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

Chapter 160 Jiang Shou Removes the Poison, Righteous Men Unite

After Qi Yun destroyed the Crimson Sun Dharma Platform with the Crimson Hunt Fire, the Crimson Hunt grew stronger and nourished itself.

This greatly increased his cultivation level, allowing him to reach the peak of the ordination stage in one fell swoop, with his true qi soaring to thirty-three levels.

This is already the limit. After thoroughly cleansing his internal organs, Qi Yun will be able to officially enter the realm of transformation!
Despite his rapid improvement in strength, Qi Yun felt no joy whatsoever.

The stone boy's astonishing scheme weighed heavily on his heart like a colossal boulder.

Thoughts surged, and doubts arose.

"It chose Qingwei Temple on Nanping Mountain as the core of this corpse-refining formation. Is it truly just as Songfeng said, because it is an extremely yin place, making it easy to gather yin energy? Or..."

An even more unsettling thought arose: Did it know I was going to Qingwei Temple?
"If that's the case, where did it get my information from?"

Is it divination and deduction, or... a glimpse into the causal threads it stole?

To what extent is the cause and effect between me and it entangled?

It has taken my name, stolen my face, and now holds the position of Imperial Advisor, setting up this evil formation that brings ruin to all living beings... What exactly is it after?
"Just to create corpse soldiers to help the court fight against the Northern Chen? Absolutely impossible!"

"Should I still go to Qingwei Temple?"

As soon as this thought arose, Qi Yun's mind tightened slightly, and he subconsciously sensed the "Northern Yin Fengdu Black Law Edict" within his body.

However, the law remained silent and did not react in the slightest.

He understood.

The Great Black Law upholds the principle of "breaking through falsehoods and eliminating fear."

Fearlessness means having no fear in one's heart and being courageous and diligent, not being reckless and ignorant, or courting death.

To be courageous and diligent is to knowingly venture into dangerous territory, but before doing so, one must sharpen one's sword and prepare a good strategy. Thus, one acts with wisdom without fear.

Recklessly courting death means acting without assessing the situation or one's own capabilities, relying solely on momentary impulses, which is like throwing an egg against a rock.

The law does not prevent him from weighing the pros and cons and assessing the situation, because this is the inherent meaning of "holding one's mind like a scale," which is calmness, not fear.

Weighing the options at this moment is the rational course of action, hence the law remains unmoved.

"That stone boy first took my place and took a certain key item from the Five Organs Observation, which is why I have my current cultivation level."

He then used sorcery to wreak havoc on the people, creating millions of corpses; his heart must belong to the demonic realm, and his schemes were far from trivial.

"It is now a Celestial Master at the Stepping Realm, and I am far from being its match. However, the one who is in charge of Qingwei Temple is only its disciple Xuan Yin, who, according to Prefect Li, should be at the Transcendent Realm."

"I am now at the peak of the ordination stage, and my true qi is more refined than before. I only need to find another altar and use its yin energy to refine and nourish myself, and I will surely be able to cleanse my entire body and enter the realm of transformation!"

"At that time, if we return to the Qingwei Observatory and face the Xuan Yin, we may not be without a fighting chance!"

"Destroying these altars is itself an act of thwarting their evil schemes and saving the people from suffering!"

In the blink of an eye, the pros and cons became clear.

Qi Yun's gaze sharpened, and he had already made up his mind.

Go! But you need to improve your strength even faster!
He composed himself, turned around, and stepped out of the underground palace.

Outside the ancestral hall, the scene was desolate.

The old Taoist priest Songfeng's face was ashen. Holding the "epidemic-repelling talisman," he hurriedly pressed it against a deep, black scratch mark on Yan Chifeng's chest, where the bone was visible.

The talisman flickered with a faint light, struggling to resist the bluish-black corpse poison that continued to spread from the wound, but it was like a drop in the ocean, only able to slightly slow its spread.

Yan Chifeng had already collapsed unconscious, his jaw clenched, his face ashen, and his breath as weak as a candle flickering in the wind.

The corpse poison was exceptionally ferocious, having spread from the wound on his chest to half of his body. Wherever it passed, the skin turned a deathly bluish-black, and the blood vessels bulged out like twisted earthworms.

Song Feng himself also had a scratch on his arm, though not as severe as Yan Chifeng's, but the corpse poison was slowly eroding it as well.

Although he possessed a small amount of true qi within him, it was still true qi. At this moment, he was able to protect his heart meridian and barely maintain consciousness, but his forehead was covered in cold sweat, indicating that he was also enduring great pain.

"Useless... This plague-repelling talisman is only effective against ordinary plagues, and it's far too weak against this kind of condensed corpse poison!"

Songfeng's voice trembled, filled with helplessness and anxiety.

Qi Yun stepped forward quickly and said in a deep voice, "Let me do it."

He squatted down, put his index and middle fingers together, and lightly pressed them on the wounds of Yan Chifeng and Song Feng respectively.

