Chapter 189: Standing in the Snow (Please vote for monthly tickets, there is an activity at the beginning of the month)

The Blood God Child is actually the junior brother of True Person Changmei, and the Junior Uncle of the current Emei Hong Jiaozhu!

This is really unexpected!

"Elders, this humble Daoist has a doubt."

Just as several high-level Daoists were worried, Cheng Xinzhan broke the dull atmosphere and opened his mouth to say a sentence.

"Xinzhan, please speak."

True Person Nengyue replied kindly.

"What is True Person Changmei's intention? He suppressed the Blood God Child Deng Yin without killing him. It is understandable that he couldn't bear to take action against his junior brother. Then why did he suppress the Corpse Demon Gu Chen without killing him?

"In addition, I once traveled in the Southern Frontier. When chatting with friends in the Miao Frontier, they mentioned another thing. Previously in the Southern Frontier, there was a Five Poisons Heavenly King in the Southern demonic sect, who possessed five-poison Gu insects and was very powerful, on par with the Five Ghosts Heavenly King of the Northern sect. This demonic head was captured alive by True Person Changmei and suppressed in an earth cave.

"When I traveled in the Northern Frontier, I heard from friends of the Tianshan Sword Sect that there was also a great demonic head suppressed under the snow mountain in the Northern Frontier, known as 'Snow Charm', and also had a fierce name called Seven-Fingered Demon.

"After I arrived overseas, I heard that there was a Nine-Fierce Demon Lord in the overseas demonic sect before, who was transformed from a nine-eyed insect and also entered the demonic path, and was also suppressed by True Person Changmei at the bottom of the sea.

"So this humble Daoist wants to ask, what exactly does True Person Changmei want to do? Is this famous Sword Immortal powerful or not? He can suppress these famous demonic heads, but why does he just suppress them without killing them?"

Cheng Xinzhan was very puzzled.

Several high-level Daoists listened, and strange colors flashed in their eyes. True Person Changmei was a world-famous sword hero before ascending. His attacking ability and killing intent were the best of his generation, and he had no rivals. He had suppressed and killed countless demons in his life, casting Emei's famous reputation. But now listening to Xinzhan, it seems there is really a problem. Indeed, since he has the ability, why suppress without killing? Wouldn't it harm future generations?

"Hehe."

At this moment, True Person Nengyue sneered, then looked at Cheng Xinzhan and said,

"Little friend, you are careful and can notice these things. Then let me add some more for you. The demonic heads suppressed by True Person Changmei are far more than these!"

"Previously in the Southern Frontier, besides the Green Robe Old Ancestor of the Southern Wilderness and the Red-Haired Old Ancestor of the Miao Frontier, there was also a different kind of dragon, called 'Cold Centipede', which had lived for thousands of years and was a cruel demon. Its Dharma power was even above Green Robe, and it was finally suppressed by Changmei.

"In addition, in the extreme western snow region, five hundred years ago, there was an evil monk who specialized in eating human hearts, called the Heart-Piercing Monk. This was also suppressed by True Person Changmei.

"Speaking of the nearby ones, Qi Shuming imitated his master and did many such things. The previous Northern Yin Palace Master of the Ice and Snow Palace and the Hong Jiaozhu's wife of the Red Heart Sect were also Fourth-Rank great demons, and they were also suppressed without being killed. If you count further up, there are many examples. This is Emei Sect's convention!"

Cheng Xinzhan was puzzled, "Then what is the purpose of this Emei Hong Jiaozhu?"

True Person Nengyue replied, "In this poor Daoist's opinion, they are raising demons for their own use!"

"Raising demons for their own use?"

"Exactly. Emei claims to be sword heroes, and their teaching is to walk the world with swords to purge demons, accumulating good deeds to ascend to immortality after merit is fulfilled.

"Thus, the Emei Sect Masters of all generations are like ginseng gatherers, finding demonic heads in advance, imprisoning and detaining them, and making marks, so that others will not easily take action. After a few generations of Emei disciples walk down the mountain, they use the secret method passed down by Emei to break these demon-suppressing restrictions. At that time, the demonic head is weak, and the juniors take the opportunity to show off their power, kill the demon, take the treasure, and become famous. It can be said to be killing three birds with one stone.

"This old man has checked, and all the so-called Emei geniuses of all generations have come this way."

Cheng Xinzhan was dumbfounded.

Dong Shouren slapped the table, "Truly treating the struggle between the righteous and demonic paths as a child's play!"

