Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 506 The Seven Treasures' Mysterious Secrets are Hidden in the Scriptures, Divine Light in the Cave Refines the True Form (Seeking Rewards and Subscriptions!)

Ten days or so passed after the Yuntai Dharma Assembly that day.

At dawn, the clouds gather and disperse, and the morning light is faint.

"Senior Brother Lu, please come this way."

Following Wan Shuang'er's guidance, Lu Cheng arrived at the depths of Taiqing Mountain's gate, in front of an extremely secluded gray stone building.

This is a side hall in a corner of the Sutra Repository, not frequented by ordinary disciples. The air is filled with the unique scent of old scriptures and dust of time, so quiet that one can almost hear the rustling of time flowing by.

The reason Lu Cheng enjoyed associating with people like Wan Shuang'er and Duan Tianyan was because these scions of powerful families were deeply entrenched within the sect. If you could find them and they were willing to help you, things would always be easier than usual, and you would get things done better.

Beside the stone steps in front of the door, an elderly man with white hair and beard and a hunched back was slowly sweeping the stone steps, which were not very dusty, with a black bamboo broom.

His magical energy fluctuations were extremely subtle, almost like those of an ordinary person. If placed in a crowd, he would be like a drop in the ocean, leaving no trace.

However, this is Mount Taiqing. Even a pig could gain wisdom and intelligence by living here for many years. Where would there be any mortals deep within the gates of Mount Taiqing?
"Junior Lu Cheng greets senior." Lu Cheng held the Daoist salute with both hands, his posture was calm, and there was no trace of the aura of a half-transformation Nascent Soul cultivator.

Upon hearing the sound, the old man did not stop moving, but slowly straightened his back, raised his eyes, and glanced at Lu Cheng and Wan Shuang'er beside him.

Wan Shuang'er carried spirit wine and fragrant meat in her hands, her face full of flattery.

"Sword energy assaults your senses, and murderous aura surrounds you. How can you be considered a cultivator? Since Xuanzhenzi took over the sect, the later cultivators have become increasingly unbecoming."

The Grand Master Taiqing was a Taoist practitioner, but the Grand Master Shangqing was not.

What should a Taoist practitioner be like?
Lu Cheng had this thought in his mind, but he didn't say it out loud to defend himself, because he knew that Wan Shuang'er beside him would definitely speak up.

Sure enough, Wan Shuang'er quickly stepped between the two and said with a smile:
"Uncle Lu, Shuang'er has brought some fragrant meat and fine wine. Shall we have hot pot together? We'll listen to your teachings while we eat."

Lu Daoren: ...

Dog meat, when cooked three times, is so delicious that even immortals can't sit still.

A low table carved from warm jade sits in the center. There are no other furnishings on the table, only a simple and unadorned cauldron made of neither gold nor stone, placed above the fire pit.

Inside the cauldron, the milky white broth came into contact with the flames below and quickly began to boil, releasing a rich and intense aroma!

It wasn't the usual aroma of meat, but rather a rich and indescribable flavor, a blend of the spiciness of spirit pepper and the sweetness of several unknown spirit plants.

The mixed aroma rushed straight to the mind, instantly overpowering the surrounding mountain winds and arousing the most primal desires deep within one's stomach.

As the broth bubbled and simmered, delicate slices of meat, as smooth as jade, were gently placed into the boiling soup by hand.

The glistening slices of meat curl up as soon as they hit the soup, their edges quickly turning white and shrinking in the rolling waves. The essence and oil contained in the meat are instantly activated, blending with the myriad flavors in the soup!

White steam rises, carrying with it the mouthwatering aroma of meat.

Lu Daoren couldn't wait any longer. With lightning speed, he picked up a roll of meat that had just changed color and dipped it lightly in the prepared Sichuan peppercorn oil, scallions, and special sauce.

Then he put it whole in his mouth, burning his teeth and wincing, but he couldn't bear to spit it out.

The moment the meat enters your mouth, you hardly need to chew. Its exquisite tenderness, accompanied by scalding hot juices, bursts on your tongue. First comes the rich aroma of the meat, followed by the complex flavors of the broth, and finally, the slightly numbing, salty, and savory taste of the special sauce, layer upon layer.

Master Lu took another swig of the spirit wine. The strong liquor went down his throat, adding a burning pleasure, and he couldn't help but exclaim:

"With this meat and this wine, what more could I ask for!"

There were three people at the table. Lu Cheng ate a few bites, while Wan Shuang'er was practically serving Lu Daoren. The dog demon, which had cultivated for a thousand years, was mostly devoured by this gluttonous old Taoist.

But Lu Cheng knew that it was only Wan Shuang'er who could achieve this effect; even if someone else knew Lu Daoren's preferences, it would be completely different.

