Transcending two realms to become an earth immortal

Chapter 39 Facing Danger

Zhengyang Dojo.

The core Mingtang (bright hall).

Smoke curled from the bronze incense burner. Daoist Mingjun sat upright in the main seat, his face pale but his back straight.

A few days ago, he fought with a sorcerer from the Soul-Seizing Cult and was accidentally struck by their "Calling for Soul-Snatching" technique. At that moment, his three souls were shaken and his seven spirits almost left his body. Fortunately, the talisman bestowed by his master protected him in time, preventing him from perishing on the spot.

However, the elder who had been in charge of the affairs stood to one side, looking rather miserable.

Its eyes were sunken, its body was decaying and surrounded by death, and its right arm below the elbow had turned into a gray-black sheep hoof, with tangled fur and curved hooves... It was the sheep that had been transformed by the evil magic of the Animal Cultivation Sect the day before.

If it weren't for Daoist Mingjun sealing his heart meridian with his righteous yang magic, he would have already become livestock, led away by demons to have his soul dissected and his flesh eaten.

"Cough cough! How have things been lately?" Daoist Mingjun coughed up blood from his palm, then casually covered it with his hand and asked.

The elder pressed his remaining hand against his chest, suppressing the turmoil within him, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Brother, what's the situation right now..."

Before the words were finished, a clear and melodious voice suddenly pierced through the darkness from outside the hall:

"Senior brother, have you seen clearly what has happened these past few days?"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Mingjun's eyes lit up, and he abruptly stood up:

"Junior Brother Fang, you've emerged from seclusion?!"

The voice faded, and the person appeared.

Fang Chen stepped into the main hall, dressed in a green robe, his aura ethereal like a crane in the mist.

His eyes held a clear, inner light, and the almost imperceptible, otherworldly aura had been completely concealed. Only an invisible, sharp intent lingered...

The moment they met, they felt a sense of alarm, and a chill ran through the depths of their souls... This kind of aura clearly indicated that their cultivation had greatly advanced and they had broken through the barrier of mystery!

"Very good." Daoist Mingjun relaxed his shoulders slightly, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face. "The other day, I ordered my junior brother to send more than ten thousand spirit coins from the treasury to your cave. It was indeed a wise move."

Fang Chen nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

He wouldn't mention that the ten thousand magic coins had long been refined into the [Mysterious Yin Slaughtering Life Nourishing Sword Gourd] and transformed into nourishment for the sword. After all, progress in cultivation always needs a reason, and there's no need for further explanation.

"Junior Brother, it is the perfect time for you to emerge from seclusion." Daoist Mingjun sat down again, his voice slightly more relaxed. "The Daoist temple is currently in imminent danger and needs your assistance."

Fang Chen nodded slightly, lifted his robe and sat down, his gaze falling on Elder Yangti:

"Now, tell me about what has happened recently."

The elder took a deep breath and reported in a solemn voice:

"I hereby inform my two senior brothers. The manor outside the city has been attacked and killed in the past month, with nearly a thousand tenants killed or wounded. Senior Brother Zhao, the true disciple, succumbed to his injuries three days ago and passed away last night. Now only Senior Sister remains to guard the manor, and she is in grave danger."

"Nearly half of the outer sect elders and disciples stationed in the city have been lost. In order to strengthen our fighting force, we have ordered all the next generation of true disciples to take refuge in the secret chambers of the underground palace, and opened three secret chambers for the outer sect elders and disciples to cultivate... However, it is a drop in the ocean."

In this turbid world, heaven is crumbling, and spiritual wisdom is obscured.

Those who can ignite the light of the heart and forge the foundation of the Way are few and far between on both the righteous and evil paths. Therefore, many people from all walks of life take the unorthodox path, that is, they do not seek the Great Way, but specialize in practicing evil arts.

Using flesh and soul as fuel, one can forcefully endure a spell in exchange for some extraordinary power.

Even so, facing the combined forces of the Soul-Seizing Sect, the Animal Creation Sect, and the Yin Bone Workshop, the meager resources of the Righteous Yang Path were like a candle flickering in the wind.

Fang Chen listened to this without showing any emotion.

After a long pause, a soft laugh was heard, its emotion unreadable.

"Senior brother, before we have even raised our banner, demons have already come knocking at our door, intending to destroy our lineage, devour our flesh and blood, and consume our souls... Now that things have come to this, do you still think that paying the fees and clinging to life will buy you even half a day of peace?"

Daoist Mingjun paused slightly.

He lowered his eyes to look at his palm, not daring to look at Fang Chen for a moment, only his knuckles slowly closing.

