Chapter 578: Shen Tu and Each Displays Their Unique Abilities

The core ability of Shen Tu is to create an independent “world within a painting” or to achieve spatial storage through drawing.

The user can draw on a flat surface and “store” three-dimensional objects or people into the two-dimensional painting.

In combat, this ability manifests as flattening or trapping the target within the painting,

causing them to vanish from their original three-dimensional space—this is the origin of “dimensional suppression.”

Shen Tu can also materialize the contents of the painting into reality.

However, this is not simple replication; it depends on the painting’s “spirit” or “artistic intent.”

The strength of what is drawn does not depend on how finely detailed the brushwork is,

but on the artist’s understanding of and emotional investment in the subject.

For example, in later chapters, Wang Bing, though an average artist, draws game characters (such as Tetris blocks)

and, because he infuses them with unique “artistic intent,” produces powerful attack effects;

yet his imitations of famous masters’ swordsmen, lacking spirit, are comparatively weak.

The pen-wielding immortal’s depiction of a celestial crane was merely a few strokes, yet it manifested into a lifelike crane,

clearly, he had grasped the crane’s spirit—this is what “having a clear vision in mind” means.

“But didn’t the Wang family switch to practicing Ju Ling Qian Jiang?”

At the same time, a question arose in Zhang Jie’s mind.

The Eight Marvels were comprehended by eight of the Thirty-Six Thieves, giving one person a minor shock at the time.

Every sect and family, except a few major ones like the Celestial Master’s Mansion, Mount Wudang,

and Shaolin Temple, coveted them desperately, wishing to claim them for themselves.

They were the main force pursuing the Thirty-Six Thieves, leaving them with no escape upward or downward,

not like Shangqing Zheng Zibu (who mastered one of the Eight Marvels, “Tong Tian Lu,”

and was relentlessly hunted and tortured by major sects until he was unrecognizable).

He escaped to his friend Lu Jin’s side before dying, entrusted his ultimate technique, then succumbed to his wounds.

Or Yan Wu Tang’s Liu Deshui (who, cornered by four sects’ immortals and with no way out,

ultimately jumped off a cliff to his death), or Zhang Chulan’s grandfather Zhang Huaiyi,

or Ruan Feng, the comprehender of the Six Storehouse Immortal Thieves, who vanished entirely from the immortal world.

At the time, the immortal world had no Four Great Families yet, but it was still the immortal world,

and the Wang family, one of its most renowned clans, naturally would not miss this opportunity.

They sought an opening, hunted and captured Feng Tianyang, the comprehender of Ju Ling Qian Jiang,

and threatened his wife, children, and family to obtain Ju Ling Qian Jiang from him.

Feng Tianyang, for the sake of his parents and wife, not only agreed to teach the Wang family the complete Ju Ling Qian Jiang,

but also swore that only his descendants would learn the incomplete version, ensuring Feng family could never seek revenge on the Wang family.

The new rising power in the immortal world now operates under corporate names;

Tianxia Hui, valued at over a hundred billion, was founded by Feng Tianyang’s grandson, Feng Zhenghao.

With Tianxia Hui’s wealth and decades of consistent recruitment and influence over scattered immortals,

Feng Zhenghao was selected as one of the Ten Elders of the immortal world, becoming one of the ten most powerful individuals.

Of course, even with these achievements, core members of the Wang family like Wang Bing still looked down on him,

and Wang Ai, head of the Wang family, regarded him as a servant whose life and death were entirely in his hands.

Since acquiring Ju Ling Qian Jiang, the Wang family has treasured it as their greatest treasure; Wang Ai and Wang Bing have abandoned their ancestral Shen Tu to practice Ju Ling Qian Jiang instead.

“But this seems only natural.”

Watching the Wang family member ride away on the crane, Zhang Jie concluded.

How could such a profound technique be casually taught to others?

The Wang family is a large clan, with main and collateral branches totaling several hundred people,

and if everyone practiced Ju Ling Qian Jiang, chaos would ensue.

The Wang family likely allows only absolute direct descendants like Wang Ai and Wang Bing to practice Ju Ling Qian Jiang,

while other clan members still practice the family’s centuries-old supernatural technique, Shen Tu.

This way, they can conceal the fact that the direct descendants practice Ju Ling Qian Jiang.

“Watch me!”

“Old man’s going!”

“Come out…”

With young men and Wang family immortals demonstrating their skills, other immortals also prepared themselves, each displaying their unique abilities.

Some floated away with lightness, others walked across iron chains as if on flat ground, some flashed past with innate abilities;

even richer ones summoned artifacts, crossing directly to the main venue while other immortals stared as if watching a Lamborghini or a Maybach.

There was no choice—before Shen Ji Bai Lian appeared, artifacts were exceedingly rare.

Artisan skill requires talent; among immortals, those with artifact-crafting talent are one in a thousand.

The few existing artisans are all supported by various sects.

Moreover, crafting artifacts is no simple matter—from material selection, rough refining, fine selection, forging, to final product—

it is extremely time-consuming; one artisan might produce only one artifact per year.

Under the spectacle of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their own skill, the waiting immortals rapidly diminished,

and soon only Zhang Jie and a few others remained slowly standing on the grass.

Clearly, every immortal who came to attend the Luo Tian Da Jiao was no ordinary person; each had their own strengths.

“Younger brother, are you also here to attend the Luo Tian Da Jiao?”

The Daoist, having seen off the other immortals, warmly approached Zhang Jie.

“Yes. I didn’t expect it to be Brother Li guarding here.”

Zhang Jie also smiled and walked over.

This Daoist, who guarded the first cliff checkpoint, was surnamed Li, a formal disciple of the Celestial Master’s Mansion, and had a good relationship with Zhang Jie.

Or rather, Zhang Jie got along well with all the Daoists of Longhu Mountain.

On one hand, there were few of them; Longhu Mountain had only dozens of Daoists capable of refining Qi,

and excluding the elder generation, the rest were roughly like a single high school class,

seeing each other daily, all familiar faces.

On the other hand, the old Celestial Master and Tian Jinzhong were truly virtuous and respected,

not like the hypocritical patriarchs in other dark-society cultivation sects,

who treat your family as their own when you must sacrifice, but pretend your family is not theirs when you need their help.

With them as role models, the Longhu Mountain disciples were genuinely fraternal.

Li Daoist said with slight embarrassment:

“Younger brother, though you’re also from Longhu Mountain, you’ll still have to cross the iron chains…”

“Young brother, though you too are of Long Hu Mountain, you’ll likely have to go through these iron chains as well…”

Zhang Jie nodded knowingly.

Technically, as a disciple of Longhu Mountain, he didn’t need to undergo this cliff trial and could take another route.

Lay disciples are still disciples, after all.

But if everyone else had to be tested and he alone didn’t, others would inevitably suspect foul play.

Is there corruption here?

The Celestial Master’s Mansion openly giving its own disciples a backdoor? That would be shameless.

To preserve the Celestial Master’s Mansion’s reputation, Li Daoist had no choice but to enforce a strict rule:

Anyone wishing to reach the Luo Tian Da Jiao via this path must cross the cliff!

This made him feel guilty toward his younger brother, hence his apology.

For Zhang Jie, this minor trial was trivial and not worth concern.

Li Daoist sighed in relief, his expression relaxing:

“I’m glad you understand.”

Thus, Zhang Jie voluntarily taking the trial preserved the Celestial Master’s Mansion’s thousand-year reputation

and did not harm the bond between the disciples—truly a perfect solution.

Nor will it harm the bond between them as fellow disciples; it is truly a win-win.