A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 112 Undercurrent
Gu Xu withdrew his mind from the jade pendant space and opened his eyes.

"Even with the secret manual, the Dragon God Technique isn't easy to cultivate. Even if you manage to cultivate it, it will only result in a hybrid, ineffective form."

Thinking about this, Gu Xu felt that the reason why Yin Zhong in the original world stole the Dragon God Skill was because of this. He had cultivated for hundreds of years but was only on par with Long Bo, who had only cultivated for a dozen years.

"Perhaps it was not a coincidence at all that the Dragon Clan's ancestor obtained the Dragon God Technique and successfully cultivated it, but rather it was preordained. There must be some secret behind it."

"Continue the simulation"

As the night passed, Gu Xu still hadn't made much progress in comprehending the Dragon God Technique. However, he was now able to stabilize the dragon-shaped energy in his two-clawed dragon form, no longer resembling an ugly serpent.

Looking at the light outside, Gu Xu glanced at Zhong Gui beside him. It was already early morning. He got up, tidied himself up, ate breakfast, and then went to the study.

When he arrived, all twenty-three children were already there, secretly refining their inner energy according to the methods he had taught them.

"Indeed, in just over ten days, three people have already achieved the Qi Sensing stage. Although the Tong clan has declined, its foundation is still not to be underestimated."

Half an hour later, after the children finished their homework, they took out a bamboo scroll, which was a set of teaching materials that Gu Xu had written specifically for each of them.

Its content is easy to understand and is much more concise than the clan's records, so that even ordinary people can understand its meaning.

The clan chief once happened to see these bamboo slips, and after reading them, he exclaimed that this gift was too heavy.

Although he knew that Gu Xu would do his best to teach the children of the clan, he did not expect that Gu Xu would go to such lengths. The effort he had put in was considerable, and the clan leader was very grateful.

With the guidance of renowned teachers, these children will surely become pillars of the Tong family in the future.

Gu Xu entered the classroom, and the children immediately stood up and bowed. Gu Xu gestured for them to sit down, answered some of the children's questions, and began today's lesson on meditation.

"As the saying goes, if the mind is not calm, the person will not be calm; if the person is not calm, the spirit will not be calm; if the spirit is not calm, nothing can be accomplished. Therefore, the first thing to do is to have a calm mind and not panic. Otherwise, if you panic, anything can happen. Today, I will teach you a calming mantra."

Although the children were young, they knew that what the man said was very useful, so they memorized everything Gu Xu said.

"Try practicing this first. There are no taboos in this incantation; you just need to remember the word 'stillness.'"

The children nodded upon hearing this, and then silently recited the incantation according to the method described above.

Lang Lang's voice echoed in the classroom, creating a subtle sense of tranquility.

After the children finished reciting the text haltingly, everyone felt a sense of calm. When they picked up the bamboo slips again, they found it no longer so dull and boring.

Seeing the children below staring intently at him, Gu Xu smiled faintly and said, "This calming mantra needs to be recited frequently. Over time, it will bring you benefits."

"We will obey your instructions, sir," the children rose and bowed, then sat down to complete the lessons set forth by Gu Xu for the day.

Three hours passed in a flash. Gu Xu left the study room, ate a meal, and then went to the library.

Picking up the last few bamboo slips about formations, Gu Xu carefully read through them. Before he knew it, it was already dark. A guard, on orders, arrived with food and knocked on the door. "Daoist Master, dinner is ready."

Upon hearing the knock, Gu Xu put down the bamboo slip in his hand, opened the door, thanked the doorman, took the food box, ate in the outer room, and then continued reading the remaining bamboo slip.

Pingshan Prefecture, Lian Gu Village

Three Taoist priests dressed in black arrived outside the village. The leader was a tall, thin, sallow-faced middle-aged man carrying a long sword on his back. To his left was a handsome young man with a cynical expression, and to his right was a short, chubby boy.

"Senior brother, why did you insist on choosing Pingshan Prefecture? This place is the territory of the demon race, unlike Shangyuan Prefecture and Xiyuan Prefecture," the handsome young man complained.

When he was choosing a location, he originally thought it would be one of the other two states, but he never expected that Senior Brother Wei would choose the most difficult place, wasting his right to choose first.

“Senior Brother Meng, Senior Brother Wei must have his reasons for making that choice. The village of Lian Gu, where the incident occurred, is just ahead,” the short, chubby boy said, pointing to the village shrouded in thick fog, where houses were vaguely visible.

Senior Brother Wei, who had been silent until now, reached out to stop them, took a few steps forward, and stared ahead. A beam of light shone from his eyes as he scanned the village in the thick fog.

