Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 312 Laozi Refining Pills
Zhao Yifu smashed the exquisite pagoda to pieces with a single blow, which would have cost the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King his life.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, as the name suggests, must first have a pagoda!

Without the tower...

Nezha let out a strange laugh and flew towards Li Jing. Upon seeing this, Li Jing felt that the Five Directions Protectors and Dharma Protectors around him were somewhat unreliable.

He shouted, "The demons are powerful, retreat first!"

They repeatedly urged their troops to disengage and then quickly converge on the central army.

The title of "God of War" was well-deserved. Even with such a hasty retreat, Zhao Yifu did not see many opportunities.

The 100,000 heavenly soldiers retreated in such a sorry state.

The two sides fought fiercely, and the actual casualties were not that great, but the blow to the prestige of the Heavenly Court was unprecedented.

In the past, when the Heavenly Court sent troops to punish disobedient subjects, it was always able to win, no matter how troublesome the enemy was... This is the first time the Heavenly Army has been defeated!
Zhao Yifu stopped and looked at the crowd, saying, "Gentlemen, would you like to settle in with me? Of course, you may also leave on your own."

He stated his intentions very frankly: he wanted to maintain the current state of the prison.

Xing Tian said frankly, "I want to return to my clan's territory."

Zhao Yifu nodded and did not try to stop him, letting Xing Tian leave on his own.

A moment of silence fell over everyone, as if Xing Tian had set a bad precedent.

But Zhao Yifu didn't care. To him, he had only chosen to confront the Heavenly Army formation head-on because he wanted to save more prisoners. If he were alone... he would have already used his Cracked Claw to escape.

Just like when the monkey was on Flower Fruit Mountain, he had to fight because Flower Fruit Mountain was there. Otherwise, with his seventy-two transformations, how could he have stayed there and fought against 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals?
Essentially, it is these prisoners who need Zhao Yifu, not the other way around, a point that few people seem to realize.

At this moment, Ao Jia, who now had two holes in his body, said knowingly, "The warden is right. We are still wanted criminals of the Heavenly Court, and only by obeying the warden's command under these prison chains can we resist the 100,000 heavenly soldiers. If we scatter, it will only give the Heavenly Court the opportunity to defeat us one by one."

It was like a straight man, helping Zhao Yifu win over people's hearts.

Well, as dragons, they are probably the ones who most want to overthrow the rule of the Heavenly Court.

After all, the dragons, who once roamed the heavens and earth in great splendor, were sent to the Dragon-Slaying Platform because of a single mistake in rainfall?

What a humiliation and suppression this was! In any case, Ao Jia, as the Crown Prince of the East Sea, had not yet cultivated himself to the point of being able to "turn the other cheek" like his father, Ao Guang.

So the sirens all chose to obey, and that's how they established their base.

Old Niu readily agreed, saying, "Ever since I met that monkey, I've been plagued by bad luck. Now that I've finally started winning, I don't want to go back to my unlucky days... My only concern is my wife and children..."

Zhao Yifu said, "Old Niu, think about it from a different perspective."

"If you remain alone or continue to be imprisoned, your wife and children will likely have an even harder time. You will become their weakness, forcing them to work with their heads down."

"But if you continue to roam free and live a comfortable life, then they are actually safer... because in some people's minds, your wife and children will become your weakness."

Old Niu pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized.

Wow, you can think of it this way from a different perspective?
It said embarrassedly, "But wouldn't that make the warden think that I, Old Ox, am fickle?"

Zhao Yifu patted the old ox on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I have the magnanimity to do this. After all, we don't necessarily have to be enemies with all these gods, do we?"

"All we ask for is to be free and at ease."

Everyone agreed, because Zhao Yifu hadn't mentioned any unrealistic ambitions. For these prisoners who had been locked up in the Heavenly Prison for so long, being able to breathe freely was indeed their greatest desire.

However, two more of the remaining eight great demons still left.

After all, these powerful demons all have their own ideas and are unwilling to be controlled by others.

However, the Blood Vine Maiden ultimately stayed.

Wait, something strange seems to have gotten mixed in...

