Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 224, Section 223: Nine Dragons Divine Fire, Lion Fist Seal (6,000)

The red dragon let out a soft cry in response to Li Cunxiao's question.

It sounds like an affirmation.

The spirit seemed to rigidly adhere to a certain principle: to eliminate demons and evil spirits.

Or perhaps it's something innate?
Just as Taiyi Zhenren taught, spirit and demon are two sides of yin and yang, and are naturally incompatible.

"But if that's all there is to it, the dragon boat doesn't necessarily have to destroy it. Wouldn't it be better to just throw all this filth out?"

"Just now, I could have refined Yang Ying, but the spirit of the artifact sealed him away. It was clear that it could not sense or judge the existence of the Vajra Pestle and the role it played in it."

"If this thing has intelligence, it's not much, only about the same as a three-year-old child."

"Fortunately, he is a kind child."

Li Cunxiao stood quietly in place, watching as the chaotic objects in the secret realm returned to their original positions under the operation of the Crimson Dragon.

A moment later, he walked out of Qianyang Palace. As far as the eye could see, there were layers upon layers of clouds and palaces, like a celestial palace in the sky, giving him the illusion that he had the world at his fingertips.

However, compared to before, two or three out of ten of these four palaces have become ruins.

When he rode his Wind and Fire Wheels to the foot of the palace, he could clearly see that the dragons guarding the giant dragon were missing a portion of their numbers, which was obviously a loss caused by the battle between the previous grandmasters.

A crimson dragon stretched across the void, a huge dragon scale naturally falling off its body, shrinking continuously as it floated away, and finally disappearing into Li Cunxiao's brow.

The next moment, everything in front of me seemed to be swept up and distorted by a whirlpool, rushing over like swallows returning to their nests.

Li Cunxiao felt as if something had been added to his body. The next moment, an invisible ripple swept across, and what came into view was a vast expanse of white, snowy winter scenery.

Based on his memory, he quickly determined that this was an official road north of Songzhou City.

"Finally home."

Li Cunxiao breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from the sky, it was probably breakfast time, and they would enter the secret realm around noon.

So, it took a whole day to go back and forth?
With the battle in the capital city on his mind, he had an idea and summoned his Wind and Fire Wheels to rush there, but he wasn't too worried.

He knew about the plan to open the secret realm to lure the Ming Cult into attacking, and Qi Ci also told him that Bai Xiang Mountain was the seventh realm's gateway.

The martial artists of the Xuan Guan are not common; they are all highly skilled individuals who can hold their own in a region and stand alone.

Envoys like Li Guibo, who are well-known figures, all have their own duties to attend to and cannot be summoned casually.

Even if they can't win quickly, Dezheng and Bai Xiangshan can still hold out for a day.

"I've already come out, so my master and the others must have returned to the mortal world as well. With a Grandmaster here, we can't lose this battle."

Li Cunxiao felt a slight sense of relief, and while continuing his journey, he kept an eye on the changes in himself.

The vajra is located in the lower dantian, below which are the seven-jeweled lotus and the lotus incarnation.

But the dragon boat is hard to describe; it seems to be inside his body, yet it also seems not to be inside his body.

Li Cunxiao could only sense its presence when he meditated on his brow, and he could also use it to enter the Dragon Boat Secret Realm at any time.

"Does this mean they've already accepted each other as masters?"

"Fortunately, besides the spiritual treasure, I also obtained half of a divine skill, and it is the half of a divine skill that is most suitable for me and is enough to cultivate to the Xuan Guan realm."

Within his dantian, the original lotus incarnation transformed into a form of poisonous fire melting the golden lock and nine dragons circling the Bodhi tree.

Both the golden lotus and the lotus root seemed to be hidden within the enormous Bodhi tree.

In other words, the lotus incarnation did not disappear, but merged with the Buddhist deity and all the demons.

The three lotus roots, which are still far from fully formed, can be faintly seen in the tree canopy.

This will not hinder the cultivation of the Daoist main body later on; when the time is right, it can also catalyze the cultivation of the other three incarnations.

"The process of deducing the divine skill was interrupted because of insufficient evil energy."

"Judging from the current situation, if the next deduction continues, the true form should emerge from the Bodhi tree and reveal its true form."

"This current form is merely the prototype of the true form of the divine skill. Hmm, let's call it the Dragon Flower Bodhi Tree."

"A nine-headed dragon?"

As Li Cunxiao read the extra half of the divine skill in his mind, his expression fluctuated.

