The God of Heavens

Chapter 237 The Book of Creation

Lin Yu had also studied the Daoist scriptures compiled by the Great Qian Dynasty in the palace and had some understanding of the cultivation of the soul. However, compared with the systematic and detailed records in the True Gang Sect's Daoist books, the discussions in the Daoist scriptures seemed superficial.

The Daoist scriptures begin by saying: "The world is like a sea of ​​suffering, and the human body is like a raft to cross it. However, the sea of ​​suffering is boundless, and the raft will eventually decay. Only if the spirit is strong can one abandon the raft and swim to the other side of the sea of ​​suffering by one's own strength."

Martial arts and Taoist arts, though different paths, lead to the same goal: transcendence.

The world is a vast ocean.

When a person lives in this world, the physical body is like a ship crossing the sea, while the spirit and thoughts are the people inside the ship.

Martial arts emphasizes cultivating the physical body; a strong physical body can carry a person safely across seas of suffering.

Taoist arts, on the other hand, emphasize that the sea of ​​suffering is boundless, and that ships and physical bodies will eventually decay. It is better to cultivate one's spirit directly, just like making one proficient in swimming. In this way, even if the ship is destroyed, the person will not drown.

The path of the Ghost Immortal has nine major realms: Stabilizing the Spirit, Astral Projection, Night Travel, Day Travel, Controlling Objects, Manifestation, Possession, Ghost Immortal, and Yang Spirit.

In the earlier stages, one is generally weak and powerless. Even at the stage of Night Wandering, where the soul can leave the body and walk at night, one is still weak. One cannot be too high off the ground, lest a gust of wind blow away the soul, lest one's vital energy be shattered.

In this realm, one can only use illusions to bewitch people's minds. However, if one encounters someone with strong blood and qi or a firm will, the illusions are difficult to use and are easily broken and backfire.

It can be said that before the daytime tour, no one else needs to do anything; a single oversight could cause the cultivator to kill themselves.

Upon reaching the Day Travel Realm, the soul can leave the body during the day, possessing basic survival abilities. It still primarily relies on illusionary attacks, but with increased power.

As they progress, they can manipulate objects, manifest forms, and possess bodies. Their spiritual power gradually increases, and the power of their Taoist arts increases. They are no longer afraid of damage from the blood and qi of some innate martial artists. Their thoughts become differentiated, and their attacks are astonishing, making them more unpredictable and difficult to defend against than close-combat martial artists.

Only when one reaches the Ghost Immortal realm can one be considered a carp transforming into a dragon. This realm breaks the barrier between life and death, granting the ability to possess another's body. Even if one changes physical form, the soul can remain in harmony, allowing one to live another life.

Before reaching the level of a Ghost Immortal, if the physical body is killed or decays and is exhausted, then one dies completely; but upon reaching the Ghost Immortal realm, whether the physical body is killed or lifespan is exhausted, the soul can leave the body and be reincarnated.

Becoming a ghost immortal means being able to live for a very long time; in a sense, it can be considered immortality!
However, breaking through the barrier between life and death is extremely difficult. Many cultivators are stuck at the Possession Realm and die due to the exhaustion of their lifespan. This realm can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words. Comprehension depends entirely on oneself. No cultivation technique, secret manual, or elixir can compare to a sudden enlightenment.

After becoming a Ghost Immortal, a cultivator's soul begins to transform from Yin to Yang. With each tribulation, their strength undergoes a dramatic change: the first tribulation brings pure Yang thoughts, the second tribulation brings forth tiny rays of light, the third tribulation brings forth arcs of electricity, the fourth tribulation brings forth a world with a single thought, the fifth tribulation brings forth a sudden impulse, the sixth tribulation brings shattering the void, the seventh tribulation brings creating things from the void, the eighth tribulation brings refining the soul into a god, and the ninth tribulation brings transforming thunder into water, achieving perfect soul and becoming a Yang God!

By the fourth kalpa, thoughts give rise to worlds. After going through kalpas, each thought can evolve into an unstable microcosm. When many thoughts combine, they can freely create microcosms and use the endless power of the creation and destruction of microcosms to fight enemies, which is already incredibly powerful.

