Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 410 The Origin of the Demonic Sect, The Seed of Demons in the Dao Heart

"Before the war began, His Majesty sent someone to Wudang Mountain to ask Master Zhang to take some time to analyze Pang Ban's strengths, weaknesses, and strengths, and to record the analysis, so that they could be used to deal with Pang Ban after the war started!"

Guo Juxia said, "This commentary is kept in my possession. So, after I learned that Pang Ban had appeared in Xiangyang, I immediately came to give this booklet to my worthy brother!"

"Thank you for your trouble, elder brother!"

Guo Jing took the booklet and began to read it.

After reading it, Guo Jing's expression turned solemn.

"Brother Jing, what's wrong?"

"I've long heard of Pang Ban's great reputation, but I've never seen him fight in person. Now it seems that his reputation is well-deserved. He's almost flawless, and the only way to defeat him is probably through direct combat."

"Huh? Didn't Master Zhang already memorize the weakness? Why..."

"Take a look."

Huang Rong took the booklet, glanced through it briefly, and immediately gave a wry smile.

"These...these weaknesses are not something that ordinary mortals like us can easily exploit."

The martial art that Pang Ban cultivated was the supreme secret manual of the Demonic Sect, the Great Art of Planting Demons in the Dao Heart!
The demonic sect here, and the demonic sect of the Sui Kingdom, both originated from the same force.

Hundreds of years ago, the various schools of thought emerged one after another, and their disciples spread their ideas and traditions throughout the land.

One of the important battlegrounds among the various schools of thought was the Han state at that time.

At that time, the Han state was almost the most powerful country in the world. Whichever ideology could occupy the court would be a great victory for its respective orthodoxy.

As a result, Dong Zhongshu emerged from the Confucian school, making Confucianism the mainstream ideology of the Han state.

When the others saw this, they were furious.

Because Dong Zhongshu's thought, though called Confucianism, was actually a hodgepodge of ideas from many other schools of thought, and in order to please the monarch, he even made significant modifications to Confucianism.

Even Confucius wouldn't dare to acknowledge this as Confucianism.

Various factions wanted to reason with Dong Zhongshu, but they were all defeated, which led to centuries of suppression.

At that time, many people also decided to continue spreading their ideas eastward, but they still could not defeat the Confucianism that had been transformed by Dong Zhongshu.

After all, at that time, the Han state was the most powerful country.

Many people, upon seeing that such a powerful country uses Dong Zhongshu's Confucianism, would assume that it must be a good thing.

So they all started learning it.

Once you start learning, you'll find that this thing is really great!

This is especially true for rulers.

Once you start using it, you won't want to switch.

As a result, Confucianism spread wildly in various countries, and its suppression of other schools of thought became increasingly powerful.

Under these circumstances, the followers of the various schools of thought had no choice but to band together for mutual support.

This is how the precursor to the Demonic Sect was formed.

But don't assume that because of this past, the Demonic Sect is weak and innocent.

In reality, no matter how weak they were, they were still scholars who possessed knowledge and had inherited martial arts skills!
Moreover, under long-term suppression, many people have gone astray.

The term "Demon Sect" is not meant to be a slander.

These descendants of the Hundred Schools who went astray became increasingly cruel and evil in their methods.

Later on, they completely abandoned the ideas of the various schools of thought and degenerated into a martial arts sect, with only a crazy pursuit of power and a burgeoning desire to control the world.

Even the current leader of the Demonic Sect probably doesn't know that the Demonic Sect's predecessor was actually the Hundred Schools of Thought, which had not developed well.

There is indeed a certain historical connection between the two.

But just like Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Gou, they were nominally related by blood, but in reality, they were two completely different people.

The descendants of the Hundred Schools who left their hometowns in the past to spread their doctrines are two completely different forces from the current Demonic Sect.

Once an idea spreads and becomes mainstream, it is extremely difficult to change.

Moreover, Confucianism, in its continuous transmission, has become increasingly adapted to the interests of the ruling class.

The Demonic Sect's long-cherished wish, which has remained unfulfilled for countless years, has never been realized.

When Emperor Zhou Cang used foreign tribes to suppress the Central Plains states in order to maintain the royal family, many members of the Demonic Sect had a sudden inspiration and directly defected to the foreign tribes.

In their view, the various states in the Central Plains had already been occupied by Confucianism, and they would not be given any important positions.

In that case, why not join forces with a foreign tribe? Maybe then I can put my talents to good use.

In the early stages, they did receive some important roles.

But the various alien races weren't fools; how could they possibly hand over their power to a group of outsiders?

They only used the Demonic Sect to successfully complete their initial rule. Once they learned about Central Plains culture and gained a certain degree of autonomy, they directly abandoned the Demonic Sect.

The Yuan Kingdom was the most ruthless, swallowing up all the demonic sects that had submitted to them and seizing all the inheritances belonging to the demonic sects.

They then turned around and began training their own Mongolian masters.