The saying goes, "Dragons and gods protect the Dharma, making the Buddha's teachings solemn." The heavenly beings and dragons have always been the Dharma protectors of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Among the dragons, the eight great dragon kings are the most revered.

"At that time, when the Tathagata arrived, the Dragon King prepared a seat for him. The Buddha sat on the seat, and hundreds of thousands of dragons bowed at the Buddha's feet. The World-Honored One preached various teachings to the Dragon Kings, and entrusted them with the responsibilities of the Dragon Kings Sagara, Takshaka, Nanda, Upananda, and Vasuki."

The Nine-Headed Dragon King is none other than the Heshuji Dragon King, also known as the Treasure Dragon King.

It has nine heads and a body so large that it can blot out the sky and the sun, and can circle Mount Sumeru. It feeds on small dragons.

Among the eight great dragon kings, the He Xiu Ji dragon king is the most powerful and virtuous, able to subdue poisonous dragons and prevent them from harming people.

The "Eulogy of the Eight Legions of Devas and Asuras" says, "King He Xiuji, who cools the poisonous heat, coils around the Dharma to protect it, and his spiritual pearl shines brightly," can quell all sentient beings' fever and poisoning.

Li Cunxiao's Bodhi Tree, which could even subdue the Dragon King Hexiuji, was naturally even more immune to all poisons.

Besides the fundamental techniques, Li Cunxiao also obtained two martial arts of supreme level during this deduction. These were derived from the fusion and refinement of five martial arts, including the "Fire Prison Without Interruption Spear," one offensive and one defensive.
"Ok?"

The shouts of battle grew from faint to deafening. Li Cunxiao looked down and saw that Songzhou City was already beneath his feet.

A dense, ant-like flow of people surged and fought outside the city walls.

Blood, organs, excrement;
Struggling, roaring, wailing.

The brutal battlefield stretched like a painting, extending from the city gates to miles away.

In mid-air, four streaks of light collided and intertwined, and visible air waves spread out continuously, stirring up dust.

Seemingly noticing the commotion, the four separated immediately, revealing their true identities: Bai Xiangshan, Dezheng, the Ming envoy Li Guibo, and a man dressed as a monk, who was most likely also a member of the Ming Cult.

"Li Cunxiao?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, the first three almost simultaneously spoke up, their expressions shifting, clearly indicating that they were thinking of the grandmasters who had entered the secret realm.

Seeing the four people facing off and the battlefield below locked in a stalemate, Li Cunxiao instinctively drew his Purple Flame Serpent Spear.

One by one, the rolling Flaming Pearls crashed into the spear, causing the surging true energy to twist and change, as if a person were holding a ten-zhang-long purple flame dragon and rushing towards the battlefield!

"Hey, you bald thief, have you found Cunxiao yet?"

"No. Doesn't the bone-revealing mirror detect anything?"

"I can't sense it; it's like it's been completely blocked."

Taiyi Zhenren changed his hand seals, his face extremely ugly, while Qici beside him had an even more gloomy face that looked like it was about to drip water.

The accident happened too fast; a Grandmaster and a Spiritual Treasure were both heading towards Li Cunxiao.

In the blink of an eye, the two people separated by the spatial tremors were sent out of the secret realm before they could do anything.

The worst-case scenario right now is that Yang Ying successfully possesses Li Cunxiao's body, and Li Cunxiao dies.

In the best-case scenario, Yang Ying and Longzhou Lingbao would form a balance of power, allowing the latter to barely survive, but it would be as if a bomb had been planted inside her body.

However, given Yang Ying's previous relentless and frantic drive to achieve her goal, it seems unlikely that the second scenario will be realized.

Their disciples had finally found a prodigy, but it seems they've already...
"Fellow Daoists"

Two streaks of light, one purple and one blue, flew in, revealing Yang Lingjun and his apprentice, the Zheng family grandfather and grandson, and Du Guanglei with a nervous expression.

The two masters had just opened their mouths when they saw the terrifying expressions on the faces of the monk and the Taoist priest, and they both shut their mouths at the same time.

'Li Cunxiao isn't here? Could something have happened to him?'

Zheng Ya and Deng Xuanjing were startled and immediately lowered their heads. While feeling regretful, they became even more careful, afraid that they might accidentally bring bad luck upon themselves.

"It seems we've all gone home empty-handed this time."

Zheng Lang tried to ease the tension, "That Demon Lord is so mad, I wonder if he refined the spiritual treasure or escaped?"

"Not necessarily."

Yang Lingjun glanced at the monk and the Taoist priest with their gloomy expressions, but didn't say the rest of his words. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his mind.

