The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 363 Confusing
Murong Longcheng requests an audience? It's been a long time since I've seen this senior brother. Zhao Ti thought for a moment and then ordered him to come in.

A few breaths later, a tall, burly figure with flowing silver hair walked into the military hall. He had thick eyebrows, a long beard, a straight back, and an extraordinary demeanor.

Murong Longcheng bowed and said, "This humble subject greets Your Highness."

Judging from the other party's expression, he should not have regained his memory yet. Murong Longcheng has always been open and honest, with the demeanor of an ancient gentleman. If he really woke up, he would not act sneakily, but would definitely point it out to his face and take action directly.

He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Senior brother, why be so formal? We are fellow disciples. Senior brother is accepting a disciple on behalf of our master and has performed the Heaven and Earth Ceremony. There is a proper etiquette between elders and juniors. How can you be so polite?"

Murong Longcheng looked ashamed and said, "Your Highness, this is the military headquarters, a strategic location of the Azure Dragon Hall. How dare this humble subject disregard etiquette and claim kinship with Your Highness..."

Zhao Ti waved his hand and said, "It's alright. There are no outsiders here, so let's just use the way we address each other in the sect. Senior brother, please sit down and let's talk."

Murong Longcheng responded with a "yes," and cautiously sat down on the brocade stool next to him, looking at Zhao Ti.

Zhao Ti said, "I returned to Xingzhou in a hurry this time and didn't have time to see my senior brother, but he took the initiative to come here. It is really my fault."

Upon hearing this, Murong Longcheng hurriedly stood up again: "Junior Brother, what are you saying? I am busy with official duties and cannot attend to everything. Besides, even if we are fellow disciples, I am of noble status and would never deign to see a commoner like myself."

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "We brothers don't need to get caught up in such formalities. I see that you seem to be in a hurry, especially since it's getting dark. Is there something urgent?"

Murong Longcheng said, "To be honest, Junior Brother, you are very busy and have only recently returned to Xingzhou, so I didn't want to bother you. However, my dreams have become increasingly strange and unusual in the past few months. In particular, I slept for three days straight and had a great dream. I had previously said that I would tell you about the dream, so I was anxious and came to bother you."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti asked, "Senior brother, did you have many dreams again? Were there any dreams about practicing magic or anything like that?"

Murong Longcheng said, "There are indeed such cases, and quite a few at that. I cultivated according to the basic Qi Refining method and actually reached the Foundation Establishment stage..."

"Oh? Senior Brother has reached the Foundation Establishment stage?" Zhao Ti nodded: "Good, good, I didn't expect Senior Brother to officially become a Daoist."

"I am truly ashamed," Murong Longcheng said. "I have been thinking about this for the past few days, and I believe that the dream must be a memory of my past life. Otherwise, all sorts of things would not have come true, and I could use magic and cultivate Taoist arts. But after waking up, I just can't remember the specific experiences of my past life."

“Of course, otherwise why would I have so solemnly become your disciple?” Zhao Ti pondered for a moment and then said, “Senior brother just mentioned that you had another long dream, which lasted for three days before you woke up. What was it about?”

Murong Longcheng said, "Junior brother, do you still remember when I dreamt of living in the mountains and seeing a colorful sunset shining in the distance, with precious light soaring into the sky? Junior brother wanted to go and investigate, but was stopped by second junior brother, and the two of them fought each other?"

Zhao Ti nodded: "That is indeed the case."

Murong Longcheng said, "This three-day dream is related to this. My master took the three of us to that place."

"Oh?" Zhao Ti asked with interest, "Where did Master take the three senior brothers? What kind of place is that?"

Murong Longcheng said, "Master said that place is called Treasure Mountain, which contains countless powerful magic treasures. He took us there to distribute these magic treasures to the three of us."

"Baoshan? Distribute all the magic treasures to your three senior brothers?" Zhao Ti asked in surprise.

