Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 318-327 Repaying Kindness, Surviving

Zhu Quanzhong could tell that Yelü Yi and Mingzun had lost their will to fight.

Yelü Yi was originally a helper recruited from beyond the Great Wall. He had previously lost a grandmaster due to an accident involving Louguandao, and harbored resentment in his heart.

Their willingness to help was driven by their own desire to reap the benefits they had promised, as well as the accumulated wealth of mainland sects like Louguan Dao over hundreds or thousands of years.

Now that their goal has been achieved, they are naturally only thinking about returning to the grasslands. Therefore, when they were fighting Li Yisheng and others, this future King of Liao was completely half-hearted and did nothing.

The pressure won't disappear, it will only shift. Mingzun was forced to bear the firepower of Yan Daotong and his fellow disciples. Without any spiritual treasures, he naturally suffered a great loss, and he didn't even have the energy to cover his appearance.

His goal was to bring the Ming Cult from behind the scenes to the forefront, aligning it with Zhu Quanzhong's fundamental interests.

That's why he was afraid that Zhu Quanzhong would lose his mind.

It's regrettable and hateful to do the work for someone else, but the greatest loss would be to lose a Grandmaster-level combatant here.

Zhu Quanzhong certainly understood these principles, but he and Li Yisheng had fought for many years, and the grudges between them were no longer as simple as the struggle for imperial rewards back then.

After decades of accumulation, this hatred has reached the point of irreconcilable enmity.

It's one thing to give up Xijing and the imperial court for nothing, but the Grandmaster of Alchemy, Taiyi Zhenren, absolutely cannot live, lest this one-eyed dragon become even more powerful!

It's often said that the person who understands you best isn't your friend, but your enemy.

Li Yisheng controlled the Relic Pagoda, merging his own dojo with the secret realm. Nothing around him could escape his perception, let alone Zhu Quanzhong, whom he was closely watching.

Li Yisheng had already sensed it the moment he used the Acquired Bag and immediately prepared to stop him.

However, after discovering that his old rival's target was Taiyi Zhenren, his expression became uncertain again.

Is protecting Taiyi Zhenren truly in my best interest?
If we only look at the numbers on paper, then the benefits of saving the other party are undeniable.

More elixirs mean more soldiers becoming warriors, which means a higher proportion of core combatants will emerge.

Perhaps within ten years, the strength of his troops will surpass that of all the feudal lords in the world.

But that applies to the entire Hedong region.

Ultimately, the fate of the world is determined by the strong.

In the past, he tried his best to win over Louguandao, partly to prevent him from side with Zhu Quanzhong, and partly because the two were evenly matched and had a basis for cooperation.

But if he were to save Taiyi now, it would be like inviting a wolf into the house for him – Yan Daotong would be holding the Two Elements Banner and standing up to him, and wouldn't the extra Taiyi be able to do whatever he wanted in Hedong?

This goes against Li Yisheng's original intention.

He came to conquer the world and become the supreme ruler, not to share the dragon throne with others.

Now that Zhu Quanzhong's defeat is certain, the capital and that puppet emperor are already in his grasp, so his goals before setting off naturally need to change.

The best Louguandao is one that is half-dead and easily manipulated.
Thoughts flashed like lightning; before even a tenth of a second had passed in the outside world, Li Yisheng had already made up his mind, and his speed of action slowed down by a negligible amount.

That's exactly what allowed Zhu Quanzhong's deadly move, Six Paths of Reincarnation, to bypass the defenses;

This seemingly minor incident, which appeared to be an act of obstruction, inadvertently delayed Yan Daotong's reinforcements.

The six realms of existence—heavenly beings, hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, and humans—are like a millstone, crushing and reforging all living beings within them.

Caught off guard, Taiyi Zhenren opened his Daoist altar, but was still struck by this attack and fell from the clouds to the land like a meteor.

"go!"

Having succeeded in his attack, Zhu Quanzhong did not hesitate. He and Mingzun transformed into a stream of light, and the mouth of the Houtian Bag opened, swallowing the remnants of the army, along with Grandmasters such as Ge Congzhou and Yang Shihou, into one gulp.

As it passed above Huayin County, a blood-red thread split off from the light of the Mingzun's escape.

The moment it appeared, it split into countless spider webs, and the roars of the demon and the human echoed once again in Huayin City, which had been calm.

"damn it!"

Yelü Yi was taken aback at first, then cursed, and followed suit.

However, before leaving, still harboring resentment at the thought of the unjustly deceased Gelug master, he struck each of the Louguan Dao masters, who were engaged in a fierce battle with Yue Liduo and Sakya, with a palm strike before quickly departing with the two of them.

"Master!"

Li Cunxiao watched in horror as the meteor crashed to the ground, shattering the summit of Qinglong Peak and kicking up a cloud of dust. He rushed towards it, oblivious to the angry roars of the two monks coming from the direction of Huayin City.

Zhu Quanzhong's attack was a desperate effort, creating ruins that stretched for over a mile like a meteorite crater, almost completely destroying the Miaoyan Palace.

