Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 87: The Name of Nanling Sword Master
In the dark night, two moons, one round and one crescent, of dark blue and green, hang in the sky.

Lu Cheng, dressed in a white Taoist robe, stood among the rocks of the mountain with a slightly illusory figure, watching the poisonous golden silkworm Gu swallow the purple fruit bit by bit.

After being eaten by spiritual insect monsters, the colorful fruit will mature quickly and emit a strange smell from its body that humans cannot smell, but when insects of the same species smell it, they will become extremely excited and travel thousands of miles to try it.

It's like, if the most wretched and unattractive ugly boy in the class eats this fruit, his body will emit a pheromone that will make the hottest or purest girl in the class fall in love with him.

Thinking of this, Lu Cheng suddenly understood why the Golden Silkworm Gu tried its best to seize the Rainbow Fruit several times. If this thing were thrown into modern society, countless people would fight for it.

Lu Cheng originally wanted the golden silkworm Gu to cultivate immortality and evolve into a powerful demon insect, so he recited Taoist scriptures in its ear for several years.

But it was of no use. The golden silkworm Gu was stubborn and difficult to convert. It still stared at the colorful fruit and almost died several times.

Lu Cheng really couldn't defeat it, so he could only help it accumulate strength. He captured powerful spiritual insects everywhere to enhance his strength, and then looked for an opportunity to finally kill the two pythons. However, he paid the price of all the spiritual insects dying, and the Poisonous Golden Silkworm Gu itself was also seriously injured.

But for the Golden Silkworm Gu, all the costs would be worth it as long as it could get the Rainbow Fruit.

He waited for two hours. During this process, the golden silkworm Gu had been building its own nest. Lu Cheng himself was now in the Yuan Shi state and could not do anything without getting on the body of the golden silkworm Gu.

At this time, two rays of light, one silver and one gold, flew rapidly towards him from the distant horizon. Lu Cheng looked carefully and found that they were actually the golden silkworm Gu.

It seems that the ancient species that are extremely precious and rare in the outside world can be found everywhere in the Jiuli world, but they are relatively common.

Lu Cheng's injured golden silkworm Gu, holding two golden silkworm Gu, one silver and one gold, turned its head to look at its owner. Lu Cheng actually saw pride in its eyes, but also nostalgia.

"It's not too late to regret now. Once you enter the nest, you will have many bloodline offspring, but you will become the King and Queen of Insects, and your bodies will change and you will never be able to leave the nest. Is it worth it?"

"I have these two girls, one is pure and the other is hot, dying is fun, you tell me it's not worth it? Thanks, hairless monkey, I'll have to ask you to take care of my descendants from now on."

In the trance of leaving the Jiuli world, Lu Cheng seemed to have lost his mind, but in contrast, he seemed to see a bloody river spreading from the simple insect nest. It was the blood of the hundred-poison golden silkworm Gu that he cultivated. As time went on, it would gradually spread in this world in the future:
"As long as my bloodline continues, I will live forever."

"As long as the blood river dries up, I will not die."

Inexplicably, Lu Cheng had a deeper understanding of a passage in his blood nerves. The magic power in his body moved with his thoughts and accidentally activated several secret acupoints in his body, giving the five elements of magic power an additional route for practice.

In the real world, Lu Cheng on the Five Elements Platform suddenly woke up. With a serious face, he quickly made hand gestures and exercised his internal energy to examine his body.

After a moment, Lu Cheng put his fingers together with a strange look on his face, and a wisp of blood-colored flame condensed on the index and middle fingers of his right hand.

The Blood God Technique is actually already at the entry level.

Moreover, unlike the mighty five elements magic power, this wisp of blood god's true breath is not controlled by the meridians at all. Instead, it circulates with the blood. Of course, it can also run through the human meridians, but in fact, it can move freely through the human body's flesh, limbs and bones, as long as there is blood.

Its weird and mysterious nature is very different from the magic techniques of other schools in the world.

"What a powerful magic skill! It allowed me to enter the path of magic without knowing it. If it weren't for the golden silkworm Gu that gave me some enlightenment, I wouldn't even know that I had cultivated the power of the Blood God. Hahahahaha, interesting, interesting."

After the initial surprise, Lu Cheng felt a stronger fighting spirit:

Fighting against the sky, the joy is endless; fighting against the earth, the joy is endless; fighting against people, the joy is endless; fighting against the supreme magic of the devil, the same is true.

"When one advances from innate to Qi training, since cultivators do not have sufficient foundation in cultivation, they usually do not have innate magical powers. However, some people are born special and have them. When one advances from Qi training to foundation building, one can condense innate magical powers."