After a moment, Senior Brother Wei withdrew his gaze, turned to the two men, and said solemnly, "Junior Brother Meng, Junior Brother Wang, there's something strange about this village. Be careful and stay close to me."

Seeing their senior brother's solemn expression, both junior brothers Meng and Wang straightened up and agreed.

As they approached the mist, Senior Brother Wei reached out and cast a talisman. A beam of white light shone on the three of them, and the surrounding mist was immediately pushed away.

"Let's go," Senior Brother Wei called out, leading the two into the thick fog. Soon, the three figures disappeared from sight.

"Senior brother, why is this fog getting thicker and thicker? I'm afraid the Divine Light Talisman won't be able to hold out for that long." The three of them had been walking for a long time but still couldn't find a house. Moreover, the fog around them seemed to be moving towards them, crowding the white light and making it flicker constantly, as if it was about to shatter at any moment.

Upon hearing this, Senior Brother Wei also sensed something was wrong. According to their previous calculations, the three of them should have already arrived in the village. There was only one possibility for this situation: someone had set up a formation in advance.

"A mere trick, my two junior brothers. You should protect yourselves first. I need to temporarily remove the Divine Light Talisman."

Upon hearing this, Meng and Wang immediately gathered their inner energy and enveloped themselves in a protective aura. Seeing this, Senior Brother Wei took out a jade bottle, uncorked it, and used his inner energy to stimulate it. Instantly, the surrounding mist was drawn into the bottle. After a few breaths, a sound of jade shattering was heard, and the mist dissipated, revealing a dilapidated village.

"So it's mirage jade," Senior Brother Wei picked up a piece of broken jade from his feet. This thing was made by melting crystal jade with mirage energy, and it was most suitable for setting up a mist array. If he hadn't brought the Qi Swallowing Bottle with him, he really might not have been able to break it so quickly.

"Senior brother, look," Junior Brother Wang pointed, and following Junior Brother Wang's direction, Senior Brother Wei and Senior Brother Meng looked over.

Several headless corpses were hanging from the houses in front of them, swaying back and forth in the wind. If an ordinary person had seen this, they would have fled in terror. However, the three of them were all disciples of the Supreme Path, so they were not surprised by such things.

"Judging from the technique, it must be a demonic method; judging from the timing..."
"After checking it, Senior Brother Wei confirmed."

When demons kill someone, they first remove the head, then the heart. According to the demon race's tradition, as long as they eat these two parts of the person, the demons will gain more wisdom and vitality.

"These demons are really too arrogant," Junior Brother Meng said angrily, but his anger was not because the demons killed people, but because they did not take the Supreme Dao seriously.

"Judging from the age of the remains, they should have been there more than a month ago, at the very least no more than two months ago. Junior Brother Wang, is there any movement from the guidance device?"

Upon hearing this, Junior Brother Wang immediately took out a compass engraved with strange runes. A red and white pointer kept shaking, and then the red end pointed steadily to the southeast.

"Senior brother, look!"

Seeing this, Senior Brother Wei said in a deep voice, "Take your things. We have to bring something back this time, otherwise we won't be able to explain ourselves."

Upon hearing this, Junior Brother Meng and Junior Brother Wang each took up their weapons and followed Senior Brother Wei towards the southeast.

Just as the three were heading southeast, the few skeletons on the roof suddenly shook violently, then fell to the ground and shattered. Under the control of an invisible force, the scattered bones gathered together and transformed into a headless skeletal giant, holding a bone club in its left hand, silently following the three.

"Senior brother, according to the map, there's only one altar in the southeast of Lian Gu Village, and no other buildings. Could there be something wrong with the altar?"

“Junior Brother Wang, with Senior Brother Wei here, what do we care about demons and monsters? They're just unlucky to run into us. It just so happens that my Ghostly White Bone Fan is lacking spirit essence, so we'll use them to fill the gap.”

Junior Brother Meng said nonchalantly, opening his dark folding fan, which depicted a terrifying and grotesque image of hellish demons. A bloody smell made Senior Brother Wei and Junior Brother Wang frown.

"Junior Brother Meng, put your folding fan away first. You'll have your chance to shine when you encounter an opponent later," Senior Brother Wei said, his authority was considerable. Junior Brother Meng reluctantly put away his folding fan.

The three of them walked quickly and arrived at a stone platform about two people high in less than a quarter of an hour.

"I never imagined that this mountain barbarian could carve such a stone platform so delicately." Junior Brother Meng examined it. The stone platform was carved entirely from bluestone, smooth and delicate, with exquisite patterns engraved on it. Perhaps due to years of worship, he could even smell a trace of incense smoke emanating from it.

