Lingyuan Immortal

Chapter 877: Qingping asks about the beginning of the catastrophe

"Junior brother..."

Chen Mu looked back and saw Qingshan Daojun standing with his hands behind his back in the morning mist. When the pine wind blew past, a few strands of gray hair on his temples fluttered gently.

Her eyes fell on the green jade token in his hand, and the smile lines at the corners of her eyes were like ripples on spring water: "It seems that this green jade token has finally found its owner."

"It was a stroke of luck."

When Chen Mu lowered his head, a ray of morning light happened to pass through the gaps between the bamboo leaves, casting tiny golden spots on his plain white Taoist robe.

His fingers unconsciously stroked the ripples on the edge of the token: "If it weren't for the last cup of tea that reflected my reflection, which was inconsistent with the surrounding scenery..."

"Alas!"

Taoist Qingshan suddenly raised his hand, and a pine needle hovered three inches in front of Chen Mumei.

The pine needles glowed green, and on their tips condensed a half-drop of morning dew, about to fall. "Look at this drop of dew. To ordinary people, it's just a stain of water, but to a cultivator, it allows one to observe the flow of the energy of heaven and earth."

He flicked his fingertips, and the dewdrops rang out like a jade chime as they fell to the ground. "The trials set by Master are also like this. If one's Dao Heart is not yet there, even if the truth is right before one's eyes, it will be like observing flowers in the fog."

Chen Mu's heart was slightly moved when he heard this, and he immediately bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Daojun. Chen Mu has learned a lot."

"Now that you have entered the master's sect, why should you be so bound by etiquette?"

Daoist Master Qingshan asked again, "You still don't know my junior brother's name?"

Chen Mu bowed and replied, "Junior brother, my secular name is Chen Mu, and my Daoist name is Lingyuan."

"The spiritual spring cleanses the heart and inspires all things. Not bad, not bad..."

Daoist Master Qingshan smiled and nodded, then turned around and gestured, "Junior Brother Lingyuan, please follow me. I'll help you settle down first."

Chen Mu had no objection and immediately stood up and followed.

The two of them walked down the mountain along another winding path along the stone steps. The whole way was full of greenery. Chen Mu looked up from time to time, feeling the distant mountains and vast sky, and his spirit was clear and refreshed.

A cave can be like a real realm, and only an immortal king has such ability.

After a moment, Chen Mu's eyes flickered, and he asked in a low voice, "Excuse me, Senior Brother, how many disciples does our Master have now?"

Daoist Master Qingshan listed them one by one without hesitation: "Fourth Junior Brother, Sixth Junior Sister, Eighth Junior Brother, Ninth Junior Brother, Tenth Junior Sister... If you add you and me, there are exactly seven of us."

Taoist Changsheng had previously mentioned that Taoist Qingshan was ranked third, so by that calculation, he should be ranked eleventh.

Chen Mu nodded slowly, and said thoughtfully, "So many brothers and sisters, are they all cultivating in this cave with Master?"

Daoist Master Qingshan suddenly laughed out loud, shaking the surrounding clouds and mist into a turbulent state. "Junior Brother Lingyuan, are you unwilling to practice under Master's supervision?"

Chen Mu's thoughts were revealed in one sentence, and he did not rush to deny it. Instead, he chuckled calmly and said, "I'm sorry to make you laugh, Senior Brother. I've always been used to practicing on my own, and it's really hard for me to adapt to the sudden change."

Daoist Master Qingshan deliberately frowned: "If you think this way, aren't you afraid of offending Master?"

Chen Mu said in a serious tone, "Master just left a message asking me to bring my true self to see you tomorrow. I guess he doesn't want me to tell lies..."

"Hahaha!"

Daoist Master Qingshan paused and looked sideways: "If you can remember this principle, I believe Master will be extremely satisfied."

After saying this, he continued answering the previous question, "Don't worry, there are many fellow disciples who don't want to practice under Master's watchful eyes."

"For example, Fourth Junior Brother and Sixth Junior Sister, they became Taoist companions years ago and are currently cultivating together in Xuanxing Palace on Cangming Peak."

"Next are the Eighth Junior Brother and the Ninth Junior Brother. They are twin brothers and also live in the same palace on Cangming Peak."

