Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 317 A Pact to Enter the Demonic Realm
No one could have imagined that the mighty Heavenly Emperor was now teaching a peerless demon king how to overthrow the Heavenly Court's rule in a swift, efficient, and well-reasoned manner.

"You can now start to win over those gods and immortals who are undermining the Heavenly Court."

"Take the Demon-Subduing Emperor, who is very close to you, for example. You can't make him betray the Heavenly Court, but you can find a way to persuade him to leave the Heavenly Court and not continue to guard the West."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu asked in surprise, "Then how should I persuade them?"

He knew the Demon-Subduing Emperor's temper perfectly well, so how could the Emperor possibly abandon his duties under his persuasion?
Old Zhang said, "This is indeed a problem. Perhaps you can find a way to get that person in the Lingxiao Palace to issue an edict with a legitimate reason."

Zhao Yifu looked bewildered.

Old Zhang said, "That's something you'll have to consider. After all, if I make a decision, the Lingxiao Palace will know about it."

"I can turn a blind eye to what you do, but you can't tell me what you're planning, or that would be a foul."

As he spoke, the portly old man winked mischievously at him, then patted his belly and got up to leave with a satisfied expression.

But before that, he suddenly looked down at the busy God of Cookery below and shouted, "As expected of the God of Cookery, the dishes he makes are delicious. I'll definitely come back next time!"

The God of Cookery looked up in astonishment.

Because he felt his divine power surge suddenly in that instant, as if he had received some kind of recognition.

But when he looked up, he saw that Zhao Yifu was all alone. However, he had a strong feeling that there had been someone with Zhao Yifu earlier, and that person's approval had had a huge impact on him.

However, the God of Cookery was a simple god. He was deeply moved and smiled broadly before continuing to cook.

The magic of the God of Food's Mansion was revealed at this moment, with ingredients appearing endlessly, seemingly inexhaustible.

These are all offerings from mortals to the Heavenly Court, which are transformed from the divine power of the Heavenly Court into incense in the form of food.

Just by looking at the endless supply of ingredients here, you can tell that the incense offerings to the Heavenly Court are still very strong.

Zhao Yifu watched this scene from the top of the Heavenly Prison, pondering how he should fulfill Old Zhang's request.

Honestly, he felt he was really fed up, like a tool of some big shot in the Three Realms, with everyone asking him to do things. It was unbelievable.

He figured that since he was going to dig anyway, he might as well start with the foundation of the Heavenly Court...

So where is the foundation of the Heavenly Court?
Zhao Yifu felt that the Heavenly Prison he had dug up was one of them.

The Heavenly Prison is part of the Heavenly Court's punishments and is one of the symbols of the Heavenly Court's impartiality and majesty.

Now that he has taken away the Heavenly Prison, it is undoubtedly a significant blow to the prestige of the Heavenly Court.

It's no wonder that the Lingxiao Palace resorted to such a compromise after realizing they couldn't win in the short term.

But no matter how important the Heavenly Prison is, mortals cannot see it...

Zhao Yifu suddenly felt that the Heavenly Prison might not be that important, at least not in the eyes of mortals, as important as the Underworld.

His gaze fell downwards, where he saw the endless stream of fresh ingredients appearing in the God of Food's mansion—all offerings from the mortal realm.

It's even possible that there are still many unused items in the God of Food's treasury, after all, the accumulation over countless years is truly incalculable.

Zhao Yifu thought for a moment and suddenly felt he had gained some insight.

If he wants to continue to shake the foundations of Heaven, then he must make sure that the incense offerings to Heaven no longer flourish.

So what should we do?

He remembered what his grandmaster Xuandu had once said: the Eight Immortals of the Upper Cave may seem like idle members of the Heavenly Court, but in reality, they are the ones who truly suppress the foundation of the Heavenly Court.

Why?
This is because the Eight Immortals were all beings who cultivated themselves in the mortal world and ascended to heaven. Their deeds are all recorded in writing in the mortal world, and they are so vivid that they inspire mortals to yearn for them.

It can be said that the existence of the Eight Immortals made the Heavenly Court no longer seem so high and mighty in the minds of mortals, but rather gave it a real connection, making them both yearn for and revere it.

With the Eight Immortals present, the offerings to the Heavenly Court gained an extra touch of 'longing' and 'admiration'.

Without the Eight Immortals, the incense offerings in Heaven can only be for 'reverence', 'complaints', and 'asking for what is not enough'.

Even the slightest difference makes a huge difference to the Heavenly Court and to all the gods there.

Now it seems that if we want to continue to undermine the foundation of Heaven, perhaps dismantling the Eight Immortals would be a good idea, but how do we do it?

Zhao Yifu thought it was possible to discuss this with the eight grandmasters.

Sometimes, when planning something, you don't necessarily need to secretly scheme against people's hearts; being open and honest may not be a bad approach.

