In the misty and smoky depths, one cultivates profound Taoist skills; upon waking from dreams, the thatched hut stands bathed in the warmth of the sun.
Breezy and bright, the moon wipes the sky; Chen Xian recites Huangting in Luoyang.
Chen Yun has finished dealing with matters in Jiangling and parted with the other cultivators. He is heading back to Luoyang City.
News spread like a flock of geese, flying in all directions.
The cultivators in Jingdi were the first to learn about Chen Yun's great victory over the Ten Directions Annihilation Formation.
Jiandi is now famous for two temples, the Xuanmiao Temple and the Kaifeng Temple.
Kaifeng Temple was founded during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
There is a legend that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang dreamed of a giant and wished to build a temple.
Coincidentally, the prefecture of Jingzhou reported the discovery of an iron statue of the Taoist deity unearthed.
Therefore, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang decreed to build a temple at the site where the statue was found, and named it Kaifeng Temple.
The Kaifeng Temple faces south with its back to the north, with a main gate and three halls arranged in a stepwise manner.
The front hall serves as the mountain gate.
The first hall is the Leishen Hall, which houses the gods of the Thunder Department who oversee lightning, thunder, clouds, wind, rain, and snow. They bestow blessings and command as representatives of heaven and earth.
The second hall is the Sanqing Hall, where the Yuching, Shangqing, and Taqing Three Treasures Celestial Lords are worshipped.
The third hall is the Heavenly Gate Hall and the Ancestor Temple, where the Jiu Tian Dangmo Zushu is worshipped.
As a renowned Daoist temple in Jingdi, it functions like a sacred site.
Not only do pilgrims gather here for the eight seasons of the year, but many sincere individuals also come seeking the path to immortality and Taoist wisdom on a daily basis.
By coincidence, today Wang Jiexia, the Grandmaster of the Maoshan Sect, came to visit the abbot of the temple.
A group of Daoist monks were gathered outside the second hall, chatting idly about Daoist cultivation.
Suddenly, a young Taoist acolyte burst in, breathless and in a hurry, "Temple Master, something's not right! Temple Master, something's not right!"
The group of Daoists turned their heads and looked over in the direction of the voice.
The Grandmaster of the Maoshan Sect came to visit, but his disciples were unaware of proper etiquette and shouted loudly.
This made Master Qin lose face, and he loudly scolded, "As cultivators, we should be tranquil like water. What manner is this, to be so noisy?"
Several dozen cultivators nearby frowned, expressing their disbelief at the impoliteness of the Taoist disciple.
Master Wang Jiexia possessed a masterful aura, and his smile was as warm as a spring breeze. "Brother Qin, perhaps there is some urgent matter that has caused him to behave this way. Please do not blame him."
Master Qin's displeasure faded slightly as he asked, "Qingzhu, what has caused all the commotion?"
The young Taoist acolyte pointed outside in disbelief, "B-big Grandmaster Liang Zheng of Liang Master, he lost the battle with someone!"
"What?"
"Master Liang was defeated?"
"Qingzhu, is this true? Master Liang Zheng is the Grandmaster of our Jingdi Dao sect, and his cultivation has already reached the heavens. He is just one step away from achieving immortality. He also laid down the Ten Directions Annihilation Formation, a terrifying array, outside of Jiangling City. Who could have disarmed it?"
The monks of Kaifeng Temple were all shocked.
Even Master Wang Jiexia from the Maoshan Sect looked somewhat surprised.
Concerning Grandmaster Liang Zheng of the Jingdi Dao Sect.
Master Wang Jiexia had naturally been well-known for a long time.
Knowing that Grandmaster Liang Zheng's cultivation was only slightly inferior to his own, he had already become all but invincible in the mortal world.
And there was the Ten Directions Annihilation Array, a formation that was said to be unbreakable without divine intervention.
Who could defeat such a grandmaster?
Involuntarily, Master Wang Jiexia became interested and stood up to listen.
The young Taoist disciple timidly said: "It is said that it was Master Chen Pu of Qingcheng Sect."
"Oh, it's Master Chen."
"That's why Master Liang lost."
"I said that Master Liang lost, and it turns out that Master Chen Pu intervened."
The monks all had an epiphany, recovering from their shock and thinking that it was only natural.