"It's rare for Wan Yatou to be so dedicated. Could it be that you've acquired some treasures?" After finishing his meal, Lu Daoren turned his head and asked.

Lu Cheng felt a chill run down his spine, but he said frankly, "Yes, I was fortunate enough to obtain four spirit treasure gourds, but I do not know their origins, so I have come to ask for your guidance, senior."

"Hmph, this old Taoist has spent his whole life guarding the scripture pavilion, and this is all he's good for. Come with me." Taoist Lu nodded noncommittally, wiped his mouth, turned around, and pushed open the heavy wooden door behind him.

Upon entering, the light suddenly dimmed, revealing towering bookshelves on both sides, piled high with jade slips, animal skin scrolls, bamboo slips, and even stone carvings, encompassing everything imaginable.

The air was filled with the scents of old ink, ancient wood, and a faint camphor, which unconsciously calmed the mind.

In a slightly open corner with cushions and a low table, the old man sat down cross-legged and gestured for Lu Cheng to sit opposite him.

"Let me see it," said Master Lu, getting straight to the point.

Without hesitation, Lu Cheng flicked his sleeves, and four magical gourds of different colors, each containing a precious light, appeared on the low table: orange, green, purple, and yellow gourds.

The naturally formed Dao patterns on the surface of the four-colored gourds flowed faintly in the dim light, each containing its own unique energy: the wondrous eye-cleansing energy, the innate fiery energy, the void-creating energy, and the Yi Jing marrow-cleansing energy. These energy patterns reflected each other in this quiet corner of the scripture pavilion, creating a bizarre yet harmonious whole.

Lu Daoren's eyes shone with a clear light, like stars reflected in an ancient well. He did not reach out to touch them, but his gaze, like the most precise ruler, slowly swept over the four gourds.

With a light tap of his fingertips in the air, it seemed as if he was tracing and exploring the innate Dao patterns naturally formed on the surface of the gourd.

After a long while, he finally withdrew his gaze and let out a barely audible sigh:

"The Celestial Abode contains Heavenly Vine, and the Seven Treasures transform into a Ruyi. Sure enough, it's those few who slipped through the net."

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng's expression turned solemn: "Please enlighten me, senior."

"Instructions?" Master Lu shook his head slightly, his wrinkles deepening. "Instructions are out of the question. These things are 'divine treasures'!"

He paused, then looked up and gave Lu Cheng a deep look:
"These should be the remnants you obtained from the celestial abode of the upper realm and were banished to the mortal world. They involve the true secrets of destiny and the fate of the realm! If you can gather the seven treasures and the seven energies and refine them into one furnace with your superb magic, you may have the opportunity to attain the Great Ascension or even become a true immortal."

"However, if you were the old Taoist, you would have refined these four elements into your own body long ago, strengthened your foundation, and enhanced your magical power. Do not harbor any more thoughts of gathering all seven treasures!"

"The workings of Heaven follow their own laws. Such extraordinary objects, blessed by destiny, can usually only be forged once within a single great world or within its attached stable star field! This is the law of Heaven, which cannot be transgressed."

"Seven treasures and seven energies converge here, and only one furnace can be refined in each realm?!" Lu Cheng frowned upon hearing this, gradually realizing the hidden risks.

"That's right, at least before the previous master refined the precious elixir and ascended to immortality. Anyone else who collected the Seven Treasures was in a relationship of competing with him for the Dao."

"Kid, be careful. There are no Mahayana cultivators in the sect right now. Don't bring trouble upon the sect!"

"A supreme treasure... an opportunity to ascend to immortality?!" In order to truly ascend to immortality, Lu Cheng could imagine how crazy those Mahayana cultivators in the Earthly Immortal Realm who were collecting the Seven Treasures were about it.

After saying this, Master Lu said no more. He picked up the black bamboo broom again and, like a real old servant sweeping the floor, trudged outside to continue his seemingly endless sweeping.

Inside the Sutra Repository, only four magical gourds remained on the table, emitting an alluring yet dangerous mystical light.

Lu Cheng did not linger in the Sutra Repository.

Soon, he got up and went out.

"Senior brother, have you finished asking the questions?"

Wan Shuang'er and others waited outside. When Lu Cheng came out, she asked him this question.

"Yes, this trip has been very fruitful. Thank you, Shuang'er. I owe you a favor."

"Senior brother, what are you saying?" Wan Shuang'er smiled upon hearing this. A Nascent Soul cultivator could be considered a high-level cultivator in the Earthly Immortal Realm. Although she was not yet among the true high-ranking members of the Taiqing Sect, the one before her was different.

He had already caught the eye of several important figures, and his future prospects were limitless. After parting ways with Wan Shuang'er, Lu Cheng returned to his cave dwelling on Tongming Peak, located in the core area of ​​the Taiqing Sect. The vast spiritual energy and array formations that formed a world of their own complemented each other, but Lu Daoren's words had stirred up a thousand waves in his heart.

