Chapter 197: Chapter 59: Return to Shiping Mountain
In the Demon-Imprisoning Hall, there was a simple, humble cottage.
When Wei Dongliu entered the cottage, he saw the refined and elegant furnishings and could tell that a woman once lived there.
Next to the desk by the window, there lay a pristine white Jade Slip.
After confirming there were no traps on the Jade Slip, Wei Dongliu invested his Divine Sense into it, glanced through it for a moment, and saw that it contained the content of a letter:
“I am Real Person Caidie from the outer disciples of the Intercepting Cult.”
“The battle between Clarify Cult and Intercepting Cult is almost hopeless. Lady Sanxiao and the ten great Heavenly Lords have perished one after another, their Divine Souls bound and captive.”
“I had no choice but to flee to the south of Golden Turtle Island to avoid being plundered by the Clarify Cult.”
“Inside this cottage are the remnants left by our numerous teachers: one Flying Smoke Sword, a purple-gold gourd, a scroll of the Nine Curves Yellow River Formation, a Bewitching Immortal Pill, and a scroll of the Sealing Immortal Secret Arts. Additionally, there are one hundred and eight Heavenly Demons of ferocious and sinister nature outside, who would be very difficult for anyone but disciples of our Intercepting Cult to bypass.”
“Since you are a junior disciple of our Intercepting Cult, you are to inherit and carry forward the doctrine, following my will. Once your cultivation is successful, seek revenge against the Clarify Cult in the future!”
After reading the letter, Wei Dongliu thought to himself that Real Person Caidie’s will no longer needed to be fulfilled by him.
The Clarify Cult is gone!
He carefully stored the Jade Slip and then looked around.
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The purple-gold gourd was placed at the edge of the desk. It was a Magical Artifact that Alchemists dreamt of owning, said to retain the efficacy of any Elixir placed within it for over a thousand years without any loss, akin to a “portable refrigerator” of the Cultivation Realm, which could be of use to Luo Yan.
The Flying Smoke Sword hung on the wall with a red cord. Its form was a dark crimson color, the blade exceptionally sharp, and there was no scabbard. Later, it would be gifted to Senior Sister An.
The Nine Curves Yellow River Formation was recorded on a Jade Slip, and upon careful examination by Wei Dongliu, he found it contained a massive amount of information. He decided to keep it for now and lay it out later within the Tong Xuan Gate’s base in the belly of Shiping Mountain.
As for the Bewitching Immortal Pill and Sealing Immortal Secret Arts, they were a matched set of Magical Artifact and Refinement Technique, able to seal the opponent’s True Yuan…
This thing was too underhanded and did not match the style of Demon Venerable Wei, so he took it to offer to Jiang the Witch as a borrowed gift.
Of course, he would memorize the Sealing Immortal Secret Arts, lest Jiang the Witch catch him off guard with the Bewitching Immortal Pill later on.
Wei Dongliu swiftly gathered the items and then, with his Sword Control Technique, he burst forth. Before the Heavenly Demons could react, he had already dashed out of the Demon-Imprisoning Hall.
The ground sloped upwards and the surrounding light grew brighter.
Upon returning to the Mahavira Hall, Wei Dongliu saw the old monk still striking the wooden fish and loudly chanting some mysterious Incantation:
“Duozieta, Pishilinpo Pishilinpo…”
Crushed under the Alms Bowl, Jiang Liyan felt dizzy and almost saw stars, but when she suddenly saw Wei Dongliu burst from the rear hall, she excitedly cried out:
“Master! Now that he has returned, could you let the young lady go?”
The old monk sighed, got up, and crouched next to Jiang the Witch. He said patiently:
“Demon Head, after hearing the Dharani Incantations chanted three thousand times, have you gained any enlightenment?”
“Enlightenment?” Jiang Liyan was immediately stumped, then after a moment, she said with a forced smile, “Master, as expected of an enlightened monk, I feel like I have obtained something, but cannot describe it in words. It feels so mysterious…”
She blabbered on pointlessly, making the old monk sigh, fold his hands, and say:
“Amitabha, take good care of yourself.”
He returned to sitting on his cushion, made a motion with his sleeve, and the Alms Bowl rose into the air, spinning and gradually shrinking until it flew back to his sleeve.
Afterward, the old monk hunched his body, closed his eyes, and sat in silent meditation without striking the wooden fish or chanting any Buddhist Scriptures.
Jiang Liyan clumsily got to her feet and hurried over to grab Wei Dongliu’s hand, asking:
“Did you get it?”
“Mm,” Wei Dongliu nodded.
“Quick, let’s get out of here!” Without further ado, Jiang Liyan summoned Sword Light, enveloping him, and the two immediately fled the Mahavira Hall, dashing into the bamboo grove. They saw the temple getting smaller and smaller behind them until it finally disappeared.
