Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

Chapter 98 Meeting

Xia Dong sat cross-legged, with a rusty woodcutter's knife beside him.

After taking a deep breath, he calmed his agitated blood and suppressed the lingering thrill of killing in his mind.

He closed his eyes, focused his consciousness, and the mantra of the Vajra King Mantra began to flow slowly through his mind.

Summer and winter draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body, and the Qi and blood circulate accordingly.

He had experienced excruciating pain, as if he were being torn apart, when he tried this technique before.

But now, with that trace of frenzied Asura demonic nature within him as a "target," the situation is completely different.

As spiritual energy enters the body and the Vajra King Technique is activated, a vast and powerful Vajra intent instantly arises, like an angry Vajra wielding a vajra pestle, directly attacking the cold and tyrannical demonic nature deep within the heart.

Two completely opposite forces collided violently in the meridians and flesh, and the excruciating pain arrived as expected, but Xia Dong's consciousness became clearer and clearer in the midst of this pain.

As the energy flowed through the body, Xia Dong gradually became aware of a wondrous cycle.

If the pure and cold Xuan Yin magic power of the "Xuan Yin Jing" is the perfect breeding ground for nourishing the demonic nature of the "Shura Yin Sha Blade";

At this moment, this unruly and destructive demonic nature has become the most fertile soil and nourishment for the Vajra King Mantra.

Yin and Yang, softness and hardness, formed a subtle tug-of-war and fusion within him.

The immense and unparalleled masculine energy of the Vajra King Technique did not crush the demonic nature with an absolute advantage, but rather gradually eroded and dissolved the ruthlessness and viciousness associated with the Asura Yin Sha Blade.

In the process of tearing and rebuilding the meridians, Xia Dong vaguely touched the mysterious threshold of "the balance of strength and gentleness".

In the past, he only regarded this Buddhist body-refining method as a simple tempering of the skin, flesh, tendons and bones, pursuing the ultimate hardness like refined steel.

But at this moment, under the influence of the balance of Yin and Yang, his perception has changed.

"Can you concentrate your vital energy and achieve a state of gentleness, like an infant?"

Xia Dong suddenly recalled this ancient saying from a Taoist scripture.

True indestructibility is not a rigid, easily broken, lifeless rock, but rather like a newborn baby, containing an endless and vibrant life force.

Beneath its gentlest exterior lies an unyielding strength capable of severing everything.

Subduing heretics does not harm oneself.

This is the true essence of Vajra Wisdom King Practice.

This nascent sense of "not being bad" emerged, like rain after a long drought, and actually nourished the "Mysterious Yin Classic".

Through this powerful Vajra King practice, Xia Dong not only calmed the turmoil in his body, but also gained a profound understanding of "returning to one's origins".

The demonic nature that lurked deep within the mind did not collapse completely in this battle between Buddha and demon; instead, it was purified and became even purer.

It's like a hard-boiled egg; its originally violent and bloodthirsty "lawless" shell is gradually peeled away and shattered by the true meaning of Vajra, eventually revealing its most authentic and purest essence.

It was no longer just killing and madness, but an extreme obsession of absolute rationality, stripped of worldly constraints: "I am the only one who believes in the Way."

Those who obstruct my path to enlightenment may be killed; those who follow my will are all in accordance with the law.

Xia Dong slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of slightly grayish, turbid air.

The air around him seemed to become heavy because of his breath.

The Vajra of Buddhism, which subdues demons, and the Asura of the Demonic Sect, which are seemingly opposite and incompatible, ultimately converge on the same path through mutual generation and restraint.

The so-called demonic nature and Buddha nature, stripped of their appearances of good and evil, are nothing more than a way to verify one's own "Tao".

The Buddha is the Way, and so is the Demon.

Xia Dong was well aware that his previous realm was only the Martial Dao Transcendent Realm and the Immortal Dao Qi Refining Stage. In this vast world, he was like a small boat, far from being able to glimpse the full picture of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

But as the saying goes, one leaf can tell the coming of autumn. Through his own experience of fighting against the demons, he had vaguely grasped a core truth.

It turns out that the clearly distinct paths of immortality, demonism, and Buddhism in the eyes of the world are actually from the same source.

Those seemingly contradictory or even irreconcilable cultivation methods are merely different interpretations of the same Great Dao by powerful figures of previous generations from different standpoints and perspectives.

There is no absolute superiority or inferiority among roads themselves.

Whether it's a righteous immortal technique or a wicked and ruthless demonic art, the only criterion for judgment is whether it suits oneself and can become a solid foundation to help oneself reach the other side of immortality step by step, to the end of this path.

Having figured this out, Xia Dong felt a sense of clarity and relief.

He stood up, gripped the heavy, rusty wood-cutter's knife tightly again, and began practicing the "Asura Yin Sha Blade" once more.