She and Zheng Lang were the first to leave, unaware of what happened afterward.

It is highly likely that Yang Ying seized the spiritual treasure, causing everyone to be sent out of the secret realm.

However, it is also possible that the treasure was obtained by one of Qin Fengquan, Taiyi, or Qici.

If we're really talking about strength, the monk and the Taoist priest have the best chance.

Perhaps it was during the struggle that Li Cunxiao made a mistake?
They were all shrewd people who had lived for nearly a hundred years; they could understand each other even if they didn't say it aloud.

The atmosphere among them grew increasingly silent and oppressive, with the younger members not daring to even breathe loudly.

Until Taiyi's expression changed.

He sensed the presence of the bone-revealing mirror.

Without any further words, Qi Ci exchanged a glance, grabbed Du Guanglei's shoulder, and the two instantly transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the city.

Zheng Lang and Yang Lingjun immediately followed, and a moment later, a horrific battlefield came into view, with corpses and severed limbs scattered everywhere.

"The rebel army has indeed attacked the city!"

Zheng Ya's expression changed as he thought of his clansmen far away in Zhengzhou.

Zheng Lang looked up at the blazing sun, then examined several skeletons on the battlefield, and did some calculations:
"A mere half-day in the secret realm has equated to seven days in the outside world?"

Qici and Taiyi also noticed this situation, but at this moment, what they cared about most was not this, but the figure moving freely across the battlefield.

The unrestrained true energy condensed into a dark red nine-headed evil dragon, which, in its charge, continuously spewed out fireballs the size of washbasins.

Wherever it went, the deafening roar of the explosions was deafening, and blood and flesh flew everywhere, like a shower of flowers from a fairy maiden.

His unstoppable offensive was virtually unstoppable, like a brush dipped in vermilion ink, freely painting crimson trails across the vast land. "Hahahaha! I knew it! I knew it!"

Taiyi's face quickly changed from ashen to radiant, and he laughed heartily while stroking his beard.

"The old Taoist's disciple is naturally blessed with great fortune and good luck!"

"Don't get carried away. After this incident, we need to give him a good scolding to prevent him from taking the risk again."

Qi Ci's expression softened considerably, and he looked at his disciple, who was so different from before, with undisguised surprise in his eyes.

"The form of this transformed true energy seems to be what I taught it, but it's also somewhat different. Could it be..."

Li Cunxiao was unaware of the arrival of his two masters. At this moment, he was focused solely on verifying the changes in his cultivation technique on these demonic soldiers.

Strong.

Very strong.

He was still at the True Form Realm, which remained unchanged. However, after his True Qi transformed into the Flame Pearl, both its quality and quantity were two to three times greater than before, to the point that he now felt he could squander it at will without worrying about running out.

Although the original form has transformed into the Bodhi Tree of Dragon Flower, it can still effortlessly utilize the martial arts it learned before, without any sense of awkwardness.

With a casual squeeze, the golden wheel appeared in the air, crushing a hundred-meter-long bloody path like a war chariot.
With a sweep of the spear, the inferno of fire was cleared away, creating a blank space of more than ten meters in radius.

With three heads and eight arms, he unleashed the Dragon Flower Hand Seal, and the tangible palm prints, along with the black dragon that danced and tumbled around his body, stirred up a bloody storm.

After his transformation, all his previous martial arts techniques became easier and more fluid to execute, as if they were originally designed to complement this new technique.

He hasn't even started using the martial arts techniques that truly complement the "Nine-Headed Dragon King's Subduing Poison Barrier Scripture" yet.

The Purple Flame Flood Dragon suddenly became thinner and longer, with black scales appearing on its surface. Finally, it transformed into a deep purplish-red long rope, the end of which was formed by golden light converging into an eight-spoked golden wheel pendant.

Dark red flames swirled around the long, purplish-red rope. The rope, end to end, resembled a fire circle fifty meters in diameter, with Li Cunxiao at its center.

When he moved, he was like a giant peak rising from hell, smashing all the demons blocking his way dozens of meters away;
As he tried to shrink the circle of fire, the deaths of the demons became increasingly gruesome, gradually transforming from broken bones and muscular crevices into a pool of mud.

"The Fiery Hellfire Spear, the Immovable Black Dragon Sword, and the Holy King's Revolving Fist—fire, earth, and metal—are mutually generative among the five elements; this is a defensive martial art."

Qi Ci watched as his apprentice transformed into a human war chariot, and he doubted his own eyes.

