Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 254: There's a hole? Just fill it up

One day later, the unrefined flower fairy took her mother-in-law to bury her.

Zhao Yifu watched this from afar, knowing that after she finished, she could let go of everything and start her own life.

But things didn't go as planned. Just as Ruirui, covered in mud, dug a hole and prepared to bury the old woman's body...

Suddenly, two Taoists, one old and one young, appeared in the woods.

Zhao Yifu raised his eyes in surprise. The old Taoist had already reached the level of Yangshen cultivation and it seemed that he was only one step away from becoming an immortal.

And that young Taoist priest has already reached the Golden Core stage at such a young age, how enviable...

This is the qualification of a celestial being, and cultivation is so easy.

After seeing these two people, Zhao Yifu had recently been studying the 'True Numbers of the Universe' and had vaguely sensed that some cause and effect were connected...

He looked at the two Taoists again to confirm, and knew that it was from their karma... This was very annoying, they hadn't even started chatting, and already they were bringing up karma?

How does he deal with it?

He always felt like someone was setting a trap for him.

"What a monster, actually killing people here!"

The old Taoist took one look at Hua Ruirui and then at the corpse beside her that was being prepared for burial, and he had already made up his mind.

The little flower demon was so frightened that her face turned pale. She stammered, "I... I didn't... I just..."

At this moment, someone nearby sighed and said, "The prejudice in people's hearts is like a mountain."

Zhao Yifu felt that this sigh sounded quite familiar, so he turned his head and asked, "Brother Yunzheng is here?"

Li Wenqing nodded and said, "I've already taken care of my mundane affairs and was just about to join you when I saw this."

At this moment, the old Taoist discovered that there were two people in front of him. Their cultivation was unfathomable, which shocked him.

"May I ask the two seniors who are..."

Li Wenqing waved his hand and said, "I'm Li Wenqing, and this is Fu Yinzi. What do you call him?"

A gentle and elegant look.

Zhao Yifu felt that he seemed less "scholarly" next to Li Wenqing.

It's because I have a higher level of education than him.

The old Taoist said quickly, "I am Xuanchenzi, and this is my disciple Fengyu... Yu'er, come and meet the two immortals."

The handsome young man immediately bowed and saluted: "Greetings to the two immortals."

Zhao Yifu and Li Wenqing both waved their hands to indicate that there was no need to be so polite.

Only then did Xuan Chenzi ask in confusion, "Excuse me, since you two Immortals are here, why don't you capture this monster?"

Li Wenqing looked at Zhao Yifu, and was surprised to find that Zhao Yifu was looking at the Taoist priest with a thoughtful look on his face.

Hey, didn't you want to protect this flower demon? Why are you so silent now that the time has come?
However, at this point Li Wenqing didn't know what to say. He planned to say a few words first and then bring Zhao Yifu in.

That’s right, this was indeed a trap set for Zhao Yifu.

Even the original purpose was not to cause him to have demonic obstacles, but just to shake his will...

But what can I say about Xiao Zhao? When encountering things, he always reacts differently from normal people.

Just like now, Zhao Yi Fu suddenly started counting on his fingers and muttering to himself.

This is very confusing, what is this for?
Li Wenqing also stopped and looked at Zhao Yifu in surprise.

Zhao Yifu muttered to himself and calculated for a while before looking at Xuan Chenzi and sighing: "Alas~"

Xuan Chenzi: ???

He was frightened and asked, "Why is the Immortal Master like this?"

Zhao Yifu pointed at Xuan Chenzi and said, "It won't be easy for you to become an immortal."

Xuan Chenzi was stunned, then smiled bitterly and said, "Please enlighten me, Immortal."

Zhao Yifu said, "Judging from your cultivation, you should be on the verge of becoming an immortal, right? It's just that you're not sure you can survive the heavenly tribulation, so you've been suppressing your realm, right?"

Xuan Chenzi agreed deeply and said, "What the Immortal said is absolutely right. I have long since reached the point of becoming an immortal with my cultivation, but the pressure of the heavenly tribulation is getting heavier day by day, so I have never dared to try."

"I can only slay demons and monsters everywhere, and take their gallbladders to refine elixirs to increase my foundation."

"Ah~"

That long sigh seemed to express his pain and despair that his immortality was still a long way off.

His subsequent words made Hua Ruirui tremble with fear. Words like "kill the monster and take the elixir" were too destructive.

Zhao Yifu looked at Li Wenqing in confusion and asked, "Brother Yunzheng, how can this celestial cultivator speak of 'killing the demon and obtaining the elixir' as if it were a matter of course?"

Li Wenqing was extremely surprised. He didn't expect Zhao Yifu to bring up this topic so frankly, because in his opinion, this kind of topic should be raised with caution among human cultivators.