Zhao Yifu felt something was very wrong when he saw the Goddess Huayue mixed in with a group of monsters.

Good heavens, the mother of this agarwood is still here?

Although Hua Yue's face is now swollen like a bun, she is still a fairy!

But now she looks like a ruthless female bandit...

So, has this really revealed his true nature?
Zhao Yifu suddenly realized that it was truly remarkable that Chenxiang was able to establish the right values ​​during his later growth. Besides his later education, his father's genes in that area were also a crucial factor.

He sighed softly, pretending not to have seen the 'female bandit'.

Then, maintaining his Founding Titan form, he carried the Heavenly Prison and strode eastward.

He paraded through the streets in such a flamboyant manner.

They traveled all the way from the Western Heaven to the Eastern Heaven.

Throughout the entire journey, he carried the Heavenly Prison with his mountain-like body, surrounded by 30,000 demons.

This kind of travel is already extremely ostentatious and a provocation to the Heavenly Court.

However, the Heavenly Court did not send anyone down again.

After all, the 100,000 heavenly soldiers were driven back...

Zhao Yifu carried the Heavenly Prison back to Liaoshan in a ostentatious manner, and then inserted the enormous Heavenly Prison deep into Liaoshan, where it became an 'ornament'.

He had previously promised Chenxiang that he would use Liaoshan as a place to settle his men... Zhao Yifu was simply fulfilling his promise.

As for whether the prisoners here will become Chenxiang's subordinates?
If he says it's possible, then it definitely will be possible.

"You should settle down here for now. The abundant spiritual energy here is enough to help you recover."

The moment the Heavenly Prison descended, it began to radiate dense spiritual energy to the surrounding area, transforming the already spiritually rich Liaoshan into a fairyland.

Because at this moment, the core driving this Heavenly Prison has become Zhao Yifu's 'Forbidden Book of the Great Void', and the 'Forbidden Book of the Great Void' can convert the dark source power injected by Zhao Yifu into a massive amount of spiritual energy.

At this time, the Heavenly Prison no longer punished the prisoners. Instead, it would occasionally transmit some pure spiritual energy through the prison locks to help their cultivation.

This makes them even more reluctant to leave.

The Heavenly Prison used to be torture for them, but now... it's like a luxurious dormitory for employees of a conscientious company!
Zhao Yifu looked around and said, "Old Niu, Ao Jia, I'll leave this place to you. I have other things to take care of."

Ao Jia and Lao Niu were both taken aback. What could be more important than consolidating the prisoner army here?

Then they both realized at the same time: if such a thing really existed, it must be incredibly important.

So they all bowed and said, "Warden, please leave. We will handle this."

They actually became more humble, because they realized that they might not be that important to Zhao Yifu.

Zhao Yifu bid a hasty farewell and headed towards the Heavenly Court...

Good grief, he just had a fight with the heavenly soldiers and then went to the Heavenly Court so casually?

Of course, they didn't just swagger over there; they at least disguised themselves and then used the 'Sky-Splitting Claw' to tear through space and quietly slipped into front of the Tushita Palace...

He arrived at the palace with a heavy sense of urgency. As soon as he reached the gate, he saw that a small door on the side had been opened. Liang Zhongzhi peeked out and waved to him, saying, "Quick, come in quickly, don't let anyone see you!"

Seeing his master, Zhao Yifu felt completely relieved and jogged into the room.

It had been a while since I had seen my master. I took a closer look at Liang Zhongzhi's cultivation level and saw that he had already reached the Heavenly Immortal realm... And because of the special nature of the Human Sect, once you reach the Heavenly Immortal realm, you will inevitably be pushed to the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm in one go.

Zhao Yifu asked, "Master, is the Patriarch waiting for me?"

He had always suspected that the voice he had heard earlier was that of the Taiqing Patriarch.

Liang Zhongzhi nodded and said, "Yes, Grandmaster is waiting for you in the alchemy room."

Zhao Yifu didn't dare to linger and quickly went inside.

This was his first time visiting the alchemy room in the Tushita Palace. As soon as he entered, he saw two boys respectfully guarding the outer room.

"Greetings, young master."