"After building the foundation, one is promoted to the Condensing Evil Realm. In this realm, there is neither the three foundation-building stages of 'Heaven, Earth and Man' nor the saying 'Nine Transformations of the Golden Elixir, No Regrets After the Elixir is Successful'. However, one will still condense one's innate magical power. The quality of one's innate magical power even reflects the overall quality of this period of cultivation."

"Although the Blood Nerve Technique is a magic skill, I am not afraid of escaping into the path of magic. Although I don't care about becoming a magic cultivator, I cannot be controlled by magic skills. I just use this skill to increase my foundation in cultivation."

On the Five Elements Platform, as Lu Cheng was whispering and thinking, a flash of blood appeared in his eyes.

In the next few years, in addition to his own cultivation, Lu Cheng did many things, the first of which was to manage Ishihara Castle.

He used various means to make a large number of people from the surrounding towns and villages migrate to this city. At the same time, he implemented the Huang-Lao method: light taxation and levies, and developed all industries.

The Huang-Lao school of thought advocates governing by doing nothing.

In fact, it means a small government and a big society, which has a very good effect when all industries are just beginning to develop and in the early stages of social development.

With society stable and all industries thriving, the belief in the God Chixin naturally became popular. Everyone believed that the peace and prosperity here were bestowed by the God Chixin, so the Chixin Temple was very popular and had a respected status.

The rapid accumulation of divine power far exceeds the speed at which Lu Cheng's magic power improves.

But this is exactly what Lu Cheng wants.

Isn't blood nerve a magic power?

I prefer to do good deeds and bring peace to the area.

When under the blessing of the Red Heart Divine Method, the circulation of the Blood God's True Breath can indeed be greatly suppressed.

Tao, Demon, and God, the three Dharma veins, were merged into one by Lu Cheng, and they check and balance each other.

The cause of this incident was indeed that I failed to control my greed and watched some of the contents of the Blood Sutra. However, if I could balance the Dharma channel and understand my mind and nature, it would indeed increase my infinite Taoist knowledge.

In addition, Lu Cheng went to the auction house in the City That Never Sleeps several times to bid and compete for opportunities. He won five Foundation Establishment Pills for the brother and sister Chen Qingfeng and Chen Qingyun, helping them to reach the Foundation Establishment stage one after another.

During the auction at Liujin Ancient Artifact Workshop, a total of more than 89,000 spirit stones were spent to buy three foundation-building pills.

In the event of fighting for opportunities, in order to fight for two foundation-building pills, Lu Cheng wielded his sword and killed nearly a hundred people before he intimidated all the evil cultivators and took the pills.

Because of this incident, Lu Cheng gained the nickname of Lingxi Sword Demon, and for a while, he received both praise and criticism.

In fact, considering the qualifications and foundation of the siblings Chen Qingfeng and Chen Qingyun, Chen Qingyun would be fine. Chen Qingfeng had a calm temperament and was quite talented in formations. He originally had the opportunity to impact the underground foundation.

But because of the incident with Master Fan, his mind and body were damaged. If he didn't have the wisdom and courage to break out of the cage, he could only settle for the next best thing.

Sometimes, giving up is also a kind of letting go. Chen Qingfeng let go by choosing to give up.

A few years later, Chen Qingfeng's fiancée Luo Peifang traveled thousands of miles to find the Chixin Temple in southern Xinjiang. After confirming with Chen Qingfeng and Chen Qingyun, Lu Cheng also welcomed her with open arms.

A few years later, this female cultivator successfully broke through to the foundation-building stage with the cultivation resources provided by Chixin Temple.

For a time, it was known as the Five Friends of Chixin Temple.

After Lu Cheng obtained the treasure of the Heavenly Book, he became rich and powerful, not to mention he practiced the four essential Dharmas of land, companions and wealth. Now that he was financially self-sufficient, the increasingly prosperous Chixin Temple and Ishihara Castle needed more high-level cultivators to take charge.

Lu Cheng is alone with his sword, so even if he could stay in charge, it would be extremely hard, so he naturally gave up some benefits to cultivate close monks.

What's more, Xue Yuzhen's origins are mysterious and she is now Lu Cheng's concubine.

The siblings Chen Qingfeng and Chen Qingyun are considered half cultivators of Huoyun Mansion, and even Luo Peifang has a family background in this discipline.

Even if we ignore the friendship between them, there is no loss in hiring these monks. The only difference is that Lu Cheng is generous and more willing to give spirit stones and resources.

One day several years later, an unexpected guest came to visit Chixin Temple.

The female cultivator wore a white gauze hat and a light gray Taoist robe. Just by standing there, she made people feel as if everything in the world had faded away.

