This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 346 Master, Senior Brother Tongming says you're a bit dim-witted!

Rumble!
A crimson thunderbolt ripped through the dark sky, its light striking the earth and shattering mountain peaks.

The great demon that Master Miaoqiong had transformed into stood beneath the Demon Realm. Her slender arms were raised, and ten jet-black claws tore through the air, drawing down the six stars of the Southern Dipper, which transformed into six jet-black greatswords of different shapes.

Seeking the sword with a heart devoted to seeking the Dao, one attains the boundless might of the Southern Dipper Heaven; seeking the sword with a heart turned to demonic possession, one attains the limitless power of the Southern Dipper Demon.

As the Southern Dipper responds to Miaoqiong's heart, its form and power change, becoming like two sides of the same coin, representing the opposition of Yin and Yang.

Sect Leader Miaoqiong held a demonic sword in each hand, with four more demonic swords forming a sword wheel behind her. The two swords struck down from a distance, and an indescribable darkness crashed down.

The dark tide descended like an abyss, its power boundless, its black light rampaging, its sharp edge tearing through space, soaking into the black light stream, polluting everything in its path, determined to transform the entire small cave into its own shape.

boom!
The three-headed, six-armed iron sword, ten zhang in size, cleaved through the water with the force of a mountain, shattering a black sword pillar in its path.

Xiang Yuan, sword in hand, stepped into the air and shattered another black sword light.

A red glow emanated from the tip of the Zhenshui Iron Sword, and the blazing sword light was like a huge wave crashing into the sky. In an instant, countless waves surged upwards, and the sword's momentum surged upwards, manifesting as a great sun that scorched the high heavens and distorted the demonic realm.

With a single sweep of her sword, Sect Leader Miaoqiong unleashed a black curtain that slowly parted, cleaving the heavens and earth, and shooting straight into the distance of the Small Cave Heaven.

Where black light emanates, demonic energy and black mist linger, exacerbating the demonic trend of this realm.

Her bloodshot eyes locked onto the three-headed, six-armed figure wielding a sword. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a cold-blooded expression. Their eyes met, their souls collided in mid-air, and her alluring, slender body swayed slightly. Demonic energy emanated from her mouth and nose, and her bewitching face gained a touch of madness.

kill!kill!kill!

These crazy women are so incredibly captivating!
Xiang Yuan faintly heard a bloodthirsty killing intent in his ears, but his steps remained unhurried as he held his sword. The Zhenshui Iron Sword hummed and trembled, waiting for the power of the Heavenly Meteor Sword to be fully accumulated before piercing the sky with a single strike, first destroying the illusory image of the Demon Realm.

Xiang Yuan faced the extraterrestrial demons several times, and the two encounters left the deepest impression on him.

First, in the Jianxinzhai Small Cave Heaven, and second, in the Taixu Realm, summarizing what I saw and learned from these two experiences, I concluded that to deal with extraterrestrial demons, or those suspected to be inheritors of extraterrestrial demons, I must first destroy their field cards.

That is, the Demon Realm high in the heavens!

Despite being plagued by inner demons and nearly losing her mind, Master Miaoqiong's fighting instincts remained intact. Even under the interference of demonic energy, she was fearless of death, and every move she made was full of ferocity, with each strike being executed with all her might.

Either you die or I die.

A guaranteed loss that results in mutual destruction.

She let out a long howl, and the dark demonic hand, high above the Demon Realm, pressed down, covering the sky and the sun. Upon touching the Demon Realm, it absorbed it into its palm, evolving the magic of the Demon Kingdom within its hand. It slowly pressed down, causing ripples to roll around the small cave, the space to fold and nearly collapse.

"Om!"

With a calm demeanor, he uttered thunderous sounds, and the six-syllable mantra manifested as Buddha's light, causing a golden wheel of merit to briefly appear behind his three-headed, six-armed form.

Although the Golden Wheel of Merit is fake, and only a temporary illusion, the light of merit is real and tangible.

