Chapter 328: Chapter 48: Returning to Ta Hua, The Recent Situation of Yan Shouyi

The old man riding the bull had a vague countenance, indistinct and unseeable, his hand holding a scroll of scripture, his mere presence seemed to manifest the very rules of the Great Dao itself.

Wu Cheng did not recognize who the old man riding the bull was, nor what sort of True Form it was, but he could clearly sense that the old man on the bull posed a tremendous threat to him.

“Escape!”

The State Preceptor of the Liang Country made a snap decision, without the slightest intention to battle with the old man on the bull, instantly choosing to flee.

At the very moment Wu Cheng saw the old man on the bull, he felt as if he had seen the source of the Great Dao, as though the elder himself was the apex of all cultivation, the ultimate destination, the source of everything.

In the presence of such a supreme being, he even felt a fleeting urge to revert to his original form and willingly serve under him as a retainer.

However, as a Demon King whose power rivaled that of a cultivator in the Heavenly Heart Realm, Wu Cheng had an extraordinarily strong spirit and consciousness, and after a momentary lapse, he regained his senses, but no longer dared to confront the old man on the bull.

Retreat was the best strategy!

But just as Wu Cheng made his move, he saw the old man on the bull gently lift the scripture in his hand, and the Tai Chi Diagram in the sky began to spin, immediately creating a golden bridge that stretched across the endless void, seemingly reaching the other shore.

This was a bridge to the other shore, imbued with incredible might, its mere unfurling shattered the hundred-zhang Daoist figure into pieces.

It also immobilized Wu Cheng, rendering him incapable of movement, unable even to let his Divine Soul leave his body.

“No!!” A look of horror spread across his face.

Next, streaks of golden light fell upon Wu Cheng, enveloping him, and with a slight flicker of that golden light, the Demon King turned into ashes, completely annihilated in both body and soul.

The entire confrontation unfolded as easily as a gust of autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, effortlessly killing Wu Cheng.

“Congratulations! You’ve slain the doomed enemy ‘Wu Cheng’. Fortune Bag [Gold] +1.”

“Congratulations! You have gained the virtue energy of the Yellow Mystery, and the proficiency of the ‘Yellow Mystery Pagoda Manual’ [Absolute Fourth Rank] has increased by 500.”

Reward notifications sounded.

Zhou Heng finally took a long breath of relief and came to a realization, “Grandmaster level, indeed, is still beyond my current strength.”

Wu Cheng was undeniably strong; such might in Da Qi would have surely ranked him as a Grandmaster.

Yet, in this world, Zhou Heng’s own strength was still weaker than his original body in Da Qi. Battling such a powerful foe was almost certain death.

Had it not been for the Yellow Mystery Pagoda Manual and the Supreme Bull Riding Diagram as his trump cards, this time he might have had to use some special privileges or skill cards obtained from opening the Fortune Bag.

However, following this battle, the Yellow Mystery Pagoda Manual had improved, and the Supreme Bull Riding Diagram had found its use. When he returned to Da Qi, perhaps he would truly be able to contend with a Sect Fifth Rank.

Now, silence reigned over heaven and earth.

Within the Imperial City of the Liang Country, anyone who had witnessed this scene was shocked to the core.

Moments ago, Wu Cheng, the State Preceptor, seemed overwhelmingly formidable, holding victory in his grasp; who could have expected such an instantaneous and complete reversal of fortunes.

Both the Yellow Mystery Pagoda and the old man riding the bull that appeared later were sources of astonishment.

Even Cheng Jianjian gazed at Zhou Heng with full eyes of curiosity, as she had never heard or seen such a powerful pagoda and bull-riding elder before.

Such power was almost too strong to believe.

“`

Even though Wu Cheng, the Demon King, might still have some small strength gaps compared to those Sect Fifth Rank experts in Da Qi, who have mastered many Martial Arts secrets and Taoist Formulas, on the level of cultivation realm, both parties are similar in terms of hierarchy.

Zhou Heng was actually able to kill such a strong person with the cultivation of the True Form Realm, almost equivalent to a Martial Artist of the Secret Sixth Rank True Energy Realm, killing a Fifth Rank Sect Master!

And it seemed he did it with ease, effortlessly.

It was simply inconceivable!

If she had not witnessed it with her own eyes, she would even doubt if it was true.

After all, it was too unimaginable.

“It seems that the State Preceptor cannot evaluate my move anymore, huh.” Zhou Heng said with a smile, while at the same time gently pushing his hair crown twice.

Immediately after, the pagoda turned into Xuan Huang Qi, the ox-riding elder and the Tai Chi Diagram in the sky also turned into clear Qi, intertwining and returning, drilling back into his head from above.

As soon as these two Qi returned, Zhou Heng instantly felt an indescribable sense of exhaustion, his spirit, vigor, and essence seemed to plunge from the peak into the abyss all at once, making his complexion turn extremely pale.

After all, he was just a Divine Soul that had descended by borrowing a body, without the endless primordial energy replenishment from a Cave Sky world, using these two secret techniques in succession naturally consumed a great deal.