The two children sang together.

Zhao Yifu's face fell, and he turned to Liang Zhongzhi, asking, "Master, what's going on?"

Liang Zhongzhi sighed and said, "It's hard to change. They call me 'Little Master' here too. You'll get used to it."

Helpless, Zhao Yifu bowed to the two boys and said, "Greetings, sirs..."

He was momentarily at a loss for words.

The two boys quickly replied, "We are merely your servants, Master. When you need us, just call us Golden Horn Boy and Silver Horn Boy."

Zhao Yifu could only nod slightly to acknowledge it.

These two are no ordinary people; they have been tending the furnace for the sage for thousands of years, so he dares not underestimate them in the slightest.

Zhao Yifu entered the alchemy room and saw the huge alchemy furnace burning fiercely.

The furnace was ablaze with flames, and a Taoist priest sat before it, with a flame occasionally flowing into the furnace.

Zhao Yifu looked at the flame and recognized it as a 'gentle fire'. Suddenly, he had an epiphany and quickly pulled out a large kidney from his sleeve.

Youquan's large kidney was originally the size of the entire alchemy room, but now it has been stored by Zhao Yifu using spatial distortion, so it looks only the size of a palm.

The old Taoist priest, with his white hair and beard and solemn face, suddenly twitched at the corner of his mouth when he saw the large kidney that Zhao Yifu had taken out, and then waved his whisk...

Zhao Yifu felt a sudden lightness in his hand, and the large kidney flew up and fell into the alchemy furnace.

He looked at the alchemy furnace with suspicion, wondering what kind of thing such a large kidney could be refined into.

Immediately afterwards, Laozi waved his whisk continuously, and streams of 'martial fire' flowed into the furnace fire beneath the alchemy furnace, seemingly entering a state of 'reducing the broth over a high flame'.

Zhao Yifu watched intently, his eyes never blinking. Just watching Laozi manipulate fire greatly enhanced his understanding of flames, as if it were a demonstration of the Dao.

After a long while, Laozi stopped.

Zhao Yifu immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Disciple Fu Yinzi greets the Sage Ancestor." Laozi stroked his beard and chuckled with satisfaction.

This could be considered the first time Zhao Yifu had formally met Him, and He was pleased with Zhao Yifu's reaction.

When he entered earlier, He was refining elixirs. Zhao Yifu could tell that it was a critical moment, so he promptly provided the necessary spiritual materials and waited patiently by his side. This demonstrated Zhao Yifu's intelligence and resourcefulness.

Upon seeing that the alchemy was complete, he immediately paid his respects.

In Laozi's eyes, this made the younger generation seem sensible and polite, which was more than satisfactory.

He smiled and said, “Get up, don’t be so formal. There are only a few of us in our human sect, so there’s no need for so many formalities.”

Zhao Yifu felt that this conversation seemed familiar.

Goodness, it seems that the elders said the same thing when he was on Mount Mo back then?

Hmph, he can just listen to those words and let them go, but if he takes them seriously, he'll lose!

After all, the Confucian concept of "rites" was passed down from Laozi, so how could they really not follow rites?

Zhao Yifu sat down properly to the side, respectfully clasped his hands and said, "Disciple obeys command."

Seeing this, Lao Jun shook his head speechlessly, then ignored him and waved his whisk again... The next moment, amidst the ethereal light, the furnace lid was opened, revealing a large pot containing thousands of pills.

This rate of production was truly unbelievable to Zhao Yifu.

One can only say, he truly deserves to be called the Sage of Taiqing.
But what kind of pill is this?

This was made from the kidneys of the divine beings, could it be the kind of elixir that can help people have children?

He suddenly felt a gaze that seemed to be in his body looking at him, which made him quickly lower his head and clear his mind, not daring to think any further.

Lao Jun smiled and said, "You little monkey are respectful on the surface, but you're actually quite mischievous... But that's interesting. I remember you should have a gourd yourself, take it out."

Zhao Yifu reached into his sleeve and pulled out the 'Nine Yang Red Gourd', a gift from Zheng Yangzi back then, but he had never really used it.

