From a martial arts disciple to a god through countless trials and tribulations

Chapter 198 There's a Ghost Behind It
At the entrance to Guyao Mountain, a young Taoist priest bearing the title of Nanmian stood in the center of the sky like a blazing sun, his crown adorned with shimmering runes and his blue robes fluttering like divine fire.

"Buzz!"

His face was refined and handsome, yet he exuded an innate air of authority.

His eyes were a pure golden-red, like two rising suns, his gaze as fiery as the sun god's, able to pierce through layers of mist and see the essence of all things in the world.

"Nan Mian, the imperial banished immortal..."

The white-haired old man was a top-tier cauldron, but at this moment, he was like an insect, humbly curled up on the ground, the boundless fear rising in his heart causing the sunlight that illuminated the world to evaporate completely.

The Way of the Sun shines upon the mortal world, and I alone am supreme.

The white-haired old man seemed to be staring directly at a great sun that shone down on the world, his secrets and memories clearly revealed by the sunlight, leaving nothing to hide.

"Ahua's subordinates..."

Looking down at the white-haired old man, Nanmian's eyes revealed a serene and otherworldly air, as if a celestial being had descended to earth, with a gentle smile on his face.

He slowly raised his head, looking towards the distant sky, as if he could see clearly the scene thousands of miles away, and saw the magnificent heavenly tribulation cloud with a full twenty-seven bolts of lightning:
"The imagery is magnificent and breathtaking..."

With a smile in his eyes, Nanmian muttered to himself, his tone suggestive:
"This Chen Xuan is about to become a furnace, and some people will become restless."

Immediately.

Nan Mian withdrew his ambiguous gaze and spoke gently to the white-haired old man:

"Go back and tell Ahua that I will deal with Ayu's matter first, and I will go to find her after the pill is completed."

His voice was as clear and bright as the sun melting gold, and from dozens of miles away, it was like a ray of light piercing the heavens, falling directly into the heart of the white-haired old man.

"……Yes."

The white-haired old man is one of the top three most powerful figures in Hua Liuli's faction. Even Hua Liuli and Wu Taotie, who are like innate destiny vessels, would have to expend a great deal of effort to defeat him.

But at this moment, under Nan Mian's gaze, he couldn't even move a finger. In fact, his consciousness was in a state of chaos, and his expression was blank, like a puppet that had lost its soul.

"Long..."

Nanmian vanished in an instant, like a blazing sun traversing the heavens and earth, speeding towards the volcano where Wu Taotie's corpse had ascended to godhood.

"Alchemy..." Countless fireflies-like torrents of mad Taoist priests followed closely behind, as if guarding Nanmian, the unique and blazing sun in the world.

……

……

Inside the cave, Chen Xuan's spirit body stood suspended in the air, chewing on a spiritual crystal while admiring the masterpiece of his physical body on the ground.

The spirit is like a vast ocean, the body is like a raft.

His physical body was lifeless. It had originally been like a precious tree on land, radiating divine light and exuding a rich medicinal fragrance, but now it was withered and decayed, its last trace of life extinguished.

"The six desires of metal, the yellow millet of wood, the longevity of water... all three true scriptures of the cauldron chapter have been mastered."

Chen Xuan pondered that among the five internal organs, the lungs (metal), liver (wood), and kidneys (water) are three secret organs in the human body. They should be sublimated to the extreme, completely transformed, and nourish the whole body, so as to bloom with a brilliance that amazes the world.

But at this moment, they have completely withered and perished.

"Wow!"

Chen Xuan used his divine soul light to scan the microcosm of the human body, and all he saw was a mess, riddled with holes.

The area in front of the "Golden Lung" temples and monasteries collapsed.

The Taoist priest, sitting cross-legged atop the broken walls, blood flowing from his seven orifices, chanted hoarse scriptures: "The mortal world is like a net, full of illusions... When the mind is free from attachments, the Tao naturally becomes perfect..."

The location of the liver (wood element) signifies the withering and decay of ancient trees.

Fallen leaves covered the ground, and Huangliang Farmer lay supine in a pool of blood, his cracked chest occasionally showing the rise and fall of his heart, a desolate scene emanating from him: "I'm sleepy."

The location of the water kidneys has become a dried-up black river.

The fisherman, seemingly drowned, floated in the remaining river water, like a corpse that had been drowned. Occasionally, bubbles would rise to the surface: "Puff... puff..."

