Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 277 Daoist Foundation Building, Profound Sect, Unorthodox Path
Inside the underground palace, Fang Shu woke up with a jumble of thoughts.

Beside him, Erdaiyuan also withdrew from her meditative state.

The woman blushed, silently straightened her already perfectly dressed clothes, and then asked Fang Shu as if nothing was amiss:

"Does Fang Lang think that what is said in this scripture is too heretical?"

Fang Shu pondered for a moment, then nodded seriously, but then said, "It is not heresy, but rather it points out the truth."

He stood up and paced along the stone pillar:

"When I was at the foot of the mountain, I had a small opportunity to come into contact with the method of building a foundation on the ground, and I also obtained the corresponding foundation building method."

Fang Shu flipped his hand and took out a jade slip. The contents of this jade slip were the Foundation Establishment essentials that Bai Yangyang had given to everyone as agreed.

He handed the jade slip to Erdaiyuan, asking her to accept it, and then briefly explained the meaning of "walking on the ground to build a foundation".

Erdaiyuan had already vaguely learned about this foundation-building method during the soul-to-soul exchange, but Fang Shu's thoughts were rather shallow at the time, so she didn't know much. Now that Fang Shu had generously taken out the manual, after taking a few glances, she suddenly felt enlightened and broadened her horizons.

Fang Shu, standing to the side, sighed:
"But to be honest, whether it's the ground-based foundation building method or the seated foundation building method, I always feel that although there are differences between the two, they are like free-range chickens and caged chickens."

Therefore, Fang always tried to reconcile the two, feeling that there might be a more perfect foundation-building method among them.

He paused for a moment, then added, "For example, the Inner Heaven Foundation Building Method practiced by Taoist priests in ancient times."

Upon hearing this, Er Daiyuan, who was sitting to the side, couldn't help but smile, but her face also showed a hint of regret.

The reason is simple: within this long-standing bloodline inheritance, it is also pointed out that the Inner Heaven Foundation Building Method, or the Purple Mansion Foundation Building Method, has no place in the current world outside the mortal realm.

Anyone who practices this method is a worm that steals from heaven and earth. Heaven and earth will come to kill you on their own, and other immortals will regard you as the most precious medicine and compete to kill you.

Even if you kill a cultivator who has reached the Foundation Establishment stage in the Inner World, and don't gain a single hair, anyone who truly participates will receive some kind of blessing from Heaven and Earth, also known as merit or fortune.

Such a blessing is not only beneficial to one's own spiritual practice, but can also extend to one's offspring, the lineage of the Way, and so on. It can only be described as miraculous.

Given this situation, unless they could leave the secluded world or hide in some secret realm and cultivate all the way to at least the level of an immortal, even if this Inner Heaven Foundation Building Method were placed in front of them, neither of them would dare to use it.

Fang Shu looked at the regret on Er Daiyuan's face, and a slight smile appeared on his face:
"Unexpectedly, thanks to Fellow Daoist Dai Yuan, I have learned that there is indeed a path in this world that transcends the two methods of sitting and walking."

It could even be said that only at this point did Fang begin to understand what the orthodox immortals of today truly cultivated.

Upon hearing this, Erdaiyuan's face also turned serious, and she looked deeply moved.

She replied, “You flatter me, Fang Lang. However, this is precisely the most important reason why I must share this method with you through spiritual communication. Without spiritual communication, it would be difficult to fully explain its wonders, and it would inevitably arouse your suspicion.”

The two looked at each other and then smiled.

He solemnly bowed to the woman and recited:
"May we, fellow Daoists, both open our Dao veins, walk the Great Dao, and become virtuous individuals!"

It turns out that the foundation-building method and the path to enlightenment mentioned in the "Wonderful Response Blood Mother True Scripture" are all related to the word "Tao".

This "Dao" is not a vague concept, but refers to the real and authentic laws of nature and the great Dao!
Specifically, both the sitting foundation-building method and the walking foundation-building method start from the spiritual veins.

Its foundation-building method is to draw spiritual veins from the heavens and earth, cultivate one's own spiritual root, either by using external objects or by hiding them on one's body, and transform the "spiritual root" into a "spiritual vein". In this way, one can have a greater degree of connection with the heavens and earth and obtain a continuous source of true energy. With the spiritual veins running, the magical power will never cease.

The foundation-building method mentioned in the "Wonderful Response Blood Mother True Scripture" does not start from the spiritual veins at all, but follows the "Dao veins"!
The most crucial point of what they cultivate and realize lies in using their own spiritual roots as a foundation to sense the water, fire, wind, thunder, yin and yang cycles in the natural world, that is, using yin and yang, the five elements, and the seven meridians as the foundation of their cultivation.

Alternatively, they may focus on their own skills, mastering the art and using techniques such as refining poison, alchemy, weapon crafting, sword forging, curses, and divination as the foundation of their cultivation.

Both of these are called "the foundation of the Way"!
Those who attain the foundation of the Dao are walking on the Great Dao, and their cultivation and actions are in accordance with the natural order of heaven and earth, thus beginning their exploration of the rules of the Great Dao.