With a slight thought, two wisps of Crimson Hunt True Fire, as thin as gossamer yet incomparably pure, emanated from their fingertips and silently entered their bodies.

"Hiss!" A faint burning sound rang out.

Yan Chifeng's body trembled violently, and he let out a painful groan in his unconscious state.

The spreading bluish-black corpse poison seemed to have met its nemesis, quickly receding and turning into wisps of grayish-black foul gas that were forced out from the wounds and even the pores, before being burned to nothingness by the residual heat of the true fire.

Within moments, the darkness at their wounds vanished, and though the skin and flesh were torn open, they had regained their bright red color.

Yan Chifeng let out a soft moan and slowly woke up.

Song Feng immediately felt a warm current dispel the cold and stagnation in his body, and his spirits lifted.

Yan Chifeng opened his eyes, saw Qi Yun, and felt the corpse poison in his body disappear. He instantly understood what had happened.

He struggled to sit up, his face full of shame: "Master Qi! It was you who saved me again!"
"I, Yan, am truly... truly useless! I intended to lend you a helping hand, but I have repeatedly become a burden! I am truly... ashamed!"

He was of a fierce nature, and having suffered repeated setbacks, he needed Qi Yun to save him time and again. He was filled with shame and indignation, and tears welled up in his tiger-like eyes.

Qi Yun reached out a hand to help him up, and said calmly, "Brother Yan, why belittle yourself?"
If it weren't for you and Fellow Daoist Songfeng keeping me in check, I wouldn't have been able to easily kill that altar master and destroy the altar.

The corpse poison was bizarre; it wasn't a fault of the war effort.

He changed the subject, his expression becoming serious: "The matter here is settled."

But the place I wish to go will be even more dangerous.

That place is a den of dragons and tigers, fraught with lurking dangers.

He looked at the two of them and said sincerely, "You two have helped me a lot, and I am extremely grateful."

However, the road ahead is fraught with danger, and I cannot bear to burden my two comrades.

Let us part ways here.

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist Songfeng's face darkened, and he opened his mouth but remained silent for a moment.

He knew that what Qi Yun said was true and that he was considering their interests, but the newly ignited sense of righteousness in his heart made him unwilling to back down.

However, before Song Feng could speak, Yan Chifeng suddenly used his sword to prop himself up and stood up.

Although his body swayed slightly due to blood loss and weakness, his spine remained straight, and his eyes burned with an almost resolute flame.

"Master, what you said is wrong!"

His voice was hoarse, yet every word was resounding, like the clash of metal: "How could I, Yan, be a coward who fears death?"

In this world, wolves and monsters rule, and someone has to stand up!
I know that you possess great supernatural powers, and my meager abilities are of little help; I might even be a burden to you!

He slammed his fist on his chest, ignoring the bleeding from his wounds, his eyes burning with intensity: "But I, Yan Chifeng, have no other skills, only a heart full of courage and a body of strong bones!"
That evil Taoist priest, I may not be able to hurt him, but I'll risk my life to knock out a few of his teeth and spit blood all over him!

So that he'll know that there is righteousness in this world, and that there are people who are not afraid to die! So that we can go forth and kill him, one after another!

These words, spoken with resounding force, were filled with a tragic spirit and pure courage, a willingness to go even against a million men.

The old Taoist priest Songfeng was shaken to his core upon hearing this, and his hesitation was instantly shattered by this overwhelming aura.

He felt a long-lost surge of warmth welling up from the bottom of his heart, making his white hair tremble slightly. He excitedly took a step forward and said loudly.

“What Yan Zhuangshi said is exactly what I feel in my heart!”
"I have wasted most of my life, living in a daze, merely trying to survive in this chaotic world. All I have seen is self-preservation, and all I have done is seek good fortune and avoid misfortune! It was only after meeting you, Master, that I learned what it means to 'relieve suffering and rescue from calamity,' and what 'the Way lies within' truly means!"

His eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance, and his voice rose with excitement: "This broken life is nothing to regret!"

Now that I can follow the Taoist priest and witness this magnificent spectacle, what regret would I have even if I were to die?
If I could use this wretched and broken body to ignite a spark in this dark world, and contribute my strength to upholding justice, I, this humble Taoist, would be more than willing to do so!

The two companions, one firm and the other gentle, were equally resolute and unwavering.

Qi Yun silently looked at the two men before him. One was a seasoned battlefield captain, his blood still hot; the other was a wandering swordsman, his spirit still strong in his twilight years.

Their cultivation levels are not high, and they might even become a burden, but the righteousness and courage that burst forth in the face of adversity are more moving than any profound Taoist magic.

He seemed to see that even in this pitch-black world, tiny sparks still burned tenaciously.

By upholding the great black law, slaying demons and monsters, what I protect is precisely this little bit of light and warmth in the human world.
After a long silence, Qi Yun slowly nodded, a barely perceptible warmth flashing in his eyes: "In that case, let's travel together."

"it is good!"

Yan Chifeng and Song Feng spoke in unison, their faces beaming with excitement.

(End of this chapter)