Boundless light rose from the ground, stopping the downward pressure of the demon kingdom in her palm. No matter how Miaoqiong exerted pressure or how she transformed the demon kingdom in mysterious ways, she could not break through the blockade of the light of merit.

Heaven and earth are two colors, gold and black clashing together.

Amidst boundless golden light, a powerful sword aura capable of cleaving the heavens and destroying the earth arose forcefully, a streak of light cutting across the sky, arriving in an instant.

The world lost its color, and all things fell silent.

At this moment, space froze, time slowed its hurried pace, and everything fell into a state of stagnation.

Color, smell, sound—all that can be perceived is taken away; all that exists is erased.

The sword light touched the demonic realm in his palm, erasing a large blank space. The aftershocks spread out, causing the demonic realm to collapse and cease to exist. The demonic hand that covered the sky also dissipated.

The small world filled with demonic energy was also shattered under this powerful blow. Large areas of space peeled away like a mirror, mountains collapsed, and the earth cracked, unfolding a picture of the end of the world.

The target of the Heavenly Meteor Sword was the Demon Realm. Although it did not directly kill the sect leader Miaoqiong, the Demon Realm was manifested because of her. With the Demon Realm destroyed, she herself was also severely injured. She lost her field card, and her powerful demonic aura shrank drastically. Her ferocious demonic face became much more handsome.

Because she had lost her mind, Sect Leader Miaoqiong didn't seem very bright. She uttered demonic sounds, trying to summon the demon realm, but failed three times and stood there dumbfounded.

Xiang Yuan didn't care about any of that. He always ruthlessly attacked those who were down. The water-suppressing iron sword whistled down and struck Miao Qiong, the sect leader, straight at her head.

Why are you so tall? I'll smash your head into your chest and make you shorter!
Master Miaoqiong used both hands to wield the demonic sword to parry, crossing the two swords to block the downward-pressing water-suppressing iron sword.

Judging by its size, it was like a willow swaying in the wind. In terms of stats, it was no match for a muscular behemoth like the Three-Headed Six-Armed. It was only by parrying the Water-Suppressing Iron Sword that it was knocked to the ground and slammed into the earth like a meteorite, sinking deep into a crater.

The longer she was possessed by demons, the more pathetic her intelligence became. At this moment, she had become a puppet of demonic thoughts, only knowing how to wield her sword and kill all living things in front of her.

She leaped out of the pit, four beams of black light emanating from her sides, swirling with demonic energy, and transformed into a six-armed form, just like Xiang Yuan.

The newly formed four arms slightly raised, grasping the four demonic swords behind them. Each of the six arms held a sword, and they charged towards the three-headed, six-armed man with surging demonic power.

Each of his six arms wielded a sword, and he looked on with envy. Unlike him, with six arms and a sword, his composure and cold-bloodedness were only enough to make him stare blankly.

However, sometimes, a large quantity does not necessarily mean strong combat power; the key is quality.

Xiang Yuan, high above, descended with the force of a falling meteor, using the momentum to accelerate his charge. He raised the water-suppressing iron sword high above his head and slammed it down heavily.

boom!
The water-suppressing iron sword crashed down, fiercely exchanging opinions with the six demonic swords that parried it, proving that big is good, long is beautiful, and hard is king.

All six demonic swords snapped in two. The six slender demonic arms of Master Miaoqiong creaked and fell limply to her shoulders. The water-suppressing iron sword struck her head, and she instantly became a head shorter than Xiang Yuan.

The blow stirred up a thousand waves. The moment the demonic body fell, the violent impact penetrated the ground below, causing the land to undulate like waves, sweeping out in all directions.

The already fragmented little cave was even more overwhelmed, creaking and cracking large areas of space, and was on the verge of collapse.

Xiang Yuan slashed down with sword after sword, smashing Miao Qiong into a mangled mess. Strands of demonic energy were blasted out by the water-suppressing iron sword, and her alluring figure was reconstructed several times, only to be violently crushed the moment it was repaired.

After more than ten sword strikes, the three-headed, six-armed man put away the water-suppressing iron sword, sat down on the waist of Master Miaoqiong, and his six fists swung like windmills, pressing down on the high wall of fist shadows.

