Chapter 625: Snow Mountain Cultivation, Each Has Their Own Path

Those bound by rules can never break through.

Sha Lifei had roamed the rivers and lakes since childhood, enduring the coldness of human relations; he sometimes stole advantages and cheated for petty gains, but these were habits forged over years.

At the bottom of the rivers and lakes, kindness only invites bullying.

Since traveling with Li Yan and the others, Sha Lifei had mellowed considerably and gradually adapted, yet he remained an outsider to the Daoist sects.

Precisely because of this, he had no concept of it.

Perhaps due to his recent contact with the Qingcheng Sect, the moment he saw this phrase, Sha Lifei immediately thought of Cheng Jianxian's astonishing sword strike amid the mortal world.

He had seen the sword—it was just an ordinary iron blade.

Cheng Jianxian was nearly spent, unable to wield powerful techniques anymore, yet that single sword strike still shattered Lu Sheng's dreams.

He had asked about it; they called it sword intent.

So when he read the description by the Emei elder in the *Meishan Firearm Method Compilation*, Sha Lifei conceived an idea:

Why not train the gun as if it were a sword?

Volume One of the *Meishan Firearm Method Compilation*, in the section on firearm forms, mentioned a new method of refining firearms:

Use saltpeter and sulfur as the bones, cinnabar as the soul; transform lead and mercury to dispel malevolence, and thunder talismans as the trigger. When forging guns or cannons, carve the Twenty-Eight Mansions into the barrel, engrave yin fire-repelling patterns on the base, and carve yang exorcism inscriptions on the muzzle—then the fire erupts like a dragon's roar, and the projectile flies like a falling star.

Though merely a hypothesis, it pointed clearly toward a path.

Refine firearms as if they were talismans.

Nourish the gun with your blood and spirit; let the weapon awaken to sentience—perhaps reaching an entirely new realm: man and gun as one, invincible in power.

Of course, Sha Lifei told no one.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

Cultivating techniques is inherently dangerous; countless practitioners suffer injuries and backlash, let alone forging one's own path.

Neither Li Yan nor Wang Daoxuan would approve.

Yet Sha Lifei still resolved to do it.

Life is too short; he did not wish to carry regrets.

Calming his thoughts, Sha Lifei carefully put away the *Meishan Firearm Method Compilation*, tightened the White Bodhisattva bead string, and chanted the incantation to open the altar.

He had seen Wang Daoxuan open altars many times and knew the procedures well, but this was his first time performing it himself.

He spat the misting water, stepped the Gang steps, and made mistake after mistake.

Finally, the altar opened; with the single thread of Gang sha energy he summoned, Sha Lifei entered the spirit-presence space.

To build a tower, one must first preserve the spirit.

After days of effort, he had already succeeded.

Before him stood a hazy, shadowy figure: wearing a conical hat, draped in a straw cape, with a gun's shadow behind its back.

The form of the preserved spirit usually requires a model.

Disciples of major Daoist sects visualize deities or ancestors, following fixed procedures with zero deviation.

But those on the wild path must rely on luck.

Aside from Li Yan, whose vision was influenced by the Great Luo Body, everyone else's visualized deity reflected their subconscious.

The straw cape and hat symbolized the wind and frost of the rivers and lakes.

The blurred face indicated his path of spirit-presence was still undefined.

The gun behind him foretold his cultivation path.

Sha Lifei did not know that others, when preserving the spirit, typically formed a shape first—they could not directly manifest a talisman.

Even Li Yan only acquired the Soul-Grabbing Chain later…

…………

The cold wind howled, snow swirling in furious gusts.

Lu San, wrapped in a bear-pelt cloak, crouched in a wind-sheltered spot; the white fox, the falcon, and the two rats all huddled in his arms.

Wu Ba, with the simplest mind, was already snoring soundly.

He never thought much—he simply followed the group, ate and drank when fed, and let Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan handle everything; he only needed to act.

Wang Daoxuan, however, gazed anxiously across the way.

The cave entrance had been sealed, yet even so, his Yin-Yang Qi Vision could still detect repeated waves of malevolent energy gathering.

"Master, don't worry."

Lu San muttered, "Old Sha has great fortune—he'll succeed."

"Yes, he will succeed."

Wang Daoxuan nodded slightly, gazing into the distance.

Li Yan had many things to manage; Lu San and Sha Lifei assisted, while he, as the eldest in the group, was primarily responsible for holding the rear.

At his age, he saw things clearly.

Among the group, he worried most about Sha Lifei.

Li Yan, Lu San, even Wu Ba—all possessed astonishing talent; what seemed simple to them might be an insurmountable chasm for others.

This was Sha Lifei's inner torment—he constantly feared dragging the others down.

For him, the real difficulty was not building the tower.

It was crossing this psychological barrier!

Unconsciously, dawn began to break.

Finally, a sound came from the distant cave.

A thunderous crash.

The piled stones at the entrance were violently overturned.

