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

Chapter 161 A Pure and Tranquil Abode, Possessing a Fierce Spirit (3,000-word Chapter)
At the very moment Qi Yun destroyed the Chiyang Altar, a completely different world unfolded in the Qingwei Temple on Nanping Mountain, thousands of miles away.

This place is like two different worlds from the desolate and starving landscapes of Yongzhou.

The mountains are verdant and surrounded by beautiful peaks, with lush forests and babbling brooks.

Clouds and mist linger around the mountainside, sometimes like a light veil rolling up, sometimes like a jade ribbon swaying, adorning this land as if it were a pure land forgotten by the world.

Qingwei Temple is built along the mountainside, with its halls and pavilions layered upon each other, and its flying eaves and brackets appearing and disappearing amidst the towering ancient trees.

The bluestone steps wind upwards, flanked by evergreen pines and cypresses, with a faint sandalwood scent wafting in the wind, refreshing and invigorating.

The clear sound of chimes could be heard from time to time in the temple, echoing the birdsong and the sound of springs in the mountains, adding to the otherworldly and ethereal atmosphere.

Deep in the back mountains, in a secluded bamboo forest.

The bamboo shadows sway gently, and the green shade is like a canopy.

Sunlight filters through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

A gentle breeze rustles the bamboo leaves, like jade breaking on ice, a clear and melodious sound.

Two people sat facing each other on either side of a blue stone chessboard in the woods.

The man sitting facing south has a fair complexion and no beard. He is dressed in a deep red eunuch's robe, with intricate cloud patterns embroidered in gold thread on the collar and cuffs. He is none other than Eunuch Wang, who narrowly escaped from Hongnong Prefecture.

He held a white jade chess piece in his hand, his brows furrowed, but his gaze kept drifting into the distance, clearly indicating that his mind was no longer on the game.

The man opposite was about thirty years old, with a handsome face and an aloof demeanor.

His dark Taoist robe accentuated his fair skin, and his well-trimmed mustache and stubble added to his refined and scholarly air.

This person is none other than Xuan Yin, the current abbot of Qingwei Temple and the sixth disciple of the current imperial preceptor, Master Qingyun.

He held the black pieces, his demeanor calm and composed, as if the world's troubles were none of his concern.

The game has reached the middle stage. White has a strong position and is maneuvering left and right within Black's formation, already gaining the upper hand.

Wang Gonggong absentmindedly placed a piece, and was about to speak when he saw Xuan Yin's fingers, which were holding the chess piece, pause slightly.

Xuan Yin looked up towards the southeast, a barely perceptible glint of blue light flashing in his eyes.

He raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised yet knowing, and muttered to himself, "In the southeast direction, the fire element has suddenly weakened, and the metal element has been severed... The Crimson Sun Altar has been destroyed."

"What?!" As if pricked by a needle, Eunuch Wang snapped back to his senses. The white jade chess piece in his hand landed on the chessboard with a "thud," spinning around a few times before coming to a stop.

He exclaimed urgently, "It must be that bastard who appeared out of nowhere!"

We've said it before: this scoundrel is no ordinary creature and must not be allowed to run rampant!
"Abbot, if we allow him to destroy each altar one by one, ruining the Imperial Preceptor's grand plan, we will both be guilty beyond redemption!"

Xuan Yin withdrew his gaze from the distance, his expression remaining calm and composed, with even a faint smile playing on his lips.

He picked up a black jade chess piece, gently rubbing it between his fingers, and said leisurely, "Eunuch Wang, I am naturally dull-witted and do not understand many principles. One of them is that you must be focused in everything you do."

If your mind is distracted, you can't accomplish anything.

“Just like this game of chess.” Before he finished speaking, a black piece floated down from his fingertip, landing precisely on a seemingly insignificant gap in the heart of the large white group of stones—a square!
This move was like the finishing touch on a painting, or a fatal blow to the throat!
The large white group, which originally seemed to have a complete advantage and abundant liberties, was completely strangled by this seemingly insignificant move.

The external energy could be instantly cut off, extinguishing all life force!

Black's position suddenly shifted like a dragon emerging from the abyss, the winds and clouds changed drastically, and the world was turned upside down!

"Slay the dragon." Xuan Yin Zhenren uttered the two words calmly and without wavering.

Grandpa Wang stared in disbelief at the massive dragon he had thought was impregnable, which had crumbled instantly because of his earlier miscalculation. He remained silent for a long time.

He gave a wry smile and threw the remaining chess pieces back into the jade chess box: "Master's chess skills are profound. I... admit defeat."

