Chapter 795 - 318. Magnetosword Realm, New Divine Skills Concept (Combined Chapter)_2

His Mystery Observatory was affiliated with the Daoist Talisman Sect. Accordingly, like other independent branches of the Talisman Sect, it revered the orders of Dragon Tiger Mountain and gathered resources from all directions to supply the Ancestral Courtyard of the Sect.

Conversely, Nie Fang and the Mystery Observatory regularly received some consideration from the Celestial Master Mansion at the Ancestral Court.

"Recently, the Mansion sent over a batch of Yin-Yang Warm Jade. Was it useful?" Lei Jun inquired.

Nie Fang replied, "Indeed, thanks to the Yin-Yang Warm Jade allocated by the Mansion, I was able to attempt more. I’ve made slight progress during my recent seclusion."

As the two of them walked around the spiritual fields, Lei Jun casually asked, "Among the Tao Boys, is there anyone suitable to inherit your mantle?"

Nie Fang had established the Mystery Observatory and could take in disciples on his own. Those gray-robed little Tao Boys from before were admitted just like that. But they could not yet be considered Nie Fang’s Direct Disciples.

"They all have some spiritual nature, but they still need more time," Nie Fang answered truthfully.

He and the Mystery Observatory were affiliated with the Talisman Sect, but strictly speaking, their Taoist Heritage was not passed down from the Talisman Sect. Although the Tao Boys he admitted were carefully selected by Nie Fang, it was hard to say how high their aptitude was. After all, those who were particularly exceptional would go straight to the Dragon Tiger Mountain Ancestral Court. Those who had to settle for the next best option might consider the Purple Cloud Sect within the Yunxiao Mountain Range, which was relatively nearby. For Nie Fang and the Mystery Observatory, it wasn’t easy to pick up any leftovers.

However, he considered that his own cultivation had not yet reached great success, so he was not in a hurry about this.

"By the way, regarding the Heavenly Principle, or rather the Ming Dynasty, is there any heritage from the Witchcraft and Ghost Tao lineage?" Lei Jun asked.

Nie Fang answered, "There is none in the Heavenly Principle. I have only seen a few records about it in ancient texts, and they are almost legendary."

Lei Jun often provided guidance in his cultivation, and they had frequent exchanges on matters related to Taoist Laws.

The Engineer Art that Nie Fang cultivated was born from the fusion of ancient Mohist Mechanical Art, Daoist Talismans, and the External Alchemy Artifact Refining Sect. Consequently, it exhibited characteristics from all three. From the perspective of the Daoist Talisman Sect, it could, to some extent, be seen as transforming Talisman Crafting into the refining of mechanical contraptions. The refined mechanical beings possessed the trait of Spirit Talismans connecting with the natural world, drawing Spiritual Energy from the heavens and earth to power their actions. In terms of cultivating both life-force and spirituality, it favored the spiritual aspect while paying less attention to life-force. From the perspective of the Daoist Artifact Refining Sect, it seemed like refining a humanoid Magic Artifact that harmonized with one’s own spirit, thereby allowing manipulation. However, its structure was relatively loose. It was not as intrinsically unified as External Alchemy Artifact Refining, and more like a mechanical being assembled from a variety of Magic Artifacts.

The inheritance of the Engineer Art Taoist Laws that Nie Fang received was incomplete, merely fragmentary. Therefore, as his personal cultivation progressed and grew higher, he continuously explored and supplemented it. His exceptional innate talent and foundation were gradually showing results in this area. During this process, it was essential for him to draw insights by analogy, continuously seeking out and consulting other Taoist Heritage methods.

For instance, the Taoist Heritage of the Talisman Sect of Dragon Tiger Mountain had provided further enlightenment for Nie Fang’s practices. A notable spell of the Celestial Master Mansion, renowned throughout the world, was the Dragon-Tiger Dual Spirits. The Dragon-Tiger Dual Spirits commanded the Cloud Dragon and Wind Tiger to protect and serve. As if alive and sentient, their power was extraordinary.

Currently, the person with the deepest mastery of this spell within the Celestial Master Mansion was Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen. She chose her Life-Bound Magic Art and Divine Skills, opting for the most common and versatile combination. From the Golden Barrier Talisman, Wind Riding Talisman, and Thunderclap Talisman of the Lower Three Heavens, to the Star-stepping Spell, Dragon-Tiger Dual Spirits, and Five Thunder Righteous Talisman of the Middle Three Heavens—these could all be considered the most classic combinations for an heir of the Celestial Master Mansion. However, no matter what spell it was, once it reached her hands, intricate changes within it would always make the seemingly same methods vastly more powerful than those of others.

Lei Jun’s Life-Bound Magic Art did not include the Dragon-Tiger Dual Spirits, but as a non-life-bound spell, he was equally proficient in it. Nie Fang couldn’t practice the True Inheritance methods of Dragon Tiger Mountain. However, with Lei Jun’s guidance, utilizing wisdom from other sources had benefited him immensely.

The reason Lei Jun brought up the Witchcraft and Ghost Tao lineage was that its Taoist Heritage, in terms of cultivation, offered valuable points of reference for the Engineer Art.

However, as far as Nie Fang knew, the Heavenly Principle had always lacked any heritage from the Witchcraft Taoist tradition.To be precise, Confucian Rationalism overwhelmingly dominated, with other Taoist Heritages being incredibly rare. Buddhism, Daoism, and Witchcraft were all declining. There were quite a few Cultivators of Martial Tao, but their status had always been relatively low, and the majority were of middle or lower cultivation realms. Even other traditions of Confucian Studies paled in comparison to Neo-Confucianism.

"As for the specifics of the Mortal World where the Ming Dynasty holds orthodox authority, I’m not clear either. I’ve only occasionally spotted records in ancient texts indicating that there used to be some continuing Witchcraft Taoist Heritages there," Nie Fang said.

Lei Jun walked with his hands behind his back, musing, "Hmm, here in the Great Tang Realm, it’s also somewhat difficult to find inheritors of the Witchcraft and Ghost Tao lineage."

The reasons for this are somewhat related to our Celestial Master Mansion. In the Great Tang, the Golden City Stronghold—Sacred Land of the Southern Wilderness’s Witchcraft and Ghost Tao lineage—is at odds with the Celestial Master Mansion. The Golden City Stronghold, already facing hostility from all sides, joined forces with the Blood River Sect during the previous great war of the Southern Wilderness and ended up being besieged by multiple factions. Celestial Master Tang Xiaotang of Dragon Tiger Mountain even took part in that Southern Wilderness conflict and nearly slew Zonghan, the ’Ghost King’ and Holy Master of the Golden City Stronghold. Currently, Celestial Master Tang is enjoying her freedom out in the world. Word has it she recently visited the Southern Wilderness again, and subsequently, more remnants of the Golden City Stronghold fell by her hand. Thus, finding an inheritor of the Golden City Stronghold in the Great Tang Realm has become much more challenging.

Nie Fang was steadfast in his convictions, persevering and unyielding, yet he conducted himself with utmost integrity, remaining composed and unagitated. This is why Lei Jun did not mind discussing the infamously cruel and notorious heritage of the Witchcraft and Ghost Tao lineage with him.

Nie Fang remained composed as expected. "I too am somewhat curious about this branch of the Witchcraft Taoist tradition. However, my current situation is much better than during my time in the Heavenly Principle, and I believe that through gradual progress, my cultivation will bear fruit."