Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 439 Myriad Manifestations Dao Domain, Innate Saint Infant (5.3K words presented, please vote for support at the beginning of the month~)

Cheng Xinzhan led Lu Tongxing back to Chunyang Palace.

He used the spirit wood commonly found in the virtual world to carve a small table for the child and placed it next to himself. Then he took out a futon and had the child sit down.

Master Lu originated from White Tiger Mountain in the blessed land. He cultivated the Five Elements Metal Path and array diagrams. At the beginning of his cultivation, he came to Jade Flower Peak to earn some cultivation resources and gain experience. Later, because he did a good job in general affairs, he was seconded to Jade Capital Peak. He also served as the dean of the General Affairs Office and the Foreign Affairs Office. Later, he went to Jade Void Peak for training. His footprints covered the three mountains. He accomplished everything he did. After entering the fourth level, he naturally became the deputy master of Jade Capital Peak.

Now that Cheng Xinzhan is teaching him again, she plans to start with the metal element, which is undoubtedly a good starting point to stimulate his inner will to survive.
"Xiao Lu, I have a question for you. What is your view on 'metal' in the Five Elements?"

The child thought for a moment, then answered.

"From the perspective of the natural world, the transformation of Yin and Yang, and the cycle of the four seasons, metal represents autumn, which is associated with withering and gathering, and has the nature of reforming the old and welcoming the new. It gathers and stores life force, and ends the old to welcome the new. It is a link in the cycle of the natural order."

"From the perspective of the microcosm of the human body and the acupoints of the vital organs, metal corresponds to the lungs. The lungs govern qi, control respiration, and manage the dissemination and descent of qi throughout the body, expelling turbid qi and taking in fresh qi. This is consistent with the metal nature of the natural world."

"From the perspective of internal alchemy, gold is the 'primordial primordial energy' and the 'mother of all energies.' When it condenses into an elixir, it becomes the golden elixir, which possesses immortality and the ultimate in perfect roundness, representing great creation and great perfection."

"From the perspective of external tools, metal implements have the power to kill and exterminate evil, and are specifically used to destroy evil spirits. They are instruments for execution and extermination. In addition, metal implements are a medium for guiding 'qi' (vital energy), and can be used in array diagrams, rituals, and thunder magic, reaching the ears of the heavens above and the netherworld below."

"In short, gold is qi, which represents discarding the old and welcoming the new, life and death are one, and it is immortal and indestructible."

The child answered the question in a serious and methodical manner, and then looked at Cheng Xinzhan.

"Clap clap-"

Cheng Xinzhan clapped his hands in approval, thinking to himself that it truly lived up to the knowledge of a fourth-realm sect leader specializing in the metal element; he explained the metal element so thoroughly and easily, and every point hit the nail on the head. He smiled and asked,
"Xiao Lu is absolutely right, but you're still so young, how do you know all this?"

The child blinked and said,
"This is a secret of mine. Uncle Bai told me not to tell anyone, but just now when Uncle Bai asked me to recognize you as my master, he also said that I should listen to you from now on and that I can tell you anything."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled upon hearing this and asked,
So what are your thoughts now?

The child's eyes darted around, and then he said,

“You are my master, so naturally I will listen to you. I can tell this secret to my master, but you cannot tell anyone else.”

Cheng Xinzhan extended his palm and said,
"It's a word."

The child also reached out and gave Cheng Xinzhan a high five.

"It's a word."

Then, the child whispered,
"Actually, what Uncle Bai said about me being the child of a distant relative is a lie."

"Oh? So what's the actual situation?"

Cheng Xinzhan cooperated with the question.

"Actually, I have innate wisdom. In my previous life, I was a disciple of Sanqing Mountain, and I was quite powerful. It's just that I hadn't finished drinking the Meng Po soup when I was reincarnated, so I still have a lot of memories from my previous life. That's why I know about the metal element. As soon as I think about it, these things naturally appear in my mind."