Lao Jun nodded and said, "Zheng Yangzi's weapon-refining skills are quite good. This gourd is just enough to hold your golden pills."

Zhao Yifu then realized what was happening and quickly lowered his head, saying, "This disciple dares not."

He could barely speak properly. Did they just give him all those thousands of golden pills like that?

Lao Jun said, "The main ingredient for this batch of Enlightenment Golden Pills was originally obtained by you, and this batch of pills was also refined for you, so there is no need to refuse."

Zhao Yifu said, "That may be true, but it still requires the ancestor's painstaking effort to refine it. This disciple really dares not and should not..."

Lao Jun interrupted, saying, "This Enlightenment Golden Pill can only be used by you and your master. You can take it and share it with your master."

Zhao Yifu was at a loss for words.

Since Laozi had already said all that, he could only accept the gourd and express his gratitude.

Then, with his mind, he guided the golden pills one by one into the gourd, thinking to himself: I really followed the right person.

Then the old Taoist said, "Go and call Liang Fengzi here. I will preach to you and your disciples."

"Each of you may take one of these Enlightenment Pills to listen to the Dao."

Zhao Yifu nodded immediately upon hearing this, and then hurriedly went to find his master.

Although it always felt a bit rushed, being able to listen to the sage preach was a truly remarkable thing.

Neither he nor Liang Zhongzhi declined; they each took a golden pill and were ready to listen to the lecture.

Laozi didn't waste any time and immediately spoke.

Liang Zhongzhi's face fell, because he realized that Laozi was speaking too fast, which, based on experience, was beyond his comprehension...

But then he was surprised, because he found that even at this speed of preaching, he could fully understand it. At this moment, he felt that his mind was extremely clear and he could understand all the wonders that Laozi was talking about.

Zhao Yifu also realized this.

He discovered that his thinking ability had been greatly enhanced.

Is this the effect of the Enlightenment Elixir?
Amazing!

Zhao Yifu suddenly realized that the Supreme Sage was about to give him an epic power-up!

What else was there to think about? Zhao Yifu began to work with his master to quickly absorb the knowledge taught by the sages through the Golden Elixir of Enlightenment.

While the teachings of the Humanist School may seem rigid and inflexible, the Taiqing Humanist School is actually the most flexible in its lineage. Once someone becomes a true disciple, they have countless ways to cheat.

As for why there are such benefits?
With the blessing of the Enlightenment Elixir, Zhao Yifu understood the reason after only a little thought.

His kick in the void truly struck right into the heart of the sage and patriarch.

The Sage Taiqing had always wanted Youquan to enter the Three Realms as soon as possible, but since the other sages were unwilling, the Sage Taiqing, who advocated 'non-action,' could only let it go.

But unexpectedly, his own precious grand-disciple delivered a vicious kick from mid-air...

This kick completely shattered the combined efforts of the five sages; it was truly spectacular.

Gradually, Zhao Yifu felt that the effectiveness of the Enlightenment Golden Elixir was waning.

He immediately gave one to his master and swallowed one himself, and the medicinal effects continued to sustain him as he listened to the teachings and gained enlightenment.

The Supreme Saint originally wanted to stop the conversation at the last minute, but Zhao Yifu's actions somehow managed to keep the topic going...

This sermon went on from the heavens to the earth, from the earth to the sea, then to the underworld, and finally to the netherworld.

In short, it encompasses everything, reflecting the vastness of the Supreme Sage.

As a result, Zhao Yifu's inner world was greatly enriched, and his foundation was also laid with unparalleled solidity.

After consuming two more Enlightenment Golden Pills, even the Supreme Saint of Taiqing was starting to get restless... Goodness, this kid's got some nerve, treating Golden Pills like candy and Saints like tools... You're something else!

But at that moment, a golden radiance suddenly emanated from Liang Zhongzhi's body, three flowers bloomed on his head, and his whole body exuded a sense of harmony and perfection.

Liang Zhongzhi couldn't suppress his cultivation level during his sermon and thus became a Golden Immortal!
Of course, this can also be seen as being built up by the Golden Core...

