Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 340 Reflections on the Tribulation of Pills, The Path to Slaying Demons
The cinnabar is collected, the mercury stops, and a scene of true rosy clouds rises in the clear sky.

The rosy clouds rise and surge forth, offering their essence; the celestial buds fall upon the cloud-covered bed.

The peaches ripen, golden liquid swirls, and the cinnabar fire flows into the Crimson Capital.

When the dragon and tiger unite, lead and mercury appear, forming a life embryo that resides in a precious vase.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The "Song of Pregnancy" says that a celestial sprout is planted to form a life embryo. Cheng Xinzhan is currently in the "rising of the rosy clouds and the rushing of the palace" stage. The celestial sprout has not yet grown, and the essence tiger has not yet formed. Therefore, even if the peach of immortality ripens and the qi dragon takes shape, the dragon and tiger cannot unite to form a life embryo.

He thought that starting to cultivate the four realms of cultivation techniques after the second cleansing was already well-prepared, but he didn't expect the progress of the cleansing of the core to be too fast, so much so that the cultivation of the immortal bud was delayed.

This was something he hadn't anticipated.

However, if you ask him to "get pregnant" and "produce a seed" as soon as possible, he would definitely not be willing. Haste makes waste, and you can't rush things. He also wouldn't be able to form a stable embryo.

Instead of waiting for the immortal bud to develop, we should continue to refine the golden elixir.

There are too many people in this world who want to quickly cultivate their inner energy and break through to the fourth realm, like Elder Jingsi of Toujian Mountain. There are also some people in this world who, in order to break through to the fourth realm, would rather take risks and use crooked methods than wait for the alchemical tribulation to arrive, like Hong Changbao of Fuxia Lake, and the former mountain master of Tianqiao Mountain.

However, there are a very small number of people in this world who, in order to make their Golden Core more solid and perfect, and to make their Core Qi more abundant, will wash away the Core Qi again, even after it has been washed away. As far as Cheng Xinzhan knows, these include his own master Wen Sukong, the mountain master of Shuji Mountain Zhao Wuji, and Wen Tianzhen of Zhenwu Temple.

Washing the Golden Elixir repeatedly naturally has many benefits.

First, it can compensate for hidden injuries and hidden dangers in the Golden Core. There are many hidden injuries and hidden dangers mentioned here, such as using mixed Yin and Yang Qi to hastily form the Golden Core in the early years due to insufficient preparation, insufficient opening of the second realm resulting in the Yin and Yang Qi not fully integrating with the physical body's essence and Qi, or having one's Dharma body shattered or Golden Core cracked in past battles, and so on.

To compensate for these hidden injuries and hidden dangers, the Golden Core will become more perfect and solid. The benefits are that the magic power will be more refined, the magic power reserves will be greater, the Golden Core will not be easily broken when it is used for external sacrifice, the Dharma form will be more solid, and the manifestation time will be longer. Of course, there is also the fact that the power of self-destruction will be greater.

However, there is a contradiction here. If the Golden Core itself has hidden injuries, then each additional Tribulation of Core Cleansing becomes a life-or-death test, which can easily backfire and cause the Golden Core to be directly shattered by the tribulation lightning.

That depends on each person's specific circumstances and choices.

Secondly, washing more often can make the elixir more abundant and pure.

When the elixir energy combines with the immortal sprout, a life embryo is born. The more abundant the elixir energy, the more times the embryo can be formed, and if it fails once, it can be formed a second time; the purer the elixir energy, the greater the possibility of forming a life embryo, and the more robust the life embryo will be.

In the cultivation of the four realms—sprouting, nurturing, forming, developing, becoming an infant, facing wind disasters, fire disasters, and lightning disasters—any step could fail. The stronger the foundation laid in the earlier stages, the higher the chance of successfully overcoming the later ones.

Legend has it that if the Golden Elixir undergoes nine purifications and its energy manifests as a golden essence, it will certainly form an embryo, and the resulting fetus will not be at risk of miscarriage and will successfully develop into a baby. Furthermore, the nascent soul nurtured by the nine-purification elixir is inherently strong, and the established Dao Domain will be more expansive and stable, providing a significant advantage in overcoming the Three Calamities.

There is also a rumor that if one undergoes nine purifications of the Golden Elixir, one will comprehend the second Golden Elixir Divine Power.

Cheng Xinzhan knew that Marshal Kui was the one who had achieved the Nine Cleansings Nascent Soul stage, and that the current Lord of the Cardinal Mountain, Zhao Wuji, was also aiming for the Nine Cleansings. However, this Lord Zhao's pursuit of the Nine Cleansings was not solely for the sake of the Dan Qi and supernatural powers. Lord Zhao had also deeply cultivated the Thunder Technique, and each tribulation was a rare opportunity for him to comprehend the true meaning of tribulation thunder, which he was unwilling to give up.

