Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 201 200 Lotus Leaf and Flesh, Incarnation Within the Body (One update today)
"The lotus seeds are absorbing my true energy!"

Li Cunxiao's face turned pale, and cold sweat even seeped from his forehead.

After that small section of lotus root burrowed into his body, it rushed straight to his dantian.

He tried to use his Flame-Magic True Qi to block it, but it was like throwing a meat bun to a dog.

No matter how much true energy was used, the lotus sprout accepted everything without hesitation, although it seemed to slow down a little because of the "eating" process.

"Don't panic."

Taiyi took out the Bone-Illuminating Mirror, channeled his true essence into it, and the mirror immediately magnified to the size of an adult, revealing the meridians and blood vessels inside Li Cunxiao's body.

"Golden skin and jade bones, blood flowing like a spring—truly an excellent foundation."

The old Taoist priest couldn't help but praise him, only to receive a glare from Qi Ci:
"Is now the time to talk about this?"

Li Cunxiao's gaze fell upon the enormous mirror, where the images were changing rapidly, giving him a strange feeling, like he had undergone a gastroscopy in his past life.

But then my heart skipped a beat, and I felt a little uneasy.

In that case, the two masters must have looked at themselves countless times with this bone-revealing mirror. Could the vajra have been discovered?

Before he could think further, the lotus sprouts soon appeared in the picture.

This little thing seems to have grown a little bit since before.

As it travels through the meridians, all the vital energy it encounters is "swallowed up".

In a few dozen breaths, it will probably reach the dantian.

"This is so weird, it's like a Gu worm from the southwestern barbarians. No, I have to fish this thing out."

The senior monk was about to make a move. This was because the dantian was the site of a martial artist's entire cultivation; any mistake would have unimaginable consequences.

"No," Taiyi observed for a moment and immediately stopped the monk's actions.

"Didn't you see? This lotus seed is recognizing its master. If you were to transfer your true essence into Li Cunxiao's body now, all your efforts would be in vain."

"Recognize the master?"

Li Cunxiao was skeptical. "Master, when the Wind and Fire Wheels recognized its master, they didn't extract true energy this ruthlessly!"

Upon hearing the words "Wind and Fire Wheels," the senior monk snorted coldly.

Clearly, the fact that his disciple had escaped in the secret realm using a high-grade magical artifact had made him realize that the old Taoist priest had been undermining him and had put in a lot of effort.

Taiyi coughed somewhat awkwardly, "It's different."

"Demon artifacts are inanimate objects, tools, and are born to be controlled by humans."

“But things with spirits are different, let alone this place that is suspected to be the Seven Treasures Lotus Seed.”

“When I first cultivated the Golden Lotus, I used countless rare and precious materials. Later, I also exchanged a lot of nectar with your bald master, Qici.”

"Excluding the time spent on fundraising, it actually took ten years for the golden lotus to mature."

"Now this lotus seed is actively merging into your body. Although it's absorbing your true energy, you can see that it wants much more than that."

"You mean... Golden Lotus?"

As Li Cunxiao watched the lotus sprouts approaching his dantian, he vaguely understood something.

Simply put, the growth of lotus root sprouts inevitably requires a large amount of energy, and currently, my true energy is clearly insufficient in both quality and quantity.

Furthermore, when Taiyi taught the Dao of Alchemy, he said that the way of creation is to use the spirit to control the demon. Natural treasures are inherently incompatible with things like demonic energy. In other words, it's unlikely that this lotus sprout was aimed at the main body and the demons.

And considering his previous experience of finding the Seven Treasures Lotus Seed based on Jinlian's intuition, the answer becomes obvious.

"If the legend is true, the Seven Treasures Lotus Seeds differentiate into Golden Lotus, White Lotus, Green Lotus, and Red Lotus. Then these two are from the same source, with the latter being a highly nourishing substance for the former."

After listening to Taiyi's analysis, Qici also fell into deep thought.

The two masters exchanged a glance and immediately made a decision.

"Disciple, release your true energy and let this little thing do as it pleases."

"I will use the bone-revealing mirror to protect your dantian, there will be no accidents."

"Yes," Li Cunxiao replied reluctantly. If the Bone-Illuminating Mirror was really that powerful, his secret might not be able to be kept.

Taiyi noticed his pale face and assumed his disciple was nervous, so he didn't think much of it.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems."

The azure true essence entered the Bone-Illuminating Mirror, which spun around and transformed into a stream of light that disappeared into Li Cunxiao's lower abdomen.

