Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 313 So it was animal feed!
Zhao Yifu was preparing to leave the Tushita Palace, carrying a gourd full of Enlightenment Golden Pills, a truly fruitful harvest.

Of course, he originally wanted to leave half for his master, but due to the Taiqing Sage's intervention, he only left twelve golden pills for Liang Zhongzhi.

Because his previous practice of eating the Enlightenment Golden Pill one after another like candy was an absolute waste!

The medicinal power of this golden elixir doesn't end once it's finished; rather, it continues to exert its effects gradually through subsequent reflection and accumulation.

Normally, it would take three to five years to achieve the best results after taking the Golden Elixir once.

Simply pushing Liang Zhongzhi to the Golden Immortal realm like this... well, it doesn't seem like there's any major problem?
Liang Zhongzhi himself was also worried that such a large leap would cause his realm to become unstable. However, after careful examination, he found that apart from having comprehended too many mysteries that needed to be digested and absorbed slowly, there were no other hidden dangers.

He glanced at Zhao Yifu, then looked at Laozi and clasped his hands in a fist and asked, "Grandmaster, I have a question that has been weighing on my mind and I must ask it."

Lao Jun nodded and said, "Ask away."

Liang Zhongzhi said, "Why is it that after Junxin and I were in the Upper Realm, we never seemed to need to worry about the instability of our cultivation levels? We could improve simply by cultivating our magical power step by step... This is very different from our precarious cultivation path in the mortal world."

Lao Jun chuckled and said, "Foolish child, do you think that cultivation becomes easier in the Heavenly Realm?"

Liang Zhongzhi nodded, and Zhao Yifu shared the same sentiment.

Lao Jun said, "That's because your Daoist hearts have already been tempered and perfected in the mortal world, that's all."

Zhao Yifu and Liang Zhongzhi both looked surprised; they hadn't expected this answer.

Seeing their confusion, Laozi further explained: "Do you know that among the three realms, the human realm is actually the most important? The heavenly realm and the underworld are located on either side of the human realm, seemingly acting as a buffer in the middle."

"In reality, the human realm is the center of the three realms!"

"All the seven emotions and six desires, the myriad affairs of the mortal world converge in the human realm, making human evolution the most wonderful."

"Mediocre immortals and gods regard the mortal world as poison and dare not touch it lightly, while ambitious immortals and gods are willing to enter the mortal world to temper themselves?"

"Why? Only in the mortal world can one temper and perfect one's Dao heart, and only then can one comprehend the ultimate state of great love and selflessness."

"Even I, back then, would go out into the mortal world to see and verify myself."

"You were tempered in the mortal world and then transcended it, so you are naturally spared the hard work of re-entering the mortal world to hone your Dao heart."

Zhao Yifu listened thoughtfully. He thought of something and then said with a wry smile, "So, those who cultivate in the mortal world, even after becoming immortals or Buddhas, still have to return to the mortal world to gain experience?"

Laozi smiled without saying a word, indicating he was too lazy to answer.

Zhao Yifu and Liang Zhongzhi sighed with emotion, realizing that their journey of cultivation had ultimately not let them down.

Liang Zhongzhi once entered the world and then withdrew from it, but in the end he came to a realization and stepped forward to lead the Chunyang Sect, and with his single-minded devotion, he finally achieved perfect ascension.

Zhao Yifu, on the other hand, was deeply involved in the overall situation of the world, going against the tide and willing to bear enormous karmic burdens to fulfill his ambition of the Northern Expedition.

With such inner peace and no fear, one will naturally be courageous and diligent after ascension.

The master and disciple bid farewell to Laozi and left the alchemy room, then wished each other well.

Zhao Yifu went straight back to Baiyun Mountain.

As for the prisoners of the Heavenly Prison deep in Liaoshan?
He couldn't be bothered to pay any attention.

Anyway, his seal was loose and the other party could break free at any time.

The shackles binding him were just for show; they had no real power to control the prisoners.

Upon returning to Baiyun Mountain, Zhao Yifu saw his grandmaster, Xuandu, drinking tea there.

I have a feeling that Baiyun Mountain has already become the Daoist temple of Master Xuandu.

Xuandu asked, "You have been gone for many years. Have you listened to your teachings, Master?"

That's right, Zhao Yifu had been listening to the teachings for over a year.

He nodded and said, "The Patriarch preached the Dao to my master and me, and even refined a batch of Enlightenment Golden Elixir..."

As he spoke, he took out the Nine Yang Red Gourd.

Xuandu merely glanced at the gourd, then smiled and said, "There's a golden elixir inside the gourd. You're becoming more and more like a disciple of the Human Sect."