However, there's a contradiction here: the Tribulation Lightning of the Core Cleansing Realm doesn't come at will; the interval between Core Cleansing Realm trials is determined by fate. In other words, to undergo multiple trials, or even nine, one needs to endure a long wait, which means sacrificing one's lifespan.

Whether it's worth it or not depends on each person's specific circumstances and choices.

Cheng Xinzhan had thought about this issue. He wasn't concerned about the so-called second Golden Core Divine Power, but he still valued the purity of the pill energy, as it was related to the stability of the nascent soul later on. However, he felt that the nine cleansings were unnecessary.

In his early years, when he was in the second realm, he formed his golden core before all the acupoints in his life were opened in order to enter the third realm as soon as possible. He was worried about this back then and thought of making up for the lack of foundation in his golden core through the Nine Cleansings.

However, looking back with his current perspective, he realizes that what he worried about and thought were major issues were actually insignificant matters in the long journey of spiritual practice. (This message is also for fellow readers on their life's journey.)
He had long understood that the acupoints he had opened up for the purpose of guiding the evil spirits were correct and sufficient; otherwise, he would not have been able to create a perfectly round and brilliant Dragon-Tiger Golden Core, and he would not have started with the Yellow Heaven Tribulation Thunder.

Even if he had reached the second realm of perfection before forming his core, at most his first tribulation would have changed from the Yellow Heaven Tribulation Lightning to the Purple Heaven Tribulation Lightning, saving him one Core Cleansing Tribulation. However, the extra time he spent might have caused him to miss his encounters with Bai Wuchang and Cao Jin, thus missing his meeting with Master Wen, delaying his trip to Xikang, and ultimately missing Su Feng in the Year of the Rat.

Who can say for sure?
Perhaps the arrangements we make now are already the best arrangements.

As for the matter of opening the acupoints, Cheng Xinzhan has been doing it all these years. Whenever he stays still, he will split his spirit and avatar to open the acupoints. The lifespan increase brought by his breakthrough far exceeds the time he needs to spend in his cultivation and the extra lifespan loss brought by splitting his spirit and avatar.

Over the years, he has had many opportunities. In addition to undergoing tribulation, the cultivation of the Mysterious Female Pearl, the Pure Wind, the Dream Cicada, and the Dragon Dao all enhance his metal nature. Therefore, he progresses from three nines to five nines, from five nines to seven nines, and from seven nines, the elixir energy is generated.

This surpasses the vast majority of the three realms.

Therefore, his current thinking is the same as that of the second realm back then: there is no need to deliberately pursue perfection, but only to pursue the optimal solution at the present moment.

Cheng Xinzhan understood very well that his best solution at the moment was to cleanse his Golden Core again.

Once the immortal bud sprouts, we'll also refine the elixir's essence.

If the heavens are on your side and your fourth tribulation is the "Purple Heaven Nine-Nine Earth Tribulation Lightning," then your three realms will be perfected in another sense.

The first wash of the Three-Nine Water Thunder condensed the Golden Core to the size of a pigeon egg; the second wash of the Five-Nine Fire Thunder condensed the Golden Core to the size of a green jujube; then, a thousand-year-old golden-nature cultivation of a dragon condensed the Golden Core to the size of a dragon eye kernel; the third wash of the Seven-Nine Azure Dragon Wood Thunder condensed the Golden Core to the size of a lotus seed.

If we consider the thousand-year-old golden cultivation of the dragon as a refining of the golden elixir, then the golden elixir has undergone four refinements: yin water, yang fire, yin metal, and yang wood—which is exactly the same as the element of his own birth palace.

Cheng Xinzhan is currently unaware whether this is a coincidence.

However, if one's next tribulation lightning is eighty-one strikes, and it is a Yang Earth tribulation lightning, then it should not be a simple coincidence. It means that the Great Dao is orderly, dividing Yin and Yang to balance the Five Elements, and reaching perfection.

So he decided to wait for the time being. This decision was also related to the timing of the next tribulation lightning.

As for when the next time will be?
Cheng Xinzhan looked at the tribulation clouds surrounding the Golden Core.

Sixty years, exactly one cycle of the sexagenary cycle.

The Mysterious Pearl next to the Golden Core automatically shrank to the same size as the Golden Core, still swirling around it in a Tai Chi shape, and continued to exert its effects, nourishing the Golden Nature, causing the tribulation clouds to move faster and shortening the time to thirty years.

However, the pure wind was exhausted.

