With virtue

Luoyin Temple.

This is a profound method of observation that can be considered a true transmission, which shows that the gaunt Taoist in front of us does indeed have a background.

This method of contemplation differs from inner vision, which focuses on oneself. Occasionally, one may observe others and their circumstances, but overall, it focuses more on oneself.

However, Luo Yin Guan does not look at himself, but instead casts his gaze toward the underworld. He can even create a phantom body and use the eyes of the phantom body to sink into the Yellow Springs, personally descend to the underworld, observe the Yuan Chen Palace, check the Book of Life and Death, and explore the fate and cause and effect of himself or others.

Those whose lifespan has not yet ended should not be able to go to the underworld. If they want to find out their status in the Book of Life and Death, or to see the fate of their deceased relatives or themselves after death, they will often spend a lot of money to hire a Taoist priest who practices the Luoyin Temple to build an altar and set up a ritual for them, and then ask him to use the Luoyin Temple to look into the underworld and check the situation on their behalf.

The reason for this trouble is that going to the underworld is extremely dangerous.

The underworld is not like those desolate mountains and wildernesses. It has strict rules and laws that cannot be violated. Otherwise, if you break the laws of the underworld, it will be difficult to return.

At that time, at best they will be detained by the underworld officials and only be able to return after atoning for their sins; or if they are unlucky, they may be torn apart by evil spirits, or even thrown into hell to suffer.

When the Luoyin Temple performs its rituals, it is said that occasionally the monks will make a mistake and their souls will not be able to return to their bodies. Some of them will not return for several months or even half a year. At that time, they have to rely on the temple and altar to keep their bodies from dying. Some of them are unlucky and never come back.

Therefore, unless one is extremely skilled, courageous, knowledgeable, highly cultivated, and particularly familiar with the affairs of the underworld, no one dares to lightly practice this method.

However, if one can cultivate to a high level, or even to a profound degree, one can become like the legendary "entering and leaving the netherworld," able to move freely in the underworld, observe the souls of the dead, inquire about cause and effect, and be described as "understanding yin and yang."

No wonder this gaunt Taoist's soul-controlling technique and Yin spirit are so powerful; it seems he specializes in cultivating his nature! At this moment, the Taoist activated the Yin-Falling Temple without an altar or Taoist temple, and even summoned evil spirits to protect him from who knows where.

The demons swirling around him finally put his mind at ease and made him relax a little.

He was a chatterbox to begin with, and now that he had the chance, he continued, "You sword-wielding beast! Today, I was only ambushed because I was distracted and my spirit left my body, which allowed you to get away with it! Look how smug you are!"

"Don't be so smug! I happen to have a newly subdued seven souls. Although it is not yet fully refined, it is just right to deal with you."

As he spoke, he made a grasping motion in the air with his ten fingers.

Then, a figure composed of seven souls slowly emerged in mid-air.

It was this figure that made Zhao Yunshu's mind go blank, as if struck by lightning.

His mind went blank, as if he had been struck by his own thunderous voice.

He would recognize that figure even if it turned to ashes.

Master!

Zhao Yunshu never expected that after his master's remains mysteriously disappeared, his seven souls would not be reincarnated, but instead end up in the hands of this gaunt Taoist.

Could it be that the gaunt Taoist priest was also on the mountain that night? Zhao Yunshu no longer held back his energy and ran wildly, concentrating all the strength he had saved for escaping into his feet as he hurried up the mountain!

As he ran, he kept his eyes fixed on the gaunt Taoist priest on the mountain, wishing he could grow two pairs of wings and fly up the mountain to cut the gaunt Taoist priest into a thousand pieces!

On the mountain, the situation between Yuan Zhisheng and the gaunt Taoist priest had reversed.

The Taoist priest stretched out his hand, chanting incantations: "The seven souls ride the clouds, enter the Niwan Palace within my body, merge into form and shadow, emerge as chaos, enter as truth, all are within my body!"

After reciting the words, he pressed the seven souls in his hand onto his body.

But then the seven souls dispersed, transforming into qi, which gently enveloped his body like a celestial robe.

Then, the gaunt Taoist's movements suddenly changed! His swordsmanship, footwork, the angle of his attacks, and even the rhythm of his dodging and weaving were completely different from before, to the point that it could be said... he was a completely different person!

This spirit, this sword momentum when wielding the whisk, could never be achieved without decades of arduous training!

Even some martial arts heroes and soldiers who have devoted their lives to swordsmanship and fought countless times may not be able to hone this kind of skill!

Because this kind of flavor cannot be achieved by ordinary people through hard work and perseverance. Talent and diligence are only the most basic thresholds. To cross this threshold, one also needs to read, seize opportunities, and most importantly... inherit the skills.

Yes, a self-taught genius who spends his whole life working behind closed doors, unless his talent is truly unprecedented and unparalleled, he could not possibly match the swordsmanship perfected by many geniuses from different eras.