"Ah!" The full moon hung in the sky, the air filled with the fragrance of osmanthus. The little man of the Heavenly Evolution, dressed in sacrificial robes, stood a little over a foot tall, trembling with fear as he looked at the horrific scenes on the ground.

"Wow!"

At the edge of this small world, there seemed to be heavy, sharp winds, like swords, blasting this world into powder, which then dissipated with the wind.

This small world, with the death of the physical body, the earth cracked, teetered on the brink of collapse, and began to dissipate.

"Loyalty! To die for one's lord is the greatest honor!" Emperor Daozang shouted excitedly. Dressed in his majestic robes, he left the bronze altar and carefully examined the tragic state of the three Daozang giants, Jin, Mu, and Shui.

However, his eyes gleamed green, and he pointed at the giant farmer, shouting to the sky:
"My lord, a special divine rune is forming and generating!"

The three Heavenly Mandate Daoist treasures are just one step away from becoming the cauldron.

Mysterious rune patterns gradually formed within them, representing power at the cauldron level, which was spontaneously evolving into higher-level mysterious powers.

Chen Xuan forcibly suppressed these three powers, which should have roared across the world, back into his body, secretly lying dormant and accumulating, waiting for a day when they would erupt completely and cause an earth-shattering event.

“Everyone is mentally strong and can continue their spiritual practice.”

Chen Xuan quickly examined the artifacts and felt the strong support and boundless confidence that each one conveyed for his great undertaking, which further fueled his fighting spirit.

He then regained consciousness and examined his dead body.

Within the body's internal organs, limbs, and bones, faint divine essence and runes could be seen, flowing silently, though their radiance was dim, indicating that the body was being improved.

"His physical attributes have improved somewhat, and he's gained three or four hundred pounds..."

Chen Xuan thought to himself, "The Daoist Canon has been in a state of breaking limits for more than four months. This body, which originally had a bone structure of more than 8,000 jin, has been brought to nearly 9,000 jin under the influence of the power of heaven and earth."

It was very fruitful.

Such exceptional innate talent is extremely rare, even within the vast territory of the Chu region, where only a handful of people possess it in any given era.

"His physical constitution is still improving... but because his physical body died, the speed is gradually slowing down."

Chen Xuan thought to himself, and then pondered the cultivation method of the [Five Treasures Martial Immortal Body - Shangyang Secret Essentials].

Immortal Shangyang was a celestial being from the late period of the Mountain and Sea Era, whose divine power surpassed all other realms.

He once plundered the three thousand true scriptures of the world because he was unable to cultivate the immortal seed Liu Jiao. In terms of familiarity with the true scriptures, no one throughout the past and present has surpassed him.

In the final period of his life, the Immortal Shangyang devoted himself to creating this ancient secret technique that is unparalleled throughout history... Legend has it that once this secret technique is mastered, it can even completely eradicate the hidden dangers of a person's true scripture.

At first.

When Chen Xuan and Tianyan Dao were locked in battle within the Taixu, they had roughly grasped the secrets of this Immortal Ranks and understood the cultivation method.

One word: Integration!

By integrating and refining hundreds of scriptures, he finally forged a flawless [Five Treasures Martial Immortal Body].

"With these two true scriptures, one can initially cultivate a Five Treasures Martial Immortal Body," Chen Xuan muttered to himself.

And this moment.

Relying on his powerful comprehension, Chen Xuan successfully mastered the Three Cauldron True Scriptures, enough to give birth to a cauldron divine body of excellent quality.

This is a remarkable achievement.

If he hadn't possessed exceptional comprehension and hadn't cultivated his divine soul body beforehand, reaching this point would have been the pinnacle.

After all, the Southern Wilderness Old Tortoise, a top-tier cauldron on par with the Mountain Lord, sought nothing more than to combine the two cauldron bodies into one, nurturing a flawless [Black Tortoise Demon-Subduing True Body] in terms of water virtue.

"Chen Xuan, why aren't you promoted?" Hua Liuli's astonished voice echoed through the communication talisman: "You've persisted for over four months, are you going to continue suppressing yourself?"

Hua Liuli walked out of the teahouse, her eyes glazed over. The heavenly tribulation thunderclouds in the sky vanished silently for the third time.

At this moment, not only her, but everyone left behind in the Two Realms camp was in an uproar as they watched the calm sky after the thunderclouds dissipated.