Master Xuan Yin shook his head slightly: "No. Your chess skills are far superior to mine. This loss was not due to inferior skill, but rather to a lack of mental composure."

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Wang fell silent.

He spent many years immersed in the palace, often playing chess with the nobles there to relieve their boredom.

Although it's entertainment, it's actually quite cunning. You can't actually beat your master, that would be a major taboo; but you can't lose too obviously either. You have to find the right balance so that your master can enjoy the victory to the fullest.

Such refinement of chess skills has already reached a state of perfection.

Xuan Yin continued, "The same applies to this matter. The things Master instructed us to do are of utmost importance."

All we need to do is focus on this and complete it perfectly.

If you panic and become distracted by the slightest external disturbance, you risk falling into someone's trap, ending up with nothing and regretting it too late.

"A diversionary tactic?" Eunuch Wang's eyes narrowed, and a series of faces from the court flashed through his mind. His voice unconsciously lowered by three points.

"Are you saying... that someone is behind Qi Yun? Which prince in the court wants to use this to bring down the Imperial Preceptor?"

He immediately began to calculate, his fingers unconsciously tapping the chessboard: "Is it the Third Prince?"
His maternal clan has a long-standing relationship with the Northern Chen dynasty and has always advocated peace… or perhaps he is the Fifth Prince? Although he is young, his maternal uncle is in charge of the capital's garrison… or perhaps the Seventh Prince…”

Master Xuan Yin slowly rose, dusted off non-existent dust from his Taoist robe, and interrupted Eunuch Wang's speculation.

His gaze once again turned to the distance, seemingly able to penetrate thousands of mountains and rivers, to see the three figures rushing toward the next altar.

With a meaningful smile playing on his lips, the Master said softly, "The Qi of Yongzhou has already been almost fully absorbed."

The four altars were originally peripheral locations used to assist in the forging of divine weapons; even if they were all destroyed, it would not affect the overall situation at this moment.

Having said that, he said no more, turned around, flicked his sleeve, and drifted away.

The wide Taoist robe swayed gently in the bamboo breeze, exuding an elegant and graceful air.

Only Eunuch Wang, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty, remained, staring blankly at the suddenly overturned chessboard.

The bamboo shadows swayed on his face, just like his chaotic thoughts at that moment.

A long, drawn-out bell rang out from afar, echoing through the valley and adding to the sense of mystery and unfathomable depth. After leaving the desolate village where the Crimson Sun Altar was located, Qi Yun and his companions rested briefly before setting off again.

However, at this moment, the Chiyang Altar was destroyed, and by using talismans to search for the Yin energy, they could only see that the main pulse was heading towards Qingwei Mountain.

Songfeng stroked his sparse beard and said in a deep voice, "The five elements and five directions, the Red Sun belongs to fire and is located in the south; the Green Wood Altar belongs to wood and should be located in the east."

Qingwei Temple sits in the center, overseeing all the altars in the four directions.

"If we head east, we will surely find traces of that green wooden altar."

Following the old Taoist Songfeng's deduction, they turned eastward.

Under the cover of night, the three figures swept across the low hills and the dry riverbed.

Qi Yun used the "Searching for Yin and Exploring Evil Talisman" again. The talisman ignited, green smoke swirled around his fingers, and the cool sensation between his brows returned.

In the field of vision, the thick, dark, malevolent energy permeating the world continued its main course, surging towards Nanping Mountain in the southwest. However, there was indeed a distinct tributary, like a black stream, winding its way eastward.

However, after following the trail for only an hour, Qi Yun suddenly frowned and stopped.

In his unique perspective, the tributary of yin energy from the east that was originally flowing gently suddenly dried up and ceased to exist somewhere ahead, as if the stream had been cut off out of thin air, leaving no trace whatsoever!

“The Yin energy has been cut off.” Qi Yun said in a deep voice, dispersing the talisman power, and the night before him returned to normal. “It seems that the other party has already realized that the Crimson Sun Altar has been destroyed and has taken the initiative to cut off the Yin energy supplying the Green Wood Altar.”

Yan Chifeng gripped the hilt of his sword and spat, "What a cunning sorcerer!"
"They can even remotely shut this down?"

The old Taoist priest Songfeng said solemnly, "To be able to set up a large array that covers an entire state, the master of the array must have an exquisite and meticulous control over the flow of qi."

"To lose an arm to save the whole body is a strategy of sacrificing the pawn to protect the king."

Qi Yun gazed intently at the darkness in the east: "It's alright."

Even though it has been severed, the altar should still be in its original place. Some traces should still be found.

The three continued eastward until the next morning, when the dawn illuminated a desolate and barren land, and the outline of a village appeared ahead.

