Ascending to Immortality by Slaying Spirits

Chapter 178 - Minor Success in True Meaning, Astonishing Comprehension

"Heaven and earth, in their natural order, disperse all impurities... As evil and filth vanish, the Dao's energy endures. So be it!"

The sound of chanting sutras rang out, and along with the chanting, golden light spread out like ripples from a handsome young man, covering an area of ​​hundreds of miles in radius.

Within this area, the turbid air descends and the pure air rises, and the flowers, plants, and trees that were originally affected by the ghost realm gradually return to their original state.

The dark brown leaves turned bright green, the withered flowers bloomed again, and the yellowish grass stood upright once more... Lin Le, who had been observing the changes with his divine sense, seemed to sense something.

Within his inner vision, the three-patterned lotus seed of the Human Path evaporated, allowing Lin Le's mind to connect with the heavens and all things, exploring the Great Dao of Life with his timeless true intent.

Ling Muzhu stared wide-eyed as the barren sand beneath Lin Le's feet gradually coalesced into fertile black soil, with moss spreading outwards from him.

Epiphany!

Seeing Lin Le's state, Ling Muzhu knew he was in a state of enlightenment, so she couldn't help but stop breathing so as not to disturb him.

Looking at the handsome young man who had closed his eyes and entered a state of enlightenment, Ling Muzhu's eyes gradually showed infatuation, not for his good looks, but for the Dao.

She seemed to see the Tao manifesting in Lin Le.

She also fell into a state of enlightenment, and a phantom image of a celestial palace slowly emerged behind her.

After a long while, the two woke up at the same time, which led to Lin Le not noticing Ling Muzhu's unusual condition.

The true meaning of immortality is approaching a minor achievement.

'Reaching each level of true understanding is incredibly difficult. Even though I've used merit to enhance the effects of sudden enlightenment, I'm only close to achieving minor success each time.'

Lin Le sighed inwardly, glanced at the merits in his inner vision of supernatural powers, and prepared to advance them all to the minor success stage on his way back.

He turned to look at Ling Muzhu and found her seemingly lost in thought, so he called out, "Senior Sister?"

"Huh?" Ling Muzhu, still immersed in the afterglow of enlightenment, suddenly snapped back to reality and looked at Lin Le with some confusion. "Junior brother, what's wrong?"

"This world has been purified; we should head back now," Lin Le said.

"Oh, okay." Ling Muzhu nodded blankly and followed Lin Le as he walked away.

Shortly after the two left, a figure suddenly appeared.
Looking at the vibrant land, the man examined it carefully, then couldn't help but gasp in astonishment:
"The true meaning of life! The Xuan Tian Sect has actually produced such a promising talent!"

The man was even more horrified when he thought that Lin Le had just suppressed a Nascent Soul cultivator single-handedly.

Even with the help of magical treasures, this true disciple of the Xuantian Sect is still incredibly powerful. I wonder where the Tianqing Peak leader found such a monster!

No, I have to report this to the sect immediately!
The man turned to leave, but then he saw two people standing behind him. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were Lin Le and Ling Muzhu, whom he thought had already gone far away!
Damn it, how did those two get back!
The man was instantly terrified and tried to flee, but a calm voice rang in his ears:

"Since we're already here, why leave?"

The man's body immediately stiffened and he felt a powerful divine sense pry open his skull and rush straight into his sea of ​​consciousness.

With a thud, the man fell to the ground.

Lin Le looked at the man thoughtfully. He thought he had caught a small fish, but he didn't expect to catch a big one. He was lucky.

He glanced thoughtfully at the Heavenly Dao Merit that had not yet been used within his inner realm of supernatural power, feeling that this thing really did have a bit of mystical significance to him.

"Senior sister, have you ever killed anyone?" Lin Le asked Ling Muzhu beside him.

“No.” Ling Muzhu shook her head, her gaze involuntarily drifting to the person lying on the ground.

