Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 206 Refining Successful

Yu Zhenzi's face flushed red and then turned pale, her lips trembled, and she couldn't speak.

His disciples behind him looked at each other in bewilderment, and some had already begun to retreat.

"You...you're spouting nonsense." Yu Zhenzi finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.

Xuanzhenzi took out a jade slip from his sleeve and held it high.

"This is the secret order you sent to Lanruo Temple. It has your signature on it. Are you still trying to deny it?"

Yu Zhenzi's face was deathly pale, and his body trembled slightly.

"How...how did you get this?"

Xuanzhenzi said, "Because your disciple is an undercover agent of my Qingfeng Temple."

"He had long disapproved of your actions and volunteered to provide us with intelligence."

Yu Zhenzi finally broke down, collapsing to the ground, her face ashen.

His disciples behind him laid down their weapons and stepped aside.

Xuanzhenzi walked up to Zhou Ning and patted him on the shoulder.

"Young Master Zhou, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Zhou Ning shook his head: "You're too kind, Daoist Master. Thank you for upholding justice."

Xuanzhenzi sighed.

"The Righteous Alliance should have been the mainstay of the righteous path. Unfortunately, some people have forgotten their original intentions and gone astray."

He looked at Yu Zhenzi, who was slumped on the ground, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"Yu Zhenzi, you may leave. From now on, your junior brother will take over as the head of Qingcheng Mountain. Go home and retire."

Yu Zhenzi struggled to her feet and staggered away.

Zhou Ning sheathed the Heavenly Fox Sword and said to Xuanzhenzi, "Daoist Master, I'm going back to Lanruo Temple. Jingchen is still in seclusion, and I'm worried about him."

Xuanzhenzi nodded: "Go ahead. Be careful on the way."

Zhou Ning took A-Shu and left Qingcheng Mountain.

After leaving Qingcheng Mountain, Zhou Ning and Ashu traveled day and night and soon returned to Qingyun Mountain.

At the entrance of Lanruo Temple on Qingyun Mountain, Zhou Ning noticed several fresh footprints on the steps leading to the temple, and several trampled marks in the bamboo grove outside the courtyard wall.

Clearly, someone has been here, and more than one person.

"Yu Zhenzi's people have come," Ashu whispered.

Zhou Ning nodded, pushed open the temple door, and went inside.

Inside the main hall, Yan Chixia was meditating.

His expression was calm, but there was a hint of weariness in his eyes.

He nodded slightly when he saw Zhou Ning.

"You're back? Is everything resolved?"

Zhou Ning briefly recounted the events at Qingcheng Mountain.

After listening, Yan Chixia remained silent for a moment, then said, "It's a good thing that Yu Zhenzi has been forced off the stage."

"But the rift in the righteous alliance has already formed and will be difficult to mend in a short time. Be careful, some people may take this opportunity to cause trouble."

Zhou Ning nodded: "Disciple understands. Master, how is Jingchen doing?"

Yan Chixia said, "She is still in seclusion. The aura of the Phoenix Feather is getting stronger and stronger; she should be refining it soon."

"These past few days, the colorful light in her room has been getting brighter and brighter, sometimes even visible late at night. I've added several protective barriers to prevent external interference."

Zhou Ning walked to the side room in the backyard and looked inside through the crack in the door.

Inside the room, the colorful light shifted and changed like the aurora borealis, sometimes strong and sometimes weak.

The phoenix feather hovered above Jingchen's head, slowly rotating, its light growing brighter with each rotation.

Jingchen sat cross-legged on the bed, his hands forming a mudra, his face serene, and a faint smile on his lips.

"She seems to have changed," Ashu whispered as he leaned closer.

Zhou Ning nodded: "The Phoenix Feather is helping her suppress her inner demons. Once she has fully refined them, she should be able to return to normal."

The two returned to the front yard.

Ashu went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Zhou Ning sat down in the main hall and asked Yan Chixia about cultivation issues.

"Master, I feel that my bottleneck at the mid-stage of the Dao Integration realm is loosening recently, but I'm always just a little short of breaking through. Is there some kind of opportunity I need?"

Yan Chixia said, "Breakthrough in the Dao Integration stage requires not only power, but also an understanding of the Dao of Heaven."

"What you've been going through recently are all opportunities for reflection."

"The Righteous Alliance's false accusations, Yu Zhenzi's betrayal, Jingchen's transformation..."

All of these are tempering your Dao heart. When your Dao heart is mature enough, breakthrough will naturally follow.

Zhou Ning seemed to be deep in thought.

Just then, a deafening roar suddenly came from the backyard.

Seven-colored light burst forth from Jingchen's room, illuminating the entire Lanruo Temple as if it were daytime.

In the light, a seven-colored phoenix could be vaguely seen flying, emitting a clear cry.

"The Phoenix Feather has been refined!" Yan Chixia stood up and strode towards the backyard.

Zhou Ning and Ashu followed closely behind.

The door to Jingchen's room had been flung open by the light.

Jingchen stood in the center of the room, surrounded by a seven-colored Buddhist light. Phoenix feathers transformed into a small phoenix, which perched on her shoulder and gently pecked at her hair.

Her face was more serene than before, and the gloom in her eyes was gone, replaced by a clear light.

"Jingchen, how are you feeling?" Zhou Ning asked.

Jingchen turned around, looked at him, and smiled slightly.

"Excellent. Better than ever before. The Buddha-nature within the Phoenix Feather helped me suppress my inner demons. Now I can finally see myself clearly."

She walked up to Zhou Ning and bowed deeply.

"Zhou Ning, thank you. Without you, I might never have found the Phoenix Feather, never been able to escape my inner demons, and would have remained that wine-and-meat bodhisattva forever."

Zhou Ning helped her up.

"No need to thank me. It was your own choice."

Jingchen bowed to Yan Chixia again.

"Master Yan, thank you for allowing me to enter into seclusion at Lanruo Temple. I apologize for disturbing you these past few days."

Yan Chixia waved his hand.

"No need to be so polite. Now that you've refined the Phoenix Feather, what are your plans next?"

Jingchen said, "I want to return to the Western Regions and rebuild the Great Compassion Temple. I want to help those who have been misled by me to find liberation. This is what I owe them."

Zhou Ning asked, "Are you alone?"

Jingchen nodded: "One person. This is my own karma, and I must resolve it myself."

She turned around, ready to leave.

As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Zhou Ning.

"Zhou Ning, you must be careful of the Blissful Cult. Although I founded them, they are no longer under my control."

"Their influence has permeated every corner of the Three Realms, and may even be right next to you. They will not let you go because you helped me suppress the master they truly yearn for."

Zhou Ning nodded: "I will be careful."

Jingchen left Lanruo Temple.

Her figure disappeared into the twilight, leaving only a faint Buddhist light drifting in the air.

Ashu stood beside Zhou Ning and whispered, "Young Master Zhou, she has really changed for the better."

Zhou Ning nodded: "I hope she can persevere."

Yan Chixia turned and walked back to the main hall, his voice coming from inside.

"Zhou Ning, come in. I have something to tell you."

Zhou Ning entered the main hall and sat down on the prayer mat.

Yan Chixia took a yellowed ancient book from the bookshelf, turned to a page, and handed it to Zhou Ning.

"This is a record about the Blissful Cult. They are not ordinary cults; their roots lie in the Demon Realm."

Zhou Ning took the ancient book and read it carefully.