Chapter 27: Sub-Monarch of the Three Realms, Chief Steward of the Primordial Caverns

The path of cultivation—

Is nothing more than these sixteen words: refining essence into Qi, refining Qi into spirit, refining spirit into void, and refining void to merge with the Dao.

Within Xudu Xudu Tianyu,

It is further subdivided into Embryonic Breathing, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Purple Palace, Cavern Profound, Jin Dan, Primordial Spirit, Returning Void, Pure Yang, Merging with the Dao... until one's Mei Mei Gongxing is complete, and one sheds the mortal coil to ascend as an immortal.

The Great Thousand World contains countless heavens, as numerous as grains of dust, beyond counting.

Although different Xiu Xing Fa exist in other Xudu Xudu Tianyu, with ten thousand paths shining together, as long as they fall within the category of Immortal Dao methods, they largely cannot escape the standard of these sixteen words.

Taking Xudu Xudu Tianyu as an example, those at Qi Refining may be called Feathered Scholars, those at Purple Palace may be called Gao Gong, those at Cavern Profound may be called Refinement Masters, those at Jin Dan or Primordial Spirit may be called True Persons, and those at Returning Void or Pure Yang may be called Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun.

As for Merging with the Dao—

This great realm, only one step away from shedding the mortal coil and verifying immortality, has also been reverently bestowed the title of "Dao Lord" by the myriad immortals of ancient times.

A Dao Lord is one who merges truly with the Dao, their form and substance both wondrous.

They wear the round sky as a hat and tread the square earth as shoes; their crown and sash bind the nine qi, forming their garments; the sun becomes their round image, the moon their round halo; they drape the Northern Dipper over their bodies, adorned with the Six Jia and Nine Chapters.

They hold the orthodox mandate of the Profound Tribulation, Ling Ling Shouming; ranking only below the Ten Thousand Immortals, they serve as the Sub-Monarch of the Three Realms and the Chief Steward of the Primordial Caverns!

Cultivators of this realm often possess unimaginable powers; capturing the sun and moon or swapping celestial stars are mere trifles, while bringing the dead back to life or causing others to reincarnate is no more than the activation of a single talismanic decree.

If a Dao Lord of the Profound Gate acts with benevolence, they can knot three whites and seven treasures in the void, even opening up worlds, differentiating the three yuan qi of heaven, earth, and water, generating human relations within them, and nurturing all living things.

Conversely, if a Dao Lord of the Demonic Gate acts with evil, they are sufficient to cause cruel punishments to fall, disturbing the ten thousand paths until they are shattered and unrest prevails, causing them to be worshipped and revered by the evil gods and fiendish ghosts of the various heavens as the "Great Demon King of the Central Heaven."

The so-called Dao Lord already possesses an immortal body and immortal fate; it is merely that their kung fu is insufficient, and they have not yet plucked the fruit of immortality into their being, thus unable to ascend.

As for the Bapailiu Sect that rules Xudu Xudu Tianyu, naturally every single one possesses a Dao Lord residing in the world, numbering at least one, or even as many as two or four.

During this period, Chen Heng has read through quite a few Daoist scriptures, but due to the scarcity of classics, he remains ignorant and bewildered regarding certain secret lore and critical junctures.

Such as this Dao Lord Shenwu Shenwu Shuhua, and also, Tai Shi Yuan Zhen...

"Dao Lord? Shenwu Shenwu Shuhua..."

Hearing Chen Heng's question, Tu Shan Ge frowned in astonishment.

After a moment, he suddenly clapped his hands, and his brows instantly smoothed out.

"I remember! I remember! She is the Dao Lord of the Zhongtian Dou Shu Sect; my former master once accompanied elders of the Chiming Sect to visit the Zhongtian Dou Shu Sect and presented congratulatory gifts to this female Dao Lord!"

The more Tu Shan Ge spoke, the more excited he became, his entire face glowing with a rainbow light:

"At that time, Dao Lord Shenwu Shenwu Shuhua breached a Zen Pure Land beyond the heavens, killed the Abbot Venerable who ruled that Pure Land, captured two million Kong Que monk-soldiers, dragged them all back to Xudu Xudu Tianyu, and presented the captives before the mountain gate of the Zhongtian Dou Shu Sect!"

"Pure Land? Abbot Venerable?"

"That is another Xudu Xudu Tianyu, a great world just like Xudu Xudu Tianyu; after my former master returned, he boasted about it several times; because it was so magnificent and grand, I have remembered it until now!"

Tu Shan Ge set down the tea in his cup, which had already begun to cool, his spirit shining brightly, and said:

"That Xudu Xudu Tianyu is named Wu Liuli Tian; unlike Xudu Xudu Tianyu, it is under the rule of great Buddhist powers, covered everywhere with Zen schools and Pure Lands. Because of spreading the Dao, the Zhongtian Dou Shu Sect fell into disputes with several temples in Wu Liuli Tian; both sides fought separately beyond the heavens for several hundred years, each gaining victories and suffering defeats, with countless Dao soldiers and monk-soldiers dying. Later, several true disciples of the Zhongtian Dou Shu Sect were tortured and killed, stirring up a great storm, which even caused Dao Lord Shenwu Shenwu Shuhua to make her move..."