"Only Tenth Junior Sister and I, Senior Brother, are still staying in Fuyuan Cave Heaven, cultivating peacefully."

"As for you, Junior Brother, Master wants you to stay here and cultivate until you achieve a breakthrough. After that, you can open up a cave heaven or go to Cangming Peak. It's all up to you..."

It turns out there was already a discussion...

Chen Mu bowed his head and said, "Thank you for clearing up my confusion, Senior Brother."

Taoist Qingshan frowned, as if blaming Chen Mu for being too polite, then shook his head and smiled, taking another step forward.

Chen Mu naturally followed, but he still had doubts in his heart. Seeing that the road was still long, he asked again:
"Brother Qingshan, I wonder what the Dao Fruit of the Floating Cloud Realm means?"

Although it was named the Floating Cloud Realm, the real meaning of his question was actually about the meaning of the Dao Fruit.

Back in the Taixuan Realm, Lu Yingling had only told him about the three methods of "upper, middle, and lower" to achieve the Dao Fruit. He didn't know what the Dao Fruit was, or how to practice after manifesting the Dao Fruit.

At that time, he was still thinking of waiting until after the demonic calamity before consulting with the True Lords such as Pingyang and Xuyun, but now it seemed that he had the opportunity to express his doubts to Taoist Lord Qingshan.

"The so-called Dao Fruit, in layman's terms, is the fruit of the Great Dao..."

Daoist Lord Qingshan's expression also gradually became solemn. "But in fact, everyone's understanding of the Dao is different. I can only explain it to you. Whether it can solve your doubts or be of any benefit to you depends on how you think about it."

"Junior brother understands."

Daoist Master Qingshan nodded and slowly said, "The Dao Fruit cannot be obtained by gathering the essence of heaven and earth. It is the result of a hundred years of practice, a thousand causes and effects, and myriad aspects of the mundane world, all melted into a single point of innate spiritual light."

"Just as a oyster, pregnant with a pearl, must first endure the pain of sand and gravel; a butterfly, emerging from its cocoon, must endure the calamity of shedding its bones..."

"Once cultivators like us have gained some understanding of the Dao, the Dao Fruit will manifest. At that time, all 360 acupoints in the body will reflect the cause and effect of their lives. If we want to make further progress, we must eliminate the illusions within."

"Only those who can sever all illusions can see the true nature, which is to achieve the realm of true immortality..."

The morning mist finally dissipated in the mountains, and a ray of bright sunlight shone down, dyeing the sky full of morning glow.

Chen Mu nodded as if he understood, then lowered his head and said no more, silently deducing and confirming it in his mind.

Seeing his expression, Daoist Master Qingshan didn't interrupt him, but continued to lead the way, even gradually slowing down his pace...

Half an hour later.

When the two reached halfway up the mountain, Taoist Qingshan coughed lightly and Chen Mu woke up immediately.

Looking up, I saw a crescent-shaped natural cave embedded between the cliffs. An ancient pine tree covered with moss protruded from the cave entrance. Its old roots were as twisted as dragon claws, cracking half of the rock.

Countless branches as thick as bowls extend towards the sea of ​​clouds. The needles are covered with cold dew that has lingered for years. Every time the moon is full, the dew drops into pearls, forming a chalcedony pool three meters square at the bottom of the cliff.

The stone gate of the cave was already covered with vines, leaving only two lines of mottled talismans hanging on the lintel, and the word "Qingping" could be vaguely seen.

The corridor within the gate twisted like a snake's skin. Fluorite in the shape of the Big Dipper was embedded in the stone walls on both sides. Flowing green light illuminated the sword marks on the walls. Some were three inches deep into the stone, while others were only as thin as a hair. It seemed that they were the remains of a sword technique that a sword cultivator had casually carved while in seclusion here many years ago...

"here it is……"

Although it looks a bit deserted, this place doesn't look like an ownerless cave at all.

Taoist Qingshan put away the reminiscence in his eyes, waved his robe sleeve, and the cave in front of him suddenly shone with green light. Within a few breaths, it was cleaned up and everything was done properly.

He stretched out his hand and took the mottled talisman in his hand: "No one has been here for many years, so this place has become quite deserted."

