Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 433 Blood Shadow Divine Light, Yellow Court Inner Landscape (5.2K words, please support with monthly tickets~)

"The azure sky and the yellow springs, the pure and true cave!"

At the top of the Heavenly Ladder, a sudden flash of light appeared, and a radiant mirror leaped into the starry sky, hanging high above the Heavenly Ladder, more brilliant than the bright moon, and shining brightly with the purple sun transformed from the "Primordial Purple Qi".

A dazzling beam of light shot out from the surface of the magic mirror, shining directly onto two figures at the foot of the mountain and on the shore of the Lingdingyang.

The sudden turn of events drew the attention of all the guests.

"Master Guangfa expounded the Dao and created a new inner landscape deity, which attracted my Shangqing Treasure Mirror to spontaneously manifest and look down upon us. There's nothing else to do, everyone, please continue drinking."

At this moment, Master Chengchu showed no signs of being drunk at all. After taking out the treasure mirror, he immediately shouted and made a brief explanation.

Oh! That's all right now!

The guests had no doubts about this statement. In the Eastern Taoist community, everyone knew how profound Master Guangfa's attainments were in the art of preserving spirits, so it was perfectly normal for him to attract the manifestation of the Shangqing Lingbao.

However, it's truly shameful that Mr. Guangfa was still focused on his spiritual practice at such a banquet!

That's what everyone was thinking.

At the top of the Heavenly Ladder, after inheriting the power of True Immortal Chu, Ji Hehe formed a hand seal and pointed towards the spot illuminated by the mirror light below. A divine light shot out from his fingertip, enveloping the three people in the area illuminated by the mirror light. Then, with a change of hand seal, he unleashed the Great Void Technique, the "Universe Shift" divine power. Immediately afterward, the three people below the mountain suddenly vanished from their original spot and almost simultaneously reappeared at the top of the Heavenly Ladder.

As the three moved, the Shangqing Biluo Mirror changed its angle accordingly, its clear light always shining on Cheng Xinzhan and Jiang Nanjing.

The three were moved to the top of the Heavenly Ladder, and everyone gathered around. At that moment, under the clear, mirror-like light, Jiangnan Jing's body rapidly withered away. In an instant, this handsome young hero turned into a withered human skin, and in another instant, he turned into ashes and scattered into the dust.

Cheng Xinzhan stood rooted to the spot, still in the posture of preparing to embrace Jiang Nanjing. Under the mirror's light, he seemed to be draped in a blood-stained robe, emitting a blinding crimson light, or as if his entire body was ablaze, enveloped in scarlet flames.

The crimson flame swayed violently under the mirror's light, its movements ferocious and unpredictable, like a candle that could not be extinguished by the wind, yet it remained inseparable from Cheng Xinzhan's physical body as its wick.

"Xin Zhan was chatting with me when this man named Nan Jing came over and interrupted. As he spoke, he made a gesture to hug Xin Zhan. When he opened his arms, a human-shaped blood shadow flew out of his body and instantly disappeared into Xin Zhan's body. Immediately afterward, the mirror light of the real person shone over, and the blood light reappeared. From the time the blood light entered Xin Zhan's body until now, Xin Zhan has not moved or said a word."

Shiyi Niang quickly recounted everything she had witnessed. Her voice trembled violently, and tears welled in her eyes, but even so, she described the entire process quickly and clearly.

After she finished speaking, she seemed to realize what she had just said and what she had seen. She also realized that it was because she had lured Xinzhan down the mountain to talk that this demon had taken advantage of her. She felt extremely guilty and in excruciating pain. She felt as if her soul had been taken away, leaving only an empty shell. Her legs gave way and she was about to collapse.

Wen Sukong helped her up and said,

"Don't panic."

Wen Sukong was also unsure at this moment, and was equally shocked by this sudden change. Judging from the blood-red light emanating from Xinzhan, it did not seem like the inner realm god that Cheng Chu Zhenren had described. Instead, it seemed more like the demon possession that Shiyi Niang had described.

