Cultivating Immortality in Two Realms

Chapter 87 Cause and Effect (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Just as Fang Qing was refining the bone bowl.

The Hidden Domain.

At the foot of the snow-capped mountain stands an ancient temple.

The temple is paved with gold bricks and has walls made of milk. The pillars around it are supported by white bones, giving it an inexplicable aura. The temple gate is strange, like a gate to the afterlife.

The entire temple was filled with the burning of unknown oil candles, emitting a faint scent of sandalwood.

In the backyard of the temple, a lotus-shaped white bone platform was built. An old monk with deep-set eyes, wearing a rooster-comb hat and a thangka robe of the protector of the charnel ground, was holding a bone knife and cutting flesh and bones off a corpse in front of him for the great demons to devour.

This is a sky burial ritual, which imitates the deeds of the living Buddha enshrined in this temple—the Lord of the Corpse Forest.

The Lord of the Corpse Forest, also known as the Protector of the Corpse Forest or the Lord of the Tomb, attained Buddhahood in ancient times and is worshipped by all beings at the Wuxiang Temple.

In the realm of esoteric Buddhism, temples that enshrine the "personal Buddha" are considered "temples of the origin of all dharmas," ranking only below the "supreme origin temple" atop Mount Mahavairocana—the Great Sun Wheel Temple.

After performing the secret sky burial ceremony, the old monk clasped his hands together and silently chanted scriptures.

When he opened his eyes, a cultist dressed in a tiger-skin robe with a fierce face was already prostrating himself below the lotus-shaped white bone platform, waiting for an unknown amount of time.

"Alas—our religion has gained another guardian deity!"

The old monk revealed a slight smile, feigning great joy.

"Please enlighten us, Your Holiness!"

The kneeling tantric practitioners repeatedly kowtowed.

"In the ancient Shu lands, there are believers who uphold the principles of cause and effect in my teachings, and their destinies are intertwined. They can be subdued and become the guardian deities of this temple."

The old monk looked at the fierce-looking Tantric practitioner: "Sangye—you have passed the stages of Joy and Purity, achieved supreme concentration, attained the White Bone Dharma, and Vajradhara, radiating boundless wisdom. Your practice of the Guru's realm is complete, and you are only one step away from attaining the irreversible stage of becoming a Dharma King—go and subdue this Vajra protector, and your life will be complete and flawless, leading you to become a Dharma King!"

"Follow the law————"

The fierce-looking esoteric Buddhist was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly: "But Moyun Cliff has always disliked us esoteric monks—"

"It's alright—the Buddha's decree has already been issued from the Great Snow Mountain; the day we cross to the East is not far off—"

The old monk's cloudy eyes looked eastward, then suddenly turned back, gazing at the skeletal image of the sole deity enshrined in the "Temple of No Forms of All Beings"—the Lord of the Mortuary. A sudden, distracting thought arose in his mind:

The Buddha has not issued any decrees for a long time—this time, on the eastward journey, we will likely have to fight the Yin Corpse Sect again to complete our tribulation.

"Huh? Why am I suddenly feeling this way?"

Fang Qing, who was in ancient Shu trying out the "Six-Syllable Mantra," suddenly stopped playing with his hands.

On a whim, he immediately cast a divination.

"A mixed bag?"

"According to this divination, my fortune is initially auspicious but later inauspicious, with good fortune hidden within the misfortune?"

Fang Qing fell into deep thought: The divination in this wretched place cannot be completely trusted, nor can it be completely disregarded—this probably means that with the help of the Secret Domain background, I can indeed roam freely in ancient Shu for a time, but I will eventually be discovered and exposed? So it is auspicious at first but inauspicious later?

Whether I can truly fulfill the ominous sign depends on the strength of both sides, so it's a mixed bag.

Ultimately, strength is the most important factor!

He took a deep breath, considering his own methods. As for the spiritual artifacts and talismans of the Qi Refining Path, there was no need to elaborate. As for the Qi Conquering Path, the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator depended not only on their realm but also on the profoundness of their Foundation Establishment.