Seeing Old Sha sprint out, beaming with excitement, Wang Daoxuan finally smiled; Lu San, who had not slept all night, mumbled something and slipped into sleep.

After Sha Lifei's success, Wang Daoxuan began his own cultivation.

The divine Gang he had received from Li Yan was stored in a talisman tablet purchased from Qingcheng; unlike the Soul-Scroll, its potent energy constantly made his heart tremble.

Fortunately, Li Yan had already shared his experience.

Wang Daoxuan's *Five Heads Divine Incantation* also contained detailed methods, so he effortlessly integrated the divine Gang into his spirit-presence.

His preserved spirit was simple: an old Daoist, no different from temple statues, except that his left hand held a small arrow and his right gripped a straw effigy.

Yes, Wang Daoxuan had his own secret.

His incantation talent was exceptional; the Seven-Arrow Secret Incantation had coalesced into a divine talisman, indicating the art had reached profound heights.

Wang Daoxuan likewise refused to speak of it.

After all, he had always been deeply ashamed of it.

His aspiration was to be a virtuous Daoist who wards off calamities and prays for blessings—not one who kills at every turn.

After absorbing the divine Gang, as he practiced the incantation, a swirling white mist gradually formed on the statue's chest.

This was his divine power.

Consuming this energy enhanced the potency of his techniques.

The longer he cultivated, the more times and the longer duration the enhancement lasted.

When Wang Daoxuan pushed open the stone mill and emerged, it was already evening.

"Has Young Master Li not come out yet?"

He glanced around and frowned slightly.

"Don't worry."

Lu San reassured him, "I can hear his heartbeat—still steady, though a bit faster just now. He should be finishing soon."

"Good."

Wang Daoxuan exhaled in relief, warmed himself by the fire, took the meat soup Lu San had simmered, and ate it with the warmed flatbread to fill his stomach.

Yet as dusk deepened, Li Yan still had not emerged.

The white-haired woman glanced anxiously toward the cave entrance. "Today is the fifteenth—Sister Long will send word. Stay here, I'll go check on her."

Wang Daoxuan understood, and looked to Sha Lifei beside him. "Old Sha, go with her—better to have someone watch over her."

"Alright."

Sha Lifei nodded, agreeing readily.

He knew what Wang Daoxuan was thinking: he feared going to see Long Yan himself, too embarrassed to face her if Li Yan hadn't yet emerged.

But honestly, he wasn't worried at all.

For Li Yan, he had blind faith.

Soon, the two vanished into the snow-laden darkness…

…………

Lu San was right—Li Yan was unharmed.

He had merely encountered a minor disturbance.

As he absorbed the spiritual resonance from the Xiwangmu shrine, inexplicably, threads of incense energy gathered from the void.

Silent, invisible, ignoring spatial distance.

Above, the mountain-like statue of Xiwangmu changed—as if awakening, its stone eyes rolled downward.

Li Yan had paid it no mind; this small amount of incense energy could easily be swept aside by Gang sha energy.

Yet the situation shifted.

These incense energies swiftly merged into his spirit-presence space.

In an instant, the Sea of Yin Souls roared, Luo Feng Mountain trembled, the sky turned blood-red, as if countless souls were locked in battle…

The damage was minor, but the commotion was immense.

Li Yan immediately understood what it was.

Tian Li Wu Can!

In ancient times, the Queen Mother of the West was a fearsome deity, in charge of "Tian Li Wu Can" and the "Elixir of Immortality."

"Tian Li Wu Can" refers to five ancient calamities feared by early mortals: plague, war, famine, flood, and earthquake.

When its incense power mixed into the Divine Storage Space, aided by the slightest bit of Gangsha energy, it transformed into five strange energies—extremely stubborn.

Li Yan spent half a day to completely purge them.

Why does this feel like Yao Sheng energy?

He was all too familiar with this sensation.

A thought surfaced in Li Yan's mind: could someone be using the ancient worship of the Queen Mother of the West to gather Yao Sheng Qi?

The more he thought, the more plausible it seemed.

But he didn't know what method the other party was using.

Of course, there was no time to dwell on it now.

After clearing all the strange energies, the divine palaces of the Eight Inner Altar Generals began to coalesce again, and within them appeared shadowy figures.

The first was a yellow-turbaned ghost-faced figure, clad in black robe and silver armor, with a golden belt and crimson hair, barefoot and wielding a sword, a golden eagle perched on his arm, radiating fierce malevolence.

This one is Wei Yuan Shuai, the Flying Hawk Official of Fengdu, stationed in the North Palace, tasked with patrolling the Nine Nether Realms and recording life and death…

Soon, the second figure took form.

A humanoid demon with a full beard, a yellow headwrap, black robe, iron armor, white trousers, and yellow leather boots, holding a short-handled golden hammer.

This one is Meng Yuan Shuai, the Mighty Heavenly Enforcer of Fengdu, strongest in physical power among the Eight Generals, specializing in execution…

Compared to the Eight Outer Altar Generals, the Eight Inner Altar Generals were far stronger and possessed unique abilities.

