Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 125 Nine Netherworld Silk Seal!
Qi Yun's fingertips traced the stark ink of the opening outline on the page, his mind captivated by it:
The Nine Netherworld Silk Seal is one of the secret techniques used by the Northern Emperor Fengdu to exorcise ghosts.

Transform into formless and shapeless threads, bind the soul and lock the spirit, pull thoughts and guide form.

The silk emerges silently, leaving no trace, yet it combines strength and gentleness, its curves and straight lines following its own will.

When refined to a high level, it possesses immense power, capable of trapping living beings, restraining ghosts and demons, moving objects, and severing souls.

However, this law grants the power of arrest and imprisonment. When used righteously, it can bind the wicked and capture the criminals; when used wickedly, it can cause immense harm. Be cautious! Be cautious!

If this technique is mastered, when facing an enemy, the silk threads will be silent, invisible, and impossible to defend against!
Although it lacks the ferocity of raging fire and thunder, its subtlety in binding and trapping the enemy surpasses it!

It is truly a top-tier field control technique within the Northern Emperor's lineage, but unfortunately, its transmission has been severed, leaving only fragments, which is truly regrettable!

The specific cultivation method is as follows:

To practice this technique, one must first use one's own true qi to weave the 'thread-pulling seal' below the Laogong acupoint in the palm.

The Dharma seals are complex and require specific hand gestures to assist them, along with secret incantations to stimulate the true Qi, in order to activate the Dharma seals and generate the 'Nine Netherworld Threads'.

The complexity of the mudra (hand seal) is related to the amount of silk thread and its power.

The first realm, the initial formation of the Dharma seal, a trace of life arises;
In the second realm, the Dharma seals gradually become more complex, giving rise to three strands;

The third realm, with the perfected Dharma seal, generates nine threads that crisscross and form a net, making it difficult for ordinary evil spirits to escape, and even cultivators are subject to its control.

Above the third level lies the realm of supernatural powers, which is not attainable by ordinary people, but by those with extraordinary talent, great perseverance, and great fortune.

Throughout history, those who have cultivated supernatural abilities are extremely rare.

Remember: There is no superior or inferior magic; its power lies in cultivation.

Any spell, if mastered to the level of supernatural power, can have the effect of transforming the ordinary and turning the mundane into the miraculous!
After reading it, Qi Yun was overjoyed beyond words.

He immediately cleared his mind of all distractions, focused his spirit, and instantly entered that mysterious state of unity between intention and energy.

I had previously learned from discussions with Master Gongyang that this state is called "divine illumination" in Taoism.

The primordial spirit is like a lamp, illuminating both the inside and outside. The speed of thinking, memory, and perception are all elevated to an incredible level, and photographic memory is merely commonplace.

Master Gongyang also said that there are even higher realms above that, truly delving into the mysteries of the primordial spirit, which are extremely profound and cannot be reached without the great cultivation of the third realm, "refining the form." Even those born with powerful primordial spirits find it difficult to even glimpse the path.

Under the divine illumination, every word, every pause in the brushstrokes, and even the texture of the paper in the entire "Nine Netherworld Silk Seal" was imprinted into Qi Yun's mind as if carved by a knife and axe, leaving nothing out.

He slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had emerged from that mentally exhausting state.

After searching the library again and confirming that there was no other book related to the Northern Emperor's lineage, they had no choice but to give up.

After bidding farewell to Master Gongyang, who was waiting outside the door, he went straight back to his room.

Inside the room, Qi Yun sat cross-legged on the couch, his mind sinking into his dantian.

With a slight thought, three streams of milky white true qi rose from the dantian, traveled along the arm, and reached the Laogong acupoint on the right palm.

According to the teachings, one must simultaneously control these three streams of true qi, like a weaver threading a needle, meticulously outlining and weaving the intricate "threading seal".

The moment I tried it, I found it incredibly difficult.

The mind must simultaneously focus on the different directions of the three streams of true qi. The thickness, flow rate, and turning angle of each stream of true qi must be precisely controlled; the slightest error will render all previous efforts futile.

The mental energy consumed by multitasking is terrifying.

On their first attempt, the three streams of true qi collided and dissipated before they could even intertwine.

The second attempt, having only sketched one-tenth of the outline, failed because a wisp of true qi caused the overall structure to become unbalanced and collapse.

Three times, four times... each failure was accompanied by a wave of intense mental exhaustion.

