Beichen Sword Sect's Headmaster's Secret Records

Chapter 389 Taiyi
"puff!"

"Yeah!"

Amidst screams, the two figures, one tall and one short, had their magical treasures forcibly taken away, their divine senses severed, and their power backfired. Their divine senses were shaken, their minds were severely injured, their lightning was extinguished, and their true energy dissipated. In an instant, they screamed as they fell from the clouds to the mortal world.

"Hmph, showing off your treasures before you've even mastered your cultivation, you're just asking for trouble. Oh well! It's alright! The effects of the medicine haven't worn off yet!"

The potency of the medicine?

Huangfu Yi stared blankly at the severed limbs, melted and carbonized by the instantaneous high temperature, when suddenly he felt a jolt in his chest. He saw black, root-like blood vessels at the severed elbows, like earthworms tearing through the charred flesh and bone, coiling around the melted bone fragments like vines, and growing back at a speed visible to the naked eye, enveloping the bone fragments in the black flesh! In the blink of an eye, the severed limbs revived and regenerated! Except for the eerie purplish-black color of the skin, the meridians and bones were almost completely healed in an instant!

So this is... the living dead, healing flesh and bones...?

"Ahhh! Senior sister! Senior sister! It hurts so much! It hurts so much!"

"Cough cough... vomit... cough cough..."

Awakened by screams coming from not far away, Huangfu Yi picked up his sword and iron rod and went to investigate the source of the sound.

The two, one big and one small, were still alive, but the smaller one had managed to trip over the larger one, breaking its spine in the fall. It lay sprawled on the ground, blood gushing from its mouth and nose, its internal organs spilling out. It was barely breathing and unable to move. The larger one was in no better shape. The dragon bone had gouged out its eyes and smashed its skull. It howled and screamed madly, thrashing about in the muddy, bloody swamp, its hair disheveled, looking like a madwoman, utterly miserable.

When it comes to sword fighting, winning is winning and losing is losing. Huangfu Yi had no intention of humiliating anyone and knew the traditions of the Xuanmen. So when he saw their miserable state, he didn't ask any questions. He just swung his stick and smashed the screaming and rolling senior sister to pieces.

"Woo..."

The junior sister bit her lip until it bled, her face covered in blood, and stared at him intently.
"You wait... this grudge will be settled..."

Huangfu Yi nodded, and without saying a word, swung his stick down.
"Maybe in the next life, I'll be waiting."

Won……

"Crack, snap, snap."

Then, crisp applause came from behind.

Huangfu Yi was startled and leaped three zhang away, looking back.

There was a fat man with a face full of scars, tightly wrapped in an earth-yellow robe, half of his body hidden in the ground and half of his belly on the ground, clapping his hands.

"Impressive, impressive! This is the first time I've ever seen someone overcome the Tribulation of Three Lifetimes like this. They might as well fight their way into the next life..."

Brother, what ruthless methods you've employed, what a heartless Daoist! Interested in joining our Songshan sect?

Why is it Songshan again?!

This person arrived silently, suddenly appearing from behind without the person even noticing. He's probably much more powerful than those two scumbags, and likely not a piece of trash!

Huangfu Yi broke out in a cold sweat. He pointed his staff, and layers of sword energy covered the entire staff.

"You want to avenge your fellow disciples, is that it? Then please!"

But the fat man seemed to have no intention of fighting. He shook his head, stood on tiptoe, and burrowed out of the ground like a potato.

"Revenge? You've got a misunderstanding, brother. Mount Song has thirty-six mountains and seventy-two peaks. It's a place where immortals gather, where outstanding people and beautiful scenery abound, and where there are countless grottoes. It's a huge place!"
They live at the summit of the mountain near the Xuan Nu Temple, while we Taiyi Daoists live along the mountain pass. We're not on the same path; we're just fellow countrymen on different routes.

Not on the same wavelength?

Huangfu Yi looked at the fat man suspiciously.

She was so fat, really fat. Her round cheeks resembled steamed buns, her chin was like a meat-filled naan bread, her chubby face was covered with greasy wrinkles, and her bulging belly had two distinct protrusions, like the tufts on a meat bun. Just looking at the fat all over her body was enough to make anyone lose their appetite.

Then he looked at the two dead bodies, one big and one small, lying on the ground...