The "Pure Breeze Cooling Heavenly Gang" obtained twelve years ago has been blowing ceaselessly through the tribulation clouds for over eight thousand days and nights, replenishing the golden essence within the golden core. This time, during the cleansing tribulation, it has been completely exhausted. But the good news is that this year is another Year of the Rat (子年).

If this year's luck is as good as it was twelve years ago, and I can obtain Su Feng again, then the time will be shortened even further.

Cheng Xinzhan first set a twelve-year period for himself, during which he would nurture the immortal bud and continue to cultivate the elixir energy. If he could obtain the Pure Wind again this year or encounter other opportunities that would cause the next elixir-washing tribulation to arrive within twelve years, then he would wait patiently until he had completed the fourth elixir-washing tribulation before considering nurturing the life embryo.

If no opportunity arises within these twelve years, then we'll see if we can obtain Su Feng in the Gengzi year twelve years from now, and then make a new decision.

Having clarified his future direction in his cultivation, Cheng Xinzhan continued to consider what actions he should take next in eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path.

With a flick of his sleeve, he summoned the Earth Book.

The Earth Book unfolded on its own, then emitted a hazy glow, condensing into a map of the land.

In this geomantic map, the places he had been were clearly visible, down to the smallest detail, while the places he hadn't been to were just vague outlines.

And above this magnificent land, countless points of light float.

To the west, there were countless tiny red dots of light. Among these red dots, there was a cluster of blue dots.

To the east, there are continuous stretches of blue-green lights, forming a stark contrast to the red lights to the west. However, if you continue to move your gaze eastward, you will find that the southeastern coast of China is also covered in a crimson expanse, surrounding the blue-green lights.

Three colors of light shone on his face.

For the past two years, I have been sitting on Tiecha Mountain, befriending people from the Northern Road and the Yellow Sea, discussing everything under the sun, debating the Tao and criticizing the demons. I have finally gained a fairly good understanding of the forces in the northern and southeastern seas of China, and that is why I have created this map.

The Northern School occupied the Northwest and wanted to expand to the Southeast, but it was blocked to the east by the Northern Road and to the south by the Western Xuan School.

The Southern School occupied the southwest and wanted to expand to the northeast, but it was blocked by the Eastern Road to the east and by the Western School to the north.

Currently, in the South China Sea, the main focus is on Yuyang, while in the Canghai Sea, only the Wanshihai (Ten Thousand Corpses Sea) is making frequent moves, primarily targeting Kuaiji. Furthermore, according to the latest news Cheng Xinzhan has heard, the South China Sea seems to be vying for control of Yizhou Island and has already clashed with the Shahai (Sand Sea) region.

With the demonic tide surging, where should I go? Where do I need help the most, and where can I best utilize my strength?

The West is not being considered for the time being. Moreover, after destroying Zhuanxu Dragon Cave, the Xuanmen sect moved south and has been gathering the righteous forces of Yunnan in the past two years to try to bury the Nanpan River. They are currently fighting fiercely with the Southern faction, which has diverted a lot of the Southern faction's energy, making the eastern front much easier.

Therefore, with a formidable enemy at hand and a surging demonic tide, Cheng Xinzhan's help to Xixuan indirectly helped Dongdao as well.

The North is not being considered for the time being. Although the North was initially caught off guard by the Northern Faction—mainly by the Northern Mangshan—it has now recovered and is launching a counterattack against the Northern Faction.

Cheng Xinzhan heard that two months ago, in Jinyuan, the Hengshan Sword Sect and the eminent monks of Wutai Mountain jointly attacked the Feishen Temple located on the Yellow River bend in northwestern Shanxi. They killed more than two hundred demons, staining the Yellow River with blood, and killed a fourth-level bull demon, greatly enhancing their prestige.

This Fei Shen Temple, with four realms guarding it, is not a minor sect. It is a branch of the Naked Body Sect, a giant of the northern demonic path, and together with the Painted Skin Sect, it is the eastern gateway of the Naked Body Sect. The master of the Fei Shen Temple is no ordinary demon either. He has the bloodline of the ancient beast "Fei" and can cause drought and plague. His single eye can emit a blood-burning divine light, making him an extremely ferocious demon.

However, the demon has already been defeated, his body and temple destroyed, and he died under the siege. Both Hengshan Sword Sect and Wutai Mountain have mobilized four realms, and it is said that Yu Mengfei of Henghua Sword Sect, Monk Xiangzai of Wutai Mountain, and Zhao Fuyang, the Daoist disciple of Yanzhao Baiyun Temple, are three young three realms who participated in the siege of the Bull Demon and performed brilliantly.