After the thirteenth attempt, Qi Yun felt a throbbing pain between his eyebrows and a throbbing sensation in his temples. He was extremely exhausted and had to stop.

He exhaled a long breath and sighed inwardly, "The mental strain and the precision required for this kind of magical practice far surpass those of martial arts! It is truly not easy."

Overwhelmed by mental exhaustion, he had no choice but to blow out the lamp and rest.

The following day, Qi Yun told Master Gongyang that he wished to stay at Qingyang Palace for a few days to wait for the Palace Master's return, and the Master readily agreed.

For the next seven days, Qi Yun's life was extremely regular:
In the early morning, I practice Xingyi Quan in the courtyard, refining my boxing techniques. In the afternoon, I ponder the profound principle of mutual generation between the Wood Element Withering and Flourishing Sword and the Fire Element Wildfire Sword in the Five Elements Thunderclap Sword, and attempt to initially integrate the sword intent of the two.

The cycle of life and death transforms into the fuel for a raging wildfire; the transformation within this process is infinitely mysterious and cannot be accomplished in a single day.

During the meal, he sat down with Master Gongyang to discuss the Dao, asking him many questions about cultivation knowledge and lineage stories, from which he benefited greatly.

At night, he would sit alone behind closed doors, single-mindedly focusing on refining the "Nine Netherworld Thread Seal" technique.

Life is fulfilling yet leisurely, and my mind is as calm as still water.

During this time, Qi Yun also learned from Master Gongyang that the difficulty in cultivating magic lies in the strength of one's primordial spirit (spiritual power).

Before reaching the third stage of "refining the body," the strength of one's primordial spirit is predetermined and cannot be improved through ordinary training.

A person with exceptional talent might be able to master a spell in three months, but for an ordinary person, it would be quite difficult to even begin to learn it in a year.

However, Master Gongyang also mentioned that there may be certain primordial secret techniques in the world that can temper the primordial spirit in advance in the "Transformation" stage, which is of great benefit to breaking through the "Refining Form" stage. However, such secret techniques are all core secrets of each lineage, more precious than life itself, and it is difficult for outsiders to know the details. It is even unknown whether there is still a lineage.

Qi Yun, however, noticed something unusual during his own cultivation.

Not only does his primordial spirit fully recover after a good night's sleep, but the number of times he can attempt to condense magic seals each day is also slowly increasing!
This means that his primordial spirit strength was enhanced during the process of receiving the talisman!
"It must be the effect of the Great Black Edict!" Qi Yun realized. "By helping the souls of the dead and accumulating merit, ordinary people can benefit in their next life."

"And I, as a judge of the underworld, can enjoy such merit in this life?"

He recalled the night he sparred with Song Dingqian, when a cool sensation suddenly arose from his ancestral aperture between his eyebrows, helping him break through the barrier. This must have been the wondrous effect of his accumulated merit.

It's like having a huge sum of money without realizing it; when you encounter a checkpoint, nature will naturally "settle the bill" for you.

Having figured this out, Qi Yun suddenly felt a chill: "If worldly merits can be accumulated and used at will, then when I die and return to the underworld, won't there be very little left on the merit book?"
If one is further burdened by karma, wouldn't that immediately turn one's karma into a negative number? The consequences would probably be dire! Then Qi Yun thought even deeper!
Could this be a deeper warning from the underworld to judges who uphold the law?

Even if one has little knowledge of the rules, one should not act recklessly. One must constantly accumulate merit and virtue in order to have a good end.
"The Great Black Laws are indeed strict and no joke." Qi Yun shook his head and sighed softly, suppressing his thoughts and focusing on his cultivation tonight.

The sixteenth attempt.

Qi Yun was highly focused.

The three streams of true qi, like the most obedient threads, swiftly intertwined and crisscrossed in his palm under his precise control, gradually forming a complex, intricate seal that emitted a faint, ethereal light.

Ninety percent, ninety-five percent... Finally, at the moment when the three streams of true qi perfectly converged at the final point.

Become!

A slight tremor ran through his palm, and a barely perceptible, dark magic seal flashed by, solidifying firmly beneath the Laogong acupoint.

Qi Yun was overjoyed and without hesitation, he immediately formed the "Tethering Silk" hand seal with both hands while chanting the secret incantation in a low voice.

The true qi vibrated with the chant, and the newly formed magic seal suddenly collapsed, turning into an extremely thin, almost completely transparent black thread that shot out from the tip of his index finger!

"laugh!"

