Wet viviparity

Chapter 883 Subduing Demons, Receiving the Summoning
The thirty-six giant peach wood pillars in the air, which had been temporarily disordered by the light from the golden eye, began to rumble and rotate again under the strenuous pulling of thousands of ghost soldiers and generals.

The hundreds of acres of dark clouds re-condensed, becoming even thicker than before, like an inverted giant bowl, crashing down on the iron scorpion below. Under the dark clouds, the Crying Ancestor's iron scorpion demon body almost instinctively wanted to resist.

Although he had already announced his intention to surrender, this was truly the first time in hundreds of years.

Having lived a carefree life until now, he has become a person of extremely high seniority among unorthodox sects. He has always been proud and arrogant, and has long regarded himself as a half-step immortal in this world. If he were to be imprisoned and restrained, and become a lamb to the slaughter, he would still feel uneasy and anxious, and would try to resist such a situation.

But reality didn't give him a choice. The two gods, Tu and Lei, simultaneously raised their palms and pressed down on him. The immense force suppressed the Iron Scorpion Demon Body. No matter how his demon body, which had been cultivated for hundreds of years, resisted, it couldn't move an inch. He knew that the two gods had used their true strength.

The two gods also had their own difficulties. Who was Wu Wanfang? He was the master of Pixiang Palace. He was a powerful figure who fought his way up from Dingxianyou in the late Tianzhou period. He was also known as the Heavenly Lord, who was known for his purity and inaction. He was highly praised by the Heavenly Lord.

Upon seeing the Jade King Immortal Bees raised in the Red Beauty Cave of the Ill-fated Rock where Wu Wanfang resided, even though there was no evidence to prove the relationship between Kuma and Wu Wanfang, the two gods felt rather constrained.

It was only when he sensed Ji Ming's dissatisfaction that he realized his own position and thus exerted all his strength.

In the sky, the vast and profound Yin-Yang Dharma Realm enveloped him, instantly making the Crying Ancestor feel as if he were trapped in a quagmire.

The power within the demon's body, enough to shake mountains and hills, became incredibly sluggish. The golden eye in the aperture on its back, forged with the "Myriad Transformations Return to the Origin Demonic Treasury," had its light suppressed beneath the shell, unable to pierce through even a fraction.

He was like a giant insect suddenly frozen in amber, or a fly trapped on an ice window, his limbs paddling slowly in the water like oars. Even with all his demonic energy, he could only struggle slowly within the realm of magic.

"Bind!"

Taking advantage of this opportunity, all the underworld judges and deities who had been waiting at the edge of the Dharma realm made their move at the same time.

In an instant, countless Yin-Spirit Vine gathered and refined from the underworld's wilderness burrowed into the Yin-Xia Dharma Realm like a swarm of snakes, wrapping around the iron scorpion's eight limbs, a pair of iron pincers, and its upturned tail hook.

The Yin-Spirit Vine tightened its grip, some of it cutting into the iron scorpion's carapace, making a hissing sound. In an instant, the iron scorpion's demonic body was bound into a giant cocoon, with only its head able to move slightly.

Seeing this, the thousands of ghost soldiers lifted the thirty-six giant trees, surrounded the demonic body of the Crying Ancestor, and headed towards the auspicious clouds.

The scorpion wriggled and twisted, trying to speak and beg for mercy, explaining that its behavior was due to its past arrogance and haughtiness. However, when it looked up, it saw Ling Xuzi holding up the Ruyi Scepter and swinging it down like a sword, showing no intention of accepting its surrender.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the divine man Tu holding his Jade King Immortal Bee and coming over to say something to show mercy. He was overjoyed, and then he saw a huge Buddha light floating in from the southeast sky. His joy was even greater, thinking that his life was saved. Unexpectedly, he felt a pain on his head.

As Ji Ming swung his scepter, the Six Earth Divine Qi concealed its form and color, already descending to slash off the exposed insect head of the Divine Hook Iron Scorpion Demon.

As soon as the insect's head fell off, seventeen or eighteen organs, including the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, sprayed out from its cavity, their various colors and hues reflecting each other, like many colorful stones falling together.