Releasing hawks, releasing hounds, divine speed, divine strength, suppressing evil…

This was also the second transformation of Li Yan's Fengdu Art.

If summoned individually, these yin generals could attach themselves to straw effigies and manifest their unique abilities.

As the Eight Outer and Eight Inner Altar Generals fully formed, Luo Feng Mountain became even more elaborate: four central divine palaces, flanked by a Gan Si Lian Wan Tian Palace, surrounded by sixteen yin general palaces—eight inner and eight outer.

Yinyuezhijian ， Yiyouledifuchuxing …

…………

On the other side, Sha Li Fei and the other two had reached the Yin-Yang Realm.

At night, the Yin-Yang Realm grew even more eerie; all was pitch-black, with howling winds and blizzards slamming into their faces.

Sha Li Fei tiptoed and stared for a long time before finally asking: "When exactly?"

The Bai family woman replied: "Zi Shi."

"Zi Shi?"

Sha Li Fei pulled out his pocket watch, lit it with a firestarter, and his face darkened: "Zi Shi has already passed—something must have gone wrong."

The Bai family woman also grew flustered: "I'm not sure—should we wait a little longer? Maybe Sister Long hasn't awakened yet…"

"No time to wait."

Sha Li Fei knew well that saving a life was like putting out a fire; he said grimly: "Go back and summon help—Lu San's pet might be able to enter."

"I'll go ahead first, see where we can descend."

"Alright."

The Bai family woman seemed to find her resolve and turned to run.

Sha Li Fei, meanwhile, took a torch from his satchel, lit it, and trudged through snow up to his knees, step by step toward the cliff.

He was already an Anjin master, agile in movement; now as a sorcerer, his bodily senses were extraordinary, allowing him to easily avoid dangerous zones.

Not long after, he reached the cliff's edge.

Holding the torch downward, he saw howling black winds and snow swirling upward—no sound at all.

"Damn fool, never gives me peace…"

Sha Li Fei muttered, then wandered around until he spotted a thick hemp rope tied to a rock, hanging down the cliff.

He gritted his teeth and began climbing down the rope.

The cliff face was coated with ice, slick and treacherous; even with his skill, he moved cautiously, spine taut.

The mountain wind howled, as if ready to tear him loose at any moment.

Sha Li Fei gripped the icy hemp rope, inching slowly downward.

Finally, he reached the gnarled pine jutting from the cliff.

Upon closer inspection, Sha Li Fei fell silent.

The pine's hollow trunk was sealed with ice, inside which countless glowing lights flickered and danced.

The hollow had frozen shut.

Clang!

Without hesitation, Sha Li Fei drew his Guanshan Dao, spun it in a flourish, then slammed his wrist forward.

With a crack, the frozen ice shattered.

The frozen ice shattered.

Hum!

A swarm of insects burst forth.

Sha Li Fei felt a flash of light before his eyes, dazzled, as the insects swarmed his face.

These were Glow-Worm Curses; beautiful from afar, but each one hideous—like winged lice.

They landed on his face and began biting.

"Long! It's me!"

Sha Li Fei flailed his arms while shouting.

Luckily, his lower body was solid—he clamped his legs tightly around the pine tree and didn't fall.

Strange thing: the moment he shouted, the insect curses ceased their attack and instead fluttered and circled in the night air.

Sometimes forming a Taiji, sometimes a Bagua…

The sky filled with dancing fireflies, a magnificent spectacle.

If Li Yan were here, he'd find it vaguely familiar—like a drone show from his past life, though far cruder.

Sha Li Fei had never seen such a sight—he was instantly entranced.

His eyes grew hazy, his legs weakened.

These insect curses could cast illusions through light.

Inside the cave, snow that never melted had hardened into blue-green ice crystals, cold as knives; at the center sat a figure in white robes, snow-white—Long Yan'er.

She was awake. Months of fasting had left her emaciated, her face pale, yet her eyes brighter than ever.

Hearing Sha LiFei's shout, she frowned slightly.

Hearing Sha Li Fei's shout, she frowned slightly.

After surviving death, she had reconstituted her Life Curse, but her cultivation was still weak, her arts newly restored—she had unintentionally ensnared Sha Li Fei.

The insects outside were called "Frost Moths"; beautiful in appearance, but both their light and wing scales induced illusions.

Sensing Sha Li Fei was cursed, Long Yan'er shook her head slightly, extended her palm—and a strange insect emerged, resembling the earlier "Qin She" demon insect.

This life-essence Gu vibrated with a sound like plucking a zither, capable of casting spells; those who heard it fell into illusions.

This Life Curse vibrated like a zither's strings, capable of casting spells—anyone who heard it fell into illusion.

Long Yan'er had always been skilled in the secret arts of the Curse Sect.

Though her cultivation had dropped to the Second Floor after reconstituting her Life Curse, with the power of the Qin Insect, her curse arts had reached a new realm…

【184】 (End of Chapter)