Zhao Yifu silently put away the gourd after hearing this, because he deeply felt that his master simply didn't care about this little bit of golden pill.

Since the core disciples of the People's Education Press are few in number, resources are naturally concentrated there.

Then, Master Xuandu smiled and said, "It's all thanks to your teacher's resourcefulness. I've long wanted to refine a few batches of golden pills for you to use, but unfortunately you don't really need any restorative or healing golden pills, and you only need enough golden pills to enhance your magic power."

"On the contrary, the 'enlightenment elixir' that the teacher refined will be of greater help to you, saving you countless hours of hard work."

Zhao Yifu could only nod and listen... At first, he was hesitant about having so many Enlightenment Golden Pills, but now he slowly realized: the Human Sect was used to feeding Golden Pills like fodder!
However, due to his unique aptitude, he had been delayed because he couldn't find suitable 'feed'. But now, with that seven-colored kidney, the sage master immediately provided him with suitable 'feed'.

Xuandu gave a few instructions, then said, "From now on, you should cultivate in seclusion and don't need to worry about any response from the Heavenly Court."

"After all, the rules of the Heavenly Court are quite flexible, though they can be described as rigid."

That's interesting; it seems to have a hidden meaning.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Yifu bid farewell to Xuandu and then left Baiyun Mountain.

and many more……

He stood still outside Baiyun Mountain, and suddenly felt very lost.

Good heavens, is this Baiyun Mountain his lair? How come it seems to have turned into his grandmaster's dojo?

But since I've already left, wouldn't it seem silly to go back?
He could only return to the Heavenly Prison deep within Liaoshan.

You've only been gone a short while, haven't you? And this place has already become a complete mess.

It's not that the demons here are wreaking havoc on the mountains and forests, but rather that so many powerful demons gathered together to cultivate have generated a large amount of mixed energy... well, what is commonly referred to as demonic energy.

Cultivators also have similar things, after all, isn't cultivation about absorbing spiritual energy and exhaling turbid energy?

However, cultivators usually don't gather in large groups for practice, and their breathing capacity is also not that great. Unlike those great demons, who are all enormous in size and have enormous breathing capacity.

Seeing this, Zhao Yifu was slightly displeased, so he went to the top of the Heavenly Prison and started the Heavenly Prison to absorb and store all the impurities.

In an instant, the place transformed into a scene of celestial beauty.

Nodding in satisfaction, Ao Jia and Lao Niu then approached.

Ao Jia said, "Warden, the brothers have all been settled in."

Old Niu said, "It turns out that only Blood Vine Lady and I are left among the great demons of the eighth level. If the heavenly soldiers come again, I'm afraid we won't be able to withstand them."

It was very worried.

Zhao Yifu confidently said, "Don't worry, even if the heavenly soldiers come again, so what? As long as we're in the Heavenly Prison, even 100,000 heavenly soldiers can't do anything to us." Ao Jia asked, "But what if the Thunder Department attacks with lightning tribulations?"

Zhao Yifu laughed and said, "Then it's even simpler. Everyone just needs to hide in the Heavenly Prison."

"No matter how many lightning tribulations there are, they are just charging up the Heavenly Prison!"

Both the ox and the dragon in front of them felt greatly relieved upon hearing this.

Old Niu then asked, "But I wonder how the warden will face the Heavenly Court next?"

Ao Jia was also very concerned about this issue.

Old Niu was in the hands of others because his wife and children were in their hands, while Ao Jia was because the entire dragon clan was controlled by the Heavenly Court.

Zhao Yifu said, "It doesn't matter. If the Heavenly Court doesn't provoke us, we'll live peacefully here. If they want to fight, then let's fight."

This solution was somewhat 'lacking in ambition,' but it perfectly suited Ao Jia and Lao Niu's wishes.

What they want most right now is peace and quiet.

But then the old ox suddenly thought of something and said thoughtfully, "What if the Heavenly Court sends someone to offer amnesty?"

This incident has left it with psychological trauma.

When the seven brothers gathered together to plant their flags, what a spectacle they were! Even the Heavenly Court had to avoid their sharp edge.

But how did they end up being defeated one by one?

It was that imperial edict granting them amnesty.

The old man Taibai Jinxing, all alone, was defeated by the combined forces of the seven great sages.

When the Monkey King was granted amnesty and ascended to heaven for the second time, there was already some discord among the Seven Great Sages.

Because the monkeys had undoubtedly betrayed them for the second time, it made people realize that the monkeys at that time were actually quite selfish.

