noffsinger Chapter 255 Preparations
Chapter 255 Preparations
After a while.
The great battle ceased, the sky turned from day to night, and a crescent moon hung high, faintly tinged with blood.
The Yin energy dissipated, condensing into numerous spiritual objects that scattered across the ground.
The Demon King of Vermilion transformed into human form, tossing aside the broken half of his whisk: "You're courting death..."
"Tsk tsk... Taiyin Zifu, it really tastes good."
Beside him stood a young man in a green robe, his eyes narrow and long, with a hint of reminiscence in them.
"I slipped my tongue and didn't taste anything... I heard that the 'Demon Moon' Grand Master is already at the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm with three supernatural powers... but I wonder where he went?" Another demon king, short in stature, wearing an earth-yellow robe and with a face full of pimples, looked somewhat regretful.
"If the Great Master wants to leave, unless he activates his Golden Core foundation, who among us can stop him?"
King Gouzhu sighed, "The Women's Kingdom has always been on good terms with the eight tribes of my demon race. Last time, when the Azure Bird tribe went south, they even invited True Person Yaoyue to help... But now, with an imperial decree from the mountain, we have no choice but to obey." "It is said... this matter is related to the Daoist tradition?"
The demon king, with his narrow eyes, suddenly said, "Could it be that something has changed within the Taiyin lineage? My demon race has a deep and inseparable relationship with [Biyue]..." "I don't care about that. I just want to feast one more time... This Daughter Kingdom only has a million inhabitants, which is still a bit too few. I've heard that the 'White Radiance Heaven' has opened in the south, and it has tens of millions of inhabitants, as well as a golden element... If I can devour them all, my 'Refining Yuan Cauldron' will surely be perfected, and I'll have hope of obtaining gold in the future!"
The short demon king almost drooled: "Your Majesty was farsighted back then. The one on [Stomach Soil] only cared about the human race and not the demon race. Recently, Moyun Cliff and Yin Corpse Sect have both weakened. It's a good time to take advantage of them..." "Hmph, eating day and night, aren't you afraid of stuffing yourself to death?"
The Crimson Demon King said, "That golden-natured demon, one slap from him and we would both be dead..."
"Hehe... I think that Sen Chen wasn't ruthless enough. Our demon race has tried the divine path before, and its foundation lies in the people... As long as we wipe out all the people of those cave heavens, all the divine laws and networks will collapse completely, all the incense and gods will die out, and the Yin Emperor will degenerate into a golden element. It will be easier to make a move then..."
The green-robed demon king with narrow eyes chuckled, "Compared to others, those great monks of the Secret Realm are still a bit troublesome... Even if all their followers are wiped out, Du Zimingfei will still not lose her position..." "The Secret Realm's methods originally had some traces of divine principles, but that extraordinary one on the Great Snow Mountain has taken advantage of its strengths and made up for its weaknesses..."
The familiar demon king said, "That group of 'salvation children and salvation mothers' is really troublesome... However, their method of salvation, if it saves too many disciples, will eventually lead to the divine path, thus exposing their own weaknesses..." The secret method of salvation, if it saves all the people in the world, is actually the form of the divine world.
However, the divine path carries a heavy burden of karma, receives offerings from sentient beings, and must protect all living beings. Even their own existence is influenced by the thoughts of sentient beings.
Therefore, the methods of salvation in esoteric Buddhism all emphasize being few but precise.
Even the Great Dharma King, outside of the five positions, only converted a handful of disciples, because he feared being entangled in karma.
"Fortunately, this time, Mi Zang heard that in a head-on clash with He Huan, both sides suffered heavy losses..."
"I've heard... that the secret treasure is still superior."
"Sigh, why didn't all those secret loan sharks just die out all at once?"
The three demon kings sighed repeatedly, all wary of the hidden treasure, and stepped into the void one after another, disappearing without a trace...
The ancient Shu region, Xituo County.
Inside the Wusheng Temple.
Sangji sat cross-legged on a white bone lotus, beneath whom were the original five great Taras, but now only Moonlight White and Sky Sparrow remained.
"You may all return to your posts. You need not concern yourselves with anything else. Just guard the gates of Xituo."
A moment later, the White Bone Dharma King awoke from his meditation and spoke calmly.
"Follow the law!"
Moonlight White and Sky Sparrow originally wanted to ask about the Vajra Power Child, but the Dharma King said no more, and they dared not say anything more, bowing and retreating. Sangji swept his divine sense over and closed the cave's array.
Then he thought to himself, "Venerable One... the monks and soldiers of the Eastern Waters have returned under the protection of Bai Ziye. This humble monk is prepared to abandon Wushan and other counties and focus solely on guarding Xituo County." He then practiced his breathing.
Inside the deserted island cave, after listening to Sangji's report, Fang Qing nodded and said, "Let's do it that way..."
Leaving aside the territory of the Central Plains, even the two prefectures of Shu would be too much for the White Bone Path to handle without the support of the secret treasure.
If they still shamelessly occupy it, do they really think that Master Senchen on Moyun Cliff is a dead man?
"This is a good move... With the strength of the White Bone Sect, it is only right that we occupy a prefecture, after all, there is still the previous agreement."
Fang Qing agreed with Sangji's approach.
Although it's a bit conservative, by taking steady and solid steps, our own forces are unlikely to suffer sudden and significant losses.
"Venerable One, there is one more thing... I learned from the Secret Snow Mountain that recently, an imperial decree was issued from the Phoenix Mountain, ordering the eight tribes of the demon race to attack together and destroy the Women's Kingdom. The whereabouts of the Great True Person of the Demon Moon are unknown... Apart from that, almost everyone else has become food for the demon race."
Sangji Road.
