Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 218-217 The Former Dynasty's Grandmaster, the Convergence of the Three Teachings

How did I get here?

I'd like to know too.

Li Cunxiao felt the rapid changes in space. Even with his perfected True Form realm, he could not see the opponent he was fighting with. He could only feel the constant collision of true essence.

The shockwaves exploded outwards in layers, but were quickly contained within a three-foot radius by the monk, leaving him completely unharmed.

"Even a spiritual treasure, with so many grandmasters fighting together, I'm afraid it wouldn't be able to completely suppress it."

"The space within the secret realm is inherently less stable than the outside world. Something must have happened that caused you to be moved here, just like when we were separated before."

"Your Master Taiyi, along with Yang Lingjun and Zheng Lang, probably also have Grandmaster-level demons as their opponents."

"It's just that I wonder who is currently fighting against that tyrant Yang Ying. After all, he was once a Grandmaster. Even though his cultivation has been greatly diminished, it would still take at least two Grandmasters to contend with him."

After a moment's thought, the abbot gave his conclusion, which relieved Li Cunxiao, but also left him curious.

Yuwen Jian and Sima Fufeng were both grandmasters, each of them occupying one position;
Yang Ying is a Grandmaster whose cultivation level has declined, and he is going to take the place of two people.

Among these foreign masters, there are five including Qin Fengquan. So where did this master that Qi Ci is dealing with come from?
"I didn't see this demon you fought on the last two times you came here?"

Upon hearing Li Cunxiao's question, Qi Ci was about to explain something when his expression suddenly tightened. Flames accompanied by lightning erupted from the thick spiked club in his hand, and a ball of lightning flew out.

At such close range, Li Cunxiao felt goosebumps rise all over his body, and his scalp felt like it was being electrocuted.

However, faced with such a terrifying attack, the opponent, whose form was obscured, suddenly began to chant aloud. His words were simple, yet they possessed an incredible power:
"You live in the North Sea, and I live in the South Sea; we are as unrelated as the wind and the horse."

Before he finished speaking, Li Cunxiao could feel that the spiritual energy in the secret realm was being stirred. The terrifying fire and lightning seemed to have encountered turbid water and was rapidly shrinking. The chilling sensation was also weakening.

By the time it reached its opponent, it had grown from the size of a millstone to the size of a human head. The latter casually swung its hand and shattered it into pieces, clearly failing to cause any damage.

"As expected of Wen Zhongzi, who is well-versed in the three teachings, his essay 'The Middle Way' is almost as powerful as a scroll of divine martial arts."

Qi Ci looked wistful, seemingly not very surprised, but Li Cunxiao, standing to the side, was inwardly shocked upon hearing this.

Mastering the three teachings?

He cultivated both Buddhism and Taoism, relying on rare treasures like the Seven-Jeweled Lotus. Even so, Taiyi and Qici were already amazed by his extraordinary abilities.

Who is this person in front of me, and how does he claim to be so knowledgeable in the three teachings?
Is a single text titled "The Middle Way" almost equivalent to a scroll of divine martial arts? What is this? Is it a self-created martial art?

Wen Zhongzi? That sounds familiar; I think I've read about him in history books?
Li Cunxiao's mind raced with thoughts. Suddenly, he felt Qi Ci's speed slow down. The next moment, a gentle force came from him, and he landed lightly on the ground.

The monk loosened his grip, and the thick spiked club slammed into the ground a foot deep.

The mace has a long shaft that a venomous dragon spits out from its handle. At the end of the shaft is a winter melon hammer the size of a human head. Countless thorns extend from the shaft like spikes. The upper part has a structure similar to a pagoda, which is filled with imprisoned evil spirits. It looks extremely terrifying.

But upon closer inspection, some familiar features can be seen, like the Vajra staff that Qi Ci used before?

Is this the true form of this divine weapon?

"Namo Amitabha Night, Namo Amitabha Night"

"Namo Amitabha Night, Duotagadu Night"

The chanting came from Khic's mouth, and golden Sanskrit characters seemed to materialize, spitting out one after another from his mouth.

