Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 403 A Single Mind's Desire, As If Before My Eyes
Lu Yuande took the snake-shaped token and examined it carefully.

Chu Tianshu appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he summoned a token screen that only he could see.

Originally, Chu Tianshu was in a very relaxed mood after successfully killing Qing Sheng and the others.

Although he obtained a batch of high-quality evil spirit materials, he was in no hurry to use them.

It seems there shouldn't be any formidable enemies in the near future. Once I've mastered the Penglai General Principles and gained some personal insights and additions, I can further optimize it based on those additions, and the final result will be even better.

Chu Tianshu is quite confident in this regard.

Sometimes, whether one can make some detailed additions to a technique depends not only on the level of mastery of that technique itself.

We also need to see if there is sufficient information from other sources to inspire and verify our findings, so as to learn from others' experiences.

The True Scripture of Boiling the Sun is profound and extensive, and it contains some mysterious principles that may be applied to the General Principles of Penglai.

Furthermore, the Qingsheng Temple lineage, as the number one sect in the world and the leader of the Northern religions, has collected and created many secret manuals and ideas on the study of consciousness. This is not just the work of Qingsheng Monk alone.

These can all serve as supplements to the general outline of Penglai.

In the process of reading, absorbing, and adapting, Chu Tianshu inevitably incorporated his own style, making the revised cultivation method more suitable for his own situation.

However, unexpectedly, one thing led to another. Besides the chaos caused by the number one sect in the world and the demonic masters, there seemed to be some undercurrents hidden.

Since that's the case, we should make a clean break.

Demonic consciousness reverses and arises, a thousand lights conceal their sharp edges, each thought traces a dragon, Buddhist intent severs gold...

Chu Tianshu scanned the characteristics of these different evil spirits, selected the demonic consciousness belonging to Monk Qingsheng as the main one, and began to refine and deduce it.

[…The deduction is complete.]

The General Outline of the Penglai Innate Victory Method

A thousand moves lead to the same path, but one move can overcome a thousand paths.

The most profound methods, when traced back to their origins, all stem from their alignment with the Dao.

The power of various techniques lies in the understanding of the Dao and the application of force.

Learning techniques and focusing one's strength at the moment of attack is insufficient to sustain that strength and build a solid foundation. Knowing the "how" but not the "why" is a form of acquired skill.

After mastering this method, one refines the techniques and attains enlightenment. With each unique move perfected, one understands a specific Dao power, harmonizing and integrating it according to its fundamental principles, allowing for free absorption and release without contradiction—this can be considered innate.

"what?"

Chu Tianshu was somewhat surprised.

He had always felt that Monk Qingsheng's evil spirit characteristics had the greatest potential to unleash greater power of his mental energy in life-or-death situations.

He also secretly wondered what effect this characteristic might have if it were used to deduce cultivation techniques.

But I never expected it to turn out like this.

"Demonic consciousness reverses life" means that in terms of its effect, it is a life-or-death crisis where the power of thought is unleashed.

However, the essential principle it follows is that a person's innate wisdom is differentiated into the seven emotions and six desires, and countless distracting thoughts. Monk Qingsheng was able to return to his innate state amidst life and death, and merge with the Tao, so that he could exert greater power.

This analysis does not start from its appearance, but focuses on its essence.

The final result, naturally, is that the Penglai General Principles become more adept at comprehending the power of the Dao.

Chu Tianshu thoroughly experienced the optimized content and gained some understanding of it.

The amount of energy from heaven and earth that he can absorb now falls into two categories.

First, it relies on the original texts of Nan Hua to extract vital energy from the surrounding environment and physical objects.

For example, the energy of steel must be found in places with steel, and the energy of incense and gilded statues must be found in large temples and ancient monasteries. Although there seem to be many types, there are actually quite a few restrictions.

The second possibility is that he cultivated his internal energy, comprehended the essence of heaven and earth, and gained profound insights.

For example, the water-attribute essence of heaven and earth doesn't care whether there is visible water around it or not. Even if it is in a furnace, it can still absorb and exhale water essence.

However, when it comes to internal martial arts, it's best to focus on only one style at a time.

Chu Tianshu usually uses the same internal energy technique to propel different attribute moves.