Combining the traditions of the Demonic Sect and the Mongol tradition, a Grandmaster was created, namely the Demonic Sect's Meng Chixing!
However, it is clear that although Meng Chixing claims to be a member of the Demonic Sect, he is actually a member of the Yuan Kingdom.

Fortunately, Meng Chixing still had some conscience, and later took on disciples, thus continuing the legacy of the Demonic Sect.

This is the current Demon Master Pang Ban.

That being said, this demonic sect has already become deeply connected with the Yuan Kingdom, and the relationship between the two sides is inextricably intertwined.

For example, Fang Yeyu, the disciple Pang Ban has taken in and who is known as the Little Demon Master, is actually a member of the Mongolian royal family.

This means that the Demonic Sect will still be under the control of the Yuan Kingdom in the future.

As the inheritor of the Demonic Sect, Pang Ban practiced the martial arts of the Demonic Sect's supreme secret manual, the Dao Heart Demon Seed Great Art.

This secret manual follows a different approach from most martial arts currently practiced in the world; it focuses on the spirit and uses the spirit to control matter.

It looks somewhat similar to the ancient path of cultivation.

However, there is a prerequisite for the path of cultivation: one must possess the bloodline of gods and demons, even if the bloodline is not strong.

This is an introduction.

Moreover, the path of cultivation is a path jointly created by many gods, demons, and sages in ancient times. Countless predecessors have tested the law with their own bodies, while gods and demons have also provided insightful guidance.

This eventually led to a relatively broad path, with various powerful families cultivating their own unique styles along this path.

The Dao Heart Demon Seed Technique was actually created by someone about several hundred years ago, when the ancient tradition was cut off.

It must be admitted that this creator was truly a genius.

But he was ultimately just a person.

Compared to the path of cultivation that has long been trodden by countless predecessors and gods and demons, this Demon Seed Cultivation Technique is more like a small path that he has carved out on his own, remote and full of risks.

Unfortunately, this method is regarded as a supreme secret by the demonic sects, and very few people actually practice it.

As a result, Pang Ban was completely dumbfounded when he saw the cultivation method of the Dao Heart Demon Seed Technique.

Is this martial arts practice?

This is fucking dangerous!

The practitioner of this method must first cultivate pure Xuanmen Daoist skills, condense their Daoist heart, then condense a demonic seed within that heart, and continuously strengthen the demonic seed. To allow the demonic seed to grow better, the practitioner must disperse all their Daoist skills.

Moreover, the demonic seed must grow through various negative emotions, and the easiest negative emotion to obtain is naturally pain. Therefore, in this process, the cultivator must endure various forms of torture.

Once the demonic seed has grown to a certain extent, it must replace the Dao heart.

However, the Dao Heart is one aspect of a person, and the Demon Seed is also one aspect of a person. The Dao Heart is the result of years of diligent cultivation, while the Demon Seed is generated in a short period of time.

How can we allow this newly emerging aspect to overwhelm years of cultivation?

The creator came up with a solution.

There is great terror in life and death, and those who have experienced life and death often undergo great changes.

Therefore, dying once and then coming back to life, facing the fear of life and death, allows the demonic seed to suppress one's Dao heart.

Although in reality it is definitely not a real death, in order to achieve the desired effect, it must be close to a real death.

One can imagine how dangerous this method of cultivation must be!
After the demonic seed suppresses the Dao heart, it is necessary to further strengthen the demonic seed. Cultivators must then endure even more severe torture than before, and fight near-death battles time and time again.

Ultimately, one can reach a state of great accomplishment.

At this point, one must turn one's Dao heart in the opposite direction and suppress the demonic seed again.

How to suppress it?

Die again!
Having completed this transformation from Dao Heart to Demon Seed, and then from Demon Seed back to Dao Heart, the cultivator can basically experience the essence of both Dao and Demon, and ultimately achieve the supreme realm of Dao-Demon Unity.

The demonic master Pang Ban is currently in the second stage of this technique and has already condensed a demonic seed.

In the next third stage, all one's power must be dissipated to ensure the smooth growth of the demon seed.

However, after years of arduous cultivation, he finally achieved the Three Flowers Grandmaster realm, but suddenly he had to dissipate all his power. Who could bear to do that?

Not to mention the constant torture they would endure, to the point of facing a life-or-death situation!
If we can get through, that would be great, but what if we can't?

If all your skills are gone and you haven't even successfully cultivated the Demon Seed Technique of the Dao Heart, then you've suffered a huge loss.

Pang Ban had reservations about this, but ultimately couldn't bear to give up his full power.

For decades, he has been painstakingly researching the Dao Heart Demon Seed Technique, trying to find a way to enhance the demon seed without dissipating his internal energy.

It's hard to say whether he's found a solution or not, but his current demonic seed is basically still in the state it was in when it was first formed decades ago.

Having cultivated martial arts for so many years, Pang Ban had virtually no flaws.