True Person Nengyue continued,

"Emei calculated everything, but missed the variable of the Blood God Child, who practiced a demonic art never seen before and attained the Immortal Realm. Not only did Emei eat its own bitter fruit, but we also have to clean up the mess. After the Blood God Child broke the seal, he released the Fifth-Rank Corpse Demon, and also subdued the Beautiful Corpse Cui Ying and the Red Corpse Wu Lao. These two were also Fourth-Rank great demons for many years, but they had always been timid and cautious, not daring to be ostentatious. This time they publicly established a sect with Gu Chen, and there must be someone supporting them behind the scenes. And when Cui Ying and Wu Lao came to meet Gu Chen that day, I heard her say 'Blood Lord' with my own ears. It must be the Blood God Child."

"Three Corpses established the sect, we besieged Three Corpses Island, and at this time the Long Wang of the Sea came. The Master of Zhentao Tower married off his daughter that day and was drunk. Could it be a coincidence? Green Robe and Red-Haired fought for so many years, Red-Haired suddenly died, and his body was refined into a corpse puppet by Wu Lao. Green Robe walked through the river and entered the sea, transforming into a true dragon, deceiving everyone. Is this a coincidence?"

He sighed, "These are all layouts planned by the Blood God Child."

Cheng Xinzhan also added a sentence upon hearing this, "After the Three Corpses established the sect, I went to travel on the sea and happened to encounter the gathering of the overseas demonic sect forces. But those who came were all Fourth-Rank demon kings, and the two Fifth-Rank Long Wang and Mirage Mother were both absent. Perhaps they were invited by the Blood God Child to come to the land."

"The demonic sect is moving frequently, the Northern and Southern sects are communicating, and the overseas and domestic sects are colluding. Our righteous path forces are only inches apart, but it is as if they are separated by a natural chasm. What we see is only one sect, one mountain, one

"The Mo Sect is acting frequently, with the North and South factions communicating, and connections between those at home and abroad. Our various righteous forces are but a stone's throw apart, yet it is as if we are separated by a natural chasm, seeing only one sect, one faction, one mountain, or one region!"

True Person Chengchu's words sounded extremely dissatisfied.

Dong Shouren then said,

"The demonic path has produced a figure unseen in a thousand years; this is a great fiend of the Immortal Realm. We know nothing of the blood arts he practices, but he comes from a righteous background and knows our secrets very well. Having been repeatedly suppressed by Changmei, he harbors resentment, which is why he can become the leader of the demonic path. Yet, in our righteous path, we cannot find such a person."

After listening, True Person Chengchu thought for a moment, let out a long sigh, and then she looked at Cheng Xinzhan and said to Dong Shouren,

"In our generation, there is no one who can suppress their peers and have the final say, but in his generation, perhaps there will be."

Dong Shouren looked at Cheng Xinzhan and smiled, "I hope so."

"At present, our main concern is that the Blood God Child will continue to release the fiends suppressed by generations of Emei experts. Before he fell into the demonic path, he was one of the top figures in Emei and naturally knows where these fiends are suppressed. If Fourth or Fifth Realm fiends appear in groups, or even if someone like Green Robe appears who has advanced from the Fourth to the Fifth Realm under the Blood God Child's planning, then the world will truly change."

True Person Nengyue returned to the main topic.

"What does the fellow Daoist intend to do?"

Dong Shouren asked.

"We have many ideas, and quite a few have already begun to be implemented.

"First, negotiate with Emei to have them disclose the specific locations where the fiends are imprisoned and destroy them one by one. We have tried this, but it was useless; they even nearly detained the person we sent to deliver the message;

"Second, our Eastern Daoist Sects must unite to exert pressure on the demonic forces and distract the Blood God Child. Of course, this has not been accomplished either. Now that you have arrived, perhaps it will be a bit better. Furthermore, if the Eastern Daoist Sects can all unite to negotiate with Emei, perhaps it will be more effective than our sect speaking alone;

"Third, arrange for disciples to travel outside. Now is not the time for quiet cultivation; we need to know what the demonic path is doing in places we previously did not care about. Perhaps we might stumble upon a conspiracy! Do not wait until the demonic path is at our doorstep to wake up. Not to mention other places, our Jin Ling has truly been peaceful for too long, so long that no one discovered a Blood Fiend and a Corpse Fiend hiding in the lung of the earth to refine treasures. In this regard, Xinzhan has done very well; he was able to discover that the fiends suppressed by Ancestor Changmei have already spread across the North, South, and overseas, and he was also able to find out that the two overseas fiends are not at sea. How could we, long in the mountains, know this?

"Fourth, find the origin of the Blood God Child's demonic arts and a method to break them.