With a soft sound, a tiny hole, no bigger than a pinhole, appeared on the opposite wall, its depth unknown.

"The penetrating power is acceptable, but the destructive power is only average. This technique is indeed more about control."

With a thought, Qi Yun caused the thin thread to retract as nimbly as if it were alive, silently wrapping around the hilt of the long sword hanging on the wall.

With a slight bend of the index finger

"Qiang!"

The longsword was drawn from its sheath with a snap, transforming into a streak of cold light, and flew steadily into Qi Yun's hand.

"Heh, a low-budget version of sword control? It's convenient for showing off in front of others."

But that's not where the true power of this method lies.

Qi Yun wanted to try it on a living creature, but the true energy in the silk thread had been exhausted and dissipated on its own.

His face fell; he wanted to try again, but he would have to start refining the hand seals all over again.

Although there was one successful experience, the failure rate was still high, and it was far from being able to do whatever one wanted.

According to the usual practice of cultivation, one needs to succeed once every five attempts to be considered to have entered the field. Success once every three attempts is barely enough for actual combat. 100% success is the mark of perfection, and only then can one begin to cultivate the second level of the Dharma Seal.

"That's enough. I'm already much faster than the average person. I shouldn't be greedy and impatient."

Qi Yun suppressed his urgency, sensing that his divine sense was mostly depleted and only enough to support one last attempt, so he decided to stop once he was done using it.

However, just as he was concentrating and preparing to draw for the seventeenth time.

At the center of his brow, the "Black Laws and Edicts of the Northern Yin Fengdu" suddenly trembled slightly on its own, emitting a faint, deep light.

Those three streams of true qi seemed to be guided by an invisible hand, spontaneously and smoothly moving along the trajectory they had just successfully followed!
In the blink of an eye, a complete and stable thread-drawing seal was formed once again!

Qi Yun was first startled, then overjoyed: "That's it! My 'Great Black Edict' is the true talisman of heaven and earth. According to Uncle Xuanqing, it contains the mysteries of creation!"

It seems that once I successfully cultivate this lineage's magic, it will be recorded and solidified by imperial decree. Afterwards, I won't need to painstakingly create hand seals; a mere thought is enough to cast it?!

To cultivate a spell to the first level of perfection within seven days is truly astonishing!

Ordinary people wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing.

If those who receive the ancestral master's seal are considered his own sons, then Qi Yun, who receives the seal of heaven and earth, is himself the ancestral master, a superior who directly holds power!
It's only natural that it's so convenient!
He suppressed his excitement, maintained the hand seal, and temporarily refrained from chanting the mantra.

The mudra is like a bullet, the hand seal is like loading the gun, and reciting the incantation is like pulling the trigger.

However, Qi Yun's state of restraint will not last long.

He immediately got off the bed, silently slipped out of the room, and walked into the front area of ​​Qingyang Palace. His eyes were sharp as lightning as he scanned the area, searching for any living creature.

He quickly spotted a crow roosting in an ancient tree in the scenic area.

With a flick of his finger, a wisp of wind disturbed the crow's peaceful slumber.

"Caw!" the crow cried out in alarm, flapping its wings as if to take flight.

Just as it took off, Qi Yun chanted an incantation and swiftly pointed his index finger!
The invisible black line shot out again, instantly disappearing into the base of the crow's left wing!
The crow froze abruptly, as if instantly frozen, and plummeted straight down from the sky.

Qi Yun flicked his wrist, the black thread retracted, and he gently brought the stiff crow into his hand and held it.

Immediately, he activated the black line again, shooting it towards the green stone beside him.

Snapped!
A very slight crackling sound was heard, leaving a faint white mark on the stone surface; its power was indeed not as sharp as the sword energy.

The true qi was exhausted again, and the black lines dissipated.

"Indeed, my true qi has been tempered by the Crimson Hunting Fire and is far more refined than that of other qi of the same level, but this strand of qi is still weak in terms of lethality."

Its true power lies in control.

When it enters a living being's body, it can cause it to stiffen; when used to wrap around or pull, it can be used to retrieve objects from a distance.

However, its effectiveness against living people, martial artists, and ghosts remains unknown. If used poorly, this technique is utterly useless; but if used skillfully, it might deliver a decisive victory in a crucial moment!

At this moment, his primordial spirit power was exhausted, and fatigue struck again, but Qi Yun was still content.

After testing the spell's effectiveness, he returned to his room, lay down, and fell into a deep sleep.

(End of this chapter)