"Although it was carved by the villagers, there is a faint demonic aura within it. So this is what the demon race was planning."

"Senior brother, what is the demon race's purpose?" Junior brother Wang, unaware of anything amiss, asked. Junior brother Meng also looked over.

"The demon race uses human popularity and offerings to achieve their goal of establishing a divine position. This is a selfish and harmful way of doing things, a lowly technique. Even if they manage to cultivate to a divine position, they will only be false gods. Any demon with aspirations for the path of cultivation would never do such a foolish thing."

At this point, Senior Brother Wei smiled disdainfully. It seemed that those who did this were some self-righteous little demons, and they were probably even the demon race's test subjects. If it succeeded, all the better; if it failed, there would be no loss, since it was all the humans who were voluntarily sacrificing themselves.

Meng and Wang nodded upon hearing this. They looked down on such inferior techniques, but having this thing was enough to satisfy their superior, and the imperial court wouldn't say anything.

"Senior brother, let's put this stone platform away."

“Alright, Junior Brother Meng, you can go now,” he said, handing him a black talisman.

Upon hearing this, Junior Brother Meng's spirits lifted. After bowing to Senior Brother Wei, he stood in front of the stone platform, held the talisman between his right index and middle fingers, and chanted incantations. Then, with a burst of true energy, the talisman quickly ignited, and a dark, dark hole suddenly opened up in front of him, its powerful suction slowly drawing the stone platform inside.

Just then, the instrument panel in Junior Brother Wang's hand suddenly shook, and the pointer spun rapidly.

"Senior Brother"

Senior Brother Wei remained vigilant. Upon hearing this, he took off his sword and scanned the surroundings with his eyes. Junior Brother Wang, meanwhile, held a crimson copper staff and guarded Senior Brother Meng.

Despite knowing that something had happened outside, Senior Brother Meng continued to activate the talisman. As for what was happening outside, he naturally trusted his senior brothers and the others.

"They're here," Senior Brother Wei's eyes sharpened as he looked ahead, while Junior Brother Wang gripped the copper staff in his hand tightly.

A headless, skeletal giant strode forward, the creaking sound sending chills down Wang's spine.

"Corpse Puppet Technique," Senior Brother Wei said in a deep voice, and Junior Brother Wang then noticed an inconspicuous bloodstone on the chest of the skeletal giant.

"Junior Brother Wang, keep an eye on Junior Brother Meng!" Senior Brother Wei, eager for a swift victory, drew his sword and leaped forward, slashing down with incredible speed. He had already unleashed three moves in the blink of an eye, each striking the bloodstone on his chest. With each strike, the bloodstone dimmed a little.

Enraged by the annoying little insect, the skeletal giant swung its bone club back and forth. Although it couldn't hit Senior Brother Wei, the force of the blows put immense pressure on Meng Wang and his companion.

Especially Senior Brother Meng, although he had Junior Brother Wang's protection, his skill was slightly weaker and he could not completely block the remaining force. Therefore, Senior Brother Meng could only spare some of his strength to help him block.

Including the cost of collecting the altar supplies, Senior Brother Meng was already struggling to keep up; his face turned from red to white, and his body trembled slightly.

Upon seeing this, Senior Brother Wei, who was in charge of the attack, shouted and his sword shone brightly. It flew out of his hand and flashed like lightning, slashing back and forth, creating dozens of gashes on the white bone giant.

Senior Brother Meng noticed that his senior brother had blocked the enemy, so he added more force to his hand, and the suction force increased several times. In just a few breaths, the altar was sucked into the black hole. Senior Brother Meng's body went limp and he almost fell over.

"Be careful, senior brother!" Junior Brother Wang stretched out his copper staff to block a bone knife. In the instant the weapons clashed, Senior Brother Meng hurriedly withdrew.

Upon closer inspection, they saw that the creature opposite them was a jackal demon with emerald green eyes and drool dripping from its mouth, ready to devour anyone it could.

"You beast!" Junior Brother Wang roared and struck first with his staff. He had only done a cursory inspection and found that this jackal demon had just gathered its energy. If it weren't for the power of its demonic body, it wouldn't dare to be so presumptuous.

"Senior brother, please be careful. I'll handle this jackal demon."

"Junior Brother Wang, be careful," Senior Brother Meng warned, taking out two pills and throwing them out. After a puff of smoke, two puppet warriors appeared on either side of him.

Seeing the altar taken away, Senior Brother Wei held nothing back. His sword flashed and struck three times, shattering the bloodstone and causing the skeletal giant to crash to the ground, turning into a pile of bones. Senior Brother Wei took out a talisman and ignited the bones with emerald fire. After a few breaths, the bones turned to ashes.

