You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're already talking about cultivating

The Taoist priest wore a gray-blue robe with frayed edges on the cuffs and hem. His hair was casually tied into a bun and held in place with a wooden hairpin.

An absurd scene was unfolding before him.

Braised duck, white foxes, snow-capped mountains, strange doors, and even fairies in the water—a chaotic mix of things surged in from all directions, jostling and crowding together, like an absurd carnival.

The Taoist priest stood motionless under the jujube tree.

He simply raised his hand.

As if sensing something, the jujube tree suddenly came to life, its branches stretching out like arms, lashing like whips, and piercing like spears.

The demons and monsters were powerless against the tree branches, and were strangled, torn apart, and ground into powder one by one.

The broken corpses were rolled up by branches, dragged into the soil, turned into nutrients, and seeped into the root system.

With each jujube tree killed, its branches and leaves grow more lush, and the jujubes become redder and shinier.

Before long, the wilderness returned to calm.

Only the jujube tree and the Taoist priest under it remained.

In the blink of an eye, those braised ducks, white foxes, and the like returned with a vengeance. The Taoist priest manipulated the jujube tree, wiping them all off once more, then shook his head and sighed.

"The world is sick, so I'll destroy it."

The moment he finished speaking, the jujube tree beneath his feet suddenly swelled up.

The trunk thickened at a visible rate, the bark cracked, revealing the dark red wood inside, like bulging blood vessels.

The branches stretched out wildly, like countless arms opening at once, blotting out the sky.

Thick tree roots rise from the soil, winding and crawling like giant pythons, emerging from the ground and surging in all directions.

Wherever the tree roots passed, the earth cracked, houses collapsed, and rocks crumbled.

The Taoist priest stood on the tree trunk, his face calm, even with a hint of pity, but the jujube tree was slaughtering the tree madly.

As the jujube tree branches swept across, the crowd fell like wheat being harvested.

Tree roots burst through the soil, tearing the running figure to pieces.

The jujubes on the branches exploded like cannonballs, each one carrying a deadly intent.

Men and women, young and old, demons and monsters, birds and beasts, plants, insects and fish, and everything encountered on the jujube tree—kill them all clean.

There was no pity, no hesitation.

The world is sick, so let's cut it off.

After an unknown amount of time, the wilderness finally fell silent.

There was no wind, no sound, no sign of life. Only the bare earth and the jujube tree standing in the center of the ruins remained.

The Taoist priest stood under the tree, looked around, and a complex emotion finally surfaced in his eyes.

It was not exhilaration, nor madness, but a kind of peace that bordered on compassion.

He spoke softly, his voice very low: "Your illnesses... are cured."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a hearty laugh suddenly came from in front of him.

"Hahaha~~ Well done! Well done!"

The laughter was rough and unrestrained, carrying undisguised praise and appreciation, like a heavy hammer slamming into this desolate world.

The Taoist priest was taken aback.

The scene before my eyes suddenly shattered like a mirror; the earth, the sky, the jujube trees, the remains—everything was collapsing, turning into countless tiny fragments that scattered and drifted away.

He found himself not in some wilderness, but standing atop a solitary peak, holding his magic weapon, the jujube wood staff, instead of transforming into the world-destroying jujube tree.

A man dressed in a black Taoist robe stood in front of him.

The man had a cold and stern face, high cheekbones, and narrow, slightly squinting eyes, but a smile played at the corners of his mouth. He exuded an indescribable aura of sinister ruthlessness and wildness.

"I am Lang Shasha from the Cixin Sect." The man stood with his hands behind his back, looking Zao Daoren up and down.

"With your temperament, Junior Brother, you are the perfect candidate to break through the illusion and become a disciple of our Compassionate Heart Sect."

"The Compassionate Heart Sect?" Daoist Zao frowned slightly.

Lang Shasha nodded, her expression becoming solemn: "Life itself is the root of suffering."

"All sentient beings are enslaved by consciousness, driven by desires, and bound by instincts, trapped in the eternal suffering of unfulfilled desires, separation from loved ones, and encountering those they hate, never to be liberated. To achieve complete liberation..."

Daoist Zao picked up where he left off: "Only killing. Only destruction."

Lang Shasha's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hahaha~~" He laughed loudly, his laughter echoing among the mountain peaks. "Junior brother is right! Killing is compassion, and destruction is also compassion."

"This is the core principle of our Compassionate Heart Sect!"

"Kill one person to save ten thousand. Destroy one world to save ten thousand worlds. This is compassion! Great compassion and mercy, sacrificing to save the world and liberate all beings."

Daoist Zao looked down at the jujube wood cane in his hand, then raised his head and met Lang Shasha's gaze.

"Therefore, I joined the Compassionate Heart Sect."

The Cixin Sect chose him, and he also chose the Cixin Sect.

Lang Shasha laughed and waved her hand, and a black shuttle came hurtling down from the sky and hovered steadily in front of the two of them.

The shuttle was entirely black, without any decorations, except for a blood-red character "慈" (compassion) engraved on its prow.

Daoist Zao followed Lang Shasha onto the flying shuttle.

The shuttle soared through the air, passing through the clouds and over the mountains, speeding towards the Cixin Sect's headquarters.

He stood at the bow of the boat, holding onto the railing, watching the mountains and rivers rush past below. The wind blew into his sleeves and collar, making him look bloated.

He has escaped the illusion and officially joined the Compassionate Heart Sect.

After he entered the sect and became a disciple, Lang Shasha personally led him to the Sutra Repository, took down a heavy jade scripture from the highest shelf, and solemnly handed it to him.

"This is the secret of my Compassionate Heart Sect, the Compassionate Heart Sutra." Lang Shasha's voice carried a hint of solemnity. "The method to ascend to immortality lies entirely within this."

Daoist Zao accepted the jade book with both hands, opened it to the first page, and read it carefully.

As he read, his brows furrowed.

This method is completely different from the "Observation of Truth" and "Experiencing Tribulations" he knew before.

There was no questioning of the world, no subversion of cognition, and no repeated self-examination.

All there is is killing!

Killing to end suffering, destroying the world to save people.

Killing is a form of spiritual practice; destruction is a form of compassion.

This seems... a bit too simplistic and crude.

He closed the scripture and voiced his doubts.

Lang Shasha burst into laughter after hearing this. He spoke with the wisdom of someone who'd been there before: "Junior brother, everything you've been practicing before was wrong."

"wrong?"

"Of course not." Lang Shasha shook her head. "Those 'observing the truth' and 'experiencing tribulations' are just roundabout and useless detours. That's why your cultivation is so slow!"

He paused, then held up a finger and waved it in front of the Jujube Taoist.

"Only the Dharma of my Compassionate Heart Sect is the true path that leads directly to the Great Way and allows one to ascend to heaven in one step."

"Junior brother has an excellent temperament. If he cultivates according to the Compassionate Heart Sutra, his cultivation speed will be rapid, without a doubt."