Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 546 Leisurely Enjoyment in the Immortal Garden Comforts the Daoist Companion; Inner Demons Surge, Disturbing the Clear Pool (Seeking Rewards and Subscriptions.)
Outside the Nine Profound Condensing Truth Cave Heaven on Mount Tai, in the Taiqing Sect of the Earthly Immortal Realm.

The cave is a sacred place for cultivation, isolated from the outside world, where time remains serene.

Beyond the grotto, however, lies a different scene atop Mount Tai, a celestial paradise known as "Yunzuiping".

It was the season of "Melt Gold" in the Immortal Realm. The sky above was not filled with the warm autumn sun of the mortal world, but with a "purple aura melting gold wheel". Its light was gentle and neither fierce nor soft, dyeing the vast sea of ​​clouds into a flowing rosy hue of red gold and light purple.

Floating in the sea of ​​clouds are enormous "pure lotus flowers", their petals as clear as glass, exhaling the purest and most ethereal spiritual energy. As they slowly rotate, tiny starlight-like spiritual essence is scattered across the peaks and plains of the sacred mountain.

The scenery is magnificent and breathtaking.

The spring water gurgles out from between the rocks, meandering into a stream. Dozens of "Seven Luminaries Rainbow Carp" swim in the stream, their bodies shimmering with iridescent light, their scales like condensed rainbows, leaving a dazzling trail of tails in the clear water as they swim.

Several exotic jade-bone plum trees are in full bloom by the stream. Their petals are not bright red or pink, but a warm, jade-like white, while their stamens are dotted with golden light, emitting a refreshing and cool fragrance.

At this moment, in this magnificent landscape of flowing purple and gold, star-like scales and shimmering tails, and the cool fragrance of jade bones, the five figures leisurely strolled about.

Lu Cheng Daoist sat cross-legged on a natural jade rock, shedding the divine light and demonic aura that had enveloped him for years, wearing only a simple and elegant dark blue Daoist robe.

Her black hair was casually tied up with a bamboo hairpin, with a few strands falling loosely beside her temples, adding to her relaxed demeanor.

Before him sat a pot of Thousand-Year Jade Intoxication Flowing Clouds, the wine as clear as ice crystals, exuding wisps of pale purple, rosy fragrance.

He held no cup in his hand, and occasionally drew wine from the spout of the pot and swallowed it.

Wine is a good thing. Ordinary people don't like to drink when they are in their teens or twenties, finding it too spicy and unbearable. But when they reach their thirties or forties, their blood and energy decline, and their tastes become bland. At this time, drinking wine can invigorate their blood and energy, and refresh their tastes, making them feel like young again.

I sit and drink, getting drunk and forgetting my worries.

Some say drinking is harmful to health, but what in this world doesn't harm people?

When I am sad and weary, I am only accompanied by wine. I drink a large cup of wine to drown my sorrows and get drunk on the seasons.

For those who cultivate Taoism, spiritual wine can refine true essence and nourish vital energy. After drinking it, the energy flows more easily and can cleanse away impurities.

Of course, there is a limit to this.

Whether mortal or cultivator, this applies to both. Moderation in drinking can relieve sorrow and promote sleep. However, if one indulges excessively, sorrow will be the very thing it brings, thus tarnishing the name of wine as a means to forget worries.

Lu Cheng's gaze calmly fell on his wife and concubine not far away, his eyes filled with tenderness and affection.

Those were his life partners, the two Xiao sisters who had gone through the tribulations of ascension together—Xiao Yuhong and Xiao Yuxue, standing side by side by the stream.

Xiao Yuhong was dressed in a light blue dress with a shimmering silk sash around her waist. Her hair was styled in a high bun and adorned with a few plain jade hairpins, making her look exceptionally beautiful.

She extended her slender, jade-like fingers, lightly touching the stream with her fingertips. A wisp of extremely pure magical energy spread out, attracting the Seven Luminaries Rainbow Carp to rush to gather, vying for that wisp of magical energy. Their tails swayed, splashing water everywhere, causing Xiao Yuhong and Xiao Yuxue to dodge while laughing softly.

