Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 16: Abandoning the Mind to See One's True Nature (Seeking monthly votes and to keep reading!)

The leader is dead?

The remaining ten people suddenly screamed in unison and scattered in all directions like a bomb going off, disappearing completely in no time.

Ren Shaoyang saw that everyone had run away, and slowly exhaled. His originally cold and stern face suddenly turned into a grimace. He touched his chest and abdomen; his hand was covered in blood, and his wound had reopened.

"Damn it, Cao Tian's arrow was really powerful!"

Ren Shaoyang's face turned pale. Although the Great Vajra's divine power was extraordinary, it was no match for the relentless pursuit.

These days, Ren Shaoyang has been fighting a series of battles with his pursuers, leaving him no time to rest. So he has been using time travel to replace sleep.

In addition to gaining experience in fighting enemies.

More than anything, it was a recollection of the battle at Dripping Cliff, an attempt to wage guerrilla warfare against the Eastern Depot agents in order to turn the tables on them.

But once inside the formation, they discovered that the other side had already completely surrounded the street, with swordsmen and shieldmen in front, spearmen behind, and the black-clad archers at the back, making it as solid as an iron cylinder.

This group of barbarians clearly had a specific way of dealing with martial arts masters. After forming a battle formation, they split and regrouped swiftly, sometimes confronting Ren Shaoyang's divine power head-on, and sometimes advancing and encircling him.

Swords and shields deflect force, spears deliver powerful thrusts, and archers strike wherever they aim.

The three leaders' "Evil-Repelling Sword Technique" was even more ghostly and unpredictable, often striking unexpectedly and injuring people.

Ren Shaoyang realized that unless he killed the three leaders first and threw them into disarray, breaking into their formation would only result in endless attacks.

If he wanted to use his footwork to avoid their sharp edge and fight as a guerrilla, not to mention whether there would be a place to put his feet, as soon as he got far away, that damned eunuch Jia Ting would order a forced attack and slaughter Ding An and the others.

After several unsuccessful attempts to rewind, Ren Shaoyang realized that his approach of directly confronting Jia Ting and the others was correct.

As the saying goes, "Thunder roars and winds rise, striking later but arriving first; unpredictable changes, using speed and agility to subdue the enemy."

By swiftly and decisively killing Jia Ting, he gave everyone a chance to escape, and in fact, he had already accomplished his intended goal!
"Damn it, this was a lucky accident!"

Ren Shaoyang's face hardened. "Since that's the case, I'll work my way up to become a master archer. I refuse to believe I can't master the art of hitting any target!"
-
Suddenly, shouts erupted from afar, followed by the thunderous sound of horses' hooves, and dozens more charged straight towards them.

The leader shouted, "The fat sheep is here, everyone charge!"

Another person said, "Haha, it's our turn to make a fortune!"

Another man said, "If this deal goes through, every penny of gold and silver might just go to you, sir, and all the sluts in the brothel will be yours! Hahahaha!"

The people around burst into laughter.

The elder brother shouted, "Use arrows to force him to move, don't let him escape! I don't believe this little brat can fly!" Everyone responded in unison and swarmed over.

Ren Shaoyang sighed, then grinned maliciously: "You barged into hell hoping to make a fortune? I'll use you as human targets!"

The young man planted the iron rod into the ground, completely ignoring the charging army. He stood there, muttering something, then suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Thirteen arrows, thirty-five men, that's enough!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he drew an arrow from his quiver and drew his iron bow to its fullest extent.

"collapse"!
An arrow shot out, and a man dozens of feet away cried out as he was shot into the air.

Ren Shaoyang grabbed another arrow, and "Bang!" A rider and his horse fell to the ground.

"Bang bang bang bang~", like a series of explosives, one arrow after another shot out.

Before everyone could react, screams erupted and thuds echoed as six or seven more people were instantly killed by arrows.

Some arrows even struck the horses, causing them to neigh and fall to the ground, tripping them and causing several horses to tumble.

"Run, run!"

"Damn it, this kid's archery skills are unparalleled, I can't beat him, I can't beat him!"

The remaining men were terrified and desperately turned their horses around.

Ren Shaoyang was not faring well either. His face was pale, and his wounds bled profusely with every movement, splattering blood in tiny drops that soaked through his blue coat, turning it ochre—a truly shocking sight.