Master Wang Jiexia nodded faintly, indeed, Master Chen Pu's reputation spans across mountains and rivers, it is not strange to see him overthrow Master Liang.
Master Qin also laughed, "Master Chen's defeat of Master Liang is not something out of the ordinary. However, I am a bit puzzled. Master Liang had the Ten Directions Annihilation Array outside of Jiangling City, how did Master Chen break the array?"
The senior monk Zheng, a master of high achievement in the temple, guessed, "Perhaps Master Chen brought his disciples and divine weapons to Jiangling?"
Master Wang Jiexia and the other monks all thought so.
They were well aware of the strength of Master Chen Pu's disciples and divine weapons.
They were even stronger than some major sects.
It would be understandable if the disciples and divine weapons of Master Chen Pu were mobilized, and the Ten Directions Annihilation Array set up by Master Liang could not withstand them.
Who could have thought that the young Taoist disciple would utter a remark that left the rest of the cultivators speechless.
The little Taoist acolyte said, "Master Chen Pu came alone and broke through the Ten Directions Annihilation Array. It is said that he also seized control of the array from Master Liang and transformed the heavens and earth within it!"
Upon hearing this, the entire hall was shocked.
Did Master Chen Pu break the Ten Directions Annihilation Array by himself?
And took control of the Ten Directions Annihilation Array from Master Liang?
Moreover, he transformed the heavens and earth within the array?
Master Qin and Master Zheng looked at each other in disbelief.
The other monks all showed expressions of sheer astonishment.
Even Master Wang Jiexia, the Grandmaster of the Maoshan Sect, looked quite surprised at this moment.
Everyone present was a cultivator, so no one could have not heard of Master Chen Pu's formidable reputation.
But they never thought that Master Chen Pu could be this powerful.
Even if it were just him alone who broke through the Ten Directions Annihilation Array.
He could even take control of the array.
Such cultivation might even be superior to that of immortals.
But among those below immortals, he might be invincible.
Master Wang Jiexia, the senior master of the Maoshan Sect, had reached the teaching master realm, one step away from achieving immortality.
He himself believed that he could not break through Master Liang's Ten Directions Annihilation Array alone.
For a moment, Master Wang Jiexia was filled with admiration for Chen Pu and had the desire to make friends with him and witness his divine appearance.
……
Similar events were unfolding in various places.
The Daoist mountains of Maoshan, Wu Dang Mountain, Kongtong Mountain, Qiyun Mountain, and Longhu Mountain, as well as other famous mountains in the Daoist tradition, all received this news.
"Did Chen Pu really break the Ten Directions Annihilation Array?"
"Wow, to break the Ten Directions Annihilation Array with one's own strength... could it be that Chen Pu has already become an immortal?"
"Indeed, he is the renowned Master Chen Pu, spreading his name across the five lakes and four seas!"
"If Grandmaster Liang Zheng, a grandmaster of such stature, was defeated by Master Chen Pu, who among the mortals below who have not yet achieved immortality can be considered an opponent to Master Chen Pu?"
"Invincible below the level of immortals!"
Countless cultivators were astounded.
……
This is different from Chen Yun's previous shocks to the cultivation world.
The reputation of this person named Liang Zhen in the mortal world is too great.
Being defeated by Chen Yun this time, many ordinary people also became aware of it.
In the city of Jiangling, within a teahouse.
The storyteller, upon receiving the news, quickly adapted the story to say: "… Master Chen Pu transformed into a towering figure of a thousand feet tall, his entire body shimmering with golden light and his face fierce and imposing. In an instant, he swept across all six directions of heaven and earth…"
"Ah! Is Master Chen Pu so powerful?"
"Oh, I wonder who Master Chen Pu is. How could he defeat even a divine cultivator like Liang Zhen?"
"It is said that Master Chen Pu is the Qingcheng Daoist and that he once slayed three thousand demons in Dengzhou…"
With the storyteller's "promotion," the name of Chen Pu finally moved from being confined to the ears of cultivators to gradually entering the secular world.
After hearing the story of "Chen Xian's Great Victory Over the Ten Extinction Array," many people learned that there is a famous immortal cultivator named Chen Pu on Qingcheng Mountain.
Of course, the speed of information dissemination in the mortal realm is far slower than that among cultivators.
