Chapter 225: Sword Escape Technique

In the past, the Ancestral Heavenly Master obtained the secret techniques of the Dragon and Tiger, and the Supreme Three-Five Male and Female Evil-Slaying Sword bestowed by Laojun; this must be how it was... Aside from the Ancestral Heavenly Master, there was also Heavenly Master Xu Xun, who possessed the male and female precious swords—one for slaying evil, one for slaying flood dragons...

Seeing the two Daoist sword energies fighting in the residence, the sword energy surging and nearly destroying the Dantian, Xu Jia used the Supreme Dragon Tiger Golden Register to capture them, simultaneously mobilizing True Yin and True Yang, and visualizing the two Star Lords of Sun and Moon.

The two Star Lords of Sun and Moon are the left and right eyes; the prerequisite for Xu Jia to cultivate the Tiangang Great Sage is to visualize these two. In fact, he had already cultivated the "Body God phantom," but the true eye Body Gods are the two boy attendants "Ling Jian Sheng" and "Ming Xuan Ying"—one governing discernment, the other governing light. Ultimately, they are not the Taiyin and Taiyang Star Lords of the external world, but they can resonate with them, borrowing their spirit to nurture.

The gods of the sun and moon correspond exactly to "Taiyin and Taiyang," and holding the Dragon Tiger Golden Register, he descended to subdue the two sword energies, swapping them: the Taiyang Xingjun subdued the White Tiger Taiyin sword energy, and the Taiyin Star Lord subdued the Golden Dragon Taiyang sword energy.

The two Star Lords grasped this dragon and tiger, returning them to the Dantian, adding the Yin-Yang Precious Medicine, Wuxian Zhizhi, and innate Essence Qi, all entering the furnace together. One god blew the wind, the other added charcoal; this was exactly "Creation as the Works Official."

This fire burned the dragon and tiger until they were miserable, forcing them to huddle together and copulate. You use your Yang to aid my Yin, I use my Yin to aid your Yang, so they would not be burned to extinction by the furnace fire, instead achieving the characteristics of the "male and female twin swords."

After being refined by civil and martial fires, the Primordial Spirit descended personally to preside over the opening of the furnace. He saw no dragon or tiger, only two pills—one embracing Yin, one bearing Yang.

One emitted soft sunlight, the other revealed glistening moonlight, suspended within the Inner Landscape Blessed Land, appearing as if they were truly the two scenes of sun and moon, only unable to "rise in the east and set in the west."

Xu Jia opened his eyes and spat them out; the pills changed in the wind, dispersing into "Dandanqi," then condensing from "Dandanqi" into two hiltless flying swords. These flying swords were smaller than ordinary sword implements, like spear tips or flying shuttles, no more than a foot long and two fingers wide, yet sharp beyond description, slicing through the air with the sound of dragon roars and tiger howls.

The swords circled in the air, seemingly wanting to taste blood, but were forcibly recalled by Xu Jia. He found a stubborn stone and operated the flying sword, which pierced through instantly, leaving only a small hole with no other shattering.

"You two swords shall be called the Golden Flood Dragon Sword and the Silver Flood Dragon Sword."

With these flying swords, Xu Jia could not yet "take a head from a thousand miles away," but it was certainly more than a "Hundred-Step Flying Sword."

Zhuangzi said: The Kui pities the millipede, the millipede pities the snake, the snake pities the wind, the wind pities the eye, the eye pities the heart.

The one-legged Kui ox envies the multi-legged millipede, thinking the more feet it has, the faster it goes; the multi-legged millipede envies the snake, which has no feet yet is faster than it; the snake envies the wind, which has no feet, let alone form, and is much faster; the wind envies the eye, which arrives wherever it sees; the eye envies the heart, whose thoughts are much faster than the gaze.