"Husband!"

The person who spoke at this moment was Xue Yuzhen, the concubine who served Lu Cheng when he ascended to immortality. She wore a lotus-green long dress with cloud patterns embroidered on the waist, her black hair was half-tied up, and she had a gentle yet firm temperament with a hint of heroism.

She did not participate in feeding the fish or brewing tea, but sat on a small stone stool in a pavilion diagonally opposite Lu Cheng.

"Would you dare to play a game?" Xue Yuzhen asked with a smile, her bright eyes fixed on him like black jade.

"Why don't you dare?"

Before me was a chessboard made from a single piece of "Mysterious Star Pattern Jade". The black and white chess pieces were no ordinary items; they were cool to the touch and seemed to shimmer with a spiritual light.

Given the difference in their cultivation levels, Lu Cheng's mental processing speed could be a thousand times faster than hers. Therefore, it was not a fair game, but rather Lu Cheng trying to decipher the chess game she had set up.

Even so, after a dozen or so moves, Xue Yuzhen picked up a black piece, her brows furrowed slightly, and fell into deep thought.

She was skilled in the Five Elements Sword Diagram and had a meticulous mind. At this moment, she regarded the chessboard as a small array diagram and was silently deducing the complex and ever-changing moves.

Xue Yuzhen was well aware that it was not time for her to slack off and enjoy herself. She and her daughter Yun Ling'er had already passed through a tribulation and were now only at the late Nascent Soul stage.

Although the Taiqing Sect is the best place for cultivation, it cannot guarantee that all cultivators can cultivate their primordial spirit.

In fact, even in a powerful sect like the Taiqing Sect, cultivators who can refine their primordial spirit are the backbone or even elite cultivators of the sect.

Contrary to popular belief, not all cultivators in the Earthly Immortal Realm are elites. On the contrary, cultivators who ascend from the lower realm to the upper realm, even those at the early or mid-stage of the Nascent Soul stage who ascend via the Ascension Platform, surpass the vast majority of cultivators in the Earthly Immortal Realm.

Those cultivators who cultivated their late-stage Nascent Soul power in the mortal realm and ascended on their own are almost all outstanding talents in the Earthly Immortal Realm. Given enough time and opportunity, almost every one of them can cultivate to the Void Returning Realm.

"Meeting my husband is an immense blessing. I must seize this opportunity to cultivate my primordial spirit, so that my husband's great peril in helping me ascend to the upper realm will not have been in vain."

Xue Yuzhen and Yun Ling'er both had exceptionally good external resources and had both taken longevity-prolonging elixirs, giving them lifespans almost at the level of mortal Nascent Soul cultivators. Even so, it was extremely difficult for them to cultivate their Nascent Souls.

As Xue Yuzhen played her game, Lu Cheng sensed a heavy yearning for the Dao. He gazed deeply at his beloved concubine, pondered for a moment, and then placed his piece down, killing his own dragon formation.

"Oh, my husband? What's wrong...?"

In an instant, the seemingly hopeless situation took a dramatic turn for the better. A gap appeared in the situation, and Xue Yuzhen's eyes lit up. She made a series of moves and actually managed to break through the defense.

"Cheer up, many things are not as difficult as you think."

"...My husband!"

Finally, there was Yun Ling'er. Among all the women present, she had the weakest cultivation level, but she was also the most agile and lively.

Today she wore a pale yellow dress with gold floral patterns, her hair styled in a fairy-like bun, and a cloud-shaped hairpin tucked into her hair, like a lively lark leaping out of the rosy clouds.

She had no fixed abode, and soon she ran to Xiao Yuhong's side, marveling at the star-rainbow carp chasing after her sister's fingertips: "Sister Yuhong, look at this one!"

A moment later, he moved closer to Xiao Yuxue, then turned around and saw Xue Yuzhen playing chess. He couldn't help but sidle up to her, peering at the mysterious chessboard.

Her lively and spirited nature, like musical notes dancing in a stream, adds boundless vitality to this tranquil and peaceful scene.

