Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 324 Secret
Such a peerless hero is the prince charming in every girl's heart.

Zhu Wanyun was no exception.

She stared blankly at that tall and majestic figure, like a god or a saint. What happiness it would be to be able to spend her life with such a man.

With Li Yunjing's protection, even those who harbor ill intentions towards him would have to think twice before daring to offend a true disciple of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" and displease him!

"Master National Preceptor..."

Thinking of the bright future, Zhu Wanyun put away her guzheng and walked over slowly. Looking at Li Yunjing's majestic appearance, her heart pounded like a deer.

"Okay! Wanyun, go and collect the spoils of war from the battlefield. I need to ask Zhuang Yangming some questions."

Li Yunjing's lips twitched slightly, revealing a smile, and he said softly.

"Alright! I'll go right away! Even if it's just a single spirit stone, I'll find it for the Imperial Preceptor!"

Being able to serve Li Yunjing is also a happy thing, and Zhu Wanyun has become a loyal little fan of Li Yunjing.

Naturally, we must do our utmost to fulfill Li Yunjing's requests!
"Hehe! Thank you for your trouble!"

Seeing Zhu Wanyun's flushed face and excited expression, Li Yunjing felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had traveled back in time to a concert in his previous life.

Is this what those fanatical fans are like?
As for?
Is Zhu Wanyun really that infatuated with him?
Li Yunjing had never been a fan of any celebrity, so how could he know the mentality of a fanatical fan?
Not long ago, Zhu Wanyun learned that Li Yunjing was powerful, a true disciple of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect", and an unapproachable figure!

However, at that time, Li Yunjing did not take action; he was more concerned with his status and position.

Now that they've really started, it's no wonder that their invincible charm makes young girls swoon.

Forget about witnessing it, such formidable combat power is something that no one in the entire royal family has ever heard of.

It would be difficult for anyone in the entire "Shenxiao Dao Sect" to have such outstanding performance at the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

In the world of cultivation, Li Yunjing returned to the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" like a myth, and he remains a legend!
"Heh! It's not unfair that I was defeated by a strongman like you. I just want to know your identity. I can't die without knowing the truth, can I?"

Watching Zhu Wanyun leave, Zhuang Yangming barely raised his head, looked up at the aloof Li Yunjing, and asked with a wry smile.

The "Soul Control Sect" is not weak.

Zhuang Yangming is not a weakling among Foundation Establishment cultivators in the entire cultivation world.

Even so, he still failed.

It's not that we are incompetent, it's just that our opponents are too strong.

Having cultivated for over two hundred years, Zhuang Yangming had never seen or heard of such a freak as Li Yunjing.

Even Zhuang Yangming had doubts in his heart: in the history of cultivation in the Southern Continent, was there anyone who had performed even more abnormally than Li Yunjing at the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm?
Only a handful of geniuses can defeat a strong opponent with the weak and even overcome a cultivator of a higher realm. Such a person would be an invaluable treasure in any sect or family.

Those who can transcend two realms are likely to be prominent figures among the true disciples, with the potential to compete for the position of sect leader or become elders in the Golden Core realm.

Such a person is already the limit in the "Soul Control Sect".

No matter how capable the others are, they cannot do this. This is an unparalleled genius, the most outstanding person Zhuang Yangming has ever met.

Today's events have shattered Zhuang Yangming's understanding!

It turns out there are people who can conquer five realms!

To break through one realm is called genius; to break through two realms is called unparalleled genius; how should we call someone like Li Yunjing, who breaks through five realms,?
abnormal?
evildoer?

It's not human anyway!
The cultivation world is a world where the strong are respected, and Li Yunjing's powerful performance has already convinced Zhuang Yangming.

"I am Li Yunjing, a true disciple of the Seven Star Palace of the Divine Firmament Dao Sect!"

Speak properly. It's not like I'm not going to tell you my name.
Given Zhuang Yangming's arrogant demeanor earlier, Li Yunjing naturally had no intention of telling him his name.

Now, he readily revealed his origins.

"Li Yunjing!"

Zhuang Yangming muttered to himself, his expression complex.

