Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 219 Taoist Worms Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth

On the second floor of the inn, the four people accepted the invitations without much hesitation.

They kept their eyes fixed on the woman in white, waiting for her to reveal more about her chance to establish her foundation.

The White Protector was standing with her back turned, looking out the window, her words spoken slowly and deliberately:
"Please don't panic, everyone. I should explain this matter concerning Foundation Establishment to you properly, so as to avoid any oversights or misunderstandings."

The old pharmacist immediately said in a deep voice, "You are overthinking it, Dharma Protector. We will patiently accept your instruction."

“Please speak, Dharma Protector; we will only be grateful.”

The woman in white turned around and looked at the four people behind her:
"Do you all know that in ancient times, before the emergence of immortals like us, or more precisely, before the ancient sages and teachers established the discipline of immortal studies, there were also cultivators in this other world, and they also had the Foundation Establishment realm?"

The four people inside the room listened and pondered for a moment.

The female talisman master surnamed Luo pondered for a moment before replying, "What you're referring to, fellow Daoist, could it be those evil heretics who called themselves 'Taoists' back then?"

"That's right." The woman in white nodded.
"However, the term 'demonic heretics' used by Fellow Daoist Luo may not be entirely accurate."

These words surprised everyone present. Only Fang Shu was momentarily lost in thought, his mind wandering.

"As far as I know, before the establishment of the study of immortality, the so-called Taoists were not just demons from beyond the realm. In fact, it can be said that there were very few Taoists who truly came from beyond the heavens. Most Taoists actually refer to those who cultivate immortality and pursue the Great Dao in the local world beyond the mortal realm."

The woman in white commented:

"The original meaning of the name 'Taoist priest' is by no means derogatory, but rather a compliment."

"So that's how it is?"

The crowd responded in hushed tones, all with expressions of suspicion.

It should be known that, as everyone knows, Taoists were once the culprits who almost caused the collapse of the heavens and the earth in the otherworld. If it weren't for the birth of the ancient sages and masters, the human and demon beings in this world would probably still be just resources and slaves under the control of those "Taoists".

"Don't believe me?" The woman in white showed no anger at all. Instead, she smiled and looked at everyone, finally fixing her gaze on Fang Shu.

This action caused the others to look at him strangely, and even Fang Shu's heart skipped a beat.

Incredible thoughts flashed through his mind, wondering if the other person was implying something, but he managed to keep his composure and only showed a puzzled look on his face.

The next moment, Protector Bai pointed at Fang Shu's robes:
"The fact that Fellow Daoist Hu is wearing a Daoist robe today is strong evidence of this. In the many immortal cultivation manuals we have studied, those who call themselves Daoists are not to be trifled with, for they are utterly devoid of conscience and are vermin of the Dao."

Yet, in our daily lives, we constantly mention those beings, simply labeling them with the word 'immortal.' Furthermore, during the refinement stage of cultivation, some places habitually refer to those who have reached the refinement stage as 'Daoist children,' a custom also inherited from the ancient Daoist tradition.

The woman concluded: "In short, the longer something has been passed down in the world, the more it is associated with Taoists."

Especially those ancient and long-standing Taoist lineages, whose practices are practically identical to those of the Taoist priests of ancient times.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of surprise and disbelief on the faces of the people in the room deepened.

Upon careful consideration, they discovered that it was indeed as the woman in white had said.

In their daily cultivation life, many things are often named after "Dao," such as the term "Daoist friend" used by people.

This is what everyone has encountered since they began their cultivation; they've long been accustomed to it and subconsciously ignored it. But now, when the woman in white mentioned it, they realized that there was indeed a sense of incongruity.

However, the woman in white's account contradicted the rumors circulating in the market. Apart from Fang Shu, the other three people all wore expressions of suspicion.

The room was quiet for a few moments.

Among them, the Zhuang-surnamed martial artist, with his eyes slightly narrowed, spoke in a very casual manner:
"Forget about Taoists, Protector Bai, let's get back to the important matter. Could it be that this so-called Foundation Establishment opportunity you mentioned, which allows us to be free from being controlled by others, is related to these so-called Taoists?"

The woman in white nodded:

"That's right. According to my research, Taoists in ancient times also believed in blessed lands and grotto heavens."

