Chapter 27

The path of cultivation—

Is nothing more than these sixteen characters: refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit to return to emptiness, refining emptiness to merge with the Dao.

In Xudu Tian.

It is further subdivided into fetal breathing, qi refinement, Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, Profound Mystery, Golden Core, Primordial Spirit, Returning to Emptiness, Pure Yang, merging with the Dao… until cultivation is complete and one ascends to immortality.

The myriad worlds, countless heavens, are as numerous as dust and sand, beyond count.

Though other heavens harbor different cultivation methods, all paths shine equally, yet so long as they fall within the scope of immortal arts, they largely never stray beyond these sixteen characters as the standard.

In Xudu Tian, qi refinement practitioners are called Fei Shi, Purple Mansion cultivators are called Gao Gong, Profound Mystery cultivators are called Lianshi, Golden Core and Primordial Spirit cultivators are called True Person, and those who have returned to emptiness and achieved Pure Yang are called Zhenjun.

As for merging with the Dao—

This realm, just one step away from ascension to immortality, is revered by ancient true ones as the title “Daojun.”

A Daojun is one who has merged with the Dao, body and form both wondrous.

He wears the round heavens upon his head, treads the square earth beneath his feet, binds the nine qi into robes, takes the sun as his circular symbol, the moon as his radiant glow, drapes himself in the Northern Dipper, the Six Jia and Nine Chapters.

He is ordained by the True Xuanjie, ranking just below the myriad immortals, worthy to be the Second Ruler of the Three Realms, the Prime Minister of Yuandong!

Cultivators of this realm often wield inconceivable powers—capturing the sun and moon, swapping the stars—are mere trifles; even reviving the dead or forcing reincarnation requires only the activation of a single talisman.

If a Daojun of the Xuanmen is benevolent, he can manifest three white and seven treasures in the void, even creating worlds, separating the primordial energies of Heaven, Earth, and Water, within which human relations arise and all things grow.

But if a Daojun of the Demonic Path is evil, he can unleash cruel punishments, plunging the myriad paths into chaos and ruin, worshipped by the demons and malevolent gods of all heavens as the “Great Demon King of the Central Heaven.”

The so-called Daojun already possesses an immortal body and immortal destiny, but lacks sufficient cultivation to fully attain the immortal title and ascend.

The Eight Sects and Six Clans who govern Xudu Tian each naturally have Daojun residing in the world, at least one, and as many as two or four.

During this time, Chen Hang has read many Daoist texts, but due to the scarcity of classics, he remains ignorant of certain esoteric secrets and critical points.

Such as the Shenwu Shuhua Daojun, or… Tai Shi Yuan Zhen…

“Daojun? Shenwu Shuhua…”

Hearing Chen Hang’s question, Tu Shan Ge frowned in surprise.

After a moment, he suddenly slapped his hand, his brow instantly relaxing.

“I remember! I remember! She is the Daojun of Dou Shu Sect; my former master once accompanied an elder from Chi Ming Sect to Dou Shu Sect to present her with a congratulatory gift!”

Tu Shan Ge grew more excited with each word, his entire face glowing with radiance:

“At that time, Shenwu Shuhua Daojun breached a Chan monastery in the outer heavens, slew its abbot, captured two million Peacock Monk soldiers, and brought them all to Xudu Tian, presenting them as captives before the gates of Dou Shu Sect!”

“Monastery? Abbot?”

“That is another heaven entirely—a world as vast as Xudu Tian. My former master boasted about it to me several times after returning, and because it was so grand and magnificent, I’ve remembered it ever since!”

Tu Shan Ge set down his tea, now grown cold, his eyes alight:

“That heaven is called Wu Liuli Tian. Unlike Xudu Tian, it lies under the dominion of great Buddhist masters, where Chan sects and Pure Lands abound. Dou Shu Sect, due to its missionary efforts, clashed with several temples in Wu Liuli Tian; for centuries, both sides fought in the outer heavens, each winning and losing, countless Dao soldiers and Monk soldiers perished. Eventually, several Dou Shu Sect true disciples were brutally murdered, sparking a great uproar—so great that Shenwu Shuhua Daojun herself intervened…”

He paused, then continued:

“This Daojun forged her immortal weapon, poured all her strength into one strike, and shattered the Great Peacock King Temple’s protective embryonic womb realm in a single blow. Then, with thunderous force, she slew the temple’s abbot, seized countless scriptures, and captured two million Peacock Monk soldiers…”

“Wu Liuli Tian was enraged, even stirring a great being who had attained the Bodhisattva fruit, causing him to break his meditation and emerge to seek vengeance—but in the end, several Daojun of Xudu Tian intervened and drove him away.”