He counted on his fingers and sighed, "Nine left. Let's try our best."

He unleashed the "Horse King's Form," his steps quickening rapidly, surpassing even a galloping horse, and closing in at breakneck speed.

Amidst the desert, screams of agony suddenly rang out again.

With a series of "bang bang bang" sounds, the iron-rimmed bow struck, and wherever the arrows went, heads and hands were severed, or the bodies were pierced through. In some cases, the arrows were even carried away and flew a few feet away.

When he found a fine old horse and rode away, not a single person was left alive.

After a while, a gust of wind swept across the crowd, carrying yellow sand all over the ground, and gently covered them, until slowly no trace of the dead could be seen anymore.

It was as if they had never been there.

Ren Shaoyang rode his old horse and looked into the distance. He saw the setting sun, the crescent moon in the eastern sky, and the twinkling stars. The entire sky was a clear darkness.

After walking for several miles, when he saw the trees in the Gobi Desert, Ren Shaoyang felt dizzy and exhausted.

He was seriously injured in the battle at Drip Cliff, and then fought for several days in a row, which aggravated his injuries. He has survived until now with his fierce courage and grit.

"Xilulu~!"

The green horse neighed, and the rider stood up on his back.

Ren Shaoyang lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud.

He struggled to turn over, lay on his back, and looked up at the sky.

A chilling cold permeated the air, and the stars in the sky were bright, like dense white dots embedded in black crystal.

In his previous life, Ren Shaoyang was bedridden with a long illness and could only gaze at the sky through a single window.

But at that time, there were no stars in the sky, and even the moon was not very clear due to the angle.

At this moment, the stars are shining brightly, filling my eyes. I feel that the world is vast and boundless, and human life is insignificant, like a floating object.

"I can't die, at least not like a piece of trash lying here!"

Ren Shaoyang panted on the ground for a while, feeling that his energy had recovered somewhat. He gritted his teeth and his face became ferocious.

"I've just achieved the health I've always dreamed of, and I haven't even been to the places I want to go yet. How can I collapse here?"

Just then, that line of words resurfaced in his mind.

[By holding your breath, cultivate your Qi; by sharpening your senses, sharpen your spirit!]

It is precisely the opening line of the "Showing One's Heart" doctrine.

Ren Shaoyang originally knew nothing about these mystical texts.

I recognize all the characters, but I can't connect them into sentences or figure out the meaning.

Like viewing flowers through fog, separated by a sigh-inducing barrier.

But at this moment, when the body is so weak that there is not even a trace of strength left to shout.

But their spirits lifted.

Looking around, a gentle breeze blows, and even in the darkness of the Gobi Desert, such a harsh and cold place, there is a hidden vitality.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and a spark appeared in his mind, like a shooting star streaking across the dark night, instantly illuminating a world he had never seen before.

"The body's spiritual awareness is used to sharpen the spirit, which means that there is more than one smooth path in the world. I cultivate the Great Vajra Divine Power, but due to my aptitude, I have difficulty understanding my mind and correcting my nature."

Ren Shaoyang felt somewhat frustrated: "Even if I mastered the divine skill, I would inevitably get stuck halfway through, caught in a dilemma. All that would be left is a stiff, broken body, devoid of any spiritual freedom. To put it nicely, I'd become a blockhead; to put it bluntly, becoming the 'Heavenly God Sect' from the original story would be an understatement!"

"This is the limitation of qualifications!"

"But how can I accept my fate?"

"What should I do? What should I do? What can I do?"

Ren Shaoyang propped himself up on his arms and sat up, catching his breath for a moment.

He casually plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth, a thought flashing through his mind: "My path is different from others, why be swayed by the wind? I should seek it within my own heart."

"The techniques contained in the Mind-Sacrifice Style and the Great Vajra Divine Power are quite different. One cultivates the spirit, while the other cultivates strength. It is like two people climbing a mountain. One goes up from the east, and the other climbs from the west. They arrive at the same destination by different routes. After reaching the top, they both cultivate the spirit and then merge into one force, which can be used by me."

"The Great Vajra Divine Power cultivates oneself, and the Self-Sacrifice Style also cultivates oneself."

"So, what kind of person do I want to become, and what kind of demeanor do I want to cultivate?"

Sparks flew through Ren Shaoyang's mind, as if a voice was saying, "Do you want the self-centeredness of Patriarch Jiuru? Or the foolishness of Monk Yu? Or perhaps the all-embracing nature of Lu Jian?"