What's puzzling is that, despite the previous fierce attacks being completely ineffective, the moment the chanting began, the opponent's actions slowed down, or more accurately, they simply stopped on their own initiative.

Even his protective true essence was drawn back into his body, revealing his true appearance: an old scholar wearing a flat-topped turban and a white robe with black trim.

The so-called "lanshan" refers to a round-necked robe with a seam at the knee, called "henglan," which was the attire of scholars and officials.

"A Confucian scholar from the previous dynasty?"

Looking at the other person's attire, Li Cunxiao felt an increasing sense of familiarity. Then, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he clapped his hands:
"Wang Tong, the last Confucian master of the Great Zhou Dynasty, revered as the Sage of Literature, 'Master Wenzhong'?!"

His voice was not loud, and even if Qici could hear it, he had no intention of responding.

Amidst the continuous chanting of sutras, a clear struggle appeared on Wen Zhongzi's face, sometimes angry, sometimes calm, sometimes sad, and sometimes relieved.

A detached indifference and a ferocious, all-consuming temperament constantly alternated, as if an invisible battle was taking place within him.

Seeing this, Qi chanted the sutra with even greater effort, the loud sound like thunder. Li Cunxiao even faintly sensed the shadow of the Lion's Roar in it, but it seemed that there was more than just this martial art, there were other sound techniques involved.

"There have been many wise rulers and virtuous men throughout history, who enjoyed glory in their time but faded away after their deaths. The uncrowned king, a commoner, has reigned for over ten generations, and scholars revere him."

"Therefore, the strong and firm are followers of death, while the weak and yielding are followers of life. Thus, a strong army will be destroyed, a strong tree will be broken, the powerful should be in a lower position, and the weak should be in a higher position."

"Lord of the Sangharama, with the majestic spirit of the entire temple, we respectfully obey the Buddha's decree and offer our sincere devotion; we protect the city of the Dharma King, serving as its shield and protector, ensuring the eternal peace and tranquility of this sacred temple."

Within the old scholar's body, a torrent of true essence surged forth, accompanied by three sermon-like chants, first forming a dharma image with a tall crown and wide belt.

This person wears a wide robe and belt, dressed in a simple and unpretentious style, with a tall and majestic crown on their head, exuding an air of scholarly elegance.
After the first Dharma form condensed, Li Cunxiao stared in disbelief as two more Dharma forms sprouted from the waist of the first one:
The second figure is an old man with an otherworldly air, wearing a lotus crown and a robe as radiant as purple clouds, with a jade ruyi in his hand, exuding an otherworldly air.
The third figure is a warrior draped in a shawl, fully clad in armor and helmet inlaid with Buddhist jewels, wearing a headscarf, stroking his beard with one hand and holding a long sword with the other.

The three figures, one body and three forms, exuded completely different auras. Recalling Qi Ci's previous mention of the unity of the three religions, Li Cunxiao was speechless for a moment.

"So it really was because you were cultivating your true form that you fell into demonic possession. Alright, I'll help you!"

Qi Ci shouted loudly, clasped his hands together, and the cloth bag that had been tied around his waist suddenly flew up automatically, opened its mouth, and blew out a divine wind.

The wind wasn't as fierce as a raging gale; instead, it felt as gentle as a spring breeze on a day out.

Even without facing it directly, Li Cunxiao could feel a sense of peace and tranquility, and his shock and insecurity subsided.

The statue of the Master in the middle seemed to have gained support, and suddenly grew several sizes larger, covering the other two statues.

The old scholar's eyelids twitched, and finally he slowly opened them.

His warm, clear eyes seemed to hold countless years of vicissitudes, and he let out a long, drawn-out sigh:

"A great dream spanning thousands of years, what year is it tonight?"

"I am Wen Zhongzi, my fellow Daoist. I am grateful for your assistance."

