Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 534 Twenty-Four Phases Refine Gods and Demons, Compassion in the Mortal World Subdues Demon Tribulations (Seeking Rewards and Subscriptions!)

In the mortal realm, deep within a mountain chamber of the Heavenly Palace.

This place is not a gathering place of spiritual veins, but rather a solitary peak with towering cliffs, where the fierce energies of the earth and heaven are absorbed, making it an unparalleled treasure land for cultivators to refine their bodies and cultivate their minds.

The interior of the stone chamber is simple and unadorned, with only a dharma altar carved from ten-thousand-year-old yin-yang jade in the center, upon which a young Taoist priest sits.

His eyes were closed, and the pores on his body were open, but what he exhaled was not the ordinary misty spiritual energy, but streams of chaotic energy with a deep color and violent aura.

As the meditation continued and time passed, the entire stone chamber was filled with an almost solidified, heavy pressure.

If an ordinary cultivator below the Nascent Soul stage from the Tongxuan Realm were to step into this place, their heart and courage would likely be crushed instantly by this oppressive force.

Three feet above Lu Cheng Dao Ren's head, a Xuanhuang Pagoda floated up and down. Although the pagoda's body appeared somewhat illusory, the Xuanhuang Qi that hung down was as solid as a substance, intertwining to form a curtain that enveloped his entire body, suppressing the most terrifying changes and agitations within the Dao Ren's body.

At the center of the Yin-Yang altar, Lu Cheng's body was undergoing dramatic changes beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators.

His skin would sometimes turn into a tough bronze color, sometimes flow with a dazzling golden and silver luster like a galaxy, and in an instant be shrouded in dark, inky scale patterns... With each change, the sound of bones shifting could be heard from deep within his body, and his blood would surge like a raging river.

What is most unsettling are the twenty-four enormous, faintly visible phantoms of ancient gods and demons surrounding the altar!

They come in all shapes and sizes: there are giant crimson apes that stand tall and imposing, pounding their chests with their fists and roaring to the sky; there are magnificent peacocks with five colors; there are golden crows that spread their wings and strike the sky with murderous intent; there are great demons with nine heads and snake bodies, whose breath is like poisonous flames that burn the world; there are azure dragons that carry the heavens on their backs and roam the four seas... Each phantom exudes a suffocatingly terrifying aura.

This is the manifestation of Lu Cheng's cultivation technique after he fused and refined the blood of twenty-four completely different ancient true spirits and demons, and because his cultivation technique had been pushed to the twenty-fourth level!

"Roar--!"

A deep roar, powerful enough to shatter space itself, did not come from Lu Cheng, but from the phantom of a giant dragon with wings on its back:

With a scaly body and spines, a large and long head, a pointed snout, a small nose, eyes, and ears, a protruding forehead, a thin neck, a large belly, a long and pointed tail, and strong limbs, this is the ancient Yinglong.

Yinglong's hollow eye sockets ignited with ghostly blue soul fire, staring intently at Lu Cheng on the altar, as if he wanted to tear this insignificant human Taoist who had desecrated the bloodline of the true spirit and attempted to enslave the power of gods and demons to shreds.

With this roar, the other twenty-three phantoms simultaneously emitted echoing hisses, roars, and long cries, their ferocity overwhelming!

Suddenly, twenty-four terrifying rays of light erupted from the depths of the entire Heaven and Earth Palace, sweeping across the sky and earth with breathtaking force. Even their mere phantoms were enough to kill the beasts, fish, and insects in the forest, nourishing themselves with their blood.

If it weren't for the formidable defensive formations within the Heavenly Dao Palace itself, countless people would have perished instantly.

This is not an invasion by external enemies, but an outbreak of internal calamity!

The cultivation of the Mysterious Heaven Divine Art is like this: with each step forward in the cultivation, the blood of the ancient true spirit within the body will be revived and strengthened, and finally, the spirituality will revive and counterattack against the physical body.

Lu Cheng's main body had refined the spiritual essence of the twenty-four divine and demonic phantoms within his body, but this was only a temporary achievement. As his cultivation technique improved and his magical power increased, the blood of these true spirits would revive and become stronger again, seemingly without end.

The Mysterious Heaven Divine Skill is incredibly powerful, but its major flaws are difficult to detect at the beginning of practice, and the consequences gradually become apparent later.

If you ignore it after cultivation, one day you will be consumed by poisonous fire. The power gained by devouring the blood of ancient true spirits will one day suddenly backfire, and the more you devour, the greater the backlash will be.

"Hmph!" A suppressed, painful snort escaped from Lu Cheng's tightly closed mouth. His internal magical energy was chaotic, but his mind was calm.

