Chapter 228: Removing the Three Corpse Worms, Growing the Root of Longevity

"So you are the Lingbao Heavenly Master who dispels evil auras, clears away demonic Qi, slays Dharma Kings, chains flood dragons, stabilizes Dexing, and governs Yushan?"

Although this Canal Commander looked ugly, had a filthy appearance, and wore tattered clothes, his words were so pleasant that Xu Jia let go of many of his prejudices.

"These are all minor matters, but it is indeed what this poor Daoist has done."

Then, that Yu Yaosheng immediately stepped out of the stockade, his expression agitated; he knelt on one knee, cupped his hands in a salute, looked up with fixed eyes, and said with a choked voice: "This subordinate, Yu Yaosheng, has drifted for half a lifetime, only regretting not having met a wise master. Back when the world was in chaos, our sect's Zhang Jiao, Heavenly Master Zhang, raised the banner of the orthodoxy, wishing to govern the world anew. It is a pity the military failed. Back then, Heavenly Master Zhang Jiao once said that whoever holds the great treasure of our Yellow Heaven Sect in the future must be a wise master."

"Our branch has been guarding this great treasure. Recently, sensing the great treasure appearing in the world, and later seeing the Heavenly Master display such great skill, we felt deep admiration!"

Xu Jia immediately understood: "So you came looking for me because of the Heavenly Emperor Relic Jade."

Xu Jia thought of how Huang Zhenren said he wanted to take it back; Xu Jia had been greedy, thinking it was just a treasure, not realizing this item carried such Cause and Effect. It was a sect-suppressing treasure, and now it was re-gathering the fortune of the remnants of the old Yellow Heaven Sect. Although they had changed from living insurgent soldiers into dust in the Dharma Realm, they were, after all, still a force.

Xu Jia then asked himself if he truly wanted to accept these remnants of the old fortune.

In the end, what he thought of was: "For truly great figures, look to the present."

They were already decayed, but Xu Jia was not decayed.

Thus he said: "Since you miss the Yellow Heaven Sect every moment, why think of relying on me? Although I obtained the Heavenly Emperor Relic Jade, I do not bear the affairs of your Yellow Heaven Sect. Whether it be Zhang Jiao, Huang Muchun, or you, or him, none of you belong to this era anymore."

Xu Jia said: "If you wish to submit to me, from now on you will have nothing to do with the Yellow Heaven Sect, or anything else—be it Red Eyebrows or Green Woods. Whether you are red, green, or yellow, this poor Daoist recognizes none of it."

The Canal Commander heard this, his expression stiffened, and he looked back at his five hundred brothers, gazing at the yellow flag held in his hand.

In the army, the flag is the leader, because everyone only knows where the commander is and what the orders are by looking at the flag. This flag was also the object where their branch hid their souls and lodged their spirits.

"This..."

Yu Yaosheng had drifted in the Dharma Realm for who knows how many years; the label branded upon their group of dust was the Yellow Heaven Sect.

Because there were still people who remembered the Yellow Heaven Sect and mentioned it from time to time.

He looked at Xu Jia, and his image gradually seemed to overlap with that of the Great Worthy Teacher from back then.

Thus, he knelt on both knees, bowed his head, and prostrated himself: "This subordinate is willing to abandon the name of the Yellow Heaven Sect and follow the Heavenly Master!"

Hearing this, Xu Jia was also surprised, because the foundation of these ghosts and demons' obsession lay in the Yellow Heaven Sect. They were ghosts who believed in the sect, they were sect followers; abandoning their faith would bring the disaster of "getting lost."

With him kneeling like this, the five hundred Yellow Turban ghosts and demons also knelt down together. They were actually just farmers from the war-torn years; the Talisman Water the Yellow Heaven Sect gave out was boiled water, thin porridge. The doctrine of the Yellow Heaven Sect was for everyone to love and care for one another, to treat the elders of others as one's own, and the young of others as one's own.

Rebelling was merely for a mouthful of food. Following the Canal Commander was also because the commander had a Raw Rice Bowl in his hand, from which grain could be poured out. It was hard to be full, but they would not turn into hungry ghosts...

In endless famine, a person's reason, kindness, and all beautiful character traits would disappear, leaving only pure evil and the slaughter for survival.