I never imagined that one day I would die at the hands of such a pervert!
"Isn't it better than dying at the hands of a mediocre person who accomplishes nothing?"

Zhuang Yangming chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "I know why you kept me here. What do you want to know?"

As he spoke, his eyes turned to Li Yunjing.

At this moment, Zhuang Yangming seemed to feel somewhat relieved, realizing that he wasn't as afraid of death as he had imagined.

"Very good! Why is this place called 'Lingxiu Island'?"

Li Yunjing nodded and asked softly.

"what?"

Zhuang Yangming was taken aback, then a complicated expression appeared on his face. He coughed a few times and laughed, "A prodigy is indeed a prodigy! Even the questions he asks get straight to the heart of the matter!"

Li Yunjing remained silent, simply staring at Zhuang Yangming.

"Actually, a hundred years ago, this island was a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains, rich in spiritual energy, and had quite a few rare treasures..."

Zhuang Yangming seemed to fall into deep thought, recalling the scene when he first arrived here.

"However, with our arrival, we slaughtered all the living beings on the island, and we developed it extensively, which is why it has become like this."

"Oh? What is in-depth development?"

Li Yunjing was taken aback, raised an eyebrow, and asked in confusion.

"Hehe! That's a long story!"

Zhuang Yangming sneered and retorted, "Guess whose orders my fellow disciples and I came here on?"

"A Golden Core Realm elder from a sect?"

Li Yunjing responded.

"Hehe! No! If I told you, even a monster like you would be shocked!"

Zhuang Yangming said with amusement.

"Oh? I'm actually curious, you can tell me, and surprise me?"

Li Yunjing was genuinely curious.

If Zhuang Yangming hadn't possessed profound cultivation and a powerful soul, making soul searching difficult, he would have been eager to search the soul immediately to see what secrets it held that could surprise him!
"Very well! I also want to see the demon's surprised expression! I'll tell you!"

Zhuang Yangming smiled silently, his expression extremely solemn, and said in a low voice, "The Buddhist sect, do you know?"

"what!"

Li Yunjing almost doubted that he had heard correctly.

Buddhism?

That powerful sect, the enemy with which Xuanmen has been fighting endlessly?

Throughout the history of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect," there have been numerous battles with the Buddhist sect, resulting in wars that were far more brutal than the demon-slaying battles.

Even if demonic cultivators appeared within the territory of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" and within the Great Ming Dynasty, the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" might not immediately dispatch experts to eradicate them.

However, as soon as any trace of Buddhist activities is discovered, not only Buddhist masters, but even those extreme believers will be killed without mercy and executed on the spot!

In actions against Buddhism, the "Shenxiao Daozong" has always been at the forefront of the Xuanmen (Taoist) movement!
It can be said that on the Southern Continent, apart from the demonic and monster paths, Buddhism is the greatest enemy of the "Divine Firmament Dao Sect".

How could Li Yunjing not be surprised to hear this name so suddenly?
Has Buddhism's influence already reached the East China Sea?

Like the others from the "Shenxiao Dao Sect," Li Yunjing immediately became alert. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his entire body tensed up.

"Hehe! Surprised?"

Seeing Li Yunjing's emotional change, Zhuang Yangming smiled, but as he smiled, he coughed, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"Which branch of Buddhism? What is the relationship between your 'Soul Control Sect' and Buddhism?"

Li Yunjing continued to ask.

"Hehe! What relationship? How could a nobody like me know? I only know that the sect ordered a group of us to carry out a secret mission."

Zhuang Yangming sneered, "As for which branch of Buddhism they belong to? These bald monks are so secretive, they have never revealed their identities, and they are even unwilling to say their names."

"Interesting! Buddhism! Hehe!"

Upon suddenly hearing such a huge secret, even Li Yunjing was greatly shocked and felt a little panicked. He wondered if he should immediately send the message back to the sect and deal with it carefully.

"I'll tell you one last secret! The massacre of everyone on 'Lingxiu Island' was orchestrated by the Buddhist sect, and their entry into Yingtian Prefecture was also on their orders. As for their true intentions, that's beyond my knowledge!"