Let composure and cold-bloodedness get involved too!
After a short while, Xiang Yuan dispersed his three-headed, six-armed Dharma image, took out a Taoist robe and put it on. Seeing the unconscious Sect Leader Miao Qiong at his feet, he secretly felt envious.

Having a protective garment is great; no matter how much you fight, you won't be exposed.

Unlike him, who possesses a powerful weapon that cannot be easily revealed, otherwise it would surely be of immense size.

Just then, another drifting cloud appeared on the horizon.

Within the clouds, the small Bagua mirror shone on Xiang Yuan, releasing the sword sheath from its restraints. Then, another Bagua immortal light emanated, reorganizing the dilapidated little cave, eliminating demonic energy, restoring the beautiful landscape, and making everything new again.

Xiang Yuan looked enviously at the small Bagua mirror high in the sky.

This mirror killed Master Lingguang with a single blow, erasing all traces of him from the three thousand worlds, making it impossible for him to return. From then on, it was renamed Master Hard Drive.

In his early years, Xiang Yuan was unaware of the power of this magical artifact. He only knew that it was very strong, but he had no concrete idea of ​​just how strong it was.

Later, after obtaining the Yama Gate, he traveled through countless worlds, witnessing the vastness of heaven and earth and the immensity of the three thousand realms, and only then did he realize just how terrifying this mirror truly was.

Xiang Yuan remembered that this Bagua mirror broke when he renamed his master, Hard Drive Master. He wondered if Master Que Xin had fixed it. If he had…

Master, how long will you live? When will you pass away? Your disciple is waiting to inherit your mantle and carry forward the Dao!
The small grotto-heaven landscape was restored. In her semi-conscious state, Sect Leader Miaoqiong groaned, and the star portal beneath her opened, slowly sinking into it, disappearing to recuperate somewhere unknown.

It doesn't matter. Xiang Yuan's eyes are only on the Bagua Mirror. Headmaster Miao Qiong can go wherever she wants. Even if she goes to the basement, she won't let him look at that person again.

The idle clouds dispersed in the sky, and the Eight Trigrams Mirror disappeared without a trace.

A figure materialized before Xiang Yuan, with a flowing beard, wearing a simple black Taoist robe, and a hairpin casually styled into a bun. Who else could it be but the Heartless Old Taoist?

"Master, your disciple greets you, Wentian."

Xiang Yuan knelt down and bowed respectfully, his tone submissive, tears welling in his eyes. He emphasized the filial piety of a virtuous disciple, while also expressing his self-reproach for not being able to serve his master.

He's clearly a good apprentice!

The old Taoist priest, stroking his long beard, stared at Xiang Yuan for a long while before saying, "Fellow Daoist, who are you, and why do you perform such a grand ceremony and call me 'Master'?"

"..."

Xiang Yuan rolled his eyes, knowing that his master was a bit dim-witted and always looking for trouble. He decisively said, "Master, if you insist on adding drama when there is none, it will damage your image as a hermit master. Think about it again. That year at Fengxian Yamen, you took in a disciple in the prison and gave him the Taoist name Wentian."

“It seems there is such a thing…” The old Taoist priest stroked his beard and said, “It’s only been two years, my disciple has grown up so well. Tell me, who exactly are you, and why are you impersonating my disciple? If you don’t give me a clear answer today, I will suppress you in the Benxin Dao and lock you and Miaoqiong in the same room.”

"..." x2
"You are talking!"

Why don't you shut it off?

Xiang Yuan tried, but didn't get the chance to share a room with the sect's most prized possession. Exhausted, he said, "Master, I am just a disciple. How can I prove it so that you will believe me? Can you give me a hint?"

"My true nature is..."

"To understand the Dao through the mind, the mind itself is the Dao. With the mind as your steed, you can travel far. Upholding your original mind is the foundation of our school's spiritual cultivation," Xiang Yuan answered quickly.

The old Taoist priest nodded: "You're right. I'm starting to believe you're my disciple. Now, tell me, have you followed your heart in your cultivation these past two years?"