In the Dharma Realm, most of the soil is barren. Only in places sheltered by a few deities or ancestors can one "live after death." Some rely on the Incense Fire of their descendants to get by, and some can cultivate Blessed Fields, gathering ownerless Incense Fire to transform into Yin rice.

"Are you truly willing?" Xu Jia asked again.

Yu Yaosheng said: "We originally had over three thousand brothers, but now only we remain. Joining the Yellow Heaven Sect was to survive in a chaotic world; submitting to the Heavenly Master is in the hope of being liberated from death. Naturally, we are willing."

"Good." Xu Jia opened his mouth, and a Blessed Land Daochang appeared within, filled with sweet Dharma Water, abundant harvests, and fertile fields—it was a paradise on earth.

The Canal Commander was startled to see this: "This is?"

"This is my Inner Landscape, an Inner Scene Blessed Land. You shall plow and farm here for the time being. Divine beings will come to bestow upon you Dharma Treasures, so you may attain liberation and refinement. Only after refinement will you be true soldiers."

Hearing this, Yu Yaosheng said: "The Heavenly Master truly has great Divine Ability!"

Thus, he led his five hundred subordinates into Xu Jia's belly.

As these ghosts and demons entered his belly, Xu Jia only felt his stomach a bit bloated. He had previously swallowed over three thousand hungry ghosts inside his body for refinement, and now having swallowed over five hundred ghost demon Yin soldiers, the number was nearly three thousand six hundred, which had reached the limit of what his Inner Landscape could accommodate.

Whether these were hungry ghosts or ghost demons, they all carried a turbid Qi. Fortunately, after being cleansed by the Dharma Water, they shed their filth. Having eaten the grain offerings, they no longer had the physical mutations like fangs or scales, and slowly returned to the appearance of normal people.

The filthy Qi washed away then sank down to the lower burner, entering the large and small intestines. For a time, the Three Corpse Worms, the Five Poisons, and all sorts of worms on a person—the laziness worm, the stupidity worm, the wine worm, the gambling worm, the lust worm... all emerged, smelling the rot.

In the Inner Landscape Dao, besides the "Body Gods," the human body actually contains various worms that are detrimental to cultivation. The most famous of these are the "Three Corpse Worms."

The Three Corpse Worms, also known as the Three Corpse Gods, reside in the Body Gods and love to tattle the most. They are the pests of the Inner Landscape heaven and earth; they do not guard the interior but insist on running to the Outer Heaven and Earth.

When the Three Corpse Worms grow strong, a person's essence cannot be solidified, their Qi cannot be guarded, and their spirit cannot be collected. The Qi of the Three Treasures is stolen by heaven and earth.

What these Three Corpse Worms report is that the practitioner is stealing the Qi of heaven and earth, that they have escaped the Death Registry, and are no longer under the jurisdiction of heaven or the management of earth.

Therefore, they go to report, causing heaven and earth to take notice of the practitioner, which leads to all sorts of disasters and tribulations.

Hence, there is the practice of "guarding the Three Corpses," not allowing them to leave the body.

If one wishes to cultivate, the Three Corpse Worms must be removed; they are the "internal traitors" of the human body.

Xu Jia did not expect that by doing this, he would actually lure the Three Corpse Worms out to cause trouble.

As soon as these three Demon Gods appeared, they incited the hungry ghosts who had not yet been converted, as well as the ghost demons just received into his body: "You idiots! You were coaxed in by him and locked in a prison; how could you know the value of freedom?"

"But there is endless food here, and endless sweet dew! We feel very comfortable!"

"This is all an illusion, a deception! You have all become his slaves! He now has a Ten Thousand People Umbrella, and this umbrella needs to refine ten thousand ghosts who are grateful to him. He will make you all lose your freedom, make you count money for him, and you'll even have to thank him!"

"It would be better to follow us, charge out, and report him to the Heavenly Court and the Underworld!"

At this moment, a cold laugh sounded, and Xu Jidi's heart appeared: "It is useless even if you report it to the center!"

The Three Corpse Worm Gods were furious: "You are also a traitor! He possessed your body, and you still side with him! We are doing this for your own good; would we harm you?" "Shut up!" The Canal Commander Yu Yaosheng was enraged and took out the Gourd at his waist. There were secret scripts on the gourd, and it released gusts of black wind. There was Sand in the wind, which twisted wildly in the Dharma Realm, capable of turning other ghosts and demons into pus and blood. Even within Xu Jia's Inner Landscape heaven and earth, its power did not diminish.