Murong Longcheng nodded: "Master led us into Treasure Mountain to a place called Treasure Rock, where he summoned countless magical treasures, explained the name and function of each one, and then distributed them all to the three of us."

“Baoshan, Baoyan… is it Baoyan?” Zhao Ti pondered.

“Yes, yes, Junior Brother is absolutely right. After all the magic treasures were distributed, the rock automatically changed, auspicious clouds and colorful lights rose up, and the three large characters ‘Dividing Treasure Rock’ appeared on it,” Murong Longcheng said.

Indeed, it was the Treasure Distribution Rock. Zhao Ti couldn't help but think to himself, "This is where Hongjun distributed the treasures. However, it seems that the three of us in the dream did not become saints at that moment, and are not yet Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortals."

Hongjun attained the Hunyuan Wuji Daluo Golden Immortal realm and merged with the Heavenly Dao. His three disciples later attained the Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal realm, which is the so-called Sage realm.

"Senior brother... what powerful magic treasures did you get?" Zhao Ti stroked his chin.

"There are too many things in my dream..." Murong Longcheng said with a wry smile, "There are countless things, but among them, there are a few that are particularly powerful. One of them is the Taiji Diagram, which is a supreme innate treasure. It can stabilize the earth, water, fire, and wind, suppress all the laws of the world, and has the ability to split the earth and open the sky, separate the pure from the impure. It can also be transformed into a white jade bridge as a spatial passage or to hide one's body."

"The Tai Chi diagram?" Zhao Ti said, "It does sound impressive."

"There is also the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda. My master said it was formed from a wisp of Profound Yellow Qi at the time of creation. It can be used as my treasure for attaining enlightenment. It is the number one defensive treasure after birth, with absolute defensive capabilities. If it is placed on the head, one can stand invincible. Even saints cannot break it. Profound Yellow Qi can make one immune to all laws and unaffected by karma," Murong Longcheng said.

"The Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda." Zhao Ti nodded: "What other powerful ones are there?"

Murong Longcheng continued, "There is also the Flame Banner, one of the Five Primordial Banners, transformed from the leaves of the Chaos Green Lotus. It is the Fire Banner among the Five Primordial Banners. When unfolded, its flames soar into the sky, capable of burning everything. It can also disrupt Yin and Yang and reverse the Five Elements, causing the enemy's spells to backfire. In addition, there is the Qiankun Diagram, the Wind and Fire Futon, the Eight Scenery Palace Lantern, and the Myriad Spirits Bag..."

"Wait, what did you say, Senior Brother? The Myriad Spirits Bag?" Zhao Ti asked, puzzled. This was the name of a magical artifact he had never heard of before, and he didn't recall it being mentioned in the Investiture of the Gods.

“It’s the Bag of All Living Beings.” Murong Longcheng thought for a moment. “Master said that this thing can also be called the Human Seed Bag. It can be nurtured with magical power to store all living beings, so that all living beings can be in a state of dormancy inside, without moving or speaking, and can live a long time without aging or dying, just like a seed.”

"A human seed bag?" Zhao Ti's expression changed involuntarily.

This item is not mentioned in the Investiture of the Gods. However, Yu Yuan, the One Qi Immortal of Penglai Island, had a magic treasure called Ruyi Qiankun Bag. It is unknown where he obtained it or whether he made it himself. Later, it was taken away by Ju Liusun, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals.

It is said that Julusun later joined the Western religion, attained Buddhahood, and renamed the Ruyi Qiankun Bag as the Human Seed Bag.

However, this has nothing to do with the events of the Investiture of the Gods. There was no such thing as a "human seed bag" during the Investiture of the Gods, nor was there such a name. The "human seed bag" that Murong Longcheng mentioned, which is called the "bag of all living beings," has nothing to do with Ju Liusun's Ruyi Qiankun Bag. Moreover, this was something that Hongjun Laozu gave to Laojun at the Treasure Distribution Rock.

This item was never mentioned in the Investiture of the Gods, perhaps because it is neither an offensive nor defensive treasure, but simply an item related to the myriad spirits of humanity, and therefore it did not appear in any major events or battles.