Then, a circular transparent area appeared on his abdomen, through which he could directly see the true form and the demon in his dantian.

Li Cunxiao felt as if his entire dantian was frozen in place, with a strange, hard feeling, as if it had been completely solidified with cement, making it unshakeable.

'Hmm? Even the Bone-Illuminating Mirror can't see my Vajra?'

There was no trace of the vajra in the transparent mirror, but one could perceive its presence through mental meditation.

Li Cunxiao felt much more at ease and placed even greater importance on the golden finger. He then dispersed the true energy blocking the lotus sprout and deliberately cleared a path to the dantian.

Without any true energy to consume, the cylindrical lotus root sprout, which resembled a piece of glutinous rice, immediately accelerated, as if it were on a slide, heading straight for the dantian.

However, everything in the dantian, whether it was the demon, the golden lotus, or even the true qi, had been frozen in place by the Bone-Illuminating Mirror.

After the lotus sprout entered, it hurriedly circled around the golden lotus seat beneath the main body, but when it encountered the mirror light that seemed to be encased in a stone shell, it could only circle around to the side.

"They really came for Jinlian."

Taiyi and Qici both breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at Li Cunxiao.

"My disciple, what do you want to choose?"

"To be honest, the Seven Treasures Lotus has not appeared in the world for hundreds of years, and many of its secrets have been lost. I am certain that it is a treasure, but I cannot be sure of its exact effects."

"If you want to play it safe, wait a few days while I think of a safe way to remove it."

"If you want to take a gamble, I will release the Bone-Illuminating Mirror. Regardless of whether the Seven Treasures Lotus can bloom and bear fruit, this golden lotus that can accompany you until you reach the perfection of your true form will most likely not be able to be kept."

Upon hearing this, Li Cunxiao pondered for a moment, but then changed the subject.

"Master, what exactly happened today?"

Such strong willpower.

The old Taoist priest and the senior monk both inwardly praised it. With such a precious treasure before them, many were eager to possess it, but few considered it thoroughly.

Although the Bone-Illuminating Mirror protected his dantian, the treasure was now inside his own belly. Li Cunxiao was still able to suppress his impulse. At his age, his composure was admirable to both of them.

"Thousand-Eyed, Thousand-Armed, Blue Lotus Hell, Vajira King."

Qi Ci uttered three names in succession, each corresponding to a Dharma image that appeared in the secret realm, and his expression was also filled with disbelief.

"Emperor Yang Ying of the Former Zhou Dynasty, General Yuwen Jian of the Former Zhou Dynasty, and General Sima Fufeng of the Former Zhou Dynasty were all people from the previous dynasty who fled the capital of Daxing and whose whereabouts are unknown."

"I was joking with Brother Taiyi back then, but I never expected that my words would come true."

Li Cunxiao's heart skipped a beat. Remembering the secrets he had seen in the Sutra Repository, he couldn't help but ask:
"You mean, the dragon boat treasure?"

"It's hard to say how much treasure is left, but that dragon boat is undoubtedly a magical artifact."

Taiyi Zhenren murmured to himself, thinking of the crimson dragon that stretched across the void:
"When the Zhou emperor received the abdication, he changed the era name to Kaihuang, and ruled with the virtue of fire, and his favorite color was red."

"The Great Zhou Fire Virtue Crimson Dragon, that dragon boat spirit treasure is undoubtedly true. Emperor Yang, that tyrant, seeing the day when his country was doomed, gathered the power of the world, wanting to use the spirit treasure to suppress all rebellions."

"Unexpectedly, Emperor Taizong of this dynasty, with his dragon-like appearance and unparalleled martial arts, broke through the capital and forced him and his henchmen to flee."

"Several hundred years have passed, and the Qin Dynasty has also reached a time of war. Yet, the Lingbao of the former Zhou Dynasty has reappeared. It is truly a cruel twist of fate."

Qici had a different opinion upon hearing this.

"There's no such thing as fate playing tricks on people; it's all their own fault!"

“The Yang family of the previous Zhou dynasty had been intermarrying with the Dugu family for generations, and even mastered the Dugu family’s secret martial art, the ‘Thousand-Eyed and Thousand-Armed Guanyin Dharani Sutra’.”

"It is Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva who possesses such a thousand eyes, illuminating all sentient beings. If any suffer from afflictions, upon hearing my name and calling upon my name, I will immediately perceive their voices and they will all be liberated."

"The suffering of the people is something Emperor Yang, with his martial arts prowess, sees most clearly. But do these powerful figures care even a little about the lives of the common people?"

"How many bones have been created by building dragon boats, constructing palaces, and digging canals?"

