I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 435 The Doting Husband, the Temptation from Corpses in the Three Realms
In just ten days, the evil atmosphere in Hengzhou was completely eradicated.

During this time, Xu Qing continued to use the excuse that Xu Junfang had fled to Shu to transfer the Golden Armored General who came to investigate away from Hengzhou.

In the Huai River basin, Gu Yuanrang, who had temporarily lost all her magical powers, was like a weak woman who had lost all ability to resist.

Xu Qing's decision to have him take charge of the formation was tantamount to forcing himself on Gu Yuanrang, leaving him not only physically exhausted but also with no way out.

If the Great Luo Sect were to abandon him after initially seducing him, he, severely injured and powerless, would inevitably be coveted by his enemies and demons.

Therefore, when Xu Qing appeared before him, Master Gu revealed a resentful and complicated look in his eyes.

There was even a hint of pitiful desolation in his eyes.

"."

This wasn't the first time Xu Qing had seen that look of utter exasperation.

He had seen it on the monkey when the red-tailed monkey first took charge of the formation for him.

Later, Master Fuluan and Master Xie Qiongke went even further.

It's as if Xu is some kind of heartless scoundrel who takes advantage of others and then doesn't acknowledge the debt.

"Master Gu, that's enough!"

"What should I call you, Master?"

Gu Yuanrang, who had previously looked sorrowful, suddenly showed a look of surprise and joy.

"."

This sounds like a respectable woman demanding a title from him after losing her virtue.
Xu Qing shook his head, then ordered Qingweizi to set up a ritual altar and perform the ceremony of bestowing honors and establishing the altar for Gu Yuanrang.

"Here are 100,000 incense sticks, which can be considered as an advance on your salary this year. As long as you, Master Gu, are of one mind and one heart with our sect, the Great Luo Sect will not treat you unfairly."

Having experienced great shock, sorrow, and joy, Master Gu wept with joy. Xie Qiongke patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Master Gu, there's no need to be so excited. We've all been through the same thing."

Gu Yuan thought to himself, "How can that be the same?"

His magical power was almost completely exhausted, and at this time, his only guarantee of safety was to rely on the Great Luo Sect.

If Xie Qiongke and the others had told him the truth beforehand, he wouldn't have been so panicked.

Beside him, Venerable Fuluan also comforted him, saying, "Master Gu has had a long journey. When we return to the Great Luo Sect, I will personally pick some spiritual fruits and fresh apricots to welcome you back."

The group chatted happily as they walked back.

"That old apricot tree was the first fruit tree to develop spiritual energy after Tianjin received its nurturing. I haven't encountered such a spiritual fruit in two thousand years. The taste is truly unforgettable. Master Gu, you must try it."

Xu Qing was puzzled. When had the Great Luo Sect ever had an apricot tree that bore good fruit? There was, however, a sour apricot tree that was so sour it made your teeth fall out.

If it weren't for the fact that the sour apricot tree had some kind of spiritual power, he would have taken out his axe and chopped it down long ago!
Xu Qing shook his head, not paying attention to the little flirtation between the altar masters.

Perhaps in the eyes of these primordial spirits, sour apricots are just like fine wine and delicacies.

He couldn't understand it, perhaps because he was a zombie and couldn't appreciate the deliciousness of the apricot.

However, just because he can't eat it doesn't mean that others can't.

Xu Qing had already planned that when he had some free time, he would pick some fresh apricots, a specialty of the Great Luo Sect, which even the Nascent Soul True Person praised highly, and send them to the immortals of the Immortal Hall.
A few days later, Xu Qing established a branch temple of the Daluo sect in Hengzhou and erected the Daluo sect's emblem before heading to Jiangnan Road.

Ge Hongwen's Taoist temple, Henglu Mountain, is located in the Jiangnan region.

When Xu Qing arrived at the Anjiang River basin, which stretches for over a thousand miles, several True Immortals, led by Ge Hongwen, had already tamed the turbulent Luosha River.

