Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 401 Even Heroes Have Their Ways
Scholars in the Southern Dynasties were already very fond of discussing metaphysics and Taoism.

Zhang Tongxuan was famous for discussing Taoism many years ago, and he was also skilled in refining various elixirs and powders to maintain his youthful appearance and health, but he was not known for his martial prowess.

At that time, he was almost completely isolated from other people in the martial arts world; they belonged to different circles.

However, after the Northern Celestial Masters sect grew stronger in the north, it also took into account the existence of Qingsheng Temple and wanted to expand southward, taking a roundabout approach to avoid the influence of Qingsheng Temple.

Unexpectedly, this incident provoked resistance from many Taoist sects in the south, and eventually led to a debate between Zhang Tongxuan and the Northern Celestial Master.

In the world, when people discuss metaphysics and philosophy, everyone has their own reasons. However, often it's not about the truth itself, but rather the ability to justify one's own arguments and change the subject.

However, when true masters discuss the doctrines, they discuss the principles you are truly willing to follow. Every word and phrase points directly to your heart and soul. Simply talking about it is useless; you must actually put it into practice within your sect and among your followers.

The Northern Celestial Master did not use his cultivation level to suppress others, but among those of equal cultivation level, he exposed the shortcomings of each sect, leaving the leaders of each sect unable to continue.

It wasn't until Zhang Tongxuan sat down and talked with him that they discussed things for a whole day and night.

The two talked more and more, and as the Northern Celestial Master's cultivation improved, Zhang Tongxuan's cultivation also revealed itself.

It wasn't until the Northern Celestial Master's cultivation reached the level of an enlightened being that Zhang Tongxuan also revealed his own enlightened being realm.

Knowing that his mission to spread the Dao southward was doomed to fail, and having not used up all his cultivation, the Northern Celestial Master led his followers back north.

The Northern Celestial Masters sect had no choice but to continue developing in the north, which eventually led to them being targeted by the Qingsheng Temple.

Because of this incident, Zhang Tongxuan was listed as one of the Six Sects of the Southern Dynasties, and took the opportunity to establish the Xuanjiao (Mysterious Sect).

However, the mountain gate he chose for the Xuanjiao sect was in a place like Guilin Ten Counties.

Since the Han Dynasty, this place has been a place where witchcraft and sorcery were prevalent. It was common to plunder slaves, perform human blood sacrifices, send letters and throw stones, raise tigers to drive away insects, and shout curses at enemies in the mountains and forests.

When the Xuanjiao sect entered this area, many Taoist priests followed, settling down in huts by the mountains and rivers, and fighting with the local shamans.

This led to a flourishing of Daoist practices in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

In this way, the Xuanjiao sect effectively distanced itself from the core conflicts of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the powerful sects, and the major factions.

In both the martial arts world and the imperial court, members of the Xuanjiao sect are rarely seen.

Although Zhang Tongxuan's reputation remained intact, it was difficult for him to become even more illustrious.

Many people believe that his true combat strength is probably the weakest among the Six Sects and Five Saints.

"It seems that too many people in the world have misjudged Master Tongxuan."

Old Madam Gao said, "They captured us all without a word. If the news gets out, it will truly shock everyone."

Chen Zhuangzhi chuckled: "Does the old lady think the news of your arrest will spread quickly?"

"Since you haven't returned for so long, your Gao family will only do everything in its power to keep this secret. How could you dare let other families know that you've disappeared?"

"Besides, Qingsheng Temple has been planning something big recently. Even if news of your disappearance spreads in the future, people in the martial arts world will only suspect that you were eliminated before you participated."

After all, Old Madam Gao was indeed recently invited by Qingsheng Temple to send a gift.

If there's one instance, there's bound to be a second. It's perfectly reasonable that something unexpected happened the second time he was invited.

Old Madam Gao remained silent for a moment.

The Huangshan Patriarch sighed, "Gao family sister, from what you've said, my Huangshan sect disciples are all doing well recently, and I haven't heard of any entire families being wiped out."

"Then you can at least rest assured that your Gao family will probably not be eliminated by Master Tongxuan's people."

Zhang Tongxuan stroked his beard and said, "Enlightened masters are unrestrained and can travel thousands of miles a day. They can go anywhere they want. Even if they disappear and are discovered, there are few clues to be found."

"But if the entire sects and clans of your two forces are wiped out, the repercussions will be too wide, inevitably causing everyone to feel insecure and join forces to conduct a large-scale investigation, which is not what I want to see."

