Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 228 Six Supernatural Powers

I held the wooden figure in my hands and played with it for a long time before putting it down.

He then picked up another item, an ancient-style scripture.

Song Yan carefully examined it; this was the method Yuanzhen created himself, called Yin Yang Zen Body.

It not only contains a complete cultivation method, but also a detailed record of the causes and consequences of his creation of this method.

Yuanzhen claimed to be a person of extraordinary talent, and that he was able to deduce and complete the ancient demonic martial arts manual on his own after merely observing the fragments that had all the key points erased.

He then combined the fragments with his own Mingwang Gong (a martial art) to create his own new technique.

They even called this skill a "sacred skill," completely comparing themselves to the saints who founded their own sects.

However, Song Yan was unimpressed when he looked at this cultivation technique.

This is hardly an original technique; it's a hodgepodge of ideas, a patchwork of borrowed ideas from here and there.

It's basically just a simple stitching together of Buddhist and demonic techniques. Does this even deserve to be called a self-created technique?

If that's the case, then wouldn't it also be considered a self-created technique if I had used sword energy instead of spiritual power to complete the ethereal bone-shaping stage of my Dharma body?

Nonsense.

Song Yan had absolutely no interest in this; he would never cultivate such a nonsensical thing.

However, at the end of this technique, there is a part that seems to have been added by him after he came to the State of Chu.

One thing was mentioned in this.

Relics with supernatural powers.

In Buddhism, relics are called "Dhatu" or "Shari-lo," while in Taoism they are commonly referred to as "spiritual bones."

Its position is actually somewhat similar to that of the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or even the Primordial Spirit in Taoism.

However, their functions and the ways in which they were created are somewhat different.

There is a saying that a Buddhist practitioner does not actually leave behind relics during his lifetime.

Buddhist disciples cultivate precepts, concentration, and wisdom, make great vows, and cultivate boundless Buddhist teachings and supernatural powers.

If such a large Buddha statue were to pass away, there is a certain probability that it would leave behind "relics" after death.

Relics embody a portion of the Buddhist practice or supernatural powers.

Buddhist practitioners believe in the cycle of reincarnation and karma, so most relics are kept by their disciples, waiting for them to be reborn and retrieved.

Some Buddhist monks also designate disciples and successors before their passing, so that their mantle can be passed down after their death.

Although Jingye Temple is not a well-known name in the Central Region, it has produced several great Buddhist monks throughout history.

Within the Zen temple, there is a stupa that enshrines the relics of the first abbot in the history of Jingyue Zen Temple, the holy monk Xujing.

To Song Yan's great surprise...

Yuanzhen sensed that Wu Huaguo possessed the spirituality of a divine relic.

It was precisely because Yuanzhen had the privilege of visiting the relics of Xujing when he formally entered the realm of desire meditation, and had experienced the unique spirituality of the relics up close, that he was so certain.

The aura of a relic on Wu Huaguo's body was very faint. Yuanzhen speculated that it was some kind of supernatural relic, and that it was a fragment.

Even so, Yuanzhen was extremely enthusiastic about it.

The reason is simple: the six supernatural powers of Buddhism, regardless of which one, are realms that ordinary Buddhist practitioners cannot reach even in a lifetime.

"The six supernatural powers are: the divine eye, the divine ear, the ability to know others' minds, the ability to know past lives, the ability to travel at will, and the ability to eliminate all defilements."

It represents the six supernatural powers and Buddha-powers described in Buddhism.

In the book that previously discussed the realms of Buddhist cultivation, Song Yan had also read about these six supernatural powers in detail.

It is the eternal pursuit of all Taoist cultivators: to transcend tribulations and ascend to immortality.

Buddhist practitioners aim to cultivate Mahayana Buddhism.

Acquiring these six supernatural powers is one of the prerequisites.

To be honest, Yuanzhen didn't know which type of supernatural relic fragment Wu Huaguo possessed, but he was extremely arrogant and self-important.

They believed that it was impossible for a Qi Refining cultivator to exert even the slightest effect of the relic, let alone that Wu Huaguo was completely ignorant of Buddhism.

So he didn't care about it at all.

This is what made Wu Huaguo and Rong Xiaofeng wary.

"In this light, the so-called fragments of the supernatural relic on Wu Huaguo's body must have come from this 'telepathy'."

The explanation of this supernatural power is mysterious and profound, and there are many Buddhist principles and stories involved.

In short, it means being able to know the thoughts and desires of all beings in the Three Realms and Six Paths.

To put it simply, it means being able to know what others are thinking.

Wu Huaguo doesn't seem to have that ability; she can only make simple judgments about whether what a person says is true or false.

And there are actually many ways to avoid it.

When Song Yan first witnessed this ability, he was truly astonished.