However, those people were completely different from the immortals of today. They didn't need to be in a fixed place, and there was no requirement for having ley lines when breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

These words immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Fang Shu landed among them, his ears perked up, listening intently.

The woman in white made no attempt to conceal her identity and stated directly:
"When Taoist priests establish their foundation, they create a space within their bodies called the 'Inner World.' This Inner World can house living things, nurture plants, repair houses, and even incorporate mountains, rivers, lakes, and the cycle of the sun and moon... It is a delicate and exquisite world."

Moreover, this thing will gradually improve as the Taoist's realm increases, until it eventually grows into a complete world.

With such an inner world at their side, Taoists are not only unrestrained, but can also draw upon the external world to replenish their inner world, thus harming the way of heaven and nourishing the way of humanity.

Compared to this, the blessed lands and ancestral burial grounds of our immortal families are like earthenware pots.

In an instant, the term "inner world" was deeply imprinted in the hearts of everyone present.

Among the four, the old pharmacist Sun's suspicious expression disappeared, as if he had also heard of the term "inner world".

The man's voice was tinged with excitement: "Could it be that Protector Bai has received the inheritance of the ancient Taoist priests and knows the method of creating the inner world?"

It's happening so fast.

Fang Shu and the others all focused their attention on the jade slip in the center of the guest room.

For a moment, chaotic thoughts surged forth from the scene, and some people were quite impatient, wanting to touch the jade slip.

There were still chaotic sounds coming from the scene:

"This concept of the inner world is indeed quite ingenious. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Bai could elaborate further?"

"Protector Bai, where did you learn of these things? May we borrow these scriptures for a look?"

Fang Shu, mixed in with them, also spoke a few words in a seemingly anxious manner.

But to everyone's astonishment, the White Protector sighed and shook his head.
"You have misunderstood. I mentioned this matter only to explain the ins and outs to you. It is not that I have received any inheritance from an ancient Taoist priest."

And most importantly, in today's world beyond the mortal realm, it is no longer possible to create an inner world. Even if a Taoist priest from ancient times were to be resurrected, he would not be able to! The woman spoke the last few words with great certainty, leaving everyone stunned and looking at each other in disbelief.

Before anyone could speak, the woman in white spoke:
"Since the ancient sages and masters established the study of immortality and severed the connection between heaven and earth, there has been no longer any method for creating an inner world, nor any soil for creating an inner world."

This was the result of the great supernatural powers of the ancient sages and teachers, who spared no effort in burning books and texts, destroying steles and laws, cutting down mountains and ruining temples, and completely erasing it from the realm.

Moreover, this matter is already engraved in the heavens and earth, and has been continuously reinforced by subsequent sages, causing the rules of the Great Dao to evolve. Heaven and earth themselves have already rejected this method, prohibiting the existence of anything within the inner world... We, the descendants, need not think about it any further.”

“This…” The old pharmacist’s face went blank for a moment, and he looked extremely dejected.

The woman in white looked at Pharmacist Sun and, seeing a hint of doubt and unrealistic expectation in his eyes, continued:
"Fellow Daoist Sun, this is actually a fortunate thing for us younger generations."

Bai consulted ancient texts and learned that the term "worms of the Dao" on Taoist priests originated from something closely related to the inner world. This inner world could very well be harmful to the outer world.

Unfortunately, to this day, I have not been able to obtain even a single word of explanation as to how exactly they devoured the world, nor even a credible conjecture.

Upon hearing this, the old pharmacist Sun looked even more dejected. He could only silently bow to Protector Bai and remain silent.

Meanwhile, Fang Shu, having heard so much, could no longer contain himself.

He no longer needed to hold back and immediately cupped his hands in greeting, saying:
"May I ask, Dharma Protector, since the methods of the ancients are not feasible, have you found another method?"

"That's right." The woman in white nodded.
"The methods of Taoist priests are envied by the heavens, and no one can practice them. The methods of immortals are controlled by people and are not very free."

Since that's the case, we can choose something in between, and settle for the middle way.

hum!
Without further hesitation, the woman pointed directly to the jade slip in everyone's sight and spoke:
"As for the more specific methods and steps, they are all contained in the jade slip. Please take a look for yourselves."

However, let me make this clear from the start. While you could still back out of the invitation earlier—at most, you could simply cut ties—now that you've accepted this favor from me, there's no going back!

His voice was sharp and cold.