This method is the true path of cultivation in the world beyond the mundane realm, which has been perfected by generations of immortals since the ancient sages and masters first established the study of immortality. It is in no way inferior to the so-called "purple palace foundation building" of "Taoists"!

Even the "Miraculous Response Blood Mother True Scripture" states that those who have achieved the Dao Foundation often call themselves "True Daoists" to refute the ancient Daoists as fake Daoists, who were charlatans who stole fame from the world.

As for the two types of foundation building—walking on the ground and sitting on the ground—in the eyes of Dao Foundation Immortals, they are not even worthy of being called Immortals.

They believed that these two types of practitioners did not understand the Great Way, and that all their cultivation in their lives was merely working for the benefit of others without their knowledge. Unless they had a great opportunity to correct the chaos, they would remain inferior to others for life, and were as stupid and foolish as pigs, dogs, cattle and horses.

The reason why the Dao Foundation Immortals dare to speak like this is not only because the prospects and paths of their respective methods are different, but also because those who build their spiritual veins only know how to use magic and do not understand the principles of divination.

After the spiritual veins are established, immortals can only manipulate the power of water and fire, but do not understand the principles of water and fire; they only grasp the power of wind and thunder, but do not understand the principles of wind and thunder.

Once they encounter a Dao Foundation cultivator, all their spells will be restrained and weakened, or even directly harvested and refined.

For example, the "True Scripture of the Wondrous Response Blood Mother" records an incident where a righteous immortal who had established the foundation of the Blood Mother Dao was seriously injured and hid in the mortal world. As a result, his whereabouts were discovered by the local unorthodox sects.

The latter laid a trap and even committed shady acts such as poisoning.

But when the Blood Mother Immortal was on the verge of death, those unorthodox practitioners rushed forward. It was the Blood Mother Immortal who waved her hand, and the unorthodox practitioners all bled from their seven orifices, blood flowing from their bodies.

The essence and blood within its body seemed to have seen its true master, and directly surged into the Blood Mother Immortal's body, which actually helped it recover from its injuries.

On the stone pillar.

Fang Shu and Er Daiyuan were discussing this matter.

Upon hearing this, Erdaiyuan, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but show excitement and anticipation on her face. Clearly, she was already planning to build the so-called Blood Mother Dao Foundation!
The woman added, "Does Fang Lang wish to cultivate the Blood Path with me? Although you do not possess the Blood Spirit Root, you have not yet established your foundation, and with such a cultivation method already in place, it is not impossible for you to switch to the Blood Path."

Fang Shu heard this, but slowly shook his head: "This is your opportunity, but not mine."

After a few moments of contemplation, he spoke again:
"Furthermore, I must remind you, fellow Daoist, that although the words in this scripture are remarkable, they may also be exaggerated or concealed. Those arrogant words should not be entirely believed."

Erdaiyuan heard this and, instead of questioning it, nodded seriously.

Seeing that this woman was so teachable, Fang Shu was in a good mood and immediately said:

"However, I have greatly benefited from obtaining this Blood Path Scripture, and I must make use of it in the future!"

With a wave of his hand, the living seed bag in his sleeve suddenly opened, and pages of Taoist books and jade slips flew out of the bag, fluttering around the two of them like falling leaves.

Er Daiyuan looked up in surprise and found that the books were in disarray, involving Gu Dao, array Dao, and weapon Dao.

The secret characters within flickered continuously on the pages of the jade slip, like stars enveloping the two above their heads. Fang Shu had cultivated for so long that he had learned many Taoist books, spells, and classics. Now, thanks to Er Daiyuan's opportunity, he had obtained the Blood Mother True Scripture as guidance, and had finally come to understand the true principles of cultivation in this world.

Fang Shu stood with his hands behind his back, looking up and muttering to himself:
“When I was lecturing in the temple in the past, I learned that there are so-called orthodox sects of Taoism in the world, while we, the five sects of Mount Lu, are actually just unorthodox practitioners in the world of immortal studies, belonging to the unorthodox sects.”

But only today did I learn the differences between these three.

He paused, then explained to Erdaiyuan:
"It is likely that the one who establishes the foundation of the Dao lineage belongs to the Xuanmen, the orthodox school of immortal studies. Those who obtain it operate according to the rules of the Great Dao, which is pure, noble and transcendent."

Those who establish their foundations on the spot are considered to be outsiders. They guard their mountain dwellings, drawing a circle on the ground as a prison. As long as their homes are destroyed, they will not die, just like wealthy old men.

Those who cultivate their foundation by walking on the ground are of the unorthodox path. They devour spiritual veins, sweeping across all directions, possessing a fierce nature. Once they die, they nourish heaven and earth in return.

Erdaiyuan was surprised to hear such a clear division.

These kinds of things are not mentioned in the Blood Mother's Scripture, so it's clear that Fang Shu summarized them on his own. Moreover, upon careful consideration, she found that Fang Shu's classification was reasonable and well-founded, and worthy of deep thought.