As long as she stays by Lu Cheng's side, even if another thousand years pass, she will still look like she never grows up.

After drinking and playing chess, the cultivators strolled into the "Myriad Wonders Flower Garden," the most spiritually rich spot within the cave.

Nourished by the earth's spiritual energy and protected by mysterious formations, this place boasts flowers that bloom eternally, displaying vibrant colors and never fading.

Seven-colored rays of light descended from the sky, enveloping the flowerbeds. All kinds of exotic flowers and plants absorbed the light, displaying a beauty that surpassed the mundane.

Sisters Xiao Yuhong and Xiao Yuxue stood before a cluster of ice crystal snow lotuses. The petals of the snow lotuses were like crystals, while the heart of the flower contained a touch of pure yang warmth, a marvelous creation of yin and yang complementing each other.

Yun Ling'er flitted among the flowers, picking petals that contained different kinds of spiritual energy, intending to take them back to figure out how to make wine.

The golden glow of the setting sun dyed the clouds on the horizon red and also cast a warm, soft light on her excited cheeks.

However, as she turned around, her back to Lu Cheng, and tidied her hair, excitedly wanting to show him the large bouquet of carefully selected exotic flowers in her arms, a very subtle and almost imperceptible dark color flashed briefly in the deepest part of her clear and bright eyes, so fast that it seemed like just a flicker of light and shadow.

Lu Cheng watched with a smile as Ling'er's innocence and Xue Yuzhen quietly selected medicinal herbs that could be used to nourish the spirit.

His cultivation was profound, and his divine sense was extremely sharp. Even while immersed in the warmth, he still managed to detect the fleeting, unusual floral fragrance and the faint, almost nonexistent sense of stagnation deep within Yun Ling'er's mind.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Yun Ling'er's smiling face, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly before relaxing again. His expression remained unchanged as he listened gently to Yun Ling'er's chattering description of her newly conceived brewing recipe. At the same time, Xuan Qingzi Daoist's divine sense transmitted the message:
“Nephew Lu, I just sensed a fleeting aura of inner demons. It has been hundreds of years. It must be that Lingfengzi couldn’t hold back any longer and was trying to lure you away from Taiqing Mountain.”

“Uncle-Master Xuanqing, I already have a plan in mind. Please allow me to use the sect’s giant flying ship to break the calamity.”

"...Are you sure you can do it?"

"If Ling Fengzi swallows this insult, that's fine. But if he dares to make another move, the next time will be the day he is beheaded."

"good!"

……

Several days later, Yun Ling'er indeed left without saying goodbye during a period of secluded cultivation. Lu Cheng didn't even bother to look at the letter she left in her cave, since it was written under the influence of his inner demons and didn't count. He simply followed Yun Ling'er and disappeared into the shadows.

Months later, deep in the wasteland, in the center of a dilapidated stone array that had been silent for countless millennia, Yun Ling'er's petite figure hovered in mid-air, her eyes blank and empty, surrounded by a hazy, eerie light of inner demons, like a puppet on strings.

She clutched tightly in her hand a bone rune she had created on her journey, engraved with twisted magical patterns.

Suddenly, the bone talisman emitted a brilliant, eerie light!
Rumble, rumble!

Thick, ink-like demonic energy surged forth from both inside and outside the stone formation, obscuring the sky and the sun.

The earth split open like a gaping abyss, and nine jet-black chains, as black as ink, emerged from the depths of the void, coiling around Yun Ling'er like venomous snakes, dragging her completely into the trap that had already been set up.

At the end of the chains, several ferocious, roaring skull heads faintly materialized, emitting a demonic howl that tore apart souls!
"It's done!" A demonic voice, filled with barely suppressed excitement and bone-chilling hatred, pierced the deathly silence and echoed around the stone formation.

Space distorted, and a figure dressed in a tattered gray robe, yet exuding overwhelming demonic power, stepped out. It was none other than Lingfengzi Daoist, an elder of the Qiankun Holy Demon Sect and a demonic cultivator in the Integration Stage.