But looking back now, it turns out that many Foundation Establishment cultivators actually possess detection techniques that are roughly capable of achieving the same result.

Of course, the possibility that Wu Huaguo was hiding something cannot be ruled out, but this possibility is very small.

Song Yan has no intention of becoming a monk for the time being, so he will not practice Buddhism, nor will he do anything to harm Wu Huaguo because of this matter.

He put the Zen body away and tossed it into a corner of his Qiankun bag.

There's nothing else worth mentioning.

He studied the ancient manual pages he obtained from Wang Ke for a while, but couldn't figure them out at all. He figured it was impossible to understand them in just one night.

So I put it away for the time being.

After finishing everything, he stepped out of the house and into the courtyard.

After looking around for a while, his body surged with sword energy, and he summoned his Dharma body.

Fortunately, the courtyard of Shanyang Villa was large enough, and there was an independent illusion array around the house to shield it. Otherwise, the appearance of such a unique white skeletal body would have easily aroused the suspicion of other cultivators.

It's fine to just guess, but if others misunderstand that I'm some kind of demonic cultivator, that would be too unfair to an innocent person.

At this moment, the Dharma body lowered its head, sat on the ground, bent its right leg, placed its right hand on it, and had nothing on its left arm.

Besides the things in his wooden fish, Yuanzhen also gained a great deal from this great battle: the Dharma Body.

Now, the right arm of the Dharma body is completely covered by black skin and flesh, with faint, mysterious gilded patterns that gleam slightly.

This is still the result of not completely refining those demonic energies.

Song Yan roughly estimated in his mind that it would take about a month to completely refine it, at which point it might be able to cover a small part of his body.

At the same time, he was also astonished by the enormous amount of demonic energy required for this Dharma body.

It should be noted that the demonic energy contained in Yuanzhen's demonic avatar far exceeded the level of Qi Refining; it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was at the half-step Foundation Establishment stage.

However, this only allows the Dharma body to be condensed to three or four tenths of its original form.

However, Song Yan was not in a hurry.

The greater the resources required, the stronger the power will be upon successful cultivation.

It was only after this battle that he truly realized just how strong the Buddhist Dharma Body was at restraining demonic techniques.

The battle against that demonic clone was almost entirely one-sided.

His fighting ability was so formidable that even Song Yan was astonished.

We gained a lot, but we also suffered some losses.

In order to protect its master, the Dharma Body in a moment of desperation actually detached its own left arm and transformed it into sword energy to control.

Fortunately, the fully formed right arm was not removed, and the entire Dharma body did not disintegrate or dissipate as a result.

We can simply rebuild his left arm.

However, to Song Yan's surprise, the work of restoring the Dharma body was not as simple as he had imagined.

To restore this part of the body to its original state, the amount of sword energy required is not much different from completely reshaping a dharma body. Song Yan had no other choice but to obediently summon the Spirit Gathering Sword Formation.

It consumed some spirit stones and pills, and took a lot of effort to condense and reshape its left arm.

The good news is that after the Dharma body was repaired and reshaped, its speed of fusing demonic energy increased somewhat.

The bad news is that Xiao Song was almost exhausted and collapsed in the yard, falling into a deep sleep.

Fortunately, Xiao Ju had been keeping watch by the courtyard and, seeing that things were not going well, took him back inside to rest.

In the past few days, he first went through a fierce battle that required all his strength, then suffered damage from forcibly comprehending the power of the Transmission of Dharma Wooden Man, and now he has drained the sword energy from his body in order to repair his Dharma body.

This coma put him into a very deep sleep.

Song Yan slept through the second day of their agreed departure, and didn't wake up until the early hours of the third day.

After stretching my body, I immediately felt refreshed and full of energy.

Those who cultivate immortality don't have so many rules, nor do they need to make a big fuss.

Song Yan immediately took Xiao Ju and She Bao, called Wang Ke, and left Beiya Mountain City.

After leaving the city, the four boarded the Red Dust Fighter and flew straight to Xin'an Prefecture, which was the capital of the Chu Kingdom.

As soon as the previous chess tournament ended, Liang Feng and Hu Qing did not want to stay any longer, so they returned to Lanxi Cave on their own.

Compared to when I arrived, the Red Dust Battleground now seems much emptier.

With the experience gained from the previous flight, Song Yan was much more skilled on his second flight.

Once the general direction is set, there's no need to pay too much attention; you only need to allocate a wisp of your divine sense to adjust the direction the flying boat is traveling.

Amidst the struggles of the mortal world, Wang Ke was still arranging his chess game.

This time, however, Song Yan also placed a chessboard in front of him.

He held the golden pages in his left hand and picked up the chess pieces one by one, placing them on the chessboard with his right.

Although the journey through the mortal world is smooth, it is still somewhat unrealistic to cultivate during it.