"Jiuganlin" is for logistical recovery, while "Weilinyuan" currently only enhances movement techniques and escape skills—the "Great Sun Initiation Secret Technique" is too powerful and carries heavy karma; once used, it's best to eliminate or convert the enemy—in this light, "Loujin" is still the better choice for now.

The "Dao Foundation Sharpness Chapter" of Lou Jin, if combined with a flying sword, would allow Fang Qing to fight even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. In the case of the Jade Gate, it would be able to easily kill an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

In the ancient Shu region, Jin De is a manifest Daoist, so attacking the early or even mid-stage foundations of other Daoist traditions shouldn't be a problem.

"So, the most urgent task is to find a flying sword? I now possess the Six-Syllable Great Light Mantra," so I can forge one myself—alas, what a pity about that flying sword from the Blessed Land of Misty Waves, a treasured possession of a Purple Mansion cultivator!"

Fang Qing felt a pang of heartache upon thinking of this, and then he thought of the Purple Mansion level flying sword, "Xu Jin Huan".

If this were in the Lesser Universe Sea, I might be able to do some calculations, but right now there's no need to think about it at all—that "Beard of Joy" is clearly being watched by many Purple Mansions, how bold would I be to even consider it?

In terms of abundant spiritual materials, Ancient Shu is far inferior to Xiao Huan Hai. Why not go there to collect sword-forging materials and then refine them according to the ancient Shu's methods?

The Heavenly Escape Sword Manual does record several sword-forging methods.

Fang Qing knew that the flying swords of the ancient Shu were different from the flying swords of the Qi Refining Path. The flying swords of the Qi Refining Path liked to be refined with various restrictions and spells—they were more like magical artifacts or treasures in the shape of flying swords than flying swords.

The flying swords here are refined in both form and substance, seeking only that sharpness. They are intertwined with the cultivator's life and can become their life essence, improving along with the cultivator's realm. If calculated by levels, there are first-level and ninth-level flying swords. First-level flying swords are the lowest, but their value is still comparable to several True Dao swords.

If it has nine revolutions, then it would be one of the most famous flying swords in the world.

Back then, the personal sword of the great sword cultivator of the Purple Mansion, Master Yanbo, was a seven-turn flying sword!

"My strongest fighting technique has now become flying swords? What kind of proper sword cultivator am I if I don't have a natal flying sword?"

Uh—I guess I was always going to be an unorthodox swordsman.

He transformed his [Lou Jin] magical power and observed the Dao foundation in his own Qi Sea, and immediately gained many insights.

Fang Qing took out a magical flying sword from the Azure Sea Sect from his storage bag and casually brandished it.

Chi Chi!

Sword energy condensed, its sharpness soaring into the sky.

With the blessing of the "Sharp Edge Chapter", the ordinary magic weapon flying sword in his hand seemed to be comparable to the power of a spiritual weapon!

"Sword cultivators are renowned for their swordsmanship, and in addition to their cultivation, they also possess the realm of swordsmanship—from the initial condensation of sword energy," to "the sound of thunder in the sword," "refining the sword into threads," "the differentiation of sword light," "the formation of sword intent," "the clarity of the sword heart," "one sword breaking all laws," and so on—"

"These sword cultivation realms, apart from the initial Condensing Sword Qi and the final One Sword Breaks All Laws, are all equal—if we were to forcibly categorize them by realm, Condensing Sword Qi would be at the Qi Subduing level, and One Sword Breaks All Laws at the Purple Mansion level? The other realms are all within the Foundation Establishment stage, with no distinction of superiority or inferiority. A sword cultivator who has attained the Sword Movement Thunder Sound can also go on to attain Sword Light Differentiation and Sword Heart Clarity—and a sword cultivator who has attained the Sword Movement Thunder Sound is not necessarily stronger or weaker than one who has attained Sword Light Differentiation—"

With the blessing of the "Sharp Edge Badge", Fang Qing is an unparalleled genius in the way of sword cultivation.

