Episode 49

  "Ah! Not enough, brother? You see for yourself!"

  That was not a letter of introduction, but rather a humble letter recommending two siblings to become disciples. It said that the two siblings had excellent six senses and were very determined in their pursuit of the Tao, but due to being busy with mundane affairs, they rarely had time to guide them, fearing that they would mislead these two good seeds for cultivation. Therefore, they specially recommended them to your esteemed school, hoping that you would accept them and take care of them, and also expressed gratitude. After reading it, he pondered for a moment, then smiled and said:

  "It turned out that the gambler cultivator was called Wu Liang Shen Chen Zi An. Chang Er, aren't we two without a place to go? Isn't this someone recommending us two? It's just that I don't know what sect this Yi Xiu Men belongs to, or what kind of Taoist magic it specializes in. Nor do I know who this Ye Wen Tian is, and what relationship he has with Wu Liang Shen Chen Zi An."

  "Insufficient elder brother, is your intention for us two to disguise ourselves and enter some easy-to-repair gate?"

  "Yes! Such a good opportunity, how can it be missed!"

  "Perhaps it's just a trick to get us two to fall into it?"

  "Qian'er, isn't it too cautious? Judging from the date of this letter, it was written recently. Can they really be gods or prophets who know what's going to happen beforehand? Did they calculate in advance that we would kill those five cultivators and then bring this letter to surrender to Yi Xiu?"

  "Well, I suppose that's all right!"

  "Are we going to Yixiu Gate then?"

  "All right, I won't disobey you, brother! I'll just listen to your orders. If you want to go, then go ahead!"

  "Then we two should make some preparations early and wait for good news. It must be done seamlessly."

  "Alright, not enough for brother."

  "Qian Er, I've been busy with this and that lately, and I'm afraid I forgot to ask you to visit your grandparents and pay your respects."

  "Not enough, brother, I..."

  "Alas! At first I didn't speak up, but it's actually my own private thoughts! Only worried that you would leave..."

  "Insufficient elder brother, what are you worried about, Qiang Er? Are you afraid that something will go wrong?"

  Chang'er's eyes were slightly red, but she smiled and said.

  "Chang Er, you can go now! If you cannot bear to part with your parents, then stay behind and take care of them... Don't worry, I'll come visit you when I have time, and we'll play together..."

  Suddenly feeling unwell in the chest, words are also completely incoherent.

  "Insufficient elder brother, in those days, you only observed the movements of the Five Elements every day. I went to see my parents too. I have already told my parents that my immortal fate is at hand and I want to pursue the Great Way, from now on I will no longer be filial under your knees!"

  "But what about your parents?"

  "I was weak and sickly since childhood, and I also learned Buddhism from a monk. Before I came of age, my life was almost exhausted, and I nearly lost my soul. My ancestors and father thought that I should become a Buddhist monk, but they didn't stop me. Only my mother missed me dearly, but she was afraid that I would die young, so she didn't dare to stop me. Now I only wish to learn the profound Taoist teachings, to help my parents eliminate diseases and disasters, and to live a long life of one hundred years, so as not to disappoint the deep love of our family!"

  "Ah, the pursuit of the great way requires a strong will and unwavering determination, only then can one achieve success! However, to abandon worldly emotions, love, and hatred is not something an ordinary person can do. Although I am a man of seven feet tall, I bear the weight of family feuds and old grudges, yet I have no strength to escape this worldly dust, it's truly a pitiful thing! Zhen'er, you are just a young girl, but you have broken free from worldly ties and resolved past matters, one day you will surely attain enlightenment before me!"

  "Insufficient brother, filial piety is also the way! The high hall is healthy and happy, enjoying a long life, this is the wish of being a human son. However, the great way is also my wish. People have their heavenly years, their lifespan can be exhausted, but the way has no end! What people pursue is the way. The wish of our high hall is to hope that what our children pursue will come true and what they seek will be obtained! Our attainment of the great way is great filial piety! Our serving parents is a small kindness! A small kindness compared to great filial piety, what can be abandoned and what remains? Therefore, how can the way be slightly neglected?"

  "Learn from it, learn from it!"

  "It's like this, brother, we're not in a hurry, why don't we rest here for a few days before continuing on our way?"

  "All right, let's wait until he recovers from his illness and can move about freely before setting out again. By then, even if something unexpected happens, we'll be able to cope with it."

  The two of them rested in the ruined temple for a while. In just two days, their bodies had recovered slightly, and they could start practicing the Golden Body Technique and the Taiyi Mysterious Spirit Technique simultaneously. However, the immortal pills and medicines they had taken earlier were too potent, and it would take some time to fully refine them. They didn't rush, letting nature take its course. The ball of fire energy in their lower abdomen seemed to have grown stronger after this ordeal, constantly circulating throughout their body, but they couldn't control its flow. They ignored it, thinking that just like the outside world, many things were beyond their control. Since they couldn't control it, why bother trying? So, they didn't interfere with it and instead used it to stimulate their practice of the two techniques. This way of practicing benefited their physical bodies greatly! The simultaneous practice of the two techniques had already increased their absorption of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, and by using the logic of the killing technique, they guided most of this energy into their bodies, becoming a fine wine that strengthened their bones and muscles. However, the recognition domain field created by the Six Spirits Great Array only reached fifty miles in diameter and couldn't extend further. Nevertheless, its precision had reached an extraordinary level, allowing them to perceive even the smallest details. The few treasure bags they obtained were still unopened, despite their efforts to find a way to open them.