At that moment, a low, hoarse male voice came from another well.

"If that's the case, why show so little mercy to the disciples of my Purple Mansion Sect?"

Old Madam Gao was startled.

Aside from Huangshan Patriarch, she rarely heard the people in the other wells speaking.

These wells have a unique structure; their inner walls are as white as silver and as hard as iron, and are covered with inscriptions in the style of iron and silver, with dragons and phoenixes flying.

Although Old Lady Gao could sense that there were people in the other wells, she could not sense any more.

Upon hearing this, it turned out to be someone I was quite familiar with before.

Old Lady Gao asked, "Is it the Silver Sand Immortal of the Purple Mansion Sect?"

Chen Zhuangzhi answered on his behalf: "It is indeed this one. He is a member of the Zifu Sect and is not yet twenty years old. Apart from treating the local villagers and hiring farmers to grow crops, he does not get involved in the affairs of the court or the government. So he doesn't need to worry much about taking action."

"However, Master Yinsha, I also met with members of the Zifu Sect today..."

He paused deliberately.

Sure enough, purple smoke was faintly rising from the well where Master Yinsha was.

The chains that bound the meridians and connected the well walls trembled.

"That was probably one of my disciples; he must have fallen victim to your wickedness too!!"

"Hehehe, of course... no."

Chen Zhuangzhi said with a smile, "Although I had already decided to take them down at that time, I still didn't reveal any flaws in my words."

"Besides, when we destroyed your Purple Mansion Sect, it was Master Jun who led a few fellow disciples. I didn't go, so they probably couldn't have seen my figure."

Zhang Tongxuan flicked his sleeve.

"Alright, it seems that everyone's breathing is still relatively calm, and no one seems to be contemplating suicide. So I won't let this unworthy disciple of mine cause you any further trouble."

"Zhuang Zhi, come with me to the alchemy room."

Chen Zhuangzhi responded and followed Zhang Tongxuan away.

There were still sixteen Taoist priests on duty around the eight wells. When they saw the two leave, they went back to the wells and sat down cross-legged.

A cold snort came from the well where Master Yinsha was.

Those who have attained enlightenment do not give up easily, and they would not commit suicide casually. Moreover, the chain spell in the well prevents them from even having the opportunity to commit suicide.

The little power they could muster on a normal day was neither enough to reach their brains nor enough to shake the pulse of their enlightened minds.

Even the food and water they were given were medicinal liquids injected into their bodies using hollow silver needles. These liquids would be automatically absorbed by the bodies of enlightened beings, without the need for excretion.

However, after being trapped for many years, he was so focused that he couldn't do anything else.

Even with just that little bit of true energy, they still managed to make a lot of use of it. In the well where the Huangshan Patriarch was, his white hair was disheveled, his yellow robe was tattered, and several chains pierced his body. His right index finger, however, was intentionally or unintentionally pressing on the bottom of the well, the soft pad of his finger pressed against the iron stone.

【Master Yinsha, there's no need to worry too much. Judging from my disobedient grandson's tone, I believe he failed to capture your disciple, and I wonder who thwarted him!】

"Grandson? May I ask who you are?"

[Let me speak for myself, Mr. Huang. This is Chen Wenxin, the former head of the Chen family.]

Mountains are made of piled-up earth and rocks, and in places like Guilin, moisture often lingers in the crevices of the rocks.

The limited power that a master could freely utilize was insufficient for them to dig down to the bottom of the well.

It wasn't even enough for them to communicate in a normal telepathic manner.

However, their limited skill could still penetrate downwards, like plucking a string on a musical instrument, touching the moisture in the crevices of the mountain.

No one, not even the gods, could say how many such fissures there are in a mountain.

This touch was chosen through the smallest gap, and concealed beneath the presence of several enlightened masters.

Unless Tongxuan happens to descend to the bottom of the well at the exact moment they are communicating in this way, it would be extremely difficult to discover.

Alright, let's put aside the matter of my Purple Mansion Sect for now and continue talking about escaping this predicament.

Madam Gao, the reason we didn't mention our identities to you before was because we felt trapped here and had no face to speak.

Let's be frank today. All eight of us here are highly accomplished masters. Apart from the four of us, the other four arrived even earlier. They are all either roaming the mortal world or living in seclusion in the city, the kind of solitary and carefree individuals.

