novelapdf Chapter 165: Win by lying down
Chapter 165: Win by lying down
"Um?"
Suddenly, Fang Qing's heart skipped a beat, and his face was filled with ecstatic joy: "Sangji succeeded? Haha... He actually succeeded?"
He had just received feedback from the Dao Sheng Pearl, knowing that Sangji had already attained supernatural powers!
This naturally delighted Fang Qing, who knew that not only would he not have to travel, but he would also have great convenience in cultivating in the ancient Shu!
"Yes..."
After the initial euphoria, Fang Qing reflected: "[Stomach Earth] Someone successfully proved their worth, greatly benefiting the world's Earth element... He was able to persevere until now, which shows his deep foundation. With this favorable wind, he finally managed to overcome the difficulties in one fell swoop..."
"This spiritual atmosphere is truly something to both love and hate."
He decided in his heart that he would definitely not choose to go into seclusion in the Ancient Shu World when he broke through to the Purple Mansion realm in the future.
Even if we don't want the benefits, we can't afford to fail for no reason!
"Haha... Now that Sangji is the Dharma King, what do I have to fear? In the ancient Shu capital, I can freely use external elixirs, impersonate a disciple, and associate with those of the Purple Mansion."
Fang Qing immediately wanted to return to Wusheng Temple.
But he forced himself to remain silent, feeling that it was inconvenient and inappropriate to communicate with his first Purple Mansion subordinate remotely. Then, a thought struck him. Xituo County.
Xu Hei was in seclusion when the void before him suddenly broke open, revealing a young Dharma King who was as thin as a rake and wore a tiger-skin kasaya. It was Sangji! However, although Sangji was as thin as a rake, his eyes were as deep as wells, as if there were white bones inside. His body was radiant with supernatural power, as heavy as Mount Tai, which made even Dao Foundation cultivators bow down.
"This is not a suitable place to speak, please!"
Sangji bowed and led Xu Hei into the void.
Suddenly, the world spun around, and they had arrived at the underground palace of Wusheng Temple.
"This place is sealed off by this humble monk; the Purple Palace cannot hear you..."
Sangji prostrated himself, saying, "Welcome, Your Excellency!"
Xu Hei was taken aback, his expression becoming lively as he looked at Sangji with considerable emotion: "It's truly not easy for you to succeed."
"This is the protection of the Venerable One. If the Venerable One had not turned the wheel of time, I am certain that the little monk Lingfen would have perished..." Even after Sangji was promoted to Dharma King, he was still the same fanatical believer.
"Tell me, what does it feel like to master supernatural powers?"
Fang Qing was too lazy to correct him, but asked with some curiosity.
"When one breaks through to supernatural powers, the phenomena are bizarre and indescribable... After attaining the status of Dharma King, one is protected by supernatural powers, and is incomparably noble. With a single thought, one can cause the fall of hundreds of masters... From then on, one transcends the mortal realm and is no longer an ordinary being. If this humble monk does not conceal the supernatural power of the 'White Bone Contemplation,' then he will die if he merely looks at me, and he will be severely injured if he merely looks at me from the Dao Foundation stage... There are hundreds of mysteries and ten thousand wonders."
Sangji put his hands together in prayer.
"Indeed... one can see the clues just from your movement through the void."
Fang Qing's expression was solemn.
Although his external alchemy skills were comparable to those of a novice, he ultimately lacked supernatural powers and the many advantages of the Purple Mansion in this world.
And traversing the void?
This is something that only Nascent Soul cultivators in the Qi Refining Dao can access, and often only the Nascent Soul cultivators themselves can achieve it.
But for Sangji, it was something he could do effortlessly.
"In terms of sheer magical power, an early-stage Purple Mansion cultivator is probably equivalent to a mid- or even late-stage Core Formation cultivator... but their other abilities are too unique, and Core Formation cultivators might not be their match."
Fang Qing then inquired about the Dharma King's supernatural powers, and subsequently discussed the matter of the Earth Virtue True Lord.
At this very moment, countless lineages throughout the world are probably discussing the Three Perfections.
"The True Lord's attainment of enlightenment has ushered in an era of great contention; I fear that from this day forward, many more will seek to attain enlightenment!"