He formed a profound mudra with both hands, as steady as a mountain.

These twenty-four demonic phantoms are also top-tier techniques and supernatural abilities, because if Lu Cheng on the platform is to be harmed, these twenty-four demonic phantoms that are protecting his body and also devouring his true consciousness must be defeated first!
This one skill alone is ten times more powerful than 99% of the martial arts techniques in the world, and its power is unparalleled!

"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill... Kill on behalf of Heaven, Heaven is merciless!" These eight words resonated in Lu Cheng's heart like a Vajra striking a bell.

Lu Cheng understood better than anyone the essence of this extraordinary skill he created by combining the mysteries of the Myriad Tribulations Divine Pill, the essence of the Taiqing Daoist Canon, and even the secrets of the Giant Spirit Ship—it did not follow the path of immortality, following the natural way and the carefree spirit of heaven; it was a Daoist guardian divine skill, following the path of proving the Dao through force.

Each advancement in one's cultivation means that the twenty-four streams of true blood within the body reviv and grow stronger, and the spirituality of the true blood surges like oil being poured on a raging fire, thus launching a counterattack against one's ego and attempting to regain control.

He himself must, time and again, completely suppress, refine, and shatter the spiritual will of these increasingly resurgent and ferocious spiritual beings, bringing them back under his control.

Moreover, this kind of refining can be accomplished in just one day or two.

Practitioners of the Xuan Tian Divine Skill must endure an endless struggle against these ancient gods and demons until they achieve final victory.

Without a resilient and combative heart, one can never master this technique.

At this moment, the twenty-four illusory figures of gods and demons surrounding the altar represent the peak of the backlash brought about by the twenty-fourth realm!
They were not inanimate objects; their spirituality had revived to a critical point, and their auras were intertwined, vaguely forming a wild and ferocious siege formation that locked the altar and Lu City in the center.

The terrifying shock to the soul and the power of bloodline frantically assaulted the Xuanhuang Qi that protected Lu Cheng's body, attempting to tear through the defense and invade his true consciousness.

"With my current cultivation level, it is indeed too difficult to cultivate the twenty-fourth level of the Profound Heaven Divine Art. The young man wields the heavy sword, and he is led by the technique, which is why he keeps launching counterattacks."

If one's cultivation level far surpasses their magical power, then most of the counterattack can be neutralized.

"Om-!"

The Xuanhuang Pagoda at the top of the gate suddenly shone brightly, and the descending air currents abruptly thickened and solidified.

Above the tower, mystical talismans flowed, and golden light of morality flickered, emanating abundant power of merit. This treasure of acquired merit suppressed all calamities and protected the true spirit from obscurity!
Because there is no need to worry about defense, one can concentrate all one's attention on offense.

Lu Cheng suddenly opened his eyes, and in that instant, there was no emotion or desire in them, only a cold, divine light that seemed to disregard all things and encompass the entire universe.

His hands moved with lightning speed, his lips parted and closed, uttering not scriptures or incantations, but a pure roar of will:
"Unsheathed invisibly, the flying sword refines the demon!"

As the words were spoken, the surging magical power around him was like a bursting dam of a galaxy, converging into a five-colored, formless yet tangible flying sword, which suddenly rushed into the interior of the twenty-four illusory figures of gods and demons.

The sword light flashed and slashed in all directions.

"puff!"

The illusory image of Yinglong, with its violent temperament and the strongest spiritual power, shattered instantly, turning into chaotic, ghostly blue soul flames that scattered in all directions.

But the scattered points of light did not disappear; instead, they were drawn in by an even stronger suction force and flowed into Lu Cheng's mouth and nose.

"Flying sword refines demons; if you are not subdued in one strike, I will strike you ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times. This is the nature of a dragon, born proud and arrogant."
My Daoist principles dictate that life and death are in my own hands, not in the hands of Heaven. Those who are already dead and forgotten dare to speak of arrogance?

At the same time, three-colored flames rose from Lu Cheng's body—his innate divine power, Samadhi True Fire!

The light and flames appeared gentle, yet they contained the supreme power to incinerate all heavens and refine all things. They instantly enveloped every fragment of the illusory image that attempted to coalesce and retaliate.

This Samadhi True Fire was indeed Lu Cheng's greatest reliance, surpassing even the Merit Xuanhuang Pagoda and his own flying sword technique. No matter how much the internal energy brought by the Xuan Tian Divine Art retaliated, it could ultimately be completely neutralized by the Samadhi True Fire.

The only problem is that as the Xuan Tian Divine Skill level continues to improve and the Samadhi True Fire is refined, it may eventually become unprofitable.