The flying swords Xu Jia refined follow this transformation. Currently, he cannot kill with a single thought, nor can the sword kill wherever the eye sees; it can only move with his thoughts within his Inner Heaven and Earth, assisting in the beheading of delusions—greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt. Once operated outside the body, it can likely only reach supersonic levels. However, with repeated tempering and the constant conversion between form and formlessness, he believes reaching a thousand miles in a single thought will not be difficult in the future.

Then what about the Sword Escape technique for "riding a sword in flight"? Xu Jia was impatient to try. Regarding the Sword Escape technique, Xu Jia had seen it in secret texts, which stated that "Escape" means hiding one's form; Sword Escape refers to hiding one's form within the sword—wherever the sword flies, it carries your body along.

After pondering for a while, Xu Jia discovered that Sword Escape is actually very difficult in reality. No matter how light one's physical body is cultivated, it is still a physical body and hard to hide. But if it is in the "Dharma Realm"...

The flying sword breaks open the Dharma Realm, opening a passage, and carrying one out in an instant, thus achieving the effect of "teleportation," which matches the "Escape Method."

Xu Jia broke open the Dharma Realm with a sword, and the next moment he appeared at the gate of Shanju Guan, startling the Daoists: "True Person? What is this?"

Xu Jia laughed: "I am experimenting with my Flying Sword Technique."

He immediately broke open the Dharma Realm with another sword, and upon appearing again, he was beside Hu Jinhua. Hu Jinhua sensed a sharp Qi and was so frightened his fur stood on end. He turned his head violently, only to see it was Xu Jia.

"Master Xu!" He exclaimed in surprise: "How did you suddenly appear?"

"I have entered the initial fruits of an Earth Immortal and have refined two protective immortal swords." Although he suppressed his emotions, there was inevitably a sense of showing off and self-satisfaction.

"Was Master Xu not an Earth Immortal before?"

"Before, I borrowed the cultivation method of my past life; this time, it is the achievement of this life."

Xu Jia said: "An Earth Immortal True Person can establish a Blessed Land, open a mountain and establish a Dao, and can begin building palaces and temples on Three Pure Ones Mountain."

"That's great!" Hu Jinhua was even more excited than Xu Jia: "Doesn't that mean we are also a famous orthodox sect?"

Xu Jia laughed: "Your Master Xu is a Lingbao Heavenly Master; how could I not be a famous sect? As for being 'orthodox,' that remains to be seen; it depends on whether you and I, the disciples, act uprightly and sit squarely."

Xu Jia then asked how things had been in Dexing recently.

"Master Xu, you were in seclusion for nearly three months. There has long been a new County Magistrate. This person is not bad; upon taking office, he pacified the people and wanted to do some practical things, but the practical things had already been finished by us..."

"Three months, so long?" Xu Jia had not expected that his cultivation into an Earth Immortal would take some time, and refining the steel and swords would take more time; three months was already considered short.

It was even the hottest time of the year now.

"In the first two months, there was a small-scale plague. The Wealth God spent Flower Money to send it away; it was a small Plague God spreading the epidemic. The people even said they wanted to build a living shrine for you, but we didn't agree."

"Mainly because the statue they wanted to build for the living shrine was a bit terrifying—it was you sitting in meditation on top of a corpse."

When Xu Jia killed the Dharma King, it was indeed very bloody at that time.

The people saw it and thought it was normal for a baleful star from heaven to descend to subdue demons. Although Xu Jia's appearance was handsome, it was normal for the people to artistically process it. After processing, it becoming "non-human" was also normal.

Xu Jia said: "I do not accept living shrines. If they love me, you can have them do some work for our palaces and temples. Of course, the Work Wages should be paid to them normally."

Hu Jinhua chuckled: "Although the people aren't building you a living shrine, many have set up spirit tablets in their homes. A few days ago, they even sent a Ten Thousand People Umbrella."

The Ten Thousand People Umbrella is called an umbrella, but it is actually a "three-layered canopy," a "Rites Official" object that hangs down like three layers of covers. The cloth on it was contributed by each family, sewn together, with strips hanging down below, all inscribed with scriptures.

