Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 238 The Way of Seven Emotions and Six Desires

"Master!"

Fang Shu looked at the withered figure in front of him with a surprised and doubtful expression, and quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

Although her appearance is very different from before, and even her aura has changed, the person in front of me is undoubtedly a member of the Dragon Maiden Immortal family.

The fairy Long Gu received Fang Shu's grand greeting, silently observing him with a rather indifferent gaze.

Its divine sense, like tentacles, wandered to Fang Shu's side, scrutinizing his body surface with considerable arrogance. Fortunately, however, it did not directly probe Fang Shu's body with its divine sense.

Fang Shu tensed up, realizing that after so many years, not only had the appearance of this Dragon Maiden changed drastically, but her personality also seemed to be quite different.

A hoarse laugh finally rang out from the Dragon Maiden Immortal's mouth: "What's wrong? Have you grown distant from your master after all these years?"

"This disciple dares not," Fang Shu quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

"Hmph!" The Dragon Maiden coldly sized him up, speaking with an unpredictable tantrum: "Since there's no distance between you, then you've grown too big for your britches outside."

Fang Shu quickly bowed and said, "Master, I was able to escape this calamity entirely thanks to your care. How could I be such an ungrateful person!"

He swore an oath, saying that as soon as he returned to the mountain, he only went to the household hall to complete the formalities before rushing back to pay homage to the Dragon Maiden Immortal.

After hearing this, the woman's complexion improved somewhat.

But then she suddenly said:
"Since you are so filial, how come your cultivation is still only at the Condensation stage, and you are still one stage away from the perfection of the Six Fiends?"

The speed is a bit slow.

After six years of being down the mountain, Fang Shu's cultivation progressed rapidly at first but then slowed down. Although he had laid a solid foundation, his cultivation speed had indeed slowed down considerably.

However, compared to his pseudo-spiritual root aptitude, this speed was actually quite fast. He hesitated for a moment, wondering why the Dragon Maiden Immortal was so concerned about his cultivation progress.

"It is my incompetence that has led Master to misjudge me." He bowed obsequiously.

The Immortal Dragon Maiden snorted coldly again and gave the order directly:

"Remember this: you must refine your inner energy within a year. The core of the secret realm that appeared in Lushan this time cannot be entered without inner energy."

"In this great battle, I was unfortunately injured, damaging my foundation and causing my physical body to deteriorate. I need several hundred-year-old spiritual herbs from the secret realm, preferably thousand-year-old ones, to recuperate. Would you be willing to fetch them for me?"

Fang Shu felt a divine pressure pressing down on him, as if he would be struck by lightning if he uttered a single "no".

However, when he saw that the Dragon Maiden Fairy was negotiating terms, only wanting him to search for medicine in the secret realm, Fang Shu suddenly felt relieved.

He quickly replied, "This disciple will certainly do his utmost, even at the cost of his life!"

After this conversation, a stiff smile finally appeared on the cold and withered face of the Dragon Maiden Immortal.

With a whoosh, the person pointed at Fang Shu, and a wisp of black energy and a talisman landed in front of Fang Shu, floating and sinking.

"These two items are the evil energy that I condensed back then, and the token for the Water and Fire Spirit Chamber."

The former can be used to replenish your last bit of malevolent energy. The latter is a newly opened cultivation chamber within the temple, intended for nurturing disciples. It contains spiritual liquid to aid your secluded cultivation and breakthrough. It will open in one month.

"Thank you so much, Master, for bestowing this treasure!"

Fang Shu was overjoyed and immediately took out a jade bottle from his sleeve, intending to put the evil energy into the bottle.

But to his surprise, the malevolent energy coiled around his body like a snake, and after swirling around for a while, it turned into a snake scale and was branded onto the back of his left hand.

Fang Shu was startled, but fortunately he only felt like his hand had been bitten by an insect. The evil energy did not enter his body and did not harm him.

Clearly, the Dragon Maiden Immortal bestowed this malevolent energy upon him, and he had no choice but to use it, whether he wanted to or not.

