Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 620 Exploring the Mysterious Path, Encountering a Remnant Enemy; The Divine Strike Startles the Nascent Soul Stage
————Enjoying the view from beyond the mountains

At this moment, Sect Leader Kang had no idea that Feng Wen, the demon strategist who had always instilled fear in the cultivators of the three southwestern sects, had already fallen into the Duke's trap before they had even met.

At this moment, he was being relentlessly pursued by Fei Tianqin and the two immortals.

But ahead, the dark light streaked across the frozen ground of the northern mountain road like a stray dog.

At this moment, Master Yunfu's robes were stained with blood, and golden blood was still oozing from the wound on his back. Just now, Zen Master Huiming's Vajra Pestle had not only shattered his dragon-patterned spiritual shield, but also sent a wisp of Buddhist power into his meridians, gnawing at his nascent soul's origin like a maggot clinging to a bone.

Master Yunfu dared not turn around, and desperately activated his inner energy. His dark spiritual power condensed into a thin armor outside the escape light, but it still could not block the scorching heat of the thick golden Buddhist light behind him.

"Fellow Daoist Yunfu, why bother running away in vain?" Zen Master Huiming's voice was calm and unhurried, yet it struck Yunfu Zhenren's ears like a thunderclap.

Suddenly, the thick Buddhist light accelerated and condensed in mid-air into a Buddha's palm about ten feet in size, with five fingers like peaks, carrying the power to suppress all things, and slapped towards the black escape light.

Wherever the Buddha's light passed, even the frozen soil in the mountains shimmered with golden patterns, the chill was completely dispelled, and even the falling snowflakes turned into tiny fragments of spiritual light.

Hearing the strange wind behind him, Master Yunfu suddenly turned to the side, his dark escape light abruptly changing direction, barely avoiding the Buddha's palm.

But when the Buddha's palm landed on the frozen ground, it created a huge crater hundreds of feet deep with a loud "boom." The bottom of the crater glowed with golden light, which even caused the spiritual veins underground to surge upwards. The pale blue spiritual liquid meandered down the crater wall, and as soon as it came into contact with the air, it was baked by the Buddha's light and began to steam into white mist.

"You bald thief! Always leave a way out! You think your Buddhist sect will be safe in the future?!" Master Yunfu roared, his voice trembling. However, after being tricked by Zen Master Huiming, he truly had no ability to fight back.

But he was, after all, a True Person from the great sect of Yuejian Mountain, and even when he was in dire straits, he did not sit idly by and wait for death.

Seeing that Zen Master Huiming's hand movements behind him did not falter in the slightest, True Man Yunfu's fingertips suddenly emitted a clear and mysterious light.

This "Mysterious Origin Transformation Technique" is one of the few remaining fundamental inheritances of Yuejian Mountain. Practitioners need to condense the primordial energy of heaven and earth into "Mysterious Origin True Qi" and reach the Nascent Soul Realm to master its subtleties. It is the most orthodox method of the major sect of Taoism.

He formed the "Tai Chi Seal" with both hands, and the Xuan Yuan True Qi flowed in front of him, condensing into a clear shield three feet square, with the "Primordial Eight Trigrams Pattern" engraved on its surface.
The Qian and Kun trigrams correspond to the top and bottom, while the Kan and Li trigrams appear on the left and right. Each line can draw upon the surrounding primordial energy of heaven and earth, forming a circulating defensive barrier.

The moment Master Yunfu condensed the Bagua Shield, the Xuan Yuan True Qi at his fingertips moved again, and the Qian Gua pattern on the shield surface suddenly lit up.

Those with knowledge know that the Yuejian Mountain Xuanyuan Huajing Technique emphasizes "integration of offense and defense." The Bagua Shield is not merely for defense; each trigram contains the secret to activating vital energy.

He placed his left hand on the center of the shield, silently chanting Taoist incantations. The Kan trigram pattern emitted a faint blue spiritual light, and three Xuan Yuan Kan Li beads, which were wrapped in clear and mysterious light and had the fine patterns of the Kan and Li trigrams faintly visible on their edges, shone through.

Three beams of mysterious light pierced the air, carrying the deep hum unique to Taoist magic. The clear bead collided with the surrounding spiritual energy, creating a sound, and a layer of light white mist condensed on the bead. It seemed slow, but in fact, it was as fast as lightning.

