I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 243 The Immortal's Fate Lies in the Bright Moon

Abbot Dingguang passed away in a very unsettled manner.

Xu Qing was greatly relieved. This old monk was more perceptive than those martial monks. When all the lightning struck Abbot Dingguang alone, the abbot's eyes showed shock, confusion, and even more so, endless panic.

Under the tree stood two culprits, one large and one small. The larger one radiated a dazzling light, but anyone with eyes could sense the overwhelming aura of death emanating from him. And there was the little girl, her demonic energy impossible to conceal. With these two evil spirits present, why was the heavenly lightning only targeting him?

While shocked, Abbot Dingguang acted without hesitation, applying every available protective technique to himself, including the Golden Body Technique, the Vajra Shield, and the Immovable Mantra.

The black gold alms bowl floated upside down in the air, and the only tens of thousands of incense sticks of Cizhao Temple poured in. In an instant, the black gold alms bowl swelled to the size of a canopy, just enough to cover the old monk's figure.

Beneath the Tree of Merit, Xu Qing and Xuan Yu were eating melon seeds.

When Xu Qing saw Abbot Dingguang withstand the first bolt of lightning, he applauded and cheered him on.

"Good! This lightning strike was good, but it wasn't strong enough. It must be because the monk's head was too hard, definitely not because the heavens were out of sorts!"

"."

"."

The tribulation lightning that was brewing paused for a moment, and then Abbot Dingguang noticed that the tribulation clouds above his head were spinning faster!
It's obvious that, apart from Xu Qing, everyone wants this tribulation to end as soon as possible.

Abbot Dingguang desperately wanted to live and longed for the calamity clouds to dissipate as soon as possible.

Xuan Yu, on the other hand, felt sorry for the incense offerings.

Finally, there was the tribulation that wanted to end this farce as soon as possible.

Having struck twice in a row with such rare and excellent corpses and cats, Heaven is somewhat losing face.

Who would have thought that in this turbid and evil world, there would be such a righteous evil spirit?

Even in times of peace and prosperity, it's not easy to meet someone like that, but in today's world, you're bound to meet a couple the moment you do!

A pillar of dark lightning, much thicker than a water vat, descended from the sky. Abbot Dingguang gritted his teeth and used his magic to lift up the black gold alms bowl, trying his best to withstand it!

There were at least nine bolts of lightning. The old monk knew he was unlikely to survive, yet he still made a final struggle.

The more greedy a person is, the more afraid they are of death.

The alms bowl, deprived of the protection of incense offerings, shattered instantly, followed by a Vajra shield and the Immovable Mantra.
When the dust settled, Xu Qing looked around and saw a charred corpse on the ground.

I must say, this old monk really has a keen eye!
If the old monk hadn't cultivated a method to protect his physical body before his death, he might not have been able to leave Xu Qing with a complete corpse.

However, before Xu Qing could rejoice for long, the remaining Yin Lightning, which was supposed to strike the Tree of Merit, instead struck the charred corpse.

"."

Isn't this right?

You can chop me up, but why chop up my corpse?
Xu Qing's eyelids twitched, and she felt a pang of heartache.

With such blatant manipulation of the Heavenly Tribulation, how could He not know that Abbot Dingguang was already dead?

He definitely knew, but he pretended not to know and kept hacking at the corpse.

When the clouds of calamity dispersed, there was nothing left but a large pit on the ground with a clump of black ash lying in it; there was no trace of Abbot Dingguang!
Xu Qing stood by the pit, overwhelmed with grief at the sight of the objects.

At that moment, he felt like he had just caught a fat fish, only to have it accidentally slip off the hook and back into the water.

The feeling of gaining something and then losing it was more painful than being struck by lightning.

A corpse with five hundred years of cultivation! Gone just like that.

As Xu Qing was grieving, a gust of wind blew by, blowing away a layer of black ash from the bottom of the pit, revealing a round, blood-red crystalline object the size of a pigeon egg.

Is this... a relic?

Xu Qing jumped into the pit and picked up the crystalline substance left behind by Abbot Dingguang. The next moment, the Sutra of Salvation began to turn its pages.

What does it mean to lose something and then get it back? A fish that has escaped the hook and jumped into the water circles around, is then forced back to the shore by its natural predator in the water, and jumps into the fish basket by itself. That is what it means to lose something and then get it back!
Like Baiyun Daoren, Abbot Dingguang's life was filled with sin and evil.

However, while Baiyun Daoren's evil was consistent inside and out, Abbot Dingguang's evil lay in his heart, yet he always presented a kind and benevolent appearance to the outside world.

"Master, my family hasn't cooked for days. If this continues, I'm afraid my child won't survive until tomorrow. Please, Master, have mercy and provide some food."

“Amitabha. Guangning, go and fetch some rice for this benefactor.”

"Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!"

After watching the tenant leave, Abbot Dingguang acted as if nothing had happened, still smiling and nodding to the pilgrims coming and going in the temple.