Deep within the cave, in a quiet cultivation chamber, Lu Cheng sat cross-legged on a futon.

With a slight tremor of his sleeves, four magical gourds reappeared within the space. Orange, green, purple, and yellow light flowed like water, illuminating the entire quiet room with dazzling brilliance and a strong sense of Dao.

"A supreme treasure... an opportunity for ascension... coveted by powerful beings. I absolutely cannot afford to provoke it now. In the end, it's best to secure it for myself," Lu Cheng thought to himself.

He rose from the mortal realm, experiencing countless life-and-death situations, and knew when to advance and when to retreat!

The path is long and arduous, and while courage and diligence are important, only by preserving one's life can one hope to attain immortality.

"Trying to have too much and everything will only lead to disaster!"

Thinking of this, Lu Cheng had a sudden thought, the first thing that came to mind was that orange-peeled gourd.

As the gourd opened, a stream of "wonderful, eye-cleansing energy," as clear as the water of a celestial pool yet imbued with boundless spirituality, slowly flowed out, condensing without dissipating.

Once this energy is released, all dust and illusions in the quiet room are exposed, as if the most subtle essence of the world has been cleansed out.

Lu Cheng closed his eyes slightly, and when he opened them again, two clusters of solid golden-red flames ignited deep within his pupils. These were the physical divine eye powers he had cultivated using his innate divine power, Samadhi True Fire.

"Photography!"

Lu Cheng uttered the true words, and divine light flickered in his ancestral aperture between his brows. The "Wonderful Transformation Eye-Cleansing Qi" seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, transforming into the finest particles that flowed gently yet irresistibly into Lu Cheng's eyes!
Water and fire in harmony, hum—!
As expected of a divine treasure, in an instant, Lu Cheng's eyes burst forth with boundless brilliance. The golden and red colors faded, transforming into a pure, clear, and lustrous light that seemed to be able to see through the nine netherworlds and countless worlds.

A moment later, the golden-red color returned, only becoming purer and more refined, with a fierce and intense gaze.

The subtle flaws accumulated when I first mastered "Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils" and the imperceptible sluggishness when using my supernatural powers were now being washed away, refined, and reshaped from the root by the innate Dao energy!
The world before my eyes suddenly changed; the spiritual energy was no longer a blurry flow of color, but a clear torrent of particles carrying different fundamental laws.
Space is no longer empty and devoid of anything, but rather a folded, layered membrane that reveals its true structure;
Even the patterns on the walls, cushions, and floor of the meditation room seemed to have been stripped of their appearance, directly revealing their core energy structure and law system!

"With just this one breath of refinement, I have already saved myself at least five hundred years of arduous cultivation. The principle, the form, the laws and rules of mountains are all-encompassing and point directly to the true nature of things!" Lu Cheng was shocked and delighted.

The refining effect of this wondrous eye-cleansing energy far exceeded expectations, almost pushing his divine eye power to the limit achievable in the Nascent Soul realm, and faintly reaching the Void Return realm.

In the future, they will have a great advantage when cultivators engage in sword battles, break formations, search for treasures, and even comprehend the Great Dao.

A wisp of the remaining essence of the cleansing energy even merged into his primordial spirit, nourishing his soul and making his mind increasingly clear as a mirror.

Having lost its wondrous transformative aura, the orange light gradually faded, and the orange-skinned gourd became translucent and dull, as if it had exhausted its last trace of essence. But even so, this gourd was still a treasure.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Cheng turned his gaze to the green gourd that was faintly pulsating with primal heat—the innate fiery energy!

This is the essence of all fire, containing a trace of the fire source from the creation of heaven and earth. It is extremely yang and strong, capable of burning all things while also giving birth to life.

Like the fire of the sun, the power of annihilation, the power of creation, the birth and death of all things are contained within it.

"Combined Refinement of Samadhi!"

Lu Cheng opened his mouth and inhaled, exhaling a wisp of deep red, almost black, and extremely refined Samadhi True Fire, which hung in front of him like an extremely small universe containing terrifying energy.

At the same time, he made a fire-controlling hand seal, and the green gourd opened wide. A stream of innate fire energy, deep green to almost black, which scorched and distorted the surrounding space as it pulsed, burst out and directly crashed into the source of the Samadhi True Fire.

boom--!
It was as if a miniature, blazing sun had burst open in the quiet room!

A violent and unparalleled burst of fiery energy erupted. If Lu Cheng had not been prepared in advance and had not used his vast magical power to set up layers of void restrictions, the entire Jing Shi room and even Tong Ming Peak would have been instantly burned to ashes.

The golden-red Samadhi True Fire Origin and the deep green, almost black, innate raging fire energy intertwined, devoured, and merged wildly! It was like two ancient ferocious beasts fighting and battling!

