Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 623 Slaying the Evil

"Master, all martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin, and all Taoist arts under heaven belong to Longhu Mountain. Do those spells have any origin?"

The young Jin Chanzi, dressed in a blue Taoist robe, sat under a peach tree, playing chess while asking questions of the old Taoist priest in front of him.

"Before the Ming and Qing dynasties, it originated from the art of puppetry; after the Ming and Qing dynasties, it originated from Meihuazhuang."

"Plum Blossom Village?"

"The Plum Blossom lineage has four branches, giving rise to the Four Yin Paths. Although it borrowed from the gifts of its ancestors, it reorganized and opened up new heights, setting the standards for its techniques. Its abilities are rare and comparable to those of the great sages of the past."

After the old Taoist finished speaking, he stroked his beard and then said, "However, what truly made Plum Blossom Manor famous throughout the world was not magic, but Plum Blossom Taoist."

"Is he very powerful?" Jin Chanzi looked at the old Taoist with curious eyes.

The old Taoist stroked his beard and nodded solemnly: "The severed head turned into roots, congealing blood and tears; the cold fragrance seeped into the bones, burying in the desolate grave. He planted those plum blossoms all over the mountain for sixty years. If it weren't for his methods being too strange and sinister, causing people all over the world to be wary of him, I'm afraid his reputation might not be inferior to Zhang Sanfeng's."

"Wow!"

Jin Chanzi's eyes lit up, and he grabbed the old Taoist's arm, swinging like a swing: "Master, please tell me about it."

"Hmph, what are you, a Taoist priest, asking about these things for? Have you finished your homework for today?"

"No, Master, please tell me..."

……

The scene in my memory seemed to be overlapping with the figure of the person in the painting in front of me.

Even Jin Chanzi seemed somewhat bewildered, finding it all unbelievable.

"Oh dear!!!"

Xing Xie's furious roar grew even more frantic. He couldn't believe that the agonizing cries that filled the mountains and fields, which he could easily harvest, were now not only useless to him, but what shocked him even more was that the figure in the painting in front of him was using the same methods as him.

"How is this possible? How could an ignorant fool like you possibly comprehend the essence of the path of suffering?!"

The red smoke around Xing Xie grew thicker and thicker. In an instant, the sound of countless bones breaking filled everyone's ears. Being enveloped in the red smoke, it felt as if they were about to be torn to pieces at any moment.

"Go to hell!"

Xing Xie raised his palm, and countless red fragments condensed into crimson fragments of pain, which transformed into meteors burning with red light and fell from the sky.

Each shattered piece, upon hitting the ground, emitted a shrill cry like that of a baby.

The sound waves shook the mountains and rivers for miles around, causing blood mist to burst forth. The ground cracked open into abyss-like ravines, from which boiling red magma surged forth. It was not subterranean fire, but rather a "torrential torrent of pain." Floating within the churning magma were billions of distorted human faces, howling with curses that were eternally scorching them.

The moment everyone was bathed in that red light, they felt as if their entire bodies were melting into it.

Fortunately, at this moment, the Plum Blossom Taoist in the painting flicked his finger, and countless petals suddenly rose from the surrounding space, lifting everyone up. Not only were they freed from their restraints, but they were also instantly sent hundreds of meters away.

This also includes the Jade Thief and the evil spirit hiding behind him.

Now, Qieyu was truly panicked, wondering, "Who exactly is the person in this painting?"

Immediately afterward, Plum Blossom Taoist made another move.

His technique is the same as Xing Xie's. He raises a finger, and a point of pitch-black light condenses at the fingertip. It is not darkness, but nothingness formed by the collapse of countless negative emotions.

This scene completely shocked Xing Xie; "How is this possible? How could you possibly possess such a pure path of suffering?!"

Xing Xie had begun to doubt himself at this point, because the methods displayed by the Plum Blossom Taoist seemed to be more advanced than his own.