Sangji clasped his hands together, his gaze unreadable, whether it was pity or expectation.
"By the way, are you aware that there are five ranks of immortals?"
Fang Qing mentioned the "Tai Su Jin Shu".
"No, but at the Great Sun Revolving Temple, I have heard similar discussions. In the Brahma tradition, there are three levels of attainment: Buddhahood, Bodhisattvahood, and Arhathood. Buddhahood is the Great Vehicle's perfect enlightenment, the supreme and excellent path, perhaps comparable to celestial immortals or earth immortals… Bodhisattvahood is the human immortal or divine immortal… Arhathood is the ghost immortal…" Sangji said, "But I once heard a Dharma King in the temple tell a parable, which was quite profound. The general meaning was that even if the Buddha were reincarnated, it would be difficult to attain Buddhahood again; he would mostly attain the Bodhisattva or Arhatship… Regarding that person, before his fall, perhaps he had a backup plan or arrangement at the [Stomach Earth] Gold level, and he used his Cave Heaven status to falsely hold the Gold level, ascending to heaven in one step, attaining enlightenment with ease… He was greatly affected by external forces, therefore he could only attain the Guest level!"
"That's true. But it's also possible that he was originally in a guest position... otherwise, why would he be called 'Divine Lord'?"
Fang Qing nodded, then looked at Sangji: "What do you think of the words he spoke when he attained enlightenment?"
"【Stomach Earth】 governs ingestion... Its word is law for all. From now on, ingesting human pills or blood essence will either increase the toxicity of the pills or be harmful rather than beneficial. Especially for Earth Virtue cultivators, doing so again will likely bring retribution. Just as the Metal Virtue's proper position divine power 'Mutual Killing' can affect all sword cultivators, the power of the Earth Virtue proper position can at least control Earth Virtue cultivators without much problem."
Sangji clasped his hands together and praised, "That True Lord possesses the compassionate heart of our Buddhist sect. However... for other lineages, the effects of the ingestion might only be less pronounced, and there might not be much change... After all, that one is merely a guest in the [Stomach Earth] position, not the host!"
"And what about you? You are a female earth cultivator within the Earth element."
Fang Qing asked.
"In the future, such actions should not be taken again... As for the past?" Sangji said, "The one who punishes without teaching is the most principled and would not punish without teaching... Therefore, the past crimes are not considered. This is also a path of repentance and reform for all earth-virtue cultivators in the world."
"So, in other words, Earth-element cultivators can no longer use human pills, while cultivators of other lineages can still use them, at most the effects will be less pronounced?" Fang Qing stroked his chin. "Why do I feel like this will lead to Gresham's Law... causing Earth-element cultivators to weaken? If the Earth-element lineage were to perish one day, who would be the first to suffer the consequences..."
"Well... that lord has his own considerations. Perhaps he has other methods to improve the virtue of earth to pass down. We'll just have to wait and see what happens a hundred years from now."
Sangji laughed, "It's precisely because Your Excellency ascended the throne in such a manner that the impact on the two great demonic sects, Moyun Cliff and Yinshi Sect, is the greatest..." "Indeed, Moyun Cliff cultivates [Di Earth] and Yinshi Sect cultivates [Female Earth]... They've both been dealt a severe blow. These two major demonic sects won't be completely destroyed, but a significant weakening of their influence is to be expected..."
Fang Qing said, "Sanji has always associated with the demon race. Could this be the intention of Luofeng Mountain? They don't act unless they're absolutely sure, but once they do, they cripple half of the demonic path?" "This..."
Sangji thought for a moment, and a cold sweat appeared on his forehead: "Sanji, being only at the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm, indeed could not have completed such a plan. Perhaps a powerful figure covered it up... When a True Monarch ascends to the throne, who knows how many powerful figures are scheming and plotting behind the scenes... Now that the great one has successfully passed the gold test, the demon race must have received some benefits."
"Yes, they only care about humanity, ignoring the demon race..."
Fang Qing sighed, "Even if one ascends to the position of True Lord, there are still many difficulties. This [Stomach Earth] True Lord seems to be a righteous person, which makes things even more difficult..."