Just as Zen Master Huiming was about to unleash his Buddhist power to form a defensive hand seal, Fei Tianqin's voice suddenly came from the left, his tone somewhat urgent: "Zen Master, be careful of the bead! It contains the two energies of Kan and Li, with the fire of Li in the core and the water of Kan on the outside. It's not easy to withstand it head-on."

This old bird had a certain friendship with Master Huquan, and they had maintained contact over the years. Therefore, he knew more about the fundamentals of Yuejian Mountain's Taoist methods than others.

Upon hearing the old bird's words, Zen Master Huiming took it seriously. After all, although the latter's cultivation was inferior, his insight was no less than that of Zen Master Huiming, a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Even though Fei Tianqin remained silent, Kang Dabao's discerning golden eyes had already pierced through the mist.

The fire within Tongming is not manifest, but rather encased in the core of the pearl by the shell of Xuan Yuan Zhen Qi. Once it touches the radiant Buddha light of the Manifest Sect, it will attract the Yang energy to clash with Kan and Li, which could catch Zen Master Huiming off guard.

Therefore, Zen Master Huiming withdrew his hand seal, and a lotus flower rose beneath his feet. The lotus petals spun like a flying wheel, and in a short while, he carried the old monk away, escaping the methods of True Man Yunfu.

He then held the Vajra pestle horizontally in front of him, and the Buddhist patterns on the pestle lit up with a "hum". The rich golden Buddhist power no longer condensed into a thick solid wall, but transformed into countless tiny golden lotus petals, which drifted towards the three silver balls like a drizzle.

The lotus petals, like tiny knives, relentlessly shave away at the silver ball, causing Master Yunfu's face to harden with malice. He lamented that even if the monk from the original Buddhist sect, whose whereabouts were unknown, did not launch a sudden attack, even if he were at his peak, he would only have a 60% chance of winning against him.

Unexpectedly, his most secret skill was discovered by an old bird. Master Yunfu was both surprised and angry, but he dared not delay any longer. Seeing that the two people and the bird opposite him paused slightly, he turned his back and rode away on the wind.

"Where do you think you're going!" Zen Master Huiming was clearly not one to let people off the hook. As soon as True Man Yunfu turned around, he immediately threw out his vajra.

Fei Tianqin generously scattered the golden feathers that covered his body, as if they were worthless.

Suddenly, golden feathers, each as tall as a person, covered with dense spiritual patterns and interlocked into an array, also covered the back of True Person Yunfu.

Seeing that Master Yunfu was determined to flee, Headmaster Kang had also acquired the ability to strike from a distance. Pairs of golden light seemed even brighter than the winter sun.

Just as Yunfu Zhenren used his magic weapon to withstand the Vajra Pestle's pursuit, Kang Dabao's pupil technique had already caught up with him before the overwhelming golden feathers.

If it were during the prime of Master Yunfu's life, this kind of pupil technique, though it had some merit, would at most earn him a single question, which would be considered an honor.

But now he is only a Lingbao, and his body is injured. He was also hit by Master Huiming's Lingbao, which is of a high grade, causing his internal organs to shift and his six senses to become confused.

At this point, however, the pupil technique of Master Kang had become a mourning staff used by the unpredictable and deadly.

But then Master Yunfu raised a spark of spiritual light, extinguishing most of the golden light within. However, the meridians, which had already lost most of their spiritual power, suddenly tightened.

This man's expression changed drastically, and the last pair of golden rays had already broken through the air and struck his chest directly.

Master Yunfu's robes were tattered, and he could only relinquish one or two of their power, which is why he suddenly felt a heat in his chest and a salty taste in his mouth.

The next instant, Master Yunfu felt as if countless fine needles were piercing his acupoints. The wounds that had been gnawed by the Buddha's power suddenly flared up, and a mouthful of blood spurted from the corner of his mouth, splashing onto his black Taoist robe and spreading out dark red spots.

Immediately afterward, his consciousness faltered, and his six senses became much duller. He was even a beat late in noticing the golden feather array that Fei Tianqin had scattered behind him.

The golden feathers intertwined in the air, forming a golden net about ten feet in size, with sharp spiritual patterns, which came towards his back. Once caught in the net, the spiritual patterns would tighten and crush his meridians.

"I must not be captured!" This was the only thought in Master Yunfu's mind.

This Taoist priest was well aware that if he fell into the hands of the two people and the bird opposite him, he would probably be taken by the Yuan Buddhist Sect to present as a captive to the Xuanqiong Palace to claim credit.