If Xiao Ran were here right now, she would surely understand the mystery behind it.

There are countless techniques and methods, but they all say that they all follow the same fundamental principle.

But with Plum Blossom Taoist, it's the opposite. He uses his sect to transform into countless forms, and his arts and methods have become formless and ever-changing.

This is precisely the stepping stone that Plum Blossom Taoist took to reach a new level after mastering his soul cultivation technique.

The Plum Blossom Taoist only gave Xiao Ran a general outline of this, but ultimately did not pass it on to him. This was because everyone's circumstances are different. If Xiao Ran were to cultivate the Soul Cultivation Technique to perfection, he might be able to forge a path completely opposite to his own.

At this moment, Plum Blossom Taoist gently pointed into the void, and the crimson, painful rock tide was instantly stained a murky purplish-black.

Then, with a flick of the Plum Blossom Taoist's wrist, it transformed into a black sphere, emitting an extremely dark and cold white light.

White light shone on the earth.

All the peach blossoms withered, the earth cracked open, revealing spiderweb-like fissures, and countless corpses cried out to the sky from within the cracks.

Even Xing Xie began to feel his body being torn apart by this force. Even when he used his divine power, he could not stop it.

"Rumble..."

Black lightning bolts ripped across the sky. Feeling that familiar power that no longer belonged to him, Xing Xie was driven to near madness, unable to accept this fact.

"Master Plum Blossom, you..."

Xing Xie pointed at the painting, its red eyes almost tearing Plum Blossom Taoist apart, but his heartfelt anger got stuck in his throat as he opened his mouth.

If Plum Blossom Taoist had used other methods to deal with him, he might still have had something to say.

But the methods Plum Blossom Taoist was using were precisely what Xing Xie excelled at, leaving him speechless. "You're not convinced?"

Plum Blossom Taoist glanced sideways at Xing Xie.

Xing Xie's blurry outline trembled. He was filled with a thousand unsettling emotions, but he didn't know how to express them.

"Hahahaha, this old bastard is dying to hold it in." Liu Mu clutched his stomach and laughed unrestrainedly, as if he had seen the funniest thing in his life.

Not only Liu Mu, but everyone else could feel how frustrated Xing Xie was at that moment.

Using your own methods to slap yourself in the face repeatedly, and then asking if you're convinced, who wouldn't feel aggrieved?

Moreover, as a guardian deity patrolling the Lost City, Xingxie had never been looked down upon like this before.

"What a disaster! He deserves to be unlucky to run into this jinx."

Qinghai Old Demon sighed, but the smile on his lips was even harder to suppress than AK's. He had just tried to persuade Xingxie with kind words, but the kid didn't give him any face at all. Now he was reaping what he sowed. Qinghai Old Demon was almost ecstatic.

Zhao Hongzhong and the others couldn't understand it; they were simply stunned by the Plum Blossom Taoist's godlike methods. They were amazed and wished they could rush up to him and beg him to take them as his disciples.

"only……"

Only Jin Chanzi had a complicated expression, as he was terrified by Mei Hua Daoren's methods. His master had said that this person was an oddball, but he never expected that his methods were already so unpredictable.

Even so, it would be difficult to kill Xing Xie, since Xing Xie himself is the source of suffering. Beating him with his methods might feel good, but it wouldn't harm Xing Xie's core.

Just as Jin Chanzi had predicted, Xing Xie, after being furious for a while, seemed to realize this as well, and sneered: "It's nothing but a trick of substitution. I can't do anything to you, so how can you do anything to me? You are just a wisp of impure thought, while I am a god descended to earth. Let's stall until this wisp of thought of yours is exhausted..."

Finally, Xing Xie glanced sideways at the group in the distance, including Qie Yu himself, and said in a sinister tone, "They will all die!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts skipped a beat. Even Qieyu's face darkened, and he said with displeasure, "Lord Xingxie, the Changchun Society has never mistreated you in any way over the years."

