Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 681 Seeking Tao
The hill of defilement.

This location is in the very center of the desolate capital road. It is a towering white hill, spanning thousands of miles, with many hot springs, and one can faintly see white pagodas standing on the hill.

Hidden among the white pagodas is a menacing and imposing iron-gray hall, with a dark yellow plaque inscribed with the words "Sirius" and celestial figures beside it, exuding a palpable aura of menace.

The First Hall of Sirius was originally the Xuan Hall in Shengle. It was built by Emperor Tuoba of Wei himself. It was in line with the barbarian spirit of Lingsa, so it was dismantled and used as the central hub for attacking Li troops.

Although Shengle fell, this palace was completely salvaged and used as the residence of General Feng Yan, also known as Fu Xuan Jingye.

The iron palace gates revealed a slight crack, from which thick blood-red light and azure lightning emerged, entangled and clashing, shaking the very souls, and ultimately transforming into blood-stained sparrows and eagles that flew into the sky.

The dark gray death energy surged ceaselessly, gradually transforming into a blurry human figure, which landed in front of the door and stepped into the hall.

Upon entering the hall, one sees a young man in white robes reclining on the highest throne. He is handsome and has his hand on his forehead. There is a blue lightning pattern about the size of a finger between his eyebrows, from which bursts of blood energy and lightning emerge.

After a short while, the strange phenomenon disappeared, and Feng Yan took a deep breath, his aura rising inch by inch to perfection, once again transforming into the great general who subdued all the cultivators with his fists.

He lightly flicked his sleeves, and the sun, moon, dragon, and snake patterns on them shone brightly, revealing his wrists, which were faintly covered with long red hair.

"What brings you here? If it's a contest of magic, I won't hold back."

Feng Yan's gaze sharpened, and the boundless blood energy was like a divine furnace, with flames formed from condensed essence leaping incessantly, causing the deathly aura in the hall to quickly recede.

Why do you restrict yourself like this?

A voice devoid of emotion emanated from the figure formed from deathly energy, seemingly coming from the depths of the netherworld.

"By embracing the demonic path, you will unleash all your supernatural powers, and there will likely be no one in the world capable of harming you. There are ancient examples of people like Fu Xuan who devoted themselves to the [Heavenly Blood Devouring Pact Great Dao]."

"Dusheng, I am not you."

On the throne, the blood-red clouds shifted, and a hint of mockery appeared in the white-robed youth's eyes as he coldly said:
"You severed your own lineage, turned into the demonic land, and lived these years in vain. Do you even deserve to talk to me about these things?"

He suddenly stood up, glanced down, and continued:
“Those people from that barren land can still be considered seekers of the Way, but your life has come to an end.”

A deathly aura filled the air, and shadows shifted, yet the figure below remained motionless, from which a faint voice could be heard.

"Immortals, demons, gods, and sorcerers can all seek a golden position, but Buddhism and Taoism are the only exceptions. Since the evil land has already entered Buddhism and been tainted by the power of vows in the Pure Land, becoming an immortal is a delusion. Right now, we are still working on the demonic path."

Du Sheng's tone remained eerily calm, almost as if he were not a living person.

"Zhixi practices at Guimu Temple, and speaks of Buddhism, but she hasn't even attained the Purple Gold stage yet. How could she have entered the Pure Land or benefited from the power of sentient beings' vows?"

The Pure Land tradition inherently rejects Buddhism and Taoism. While there are a few exceptions among ancient Buddhists who attained enlightenment, their experiences are unrepeatable. Modern Buddhists, however, are completely detached from the Pure Land tradition. Once they enter the Pure Land and are imbued with the power of vows, they can never again have any connection to the Pure Land tradition, not even through reincarnation or cultivating immortality!
"She knows that one must never be tainted by the Pure Land of Vows, yet she plunges headlong into the Pure Land of Evil, destroying her own path. Tell me, in what way is she more wise than me?"

