a cultivator has practiced for thousands of years, the descendants of his former relatives have almost no relationship with him anymore, and they are extremely far away from him both emotionally and in terms of blood ties.

After all, the road is difficult, and if you want to gain something, you must lose something. Tang Shi never thought that a true cultivator like the Red God Patriarch could not overcome this kinship barrier, otherwise he could have completely established an independent country.

Then, the reason why Lu Cheng came here is very interesting. It would be fine if he was just a useless disciple who was sent down the mountain by his master for some reason, but after four years of knowing each other, Tang Shi felt that the young man in front of him was terribly outstanding.

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng smiled and did not give a direct answer, but he grabbed into the air, as if he was grabbing something with the help of space.

Tang Shi was stunned for a moment, and then he suddenly felt a fluctuation in the magic power in his body, as if something in the outside world was absorbing his magic power.

"The Great Art of Seizing the Heaven and Transforming the Soul, you are from Burning Wood Mountain... No, that's not right, you are from Huoyun Mansion for the Five Mansions Forging Yuan Jue?"

As a second-generation disciple of the Gu God Sect, how could Tang Shi not know this great method of seizing the sky and transforming into a spirit?
But he thought of many possibilities in an instant:

"Is it Huang Longzi and Chi Shenzi who want the Five Palaces Refining Yuan Jue, or is it that the Tang Dynasty wants this miraculous skill inherited from the previous dynasty?"

"The Myriad Beasts Incarnation Palace is the most powerful demon sect in the Western Regions. It is possible that the Red God Son Patriarch of the Fire Cloud Mansion is cooperating with the Tang Emperor..."

"My brother and I are close friends, so I told you this secret. If Brother Tang is willing to help me, Huoyun Mansion will definitely remember your friendship. If Brother Tang is unwilling to help me, I will leave tomorrow and will not embarrass you."

What Huoyun Mansion wants to seize is the sect's secret method of Ranmu Mountain. What does it have to do with your Gushen Sect?

Lu Cheng calculated that since these two demon sects were in the same place, there must be some friction and conflict. Even if there wasn't, Tang Shi would never use his connections to protect Ranmu Mountain from disaster.

Sure enough, after a little thought, Tang Shi's expression softened:
"The five energies are like a wheel, which can create and destroy all laws in the world. Even Master had borrowed the Five Elements Alchemy Book to read it before. It is common sense that True Man Chi Shenzi would have such thoughts."

"However, the ancestors of Burning Wood Mountain once had a good relationship with Master. Master promised that after he became enlightened, he would never take the initiative to embarrass the monks of Burning Wood Mountain. So, I can't help you directly with this matter, Brother Lu... But, I can take you to the Kingdom of Thousand Mountains to settle down temporarily. As for the rest, I am really powerless to help you."

"Well, thank you Brother Tang for your trouble." Five Palaces Forging Yuan Jue, Five Elements Alchemy Book, at this moment Lu Cheng already knew the name of the subsequent exercises of the Heaven-Stranging Spirit-Transforming Art, and he was finally no longer completely clueless.

(End of this chapter)