The child whispered.

"So that's it."

Cheng Xinzhan looked surprised.

"When I was born in this life, Uncle Bai found me. Two years ago, when I was three years old, Uncle Bai took me up the mountain. However, I only remember things from the last two years clearly; I don't remember things from before I was three years old very well."

The child scratched his head, looking somewhat confused.

Cheng Xinzhan then said,
"That's right, children's memories before the age of three are usually unclear."

Xiao Lu nodded and replied.

"That's what Uncle Bai said too."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, thinking to himself:

Bai Lingzi and he had been deceiving Master Lu in this way. When Master Lu regained his memories and became enraged, he might not be able to do anything to the immortals, but he would definitely come after Bai Lingzi.

He sighed silently, and then said,

"You're right. The metal element represents letting go of the old and welcoming the new, just like you. You've already been reborn, so the past is the past, and there's no need to cling to things from your previous life. Past memories can be your help, but they shouldn't become your burden. The metal element is also immortality, which means that in this life you should diligently cultivate yourself, attain the status of an immortal and the immortal metal element as soon as possible, see all the beautiful scenery in the world, and understand the customs and cultures of different places."

The child nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

"Since you have accepted me as your master, I will give you a gift as a token of our friendship."

As Cheng Xinzhan spoke, he flipped his hand over, and a talisman appeared in his palm.

This talisman is small, about an inch wide and three inches long. It is neither gold nor jade, neither wood nor paper, and is transparent, looking like a shimmering brocade or a tapestry woven from moonlight. On the talisman is a twisted ancient seal script character, a shimmering silver character 【玄】 (Xuan).

There were lamps in Chunyang Hall, and starlight and moonlight shone in, but no matter whether it was lamplight, starlight, or moonlight, none of the light fell on the talisman, so the talisman only showed its own color.

"what is this?"

Xiao Lu asked.

Cheng Xinzhan replied,
"This is called the 'Mysterious Secret Without Leaks Talisman,' which can conceal your aura and hide your true level of cultivation. In this way, outsiders cannot see through you, and therefore have no way of knowing your identity as a reincarnation of past wisdom."

With a gentle flick of his wrist, the talisman, a gift from the sect leader that had helped him stir up trouble countless times in the Demon Cave, flew into the child's brow and entered his dantian. At that moment, the child's aura abruptly changed from the peak of the Golden Core stage to that of a mere Qi Refining cultivator at the first stage.

Xiao Lu touched her brow, noticing the change in her aura. She happily bowed to Cheng Xinzhan and repeatedly said…
"Thank you for your reward, Master."

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and nodded, then said,
“Come, I will guide you in your cultivation. First, I will teach you how to use your lungs, how to breathe correctly, expel impurities and inhale purity. First of all…”

While reviewing the divination slips, Cheng Xinzhan also taught Xiaolu cultivation. In the process, he also occasionally told the child about sect affairs. And this child, truly worthy of having the mind of a fourth realm and the body of a third realm, quickly adapted to his teaching method, listening to the teachings while also helping Cheng Xinzhan with administrative matters. Both of them were multitasking.

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As time flew by, darkness fell, and night soon arrived.

At this point, Cheng Xinzhan stopped teaching. Xiao Lu's primordial spirit had been reshaped twice and needed careful recuperation; he couldn't overexert himself. So, he taught Xiao Lu the sitting meditation method and the method of nourishing the spirit, instructing him to close his eyes and rest.

Cheng Xinzhan looked at the obedient Xiao Lu, but his mind couldn't help but recall the scene many years ago when Master Lu led a group of people, including himself, to participate in the Dragon-Tiger Dharma Assembly. He then recalled the life-or-death moment when the "Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal" locked his six senses and imprinted its mark on his spirit. Dragon-Tiger, Dragon-Tiger!
A murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

He turned to look at the starry sky outside the hall, gazing at the vast galaxy, the killing intent in his eyes gradually subsiding. Even though he had already cultivated to the fourth realm, it was still nothing compared to Longhu Mountain. He wanted revenge, but now was not the time.