The honor and disgrace of this sect are secondary; the very lineage of humanity will be destroyed in an instant.

In desperation, Master Yunfu bit his tongue hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence, and formed an obscure hand seal that he had never shown to anyone before.

Once the hand seal was completed, the profound true qi around Master Yunfu suddenly became violent. Fine blood lines cracked on the surface of his skin, and the pale blue true qi wrapped in blood threads retreated into his body like a madman.

The surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) was forcibly pulled into his dantian, but instead of replenishing his dantian essence, it was devoured by the nascent soul's origin and transformed into a jet-black escape light.

This light was different from the previous dark light; it possessed the characteristic of devouring all spiritual light, and even Zen Master Huiming's Buddhist light could not easily lock onto it.

"He's using forbidden techniques!" Zen Master Huiming's reminder was somewhat superfluous; judging from the scene, how could the people and birds present not know?

However, Kang Dabao and Fei Tianqin both lagged behind Zen Master Huiming in their reactions this time.

But then the old monk's expression changed, and he was about to urge his Buddhist power to give chase when the dark light suddenly sank down and "poof" disappeared into a crack in the frozen ground.

Only a shallow mark remained on the frozen ground, which was quickly covered by snow by the howling wind and snow, leaving not a trace. "Chase!" Zen Master Huiming made a decisive decision, and the lotus platform beneath his feet shone brightly as he chased after the direction in which the fleeing light had disappeared.

Fei Tianqin also spread his golden wings, and a rare hint of urgency appeared in his eyes: "We must part ways! Now that Master Yunfu is seriously injured, if we capture or kill him, it will be a major event that will shake the world."

Master Kang originally wanted to persuade Fei Tianqin to continue the journey, but the next moment, he was reminded by the latter's anxious tone, and he immediately understood.

What's so rare about a critically injured and dying Nascent Soul cultivator? Just look at how anxious the Fei family patriarch, who has cultivated for thousands of years, is, and you'll get a sense of it.

It was so alluring that he found it hard to maintain his cautious nature and began to harbor some fantasies.

However, since Master Yunfu had used a secret technique, his whereabouts were not so easy to find. Even Zen Master Huiming, who was at the Nascent Soul stage, could only choose a general location and try his luck.

Sect Leader Kang could only pluck a wisp of the spiritual essence left behind by True Man Yunfu from the void with his finger to roughly find a direction.

For a moment, I felt a mixture of longing and fear.

What he feared was that his cultivation at the early stage of the Golden Core realm would be like an ant in front of a heavily injured Nascent Soul cultivator. If True Person Yunfu had any trump cards up his sleeve, he would not only fail to capture the person, but also risk his life here.

But the thought of "wanting" grew wildly like weeds. If he could really hold off Master Yunfu until Zen Master Huiming or Fei Tianqin arrived, it would be an immense achievement. Even better if he could capture and kill this Nascent Soul cultivator on his own.
"Clap clap."

Kang Dabao didn't hold back, slapping his own cheeks so hard they cracked loudly, barely managing to drive away this presumptuous thought.

He then clenched his fist and carefully examined the wisp of spiritual energy using the Crescent Moon Visualization Method. He felt that the spiritual energy seemed to carry a faint smell of blood and the clear, cold essence of Xuan Yuan Zhen Qi, drifting northwestward with the wind and snow.

He dared not fly too fast, skimming low over the frozen ground, his Golden Eyes of Insight scanning the ground from time to time, afraid of missing even the slightest trace.

After walking for about an hour or two, I realized I was going the wrong way.

Afterwards, they turned back to search, but after another hour or two, they found nothing. After that, they chose another route.
After repeating this process several times, even the last trace of spiritual energy in his hand dissipated completely.

Sect Leader Kang was not surprised. It was utterly ridiculous that a Nascent Soul cultivator could be so easily detected by him.

Just as the fervent thoughts in his mind were gradually fading away, and he was about to turn around and leave, his golden eyes suddenly caught something unusual in the snow.

The permafrost there was slightly warmer than the surrounding area, and the snow melted much faster.

Kang Dabao's incantation changed, and the light in his eyes suddenly brightened. The radiant light gradually became hot, and in a short while, it melted away the snow, revealing a rock underneath that shimmered with a pale blue spiritual light.