This village was even more dilapidated than the one in Chiyangtan; most of the mud-brick houses had collapsed, and there wasn't a single person to be seen on the village roads.

Upon entering the village, one is immediately struck by a desolate and bleak atmosphere.

"It looks like they moved out in a hurry." Yan Chifeng kicked aside a broken basket that had been overturned at his feet, and several pieces of tattered furniture that he hadn't had time to take with him rolled out of it.

Songfeng, the old Taoist, carefully examined the traces on the ground and nodded, saying, "The footprints are messy and pointing out of the village, and the wheel tracks are still fresh, so they should have been gone for no more than a day."

Qi Yun walked straight to the ancestral hall in the village.

This ancestral hall is even older than the one in Chiyang, with crooked doors and cobwebs everywhere.

Pushing open the door, the interior was empty, the offering table was overturned, the memorial tablets were scattered all over the floor, and the accumulated dust was stirred up.

Similarly, locate the mechanism and open the underground entrance.

The chilling atmosphere was slightly stronger, but far less suffocating than that of the Crimson Sun Altar.

Upon entering the underground palace, one sees the altar in the center, built of dark red evil stone, still standing, with the "Scripture of Salvation" engraved in reverse on the altar body dim and without luster.

However, the area around the altar was completely empty. Not only were there no living people waiting to be refined, but there wasn't even a single corpse soldier that had been refined.

"It seems that not only was the Yin energy severed, but the 'materials' used for refining were also transferred away," Qi Yun said coldly, stepping to the altar.

Although he knew that the yin energy in this place was extremely thin, he was still unwilling to let it go.

Cheng Yun Sword was drawn, Jiang Shou Fire was lit, and the sword pierced into the base of the altar!
Golden-red flames rose up and enveloped the altar.

However, this fire was far less intense and turbulent than the last one.

The remaining Yin energy within the altar was as thin as mist, and it was instantly dissolved by the true fire, with only a limited amount of pure primordial energy returning to it.

The warm current flowed into the dantian, nourishing the thirty-three streams of milky white true qi. They rippled slightly, becoming thicker and more solid, their inner radiance overflowing like a flowing stream.

Immediately, this force subsided and descended on its own, slowly permeating the six internal organs.

This time, Qi Yun independently mobilized that gentle and vast energy, prioritizing its flow into the "gallbladder"!
The courageous official is the one who makes the most impartial and decisive decisions.

It is one of the six viscera and also belongs to the extraordinary viscera.

Its nature is upright and honest, like a judge in the human world, in charge of making decisions, courage and cowardice, which are related to a person's courage and boldness.

In spiritual practice, a strong courage leads to a calm mind and makes it difficult for evil thoughts to invade; a weak courage makes one easily frightened and unstable in one's spiritual practice.

The Daoist Canon states: "The gallbladder is the residence of purity and tranquility, storing body fluids and possessing a strong and fierce energy. It assists the liver in making decisions."

Only by cleansing the mind and removing the turbid and cowardly energy accumulated due to worldly disturbances and deficiency of qi and blood can a practitioner be full of courage, fearless in the face of danger, and able to remain steadfast in the face of countless obstacles, making the most decisive and correct judgments.

This is the foundation for a firm Daoist mind and vigorous progress.

Qi Yun prioritized cleansing his heart and soul because his subsequent journey to the heart of the enemy would inevitably involve facing unimaginably powerful and treacherous enemies, requiring a fearless, decisive, and courageous heart!

Now is the perfect time to cleanse our hearts and souls!
Nourished by the vital energy fed back from the refining of the Crimson Hunting Fire, the turbid energy in his gallbladder was refined and extracted bit by bit. A refreshing, resolute, and decisive aura arose from his gallbladder and spread throughout his body, invigorating his spirit and making his eyes even sharper and clearer.

Although he was unable to break through the barrier and enter the realm of transformation with this meager energy, the cleansing of his heart and soul was completed much earlier than expected, and he was nearly halfway through!

Qi Yun sheathed his sword and stood there, looking at the altar that was gradually turning into charcoal. There was not much disappointment in his eyes as he thought to himself.

"It seems that Xuan Yin is determined to retreat and hold firm. Although the Green Wood Altar is empty, it has cleansed my heart and strengthened my resolve. The next stop is Qingwei Temple on Nanping Mountain!"

Qi Yun then let out a low shout, "Since the other party has cut off the altar, let's head straight for Qingwei Temple, let's go!"

Without a second thought, the three turned and left the deserted village, their figures disappearing into the vast wilderness, heading straight for Nanping Mountain in the southwest.

(End of this chapter)