txolops Chapter 76 The Great Way is Wrong
Chapter 76 The Great Way is Wrong
A month has passed in the blink of an eye.
At Zhengyang Dojo, the disciples coming and going showed less fear and more hurried manner.
Occasionally, one could see a faint red talisman between the disciple's eyebrows and abdomen, with a subtle glow flowing around it.
Inside the newly repaired main hall, the flickering candlelight casts a dim light on the stubborn bloodstains on the walls.
The elder in charge of affairs stood in the hall, reporting in a deep voice:
"Reporting to Senior Brother, over the past month, 137 outer disciples have successfully received their ordination. Although their combat strength is still low, they are still capable of being used."
"After several more months of training, if one can advance to the [Spell Recitation] realm, one can accompany the elders to explore the perilous lands of the old world, serving as the vanguard and supplementing the lower-level combat power of the sect..."
Fang Chen nodded slightly, his gaze never leaving the human skin paper in his hand, on which various expenditures of magic money and the flow of spiritual materials were annotated in blood ink and cinnabar.
After all, he now handles all the miscellaneous tasks in the sect, so he has to do them personally.
After finishing his report, the elder paused, his expression slightly complicated, before continuing:
"Senior brother, there is one more thing... Recently, several of the next generation of true disciples in our sect have asked me to allow them to practice this heretical method of talismans together."
"Hmm?" Fang Chen paused, his pen poised.
Looking up, he frowned slightly, a look of confusion on his face.
The elder in charge responded with a wry smile:
"Reporting to my senior brother, those disciples said that although this method is a heretical path, it is less dangerous, can be mastered quickly, provides the ability to protect oneself, and also offers a glimmer of hope for a future in the Dao."
"In comparison, although the Great Dao scriptures within the sect have a promising future, every step, from illuminating the embryonic light to opening the sea of consciousness, is fraught with danger and requires years of arduous cultivation. Furthermore, upon entering the Dao, a large amount of spiritual resources and magical money will be needed..."
Fang Chen frowned, gradually understanding the thoughts of those true disciples.
This world is fraught with danger. Although the orthodox path leads to the Yang Spirit, it is fraught with difficulties. A slight mistake can lead to death and the dissipation of one's Dao. One must also continuously consume a large amount of spiritual resources and magical money in order to maintain the purity of one's Dao body and prevent it from being corrupted by demons.
While unorthodox methods may have an uncertain future and hidden dangers, they can quickly provide self-protection and require little effort.
In this turbid and dangerous world, where every day is uncertain, immediate combat power is far more appealing than the vague and uncertain path to the future... because only those who survive are worthy of discussing the future!
Upon hearing this, Fang Chen frowned deeply.
The unorthodox methods he transmitted were based on the Taoist system of "Three Mountains Talismans." The inner talismans were given to Taoist priests to summon deities and perform spells, while the outer talismans were given to believers to prolong life and bring blessings.
Even more advanced are the Grand Registers, which can be entered into the Heavenly Court's register, connecting with the laws of heaven and earth, borrowing the power of the world, and becoming almost indistinguishable from true gods.
However, the world here has collapsed, the laws have been corrupted by demons, and the path of connecting talismans to the Heavenly Palace and being recorded in the register of immortals has been severed.
Left with no other choice, Fang Chen introduced the theory of external alchemy, no longer regarding this talisman as a means to reach Taoist deities, but instead refining it into an external talisman pill, using it as a foundation to carry the soul and evolve the method.
According to the Kunlun Mirror's deduction, after a disciple successfully receives the teachings, he can consume the essence of demons and monsters, refine the evil energy of the turbid world, and forge the Blood Soul Magic Coin. He can then integrate his own insights with the essence of the Daoist canon to finally condense a unique innate spell, thus stepping into the gate of the Great Dao.
This realm can be called "Fangshu" (方术), and its power should be comparable to that of a cultivator with the orthodox three souls and seven spirits of a ghost immortal.
Once the spell is complete, one can cultivate several complementary techniques according to the chosen path, then refine the corresponding spiritual objects of heaven and earth, and finally all streams converge to form an external talisman pill, called the [Mysterious Pill] realm. One's magical power may be comparable to that of a Yin God True Person!
Furthermore, because the elixir is formed by fusing specific spells and spiritual objects, according to the deductions of the Kunlun Mirror, it should be in harmony with the laws of heaven and earth.
For example, by combining various techniques such as cloud formations, waves, and water essence, and then refining a water-based spiritual object, one can generate a water-based method within the elixir.
Using this method as a foundation, and incorporating a bit of Yin spirit and Yang essence, it is not impossible to awaken a wisp of golden nature and forge a turbid world heretical golden elixir, comparable to a ghost immortal's Yang spirit.
Therefore, it seems that this method may indeed lead directly to the gate of the Yang Spirit!
Even if lifespan is limited and the path to enlightenment is hard to reach, these unorthodox methods might already be considered superior methods in this turbid world, and could form the foundation of a school.
It's not unreasonable that those true disciples were tempted.
The key point is that... this method was ultimately just a rudimentary creation.
If something goes wrong later, it's still bearable if something happens to the mortal servants or outer disciples, but the true disciples are the lifeblood of the sect. If they are lost, the sect's lineage may be cut off, resulting in a situation where there is no successor.
After a moment's thought, Fang Chen said to the elder in charge:
"I am aware of this matter and will inform the Daoist Master for his decision."
The elder in charge bowed his head in agreement, then reported on several other matters before bowing and withdrawing.
After he left, Fang Chen got up and walked out of the hall.
