Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 95 The intersection of three eras

"What is the origin of this old monk? How could he fight with Dugu Qiubai so evenly?" Qiu Chuji knew very well how strong Dugu Qiubai was.

After watching the old monk's moves a few more times, he gradually began to guess his identity.

According to Qiu Chuji's deduction, the timeline of Tian Long is about sixty or seventy years ago. Xu Zhu learned martial arts from the Xiaoyao sect and was good at health preservation. He also spent many years following the Buddhist tradition and keeping his mind pure and free from desires. It is normal for him to still have such strength at the age of eighty or ninety.

I just don’t know whether Xu Zhu is the mysterious Drunken Monk.

While Qiu Chuji was guessing the old monk's identity, the two people fighting both felt Qiu Chuji's presence. After a move, they separated and stood still, and their eyes turned to Qiu Chuji at the same time.

After seeing Qiu Chuji, Dugu Qiubai showed a hint of joy.

"Good boy! You're finally here!"

"I've also heard that you've done great things, and your strength should have improved now... Come on! Prove it to me quickly." Dugu Qiubai challenged Qiu Chuji as soon as he saw him.

He lived in seclusion, but he did not withdraw from the world. Occasionally, he would take some mountain products to nearby towns to exchange for daily necessities. The major events that Qiu Chuji had done were too sensational and were no longer confined to the martial arts world. It was normal for Dugu Qiubai to hear about them.

Qiu Chuji smiled and said, "I came here to compete with you in martial arts this time."

As he said this, he turned and looked at the old monk.

"I wonder who this senior is?"

Dugu Qiubai turned his head and looked at the old monk: "After five rounds of fighting, I still haven't asked for your Dharma name. This is really rude."

The old monk stroked his beard and smiled generously: "It's okay! It's okay! I was just tempted by the sight of prey and broke the precept of anger."

"My Buddhist name is Xuzhu. Nice to meet you two donors!"

It’s Xu Zhu indeed!
Qiu Chuji looked at the old monk seriously, thinking about how to learn some of the Divine Art of the North Sea and the Divine Art of the Eight Desolations and Six Directions from him.

Qiu Chuji didn't care about the effect of Bei Ming Divine Art in absorbing inner energy. What he cared about was how Bei Ming Divine Art preserved, purified and stored the huge amount of inner energy extracted from others, and whether he could incorporate this purification and storage method into his own inner energy system.

For example, if the chaotic Qi of heaven and earth that was taken into his body through the Xiantian Gong could be purified and preserved, then Qiu Chuji's cultivation speed would be able to reach a new level. He would no longer need any panacea, and the heaven and earth would be a huge treasure house for him to draw on endlessly.

Is the rejuvenation of the Eight Desolations and Six Directions Only I Am Supreme's skill, which can restore youth every thirty years, just a superficial change, or can it reverse the body's activities at a deeper level and allow the elderly to return to their youth?

If it was just the former, then it was nothing special. There were methods of shrinking and changing one's appearance in the martial arts world. Some assassins would even practice martial arts to disguise themselves as children so that they could sneak attack and kill people unexpectedly. But if it was the latter, then the value of this martial art would be even greater than the Bei Ming Divine Art.

After all, Qiu Chuji had his own ideas on how to purify his breath and store huge amounts of strength. Even if he had to deduce it on his own, it would only take a little more time. When his Dantian and internal organs gradually became stronger under the nourishment of more powerful energy, he would be able to make some attempts, and some of the questions that had no answers now would naturally become clear.

On the contrary, he has no idea how to reverse youth and return to aging, and he needs something to help him figure it out.

"So it's Master Xuzhu. I once heard Leader Hong of the Beggars' Sect and Emperor Duan of the Duan family in Dali mention the deeds of Master Xuzhu, Leader Qiao of the Beggars' Sect and Emperor Xuanren. It was really full of ups and downs and fascinating." Qiu Chuji said.

"Wow! I never thought that after sixty years, there are still people who know about the past events between me, my eldest brother, and my third brother. But... in the blink of an eye, it has been almost seventy years!"

"My eldest brother passed away seventy years ago, and my third brother also became possessed by the devil twenty years ago and unfortunately passed away. I am left alone in this world."

Xu Zhu sighed, his still bright eyes seemed to be glistening with water, as if he was flashing back to the past.

Those were the most vivid and unforgettable days in his life.

"Hey! I happened to visit Emperor Xuanren's former residence some time ago and gained some benefits from his legacy. But I thought of Senior Duan Yu's amazing cultivation and his seldom fighting with others. How could he..." Qiu Chuji continued to guide the topic.

Ordinary martial artists who only use their muscles and bones to promote martial arts, and only think about fighting without thinking about maintenance, begin to lose strength after the age of 40. Many of them suffer from multiple illnesses and injuries, and short life is even more common. However, those who can practice to the pinnacle, if there are no accidents, should live a long life.

For example, among the Five Great Masters, Duan Zhixing and Huang Yaoshi both lived very long lives, and they were probably over a hundred years old. Hong Qi and Ouyang Feng also died of exhaustion during a competition of internal strength on the top of Mount Huashan. Even so, they should have been around eighty years old when they passed away.

Duan Yu's martial arts skills were in no way inferior to those of the original Five Great Masters, and were even better. It was a bit unexpected that he became possessed at the age of seventy.