"Or perhaps the lingering warmth of Xuan Yuan Zhen Qi!" Kang Dabao's heart stirred. He bent down and brushed away the snow, revealing a hastily laid restriction hidden under the rock.

The restriction couldn't even withstand his penetrating golden eyes, allowing Sect Leader Kang to clearly see that it was an abandoned spiritual vein cave.

In the center of the cave, True Man Yunfu sat cross-legged on a jade bed, his face as pale as paper, the blood vessels on his skin still throbbing with pain, as he used the last bit of his nascent soul essence to suppress the Buddhist power in his meridians.

"You actually managed to find this place?!"

A loud bang suddenly came from the spiritual barrier, startling the Grand Master Kang, who had thought everything was perfectly safe, so much so that he almost turned and ran away.

"Damn it, I should have gone to find help right away!"

But then Master Yunfu suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of panic crossing them, which was quickly replaced by ruthlessness.

He tried to get up, but the movement aggravated his wounds, causing him to cough violently. A mouthful of golden blood splattered onto the jade bed, scalding it and causing white smoke to rise from it.

Kang Dabao dared not step forward rashly. His Golden Eyes of Truth shot out two beams of golden light, and the spiritual barrier was immediately broken.

In his haste, Master Yunfu raised his hand, and his Xuan Yuan True Qi condensed into a thin shield. However, this shield was much weaker than before. The moment the golden light collided with it, it shattered into mist. The remaining force grazed his temple, causing him to vomit blood again.

At this moment, Sect Leader Kang had also drawn his heavy halberd, the bright green light of which almost swept away all the evil energy in the cave.

"How dare a mere junior in the early Golden Core stage offend me? Does he truly seek death?!"

The person sitting on the jade bed was indeed a True Person. Even though he was seriously injured, he was still someone that Kang Dabao could not withstand. However, True Person Yunfu's fingertips flashed with spiritual light, and a profound incantation was formed in an instant, easily blocking the blue light.

With another mouthful of blood, Master Yunfu's robes were soaked again. He clearly hated this presumptuous junior and, disregarding his injuries, unleashed his power once more.

However, at this point, he was truly at his last gasp.

Although the Xuan Yuan Kan Li Pearl has taken shape again in his palm, it is not only a single pearl, but its power is probably less than 30% of what it was before. However, Master Yun Fu must have calculated it and felt that it would be more than enough for Headmaster Kang.

Then, after facing the Nascent Soul cultivator directly, the rebellious thoughts that had not yet dissipated vanished, and he only thought about finding Zen Master Huiming and Fei Tianqin to come and help him.

The Xuan Yuan Kan Li Pearl shattered his halberd light and pupil technique, and then smashed the He Luo Xuan Armor on his body, causing Master Kang to fly more than a hundred feet away.

If the Primordial Body hadn't already reached perfection, that wisp of green smoke might have already shot out. Even so, it seemed that most of its bones and muscles were broken.

"If it can save a Nascent Soul cultivator's life, why wouldn't he keep the treasures he possesses?!"

While Kang Dabao was making his rather untimely calculations, Master Yunfu was also taken aback.

The latter thought that even if Kang Dabao didn't die, he was not far from it.

But it seems that it will take some effort to clean it up.

Master Yunfu thought he could kill Headmaster Kang with another strike, but if he did, would he be able to escape when Zen Master Huiming came looking for him?

Kang Dabao's life was clearly not worth Yunfu Zhenren's consideration for long. The latter calmed his anger and rode away on a cloud.

Headmaster Kang let out a long sigh, but upon seeing the real person's back, a bold idea still popped into his head. He then suddenly unleashed the Divine Thrust, a technique he had already mastered to a minor degree.

The Yunfu Master, whose meridians were severed and whose acupoints were empty, was clearly caught off guard and felt a sharp pain in his sea of ​​consciousness. His swift figure suddenly stopped, and even the clouds beneath his feet vanished into thin air, causing him to plummet from the sky.

"Death, little thief!"

When Master Yunfu gathered some more energy and looked back, he saw that after making his move, Headmaster Kang didn't care about the outcome at all. He had already released the talisman and turned away.

Master Yunfu was furious, but he understood the consequences and managed to suppress his murderous intent, letting the man escape.

Fearing that Zen Master Huiming might be nearby, True Man Yunfu dared not linger. However, when he saw the direction Kang Dabao had fled, a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.

After hesitating for a while, the Taoist priest finally put aside his inner struggle and focused on finding his way to survival.

(End of this chapter)