These were all crafted by the Crying Ancestor through the Myriad Transformations Returning to Origin Demonic Treasury, which seized and transformed the original essence of other people's organs. Unfortunately, the Crying Ancestor encountered the same problem as Ji Ming's Golden Evil Bag Technique: because the technique was crafted by seizing other people's organs, it was not personally crafted by him. It was like a castle in the air, with a weak foundation, and ultimately it fell into a lower level, with little potential to be explored further.

Therefore, although there are many spells, others can break them with only one.

Tu opened his mouth but said nothing more. The Buddhist light that swept across the southeast was certain. In the light, a tiger arm with a hand seal descended towards the scorpion corpse. Unexpectedly, Ling Xuzi acted first and had already put the crying iron scorpion demon body and its primordial spirit into the porcelain bottle.

The two elders, carrying ten miles of misty light, blocked the southeast direction. They possessed such acquired, formless spiritual treasures, but because they had the incantation to hold them, they were not the true owners of the spiritual treasures. Their use of the misty barrier was very rudimentary. However, even so, these rare treasures in the world gave the two elders boundless confidence, and they were not afraid even if they faced the incarnation of immortals and gods in the Buddha's light.

"Namo. Namo"

The Buddha's light expanded into a semi-circular arc in the sky, within which a tiger's arm stretched out its thick palm, emanating a mighty and resounding sound.

"Little Saint Lingxu, killing someone is nothing more than a head falling to the ground. Why bother capturing his body and spirit, intending to refine and destroy him in a bottle!"

“These evil spirits are stubborn and defiant, and they despise the righteous path. If they are not eliminated today, others may follow suit in the future. I hope the Zen Master will understand.”

"Since you have already instructed Leng Cuishan to tell the two elders, Gou Lian, that he should be detained on Qionghua Island in the South China Sea, even if he has committed many evils and uttered falsehoods, you should still keep your word. Otherwise, how will you explain this to the two elders?"

"Confess!"

Ji Ming feigned surprise, as if he had heard something extremely ridiculous, and then laughed twice, saying, "Since I entered the Dao, I have killed demons and subdued evil spirits. I have only ever answered to myself and to the righteous path. When have I ever had to answer to those two demons?"

"Karma and its consequences are like stars reflected in a cold pool, neither empty nor existent, extending in the darkness. The wind blows through ancient trees on an ordinary night, and the moon rises in the mid-sky at its fullest."

After reciting a Buddhist verse that foretells inevitable retribution, Zen Master Caihu disappeared.

Seeing this, Ji Ming knew that he had made enemies with Zen Master Caihu. However, the other party would not seek revenge on him just because of Master Yiku Ma. At present, the two were still in a state of enmity. If there were no other conflicts in the future, they could live in peace.

The two old men shook the misty light, from which fell an object that was broad at the top and narrow at the bottom, like a drill. On top of this object was a Buddha head, which was none other than the Buddha head subduing demon pendant of the Crying Ancestor.

Ji Ming accepted the treasure, secretly thinking how lucky he was to have brought the two old men with him.

In the brief moment when Kuma revealed his demonic form, if the two elders hadn't joined forces to manipulate the five elements, ensuring the stability of the earth, fire, wind, and water beneath the cavern of Letou Mountain, and used a fog curtain to conceal the Buddha's head demon-subduing wreath, their Yuanpi Ruyi, which transformed into a divine bridge to stabilize the cavern, would have remained inside the cavern indefinitely.

If the two elders do not accept the Buddha's Head Subduing Demon Pendant, when the Crying Ancestor obtains his own magic weapon, it will further increase the demon's power, requiring even more effort.

As expected, the two gods Tu and Lei cannot be relied upon entirely. They hesitated and showed mercy when they saw the Jade King's Immortal Bee. No wonder they have a bad reputation in heaven. They need to be trained in the future so that they can be used for our purposes.

Taiping Mountain, Shangfu Baoge.

Bells hang from the eaves of the pavilion; when the wind blows, they chime softly, like a spring striking a rock.

The pavilion is surrounded by pine, cypress and bamboo forests, shrouded in mist and haze, with occasional cranes flitting about, carrying lingzhi mushrooms, showing the scene of immortals cultivating themselves in seclusion.