Everything is ready. All that remains is for Master Xu to personally go to the Yin River and completely eliminate the root cause affecting Jiangnan Dao.

Ge Hongwen said with deep concern, "The Master's supernatural powers are unparalleled, and I admire him immensely. However, the Master has just fought against the demons of Hengzhou and must be exhausted. If he were to enter the Yin River now, I fear..."

Xu Qing raised his hand to interrupt Master Ge.

While others might need to recover after a battle, his trip to Hengzhou not only did not cause him any loss, but his cultivation level was greatly enhanced, and he had inexhaustible strength.

If he doesn't strike while the iron is hot, wouldn't he be wasting this overflowing magical power?

"Master Ge, there is no need to worry. As long as the demons of the Yin River are not eliminated, the mortal world will suffer for another day. Since I am the leader of the Great Luo Sect, I should practice the Dao with my own body. Only in this way can I live up to the original intention of my sect."

Xu Qing had a resolute attitude of "I only wish that all beings may be free from suffering, and I do not seek happiness for myself."

Master Ge, unaware of the situation, could only feel sincere admiration!

"Even though the leader is weary, he still cares about all living beings and does not avoid them because of fortune or misfortune. How can I, a humble Taoist, back down?"

Ge Hongwen cupped his hands and said, "Master, please rest assured, let alone one large formation, even ten or a hundred, I would never refuse!"

Xu Qing held Ge Daoist's wrist, patted his hand, and said with satisfaction, "With your words, fellow Daoist, even if I die on this journey, I will have no regrets."

"Master, please don't say such things!"

Upon hearing this, Ge Hongwen and the others immediately became anxious, and the monk Xinyuan even began to offer prayers for Xu Qing.

Just kidding. If the leader is gone, the Great Luo Cult will have to disband. If the Great Luo Cult disbands, who will be able to defend them against all the enemies they have offended?
"Amitabha Buddha, the leader is a virtuous person and will surely be safe and sound."

Zhang Pingsheng also took out the Yin-Yang Bracelet and began to draw circles in the air in front of Xu Qing's face.

While drawing circles, Zhang Pingsheng also chanted a life-protecting and disaster-averting incantation.

However, the more Zhang Pingsheng chanted the incantation, the dimmer the light of the Yin-Yang Bracelet became.

Zhang Pingsheng said, trembling with fear, "Master, this is a very ominous sign. Perhaps we should turn back now and decide what to do another day."

Xu Qing glanced at Zhang Pingsheng. He was a zombie who was dead beyond any doubt. It would be a miracle if the life-protecting spell worked!

"Ominous? What does 'ominous' mean?"

Xu Qing looked around at everyone without fear and said, "The weak are vulnerable to illness, while the strong are vulnerable to illness. So-called ominous signs are only for the timid. Our Great Luo Sect is destined by Heaven and has the aura of a great sect. Under this overwhelming trend, even the greatest ominous signs will give way to us!"

Xu Qing was born with ominous signs, and he was a dead man with extremely ominous signs, so why would he be afraid of revealing his ominous signs?
On the contrary, if his prayers reveal auspicious signs of smooth sailing, he should be more cautious!

Seeing that he could not stop them, Ge Hongwen tried his best to help:

"Master, the demon in this Yin River is called the Heart Demon. This demon is extremely skilled at manipulating dreams and creating illusions. For thousands of years, anyone who has encountered this demon has either committed suicide, gone mad and become a delirious ghost, or suffered a blow to their Dao heart, causing their cultivation to regress by a thousand miles and leaving them with no chance to ascend to immortality."

Ge Hongwen said with apprehension, "This inner demon is truly aptly named. It is a forbidden ghost that can manipulate the inner demons of others. I have spent decades researching ways to deal with this demon."

"Unless one's heart is filled with demonic influence and one cultivates the path of ruthlessness, only one can resist this demonic temptation, but even then, it is merely a matter of resistance."

Ge Hongwen said with a sense of frustration, "I have wasted decades of my life and still have not found a way to subdue this demon. That inner demon is like a mirror, reflecting all the phenomena of the world in its mind."

