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

Chapter 80 The Land of the Rising Dragon
Upon hearing this, Han Yun was taken aback.

Good grief, are they not even going to act anymore? They just start by calling me an old bald monk?
The Taoist priest Li immediately coughed and reminded him, "Uncle-Master Sa, please be mindful of your words, at least in front of a junior like yourself!"

The old woodcutter snorted, pulled a shiny wine gourd from his waist, tilted his head back and took a swig, then said quietly.

"Retain virtue? What virtue? More than sixty years ago, when the younger generation of our two factions were exchanging skills, if it weren't for his reliance on those Dharma Protectors, would I have narrowly lost to him?"

"You dare to use your millennia-old heritage to attack me? Since that bald monk has no martial ethics, why should I hold back? I'll remember this for the rest of my life!"

"Haven't you heard the saying, 'If you keep swearing inside, your heart will become dirty; if you swear out, your heart will become bright'?"

Han Yun's lips twitched when he heard this. We Taoists really do believe in doing things according to one's heart!
Li Daoshi whispered to Han Yun, "Uncle Sa is good in every way, except he's a bit petty and holds grudges too much!"

The old woodcutter glared at him, then turned his gaze to Han Yun. He felt that the other man had an otherworldly air and an ethereal appearance, which suited the Taoist aesthetic. So he asked, "Young friend, what brings you here?"

Taoist Li coughed lightly: "Uncle Sa, this layman Han has come to visit the scenic spots of the three religions."

"Visit?"

The old woodcutter squinted, then suddenly patted Han Yun on the shoulder. “Young friend, your spirit is radiant and your cultivation is remarkable. The Li family boy couldn’t see it, but he can’t hide it from my eyes. I’m afraid you’re not just here for a visit, are you?”

Han Yun felt a weight on his shoulder, as if a thousand pounds of force were pressing down on him, and a breath of energy was secretly brushing over his body. Immediately, the energy in his body naturally circulated, dissolving the force into nothingness.

A glint flashed in the old woodcutter's eyes. He withdrew his hand and then sighed, "A single elixir contains the power of creation, three great medicines are perfectly integrated within; the wind blows the fire in the furnace, refining a divine pill that fills the cauldron red."

"I never imagined that at such a young age, my young friend, you would already possess such profound skills and unparalleled cultivation. I'm getting old, really old!"

Han Yun remained calm and cupped his hands, saying, "Senior, you flatter me. I am indeed somewhat interested in the cultivation methods of the three religions, and I have come here specifically to seek your guidance."

The old woodcutter looked at him strangely: "Young friend, you've come to Mianshan to seek guidance on the cultivation methods of the three religions, haven't you come to the wrong place?"

"Hmm? What do you mean, senior?" Han Yun quickly asked.

The old woodcutter took another sip of wine and said, "Didn't your elders tell you this?"

Han Yun shrugged and said, "I am a self-taught person. I only obtained some inheritance by chance and entered the circle of extraordinary people, so I did not have any elders to tell me."

Upon hearing this, the old woodcutter's eyes flashed with surprise, then he burst into laughter: "No wonder, no wonder! To cultivate to such a level without any sect or school, young friend, your fortune is truly remarkable!"

As he spoke, he hung the wine gourd on his waist and patted Han Yun on the shoulder: "Since you are so sincere in seeking my guidance, I will not hide anything from you. Although Mianshan is a place where the three religions coexist, there is no lineage of martial arts..."

The Taoist priest hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. The old woodcutter glared at him and said, "What, can't I say something?"

Taoist Li smiled wryly and said, "Uncle-Master Sa, the rules of the sect..."

"Rules are dead, people are alive!"

The old woodcutter waved his hand: "This young friend has a profound foundation in Taoism. He is probably more worthy of being called a true follower of the Xuanmen sect than I am." What is there to say?

Upon hearing this, Li Daoshi glanced at Han Yun in surprise.

Han Yun just smiled and didn't say anything.

The old woodcutter said, "This place is a place jointly guarded by Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism."

"guard?"

Han Yun was somewhat surprised and puzzled. Who could be worthy of being guarded by the three religions at the same time?
The old woodcutter nodded and continued, "Take this Great Luo Palace for example. It has one main palace master and four deputy palace masters, who are from the five surnames of Li, Zhang, Ge, Sa, and Xu respectively."

