Chapter 207: Fire Dwelling in the Deep Sea, Solar Flames Penetrating the Water

Clear the heart and settle the thoughts, without desire or contemplation—

For all cultivation, one must first stabilize the heart-qi; when heart-qi is stable, the spirit condenses; when the spirit condenses, the heart finds peace; when the heart is at peace, the qi rises; when the qi rises, the realm becomes empty; when the realm is empty, purity emerges; when pure, nothingness remains.

Upon reaching such a stage, it may be called the "Wondrous Observation of No Desire"!

And the "Jade Scripture of the Tianwangshen Sect" states:

"When the heart is penetrated, all methods are penetrated; when the heart is still, all methods are extinguished. Thus, any cultivator of the Dao must first cultivate the method of heart-stillness; once the method of stillness is attained, the Purple Palace is not far, the Golden Fluid is not distant, and the Immortal Dao comes into view!"

After cultivating the supreme Dao technique, the Sishan Duel Art, to the Medium Completion Realm.

Chen Heng's divine intent had grown robust enough to pierce through the veils of void illusion, locating the position of the Heavenly Gate amidst the indistinct darkness.

The realm of "Wondrous Observation of No Desire" was now firmly in hand; only the final push remained before achieving the Purple Palace Realm!

As his heart-qi fell silent, he condensed the Tortoise and Serpent within the Upper Mystery Acupoint and the Great Abyss Acupoint into a Jade Key, gently aligning it with the location of the Heavenly Gate.

In an instant.

The moment they touched.

Endless light surged forth before Chen Heng's eyes, rushing in all directions like a tidal wave scouring the infinite, washing away all clear forms until only undulating, radiant splendor remained!

The First Rotation—

After the Jade Key entered the Heavenly Gate, it slowly completed its first rotation.

Suddenly, a strange sound reached Chen Heng's ears.

It seemed to come from above his head, from beneath his feet, or perhaps from within his own internal organs.

At first, the noise was merely a few faint threads, barely perceptible, but soon it grew progressively clearer until it vibrated his eardrums until they felt swollen, moving with a vast, surging power.

Chen Heng focused his spirit and listened closely.

The strange sound resembled the music of "Secluded Spring Washing Jade"—swift yet not hurried, lingering yet not stagnant, naturally crisp, urging one awake from dreams...

However, this elegant sound did not last long.

Following the second rotation of the Jade Key.

The sound of "Secluded Spring Washing Jade" transformed into a ringing like a golden chime being shaken—profound and solemn, melodious and enduring, shaking the consciousness, subtly causing the five viscera and six bowels within his body to leap along with it, making his blood boil uncontrollably!

Only after the third rotation of the Jade Key.

Did all the sounds of bells and chimes vanish instantly.

After a long period of empty silence and cold, several breaths passed before a sorrowful sound like an "Autumn Cicada Dragging its Thread" began to rise.

Frosty dampness pierced deeply into the bones, pressing over skin and flesh, chilling the very heart...

"Secluded Spring Washing Jade, Golden Chime Shaking, Autumn Cicada Dragging its Thread... the Three Wondrous Sounds have appeared; this means the cultivation of the Purple Palace is complete."

Chen Heng's heart trembled at this moment, and he could not help but sigh with emotion.

As recorded in the "Jade Scripture of the Tianwangshen Sect":

When the Purple Palace is on the verge of opening, natural sounds arise in the ears, like reeds in music, faintly like thunder beginning to stir, vastly like a tide about to arrive; together these are called the Three Wondrous Sounds.

First is Secluded Spring Washing Jade, second is Golden Chime Shaking, third is Autumn Cicada Dragging its Thread.

At this moment.

With the manifestation of the Three Wondrous Sounds complete, the Heavenly Gate burst open with a roar, revealing the boundless depth and darkness within; seeing this, Chen Heng hesitated no longer, condensing his divine intent into a single strand and fiercely crashing it inward!

Only a "Crack!" was heard.

A clear sound like shattering jade!

Chen Heng's mind plummeted violently, as if falling into abyssal waters, sinking continuously downward.

Yet simultaneously, he seemed to be lifted by an invisible force, floating constantly upward, rising all the way as if to reach the utmost height of the celestial dome before ceasing!

Falling downward yet rising upward, this sensation was exceedingly bizarre and manifold, unbearable to endure, throwing the consciousness into chaos.

But Chen Heng held his mind firmly steady, unmoved by it all.

Unknown amounts of time passed.

