Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 343-353 Hunting for Grass, the First Emperor and His Son

Tibet's power was an accident.

The vast snowfields, high mountains and deep valleys—the harsh environment—are not a foundation for a king's dominance.

However, the workings of nature are beyond human control. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Qin, when he dominated the world, the temperature on the snow-covered plains quietly rose, making it possible to grow crops.

Later, monks who took it upon themselves to spread the Dharma entered the snowy plains, bringing with them Mahayana Buddhism, which aims to awaken both the Buddha and others.

But what was unexpected was that the esoteric Buddhism that survived in the end was quite different from the orthodox Buddhism in the Central Plains.

Cruel and bloody, yet clearly structured and with complete rituals, it is more convenient and faster than enlightenment.

Coincidentally, as the Qin Dynasty declined, Tibet's imperial favor also gradually disappeared.

The cold winds of the snowy plateau once again swept across the land, and the land suitable for growing crops dwindled.

This place has once again become a barren land.

"It was for this reason that Gelug and Sakya betrayed the descendants of the gods, betrayed the trust of the Zanpu, and went to the northern desert with the Qida from the grasslands."

"Because they felt that only by following those barbarians could they have the chance to enjoy the riches of the Central Plains!"

Before a vast palace unlike any in the Central Plains, Jianzan, his hand on the long sword at his waist, shouted loudly to the young guards below:

"But this will not defeat us! For the great Tsangpo, the descendant of Zhangzhung, will forever protect us!"

"We don't need the appearance of monks. The Zanpu is our Living Buddha, our Dharma King!"

The booming sound seemed to possess some kind of magic, and the young guards, their faces flushed, shouted "Long live!"

In a corner of the palace, two people dressed similarly to Gyaltsen watched this scene quietly.

They wore round-necked robes similar to those in the Central Plains, but with much more vibrant patterns. Instead of turbans, they wore tall red felt hats.

The three men had red "do-nails" painted on their foreheads, noses, and cheeks, resembling marks of blood drawn from cuts.

"Duojia" is made by adding more than a dozen ingredients, such as ghee, tea leaves, honey, brown sugar, herbs, and Wulingzhi, to a thick milk curd mixture.

Applying "do-jia" to the raised parts of the face to create an ochre-red makeup is called "ochre face makeup," a type of red face decoration popular among Tibetan nobles, symbolizing bravery.

The two spoke in hushed tones.

"How are Ganzhou and Suzhou?"

"They have all fallen into the hands of Louguandao."

"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. The Central Plains are in such a mess, and a holy land has suddenly appeared and disrupted our grand plan to control Hexi."

"The barbarians in Guazhou and Shazhou have now been won over by the Louguan Dao and are targeting us everywhere. I'm afraid we won't have a chance to go north."

"Then how about we head east?"

Will the King of Shu stand idly by?

"It was hard to say before, but I recently heard that the imperial court has sent a Thirteen Protectors to be stationed in Wenzhou and Fuzhou."

“Wang Jian is ambitious, how could he be willing to be restrained? This might be our opportunity to enter the Central Plains.”

"It's worth a try, but we must wait until the king attains enlightenment."

As soon as the words were spoken, a jet-black beam of light suddenly shot straight into the sky from within the magnificent palace.

The once clear sky was instantly shrouded in darkness, as if dyed black.

The two men talking, along with Jianzan, who was instructing the young guards in the square, all looked up at each other. After just one glance, they knelt down in ecstasy and shouted:

"Invincible God! Descendant of Zhangzhung! King Tsangpo!"

In the Tibetan language, "Zan" means strong and powerful, and "Pu" means man; hence, the ruler is called Zanpu.

The object of worship for all was the contemporary Tibetan king, Gyaltsen.

He sat cross-legged, hands clasped together, his expression serene and joyful, yet his body was imbued with a raging aura of heaven and earth, shaping a completely new Dharma form:
His body was dark blue-black, short and stout, with one face, two arms, three round red eyes, an open mouth biting sharp teeth, furrowed brows in anger, and a five-skull Buddha crown on his head. His beard and hair were red and stood up.
He wears a necklace of fifty blood-soaked human heads, holds a Vajra Axe in his right hand, and a Kapala, a vessel filled with the blood of all evil spirits, in his left hand. He holds a staff-like knife horizontally on his elbows, with countless divine weapons hidden within the knife.
She wore a tiger skin skirt and was adorned with six kinds of bone beads, necklaces, and snake treasures. Above her was a roc, to her right a black bird, to her left a blue iron wolf, in front of her a black man, and behind her a black dog. All these creatures surrounded her.