They thought that by making offerings to all kinds of demons they could gain some peace and that by enduring humiliation and hardship they could eventually rise above their circumstances. Little did they know that with each step back they would bend their spine a little more.

Now that demons have joined forces to attack, they suddenly realize that kneeling to beg for survival is tantamount to handing their lives over to others, which is tantamount to courting death and turning their backs on their own.

"...Things have come to this point, there's no point in saying more." Daoist Mingjun raised his head, bloodshot veins appearing in his eyes.

Fang Chen, however, did not back down, his gaze fixed on Fang Chen:

"If you can't even acknowledge your past absurdities, how can you face the future?... Senior brother, I only have one question: are you still sending the monthly offerings to the demons of the four directions?"

The moment the words were spoken, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

The blue smoke from the bronze incense burner rose straight up, swirling and dispersing beneath the beams.

Mingjun remained silent for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out hoarse words:

"Currently, only the three factions of the Soul-Seizing Sect have made a move. The other groups of demons are still observing. If all offerings are cut off now, I fear that demons from all sides will arrive tomorrow, and the temple will be reduced to dust in an instant..."

Fang Chen was taken aback upon hearing this.

He remained silent for a long time before suddenly chuckling, the sound indistinguishable as either self-mockery or sarcasm:

"It is easy to vanquish external demons, but difficult to defeat the thieves within one's heart... The ancients were truly right."

Master Mingjun remained silent for a long time, his face drained of color.

He stared blankly at the dark sky for a long time before murmuring:

"So... what are your plans for now, Junior Brother?"

"No rush." ​​Fang Chen glanced at Elder Yangti.

The latter immediately understood, bowed, and slowly withdrew, dragging the sheep's hoof.

The footsteps faded into the distance, and silence returned, leaving only the two people in the hall.

At this moment, Fang Chen said:

"Before we finalize our strategy, I need you to tell me the truth... Where are the Dao Master and all the elders of our sect?"

Mingjun's expression changed slightly:

"Junior brother, why do you ask such a question...?"

"Does Senior Brother take me for a fool, or a child who hasn't been weaned?" Fang Chen sneered. "The elders of the Daoist sect have always returned within ten days of going out. But now, there's been no news for months. The tax collectors of the Underworld dare to come to our door to demand blood taxes, and the three demonic sects are taking turns attacking us... Senior Brother, do you really think everyone in the world is stupid?"

"Even elders sometimes go out for long periods and return late... Never mind." Mingjun was silent for a moment, then slowly stood up. "Even the demons have made their move. They must have already caught wind of this. There's no point in hiding it anymore."

He walked to the front of the hall and pushed open the vermilion door.

"Come with me."

Fang Chen's expression shifted, and he got up to follow.

The two walked one after the other through the long corridor and entered a secluded stone chamber where ghostly soldiers patrolled.

The room had no windows, but dozens of bronze lamps were embedded in the walls, their pale blue flames illuminating rows of wooden tablets. The names of the disciples of each generation were inscribed from top to bottom.

A glass lamp hangs in front of each memorial tablet—this is the Zhengyang Dao Soul Lamp; as long as the lamp is there, the person is alive; when the lamp goes out, the person dies.

Fang Chen's gaze immediately swept towards the highest "Shang" generation... Of the seventeen soul lamps, sixteen had already gone out!

Only the leftmost lamp remained, its flame shrunk to the size of a bean, the eerie blue flame flickering trembling within the glass dome, as if it would be extinguished completely at any moment.

That was the soul lamp of the Daoist Master Zhengyang.

"Just as I expected."

A low sigh came from the secret room.

When his elders had been gone for a long time, he had already vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Otherwise, why would he risk so much danger to venture alone into the place where the shadows of the old world still linger, seeking a sliver of opportunity to enter the Dao?

"It seems that now, I have no choice but to face these demons alone."

Fang Chen's mind was clear, and the cold light in his eyes was concealed.

"If things become unmanageable... at worst, we can risk exposing our carriage and horses and flee."

His fingertips unconsciously caressed the sword gourd hidden in his sleeve, his eyes deep and unfathomable, but then a thought crossed his mind and a hint of bitterness arose.

"But this Zhengyang Path, after all, nurtured me for over a decade."

Morning bells and evening drums, teaching and transmitting the Dharma, every bowl of porridge and every meal is a gift of the Way... How can this kindness be easily severed?

Even if the second generation was indeed human, humans are not plants or trees; how can they be without feelings?

"Senior brother..." Fang Chen remained silent for a long time before speaking.

However, in the next instant, the expressions of the two people in the room changed.

when!

when!

when--

Therefore, at this moment, within the Zhengyang Taoist temple, the warning bells are ringing continuously!