Don't be fooled by how easily Lu Cheng can deal with the counterattack of the cultivation technique; it's because he has the Xuanhuang Pagoda of Returning to Emptiness to suppress his true energy.

However, the merits of the Xuanhuang Pagoda, or rather Lucheng, have their limits. It can suppress the twenty-four transformations, but how can it suppress the thirty-six, sixty-four, or seventy-two transformations?

Ultimately, one must rely on their own Samadhi True Fire to refine and transform the calamity.

"Chucky!"

Like hot oil dripping onto snow, the extremely fierce and malevolent aura of gods and demons clashed fiercely with the Samadhi True Fire.

Lu Cheng's body trembled slightly on the altar, and twenty-four mysterious light veins beneath his skin shone intensely. That was his true blood burning. Each clash was like millions of red-hot steel needles piercing and stirring deep within every inch of his bone marrow and every drop of his blood. The intense pain was enough to cause the minds of cultivators above the ninth level to collapse.

However, Lu Cheng's expression remained as calm as ancient ice.

Because he was enduring it, the twenty-four true spirit wills were also enduring it. Lu Cheng's will seemed to transcend the limitations of flesh and blood, transforming into an invisible giant hammer. Combined with his innate divine power, Samadhi True Fire, it launched one tempering and forging attack after another against the twenty-four true spirit source imprints surging within his body!

In this boundless sea of ​​suffering belonging to both sides, Lu Cheng's Dao body and Dharma body are gradually perfecting and evolving. The twenty-four true spiritual origins are gradually stripped of their malevolent impurities, refining them into the purest and most primordial ancient power.

These forces were absorbed by the unique operating system of the Xuan Tian Divine Art, becoming part of Lu Cheng's true magical power, propelling the twenty-fourth level of the Xuan Tian Divine Art towards a more perfect level.

Most importantly, having cultivated the Xuan Tian Divine Art to this level, Lu Cheng could sense that his innate cultivation aptitude was undergoing subtle changes. Although they were not yet obvious, Lu Cheng was certain that he had not misjudged the situation.

The roars of the divine and demonic phantoms turned into wailing. Under the triple forces of Xuanhuang suppression, Samadhi refining, and Dao heart slaying, they were as if gripped by an invisible giant force and slowly crushed.

Inside the stone chamber, light and shadow intertwine, creating a myriad of illusions.

After an unknown amount of time, the enormous twenty-four phantom images of gods and demons surrounding the altar finally vanished completely. The strange phenomena on Lu Cheng's body also slowly subsided, and the Samadhi True Fire disappeared into his body. The violent pressure within the stone chamber gradually dissipated, leaving only wisps of incomparably pure chaotic primordial energy swirling around.

The Xuanhuang Pagoda above Lu Cheng's head also dimmed a bit, clearly indicating that the suppression of the twenty-four gods and demons had taken a huge toll.

Lu Cheng slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, the breath long and deep, as if it could blow away the clouds in the sky.

As the muscles throughout the body relax and the bones emit a clear, resonant sound like jade chimes, the skin reveals an inner radiance, with a hidden, timeless, and precious glow.

The twenty-fourth level of the "Mysterious Heaven Divine Skill" has finally overcome another perilous peak.

However, Lu Cheng knew that the twenty-four divine and demonic wills within his body had not completely disappeared, but had been locked even deeper into the invisible shackles constructed by the "Mysterious Heaven Divine Art" and the "Samadhi True Fire" system.

They are lying dormant, recovering, and waiting for the next, even more ferocious counterattack.

This civil war against the will of ancient gods and demons seems endless. Yet it is the path that Lu Cheng actively chose, the true path to the "Taoist immortality."

……

Qinghe County is located on the southeastern border of the Tongxuan Dharma Realm, adjacent to the Great Wilderness Mountains.

Because the Qinghe River flows through the entire area, the land is fertile and the people are simple and honest. Liulin Town, under the jurisdiction of the prefecture, is named after the ancient willows that grow outside the town. There are many herbalists and doctors in the town.

Two years ago, a pair of beautiful and gentle female Taoist priests quietly appeared in the town and rented a quiet place with a courtyard facing the street.

The elder sister's name is Lin Qingyi, and she is gentle, dignified, generous, and polite; the younger sister's name is Han Ningshuang, and she is lively, cheerful, bright, and charming.

The Tongxuan Dharma Realm reveres Taoism, and that Taoist robe is not something that can be easily worn. But once someone wears it, ordinary people should absolutely not provoke them.

Therefore, although Lin Qingyi and Han Ningshuang were both beautiful and women, they did not encounter any trouble in this town.