The first update is on suduɡu.cc, with no typos. If you can't see the ".cc" suffix in the address, you'll be taken to the first update site. Those sword technique masters might not be less talented than you, and each generation of their successors is the result of selecting the best of the best, enduring hundreds of years of trials and tribulations, constantly refining and optimizing their techniques. Why should you, working alone in isolation, surpass them? They might as well be dead.

Therefore, the swordsmanship that the gaunt Taoist priest displayed at this moment was just like this!

Yuan Zhisheng brandished his sword and continued to fight with his opponent. Although the Taoist was using a whisk, he was following the sword's path, so it could also be considered a sword fight.

But at this moment, no matter how fast his sword light was, it was always just a hair's breadth short, and he was forced to retreat repeatedly by the Taoist's whisk.

The white ape seemed somewhat unconvinced. Its golden eyes glared, and a rare expression of gritted teeth appeared on its face. It used all its strength to unleash seven sword beams, striking seven different points.

The Taoist priest neither dodged nor avoided the sword, but instead met it head-on, demonstrating a technique of both forward and reverse hand movements. Just as the white ape had dodged him earlier, he twisted his body and, with an incomprehensible movement, passed through the seven sword lights. At the same time, he swung his whisk, and Yuan Zhisheng blocked it with the back of his sword. The two clashed, causing the longsword to vibrate and hum.

Yuan Zhisheng was forced to retreat several steps, his monkey paws slightly numb, and he was filled with fear.

The Taoist priest, whose face was still covered in blood from the beating, laughed arrogantly and shouted triumphantly, "How about it? The seven souls of this Yuntai Temple successor are extraordinary, aren't they? If he hadn't died, I wouldn't have been able to take this treasure. It's still unrefined, so I can only passively borrow it. I can't interfere with it myself. If I refine it and let these seven souls possess my body, I can make this swordsmanship me and myself, and I can kill you with incantations while wielding the sword."

"Now you can only use your sword and can't afford to be distracted, but that might not be a good thing. Today, I'll let you, little monkey, witness true top-tier swordsmanship; consider it your good fortune!"

Yes, this is the wonderful application of the Luoyin Temple combined with the Soul Control Technique, and it is also the unique secret technique that this gaunt Taoist priest has kept hidden.

By collecting the seven spirits of a recently deceased corpse and observing their movement using the Yin-Yang Observation Technique, and then using a special exorcism method within the Spirit Control Technique, the seven spirits can be suppressed, and the physical memories within them can be extracted.

In a lifetime, there are always some things we do again and again, doing them for a lifetime. Farmers till the soil with hoes, martial artists practice their skills, and swordsmen wield their swords. These things, done for a lifetime, are etched into our very bones, so much so that we can use them without even needing to think about them, and we can even use them in our dreams.

The reason is that these memories are all in the physical body, but the physical body is just a shell, so how can it contain these memories?

There's nothing special about it; it's just that these memories are all within the Seven Souls, and the physical instincts controlled by the Seven Souls are scattered throughout the body.

He could refine the seven souls by relying on the unique secret method he created through the Yin-Yang View and Soul Control, extract the physical memories from the seven souls, and then introduce them into his Niwan Palace, guiding his whole body through the Niwan Palace.

He wasn't actually controlling his physical body at all; instead, he suppressed his seven souls, allowing the external seven souls to control his skin and unleash this sword technique.

This is still not the complete refinement of the seven souls. One needs to focus their attention on suppressing their restlessness and guiding their power to prevent their dantian from rupturing.

Otherwise, he could have easily distracted himself by casting spells and letting his body move on its own, using both methods simultaneously to subdue Yuan Zhisheng in just a few breaths.

However, Yuan Zhisheng was too lazy to listen to the Taoist's nonsense. After he had been enlightened by watching the sword dance picture, all he believed in in his life was the sword.

Now, all I have to rely on is the long sword in my hand!

Come on! Whether your swordsmanship is borrowed or not, let's see who's better!

The Taoist priest strode forward, exuding an overwhelming aura of pressure. Yuan Zhisheng parried with his sword, the whisk and the sword clashing together, producing a clear, resonant metallic clang and sparks flying.

The white ape felt that the force from the opponent's whisk wasn't great, but the flow of power was extremely subtle, like a fish swimming, smoothly guiding the ape's sword strike. The whisk, while guiding the sword to a deflection, also sent a wisp of silver thread grazing the blade, stabbing back at the white ape's heart. Yuan Zhisheng quickly dodged, the silver thread already tearing open the flesh on his shoulder, pulling out a trail of blood, flesh, and white fur.

The white ape leaped backward, landing three steps away, trying to grab the vine with its feet, but the vine had already been cut off at some unknown time!

He almost fell to the ground and could barely keep his balance.