Well, she's already dead, so I won't go into too much detail. But the designs are really different; they're not even in the same style. And to put it bluntly, even if she got her head blown off, she's still a fairy whose head got blown off. How could she possibly be the same kind of person as a potato that's become a spirit?

Although this fat man was a bit ugly, his temper was much better than the fairy's. He got up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said cheerfully,

"Greetings, brother. My name is Liang Jiuding, a Qi cultivator from the Taiyi Dao of Mount Song. I was just passing by when I saw you undergoing your tribulation, and I dared not disturb you. However, I am currently hungry and thirsty. Could I ask you for some meat?"

Huangfu Yi maintained his sword aura to protect himself, but since the other party had come out to greet him and show goodwill, he cautiously replied...
"I am... Zhang San. Please make yourself at home."

"Brother, you're so generous! Thanks!"

Then he took out a rice bag and put the two female corpses inside.

Huangfu Yi was startled. "Uh, what do you mean you want to eat is them??"

Liang Jiuding smiled憨厚ly.
"Brother, you've misunderstood. I know I'm not good-looking, but I'm a proper Qi cultivator who has received ordination, not some pig demon or monster."

These two are, by all accounts, disciples of the Mysterious Woman, orthodox disciples of the Mysterious Sect, and true inheritors of the Dragon Temple.

Although they brought this calamity upon themselves, it is still inappropriate to leave their bodies exposed in the wilderness.

"Since I'm going back to the mountain anyway, I'll take the opportunity to return your belongings to her sect."

Huangfu Yi had originally intended to exchange the two corpses and Qian Eping for a reward, but the other party's answer was so upright and honest that, in comparison, he couldn't help but feel ashamed and embarrassed.

He realized that he had been killing relentlessly these past few days, slaying demons and immortals, and had really lost his mind. He had actually regarded human corpses as materials and props that could be exchanged and traded like demons. How disgraceful and impolite he was! He quickly straightened his mind, reminding himself not to fall into the demonic path, and clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.

"Brother Liang, you've thought this through. I'll have to trouble you to do it."

Liang Jiuding said in a simple and approachable manner,

"Not at all, it was nothing, brother, you're too kind. Actually, I arrived earlier and heard you talking to them. I can tell you're an honest man. They were outmatched and ended up like this, which is tragic, but they started it, so it's not your fault."

Although each family has its own method of transcending tribulation, and I cannot comment on it, I do know that their lineage was indeed descended from the personal maid of the Mysterious Woman. They are the most profound sect among the profound sects, the most direct line among the direct line, and have been passed down in the same lineage for thousands of years. Therefore, they have always claimed to be the true successors of the Mysterious Woman, but their disciples are arrogant and domineering, and quite difficult to get along with.

This family finally managed to recruit two promising disciples, and you killed them all. If their patriarch foresaw that you killed their family's most trusted disciple and seized their most precious treasure, they might throw a tantrum, and even the nine great sects would make things difficult for you…”

Huangfu Yi suddenly became alert, his cautiousness returning, and he raised the tower to test the waters.

"So, according to you, brother, do you want me to hand over the Yin-Yang Twin Rings as well, so you can take them back to Mount Song as an apology? Or would it be better for me to bind myself and plead guilty?"

Liang Jiuding waved his hands repeatedly.
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, Brother Zhang, you've misunderstood again. These magical treasures were won by you in the calamity, honorably and legitimately. Why would you return them to her? Does being born into a prestigious family mean she has to win, while we, who are plain-looking, have to die? Even Heaven has its principles."

However, it seems you haven't learned any methods to conceal the secrets of heaven. You don't even bother to hide your killings. If this continues, things will only get more chaotic, leading to endless calamities and endless troubles. Sooner or later, your enemies will find out and you'll get into big trouble.

How about I stay with you for seven days and shield you from this calamity?

Huangfu Yi became increasingly suspicious.

"Brother Liang, we have never met before, why are you so eager to help me?"

Liang Jiuding was honest and kind.

“Although we’ve never met before, we have now met. When you saw my ugly and grotesque appearance, you neither insulted me nor attacked or drove me away. You even gave me a piece of meat to eat. You are truly a good person! We people of the Xuanmen sect have always believed in repaying kindness with kindness and avenging wrongs with revenge. So I thought I should help you out to repay this kindness.”

Huangfu Yi was shocked.

This guy is actually so civilized, polite, and grateful? Is he really a cultivator from the Central Plains?