"After fourteen years of martial arts training and sixty years of practice, my Great Black Heaven Dharma Form has finally been achieved."

Gyaltsen looked down upon his palace and the crowds kneeling in worship throughout the valley outside, drawn by his magnificent image.

Whether rich or poor, they all held prayer wheels, chanted scriptures about the Buddha's descent to earth, and sang praises to the great King of Tibet.

A wave of inner satisfaction surged through him, mingling with the joy of breaking through to the Grandmaster level, making him unable to resist the urge to immediately engage in several battles with Mingfei.

The strange phenomenon lasted for fifteen minutes before gradually dissipating.

Jia Zuru landed on the ground with a smile, and the young guards crawled forward on their knees as if witnessing a divine miracle, kissing the backs of his feet as if it were the highest honor.

Gyaltsen and the other two performed only slightly better. When the four of them entered the palace, the three of them knelt down.

Raise both hands together overhead, bowing three times from the top of the head, from the forehead, to the chest. Then prostrate on the ground, stretching out your hands to mark the ground.

They would kneel from the palace gate all the way down to the throne; this is what is known as "kowtowing."

After the process was completed, Jia Zuru finally spoke with satisfaction:
"Renzeng, Lunzhu, how is the situation in Hexi during my seclusion?"

"With internal strife in the Central Plains, you have no time to attend to other matters. Let me guess, have you already captured Ganzhou and Suzhou?"

The two people who had been talking earlier froze, and could only carefully bow and explain the powerful situation of the Louguan sect.

With each sentence they spoke, Jia Zuru's smile faded, until finally she let out a calm sigh.

Rinchen, Lunzhu, and Gyaltsen immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

“Our Yungdrung practice on the snowy plains is crude and primitive, and difficult to learn. That’s why the Three Kings of Hell introduced Tantric Buddhism to transform Buddhism.”

"By the time of my grandfather, the position of Chancellor of the Monks was established, marking the beginning of monks holding political power."

“But Gelug and Sakya abandoned their grandfather and father, respectively, and chose Yelü Yi, the leader of Qida.”

"Now, the Taoist holy sites that have come from the capital are also hindering our northward journey, blocking our path."

"Is it really impossible for the descendants of Xiangxiong to leave this barren snowfield and enjoy fertile land?"

I thought that by becoming a grandmaster, I could make my mark in this chaotic world.

Even if they don't conquer the Central Plains, they can at least leave the snow-capped mountains and establish their own independent territory.

Who knew that Li Yisheng would inherit the legal system of the Qin Dynasty and show signs of a revival? His prestige as a Grandmaster shook the world, and even the immortals of Louguan Dao fled to Hexi.

Currently, the only options for getting out of the snow-capped mountains, besides the desert to the west, are Jiannan Road to the east.

However, he is currently only at the initial stage of the Yuan Tai realm, and he cannot even defeat the leader of the Qingcheng Sect, let alone Wang Jian, a Grandmaster.

Those who can become grandmasters all possess extraordinary willpower, but Jia Zuru, who has just broken through, cannot help but feel somewhat disheartened.

Having served as ruler and subject for many years, the three men, sensing the tense atmosphere, tried to salvage the situation:
"Where there's a will, there's a way; how can the Zanpu (Tibetan king) be discouraged

"Yes, if going north doesn't work, we can still go east. The Zanpu (Tibetan king) doesn't know that the situation has changed again."

“That’s right. Li Yisheng sent people to hinder the King of Shu, and Wang Jian must be feeling very uncomfortable about it. This is actually our opportunity.”

Upon hearing this, Jia Zuru's eyes lit up. After carefully inquiring about the matter, she seemed to be deep in thought.

"So, it seems that Fuzhou and Wenzhou are currently occupied by these Thirteen Protectors."