He then realized that during the exchange of blows, the Taoist priest had actually severed the surrounding vines, preventing him from grabbing onto them and swinging!

The white ape was breathing rapidly. Since mastering swordsmanship, it had never been so badly overwhelmed by someone's swordsmanship.

But the Taoist wouldn't stop, or rather... his body, now controlled by the seven external souls, wouldn't stop. He wielded his whisk like a whirlwind, his moves even more skillful than before, the changes deepening. Each strand of the whisk was like a sword, as if he were simultaneously wielding thousands upon thousands of swords!

Yuan Zhisheng was forced to retreat step by step, and before long, several bloody cuts appeared on his arms and back, and half of his white hair was stained dark red.

His face remained unchanged, and his demeanor was the same as always, cold and stern. But no matter how cold he appeared, he was truly being suppressed in the battle and had no chance to fight back.

Amidst the Taoist's wild laughter, he kicked Yuan Zhisheng, sending him flying backward. The white ape crashed heavily against the mountain wall, scattering countless rocks.

Yuan Zhisheng coughed up a mouthful of blood, leaned on his sword with one hand, and knelt up, only to see the Taoist priest striding towards him from the darkness.

Yuan Zhisheng gritted his teeth, ready to fight to the death once more.

"Ahhh! Stop him! I'll handle this!" Just then, a heart-wrenching roar came from the mountain road.

Zhao Yunshu has arrived!

The young Taoist priest had been pushed to his limit, but at this moment, it seemed as if a new power was surging forth!

He reached out his hand, and saw fire rising in the sky!

The young Taoist's skills were all just acrobatics in the eyes of the gaunt Taoist, but his fire magic was the only thing that was considered pure and had the aura of a dragon and tiger.

And now, it's this very fire magic! It strikes suddenly!

In an instant, whether in mid-air or in the sky, a crimson line of fire descended and landed in the young Taoist's palm. The fire expanded rapidly in his palm, instantly transforming into a fireball the size of a human head.

Then throw it!

This attack was the only one Zhao Yunshu had managed to unleash after truly going all out since stepping into the Dragon-Tiger realm.

Amidst the flickering flames, the sounds of dragons roaring and tigers howling could be heard; it was the true fire that gave birth to the aura of dragons and tigers after the interaction of water and fire!

Its power was even greater than that of the fire hammer strike in the village earlier!

Most importantly, this is no longer manipulated ordinary fire, but real fire! The highest level of Taoist fire cultivation is to cultivate Samadhi True Fire.

This Samadhi Fire is formed by combining three kinds of true fire, and it is the three essentials of body, mind, and intention.

The first is called the Sovereign Fire, which is hidden in the heart and is the fire of the mind.

The second is the fire of will, which is stored in the kidneys and is the fire of will.

The third is the body fire, which is stored in the Qi Sea and is the fire of primordial Qi.

When these three are combined, they can refine the impurities within the body and create a great elixir, hence the name "Samadhi True Fire".

Once the Samadhi True Fire is formed, it can burn away all evil spirits inside and outside the body, and also refine one's own essence and energy. It is an extremely profound step in cultivation.

But this step is extremely difficult. Ordinary cultivators may not be able to cultivate even a single essence in their entire lives. Yet Zhao Yunshu, who is only seventeen years old, used the fire in his heart as a catalyst and borrowed the aura of the dragon and tiger meeting to forcibly generate this true fire in that moment of extreme anger!

Ignite your mind with anger!

I was burning with rage, absolutely furious!

I'm furious! ...

"I'll kill you!" The gaunt Taoist priest broke out in a cold sweat!

He was knowledgeable and highly skilled, so he naturally knew how powerful this attack was!

When ordinary cultivators use fire magic, they merely borrow yang energy to ignite the mortal fire of external objects.

Even the most advanced methods are probably just using talismans and incantations to summon earth fire and heavenly fire. Although the fire is fierce, it is ultimately just external fire. When it hits a person, it only burns the skin and flesh.

Zhao Yunshu's attack just now was a genuine fire forced out from his very soul!

If you get hit, your soul and body will be burned to ashes, and you might really die!

He knew that his physical body had not actually merged with the sword technique, so he could not control his body and could only passively let his body perform. In his panic, he did not know what to do!

This was the first time in so many years that the gaunt Taoist priest had come so close to death.

He was also frightened, and even closed his eyes!

If he were forced into such a desperate situation and faced with this real fire, he would probably really die.

But he forgot that at this moment, it was the borrowed seven souls that were controlling his body, not himself.

Sensing the danger, the swordsmanship memories within the seven souls spontaneously compelled his arm to swing the whisk. With a soft "whoosh," the outermost flames of the fire lotus were drawn back by this whisk, like a ship being pushed back by a raging wave, as if a large ship rushing towards the ocean had been directly slammed back by a mad dog wave!