Li Cunxiao gritted his teeth, and his three-headed, eight-armed spirit appeared, like a giant drill, smashing boulders and beams to pieces.

Such reckless extravagance finally led to a familiar cyan light flashing in the corner of his eye after a dozen or so breaths.

"Master! Are you alright?"

Its swollen body shrank, but its forward pace slowed down, eventually coming to a near standstill.

What appeared before Li Cunxiao was an old Taoist priest whose body was covered in cracks, looking like a porcelain doll that might break at any moment.

"Cunxiao, come here."

Taiyi Zhenren's voice remained calm and normal, but the calmer it was, the more flustered Li Cunxiao became.

"Master, you are too badly injured. Please enter my secret realm; if you have any spiritual treasures there..."

"it's useless."

Taiyi Zhenren smiled calmly, pulled open his Taoist robe with both hands, and what was seen inside his chest and abdomen was not flesh and blood, but a scene that resembled the primordial chaos of the universe.

Li Cunxiao had seen it before; it was the old Taoist's inner vision and Taoist temple.

But right now, the Qinghua Changle Realm and the Blood Lake Fengdu, which should have been clearly separated, have been shattered and mixed together.

The order of Yin and Yang was completely destroyed, and the original azure energy irreversibly dissipated from its body into the outside world, triggering the strange phenomenon of nine azure suns in the sky.

"Returning the Dao to Heaven? My junior brother?!"

Yan Daotong's expression changed drastically. His emotional side made him choose to rush over to save people immediately, but his rational side had already gripped the Two Elements Banner tightly and secretly focused most of his energy on Li Yisheng.

"The Grandmaster was one with Heaven and Earth, able to command wind and rain in life and return to Heaven in death. It is a pity that the Taiyi Zhenren was killed by Zhu Quanzhong less than a month after his breakthrough. It is truly a pity."

Li Yisheng seemed melancholy, his hands clasped behind his back, gently supporting the relic pagoda:

"It is said that the Yin-Yang Banner can reverse Yin and Yang and bring the dead back to life. Doesn't Master Yan intend to save him? With me protecting him, you can do whatever you want."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Yan Daotong thought to himself, becoming extremely vigilant. He descended on a cloud, and halfway down, he quietly captured Changsun Chi and several other seriously injured grandmasters into the Two Elements Banner.

The primordial energy surged, and the yin-yang symbol covered an area of ​​about one mile, making it impossible for outsiders to see what was happening inside.

Yan Daotong then walked up to Taiyi and his disciples and saw Li Cunxiao holding the Bone-Illuminating Mirror in one hand and the Qiankun Bow in the other, his head down so his expression was not visible.

"Brother, you are here."

In a short while, the injuries on Taiyi Zhenren's body became increasingly terrifying. His lower body had turned into azure light and was shattering and flying away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Junior brother," Yan Daotong's voice trembled slightly, forcing a smile:
"You, Grandmaster, have only been so powerful for a few days? I was even thinking of passing the position of sect leader to you so I could enjoy a few more days of peace and quiet."

"Don't even think about it! Once you've taken on this responsibility, there's no reason to just throw it away!" "I've worked hard for most of my life, what's a few more decades?"

Taiyi Zhenren remained as domineering as ever, but in the end, he was moved by genuine emotion, and his eyes welled up with tears:

"Senior brother, I've lived for almost a hundred years and have no regrets, but Cunxiao has only just gotten married!"

As he spoke, he became agitated and gripped Yan Daotong's arm tightly:

"I will never see him get married and have children, never see the day when he is surrounded by his children and grandchildren. You must promise me that you will keep him safe and sound, and watch him eventually unite the three elements and even break through the earthly and heavenly forces!"

"I only regret that I wasted half my life, and that I only ever served as half a father and half a mentor until my death."

Yan Daotong and Taiyi Zhenren had known each other for half their lives; they weren't brothers, but their bond was stronger than that of brothers. Upon hearing this, he almost shed tears.

If there was even a one in ten thousand chance, he would be willing to give up anything, whether it be a spiritual treasure or the sect's resources, to save his junior brother's life.

However, Master Taiyi had just broken through to the realm of battle and his realm was not yet stable. He then encountered a series of bitter battles and was ambushed by Zhu Quanzhong with all his might, resulting in serious injuries.

As a result, the origin dissipates and the inner world collapses. Once the process of returning to the Dao begins, even hiding in a secret realm cannot reverse it.

Moreover, Li Yisheng, whose attitude was ambiguous, was outside holding the relic pagoda. Even if Liangyi Peak could really reverse life and death, how could he dare to let go and save people?
"Junior brother, I promise you."

Yan Daotong sighed deeply, about to agree to the other party's final request before his death, but at that moment, Li Cunxiao suddenly raised his head, his eyes resolute, as if he had given up everything:
"Master, do you believe me?"

"what?"

Taiyi Zhenren and Yan Daotong were both taken aback, thinking that Li Cunxiao had suffered too much shock and was having some mental breakdown.