Condensing sword energy is merely the beginning.

Accompanied by the whistling of flying swords, there was even a faint sense of wind and thunder being stirred up.

"The sword moves with the sound of thunder—also known as the sword's roar of wind and thunder—again aided by the wind, [Ji Water] favorable wind—my destiny, at this moment, is actually somewhat helpful?"

Fang Qing seemed to understand something, and thrust out his sword, accompanied by rolling thunder.

Stab it!

A few hundred meters away, an ancient tree was instantly split in two, the cut surface perfectly smooth.

"The sword's movement is accompanied by thunderous sound, enhancing its speed! The speed of the sword, like the sound of thunder, intimidates the wicked and further sharpens the flying sword, perfectly complementing the 'Sharp Edge' emblem."

His eyes were bright, and he wanted to practice other sword techniques, but suddenly he heard the flying sword in his hand cry out, and a crack appeared on the blade.

"After all, it's just a magic weapon, not a spiritual artifact—it can't withstand the Dao Foundation Sword Technique, and it'll break after a few uses?"

Fang Qing shook his head and secretly put the matter of forging a natal flying sword on his agenda.

Yuanqingfang.

This is a relatively famous market town in Yulin County. The cultivators who come and go are generally above the early stage of Qi Refining, and it is said that occasionally even Dao Foundation cultivators will visit.

Now that Ba County is once again engulfed in war, all kinds of markets and itinerant merchants have naturally scattered.

On the contrary, Yulin County seemed more peaceful.

Fang Qing used the Dao Sheng Pearl to conceal most of his cultivation level. At this moment, he was a rogue cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, named Lou Jin, who was preparing to purchase some sword-forging materials.

After all, the sword-forging techniques of the "Heavenly Escape Sword Manual" have some key aspects that require materials unique to ancient Shu.

He used a "mirage pearl" to change his appearance, giving him sharp eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and a full forehead. More importantly, he was not afraid of divination or fortune-telling.

Once I've figured out the market with this identity, I'll switch to the [Ji Shui] Daoji main account for trading.

Fang Qing was a seasoned trader and knew that if he wanted to exchange for good items, he had to go to those Dao Foundation forces!

In a shop.

"The Xuan Yuan Geng Jin that you require, sir, we happen to have a small piece, weighing one pound and three ounces—but we truly do not have Tian Xuan Xing Sha."

The shopkeeper, a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi cultivation, was extremely warm and polite to Fang Qing, who was at the ninth level of Qi cultivation.

"Fine, then let's go with Xuan Yuan Geng Jin—I'll trade it for pills that enhance my magical power."

Fang Qing took out a medicine bottle.

He was somewhat speechless: Tianxuan Star Sand was the most important ingredient. Without this precious material, the flying sword would be difficult to refine to the next level. However, materials such as Silver Gang Essence and Hundred-Refined Profound Iron could be easily collected on Jade Island.

"It's actually a pill that enhances magical power, and it doesn't even contain a trace of blood essence—truly rare."

The shopkeeper took the medicine bottle, uncorked it, sniffed it, and with a glint in his eyes, exclaimed in praise.

Just as Fang Qing was about to accept the piece of Xuan Yuan Geng Jin, a young man's voice came from beside him: "Fellow Daoist, please wait!"

He looked over and saw a young man dressed in a golden robe, exuding a sharp and imposing aura.

"This Xuan Yuan Geng Metal is a top-grade material for refining flying swords, and I greatly admire it. Would you be willing to part with it, fellow Daoist?"

The young man reached out and played with the Xuan Yuan Geng Jin, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"Are you a member of the Zhao family of Kangjin?"

Before Fang Qing could speak, the shopkeeper stared at the mark on the young man's sleeve and spoke, his tone carrying a hint of warning.

"Indeed, my name is Zhao Wufeng—"

Zhao Wufeng looked at Fang Qing.

Fang Qing smiled and directly accepted the Xuan Yuan Geng Jin: "Sorry, I never compromise myself to accommodate others."

The shopkeeper's smile instantly froze.

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