But he didn't have anything particularly outstanding about him.

From a Three-Flower Grandmaster to a Great Grandmaster, the normal way to cultivate is to find a martial art that best suits you, practice it diligently and comprehend it, and see if you can combine your will with this martial art to transform it into martial intent!

Different Three Flowers Grandmasters practice different martial arts, and naturally each has their own unique advantages.

The attack power of practicing knife and sword techniques is high.

Practice footwork to improve evasion.

They can practice light-body skills quickly.

The ability to cultivate inner strength leads to long-lasting endurance.

Furthermore, external training provides high defense.

Each has its own characteristics.

Pang Ban, however, was different; he spent most of his time researching the Dao Heart Demon Seed Technique.

But after so many years of research, no results have been found.

Zhang Zhenren therefore judged him to be very mediocre, with no outstanding qualities, although his mental strength was slightly stronger, but still limited.

However, only a true master like Zhang could say such a thing.

If it were someone else... mediocre?
Isn't that what it means to be all-around capable?
That's why Guo Jing gave a wry smile after reading it.

Guo Juxia said, "Brother, you are also a Three Flowers Grandmaster, and you have mastered the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms to a high level. Pang Ban has no outstanding features, and although he has no weaknesses, with your palm skills, you should be able to surpass him."

Guo Jing's life was full of hardships, but also many extraordinary encounters that ordinary people could not even imagine.

This made him one of the world's top masters by middle age.

His internal energy cultivation has absorbed the essence of the Nine Yin Manual, and his Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms have reached the state of yin and yang in harmony.

In battle, he can subdue dragons with a palm strike and summon wind with a wave of his hand. Combined with the endless, surging true energy, he can display his might and sweep away enemies, whether in a one-on-one fight, a group brawl, or even when surrounded by a large army.

Having reached the Three Flowers Grandmaster level, Guo Jing has been studying the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms for many years.

Logically speaking, he should belong to the Three Flowers Grandmasters with strong offensive capabilities.

They should have some advantages when facing Pang Ban.

Upon hearing this, Guo Jing smiled wryly: "Brother, I'm not being modest, but in terms of age, Pang Ban is much older than me."

Guo Juxia thought about it for a moment and immediately understood.

Pang Ban had been famous for many years, but the time he spent researching the Dao Heart Demon Seed Technique alone amounted to twenty or thirty years.

This guy looks young, but even if he's not a hundred, he's probably in his eighties or nineties.

An ordinary Three-Flower Grandmaster at this age would certainly be physically declining and unable to progress further. However, Pang Ban himself cultivates profound and wondrous techniques, has the guidance of his master Meng Chixing, and has the Yuan Kingdom as his backing to collect rare and precious materials. Moreover, he cultivates the Dao Heart Demon Seed Great Art, which uses the spirit to control matter and influence the physical body.

Thus, one can achieve spiritual immortality and physical invulnerability, and thus remain full of vitality.

However, this method still cannot change a person's natural lifespan.

If he cannot break through to the Grandmaster level, at most he will die in a young body.

Because of his advanced age and extensive training, even though his research into the Dao Heart Demon Seed Technique was delayed for decades, Pang Ban was still incredibly powerful.

Guo Jing was young after all. Although he had a clear goal and had been practicing the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, the time was too short, and he did not go very far at the Three Flowers Grandmaster level.

Facing Pang Ban, they naturally had no advantage.

Guo Juxia thought for a moment and then said, "We don't necessarily have to keep staring at Pang Ban. Perhaps there are other ways?"

Huang Rong shook her head and said, "Brother, you are new to Xiangyang and probably don't know much about it. In fact, assassinating the enemy commander with a master assassin is the only way for Xiangyang to survive at present."

He then gave a brief account of the current situation in Xiangyang.

In terms of troop strength, they are definitely far inferior.

As for logistics, things are manageable as long as we wait for reinforcements from the Ming Dynasty to arrive.

However, Xiangyang City had suffered from numerous battles and had fallen into disrepair over the years. It was uncertain how long it could hold out against the Yuan army.

Once Xiangyang falls, facing an army of over 100,000, the small number of people in the city will only have to wait to die.

The only advantage Xiangyang has is that it has a large number of martial arts masters.

Therefore, assassination by a skilled assassin is the only hope for breaking the deadlock in Xiangyang.

And it must be done as soon as possible.

Otherwise, no one knows when Xiangyang will fall.

"However, the enemy also has many experts, including Pang Ban, the Golden Wheel Monk, the reincarnated Living Buddha, and many other experts."

Huang Rong said, "However, the most troublesome one is Pang Ban. Apart from Pang Ban, no one else is a match for Brother Jing!"

Conversely, aside from Guo Jing, no one in Xiangyang City is a match for Pang Ban. If Guo Jing were to make a move and be surrounded by the Yuan army, unable to escape, then many of the city's top fighters might be slaughtered by Pang Ban!

(End of this chapter)