The Seven Tribulations Creator is even capable of creating things from nothingness, making him almost a god!
These two paths are like entering a new realm with each step. Martial arts temper the body, while Taoist arts refine the soul; neither is easy.

Lin Yu is currently only reading Taoist books and has not yet started cultivating. However, since he came to this world, he has been enhancing his foundation, and Taoist arts are a crucial part of that.

The Great Qian Imperial City, situated on the meridian line in the very center of Yujing, faces south and exudes a magnificent aura.

The moat, like a jade belt, encircles the city, and a white jade bridge spans it like a rainbow. The white stone paving is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the vermilion city walls that rise twenty feet high. The bright yellow glazed tiles gleam in the setting sun, and looking up at them, one's hat almost falls off.

The Imperial Guards patrolled day and night, each soldier clad in heavy armor, long swords at their waists, and powerful bows on their backs. Like iron-cast demons, they surrounded the imperial city, casting icy killing intent upon anyone who approached.

Within the imperial city, palaces and pavilions stretch endlessly. Viewed from above, they appear as if a celestial palace has descended to earth, magnificent and awe-inspiring, displaying the majesty of the emperor.

At this moment, the lights were still on in the side hall of the inner cabinet on the east side of the imperial city.

Hong Xuanji was bent over his desk reviewing memorials, categorizing the documents submitted by various prefectures and selecting the most important ones for his perusal. Suddenly, a eunuch's high-pitched voice called out from outside the hall:
"The Emperor has arrived——"

Hong Xuanji immediately rose from his seat, his brocade robe trailing on the ground, and bowed deeply: "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

"I love you, no courtesy."

A gentle voice rang out. An elderly man wearing a nine-dragon golden crown strode in, the gourd-shaped agarwood beads on the crown gleaming brightly, his bright yellow dragon robe accentuating his extraordinary bearing. Though his temples were gray, his steps were steady, and he exuded an aura of authority over the world.

If one were to remove the dragon robe, Emperor Qian, Yang Pan, would bear a striking resemblance to Hong Xuanji, not in appearance, but in the air of someone who commands the universe. Only Emperor Qian appears more weathered and aged.

"Xuanji, I just finished my dinner and took a walk here." Emperor Qian's tone was as friendly as an old friend. "These days, I promoted you to Grand Tutor, and your duties have become increasingly heavy. You've been busy until the third watch of the night every day. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Hong Xuanji respectfully replied, "I have honed my skills since childhood, so staying up late is nothing to me. Sharing the nation's burdens and easing the Emperor's workload is my duty." "No need for such formality," Emperor Qian waved his hand, a look of reminiscence in his eyes. "I am old now, and I often think back to the siege of Qingsha Pass twenty years ago. Back then, you carried me out of the encirclement, sustaining over a hundred wounds yet still fighting to the death against Yuwen Mu."

He sighed softly, "Back then, we were as close as brothers, but now it seems there's a barrier between us. Is being an emperor destined to be a lonely and isolated man?"

"The etiquette between ruler and subject must be respected. As Grand Tutor, in charge of all civil affairs in the land, I should set an example for all officials," Hong Xuanji said respectfully.

The candlelight flickered softly in the hall. Emperor Qian tapped his fingers lightly on the table, pondering, "The fourth prince broke through to the Innate Realm before he was even fifteen. He should have been rewarded immediately. However, I think I should let him gain more experience outside."

He looked up at Hong Xuanji: "He has now rendered meritorious service in suppressing bandits in Yunzhou, and has even captured the daughter of Bai Fengxian, the leader of the Zhen Gang Sect. What does the Grand Tutor think?"

"The matter of the prince can be decided by Your Majesty's word." Hong Xuanji bent down slightly.

Emperor Qian chuckled lightly: "Then let's first bestow upon him the title of Prince. As for Bai Fengxian's daughter," a deep meaning flashed in his eyes, "let the Fourth Prince handle her as he sees fit, it'll be a good test of his resourcefulness."