"This umbrella is no ordinary object; I am ashamed to receive it." Xu Jia sighed: "How much practical work have I actually done?"

Xu Jia thought and said: "Although I do not establish a living shrine, I had a temple in my past life. You can build a Xu Shigong Temple here, place this umbrella in the temple, and let Xu Shigong receive the Incense Fire on my behalf to bless this territory."

Xu Shigong is actually the soul of Xu Jia's original body, the Heart General.

Hu Jinhua agreed: "How big should the temple be?"

"A small temple is fine, one person's height is enough." Xu Jia did not have high requirements for the temple; building it was mainly to attempt to truly connect with his past-life temple, as per what Taishan Daiyu said—that was Xu Jia's anchor in his past life.

Even if he could not physically travel between the two realms, just a single thought would be of huge help to Xu Jia. Xu Jia could learn the knowledge from that side, carry out a productivity revolution here, and iterate his weapons.

It would also better prepare for the future establishment of a Dao Kingdom on earth.

"How is Chang Yu? He told me the Five Hundred Year Great Tribulation is coming."

"That is unclear. Why doesn't Master Xu summon him personally?" Hu Jinhua said enviously: "If Great Marshal Chang Yu survives the Five Hundred Year Great Tribulation, he will also be an Earth Immortal. When will I be able to cultivate to the Earth Immortal realm?"

Xu Jia knocked him on the head: "Cultivation is about comparing yourself to yourself; why bother comparing with others? He has painstakingly cultivated for over four hundred years, enduring step by step; it is much easier for you than for him."

It was indeed much easier. Recently, if nothing else, Hu Jinhua had been forming Karmic Connections and reaping good fruits. Foxes rely on forming Karmic Connections to grow their roots. In the affairs of Dexing, he presided over the turnover, accumulating immeasurable Merit and forming many good connections. Moreover, with the Register Conferment taught by Xu Jia, one day of cultivation was already worth a decade of cultivation in the past; one month was worth nearly a year.

It was just that cultivating too fast is not necessarily a good thing. The Ershinian Dajie and Sannian Dajie are both trials of Daoist Practice. If Dharma Power grows fast but Daoist Practice is too shallow, one will be unable to control it and will still easily die in the calamity.

Hu Jinhua was knocked on the head, but he did not feel aggrieved: "Alright, alright, I will only compare myself to myself."

Xu Jia turned and broke open the Dharma Realm, stepping into Sanlong Dong.

Inside Sanlong Dong, bats were everywhere, and the stalactites inside the cave spiraled. Chang Yu was inside, his breathing already extremely weak. Xu Jia saw that the scales on his body had begun to jade, just like Cai Yu before.

"True Person, my Calamity has arrived." Chang Yu sensed Xu Jia and opened his eyes: "I harvested the Essence Qi of Yushan, which is an act that damages the foundation of Yushan. Now that I have become the Mountain God of Yushan, I must repay that foundation. I now understand what you meant when you said that humans steal the Qi of all things, all things steal the Qi of Heaven and Earth, and all things steal the Qi of humans."

"If I survive this Calamity, I can achieve Earth Immortal status and become the Gouchen you appointed. If I cannot survive it, I will just become a strange peak on this Three Pure Ones Mountain, and I will still protect your cultivation."

Xu Jia recalled that there is indeed a landscape in the later Three Pure Ones Mountain called 'Giant Python Leaving the Mountain': "Although the physical body may stiffen, it does not hinder the Primordial Spirit. As long as the heart does not die, there is a chance for rebirth."

"Master Xu, you promised to grant me an official title!" Chang Yu kept thinking about it.

Xu Jia was also very sad for a moment: "You will soar into the sky; you will shed your mortal shell and become a true dragon."

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Chang Yu's huge head, but the jading continued to accelerate. His eyes had completely turned into jade, and finally, his breathing failed, leaving only a huge statue.