Inside the pavilion, in the center, there was a jade platform covered with yellow silk brocade, and displayed jade slips, gold books, counting rods, compasses and other items. Li Zhuzi was sitting upright in front of the platform, his expression calm, holding a whisk, his eyes slightly lowered, as if he had entered a state of deep meditation.

The disciples lined up on both sides, some taking notes, some making hand gestures, and some discussing in hushed tones, all in an orderly manner without any noise.

One of the disciples took a ruler and measured the map, then whispered, "On the east bank of Luoyin Lake, the earth's veins are shifted, and the Yin energy is stagnant. We should refine stones to repair it, which will consume about 120 bushels of gold and stone spiritual materials."

The tax exemptions for the three newly established branch altars—Dayunfu Mountain, Leiwen Marsh, and Danmeng Spirit Pool—will follow past precedents and be further refined according to the tax reduction provisions in the newly revised "Detailed Rules for Estimating Spiritual Assets," granting them a tax exemption period of thirty years.

Another disciple held a jade tablet and annotated it, his true qi coiling like snakes and dragons, writing words on the tablet; occasionally a disciple would turn the scroll, the rustling sound like silkworms eating mulberry leaves, adding to the tranquility. Incense smoke rose from the medicine furnace, its rich sandalwood fragrance permeating the ceiling, transforming into the shapes of birds and beasts, before dissipating after a long time.

The candlelight flickered red, illuminating the jade platform. The light and shadow intertwined as the disciples, following the consensus reached by their patriarchs on the jade platform and referring to the newly revised "Detailed Rules for Estimating Spiritual Resources," systematically handled the post-calamity affairs of the Dao.

Li Zhu Zi would occasionally raise his eyes, offer a few pointers, and say, “In the restoration of the earth’s veins, the people’s livelihood should be the priority. The spiritual herbs and treasures that your disciples obtained in the battles of the three borders should be converted into equivalent value. Do not be biased or take anything for yourself.”

The disciples bowed their heads in obedience, all showing solemn expressions.

Fresh fruits and vegetables were offered on the table, and the vegetarian feast was lavish, but no one had time to eat, as their minds were focused on the reconstruction project.

However, at this moment, Zhu Zi's thoughts had already drifted far away. He looked at the disciples in front of the platform. Originally, only the disciples of the Three Peaks and One Prefecture were qualified to participate in such matters of Daoist affairs, but now the disciples of Crane Temple were also among them.

Although the proportion is not large, it is still very glaring.

However, what was even more glaring was the booklet titled "Several Detailed Rules for Estimating Spiritual Resources" on the disciples' desks.

He also knew that this glaring feeling came more from his inner resentment. Before the great calamity, he was a strong candidate for the next True Monarch, but after the calamity, everything seemed to have settled down, and the position he had dreamed of suddenly slipped away from him.

If he had not devoted himself to cultivating the path of "the perfect man is without emotion" and achieved some success, he would not be able to completely detach himself from emotions, nor be attached to love, hate, gain, loss, honor, or disgrace, but he would still be able to put public interest before private interests.

At this moment, he was tormented by inner turmoil, yet he had to force himself to endure it and handle the many matters after the disaster with a selfless heart. All the feelings he experienced made him feel that his cultivation of sexuality had made great progress.

Whenever he felt he couldn't bear it anymore, he would sit outside the gate of the Treasure Pavilion, listen to the clear sound of the bells hanging from the eaves, smell the incense and medicinal scent that he had smelled since childhood, and let the dappled sunlight shining through the forest shine in his eyes. He felt as if he had returned to his old days, and only in this way could he find a trace of his original heart.

After many days had passed and the myriad matters had been sorted out, Li Zhuzi finally began to pay attention to Ling Xuzi's movements.

He had thought that after Lingxuzi killed the Old Ancestor Kuma, he would return to the mountain to deal with the two traitorous monks, Jueguang, who were imprisoned in the blessed land. Unexpectedly, he disappeared as soon as he returned to the mountain. Only after asking the two gentlemen, Linshui and Jiehuo, who were now cultivating in seclusion on Yifeng, did he learn that Lingxuzi had been summoned to Yanshou Palace.

(End of this chapter)