"If we can take down the Yuan Tu Kingdom without bloodshed, it will be a great fortune for our Great Qian Dynasty."

Hong Xuanji nodded slightly: "Your Highness is exceptionally talented and may be able to accomplish this great feat. However, the True Gang Sect has a profound foundation, so we must proceed with caution."

"It's alright." Emperor Qian looked at the night sky outside the palace. "Young people should always take a chance."

"By my decree, the Fourth Prince has achieved success in his studies and martial arts, and has come of age. He is hereby granted the title of Prince Yu, a mansion, two hundred soldiers, and three hundred thousand coins, and is hereby given the authority to handle the matter of pacifying the Yuan Tu Kingdom."

"Yes." Hong Xuanji bowed.

Emperor Qian, Yang Pan, remained silent for a long time before waving his hand.

His body knew that a shadow had risen from the ground and transformed into a human form: "Shadow Guard serves Your Majesty. May I ask what Your Majesty commands by summoning Shadow Guard?"

"Take some men and go to Yunzhou in the north. Send the Taoist scriptures from the 'Book of Creation' to the fourth brother. Remember to tell him that you can't have your cake and eat it too, and that he should be prepared."

Upon hearing the order, the shadow guard prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowed to Emperor Qian Yang Pan, and his body gradually merged into the ground, disappearing from sight.

Three days later, Lin Yu obtained the Taoist arts chapter from the "Book of Creation," and naturally also learned of the information conveyed by the Shadow Guard.

According to the cultivation methods of this world, the blood and spirit of the human body are yang, while the soul is yin. The spirit and the body are like yin and yang in the universe.

Those who cultivate martial arts, upon reaching the Innate Realm, gradually begin to achieve unity of spirit and body, ultimately becoming one with their soul. Within their qi and blood lies a sharp killing intent, along with the unwavering determination of martial arts training. This is sufficient to vanquish all evil spirits, malevolent spirits, ghosts, and even deities.

But then you can't cultivate Taoist arts. Without a soul, how can you cultivate Taoist arts?
Taoist arts and martial arts are completely opposite paths in the early stages. They not only cannot complement each other, but also hinder each other. The cultivation of Taoist arts is to use yang to supplement yin. Therefore, many people who become ghost immortals have to go through a stage called "corpse dissolution". Moreover, it is very difficult to cultivate to the human immortal realm unless they have a rare treasure like the Heavenly Origin Divine Pill.

Lin Yu took out the "Book of Creation," a golden silk scroll covered with countless characters. At the very center of the scroll were numerous symbols, all of which intertwined to vaguely form a towering ship nine zhang long and sixteen chi high.

As soon as the ship appeared, the sound of endless waves resounded, and the ship, cutting through the waves and manipulating the forces of creation, vaguely condensed into a mood of crossing the sea of ​​suffering and sailing to the other shore.

Upon seeing the multi-storied ship, Lin Yu immediately recognized it as the highest level of visualization technique in the Dao of Creation.

The highest visualization technique of the Dao of Creation, the diagram in the Creation Heavenly Scripture, is not a Daoist deity, nor a human form, but a boat, a Creation Boat that can reach the other shore!

This was a crazy idea from the Creation Dao Ancestor. He wanted to build a divine vessel that could exist even after the creation of the world and the destruction of the Great Thousand Worlds. The Great Thousand Worlds, time and space, a vast sea of ​​suffering, even a Yang God master would find it difficult to reach the other shore, yet the Creation Dao Ancestor had this idea.

There are many others who share this idea, such as the eternal kingdom of "Tai", the bridge to the other shore of the philosophers, etc. Although they ultimately failed to reach the other shore, they are still the kings of the world's top-tier artifacts.

Although the characters on this scripture are small, they are very clear. Each character is as if carved with a knife and possesses a mysterious power. If you look closely, these characters seem to be flying out.

Lin Yu quickly read through the entire scripture and memorized all of it.

He then folded the scripture, placed it close to his body, and sat down cross-legged to quietly contemplate it.

(End of this chapter)