“Even if you cut out its heart and liver and chop it into dust, as long as it does not think its heart is dead, its heart can grow back.”

"Even if one dies, as long as one still has the will to live before death, one will never die or perish."

Xu Qing was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

The method of "not dying even after having one's heart removed" is somewhat similar to the extraordinary technique that Jiang Ziya had taught to Bi Gan, the Junior Tutor.

Such extraordinary arts are entirely subjective; if you believe, the method will succeed; if you don't, it will fail. According to Ge Hongwen, Yinhe's inner demon seems to be someone who has cultivated this art to its extreme.

As for the Dao Heart Seed Magic that Ge Hongwen mentioned, he did obtain it when he performed the ritual to deliver Meng Yongzhen, the eldest disciple of the Celestial Master's Mansion. However, to cultivate this method, one must sever all emotions and desires, forget all worldly troubles, and reach a state of being without emotions, desires, sorrow, or joy in order to succeed.

Xu Qing had no intention of touching this method of mental castration for sterilization.

He never even considered passing on this method, which violated the laws of nature and human ethics, to those around him or to his disciples.

Even if the other person was extremely suitable for cultivation, he never had the thought of passing on his teachings.

“A person who can cultivate their mind to the point of doing whatever they want without overstepping the bounds must be an extremely insightful person. Even if such a person is not a saint, they must be a sage in the world. But that inner demon is clearly neither a saint nor a sage.”

Xu Qing had a wide range of interests and a deep understanding of human nature. He was able to keenly perceive the flaws in the inner demons based on just a few words from Ge Hongwen.

"A corrupt mind is evil, and a deluded mind is demonic. A demon becomes a demon precisely because its heart is corrupt!"

"If a person with a distorted and disordered mind happens to cultivate their heart, do you think they won't have their own inner demons?"

Xu Qing revealed a strange smile. Having judged countless people, his understanding of human nature was no less than that of a demon who specialized in cultivating the mind.

Ge Hongwen's eyes lit up, then he hesitated and said, "That's true, but this demon's origins are unknown, and no one knows its past. How can the sect leader find its inner demon?"

Xu Qing smiled mysteriously and said, "Evil cannot prevail over good. Even if it didn't have a demon in the past, I will make it have one today."

"This inner demon is called the Great Luo Sect!"

Amidst the ancient Yinhe River road and the gray, misty forest of tombs and steles, the sound of drums can be heard.

Xu Qing looked in the direction of the sound and saw a widow dressed in mourning clothes sitting alone on the top of a large tomb in the distance, grieving alone.

Although only a side profile was visible, her curvaceous yet delicate figure was already captivating.

Fortunately, Xu Qing is not human.

As he drew closer, the widow suddenly stopped beating her waist drum and said, "Young master, have you come to visit me?"

The woman turned her head, and what came into view was a beautiful face with a sorrowful expression, which evoked pity in me.

Xu Qing looked at the other person's captivating and affectionate eyes, but a look of doubt appeared on her face.

Seeing the face of the person in front of him, he always had a feeling of déjà vu.

"I am still alive, my lord. Are you looking at me like this because you intend to take advantage of my vulnerability and humiliate me at my husband's grave?"

"."

When the woman on the grave looked at him with a spring-like smile, Xu Qing finally understood where that familiar feeling came from.

Such alluring charm, yet with a hint of cool purity in her foxy gaze—who else but a nine-tailed fox could possess that?
"The nine-tailed fox is an auspicious beast, born to follow the laws of nature. Even when it forms a bond with a human to cultivate, it is extremely devoted, unlike you who are so flirtatious!"

"If you dare to call yourself a member of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, I might have to cleanse the clan of its iniquity today and rid it of this scourge that has tarnished the clan's reputation!"

When Xu Qing was in Jingxia Street, he would run into the Nine-Tailed Fox almost every day.

Xu Qing was already used to the way both Senior Sister Yizhen and Bai Qiuyu looked at each other with unspoken feelings, their eyes revealing deep affection.

