Embers of Sword

Chapter 561 Twenty-Four Hours (Part 7)
Chongkan will always remember that afternoon a hundred years ago.

The sky clouds parted and the sun shone brightly.

At the foot of Tianyuan Mountain, the senior brother stood still, dressed in black, his sleeves fluttering in the wind, the Dao intent emanating from his sleeves spreading out like ink.

The sound of pines rustling in the wind rises and falls with the Daoist intent.

This was the last time I would face my senior brother.

It still ended in defeat for them.

He doesn't understand.

He had clearly already advanced to the Yang God realm...

How could the difference between two Yang Gods be so great?

Since I began practicing, every time I sparred with my senior brother, no matter how hard he tried, I could never last more than ten rounds.

He cultivated alongside his senior brother, and each time his senior brother was one step ahead of him, and only by that one step—

Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Qi Controlling, Grotto Heaven, Yin Spirit.

Chongkan and his senior brother had fought countless times.

He always loses by just a little bit.

But this tiny gap seems to be the greatest insurmountable barrier in the world.

After cultivating to the Yang Shen realm.

This tiny difference seemed to be magnified countless times.

Chongkan lay on the ground, watching the pure white clouds flow and churn in the sky, and asked the question that he was most curious about and least wanted to face.

"Senior brother... what path do you cultivate?"

Chongkan was an incredibly proud man.

His master praised him for his solid foundation in foundation building, and from then on, he perfectly controlled his Qi, perfectly cultivated his grotto-heaven, and perfectly entered the Dao, achieving the status of a Yin God.

The "Great Dao" he cultivated was called Wanxiang (Myriad Phenomena).

The Taoist sect has such a long history, so many Taoist scriptures, and so many secret techniques.

Chongkan studied everything thoroughly before he was able to create "Wanxiang".

But his "all things" were as fragile as paper in front of his senior brother—

Is it because my own path is not strong enough?

Chongkan will always remember that day.

Xiaoyaozi walked into the shade of the trees, slowly approached, and reached out his hand to himself lying on the ground.

"Junior brother..."

Xiaoyaozi spoke in a gentle voice.

"Senior brother doesn't even know what path he's cultivating..."

"However, the Way is simply the Way; the Way needs no name."

Scenes from a hundred years ago overlap with scenes from today.

Looking at Xuanzhi Zhenren not far away, Chongkan felt that Xuanzhi was incomparably similar to his senior brother from back then.

Perhaps only those "obsessed geniuses" who pursue the essence of the Great Way can reach this realm.

He gradually regained consciousness.

The scene a hundred years ago is very similar to today, yet quite different.

Now, it's my turn to be high above the sky.

Xuanzhi, who had just entered the Yang God realm, became a lower-ranking being.

Grand Master Chongkan calmly recalled his Dharma image. He placed his hands together in a mudra, and the heavens and earth within a radius of several hundred feet began to tremble, with countless bolts of lightning surging. If Qingnang Mountain was the "head" of the Daoist Qi and fortune veins, then the back mountain was the place where the Qi and fortune veins converged. The vast Qi and fortune flowed through the Seven Abodes and finally converged and swept towards Tianyuan. The back mountain was the "neck" where the Qi and fortune rivers were finally tightened.

Rays of brilliant blue light surged forth from the location of the seven sacred mountains!
Boom boom boom!
The black-robed Dharma image began to change. The Dharma image and the shrine formed the same mudra with their hands. The black robe surged and swayed, giving rise to a second Dharma image, followed by a third Dharma image.

It was none other than the top-tier divine power of Taoism... One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones!

There are three statues in total, standing behind the Great Master Chongkan.

The first image of the deity is seated in a mudra, with a solemn and dignified expression, and an imposing presence emanating from his brows and eyes.

The second image holds a whisk, exuding a gentle and peaceful aura.

The third image is ethereal, and its clothing is a completely different color from the previous two, as white as snow, making it appear unreal.

The three divine images are all-pervasive, reaching to the heavens and the earth.

In Taoism, the "Three Pure Ones" hold an extremely high position, and this supernatural power is undoubtedly the strongest supernatural power within the sect. The "Three Pure Ones" derived from this supernatural power are also called the "Three Powers" or the "Three Categories," which can be further divided into three categories: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

This first image, formed from the shrine itself, is his "personality".