Lin Le reached out: "That's perfect. Let's kill this one first and draw some blood. Don't worry about killing someone by mistake. This person is a spy from the Sacred Heart Sect. He deserves to die."

"A spy from the Sacred Heart Sect?" Ling Muzhu looked at the man on the ground in surprise. She hadn't expected that there were people from the Sacred Heart Sect right under the sect's feet.

With the Jade Phoenix Sword appearing in her hand, Ling Muzhu aimed it at the man on the ground, a look of struggle appearing in her eyes. Finally, she took a deep breath and stabbed him.

*Thud!* The sharp sword pierced the man's skull, swiftly ending his life.

"Huff—huff!" Ling Muzhu took a deep breath, but did not feel the nausea that one experiences after killing someone, as described in novels.

Am I a potential serial killer?

Ling Muzhu couldn't help but feel this question rising in her mind.

"How are you feeling?" Lin Le asked.

"I don't seem to feel anything special," Ling Muzhu said honestly. "I don't feel the nausea that's described in those novels either. Junior brother, do I have some kind of problem in this area?"

There was a hint of fear in her voice at the end of her sentence, whether she was afraid that she was a potential killer or that Lin Le would despise her because of it.

"No, it's just a normal phenomenon." Lin Le held the hand that was still holding the Jade Phoenix Sword. "Actually, when people in storybooks feel nauseous, it's mostly because of this kind of situation."

With that, he took her hand and, with a clever move, pried open the dead man's skull, revealing the grayish-white part inside.

Thanks to the deceased's cultivation level, it even retained a slight vitality and was still wriggling.

Such a shocking scene immediately caused Ling Muzhu to feel a spasm in her abdomen and turn her head to vomit.

Unfortunately, the food she had eaten earlier had already been digested, so no matter how much she vomited, she only came up with some stomach fluid.

"Do you still think there's anything wrong with it?" Lin Le asked calmly.

He's killed so many people that opening a skull is just a simple matter now; he's long been used to it.

“No problem.” Ling Muzhu said weakly, her face pale.

"Take a look around and get used to it. You'll see even more in the future," Lin Le said calmly.

Ling Muzhu's already fair skin turned an even lighter shade, making her look like a corpse: "Junior brother, what do you mean?"

"It means we have to keep killing," Lin Le said casually. "This is a spy from the Sacred Heart Sect. Where there are spies, there are strongholds; where there are strongholds, there are superiors. We have to eliminate him completely."

Ling Muzhu tried to calm her convulsing abdomen: "Shouldn't this matter be left to the sect to handle?"

"Hand it over to the sect?" Lin Le shook his head. "If we hand it over to the sect, how will we get the credit? Wouldn't that be giving it to outsiders?"

"Without merit, how can you exchange Dao cultivation for resources? Senior sister, your foundation is now so solid, don't you realize that you need more than ten times the resources of ordinary cultivators?"

"Without competing or fighting, relying solely on arduous cultivation and that meager salary, when will I ever be able to enter the Jade Capital, embark on the cycle of reincarnation, and ascend the path to heaven?"

Ling Muzhu lowered her head: "I understand, junior brother."

“Senior sister, it’s okay if you don’t want to fight and kill, your junior brother can do it for you.” Lin Le took Ling Muzhu’s hand. “But you still need to be decisive in killing, otherwise you’ll suffer too much if you encounter a villain.”

"Yes, junior brother." Ling Muzhu felt the heat in his palm, a blush gradually creeping onto his face as he lowered his head and said.

Fortunately, her chin is round, unlike the snake spirit's pointed chin, so there's no need to worry about her puncturing the water bag.

"Let's go," Lin Le said.

"Okay." Ling Muzhu followed Lin Le away. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, her hand was held by Lin Le the whole time, and she did not choose to pull away.

Back on the small boat, Lin Le had Ling Muzhu steer the boat upwards, while he sat upright at the bow, taking out the Ten Thousand Ghosts Banner and the embroidered ball.

With nearly 100,000 units of karmic debt consumed, red threads emerged from Lin Le's hand, linking the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner and the embroidered ball.