With his eyelids lowered, Fang Shu didn't say anything, but just smiled and said, "It actually saved us a good bottle." As he spoke, he carefully put the empty bottle and the token for the Water and Fire Spirit Chamber into his sleeve.

He had acquired the malevolent energy and the spirit stones for his seclusion, but Fang Shu did not immediately retreat. He stood in the hall and began to subtly discuss his pseudo-spiritual root aptitude, wanting to see if the Dragon Maiden Immortal would bestow more resources upon him.

To his disappointment, the Dragon Maiden remained unmoved, as if she hadn't understood the implied meaning in his words at all.

However, the other party did not directly ask him to leave. Instead, he answered all his questions and gave concise explanations to Fang Shu's doubts about cultivation, which he found quite helpful.

Suddenly, Fang Shu remembered a realization he had had in that nameless town, and asked:
"May I ask, Master, in the Six Desires Yin Sha Method that I cultivate, are there any intricacies regarding the names and origins of the various evil energies?"

He recounted in detail how, in his small town, witnessing the birth, aging, sickness, and death of mortals had caused the malevolent energy within him to sprout.

At first, the Dragon Maiden Fairy didn't take it seriously, but after hearing the rest, her expression became noticeably more serious.

After a long pause, the man did not speak first, but took out a thin booklet from his sleeve. The booklet was tattered and looked quite old.

"The Yin Sha Technique that I modified for you does indeed have specific rules regarding the various types of evil energy within it. It was revised by me based on this nameless and incomplete technique."

The Immortal Longgu slowly said, "This method originated in ancient times. It is a technique called the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Path. It is said that all things in the world, whether tangible or intangible, can enter the path. This lineage uses the seven emotions and six desires of living beings as resources for cultivation, thereby increasing magical power."

The disciples within his sect were all infatuated men and women, born of wickedness and misfortune. It is said that the sect was eventually destroyed because of their romantic entanglements.

Although the fate of this lineage was unfortunate, its cultivation method was quite valuable, especially in terms of spiritual consciousness. Your true energy is divided into Yin and Yang, and spiritual consciousness is particularly important during cultivation. I have used this method to compensate for this deficiency, though I doubt you will perceive any benefit from it.”

After saying this, the Dragon Maiden's eyes flickered slightly, as if she still had something to say, but in the end she didn't say it.

Fang Shu now understood that his insights from his time in the mortal world were indeed true.

He then asked a few more questions and gained quite a bit. When he had nothing more to ask, he bowed respectfully and withdrew, thus ending his conversation with the master.

After Fang Shu left.

The immortal Long Gu stood alone in the Gu Palace, and she opened the incomplete book of magic again, examining it repeatedly.

After a long while, the woman let out a soft sigh:
"Forming the Core, forming the Core—back then, I was truly ambitious."

There was one thing this woman didn't tell Fang Shu about this method.

That means this method was not something she obtained by chance, but something she painstakingly collected after she had established her foundation.

As for the purpose of collecting this method, it is because there is a saying in the world that if you want to become a true immortal, you must first become a true person.

In other words, if one wants to cultivate into a Golden Core Immortal, it is best to first cultivate a true heart. Only in this way can one see through the mortal world, comprehend some things from it, and avoid the tribulation of inner demons when the elixir is completed, so as to transcend in one fell swoop.

This method of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires was a preparation made by the Dragon Maiden Immortal in advance for her own Core Formation.

However, after all these years, she has not yet mastered this method, while one of her own disciples has already grasped some of its wonders.

"This child may indeed have poor aptitude, but he is truly intelligent in terms of talent and comprehension." A thought of cherishing talent immediately welled up in the heart of the Dragon Maiden Immortal.

But the next moment.

The rustling sound of skin rubbing together inside the hall immediately interrupted her thoughts, causing her expression to return to its cold state.

Without even looking up, the immortal Longgu said in a stiff tone, "What are you doing out here?"

What appeared to be a scaleless, long snake crawled out from the depths of the main hall. Its body was thick and its aura was ferocious. Half of its body occupied half of the Gu Hall.

But as the long snake watched Fang Shu's departing figure, its gaze held not only no ferocity, but rather a complex mix of emotions, including a hint of worry.

(End of this chapter)