Journey to the West: The Great Sage's Guide

Chapter 48 The Celestial Maiden's Corpse

The two talismans clashed and ended in a draw.

If you calculate it carefully, Zhong Xuan's cultivation time was less than seven days.

This old Taoist priest with the goatee is quite old, yet he dares to use a wind talisman; he must have been accustomed to it for a long time.

Zhong Xuan, taking advantage of his old age and weakness, struck him down with a skillful palm strike.

To the onlookers, it was naturally the boy who won.

They were immediately in an uproar.

"The Taoist priest has been defeated!"

"Who is this young man?!"

"Wow, amazing! Could he be a true cultivator from some famous mountain?"

Exclamations erupted from all sides.

The goatee-bearded Taoist got up, his ears filled with the astonished shouts of the mortals.

"They've been defeated!"

"Who is this young man?!"

Every word felt like a slap in the face to his old man!

Six months.

He preached in this square for half a year, and finally cultivated a group of believers who treated him like a living god.

The people's yearning for immortality and their respectful offerings made him feel elated, and he truly believed himself to be some kind of enlightened master.

But now, a mere kid has humiliated him with a single move!

He knew he hadn't really lost!

That palm strike was merely due to youth and strength; in terms of true talisman techniques, that kid might not be as good as me!

But the onlookers didn't understand any of this; they only saw themselves lying on the ground, and they only saw the boy standing.

I just can't swallow this insult!

The old Taoist gritted his teeth and made a firm decision!

Fine, fine, since we've come this far, let's open their eyes.

Forget about saving our best tricks; let's get our revenge first!

The goatee-bearded Taoist slowly got up, his face ashen.

Under the moonlight, his face was a mixture of pale and bluish-white, looking disheveled yet somewhat ferocious.

"You brat, you've bullied me! I'll show you my 'Celestial Maiden' magic!"

He gritted his teeth, shouted, and grabbed the earthenware jar that was half his height.

The jar was entirely black, covered with countless talismans, which trembled slightly in the night breeze.

scoff!

The talisman was torn off.

A gust of cold wind surged out of the jar, and in an instant, the surrounding temperature plummeted.

The onlookers all shivered.

The eerie wind dissipated, and a woman appeared out of thin air.

At the tender age of twenty, she wore a magnificent palace dress, her hair piled high in a bun, her face exquisitely beautiful, and her eyes sparkling with a hint of allure.

She stood gracefully beside the Taoist priest, surrounded by a faint fragrance, her skirt swaying gently in the night breeze, as if she were a celestial maiden descended to earth, incomparably beautiful.

The onlookers immediately exclaimed in surprise:

"A celestial maiden! It's a celestial maiden!"

"I've long heard that the Daoist has a cultivation partner who is a fairy descended from heaven!"

"Today I finally see her true face, and she is indeed breathtakingly beautiful!"

"The Taoist priest can even summon celestial maidens; that's true skill!"

Those in the crowd who had initially been somewhat skeptical were now completely convinced!

Some people couldn't help but kneel down and kowtow to the woman.

The monkey stared at the woman in palace attire, its nostrils flaring.

Something's not right! This tastes off.

During the days it had been following its human brother, it had seen the Rakshasa woman and the tiger demon.

It knows what kind of aura different kinds of living things should have.

But the woman in front of me was surrounded by an overwhelming fragrance!

It was so thick and pungent, as if it were deliberately trying to cover something up.

What is it covering? It had a vague answer in its mind, but it wasn't sure.

Just then, the wooden fish in Zhong Xuan's sleeve began to tremble violently.

Zhang Chengming's voice, filled with disbelief and anger, pierced straight into Zhong Xuan's mind:

"Kid! When did you learn the Wind Summoning Talisman?!"

"Only one night! How could you possibly already know how?!"

Zhang Chengming was a bit slow to realize this, and only now has he discovered it.

Because of his insolent remarks last night, he was suppressed by Abbess Jingyuan all night and only recently broke free of the seal.

Zhong Xuan did not do it intentionally, nor was he truly indifferent, in failing to "seal" Zhang Chengming.

I just wanted to see what other tricks Zhang Chengming could pull.

However, due to new circumstances, Zhong Xuan had no time to deal with him.

Because the monkey has already jumped out!

"Whether you're a celestial maiden or a demoness, take this!"

The monkey swung his iron rod and smashed it down on the woman in palace attire!

The beautiful celestial maiden neither dodged nor avoided the blow, taking it head-on.

boom!

She flew backward and crashed into an old locust tree behind her. The thick trunk trembled violently, and leaves fell in a flurry.

She bounced back from the tree and landed heavily on the ground.

But the next moment, she stood up as if nothing had happened, dusted herself off, and floated back to the Taoist's side, still smiling at everyone.

Her gentle smile was stiff, as if it were etched onto her face.

The monkey was stunned, a little frightened.

What is this thing?

Doesn't it hurt when you get hit?

"Bark! Could it be a monster?!"

The monkey got angry and swung the stick again, hitting the monkey three times.