“Senior, yes, I want to try and reach my personal limit,” Chen Xuan replied.

"The three elements of metal, wood, and water are difficult to harmonize and coexist, and it is impossible to cultivate a complete cauldron body." Hua Liuli reminded her in a serious tone, unable to understand.

She believed that Chen Xuan was stepping into an unpredictable abyss, forcibly fusing with the cauldron body, and would either explode and die or become a bizarre monster.

“I have an ancient secret technique for cultivating the physical body, which allows one to cultivate multiple cauldrons and true bodies simultaneously,” Chen Xuan explained casually.

"This secret..."

Hua Liuli was shocked. Chen Xuan had actually solved the problem of the incompatibility between the Daoist Canon and the Treasure Body in this way. Immediately, an ancient and mysterious myth surfaced in her mind, and she exclaimed:

"You have obtained the legacy of Immortal Shangyang!"

Hua Liuli thought to herself, "It must be the Mountain Spirit Goddess who took it out for me from Shangyang Cave Heaven!"

Immortal Shangyang was an ancient immortal from the vast region of Yunmeng Prefecture and Yaoguang Prefecture in the eastern part of the Southern Region. Countless legends about him circulate in the mortal world.

Some ancient books record that in his later years, the immortal Shangyang used the Three Thousand True Scriptures as the foundation to create a secret technique called the "Five Treasures Military Immortal Body".

As a knowledgeable novelist, Hua Liuli was very familiar with these strange tales... but it was a legendary secret that could not be mastered and had no end. The further one went, the more difficult it became!
"A fluke, a fluke."

Chen Xuan replied calmly, then said in a serious tone, "Senior, I'm going to practice the fourth Fire Virtue Scripture."

He's targeting me again!

Hua Liuli was taken aback upon hearing this, and the thought immediately came to her mind: after the Fire Virtue, it would be her turn to study the Earth Virtue and the Two Realms True Scripture.

Yes.

He even exchanged the elixirs he needed to cultivate the Earth Virtue True Scripture for her. His actions were so obvious, his wolfish ambitions were laid bare.

He won't stay put and wait!
Hua Liuli knew that if she continued to hesitate, Chen Xuan would make the decision for her—how domineering!

“You… the True Scripture of Two Realms… I…”

Hua Liuli said nervously, but her voice suddenly stopped, as if for some reason her words were forced to be interrupted.

Chen Xuan frowned slightly and called out, "Senior? Are you alright?"

After a moment, Hua Liuli's voice rang out again, her voice laced with eerie panting, as if her body was trembling with fear, and she slowly said:

"Nanmian, we've entered Guyao Mountain."

"Oh……"

Chen Xuan responded. If the legendary alchemist Nan Mian were to examine the corpse of Wu Taotie within the Ascension Realm, he would likely discover something amiss; the truth of its demise would soon be impossible to conceal.

"Senior, the expedition to Guyao Mountain can't be carried out in a big way anymore, right? Are you going to go into hiding?" he asked.

The Guyao Mountains are so vast that their end is unknown.

A powerful furnace-bringer deliberately hides himself, making him very difficult to find.

Even if Xiao Qingtian wanted to find someone, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack, fraught with difficulties.

Unless it's like the Gluttonous Beast, which waits at the entrance for prey, or has other targeted methods.

"Hiding them won't do much good... The Sun's lineage shines on the mortal world, scrutinizing everything, and few can escape their eyes."

Hua Liuli sighed, "However, he has no reason to attack me for the time being... Of course, I am not afraid of him. At worst, I will retreat to the Two Realms Heaven. I will continue to search for Guyao Mountain in its entirety."

The Taiyin lineage is "outside of calculation," meaning no one can scheme against or spy on them. The Taiyang lineage, on the other hand, is exactly the opposite; under the sun's light, there are no secrets.

"In that case, I would like to trouble you, senior, to continue to help me find Lord Shanjun's whereabouts."

Chen Xuan paused for a moment, then continued, "I'll leave first to find a new place for seclusion."

After ending his conversation with Hua Liuli, his divine soul stirred the wood element, transforming into several dark green, resilient vines that pulled his physical body off the ground, away from the cave and away from the two-world camp where Hua Liuli was located.

soon.

Chen Xuan traveled over a thousand miles, far from the camps of the two realms, and landed in a desolate valley, where he carved out a brand new cave dwelling.

"Wow..."