On that day, five people from Lucheng were playing the flute, singing, tasting tea, drinking wine, discussing Taoism, and enjoying the good time without any restraint.

Her sudden appearance made the air in the courtyard seem to freeze for a moment.

"...Master."

Chen Qingyun was stunned for a moment and spoke incoherently.

It was Fan Xiuhui and Fan Shenfu from Huoyun Mansion. A few years ago, the Ningsha monk abandoned his disciple for the dragon blood medicine, led the Yiguimen monk away, and stole the treasure himself.

The first time he saw Fan Xiuhui, Lu Cheng's reaction was to judge how far away the old monster Youyun was from here.

After all, his uncle had a precedent, and he would do anything to divert the blame.

It was just that her expression might be a little obvious. Fan Xiuhui glanced at him sideways and then swung her sleeves and said:
"Don't worry, Youyun was injured by me and a few fellow Taoists, so he is no longer a concern in the short term. Lu Cheng, prepare a quiet room for me. I have something to say to you and Qingfeng Qingyun."

"I obey the orders of my uncle."

Chen Qingfeng and Chen Qingyun both looked a little strange, but Lu Cheng responded as usual.

A side room inside Chixin Temple.

Fan Xiuhui sat at the top and went straight to the point:
"What I did back then was indeed against the friendship between master and disciple. Although I originally made other preparations, but... now that things have come to this, it is better not to talk about them."

"You two have already repaid my teachings to you with your lives. To be honest, I still owe you a little. These two Blood Dragon Pills are my compensation to you. From now on, our friendship as master and disciple is over, and we owe nothing to each other."

"Master!"

Hearing this, Chen Qingyun couldn't help but take a step forward, but after thinking about it, she didn't know what to say.

If this kind of thing happened between a master and his disciple of the magic sect, it would not be a problem at all, it would just be a routine operation. However, Fan Xiuhui, Chen Qingfeng, and Chen Qingyun were not magic practitioners.

In order to obtain the treasure, the master used his disciple to protect him from the disaster. For a righteous cultivator, this is indeed the end of his kindness.

Chen Qingyun's call of "Master" made Fan Xiuhui, who had already stood up and was about to leave the room, pause for a moment. She turned slightly and looked at the two disciples she had carefully trained for many years:
"...You are all good kids. I just practiced Taoism... I got the Good Fortune Pill by chance in my early years. I practiced hard for a hundred years before I finally built the foundation of the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, I know that the heavens can destroy people and time is the knife. It is irreversible. Today, our relationship as master and disciple has come to an end. I will give you one last word: Everything can be reversed, but time cannot be moved."

After saying this, the beautiful nun waved her sleeves, and flew into the sky like a fairy riding the wind, as if cutting off all ties.

"Senior, may I ask where my Xu Ying is right now?"

Lu Cheng quickly walked to the door of the room and asked loudly.

Hearing this, the nun turned around and replied calmly:

"Dongyang Orthodox Church."

"As expected, Master Uncle is quite upright."

Lu Cheng was just a witness in this room, so he watched it from beginning to end.

After watching it to the end, he felt that Fan Xiuhui’s explanation to Chen Qingfeng and Chen Qingyun was more for herself than for them.

It is very much like a legendary magic method: cutting off worldly ties.

He Lan's daughter Xu Ying, because she had the aptitude to practice Taoism, was sent out to practice Taoism in her early years. She followed the path of Chen Qingyun. Now it seems that her sect is a first-class one, but I don't know whether He Lan, Xu Sheng and others can accept it.

"When did Uncle Fan become involved with Dongyang Orthodox Church?" Lu Cheng turned around and asked.

Chen Qingyun looked confused, and Chen Qingfeng had a look of reminiscence, but he was not very clear. Seeing this, Lu Cheng shook his head and stopped asking any more questions.

"Forget it. Let's keep this a secret for as long as possible. It's better for Priest He to grow old with hope than to live in fear every day."

"Back then, I saw that Xu Ying had a firm heart and good aptitude, so I told my master about it after I returned. My master said she would make the arrangements..."

Chen Qingyun's connections are the same as Fan Xiuhui's connections. It is obvious that Uncle Fan has been connected with the Demonic Sect for some time.

"Master, these two Blood Dragon Pills are very helpful for the Condensed Demon Cultivator to refine his true form, but they are useless to us brothers and sisters. Instead, they are a crime. So, let's hand them all over to you."

At this time, Chen Qingfeng stepped forward and handed over the two bottles of pills that Fan Xiuhui had just left behind.

This is the difference between Chen Qingfeng and Fan Xiuhui. If Fan Xiuhui obtained the Blood Dragon Pill in the Foundation Establishment Stage, on the premise of ensuring her own safety, she would rather give up Lu Cheng as a friend. She would rather leave immediately to keep the precious pill. After all, it is difficult to come across such an opportunity again.