Although this celestial maiden seemed indestructible, her martial arts skills were actually so poor as to be almost nonexistent.

She was repeatedly hit and knocked around, but every time she fell, she could immediately get up.

Moreover, she always had an unnaturally beautiful smile on her face!

The monkey grew increasingly alarmed as it fought, its grip on the ground becoming hesitant. Suddenly, it turned its head to look.

"Brother! What's wrong with her?!"

"Hmm, this is not human."

Zhong Xuan actually observed things earlier and more carefully than the monkey.

At first, they only thought the woman was some kind of demon raised by a Taoist priest.

Under the Qi-Illuminating Technique of the Heart Lake, the so-called Heavenly Maiden's aura was strangely dazzling.

There was neither the vitality of living things nor the intensity of demonic energy.

Only a cold, deathly aura remained, imprisoned within the body by the energy of numerous talismans.

The monkey suddenly took a few steps back, unwilling to fight anymore.

Even the iron rod in its hand was somewhat cold, tainted with an unsettling aura.

"Be careful!"

The Rakshasa woman narrowed her eyes; she could no longer easily use her magic power.

Previously, in his sword duel with Ye Quanzhen, although it was purely a contest of martial arts skills, he still ended up at a disadvantage...

She suppressed the sudden thought that had surfaced in her mind and whispered a reminder: "It's probably corpse refining."

Zhong Xuan's brow twitched, and he nodded slightly.

It turns out that the so-called "dual cultivation celestial maiden" that the Taoist priest spoke of was nothing more than a corpse that had been refined.

The onlookers were still marveling at things like, "The celestial maiden is indeed extraordinary; she was unharmed even after being hit."

Some people muttered under their breath, "Why is this fairy still laughing even after being hit? Her laughter is giving me the creeps..."

They had no idea what was standing in front of them!

Zhong Xuan turned to Rakshasa and said, "Yunniang, may I borrow your sword?"

The Rakshasa woman was taken aback, and blinked her cold eyes.

This is our master...

Fine, it doesn't matter if we kill this thing that binds souls and refines corpses.

She convinced herself, then unfastened the green rope sword from her waist and handed it over.

As she handed him the sword, her fingertips inadvertently touched Zhong Xuan's palm, trembled slightly, and then quickly withdrew.

Zhong Xuan silently took the sword and stepped forward.

His steps were not fast, but they carried a strange rhythm, each step matching the beat of everyone's heartbeats. The night wind blew his robes, and the moonlight cast long shadows behind him.

Some people are extraordinary simply because of the rhythm of their walk.

Not only those around him were captivated by the young man's demeanor and bearing.

The woman in palace attire seemed to sense danger, and the smile on her face suddenly froze.

She moved swiftly, about to pounce.

Its alluring eyes now held a fierce glint, clearly indicating that it was a resentful corpse.

Zhong Xuan sidestepped her attack.

A flash of sword light—

The sword tip was precisely positioned behind the "Celestial Maiden's" right knee, at a joint tendon.

puff.

A soft sound, as if piercing something rotten.

The woman swayed, her right leg buckled, and she fell to the right.

Zhong Xuan raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that he was right.

After carefully examining the body using his Tai Xuan Zhao Qi method, he discovered that the corpse still adhered to physical structure.

Using his knowledge from his previous life on Earth, he was not bound by classical or modern conventions.

If something can be used for your own benefit, then you should use it; this is the application of the Way.

Thoughts arise in the mind, hands never stop.

The sword flashed again—

Behind the left knee.

Right elbow.

Left elbow.

scapular.

Four swords, four joints.

When the sword light faded, the woman in palace attire knelt down with a thud!

His limbs hung limply, like a puppet with its strings cut, unable to move any further.

She still wore a gentle smile, but under the moonlight, the smile appeared particularly eerie and terrifying.

A gust of wind blew by, lifting a corner of the torn robe.

The onlookers then realized that what was exposed was dry, yellowish skin, like dried bacon, with faint traces of lividity still visible on it.

Someone screamed.

Some people were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, their legs went weak, and they couldn't even get up.

"A corpse...a corpse!"

"The celestial maiden is a corpse!"

"The Taoist priest is practicing corpse cultivation! He's a demonic Taoist!"

The crowd scattered with a roar.

Those who were just marveling at her "fairy-like beauty" are now running faster than anyone else.

Some timid women fainted on the spot, and the cries of children filled the air.

The goatee-bearded Taoist priest's face turned deathly pale.

He glared fiercely at Zhong Xuan, gritting his teeth!

"Very well! Very well! You just wait, I've taken note!"

After saying that, he turned and ran, abandoning even the jar!

He stumbled into the chaotic crowd and quickly disappeared from sight.

Zhong Xuan did not pursue her. He first retrieved the Green Chain Sword and then turned around to hand it back to Rakshasa.

The Rakshasa woman took the sword and looked at him curiously.

Zhong Xuan touched the earthenware jar and closed his eyes.

Under the watchful eyes of the bold among the trembling crowd around them.