"Neither! The way of Heaven is constant; it does not exist for Yao, nor does it perish for Jie. I am but a mortal, standing between heaven and earth, and it is no exaggeration to call me a speck of dust. But I have my principles: I will remain true to myself!"

Ren Shaoyang spat out the grass stalk in his mouth, and a surge of powerful energy suddenly emanated from his body. A voice seemed to boom loudly in his mind: "My form is: outwardly a sage and inwardly a king, a radiant flame rising, a luminous and penetrating form as bright as the sun and stars!"

"Boom~!"

In an instant, Ren Shaoyang felt as if a ripple spread across the lake of his heart, his distracting thoughts cleared, and his breathing naturally became a nine-turn breath and a three-pause breath.

The three meridians of Tianque, Dizang, and Renji disperse true qi from the heart lake, split into two streams at Dazhui and enter Jianjing, then pass through the coccyx to Mingmen, rise from Laogong, pass through Quze and enter Tianchi, then merge at Tanzhong and descend to Dantian like the sun falling into the sea.

In an instant, Ren Shaoyang's skill progressed through nine cycles, and his mind underwent a tremendous change.

With eyes closed, one can "gaze" at the dark sky, imagining that one's body is also like this boundless clear sky, vast and expansive, reaching in all directions.

It is neither empty nor full, nor is anything permanent within it.

Suddenly, Ren Shaoyang had a thought, and his mind seemed to be filled with endless interest.

It reflects all things.

He could hear the slithering of venomous snakes, the grinding of their scales; the loosening of the soil on the ground, the sound of sand lizards collapsing; and even the distant sound of Gobi jerboas spinning 360 degrees through the air.

He felt that his perspective had been elevated from a two-dimensional being to a three-dimensional being, allowing him to see the world from the heart with a vision he had never had before.

At this point, Ren Shaoyang had reached the ultimate state of complete absorption in the world.

However, this state could not last long. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, his consciousness gradually blurred, and he felt drowsy. So he put aside all his thoughts and lay down on the ground in a carefree manner.

With the sky as my blanket and the earth as my bed, my heart as vast as the wilderness, I drift off to sleep.

I slept like that until the next morning.

Ren Shaoyang suddenly opened his eyes, feeling completely refreshed and energetic. He couldn't help but stretch and yawn.

"Who will wake up first from the dream? I know it all myself!"

This stretch made my body feel refreshed, both inside and out, and even the sword wounds on my body didn't seem to hurt as much.

He looked into the distance, where the green horse was grazing with its head down. In the distance, the sun rose over the desert like an egg yolk, and the morning glow flickered uncertainly.

The soft morning light bathed me, making me look as beautiful as gold.

Ren Shaoyang stood up, stretched his limbs, and suddenly exclaimed "Huh?", scratching his head and saying, "Strange, what is this feeling?"

On a whim, he suddenly used his transformation technique, manifesting the "Thirty-Two Forms" one after another. He immediately felt that his entire body's energy and spirit were as responsive as his own, and that every part of his body felt indescribably comfortable and blissful.

Ren Shaoyang had never felt so wonderful before!

He kept changing forms, changing three times in a row, without feeling the exhaustion of his internal energy as before.

This was not because his skill had greatly improved, but because his body, with minimal cost and optimal solution, helped him complete the transformation.

Ren Shaoyang felt as if the world had suddenly opened up before him, and he was overjoyed. Eager to test his lightness skill, he transformed into the "Monkey King" and leaped into the air.

It was as if this leap was imbued with some divine power; as soon as his body left the ground, he soared more than two zhang high, and his momentum continued unabated as he rose higher and higher.

It quickly transformed into a "Soaring Form," twisting and turning in an instant, like a flying dragon in the sky, its beginning and end unpredictable.

As it was about to land, it transformed into the "Great Freedom Form," its body seemingly being steadily supported by something, and it gently and slowly descended.

As soon as Ren Shaoyang's feet touched the ground, he felt his internal energy surging and surging, with no way to release it. So he put his hands on his hips and let out a long howl to release his pent-up energy.

The roar soared into the sky, and the waves surged high.

The surrounding grass stems swayed as if blown by a strong wind, rising and falling like snowflakes.