So, with a thought, a dream avatar was pulled away from his mind and headed towards the Pure Yang Ancestor, who was vaguely the leader of the Eight Immortals.

The more Zhao Yifu was used in this dream avatar, the more comfortable he became. Apart from being a bit weak and unable to handle things, he was excellent in terms of concealment and convenience.

An incarnation arrived at Chunyang Palace, where there were more disciples studying Taoism. It seemed that the Chunyang Patriarch was ultimately kind-hearted and wanted to protect as many disciples as possible in the coming chaos.

However, even the Pure Yang Patriarch is only at the Golden Immortal level. If he didn't reach the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, he probably wouldn't be able to protect so many disciples...

Zhao Yifu couldn't help but feel worried, after all, he was also from the Chunyang lineage, but he was selected into the Taiqing direct lineage by "thanks to his master".

Soon, he found the Chunyang Patriarch atop a mountain forest behind the Chunyang Palace, facing the rising sun, and greeted him softly, "Grandmaster."

Patriarch Chunyang twitched his eyelids slightly, then opened them and saw Zhao Yifu. He then asked in a warm tone, "It's Fuyinzi. I heard that you have been following Senior Brother Xuandu in your cultivation recently. You must have made amazing progress."

Zhao Yifu humbly replied, "Grandmaster is too kind. This disciple has only gained some insights by chance."

Patriarch Chunyang laughed and said, "Don't be modest. If you are modest, it would be the same as saying that Senior Brother Xuandu has failed in his teaching."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu agreed, and could only nod with a wry smile, saying, "There has been some improvement..."

The Pure Yang Patriarch said irritably, "You're still being modest? Do you think I didn't see the commotion you caused in the Heavenly Prison?"

"Do you know how nervous we were when we saw Youquan descend? Then you just charged in with a knife in one hand and a sword in the other, not only taking off one of Youquan's arms, but also cutting off one of his kidneys... Goodness, when I was teaching you swordsmanship with that guy Fumo, I never expected something like this to happen."

Zhao Yifu said embarrassedly, "Grandmaster, you flatter me. At that time, I was also filled with indignation. Who would have thought that the first thing that Youquan did after descending to the mortal realm was to humiliate me? How could I tolerate that?"

Patriarch Chunyang said with satisfaction, "Good, good, good. You have done right by our past karma."

"Speak, what brings you here this time?"

Zhao Yifu hesitated for a moment, then said, "I want to discuss with my master how to further weaken the Heavenly Court."

Upon hearing this, Master Chunyang wondered if he had misheard. What did this kid want to discuss with him?
Zhao Yifu looked around and said softly, "My Taiqing lineage always hopes that Youquan can take over the Heavenly Court as soon as possible. However, the Heavenly Court is still well-structured and powerful, and there is no sign of decline. I'm afraid that Youquan, which has just suffered a defeat, will not be able to gather enough power again in a short period of time."

“We all know that there isn’t much time left for Youquan.” Patriarch Chunyang nodded, then sighed, “That may be true, but the thought of handing over the power of the Heavenly Court to someone like Youquan makes me uneasy.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu's eyes lit up, and he had an idea for how to persuade her.

He said, "That is precisely why we must weaken the Heavenly Court as much as possible before it falls into the hands of the Netherworld."

The Pure Yang Patriarch asked, "Why is that?"

Zhao Yifu said, "Grandmaster, think about it. The Heavenly Court didn't have its current grandeur from the beginning. I've heard that before the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Heavenly Court had high ranks but few people cared about them."

"It was only after the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods that the Heavenly Court had enough immortals and gods to expand its organization and gradually become a behemoth that governs the Three Realms."

"What Master is worried about is that it would be a blessing for the mortals if such power fell into the hands of Youquan. Therefore, I think it would be better if we found a way to first eliminate the major institutions of the Heavenly Court and reduce its power, so that when it falls into the hands of Youquan, it will be as dispensable as it was before the Shang and Zhou dynasties?"

The Pure Yang Patriarch looked at Zhao Yifu with the same gaze he would give a 'sixth brother'.

He gave a wry smile and said, "Even so, what should we do?"

"I am merely a rogue cultivator in the Heavenly Court. Although I have the title of one of the Eight Immortals, I have no real power. Even this Pure Yang Palace is only nominally in charge of the true Yang of Heaven and Earth. In reality, it is just the closest place to the true Yang of Heaven and Earth."

Zhao Yifu listened meaningfully and said, "Grandmaster, you and the eight grandmasters are of great significance to the Heavenly Court. If something happens to you, it will definitely shake the foundation of the Heavenly Court."

The Pure Yang Patriarch looked at Zhao Yifu with a shocked expression, as if he wanted to see if the boy was talking nonsense.
Good heavens, is this guy planning to betray his master and ancestors?

How could he not know the importance of the Eight Immortals to the Heavenly Court?
So, if Zhao Yifu wants something to happen to the Eight Immortals, is he going to kill them?