Longhu Mountain has a tremendous influence in Yuzhang and in the Eastern Taoist community. Bingfeng Mountain is not the only one that has benefited from the Celestial Master's Mansion. Sanyuan Mountain, Gezao Mountain, including its own Sanqing Mountain, as well as the vast Taoist community in Yuzhang and the Eastern Taoist community, who dares to say that they have not received guidance from Longhu Mountain?

The title of Celestial Master was not given lightly.

Longhu Mountain, as the oldest surviving sect in the modern era, has enjoyed a prestigious reputation for thousands of years, overseeing the talismans of the Three Mountains and commanding all sects. To overthrow such a powerful mountain family in a single day is virtually impossible.

Now, the matter of the seal has sparked discontent among the major immortal sects. Under the influence of the Zhengyi sect's prestige, they have started anew, establishing the Haoran Alliance. This is practically the limit that each sect can achieve. To say that they would unite all sects to besiege the Celestial Master's Mansion and overthrow Longhu Mountain is rather unrealistic.

The Celestial Master's Mansion is a family lineage passed down through generations of the Zhang family. Naturally, there are heroes and villains. This generation has produced scoundrels like Zhang Yuanji and his son, but there are also wise men like the Celestial Master and Master Xujing in the past. Should the Zhang family line end because of the despicable behavior of one generation?

Furthermore, setting aside the fact that various immortal sects have historically received favors from the Zhang family, it should be noted that the Celestial Master and Master Xujing have only ascended to heaven, not died. Even if it is said that the ancient immortals have now secluded themselves from the world and severed the connection between heaven and earth, and the upper realm has no jurisdiction over the lower realm, Longhu Mountain itself is the head of the Yuzhang land vein, and the Celestial Master's Mansion still possesses the seal and sword. If a war were to break out, most of Yuzhang would be reduced to ashes.

Force alone cannot solve the problem for the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain.

This grudge will not go unpunished, it's just that the time has not yet come.

Cheng Xinzhan turned his gaze to the starry sky, watching the stars shift and the constellations move. After gazing up for a while, the resentment and frustration in his heart gradually dissipated. Then, he continued to sit at his desk and review the documents and divination slips.

Because there were few new divination slips arriving at night, and no one came to disturb him, he processed them quickly. By midnight, all the divination slips on his desk had been processed.

At this moment, Cheng Xinzhan glanced at Xiao Lu again and saw that Xiao Lu's breathing was steady and long, with a gentle light shining from between his brows. He knew that Xiao Lu had entered a relatively profound state of meditation. Seeing this, he smiled slightly, then slowly closed his eyes and entered into deep meditation as well.

He looked inward and observed himself, his mind sinking into the crimson palace.

After three years of meditation, serving as the head of the sect and resolving countless spiritual divination slips, he never slacked off in his own internal alchemy cultivation. Therefore, the scene in the Crimson Palace now is quite different from that of three years ago.

The current Crimson Palace doesn't look like a cave dwelling at all; instead, it looks like a blessed land and grotto-heaven embedded in the inner world.

This is a world with a flat, round sky. The sky is like a dome, covering the vast expanse, or like a giant umbrella, opening up this independent grotto. The dome glows faintly with a bluish light, and under the illumination of the red light from the nearby heart palace, it is tinged with a touch of crimson, like the sunset after a rain.

The clouds in this sky are particularly spectacular, not just crimson, but also purple, rosy, and scarlet, intertwined and dazzlingly beautiful.

This dome is not static; it is sometimes sunny and sometimes rainy. In the blink of an eye, the bright and colorful sky will suddenly be covered by large swaths of clouds, obscuring the entire sky. Soon, these clouds will begin to glow again, accompanied by ever-changing mirages, creating a bizarre and fantastical scene.