A jet-black crescent moon rose into the sky, its radiance falling like silver. Unpredictable Yin Qi enveloped the area, concealing all other auras.

"Begin cultivating the True Scripture of Emperor Yan."

Chen Xuan took out a Fire Spirit Pill and stuffed it into the mouth of the cold body.

He had already accumulated thirty-six Fire Spirit Pills, and not long ago, he exchanged them with Hua Liuli for an even larger quantity, enough to cultivate the "Emperor Yan's True Scripture" to the Cauldron level.

……

The other end.

In the Two Realms Camp, Hua Liuli was leaning on a table in the newly built teahouse, her body covered in sweat. Her fair face was tilted back, and her charming eyes were filled with deep fear.

"I've encountered a ghost! Who is it?!"

She muttered to herself, overwhelmed by immense panic: "Can't we even talk about the 'Two Realms True Scripture' anymore?!"

Hua Liuli clenched her hands tightly, her mind racing.

In the Yunmeng Market, she still had the power to decide whether Chen Xuan could read her "Two Realms True Scripture"... and she actually agreed? Unbelievable!
But since you agreed, why didn't you watch it on the spot?
Hua Liuli considers herself a person who always keeps her word and never goes back on her word.

Whether Chen Xuan sees it sooner or later, there is essentially no difference!

Why must we wait until we enter the Guyao Mountain?

"My deceased parents live in the Guyao Mountains!" Hua Liuli cursed.

Once we entered Guyao Mountain...

Chen Xuan discovered that there seemed to be no one in the Guyao Mountains, so he asked Hua Liuli a second time.

then.

Hua Liuli realized something was wrong... she had hesitated too much!
At this moment, Nanmian descended upon Guyao Mountain, and she was horrified to discover that she could no longer even discuss the "Two Realms True Scripture" in front of Chen Xuan!

An inexplicable and powerful force is forcing Hua Liuli to refuse Chen Xuan's help.

That unknown force did not want Chen Xuan to obtain Hua Liuli's "Two Realms True Scripture". It wouldn't even allow Chen Xuan to become the first, let alone enter Hua Liuli's destiny.

"I'm not even going to act anymore!"

Hua Liuli bit her lip tightly, her fingers pinching the communication talisman, preparing to inform Chen Xuan of this important matter so that he could be on guard.

"Chen Xuan's attempt to collect all five elements of the Heavenly Mandate Scripture is about to encounter a major problem!"

She realized that the situation was extremely dangerous. When she was about to become a cauldron, she encountered a life-or-death situation and was forced to advance her advancement ahead of schedule, fleeing to the Central Divine Continent.

And now, it is clear that there are also people who do not want Chen Xuan to successfully advance to the Cauldron stage in perfect condition!

But, in the next instant.

"Buzz!"

Hua Liuli's eyes flickered, her gaze blank, and the remaining traces of yellow qi within her body seemed to tremble slightly at the same time.

Immediately, she put away the communication talisman, sat upright at the table, and acted as if nothing had happened.

Hua Liuli forgot about this matter.

After a while.

Hua Liuli stretched languidly, her curves swaying proudly, and comfortably narrowed her alluring eyes, like a lazy cat. Then she pulled out a stack of white paper, picked up a brush, and began to write.

"Taking a moment from my busy schedule, I'll write some stories..."

The teahouse exudes an atmosphere of leisure and tranquility.

Outside, figures of cultivators came and went, busily exploring the mysterious Guyao Mountain in all directions.

……

……

The air was thick with heat, making the brand-new cave feel as if the sweltering summer had arrived.

Chen Xuan formally began to comprehend Xiao Hou's "True Scripture of Emperor Yan".

"The Flame Emperor's Brightness, which suppresses all fires under heaven, is incredibly profound and wondrous. It is truly a peerless immortal scripture rarely seen in the world," Chen Xuan commented.

A quarter of an hour.

Chen Xuan mastered the small bonfire magic trick recorded in the "True Scripture of Emperor Yan".

A wisp of Emperor Yan's Qi was born.

Chen Xuan successfully mastered the sixth type of superior Heavenly Fate Immortal Qi.

The crimson-gold Immortal Qi of Emperor Yan flowed across the surface of the divine soul, radiating a golden-red light. This was the power of "eroding the three thoughts of the divine soul," which was spreading.

"Fire magic is naturally adept at countering the soul... Xiao Hou is a reasonable, decisive, and good person."

