Chapter 155: 219. Selfless Thought Connects to the Illusion Sea, Jing Shifei Moves Her Heart (4.1K - Seeking Subscriptions)

Because his points were insufficient and he was idle anyway, Song Cheng began to attempt to practice the "Taiyin Guidance Technique" himself.

After surveying the entire text, he generally understood the logic behind this guidance technique.

First, being able to see the "Taiyin Illusion Sea" is the foundation, so one must first break through to the True Spirit Realm.

Second, perform the "Guidance Technique" to snatch Taiyin Qi out of the Taiyin Illusion Sea, subsequently transforming it into a terrifying direct attack.

Although Taiyin Qi and Yin Qi can both be broadly referred to as Yin Qi, they are actually different.

Generally speaking, Taiyin Qi is an "upper-tier power" of Yin Qi, so it cannot pass through a human body; if it passes through the body, one will have already injured oneself before even injuring the enemy.

At the Completion of the True Spirit Realm, one can fully see that ocean, which is as black as eternal night and seems to hide the birth and destruction of galaxies, and the guidance technique is more like a breathing method for the Soul.

Observe the tides of the Taiyin Illusion Sea, expanding and contracting, and draw a wisp of Taiyin Qi from the surface waves of the Illusion Sea, causing that Taiyin Qi to pierce through the air, break away from the Yin-Yang Illusion Realm, and shoot straight into the firmament. Subsequently, it pierces through the Reappearance World, any one of the realms within the Domain Dream Soul Body.

Under this kind of attack, the "immortality and indestructibility" of a Ghost becomes a joke.

A Ghost is an Evil Flower that blooms on the Yinrang. This flower blooms in the Reappearance World and is cast into the human world.

Yet the roots of this flower are in the Yinrang, which is to say, the Taiyin Illusion Sea.

If one draws upon Taiyin to strike it, it is no less than pulling the Ghost up by its roots, causing it to collapse and dissipate, turning back into Yin Qi and falling into the tides of the Illusion Sea.

This type of guidance technique is quite difficult, so even for Jing Shifei, the weapon she primarily uses is still the Mountain and River Seal.

"The key is locking onto the target of the draw, as well as this breathing technique of the soul, expanding and contracting..." Song Cheng muttered.

He leaned forward, lowered his head, and looked toward the Illusion Sea filled with terrifying power, then began to attempt to observe those wave tips on the sea surface.

The wave tips of the Illusion Sea are the targets for the draw.

And as long as one can cause the trajectory of a wisp of Taiyin Qi to change from the wave tip, that is actually an initial success.

He lowered his head and began to observe earnestly, yet he saw the waves of the Illusion Sea vanish in an instant.

One thought locked onto it, but the next thought it had already vanished.

This sea is not a mortal sea, and even "sea" is merely a metaphor.

To lock onto an uncertain wave, the speed of that thought must transcend "a single thought."

Song Cheng began to flip through the basic skills of the "Taiyin Guidance Technique" in his memory—Selfless Meditation.

Whenever there is a "self," the first thought must follow the "self" and move.

Only with "selflessness" can one follow "Heaven and Earth" and move the fastest, without needing to pass through the "self."

Song Cheng began to devote his body and mind to cultivation.

The tree desires stillness but the wind will not cease; rowing against the current, one either advances or retreats. This world is always in danger, and he must become stronger. The Yin-Yang Two Qi were already dense in the first small house to the right of Xuanqing Palace, and Song Cheng's repeated meditation made time pass quickly. It seemed that only after a while, Jing Shifei returned from outside.

The short-haired ink-wash beauty brought some "cooked" Lost Spirits for Song Cheng to eat, and at the same time brought follow-up news about "She Yitu."

Song Cheng glanced at his panel and only then realized that, actually, more than a month had passed.

"She Yitu failed."

Watching Song Cheng wolf down the Lost Spirits, Jing Shifei narrated the events that had occurred over these days.