Du Sheng's tone was still devoid of emotion. He had paid a considerable price to prolong his life, and his chances of obtaining gold were extremely slim, but compared to the Badlands, there was still a glimmer of hope.

"At least he is still willing to struggle. Whether one is a seeker of the Way is not determined by whether the path to the Way is cut off, but by whether one has the heart to seek the Way."

Feng Yan's tone turned slightly somber as he stood with his hands behind his back.

"The heart that seeks the Way?"

Du Sheng's tone finally wavered, yet it revealed a deep, chilling intent, like the voice of a demon from the depths of the underworld, carrying a heavy aura of death.

"No matter how nicely you speak, Feng Yan, what can you do? What kind of person has ever held the Blood Qi position? Qi Yong, the head of the Demon Ancestors, do you think you are the reincarnation of Emperor Fu, able to command Blood Qi and make it submit?" "What you say may make sense, but this is the principle of the Purple Mansion, not the principle of the Golden Core."

Feng Yan's eyes were arrogant, but his tone was extremely decisive. He wanted to ask about the Blood Qi True Fruit in a dignified and upright manner, and to restore the ancient tradition.

“Logic, Feng Yan, I’ll tell you the logic today.”

Du Sheng raised his head, his eyes, formed from death energy, gazing upwards to meet its gaze.

"You constantly claim to be the true successor of the human race, yet your Xuan bloodline is already comparable to that of a Great Sage. You've reached the peak of cultivation smoothly and effortlessly. Is there any human like you?"

This was also the sentiment of many Liao cultivators, and there were many rumors pointing directly at the bloodline of General Feng Yan.

Your Fu Xuan bloodline claims to be the orthodox lineage of the human race, so what are these mortals in the world? Aren't they destined to be reduced to the level of pigs and dogs? Did the Feng Yan Imperial Clan of that time really consider themselves human?

"You're right. Fu Xuan's blood originated from the human race, but in reality, it is fundamentally different from the human race."

Feng Yan readily admitted it without arguing.

"If one day I seek the Great Dao, I will surely exterminate all my bloodline and seek it with a pure human body."

Du Sheng below understood that the other party was not lying. Given General Feng Yan's character, he would definitely keep his word and would never make empty promises.

"A wise man conceals his talents and waits for the right time. Feng Yan, I have come here only to ask you one last question—"

White water seemed to overflow in the main hall, and demonic light emanated. A female phantom draped in white gauze appeared behind Feng Yan at some point, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her lips slightly parted, and she approached his handsome and majestic face.

"If you are willing to enter the [Huatao Palace] to transform and turn to the demonic path, you will be able to enjoy boundless lifespan and wait indefinitely. If the time is right and you have the opportunity, you can ascend to the throne."

A dual voice, a mixture of male and female, rang out, dreamlike and ethereal, lingering in the air.

"The current situation, the opportunity?"

Feng Yan stepped forward, emerging from the shroud of the female phantom behind him, his pupils seemingly radiating the sun and moon, bursting forth with boundless light.

"You want me to wait until the Demon Ancestor's methods above the Blood Qi become ineffective?"

"That's right, many adults have gone through this process. To secure a golden position, even waiting for a thousand years is not considered long. Otherwise, why do you think I entered the Pool of Death?"

"I won't wait."

A hint of sneer crept into Feng Yansheng's voice as he coldly observed:

"If you want to make money, must you follow in the footsteps of others? I am just a warrior, but I believe in my own path and will continue to walk it."

"Dusheng, you don't even believe your own beliefs, you're trying to deceive yourself, how can you expect to fool those who hold high positions?"

Deathly energy surged, human figures gradually disappeared, and finally all merged into a shadow, leaving the main hall.

"You can rest assured and stay here to oversee things. Baihe is now guarded by me and the Xiao family. It won't end up like you did, with the land falling into the hands of the Li Kingdom."

Feng Yan sat down on the throne again, and the blood-red hair on his wrist was burned away by a burst of fire, turning into demonic wind and dissipating.

(End of this chapter)