After leaving the bamboo grove and returning to the air above Golden Turtle Island, Jiang Liyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Being brutally suppressed by the Earth Immortal, and having her life and death in someone else’s hands, was such an awful feeling that she still felt a lingering fear.
“I’ve suffered so much this time, if Wei Dongliu doesn’t give me enough benefits, I’ll… I’ll turn against him!”
“Wei Fellow Daoist,” Jiang Liyan said sweetly, “you’ve finally come back just in time. If it were any later, I might have been brainwashed by Buddhist scriptures and converted to the Buddhist Sect.”
“If Jiang Fellow Daoist wishes to convert to the Buddhist Sect, I believe you could also find another bright path,” Wei Dongliu said meaningfully.
Jiang Liyan nearly spat out blood on hearing this: How good he was at making such cold remarks!
“Is that the sword Wei Fellow Daoist was searching for?” She looked behind Wei Dongliu and saw… two swords, both tightly wrapped in cloth strips.
She had no idea which one was the Myriad Demons Evil Spirit Sword and which one was the recently acquired sword. As for the flying sword’s appearance, Five Elements Attribute, rank, Daoist magic, and so on, she knew nothing at all, leaving Jiang Liyan extremely frustrated.
Wei Dongliu gave a slight smile, not bringing up the matter of the flying sword; instead, he took out a box containing a Bewitching Immortal Pill and a Jade Slip with the Sealing Immortal Secret Arts written on it and handed them to her.
“This is…” Jiang Liyan took it with confusion, opened the box, and then let her Divine Sense penetrate the Jade Slip. Her expression became complex in an instant.
“Jiang Fellow Daoist has lain under that alms bowl for quite a while, a bit of compensation is only fair,” Wei Dongliu said with a smile.
“Thank you, Fellow Daoist,” Jiang Liyan said softly, knowing this was Wei Dongliu’s “hush money” for her to keep their trip a secret from others.
The Bewitching Immortal Pill was a powerful external type of magical treasure, capable of strongly sealing True Yuan; when combined with the Sealing Immortal Secret Arts, it was even harder to resist.
If such rare treasures and techniques could be given away so casually, it could only mean that he must have gained a fortune within the rear hall.
However, as the other party always acted mysteriously, asking him directly would surely yield no answers, so she would have to probe gradually later on.
With this thought in mind, Jiang the Witch made up her mind and smiled,
“I heard there were many demons within that rear hall? I’m very curious, how did Wei Fellow Daoist deal with them?”
“Well, that’s a long story,” Wei Dongliu began to spin a tale.
As the two chatted and controlled their swords, they made their way back to the Divine Land Continent, laughing and joking with their own thoughts, eventually arriving at Shiping Mountain in the southern part of Taihang Mountains.
Back at the sect, Wei Dongliu checked on the studies of his two disciples.
Guo Jin and Wang Cong had both successfully passed the three tests and become Qi Refining Rank disciples, with a foundation of cultivation that was quite solid — at least compared to their poor innate qualities; such a foundation was quite remarkable.
Upon reaching the Qi Refining Rank, cultivators face two daily tasks:
One is Breathing and Qi Refinement, to enhance their Cultivation Realm.
Second is the Sword Flight Technique, to improve their combat abilities.
Guo Jin, who was dull and honest by nature, remembered Wei Dongliu’s words that “Realm is the foundation.” During the time the two were away, he had practiced the circulation of Qi thoroughly.
Wang Cong, spirited and restless, couldn’t stand the loneliness of meditating and Qi Refining. Instead, she practiced the Sword Control Technique to perfection.
Fortunately, with their master absent for a long time, the two had developed the habit of helping and supporting each other. Guo Jin urged his junior sister to devote a certain amount of time to Qi Refining every day, while Wang Cong taught her senior brother many difficult parts, managing to fend for themselves for the time being.
Excellent! Wei Dongliu was quite satisfied with the two, thinking that at this rate, they would soon be able to stand on their own!
Jiang Liyan was somewhat distracted, seemingly seeing the shadows of Wei Dongliu and herself in Guo Jin and Wang Cong.
If she had not been found by the Heavenly Demon Path back then and had stayed with Wei Dongliu instead, even though she would have had a master who didn’t care, she still might have had a serene and peaceful life.
“Jiang Fellow Daoist?” Wei Dongliu suddenly said.
“Ah!” Jiang Liyan awoke from her reverie, briefly thinking her thoughts had been seen through and feeling a bit embarrassed.
“I need to teach my disciples the sect’s Qi Refining Technique,” Wei Dongliu said with a beaming smile, signaling her to leave and avoid propriety.
“Oh, then I shall take my leave,” Jiang Liyan turned and left, feeling a bit upset again.
Who else would I take as a senior brother if not him!
You want to teach your disciples, huh? As long as you continue to neglect them in the future, I will eventually turn your disciples into mine, and I’ll get all your techniques too!