However, judging from the reactions of the three real people, they seemed to have expected it. Although their expressions were tense, they were not too bad, so she did not lose her composure.

"It wasn't the Blood God Child who came."

Master Chengchu said with a hint of regret in his voice, "The Blood God Child ultimately didn't dare to come in person, and that evil demon will continue to live on in the mortal world."

"That's fine, that's fine."

Ji Hehe breathed a sigh of relief, his tone filled with relief, unlike that of Cheng Chu Zhenren. In his view, as long as one's mind is free from obstacles, the demon will inevitably be defeated in time; it's just a matter of time.

"Who came from there? Why isn't Xinzhan awake?"

Ji Hehe asked again, his tone tinged with anxiety.

Of those present, only the Shangqing Sect had ever dealt with the Blood God Sect, and had done so with relentless investigation and confrontation. The Shangqing Sect's power against the Three Corpses Sect in the East Sea was only a small fraction. The fact that Cheng Chu Zhenren was the first to react to the blood-red sneak attack speaks volumes. Therefore, although Ji Hehe was somewhat anxious, he dared not act rashly and could only listen to Cheng Chu Zhenren's advice.

However, since the Blood God Sect actually dared to launch a sneak attack when Xin Zhan was breaking through to the next level, it won't just be the Shangqing Sect that will be at odds with the Blood God Sect from now on.

Ji Hehe thought to himself.

From the moment the blood spurted out, the Shangqing Biluo Mirror had been shining on Cheng Xinzhan, and Cheng Chu Zhenren's gaze had never left him. At this moment, looking at the blood-red shadow struggling in the mirror's light, she said...

"It wasn't the Blood God Child who came, but it's true that he used the Blood Shadow Divine Light. This demonic art is not easy to master. From what we've investigated, only the Blood God Child himself and his three trusted disciples have successfully mastered it. These three always wear blood-red clothes and look like twin children, so they are called the Blood-Clothed Three Children. The one who possessed Shen Zhan should be one of them. This Blood God Child is ruthless and willing to sacrifice. He must know that sending someone to possess Shen Zhan, whether successful or not, is a one-way trip, yet he still sent his subordinate to his death."

"As for why Xinzhan didn't wake up, that's precisely the special feature of the Blood Shadow Divine Light. This Blood Shadow Divine Light is extremely strange and domineering. After entering the body, it immediately invades all the meridians and acupoints around the body. The blood light sticks tightly to the blood essence in the whole body, just like the whole body is frozen."

"True evil energy surging into the acupoint?"

At this moment, Wen Sukong interjected, recalling the years when his disciple was unable to move during the early stages of his cultivation.

"Yes, that's right, they do look somewhat alike."

Master Chengchu glanced at Wen Sukong, nodded, and then continued.

"Xin Zhan's body is stiff at this moment, as if he is in a state of suspended animation. This is because the blood light is still inside his body. In order to wake him up, the blood light must be removed."

How to eliminate them?

Ji Hehe asked.

The True Man Chengchu then answered,

"He can only do it himself. If outsiders take action, even if they pull out the bones and remove the blood, they still won't be able to clean it completely. He has two methods: one is to use great magic power to force out all the blood light in his body, which is also the only way to capture the Blood Demon alive, but with his current level, this might still be a bit difficult."

"Another method is to destroy the demon's primordial spirit within the body. At that time, the blood light will naturally dissipate. Fellow Daoist Hehe need not worry. Didn't you already give the Three Pure Bells to Xinzhan in advance? With this immortal artifact in hand, even if the Blood God Child comes in person, he can ensure the safety of Xinzhan's primordial spirit. Moreover, what comes is nothing more than the demon's wicked disciple."

"Among the three children in blood-red robes, only the eldest child is at the fifth realm, while the second and third children are at the fourth realm. At this moment, fellow Daoist can also clearly see that the blood-red shadow in the mirror light is swaying violently, which means that the newcomer's realm should not be below the fifth realm, and should only be one of the second and third children."