"Look at the state of that ruler and his minister. It's highly likely that Yuwen Jian and Sima Fufeng have also rebelled and are fighting amongst themselves. They're both badly injured, on the verge of death, and in a moment of demonic possession, they've become trapped by the magical treasure he personally crafted."

"Deserve it!"

"Why are you yelling at me?" Taiyi scoffed at Qici's indignant expression.

“The five surnames and seven clans are not all good people,” Qi Ci snorted.

Seeing that the atmosphere was tense, Li Cunxiao quickly spoke up to ease the tension:
"The affairs of the previous dynasty are not worth discussing." "Master, please release the Bone-Illuminating Mirror and let me try."

"Have you really thought about it?"

The old Taoist priest and the senior monk's attention was drawn back.

"I've thought it through," Li Cunxiao said, recalling what he would encounter after entering the dragon boat and combining it with what the two had just said, he had already made a judgment.

Yang Ying went to great lengths to lure him to retrieve the lotus seeds, but she was unwilling to let the lotus seeds be taken away.

The world is vast and full of treasures, and the imperial palace possesses them all. This item was valued even by the emperor of the previous Zhou dynasty, so its preciousness needs no further explanation.

With two masters protecting him, as long as the Vajra Pestle remains, even if he loses the Golden Lotus, his true form will not be difficult to obtain. It will simply require Taiyi Zhenren to provide more resources.

And if successful, the rewards could be far greater than imagined.

It's called a gamble, but the chances of losing everything are extremely small.

"bring it on."

Li Cunxiao sat cross-legged, ready for battle.

Seeing this, Taiyi didn't waste any words. He nodded to Qici and then waved his hand.

Within his dantian, the light of the Bone-Illuminating Mirror suddenly dissipated, still immobilizing the main body and several demons, but the golden lotus beneath the main body seemed to have shed a layer of its outer shell.

In an instant, the rice-grain-sized lotus sprouts moved in response, flashed, and flew directly into the heart of the golden lotus.

Because the Golden Lotus had been refined for a very short time, less than half a day, Li Cunxiao didn't feel anything at first, and the scene in the Bone-Illuminating Mirror didn't change.

However, after several dozen breaths, Jinlian gradually began to change.

To be precise, it is withering.

The once golden, shimmering petals began to lose their luster, and golden light continued to converge towards the center of the flower's stamen.

From the outside in, the petals gradually become transparent, like pure white crystal, and finally dissipate as points of light.

At this moment, Li Cunxiao could clearly feel that the abundant spiritual energy and medicinal power in the golden lotus were rapidly dissipating.

Even knowing that this was a necessary price, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret, and could only focus even more intently on observing the changes in Jinlian.

The golden lotus vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the plump lotus seeds that were once on the white jade-like lotus seedpod in the center of the lotus also disappeared without a trace.

Only after the lotus pods had completely disappeared did the lotus root sprouts, which had almost vanished, finally reappear.

No, to be precise, that was no longer a lotus sprout, but a complete lotus root.

On both sides of the lotus root, jade-green stems meander out.

As the rhizome grows, the lotus root also grows a little bigger.

As the rhizome grows upwards and the leaves unfold, the lotus root even branches out into four sections.

"It's about to bloom."

Taiyi and Qici both became nervous, and Li Cunxiao's heart pounded even harder.

The three of them stared at the lotus root, from which four roots extended, resembling human hands and feet.

The head is where the roots emerge and the lotus leaves stand tall. When the last tender green root grows out, it produces tiny flower buds.

In that instant, Li Cunxiao had a sudden inspiration:

"Master, release the Bone-Illuminating Mirror!"

Without any extra movements, the Bone-Illuminating Mirror flew out instantly, still reflecting the scene in the dantian, but both the demonic entity and the pond-like Yanmo True Qi became lively again.

Once this protective layer was removed, the lotus root was instantly "soaked" in the true energy pool of the dantian.

The vital energy that had been "not enough" just moments before had now become the last remaining weight on the platform.

The crimson flames of true energy seeped into the lotus root, and flames climbed up from the rootstock, like an explosive force that instantly forced open the tightly closed lotus leaves.

In the center of the lotus leaf, the tender green buds seem to bloom from the ashes, and the pure, golden petals unfold layer by layer, revealing the white jade-like lotus seedpod inside.

"He swallowed a golden lotus, and then another golden lotus grew?"

Taiyi and Qi were surprised, but also secretly relieved.

At this point, it can be said that we've already made a profit.

But it's not over yet.