Since Zhuang Yangming was going to die anyway, he naturally didn't care about anything.

He even maliciously thought that it would be best if the "Soul Control Sect", "Divine Firmament Dao Sect" and Buddhism fought a three-way war and all of them died!

"Interesting!" Li Yunjing nodded and asked, "How many people are there in the Buddhist sect? What is their cultivation level?"

"Of all the Buddhists we've encountered in the past hundred years, we've only met four. Three of them are at the Golden Core stage! Only one is at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage!"

Zhuang Yangming spoke frankly and openly.

"Cock!"

Li Yunjing's heart skipped a beat. Three Golden Core Realm experts—didn't that mean his location was extremely dangerous?
"hey-hey!"

Seemingly pleased to see Li Yunjing's serious expression, Zhuang Yangming laughed, then said sinisterly, "Li Yunjing, you're lucky! On 'Lingxiu Island,' there are still those bald monks cultivating treasures. You can go search for them, but I don't know if you dare to use them!"

"What treasure?"

Li Yunjing seemed to have a bad feeling and couldn't help but ask again.

This time, however, Zhuang Yangming had no answer.

Severely injured by Li Yunjing, he finally could not hold on any longer.

Looking at Zhuang Yangming, whose head had lolled to the side and who had completely died, Li Yunjing sighed, pointed his finger, and the ground cracked open, revealing Zhuang Yangming's corpse.

Li Yunjing took the storage magic item from his body, and then with a flick of his sleeve, the sand and stones on the ground churned up, burying Zhuang Yangming's body once again.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, why bother!"

Li Yunjing turned around and saw Zhu Wanyun carrying a huge bundle, walking towards him.

"Grand Preceptor, this contains all the storage bags and treasure pouches! I retrieved them all without missing a single one."

Zhu Wanyun said with a grin.

"it is good!"

Li Yun nodded and checked the items one by one.

These demonic cultivators were not wealthy; apart from the demonic artifacts they commonly used, their wealth was far below that of normal cultivators.

However, with so many people, even just putting together a group, there are still quite a few resources.

"Here you go, use the resources inside for your cultivation!"

Li Yunjing selected ten storage bags, destroyed some of the magical artifacts inside, and left the spirit stones, spiritual materials, and Qi-refining pills to Zhu Wanyun.

"Your Excellency, I haven't done anything wrong, I can't accept these resources!"

Although she wanted it, Zhu Wanyun still looked embarrassed in front of Li Yunjing and shook her head.

"Hehe! Take it! I hope you can successfully establish your foundation!"

Li Yunjing smiled and stuffed the storage bags into Zhu Wanyun's hands.

"Then I'll accept it! Thank you, Grand Preceptor!"

Seeing that Li Yunjing was really willing to give her resources, Zhu Wanyun happily put away the storage bag.

"Wanyun, let's go! Let's explore 'Lingxiu Island'. After we've finished, I'll return to the sect and report back to the elders."

Having decided to accept Zhu Wanyun, Li Yunjing casually put his arm around Princess Wanyun's shoulder and said with a smile.

"Grand Preceptor, are you leaving already? What will I do then?"

Princess Wanyun was startled and tightly held onto Li Yunjing's arm, pouting coquettishly.

Of all the things Li Yunjing said, Zhu Wanyun only heard the phrase "return to the sect," which greatly alarmed her and made her panic.

These days, I have been completely infatuated with Li Yunjing. The relationship between the two of us is not yet determined. If Li Yunjing leaves, all my plans will be in vain. Wouldn't it be a loss if I can't become a true disciple of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect"?

After all, such divine figures are not people that ordinary cultivators can easily associate with.

Seeing Zhu Wanyun's nervousness, Li Yunjing couldn't help but shake his head.

He looked at Princess Wanyun with a smile and said, "Do you want to stay with me forever?"

"Yes! I want to follow the Grand Preceptor, to play the zither for him for the rest of my life, and to stay by his side!"

Seeing that Li Yunjing had made his point clear, Zhu Wanyun did not back down. She stared intently at Li Yunjing with her big eyes, afraid that he would reject her love.

