I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

It's time to go back. Louguantai is nice, but how can it compare to Fangcun Mountain!

Ning Chen stood up and stepped into the vortex. A gentle breeze swept by, and his figure disappeared from the Zhongnan Mountain Taoist Temple.

Only the baby girl Qing'er, who was being cared for by Sun Rongrong, seemed to sense something. She pouted and let out a faint cry in the night.

The scenery before Ning Chen solidified once more, and he was now standing outside the gate of the Slanting Moon Three Star Cave on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

The familiar mountain air washed over him, cleansing Ning Chen of the worldly dust and bloodshed.

Ning Chen took a deep breath and stepped steadily into the cave, heading straight to the entrance of the Ancestral Master's cave.

"Disciple Wuchen, having returned from tribulation, pays respects to the Ancestral Master."

Ning Chen bowed respectfully.

Bodhi Patriarch sat upright on the futon, his gaze deep and his head slightly bowed.

"It's good that you're back. This journey was undertaken with your own body as fuel, experiencing the tribulations of the mortal world. Have you gained any insights?"

"This disciple humbly follows the teachings of the Patriarch, daring not to delve too deeply into the calamities of dynastic change. I only briefly experience life on the edge of the mortal world, saving people, slaying demons, witnessing the rise and fall of humanity, and experiencing the pain of life and death. My state of mind has indeed fluctuated, and I have also gained some insights!"

Ning Chen answered respectfully, briefly recounting his experiences of rescuing people at Tongguan, meeting Zhang Qingxuan in Luoyang, seeing Zhang Jiao entrusting him with scriptures at a dilapidated temple, helping a thousand-year-old fox demon in Zhongnan Mountain, and obtaining the half-human, half-demon baby girl Qing'er to the patriarch.

As the patriarch listened, he gently stroked his long beard and finally sighed.

"Despite all precautions, the actions were still somewhat biased in the end. This baby girl is burdened by karma, and there will inevitably be more troubles because of this in the future."

Ning Chen was startled and quickly pressed for an answer.

"Please enlighten us, Master."

The patriarch refused to say more, only saying that the time was not yet ripe.

Ning Chen had no choice but to give up.

After finishing the business, the patriarch looked him up and down with a half-smile.

"Did you bring any gifts with you on your trip down the mountain?"

Ah, the patriarch wants a gift from me... What should I do?

Ning Chen's heart skipped a beat. He had rushed back and forgotten to bring gifts for Bodhi Patriarch, his fellow disciples in the mountains, and even his monkey senior brother.

But this didn't stump him.

Ning Chen pondered for a moment, then carefully took out the bamboo scroll of the Nanhua Sutra and presented it with both hands.

"This was given to me by the great and virtuous teacher Zhang Jiao on his deathbed. He said that it was passed down from the old immortal of Nanhua. After reading it, I found that the text was profound and could manifest different Taoist methods according to my state of mind. I comprehended the Free and Easy Escape Technique from it and was nourished by the Taoist charm, which slightly increased my innate talent and comprehension."

"This scripture is profound and mysterious. This disciple dares not presume to possess it, so I present it to the Patriarch for review."

When one reaches the level of Bodhi Patriarch, the mundane world no longer holds any appeal for him. Perhaps Zhuangzi's Zhuangzi could bring a smile to his face.

The patriarch calmly accepted the bamboo slips, his fingertips brushing against the ancient bamboo pieces, and a starry river seemed to flow deep within his eyes.

He didn't read it word by word; he simply scanned it with his mind and understood the underlying principles.

After a moment, the patriarch gently closed the bamboo slip and let out a long sigh.

"Very good, you have put your heart into it. The author of this scripture is a genius, whose talent and understanding are unparalleled throughout history. His explanation of the original meaning of freedom is almost at its peak."

The patriarch's voice was calm, yet carried a hint of barely perceptible regret.

"However, his interests ultimately went astray, pursuing spiritual transcendence and mental freedom, disregarding rules and order, and approaching nihilism. Such a state of mind may indeed lead to a carefree life of communicating with the spirit of heaven and earth, but it is ultimately a way of escaping the world where gods and men achieve nothing and sages remain nameless."

He pointed at Ning Chen.

"This person may be able to live a carefree life and attain the status of a wandering immortal, achieving longevity and immortality. However, in terms of the Great Dao, he lacks grandeur and will find it difficult to attain the Primordial Chaos. In the end, he will fall into the lower realm."

He handed the bamboo slip back to Ning Chen, his gaze fixed intently on Ning Chen's eyes.

"Wuchen, now that you have obtained this scripture, it is indeed profound. You can study and learn from it to broaden your knowledge. The Free and Easy Wandering is also a superior supernatural power. However, remember not to indulge in the idea of ​​tranquility, inaction, sitting in oblivion and escaping the world, which will disturb your true mind."

"This disciple will humbly follow the teachings of the Patriarch! I will uphold my original mind, study the methods, discern the meaning, and not be misled!"