"Furthermore, the Shangqing Biluo Mirror I sent has been specially reinforced with restrictions for the Blood God Sect. Although it cannot directly disperse the blood light yet, it can weaken its power. Under the illumination of my precious mirror, the cultivation of the fourth-realm Blood Demon can be reduced by 40%. Xinzhan has now formed a fetus, and it is still a fetus that has been in the 128th day of its formation. With the help of the mirror light on the outside and the protection of the Three Pure Immortal Artifacts on the inside, her primordial spirit will definitely be unharmed. On the other hand, the Blood Demon is just a ball of blood energy, a bodyless floating duckweed. As long as he does not seize a physical body immediately, his strength will only gradually decline."

At this moment, everyone watching, including Ji Hehe, slowly nodded. Indeed, it was clearly visible in the mirror light that the blood-red light emanating from Master Guangfa's body was constantly dissipating, and the blood shadow was swaying, which matched quite well with what Master Chengchu had said. This precious mirror truly lived up to its reputation as the Shangqing Sect's treasure; it was indeed powerful. Especially for a group of fourth-realm cultivators, just looking at that bright mirror light made their hearts pound with fear, and they couldn't imagine what it would be like to be reflected in it.

Master Chengchu continued speaking,

"The Blood Shadow Divine Light is an extreme demonic art that takes an unorthodox approach, both bizarre and domineering. Once it enters the body, it either provides absolute suppression, instantly hollowing out the physical body and eroding the primordial spirit, resulting in the annihilation of both body and soul. This usually occurs when a high-level cultivator fights a low-level one, or when someone is caught off guard. Alternatively, it may encounter a person of extremely high cultivation or someone with a restraining spell, in which case the blood light surges up but is instead dispersed, leaving the cultivator with the fate of being annihilated in both body and soul."

"Generally speaking, there are only two situations. Because the cost of using the Blood Shadow Demon Art is extremely high, the body can only be separated from the body more than three times, and failure counts. So once a demon disciple uses the body-seizing technique, he will definitely go all out. After the Blood Shadow leaves the body, the outcome will be decided in an instant."

"If someone like Xin Zhan didn't immediately disappear and lie dormant after the Blood Shadow entered his body, it means that Xin Zhan stopped him at the first moment. At this time, the two are still in a stalemate, using their physical bodies as the battlefield to compete in magic and fight for control of this body. This situation is extremely disadvantageous for the Blood Demon, who is running out of options."

"Rest assured, Master, Xinzhan will be perfectly fine. Moreover, whatever injuries Xinzhan may suffer in the struggle against the Blood Demon, our Shangqing Sect will compensate him double."

At the same time, Master Chengchu secretly sent a telepathic message to Ji Hehe:
"Rest assured, Master, I also brought one of the 'Earth Branch Yellow Cauldron Apricots' from my family's immortal tree. Even if Xinzhan's physical body is injured, I will ensure that his Dao foundation is not damaged in the slightest and that he is not left with any hidden injuries."

Master Chengchu explained everything in great detail, because when Xinzhan initially said she wanted to make a grand entrance into the realm outside, using herself as a pretext, Master Hehe's only concern was the Blood God Sect. The reason was that among the various demonic sects, only the Blood God Sect had suddenly appeared and was extremely mysterious and unpredictable; they could even harm the immortals of Juqu Mountain, so Master Hehe was truly worried. Master Chengchu repeatedly guaranteed that as long as Sanqing Mountain could ensure Cheng Xinzhan's primordial spirit wasn't immediately destroyed, she could guarantee Cheng Xinzhan's safety.