Needless to say, we should know when to stop and follow our hearts. We should push the progress bar according to our true intentions. We have not let down the righteous heroines, nor have we wasted the demonic enchantresses. We cannot go any further than following our true intentions.

Xiang Yuan replied with a serious expression: "Master, I always keep your teachings in mind, live my life among the people, care for all living beings, embrace love with love, and use my own strength to benefit all."

"That's right, that's what your teacher said."

The old Taoist priest nodded in satisfaction: "You are indeed my disciple, but our sect's Benxin Dao does not rule out the possibility that you are an imposter from another sect. In short, prove that you are Xiang Wentian!"

How can you prove something in a single sentence?

Xiang Yuan frowned, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said indignantly, "Master, Senior Brother Tongming said you're a bit dim-witted!"

This statement interprets the true meaning of one's original mind from various perspectives. It not only betrays one's senior brother but also insults one's master to his face, leaving the master speechless and forced to admit defeat.

Master, you told me to say it!

The old Taoist priest, whose lips twitched, snorted coldly, and swept his sleeves: "Tongming, that rebellious disciple, has been away from his master for a long time. He has picked up some bad habits outside and has even learned to make up stories about his master."

"That's it."

Xiang Yuan leaped up, indignantly saying, "Master, you don't know, I was there at the time and heard it with my own ears. I was furious! I yelled at Senior Brother Tongming, telling him to take back his disrespectful words. Relying on his superior cultivation, he launched into a tirade of sarcastic remarks at me, saying that he would dare to say such things to your face, Master. He even said..."

"What else did he say?"

"It's too dirty, I can't bring myself to say it."

"That's unreasonable!"

The old Taoist priest, lacking common sense, glared angrily and pointed his fingers like a sword, thrusting them into the air.

After the sword had been flying for a while, Xiang Yuan vaguely heard a scream, weak and feeble, as if it was crying out, "My kidneys!"

Brilliant! x2
Senior brother, Master poking your kidney has nothing to do with me. Besides, it was you who said he was stupid.

My disciple, I didn't mean it either, but your junior brother betrayed me to my face. If you have any grievances, go find your junior brother.

The two grinned in unison, as if looking in a mirror, their thoughts exactly the same. Outsiders were boring; it was much more interesting to trick one's own apprentice/senior brother.

Having confirmed Xiang Yuan's identity, dealt with the wicked disciple, and conveniently sown the seeds for a conflict between the fellow disciples, the old Taoist priest was in high spirits and led Xiang Yuan out of the small cave.

He returned the gold bricks to the gate, upholding his integrity. He casually put the gold bricks into his pocket and said to Xiang Yuan, "Since you're new to the sect, let me show you around so you can get acquainted with the place. Otherwise, you might accidentally kill one of our own disciples without even realizing it."

That makes sense. Fighting someone half to death before clearing up the misunderstanding is the true style of the original path.

Xiang Yuan expressed his deep agreement, put his hands in his pockets and followed behind the old Daoist Que Xin. He was quite curious about the senior disciples of the Ben Xin Dao. Judging from what Master Que Xin said, there was more than one top-notch idiot like him in the Ben Xin Dao.

That's outrageous. The cultivators of Northern Qi have an incredible ability to withstand pressure; they all seem to have an iron will.

“Disciple, our Benxin Dao sect doesn’t have many members. Among my peers are three senior brothers: Wangji, Wujiu, and Zhishui…”

These three Taoist titles sound like those of highly respected individuals, each holding profound truths in their hands.

Xiang Yuan nodded secretly, wondering if there was anyone called "brain-dead"?

It's not a pity, it feels like a perfect match for being heartless.

According to Quexin, Benxin Dao currently only has two generations of disciples. Although Wangji, Wujiu, and Zhishui are of the same generation as Quexin, they do not share the same master. If Uncle-Master Hard Drive had not stolen the mountain gate's treasures and fled, Benxin Dao should have five grandmasters on paper.

The reason I say "on paper" is because Que Xin himself has the cultivation level of the upper three realms.