Despite his superior internal energy cultivation and his own insights and refinement, he still couldn't avoid having to temporarily transform his internal energy by circulating it through his meridians and altering some of its attributes.

Since one has not delved into the internal energy cultivation methods corresponding to those techniques, it is naturally impossible to comprehend the attributes of the heaven and earth's energy.

The current Penglai Primordial Principles.

This means that Chu Tianshu only needs to use the Penglai General Principles to comprehend the moves, without needing to cultivate the corresponding internal energy, to understand the power of heaven and earth corresponding to those moves.

After achieving enlightenment, one can simultaneously absorb and harmonize various forces during cultivation.

The human body is itself a small world.

The more attributes of the power of heaven and earth one can comprehend, the more advantages one will have over those who specialize in only a few attributes.

"Very good, very good indeed."

The more Chu Tianshu pondered, the happier he became.

The essence of the "Boiled Sun Sutra" is also to emphasize strong adaptability to external circumstances.

With the True Scripture of Boiling the Sun as its foundation and the General Principles of the Primordial Innate as its application, connecting these two techniques will certainly be smoother than Chu Tianshu had previously anticipated.

Although we didn't get to deduce any secret techniques for use in life-or-death situations, we're not disappointed.

"Using this innate general principle, I will then use it to condense my ultimate technique for the Samadhi Power Hand Seal..."

Chu Tianshu subconsciously began to ponder.

Soon after, Lu Yuande's voice rang out, causing him to open his eyes.

"There are only a few styles of Taoist robes in the world. The differences between different Taoist sects are usually made in the patterns."

Lu Yuande looked a little dejected and shook his head, saying, "I looked and looked, but I still couldn't find any special patterns in these lights and shadows that indicate the sect."

"At most, we can only confirm that the material of this person's clothes is the same as that of the person who broke into our valley before."

Chu Tianshu asked in confusion, "Wasn't that intruder wearing black cloth? This Taoist's robe is completely different in color."

"Ah!"

Xiao Liang explained, "It's obvious you don't know much about fabrics. For us martial artists, the color of the fabric is the least important part."

"The quality of clothing depends on three factors: the quality of the silk source, the weaving method, and the skill and expertise of the textile worker."

"Many high-ranking members of aristocratic families and sects have special robes that, just by wearing them, offer the advantages of being able to withstand being submerged in water, not getting hot in fire, and being difficult to be injured by small crossbows. In fact, in dire situations, the robes themselves can even be used as food."

At this point, he couldn't help but ask, "Has someone broken into your valley?"

“That’s someone who cultivates demonic arts of the Daoist sect,” Chu Tianshu said thoughtfully. “It’s not too surprising that these two are in cahoots.”

"The major Taoist sects I've heard of in this era are the Northern Celestial Masters Sect and the Tongxuan Sect, and they both prefer to hide deep in the mountains and forests..."

After the Northern Celestial Masters sect closed the mountain, it was said that they had already gone deep into the Great Xianbei Mountains.

That was the place where the Northern Dynasty royal family, the Tuoba Xianbei, rose to power, which was actually the Greater Khingan Mountains.

The Tongxuan School is located in the ten prefectures of Guilin, amidst the vast mountains.

Lu Yuande said, "No matter which faction it is, their headquarters are very hard to find."

Chu Tianshu asked, "The Northern Celestial Master has gone into seclusion, but the Tongxuan Sect is said to be quite active in the ten prefectures of Guilin. Are they also hard to find?"

"The Northern Celestial Master was quite easy to find before he retired from the Northern Dynasty and implemented the system of Taoist officials. However, the Tongxuan School was a sect that sought immortality and practiced magic from the very beginning."

Lu Yuande explained in detail, "Since ancient times, such sects have always used certain rules to enhance the mystery and authority of the sect's higher-ups."

"Therefore, the higher-ups of the Tongxuan Sect know where the branch headquarters are, but the branch headquarters never know where the main headquarters is. Whenever someone in a branch headquarters is due to receive a reward, it's as if they've wandered into a fairyland, and when they wake up, they find themselves surrounded by gifts."

Giving out prizes while casting illusions on disciples sounds very suspicious.

But in reality, countless religious sects around the world use such methods.

Some religious sects, whose practices are highly praised, still engage in these fancy tricks.

That's just how things are; nothing to be surprised about.