The Banner of Ten Thousand Ghosts trembled, but even in its prime, it might not have been able to resist such supreme divine power, let alone now that it was already damaged.

The once vibrant Wan Gui Ban (Banner of Ten Thousand Ghosts) gradually faded into silence, eventually disappearing completely.

The hydrangea, however, had some changes. Originally red and green, each leaf now had black cloud patterns along its edge. Lin Le inputted his magic power to check the restrictions: twenty-seven major restrictions, a perfect high-grade spiritual artifact.

Upon closer inspection, the appearance of the summoned Daoist soldier spirit general changed.

Previously, Dao soldiers and spirit generals on the same leaf could not appear at the same time, but now they can. Moreover, the Dao soldiers will change slightly with the spirit generals, making it easier for the spirit generals to control the Dao soldiers.

After putting the items away, Lin Le glanced at the inner vision of his supernatural power. He had gained nearly 30,000 Earthly Merits from this extermination of the Ghost Realm.

Humanitarian merits are not much, only two or three thousand, probably because that old ghost has only just appeared and hasn't gone out to harm people yet.

'If each major realm advancement is a tenfold increase, then I'll check later to see if there are any Ghost Lords at the Nascent Soul stage.'

Lin Le glanced at the remaining 100,000 merits of humanity, closed his eyes, and a three-patterned lotus seed of humanity was formed and then evaporated.

Lin Le's mind connected with the true meaning within the Yellow Court Secret Realm, and he gradually made it his own.

As if sensing something, Ling Muzhu turned to look at Lin Le, a hint of surprise in her eyes. She hadn't expected Lin Le to fall into a state of enlightenment again.

When did enlightenment become something you can simply have whenever you want?
But before the doubts in her heart were resolved, Ling Muzhu watched as Lin Le gradually entered a state of enlightenment, his body gradually emitting silver light.

The Yin-Yang Twin Swords, acting as protectors, rubbed themselves together, like a person scratching their head, and then they pushed the small boat forward on their own.

After a while, Lin Le exhaled, having achieved minor success in the Crimson Sun True Meaning.

Without hesitation, he continued to consume his human merits to achieve enlightenment, so much so that he didn't even notice that Ling Muzhu, who was about to leave the state of enlightenment, had fallen back into it.

The true meaning of death omen, minor achievement!
Divine Thunder True Meaning, Minor Success!
The true meaning of immortality, minor achievement!

After achieving minor mastery of the four great true meanings, Lin Le chose to consume ten thousand human merits.

For twenty-seven years, Lin Le controlled the four great true meanings to merge, collide, and rotate, attempting to find a trace of the true essence of primordial chaos.

He also dragged away the Yin-Yang Twin Swords, which possessed the properties of primordial chaos, to study them.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Le opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a mixture of weariness and joy.

Become!

Lin Le opened his palm, and the two energies of thunder and fire and the two energies of life and death stood side by side. Then they began to rotate, eventually turning into a chaotic energy that looked gray but could reveal all things!

Lin Le only managed to maintain it for a moment before he had to dissipate the chaotic energy, as it had consumed too much energy.

Although he had glimpsed the Great Dao of Primordial Chaos, he hadn't even entered the gate yet.

It is foreseeable that this will become the main source of his merit depletion.

Fortunately, the investment is large, but the output is also large. With the help of the Primordial True Meaning, the integration of the four True Meanings is no longer a difficult task.

After mastering the Limitless Qi, he used thunder, fire, and death to create the spell "Dawn and Dusk," and used life, death, and thunder to create the spell "Extinction of Thunder."

Now, only the four-in-one spell remains unsolved.

Lin Le turned his head and saw Ling Muzhu kneeling to the side, staring blankly at him.

Lin Le waved her hand in front of Ling Muzhu's eyes and asked in confusion, "Senior Sister, what's wrong?"

Upon hearing the sound, Ling Muzhu shuddered and then collapsed limply to the ground.