Suddenly, a thunderous crash rang out in his ears; by now, he had arrived in an indescribable Mo Sheng Di Zhi Jie, his body suspended within it.

Looking around.

Mystical qi rolled forth in all directions, forming layers of heavy clouds, while spiritual splendor lingered and fine mist flew in radiant illumination.

In this domain of roughly a hundred square zhang, there were no sun, moon, or stars above; below, no birds, beasts, fish, or insects bred, and even mountains, hills, grass, and trees were entirely absent.

Only a deep Purple Sea slowly rippled beneath these cloudy mists, filling this hundred-square-zhang domain, its wave sounds gentle...

Occasionally, when the waves churned and rolled, they stirred up myriad sprays like jade dust, blurring the sky, truly beautiful to behold.

And beneath this deep Purple Sea, one could clearly see a cluster of Xiong Xiong golden flames, several zhang high, shaped like a chicken egg.

Although located beneath a thousand fathoms of deep sea.

Nothing could conceal the majestic radiance of that cluster of golden flames!

It behaved like a living creature, breathing in and out, inhaling and exhaling qi mechanisms.

When exhaling.

The fire qi surged greatly, the flame light roared upward, leaping straight up until it scorched this entire thousand-fathom deep sea into brilliant splendor, possessing a magnificent momentum that seemed to burn the heavens!

For a time.

Purple and gold interwove, the two colors flowing and turning, truly magnificent beyond measure and extraordinarily grand!

Yet when inhaling, the golden flames concealed all strange sights completely, revealing not a trace.

It was merely a cluster of flames swaying in silence, yet even through the deep purple water, one could catch a glimpse of the golden flame's form, extremely clear.

"Fire dwelling in the deep sea, solar flames penetrating the water... taking the 'Jade Scripture of the Tianwangshen Sect' as the fundamental technique, it has indeed produced this supreme Purple Palace strange phenomenon."

Watching the golden flames in the sea, Chen Heng could not help but smile.

Just like the nine stages and Thirty-Six Grades of Foundation Establishment true qi.

The rank of the Purple Mansion naturally also has distinctions of high and low.

And this sight of "fire dwelling in the deep sea, yang flames penetrating water."

Was undoubtedly the stream of supreme extraordinary phenomena recorded in the classics, worthy of being called a peerless achievement!

At this moment.

Chen Heng withdrew his gaze, letting his eyes fall back upon himself.

He saw that he was currently merely a cluster of swirling points of light, possessing no hands, feet, torso, or other limbs, suspended in mid-air, drifting aimlessly.

"Is this my primordial spirit?"

Chen Heng carefully experienced this transformation.

After a long while.

He could not help but let out a soft sigh, his voice filled with much emotion.

First Stage of the Purple Mansion—Ten Thousand Wonders Return to the Root!

Up until today, he had finally achieved such a realm.

After cultivating the Purple Mansion, Chen Heng had not only become a true Xian Dao Gao Gong, but his person had also gained many mysterious transformations.

Such as leaving the body to roam, dividing the spirit to transform thoughts, and lodging one's form within objects, among others.

These methods, which in the eyes of worldly mortals appeared exactly like ghosts and specters, he could now perform at will, picking them up as easily as breathing.

And what was more important.

After cultivating the Purple Mansion, one had located the position of one's own primordial spirit.

In the future, if one encountered a powerful enemy one could not deal with, and one's physical body was ruined, becoming unusable.

As long as the primordial spirit still remained, there would still be a chance for reincarnation or seizing a body; it would not be a true and complete defeat, but a tiny sliver of hope would remain.

However, although the Daoist classics spoke in this manner, Chen Heng also knew.

Reincarnation of the primordial spirit would inevitably result in ignorance of the previous life; whether one would have the opportunity to enter the path of cultivation again in the future was unknown.

In these Nine Provinces and Four Seas, countless primordial spirits reincarnate every day, yet without the protection of great supernatural powers or mighty individuals, nine out of ten of those primordial spirits remain chaotic and ignorant in the worldly dust; even if they waste an entire lifetime, they may never have the opportunity to realize their past lives and re-enter the immortal gates...

As for seizing a body, there is yet another issue of discord between body and soul.

Even if one barely suppresses it, it ultimately hinders the Dao path; it is better to simply reincarnate, making it truly the worst option...

The so-called reincarnation and seizing a body are merely adding a backup path; one must not overly rely on them as a crutch.

But speaking to the point, since Chen Heng came to this Xudu Xudu Tianyu after death and occupied this body, it is actually no different from reincarnation or seizing a body; one could even say they originate from the same source.