A gust of wind swept by, and the sea of ​​clouds quickly turned black again, followed by a thunderous roar like a dragon's cry, and then the sweet rain poured down. Soon after, the sun came out again, and it was still raining in the sky. When the rain stopped, a white rainbow streaked across the sun, which was quite miraculous.

It's not just daytime here; the sun sets, the moon rises, the Purple Star shines, and a sea of ​​stars glitters.

Not only the sky, but the land here is equally magical, or rather, even more magical.

The earth is square and curved, high in the middle and low on both sides, with a ditch running through the center, making it look like an open book. And on this book of the earth, there is a vibrant life:
To the east are verdant peaks, to the west are snow-capped mountains, to the north is a great river, and to the south lies a vast ocean.

In addition, there are volcanoes, peach orchards, meteorite craters, glaciers, battlefields, burial mounds, forests, swamps, caves, deserts, secluded valleys, Gobi deserts, fertile fields, lava fields, and many other diverse and varied terrains.

There were howling winds, raging waves that pushed through the clouds, chilling light, billowing dust, shimmering waves, and sparkling red smoke—a variety of dynamic and spectacular scenes.

If you look down from above and examine it more closely, you can find that in some places on the ground, the rocks, streams, grass, trees, or water shimmer with the faint shapes of characters. Each place is a poem or a travelogue.

Nestled among the eastern mountains, atop a verdant hill, stands a Taoist temple, within which sits a handsome young Taoist boy. The boy appears to be only six or seven years old, with bright eyes, delicate eyebrows, and clear, sparkling pupils; his appearance is exquisitely beautiful. He holds a book in his hand, reading, and despite his young age, he possesses the bearing of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix.

This world is his Crimson Palace, and also the manifestation of his Nascent Soul Dao Domain. The Daoist boy holding the book is his Nascent Soul.

Over these three years, he meticulously planned and devised countless schemes, using the Dharma Umbrella as a dome to create an independent world within his inner realm. He then used the Earth Book as his foundation, merging heaven and earth to form a world within a world, a grotto-heaven within a grotto-heaven. Next, his Nascent Soul took up the brush, using dozens of celestial and terrestrial elements as ink to depict and manifest the contents of the Earth Book's travelogue, creating a rich and colorful world of creation. This vibrant world was then projected onto the Crimson Palace, allowing the Daoist principles and the physical body's acupoints to merge seamlessly, thus forming this Nascent Soul Dao Domain.

This Nascent Soul Dao Domain merges with the acupoints of the physical body. If a situation like the Blood Shadow entering the body occurs again, besides using the Inner Realm Heaven and Earth to suppress it, using the Crimson Palace Heaven and Earth Lock to capture it is also a viable method. When used externally, one can directly summon the book and umbrella, merging them into Heaven and Earth, and the Dao Domain is formed instantly, without needing to construct it with magical power, and the effect is immediately visible.

At first glance, this world seems unremarkable, merely a miniature projection of the larger universe. While it possesses ever-changing winds and clouds, mountains, rivers, and seas, its vastness makes it difficult to discern anything truly special. This contrasts sharply with typical Dao domains that strive to highlight their unique Dao characteristics. For instance, the Five Poison Heavenly Kings represent the Dao Domain of Poisonous Insects in a secluded valley, the Evil Ghost Child the Dao Domain of Drowned Ghosts in a swamp, and Gu Chen the Dao Domain of Yin Spirits in a Corpse Kingdom—each with distinct features. Only by aligning these characteristics with their own Dao path and Golden Core Dharma Form can they unleash their maximum power.

Cheng Xinzhan's Myriad Manifestations Dao Domain, however, shows no particular focus, encompassing everything and nothing. This is actually a major taboo in forming a Dao Domain. There is an old saying, "A jack of all trades, master of none," which describes this situation. The more things you put into a Dao Domain, the harder it is to fit your own Dao path, and the harder it is to unleash the true power of the Dao Domain. There is even a risk that the Dao Domain will collapse.