He turned his head to look at Chen Mu and explained, "There are limited caves in Fuyuan Mountain. Apart from the Fourth Junior Brother, Eighth Junior Brother, and Tenth Junior Sister, the only place left that can accommodate others is the 'Qingping Cave' in front of us."

"This place originally belonged to Second Senior Sister. If you don't mind, you can stay here for a while. After you break through to the True Lord realm, you can open up new areas or move out."

"Second Senior Sister?"

Senior Brother Qingshan didn't mention Second Senior Sister before...

Chen Mu didn't ask any more questions, but bowed and said, "Why should I say I despise you? Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother." Qingshan Daojun waved his hand and said with a smile, "That's it for now. After you meet Master tomorrow, I'll send you everything you need."

It seems that in Fuyuan Cave Heaven, even a Taoist Lord needs to do everything himself.

"Thank you, senior brother."

Daoist Master Qingshan turned and walked away, his gray hair fluttering casually. However, he looked different from the beginning. No matter how you looked at him now, there was a faint sense of sadness reminiscing about the past...

Chen Mu was silent for a moment and was about to turn back and go into the cave when he suddenly heard the cry of a crane. Then he saw a white shadow descending from the sky. It was a snow-white crane.

The white crane flapped its frosty feathers and flew down, its wingtips making shattering sounds like jade as they brushed past the pine needles. The moment its feet touched the branches, the twisted old trunks rippled like green waves, and the thousand-year-old pine trees seemed to suddenly come alive, as if welcoming its arrival.

Chen Mu fixed his eyes and looked over. Coincidentally, the crane's head tilted slightly, and a pair of eyes like glass beads reflected the flowing clouds, meeting his eyes.

"Who are you? Why haven't I seen you before?"

Bai He spoke, but his voice sounded like a little girl.

Chen Mu felt a chill in his heart, because the white crane in front of him actually put him under great pressure. It was obvious that the white crane's realm was far beyond his, at least at the level of a fifth-level True Lord.

"I have just recently joined the mountain sect. May I ask who you are, fellow Taoist?"

Bai He stopped talking after hearing this, and his eyes rolled around.

The rosy glow shone obliquely from the sky, casting the shadows of a man and a crane on the cloud curtain, as if they were the fragments of an ink painting left by an ancient immortal.

Chen Mu frowned slightly and was about to speak again to test the waters, but the white crane flapped its wings and flew away first. The clear cry of the crane pierced through the clouds, and the tail note was still echoing among the mountains when the white shadow had already turned into a line in the sky.

The wind suddenly picked up among the pines on the cliff, and the green waves in the trees echoed in a rustling sound, as if the place where the magical bird had just rested was still filled with a surprise that was still unsaid...

Chen Mu's expression remained unchanged. He shook his head slightly, turned around and walked into the Qingping Cave.

The cave is neither too big nor too small, and has everything it needs.

Without further consideration, he went straight into the quiet room and found a cushion to sit on.

Tomorrow at noon, Immortal Lord Fuyuan will formally meet with him, probably to give him some guidance.

But there is a prerequisite, which is that he must leave with his true self.

What is the true self?

Just like the chalcedony at the bottom of a thousand-year-old pond that does not sway with the moonlight, mortals believe its reflection in the water is real, and cultivators call it the true form when they see the Nascent Soul leaving the body. In fact, they are all like floating ice on the surface of a cold pond.

In general, its meaning is too general, and there are some reasonable interpretations of it.

But if he and Immortal Fuyuan were included, then there might only be one direction left, and that was for him to go there as his true self...

It sounds simple at this moment, but it doesn't really suit him.

He is carrying a great mystery. Could it be that he will reveal it all just to practice here?

This is absolutely impossible!

Therefore, when I meet him tomorrow, I need to be especially careful about the balance...

……

The next morning, the morning mist once again enveloped the entire Fuyuan Cave Heaven, and a little golden light filled it, adding a bit of vitality to this world.

Chen Mu walked out, the wind whistling on the cliff. He took a deep breath, then jumped up and flew towards the top of the mountain.