Song Cheng's eyebrows lifted slightly, he glanced at his aunt who wore a look of helplessness and bewilderment, and said: "Is there still hope then?"

Jing Shifei was silent for a moment, then said: "Perhaps there still is."

Having said that, she explained the situation.

During this month, she and the Dao Palace Master had repeatedly practiced opening the "Yin-Yang Illusion Realm" and maintaining its stable existence, causing the "Sun Phantom Void" to create a connection point with Xuanqing Palace.

After succeeding, the frail and elderly She Yitu, who was already on the verge of death, sat cross-legged on the Ink Plum Stone Platform, directly beneath the connection point.

Subsequently, he began to burn his remaining lifespan, and at the very moment of death, he exerted all his strength to snatch the Sun Qi from the "Sun Phantom Void."

Although this "snatching" was very weak, the "Sun Phantom Void" did indeed transmit terrifying Yang Qi, and the entire main hall of Xuanqing Palace seemed to be bathed in blazing white light.

At the place where She Yitu sat, a large amount of Yin Qi gathered.

These Yin Qi and Yang Qi countered each other, forming a huge vortex, making She Yitu himself look like a giant.

Such a balance was maintained for a long time.

In the main hall of Xuanqing Palace, the Yin-Yang Two Qi fought like a dragon and a tiger, forming a huge black and white vortex, as if it wanted to wipe the color from everyone and pull them into it, merging them into it.

Watching everyone exert their power to resist.

Fortunately, this Yin-Yang Two Qi was not within the Yin-Yang Illusion Realm, so resisting it was not particularly difficult.

After a long time, Jing Shifei and Dao Lingkun saw that the Yin Qi was gradually stabilizing, so they secretly breathed a sigh of relief and began to join forces to shrink the connection point.

In fact, to maintain a stable connection point, the two of them had also used quite a bit of strength.

The Yin Qi gradually lessened, and the connection point gradually grew smaller until it completely vanished.

Everyone looked expectantly toward the high place, wanting to see the result.

Hard work pays off; She Yitu actually stood up again. Everyone could see the look of wild joy in his eyes. He waved his hand and was just about to say something when suddenly his expression became dull, his body stiffened, and then he howled in pain, his legs went soft, and he knelt to the ground. More Yin Qi surged over as if it had gone mad, wrapping him within it.

But Jing Shifei and Dao Lingkun were already unable to open the connection point again in time.

The Yin Qi was like a large hand, tightly strangling She Yitu, and immediately after, blood-colored lines emerged abruptly from She Yitu's body, winding around him completely like chains, and also resembling the blood vessels inside a newly born life.

"Please send... me... to reincarnation," She Yitu roared these five words in pain. Jing Shifei and Dao Lingkun struck simultaneously, and all the Xuanqing Palace disciples who were watching also joined forces.

Under the suppression of many powers, the Great Sang Spirit that "had not yet managed to break through the Reappearance World and sink into the Taiyin Illusion Sea" was torn to pieces directly, but She Yitu's soul had not been able to escape to reincarnation.

The price of attempting a new path is the scattering of the soul.

"This is the process."

"Since the Great Sang Spirits can fan the flames in the Taiyin Illusion Sea, doesn't that mean their strength is far superior to ours?" Song Cheng asked a question out of curiosity.

Jing Shifei said: "We can control the power of Taiyin, but the Great Sang Spirits cannot control it. They only adapt to the power of Taiyin in some mysterious way, and then fan the flames."

"They can only fan the flames and cannot do anything else..."

Song Cheng was thoughtful, then changed the subject and said: "Aunt, I do have some matters in the mortal world. Please ask Chanxi to go to my hometown to look after things. If there is an invasion by foreign enemies, please protect my relatives."

Jing Shifei nodded, then looked at Song Cheng again, with a look of wanting to say something but stopping.

Song Cheng just wanted to ask, but she had already turned and left, leaving behind only that hurried, graceful shadow and the quietly closed door.

Before long, Lian Chanxi's voice came from outside the courtyard again.