“Are you alright?” Cheng Jianjian asked with concern.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Zhou Heng waved his hand and said, “It’s just a bit of a large consumption.”

“I’ll support you,” Cheng Jianjian said as she subtly grabbed Zhou Heng’s hand, “The commotion of the battle just now was quite significant, it might attract other Cultivators. Let’s leave first.”

“Hmm.” Zhou Heng nodded his agreement, summoned the winged tiger puppet, and took the two of them away from Liang Country’s Capital City.

It wasn’t until their figures disappeared from the sky above the Capital City of Liang Country that the multitude of commoners, as well as the nobility, and those within the Imperial Palace, came to their senses, filled with amazement.

Especially Emperor Ye Feng of Liang Country in front of the Qin Zheng Hall.

He was already sitting slumped on the ground, staring woodenly at the sky, murmuring to himself, “What have I done, what have I done!”

Not long after, some Cultivators of the True Form Realm and the Manifesting Holy Realm, sensing the violent fluctuations of the world’s primordial Qi in the Imperial City of Liang Country, arrived here to investigate and only then learned that a Demon King of the Heavenly Heart Realm had been vanquished to ashes.

This shocked all the True Immortals and Sages to no end.

In an era without Taoist Deities, the Heavenly Heart Realm is the pinnacle of the world, much like Immortal beings on land.

Could it be that a new Heavenly Heart Realm being has emerged in this world?

This is a big deal!

Since ancient times, every newly emerging Heavenly Heart Realm being has led to a reshuffling of many great powers in the world, with extensive implications.

Therefore, many Cultivators quickly returned to their Sects, preparing to report the situation and respond to the impending storm.

Meanwhile, as those Cultivators hurried back to their Sects, Zhou Heng had already recovered his spirit, vigor, and essence, and secretly went with Cheng Jianjian to Qingxiang Town.

There, he relayed the essence of the secrets of the Seven Steps to Immortality to Yu Jianghe, allowing him to establish a Sect and spread this newly opened path of cultivation at an appropriate time.

At the same time, Zhou Heng also left a “heart imprint” in the minds of the sibling pair Jiang Xianchu and Jiang Houli.

This imprint also contained the various essential aspects of the Seven Steps to Immortality and could serve as an automatic response device, answering their doubts and aiding their cultivation.

“`

After taking care of everything, Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian headed to the Great Snow Mountain in the north.

This was where Cheng Jianjian’s consciousness had descended into a body and also where she obtained the body of an ancient Guang Han Dao Holy Maiden. This place had once been the mountain gate headquarters of the ancient Guang Han Dao.

Although practically everything on the surface had been taken by later visitors, there remained a highly concealed ancient tomb beneath the ground that had not been discovered.

The ancient tomb consisted of seventy-two halls, but Cheng Jianjian had only managed to open one of them—that was where she found the ice coffin that held the corpse of the Guang Han Dao Holy Maiden.

As for the other seventy-one halls, because of extremely strong prohibitions placed on them, neither came to this world before nor with Zhou Heng’s help this time, were they able to be opened.

Thus, in the end, the two returned to the only hall they could enter and opened the ice coffin.

Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian were ready to leave, but before returning, they needed to ensure that the physical body was well-preserved. In this way, the next time the descent occurred, it could be done with precision.

— One could only descend into a corpse equivalent to a Lower Third Rank; this was the limitation of the first descent. If the body could be preserved, subsequent precise individual descents would not be subject to this restriction.

Inside the ice coffin, Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian lay down side by side.

“Perhaps by the time we come back again, the seeds of the Daoist legacy you left behind will have sprouted and spread far and wide, changing this world,” Cheng Jianjian said with a light laugh.

“The Divine Soul visualization techniques here have been passed down for too many years and are deeply entrenched. It won’t be easy for a new path to spread,” Zhou Heng said with a smile. “All is yet unknown.”

Boom!

The ice coffin closed, and darkness enveloped its interior.

Yet Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian could feel a mass of purple qi enveloped in starlight descending, forming a pathway that penetrated through countless worlds.

With a slight intention of their Divine Souls, they left their bodies and traveled back along the starlight path.

Accompanied by a faint sensation of dizziness, Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian regained consciousness.

They both instantly felt their Divine Soul power growing rapidly, and their perception of the natural laws became even crisper.

“This is the benefit of the returning stronger Divine Soul awareness!” a realization dawned in Zhou Heng’s heart.

The previous descent was only a fraction of his Divine Soul awareness, which had grown significantly. Thus, upon its return, it would naturally enhance his original Divine Soul Power considerably.

“This is an unexpected delight,” Cheng Jianjian also said with satisfaction.

“Indeed, my cultivation has improved once again. After some time, I should be able to attempt condensing the True Gang,” Zhou Heng said with a smile.

“True Gang?” Cheng Jianjian was somewhat surprised. “You’re progressing fast.”

“There’s actually no rush,” Zhou Heng shook his head slightly. “We still need to first assimilate the gains from this period of cultivation.”

“Then shall we return to the mountain?” asked Cheng Jianjian.