This time, his swordplay underwent a subtle change.

Because the Vajra King Technique can resolve the hidden danger of demonic backlash, he has no psychological burden whatsoever when he cultivates this demonic art.

With no worries in mind, one exudes a sense of clarity and composure from the inside out.

With each heavy chop of the woodcutter's axe, the sinister and violent demonic nature of Asura grew wildly once more. Xia Dong then cultivated the Vajra King Technique, enveloping the demonic nature with a vast and masculine Buddhist nature.

Yin and Yang are complementary, representing the interplay of strength and gentleness.

These two extreme forces did not clash or consume each other within the body; instead, they exhibited a wondrous state of returning to their origin, transforming into the purest nutrients that continuously nourished the fundamental Dao nature of the "Mysterious Yin Scripture."

The flow of magical power within Xia Dong's body became more profound and harmonious.

With each swift stroke of the knife, Xia Dong's eyes grew brighter, and his understanding deepened.

Whether it is Buddha or demon, no matter how it changes, it is ultimately governed by the Great Dao.

Over the next few days, Xia Dong focused on practicing his swordsmanship.

The wind howled through the courtyard.

He wielded the heavy, rusty wood-cutter's knife again and again, and the moves of the "Asura Yin Sha Blade" became increasingly powerful and fluid.

Whenever the bloodthirsty demonic nature in his heart is about to boil over and backfire, Xia Dong will use the Vajra King Mantra to dissolve it, devour the demonic nature, and nourish the Buddha-nature within it.

The top-tier body-refining methods of Buddhism actually require the demonic nature of demonic sword techniques to nourish them.

This sounds absurd, but it became Xia Dong's shortcut to mastering these two unique skills.

The demonic nature became a spiritual object for nurturing the Dao, not only allowing him to quickly grasp the indestructible martial arts concept, but also, under the convergence of Buddhism and demons and the mutual support of Yin and Yang, refining the profound Yin power within his body to become increasingly pure and solid, and even raising his divine consciousness to a higher level.

Gradually, Xia Dong mastered the essentials of swordsmanship and was ready for real combat.

This morning, Zhao Ting knocked on the courtyard gate.

Zhao Ting brought two pieces of news.

Firstly, the preparations for the suppression of bandits at Chihuo Mine by the Thousand Households are nearing completion. Lord Qian will take them to pay their respects to Lord Xiang, the Right Commander of the Thousand Households, today. This is crucial to whether they can secure a safe and respectable job in this mission. Secondly, the Lonely Moon Immortal of Qixia Immortal Sect will also be entering the city today.

Upon hearing this, Xia Dong's mind immediately became active.

He no longer resisted the purge of the cult bandits; instead, he felt a strange longing—those cult bandits were the perfect testing ground.

Moreover, with the great cultivator Master Guyue around, she still owes me three things!

After a quick tidying up, Xia Dong followed Zhao Ting to the Qian residence, where Lord Qian led them into the council hall of the Thousand Households Office.

The moment Xia Dong stepped across the threshold, his self-shine swept across the entire room swiftly and discreetly.

In the main seat of the hall sat a slightly plump, kind-looking middle-aged man, slowly skimming the foam from his teacup.

This was Lord Sengoku. His eyelids were half-drooping, and he appeared harmless, but in reality, he had a keen eye on the undercurrents in the hall.

To the left of Lord Xiang sat Lord Wang, the deputy commander who was at odds with Lord Qian.

The man had a thin face and high cheekbones. He was looking Xia Dong and Zhao Ting up and down with a cold, ambiguous gaze that seemed to be both smiling and not smiling.

However, Xia Dong's gaze finally settled on a monk standing next to Lord Wang.

The monk wore an old, dark red robe. He had an enormous frame and sat cross-legged on a grand chair, resembling a heavy little mountain.

His exposed neck and the back of his hands had a dark golden metallic sheen, his face was withered, and his eyes were slightly closed.

He didn't deliberately release his aura, but that faint spiritual pressure was like an invisible lead wall in the hall, even more powerful than that of Lord Qian beside him.

This is definitely close to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

Xia Dong composed herself, suppressing the strange glint in her eyes, and followed behind Zhao Ting, bowing respectfully as Lord Qian paid homage to the official.

After the ceremony, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Just then, the monk opened his eyes without warning.

His eyes had a faint, deathly gray tinge, his pupils were extremely bright, and his gaze was like a tangible steel hook, piercing Xia Dong's face with an undeniable pressure.

"Kid."

The monk's voice was like two pieces of raw iron rubbing heavily against each other, echoing loudly in the hall.

"So you are Xia Dong, a remnant of the Xuantian Temple?"

The moment those words were spoken, the hairs on Xia Dong's body stood on end.

Damn it, this meeting is just to arrest him!

>