Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 185, Section 184: All Nine Meridians Open Simultaneously, Tiger Hill Master

In the hazy distance, the misty mountain peaks appeared before my eyes, and the branches and leaves of the Bodhi tree rustled.

Li Cunxiao opened his eyes and, as expected, saw a tall figure under the tree.

"senior."

Qici looked at the respectfully bowing young man, then subtly took out a mirror, and an invisible radiance enveloped him.

'That's strange, there's nothing there?'

In the clear mirror, the real Nezha carries the wheel on his back and rides on a wooden dragon and a fire snake, majestic and solemn.

There was not a trace of it being corroded by evil energy.

What exactly is going on?

Could it be that I've made a mistake with Taiyi?
"Senior? That's Yuanjue."

Li Cunxiao was somewhat surprised to see that he remained silent.

"Ahem, it's alright. I've already spoken to my nephew Dezheng about this; he only has himself to blame."

Dezheng, your nephew?

Li Cunxiao was secretly surprised. Although he knew that this senior was someone of great importance, it was another matter to hear him admit it himself.

'Abbot Dezheng is already a master of the seventh realm, so this senior must be at least at the seventh realm or higher?'

Thinking of this, a thought struck him, and he asked for guidance:

"Thanks to your guidance, senior, my cultivation at the Yellow Court Realm has been smooth. But what about the path of martial arts after the Twelve Regular Meridians and the Eight Extraordinary Meridians? I hope you can enlighten me."

Qi Ci instinctively wanted to say something like "Don't be too ambitious," but when he recalled the opponent's ability to fight six against one during the day, he swallowed the words back.

Although Taiyi borrowed the Bone-Illuminating Mirror again because he was worried about Li Cunxiao, he also took several precautions compared to the first time he borrowed it.

This results in only being able to see something vaguely and make a rough judgment.

However, judging from the opponent's combat strength this morning, he was already able to skillfully combine the Great Perfection of the Fiery Hellfire Spear and the Beginner Level of the Holy King Revolving Fist.

The sharpness of that burning wood blade energy suggests it has already reached a certain level of mastery.

Considering that the other party still needs to spend time refining their true energy, even with the pills provided by himself and Taiyi, this level of comprehension is truly astonishing.

For such a genius, revealing some details about the path of cultivation ahead of time can actually set a goal for them, motivating them to strive harder, and having a more positive effect.

"The path of martial arts, though closely related to demons, ultimately cannot escape the three words: essence, energy, and spirit."

Qi Ci finally spoke, and with a wave of his hand, leaves fell from the Bodhi tree, transforming into a small human figure in front of Li Cunxiao.

"Humans are not born with supernatural powers, but demons are."

"Without demons, relying solely on elixirs to cultivate, one can at most reach the level of the third realm of internal organs, and it will consume a lot of resources, time, and energy."

"The same amount of resources could be enough for four or five people to cultivate their internal organs, which is not cost-effective."

"However, even if one cultivates the internal organs, the Yellow Court realm is still unattainable. This is because refining true qi is essentially condensing qi and blood, which is refining essence into qi."

"However, the first six realms of martial arts are insufficient for developing the primordial spirit. It is impossible to achieve this solely through one's own mental strength."

"Therefore, the Demonic Martial Path is a convenient method painstakingly developed by our predecessors, which can lower the threshold for cultivation."

"Moreover, the struggle between one's true nature and demonic thoughts has always existed; it's just that the existence of demons has made it manifest."

"So you should know that the first four realms of martial arts are just methods of controlling demons. For example, a person cannot melt metal or stone, but can do so with the help of a furnace; a person cannot smell the faintest scents, but a tamed hunting dog can."

"However, upon reaching the fifth realm of true form, where man and demon become one, to some extent, it means seizing the demon's supernatural powers and abilities for one's own use."

To seize, not to integrate?
Li Cunxiao recalled what Yuanguang had said: after entering meditation, one should remain in meditation, but the ultimate goal of remaining in meditation is to emerge from meditation.

Martial artists and demons are initially intertwined, but in the end, success depends on maintaining one's original, independent self and remaining uncorrupted.

"After the True Form is established, even if a martial artist temporarily subdues the demon, they will not encounter any major risks in the entire sixth realm of the Heavenly Ladder."

"So generally speaking, as long as you make a decision, you will almost certainly succeed in the Heavenly Ladder. The only difference is how much of your spine you have refined."

Qi Ci spoke frankly, and as he spoke, the small human figure enlarged to the size of a child, with points of light lighting up on its upper, middle, and lower body.

"Huangting, Zhenxing, tempering the lower dantian."

"The true form emerges from meditation, and the demonic master reverses the celestial ladder of the spine, reaching the middle dantian."

"The middle dantian is where qi is concentrated. At this level, one must absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body, use the spirit to control the demon, and synthesize true essence."

"True essence has more and greater uses and power than true qi. The most obvious point is that it can influence the external environment and leverage some of the power of heaven and earth."

"When the Heavenly Ladder reaches its peak, one will naturally enter the Mysterious Pass, open the Upper Dantian, refine Qi into Spirit, and completely subdue the demon."