Once they left the main hall and were far away from the worshippers, Abbot Dingguang, who had a compassionate expression, suddenly changed his demeanor.

"Guangning, go and bring back the rice and grain, as well as the children from Li Tian's family. Remember, don't leave any clues."

That evening, the monk Guangning brought back a child who was pale and thin, with his face covered in blood.

“Master, I disguised myself as a bandit and killed this child’s entire family. I also brought back the rice and grain that I had given as relief this morning.”

"May Buddha have mercy, Guangning, your help to free this family from suffering is truly a meritorious deed."

"It's all thanks to my master's excellent teaching."

Abbot Dingguang was a miser. He wouldn't give away even half a penny of the incense money that passed through his hands, let alone a liter or two of grain.

It's perfectly natural for monks to beg for alms; he's never heard of anyone helping a monk beg for food!
Besides being stingy and greedy, Abbot Dingguang was also extremely concerned about his reputation. Baiyun Daoren repeatedly asked him for food, drink, and other things, and Abbot Dingguang always agreed. The reason was simple: Baiyun Daoren knew that he was concerned about his reputation, so he often used his private affairs to blackmail him.

Abbot Dingguang tolerated it because Daoist Baiyun was also willing to do things for him, but the bigger reason he could endure it until now was related to the Heavenly Book inheritance of Baiyun Cave.

Without exception, all the methods transmitted by the Holy Maiden required infants and blood offerings as catalysts. In order to practice the secret methods of the Heavenly Book, Abbot Dingguang often used the excuse of helping pregnant women and infants to raise funds for the temple, and at the same time, he paved the way for the consumables and medicinal materials he needed.

But Abbot Dingguang was afraid that one day his secret would be exposed, and if that happened, he would be ruined!

To prevent such incidents from occurring, Abbot Dingguang secretly collected evidence in advance of Baiyun Daoist's crimes of killing, concocting longevity elixirs, and practicing heretical techniques.

If the truth ever comes out, he will personally subdue the demon, thus not only shifting all the blame onto the Taoist priests of Ruyi Temple, but also eliminating the threat posed by the White Cloud Taoist, while simultaneously spreading his Buddhist teachings and attracting more believers.
He never expected that Daoist Baiyun would fall into Xu Qing's hands, and he never expected that despite his many schemes, he would ultimately not escape Xu Qing's punishment.

The Buddha said that people have karmic debts from their past lives, which they cannot escape or avoid in this life.

Even on his deathbed, Abbot Dingguang believed that Xu Qing was his karmic debt from a past life, not that he was seeking justice for the children or punishing evil. Although the old monk chanted Buddhist scriptures, he did not believe in Buddhism; although he considered himself a follower of the orthodox Buddhist lineage, he did not believe that there were good people in the world.

After reading Abbot Dingguang's revolving lantern, Xu Qing found that there wasn't much of value in it. He had already verified many things about Yunmeng Mountain with Daoist Baiyun.

The only thing that caught Xu Qing's attention was a small incident that the two brothers had experienced together.

Not long after Baiyun Daoren built the Ruyi Temple, a county magistrate from Ning County, Qianzhou, came to pay homage to Lord Yuan and presented him with a map.

The picture is said to be a gift from Elder Ciyun of Yinghui Temple to the county magistrate's ancestors. The county magistrate recounted the legend of the Heavenly Book of Baiyun Cave with great certainty.

However, when the White Cloud Taoist asked the county magistrate why he did not seek the immortal destiny, the county magistrate of Ning County said: "Yunmeng Mountain is a dangerous place with many poisonous miasma snakes and insects. Even my ancestors were afraid of the dangers and refused to go to seek it, let alone me? Besides, I am entangled in worldly affairs and can only pretend to be a magistrate. I know that I do not have the destiny. I think it would be more valuable to give this map to the immortal."

There was nothing particularly special about this matter, but what was strange was that before the magistrate of Ning County went to Ruyi Temple to present the map, he had already used the same excuse to send a map of Baiyun Cave to Abbot Dingguang of Cizhao Temple.

Yang Mingchun, the county magistrate of Ning County

Xu Qing noted down the name. He figured that once he finished dealing with the matters at Yunmeng Mountain, he would take the opportunity to visit Ning County and see what kind of person this Magistrate Yang really was.

Finally, the first time the Salvation Sutra was performed to liberate the relics, it also rewarded the corpse with a forbidden character scripture, along with a forbidden incantation.

There is a lineage of Buddhist practice called cessation of speech, also known as closed-mouth meditation. This method aims to reduce verbal karma, namely the four sins of lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, and frivolous speech, which is actually a way to purify the three karmas of body, speech, and mind.

To put it simply, by keeping quiet and avoiding speaking, one can avoid creating bad karma. Over the years, one's own merits and virtues will naturally accumulate.

Disaster comes from the mouth, and illness enters through the mouth.

That's exactly the point.