"Jianmen Pass is a vital passage into Sichuan. As the people of the Central Plains often say, 'How can one allow another to snore beside one's bed?'"

"These rumors are probably just something the King of Shu deliberately spread. He is afraid of Li Yisheng, so he wants us to test him out for him."

“That’s right,” Jian Zan chimed in agreement.

"But he didn't expect that the king had already attained the Mahakala Dharma form, and that the mere Thirteen Protectors were not enough to stop our progress."

“Your Majesty, I volunteer to lead the vanguard and conquer Wenzhou and Fuzhou to present to you.”

Jia Zuru frowned. "Jianzan, I know your loyalty, but recklessness alone cannot bring victory."

"Information is scarce in the snowy plains, and we still have too little information about the Thirteen Protectors." "Winter in the snowy plains is getting harsher, and the sacrifice of every soldier is a heavy price to pay. We cannot afford to squander our resources."

"It is their honor to sacrifice for the Zanpu," Jianzan insisted.

"Besides, it is precisely because of the harsh winter that we do not have enough food, and now that it is the autumn harvest, we must go down the mountain."

"Even if we can't capture the city, we can still seize enough food by just wandering around the countryside."

Jiazuru remained silent, and the other three also kept quiet, awaiting the Zanpu's decision.

However, those born in this place may seem to have choices, but in reality, they are never prepared for them.

This kind of "grass-grabbing" behavior happens every autumn.

Even if the Thirteen Protectors didn't come, they would still go down the mountain to plunder.

"Alright. Jianzan, I'll give you a thousand warriors. Your primary task is to seize grain, and your secondary task is to gather intelligence."

"Only by doing these two things will you be allowed to test the waters of the state."

"I have just broken through and need to consolidate my realm. It will be difficult for me to make a move in a short time, so you must be careful."

"Following Your will," Gyaltsen knelt down and prostrated himself three times.

"If things go wrong, I will immediately lead the warriors back to the snowfield."

"This place is extremely cold, barren, and plagued by miasma. People from the Central Plains cannot adapt to it, and even if they come after us, they will retreat. This has always been the case before."

These words made the others nod slightly, and the last bit of hesitation in their hearts disappeared.

"Go, Gyaltsen, as your name suggests, bring me the banner of victory!"

“When Yin suspects Yang, it will fight, because it is afraid of the absence of Yang, hence the name ‘Dragon’.”

"It has not yet separated from its kind, hence the name 'blood'."

“The ‘black and yellow’ are the mixture of heaven and earth; heaven is black and earth is yellow.”

Mysterious words echoed in their minds, and countless golden characters seemed to rush through Ye Chengxiao and Wei He's eyes. They ignored the Li Guangyi brothers in front of them and were completely immersed in the world of the cultivation technique.

Li Cunxiao smiled slightly as he watched this scene and took out two pills from his sleeve.

Li Guangyi is now also a martial artist specializing in internal organs. He has refined his liver and has amazing eyesight. He can see even the smallest dust particle and fly clearly from three steps away.

The pill was pale red and looked and smelled very similar to the "Dragon Pearl".

However, its surface is transparent, allowing one to clearly see the amber-colored liquid inside.

Seeing his curiosity, Li Cunxiao reached out and pushed, and his true essence presented the suspended pill to Li Guangyi.

"what?"

Within the two Dragon Balls, there are two dragon beasts with different colors.

One of them has a dragon-headed turtle body, a single horn, scales and claws, and carries a stone tablet on its back, seemingly bearing the weight of the earth.

The other end has two horns like a dragon, a short, thick body covered in scales, no feet, and its fish tail raises waves.

"Baxia? Chiwen?"

Li Guangyi was startled, only to see that two pills had already entered Wei He and Ye Chengxiao's mouths, one on the left and one on the right respectively.

As the pills entered their bodies, the two groaned, and a radiant glow flowed from their dantian, causing their cultivation levels to rise directly from their internal organs to the Yellow Court!
“Brother, this!”

Li Guangyi was dumbfounded and could hardly speak.

Wei He and Ye Chengxiao are only a few years older than him; they will both turn twenty this year.

Although his internal organs had already reached perfection, because he did not cultivate the Daoist military method, he would still need some painstaking effort to break through to the fourth realm.