The intense heat distorted the space, burning away all impure and mixed energies.

Lu Cheng's magical power surged, and he exerted all his control to guide this extremely dangerous fusion process.

His physical body also turned slightly red under the high temperature. His powerful Nascent Soul cultivation and all his foundations were operating at their maximum to resist the terrifying firepower that was enough to melt stars.

Pain and transformation coexist; that wisp of innate fiery energy is like the most domineering monarch, determined to completely devour and replace the Samadhi True Fire.

However, the Samadhi True Fire, upholding Lu Cheng's Daoist will, refused to succumb and submit, striving to absorb the ancient and pure flame source laws of the other party in an attempt to complete itself.

This process is extremely dangerous; the slightest mistake could result in being burned alive or having one's spirit destroyed.

If Lu Cheng hadn't vaguely sensed that his luck had arrived, and hadn't possessed the Five Elements Thunder Technique, he might not have dared to act so directly.

Time passed slowly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Lu Cheng's forehead, only to evaporate instantly. After an unknown amount of time, the raging, violent flame phenomenon gradually subsided.

The deep green and golden red faded, revealing a pure, pale gold hue.

This fire appears gentle and calm, but at its core it contains a destructive power that is ten or even a hundred times greater than before, and it also carries an ancient Daoist charm of creating the world and generating life!
A faint, illusory image of a golden crow crying flashed by.

"This single breath of purification is equivalent to the results of my thousand years of arduous cultivation."

Through this combined refinement, Lu Cheng's natal true fire underwent a qualitative change, becoming closer to the origin of fire and possessing limitless potential!

Whether for alchemy, weapon forging, or incineration and killing, its power will be incomparable!

The magical power within the body was also refined and purified. In particular, the Qi and Blood Furnace generated by the Xuan Tian Divine Art benefited greatly, roaring as if accumulating power for the next transformation.

"Most importantly, I am skilled in using the Samadhi True Fire to refine my body and cultivate my spiritual form, burning and refining it myself to evolve my physical body..."

Lu Cheng cultivated his own essence, energy, and spirit—the three treasures of his being—and refined a single Samadhi Fire, achieving an indestructible body. Almost no Daoist or demonic art in the world could counter him. As long as his cultivation was sufficient, he would be invincible from the start.
Therefore, the stronger the Samadhi True Fire, the more his body-refining and self-cultivation skills in the Mysterious Heaven Divine Art will naturally improve.

The green awns receded, and the gourd became transparent.

In a flash, Lu Cheng spat out a mouthful of Samadhi True Fire into it, and the green gourd quickly turned vermilion, becoming full of spiritual energy, and its precious light became stronger again.

"Good, good treasure. This treasure can actually subtly increase the purification of my Samadhi True Fire. Although the speed is extremely slow and the efficiency is extremely low, time is the least lacking thing for Nascent Soul cultivators. Over time, it will be a great benefit."

It was the turn of that purple gourd, shimmering with purple light and mysteriously profound—the Void Creation Qi!
This item is quite unique, its form nearly resembling that of a magical artifact, containing the power of the void and the profound principles of creation. Lu Cheng did not rush to absorb its spiritual energy.

Having been stationed abroad for a long time, it's rare for me to return to the sect. Naturally, I want to make the most of all the sect's resources, whether they are academic resources or weapon-refining resources.

To avoid bothering two people, Lu Cheng used a talisman to send a message, asking Wan Shuang'er if there were any skilled craftsmen in her sect who were good at creating spatial magic treasures.

Before a cup of tea had been brewed, Wan Shuang'er replied to the message, listing several names.

The talisman spun rapidly, revealing the image of Wan Shuang'er:
"Senior brother, do you insist on finding the best weapon refiner in our sect, or perhaps someone easier to find but slightly less skilled? What specific type of spatial magic weapon do you wish to refine?"

"I have a half-finished product. I just need to find a fellow disciple with excellent crafting skills who can take over the crafting soon."

Lu Cheng's Purple Gourd Spiritual Treasure is an innate treasure, requiring little further processing.

“Then it’s Uncle Yunji. His weapon-refining skills are only slightly inferior to Uncle Jiguang’s, but he’s much easier to talk to. Although his fees are extremely high, I don’t think Senior Brother will care about that.” Wan Shuang’er replied in this way through a spirit talisman.

"Spirit stones are not a problem, as long as it's worth it."

"Alright, today I'll first ask Uncle-Master Yunjizi if he has any magic weapons being refined, and I'll introduce you to Uncle-Master Yunjizi as soon as possible."

The purple gourd was also given a place to go. Lu Cheng's gaze finally fell on the yellow gourd. After hesitating for a moment, he put it into the Nine Li Cauldron and sent it to the lower realm.

(End of this chapter)