"Changchun Meeting?"

Xing Xie sneered: "You talk as if I haven't given you anything in return for your efforts. Even if I were incompetent, I wouldn't need to associate with such despicable people!"

Upon hearing this, Qieyu's face immediately turned red.

The way everyone glanced at the jade thief also became melancholy.

"Did you hear that? You really think you're something special? People don't even bother associating with people like you," Zhao Hongzhong shouted, pointing at the jade thief.

Then everyone joined in with a string of curses, making Qieyu wish he could kill them on the spot. He raised his sword, then lowered it again, trembling with anger but not daring to act rashly, for fear that this so-called Plum Blossom Taoist would notice him.

Ignore Zhao Hongzhong and his group's provocations against the theft of the jade.

The Plum Blossom Taoist in the painting finally turned around, and everyone stared wide-eyed, trying to see what he looked like, but just like when Xiao Ran first saw him.

Even though I could see his features very clearly, I couldn't remember what he looked like.

"This is... the absence of self and form??"

Jin Chanzi was startled.

All beings are without self-image; I, in turn, create the image of all beings.

This is the proper posture of gods; gods have no flesh and blood, but are merely a vast spiritual entity.

This spiritual entity naturally does not have the original form or most of the forms. It is based on its appearance before ascension. However, most people's perception of a deity is determined by their own mind.

For example, Guanyin Bodhisattva in folk religion can be depicted as either male or female.

For example, when people think of Guanyin Bodhisattva, most of them think of her appearance in the 86 TV series Journey to the West.

Or perhaps thinking of Mazu brings Liu Tao to mind.

However, it depends on the person; appearances are not fixed and are all born from the human heart.

Reaching this point, in Taoist terms, means having crossed the threshold and become an immortal.

Plum Blossom Taoist looked at Xing Xie and said, "If you think my methods are dishonorable, then I'll use another method."

After saying this, Plum Blossom Taoist gently waved his hand, and instantly the whole mountain was filled with the fragrance of flowers, and the plum blossoms were in full bloom. The earth closed up again, and the black moon that was shining with white light above the head transformed into a great sun that shone with dazzling light. With a casual squeeze of his hand, Plum Blossom Taoist held it in his palm, and it transformed into a dazzling pagoda.

"I'm not going to fight you with any tricks!"

Unexpectedly, upon realizing that his power had been restored, Xing Xie let out a strange cry, got up, and ran away. At this moment, he didn't care about saving face. If he couldn't beat you, he would run away first. Once you exhausted your strength, he would be the boss.

Xing Xie underestimated Plum Blossom Taoist. Seeing him about to run away, Plum Blossom Taoist smiled gently, a smile that contained both compassion and majesty. He slowly raised his hand, and the pagoda trembled slightly in his palm. With a wave of his arm, the pagoda suddenly flew out of his hand, transforming into a dazzling golden stream of light that streaked across the sky and rapidly expanded. Each layer of the pagoda's eaves radiated a dazzling light, like thousands of stars twinkling.

Upon seeing this, Xing Xie's expression changed drastically. His figure dispersed into smoke and clouds as he tried to dodge this fatal blow, but the pagoda's speed was beyond imagination, as if it had crossed the boundaries of space and time, arriving in an instant.

"Boom!" The pagoda crashed down, enveloping Xing Xie. The pagoda's interior, which had been sinister and ghostly just moments before, was now filled with righteous energy, compassion, and benevolence. It transformed into shackles, which slammed heavily onto Xing Xie, suppressing him in the center of the pagoda, rendering him unable to move.

"you dare!!"

Xing Xie was unable to move and let out a low growl, but the next moment, Plum Blossom Taoist appeared beside him, holding a guillotine blade: "Slay!"

With a shout of "Slay!", the broadsword unleashed a chilling aura, piercing straight through Xing Xie's skull and severing his head...

(End of this chapter)