But Cheng Xinzhan did exactly that, and made the Dao Domain incredibly stable.

Because his cultivation is the primordial unity of all laws, his Great Dao is the earth and mountains, and his Dharma form is the earth immortal who governs the world.

Therefore, it is only natural that his Dao Domain should be the vast and boundless land.

There is no place in the world that perfectly matches his Dao Domain, but it seems that every place can be found in his Dao Domain—it seems that everywhere is his Dao Domain.

This is the culmination of his three years of hard work.

At this point, the spiritual embryo in his Crimson Palace transformed into a nascent soul, and its appearance changed from that of a fetus to that of a six-year-old Daoist boy.

This is actually a reflection of one's inner state.

Because once the fetus has reached full term in the Crimson Palace, the cultivation of the entire three stages—the Immortal Sprout, the Life Embryo, and the Spiritual Embryo—is completely finished. The development process of the Dao Body has been fully demonstrated, and the fetal form naturally has no need to exist. It can be transformed into whatever form it wants.

The reason why the term "Yuan Ying" is still used at this time is actually due to the long-standing metaphorical usage in Internal Alchemy. "Yuan" means the beginning, the origin, the innate; "Ying" means purity, vitality, and burgeoning. "Yuan Ying" is the result of combining the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit in the human body, then refining them back to their original state and returning to the innate state. At this time, the magical power within the cultivator's body has another name, called "Innate True Essence." Using "Innate True Essence" for casting spells, drawing talismans, and controlling treasures is vastly superior to that of those below the fourth realm.

The Tao Te Ching says, "Can you concentrate your vital energy and achieve gentleness like an infant?" This is the principle, which means that breathing and circulating the breath should be like that of an infant, taking the meaning of innate purity and original source, not that one's physical form should resemble that of an infant.

"Spiritual Embryo" and "Nascent Soul" are two stages in the four realms of cultivation. The former takes form, while the latter takes meaning. They are not the same thing at all.

Many independent cultivators from remote mountains or small sects come to the Four Realms by chance. When they transform into infants, they do not know the original meaning of "Nascent Soul" and keep their Nascent Soul in the fetal state. If they use the Nascent Soul to leave their body and are seen by others, their origins will be immediately known.

Normally, those who can cultivate to the fourth realm are usually older when they form their nascent soul. They will all unanimously change the appearance of their nascent soul to that of their younger self, or when they are most successful, or when they are most unforgettable.

Cheng Xinzhan set his nascent soul form at the age of six because his parents were alive and well, his mind was sound, he had a clear memory, and he lived a carefree and joyful life. That was the age he cherished most and remembered from time to time.

However, despite the boy's adorable appearance, he is actually incredibly powerful. His nascent soul has an extraordinary origin, formed by the fusion of the true essence refined by the Yang Fire and the elixir washed by the Nine-Nine Thunder Tribulation, and then undergoing nine transformations of true form and the illumination of the three lights before it was fully formed. It can truly be called a "Holy Infant".

The physical body absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate magical power, while the nascent soul absorbs this magical power to cultivate innate true essence. Naturally, there is a transformation process involved. Being able to transform ten parts of spiritual energy into five parts of magical power is considered average; being able to transform five parts of magical power into two parts of true essence is extremely rare and valuable. Cheng Xinzhan, however, absorbs spiritual energy through visualization and refines it through inner vision. He can obtain nine-tenths of the spiritual energy, and this nine-tenths of the magical power, after being absorbed and exhaled by the nascent soul, can be returned intact as nine-tenths of innate true essence.

In other words, given Cheng Xinzhan's current fortune and realm, his breathing in one breath is more than four times that of an ordinary cultivator at the same realm. His three years of meditation are equivalent to more than ten years of seclusion at the same realm.

At this point, with the Nascent Soul formed, True Essence full, and Dao Domain manifested, it's time to consider triggering the Three Calamities.

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(End of this chapter)