In truth, it was impossible for Master Cheng Chu to explain to these outsiders, because only those who had truly touched the Great Dao of Preserving the Spirit in the Yellow Court could understand just how terrifying the inner world within Master Guangfa's body was. Master Cheng Chu had never seen, let alone heard of, anyone who practiced the visualization of preserving the spirit in that way. His entire physical body was practically an ancient celestial court incarnate. His body, outwardly flawless and perfectly formed, was also capable of intimidating the unruly and suppressing all evil spirits—a supreme physical treasure that could restrain the Blood Shadow Divine Light.

That's the real reason she dared to make that promise.

"I don't want your compensation, I just want my Xinzhan to be alright."

Ji Hehe replied, his expression relaxing considerably. He had absolute confidence in his Three Pure Ones Bell; with the bell protecting him, his primordial spirit was absolutely safe. Even if the Blood God Child himself came, the bell could carry Xin Zhan's primordial spirit through the air and directly back to the Three Pure Ones Grotto-Heaven. Now that the Shangqing Sect was willing to take out the "Earth Branch Yellow Cauldron Apricot," his physical body could also be preserved, so there was nothing to worry about.

At this moment, Eleventh Sister, who had been limp as a puddle of mud, understood from the two immortals' words that Xinzhan should be alright. Finally regaining some strength, she whispered her thanks to Wen Sukong and stood up. Immediately afterward, this woman with a keen and perceptive mind realized that this was still a trap; the scheme to lure the demons hadn't ended with Xinzhan's conception. Oh, right, this entire banquet might have been a trap, designed to deceive the demonic path, making them mistakenly believe that the righteous path had relaxed its guard. Perhaps this was the real reason the three immortals stayed to attend the banquet.

But if that's the case, did Xinzhan really want to talk to me when she flew down from the mountaintop to find me, or was she deliberately creating a false impression?

Shiyi Niang looked at Cheng Xinzhan and prayed to all the gods and Buddhas in her heart, hoping that he would wake up soon so that she could ask him some questions.

— A moment ago.

Upon seeing the blood-red figure rushing towards him, Cheng Xinzhan knew it was the Blood God Cult and immediately understood why Nan Jing had acted so abruptly. Then, he realized that Nan Jing was gone.

"clang--"

A crisp sound rang out from within the inner world.

"How can this be!"

Immediately, a stranger's shout rang out inside his body.

Cheng Xinzhan introspected, focusing his mind on his primordial spirit, and looked at the uninvited guest outside the Purple Palace.

At this moment, high above his purple palace hung a jade bell, its handle just large enough to be grasped in one hand. The handle was forked into three prongs in the shape of the Chinese character "山" (mountain), and each prong was engraved with two characters in seal script:

"Yuqing", "Shangqing", "Taiqing".

The bell's surface was engraved with patterns of celestial palaces in the clouds, conveying a sense of ethereal grandeur. Inside, tiny inscriptions of scriptures were densely carved, the characters profound and mysterious. The entire bell emitted a hazy, clear glow, enveloping Cheng Xinzhan's purple palace.

Just now, a streak of blood-red light was heading straight for Zi Que. But the bell rang on its own, sending it flying.

"You are not the Blood God Child."

Cheng Xinzhan looked at the blood shadow outside the Purple Palace and said that he could sense the blood shadow's aura. Although it was very strong, it had not yet reached the level of transcending the mortal realm.

The blood-red shadow was truly just a shadow; its facial features were invisible, only a blurry human shape remained. At that moment, it laughed loudly.
"You think you can do this? Do you really need your master to come in person?"

"then who are you?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked.

Then Blood Shadow answered,

"Young Daoist, listen carefully! I am the eldest attendant of the Blood God's son, Usaqi!"

Cheng Xinzhan was somewhat surprised that it was actually the eldest child who came. No wonder, no wonder his aura was so strong. It was actually a fifth-realm cultivator who came in person. Blood God Child was really willing to go to such lengths.

"Do you know that you've come here to die?"

Cheng Xinzhan said.

Blood Shadow continued to laugh arrogantly upon hearing this.

"By dragging the world-renowned Master Guangfa down with me, I can fulfill Master's instructions and recoup my losses!"