However, the effects of silent meditation are far greater than the literal meaning. Those who practice silent meditation by inscribing forbidden characters can accumulate a breath of evil energy in their mouths. This breath of evil energy is the breath you hold back when you are angry, the breath you accumulate when you are sad and silent, and the breath you endure when you are wronged and do not defend yourself.

The day when one can encounter all the injustices in the world and remain silent is the day when one has achieved the greatest success in silent meditation!
"."

Xu Qing stared at the Heavenly Word Suppression Spell, speechless for a long time.

This isn't a silencing spell; it's clearly a cowardly and humiliating spell!

If you practice this method, you cannot retaliate when others insult you, nor can you refute when others frame you. Similarly, if you encounter trouble one day, you cannot call for help; it's a completely silent technique!
This technique might be just right for a dull person, but in Tianjin, a place known for its "talkative locals," telling a local to shut up is worse than taking their life!

Faced with the temptation of the Heavenly Divine Power, perhaps some people could resist keeping quiet, but Xu Qing could not.

He's a funeral director, dealing with people every day. He talks to the living and performs rituals for the dead. Furthermore, during the raising, walking, and lowering of the coffin, he, as the funeral director, must lead the chanting of corresponding slogans. If he keeps quiet, he can't do business!

Xu Qing gazed at the gold across the river, knowing full well that the silencing spell would become incredibly powerful after being practiced, but he couldn't abandon his main profession and become a silent gourd because of it.

"For every day you keep your mouth shut, a wisp of true qi will condense in your throat. Keeping your mouth shut for a hundred days will condense the tiger's fierceness, and for a thousand days it will condense the might of the dragon's soaring power. If you can endure for twelve years, you will condense a wisp of annihilation qi. Keeping your mouth shut for a hundred years will break through all obstacles."

After reading about the effects of the Cleansing Mouth Mantra's "Qi Spirit Guiding the Essence," Xu Qing's heart wavered for a moment.

The silent meditation is truly a model of one method breaking all methods. If one truly cultivates the silent meditation for a hundred years, perhaps only when he unleashes the Heaven-Opening Form of the Thirty-Six Axes of the Heavenly Gang can he be compared to it.

A once-in-a-century supernatural power, who can stop it?

What immense hatred and resentment must there be to deserve this breath of annihilation, endured for a hundred years?

Xu Qing was somewhat wavering, but just then, he heard a little girl's joyful voice beside him.

"Master Xu, look quickly!"

Xu Qing turned his head and saw that Xuan Yu had spat out his newly condensed demon core at some point, and the little cat was now showing it to him like a treasure.

The inner core is the most important thing for demons, and they don't easily show it to others, because once the demon core is damaged, the demon's body will also suffer indelible damage.

But at this moment, Xuan Yu unexpectedly revealed the newly condensed demon core.

这猫
Upon seeing this scene, Xu Qing thought of the old woman who had tricked Xuan Yu out of his life.

Seeing the girl's joyful expression, Xu Qing didn't know what to say.

"Does it look good?"

Xuan Yu asked with some anticipation.

Xu Qing looked down and saw that the bright white demon core was emitting a warm glow, as if moonlight was flowing on it. Even a pearl carved from thousand-year-old cold jade could not compare to this.

"nice."

"Can I touch it?"

"Hmm," Xuan Yu hesitated for a moment before saying, "I can only touch it once."

Touching the demon core with your fingers brings a cool sensation that seeps into your skin.

"So this is the demon core," Xu Qing said, feigning sudden realization.

However, before he could fully appreciate it, Xuan Yu took the demon core back.

Looking at Xuan Yu's flushed face, Xu Qing found it quite amusing.

“Immortal Xuanyu, remember that the inner core is the source of cultivation for demons. It must never be shown to others except in critical moments.”

“Yes.” Xuan Yu nodded seriously: “Xuan Yu will only show this to Immortal Xu.”

These words delighted Xu Qing. He was a man who wouldn't listen to either soft or hard tactics, but he was easily swayed by sincerity.

Forget about silence spells and mute techniques, go eat dust in the corner!
Zombies are destined to be lonely and unlucky. Now that he finally has a monster to talk to and keep him company, if he goes to practice silent meditation, what difference is there between him and an old monk who doesn't understand romance?
Inside the Ruyi Temple, which had been cleaved by an axe and struck by lightning, Xu Qing was rearranging the altar and rituals in front of the ruins.

After worshipping heaven and earth, Xu Qing used the Immortal Seeking Technique, which can only be used once every twelve years.

"All things return to the Heavenly Way, all immortals return to their camps. Tonight we bid farewell to the guest from Penglai, for another day we will renew our immortal bond."

At the third quarter of midnight, the moonlight was as white as frost.

Xu Qing stood before the altar, chanting incantations. As his supernatural powers were unleashed, he felt his consciousness rise from the ground, as if some unseen force was guiding him.

A moment later, Xu Qing suddenly opened his eyes.

In the final moment of his mental shift, Xu Qing saw a stream reflecting the bright moon, and the immortal destiny indicated by the Immortal Seeking Technique was right there in the stream.

(End of this chapter)