As this black wind and wild sand twisted, let alone the Three Corpses, even Xu Jia's true self felt an "appendicitis-like pain."

His Primordial Spirit returned to his physical body, steadied his breathing, and began to coordinate the Body Gods, regulating the circulation. With each inhalation and exhalation, he calmed everything down.

"These Three Corpse Worms, paired with the Greed, Anger, and Ignorance demon heads captured from the Dharma King's place, are just right to match the three inner and three outer, the Three Yin and Three Yang, to make a Six Soul Banner. I don't have suitable material for a banner, so it would be better to refine them into that three-layered Ten Thousand People Umbrella. It will fulfill their wishes, and when the time comes to absorb the resentment of the ten thousand people and convert it into the will of the ten thousand people, it can be considered turning evil into good."

Thus, he began to control the demon heads. Following the Longevity Sect scriptures from before, as well as the Yin Mountain Method and various other Outer Path methods he had observed in his past life, he sealed the escape routes of the three corpse demon worms one by one. Furthermore, the Tiangang Great Sage, leading the forty-nine heavenly beings transformed from the hungry ghosts who had already received conversion—seven to a group—formed the "Tiangang Big Dipper Demon-Subduing Array."

He trapped the three demons within the array.

After Xu Jia suppressed the chaos of the Three Corpses, he used the Golden Flood Dragon Sword to break open the Dharma Realm and traveled to Dexing, calling for Hu Jinhua to send over the Ten Thousand People Umbrella.

This umbrella had three layers, looking like three covers, with five-colored cloth strips hanging below, containing the will of the ten thousand people.

It was all the gratitude and thanks from the common people for Xu Jia slaying the Dharma King, governing the floods, and ensuring they did not have to suffer famine or wander.

Therefore, Xu Jia could use it as soon as he got it, only Xu Jia had previously felt that being too deeply bound to the local people of Dexing—the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment—meant he feared suffering a backlash later.

Now, by refining it with the three demons of Greed, Anger, and Ignorance, along with the three inner corpses, even if the people's will turned into the people's resentment, it would not affect Xu Jia himself, but would be borne by these six demon heads.

At the same time, the will of the ten thousand people, along with all thoughts of beautiful blessings, could be used to influence the demon heads; it was truly "usable for both good and evil."

Xu Jia chanted the incantation, intending to use the "Three Sovereigns Method" to refine this umbrella, corresponding to the Three Sovereigns of Heaven, Earth, and Man, also corresponding to the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, and even more so to the Three Treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

"Ziwei Dadi... follow the Dharma, follow the edict. Jijiru Luling. I receive the edict and command of the Great Luo High Immortal, Heavenly Sovereign Emperor."

"Southern Seven Stars, Earth Gate Six Dings, Six Jia Jade Maidens... act upon my command, Jijiru Luling, receive the edict."

"Nine Qi swirling, jade incantations follow... Jijiru Luling, receive the command."

Xu Jia recited the incantations in order, and personally placed cloth strips on the Three Sovereigns Ten Thousand People Umbrella, writing incantations on the cloth pieces.

"Three Sovereigns Ten Thousand People Umbrella!"

Seeing this umbrella sense the secret texts of the Three Sovereigns and obtain the wishes of the ten thousand people, it shone brilliantly within the Dharma Realm.

Xu Jia then flicked three pitch-black light orbs from his sleeve; they were precisely the Three Poisons of Greed, Hatred, and Delusion Heavenly Demons summoned by the Dharma King.

Once these Three Poisons Heavenly Demons entered the umbrella, they manifested forms, wanting to break through and escape.

But they were immediately washed away by the wishes of the ten thousand people, and at the same time, their true names and true titles were captured by the secret texts of the Three Sovereigns.

Seeing they could not escape and faced with these wishes, the three demon heads said: "We had long heard from the Dao Realm that this Daoist had some demonic nature, but we did not expect him to use us to refine such a treasure of wishes, a vessel of the Divine Path. I hear that the wishes of all living beings are the desires of all living beings; for those seeking wealth, if it is righteous wealth and righteous conduct, it is a wish, but if it is evil wealth and evil conduct, it is Greed."