As for Chen Qingfeng, instead of keeping the fourth-grade elixir that might not be used for hundreds of years and inviting disaster upon himself and his sister, it would be more meaningful to entrust it to Senior Brother Lu, who was extremely generous to him and his sister. It would be more meaningful to maintain their friendship and gain more support in terms of cultivation resources.

"Alright, keep these two pills with me for now. When you reach the Condensed Evil Realm, I will either return the Blood Dragon Pill to you, or give you pills or skills of equal value."

It’s one more thing to worry about, but life still has to go on.

Although Chixin Temple has some power now, it is still far from being qualified to ask Dongyang Orthodox Church for people. Therefore, just bear with it.

Time flies, and nearly ten years have passed.

At the age of twenty-nine, Lu Cheng obtained the Five Palaces Forging Yuan Jue and cultivated the Foundation of Heaven and Earth. At the age of thirty-three, he was promoted to the second level of the Foundation. He took Lu Xue as his concubine and used her as a cauldron to absorb pure Yin magic power. At the age of thirty-five, he was promoted to the third level of the Foundation. Nearly ten years passed after that, and at the age of forty-five, his magic power broke through the initial stage of the Foundation and he was promoted to the fourth level of the Foundation.

At the same time, because of his growing personal reputation, he was given the name Nanling Sword Saint by the cultivators of the Tongxuan Realm in Southern Xinjiang, replacing the original Lingxi Sword Demon.

This speed of mana cultivation is worthy of the words "brave and diligent" even in the top sects.

But in fact, Lu Cheng has been distracted a lot in the past ten years. Most of his mind was not used to cultivate magic power, but to balance the conflicts between the divine power, demonic power, and five elements magic power in his own body. Although he was restricted by it, he also benefited a lot.

The innate realm is the foundation and needs no further explanation.

When one advances from the Qi Refining Stage to the Foundation Building Stage, one gains divine consciousness, which allows one to see through everything inside and outside, and to look down on all directions. The biggest difference between a cultivator in the Qi Refining Stage and a cultivator in the Foundation Building Stage is not their mana, but their divine consciousness.

When the foundation-building realm is promoted to the Ningsha realm, the cultivator absorbs the true energy of heaven and earth and transforms it into magic power, which increases tenfold or a hundredfold. However, this is just the gain, not the point.

The key point is that after the cultivators in the Ningsha and Liangang realms obtain such enormous magical powers, they need to temper their true form.

The so-called "true form" is the physical foundation of a cultivator's immortality. Once it is tempered to perfection, it can break the natural laws of time and aging, maintain youthfulness, and even reach the point of being indestructible and indestructible.

A cultivator who is able to cultivate to the level of Ningsha and Liangang, no matter how unambitious he is, must have considered what kind of golden elixir he wants to condense in the future.

But if you want to make elixirs, you need a cauldron, and if you want a cauldron, you need to refine your true form.

With the powerful magic power of Disha Tiangang, he continuously refines his true form bit by bit. If he is not careful, it will be troublesome to rework it again. This is the physical body of a cultivator. If it is damaged, it must be repaired before it can be refined again.

As mentioned before, the two realms of Ningsha and Liangang can be achieved in five to ten years, but many people in the Tongxuan Realm have to be very careful at every step and it takes hundreds of years.

Not to mention those independent practitioners who don’t even have the advanced mental methods.

Therefore, Lu Cheng benefited a lot, because although his magic power growth was delayed in these years, his Taoist foundation was accumulated by referring to the blood nerves left by Lin Tianshu in large quantities.

Especially when it comes to the profound mysteries of essence, blood, and physical body, his knowledge has surpassed that of many casual cultivators in the Ningsha and Liangang realms.

Of course, this isn't all good.

Because he knew too much, Lu Cheng would sometimes look down from the height of Chixin Temple and gaze at the prosperous Ishihara City, and from time to time he would think:
Kill all the people here, and the blood essence condensed from the blood sacrifice will have countless miraculous uses and will be of great benefit to spiritual practice.

"The Taoist master who caused the bleeding nerve, he definitely, definitely... has some problems with his brain."

Gradually, Lu Cheng pressed his hands on both sides of his head, blood came out of his pupils, and the greedy beast nature roared in his body.

"Huh, huh."

After a long time, the impulse in Lu Cheng's mind was suppressed, but Lu Cheng also noticed that his Taoist robe was soaked with sweat.

Using magic to temper one's own Tao heart is certainly a shortcut, but it is also a dangerous road, and it tends to lean towards the magic lineage.

(End of this chapter)