Liang Jiuding swallowed hard.

"Hey bro, sorry, I'm starving, let's start eating now."

"Uh, Brother Liang, please..."

So Liang Jiuding thanked him again and immediately started eating. He scrambled his hands to scatter the dragon meat, tore off pieces, and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing them heartily. He swallowed each piece with relish, his expression visibly blissful. The wrinkles on his face stretched out, giving him a shiny, rosy complexion.

Huangfu Yi stood there dumbfounded, watching as this guy ate half a dragon in one go before recovering, and now he believed it too.

He was genuinely hungry, and his teeth were quite impressive. He was chewing the raw flesh and bones of the useless dragon with such gusto that it made his mouth water.

Liang Jiuding ate until he was about half full, finally feeling relieved. He made a hand seal, blew a breath that transformed into a large yellow hand, grabbed the immeasurable jade ruler embedded in the dragon bone, made a hand seal to shrink it, handed it to Huangfu Yi with one hand, and scooped up the remaining scraps of meat from the ground with the other, eating them while smiling.
"Brother Zhang, you should eat too. There's still half a carton left."

Seeing that he was truly not after the treasure, but only focused on grabbing the meat, and recognizing the other man's qi cultivation techniques and attire as similar to the yellow-robed Taoist who had previously sheltered the refugees, Huangfu Yi lowered his guard somewhat and casually asked,
"Brother Liang, judging from the wind in your palm, it seems to be the Xuanhuang Yiqi Divine Skill?"

Liang Jiuding's eyes lit up.
"Good insight, Brother Zhang, you really have a connection with Mount Song! Speaking of which, there are quite a few of your relatives in our mountains. Won't you really join us?"

Huangfu Yi declined.
"Thank you for your consideration, Brother Liang. A Taoist priest once used talisman water to treat my illness and taught me some of your school's breathing techniques, which is how I came to know you."

However, I need to deal with a master of the Demonic Sect. I'm on my way to Nine Yin Mountain to seek immortality and ask for a sword to slay the demons, so I can only politely decline..."

Liang Jiuding held the dragon claw and gnawed at it.

"So you want to become a disciple of the Sword Immortal? The Sword Immortal has been quite popular these past few years. Well then, I won't force you."

However, our Songshan Sect is different from that Sword Sect. We don't care about these distinctions between insiders and outsiders, sectarian differences, or rules about not teaching this or that. We brothers originally attained the Dao through independent cultivation. What does it matter if it's yours or mine? Seeking immortality and asking questions should naturally involve understanding different schools of thought and learning from various sources. How can we be limited by sectarian prejudices?

Besides, cultivation is ultimately up to the individual. As long as one's abilities reach a certain level and one's tribulations are overcome, one can return to the mountain sect and receive the true teachings of my Dao. Brother, you have such a karmic connection to immortality, far surpassing my own in my youth. You will surely become famous throughout the world in the future. If your affinity for sword immortality is slightly less, then come to Mount Song. I will introduce you to my fellow disciples, and we can discuss the Dao together and plunder together—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Oh? I wonder which deity your esteemed master is? Which sect's True Lord is he from, Dragon, Tiger, or Crane? Is he capable of defeating the Dharma King of the Demonic Sect?"

In fact, Huangfu Yi had always been quite curious about the situation inside the Xuanmen. However, the guys he had encountered before were all crazy people who would shout for violence as soon as they came up. There wasn't even a human being who could communicate normally. Now that he had finally met a normal person, who was just a bit big-eater, he grabbed him and started asking him questions.

"Uh, True Lord? Dharma King? Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiuding nearly choked with laughter. He quickly scooped the large object out of his bag, rummaged around for a while, and then pulled a jade bottle from the person's body. He took a large gulp from the bottle to catch his breath, then laughed and boasted.

"Brother, you are really underestimating us from Mount Song. Although my master is not a direct descendant of the Xuan Nu lineage and can only be considered a Taoist priest from the Lu Temple, it is still too presumptuous to compare him with the True Lord and Dharma King."

"Alright, it's fate that we brothers are here today, so I'll tell you. My master is the Immortal Elder Taiyi Nanhua, have you ever heard of him?"

"Taiyi Nanhua..."

Huangfu Yi thought for a moment,

"Oh, I did encounter someone from the Xuanmen sect before, who said they were giving face to the Old Immortal Nanhua, but they were referring to your master..."