"Fifth, find a way to break the protective mountain array of Three Corpses Island. The array flags of that array were refined using the Profound Yellow Qi of our Juqu Mountain; we cannot shirk our responsibility for this.

"Sixth, be vigilant against Three Corpses Island and the overseas Mo Sect colluding to cause chaos along the coast..."

"Seventh, after Old Ancestor Green Robe transformed into a dragon, he has already begun to take over the South Sea. We must be vigilant against the East Sea and South Sea connecting into one, vigilant against the Southern Wilderness becoming a ferry point for the overseas Mo Sect, and even more vigilant against the expansion of the South Sea demonic forces invading Bamin and Yu Yang..."

"Eighth..."

Daoist Nengyue spoke at great length. Dong Shouren and Huo Jingyan listened carefully. Until Nengyue finished speaking, Dong Shouren stood up, performed a salute, and said with a look of shame,

"I am truly ashamed! I did not know that in these few years, your sect had already made so many preparations, while we were still muddling along in a daze. True Person Chengchu, Fellow Daoist Nengyue, hearing your words today has truly been of great benefit. When we return to our sect, we will definitely report to our Hong Jiaozhu in detail and call upon the Yu Zhang Daoist Sects to fully cooperate with your sect in preventing and punishing demons."

True Person Chengchu and Daoist Nengyue also stood up to return the salute,

"Your sect is deeply righteous, and we are also extremely grateful!"

The two sides parted ways. Dong Shouren and Huo Jingyan took their leave, but they left Cheng Xinzhan behind and told him to cultivate on Juqu Mountain from now on until he was ready to form his Jin Dan, at which point he would return to the sect.

True Person Chengchu indicated that Cheng Xinzhan would remain in the Cun Tian Hall and be taught by her personally.

With this, Dong Shouren and Huo Jingyan were naturally reassured, and even somewhat pleasantly surprised, leaving fully satisfied.

———— The fourth year, beginning of spring.

Juqu Mountain, Si Wu Cliff.

The cliff terrace was covered in white snow, wrapped in silver.

Today is the day the Juqu Mountain Four Seasons Assembly is held. The Four Seasons Assembly is the most famous lecture gathering on Juqu Mountain, held once a quarter on the days of the beginning of spring, beginning of summer, beginning of autumn, and beginning of winter. The main audience is disciples below the Third Realm. Of course, sometimes when the lecturer's level is very high, people in the Third Realm or even above will come to listen.

Every time the assembly is held, there is not a single empty seat here; many times, those who want to listen have to fight for seats several days in advance. If they arrive late, they can only drive their own clouds outside the cliff to listen.

And those who can lecture at the Four Seasons Assembly are at the very least geniuses of the younger generation; there is even no lack of Supreme Elders and Sect Masters coming to preach.

This lecture gathering seems particularly different. The Si Wu Cliff terrace is like a chessboard, with 361 stone seats arranged neatly in horizontal and vertical lines. Now, the stone seats are already full of people, and the area outside the chessboard is also full of people. Outside the cliff, many people are standing on cloud carriages waiting quietly, covered in snow.

At the hour of Chen, the bright winter sun makes the white snow and ice crystals shine brilliantly.

A man stepped through the air and landed in front of Si Wu Cliff, his posture facing the crowd indicating that he is today's lecturer.

The many listeners naturally recognize this man with a very young appearance, because it is indeed very rare for the same person to lecture at Si Wu Cliff for three consecutive quarters, not to mention that this person is not even from Juqu Mountain.

!

"Teacher Cheng."

Everyone performed a salute, and the snow on their bodies fell down with a rustle, forming a mist of snow.

Cheng Xinzhan returned the salute and, without a word of nonsense, began today's lecture,

"We will continue to lecture on the key points of inner contemplation. Last time we should have reached the twenty-fourth point; now we begin the twenty-fifth point.

"The twenty-fifth point, 'Jade Pendant and Golden Dang'. Everyone should know the literal meaning; this refers to paying attention to teeth-clicking and swallowing saliva during inner contemplation. Teeth-clicking is to produce a rhythm like a mantra, and swallowing saliva is to consume Qi to maintain the inner landscape's spirit and form so that it does not dissipate, which is the meaning of 'sound forms a jade pendant, Qi combines with a golden dang', ensuring the feeling of 'sweet spring in the mouth and warmth at the crown of the head' during contemplation.

The rhythm, intensity, and frequency of teeth-clicking, as well as the amount and interval of swallowing saliva, vary from person to person and spirit to spirit. For example..."