  "It seems that even if you're not in the law body period, this kind of thing can't be opened."

  "This is nothing, the law bag is only in our hands, what's to fear that it will fly away! As long as we cultivate to the Law Body stage, taking things out of the bag will be as easy as turning over one's hand!"

  After dozens of days, he couldn't help but notice that his cultivation had actually sped up significantly since the backlash from the Must-Kill Technique. It was as if the technique had opened up a new path for him, and his comprehension of the way of cultivation had become even clearer and more profound. On one hand, it might be because the Must-Kill Technique had reached a breakthrough, allowing him to grasp the essence of cultivation more easily. On the other hand, perhaps it was due to the reorganization of his meridians, which had created new pathways that were even stronger and more resilient than before! Jin Chan'er saw that Insufficient's physique had surpassed that of ordinary cultivators, with a spiritual sense that far exceeded those who cultivated the Body Tempering Technique. His heart couldn't help but feel delighted. However, he didn't dare to use his techniques to help Insufficient, fearing that it would hinder his progress instead. But then he thought again, cultivation was about cultivating both the body and the mind simultaneously. The state of one's mind and the advancement of their cultivation were closely linked. If one's mental state improved, their cultivation would advance more easily, and if their cultivation increased significantly, their mental state would naturally broaden as well! With this in mind, he felt at ease once more, allowing Insufficient to continue his own cultivation. The only thing that worried him was that Insufficient's spiritual sense was still somewhat ordinary, unable to merge with the five senses. If things continued like this, he would still be limited to a range of only a few hundred meters, just like an ordinary person! He didn't dare to mention it, fearing that Insufficient would become discouraged and hinder his own cultivation.

  It's been half a year since I've seen you, and your physical strength and mental energy are not sufficient. Moreover, the elixir has not stopped, and the speed of cultivation is extremely fast. The law body is only one line away from being unblocked. However, its strong physique is not inferior to that of the Yuan condensing stage! The realm of the five spirits' transformation into the divine sense is also gradually becoming more subtle, and it's difficult to perceive even with careful observation. Chang'er was overjoyed, thinking that they could set out soon. It seems that the Fangzhou family's cultivation has expanded their search range, and there are powerful cultivators following them. If not for the protective treasure of the guardian deity, those cultivators would have detected their tracks and caught up with them by now! One day, after finishing his meditation, he sat in stillness, letting out a deep sigh...

  "Chang'er, we are self-taught and don't have a true master or a complete set of skills from the beginning to the end. We just pick up bits and pieces here and there, patching things together blindly, without knowing when we can enter the correct path. Why not let's make arrangements for cultivators to meet each other and find an easy-to-practice sect?"

  "This is easy! Not enough for brother, where does grandfather usually like to go?"

  "In the deep mountains and dense forests, picking medicinal herbs, in the market bookstores exchanging precious items. Oh! Your intention is to go to the market bookstore to find it. Hmm, this method might be worth a try. Tomorrow, the two of us will go to the market bookstore to give it a shot."

  On the second day, before dawn, they packed up and set off with their bundles on their backs, heading towards a rural market. After traveling for several miles, they met an old man who told them that about 100 miles from there was a mountain called Shenglian, where many temples, Taoist monasteries, and shrines were located. The strange thing about this mountain was that the gods in its temples seemed to be quite efficacious in granting wishes! As a result, the mountain was famous throughout the surrounding area, and on the first and fifteenth of each month, it was bustling with people. There were 72 large and small temples on the mountain, as well as 360 incense-burning sites. The 72 temples worshipped the ancestors of 72 different professions, while the 360 incense-burning sites honored the gods of all the roads and highways. Whenever a festival or ritual was held, people from each profession would go to worship their own ancestors: some were Buddhist monks worshipping Buddha, others were Taoist priests honoring the Three Pure Ones, Confucian scholars paying respects to the sages, and still others seeking wealth, children, or divination. It was truly a case of "the noble man worships the sage, while the villainous man sacrifices to his ancestors!" The multitude of people milled about, asking only for sincerity, not questioning whether their wishes would be granted. For a time, it was lively and joyful!

  After traveling for several days, they turned over several hills and encountered a high mountain blocking the road. The mountain was born with great evil, only to see a peak suddenly appearing, straight into the clouds. Its shape was like a ghost, dark and difficult to distinguish; the cloud wrapped around the middle of the mountain, like being tied up; there were no flowers, grass, trees or woods on the body of the mountain, nor were there any birds, beasts, insects or ants inside or outside the mountain. The silence was as if they were facing a desolate and dark world; the sudden appearance of the peak was as if they had encountered an evil spirit!

  "What is the name of this mountain? How can it be so ferocious!"

  "That old man from the countryside once said that this place is either Jie Ling Mountain or Jie Xiang Ling Mountain. The mountain name has 'Ling' (soul), but how can it be so ugly!"

  Chang'er also slightly frowned with her delicate eyebrows.

  "Come on, let's forget about this mountain and focus on our journey! After crossing this mountain, we won't have much road left to travel, and then we'll reach the Sacred Lotus Mountain. Let's hurry up!"