Compared to Li Cunxiao, who reached the level of a grandmaster in his early twenties, this is certainly nothing.

However, in the old Louguandao sect, this rate of advancement would definitely have been enough to enter the inner sect.

Even though it's only a hair's breadth away from a breakthrough, Huang Ting is still an extremely dangerous hurdle.

The lower dantian is the hub of vital energy, while true energy is the bridge between demons and martial artists.

If you fail to suppress the demon, you will be influenced by your inner demons and become a monstrous being!

But right now, Li Cunxiao took a pill and easily broke through the bottleneck, and Ye Chengxiao and Wei He showed no signs of becoming demonic.

Not only was his expression very peaceful and serene, but the opening of his dantian and qi sea was also proceeding in an orderly manner, and one could even see the true qi circulating along the twelve meridians!
"Yin and Yang unite, spirit and demon battle, they repel and attract each other, condensing into a dragon pearl, the two elements are in balance, and the Dao heart is firm."

Looking at the scene before him, Li Cunxiao felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

By investing enough of his baleful aura to attempt a breakthrough to the Grandmaster level, he gained far more than just a copy of "Mysterious Heaven Yellow Dragon Dao Soldier"—he acquired a complete system of cultivation techniques and medicines.

As a result, his alchemy skills also improved, and he vaguely touched upon the mysteries of the furnace of heaven and earth.

"I've always thought that the reason why demons are so terrifying is because they originate from the heart of a martial artist."

“Resentment and fear are formless and intangible; without opening the mysterious gate and grasping the primordial spirit, they cannot be controlled at all.”

"Sometimes, even when you're on the verge of collapse, you still deceive yourself or take risks because of your obsession."

"But with the Crimson Scale Technique and the Mysterious Yellow Dragon Dao Soldier, things are different."

"The former, when combined with Dragon Ball Elixir, can minimize the generation of malevolent energy."

"The latter can help martial artists to create an inner core dragon pearl in their dantian, balancing their spiritual self and demonic energy."

"The higher the cultivation level, the stronger the self-regulating ability of the inner core dragon pearl, and the less likely it is to go out of control."

"Wonderful!" Li Guangyi clapped his hands repeatedly, his eyes filled with unspeakable admiration.

"Then what about the dragon beasts in those two Dragon Ball pills?"

"Since the Imperial Dragon Guard is a personal guard, its function should naturally be distinguished from that of the Dragon Armor Army below."

Li Cunxiao explained, "The dragon has nine sons, each different from the other."

"What Wei He obtained was the 'Baxia Gong' from the 'Xuantian Huanglong Daobing'."

"They are close to the earth, good at bearing burdens, and their true energy is adept at transforming the terrain; they are engineers."

"What Ye Chengxiao obtained was the 'Chiwen Skill,' which is good at water and is the prototype of the future navy."

"Both of these will be of great use, whether for building fortifications or for future waterway access to Sichuan."

One more thing that wasn't mentioned is that the so-called Xuantian Huanglong Dao Army naturally takes Li Cunxiao as the heaven and the Dao Army as the earth.

He is the Ancestral Dragon, the Great Dragon, and Dao Bing is the son and grandson of the dragon.

Using his superior strength to control the weak and exploit their weaknesses, Yu Longzhi would be more dependent on him than the Dragon Armor Army, who practiced the "Crimson Scale Technique."

In the future, Li Cunxiao also plans to establish special forces encompassing land, sea, and air, such as the Suanni Imperial Guard and the Yinglong Air Force, striving to have no weaknesses.

Once the army is formed, it will sweep across the universe.
"Guangyi, you also have a share of this."

"But yours is different from theirs."

"To be precise, if you eat this, Ye Chengxiao, Wei He, and everyone who cultivates the inner core dragon pearl afterward will be under your control."

As Li Cunxiao spoke, he solemnly took out a pill.

Both are amber-like, but the dragon-like creature within them is short-bodied like a tiger, possessing an imposing aura that commands respect without anger.

"Bi'an is fond of litigation, and is also called Xianzhang."

Li Guangyi took the pill and seemed to understand something.

"My brother wants me to be a military policeman?"

(End of this chapter)