Moreover, these two female Taoist priests possess superb medical skills, especially adept at treating mountain people who have been poisoned while collecting herbs, suffering from injuries, and even some difficult and complicated diseases, often bringing them back to health with remarkable skill.

In addition, his consultation fees were low, and he even subsidized medicine for the poor. In less than a year, the reputation of "Miraculous Healer" spread throughout Qinghe County.

Lin Qingyi and Han Ningshuang are the sisters who chose to forget their past lives and reincarnate into the mortal world, becoming disciples of the Qingyi Sect in Qinghe County, namely Xiao Yuhong and Xiao Yuxue.

The Qingyi Sect is a minor sect in the area. Its leader is a Golden Core cultivator. The sect is based on medicine and its mission is to help people in need.

The Lin and Han sisters possessed spiritual roots and carried a trace of wisdom and spirituality from their previous lives as cultivators. They were found by the disciples of the Qingyi Sect and recruited into the sect. The two sisters quickly demonstrated amazing medical talent and were regarded as successors by the sect leader.

Now, more than a decade has passed, and the two sisters, Lin Qingyi and Han Ningshuang, have chosen to devote themselves to the mortal world and hone their Daoist hearts.

Seeing patients recover under their care and impoverished families receive treatment, the two female Taoist priests felt a profound sense of joy and satisfaction.

Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda; compassion is the foundation of spiritual cultivation. Day after day, studying medical texts, processing herbs, and treating illnesses and injuries, one's heart naturally finds peace and joy.

If one can truly cultivate to the primordial spirit realm through this method, one will indeed be able to reduce many demonic tribulations when ascending to heaven in the future.

However, several months ago, a strange plague broke out in Anping County, upstream of Qinghe County. Initially, it only affected the weak, causing them to suffer from unexplained high fevers and coughing up blood.

Upon hearing the news, Qingyi Sect initially only dispatched its true disciples, but Lin Qingyi and Han Ningshuang volunteered to go to the heart of the epidemic area because their hometowns were relatively close.

They originally thought it was just a natural disaster that caused a serious illness, and that they could simply find the source and treat it to eradicate it.

Unexpectedly, what I saw and heard after going deep into Anping County was shocking.

The epidemic spread far faster than imagined. In addition to high fever and coughing up blood, patients would develop strange bluish-purple spots on their bodies in a short period of time, become extremely strong and manic, and die stiffly a few days later, with their skin becoming dry and hard like twigs.

Even more chilling is that some of the deceased patients inexplicably rise up in the middle of the night, wander the streets and alleys, and attack the living! Their movements are stiff, but their strength is immense, and ordinary villagers can hardly resist them.

During Lin Qingyi and Han Ningshuang's investigation into the plague in Anping County, a burly man with horns on his head and a fierce-looking boy were using invisibility magic to float above Anping County and look down. They were the Kui Niu Demon King and the Heavenly Fire Boy.

With their magical powers, they could easily annihilate the corpse demons below with a single breath. However, that would interfere with the mistress's cultivation, so the two demons dared not do so and could only wait by the side. Unless the mistress was truly in danger, they were absolutely forbidden from taking action.

"The Divine Lord's cultivation has become increasingly unfathomable over the years!"

The Kui Niu Demon King stared down and said this, because it had been following the two mistresses for many years and had a deep understanding of their feelings.

The divine lord who secluded himself deep within the Heavenly Dao Palace to cultivate in seclusion, although he had become increasingly adept at concealing his form and leaving no trace in recent years, had actually been able to influence the world's affairs to develop in the direction he desired. In the eyes of the Kui Niu Demon King, this was even more terrifying than the divine lord's flying swords back then, which were sharp and had earth-shattering killing power!

The Qingyi Sect did not go to Qinghe County according to the instructions of Lu Cheng Daoren of the Tiandi Dao Palace, but rather according to the needs of its own development.

Then, this sect, which was dedicated to the art of medicine and compassion, naturally discovered the reincarnations of the two matriarchs through the discovery of spiritual seedlings.

The two mistresses were able to escape into the Xuanmen (mystical sect), freeing them from the disturbances of marriage and funerals in the mortal world. The corpse demon they are currently dealing with was not released by the God Lord.

But when the time came, the thousand-year-old corpse demon naturally awoke, unleashing a plague and slaughtering mortals.

"The laws of fate are profound and subtle. The Divine Lord may have done nothing at all, merely breaking off a branch on Zuowang Peak, yet within ten days, he could cause a sudden rise of tribulation clouds across ten thousand miles of the Western Demon Land, with the sky tilting and the earth splitting and swirling!"