Xuan Chenzi couldn't help but ask, "Master Immortal, is there something wrong with this? Humans and demons cannot coexist, and we human cultivators have always advocated eradicating all evil."

Zhao Yifu said, "Well, maybe it's because I just came to the realm not long ago, so I didn't know there were still such theories."

Xuan Chenzi looked at Zhao Yi Fu strangely. You know, most celestial beings have a high opinion of themselves and think that people in the lower realms are slow in cultivation and very stupid.

However, considering that Zhao Yifu was already an immortal, he still restrained himself and asked, "I wonder what Immortal Master thinks I am lacking, and why is the heavenly tribulation so difficult?"

Zhao Yifu smiled gently and said, "I can't explain this clearly. I can only share with you the story of my two elders."

Xuan Chenzi looked attentive, and even Feng Yu Xiaodao behind him did the same.

Zhao Yifu said, "I have a great-grandmaster who is the head of my mortal sect. He had already achieved the perfection of Yang Shen at an early age, but because his path was not yet perfect, he was willing to cut off his cultivation and remain in the mortal world."

Xuan Chenzi was surprised and said, "A mortal cultivator is actually willing to give up the opportunity to ascend to heaven?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "My great-grandmaster was such a person. He finally let go of everything after he had accomplished what he wanted to do."

"I returned to my hometown and stayed indoors for three days. Then I let out a long laugh and ascended into heaven in broad daylight."

Xuan Chenzi and Feng Yu both showed surprised expressions, while Li Wenqing also praised with admiration: "What a great man!"

Zhao Yifu added, "There's also my master. He spent the first half of his life tangling in officialdom, but then, having a sudden realization, he returned to the mountains to teach and accept disciples, devoting himself to the natural world. Shortly after my great-grandmaster ascended to heaven, he finished his last painting, wrote a calligraphy, dropped his brush, took a step, and vanished through the doorway in a flash of white light."

Li Wenqing listened and praised again: "Your teacher is also a capable person. Your disciple is full of outstanding people."

Zhao Yifu laughed and quickly replied, "No, no, I still can't compare to Brother Yunzheng who can reach this level by going forward alone."

Xuan Chenzi savored it for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "The two elders of the Immortal Master ascended to heaven without encountering any heavenly tribulations?!"

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "Indeed." Xuan Chenzi asked, "What about you, Immortal Master?"

Zhao Yifu pointed at himself and laughed, "I won't mention myself. I committed some murderous sins in the mortal world, which eventually brought about a heavenly tribulation, but I luckily survived it."

He seemed humble and casual, but he brought a key word to Xuan Chenzi: killing!
Xuan Chenzi exclaimed in astonishment, "Sins of killing! Could it be that I have committed so many sins of killing that I have encountered the calamity of becoming an immortal?"

Zhao Yifu looked at Li Wenqing inquiringly and asked, "Brother Yunzheng, what do you think?"

What could Li Wenqing think? He could only agree: "Normally speaking, the more serious the sin of killing, the more severe the heavenly tribulation one will face."

"But this matter cannot be generalized."

Xuan Chenzi was already shaking all over when he heard this. He muttered, "How could this happen? Aren't cultivators like me supposed to slay demons and monsters?"

As he was muttering this, a demonic aura suddenly emerged from his body, and he looked like he was about to be possessed by a demon if he disagreed with something.

Li Wenqing was speechless when he saw this. He felt that Zhao Yifu was poisonous. This master and disciple were brought here to shake Zhao Yifu's faith in Taoism. Why did it seem that Zhao Yifu was the one who shook Xuan Chenzi's faith in Taoism?

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "It's true that we can't generalize. After all, just like humans have good and evil, demons are the same."

"Many demons have lived in seclusion their entire lives, never committing any mistakes. Yet, they are killed with a single sword strike, and their demon cores are taken out to refine medicine. Isn't this a sin of killing?"

"And some evildoers kill people to refine souls and commit all sorts of evil deeds. Killing them would be a great merit."

"It is important to understand that Heaven and Earth are unkind and treat all things as straw dogs. This does not mean that Heaven is unkind and indifferent to all living things, but rather that Heaven and Earth are the most fair. All living things in the world are equal in Heaven and Earth."

"Perhaps humans and demons coexist, but from God's perspective, how can there be a distinction between humans and demons?"

"It's good enough to be able to distinguish between good and evil."

He said in a joking tone.

After he said this, Xuan Chenzi was in a trance. He said, "So, what I've been doing for so many years, so-called slaying demons and eliminating evil, is actually doing evil?"

Zhao Yifu quickly shook his head and said comfortingly: "You can't say that. After all, most of those monsters are cruel and cunning. You are also eliminating harm for the people."

Xuan Chenzi really felt better. He couldn't help but ask, "What should I do then?"

Zhao Yifu suggested: "You can try to remedy the situation."