"After that, you'll reach a realm akin to a terrestrial immortal. It's too early to talk about that now. Focus on achieving the Yellow Court Perfection and opening up your extraordinary meridians before worrying about those things."

Having said that, he waved his sleeve, and Li Cunxiao felt a flash before his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, he was already in the familiar roof beams.

As soon as he got up, he saw a porcelain bottle on the table in the room. He went over and opened the stopper, revealing two round pills inside.

"Two Explosive Qi Pills this time?"

While Li Cunxiao was overjoyed, he couldn't help but wonder if it was because his performance in the battle that morning was outstanding enough.

"Plant the demon, transform the demon, subdue the demon."

"Refine essence, refine qi, refine spirit."

Although the other party still did not explain the realm above the Xuan Guan in detail, it is likely that the top experts of the major holy lands and sects, including the imperial court, are all at that level.

"I wonder what realm this senior and Dongwang Mugong are at?"

He picked up the Explosive Qi Pill and returned to his bed, sitting cross-legged.

"Gudong"

Once the pill entered the stomach, its pure medicinal power quickly dissolved, and the Flame-Mo True Qi was like boiling water, but instead of drying out as it boiled, it overflowed while boiling.

Without hesitation, a torrent of true qi surged into the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming, starting from the Xiaguan acupoint where the daytime abruptly ended, and advancing towards Touwei, Renying, Shuitu, Qishe, Quepen, Qihu, Kufang, Wuyi, and Yingchuang.
If someone were nearby, they would clearly see a fiery serpent-like ray of light rising from the nostrils, meeting on both sides at the root of the nose, then flowing to the inner canthus of the eye, and then down along the outer side of the nasal column and down the throat.
It continues through the torso, into the thighs and calves, and finally to the toes.

Li Cunxiao could clearly feel that the power of the Flame-Mo True Qi had weakened significantly when it entered the last six acupoints: Fenglong, Jiexi, Chongyang, Xiangu, Neiting, and Lidui.

If one takes Qi-accumulating pills at this time, it can sustain them until the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming is opened.

But he was not entirely satisfied.

The three Yin and three Yang meridians of the foot correspond to the spleen earth, with the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian and the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian being associated with the spleen earth.

With only the liver wood element and kidney water element remaining, Li Cunxiao still didn't know what arrangements that senior had made.

However, the Burning Wood Blade Qi is extremely important to him, both in terms of increasing his true energy and his destructive power.

Since there's still one Explosive Qi Pill left, let's refine the remaining seven demons and, while the Burning Wood Blade is fully developed, refine the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian in one fell swoop!

Without hesitation, Li Cunxiao put the last Qi-Boosting Pill into his mouth.

At the same time, driven by his thoughts, the vajra instantly pulverized the seven demons into powder, turning them into countless golden spots, which in the blink of an eye coated the vajra with a layer of brilliance.

"break!"

Before the demon's malevolent aura could be fully absorbed, Li Cunxiao had already begun to circulate the Burning Wood Blade Technique.

Beneath the main demon, the Horned Wood Dragon suddenly let out a long roar, and its withered, old tree-like body sprouted new shoots, its thick body and green scales becoming increasingly intertwined with the fire serpent.

Stimulated by the combined effects of the medicine and the burning wood sword energy, the Flame-Making True Qi, which had already begun to decline, surged once more. Within his dantian, it was like a surging river, emitting a roaring sound. A crimson fire snake originated from his big toe, ascended along the instep of his foot to the inner side of his lower leg, circled his genitals to his lower abdomen, and finally rose to his forehead, where it met the Governing Vessel at the top of his head.

Dadun, Xingjian, Taichong, Zhongfeng.
Yinlian, Jimai, Zhangmen, Qimen.
All acupoints are no match for this torrent of true energy, and the so-called bottlenecks are easily broken through.

Because he broke through the barrier too quickly, Li Cunxiao's lips became dry and his face turned red, as if a fire was rising in his heart and rising to his cheeks.

My inner energy is surging! My power is increasing dramatically!
Finally, when the Flaming True Qi in the body subsided again, even the first few acupoints of the next Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian were opened.

Unfortunately, this meridian, like the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming, is a major meridian with many branches.

Even after removing the intersection points, there are still more than forty acupoints in total.

If it weren't for the Qi-Boosting Pill, Li Cunxiao would probably still be struggling to drill a hole in the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming a month later.

"The Nine Meridians of the Yellow Court have reached their pinnacle."

Feeling the abundant true energy within his body, the redness on Li Cunxiao's face quickly dissipated.

The freely flowing Flaming True Qi constantly nourished his celestial body, strengthening his muscles, bones, skin, and internal organs little by little, bringing him ever closer to the inhuman realm.

He had mastered the three superior martial arts techniques at his disposal: the Fire Prison Spear, the Burning Wood Blade, and the Holy King Revolving Fist. He had also thoroughly understood their corresponding orthodox principles.

If he can also receive the blessing of the Explosive Qi Pill, he will probably reach the Yellow Court Perfection in just half a month.

After that, one can consider opening the eight extraordinary meridians and cultivating the Qi Sea, so as to further solidify one's martial arts foundation and make it possible to stand shoulder to shoulder with the geniuses of those holy lands.