But the woman in front of me, who claimed to be a widow, lacked something.

Xu Qing couldn't quite describe the feeling, but the way his senior sister looked at him was definitely more alluring than the woman in front of him.

He remained calm and composed in front of his senior sister and Bai Qiuyu. How could a fox spirit who only knew how to charm but had no genuine feelings move Xu Laojiang's heart?

The only positive thing about the other party was their mourning clothes.

But Xu Qing has plenty of these in his coroner's shop. If he wants to see them in the future, why should he be afraid of not being able to?
Even if Senior Sister is superstitious about mourning clothes being unlucky and doesn't want to wear them, there's still Bai Qiuyu, the fortune teller who's always been alone, right?
Bai Qiuyu has owed him several thousand taels of silver over the years. It wouldn't be difficult for him to wear mourning clothes, let alone funeral clothes.

In Xu Qing's eyes, the only clothes that have any charm are mourning clothes and burial clothes.

Of course, my senior sister's Taoist robe is also quite nice.

On the grave, the pretty woman, seeing the young man's disgusted expression, finally couldn't sit still any longer.

"Who are you?"

Xu Qing clicked his tongue and said, "I am a funeral director, and I keep quite a few nine-tailed foxes at home. Your appearance may not be bad, but in terms of temperament, you can only be considered average."

In Xu's eyes, how could the temperament of an ordinary nine-tailed fox compare to that of a cold and aloof Taoist priest?
"."

The woman on the grave immediately turned pale.

But the next moment she suddenly burst out laughing:
"Young man, you can fool others, but you can't fool me."

Xu Qing silently took a step forward and laughed as well: "I am a funeral director, I never lie to the dead. Why would I lie to a fox with a skull on its head who has been resurrected?"

The woman in mourning clothes put away her smile, stared intently at Xu Qing, and said, "I am a Divine Maiden on the move, a disciple of a sage. Even the one who wielded the Heavenly Book back then could not kill me. How can you say I am dead?"

"I understand. I've heard there's a demon here who's best at bewitching people. I suppose that's you?"

"."

Xu Qing finally understood what Ge Hongwen meant by "difficult to deal with"!
This fox spirit, who had been resurrected in another's body, didn't believe she was a demon here at all. Instead, she thought she had escaped punishment and hadn't died.

"Goddess disciple, what a coincidence!"

Xu Qing grinned and said, "Me too."

As he spoke, Xu Qing opened the Blood Lake Dharma Realm, and at the same time, the dignified and solemn image of the Goddess of Life Protection appeared.

Xu Qing spread out his three heads and six arms, holding a red phoenix embroidered ball in one hand, holding a gold-borrowing gourd in the other, and holding the jade ruyi, the mother qi bottle and other blood lake magic treasures in the other hands.

"My Golden Gourd and Red Phoenix Embroidered Ball were bestowed by the goddess and can only be possessed by true disciples. You are at most a mortal chosen by the master to walk the path of tribulation and not yet a formal disciple."

"As for the evil spirits here... hehe."

Xu Qing used the Divine Travel Book to instantly appear before the woman.

"Once you see your own memories, you will naturally understand who the demons here are."

Xu Qing's idea was simple: since the way to overcome inner demons was to understand their past, why didn't he just let them see his past?

Seeing Xu Qing approaching, the fox-woman, dressed in mourning clothes, was not alarmed but delighted.

"Ha, it really is a demon in your heart. How could a man be a disciple of a goddess? You can't fool me!"

Almost the instant Xu Qing reached out, the widow also stepped forward, unleashing the fox clan's most proficient illusionary magic to its fullest extent.

The next moment, the scriptures of salvation resounded in the widow's mind, and at the same time, her own revolving lantern began to run.

Xu Qing, who was also bewitched by the inner demon, also experienced a sudden darkness before his eyes, but what appeared was an epic-level enhanced version of Empress Sai Yuxian.

The version is titled "The Pampered Husband Immortal Emperor Chapter: Temptation from Corpses in the Three Realms".

(End of this chapter)