Chang Yu'e and Chang Yuying were both extremely heartbroken; one reason was their husband's stiffening, and the other was that they could explore whether their own future fates would be the same as their husband's.

Xu Jia comforted them both: "Do not practice the Earthly Pivot Eating Qi Method anymore. I will pass on to you a technique called the Heavenly Snake Breath-Shooting Art; by gathering and refining the Qi of the Awakening of Insects, you can obtain the power of 'breaking the cocoon to be reborn'."

Xu Jia did not know if the final conferral he had supplemented for Chang Yu would be able to help him survive his tribulation.

Leaving Sanlong Dong, the daylight outside appeared extremely dazzling; among the plants and trees, the air was fresh, making one feel incredibly at ease.

Xu Jia's original joy at advancing to Earth Immortal had been diluted quite a bit by Chang Yu's stiffening.

He recalled the words Huang Zhenren had warned him with, yet Hu Jinhua and Chang Yu by his side actually both had very lovable qualities and were much easier to get along with than people; revolving into the animal realm is due to a turbid and heavy nature, but this is all brought about "innately"—is there really not even a single chance to be given? It speaks of animals, but in reality, it is more about people; people who resemble animals are even more numerous, and the Five Poisons and three Ignorances are even more intense in them.

Xu Jia muttered: "If I could save those people with the Five Poisons and three Ignorances, wouldn't that be harder than educating spirits like Hu Jinhua and Chang Yu, who single-mindedly seek the Dao and have good hearts?"

"I am in charge of the demon affairs of Jiangnan West Circuit; I am bound to have many dealings with them, whether good or evil, I shall have my own judgment."

Xu Jia thought of the movie "Green Snake," where at the beginning, the demons were more like people, while the people were bizarrely shaped and more like demons; he then recalled the Er Lang Searching Mountain Picture, where the demons in the mountains and forests had all cultivated into human form and wore human expressions, while the grass-headed gods searching the mountains were each ferocious and terrifying.

"If one day I am implicated by them, it must also be because my heart is too compassionate..."

Xu Jia let out a long breath, turned around to break through the Dharma Realm, and returned to his home in Qingtian Zhen; after all, it had been so long.

Upon returning home, Xu Mu began to reproach him: "You have been missing for these few months, worrying me to death; I even thought you had abandoned Xu Jian, who is to continue the Incense Fire, and run off yourself!"

"How could that be?" Xu Jia soothed her: "I was just in seclusion for a while."

Having said that, he teased Xu Jian for a while; this baby was growing fast and already had a physique similar to a three or four-year-old child from an ordinary family—he was worthy of being an Earth Immortal True Person who had refined his form and been reborn.

"The autumn examinations are in a few days, and I don't know if your father can pass and earn the title of Recommended Scholar!"

Xu Jia did not even look up; he flicked Xu Jian's little bird, successfully making him cry, and handed him back to the wet nurse Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing could not help but say: "Young Master, that is not good!"

"It's fine, he is sturdy!"

"Duowen and Guangmu, those two little imps, often report to me, and that child Sheng Ying also often accompanies me in chanting Buddhist scriptures; I am praying to the Bodhisattva for your father to pass the examination!"

"Why would the Bodhisattva care about this matter?" Xu Jia checked the Feng Shui layout of the house and applied new restrictive formations: "Shouldn't you go worship Wenchang to be on target!"

"Since there is a Bodhisattva in the house, it must be the Bodhisattva I worship; it is convenient."

Xu Mu added: "I have recently mastered the Diamond Sutra, and that Master in my dreams has started letting me study the Lotus Sutra; do you think this Master is a manifestation of the Bodhisattva?"

"The Lotus Sutra? This is also a scripture of wealth and solemnity; Mother, you should study it. With the layout of our house, no Yin Master or evil ghost can enter. I cannot even tell now, so it is clearly a Bodhisattva of True Fruit, manifesting in thousands of forms to conveniently transmit the Dharma; you just study it."

(End of chapter)