Zhong Xuan recalled the various changes in Qi that had occurred before and prepared to give it a try.

"Kid! You even know how to use talismans to suppress and control corpses?"

Zhang Chengming's sinister voice rang out again.

It was as if, after becoming a spirit, the demeanor of the real person completely changed.

"I don't understand," Zhong Xuan answered honestly.

"Of course I don't understand!" Zhang Chengming sneered.

"This is another school of Maoshan talismanic arts, some of which have been lost to the common people. Maoshan, along with Longhushan and Gezaoshan, are known as the 'Three Mountains Talismans'—if you ask me, I will teach you how to manipulate and retrieve them."

Zhang Chengming suddenly spoke again.

The monkey nearby, listening with curiosity, interjected, "Even if we don't ask you for help, what can you do?"

Zhang Chengming sneered: "Once it gets dark, this corpse still has a living soul. What will it eat when it gets hungry? Unless you smash it to pieces and burn it for a whole day."

Zhong Xuan was trying to inject his magic power into the talisman on the pottery jar to reactivate something.

On the one hand, he can see the movement of Qi.

On the other hand, he was completely ignorant about many things.

But just like facing all sorts of unknown things in my previous life, I simply had to be bold and take action.

You'll know once you touch it.

So he simply picked up the beautiful corpse, and amidst the disgusted expression on the Rakshasa woman's face behind her veil, placed the corpse back into the pottery jar.

"A real person."

Zhong Xuan remembered the insults Zhang Chengming had done to Brother Monkey, but that didn't mean he would lower himself to such an extent.

It is a profound disgrace to confine Zhang Chengming to the Buddhist temple's wooden fish chamber, which is deeply entrenched in sectarianism.

You must teach Brother Monkey this in the future, only then can you be considered a true Great Sage.

"Given your hatred for demons, shouldn't you be begging me to teach you how to reseal it?"

"snort!"

Zhang Chengming sneered and then fell silent.

Zhong Xuan smiled, said nothing more, and turned to look at Wang Sheng in the crowd.

The down-on-his-luck young man was staring at him with wide eyes.

His eyes were filled with shock, and... a burning desire!

This longing is like a drowning person seeing driftwood, or a dying person seeing a miracle cure.

Zhong Xuan looked at him and slowly said, "Wang Sheng, I'll ask you one more time: are you willing to come back with me, to first take care of your grandmother until her death, and then come to seek immortality and enlightenment?"

Wang Sheng was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with ecstatic joy.

He rushed to Zhong Xuan and knelt down with a thud.

His knee slammed against the bluestone slab with a dull thud, and he was so excited that he was incoherent:

"Immortal Master! Please accept me as your disciple! I beg you!"

"You were able to defeat that evil Taoist priest, you must be a true immortal! A powerful being!"

"If you accept me, I'll do whatever you say! Let's go back! I'll go back with you to see my grandmother right now!"

The surrounding audience looked at each other, most of them with envy on their faces.

Because it is now certain that the corpse puppet created by this demonic Taoist is no match for this young man.

Someone muttered quietly, "Wang Sheng really got incredibly lucky..."

"That's right! That young man can even defeat the evil Taoist priest. Cultivating under him is a hundred times better than listening to that evil Taoist priest preach!"

"I should have gone up and begged him too... I should have known better. These days, true talent doesn't show off!"

The whispers of those around him only made Wang Sheng more smug.

He was now kneeling on the ground, gazing longingly at the boy, his heart filled with joy.

I never expected this, I never expected this!

That old hag in my house is so lucky to know such a spiritual master!

I've been praying here for years, but I still haven't even begun to cultivate immortality, yet I watch others succeed.

Wang Sheng had long suffered greatly.

Now, I feel completely at ease.

After all, he had already agreed to go back, so the young immortal master should be satisfied, right?

But Wang Sheng did not receive an immediate reply.

Because Zhong Xuan was silent.

The moonlight shone on him, coating him with a layer of cool, silvery radiance.

He stood there, looking down at Wang Sheng kneeling at his feet, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

The gentle expression gradually faded, as if even Buddha wasn't always benevolent.

The Tai Xuan Illumination Qi Method is gradually replacing simple visual perception.

See with your eyes, smell with your nose, hear with your ears... smell the air.

Zhong Xuan sensed the person in front of him using a more complex and entirely new sensory system.

Wang Sheng's changing thoughts led to changes in his physical body.

Changes in the body lead to changes in the flow of Qi.

The vital energy that makes up a person is actually composed of billions of even smaller strands of vital energy.

These wisps of energy are like invisible fluids, with a myriad of colors.

Zhong Xuan could not see it all at once; he could only watch as if he were observing the freehand brushstrokes of a traditional Chinese painting.

Judging from the flow of his vital energy and the patterns... this Wang Sheng is not sincere.

Zhong Xuan suddenly realized this and hesitated for a moment.

But what would be the best course of action for that old woman?

Just then, the wooden fish in his sleeve trembled again.

Zhang Chengming's sinister voice drifted out, carrying a mocking and gloating tone, as he spoke again.