It's not that it's impossible, but if there are some unforeseen disturbances, the practice will still be affected. If the impact is significant, then the losses will outweigh the gains.

Xiao Ju is getting familiar with how to control the Red Dust Battle, hoping that in the future she can free up Song Yan to do his own thing.

Wang Ke was also curious when Song Yan set up the chessboard and took out the gold pages of the chess manual.

He didn't know what the item was for, so he wanted to see what changes or differences it would have in other people's hands.

Strangely, this Daoist Song seemed to have no idea what it was for.

They seemed to be interested in the name that day.

Snake Baby slithered aimlessly around Song Yan's body.

"Yanyan, are you playing chess with yourself?"

The little snake poked its head out of its sleeve and looked at the black and white chess pieces on the board, asking a question.

Song Yan shook his head.

"No, but I don't know what this is either." He patted the little snake's head: "Just consider it a decoration."

Black and white chess pieces are scattered all over the chessboard.

Song Yan couldn't see any mystery in it.

If we're talking about a game of chess, then it is indeed a game of chess, but there's nothing particularly ingenious about the strategy or any noteworthy techniques.

Therefore, of course, they were not worthy of Wang Ke's approval.

"I don't know what it is, yet it's displayed..."

Xiao He slid out of the sleeve, transformed into human form, and sat by the chessboard, muttering to herself.

He rested his chin on his hand, looking at the chessboard.

As Song Yan was deep in thought, he saw a small, white hand reach in from the edge of the chessboard.

The little finger is making circles in the air above a certain spot on the chessboard.

"This area looks like Little Lonely Mountain."

Little Lonely Mountain?
The deep mountain north of Qingshan is where Xiaohe used to live.

Song Yan looked left and right, but couldn't see where it resembled anything.

However, he didn't have much of a say, since Xiao He was more familiar with Xiao Gushan.

Perhaps the shape and movement of the chess pieces made her feel that it resembled Xiaogushan from a certain angle.

“Hmm…” Xiao He continued to point out the landscape: “This area looks like Green Mountain.”

Qingshan is not actually called Qingshan; it was originally called Kongshishan.

However, for most villagers, the name was too difficult to pronounce, so when they wanted to mention it later, most villagers simply called it "that mountain".

But calling it that all the time wasn't a solution, so the schoolteacher in Shiliang Town came up with a compromise name: Qingshan (Green Mountain).

It has a name, but it's not too hard to pronounce.

Song Yan stroked his chin: "Qingshan..."

"How do you know this?"

"Because it's in the middle of the chessboard."

"..."

Song Yan chuckled and didn't take it to heart.

But now that I think about it, that little lonely mountain was actually square in shape and had a stable terrain, which was in line with the element of earth.

It really does resemble a piece of chess on a chessboard.

Just as Song Yan was pondering, it seemed as if he had been tricked into thinking.

He raised his head and glanced outside the airship.

Everyone inside the Red Dust Battlehouse looked outside.

Several streaks of light could be seen streaking across the sky in the distance, like shooting stars trailing their tails, leaving fleeting traces on the heavens.

Most of those were flying artifacts used by other cultivators, or the escape lights of Foundation Establishment stage seniors.

They were colorful and varied, and flew off in different directions, some fast and some slow.

The previous flight route was relatively short, mostly through desolate mountains and wilderness, where they could only occasionally see one or two flying beasts, and had never seen anything else flying in the sky.

However, as Hongchen Dou flies, the escape lights appearing nearby are becoming more and more frequent, and the shape of the opponent's flying magic weapon can even be vaguely seen.

Many of these sights broadened Xiao Song's horizons, with the giant jade gourd spewing out clouds and the bronze chariot pulled by flying beasts being the most eye-catching.

During this time, a cultivator who appeared to be at the Foundation Establishment stage flew by. He was standing on a feather fan, his clothes were flowing, and he exuded an air of otherworldly elegance.

Song Yan picked up the jade talisman and said, "We're very close to Chu."

The Red Dust Fighter trembled slightly, slowing its speed a bit.

Xiao He approached the edge of the flying boat and looked into the distance.

The outline of the city was already faintly visible on the horizon, with towering walls coiled like giant pythons, gleaming with a cold, bluish-gray light in the sunlight.

As they got closer, they were able to see the situation on the ground more clearly.

The official road stretched in all directions, and the carriages, horses and pedestrians were just small black dots.

“Wow—”

Snake Baby's black hair was ruffled by the wind. Looking at the scene on the horizon and the ground, she exclaimed in surprise.

Xiao Ju was also seeing such a sight for the first time, and couldn't help but be amazed and full of admiration.

As they approached the capital of Chu, even before the sun had set, the faint, lingering clamor of the mortal world seemed to surge forth like a tide.

(End of this chapter)