For a moment, the woman's gaze towards Fang Shu softened even more.

She looked up at him, her voice filled with envy: "I only knew that Fang Lang was quite talented, but I never imagined that his talent was so extraordinary. Could it be... that Fang Lang has comprehended even a little bit of all these Taoist scriptures?"

Fang Shu smiled slightly but did not answer.

He had not only studied all of the Taoist scriptures released at this moment, but he had also thoroughly understood them all and mastered every single secret text.

However, aside from the convenience of practicing magic, he had never had the opportunity to accumulate and unleash his full potential.

After all, immortals at the Qi Refining stage prioritize the quantity of true Qi. Even if they know a lot about secret texts, they usually only use two or three kinds of spells and magical artifacts, and many secret texts are of little use.

"But things are different now. The most important thing in establishing the foundation of the Dao vein is to comprehend the rules of the Great Dao."

Unless one receives the Daoist initiation by chance like Er Daiyuan, every immortal who wishes to embark on this path must diligently cultivate their understanding of the Great Dao! Fang Shu thought to himself.

Specifically, this means accumulating more secret texts. Each secret text a celestial being controls is equivalent to observing a trace of the Great Dao. The more they observe, the easier it will be to walk the Great Dao.

However, if one's understanding is too scattered, it won't work; it must be systematic in order to comprehend a lineage of Dao.

This point is precisely related to the skills of immortals, also known as the Nine Disciplines of Immortal Studies.

Secret texts, techniques, lineages.

The relationship between these three things lingered in Fang Shu's mind.

He sighed inwardly, "No wonder the temple attaches such importance to so-called immortal techniques... It seems that the temple is not unaware of this foundation-building of the Dao lineage, but has just not disclosed it to the outside world."

He suddenly thought of his master, Long Gu.

Although he had never seen Long Gu refine Gu, the fact that she bestowed upon him the cultivation method of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires showed that she was also an immortal who aspired to the Great Dao.

Unfortunately, although the other party was a hall master in the temple and not very old, and could be considered exceptionally talented, he had only established his foundation with spiritual veins, not with Dao veins.

Fang Shu thought to himself, "If Master Long knew this, I wonder if he would regret establishing his foundation too early."

Unfortunately, now that the person is dead, and their remains are nowhere to be found, there's no point in thinking about it anymore.

Fang Shu suppressed his distracting thoughts and turned to look at Er Daiyuan beside him.

The other party was still examining the Taoist scriptures fluttering around, his eyes shining brightly, and his gaze was even more "eager" than when his soul had been drawn out of Fang Shu's earlier.

"Fang Lang~" Er Daiyuan suddenly shifted her gaze to Fang Shu.

Her eyes were as sticky as syrup:
"Since you know so many Taoist books and classics, could you please teach me properly now and in the future?"

Her voice was extremely tender and affectionate.

Fang Shu immediately understood that this woman was also an ambitious immortal. Seeing that he knew so many Taoist books and classics, she wanted him to give her some proper guidance so that he would no longer hide his talents.

Given their now much closer relationship, Fang Shu had no objections to the matter and readily agreed.

Erdaiyuan was overjoyed.

She immediately bent down and began to humbly ask about the lessons she did not understand on a daily basis, as well as the secret texts in the Blood Mother Scripture.

Even without a spiritual connection, Fang Shu could make this woman suddenly realize things just by using words, even just a few words.

Even if he encounters something he hasn't yet grasped, he only needs to ponder it silently for a moment, secretly using the Daoist talismans to work together, and then he can explain it clearly.

This performance delighted Erdaiyuan, and her eyes were filled with his eloquent and talkative figure.

The woman immediately felt that her spiritual transmission of the Dharma had been truly worthwhile.

Not only did the two eliminate the potential dangers, but they also helped her find a great talent!
However, Fang Shu, while imparting the teachings, also secretly came to his senses:
"Hmm, this woman has refined the Blood Lotus Saint Child and received the Blood Mother's empowerment. Logically speaking, her understanding of the Blood Dao should far surpass mine."

How did it end up on the secret text? She only knows the facts, but not the reasons behind them…

Instantly, Fang Shu recalled the drawbacks of the bloodline that Erdaiyuan had mentioned at the beginning.

This made his heart sink. He immediately felt that although such a lineage of Dao could greatly reduce the threshold and help people embark on the path of Dao foundation building, it might also have shortcomings, or even be a huge pitfall, just like unorthodox methods.

Fang Shu sighed inwardly, pondering, "Is this what they mean by 'you have to give up something to gain something'?"

It seems that only through independent study and following the right path can one truly avoid falling into clichés.

As for Erdaiyuan, since she was already in the Blood Path, Fang Shu didn't want to bring it up again, lest he dampen her enthusiasm or even make her anxious and create inner demons.

So he simply helped him sort things out as much as possible during the teaching process, and repeatedly reminded him not to blindly believe in the scriptures.

In particular, if you encounter someone with the same lineage in the future, you must be vigilant, as they may be an enemy rather than a friend.

(End of this chapter)