Immediately afterwards, his physical body didn't stop at all!

But then he saw the whisk being waved, like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox, cutting through the layers of the flames, first the outermost petals disintegrated, then the inner heart of the flame was split open, just as a red lotus was being torn apart petal by petal in the night wind.

Sparks flew everywhere, like fireflies dancing wildly, but none of them touched the Taoist's clothes.

Countless swords, countless strikes, but each one carried extremely exquisite force, dissipating the true fire layer by layer. The final flick was an upward sweep, lifting the remaining flames of the fire lotus into the air, where they exploded with a bang, turning into a rain of fire that fell from the sky.

Sparks flickered everywhere on the cliff, like lanterns scattered throughout the city on the Lantern Festival, or like the dazzling fireworks of iron forging.

Sparks flew everywhere, like hundreds of fireflies dancing in the night sky.

The Taoist priest was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and couldn't help but laugh wildly, "Haha! Haha! Hahahahahahaha!"

"Wonderful! Wonderful! This swordsmanship is truly wonderful! It can even cleave through true fire! Yuntai Temple, what a magnificent Yuntai Temple! I went to great lengths to subdue these seven souls, but it was definitely worth it, hahahahaha!"

He laughed so hard he was doubled over, his face covered in blood, but he couldn't hide his almost manic ecstasy!

The joy wasn't just from escaping death, but also from the greed for such a treasure!

"It really is the swordsmanship of Yuntai Temple! It really is the swordsmanship of Yuntai Temple!" He laughed as if he were crying, still roaring to the sky, "In the past, Master Lü cultivated and guided people at Yuntai Temple, and together with Zhongli Quan, they left behind the story of 'Zhong-Lü Transmitting the Dao.' This matter is indeed true! Who else but Master Lü could teach this swordsmanship?! Today, this swordsmanship has fallen into my hands. If this is not the will of Heaven, what is it? Hahahaha!"

He laughed so hard he almost fell over, and the bloodstains all over his body couldn't hide his almost manic ecstasy. He kept repeating the same few words over and over, becoming more and more excited as he spoke, until they were almost incoherent.

After a long while, he finished laughing, looked at the young Taoist priest who was exhausted from using his true fire and the white ape who was almost unable to move, and let out a long sigh. Then he said, "Your master, that old bastard, guarded this sword technique while he was alive, but dared not use it. He was only willing to be a cowardly old Taoist priest and die poor in the mountains. Now that he is dead, it's a good thing for me. If this sword technique is combined with my own cultivation, there is nowhere in the world I can't go. I really have to thank you."

The young Taoist priest gritted his teeth.

He had been concerned about Yuntai Temple for a long time, and he was also very interested in his master's background, but he never expected it to happen under these circumstances.

If it comes at this cost, he'd rather not know.

But now that all plans have been exhausted, what else can be done?

He turned to look at Yuan Zhisheng, both of them covered in wounds and looking disheveled, and asked, "Mr. Yuan, shall we continue?"

"Will you run away?" Yuan Zhisheng glanced at him.

"No, I'm going to kill him."

"Let's go then."

The two men, prepared for a desperate fight, stepped forward again. The gaunt Taoist's laughter subsided, and seeing their posture, he seemed to find it extremely amusing, laughing, "Haha, perfect! Then let this humble Taoist send you on your way!"

Yuan Zhisheng stepped forward.

Zhao Yunshu also joined in.

The two humans and the ape clashed once more!

Yuan Zhisheng gritted his teeth and fought back with all his might, but he was still forced to retreat step by step by the Taoist possessed by the Seven Souls.

Zhao Yunshu rushed forward from the other side, thrusting his iron sword straight at the Taoist's back.

Because he didn't have much energy left, his sword strike wasn't very fast, and his swordsmanship wasn't particularly skillful. Compared to Yuan Zhisheng's swordsmanship, it was full of flaws.

With the Taoist's swordsmanship now possessed by the seven souls, this was no threat at all; it was merely a waste of time.

However... Zhao Yunshu's iron sword pierced his back without any resistance.

The sword tip pierced through his chest, going straight through.

The young Taoist priest was stunned for a moment.

Huh? I thought it was going to be a fight to the death, how come he was killed with just one sword?

The situation was like a rollercoaster ride, first filled with despair, then suddenly gone. The Taoist priest was stunned, his mouth agape as if he wanted to say something, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Impossible! With such superb swordsmanship, how could he not even withstand this one strike!

However, with his heart and lungs pierced, he couldn't even speak.

He swayed slightly, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, lifeless.

Yuan Zhisheng stood there, stunned, not even putting away his sword, just staring blankly.

The two people and the ape were all looking dazed.

(Today I asked for votes in the group to get on the monthly vote ranking, and I was so touched by the unwavering support from the group members, so I'm going to add an extra 5400 words.)

(Love you all.)