Under One Person: My Inner Realm Connects to All Worlds!

Chapter 261 The world is no more than two and a half families

Tsuchimikado Natsume's face was as pale as paper as he frantically channeled his innate Qi to maintain the existence of his shikigami.

But each collision shook him to his core, especially the connection deep within his bloodline, which sent waves of burning pain through him.

Even after summoning the twelve strongest divine generals of their ancestors, they were still steadily suppressed by the opponent.

"Impossible... How is this possible?!" he screamed hoarsely. "What kind of monster are you?!"

The monk guarding the tower swept his gaze indifferently over him, his voice piercing through the wind and rain: "All things arise from causes and conditions and are empty of inherent existence; all phenomena are merely consciousness. To cling to external forces and shikigami is ultimately a lower path."

His hand seals changed again, and the sword amidst the wind and rain suddenly solidified, its sword intent becoming even purer and more refined, as if it had transformed into a tangible killing intent!
"Wind and rain wash away the dust, the sword returns to its boundless origin."

The countless swords of wind and rain no longer attacked in a scattered manner, but instead spun and converged at high speed, forming a huge spiral sword pillar that connected the sky and the earth!

At the center of the sword pillar lies ultimate destruction and nothingness.

The sword pillar moved slowly, and wherever it passed, the Black Tortoise's barrier shattered like paper, the Azure Dragon cried out as its scales were torn apart, and the Vermilion Bird's flames were forcibly extinguished...

The formation of the twelve divine generals was instantly disrupted, and the shikigami cried out in pain under the crushing force of the spiraling sword pillars, their forms becoming illusory and unstable.

"No! My shikigami!" Tsuchimikado Natsume spat out a mouthful of blood. His shikigami was damaged, and he, as the summoner, suffered a severe backlash.

A desperate madness flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly slashed his right wrist with his left hand, blood gushing out.

He slammed his palm on the ground, blood spreading and instantly forming a yin-yang array glowing with a scarlet light, while he chanted a counter-incantation at the top of his lungs:

"The Yellow Springs are filthy, defiling gods and Buddhas! With my blood, flesh, and soul as the catalyst, I curse this fiend to death—"

In the vast emptiness, a foul, decadent, and deathly aura began to permeate, attempting to corrupt the qi and soul of the monk guarding the tower.

The monk guarding the tower finally frowned slightly.

"Stubborn and unyielding, he is courting death."

He no longer held back and pointed at the towering sword pillar.

"Destroy."

The spiral sword pillar exploded with a deafening roar!

Instead of dissipating, it transformed into countless tiny, imperceptible sword beams, like an invisible storm that instantly swept across the entire battlefield.

This time, the attack was no longer just aimed at the shikigami, but directly pierced through the void, slashing at the spiritual connection between the shikigami and Tsuchimikado Natsume, as well as the nascent corrupted curse.

"Chichichichi——!"

The sound of the connection breaking was like tearing silk.

The Teng Snake let out a sharp shriek and was the first to dissipate into purple mist and disappear.

Immediately afterwards, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger... one powerful shikigami after another, like bubbles that had been popped, let out unwilling roars, their forms disintegrated, and returned to nothingness.

Before the vicious counter-curse could fully take shape, it was completely shredded and purified by the endless, minute sword beams, leaving not a trace behind.

"puff--!"

Tsuchimikado Natsume's body trembled violently, blood seeping from every pore of his body, turning him into a blood-soaked figure. His shikigami had been forcibly dispersed, the counter-curse broken, and the backlash he suffered was almost devastating.

He staggered and fell to his knees, his eyes unfocused, filled with disbelief and utter despair.

The wind and rain gradually subsided.

The dark clouds dispersed, and moonlight shone again, illuminating the ruined temple.

The tower-guarding monk had somehow descended from the eaves and stood before Tsuchimikado Natsume, his robes spotless, as if he had never experienced a major battle.

"The descendants of Abe no Seimei are nothing more than this." He looked down at the dying Tsuchimikado Natsume, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.

"If his true form were here, he could certainly put me to a test."

Tsuchimikado Natsume opened his mouth, as if to say something, but only blood and foam came out. He stared intently at the monk guarding the tower, then his head lolled to the side, and he died. His eyes were wide open, filled with fear and resentment.

The monk guarding the pagoda didn't even glance at the body. He looked up at the Garuda statue at the highest point of the Three Pagodas, and at the stone tablet inscribed with "Eternally Guarding the Mountains and Rivers." He sighed softly and flicked his sleeve.

A gentle breeze swept across the battlefield, erasing the traces of battle, bloodstains, and the corpses of Tsuchimikado and others. The breeze turned them into the finest dust, dissipating into the world as if they had never existed.

Only the lingering fluctuations of primordial energy in the air testified to the breathtaking battle that had just taken place.

He picked up his wine gourd, tilted his head back, and took a sip. His figure appeared somewhat lonely in the moonlight. The once-powerful Duan family of Dali now consisted of only this young monk.

