Wet viviparity

Chapter 997 Vacuum, Holding the Golden Disc
Luogeng, a blessed land, a pearl and medicine market.

After Zhao Jiayi returned to the Zhao family's blessed land and handed over the eighteen-cornered gold disc obtained from the Nine True Screen Cliff Residence, it happened to be the Sanyuan Festival on the fifteenth of the third month. The Zhenling Sect held a grand ritual to worship the Three Primordial Heavenly Venerables and the Three Officials, the Mysterious Little True Lord Ji Xing, under the Heavenly Venerables.

As expected, Jiang Shiliu, who returned with Zhao Jiayi, was placed under house arrest in Fudi.

Because Zhao Ni had stabbed Jiang Shiliu in the battle of Longmen, she felt extremely guilty and kept Jiang Shiliu by her side to protect him. However, this action made Jiang Shiliu more aware of the movements of the senior elder of the Zhao family.

In fact, a large part of the Zhao family's energy was tied up in the Holy Ancestor's campaign to search for demons in the Central Plains, where more and more demons and evil factions were emerging, including many demon immortals and fierce gods who occupied sacred mountains and blessed lands and gathered a horde of evil.

However, it is said that the Thunder Department's Divine Firmament Jade Palace has sent another general, known as the chief general, whose rank is no less than Zhao Tan's. This has greatly reduced the pressure on Zhao Tan, allowing him to focus on other matters.

The busy Sanyuan Festival passed quickly. Regarding the situation that Yunyu Temple had occupied and operated Longmen, the Zhao family and the entire Zhenling Sect carefully controlled the spread of public opinion. Some of the younger generation of disciples in the sect probably still did not know about this matter. Even other places in Baoguang Prefecture knew very little about the situation in Longmen.

The reason for this is that it involves the emperor of Qinghua Palace.

To be realistic, even if they managed to get Jin Yuxian involved, would the Zhao family really dare to kill a righteous god?
It is said that Zhao Su, the patriarch of the Zhao clan, secretly sent many envoys to Longmen to lobby him. He even temporarily put aside the revenge for the death of his third uncle, Zhao Mingyan. However, without exception, they did not even get to see the face of the righteous god.

By May, Jiang Shiliu clearly sensed a different atmosphere, with many members of the Zhao family repeatedly provoking him.

As the saying goes, ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring. Although these members of the Zhao family are not in the upper echelons, they can sense the changes in the attitudes of the higher-ups. Clearly, these repeated provocations indicate that the elder leaders of the Zhao family have now reached a consensus and have begun to formally attack the righteous gods.

Therefore, settling old scores is only natural.

For example, someone like him, whose direct descendant died, had spent some time after Longmen was occupied. Wasn't he the perfect target for purging and venting his anger? Even if he was killed, he could be convicted of treason afterward.

In mid-April, Zhao Jiayi secretly visited him and led him to see Min and Yang, who had been imprisoned in the secret cave. They were now two inhuman corpses, their skin, bones, flesh, brains, and so on separated.

Zhao Jiayi did not offer much explanation regarding the tragedy that occurred there.

After returning, he was sent outside the Zhao family's blessed land and instructed to seek protection from Hong Yuan, the patriarch in charge of the Wu Ma Yuan Fu.

At the end of April, in the Pearl Medicine Market, Na Zhenxian emerged from seclusion, and all the heads of state gathered together.

Above the auspicious clouds, Nazhenxian held the eighteen-cornered golden plate in his palm and said with a smile: "Recently, people in the family have been restless. The culprit is that in the past, when the Milky Way was reversed, the flood destroyed the roads on the ground and the souls of the dead returned to the underworld, leaving thousands of dead homeless and without a way to go. Thus, the spirits of those who lost their way, strayed from the path, and walked dangerous paths were condensed to create a local deity."

This place was originally subdued, but because the Taoist priest who subdued him had selfish motives, he allowed him to be released into the world and disrupt my family.

This place is inhabited by a wicked demon who claims to be of the righteous path, and his crimes are unforgivable. Yet, none of the capable and virtuous men in the household can subdue him.

At this point, the heads of state felt ashamed.

Seeing that all the leaders in the family only bowed their heads in shame, and not a single warrior dared to look him in the eye to express their determination to subdue the demon, Na Zhenxian knew that the Zhao family really had to change. He said from the clouds, "Today I invite a true immortal from beyond the mundane world to come and help. His body is enshrined in a golden plate. Who is willing to take this plate to eliminate the demon?"

"Zhao Su is willing to go!"

"No, you must stay at the central command."

When Na Zhenxian refused, the family head Zhao Su's expression changed slightly, and she glanced at Uncle Langxing out of the corner of her eye.

"I wish to go to the bright stars."

"No, you suffered a great loss of Jia Chen True Blood from the battle at Longmen. You still need to recuperate in the medicine market. Otherwise, your cultivation will be compromised, and it will take you countless years to practice the 'Vacuum Refining Form' technique."

After being rejected, Zhao Langxing realized that the Nazhen Ancestor already had someone in mind, and this person did not seem to be from his Zhao clan. He could guess that this person was Zhao Jiayi, the head of the Fulin Zhao clan branch.