Lian Chanxi had come to visit Song Cheng, but she was still turned away by Jing Shifei with the excuse that he was "gravely injured and not fit to see anyone."

In that instant, Song Cheng seemed to understand something.

In the blink of an eye, another three months passed.

Song Cheng continued to contemplate the Taiyin Guidance Technique.

However, the process was extremely difficult and progress was extremely slow, just like the feeling he had in the "fragments of time" when he used Add Points.

This made Song Cheng sigh inwardly, "Sure enough, you reap what you sow; the power of stronger realms is harder to control, and cultivation time has also begun to be calculated in millennia."

In early spring, Lian Chanxi was sent by Jing Shifei to the Da Rong Empire to provide secret protection.

For a Mountain and River Lord to guard a mortal dynasty, that was truly more than enough.

The dull and repetitive cultivation made time pass quickly; in a flash, another eighteen years went by.

What Lian Chanxi did in Da Rong would often be relayed to Song Cheng through Jing Shifei.

She got to know Song Cheng's wives, and An Jie and the others also learned of the relationship between this deity and Song Cheng. Xiao Yu'er, who had initially viewed An Jie and Tong Niangzi as mortals, finally experienced the feeling of "being viewed as a mortal."

And with Lian Chanxi's help, a path leading to the "Ice Volcano" and the "Great Wilderness Earth Fire Plain" was established, but... even traveling by the fastest route, it would take a full year to arrive. Moreover, the dense Ghost servants along the way would quickly regenerate after being cleared, thereby blocking the path again.

It could be said that going was difficult, and returning was even harder.

The path was simply impossible to maintain.

Upon learning that Song Cheng's two daughters were also future Mountain and River Lords, Jing Shifei was incredibly happy; after all, nowadays it was a case of "one radish for one hole," and there were far, far too few Mountain and River Lords.

As for Song Cheng's cultivation progress, Jing Shifei also saw it all.

In just over ten years, this peerless monster had already cultivated the Taiyin Guidance Technique to Completion.

This meant that Song Cheng had already surpassed her.

After all, she was only at Great Accomplishment.

Her shock had already begun to turn into numbness, and beyond that, her mindset also began to undergo a strange change.

She began to strive to help Song Cheng search for new techniques.

In the past, there were never enough techniques to practice, but now, there were never enough to practice.

This day, in Jing Shifei's dwelling.

The youth sat cross-legged and glanced at the panel.

【Name: Song Cheng】

【Talent: Chang Sheng Bu Lao】

【Add Points: 24,931 points】

【Realm: Earth Grade Grade B】

【Techniques】

Water Spirit Illuminating Heaven Scripture (Earth Grade Grade B) (Completion)

Seal of Mountains and Rivers (Earth Grade Grade C) (Completion Control) 【Battle Method】

Taiyin Guidance Technique (Earth Grade Grade B) (Completion)

Dual Cultivation Technique (Earth Grade Grade C) (Entry (0/2048)) Spirit Servant Technique (Earth Grade Grade C) (Completion)

Forgetting Technique (Earth Grade Grade C) (Completion)

His strength was "16,469~28,063," which already exceeded Jing Shifei's; although not by much, it did indeed exceed it.

Song Cheng closed his eyes in Selfless Meditation, his thoughts connecting downward to the Taiyin Illusion Sea, fluctuating with the rising and falling waves; the slightest movement could trigger a surge of Taiyin Qi to soar into the sky and pierce through the human world and other realms.

Compared to spells like the Spirit Servant Technique and Forgetting Technique, the Taiyin Guidance Technique was not intricate; it was purely the use of power, an application of the "Taiyin Qi" that had crossed the "Mountain and River Seal."

Being able to induce changes in the Taiyin Qi was Entry; after that came guiding, but every attempt at guiding could fail. At Small Accomplishment, one would fail eight or nine times out of ten; at Great Accomplishment, one would still fail two or three times out of ten; only at Completion would it be foolproof.

It could be said that only at "Completion" was one truly utilizing the Taiyin Guidance Technique.