"it is good!"

Li Yunjing only said one word, but it was enough to make Zhu Wanyun happy. The princess threw herself into Li Yunjing's arms.

Li Yunjing smiled and casually used his magic to condense a cultivation technique onto a jade slip, which he then handed to Princess Wanyun.

"This is the cultivation method I prepared for you! It will be much better than your current one if you switch to this method in the future."

Li Yunjing said with a smile.

"Ah!! Thank you so much, Your Excellency!"

Princess Wanyun said sweetly, her face full of joy. With a true disciple protecting her, her future cultivation would truly be smooth sailing.

Now, she has both resources and cultivation techniques.

What more could Princess Wanyun possibly want?
"Yes, I'll take you to find the treasure left behind by the 'Soul Control Sect'!"

Li Yunjing nodded, then leaped into the air, embracing Zhu Wanyun, and transformed into a streak of light, surveying the entire "Lingxiu Island".

As for cultivating Zhu Wanyun, it was merely a pawn that Li Yunjing casually placed; whether Princess Wanyun had a future was not his concern.

In the end, you still have to rely on yourself!

Li Yunjing could not provide Zhu Wanyun with unlimited resources for cultivation.

Soon, Li Yunjing discovered a cave on a cliff on the island.

As Li Yunjing entered the cave, his face turned extremely pale. The thick stench of blood was nauseating. How many people had been killed?
"vomit……"

Zhu Wanyun felt even worse and even started vomiting.

The food here is awful!
"Close off your sense of smell!"

Seeing Zhu Wanyun's distress, Li Yunjing gave her an order, and then walked ahead of the passage, continuing deeper inside.

Zhu Wanyun obediently shut down her sense of smell and followed behind Li Yunjing with a grim expression.

Such a strong stench of blood must have come from killing countless lives!
This feeling is absolutely awful!
The cave's structure is not complicated; it is a passageway that was created later.

The passage is straight, leading all the way down.

After walking for three miles, we finally reached the end.

In front of Li Yunjing and Zhu Wanyun was a stone chamber about three zhang in size.

Li Yunjing stood at the door, the cold light in his eyes almost tangible.

Zhu Wanyun's large eyes were filled with terror, and her slender body trembled with fear.

Before Li Yunjing, the stone chamber was almost entirely filled with corpses. Each corpse had tubes inserted into it, and the blood from these bodies of different races was being pumped into a blood pool about ten feet in diameter in the center...

"L……"

Drop by drop, the blood flowed into the blood pool.

In the center of that pool of blood was a beautiful flower.

Do not!
Maybe it's a tree!

"Blood Bodhi Tree!"

This "Blood Bodhi Tree" is lush and verdant, with twisted roots everywhere, coiled together like a blood-red umbrella!
At the crown of this "Blood Bodhi Tree", a bead resembling a "sarira" has actually formed!

In Buddhism, the Bodhi tree is revered as a sacred tree.

According to legend, the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, gaining liberation and wisdom.

This "Blood Bodhi Tree" is completely different from the description in Buddhism.

It was filled with a sinister and evil aura!

Is this truly an evil tree cultivated by Buddhists using the blood of all living beings?
Li Yunjing's face was extremely ugly. He remembered Zhuang Yangming's words: "There is a treasure here. Do you dare to use it?"
Looking at the evil tree before him, a flame of anger rose in Li Yunjing's heart, and he was about to raise his hand to completely destroy this evil "Bodhi tree".

However, upon further reflection, he suppressed his anger.

The "Blood Bodhi Tree" is almost complete. Perhaps in eight or ten years, it will bear that evil fruit!
Such spiritual roots of heaven and earth, cultivated by evil magic, seem to actually have extremely powerful effects, and one can obtain something from them!
Li Yunjing absolutely did not believe that the Buddhist sect had instructed the "Soul Control Sect" to spend a hundred years cultivating such an evil thing without any ulterior motives!
"Hehe! Never mind! I'll cut its roots beforehand! I'll just take this tree and then burn this place to the ground!"

Finally, Li Yunjing made up his mind.

(End of this chapter)