Ning Chen accepted the teachings with reverence, deeply imprinting the patriarch's words into his heart.

He was secretly amazed. Bodhi Patriarch's comprehension must be at least a million. In just a few moments, he had thoroughly understood the entire Zhuangzi's Dao and pointed out the flaws in Zhuangzi's teachings. Although one could be carefree, one was not destined for the Hunyuan Daluo fruit.

"Go on, if you don't come back soon, your monkey-like senior brother will probably come down the mountain looking for you!"

The patriarch laughed and cursed, then waved his hand to close the cave door, and there was no more sound.

After bidding farewell to his master, Ning Chen walked toward his disciple Washe and immediately sent out a request for help in the chat group.

"I'm in dire need of help! Quickly get me some wild fruits from the Zhongnan Mountains, the more the better!"

Only then did the people in the group realize that Ning Chen had disappeared without a trace.

"Brother Ning, where did you go?"

"The Taoist priest said he was waiting for you to eat porridge; we've been looking for you all this way."

"I'm going back to my sect. We can talk about those things later. Go get me some wild fruit, the sooner the better!"

Ning Chen lingered for a while until he received some wild fruit before gently pushing open the wooden door of the tile-roofed house.

The moment it appeared, a golden light rushed over impatiently.

"Junior brother! I've missed you so much!"

Sun Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks, his hairy face full of joy at the reunion, jumping and hopping around Ning Chen.

"I've been slaying demons and monsters in the mortal realm, having a wonderful time! You have no idea how terrified those evil spirits are at the mere mention of my name, Sun Wukong! Tell me, what interesting things have you encountered on your trip down the mountain?"

Seeing his senior brother's lively and agile appearance, Ning Chen felt a warmth in his heart, and the mental fatigue brought on by his mortal tribulation was also greatly relieved.

He gazed into the monkey's eyes and said something truly heartfelt.

"Senior brother, it's been a long time!"

The two brothers sat on the ground in the teahouse, with various wild fruits that Ning Chen had brought back from Zhongnan Mountain on the table.

Ning Chen simplified his account of the trip, focusing on the most thrilling and interesting parts.

He may have been brief about the patriarch, but he was completely open and honest with his senior brother, and the monkey did the same for him. The two brothers were truly close.

As the monkey chewed on wild fruit, Ning Chen recounted the story: his divine sense fixed the arrow at Tongguan Pass, his encounter with Zhang Jiao in the dilapidated temple who entrusted him with scriptures, his assistance to the fox spirit giving birth at the Zhenwu Hall in Zhongnan Mountain, and his acquisition of the half-demon baby girl Zhang Qing'er...

Sun Wukong listened, scratching his head in frustration, sometimes cheering, sometimes sighing.

Upon hearing the identity of the baby girl's father, his eyes widened in astonishment.

"Heh! It's that bastard's bloodline? Interesting, very interesting! Junior brother, your journey through the mortal world is far more exciting than my daily battles with those little demons and monsters!"

The two shared their experiences and observations until the moon was high in the sky, when they finally rested, still feeling that they hadn't had enough.

The next morning, as dawn broke, a wisp of magnificent purple energy, imbued with the primordial vitality of heaven and earth, burst forth from the east.

Ning Chen felt refreshed and invigorated, all the fatigue from the past few days of travel vanished.

With a clear mind, he stepped onto the summit of Fangcun Mountain and found a green stone by the cliff to sit cross-legged.

The Purple Cloud Profound Truth Enlightenment Technique was slowly circulated, and the perfectly round Sun and Moon Pearl in the dantian spun around, emitting a dazzling golden and white divine light.

As his mind sank into the profound realm, the pure and incomparably refined essence of the rising sun and purple clouds in the world was captured and drawn by his divine sense, flowing slowly into his body from the Baihui acupoint at the top of his head like a trickle.

In an instant, Ning Chen's pores opened up, as if he had merged with the entire world.

His divine sense was no longer confined to his small body, but spread out like mercury, covering the entire mountain peak, sensing everything on Fangcun Mountain: the breathing of grass and trees, the lowing of birds and beasts, and the slumber of the rocks.

This is a realm that is both profound and mysterious.

Ning Chen's body merged with the void, and his spirit wandered in the primordial chaos.

His mind completely broke free from the constraints of his physical body and entered a vast, boundless, clear and empty void.

In this void, there is neither past nor future, nor up nor down, nor any directions; there is only pure existence and perception.

The brilliance of the Sun and Moon Pearl has become more subdued and less dazzling, and the surface cracks have almost completely healed, making it appear more solid and substantial.

Inside the Sun and Moon Pearl, it seemed as if a miniature world was being conceived, with pure energy rising and turbid energy sinking, forming a self-contained cycle.

This is what Taoist classics refer to as refining the spirit to return to emptiness and returning to the state of clarity.

In the mortal realm of Daoist scriptures, it is also known as Returning to the True One!

The One is unique and unparalleled, the master of one's own universe!