"Since we three brothers cannot get out, why not manifest ourselves freely? As the saying goes, great treachery resembles loyalty, and great evil resembles goodness. If we also turn into something bright, great, and upright, wouldn't we be equally nourished by the Desire Thoughts of the Three Poisons of Greed, Hatred, and Delusion of all living beings?"

"Good! Big brother, you are still the smart one!"

These three demons then set up an illusion, weaving a paradise, turning these umbrella cloths into warp and weft. At every intersection, a commoner's wish or blessing was hung. They transformed themselves into three kind and amiable white-bearded old men, chanting of the true, the good, and the beautiful in the world, while hiding their inner nature of Greed, Anger, and Ignorance, practicing the Dao of "hypocrisy" to the extreme, making it difficult for ordinary people to see through.

In an instant, what had just been full of demonic Qi now shimmered with golden light.

Seeing this, Xu Jia sat cross-legged under the umbrella, his spirit sinking into his Inner Landscape.

He saw that the Three Corpse Demons, although suppressed by the Tiangang Great Sage with righteous Qi, were becoming increasingly fierce. It turned out they represented three types of "base desires": human oral desire, sexual desire, and emotional desire. Oral desire is the hope to be full and the hope to eat well; sexual desire is the instinct to procreate; emotional desire is the hope to be happy, the hope to be the only one honored, and the hope that everyone loves me and revolves around me.

Xu Jia could not avoid the common lot, and furthermore, these Three Corpse Insects had devoured the outer desires of hungry ghosts and ghost demons, having already transformed into "Inner Landscape Great Demons," which were different from Demon Gods.

Seeing Xu Jia's true self sinking his spirit, they immediately spoke insolently: "You splashy demon! You practice crooked paths! You perform ghostly tricks, and you still won't let us report you to the Heavenly Court!"

Xu Jia chuckled and said: "I am a Heavenly Master personally ordained by the venerable Lingbao Heavenly Venerable. If you want to report me to the Heavenly Court, then go ahead and report. Even if you want to go to the Underworld, no one will stop you!"

Having said this, Xu Jia dismissed the Tiangang Great Sage, Yu Yaosheng, and others, making a gesture of "please," letting these Three Corpse Insects do as they pleased.

The Three Corpse Insect demons snorted, immediately opening a portal from the Inner Landscape Heaven and Earth, intending to go to the Outer Heaven and Earth to resonate with the San Guan Da Di and the Five Directions Great Demons, so they could all descend and bring about demonic calamity.

But they saw the Three Sovereigns Ten Thousand People Umbrella emit light, which captured the Three Corpse Insect Demon Gods.

After a bout of spinning, they saw a magnificent and ornate palace. What they saw was brilliant with golden light, and at the highest point, three kind-faced old men sat cross-legged on a Lotus Platform.

The Three Corpse Insect spirits thought: This must be the San Guan Da Di we resonated with! So they bowed their heads and began to complain about Xu Jia...

And with the Three Corpse Insects no longer causing trouble, three portals appeared on Xu Jia's body: the Spirit Gate, the Essence Gate, and the Qi Gate, all of which had been drilled out by the Three Corpse Insects.

He immediately guarded the three gates, secretly aligning with the "Giant Gate Star" in the sky, merging the three gates into one to form the "Mysterious Female Gate."

The Tao Te Ching says: The Mysterious Female Gate is called the root of Heaven and Earth.

In Xu Jia's Inner Scene Blessed Land, although the Blessed Field was vast, it had never become a true Blessed Land because it lacked a Spirit Root of Heaven and Earth.

Now that this gate had condensed, it immediately merged with the umbilical cord of his Spirit Embryo, transforming into the ancestor root of Heaven and Earth, namely the "Ginseng Fruit Tree."

This fruit tree was lush and dripping with green; it needed the Five Elements to water it, and it also feared the Five Elements. The fruits it bore were all in the shape of innocent infants.

Such was the solemnity of the Blessed Land, with Longevity for ten thousand years.

And at the Three Sovereigns Ten Thousand People Umbrella, the three old demons began to coax Xu Jia's Three Corpse Insects, satisfying all their oral desires, sexual desires, and emotional desires, weaving them into a cocoon and causing them to be trapped by their own making.

(End of chapter)