Everyone in the room spoke up without the slightest hesitation:

"Thank you for sharing this item, fellow Daoist!"

"It's alright. Even if I were to swear on the oath of my ancestors for eighteen generations, I would be more than willing."

Seeing this, the woman in white remained silent. She nodded and uttered a single word without making a sound:
"Edict!"

With a whoosh, the jade slip spun rapidly, immediately splitting into four thin jade slips, which slowly landed in front of Fang Shu and the others.

With the foundation-building scriptures right in front of them, Fang Shu and the others could no longer contain themselves. They immediately probed the scriptures with their divine senses and began to peruse their contents.

Boom! A dense mass of text instantly flooded into their minds. Although it was only a general outline, it contained nearly 100,000 words, and each part was interconnected.

Fang Shu absorbed the information, and for a moment he was lost in thought. It took him a full ten breaths to slowly come to his senses.

Clutching the jade slip tightly, his eyes flickered with uncertainty as his thoughts raced. He attempted to use his Daoist talisman to analyze the text within the jade slip and determine its authenticity and credibility.

He quickly made a judgment in his mind: "Highly credible!"

at the same time.

Twenty or thirty breaths later, the other immortals present also reacted, exclaiming in surprise:
"This Foundation Establishment inheritance actually came from the Immortal City of Vast Ocean?!"

The woman in white readily agreed:
“That’s right. This method was left behind by the Foundation Establishment Immortal in the Vast Desert. By chance, it was secretly taken to Fudang Mountain by a member of the caravan, who attempted to sell it, and it was secretly bought by me, Bai.”

The room stirred for a few moments, then fell silent again.

The people present either had furrowed brows or looked dazed, all continuing to digest the contents of the jade slip.

Just as the woman in white said.

The foundation-building method described in this jade slip is indeed somewhere between the Taoist inner world method and the immortal earth vein method.

Its opening statement is straightforward: "As long as people live, the land exists; when people die, the land dies. Rather than that, it is better to harm the heavens and the earth to replenish oneself."

Within the general outline, the Foundation Establishment Immortal named "Yang Zhuzi" taught a Foundation Establishment path that had already been established in the vast desert.

This method uses the human body as a vessel, extracting so-called sacred mountain veins and refining them into one's own body, directly transforming them into spiritual veins within the body, and using oneself as a blessed land!
However, this method is not an inner world. It does not open up a certain acupoint in the void or inside the body. Instead, it directly uses the five internal organs of the physical body as mountains and rivers, and the six bowels as lakes, so that the blood, flesh and blood in the body can be transformed into something similar to soil and river water!

Once the foundation building is completed, the physical body of such immortals will be equivalent to a mountain and a lake.

Moreover, at the time of their passing, the remains of the immortals will transform into mountains, bamboo forests, peach trees, lakes, and various earth veins and dragon veins, returning to heaven and earth, which is quite miraculous.

As for magical power, these immortals are in no way inferior to the earth-building immortals who guard their territory, and may even be slightly superior, because their physical bodies are all powerful, directly comparable to the ferocious beasts and demons of ancient times.

After a long while, the four people present came to their senses, and their expressions changed.

Among them, some hesitated, some looked indifferent, and some were overjoyed.

But regardless of who they were, including Fang Shu, all four of them suddenly felt their minds opened up, as if Protector Bai had opened a new door to cultivation.

"It can actually be like this..." Master Sun murmured.

He lowered his head again, stroking the jade slip in his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Protector Bai, I owe you a great favor this time. Thank you."

The woman in white nodded.

There was also the female talisman master surnamed Luo present, muttering to herself, "Such a method exists in the world... like draining the pond to catch all the fish. No wonder we've never heard of it in the Lushan area. This method could only have come from the vast desert..."

Fang Shu mingled among them, his expression cold and indifferent. But in reality, his inner emotions were no calmer than anyone else's.

On the contrary, relying solely on the general outline within the jade slip, he decided to exert his mental energy to control the Dao talisman, even consuming the precious dragon energy within it, and immediately conduct a deduction based on this general outline.

The more Fang Shu pondered and deduced, the more restless he became.

It is said that this method of foundation building in the vast sea region, although it is against the natural order, ruins the earth's veins, and disregards human affairs, is far superior to the earth vein method of foundation building for the lower-level immortals!
(End of this chapter)