“The Master Ancestor’s hand-scroll records…” Yuan Feng True Lord pointed his fingers like a sword, and golden inscriptions appeared on the jade table. “It cannot be passed down to those not of Purple Rock bloodline. I hope Immortal Maiden understands.”
This response made Daoist Qing Feng’s pupils constrict slightly. He clearly remembered that there were no bloodline restrictions whatsoever on that jade slip. The Sect Master’s ability to conjure something out of nothing was more worthy of contemplation than Yixian Palace’s Heart-Bewitching Art.
Immortal Yun Qingrao gently swept her wide sleeve over the table. “If even the Chief cannot decide, then others naturally have no right to make a judgment. Our Sect is willing to offer the Seven-String Sword Manual as a wager. That year, a senior sword fanatic of your Sect once praised this technique as ‘the foremost sword art below the Heaven-tier.’ I wonder if it can catch the True Lord’s discerning eye?”
Yuan Feng lightly tapped the stone table with his knuckles, and the thousand-year Cold Jade emitted a clear, resonant sound. He had long heard of this sword manual. In the past, the Sect was reluctant to part with Heaven-tier cultivation methods to exchange for this technique, while Earth-tier methods seemed insufficient.
Now, Yixian Palace actively sought it, indeed showing sincerity. However, although the Non-Contention Sutra was like a chicken rib, it was, after all, passed down by the founding Master Ancestor.
“There is another small matter that requires the True Lord’s witness,” Yun Qingrao’s topic suddenly shifted. Her jade-like finger lightly pointed at the su-yi clad woman bowing her head behind her. “Lu Ran of your Sect’s Chen Ming Peak and Zhang Gao of Hu Ji Peak both seek a good marriage. We hope the True Lord can examine them on our behalf. If a suitable match is found, our Palace will prepare a phoenix and dragon carriage to welcome her.”
Su Yan’s ear tips turned red, and the jade pendant at her waist jingled. Yuan Feng laughed heartily, “Disciple Lu’s sword intent is clear and profound, and Zhang Gao’s alchemy is exceptional. Whichever one forms a bond with your esteemed Sect, it will be a fortunate event for our Sect.”
Yun Qingrao surveyed the red rocks outside the hall. “I have long heard that Chen Ming Peak has a Nine-Bend Cold Pond. I wonder if Xiao Yao Peak could be temporarily used as a residence?”
Qin Balance immediately summoned a Disciple in charge, specifically instructing him to settle the Yixian Palace contingent on the southern foothills, furthest from the scripture pavilion.
As Daoist Qing Feng led the way, he secretly remained vigilant. The residence Immortal Yun requested was only ten li from his cave dwelling.
As they passed by the Azure Wave Pond, a clear, melodious sound suddenly drifted over: “Daoist Qing Feng, would you be willing to appreciate ‘Ode to the Goddess of Luo River’?”
Amidst the clamor of the crowd, Daoist Qing Feng paused and returned the bow: “Immortal Maiden bestows a melody; how dare I not obey?”
Yun Qingrao’s lips curved slightly, and as her wide sleeves fluttered, a seven-string zither appeared.
When the zither music began, the brocade carp in the pond actually swam in formation, and the Disciples felt as if they were soaring among the clouds.
Only Daoist Qing Feng’s sea of consciousness remained clear. This was not a calming melody to aid cultivation; it was clearly a Heart-Illuminating Art used to probe one’s foundation!
Yun Qingrao sat cross-legged on a bluestone, and with a gentle flick of her fair hand, a dark five-string zither appeared in mid-air.
Its construction, different from a typical seven-string zither, drew curious gazes from the cultivators present. But the moment her slender fingertips touched the strings, the surrounding Heaven and Earth spiritual qi suddenly stagnated.
As the zither music flowed, Heaven and Earth seemed to have been put on pause.
The previously restless Beast Taming Sect Disciples suddenly felt the hostility in their chests melt away like spring snow, and even their natal spirit swords, which they had worn at their waists for years, sheathed their sharpness.
Dao Lord Zisu was startled to find that her painstakingly honed sword intent had transformed into a soft, yielding force within the melody. The knuckles that instinctively pressed against her sword hilt unconsciously loosened their grip.
Daoist Qing Feng’s pupils suddenly constricted. A surging, dim yellow long river from the horizon, carrying a strange yet familiar rhythm, poured down.
This was clearly the phantom image of the Yellow River, etched into his bloodline, yet it sent shivers down his spine. This world should not have any traces of Huaxia.
Even more bizarre was the graceful figure that suddenly appeared amidst the turbulent waves, her blue robes fluttering like a startled swan reflecting in the water, surprisingly consistent with the legendary dance of the Luo River Goddess.
“This ‘Pure Heart and Universal Goodness Mantra’ indeed has endless wondrous uses.” Yun Qingrao’s peripheral vision swept over the gradually relaxed Beast Taming Sect members, a barely perceptible faint smile flitting across her lips.
What she truly cared about, however, was Daoist Qing Feng, the only one in the field unaffected by the Heart-Bewitching Art. The Uncontending and Unfailing Technique’s aura flowing within him was creating a subtle resonance with her zither music.