The young monk scratched his bald head, and Chong Sheng Temple returned to silence, with only the sound of raindrops dripping from the eaves.

Just then, a sudden but not jarring cell phone ringtone sounded from the wide sleeve of his monk's robe.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, slowly took out a rather old-fashioned cell phone, and pressed the answer button.

"Hey?"

His voice returned to its previous languid tone.

A hearty, somewhat江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) voice came from the other end of the phone, but the tone was quite respectful: "Master Duan, did I disturb your cultivation? I sensed a slight fluctuation in the earth's energy over there just now, is everything alright?"

The young monk smiled and said casually, "A rat that slipped in from Japan tried to undermine the foundation of the Three Pagodas. It has been eliminated, thanks to the warning you left behind, Mu boy."

The person on the other end of the phone was a descendant of the Mu family, who had erected the "Eternal Guardian of Mountains and Rivers" monument here years ago, and is now a very important figure in the southwest region.

"Hey, with you here, how could I not keep a close eye on things? It's good that everything's alright! I knew it! With you here, those petty scoundrels can't cause any trouble. You rest now, I'll have someone send over a few jars of good wine later!"

"Yes, thank you for your kindness." The young monk replied without ceremony and hung up the phone.

On the other end of the phone, in a quaint courtyard in Kunming, Yunnan, a sprightly old man dressed in a traditional Chinese jacket put down his phone.

He pondered for a moment, then said to a capable middle-aged man standing beside him, "Call Mr. Hao of Na Du Tong and briefly explain the situation. Tell him that an unidentified person attempted to break the seal on the Three Pagodas of Chong Sheng Temple, but was repelled by the temple's experts and the scene has been cleaned up. Let him know what's going on."

"Yes, Master." The middle-aged man bowed and accepted the order, then immediately turned to contact Hao Yi, the head of the Southwest Region of Nadutong Company.

-------

The headquarters of Nadutong Company, Chairman's office.

Zhao Fangxu was engrossed in a pile of documents when there was a gentle knock on the office door.

"Come in." Han Yun pushed open the door and entered, holding a tablet computer and two freshly printed reports that still smelled of ink.

With a hint of amusement on his face, he gently placed the report on Zhao Fangxu's large desk.

"Chairman Zhao, this is an urgent report that just came back from the East China and Southwest China regions, concerning Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou and Chongsheng Temple in Yunnan."

Han Yun paused, then added meaningfully, "Take a look. I mentioned to you before that the situation might be much more complicated than the files we have. It seems that our land truly has hidden talents."

Zhao Fang picked up the report and began to read it carefully.

As he read on, the expression on his face gradually changed from calm to surprise, then to solemnity, and finally even to disbelief.

The report details the harrowing events at Lingyin Temple's Feilai Peak, including Qingmu Zangfang's attempt to breach the seal with a hundred ghost infant spirits, Master Jieyuan and Master Jiekong leading a group of martial monks to deploy a demon-subduing staff formation, and Qingmu Zangfang's eventual self-destruction of his magical artifacts in an attempt to corrupt the seal.

Another report briefly described how an unidentified person attempted to activate the earth's veins and dragons at the Three Pagodas of Chong Sheng Temple, but was repelled by a mysterious monk of unknown identity within the temple, resulting in the complete annihilation of the attackers.

The report used phrases like "unfathomable" and "suspected to far exceed conventional records" to assess the strength of the two senior monks of the Jie generation and the mysterious monk.

After reading the report, Zhao Fangxu slowly put it down, took off his glasses, rubbed his temples vigorously, and then took out a glasses cloth to carefully wipe the lenses, as if trying to confirm whether his eyesight was failing due to old age.

"This... Zen Master Jieyuan, Master Jiekong... and this monk surnamed Duan from Chongsheng Temple?"

He muttered to himself, "The company's records about Lingyin Temple never mention this Zen Master Jieyuan, or this Duan family member from Dali? That must have been long ago..."

"Their abilities and cultivation levels are completely outside the scope of our existing records of extraordinary individuals!"

He put his glasses back on, looked at Han Yun, and asked with a smile, "Chairman Han, did you already know something about these people?"

Han Yun smiled, looking rather relaxed: "Chairman Zhao, I can't say I knew beforehand, I just had some guesses and heard rumors."

"Think about it, our land of China has thousands of years of heritage, and many extraordinary people and masters have emerged. Every school and sect has some hidden treasures."

"Some highly skilled individuals are accustomed to remaining hidden from the world, or only revealing themselves at specific times. Although the company tries its best to build a file, it is ultimately impossible to include them all."

He walked to the window, looked at the bustling city outside, and continued, "To put it bluntly, don't you know what kind of people we are?"

"They all like to keep things to themselves and don't easily reveal their trump cards. But then again, if a family doesn't have some real resources and a few experts who can keep things under control, can they stand so firmly in the outside world?"