When Zhao Yifu saw that the Pure Yang Patriarch's eyes had become somewhat dangerous, he immediately realized what was going on.

It seems like what he just said was a bit 'unclear'?

He quickly added, "Grandmaster, please don't overthink it. This disciple just feels that perhaps the eight Grandmasters could leave the Heavenly Court?"

Upon hearing this, Master Chunyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was really startled.

The young man before him was no longer the child who needed his guidance to get started. He had completely grown into a terrifying being who could fight the God of War of the Three Realms to a standstill and who could tear Youquan's kidneys apart right in front of him.

To be honest, Master Chunyang was really worried that he wouldn't be able to handle this brat if he started causing trouble.

He sighed and said, "That's not right either. We Eight Immortals don't have fixed official positions, nor are we really subject to the Heavenly Court. We only nominally belong to the Heavenly Court."

"But the Heavenly Court only wants this pretext, and as disciples of the Human Cult, we cannot stand up and openly declare rebellion against Heaven..."

Zhao Yifu didn't find it difficult at all. He said, "Grandmaster, don't we still have the Pure Yang Demon Scripture? When the time comes, Grandmasters can enter the demonic state, and then all the problems will be solved."

Upon hearing this, Master Chunyang thought to himself, "Wow, you can do it like this?"

He said irritably, "The matter of falling into demonic possession is fraught with danger. It's not something you can just do casually."

His words stopped abruptly.

Because Zhao Yifu's eyes were already filled with a sinister aura.

All seven emotions and six desires poured out from his eyes. The seven emotions burned like a raging fire, and the six desires were as unfathomable as an abyss. At this moment, Zhao Yifu was like an unparalleled demon lord, and even the sky was dyed black.

But the next moment, Zhao Yifu returned to normal.

Even the Pure Yang Patriarch was dumbfounded. In just a short moment, Zhao Yifu had already completed the entire process of 'entering the demonic realm' and 'escaping the demonic realm', and it was incredibly smooth.

He said speechlessly, "Not everyone can be like you."

However, he then said thoughtfully, "But the Pure Yang Demon Scripture is actually just a byproduct of our answering your questions back then. It is a set with the Eight Immortals' Answers to Their Disciples."

"If circulating the Pure Yang Demon Scripture can lead to demonic possession, while circulating the Eight Immortals' Reply to Their Disciples can help us escape demonic possession, then it may not necessarily be a unique form of cultivation for us."

Upon realizing this, Master Chunyang was invigorated.

He said, "If one day I can enter and leave the demonic realm as easily as you do, then I will naturally be able to understand the profound meaning and no longer be misled by the demonic realm."

He paused here, then suddenly his thoughts drifted further.

Not only should we Eight Immortals do this, but all of us who are disciples of the Eight Immortals should do the same.

Otherwise, when chaos descends, the Heavenly Court will no longer be able to protect us, and the Demon Realm will completely engulf the primordial spirits of all of you... If you cannot skillfully use the Pure Yang Demon Scripture at that time, I'm afraid a great calamity will befall you!
Master Chunyang was indeed a man of great wisdom. He decisively said, "I agree to this. It can even be said to be a way to achieve the best of both worlds."

"However, once we fall into demonic possession, I'm afraid there will be nowhere in the world for us to hide..."

Zhao Yifu immediately took charge, saying, "Don't worry, the grandmasters can come to my place. My place is currently full of unruly monsters, and I need the grandmasters to help me deal with them."

Master Chunyang smiled and said, "That's easy."

He laughed and said to Zhao Yifu, "Alright, you go and prepare yourself first. We'll be there soon."

Zhao Yifu then took his leave.

He hadn't expected to be able to persuade the Pure Yang Patriarch so easily.

However, since Patriarch Chunyang was intelligent enough and possessed great wisdom, there was no need to elaborate on certain matters.

Moreover, judging from the perception, Patriarch Chunyang is already at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm. Perhaps after experiencing this special cultivation for the Eight Immortals, he can enter the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm in one step?

If that's the case, then Patriarch Chunyang would truly be his grandmaster-grandmaster.

Zhao Yifu was also looking forward to that scene, after all, the People's Education Institute was really short-handed.

However, because the topic of demonic possession was brought up, Zhao Yifu suddenly remembered that he might also be able to leave an avatar in the Demon Realm.

After all, the Demon Realm also belongs to the Three Realms, so he has many perspectives to observe it from.

So this avatar simply didn't return to its original form, but instead went straight into the Azure Netherworld, and then entered the boundless demon realm.

At that moment, he saw Moro's gaze again.

This time he was not afraid. He was not afraid when his cultivation was not high, so why would he be afraid now?
He soon sensed that Moro's gaze was gradually revealing a feeling of 'disdain'.

He could understand that; Moro must have found him quite annoying.

(End of this chapter)