"The Kingdom of Women? [Dangerous Moon]? Wasn't that Golden Core True Monarch on [Dangerous Moon] always an ally of the demon race? Why did he suddenly turn against us? Could it be that the demons are fighting amongst themselves?" Fang Qing was initially surprised, but then he connected it with the attack on the Hehuan Sect by the Secret Realm.
"Could it be... that this time, [Dangerous Moon]'s actions have exposed some information I still don't understand... but Feng Qie, the Lord of [Winged Fire], has seen it clearly, hence the subsequent actions?" Recalling King Pilu's words, "This is a question, and Chi has already answered it," Fang Qing understood even more clearly that this secret plot had far-reaching implications, seemingly exceeding his own imagination! "No! It's not just about the secret monks' eastward journey... everything should have begun with [Stomach Earth]'s verification of gold!"
"Since the first person to attain the status of a True Lord appeared more than eight thousand years ago, the world's affairs have begun to evolve rapidly... Unfortunately, I am not high enough to see through the fog between the various lineages, and therefore cannot understand the profound meaning behind the actions of great figures such as the 'Great Sun Tathagata' and the 'Phoenix'..."
Although, from the perspective of the lower-level cultivators of the Eastern Taiyi Xuanmen, these things seem to be just normal infighting among demons.
But Fang Qing knew that there must be a deeper core involved, a higher level of power struggle!
"I really want to... I really want to search the soul of a True Lord..."
Unfortunately, I simply cannot do it right now...
"The only thing I can do is to witness all kinds of major events through the chess pieces... to observe the moves and golden nature of those Golden Core True Monarchs... and then receive the infusion of Dao cultivation, searching for clues from snippets of information!" "Well, compared to them, I am already much happier than Sangji and the others."
Sangji can't recall the scene of the final battle of the Hehuan Sect at all.
Even recalling it might be more harmful than helpful.
Only Fang Qing could withstand and digest this forbidden knowledge, relying on the barrier of his grotto-heaven and the immense power of the "Dao-Born Pearl." If those who cultivated the Dao of Qi for their Purple Mansions forgot their memories after witnessing a Golden Core True Monarch's attack, they would almost never obtain even a single clue to grasp the key and control their own destiny! Fang Qing instructed Sangji to continue with a conservative strategy, while he himself severed contact and silently plotted:
"The world of Qi cultivation must be taken more seriously now... after all, it is the 'main world'."
"My cheat ability, and even the cave I reside in, seem to be closely related to it..."
"This Purple Mansion must be broken!"
"After all, the Qi Refining Path is just an attempt, a possibility, of the ancient Qi Absorption Path... In the end, it will still lead to the Securities and Futures Exchange." Fang Qing calculated the situation on the Qi Absorption Path side.
Since the "Kitchen God" took office, the number of human earth-element demon cultivators has been greatly reduced, and the Yin Corpse Sect and Moyun Cliff have become much quieter.
Meanwhile, the esoteric monks who traveled eastward and the Hehuan sect were almost wiped out...
The demon race has experienced the rise and fall of the Azure Bird Tribe, the great battle with Moyun Cliff, and now, in alliance with the Eight Tribes, they have destroyed the Women's Kingdom...
It can be said that these major sects and forces of the demonic path have experienced frequent wars and upheavals... and are now in a period of decline. At least they should have a period of relative peace ahead. "My time to attain the Purple Mansion realm is now!"
Fang Qing felt a surge of emotion for no apparent reason.
Now that he has reached the pinnacle of his Dao foundation, he has no doubts about how to attain the Purple Mansion realm.
"To attain the Purple Mansion realm, there are two main steps... The first step is to refine one's own Dao foundation into supernatural powers, and then use one's nature to seek destiny and elevate one's fate... This step can be aided by 'Purple Mansion spiritual objects' to increase the possibility of refining supernatural powers." "The second step is for the true spirit to control the supernatural powers, unite them as one, and overcome the boundless tribulations of inner demons... Once inner demons arise, one may be trapped in this cycle of suffering for countless lifetimes, so the time is uncertain, ranging from several years to several decades, or even leading to immediate death..."
"As for preparing for inner demons, I have several secret techniques from the 'Swallowing the Sea Scripture' that condense the Nascent Soul chapter, as well as tribulation-crossing treasures such as the 'Mysterious Netherworld Mirror,' the 'Heart-Cleansing Futon,' and the 'Soul-Nourishing Prayer Beads'... I have a good chance of overcoming even a Nascent Soul level inner demon tribulation, let alone a mere early Purple Mansion level inner demon tribulation?"
The inner demon tribulation at the Yuanqu level corresponds to the difficulty of at least a late-stage Purple Mansion Great True Person!
Therefore, Fang Qing was quite confident that he could overcome the tribulation of the inner demons in his Purple Mansion.
After all, he occupies a secluded paradise with abundant resources.
Hmm, now he roughly understands why the Qi Refining Path is so rich in resources, and why the blessed lands are naturally filled with spiritual objects... "Besides, I also have the 'Abyss Eye Pearl,' which has a powerful divine sense and should be of some benefit in overcoming the tribulation of inner demons."
After some deliberation, Fang Qing realized that the only preparations he still needed to make were to quickly upgrade the "Mysterious Nether Mirror" to the middle grade of the third tier, and then find a place to prepare for his breakthrough to the Purple Mansion realm. "Breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm is a long process, so I need to prepare carefully..."
He silently recalled the past, and suddenly felt a pang of emotion: "Perhaps... I should go back and take a good look at the place where it all began."
This is also described in the Yuanqu chapter of "Swallowing the Sea Technique". Before a cultivator who has reached the peak of Core Formation condenses Yuanqu, if he can be free from regrets and sever many worldly ties, he can also increase his chances of overcoming the tribulation of inner demons.