The lotus seedpod is hollow inside, with nine holes that exude a strange attraction, making one subconsciously want to fill it up.

Li Cunxiao clearly felt that among all the demons, the newly born black dragon was the most attracted.

With a determined heart, he simply took the initiative to urge the black dragon Kurikara to crash directly into the lotus seedpod—

Click.

It sounded like a mechanism clicking, and the moment the black dragon approached the lotus pod, it curled up into a ball, like a lotus seed embedded in the golden lotus pod.

At the same time, the lotus root also changed in appearance, with blurry hand and foot shapes growing from its round stem.

The amazing thing is that even though the black dragon had been stuffed into the lotus seedpod, Li Cunxiao felt that the demon was still firmly under his control, without any barrier between them.

"Is it possible?"

Li Cunxiao gritted his teeth and simply threw all the unexpected wooden dragon, fire snake, and silver wheel into the lotus pod.

With three demons taking over the lotus pod, the changes in the lotus root became increasingly obvious.

Not only did it grow fingers and toes, but its body also changed rapidly, with new sections of its hands and feet growing out, like upper arms, forearms, thighs, and calves.

A new lotus root has grown on its neck, supporting lotus leaves and lotus flowers on its head, but it still lacks facial features.

"The lotus seedpod has nine holes, just like the nine orifices of a person. I understand now, this is the incarnation within the body!"

Seeing everything happening in the Bone-Illuminating Mirror, Taiyi couldn't help but get excited.

Martial artists cultivate demons, relying on their physical bodies. Their inherent demonic nature and evil desires differentiate into demonic entities, each with its own reliance.

The five internal organs and nine orifices may seem unrelated, but they actually correspond one by one.

The heart corresponds to the tongue, the liver to the eyes, the spleen to the mouth, the lungs to the nose, and the kidneys to the ears.

The nine orifices are the connection between the human body and heaven and earth. Externally, they are bridges; internally, they represent the five elements of the microcosm of the human body.

This lotus root resides in the dantian, contains the five elements, and carries the demon, so it can be said to be another miniature physical body!

"So, my disciple can really practice both Buddhism and Taoism?!"

Qi Ci's voice trembled uncontrollably. For these two grandmasters who had already touched the threshold of the world's top-tier level, no one could understand better than them what this meant.

At this moment, Li Cunxiao had no interest in anything else; all his attention was focused on his true form, Nezha.

The bare-chested guardian war god opened his eyes, which burned with intense fire, and walked step by step toward the center of the golden lotus.

With each step he took, the main body shrank a little, and at the same time, an ugly Asura phantom was also peeled off and first disappeared into one of the holes in the lotus seedpod.

The moment Asura was stripped away, Li Cunxiao felt a clear mind, and all his anger and resentment left him.

Before he could fully savor it, the next moment, the real Nezha sat cross-legged in the hollow of the lotus seedpod—

boom!
Like the first flash of lightning and thunder breaking through the summer clouds, an unprecedented feeling swept over me, as if I had broken free from all the tangible nets of the mundane world and ascended to the crystal world of the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Behind the lotus root, countless seemingly illusory roots extend out, merging into the twelve regular meridians and eight extraordinary meridians, connecting hundreds of acupoints throughout the body.

Even in the dantian, it was deeply rooted, and at the illusory root, several small lotus root figures that had not yet taken shape could be faintly seen;

Beneath the golden lotus and lotus leaves, the head of the lotus root rapidly transforms into facial features, resembling both the real Nezha and Li Cunxiao himself.
Androgynous and exceptionally handsome, the lotus root-like features of the body and torso were instantly weakened, and the lines of muscles and bones were outlined.

The lotus leaves above rolled down and transformed into a wide, dark green robe, followed by a small section of pale gold root that became a wide belt.

One sleeve was untied, revealing half of her lotus-like chest. She didn't resemble vegetation, but rather seemed to be carved from warm jade.

Beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows, her gentle golden eyes added a touch of liveliness to this person who seemed to be sculpted from jade.

A feeling of perfect harmony arose naturally. Li Cunxiao opened his eyes, looked at his two masters who were both expectant and nervous, and suddenly smiled.

In an instant, surging Flaming True Qi erupted from his body, and the silver wheel, fire snake, wooden dragon, and black dragon all manifested, lifting him up.

With ease and without any hesitation, he not only effortlessly transformed his true energy into physical form, but also with greater agility than before.

An unparalleled joy filled my heart; the long-standing problem of dual cultivation had finally been resolved.

With an inner avatar, everything becomes clear!

(End of this chapter)