Yet since he began cultivating, he has only felt that his body and soul are in perfect harmony, as if they originally came from the same source, so naturally there is no rejection or obstruction.

This point.

Strangely made him marvel in his heart, filled with much confusion.

Before Chen Heng could ponder further, his heart suddenly gave a thud, and an extremely dangerous sensation abruptly arose.

Immediately, in his physical body in the present world, he heard the rumbling of thunder and saw dense clouds filling the sky.

"Lesser Pure Yang Lightning? In the end, I cannot avoid this tribulation."

Chen Heng did not rush to withdraw his divine intent from his own Purple Mansion.

According to the words of the Dun Dun Jiesuo.

When at a low realm, the Lesser Pure Yang Lightning would not reveal too great a power; this was also Chen Chen Yushu's intention, not to strangle the seedling prematurely, lest it ruin the great matter of eliminating tribulations and escaping disasters in the future.

Only when one reaches the Cave-Mystic Realm will the killing power of the Lesser Pure Yang Lightning leap forward by leaps and bounds, incomparable to the degree of tribulation punishment before, almost what one could call an earth-shattering transformation!

With the Yin-Yin Shi Hong Shui and Primordial Great Sun Divine Light of the Medium Completion Realm, plus his full body of true qi, Chen Heng was confident he could endure this Purple Mansion lightning tribulation.

And the reason he was struck nearly to death by the Foundation Establishment lightning tribulation while in the Earth Abyss, left ragged and with broken limbs.

Was because during his battle against Brother Lady Yue You, his spell-casting had exhausted all his true qi, leaving not a drop remaining, and his physical body had been severely injured by Brother Lady Yue You, his blood and vitality halved.

Facing the heavenly punishment of the Lesser Pure Yang Lightning with such an injured and crippled body, naturally, he could not expect a good outcome.

But right now.

Chen Heng's spirit and qi were complete, without the slightest injury, and furthermore, his methods were far richer than when he had first achieved Foundation Establishment.

Therefore, regarding this Lesser Pure Yang Lightning that had not yet revealed its power, he only treated it with caution, feeling little fear in his heart...

He withdrew his divine intent.

In the present world, Chen Heng slowly rose, putting away his meditation cushion.

He cast his gaze outward.

At this time, the originally clear sky was now covered by countless dense clouds, dim and dark, with electric snakes and Lei Mang weaving through them, flickering unpredictably, their momentum truly awe-inspiring.

"Every time one breaks through a realm, tribulation punishment descends; this is quite bizarre. Does my refinement of Daoist power actually assist Chen Chen Yushu in eliminating disasters?"

Chen Heng's gaze was extremely cold, and suddenly a thought arose in his heart:

"This time, because my cultivation is weak, I can only passively separate tribulations for Chen Chen Yushu, but if one day my cultivation surpasses his, or reaches a point where I am equal to Chen Chen Yushu, can he still casually impose tribulations upon my body?

The so-called branches and trunk growing together, cause and effect intertwined; when reaching such a realm, if the branch is to suppress the trunk, might Chen Chen Yushu's entire Daoist power also..."

And this thought vanished in an instant.

Chen Heng quickly reined in his mind and raised his vigilance.

The sky was now a patch of deep black, like ink ready to drip.

Very soon.

After a few breaths, accompanied by a rumbling roar, a golden thunderbolt pierced through the cloud layer and crashed down with a boom!

Lesser Pure Yang Lightning!

The first bolt!

……

A booming sound erupted, echoing through the myriad mountains.

It shook countless forest birds into chaotic flight, a black, swirling mass in disarray.

And the magnificent, resounding clamor of this Lei Zhi Jie naturally startled quite a few people.

When Jiang Jiang Daolian rode the wind and drove the clouds to arrive at that small hilltop, many inner disciples had already gathered nearby, observing from afar and whispering among themselves.

"Lesser Pure Yang Lightning—has he already reached the Purple Mansion? So fast?"

Her beautiful eyes glanced over, catching sight of the Innate Great Sun Divine Light colliding with the Lei Jin Guang several times before both mutually annihilated; a slight surprise arose in her heart, followed immediately by joy spreading across her brows and eyes.

Due to the golden paper dharma contract they had signed, Jiang Jiang Daolian and Chen Heng could barely be considered people on the same boat.

At such a time.

The stronger Chen Heng's cultivation became and the faster his progress, the better it was for her!

Meanwhile, in the clouds to the west, Xie Yu, whose figure was shrouded in a cluster of yellow light, also felt a slight surprise upon seeing this situation.