His face was ashen, and his breath was weak from unhealed injuries, but his demonic eyes burned with boundless resentment towards Lu Cheng and the ecstatic joy of his impending success.

"Lu Cheng, you brat! You killed my avatar and ruined my grand plan. This hatred and grudge cannot be washed away even if the waters of the Three Rivers are poured out! Today, I will refine you, my Daoist partner, into a Yin Demon Puppet, play with you for hundreds or thousands of years, and then lure you into a trap. I will secretly haunt you, devour your flesh and blood, and melt your primordial spirit before I can vent my hatred!" Ling Fengzi roared like the wailing of ghosts from the Nine Netherworlds, and black smoke and demonic energy rose from his body.

However, just as the nine chains were about to touch Yun Ling'er's clothes and the nine demon heads opened their fangs to devour her soul—

call out!
A magnificent pagoda, growing larger and larger, spun out from within Yun Ling'er's robes. The pagoda radiated boundless pure light of profound yellow merit, transforming into layers of light shields that suppressed the Nine Netherworld Ghost Lock.

"Lu Cheng! You actually came here in person to save a concubine? Very well, I'll capture you right here and extract your primordial spirit, then burn it in demonic fire for ten thousand years!"

Ling Fengzi's shouts were fierce, but in reality, he was terrified at that moment and immediately used his divine sense to carefully explore his surroundings.

Only after it was finally confirmed that Lu Cheng was indeed the only Void Returning cultivator within a radius of ten thousand miles did they breathe a sigh of relief.

He thought that the Taiqing Sect had seen through his scheme and was plotting against him, launching a coordinated attack to kill him.

But actually, they're not that different.

Lu Cheng's Xuanhuang Merit Pagoda is a merit treasure of special quality. After receiving the blessing of the Heavenly Dao of the lower realms, it has advanced to the peak of the Returning to Emptiness stage. Moreover, even ordinary Integration stage cultivators cannot calculate its size when it covers the top. Furthermore, it has developed spatial abilities.

Therefore, at this moment, Lu Cheng is not the only cultivator hiding inside the Xuanhuang Merit Pagoda.

boom.

The immense magical power that caused the void to tremble violently suddenly erupted.

From the ever-growing Xuanhuang Merit Pagoda, a fiery giant lunged out, throwing a punch.

Standing a thousand feet tall, towering into the sky and reaching the earth, its color was dark gold. The giant's face was indistinct, with only its eyes burning with dark gold flames.

His entire body was covered in incredibly thick heavy armor with flowing runes, and his muscle texture was made of tough dragon bone and divine metal.

A vast and powerful pressure, far exceeding that of an ordinary peak Void Returning cultivator, mixed with the intensely blazing Samadhi Fire, crashed down like a celestial river bursting its banks—the Zhou Tian Giant Spirit General.

In Lingfengzi's divine sense, there was only Lu Cheng, a cultivator at the Returning Void Realm, within a radius of ten thousand miles. Just as he relaxed, he felt that the pressure of the magical power brought by the fire giant that was throwing a punch in front of him was extremely strange.

Fist is for shattering the void, fire is for samadhi!
Lu Cheng's Samadhi True Fire, a transcendent Dao technique at the Void Returning Realm, could already harm a Nascent Soul cultivator, but what was even more terrifying was the giant's power behind it—that was: Nascent Soul!!

The thought startled Ling Fengzi once again.

Over the past three thousand years, Lu Cheng has not only made progress himself, but he has also accumulated a massive amount of resources on the giant spirit spaceship.

Although all the previous Giant Spirit Ship Masters had done this, none of them were as wealthy as Lu Cheng, nor had any of them reached Lu Cheng's level of mastery in physical cultivation, even if their cultivation level was higher than Lu Cheng's.

After three thousand years of continuous construction and accumulation, the Giant Spirit Flying Ship has reached its peak. Today, Lu Cheng is unleashing all the Samadhi True Fire he has accumulated over the years.

Amidst the blazing, intense flames of the Dharma, a terrifying golden figure roared towards the sky!
Giant Spirit Flying Ship, aiming for the eighth tier!
Just as artifacts have their own spirits and formations have their own spirits, so too do giant flying ships. These large warships, the result of tens of thousands of years of construction and accumulation by the Taiqing Sect, are not only magical treasures and formations, but also living beings.