The Sage Taiqing breathed a sigh of relief and said to Liang Zhongzhi, "It's good that you've broken through. Now you have a foundation for self-preservation during the great calamity."

Upon hearing this, Liang Zhongzhi said with embarrassment, "Please forgive me, Master. I really couldn't help myself."

The Sage of Taiqing waved his hand kindly and said, "It's alright, it's good that you've broken through your realm. Now come with me to Taiqing Heaven to cultivate and consolidate your Golden Immortal cultivation. You can look forward to becoming a Great Luo Immortal in the future."

Zhao Yifu also stopped regretfully.

His cultivation level has also progressed remarkably; his inner world has begun to take shape, and among Golden Immortals, he can be said to have reached the level of a traditional, established Golden Immortal.

To be honest, at this point his realm might be comparable to Zheng Yangzi's, and he was still a little short of Chun Yangzi's, but not by much.

Zhao Yifu was amazed that such a single lecture could lead to such a significant improvement, and he felt that the ancestral master's golden elixir was truly remarkable.

Of course, at this point, his Golden Immortal cultivation level was merely an accumulation before his transformation, and it didn't significantly improve his actual combat strength. After all, his current combat power relied entirely on brute force from his dark source energy.

At this moment, Laozi looked at Zhao Yifu and said, "You little monkey did a good job this time, getting everything back on track. You deserve credit for your hard work."

"The only thing is, don't cause trouble outside that world barrier in the future."

Zhao Yifu's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this, then he chuckled and scratched his head.

He wasn't surprised to be discovered, and after witnessing the entire process of the Netherworld's invasion, he understood that any attempt he made outside the Three Realms could have a significant impact on the Three Realms.

This has nothing to do with his own level of cultivation; it's just a matter of form.

Zhao Yifu quickly agreed, then asked, "May I ask, Sage Ancestor, what should I do next? And haven't I offended Sage Yuqing this time?"

Laojun smiled and said, "It's alright. Junior Brother Yuanshi just doesn't like the uncontrollable changes that the arrival of Youquan would cause, and He is not prepared enough. Now you are helping me to introduce Youquan into the Three Realms while suppressing its momentum, giving us room to prepare."

“Junior Brother Yuanshi will only be pleased that you have put everything back on track as He expected, and will not really blame you.”

Zhao Yifu breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

His biggest worry was that this big shot was not satisfied with him.

The main reason is that this person has a history of breaking the rules.

Lao Jun then said, "You don't actually need to do anything extra anymore. Just lead your people to Liaoshan and become a force that cannot be ignored."

Zhao Yifu hesitated before asking, "Is it enough to just keep things as they are?"

Lao Jun said, "This is just the most basic thing. You might still be found by Youquan while you are there. This is your chance."

Zhao Yifu was quick-witted and immediately understood what the 'opportunity' referred to.

Because he always knew where the bottom line and the upper limit were regarding the matter of Youquan.

Now that the bottom line has been reached, what I need to do next is figure out how to reach the upper limit... which means letting Youquan bear the brunt of the great thunder in the Three Realms!

Zhao Yifu still raised a concern: "But in that case, wouldn't the person sitting in the Lingxiao Palace become an obstacle?"

Lao Jun said, "The one in the Lingxiao Palace will naturally keep trying to deal with you, someone who has seriously violated the heavenly rules and challenged the authority of the Heavenly Court."

"But correspondingly, you will also become a banner of resistance against the Heavenly Court."

"In addition, you can try to weaken the foundation of the Heavenly Court, just like you refined and moved the entire Heavenly Prison."

"Once the foundation of the Heavenly Court is shaken to a certain extent, that person will no longer be able to pose a threat to you."

Zhao Yifu listened thoughtfully, and he had a vague feeling about it.

Just as he was still struggling to understand, Laozi suddenly said, "By the way, I'm going back to Taiqing Heaven to cultivate. With your master by my side, I won't need any servants to wait on me."

"I'll need your help to look after these two children."

Zhao Yifu immediately agreed, then suddenly realized what he meant.

Good heavens, so digging into the walls of Heaven is actually a form of 'risk avoidance'?
(End of this chapter)