Chapter 439

The soul-aspect is the foundation of life.

Still, it is the great medicine of longevity; moving, it is the killing intent of heaven and earth.

Zhuang Yumian was a disciple of Mount Luyin, possessing the cultivation of the Great Being Realm; her nature was bright, her divine intent was all-encompassing, and any movement could be perceived by her spirit and sensed by her instinct.

However...

Zhang Fan's figure arrived suddenly, and she felt the world go black before her eyes; in the darkness, an invisible force seemed to surge, like a ten-thousand-foot abyss, like a long, endless night, the sun and moon sinking as if in mourning, with not a trace of heavenly light to be seen.

This power was incredible, as if it specifically countered the soul-aspect.

When Zhuang Yumian came to her senses, her soul-aspect had actually been imprisoned in Zhang Fan's palm.

"You... what kind of Dao method is this?"

Zhuang Yumian's soul-aspect trembled; she looked at Zhang Fan in disbelief, deep fear surging in her beautiful eyes.

She considered herself to have outstanding talent, and her cultivation was not weak; among her peers, there were people stronger than her, which she could accept, but within a single step, in an instant, he had directly captured her soul-aspect without any room for resistance...

Such methods, such facts, were simply shocking and exceeded her cognition.

"Capturing the God? Is this a Dao method of the Wu Wei Sect?" Zhuang Yumian said in a deep voice.

"The Dao exists, and ten thousand methods are born; all Dao methods in the world lead to the same destination..." Zhang Fan said lightly.

"Zhenwu Mountain has a method called 【Entangling the God】, Laojun Mountain also has a method called 【Guarding the Corpse Palace】, and even your Mount Luyin has a Dao method called 【Summoning the God】, all of which have the power to capture the god."

"With empty words, how can you conclude it is a Dao method of the Wu Wei Sect?"

Zhuang Yumian remained silent; Dao methods similar to 【Capturing the God】 were possessed by almost all major sects with long traditions, but the Wu Wei Sect was naturally denounced as an evil path, so major sects would naturally not practice similar Dao methods, and even if they did, it was kept secret and rarely known to the outside world.

Zhang Fan was familiar with the Dao methods of all sects in the world, even knowing a thing or two about the secret traditions of Mount Luyin.

This made Zhuang Yumian increasingly curious about Zhang Fan's identity.

"I have lived in Xijiang for a long time, often in the deep mountains, but I did not know there was a heaven beyond heaven; within the Daoist sects, such a person as this Daoist brother has actually emerged."

Zhuang Yumian sighed; in her desolation, she felt powerless. What talent, what pride, what cultivation of accumulated time... seemed to vanish into thin air under Zhang Fan's capture just now.

Years of hard work were like a big dream; in front of this man before her, it was nothing.

At this moment, her state of mind was quite similar to that of Shen Mingchan that day.

"My skills are inferior to others; kill me or cut me, Daoist brother... I am at your disposal."

Zhuang Yumian's mood returned to normal; there was no fear, no shock, only calmness in the face of life and death.

"Worthy of being a high disciple of Mount Luyin; you do have the demeanor of a major mysterious sect," Zhang Fan whispered.

He flicked his finger, and Zhuang Yumian's soul-aspect flew out, actually returning to her body.

"You are not killing me?" Zhuang Yumian's eyes moved slightly, and she looked at Zhang Fan curiously.

"Am I some kind of perverted serial killer?" Zhang Fan said lightly.

"I just want you to know that there has never been any competitive relationship; what you are stepping on now..."

"Is my sect's Daoist field!"

Zhuang Yumian's heart trembled, and she was moved; from those calm words, she did not see arrogant confidence, but rather a fact that was taken for granted.

"All living beings, the three religions and nine schools, people in the Daoist sects are also varied; I have never seen a person like you," Zhuang Yumian sighed.

In the Pure Land Temple, in the Sword-Offering Hall, this man could hide his fame and be content in the lowest position, with no distinction of high or low in his eyes, but when his thoughts moved, he had thunderous means, domineering and occupying everything.