However, no joy appeared on his face; instead, his killing intent deepened.

After the news arrived that Xie Xie Yingyuan had made his move at Mount Shouyang Mountain, he knew the situation could no longer be eased and could only proceed along this path.

At that time, he had already conceived the thought of removing this hidden danger.

And Chen Heng's performance at Bai Shi Peak and the Hushang Dharma Assembly, along with that title of "Victor in Dharma Combat" personally praised by Huo Mi, only made Xie Yu's killing heart burn even more fiercely!

"Lesser Pure Yang Lightning, the seventh bolt has come... Pity that I hear the killing power of this Purple Mansion Lei Zhi Jie is not obvious; with this youth's capabilities, passing through should not be difficult."

Xie Yu sighed inwardly, feeling quite regretful:

"If he were to die beneath the Lei Zhi Jie, it would save everyone a great deal of trouble!"

At this moment.

Accompanied by a violent muffled boom like a drum beating against the sky.

A flash of thunderous lightning struck down from the heavens in an instant, blasting straight toward the crown of Chen Heng's head!

Lesser Pure Yang Lightning!

The eighth bolt!

Facing this heavenly punishment, Chen Heng did not panic; he urged his will, and the "Purple Mist Precious Robe" on his body immediately surged with a vast mist of light, brilliant as colorful clouds, flowing and drifting, extremely dazzling to the eye.

When the mist of light met the Lesser Pure Yang Lightning, although it trembled violently, it ultimately blocked the strike without leaking even a fraction.

Previously, during his Foundation Establishment, handling this high-grade talismanic item, the "Purple Mist Precious Robe," had been beyond his strength.

But now, having formed the Purple Mansion and with his True Qi increased, he could finally barely activate it once.

"The eighth bolt of Lesser Pure Yang Lightning; only the final one remains..."

At this time.

Chen Heng turned his gaze inward to inspect himself; the True Qi on his person was already running low, and much of the newly refined Yin-Yin Shi Hong Shui had also been consumed.

And in the heavens.

The sound of thunder exploded again, tremendous and vigorous, shaking until human eardrums ached!

"With such power, it seems there is no need to reveal the Tai Su Yu Shen, this hidden trump card, before the crowd; this is an unexpected joy..."

He raised his head to gaze at the sky, chuckled lightly in his heart, then urged his True Qi with full force and pointed a finger!

The remaining Yin-Yin Shi Hong Shui immediately converged into a filthy river of blood, vicious and ferocious, surging with a momentum that cut across the azure sky to strike fiercely at the heavens first!

Yin energy sharp and clear, blood light blinding—

As if the Netherworld Hell had split open a crack, spewing forth filthy red water into the present world!

And the Golden Light Great Thunder also struck down at precisely the right moment, shaking through layer upon layer of vast sky to crash down upon his head!

The river of blood and the thunder collided, instantly emitting a deafening sound like splitting mountains and cracking stone, bursting forth with countless sparks of electricity and red smoke that surged wildly!

For a moment, it actually obscured fully half of the mountain peak, making it impossible for people to see the true objects clearly!

"This is..."

The watching disciples, upon seeing this scene, had just begun to feel some alarm and their discussions had barely started.

When suddenly, from within the red smoke and electric sparks.

A clear, long laugh abruptly rang out!

Turning their eyes, they saw all the misty haze and thunder suddenly split in two by an invisible force; a Daoist in white robes stood suspended in the void, his large sleeves fluttering, dancing wildly in a manner of indescribable carefree freedom.

And at this moment, misty light coiled around Chen Heng's side, Lei Mang flashed, and combined with his scarlet crimson eyes and handsome, cold countenance.

It made people unable to distinguish.

Whether this person was an exiled immortal from beyond the world, or a ghostly Asura dwelling in the depths of the Netherworld...

Chen Heng swept his gaze across the crowd, paused for a moment on Xie Yu, then slightly cupped his hands before soaring away and vanishing from the spot.

"... If this person is not killed, he will surely become a great calamity in the future!"

Xie Yu's heart turned cold.

……

……

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

After Chen Heng landed his escaping light at Lingyin Peak and returned to his cave dwelling.

His eyes suddenly darkened, and the Shen Qing Ning Zhong on his face deepened considerably.

"Formless Lie Sword Cave..."

After a long while.

He slowly raised his hand to stroke his brow center, a shock arising in his heart:

"When did this thing take up residence within my body?"

(End of Chapter)