Furthermore, there is no so-called sect leader in the Benxin Dao. Each of the four mountain peaks operates independently. If one had to name a sect leader, it would only be the clay statue in the Qinglingbao Hall on Ruyun Peak.

"Senior Brother Wangji, your junior brother has brought your disciple Wentian to visit you!"

"Brother Wangji, open the door!"

boom!
"Damn it, he's not home again!"

“Disciple, go to the inner room. Senior Brother Wangji has hidden a pill-making room in the small cave, which contains many rare and precious herbs. Consider it a gift for your first meeting.”

"Senior Brother Wujiu...tsk, he's not home either."

“Shisui… Oh, he ran away more than ten years ago.”

Xiang Yuan stared in disbelief as he wandered around with the old Taoist priest, finally paying homage to the patriarch at the Shangqing Lingbao Hall on Ruyun Peak.

Although he did not meet his three senior masters, he received gifts from them and, together with his master, gained a great deal.

Now that things have come to this, Xiang Yuan has come to realize that there are always people more capable than you, and there is always something higher than the mountains. Benxin Dao is a prestigious sect among prestigious sects in Northern Qi, and Master Quexin is a righteous sect among righteous sects. Not only do outsiders find him unacceptable, but even his own senior brothers look down on him.

Facing reality, Xiang Yuan couldn't help but feel sorry for his senior brother, Hard Drive. This guy couldn't think straight and went down the demonic path, which was also a kind of liberation from unbearable suffering.

The old Taoist priest, feeling rather foolish, led Xiang Yuan on a stroll before returning to his mountain peak, grumbling and complaining. Feeling somewhat resentful for losing face in front of his disciple, he decided to regain his composure as a master teacher and had Xiang Yuan sit cross-legged in the courtyard, ready to offer some guidance on cultivation.

It was under the tree where he used to pee in the wind when he was a child.

Xiang Yuan looked down and saw that the surrounding weeds were lush, but there was a large circle of barren land under the tree. He roughly understood the range of his master's firepower when he was a child. He suppressed the twitching of his lips, took out the enlightenment futon and sat down.

Just then, the door slammed to the ground with a loud crash.

Xiang Yuan turned his head to look. The upturned buttocks—oops!—the sect leader Miao Qiong helped to put the two door panels back in place, and brought her own futon, placing it next to Xiang Yuan, half a step behind, ready to listen to the old Taoist priest with a heartless heart preach.

Xiangyuan: (一`一)
However, as far as he knew, the secrets of the Dharma should not be passed on to six ears, and Master Miaoqiong's actions were somewhat impolite.

Moreover, judging from the placement of the prayer cushion, Headmaster Miaoqiong is treating him as her senior brother.

What does this mean? Does he have a junior sister now?

Xiang Yuan was puzzled and looked at Sect Leader Miao Qiong with a questioning look, only to be met with a quiet profile. He then looked at the Heartless Old Daoist with a puzzled expression.

"Miaoqiong, the time is not yet ripe. You and I are not destined to be master and disciple. We cannot force it." The old Daoist with a heartless heart shook his head slightly.

"Although the time is not yet ripe, we are destined to be master and disciple. Miaoqiong is willing to wait for the day when the time is ripe. I humbly request that Master grant me the opportunity to listen in." Headmaster Miaoqiong lowered her head and spoke with exceptional respect.

It turns out the rumors were true; Master Miaoqiong herself was unwilling to leave Benxindao and insisted on staying here.

No, becoming his apprentice is a recipe for disaster. Why are you so eager to do it?
Xiang Yuan was puzzled, but such opportunities were inherently difficult to explain. If Junior Sister Miao Qiong was willing to jump into the pit, he could just watch from the bottom.

Maybe if there were more people in the pit, he could step on their shoulders and climb out.

Seeing that Sect Leader Miaoqiong was insisting on the opportunity, the old Taoist priest Que Xin stopped interfering and looked at Xiang Yuan, asking, "Disciple, when will your cultivation reach the level of Tong You?"

"Any time."

"There's no time like the present, let's do it today."

"Disciple, take orders."

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.

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(End of this chapter)