Xiao Liang gazed at the moonlight and said with a focused look, "With Qing Sheng and the others executed, the world's格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall situation or structure) should be changed."

“I can use the excuse of discussing important matters to go to the Tongxuan Sect members and say that I want to visit Zhang Tongxuan to see if I can find any clues.”

"In the north, we can spend some money to ask Old Lady Gao to help us find the Northern Celestial Master."

Chu Tianshu bent the scroll in his hand slightly, his fingertips loosening their grip.

The hundreds of bent pages, relying on the elasticity of the paper, gradually opened up, making a soft rustling sound.

"No need to bother."

Chu Tianshu smiled, looking at the book in his hand, "Have you forgotten we have this?"

Xiao Liang asked, puzzled, "What use could this be?"

Chu Tianshu tossed the book to him, and with a flick of his sleeve, a warm breeze swept away the dew from the grass. He then sat down cross-legged.

"You protect me, I'll be right back."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Tianshu's soul left his body and slowly rose into the air.

He faced the bright moon, his hands flashing and forming several hand seals before his figure suddenly vanished.

There are two most important points to entering the eighth consciousness realm.

First, one must have at least the cultivation equivalent to the seventh consciousness (Manas).

Second, one must be able to accept the power of the moon's turbidity with equanimity.

The eighth consciousness realm of this world is based on the power of the moon's turbidity, which records information about all beings related to the demonic path.

Once these two conditions are met, and with the monk Qingsheng's manuscript as guidance, entering that place will not be difficult.

Chu Tianshu was not a demonic person, but he had cultivated the "Mountain Man Boiling the Sun True Scripture" to the point that he could directly pollute the moonlight and use it as the main medicine. Of course, he could also accept the power of the moon's turbidity without hesitation.

After performing several magic seals from the manuscript, he successfully arrived at a peculiar space.

The sky here is serene and deep, a pure black without a trace of other colors.

At the highest point in the sky, there was only a crescent moon.

The mountains and rivers on the earth are all in deep hues: black mountains and gray waters.

But from the mountain crevices and the riverbeds, wisps of colorful aurora rose up.

Chu Tianshu landed by a river and reached out to scoop up a little water.

The river in the palm of your hand, once disturbed, conjures up many fragmented scenes.

With half a straw mat and a newly repaired window, the family, sheltered from the rain, happily shared a meal of wheat porridge.

A hardworking wife and children, a strange man suddenly intruding, the twisted corpses of the wife and children...

This is a record of a victim of demonic possession.

Chu Tianshu lowered his eyes slightly, then raised them again, staring at the pool of water, and rubbed his hands together.

The river water transformed into a transparent flower stem, with three leaves accompanying it, eventually giving rise to a crystal-like epiphyllum flower.

Chu Tianshu placed the flower on the riverbank.

"it is as expected."

The Qing Sheng Handscroll records that the records in the eighth consciousness realm do not have a fixed form.

What those who enter this place observe is actually related to their own imagination.

A person with a strong soul can control their imagination and cause the scene before them to change dramatically.

The spatial distance here is completely different from the distance in the real world.

Qing Sheng and his monks were not on the battlefield in Heze before, but as long as the war progressed according to plan and the people suffered, the monks of the Sheng generation successfully performed their magic.

Qing Sheng and Wu Bei can directly appear at the vortex of the corresponding battlefield in the eighth realm of consciousness, push the power here into reality, and shape it into a relic.

"So, if I were to find a demonic cultivator..."

Chu Tianshu closed his eyes, recalling the scent emanating from the black cloth.

Although the black cloth was destroyed, he had deeply memorized its essence.

As he closed his eyes and opened them again, he was no longer at the foot of the mountain or by the river, but in a black bamboo forest.

On those bamboo stalks as thick as human legs and with branches as black as ink, hung skeletons.

There is also a deep pool inside the bamboo forest.

Two strange fish with black and white tails and sharp teeth swam around in the deep pool, constantly chasing and biting each other's tails, howling like bulls and wolves, seemingly enjoying themselves immensely.

All records related to the Demonic Path will be displayed here.

Living demonic cultivators naturally have corresponding imagery projected here.

Chu Tianshu walked slowly around the pool, observed it for a while, and then suddenly took a step onto the water's surface, his entire soul sinking into the depths.

(End of this chapter)