"This humble disciple is unworthy, but is willing to go to Longmen to subdue the demons!"

"Very good."

Above the auspicious clouds, Na Zhenxian smiled and made a hand seal: "You have a profound understanding of the Vajra Mighty Technique and the Five Ghosts Soul-Severing Palm technique, which has been refined into the Five Ghosts Transporting spell. It is only because of your high aspirations and lofty ambitions that you have lingered in the True Body Realm for so long. On this trip, I will first lift your physical restrictions. When you return after you have succeeded, I hope you can take charge of the reforms in your family."

As Zhao Jiayi was listening, he suddenly felt as if a thousand-pound shackle had been lifted from his body, bringing him an indescribable sense of relief. Overjoyed, he bowed and wept as he thanked them.

This time, the heads of state no longer wore expressions of shame; instead, they were horrified, as if standing in the dead of winter, some even trembling uncontrollably. What talk of presiding over family reforms? Na Zhenxian was clearly trying to help a collateral branch of the Fu Lin Zhao family take over the Luo Gen Blessed Land and become the new head family.

Now that even the restrictions placed on the collateral branches of the main family have been removed, Zhao Jiayi's ambitions will surely be even more difficult to suppress. In the future, will he not use the reform as a pretext to eliminate dissidents?

"No!"

Zhao Langxing blurted out impulsively.

"The reform movement started at Taiping Mountain. Now everyone in the sect is talking about it, as if it has reached a point where change is inevitable. However, Langxing knows that the only way to solve the problem is to find the root cause of the problem and prescribe the right medicine, rather than simply copying Taiping Mountain's 'prescription' and thinking that it can cure the disease."

We are currently diagnosing the family and prescribing a mild, gradual treatment; we cannot give up halfway through.

"Though I am not very talented, I do have the skills of a healer," Zhao Jiayi said.

Seeing Zhao Jiayi's boastful words, Zhao Langxing was also furious. He pointed at Zhao Jiayi and said, "You fool, you have been raised in the wealthy Zhao family since you were a child. You lack nothing in terms of wealth, companions, laws, and land. You have never been tempered in the ways of the world. You think that you can eradicate the family's deep-rooted problems by guessing people's thoughts. How can you know the risks involved?"

If you had even half the tolerance of that little saint, I would let you try your luck. Why must you play the villain here?

Standing in the crowd, Zhao Ni remained silent, staring at the golden plate in Na Zhenxian's hand, thinking to herself, "In everyone's hearts, is the Righteous God already a sitting duck?!"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Na Zhenxian interrupted Zhao Langxing, saying, "From today onwards, you will be in seclusion in the ancient temple in the mountains. If you cannot fully comprehend the profound transformation of 'reducing and diminishing again, refining action through non-action' in the realm of 'refining form from emptiness,' do not come to see me."

Hearing this, many members of the Zhao clan felt a chill run through them.

This "empty body refinement" is not a static exercise of sitting in meditation and forgetting thoughts, but rather a state where "body, mind, and the world all vanish." In this state of samadhi, the gates of life and death are closed, and the orifices of heaven and earth are sealed off; this is the Great Samadhi of Emptiness.

In this vacuum state, the interaction of external spiritual energy and the internal activities of the physical body are both cut off, and the balance between the physical body and the spiritual image is broken. In order to survive, the body's instinctive mechanisms will be fully activated, and "body and mind devour each other."

This can be described as a deliberate act of entering a state of tranquility.

Under the mutual devouring of body and mind, the spiritual shadow begins to be instinctively absorbed by the physical body, while at the same time, the spirituality in the flesh and bones of the true body is squeezed out little by little and used by the spiritual shadow. Under this destructive annihilation, the most fundamental essence of life, the "True Nature," is forced out bit by bit.

Therefore, without destruction there can be no construction; great destruction leads to great construction.

This is the final and most difficult threshold separating mortals from immortals.

The patriarch, Zhao Su, spoke in a resigned tone: "Ancestor, in the void, there is only one chance of survival. Uncle Langxing's accumulation in the cultivation of both spirit and body in the chapter of spiritual and physical advancement is still insufficient. Once this matter is accomplished, I am willing to step down and yield the position to a more capable person."

"good!"

Na Zhenxian was unwilling to dwell on this matter any longer, since the Zhao clan had been so outrageous over the years, with no news of the remaining three treasures, which had forced the Holy Ancestor to work on the karmic connection with the Buddhist deity "King of Wealth and Treasures".

Zhao Jiayi took the golden plate from Na Zhenxian, and he knew that his future would change from this moment on.

He looked at the elders of the clan around him and sneered inwardly. He could tolerate many things, but there was one thing he could not tolerate: when his own lineage became the clan in the future, he would definitely place restrictions on all these people in front of him, so that they would also experience the feeling of being unable to control their own lives and deaths. At that time, many of them would definitely go crazy.

“Go!” Na Zhenxian said from the cloud, “I will deal with the fierce god Man Shenying in Longmen. As for the crippled bird Dafeng hiding near the Lijiang Water Mansion, the Zen Master will be stationed there to ensure that it does not cause any trouble.”

(End of this chapter)