"This senior is very wealthy; I wonder which Buddhist holy site he comes from?"

"Qinglong Temple in Xijing? Or Yuhua Temple on Wufeng Mountain in Xinzhou? Or..."

Having received so many benefits, Li Cunxiao was not naive enough to think that others were simply investing selflessly.

It was only a matter of time before I became an apprentice.

Besides signifying the inheritance of martial arts, a sect also means taking sides.

Just like the two temples mentioned above, the former is located in Daxing, Xijing. Like Louguan Temple, it has always been worshipped by the Li imperial family and has a close relationship with the court.

The latter is located in Hedong Road, which is the territory of Prince Jin, Li Yisheng.

This man, Li Yisheng, who claimed to be the reincarnation of Vaishravana, was the military governor of four towns: Hezhong, Hedong, Zhaoyi, and Datong. He was a powerful figure who almost dominated the entire Hedong region.

Now that the warlords are in power and the sixteen provinces of the empire are in disarray, no matter where you go, you will inevitably be drawn into the struggle.

Thinking of these things, Li Cunxiao's joy faded.

Back when I was still in Chuqiu, I could still hope to find a stable place and live a peaceful life with my relatives and friends.

But the more powerful he becomes and the more he understands, the more Li Cunxiao realizes that this is probably an unattainable dream.

"I'm afraid that my life and Mucha's life will be spent in blood and fire."

He sighed inwardly. Having just improved his cultivation level, he was full of energy and had no desire to sleep.

I decided to go to the alchemy room, thinking that I had been running around for the past few days and it would be a good time to clear up the pile of work.

Unexpectedly, after walking only a few steps, I saw the brightly lit alchemy room.

To be precise, both Decong's and Yuanshen's alchemy rooms were still lit up.

"So demanding?"

In the past, Li Cunxiao would always leave work on time and return to his hermitage to cultivate himself as soon as dusk fell.

This is the first time I've ever seen a scene like this, with the master and apprentice working themselves to the bone.

"The title of Chief Alchemist of De Cong is not given lightly."

"As for Senior Brother Yuancan, having such a master must be a lot of pressure."

Li Cunxiao clicked his tongue a few times, and his mood inexplicably improved. He went into his alchemy room and began to refine materials.

After opening the nine meridians, the internal energy became increasingly abundant. However, thanks to the low-level version of "Samadhi True Fire" taught by Dongwang Mugong, there was no discomfort or sudden increase in internal energy.

The moon rabbit sets in the west, and the golden crow rises in the east.

As the morning light streamed through the gauze window, Li Cunxiao stared intently at the flames in the alchemy furnace. After a moment, he wiped his hand across the flames.

The furnace lid was lifted, and the scorching, burning smell dissipated, leaving only the fragrance of herbs and trees.

Inside the tray-shaped base, twenty pills spun around.

"Ninety percent of the pills are of superior quality."

Li Cunxiao nodded in satisfaction.

Since he became adept at handling second-tier pills, the refining of Qi and Blood Pills has been mainly entrusted to him, along with the occasional second-tier detoxification pills and healing pills.

With extensive practice and the solid foundation laid by Dongwang Mugong in his dreams, Li Cunxiao's alchemy skills improved almost daily.

"Junior brother, you're here so early today?"

Yuan Can looked tired. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Li Cunxiao also coming out of the room.

"Brother Yuancan."

Li Cunxiao smiled and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect. Before he could say anything more, Yuan Can suddenly sniffed, showing a look of surprise.

"The aura of pills is so strong. Wait, Junior Brother was refining pills in the alchemy room all night?"

His eyes were filled with suspicion as he looked the other person up and down. The other person looked refreshed and showed no signs of fatigue.

"Yes. I was out a few days ago, so I took care of all the backlog of work last night."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shen's expression became even more peculiar, and after a long while, he said:

"Junior brother is truly full of energy."

"I can't compare to my senior brother and Chief Abbot De Cong. It's just that my cultivation has improved recently, so I've become more adept at alchemy."

Li Cunxiao was reluctant to say more, but Yuan Can seemed to be touched by what he heard.

"Alas, alchemy and martial arts cultivation complement each other, but I am stuck at the gate of true form, not daring to make an inch forward."

"Not to mention Senior Brother Yuanguang, even the other disciples of the chief disciples have all entered into meditation and seclusion. Alas."

Seeing the other person sighing repeatedly, Li Cunxiao didn't know how to comfort him.

With the Vajra in his body, he never knew what a bottleneck was.

Fortunately, Yuancan didn't need anyone to comfort him and quickly recovered, asking curiously:

"Junior brother, you've been refining pills all night, is it also for Master Huqiu's arrival today?"

"Master Huqiu?"

Li Cunxiao was taken aback at first, then realized what was happening.

Master Huqiu was the eminent monk who came to De Cong seeking the elixir and was given the Tiger-Taming Skill.

His other identity is that of an elder of Huishan Temple in Bianzhou, whose strength and prestige are second only to the abbot "Fudō Myō-ō" Shōyō.

"Huishan Temple? What are they doing here?"

(End of this chapter)