"You mean, that extraordinary talent from the previous dynasty, a master-level expert comparable to a grandmaster, Wen Zhongzi, is also in this secret realm?"

In a certain part of the many palaces, a frigid hell stretches out endlessly, where countless souls wail in agony.

With each mournful sound, the temperature in the area seemed to drop a notch.

"Indeed. Back then, His Majesty was determined to save the Great Zhou from peril. In addition to building dragon boats and suppressing disloyal subjects, he also sought out talented people and listened to their advice."

“Master Wenzhong is well-versed in the three teachings and his literary and martial arts skills are rare in the world, so he is naturally among those invited.”

Yuwen Jian spoke in a gentle tone; if one couldn't see the thunder and lightning before him, they might mistake him for catching up with an old friend.

"So what? The Great Zhou Dynasty still perished in the end, replaced by the Great Qin Dynasty. Now that the Great Qin Dynasty is about to fall, who knows who will take over the dynasty next?"

Yang Lingjun sneered, and the Dharma image behind him, formed by the convergence of blue and green lightning, shone even brighter.

Its form resembles a powerful warrior, bare-chested and with two wings on its back, three eyes on its forehead, a long and sharp chin, and feet like an eagle's, but with even sharper claws. Its left hand holds a wedge, and its right hand a mallet, poised to strike. Five drums hang in a ring from its top to its sides, with its left foot resting on one of them; this is the Thunder God's form created through its cultivation of the *Ziwei Xuandu Thunder Jade Scripture*.

In fact, the god of thunder has no distinction between male and female; it is only because thunder is the yang energy of the heavens that it is called "male."

Yuwen Jian had just experienced firsthand the ferocity of the opponent's lightning magic, and seeing this, his eyes grew even colder:

"The rise and fall of dynasties, the alternation of the five virtues—this is an immutable truth throughout history."

"Since you are a recluse with no interest in the rise and fall of dynasties, why make things difficult for me?"

As he spoke these words, the scene of the Eight Cold Hells behind him became increasingly solid, and the icy blue true essence even revealed a hint of blood.

The "True Scripture of the Eight Cold Hells" that he practiced was inspired by the suffering of the extremely cold hells in Buddhism.

The first level of the Azure Lotus Hell is an extremely cold death aura. Those who are affected by it will have their physical bodies and true energy stiffened or even stagnant.

If the human body stops moving and remains still, it is doomed to death.

The second level, the Crimson Lotus Hell, is a place where extreme cold gives rise to heat, and extreme death leads to rebirth, causing the stagnant life force and blood to erupt in an instant.

If a martial artist had not opened their entrance gate, they would likely be blown to pieces into a bloody mess the moment they touched it.

"Make things difficult for you? What's the point of talking about difficulties when you're a demon? Once you're dead, things will be easier!"

The two exchanged blows and tried to extract information from each other. Yang Lingjun needed information from the secret realm to seize the spiritual treasure, while Yuwen Jian needed information from the outside world to plan for the future, but neither of them ever truly let their guard down.

At that moment, a disagreement broke out, and the two launched an attack.

A similar scene occurred between Sima Fufeng and Taiyi, except that the former, the Right Valiant Guard General, had little interest in idle chatter and launched a fierce attack as soon as he encountered the old Taoist priest.

The three-headed, eight-armed Buddha statue almost burst open the palace, while the Eastern King Duke continuously drew his bow and fired arrows, like a string of pearls.

"I wonder how Sanlang is doing? Just now, Yang Ying's tyrannical aura suddenly erupted, along with Zheng Lang and Qin Fengquan. Hmph, with these three together, I wonder how things will end?"

"Zheng Lang! We're in this together now, what good will it do you if I die?!"

The Eight-Cornered Master Demon roared repeatedly, and with each punch and kick, the air was compressed into a gale that rushed out.

However, in front of that enormous Guanyin statue with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, these attacks were useful, but not very effective.

Even amidst the fighting, faint chewing sounds could be heard emanating from the surging black mist.