He selected all three martial arts techniques for Li Cunxiao, but how did this kid come up with such an unfamiliar martial art?

"Defensive martial arts? Are you sure?"

Taiyi Zhenren had a strange expression, and the great monk gasped when he saw it.

Li Cunxiao had been charging through the enemy ranks for a long time. Not only had Li Guibo and He Buping in the sky already noticed him, but the other demon generals in command of the troops were also filled with shock and anger.

However, the former was held back by the overjoyed Dezheng and Bai Xiangshan and could not get away, while among the latter, someone managed to break free of the entanglement and rush over.

His true essence left his body and transformed into a ferocious Vajra warrior. Compared to his true form and Huang Ting, this demon general's true essence transformation was more solid, almost indistinguishable from a real person.

This is true essence, which is derived from the mixture of spiritual energy and true energy of heaven and earth, and can mobilize the power of heaven and earth to a certain extent.

Although the Heavenly Ladder Realm has not yet broken through the Xuan Gate, the true form condensed in this way is undoubtedly more powerful.

"You evil beast, how dare you!"

With a roar, a golden light followed closely behind the Demon General.

With a head, wings, claws, and beak like an eagle, a body like a human, a white face, red wings, and a golden body, it was clearly a Garuda.

Within Tiangu Temple, only Yuan Cong had mastered the "Fierce Flame Garuda Fist Scripture".

The old monk's face was now contorted with rage, his muscles bulging, and his arms outstretched like a large bird, showing none of the composure he usually possessed as an alchemist.

Originally, Yuan Cong was already furious because he couldn't refine pills due to the chaotic army's attack on the city. He never expected that this Demon General would dare to be distracted and deal with others during the battle.

"Li Cunxiao? What are you standing there for? Run!"

Or is it someone you know?

Seeing the two streaks of light rushing towards him, Li Cunxiao calmly tossed the fire rope aside.

The latter suddenly seemed to come alive, flames intertwining to form a dragon's head, tail, claws, and teeth, rushing straight towards the demon general.

"Not only did you not run away, but you even dared to attack me?"

The Vajra Warrior let out a cold laugh, neither dodging nor avoiding, and clenched his right fist, instantly unleashing a golden fist imprint.

However, the fiery serpent was incredibly agile. When the fist imprint was within three feet of it, it actually drew an arc and dodged the attack.

Before the Demon Commander could even react in surprise, the fiery serpent had already rejoined itself, and the crimson fire rope adorned with an eight-spoked golden wheel suddenly tightened—

boom!
The ground sank a foot, and the land cracked into a radial ring. The Vajra Warrior's body suddenly sank, as if a mountain had been added to his back, and his forward speed visibly slowed down.

"What kind of magical artifact is this?! No, it's not a magical artifact, this feeling... is it true energy? Or perhaps true essence?"

The Demon General felt the heavy pressure coming from all over his body, and his bones and muscles made a sound that made people's teeth ache.

He almost thought he was hallucinating, that he had gone mad.

What on earth is this?
The same question arose in Yuan Cong's mind.

A True Form Martial Artist was actually able to trap a Sixth Realm Heavenly Ladder cultivator? Has this world gone mad?

However, seeing that the other party was unable to move for a while, he did not hesitate at all. Golden flames exploded all over his body, and the Garuda bird's speed increased several times.

"Is this the prototype of the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover? It combines defense and control, and the effect is not bad."

Looking at the Demon Commander, who was still ten zhang away but posed little threat to him, Li Cunxiao remained calm and even had the leisure to offer some comments.

The earth element black dragon remains unmoved; when combined with the golden wheel of the Holy King who governs the mountains and seas of the four continents, it becomes the golden earth wheel.

Buddhist scriptures say that the lowest point of the world is emptiness, above which is the wind wheel, and above the wind wheel is the water wheel.

Driven by the karma of sentient beings, the water wheel is struck, and a golden wheel is formed upon it. The real world, including mountains, seas, and islands, exists on this golden wheel.

In other words, the Metal Earth Wheel is the power of the Jambudvipa world. How can one escape the influence of this entire realm?

The fire serpent Mahoraga is the fire of hell, which refines demonic obstacles. The fire serpent is not dead, but "alive".

With Li Cunxiao's current eyesight, he could clearly see that the demon general had tried to break free of his restraints using his true energy.

But whenever he retaliated, the flames above transformed into countless small fire snakes, devouring the true energy he released, and the fire rope tightened even more.

The Yama Jewel, as recorded in the original "Supreme Secret Nana Heaven Scroll," is a powerful technique that can burn true energy, destroy life force, and make people willingly die in a state of blissful ecstasy, without any will to resist.