Hongjun transmitted the Dao to the Three Friends, and the Three Friends established the Three Teachings. Whether the origin of the name of the Human Teaching is related to this thing is unknown.

"This thing isn't particularly powerful; it can neither attack nor defend. But upon closer inspection, it's quite important, since it can protect the living beings stored inside." Murong Longcheng pondered, "That bag is incredibly sturdy. Even fierce winds and earth-shattering forces can't break it, and even if the sky collapses and the earth cracks, it can't be destroyed. It can preserve the Seed of Starfire, so it can be considered a fundamental item."

Zhao Ti said, "That's right. Regarding this item... didn't Master say anything else?"

Murong Longcheng said, "But he said some things that I don't quite understand, such as 'First there was chaos, then there was heaven, and my body existed even before chaos. I was born eighteen years old, and one era is one year.'"

“Born at eighteen years old, one era is one year…” Zhao Ti took a deep breath. “That’s right, but in the end, Master said that every era has an end, and the Heavenly Dao will also decay…” Murong Longcheng looked confused: “I have no idea what that means.”

"What? An era will eventually come to an end, and the Way of Heaven will also decay?" Zhao Ti frowned upon hearing this.

Eras cycle endlessly. When one era ends and the world enters chaos, another era gradually begins. This cycle continues without end. How can it ever end?

Born at eighteen years old, with one era being one year, I transcend these limitations. The era ends but I do not perish, the era is destroyed but I am not destroyed, the old era shatters and the new era begins, all of which are irrelevant to me.

Beyond the era, outside of chaos.

The Way of Heaven is the rule. The four directions above and below are called the universe, and the past and present are called the time. It is the Way of Heaven that maintains the operation of the universe and presides over the change of eras, from chaos to clarity, from prosperity to decline.

The Way of Heaven is neither born nor dies, it is immortal and indestructible. As the rule of the universe, how could it possibly wither and decay?
As long as the universe exists, so too does the Way of Heaven. The Way of Heaven is like the thinking of the universe, so how could it decay?

“I don’t know what Master is talking to, and I can’t understand a single word of what he’s saying,” Murong Longcheng said.

Zhao Ti remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "This bag... is important."

Murong Longcheng nodded: "Although it doesn't have any other use, upon closer examination, it is indeed quite important. By the way, when Junior Brother took a liking to this item, after Master finished distributing the treasures, he wanted to exchange it for other items with me."

"Oh? Third Senior Brother wants to change this bag?" Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, Junior Brother wanted to exchange the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron that Master had given him, but I didn't agree. Later, he added the Golden Dragon Scissors, but I still refused. Junior Brother seems a little unhappy," Murong Longcheng said.

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "These two items sound like powerful offensive and defensive treasures. I wonder why this third senior brother wants to exchange them for the Human Seed Bag? Could it be that he has thought of its important function?"

Murong Longcheng said, "I don't know. Anyway, after I said I wouldn't exchange with him, he stopped paying attention to me and didn't even call me 'Senior Brother' anymore. It seems like he's sulking with me."

Zhao Ti said, "Third Senior Brother is a bit petty."

Murong Longcheng pondered, "My second junior brother said he was narrow-minded. I hadn't really noticed it in my previous dreams, but I've seen it for myself this time."

Zhao Ti asked, "And then this three-day dream ends?"

Murong Longcheng shook his head: "Far more than that. After the treasures were divided, my junior brother and I were at odds. He ignored me, and my second junior brother went to his room to study the items we had obtained. So I started to study Taoist methods and spells."

"Did you gain anything?" Zhao Ti asked, raising his eyebrows.

“I have gained a lot.” Murong Longcheng said, “The me in the dream is naturally not as clumsy as the one in reality. In the past few months, I have suddenly mastered a lot of magic skills in the dream. Moreover, when I was pondering the Taoist arts after the treasure was divided, I actually had a wonderful idea and created a profound technique. Before I woke up, I had already made great progress.”