Seeing the skeletal giant destroyed, the jackal demon's eyes narrowed, and it unleashed two evil beams from its bone knife as it tried to escape. Wang Shidi couldn't react in time, and just as the jackal demon thought it was about to flee, a puppet armored soldier blocked its path, and Wei Shixiong and the other two also surrounded it.

"Junior Brother Meng, aren't you lacking in spiritual essence? Junior Brother Wang and I will back you up. This jackal is yours to take care of."

Senior Brother Wei reached out and slashed the sword, a white light flashed, and the jackal demon narrowed its eyes, immediately seeing several sword lights pointing directly at it. Junior Brother Wang, standing to the side, took out a bell and shook it incessantly, the eerie sound constantly entering its ears.

Upon hearing his senior brother's words, Senior Brother Meng immediately opened the Ghostly White Bone Fan. As soon as his true energy entered, the hellish map on the fan seemed to come alive, emitting a beam of bloody light that enveloped the jackal demon.

The jackal demon's body was trapped, and its mind was also taken over by the bell. In its dazed state, it felt its soul being pulled by a suction force. The jackal demon resisted desperately, but to no avail. In just two breaths, the jackal demon's soul was sucked into the fan, and its body fell to the ground.

"It's done!" Senior Brother Meng was overjoyed. He focused his mind on the fan, and after a moment, he said to Senior Brother Wei with a solemn expression, "Senior Brother, the altar matter is a bit troublesome."

"What is the reason?" Senior Brother Wei asked.

"These altars are the medium through which the demon race collects the blood and flesh of living beings, and there are quite a few of them. The one we've encountered so far is just one that they haven't had time to destroy. There must be many more in the other two states and other places."

"This is indeed troublesome," Senior Brother Meng said with a frown. If the demon race only ate blood food, it would be normal and the Supreme Dao could tolerate it. However, the demon race clearly intends to keep living beings in captivity, which conflicts with the teachings of the Supreme Dao.

"After cleaning up the mess, we must inform the chief as soon as possible. This is no longer something we need to worry about. Junior Brother Wang, collect the jackal demon's corpse."

“Yes,” Junior Brother Wang carried the jackal demon’s corpse on his shoulder. After searching again and finding nothing unusual, the three of them left Lian Gu Village.

Water Moon Cave
Inside the treasure room, the clan leader and six elders were working together to nurture the Soul Purification Mirror. After several months, the once bright and clear mirror had become simple and unadorned, its radiance much more subdued.

"According to calculations, this treasure mirror will need another six years to be fully refined," Elder Jin said, looking at the treasure mirror suspended in mid-air.

"Six years is already quite a long time. We old folks don't need to leave what we can finish before we die to our descendants," the clan chief replied.

"Elder Tu, has the date for your succession as clan leader been set?"

"The date has been chosen; March from now is an auspicious day."

"That's good. The sooner he steps down, the sooner Tong Hui can get started and handle things. We can also focus on one thing at a time. Also, please inform Master Gu Xu and ask him to make sure he attends."

"Yes"

After the seven people refined the treasure mirror for a while, the treasure mirror slowly descended onto the jade platform.

Just then, the petrification mirror in the treasure room suddenly started shaking. The clan leader's expression changed upon seeing this, and he hurriedly went to check. All six elders focused their energy on it at the same time, but the mirror not only did not calm down, but instead vibrated even more.

"Not good!" The clan leader made a quick decision, immediately pricking his finger and placing a drop of blood on the spirit mirror. The blood droplet turned into a cloud of blood mist upon landing on it, and was then absorbed into the spirit mirror. After a while, the spirit mirror finally stopped shaking.

"Clan leader, what's going on?" Elder Jin asked in confusion. It seemed to be a warning from the spirit mirror, but the image that appeared last time didn't appear, which was really puzzling.

"The mirror's warning failed to produce an image, which only means that this matter is a possibility, not a certainty. However, we cannot let our guard down. It is nothing more than the methods of the Supreme Path and the Demonic Path."

"We have retreated here, leaving only the Supreme Path and the Demonic Path in the open. These three forces only cooperated for mutual benefit. Now that their common enemy is gone, their alliance is bound to break down."

"Elder Shui is right. Back then, it was only because the three of them joined forces that we were at a disadvantage. Judging from the way the Supreme Path operates, they will inevitably clash with the demonic path sooner or later."

The clan chief nodded upon hearing this and looked at the six people, saying, "We just need to be more vigilant and do our own thing. The Tong clan will no longer enter the mortal world. We have done our best to do so much for the common people."

(End of this chapter)