“Yes, return to the mountain and take a look,” Zhou Heng nodded lightly. “Who knows what changes may have occurred during this time.”

…

Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian had spent more than half a year in that world, and over half a month had passed in Da Qi.

Before the two departed, it coincided with the Southern Jin Buddha Sect’s great temple, Jia Ye Temple, crossing the national border to travel north to Yuzhou under the guise of preaching and spreading the faith, subtly aiming to open a sanctuary left behind by a great ancient Buddha power.

If the Pure Land world were to open, the Buddha’s light would envelop the entire Yuzhou, and with the spiritual will of ordinary people, they would be utterly unable to resist the conversion of the Buddha’s light. Upon contact with the Buddha’s light, they would immediately be forcibly converted into disciples of the Buddha Sect.

Yan Shouyi, in order to prevent such a situation from happening and to save his homeland’s compatriots, carried this unique divine weapon and headed to Yuzhou.

He aimed to transform the Buddha Sect’s Pure Land into the Daoist Heavenly Realm before the Jia Ye Temple could activate the Pure Land.

The Daoist principle is purity and nonaction, without coercion.

Hence, even if a Heavenly Realm were to open, it would not forcibly convert anyone, and instead it would enrich the heaven and earth with vital energy, clarify the rules of law, and make ordinary mountains, rivers, and lakes into a land of fortune for cultivation.

However, the Pure Land that Jia Ye Temple intends to open very likely has something to do with a great Buddha Sect ability of ancient times; it is not a trivial matter, and the name “Jia Ye” also made Zhou Heng especially concerned. He was somewhat worried about Yan Shouyi.

After he and Cheng Jianjian returned to Taihua Mount, they first went to the Jade Void Peak Golden Top and confirmed that Yan Shouyi was indeed not there.

Therefore, Zhou Heng went to the halfway mountain’s detached courtyard to find Chen Xuan, while Cheng Jianjian returned to the Jade Qiong Peak to ask her master Qi Rui about the situation.

Chen Xuan is a disciple of Yan Shouyi, having entered the Pure Yang Palace for over a hundred and thirty years, and is now a Fifth Rank Sect Master, he ought to know some information about Yan Shouyi.

“Little Uncle Master,” Chen Xuan greeted respectfully, pouring Zhou Heng a cup of tea, “Are you here to inquire about the master’s current situation?”

“That’s right,” Zhou Heng nodded lightly, taking a moment to size up Chen Xuan, and smiled, “It seems that the Senior Brother should be alright. How is he currently?”

If something had happened to Yan Shouyi, his disciple Chen Xuan would certainly not appear to be this calm.

“Little Uncle Master is correct, the master indeed is fine, but the situation in Yuzhou has become more complicated,” Chen Xuan sighed lightly, “Three days after the master left, the sight of True Yang divine light colliding with Buddha’s Golden Lotus appeared over Yuzhou, and then the entire Yuzhou was shrouded in extremely thick fog.”

“You call this ‘fine’?” Zhou Heng was stunned upon hearing this.

“Little Uncle Master, that fog is likely the effect of the unique divine weapon ‘Dao Engulfing Yuan Sect Diagram.’ Since the divine weapon’s power is still present, naturally the master is fine,” Chen Xuan asserted earnestly.

“Is it possible to go in and investigate?” Zhou Heng furrowed his brows.

“This…” Chen Xuan hesitated but still spoke the truth, “I tried to go, but was directly repelled by the fog. Elder Chen Fengming of Zixu Peak and Uncle Qi Rui of Jade Qiong Peak also tried, but none could enter.”

“And you can still consider this fine??” Zhou Heng was astonished, but he quickly realized, speaking solemnly, “You’re worried that I would be concerned about Senior Brother.”

“Ah, this… Little Uncle Master, the situation in Yuzhou is unclear, and given the master’s strength, he should…” Chen Xuan hurriedly tried to explain, but then he himself gave up, “Ah, the master must be fine, Little Uncle Master, this is also what Elder Chen and Uncle Qi think.”

“Alright, I understand,” Zhou Heng spread his hands, then asked further, “What’s the deal with this ‘Dao Engulfing Yuan Sect Diagram’? Is the repelling fog its effect?”

“Yes,” Chen Xuan nodded, “That diagram is a gift from the head of the Zhixu Sect to our ancestor, Master Pure Yang, during ancient times. It is said to have infinite wonders, with the Dao Engulfing Fog being one of them.

“Once the Dao Engulfing Fog is released, it can isolate the inside from the outside of the fog, and except for those permitted by the owner of the divine weapon and those who master special secret techniques, no one can enter or leave.”

“A gift from the head of the Zhixu Sect?” Zhou Heng was taken aback, his gaze flickered slightly, and he nodded, “I understand.”

Then, he finished his tea, ready to leave.

“Where are you going, Little Uncle Master?” Chen Xuan asked urgently.

“I’m going to take a walk down the mountain,” Zhou Heng said with a smile.

Immediately after, he leapt down from Jade Void Peak, and once outside the mountain gate, he flew into the sky on his sword, heading in the direction of the Zhixu Sect.