Xuan Chenzi was surprised and said, "Immortal Master, are you saying that I still have a chance to become an immortal?"

Zhao Yifu shook his head, "I'm afraid it's impossible in this life. After all, as far as I know, your good deeds can be used to take care of your future life and enjoy the nobility of heaven, but they can't be used to offset the punishment of heavenly tribulation."

"Merit and demerit cannot be offset. This is also a manifestation of 'Heaven and Earth are not benevolent.'"

Xuan Chenzi said with a bitter face, "So the Immortal Master asked me to make amends for this, for the sake of my next life?"

Zhao Yifu said, "It's actually very difficult to become an immortal. You can only pray for the next life... But if you want to become a god, you can try it."

Xuan Chenzi suddenly asked in surprise and astonishment: "Becoming a god?!"

Zhao Yifu said, "That's right, the incense-fire way can allow people to ascend to heaven in one step...but the incense-fire way also has its own limitations. I think you should be aware of this."

Xuan Chenzi nodded and said, "Of course I understand this, but if there is a chance to transcend further... please tell me, Immortal, how should I do it?"

Zhao Yifu looked at him with a look that said, "How come you don't understand anything?" and said, "Since it's a way of worshipping the gods, it must require offerings from the mortal world."

"And how to obtain incense from the mortal world..."

Xuan Chenzi said with a hint of enlightenment: "Establish your own religion, spread its teachings and gain followers?"

Zhao Yifu said unhappily, "Of course you can, but that's actually more dangerous!"

"If you establish a religion, wouldn't the well-being of millions of believers depend on you? That's a huge causal relationship. Only those demons who are willing to do anything to achieve immortality would take such a gamble."

Xuan Chenzi asked: "Then what should I do..."

Zhao Yifu said: "There are so many things to do."

"For example, if there's a flood in the mortal world, you can lead people to control the water and prevent the river from flooding. When the flood is almost over, you can sacrifice your life to fill the dike. I guarantee that the people you saved will continue to offer incense and pray for you to ascend to heaven."

"Also, the mountain roads are difficult to travel, so you build roads wherever you go and bridges wherever you go. The people who have benefited from your kindness will naturally pay you a tribute."

"Furthermore, if an alien race invades, you can abandon your status as a Taoist priest and join the army, using your own cultivation and life to exchange for peace in the world... In the future, you will naturally be raised to heaven."

"Do I need to list all these things?"

"Look at all these gods in the sky. Many of them were raised up by the common people."

Xuan Chenzi sighed, "After listening to your words, I have suddenly become enlightened."

"Then I will know what to do."

Zhao Yifu was surprised. Now you know what to do?

How could this yang god from heaven come down to earth?
Xuan Chenzi looked at his disciple Feng Yu and asked softly, "What does the Immortal think of my disciple?"

Zhao Yifu examined him and said, "This kid is quite good. His magic power is quite pure. It's obvious that he hasn't taken any elixirs made by demon pills. He is quite promising."

Xuan Chenzi paused for a moment, then said, "Master Immortal, I have admitted my mistake. Can you take this child with you to the Sword Immortal Alliance?"

"I dare not ask the Immortal to take care of this boy, I just hope that you can introduce him to the Sword Immortal Alliance so that he can have a place to make a living in the future..."

Feng Yu seemed to understand and immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Master!"

"Master, what are you going to do?!"

Xuan Chenzi sighed and said, "Yu'er, you should know that your master has been engaged in endless killings along the way, and now it seems that he has made a big mistake."

"Now is the time to find a way to make amends for my mistakes... Fortunately, this Immortal Master Fu Yinzi has given me some inspiration and let me know what to do."

"Perhaps it won't be long before our master and disciple can reunite in Heaven!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he no longer cared about his disciple. Suddenly, his cultivation rapidly ignited, setting his seemingly old body on fire...

"This is……"

Zhao Yifu was a little dumbfounded. How could it be done this way?
This old Taoist burned up the rest of his lifespan, which resulted in his actual death... and when a person dies, he naturally goes to the underworld.

But the old Taoist's cultivation is still there, and it has even become stronger because of the extreme burning!
The moment he entered the underworld, he broke free from the underworld's guidance and, before the ghost catcher could capture him, he had already transformed into a rainbow and left, passing through the underworld to an unknown place in the mortal world...

This smuggling operation using the underworld as a transit point to the mortal world made Zhao Yifu's scalp tingle. He felt that there were indeed many people with ideas in this world.

Li Wenqing was so frightened by this sudden change that he said nothing.

Good guy, originally he wanted to use his lifelong experience of decisively killing monsters to shake Zhao Yifu's faith in Taoism... or to impact his will.

But he didn't expect that Zhao Yi Fu could defeat Xuan Chenzi just by talking!
What a powerful mouth...

No, why does this person seem to be more evil than the devil?

(End of this chapter)