The story of "Chen Xian's Great Victory Over the Ten Extinction Array" is still simmering, spreading to surrounding towns.
Despite this, everyone knows that the name of Chen Pu is already famous throughout the world. It's just a matter of time.
……
The city of Luoyang.
Unlike the outside world's shock over the great victory over the Ten Extinction Array.
The city has not received any information related to the events in Jiangling at this time.
Chen Yun returned as night fell.
He did not disturb Wang Siyan, who was already resting, and went to the quiet room instead.
In the room, Chen Yun stood by the bed, gazing at the moon in the sky and reliving the experience of transforming qi and jing.
"This time, by utilizing the Ten Directions Annihilation Array, I simulated the evolution of the universe, which has greatly benefited my cultivation."
Chen Yun secretly thought, "The cultivation of internal energy is like evolving the universe. It has the same grace as the circulation of the Qi of Immortal Herb, which is why the Queen Mother of the West gave me this immortal herb. It was to help me understand the profound truth of becoming immortal and achieving enlightenment."
He stood there, lost in deep thought.
Gradually, Chen Yun's insights into cultivation became clearer and more enlightened.
Chen Yun faintly understood how to merge qi, jing, and shen, and condense them into a primitive yin-qi.
This one stop took two or three hours.
It was well into the night.
Finally, Chen Yun gradually escaped from his thoughts.
He thought to himself, "I have a premonition that my enlightenment today has allowed me to ascend to immortality even without the spiritual essence left by Master Thunderclap. I will be able to achieve immortality within thirty to fifty years."
Achieving immortality with the spiritual essence left by Master Thunderclap is a forced advancement of cultivation, which does not match the actual level of cultivation. One would have to make up for it later.
That's different now. By relying on the Ten Directions Annihilation Array to evolve the heavens and earth, I have gained enlightenment on the Dao of humans and demons, lifting my cultivation to an extremely high level. Even if I were to achieve immortality by refining Master Thunderclap's spiritual essence, it would not result in a mismatch with my cultivation.
It could be said that once I truly refine the spiritual essence left by Master Thunderclap into immortality, it will be a true accomplishment of ripening naturally.
"Firstly, let's try to practice the Qigong according to my enlightenment and see if it turns out as I guessed."
Chen Yun's eyes faintly sparkled, "If it really turns out as I guessed, then during the next period of time, I will fully sprint towards the Realm of the True Immortal!"
Thoughts in mind, he floated to the platform.
With a wave of his hand.
The half-open window automatically closed.
Chen Yun sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, teeth clenched nine times.
After calming his mind and balancing his internal Qi, he practiced the technique of closed breathing.
The spiritual essence left by Master Thunderclap was being rapidly refined.
Pill Essence condensed and ascended, swiftly circulating throughout his body.
As the practice continued, a faint divine light appeared on Chen Yun's face.
This divine light cannot be seen with the naked eye, but it is truly there.
At this moment, Chen Yun suddenly found himself unable to use his inner vision. Yet, he could still see the internal organs clearly, even seeing a large amount of Pill Essence condensed in the middle palace.
Unmoved and unbothered, he continued his cultivation practice.
A small circle gradually passed.
Two small circles had been completed.
Finally, three small circles were completed.
Chen Yun slowly opened his eyes.
He looked astonished and pondered silently, "The speed at which I refined the immortal essence tonight is actually three to five times faster than before!"
Even though I practiced three small circles of Qigong, the amount of Pill Essence that grew was three to five times more than before.
This made Chen Yun suppress a secret joy, "My previous enlightenment seems to be indeed helpful to my cultivation. With this, as long as I concentrate on refining the spiritual essence inside my body, I should have a chance to break through to the Realm of the True Immortal."
His heart felt even more wonderful, and there was no room for thoughts of anything else.
Chen Yun had decided, during the next few years, he would teach during the day and work hard at refining the immortal essence at night.
He must ascend to immortality before Zhao Guangyin grows up.
Um, mainly the cultivation should be balanced with work and rest.
One cannot solely endure hardships in cultivation. Otherwise, the body will not be able to bear it.
Otherwise, he would really want to refine the immortal essence all the time.
Regardless, Chen Yun knew that the day of his ascension to immortality was drawing ever closer.
Then let's make every effort to breakthrough to the Realm of the True Immortal!
(The end of this chapter)