Lin Le reached out and took it, then subconsciously touched her forehead with the back of his hand. He frowned slightly. She had a low fever. Her body temperature was so low.

Lin Le placed his hand on her wrist, circulated his magic power to sense her, and frowned even more deeply.

Ling Muzhu has no physical ailments; on the contrary, she is in excellent health and full of vitality, except that her mind and spirit are somewhat overworked.

The problem is, wasn't she in charge of steering the boat? How could she suddenly be so mentally exhausted?
Lin Le summoned the Yin-Yang Twin Swords and inquired about the reason.

The Yin-Yang Twin Swords emitted a humming sound.

Although the Yin-Yang Twin Swords cannot speak, Lin Le could still roughly understand the meaning hidden in the buzzing sound by connecting with his natal magic weapon.

After understanding the meaning of the Yin-Yang Twin Swords, Lin Le still found it somewhat unbelievable.

He can gain enlightenment just by looking at him. What kind of enlightenment is that?
Lin Le was puzzled, but the person in question was still unconscious, so he couldn't wake her up to ask.

After sleeping for two or three hours, Ling Muzhu felt warm all over and couldn't help but twist her body, wanting to take a nap a little longer.

However, she soon realized something was wrong; she felt a hard object pressing down on her buttocks.

She opened her eyes and saw a profile with eyes closed, a profile as smooth as jade, as if it had been meticulously sculpted by the finest craftsman.

Ling Muzhu blinked and said, "Junior brother?"

Lin Le opened his eyes and turned his head. In that instant, the distance between their lips and teeth was less than an inch.

Both of them have unique physical constitutions, and being so close together allows them to feel the warmth and fragrance contained in each other's breath.

After a couple of breaths, Lin Le slightly distanced herself and asked, "Senior Sister, you're awake?"

"Mmm." Ling Muzhu lowered her head, a charming blush creeping onto her face.

"Senior sister, do you remember what happened before you fell into a coma? Why did you suddenly become so mentally exhausted?" Lin Le asked softly.

These words triggered Ling Muzhu's subconscious memories, and she asked with a hint of doubt on her face:

“I saw you have an epiphany, and somehow, I felt like I had an epiphany too, and it lasted for a very, very long time.”

He really did have an epiphany while watching him; what kind of astonishing comprehension is this? Lin Le raised an eyebrow: "You got it just by watching me?"

“Yes.” Ling Muzhu nodded slightly.

"Senior Sister's comprehension is truly extraordinary," Lin Le exclaimed. "So, what has Senior Sister come to understand?"

After carefully recalling the events, Ling Muzhu said, "Taiyin is related to the energy of life."

"How's the progress? Have you gotten started or made some progress?" Lin Le asked.

"I'd say we've all achieved some minor success," Ling Muzhu said hesitantly.

"All of them?" Lin Le seized on a single word, "Comprehend several kinds of power?"

“Four kinds,” Ling Muzhu said, “New Life, Unending, Deathly Cold, and Yin Thunder.”

Lin Le looked at Ling Muzhu carefully, his expression complicated.

All four of these tendencies can be found in his true meaning.

Ling Muzhu felt a little shy under Lin Le's gaze and couldn't help but shrink back: "Junior brother, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Lin Le hugged the woman's waist tighter. "I just feel that Master may have overlooked such a gem as you."

Feeling the heat emanating from her waist, Ling Muzhu curled up even tighter: "Not at all, it's all thanks to my junior brother. Otherwise, I would not have achieved such success after more than 20 years on the mountain."

"That's only because you have a good foundation. I'm just wiping away the rough stone for a rough gem." A mischievous look appeared on Lin Le's face. "But how long are you going to lie here, Senior Sister? My legs are numb from being pressed down by you."

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Ling Muzhu sat up in surprise, but she forgot that Lin Leshou was still on her waist.

Her sudden standing up caused Lin Le to instinctively grab her clothes, which tightened abruptly before loosening.

Balls go bang~ bang~
(End of this chapter)