“Some problems may have already been solved by these people who are ‘outside the record’ before we even realize it.”

After listening, Zhao Fangxu remained silent for a moment, then finally let out a long sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and showed a helpless bitter smile on his face, but there was a sense of relief deep in his eyes.

"Yes... It's full of hidden talents and has a deep foundation... This is a good thing, a great thing. It seems that our understanding of the world of supernatural beings is still too shallow."

Han Yun shook his head: "It's not that they're too shallow, but rather that they won't take action unless a certain crisis arises. They're all minding their own business. Of course, this may also be related to certain decisions made by China in the last century, which forced them to hide out of some kind of... well, stability considerations."

Zhao Fangxu carefully considered Han Yun's words, and finally sighed and nodded.

"Yes, if the higher-ups had known about so many 'unstable' factors back then, perhaps the initial decision wouldn't have been for the world of superhumans to be autonomous, but rather forcibly taken over and tightly controlled."

"But there's one thing I don't quite understand, and that's why the old Celestial Master of the Celestial Master's Mansion...?"

Han Yun smiled and said, "Chairman Zhao, you want to ask why the Old Celestial Master didn't choose to remain hidden, right?"

"Is it possible that he simply couldn't hide it? I don't know if you've ever heard the saying, 'There are only two and a half families in the world!'"

Zhao Fangxu's eyes gradually narrowed.

Han Yun shrugged and said, "The so-called two families refer to the Zhang family, the head of Taoism, and the Kong family, the head of Confucianism. As for the other half of the family, it refers to the imperial families of all dynasties."

"It is said that a family with a thousand-year history and a dynasty with a hundred-year history are exceptional. The Zhang and Kong families are aloof from worldly affairs, and even the royal family is not as noble as them. Although this is a bit of a joke, it can also illustrate their profound heritage."

"With such a high profile, how could the Zhang family possibly hide? Especially the Celestial Master, how could they possibly keep the world of supernatural beings in check without some skill?"

"You know, there are all sorts of monsters and demons in the world of supernatural beings, and the world of supernatural beings also needs such a pillar of strength, a person who can make the final decision, to prevent chaos from arising."

"This is a harmonious state that the world of supernatural beings has gradually evolved into over thousands of years, much like... a world order with one superpower and many strong powers!"

"Although it is not perfect, it is stable."

"Just like the current situation on the surface of the supernatural world, there is one supreme master, two heroes, three corpses, four madmen, six thieves, seven temporary workers, and ten elders. There are good and evil, orderly and chaotic."

"The position of Celestial Master is more like a target jointly nominated by the extraordinary people. In ancient times, it was a way to reasonably express their needs to the people in power and to have a dialogue with the emperor."

"It's like a kind of balance and compromise between 'divine authority' and imperial authority, between extraordinary people and ordinary people."

"And the Kong family..."

"Although they are also a family of extraordinary people, they have rejected all other schools of thought and exclusively honored Confucianism. Their doctrines are practiced in the imperial court. It can be said that they have cut themselves off from the world of extraordinary people and even excluded some other factions of the Confucian school."

"In addition, with the several internal turmoil within the Kong family, Kong is no longer Kong. Not only has the lineage of extraordinary people been broken, but they have also been domesticated by the rulers of foreign dynasties, and their backbone has long been broken."

"So, now only the Zhang family remains!"

After listening to Han Yun's unique theory, Zhao Fangxu felt as if he were getting to know the Celestial Master's Mansion and the world of supernatural beings all over again.

At the same time, he asked curiously, "Chairman Han, where did you hear all this from?"

"As you know from some of my elders, I am fond of seeking out secluded places and visiting ancient sites, and I have learned more or less about the events of the past few centuries."

"The strange thing is that during the previous dynasty and the darkest period when China was in ruins, many things that should have been passed down in the world of superhumans were lost, including some ideas and situations, as well as the tacit understandings that superhumans adhered to together."

"This has led to many extraordinary people only knowing what it is, but not why it is, and they can only pass it down from generation to generation according to the rules. In some Taoist temples, all the elders of the lineage have died, leaving only a young Taoist priest guarding the mountain gate."

"Those who are lucky enough to survive, but who have no face to face those who have been waiting for them at the mountain gate, will rather return to the mountain gate as protectors and guard the inheritance in secret."

"If you really cut off their lineage, they'll fight to the death," Han Yun said casually.

"It's a pity that fifty years ago..."

Zhao Fangxu helplessly rubbed his forehead.

No wonder these people went into hiding, and no wonder it was so difficult to communicate with the various factions when NaDuTong first started its work; after all, people's hearts had already turned cold.

But what's truly commendable is that they've stepped forward now!

Han Yun sighed casually, "So many things have happened throughout history, right and wrong? Fishermen and woodcutters chat idly over a cup of wine. In the setting sun and west wind, I watch the clouds drift by alone."

Zhao Fangxu: It's all a mess!

(End of this chapter)