So contradictory, yet so harmonious.

"I am not killing you for another reason," Zhang Fan said suddenly.

"What?"

"Now that the end of the Dharma has arrived, the red dust is increasingly filthy; it is difficult for this human world to produce great practitioners again. Pure Yang is hard to prove, longevity is fleeting; in another hundred years, how will the Dao method be passed on, and how will the mysterious gate be opened?" Zhang Fan sighed.

"It is truly not easy to be able to practice to your realm; it would be a pity to kill you."

"You actually have such a demeanor!?" Zhuang Yumian's beautiful eyes trembled, looking at Zhang Fan in surprise; the incredulity in her heart was even more intense than when she was imprisoned just now.

She saw a kind of compassion in Zhang Fan, a great compassion, different from the great compassion in secular ethics, just like the ancestors of the past, looking at the Dao method covered in dust, seeing all living beings sinking, with a great vow to save suffering, descending to the world.

"Do you want to kowtow to me?"

"..."

Zhang Fan looked at Zhuang Yumian's expression and laughed loudly, sitting down on his own.

Zhuang Yumian looked at Zhang Fan, her expression quite complex.

"You are truly interesting; you have the shadow of the great alchemy masters of the past, but you also cannot avoid the vulgarity of the marketplace," Zhuang Yumian sighed.

"This is natural, just like the vastness of the Heavenly Dao; whether good or bad, it is all a part of it."

"Just like the experts of various sects in this mountain, although they are competitive rivals, they are also fellow practitioners."

Zhuang Yumian was thoughtful; she subconsciously sat opposite Zhang Fan, the two less than a meter apart.

"Being rivals and also fellow practitioners..."

"In that case, your lifelong enemies can also be considered fellow practitioners; then can you let go of hatred and let them go?" Zhuang Yumian changed the subject and said suddenly.

Zhang Fan shook his head.

"To put it bluntly, love and desire still come first," Zhuang Yumian said with a light smile.

Once the killing intent arises, who cares about fellow practitioners or not.

"The Heavenly Dao is vast, with no distinction between good and evil," Zhang Fan said lightly: "Just like tigers eating people, people eating tigers..."

"In this cycle, there is no good or evil, nor right or wrong; everything is in harmony with nature, just following the Heavenly Dao."

"I kill them, not because of their good or evil..."

"They provoked me, and then they died; this is natural."

The standard of good and evil is artificially created; for the Heavenly Dao, everything is done through non-action, just like tigers eating people, people eating tigers, nothing more than a cycle, nothing more than nature, nothing more than the Heavenly Dao.

"I kill them to follow the Heavenly Dao," Zhang Fan said in a deep voice.

If you plant the cause, there must be a consequence.

"You..."

Zhuang Yumian looked at Zhang Fan, her expression somewhat dazed; she saw a completely different temperament in Zhang Fan, hiding divinity, revealing demonic thoughts, vast and unclear, yet fascinating, making her unable to help but give birth to the desire to explore.

Such a feeling was unprecedented, making her mind unable to hold steady for a time.

"Hmm? Your consciousness is restless," Zhang Fan said suddenly.

With his realm, he could naturally hear that Zhuang Yumian's breathing was a bit rapid at this time, her thoughts intertwined, and her soul-aspect was a bit dim.

"No, no," Zhuang Yumian turned her head away, her expression unclear.

"I was just talking nonsense," Zhang Fan curled his lips.

His unintentional words were like pointing out a girl's makeup was ruined; it was truly a straight-man remark.

"By the way, you are a disciple of Mount Luyin; is there someone in your sect called..."

"Senior Su Xiangling?" Zhang Fan changed the subject and asked suddenly.

"Hmm!?"

Zhuang Yumian's eyes lit up, and she turned around: "You know my Junior Uncle?"

"She is your Junior Uncle?" Zhang Fan curled his lips.