"What ingenious ideas and profound methods?" Zhao Ti asked curiously.

"In my dream, I devised a technique, similar to a clone, yet not quite a clone. It uses a breath of pure energy to transform into a human form almost identical to myself, breaking through the void and emerging from nothingness, capable of fighting alongside me..." Murong Longcheng said.

"A breath of pure energy transforms into a human form roughly the same size as yourself?" Zhao Ti blinked and asked softly, "Senior brother, have you named this spell?"

Murong Longcheng said, "I did indeed give myself a name in the dream, which is called One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones."

"One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones!" Zhao Ti was silent for a few moments, then laughed loudly, "Truly a fine name! I wonder to what extent you have created and researched this Daoist technique, Senior Brother?"

"Alas, in my dream I imagined that the human form I could conjure was similar to my own magical power, and I could conjure three human forms in one go, but now in my dream I can only conjure one human form, and the magical power is also different from my own."

"You can already transform into a human form?" Zhao Ti asked excitedly.

The technique of "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones" is actually more inclined to cooperate with the main body in battle. In the Investiture of the Gods, after the Three Pure Ones appeared, Shangqing Daoist came to greet them, Yuqing Daoist assisted in the battle, and Taiqing Daoist also came. Tongtian Jiaozhu was filled with anger and, without regard for right or wrong, raised his sword to strike. However, in the end, the magic weapon was taken away by Laozi's main body with the Wind and Fire Futon, and he was hit two or three times with his cane.

The role of the Three Pure Ones in the battle was more like to restrain and interfere with the Tongtian Sect Leader's judgment, causing him to fall into the chaos of dealing with multiple fronts, rather than suppressing the Tongtian Sect Leader with their own strength alone. The truly decisive attack still came from Laozi himself, who used a futon to sweep away the Zhuxian Formation Diagram and used a flat cane to strike the opponent. In fact, the Three Pure Ones did not reveal the power to defeat the Tongtian Sect Leader independently.

Moreover, the Investiture of the Gods explicitly states that this technique is to transform one breath into three pure ones, which is used to confuse the Tongtian Sect Leader. The word "confuse" indicates that its core is tactical interference, not a confrontation of equal strength. If the three pure ones were truly equal in power to Laozi's original body, they could have directly joined forces to break the formation without Laozi having to take action himself.

Therefore, the Three Pure Ones rely more on the formation environment and sudden interference, rather than on their own magical power being comparable to Laozi's main body or Tongtian Jiaozhu, and thus possessing the combat strength to fight against each other.

However, even if its combat power is not as strong, it still possesses at least 30% of the original body's strength, which is incomparable to any ordinary clone or incarnation.

"Yes, I can transform into a human form." Murong Longcheng said with shame, "I originally intended to transform into three people, but my cultivation in the dream is still not up to par..."

Zhao Ti looked at Murong Longcheng and said, "Senior brother has already done very well. Cultivation is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Senior brother has already become a genius by creating such a miraculous Dao technique."

Murong Longcheng sighed, "Perhaps it is so in dreams, but I don't see any signs of genius in reality. He is still in the Qi Refining stage. I wonder when his magic power will be able to reach the twelfth level."

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "Senior brother is just reluctant to integrate his internal energy into his magic power. However, with your accumulation, you should be able to enter the twelfth level of the realm at any time. There is no need to worry."

Murong Longcheng said, "I hope so. Otherwise, with my meager strength, I won't even be able to use a small technique. It would be truly shameful and difficult to face the world."

Zhao Ti thought for a moment and said, "Senior Brother, you haven't forgotten those spells from your dream, have you?"

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. Besides telling you about my dream, I came here today to tell you about these techniques and the method of One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones,” Murong Longcheng said.

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "That's excellent. Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother."

Murong Longcheng nodded: "I'll tell you now, and please remember them one by one, junior brother."

Then, he began to talk about some magical tricks and methods of using them.

(End of this chapter)