Before long, he returned to the place where he had been yesterday. The bamboo courtyard that had disappeared reappeared, and the door was wide open, with no incense burner or strange tree blocking the way.

"come in."

A hoarse voice came from the bamboo house, and it was obvious that Immortal Fu Yuan had noticed something.

Chen Mu strode in and walked into the bamboo house. He immediately saw the old man in gray sitting cross-legged by the stove.

"Disciple Chen Mu, I pay my respects to Master."

Fu Yuan Sanxian glanced over, a faint smile on his lips: "How is it? Have you found your true self in this night?"

Although he was asking, his tone did not seem to be pressing at all, as if he was letting Chen Mu answer. No matter how well he answered, there would always be corresponding results.

Chen Mu straightened his robe sleeves and replied solemnly, "I am the real one, there is no falsehood..."

Upon hearing this, Fu Yuan Sanxian frowned slightly, but still nodded. Just as he was about to reply, he saw Chen Mu continue, "There is just one thing I need to clarify with you in advance."

"But it doesn't matter."

"I have a grudge against a True Immortal." Chen Mu said word by word, "I think it will be a fight to the death..."

Fu Yuan Sanxian looked at him quietly for a few seconds, and suddenly stars flashed in his eyes. He clapped his hands and laughed, saying loudly: "Good, very good!"

He now suddenly understood why Junior Brother Yunlan specifically asked him to accept this boy as his disciple. It turned out that there was such a relationship between them.

Chen Mu was quite surprised by his reaction, but he didn't show it on his face. He continued to say, "If the mountain sect wants to avoid danger..."

Before he could finish his words, Fu Yuan Sanxian flicked his beard and said with a smile, "A mere True Immortal is not enough to make the Biluo Chaosheng Pavilion retreat."

"As for me, an old Taoist priest, I am a wandering immortal who has reached a desperate situation. I will eventually die. What do I have to fear, let alone a true immortal, even if I am an immortal master?"

He wasn't afraid of Chen Mu being burdened with a great karma. Instead, he hoped that the karma would be profound, so that it would give Chen Mu even more motivation, allowing him to make rapid progress and perhaps achieve the realm of a True Immortal in his lifetime...

What others don’t know is that long after he failed to overcome the tribulation and became a wandering immortal, the realm of true immortality became his obsession for the rest of his life.

But he would never have another chance, so he placed his hopes on his disciples.

This is also the reason why he was able to teach four Dao Lords and six True Lords in more than ten thousand years.

Unfortunately, perhaps because he urged them too hard, the eldest and second disciples who had tried to overcome the tribulation one after another failed to succeed.

Two of the disciples were lucky enough to become wandering immortals, but they felt deeply guilty and took the initiative to disperse their Tao Fruit Immortal Foundation and reincarnate.

The eldest disciple was even more stubborn. He had the opportunity to become a Loose Immortal but chose not to take it. In the end, he died and perished under the Ascension Tribulation...

After experiencing the deaths of two of his beloved disciples in succession, he no longer dared to interfere excessively in his disciples' cultivation.

However, the obsession in the heart is called obsession because it cannot be suppressed, and it becomes stronger as it becomes more and more difficult for one to overcome the tribulation, and one may die in the next level of three disasters and nine tribulations.

Qingshan was aware of his eagerness, so he stayed in this cave and practiced day and night, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

But how can one achieve the state of transcending tribulation through hard practice?
What he didn't say was that Qingshan's talent was still a little lacking after all.

Given time, he might be able to reach perfection, but it would be very difficult to achieve anything before his next catastrophe...

But Chen Mu is different. He manifested the Dao Fruit in the Nascent Soul Realm. Once he breaks through to the position of True Lord, the Dao Fruit will be further catalyzed and condensed by the rhythm of the Great Dao, and his advantages will be even more obvious!
Knock on the mysterious gate, sit and forget the world, and pass through the Tanhua, there are three levels of asking for the way. Each level may be passed at several times or even ten times the speed.

Three Flowers, Five Qi, and Hunyuan are the three realms of Tao. How long can each realm hold it back?
The fastest record of becoming an immortal in the Floating Cloud Realm was over 1,300 years.

He was confident that he could help Chen Mu shorten this record to less than a thousand years...

……

(End of this chapter)