A dark golden spiritual energy seeped into the sound waves along the zither strings, yet none of the cultivators present noticed anything amiss.
Only the illusory figure of the Luo River Goddess was seen dancing upon the waves, washing away the killing aura accumulated by the Beast Taming Sect Disciples over the years.
Yuan Feng True Lord was startled to find himself entertaining the absurd thought of retreating to the mountains and forests. He hurriedly circulated his cultivation method to resist, but it was as futile as trying to cut water with a knife.
Daoist Qing Feng gazed at the interwoven illusory Yellow River realm, suddenly feeling a strange ripple in his sea of consciousness. Some kind of cause-and-effect line, transcending time and space, was awakening within the zither music, and beneath Yun Qingrao’s seemingly focused profile as she played the zither, there was clearly an expression of knowing all things.
An anomaly suddenly arose on the training ground. Yun Qingrao gently stroked the zither strings, surrounded by an ethereal immortal aura.
As the melody flowed, the Heaven and Earth spiritual qi actually condensed into tangible clear springs, enveloping hundreds of cultivators in a profound Daoist charm.
The originally abstruse and profound Heaven and Earth laws now flowed gently into everyone’s hearts like clear springs.
Elder Zi Yun was startled by the spiritual qi fluctuations. When she arrived on her sword, she saw dozens of Disciples breaking through one after another. At the core of this creation, Daoist Qing Feng was actually sleeping soundly, lulled by the zither music.
The white dragon illusory figure that Yun Qingrao had transformed into roamed within, a hint of surprise flashing in its dragon eyes. Eight light talismans, subtly visible in his robes, were guiding the orderly circulation of the myriad Dao principles in the sky.
“It’s actually innate Dao patterns forming their own array core!” The white dragon raised its head and surveyed the overall situation, only then comprehending the crucial point.
That seemingly relaxed sleeping posture, in reality, secretly conformed to the positions of the stars in the celestial sphere.
The most profound aspect of the Luo River Goddess’s melody was not in its destructive power, but in its ability to evolve with the realm of the enlightened. The core of the Eight Trigrams Array, which she had sought for many years, was now naturally manifesting on a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
In the Luo River, which had been transformed by the zither music, Daoist Qing Feng’s divine consciousness was wandering in an ocean of Daoist magic.
Unlike others who actively comprehended, his acupoints spontaneously absorbed and exhaled the supreme principles of Heaven and Earth, refining the complex Daoist charm into pure energy that could be absorbed by the Non-Contention Sutra.
This method of cultivation, returning to simplicity, perfectly aligned with the true meaning of “non-contention” that Yun Qingrao sought.
Within the square inch of the spiritual platform, the three souls and seven spirits circulated like Tai Chi, and Daoist Qing Feng was sitting cross-legged at the intersection of yin and yang.
His left hand held three wisps of clear qi, and his right hand clutched seven strands of profound light. The true meaning of the nine heavens converged on his spiritual platform, and the vital essence of the Yellow Court sank into his dantian.
Suddenly, he saw the silver dragon illusion circling the celestial sphere, reminding Daoist Qing Feng of the “Nine Palaces Profound Diagram” mentioned in the ‘Secret Manual of the Pillow.’
This little dragon’s spiritual consciousness was quite keen, actually able to glimpse the unformed innate Dao embryo within Daoist Qing Feng’s body.
While he was pondering, he suddenly felt someone peering at him. Opening his eyes, he saw the small silver-scaled beast leaning in to examine him.
Daoist Qing Feng took the opportunity to pinch its jade-shoot-like horn: “The Luo River Goddess hasn’t arrived, but instead, a Feng Yi with a dragon head and human body has? Could it be jealous that I didn’t write a poem for Mi Fei just now?”
The silver dragon’s glazed eyes widened, clearly not understanding Daoist Qing Feng’s joke.
The cloud patterns around its body flickered, then it suddenly transformed into a stream of light and crashed into him, but shattered into stardust upon touching Daoist Qing Feng’s protective qi shield.
After all, it was a heart demon illusion; how could such an illusory thing harm him in the slightest?
On the Jade Terrace, Yun Qingrao’s fingertips trembled slightly as she played the zither.
That brat dared to touch the dragon horn formed by her divine consciousness just now, and precisely at this moment, she was undergoing the ‘Grand Forgetfulness Tribulation,’ where even the slightest emotional fluctuation could cause all her previous efforts to go to waste.
Looking at Daoist Qing Feng in the mirror again, the aura around him resonated with Heaven and Earth, as if he had transcended the Three Realms and was not bound by the Five Elements.
“He’s quite a good candidate for cultivating the Path of Ruthlessness.” She gently stroked the Jiao Wei zither, and ice patterns gradually appeared between her brows.
The shame and irritation from having her Dragon race secret place touched just now had transformed into the cold stillness of a thousand-year Cold Pond.
However, the innate Dao body that Daoist Qing Feng revealed in his deep sleep clearly indicated some kind of fortuitous encounter that transcended recorded texts.