However, Li Cunxiao remained unmoved, ignoring Yan Daotong beside him, and simply stared intently at Taiyi Zhenren:

"Master, do you believe me?"

Yan Daotong's rationality told him that the Louguan Dao had been passed down for thousands of years, and the secret scrolls in the Sutra Repository had never recorded any patriarch who had returned the Dao to Heaven and survived.

However, his emotions made him involuntarily take a step back, nervously watching Li Cunxiao walk up to his junior brother and extend his palm.

"How could I not believe you?"

Taiyi Zhenren seemed to have a premonition of something.

The speed at which the primordial energy dissipated was faster than before, which made the nine azure suns in the sky even more dazzling, clearly visible within a radius of a hundred miles;
Where the azure light shines, vegetation grows wildly, greenery surges from the cracked earth, and one after another, strange and exotic flowers and plants with crystal-clear appearance sprout from the ground.

In the next century, this place will become a treasure land that drives countless people crazy.

But at this moment, half of the old Taoist priest's body had already turned into specks of light and dissipated. He could only stretch out his wrinkled hand, letting his most trusted disciple support it—

The figure of Taiyi Zhenren disappeared.

"this?!"

Yan Daotong's breath caught in his throat for a moment. Even with his Grandmaster-level perception, he couldn't understand what had happened in that instant.

Even with the help of a magical artifact to open a Daoist altar, he could only capture the young man in front of him, completely losing sight of his junior brother's aura.

This is almost impossible.

In contrast, Li Cunxiao's expression visibly relaxed, and he let out a long breath.

"Cunxiao, where is your master?"

Yan Daotong suddenly realized that he might have finally touched upon the core secret of the genius that his junior brother had always been so proud of.

However, precisely because of this, he couldn't ask what methods the other party used or how they did it, so he swallowed all his questions and only asked the one he was most concerned about at the moment.

"Don't worry, Master is alright for now. At least before I die, Master's primordial spirit will not dissipate."

Li Cunxiao looked inward at his dantian, at the primordial spirit of Taiyi Zhenren suppressed beneath the vajra. The latter seemed frozen, its state frozen at the moment before it was absorbed into his dantian.

At that moment, he felt only relief.

The vajra is a pestle for subduing demons; it can suppress and subdue all evil thoughts in the hearts of mortals and turn them into one's own.

Previously, Li Cunxiao would only kill people and then extract the demonic head and spiritual form that flowed out after the death of the martial artist, or extract the primordial spirit and Dharma form of the living person. This was the first time he had done this.

He hadn't originally thought of this approach, since he usually used this method against enemies.

However, Taiyi Zhenren had already achieved the unity of the three elements, and his physical body and primordial spirit were no longer separate. On the verge of death, he felt intense regret and resentment, which was his obsession and his demonic obstacle.

However, the old Taoist priest was skilled enough that he wouldn't fall into demonic possession and become a monster.

In this way, the conditions for using the Vajra are met. As long as it is not actively refined after being suppressed, the original Vajra can become a life-saving straw.

As long as the primordial spirit and Dharma form of Taiyi Zhenren are preserved, there will always be an opportunity for him to return to the world in the future.

In this way, the only problem with rescuing people is that it will expose their biggest reliance.

Since obtaining the Vajra Pestle, Li Cunxiao had always regarded it as the foundation of his life, and he had never even told his younger brother or his wife about it.

Even on his deathbed, Taiyi Zhenren was still concerned about his future, giving earnest advice. Even a heart made of iron would be melted by this.

Moreover, the master and disciple had spent a long time together, and Qici and Taiyi were the same, both having received the grace of being taught the Way and having feelings of love and care for each other.

If all these reasons still prevent you from taking action, then you might as well be a beast!
"I didn't see anything just now."

Yan Daotong turned his back and resumed his usual calm and collected demeanor.

He first reassured Li Cunxiao, and then said:
"With the unusual phenomenon of returning to the heavens, outsiders will surely think that my junior brother is dead."

“Li Yisheng is not a kind person, and he will find it even more difficult to tolerate me staying in the capital and hindering him.”

“I’ve already sent Tianyun with some people away. Cunxiao, you should come with me too.”

"No, Master Uncle, I want to stay here."

Li Cunxiao shook his head and took out the Thirteen Protectors' Golden Seal:

"I promised that one-eyed man, and I can't go back on my word."

"Besides, Master Uncle is going to take his disciples and live in seclusion in Longxi, isn't that right?"

Yan Daotong was silent for a moment, then asked, "You want to enter the world?"

"In these times of great chaos, the strife will never end until someone sits on the dragon throne."

His words abruptly stopped as he scrutinized the young man before him once more, as if he were getting to know him all over again.

Finally, he gave a smile that seemed both helpless and wistful.

"Since you are so kind, please send a message whenever you need help in the future, and the entire Louguandao community will do its utmost to assist you."

"Don't overthink it, Uncle-Master."

Li Cunxiao shook his head, watched as the other party dispersed the Taoist aura that enveloped the area, and strode out.

"I just want to see what kind of turbulent world this will become with me around."

(End of this chapter)