Tu Shan Ge clicked his tongue, still yearning for more.

When he first heard this tale, he had been so exhilarated he hadn’t slept for days.

A million soldiers, bloodshed, corpses strewn, celestial dragons chanting sutras, star-rivers crowned with auspicious clouds.

Even in dreams, Tu Shan Ge saw himself as a great heavenly demon, participating in that battle, one claw crushing a Vajra warrior.

“Wu Liuli Tian… a conflict between two heavens?”

Chen Hang was also deeply stirred; he slowly lifted his teacup and drank a few sips, calming his spirit and gathering his thoughts.

Are the Eight Sects and Six Clans truly this magnificent?

Not only do they reign supreme in Xudu Tian, but their fame even spreads to other heavens…

At this moment, Chen Hang’s longing to join a great sect deepened further.

Superior classics, superior cave heavens, superior momentum.

If one could cultivate within the Eight Sects and Six Clans, it would be as if one eye had already glimpsed the gate to immortality.

“But Dou Shu Sect is not in Dongmi Zhou—it, like Jiu Zhen Sect, has its mountain gate in Donghuan Zhou… Had my former master not witnessed Dou Shu Sect’s prisoner presentation, I would never have learned the title of a titan like Shenwu Shuhua Daojun.”

At this point, Tu Shan Ge asked curiously: “Master, where did you hear of this?”

“What about ‘Tai Shi Yuan Zhen’?”

Chen Hang evaded the answer and said: “Have you ever heard of ‘Tai Shi Yuan Zhen’ as a true qi? Where does it rank among the nine grades and thirty-six levels of true qi?”

“Tai Shi Yuan Zhen?”

This time, even after straining his mind, Tu Shan Ge could not recall a single detail—not even a trace.

“I once came across a qi-refinement technique titled ‘The Divine House Shuhua Daojun’s Commentary on the Tai Shi Yuan Zhen Scripture.’”

Chen Hang smiled and said: “I was puzzled, so I came to ask you.”

“Ah, I see. Though I’ve never heard of ‘Tai Shi Yuan Zhen’ as a true qi, its rank is not hard to guess!”

Tu Shan Ge explained:

“Since it is a qi-refinement technique, and personally annotated and expounded by Shenwu Shuhua Daojun… ‘Tai Shi Yuan Zhen’ must be ranked among the upper tier of the ninth grade, or even the supreme tier—just like Chi Ming Sect’s ‘Huang Su Yu Zhen,’ both are supreme among all true qi in the world!”

“The method Chi Ming Sect uses to cultivate ‘Huang Su Yu Zhen’ is called ‘The Daojun of Chong Xu Zhi De’s Explanation on Consuming Divine Qi,’ passed down directly by Chi Ming Sect’s Chong Xu Zhi De Daojun.”

At this point, Tu Shan Ge could not help but feel regret:

“Master, I won’t hide it from you—my former master spent years seeking this method in vain, and eventually had to reluctantly convert her fetal breathing into the eighth-grade upper-tier ‘Dong Ling Yuan Sha.’ I often wonder: had she cultivated ‘Huang Su Yu Zhen,’ perhaps she might have won in combat, and not died…”

Though years have passed, recalling the past still filled him with sorrow, his sighs hard to suppress.

“The past cannot be reclaimed; thinking on it further is useless.”

Chen Hang comforted him, then withdrew a yellowed ancient book from his sleeve and handed it over:

“Take a look.”

Tu Shan Ge took it, bewildered; before he could even flip through a few pages, his face turned deathly pale.

“What an insidious demonic art!”

Beads of sweat immediately rolled down his forehead as he cried out:

“Master, this technique is terrifying! It is truly a grave offense against heaven and earth!”