"Yes, it's better to compete in cultivation than in magical power. I've gradually come to this realization over the years, and this realization alone makes all the years of cultivation we've wasted worthwhile."

Tianhuo Tongzi agreed upon hearing this.

Meanwhile, in Anpyeong County, Qinghe Prefecture.

"Zombie resurrection?! This is no ordinary plague!" Han Ningshuang gasped after dissecting a freshly resurrected corpse.

The corpse before them had an eerie dark green internal organ color, its blood was thick as ink, and it emitted a putrid stench.

The source of the lesion is not external evil entering the body, but rather... the vital energy in the body is forcibly extracted and transformed by some force, becoming "nourishment" to nourish the yin evil energy mechanism.

Lin Qingyi, her brows furrowed, gazed at the epicenter of the plague, towards a long-abandoned mass grave outside Anping County.

Through her aura-gazing technique, she could vaguely sense that the place was filled with deathly darkness, resentment soaring to the heavens, and a sinister and greedy aura lingering there.

Considering the characteristics of the patient's constitution, a chilling thought flashed through her mind: "Is someone... using the life essence of all the people in this city to feed something? Or even to concoct some kind of vicious and evil substance?"

Knowing their magical powers were weak, the two sisters immediately reported this deduction to the head of the Qingyi Sect.

The sect leader of Qingyi Sect also attached great importance to this matter, and personally went to the mass grave with several of the sect's most powerful protectors to investigate.

Unexpectedly, he did not return for half a day, only sending back a jade talisman stained with blood, on which a few bloody words were hastily engraved: "Leave immediately! Corpse demon! Leave immediately..." Then, the jade talisman's spiritual light vanished.

An ominous premonition enveloped the entire Qingyi Sect's headquarters.

Less than half an hour later, that very night, the few Qi Refining stage guardians who remained behind were ambushed by several zombies with strength comparable to Foundation Establishment stage warriors and covered in black armor, and were instantly killed!
Chaos erupted at the camp, and the terrified disciples scattered and fled.

"Sister, run!" Han Ningshuang pushed Lin Qingyi aside and stepped forward herself. She held several silver needles coated with a secret medicinal liquid and accurately shot them into the eyes of the leader, a zombie with a blue face, fangs, and nails like knives.

The zombie paused, seemingly feeling a slight pain. Han Ningshuang felt a chill in her heart, for her secret medicine needles were enough to paralyze Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts, yet they could only make it pause slightly!
"A mere minor repair dares to disturb my peace? I'll just use your bodies and blood essence to add a few more tonics to my body!" A sinister voice, like the cry of a night owl, echoed from the depths of the ruins, carrying a chillingly malevolent intent.

The dense, deathly aura within the ruins suddenly solidified, transforming into a gigantic, dark green ghostly claw that, disregarding distance, lunged at Lin Qingyi and Han Ningshuang!

The claws stank with a foul stench, containing a deadly poison that tainted the soul, and carrying a powerful pressure far exceeding that of the Foundation Establishment stage, reaching the Golden Core realm!
This was a fierce and bloody battle. Although the Qingyi Sect Master broke through the evil formation in time and returned to his base, Master Xiaofeng was a pure medical cultivator. Although her magical power was higher, she could not compare with the corpse demon who was good at killing in terms of combat magic.

In the end, it was only thanks to Abbess Xiaofeng's severe injuries and the sudden appearance of an opening by the corpse demon that she was able to repel it, but Abbess Xiaofeng was also seriously injured as a result.

After this incident, Lin Qingyi and Han Ningshuang escorted their master away, and the thought naturally arose in their hearts: "Medicine alone cannot save the world, and they began to crave the power to subdue demons and refine monsters."

The once-empty sect headquarters was now deserted, but the Kui Niu Demon King and the Heavenly Fire Child reappeared.

"Originally, this old nun was doomed. She couldn't fight at all, and her magic was a mess. Fortunately, her foundation in Taoism was quite solid. Otherwise, the two mistresses would have been making a terrible mistake by entrusting their cultivation to her. Will our secret assistance affect the Divine Lord's plans?"

Although he had already made a move, Tianhuo Tongzi still asked a question with some unease.

"No, this old nun is someone whose death is optional. If she were to die, the two mistresses would be filled with resentment, which might actually be detrimental to their cultivation. This situation is just right. Even if the old nun's fate is sealed, the Divine Lord will use his great magic to reverse destiny because she is the two mistresses' mentor in this life. Hmph, in this Seven Realms, there is probably nothing the Divine Lord cannot do, only things he doesn't want to do."

The Kui Niu Demon King answered in this way.

(End of this chapter)