At this moment, Song Cheng was still striving to comprehend it, for he could not verify the power of the Taiyin Guidance Technique due to a lack of practical experience, but he could connect his thoughts to the Taiyin Illusion Sea to increase his proficiency.

As those selfless thoughts rose and fell, suddenly there was movement outside the courtyard.

"Aunt, I want to see Little Song." It was Lian Chanxi's voice.

"He is recovering from his injuries." Jing Shifei's voice was indifferent, without a ripple.

And this kind of conversation had occurred countless times in recent years.

But this time, the situation seemed different; Lian Chanxi did not give up there, but continued: "It has been eighteen years, Aunt."

Jing Shifei said indifferently: "Eighteen years is but a few snaps of the fingers, what of it?"

Lian Chanxi said: "Fine, Aunt, then tell me what injury Little Song actually suffered?"

Jing Shifei said calmly: "He risked his life to deliver a message and was struck by a mysterious person; at this time, he is filled with death energy, and only in my dwelling can he stabilize his injuries."

"Death energy?"

Lian Chanxi was stunned.

Jing Shifei's voice grew somewhat colder: "Chanxi, do you still wish to ask?"

"No... Aunt."

Lian Chanxi's expression was dim, her cherry-like lips trembling slightly, but she only let out a sigh, then bid farewell, turned, and left the courtyard.

Jing Shifei returned to the dwelling, and as soon as she opened the door, she saw Song Cheng's eyes.

The two locked eyes; Jing Shifei closed the door, shifted her petite hips to sit opposite Song Cheng, and after a long while said: "Fellow Daoist Song, each realm is a heaven; Dao companions only exist within the same realm. If Chanxi knew your current realm, she would surely harbor thoughts of retreating..."

"Children can only be with children..."

Pausing familiarly, she added: "Even if there is no retreat for now, as time passes, a rift will inevitably grow. She is still controlling the Mountain and River Seal, while you have already connected your thoughts to the Illusion Sea. She and you are no longer people of the same world."

If it were only a few years or decades, perhaps it might still work.

But cultivation requires hundreds or thousands of years; how could this be maintained?

"Aunt."

"Fellow Daoist Song, do not call me Aunt."

The beautiful woman with short hair, who possessed an aura of classical beauty, helplessly brushed back her hair; she did not actually care about how the younger generation addressed her.

Whether it was "Aunt" or "Old Ancestor," whether one person called her that or two, she did not care at all, because they were merely juniors.

Back then, the term "Aunt" was something she had let Song Cheng use, following Chanxi.

But... how could it be appropriate now? She looked at the youth before her; they had lived together for eighteen years, and while he had never overstepped the proper etiquette, as the youth reached Completion in the Taiyin Guidance Technique, her heart had also begun to change.

If the Song Cheng of the past was just a child in her eyes, now... he had become a man.

A man who radiated attraction, and who was even more powerful than she was.

Jing Shifei had no Daoist companion; seeing this man she spent every day with, how could she not be moved?

She... was already moved, like a small deer by a stream, a bird in the forest, or an insect in the spring thunder, she was stirred.

"Yes, Aunt."

"If you call me Aunt again, I will be angry!"

"But if I call you Fellow Daoist Jing, it would be too distant."

"Then... then you may call me Shifei, that is not impossible."

The voice of the Vice Palace Master of Xuanqing Palace suddenly began to soften, revealing a touch of a young girl's shyness.

It had been eighteen years, and she had finally made her decision.

Song Cheng was not stunned; he had long anticipated this, so he frankly called out: "Shifei."

Jing Shifei was actually taken aback by his decisiveness, then immediately lowered her head in slight shyness and replied: "Yes."

Her heart, which had been as still as an ancient well for thousands of years, had stirred, and once it did, it was difficult to settle; even without a rosy flush on her cheeks, the ink-wash flow of her expression accelerated, indescribably freehand and beautiful.

P. S.: Away on a business trip, returning tomorrow night.

(End of this chapter)