Zhao Yifu understood what Lao Niu meant. He said, "Don't worry, going to Heaven isn't a good option right now, but if they really want to grant us amnesty, I won't refuse. Anyway, we'll just stay here and not go anywhere, so Heaven can't do anything to us."

The old ox listened and seemed to understand something, saying, "That monkey is stupid; it was actually tricked into going to heaven twice."

Ao Jia nodded and said, "That's right."

Having reached a consensus, Lao Niu and Ao Jia withdrew, while Zhao Yifu began his cultivation at the summit of Tianyu.

He believed that as time went on, people would only become more and more attached to this place. After all, for the demon race, where else could be more suitable and safer for cultivation than Mount Liao?
Even under these circumstances, Zhao Yifu was able to cultivate with peace of mind.

He had been focused on listening to the teachings, but he had already realized that the three treasures he now possessed each had a deeper meaning.

For example, his Killing Blade contains the Heavenly Dao Law of "Stopping Thoughts." He only needs to calm down and comprehend it to fully understand this part of the Heavenly Dao Law.

Similarly, there's the "Collapse of God" from the Pure Yang Demon-Subduing Sword, and the "Calamity Punishment" from the Forbidden Book of the Great Void.

These three laws were essentially laid bare before him, allowing him to use his understanding of them to broaden his knowledge and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the world's operating rules.

Thus, as he continued to comprehend, his cultivation at the Golden Immortal realm continued to advance without the slightest slackening.

Based on the principle that it was all 'feed' anyway, Zhao Yifu even swallowed another Enlightenment Golden Pill to increase his comprehension.

It must be said that the golden elixir that Laozi tailored for Zhao Yifu was truly a perfect match for Zhao Yifu's personality.

His method of cultivation had actually been determined without his realizing it: to spread many incarnations throughout the Three Realms and even the dark void, so as to observe and comprehend from the inside out, thereby advancing his own cultivation.

This type of spiritual practice requires the most intuitive and analytical abilities.

The Enlightenment Golden Elixir enhances this ability, essentially maximizing Zhao Yifu's 'processor'.

Its working principle is to give Zhao Yifu's brain a dose of "brain gold" without side effects... In other words, this Enlightenment Golden Pill is for the brain, it is like "medicating" the brain.

Thus, with the mental capacity at his disposal, he also conducted a more in-depth study of a 'side story' that he was particularly interested in.

That is, how to help mortals survive the impending great calamity of heaven and earth.

He was still thinking about the food problem.

There hadn't been a good solution before, but now there are some clues.

The main reason was that the gathering of powerful demons here, with their overflowing demonic energy, reminded him of the increasingly turbid spiritual energy of the human world, which seemed to have something in common under certain circumstances.
He therefore used his authority as the mountain god to cultivate a variety of special plants suitable for this environment in the mountains...

See, things in the Three Realms can't be generalized. This wanted criminal from the Heavenly Court is still a mountain god and a friend of Tian Sun Mu Lu!
Many of these plants, which grew under the influence of the turbid demonic energy, can be used as staple food.

However, Zhao Yifu also understood that there would inevitably be side effects if people ate this.

The easiest way to determine this is that the body's meridians and acupoints will gradually close due to the impure energy in these grains, making spiritual practice in the world even more difficult.

As people consume this kind of food generation after generation, their physical strength weakens and they become much weaker than before.

Vision, hearing, and perception will all decline.

Despite knowing its many flaws, Zhao Yifu still carefully collected these cultivated "poisonous grains".

Because in a desperate situation, these things can truly save lives.

This is a backup plan, but as for whether there are better methods... he needs to study it further.

Just then, a call awakened a wisp of the primordial spirit from its contemplation.

It turned out that his little grandson from the mortal realm was calling him again.

So he descended with a distraction, only to find that his good grandson Zhao Huihui was in a rather critical situation.

In reality, only three to five years had passed, which he barely noticed, but in the mortal realm, there had been significant changes.

As the famine worsened and more and more people went hungry, it naturally sparked a massive uprising.

This is something that always happens at the end of a dynasty.

However, to Zhao Yifu's surprise, the problem Zhao Huihui was facing this time was actually the encirclement and suppression by the troops of Daxu!

So when Zhao Yifu was summoned by Zhao Huihui, he was quite bewildered.

How did things get so badly damaged?
Inside the familiar ancestral home of the Zhao family, elders of the Zhao clan argued heatedly, with debates over surrender and resistance raging.

The place where Zhao Huihui was located was undoubtedly an inconspicuous little corner.

This also reflects Zhao Huihui's status within the clan: a nobody.

(End of this chapter)