After the Flame Demon True Qi transforms into the Flame Demon Jewel, it not only inherits its original characteristics but can even devour the opponent's true qi and true essence to strengthen itself.

"This already possesses some of the characteristics of a grandmaster's true essence. The deduction of the Vajra is truly remarkable."

Li Cunxiao had heard his two masters say that a grandmaster's true essence is a unity of the three elements, containing the grandmaster's own will, which allows him to split his true essence into clones.

The Flame Pearl has already demonstrated such characteristics, but for now he can only control the fire rope to move around within a hundred meters. He can't do it any further, and he can't actively activate it to absorb true energy or anything else.

It's far inferior to the Grandmaster's ability to lock souls across a thousand miles.

This technique, "Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover," is marked by the fire ropes and fire dragons it creates. One dragon represents the beginning, three dragons represent minor achievement, six dragons represent major achievement, and nine dragons represent perfection.

With each additional dragon, the binding and protective power of the fire rope becomes stronger.

Only when the Nine Dragons are perfected and their evolution is endless, forming a net that connects heaven and earth, will it become the true Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover. Now it can only be called the Fire Dragon Rope.

Besides defense, he also has a new way of killing.

The Flaming Jewel rolls, forming three heads and eight arms.

The three heads, representing greed, anger, and ignorance, each display a fierce and malevolent appearance, their mouths half-open and half-closed, as if uttering words;
Eight arms and eight hands, raised straight up, rising and falling in an alternating pattern, five fingers naturally extended, lined up in unison—

"Om Mani Padme Hum!"

Roar! ! ! !

The palm print, accompanied by the six-syllable mantra, was unleashed, first transforming into an Asura in mid-air, then into a black dragon, then into a Dragon Flower Tree, and finally, when it reached the Demon Commander's side, it transformed into a six-headed lion.

Majestic and fearless.

Six consecutive blows caused the opponent to groan repeatedly, blood even spilling from the corner of his mouth, and a bloodthirsty crimson gleam in his eyes.

But before he could make a move, Yuan Cong finally arrived and engaged him in battle.

Seeing this, Li Cunxiao was somewhat dissatisfied. The power of this "Dragon Flower Lion Fist Seal" did not seem to be as strong as he had thought.

Moreover, after using it, I felt more tired than usual.

"Thank goodness," Taiyi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

In martial arts training, the gap between different realms widens as you progress.

There are still cases of fighting beyond one's level in the first five realms, but after the Heavenly Ladder, such cases are extremely rare.

No matter how talented someone is, it's rare to fight someone of the same level, and even rarer to escape from a senior who is a level higher. Let alone fighting to a draw, let alone winning or killing someone, it's all a pipe dream.

"The Asura Blade, the Immovable Black Dragon, and the Dragon Flower Great Handprint are all based on the five elements of water, earth, and wood, which are mutually destructive. The power of these killing martial arts does not seem to be very high."

Qi frowned, deep in thought, then sensed something was amiss. But being a seasoned master, he was extremely familiar with these three martial arts styles, and soon his eyes widened:
"Under the Bodhi tree, he attained the supreme, formless, all-encompassing wisdom, the valiant lion."

Among four-legged animals, the lion is fearless and can subdue all; so too is the Buddha, who subdued all ninety-six heretics without fear, hence he is called the Lion-Man.

Shakyamuni Buddha is the king among men, and he is fearless and free in the three realms, like the lion king among all beasts. Therefore, he is also called "Shakyamuni Lion".

"Could it be that Cunxiao has actually mastered the Dragon Flower Hand Seal to its ultimate level, already stepped into the Refining Spirit realm, and is heading straight for the realm of the Unity of the Three Elements?"

"what?!"

Taiyi was startled and turned his head, staring intently at his disciple who was once again displaying his unparalleled prowess in the crowd. At the same time, he felt a sense of urgency and couldn't help but wonder.

Could it be that my disciple survived a great calamity and truly obtained a great opportunity in the secret realm?

I dare not even think about Lingbao recognizing a master, but could it be that he has already comprehended the "Dongxuan Scripture"?

Otherwise, no matter how talented he was, Li Cunxiao's martial arts training was short-lived, and his lack of experience and strong comprehension could be explained, but creating his own martial arts required real accumulation.

Besides the Three Caverns True Scripture, which is a divine object that "cultivators can enter enlightenment through it, and researchers can return to their source," pointing directly to the Great Dao, what else can explain the current situation?
(End of this chapter)