He paused, then continued:

"This Dao Lord sacrificed and refined her immortal weapon; with her full power, she broke the protective mountain Womb Realm of the Great Kong Que King Temple in a single exchange, then used Lei Ting means to kill the Abbot Venerable of the Great Kong Que King Temple, swept away countless classics, and abducted two million Kong Que monk-soldiers..."

"Wu Liuli Tian was enraged by this, even disturbing a great power who had verified the Bodhisattva fruit, causing Him to break out of seclusion to seek revenge and wipe away shame, but in the end, several Dao Lords from Xudu Xudu Tianyu appeared and frightened that Bodhisattva away."

Tu Shan Ge smacked his lips, still craving more.

When he first heard this news back then, he was so excited he didn't close his eyes for several consecutive days.

Millions of troops, blood flowing and corpses lying piled, heavenly dragons chanting Zen, galaxy celebratory clouds.

Even in his dreams, Tu Shan Ge dreamed he had become a Great Heavenly Demon, participating in that battle, crushing a Vajra Warrior with a single claw.

"Wu Liuli Tian... a struggle between two Xudu Xudu Tianyu?"

Chen Heng's heart also raced with excitement; he slowly lifted his tea cup and took a few sips before calming his mind and gathering his thoughts.

Could the Bapailiu Sect be so illustrious?

Not only do they reign as ancestors in Xudu Xudu Tianyu, but their fame even spreads to other Xudu Xudu Tianyu...

At this moment, Chen Heng's desire to Bairuda Sect rose yet another level.

Superior classics, superior Fan Fan Dongtian, superior great momentum.

If one could cultivate within the Bapailiu Sect, it would be as if one eye had already glimpsed the gate of longevity.

"However, the Zhongtian Dou Shu Sect is not in Dong Liu Huan Zhou; rather, like the Jiuzhen Sect, their mountain gates are both in Dong Liu Huan Zhou... If my former master had not attended the ceremony for the Zhongtian Dou Shu Sect's presentation of captives, I would have had no chance to learn the honorific title of a giant like Dao Lord Shenwu Shenwu Shuhua."

At this point, Tu Shan Ge asked curiously, "Master, where did you hear this?"

"And what of 'Tai Shi Yuan Zhen'?"

Chen Heng avoided answering directly and instead asked, "Have you ever heard of a true qi called 'Tai Shi Yuan Zhen'? What is its rank among the Thirty-Six Grades of true qi across the nine stages?"

"Tai Shi Yuan Zhen?"

This time, even though Tu Shan Ge nearly racked his brains until they burst, he could not figure out even a shred of information, lacking even the slightest clue.

"I once encountered information regarding a Qi Refining technique named the 'Sutra of Tai Shi Yuan Zhen Spoken by Dao Lord Shenwu Shenwu Shuhua'."

Chen Heng smiled and said, "I felt puzzled in my heart, so I came to ask you."

"I see; although I have never heard of a true qi called 'Tai Shi Yuan Zhen', guessing its grade should not be difficult!"

Tu Shan Ge reasoned aloud:

"Since it is a Qi Refining technique, and it was personally annotated and expounded upon by Dao Lord Shenwu Shenwu Shuhua... then 'Tai Shi Yuan Zhen' must surely rank among the Upper Grade of the Ninth Stage, or perhaps the Supreme Grade of the Ninth Stage! Just like 'Huang Su Yu Zhen' of the Chiming Sect, both are supreme qualities among the true qi of the world!"

"The method by which the Chiming Sect refined 'Huang Su Yu Zhen' is called the 'Interpretation of Eating Spirit Energy by Dao Lord Chongxu Zhide', personally transmitted by Dao Lord Chongxu Zhide of the Chiming Sect."

Speaking to this point, Tu Shan Ge felt somewhat regretful:

"Master, to be honest, my former master always sought this method but could not obtain it; in the end, she helplessly converted her entire Embryonic Breathing into the Eighth Stage Upper Grade 'Ye Dongling Yuan Sha'; I often think that if she had successfully cultivated 'Huang Su Yu Zhen' back then, she might have won in magical combat and would not have had to die..."

Although many years had passed, recalling past events still made him sigh with emotion, unable to restrain his grief.

"The past cannot be pursued; thinking too much about it is useless."

Chen Heng offered a word of comfort, then took a yellowed ancient book from his sleeve and handed it over:

"Just take a look."

Tu Shan Ge took it in bewilderment, and before he could flip through even a few pages, his face suddenly turned deathly pale.

"What a sinister and poisonous Xie Fa!"

Beads of sweat immediately rolled down his forehead as he shouted loudly:

"Master, this method is terribly horrifying! It truly grievously violates the laws of heaven!"