He thought to himself, "They might have sealed off their grotto for a hundred years, just out of fear of being beaten to death..."
"Venerable One, I have attained the status of a Dharma King and will soon embark on a journey to the Secret Realm... If you need anything, you may instruct 'White Tara of Moonlight,' also known as Wonderful Goodness," Sangye said, his hands clasped together.
"Miaoshan? The White Tara of Moonlight? She's finally made it... she's risen to the top in one fell swoop. I know..."
Fang Qing sighed and his consciousness faded. Xu Hei's eyes changed instantly, and he prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "Little Xiu... Little Xiu greets the Dharma King!"
The hierarchy among cultivators in ancient Shu was extremely rigid; he would even kowtow to someone at the Dao Foundation stage, let alone someone at the Purple Mansion stage.
Even cultivators below the Purple Mansion level are no different from dolls in the hands of Purple Mansion cultivators, and can be manipulated at will.
"Please rise, benefactor. We both serve the Venerable One... such a grand gesture is inappropriate."
Sangji helped Xu Hei up and said, "Fellow practitioner, you have already completed the cultivation of the Female Earth. Why not take this opportunity to go into seclusion in this underground palace? This place has the aura of the Dharma King that I attained through the Female Earth, and the outside world is filled with the spiritual atmosphere of the Great Benefit Earth Virtue. I will also bestow upon you the spiritual object of the Dao Foundation, the 'Three Lives Soil,' which will surely enable you to break through the Dao Foundation in one fell swoop and better serve the Venerable One."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty..."
Xu Hei was taken aback, then burst into tears and thanked him repeatedly.
Taibai Island.
Fang Qing was slightly taken aback: "Xu Hei... is about to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage? Yes, the 'Yin Yuan Gathering Dao Technique' he cultivates is a [Female Earth] technique. Gathering fifth-tier 'Yin Corpse Essence', he does indeed have hope of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage..."
"With the spiritual energy of heaven and earth at its peak, the aura of the Purple Mansion auspiciously enhanced, and a foundational spiritual object at my disposal... it would be an injustice if this didn't happen."
Fang Qing was somewhat envious: "When I broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, the conditions weren't this good..."
"This Xu Hei truly possesses the potential of an old fox like Voldemort... Even if his cultivation technique is limited by the True Swallow and he cannot break through to the Purple Mansion realm, there is still hope for him to reach the next level..."
"After all... I'm definitely going to become a Purple Mansion cultivator in the future... and I've already been given a position."
"But... Sangji piggybacks on Sanji's success, and Xu Hei piggybacks on Sangji's success... Should I piggyback on his success when I break through in the future? Forget it, I'll stick to a steady approach. It's best to cultivate in seclusion in the Little Huanhai. As long as I don't gamble, I'll never lose!"
Sanyuan Island.
The formation was broken, turning into streaks of thunderclouds, within which a colossal creature was faintly roaring.
Glug glug!
Suddenly, everything calmed down, and two heads were thrown out.
One of them belonged to Lu Lingfeng! And the other belonged to the Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Jiang family!
hold head high!
A large, emerald-green tortoise appeared, with a female cultivator standing on its back—it was Zhan Hongxiu!
However, at this moment, she had already reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment!
"Our sect deals with traitors without needing outside help. Sister, you may leave now."
A sharper look appeared in her eyes as she gazed at the sky.
A cloud of color dispersed, revealing a woman in a black dress with a seductive and alluring air—it was none other than Yu Xiang'er!
"Hehe... Congratulations, little sister, on killing the traitor. I won't linger any longer."
Yu Xiang'er chuckled softly and then led a group of demonic disciples away.
A sea breeze blew, and clusters of demonic flames moved away from the vicinity of Sanyuan Island. Only then did a demonic cultivator step forward: "Guardian?"
"Hmph, the Jiang family is truly useless! They won't even last until our reinforcements arrive... Moreover, Zhan Hongxiu is already at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and with that second-tier mid-grade Longevity Turtle and the formation, she's more than capable of holding her own against a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator..."
Yu Xiang'er said calmly, "Since the Sancai Market has already been exposed, there's no need to waste any more effort..."