"My third brother obtained a magic skill in his early years, which was quite strange and evil. Although he has cultivated himself for many years and does not rely on it to do evil, the root of the evil was planted early, and by the time he discovered it, it was already too late to reverse the situation!" Xu Zhu sighed.

Qiu Chuji knew that Xu Zhu was referring to the "Northern Divine Art", and as Qiu Chuji had thought before, the Northern Divine Art was used to absorb other people's true energy and pour it back into one's own body. This was not advisable. Even if the hidden danger was small, it still existed, and as time went by, the increase in power became more and more huge and could not be ignored. If there were no such hidden dangers, Wuyazi would not have relied on the Northern Divine Art to absorb huge power to dominate the martial arts world, and it could be understood that he was very arrogant and self-righteous. Later, his whole body was crippled and he was powerless. It was unreasonable for Li Qiushui not to absorb the power of hundreds of years, but to kill Tianshan Tonglao with her power. What moral integrity could she have?
Don’t say that Li Qiushui doesn’t know the Divine Art of the North Sea. The Divine Art of the North Sea that Duan Yu obtained from the Langhuan Blessed Land was left there by Li Qiushui.

She even passed on part of it to Ding Chunqiu, which enabled Ding Chunqiu to master the Hua Gong Dafa.

As for the fact that Xu Zhu did not go astray in his later years, the reason is very simple. His hundred years of skills were entirely provided by the three Xiaoyao elders. Although they were not the same person, they came from the same source after all, and they were all polished to be profound and pure. Xu Zhu has been slowly digesting it over the past few decades, so even if there are some troubles, they can be slowly made up for. His skills are far from being as chaotic as Duan Yu's, and the myriad of threads are simply difficult to control and manage.

Of course, there are safe and harmless methods of cannibalizing humans, and there are so many of them in the universe!
It just doesn’t exist in this world!

In the final analysis, although the Bei Ming Divine Art has a high purpose, the level of martial arts itself is limited.

"Senior, are you talking about the 'Northern Divine Art'?" Qiu Chuji didn't intend to beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

Although Xu Zhu was simple and honest in his early years, he is nearly a hundred years old now. What has he not seen?
There is no point in going around in circles and pretending to be nice.

Xu Zhu's expression changed slightly, and his face became solemn and restrained.

"I also know a little about your origins. In fact, the old monk came out of the mountain this time just to find you."

"Although Kong Yun, Zhi Hui and the others have made mistakes and have been blinded by worldly glory, you should just kill them. Why burn them to death with fire?" Xu Zhu's voice gradually lost its gentleness.

Dugu Qiubai also stood aside with a sword in his hand, and seemed ready to fight with the old monk again. The seemingly harmonious atmosphere a moment ago disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"There is a record of 'Avici Hell' in Buddhist scriptures. Those who commit sins in life will fall into Avici Hell forever after death and suffer endless pain."

"Senior, what do you think of the suffering they will endure in the Avici Hell compared to the suffering I will send them to hell with blazing fire?" Qiu Chuji asked Xu Zhu.

Xu Zhu was left speechless by this question.

Although he was knowledgeable, he was still a kind-hearted person. At this moment, he could not shamelessly say that those monks who were burned to death were people with great merits and would not go to hell after death, but would be reborn in paradise.

Surrendering to the Jin people was a question of stance, and his merits and demerits will be judged by future generations. But as a monk, after choosing to surrender, he eagerly rushed to be used as a dog and a knife by the Jin people. This was not just a question of stance, but a sign that he really did not regard himself as a person outside the world.

"Little Taoist priest is good at talking. I can't win the argument with you."

"Now it seems that I may not be able to defeat you...but you want the Bei Ming Divine Art, but I can't do it."

"This skill is evil in nature. After my third brother left, the old monk planned to take it into the grave with him and would never pass it on to anyone else." Xu Zhu said stubbornly.

"Isn't it a pity that the hard work of our predecessors is destroyed by later generations?" Qiu Chuji asked.

Xu Zhu said: "The old monk has practiced for many years and has gained some experience. I will create another method and leave it to future generations to fill in the gaps."

Qiu Chuji sighed, "Forget it! Forget it!"

"Old monk, just give me the Eight Desolations and Six Directions Only I Am Supreme skill, and I will never take the initiative to cause trouble for Shaolin monks in the future. What do you think?"

Xu Zhu was stunned when he heard this. What... did he say that?
Didn't he just say that he wanted to cause trouble for Qiu Chuji, but was bumped into by Dugu Qiubai halfway, and then they fought for five rounds in a row without a winner, so he didn't go to cause trouble for Qiu Chuji?

How did it become that Qiu Chuji let Shaolin Temple go?

"This martial art can be taught to others. Apart from the need to rejuvenate every thirty years and drink blood to restore strength, there are no other problems." Xu Zhu considered his words, and then made up his mind: "But, unless you are a good person, I cannot entrust you with this skill."

Hearing this, Qiu Chuji laughed out loud, and Dugu Qiubai also laughed out loud.

"Old Senior! Do you think I still need such a martial art to support whether I am doing good or evil?"

"It's just that I heard something about it, and I was excited to see if I could learn something useful from the ancients' thoughts."

“If you agree to teach me the skills, I will not take advantage of you and will give you something in return. If you are unwilling, I will not force you. You will be able to understand it if you spend some time.” Qiu Chuji’s tone showed a strong and intense self-confidence.

(End of this chapter)