Furthermore, in the Heluo region, the combined forces of Wangwu Mountain, Laojun Mountain, and Song Mountain have temporarily contained the movements of the Xu Clan's Ghost Kingdom. Moreover, news has emerged that the contemporary Buddhist disciple of Song Mountain, Monk Luosheng, seems to possess innate wisdom and great supernatural powers. Although he is only at the third realm, the Buddhist light he unleashes has managed to injure even a fourth-realm ghost king within the Xu Clan's Ghost Kingdom. His first appearance after descending the mountain has made him famous throughout the Central Plains.

Therefore, Cheng Xinzhan turned his attention back to the southeast.

Nanjing, Kuaiji, Fujian, Yuyang, and Hunan—these five places were all on the front lines.

Of these five locations, Jinling currently faces the least pressure, almost none. The south, north, and west are all dominated by Taoist forces, while the east is bordered by the Yellow Sea. However, Jinling, with Juqu Mountain as its patriarch, primarily consists of branches of the Shangqing School. Juqu Mountain harbors an irreconcilable hatred for the Three Corpse Island and is also the initiator of the Haoran Alliance. Therefore, while Jinling itself faces little danger, Jinling Taoists are among the most ruthless in combat among the various Eastern Taoist sects, their presence felt in the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Corpses and on various front lines.

Therefore, there is no need to go to Jinling.

Secondly, there is Fujian. Currently, there is no threat to Fujian itself, but it needs to support Kuaiji to the north and Yuyang to the south. To the east, it faces the desert. Although the desert does not currently show any intention to attack the mainland, the world is in turmoil, and necessary precautions must be taken.

But we don't need to worry about it for now.

Yuyang, facing the Southern Sect's dragon army head-on and having lost nearly half of its territory, has always been under the greatest pressure in the eastern region. However, since the Southern Sect occupied the entire Xijiang River basin within Yuyang's territory, the pace of their offensive has slowed considerably. In addition, with Master Dong personally going to the front line to oversee Feixia Mountain, and Luofu Mountain showing a do-or-die determination, the momentum of the demonic path's offensive has slowed even further.

In the past two years, the Xuanmen sect, together with the Dianwen orthodox sect, has been attacking the Nanpan River, the source of the Xijiang River. The Southern sect has transferred many elite demonic sects to Dianwen, and the situation in Yuyang has improved a lot. They are seizing the time to recuperate.

So there's no need to go for now.

Currently, the two sides in constant conflict are Sanxiang and Kuaiji. The former is facing the Southern Wilderness Demon Clan and Miao Jiang Demon Clan, led by the Heavenly Silkworm Fairy, while the latter is facing the Ten Thousand Corpse Sea forces, led by the Three Corpses.

In fact, I can play a role in both of these places.

The Heavenly Silkworm Fairy attained enlightenment through a strange insect. Her followers, the Southern Wilderness Demon Clan and the Miao Territory Demon Clan, also mostly use poisonous insects or Gu insects. She cultivates Yang Fire and visualizes the Pleiades, which can be of great help.

As for the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Corpses, it is filled with demonic corpses and ghosts. I cultivate the Pure Yang and the Way of the Living Dead, and I can restrain them as well. Moreover, now that I have passed the Dragon Thunder Tribulation, I have dragon power within me and the Sea-Filling Dharma Form, which makes me quite powerful at sea.

Cheng Xinzhan's gaze darted back and forth between Kuaiji and Sanxiang, but he didn't think about it for long before finally settling on Kuaiji.

The reason for choosing Kuaiji was not only due to the power of magic and restraint, but also due to other factors.

The demonic corpse severely damaged Juqu Mountain's vitality and caused it to lose face. As an outsider of Juqu Mountain and having received great kindness from the Shangqing Sect, I cannot let this grudge go unavenged.

The Crimson Corpse killed the Red-Haired Ancestor and then enslaved the Dragon Corpse. The Red-Haired Ancestor had given him blood as a token of gratitude. He had befriended Hong Changbao and was now a guest elder of Fuxia Lake. Given this friendship, it was time for him to make this trip.

Furthermore, when the Three Corpses occupied the island, they used the Xuanhuang Qi of the Earth's Lungs to form an array, blocking the Bixia Yuanjun Dharma Image of Cheng Chu Zhenren. At that time, the Zhenren said that there was an Earth Emperor Corpse assisting the array on the island. And it was the responsibility of Mingzhi Mountain to collect and suppress the Emperor Corpses of the world. I later told my master about this matter, and my master also went out of the mountain and into the sea twice to explore the Three Corpses Island. The first time he failed to enter the island, and although he entered the second time, he still failed to find the whereabouts of the Emperor Corpse.

As a disciple of Meijiyama, I couldn't help but make the trip.

Also, I've had a herbivore there for a long time...

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(End of this chapter)