The whistling sound echoed back and forth across the Gobi Desert and distant canyons, like a series of thunderclaps in mid-air.

This alarmed many people.

Hongxiu suddenly opened her eyes, jumped up, and looked eastward.

Ding'an was also startled awake. Seeing her standing motionless, he quickly got up and asked, "Little beggar, what's wrong?"

"The cripple is alright."

Hongxiu didn't turn her head, her eyes continuing to gaze into the distance, but she couldn't see anything, and said somewhat dejectedly.

"Really?" Ding An licked his chapped lips, his expression excited.

"That whistling sound just now," Qiu Moyan said, now standing beside the two of them, "was it made by Master Ren?"

Hongxiu looked at her and said with a grin, "Yes, he's coming to find us!"

Qiu Moyan gave Hongxiu a deep look, instinctively feeling that there was something indescribably strange about her.

This little girl seems to be able to see through my thoughts?
But in front of Ding'an, she was a nagging, greedy, and gluttonous little girl.

The brother and sister were dressed in tattered clothes and looked haggard, but they were no ordinary people.

One possesses unpredictable swordsmanship, the other has unfathomable insight into human nature?
Qiu Moyan shook her head, becoming more and more confused.

She stood there for a while, watching Hongxiu playfully tease Ding'an.

Qiu Moyan then asked, "Hongxiu, shall we wait for Ren Shaoyang to arrive before leaving together?"

Hongxiu looked at her, then turned to look at the distant sun, stunned, and said softly, "No need to wait!"

"Not waiting?!" Qiu Moyan was taken aback. "Why?"

Hongxiu did not reply.

Ding An replied, "We agreed to talk about it when we get to the Dragon Gate Inn!"

Qiu Moyan remained silent for a long time before finally sighing and saying, "The agreement..."

She glanced at the distant mountains, a hint of longing appearing on her brow. She cupped her hands in a respectful gesture, then turned and left.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Inside the canyon tent.

Cao Shaoqin suddenly opened his eyes, and a burst of cold light shot out.

"Ah~!"

The servant was bowing and listening to the orders when he suddenly saw this sharp glint in his eyes. Instantly, his heart turned to ice, his ears rang, and he tripped and fell, his trousers getting soaked.

"Drag him away." Cao Shaoqin waved his hand, covering his nose. "Disgusting!"

Regardless of the servants who were desperately kowtowing but were dragged away by the black riders on both sides, Chang Yanxiao stepped forward and bowed.

"Lord Supervisor, has something unexpected happened?"

Hearing a scream outside the tent abruptly stop, Cao Shaoqin narrowed his eyes and said quietly, "When Master Yangming practiced his qi in the middle of the night and let out a long howl, the whole army was shocked."

Chang Yanxiao's mind raced, and he frowned, asking, "Does the Grand Eunuch mean to pacify the entire ten miles?"

The reason he said this was because the story Cao Dugong mentioned was recorded in the History of Ming: When Wang Yangming was suppressing the rebellion of Prince Ning, he suddenly let out a long howl that shook the entire army, and it was said that his "sound could be heard for ten miles".

Therefore, it is clear that the Grand Eunuch meant that there were experts within ten miles!
Cao Shaoqin looked at him approvingly and smiled, "This person's skill may not be particularly profound, but he has a soaring aura that is not ordinary." He thought for a moment, then waved his hand, "Never mind him."

"Ignore him?" Chang Yanxiao asked, puzzled. "Why is that, Grand Eunuch?"

Cao Shaoqin pointed domineeringly: "His energy is heading west, and we will surely meet him at Longmen. At that time, let's wipe him out together with the rebels."

"My lord, this man's martial arts skills are quite impressive. We mustn't let him interfere with your important matters."

Cao Shaoqin smiled, his eyes gleaming like swords, seemingly able to see right through Chang Yanxiao.

"It doesn't matter, they're just clay chickens and earthenware dogs."
-
"Ah sneeze~!"

At the same time, Ren Shaoyang, who had just been dubbed "a clay chicken and a clay dog," suddenly sneezed.

He frowned, swaying as he sat on the horse, a strange unease creeping into his heart.

"Damn it, who's talking bad about me again?" Ren Shaoyang shook his head. "Never mind, I'm going to open a dungeon first!"

Void text appeared.

Is the Sanzu Temple instance open?

Ren Shaoyang smiled nonchalantly.

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)