“Besides the Li family, who have always served as the main palace master, the other four are all from the Celestial Master’s Mansion, Gezao Mountain, Shenxiao Sect, and Jingming Sect, and they are rotated every twenty years.”

Upon hearing this, Han Yun felt a little numb. The four surnames Zhang, Ge, Sa, and Xu might sound ordinary, but when put together, they were quite extraordinary.

This is clearly the lineage of the four great Taoist masters: Zhang Daoling, Ge Xuan, Sa Shoujian, and Xu Xun. Even if they are not their true blood descendants, they should at least be imposters.

Did he just walk right into their territory?
Han Yun's heart was in turmoil, but his face remained calm: "Does Senior mean that Mianshan is not an ordinary place of cultivation, but a forbidden area jointly guarded by the three religions?"

The old woodcutter chuckled and took another swig of wine: "You're quite clever, lad. Indeed, the things suppressed here have been guarded by the three religions in turn since the Tang Dynasty."

The Taoist priest was so anxious he stamped his feet: "Uncle-Master! These are sect secrets!"

"What are you afraid of?"

The old woodcutter glared with drunken eyes: "Appearance reflects the mind, circumstances change with the mind, and one's nature is revealed by one's Qi. This lad possesses pure and harmonious Qi, which only those who have attained enlightenment can comprehend."

"Besides, anyone with a bit of background among the three religions knows what's going on here. It's not as serious as you think."

Then, the old woodcutter looked at Han Yun and asked, "Do you know anything about Tian Zhichao and Wu Long?"

Han Yun nodded: "I have heard some of that."

In the early Tang Dynasty, Tian Zhichao, who was already famous, came to Mianshan to spread Buddhism. At that time, the Mianshan area was already a Taoist site, where five dragons and their mothers had been practicing for many years, helping all living beings.

The Five Dragon Mother had once been in love with Tian Zhichao and intended to give up this place. So she set up a chess game in the Chessboard Cave: the loser would voluntarily withdraw from Mianshan.

After several days, Wulong's mother casually threw down two chess pieces, claiming she was outmatched, and withdrew from the game. Upon hearing this, Wulong was furious at his mother's actions and cornered Tian Zhichao at the foot of Mianshan Mountain.

After several rounds of fighting, the Five Dragons had no choice but to drive the mountain to press down on Tian Zhichao. Tian Zhichao raised his right hand, channeled his energy into his dantian, and blocked the mountain in front of him with a palm strike, forming a Buddha's palm on the mountain.

In the end, the five dragons prostrated themselves at the feet of Tian Zhichao, the true form of the Buddha Kongwang, and submitted to the Zhengguo Temple he built.

After listening to Han Yun's story, the old woodcutter laughed heartily, spilling a few drops of wine from his gourd: "People only know one side of the story, not the other. This story is nothing but a smokescreen!"

"However, this story isn't entirely untrue. Let me test you: how many bloodlines directly connect people's hearts?"

Han Yun answered without hesitation, "Five!"

"So, what is the position of Shanxi Province in relation to the rest of China?" the old woodcutter asked again.

"Located in the heart of China, in the very heart of the land, it can be said to be a land of great importance!" Han Yun's voice grew softer and softer as he widened his eyes as if he had thought of something.

"So, what are these five dragons?"

"That's right. The so-called Dragon Mother is actually the Qi of the Yellow River's water veins. The Five Dragons are the five dragon-shaped spirits that are born naturally from the combination of the Qi of the Yellow River's water veins and the Qi of the Shanxi land veins, circulating underground and nurtured by nature."

Upon hearing this, Han Yun couldn't help but gasp.

Immediately, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful. Why did you give me something so important? I wish I had never been here.

In a sense, these five dragon-shaped spirits are actually equivalent to dragon veins, which are related to the fate of the nation and are the place where the Qi of heaven and earth converge.

Five dragon veins becoming spirits—this is simply unheard of!

No wonder this place was considered the "birthplace of the Tang Dynasty" and was called Dragon City!

Wait a minute, doesn't that mean the surname Li means...?

Han Yun glanced at the Taoist priest surnamed Li.

(End of this chapter)