Chapter 224

At the foot of Huishan.

A man and a woman walked as if in an empty land, walking up the steps all the way, while the private soldiers guarding the mountain and the guest ministers of the Xuanyuan family all stood there in a daze.

The two climbed to the main peak, Guniu Great Ridge, and saw vermilion lacquer and carved rosewood pavilions and towers stretching endlessly.

There were quite a few people standing there in a daze, but five or six people were looking around vigilantly, as if searching for the evil guest behind the scenes who was using sound techniques to confuse people's minds.

Among these few people, there was an old man with frost-white hair and an ancient sword hanging at his waist, a middle-aged man with a steady temperament and restrained sharpness, a tall and robust middle-aged man who was arrogant and domineering, and a Jianghu traveler with a short stature and a Taoist-like immortal air.

The youth in grey linen robes crossed a stone tablet outside the main peak, Guniu Great Ridge, and led Hongshe into everyone's sight.

"Xuanyuan Guoji, the head of the Xuanyuan family, a sword grandmaster who achieved success late in life. The two in brocade clothes beside him should be the second son, Xuanyuan Jingyi, and the youngest son, Xuanyuan Jingxuan."

"The other two must be the only two Vajra-realm experts among the Xuanyuan family's guest ministers, named Hong Biao and Huang Fangfo."

Zhuang Buran swept his gaze and asked with a smile:

"Why don't I see the Xuanyuan family head's eldest son, Xuanyuan Beijing?"

"Why mention that piece of trash?" Xuanyuan Jingxuan, who had always been arrogant and domineering, spoke first:

"Kid, no matter what you rely on, today I will make sure you come with your life but leave without it."

"I have long heard that Xuanyuan Jingxuan of the Xuanyuan family has the most martial arts talent, so he is deeply loved by the Xuanyuan family's ancestor, Xuanyuan Dapan, and has developed an arrogant and domineering aura."

The youth in grey linen robes nodded:

"Seeing it today, it is indeed true."

Xuanyuan Guoji said expressionlessly:

"Your actions must mean you are determined to go against my Xuanyuan family, but I'm afraid that relying solely on a sound technique is not enough to control my vast Huishan."

He flicked his finger against the sword scabbard, and the ancient sword inside trembled and hummed, suddenly overpowering the gentle song on Guniu Great Ridge.

"Oh, is that so?"

Zhuang Buran smiled, and his feet shook. A fierce, sharp, and boundless aura, containing the power to collapse mountains and break prisons, slash rocks and cut ravines, immediately forced the few people to kneel on the ground, even hard-kneeling two pits into the bluestone floor.

The five people spat out a large mouthful of blood in unison, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. They had clearly suffered extremely serious internal injuries and had no possibility of attacking again.

At this moment, a family of three walked out of a pavilion. A middle-aged scholar was seen protecting a graceful woman and a slender, heroic-looking girl behind him.

"Interesting. It is said that the eldest son of the Xuanyuan family, Xuanyuan Beijing, is the most disappointing, a weak and useless bookworm. I didn't expect him to have read some real things and be able to protect his wife and daughter at a critical moment."

Zhuang Buran stood with his hands behind his back:

"Why don't you tell me what you have read after years of bitter study."

"Grey linen robes, a youth of fifteen or sixteen, and able to easily shake and injure Zhixuan-realm experts—you must be that 'Enlightened Reincarnated Immortal' from Ping'an County."

Xuanyuan Beijing walked out slowly and said:

"Beijing has read books for many years, reading the great righteousness of the Spring and Autumn period, the non-action of Taoism, and the compassion of Buddhism. I don't know why you have come today?"

Zhuang Buran said unhurriedly:

"Xuanyuan Dapan challenged the ancestor of the Xuanyuan family at twenty, leaving him severely injured and incurable. At thirty, he fought the Spear Immortal Wang Xiu and was slightly inferior."

"At forty, he entered the Wu Family Sword Tomb alone, forcing the sword champion of that generation to use the Flying Sword Technique, then turned to comprehending the sword. At fifty, he considered his sword technique not inferior to Li Chungang's, went to challenge him, and was defeated again."