Liang Jiuding laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder.

"Brother, you are indeed destined to be with me. My master has attained immortality and has been wandering the heavens for thousands of years. He is a true immortal!"

In retrospect, the head of the Xuanmen sect was his friend, and the supreme leader of the Divine Sect was his junior. What are True Lords and Dharma Kings? They are not worthy of being compared with him. That would be giving them too much credit!
Besides, if your enemy is just some insignificant cult, we have plenty of ways to deal with them. Why go to such lengths, going all the way to Jiuyin Mountain? Why don't you just come with me to Songshan Mountain instead?”

"I see. But I have an appointment with someone and must go to the capital first..."

Huangfu Yi guessed that the jade bottle probably contained wine, which made Pangzi drunk and start talking nonsense.

But thinking about it, it's quite normal. Back in Jiuquan Village, when everyone got drunk, they'd brag, always starting with something like, "Back in the day, my ancestor was a general who conquered the west." And when these immortals get drunk and start bragging, it's always something like, "My master drank with the immortals and fought with the god." Just listen to this kind of bragging and showing off of your sect.

"Hey! You still don't believe me! No way! I don't care what others think of me, but I can't let my brothers not believe me!"

Liang Jiuding put his hand in his pocket and pulled out something.
"Look! What's this!"

Huangfuyi glanced at it.
"Skull."

Liang Jiuding chuckled and tossed the skull into Huangfu Yi's arms.
"This is a Dharma King."

"The Dharma King? The Dharma King of the Divine Cult?"

Huangfu Yi was shocked. The skull looked ordinary, just a dead man's bone, except for a circle of Taoist symbols tattooed on the top of his head. Upon closer inspection, it was covered with many densely packed magic symbols, which looked like a restriction array.

Liang Jiuding pointed out,

"The most famous skill of the Divine Cult is the Blood God Child Technique. Once mastered, it is said to grant countless incarnations and immortality. Although the Xuanmen has devised numerous methods and supernatural abilities to deal with it, none have been particularly effective so far. No matter how many of them are killed, the number of Blood God Children continues to increase."

Ultimately, the root of the problem lies in the fact that the Blood God's Great Art is merely a survival technique; the true strength of the Divine Cult lies in its arithmetic.

"arithmetic?"

"Indeed, the Divine Calculation of the Mind of the Divine Sect is an unprecedented and unique skill created by the Divine Lord. It is a completely different calculation scripture from the Six Ren of the Immortal Palace, the Qimen of the Mysterious Woman, and the Taiyi of our Dao."

What's most impressive is that he can utilize the Primal Mystic Manual, combined with various puppet clone and soul-stealing techniques, to take over the brains of his followers, spirit pets, and blood puppets, using them as abacuses to aid in calculations. It's like you're doing one deduction while he's scheming with millions of others—how can you possibly defeat him?

Therefore, even if a master of the Xuanmen sect possesses a thousand skills and myriad supernatural abilities, as long as they are one step ahead in skill and quicker in calculation, they can always find a way to escape and save their lives. Even if they were to besiege and kill someone with a wide-ranging network of followers, they would still have protectors and followers to assist them.

Therefore, to deal with the Demonic Sect, brute force alone is absolutely not enough; one must use stratagems to outwit them to have a chance.

This Dharma King was captured alive by my master using the Taiyi Divine Calculation, which was superior to his own. Then, using the Taiyi Yin-Yang Escape Formation, he set up the Nine Palaces and Sixteen Divine Array, trapping this fiendish primordial spirit in this formation for reincarnation. It cannot escape until it has gone through five cycles and six eras. Now it has become a teaching material for us fellow disciples to study and practice the primordial spirit cultivation method.

You tell me, wasn't it easy to manipulate him?

"Wow……"

Although Huangfu Yi couldn't understand it, it seemed really impressive.

Liang Jiuding smiled.
"Want to learn? I can teach you."

Huangfu Yi was hesitating when suddenly the system whispered in his ear, "Taiyi Divine Calculation is quite something," and his eyes lit up.

"Really? It's the ultimate technique that can defeat the Blood Demon? You can really teach it to me?"

Liang Jiuding patted his round belly and said confidently,
"A man's word is his bond. I promised to spend seven days with you, so I might as well just relax."

"Once you witness the power of the Taiyi Divine Calculator, you'll understand the capabilities of Mount Song."

(End of this chapter)