"Good, everyone should understand. Now let's talk about the twenty-sixth point, 'Returning Wind and Mixing'. This is even simpler and clearer; it refers to breathing, the communication and transformation between the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the inner spirit's magic Qi. The focus is on the words 'return' and 'mix'... when inhaling, sink down through the Ren Mai, and when exhaling, rise from the Du Mai..."

"The thirty-sixth point, 'Jade Purity Golden Case'. As the saying goes: The golden case opens, purple smoke arises, the form follows the talisman and enters Jade Purity. This refers to the method of using external talismans to solidify the inner landscape spirit and stimulate the inner landscape spirit's autonomous divinity, further freeing the practitioner from the labor of consuming Qi. There are two meanings here: one is that one must refine Qi into a talisman to offer to the inner spirit, and the second is that the inner spirit forms a talisman itself, refining the inner Qi. Specifically... it is roughly like this."

Cheng Xinzhan lectured from sunrise to sunset. Although it was the beginning of spring, the snow in Jin Ling was still fluttering down. The audience on Si Wu Cliff had not moved their bodies, so they were once again covered in snow.

These people had different expressions: some were intoxicated as if drinking sweet spring water, some were scratching their heads in confusion, and some were frowning in deep thought.

But when they heard Cheng Xinzhan stop abruptly, they all woke up from their state of immersion, and another mist of snow flew up.

"Many thanks, Teacher Cheng."

From the indifference of the first point, 'Dao follows nature', to the mental shock of the twelfth point, 'Unity of body and spirit', to the intoxication of the twenty-fourth point, 'Thinking without thinking', and now to the thirty-sixth point, 'Jade Purity Golden Case', everyone was already convinced and felt as if they were facing a celestial being.

"Teacher Cheng, will you still be lecturing at the next assembly? Will you be lecturing up to the forty-eighth point?"

Someone asked.

Everyone looked at him fervently.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled, "I haven't thought that far to the forty-eighth point yet, and it won't be me at the next assembly."

"No need for that many, no need for that many, as long as it is Teacher Cheng lecturing, no matter how much, no matter how deep or shallow, we are all willing to listen!"

That person replied hurriedly.

"Exactly, exactly!"

Thousands of people echoed, the empty valley reverberated, startling birds and causing snow to fall.

"Thanks to the favor of the True Person, allowing me to stay on Juqu Mountain to listen to lectures, three years have passed, and I have benefited greatly. Discussing the Dao with all fellow Daoists has also allowed me to learn much. It is just that my meridians are now smooth and my apertures are open, and I have reached the time to manipulate the Dragon and Tiger, so I must return to my sect for closed-door cultivation and cannot discuss the Dao with you all anymore."

Cheng Xinzhan explained.

"This! Teacher Cheng is leaving the mountain?!"

The crowd became agitated, the noise reaching the heavens, but no one could say a word of refusal. This Teacher Cheng is not from Juqu Mountain! Returning to the sect to form a Jin Dan is a great joyous event; how could one open their mouth to ask him to stay?

"You need not worry. The Hong Jiaozhu has already agreed with Sanqing Mountain that after Xinzhan forms his Jin Dan, he will officially hold a position as a Scripture-Transmitting Elder on our Juqu Mountain. After that, he will still come back."

Just as the listeners were jumping up and down, a kind voice came. When the crowd looked, it turned out to be the Vice Hong Jiaozhu Nengyue Xuan.

"Greetings, Hong Jiaozhu."

Everyone performed a salute to pay their respects, and Cheng Xinzhan called out "Master Dan".

Dan Nengyue came to Cheng Xinzhan's side and smiled,

"In the blink of an eye, three full years have passed. Every day I hoped you would progress faster, but I also didn't want you to progress too fast. However, no matter what this old Daoist thinks, this day has finally come."

Cheng Xinzhan replied,

"Master Dan, the Haoran Alliance has been established for more than half a year. Every day I see fellow Daoists rushing forward one after another, and I have long been anxious. If I don't form my Jin Dan and go to serve the Alliance, the heart fire will rise to the Purple Palace."

Dan Nengyue smiled, "As the saying goes, haste makes waste. Forming a Jin Dan is most particular about heat and timing. At this critical juncture, you must not be anxious."

"The disciple understands."

"Mm, you have always had a sense of proportion. Then go back to your sect. Both the Hong Jiaozhu and I are waiting for your good news."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, performed a salute toward Dan Nengyue and the direction of Cun Tian Hall, bid farewell to the fellow Daoists who were listening, and then flew away.

"Let us see Teacher Cheng off!"

Someone shouted.

"Let's go together!"

The crowd echoed.

Thus, thousands of people drove their divine light, soaring up from Juqu Mountain to follow the bright light in the lead.

(End of chapter)