The second image of the whisk is "Earthly Element".

The last one, the most ethereal and elusive, is called "Celestial Grid".

This supernatural power is extremely difficult to cultivate, and many exceptionally talented cultivators have attempted to comprehend it, all ultimately ending in failure. Not only did they fail to evolve the "Three Pure Ones," but they also lost their own "personality," and couldn't even condense the most basic Dharma form. Now that Chongkan has condensed three Dharma forms, it means that he has almost mastered this supernatural power.

However… that “Celestial Rank” was too ethereal and untouchable. This divine power was ultimately still lacking a final touch.

However, the moment the three Dharma images descended into the world, the entire back mountain was enveloped in a majestic aura.

"Oh my God……"

The Candle Taoist, who was halfway up the mountain, slumped back to the ground, looking up at the three enormous Dharma images that stood tall against the sky. He was filled with shock and fear.

"Is Master really angry?"

Master Yanwei also looked pale.

He never expected that, when facing Xuan Zhi, Chong Kan would choose to use the top-level divine power "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones".

That divine image sits atop the mountain.

The Earthly Dharma Image leans slightly forward, flicking the whisk in its hand forward.

Rumbling--

In an instant, the dome collapsed, and the heavens and earth crumbled.

Thousands of silver threads cascaded down like a waterfall, completely covering Xuanzhi—

Xuanzhi took a deep breath and continued to throw punches.

This time is different from before.

The pressure from the Three Pure Ones' divine powers was immense; the sweeping of their whisks felt as if an entire mountain was pressing down on his spine. Although Chongkan remained silent, the meaning behind this attack was quite clear.

Either bend over.

Either kneel down.

Master Xuanzhi was unwilling to bend down or kneel down; he chose to stand still and endure it to the end.

"Bang bang bang!"

The void shattered, and a fierce wind roared.

Master Xuanzhi continued to throw punches, the wind from his punches colliding with the silver threads of his whisk, producing a loud and powerful explosion. The ground where he stood instantly caved in, and then caved in again. At this moment, the entire back mountain had become the arena for the duel between two great cultivators at the Yangshen Realm. If it weren't for the support of the great formation of the Daoist sect for thousands of years, this battleground would have been razed to the ground in an instant.

Ten breaths.

One hundred breaths.

Master Xuanzhi continued to unleash her power without pause, throwing tens of thousands of punches in succession!

However, the silver threads of the whisk in the Earthly Dharma Image multiplied and became more fragmented and chaotic the more it was struck—

At this moment, Xuanzhi felt the power of the [Myriad Phenomena] Dao Domain.

The Taoist tradition has a thousand-year history and a vast collection of Taoist scriptures.

They were all absorbed by the Great Master Chongkan.

Each silver strand of the whisk embodies a wisp of Daoist wisdom.

Rather than saying that the supernatural powers of the Earthly Branch Dharma Form trapped him, it's more accurate to say...

It is Master's "Myriad Phenomena" that have drawn a circle on the ground to imprison us.

After a hundred breaths.

Xuanzhi Zhenren's clothes were completely torn, and his vital energy was exhausted. He looked up and saw that the great immortal Chongkan was as dazzling as the sun. The earth-level dharma image did not make a second move from beginning to end... After throwing out the whisk, the silver threads fell like a torrential rain, getting heavier and denser.

Xuanzhi silently wiped the blood from the corner of her lips.

His strength was about to be exhausted.

A sense of regret welled up in his heart.

Unfortunately.

Today's battle will take place in the back mountains, not in Qingnang Mountain.

His hoe, his straw rope, and the old ox were all gone.

"call……"

Xuanzhi shook her head.

Just as he decided to put aside all distractions and try one last gamble.

Through layers of clouds and mist, and layers of grand formations.

Suddenly, a powerful and resonant shout rang out—

"Master! I'm here to help you!"

Besides the shout, there was also a deep, muffled growl that resonated powerfully.

"Moo!"

……

……

(PS: I'll post this much for now at noon. I'm going to have lunch, and I'll continue writing afterward. I can't guarantee when the next update will be, but I should be able to finish before dark. I'll also update tonight.)
(End of this chapter)