After a few quarters of an hour of fighting, Qin Fengquan, who had been attacking, was getting weaker and weaker, while Yang Ying, who was on the defensive, was slowly regaining her strength.

"General Qin, you really have a bad memory. You brought your men to attack Songzhou, but isn't your army aimed at Bian and Zheng behind you? Isn't it also aimed at Luoyang, the eastern capital?"

"I've been so worried about this that I've had to swallow my pride and go around looking for help. Now that you're dead, wouldn't that be a relief for me?"

Zheng Lang remained calm and composed, only dodging occasionally when Yang Ying launched a counterattack.

In truth, he couldn't help but find it strange.

Logically speaking, the five surnames and seven prominent families are all families that have continued from the previous dynasty to the present day.

To outsiders, it is certainly worthy of praise for its long-standing tradition, but to the royal family, it is undoubtedly a rebellious act for powerful families to hold high-ranking positions and fail to uphold their duties as subjects during a change of dynasty.

But Emperor Yang ignored him and instead relentlessly pursued Qin Fengquan.

This is certainly due to the similarity of their true essences, and the apparent fact that Yang Ying plundered it to recuperate from his injuries.

But if we really talk about the root of the problem, I'm afraid they still have the intention of preserving their strength. As for their target, it's still the Dragon Boat Spirit Treasure.

"What a coincidence, that's what I was thinking too."

"However, while Qin Fengquan's power needs to be weakened, this tyrant cannot be too strong."

"If he were to truly regain his Grandmaster level, it wouldn't be something a few Grandmasters could handle."

With a burst of purplish-gold true essence, Zheng Lang instantly joined the battle, relieving some of the pressure on Qin Fengquan.

However, Yang Ying paid no attention to this little incident. His indifferent gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of palaces and see the huge red dragon supporting the Heavenly Palace.

"A mere artifact spirit, trying to kill me with external force? A mere death throes."

"So the Great Zhou Dynasty has actually been destroyed for hundreds of years?"

Listening to Qi Ci's brief account, Wen Zhongzi showed no sadness or joy, and his emotions were unreadable, but Li Cunxiao still felt a strange sense of melancholy.

He naturally knew that this was due to the powerful primordial spirit of the Grandmaster influencing him.

Wen Zhongzi first glanced at Qi Ci, "Because I practice the three religions simultaneously, my cultivation methods conflict."

"He was tricked here again by that tyrant Yang Ying, and is now trapped in the secret realm, constantly teetering on the edge of demonic possession."

"Brother Dao helped me regain consciousness briefly with the Buddhist Lion's Roar, for which I am deeply indebted."

"Wang Tong, I am extremely grateful."

"Brother Dao, you're too kind," Qi Ci replied without hesitation.

"To be honest, we came here for the spiritual treasure. You must have felt the fluctuations in the outside world just now."

Wen Zhongzi revealed an expression of as if he had not expected it. The arrival of outsiders in the secret realm meant that the secret realm had appeared in the world.

Who can resist the allure of Lingbao?
"I do have a way to help you, fellow Daoist."

Wen Zhongzi flipped his palm, and a faint white light gathered, forming a small dragon that looked very similar to the giant dragon in the outer palace.

"This is."

"Back then, the tyrant Yang Ying built the dragon boat and prepared a backup plan. However, he did not expect that he would fall into demonic possession and be suppressed by the dragon boat."

“Lingbao has a spirit, and suppression has reached its limit. So when I was still conscious, it sought my help.”

"This is a key to the core of the spiritual treasure."

So simple?

Upon hearing this, Qi Ci was not in a hurry to accept the benefits, but instead asked:

What are your conditions, fellow Daoist?

"Is this your disciple, fellow Daoist?"

Wen Zhongzi's answer was irrelevant; his gaze fell on Li Cunxiao beside him, his eyes filled with both doubt and eagerness.

"Is Yang Ying's Seven Treasures Lotus on him?"

"Young friend, aren't you curious about how I managed to combine the teachings of the three religions into one?"

(End of this chapter)