This might be why they were the first to be targeted by Zhang Tongxuan.

One of the four hermits spoke up.

There's no need to save face for us old folks. Back when we were wandering the world, we knew we weren't among the best, so even if we attain enlightenment, we won't compete for it.

Cultivation is for nourishing life; fighting and arguing will only lead to an early death. How can it compare to playing around in the world, teasing the younger generation, using humor to warn the world, and punishing evil?

Unfortunately, this very mindset made us easy targets; once trapped, we could no longer strive for progress.

The escape techniques we've devised can only be passed on to you two newcomers. We hope one of you can go out and spread the word, gathering more people to kill Tongxuan.

When Chen Wenxin and Daoist Yinsha arrived, the four hermits placed their hopes on them.

Unfortunately, the techniques they devised at that time were still insufficient to break the seal on the well.

When the Huangshan Patriarch and the Old Lady Gao arrived one after another, it was already six people passing on their achievements to them.

Old Madam Gao sighed: "My physical meridians have been stiff for many years. Even after careful study, I'm afraid there are many techniques I can no longer perform."

The messengers all fell silent.

The Huangshan Patriarch didn't say anything either.

It was getting closer to midnight.

This is when the moon's turbid energy is at its peak. Anyone who cultivates demonic arts will enter a state of tranquility and introspection at this time.

The Huangshan Patriarch slowly raised his head, and wisps of yellow smoke rose from his wounds and wrapped around the chains.

Each wisp of yellow smoke is composed of countless finer strands of air than a hair. As it wraps around the chains, it cuts between the talismans and gently brushes past them.

The strokes of the talisman were naturally altered.

The chains were pulled out silently, little by little.

Enveloped in yellow smoke, the chains seemed to have lost their weight, floating and twisting in mid-air without making a sound.

The Huangshan Patriarch, with his light white hair and silent yellow robe, rose slowly from the bottom of the well like a yellow cloud.

As he ascended, the aura around him naturally distorted the light, concealing his form.

The body's heat also dissipates and disappears.

The two Taoist priests guarding the well did not notice anything unusual.

The Huangshan Patriarch walked among the palaces and then floated directly towards the precipice.

The most convenient way out of the mountain is through the cliff.

Beyond the cliff, the clouds and mist were vast and swirling like waves in the night wind.

A figure rose from the clouds and stood right in front of the Huangshan Patriarch.

"Profound understanding!"

The Huangshan Patriarch appeared directly, focused his gaze, and noticed a hint of worldly desire in Zhang Tongxuan. "You haven't entered a state of deep meditation at all?!"

"It is I who am cultivating the demonic path, not the demonic path that is cultivating me. Why should I have to abide by the habits of the demonic path?"

Zhang Tongxuan laughed and said, "I just went to get some late-night snacks, and I felt something was off about this place, so I came to check it out."

"Brother Huang, it turns out you've already unlocked it. You didn't reveal a word before. It seems you knew that your conversation was being monitored by me."

The Huangshan Patriarch, who had long resided on Lotus Peak in Huangshan, could sometimes sense that people were connected to the mountain's energy flow, and that he could subtly perceive every blade of grass and every tree, every tiny movement within the mountain.

Back then, Zhang Tongxuan was able to quietly ascend to the top of Lotus Peak, suddenly unleashing a murderous aura that enveloped all the disciples on the peak.

As long as he has a thought, his killing intent will randomly gather and kill a disciple.

The disciples of the Huangshan Sect were completely unaware that they were about to lose their lives.

The Huangshan Patriarch was awakened from his seclusion and realized that this was a deliberate act to force him to come out. So he did not disturb anyone and took up his spear to fight.

However, the Huangshan Patriarch was forced to fight, and his heart was already somewhat clouded.

The defeat was already inevitable.

After being trapped, Huangshan Patriarch carefully pondered and deeply felt that Zhang Tongxuan's grasp of state of mind and breath was very accurate.

So, in this mysterious old lair, they talked so much, thinking they could remain undetected. Is that really possible?
"Well, I don't mind letting you use your wisdom and leaving you with hope, but it would be impolite to leave if you really want to."

Zhang Tongxuan's expression turned cold. "Brother Huang, don't you have anything to say?"

“Once he gets out of the well, Huang will have another chance.”

The disheveled hair in front of the Huangshan Patriarch parted, and his eyes lit up.

His eyes were like bronze, his golden pupils like flames, clear and spotless.

(End of this chapter)