Chen Xuan gave an approving comment.

The Twelve Qi of Mountains and Seas, with the fire technique "burning mountains and boiling seas, extinguishing the three thoughts," the Crimson Qi cultivators are among the most proficient in the power of the soul.

One day later.

After Chen Xuan mastered the second chapter of the Daoist Canon, the hearts of the dead bodies revived and began to beat loudly, like the heavy sound of drums, intense and resounding.

The Daoist Canon of Emperor Yan was born.

"Wow!"

Within Chen Xuan's crumbling inner world, a golden-red bonfire bloomed like a lotus flower, with logs of flowing rune light intertwining like collapsed giant pillars, supporting the golden-red flames.

"Yeah!"

A tiny figure dressed in fiery red brocade leaped out of the campfire, its face glistening and glowing. Its expression was resolute and courageous, and it held a delicate, small three-legged mythical beast alchemy furnace in its hands.

"Wow!"

The little figure of Emperor Yan Daozang took a step and almost fell. The ground beneath his feet shook violently and was rapidly cracking.

"???"

The little Emperor Yan's pupils contracted, and his expression froze. What kind of dangerous place had they arrived in? Had they been born only to face certain death and annihilation?
It had just gained its footing and was preparing to survey its surroundings.

Suddenly, a large hand reached out, its robes billowing, and grabbed its entire body.

"Xiao Liu, stand still!"

As the majestic voice of the Human Emperor Daozang faded, he poked the frail body of the Yan Emperor with his finger, making him stand firm and not allow him to move.

Then, the Human Emperor Daozang caught the fire elemental energy that fell from the sky and forcibly stuffed it into the mouth of the Flame Emperor figurine, commanding in a deep voice:
"eat!"

The little Yan Emperor puffed out his cheeks and unconsciously began to chew... Who was Xiao Liu? It couldn't understand.

But in its peripheral vision, on the shattered earth, three mountain-like "predecessors" lay dead in pools of blood, exuding a magnificent aura that was hard to look at directly... This cruel and tragic scene of madness made it dare not make any rash moves.

"The Daoist Canon of the Human Emperor is truly a worry-free resource."

Chen Xuan withdrew his attention and immediately began to study the Daoist chapters of the Yan Emperor's True Scripture while simultaneously comprehending the subsequent chapters on the cauldron.

Gradually, the flames began to rise.

On the earth, high temperatures rose, and clusters of flickering flames leaped and appeared in the air, like thousands of crimson eyes of ghosts, a sea of ​​red.

"Wow!"

A full moon hung high in the sky, scattering its dark light among the mountains. The atmosphere was peaceful and serene, and an unpredictable power permeated the sky and earth, obscuring the strange phenomena in this region.

Even if a cultivator accidentally wanders into this place, it would be difficult for them to discover that this place is unusual.

……

……

Thousands of miles away.

The volcanic region where the corpse of the Gluttonous Beast ascended to godhood.

The Southern Crown has arrived.

He made no attempt to conceal his presence, arriving like a blazing sun, illuminating the entire world. In this region, it seemed as if only this one figure remained.

Nanmian needs no hiding, even though Wu Taotie is about to ascend to godhood.

Xiao Qingtian's alchemy has always been foolproof.

“Ah Yu”.

Nanmian spoke calmly and gently, her voice as warm as the rising sun echoing through the sky before finally sinking into the volcano:
"After all these years, you've finally come to this point. There's no escaping it..."

"..."

No response.

An eerie silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The calm and composed smile on Nam Mian's handsome face gradually disappeared, and he fell into a long silence.

"..."

A moment later, Nan Mian tilted his head, his sun-like eyes turning to look at the dozen or so mad Taoists who had been lying in wait in the distance, a look of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"Daoist Master, look at me! Wu Taotie is utterly arrogant and disrespectful!" A mad Taoist priest immediately shouted angrily, gesturing wildly.

"Perhaps he lost his mind from the fall. He forced himself to ascend to godhood without proper preparation, and an accident backfired!" another mad Taoist priest speculated logically.

“The aura of the gods is pervasive, making it difficult for us to approach and investigate the true nature of the Martial Glutton,” a mad Taoist priest said, spreading his hands.

"..."

Nan Mian lowered his gaze, his expression icy, finding the mad Taoist priests noisy.

It was... Chen Xuan who did it.

Nan Mian thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)