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head upon hearing this.

"How are you going to kill me?"

"Hmph! Brat! Don't spout nonsense just because your primordial spirit is protected by a magic weapon. Wait until I tear your acupoints apart, drink your blood sip by sip, and chew your tendons inch by inch, then you'll be begging me to kill you!"

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head again, only saying,

"Do as you please."

"Hmph, putting on airs!"

Blood Shadow sneered. At this moment, he sensed a divine light shining on this body, suppressing his magical power. The situation was unfavorable, and he could not delay. Immediately, he transformed into a streak of blood light and headed straight for Cheng Xinzhan's Crimson Palace. He wanted this Master Guangfa to watch as he strangled the tender spiritual embryo that Cheng Xinzhan had just created.

"boom!"

As soon as Blood Shadow rushed into the Crimson Palace, he was struck by an immense force and slammed against the cave wall, leaving him dazed and confused.

Blood Shadow looked around blankly, only to see an infant radiating nine-colored holy light walking towards him carrying an apricot-yellow book. Blood Shadow shook his head, thinking it was just an illusion, and then pounced forward again.

"boom!"

Blood Shadow flew back again. This time he saw clearly that it was the infant who had hit him with the book. Blood Shadow fell backward to the ground, where he happened to see the Wheel of Fate located on the top of the Crimson Palace.

The dense, overwhelming sight made him dizzy.

He didn't have time to count carefully. Seeing that the baby was still walking towards him, he immediately transformed into a streak of blood and fled, leaving the Crimson Palace.

This is a spirit fetus whose fetal heartbeat has resonated for 128 days, naturally making it extraordinary.

he thought.

The blood-red shadow continued downwards, heading straight for the Yellow Court.

As soon as he entered the Yellow Court, he saw a giant hand reaching out to grab him. The owner of the giant hand was a Taoist priest in purple robes with a bird's head and a human body.

Ah! It's that hundred-foot-tall Golden Core Dharma Form that scared away the Green-Robed Ancestor!
Blood Shadow immediately withdrew and flew away.

After leaving Huangting Palace, Xueying looked around and saw countless star palaces floating in the sky. He was somewhat dazed, wondering if he was inside a human body or in the heavens.

No, it's an illusion, it's an illusion!
Blood Shadow shook his head violently, then looked for a new target.

He saw a bright palace of flames next to the Crimson Palace.

Heart!
That's the heart!
The heart is the source of blood; consuming his heart will increase your magical power!
The blood shadow transformed into a streak of blood light once more, shooting into the Palace of Light like a crimson rainbow.

"what!"

Blood Shadow flew backward at an even faster speed, his crimson body covered in a layer of white flames, which burned so much that even his humanoid form began to twist and deform.

"What kind of fire is this!"

Blood Shadow cried out in pain, burning his own magical power to transform into crimson light to resist the flames. At this moment, his blood shadow body rapidly shrank and faded. When he washed away the immortal fire, the entire blood shadow was only two-thirds of its original size.

After repeated setbacks, and this time, not even seeing what the Heart Palace looked like, a sense of fear suddenly arose in Blood Shadow's heart.

胆！
Just as Blood Shadow was gripped by panic, a sudden inspiration struck him.

Yes, I'll eat his gall, deflate his courage, and then wait for an opportunity to strike! Moreover, the gallbladder is not within the five internal organs, but outside the acquired five elements. This person must not have cultivated, so I'll use this as a breakthrough point!

So, Blood Shadow located the location of the gallbladder orifice and pounced on it again.

"Rumble--"

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, a deafening roar.

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.

Meanwhile, outside, Cheng Xinzhan was bathed in the light of the mirror, his body surging with blood and his blood shadows swaying, looking like a candle flickering in the wind.

The cultivators praised the Immortal Mirror as truly remarkable.

Based on this, Master Chengchu deduced that the blood shadow possessing Cheng Xinzhan was only at the fourth realm.

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(End of this chapter)