However, their life dimension and ideology are different from those of cultivators. Lu Cheng sensed this during their three thousand years of companionship, but he did not attempt to communicate with them.

Today, he gave this warship a choice: either advance or be destroyed.

Although destroying a seventh-tier airship would bring him considerable trouble, with the Xuanhuang Merit Pagoda in hand, Lu Cheng was confident he could evacuate all the sect cultivators from the airship. Now, it was just a matter of whether the Giant Spirit Airship itself wanted to die.

Lu Cheng's innate divine power, Samadhi True Fire, has the effect of refining all matter, magic power, and divine consciousness, integrating them into himself. When used externally, it is incredibly powerful, but its most wonderful aspect is when used internally. Even if the physical body is smashed into a pile of rotten flesh, as long as the cultivator is not dead and his soul remains, he can use Samadhi True Fire to reshape and reforge his physical body.

It can be said that as long as one has enough magical power, enough vitality, and the soul is not scattered, reattaching severed limbs is nothing more than a trivial matter. When one cultivates to a high level, being able to be reborn from a drop of blood is also a matter of course. By drawing in all kinds of immortal spiritual energy from the world and using the Samadhi Fire to forge it into one piece, making it solid inside and out, and forming a body of steel, it cannot be harmed in the slightest even after ten thousand years and a thousand eons.

This is also the foundation for cultivating the Taoist immortal body. The Taoist immortal body is not only about resurrection and rebirth after death, but also has the characteristic of being indestructible and not so easy to die. The reason why Lu Cheng was repeatedly beaten to a pulp and even lost several lives was because these cultivators were a whole realm higher than Lu Cheng. If they were cultivators of the same realm, Lu Cheng could stand there and let them kill him, and it would be extremely difficult for him to be injured or killed.

With such exquisite fire magic as the opportunity for the Giant Spirit Flying Ship's advancement, if the Giant Spirit Flying Ship cannot seize this opportunity, then it might as well die!

"The Ten Thousand Demons Sacrifice to the Dao, All Five Directions Fall Silent! Kill!" Ling Fengzi roared, pointing his white bone scepter at the divine general from afar.

Five fierce magical figures, entwined with five pillars of demonic energy, roared in unison. Five torrents of laws representing destruction, decay, filth, devouring, and chaos, like world-destroying beasts breaking free of their chains, merged into a terrifying river of chaotic light. With the power to crush stars and assimilate all laws, it swept across the void and rushed toward the Zhou Tian Giant Spirit General!

Wherever it passed, space collapsed, and vital energy was annihilated, forming a long-lasting trail of destruction!

This attack was unleashed by Ling Fengzi himself, fueled by resentment. It combined his profound mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation with the power of the Qiankun Holy Demon Sect's demonic arts, reaching an extremely high level! He intended to use absolute power to crush this seemingly magnificent pseudo-eighth-tier divine general!

"Shaking stars and shifting mountains, the true form of the giant spirit!"

"Samadhi penetrates the profound, burning demons and suppressing the Dao!"

Lu Cheng's figure shone brightly on the chest of the Giant Spirit General, his hands forming a profound and ancient hand seal.

The god moved in sync with his massive fiery body, and every ancient rune on his heavy armor suddenly lit up, like stars being ignited.

The burning golden, red, and white Samadhi True Fire suddenly intensified, as if draping the giant in a layer of flowing, world-burning flames!

"Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"

In the midst of the direct clash of magical power between the two sides, Yun Ling'er was startled and her mind returned to reality. The reason she was not wiped out by the aftershocks of the battle was because of the Xuanhuang Pagoda floating and rotating above her head.

This time, she could be considered to have turned misfortune into blessing. She was secretly controlled by a demonic cultivator of the same level as Ling Fengzi with her inner demons, and then she broke through the inner demons in a direct battle. This was of great benefit to the cultivation of righteous cultivators.

(End of this chapter)