After passing through a long, dark corridor and walking along an ancient stone path, you finally enter a secluded stone chamber where ghostly soldiers patrol and the atmosphere is chilling.
Inside the stone chamber, the light was dim, with only a few bone lamps flickering with green flames, and a thick, lingering stench of blood permeated the air.
The surrounding area was shrouded in shadows, as if countless indescribable things were stirring in the dark, accompanied by whispers that came from all directions, rising and falling, sometimes near and sometimes far, ethereal and eerie, like the sinister cries of countless ghosts.
Fang Chen frowned.
This place is clearly the place where the Three Immortals cultivate in seclusion, so why is the atmosphere so strange, as if countless evil spirits are lurking there?
He became alert, made a hand seal, and activated a calming and tranquilizing spell to cleanse the demonic aura.
But at that very moment, the strange voices around them suddenly became clear, and, intermittently, drifted far away as if coming from the depths of the heavens:
"People often speak of seeking the Way... But what is the Great Way?... It cannot be spoken of... It cannot be named... It cannot be questioned... It is elusive and indistinct..."
"This is the Way... Its origin is without present... Its past is without ancient... Its height is without cover... Its lowness is without support... Its greatness is without outside... Its smallness is without inside... There is nothing outside... There is no person inside... There is no self near... There is no other far... It cannot be analyzed... It cannot be combined... It cannot be described... It cannot be thought of... It is vague and indistinct... It cannot be named... To contemplate it will drive one mad... To think about it will drive one insane... This is what is called the Way!"
"To observe the Great Dao... its key lies... one must first lose oneself... and become one with the Dao... only then can one glimpse its mysterious female... one must always be without desire to observe its wonder... its mystery... is so subtle that it cannot be spoken of... so vast that it cannot be described... one must always have desire to observe its manifestations... manifestations... ah... ah... is originally the endless remains of the Dao..."
Its sound was faint and distant, like a midnight murmur, difficult to discern, yet it sent chills down Fang Chen's spine and made his hair stand on end, as if a great calamity was about to befall him.
In the midst of these eerie whispers, his mind wavered, as if he had touched upon some twisted law of this world, some sinister truth, or even that indescribable, ethereal, and distant Great Dao...
"wake up!"
A low shout exploded in his mind like thunder, and the Kunlun Mirror of his mind also vibrated violently. A flash of clear light instantly pulled Fang Chen's depressed mind back!
He suddenly opened his eyes and realized that he was standing in the center of an even darker, more secret room.
On the prayer mat in front, three immortals sat upright as usual, their three faces solemn and dignified.
Upon closer inspection, Fang Chen's heart tightened.
Although the real man was surrounded by Daoist energy, he exuded an indescribable sinister aura. It was as if something inhuman lurked beneath his solemn exterior, his aura dark and unfathomable, sending chills down one's spine at a glance.
Fang Chen's expression was solemn.
He had just secretly used the Heart-Cleansing Mantra, borrowed the array of the Taoist temple, and suppressed his own spiritual platform, yet he still almost succumbed... Just how bizarre is this?!
"Master, what exactly is going on...?"
"It cannot be spoken, it cannot be asked; the more you know, the deeper the calamity will be sown..." The three immortals' voices were hoarse. "I already know your intentions. That unorthodox method must be promoted. Because the orthodox methods we cultivate in the old world are already a wrong path in this turbid world; the deeper our cultivation, the more severe the backlash..."
Fang Chen pondered for a moment:
"However, this method was ultimately in its infancy..."
"Then we'll pave the way with our lives!" The three True Immortals' voices rose sharply, their six eyes fixed on Fang Chen. "Because our old-world methods are utterly flawed!"
Fang Chen felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had understood something. He bowed his head in agreement, gave a brief explanation, and then bowed and left.
The sealed room returned to deathly silence.
At this moment, the Zhengyang Spirit Lamp suddenly shone brightly, illuminating countless twisted and resentful faces that appeared on the bodies of the three True Men.
Its silent roar, its face numb and filled with resentment, yet it was precisely with this boundless power of curse that the Three-Headed Immortal was able to suppress the endless murmurs that came from the depths of the sky amidst the surrounding darkness:
People often say... Where is the Tao?... One can observe its wonder by being free from desire... Wonder... Wonder lies in the ultimate void... One can observe its manifestations by being free from desire... Ah... Ah, it lies in the abyss of eternal darkness...
"...When all living beings are reduced to corpses...and all realms return to stillness...all things will end in the void...and in the void there is something...the hunger of the Great Void...moving and wriggling...and the Great Dao will then reveal its true form..."
Countless delirious murmurs, like worms, burrowed into the brain, gnawing at the flesh beneath the skin and eroding the spirit and intellect.
The three figures, seemingly smiling yet not smiling, seemingly crying yet not crying, appear to be vying for control of the physical body with different consciousnesses:
"We should have thought of this long ago, we should have thought of this long ago... Why didn't this powerful Dao Yang Shen Yuan Shen appear... Why must we suffer this blood tax..."
"Tracing back to the past... the Dao must have been at the beginning of all things... in the abyss of chaos... when chaos turned into corpses and fell... within the decaying body, an endless world was born... mysterious and unpredictable... and where the Great Dao manifested... was the past—"
"This final calamity is not only about the old sacred mountains, the underworld, and the blessed lands of the past... but also about the former core of heaven and earth, the source of all laws, and the place where the Dao Ancestor transmitted his teachings—"
At this moment, the endless murmurs resonated with the words of the three immortals, causing the candlelight in the secret chamber to dim abruptly:
"The Mysterious and Boundless Heavenly Court!"