"Then he practiced blade techniques and fought the young Gu Jiantang, and was defeated again. Later, at the Demon-Slaying Platform on Longhu Mountain, he compared internal energy with Qi Xuanzhen and was defeated again."

"Finally, old but still strong, he entered the Heavenly Image realm at eighty and began to seclude himself on Guniu Descent, dedicated to melting Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism into one furnace, adopting the heterodox dual cultivation method, dual cultivating with the younger women of the clan, such as his grandsons' wives."

The mother and daughter behind Xuanyuan Beijing heard this. The former's face turned pale, as if feeling incomparably ashamed, and the latter's face was terrified, as if she had only now discovered the true face of their ancestor.

"Listening to your tone just now, it seems you have read the true meaning of the three teachings. Then do you know that the great righteousness of Confucianism emphasizes repaying grievances with directness and repaying kindness with kindness, or that a ten-generation grudge can still be avenged?"

"The non-action of Taoism is non-action yet nothing is left undone; in short, it is the word 'take'."

"As for the compassion of Buddhism, one should use thunderous means to manifest a Bodhisattva's heart."

The youth in grey linen robes said somewhat lazily:

"You have painstakingly endured humiliation for nearly twenty years, but I have discovered that because of your lukewarm temperament, you cannot truly comprehend the true meaning of the three teachings. In the end, the best result is just to sacrifice your own life and take Xuanyuan Dapan to the Yellow Springs together."

He shook his head:

"It's really too wasteful. I might as well let Zhuang make use of the waste."

After speaking, a strong wind blew on the square, and an old man with a tall and robust body who was skilled in maintaining his youth was actually carried over by a tornado.

"In his prime, he created the name 'Xuanyuan the Unconquered,' and in his twilight years, he used heterodox methods to approach the threshold of the Land Immortal realm."

Zhuang Buran raised his hand, and a ray of faint blue light merged into the old man who was struggling and roaring continuously.

"You are seemingly only a line away from the Earth Immortal realm, but in reality, you are infinitely far away, just because of heterodox methods—how could they let you enter the righteous path?"

"Zhuang happens to have the righteous method to let you enter the immortal path. This method requires no Qi luck to make you reach the Land Immortal realm."

"So, don't struggle."

The faint blue light on Xuanyuan Dapan's body grew intense, his aura condensed to the extreme, then surged out. His cultivation was clearly a level higher. He saw his white hair turn green in an instant, and the whole person looked only forty-something.

Seeing this, the people present had incomparably complex expressions, and they were even more afraid of the youth in grey linen robes. Raising his hand to help someone break through the barrier of the Earth Immortal realm—this was simply an existence beyond imagination.

In a few breaths, the tornado disappeared, and not only Xuanyuan Dapan stood there in a daze, but Xuanyuan Guoji and the others were the same.

Only Xuanyuan Beijing's family of three had no abnormalities.

"Huishan was originally a blessed land for pure cultivation, but these years it has become mixed with fish and dragons, hiding dirt and filth. Beijing thanks you for sweeping away the dust of Huishan, and also thanks you for saving our lives."

"I have never had the habit of meddling in other people's business. In this world, I just have the habit of keeping dogs."

The youth in grey linen robes narrowed his eyes and sensed carefully:

"Let me take a look. Besides more than a thousand Jianghu experts on the mountain, there are two hundred heavy cavalry, one hundred and fifty light cavalry, a large number of death soldiers, and even assassins and killers."

He looked happy:

"Not bad, this trip was not in vain. I should keep some vicious dogs with sharp claws."

The three heard this and felt speechless, their fear even greater. How could they not hear that this youth, who was like a demon, had the hobby of taking pleasure in driving Jianghu experts as dogs.

"You are also a peerless figure who has mastered Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, why are you so vicious?" Xuanyuan Beijing said in a deep voice:

"Killing someone is just a point of the head, isn't this inconsistent with your status as a reincarnated immortal?"

(End of chapter)