Su Mu watched Jiang Liu's retreating figure, wanting to leave, but for some reason, she turned to look at the void behind her, then snorted coldly and sent a thought to follow him.
...
Incense offerings and worship! A belief in the faith!
No matter which world it is, it is the path to godhood. By gathering the collective will of all people, one can obtain great supernatural powers and magical strength, and the speed of becoming a god is extremely fast.
And their demise is also extremely rapid.
Its rise is swift, its fall is sudden. What is too easily gained is bound to be lost quickly. This is an eternal truth!
In the Journey to the West world, some of the Heavenly Gods do cultivate by accumulating incense offerings and vows, but these are all minor paths that don't amount to much. Examples include the City God and the Earth God. The more powerful ones include the Five Sacred Mountains Emperors and the Dragon Kings of various regions. The Heavenly Gods, however, disdain such practices; what they desire is merit, not incense offerings.
Faith in incense offerings and merit should not be confused. Merit can lead to sainthood, but the power of incense offerings can only lead to godhood, and even that godhood is subject to change depending on the amount of incense offerings.
The Eternal Mother cultivates the path of becoming a god through incense offerings, and her cultivation method is the "Future Eternal Scripture" of the Great Zen Temple.
The river flowed on the wind, passing through a bamboo forest, turning past several artificial hills, and passing through several luxurious and majestic halls, until a beautiful courtyard appeared before us.
Su Mu's thoughts followed, and he saw Jiang Liu standing in mid-air, looking down at the ground.
Before Su Mu could get close, an invisible force of thought suddenly shot up from the ground into the air.
"Young man, how dare you! Don't you know this is the territory of the Wusheng Dao? Didn't your master tell you of my formidable reputation? Daring to trespass on the Wusheng Dao, you'll leave your life behind today!" The speaker was an old woman with white hair and wrinkled skin, holding a cane. She looked like an old patriarch from a wealthy family, but her voice was extremely cold.
"Eh!" The old woman's gaze swept across the river and landed on Su Mu. Immediately, she said sharply, "Su Mu, the Holy Maiden of the Supreme Dao! What are you doing here in my Wusheng Dao?"
In an instant, the old woman became highly alert, and the most obvious sign of this was that seven halos appeared behind her head.
These seven halos are very obvious, each with a different color, just like the halos behind the heads of Taoist deities and Buddhas in temples!
Even under the sun, it was clearly visible. Such a sight easily leads one to believe that the old woman was a celestial being who had descended to earth!
Upon seeing it, ordinary people were filled with awe, and then they prostrated themselves in worship. Jiang Liu came all the way from Yujing and found that every household in the village burned incense and made offerings, reciting the eight-character mantra "Unborn parents, true homeland." These seven halos were the embodiment of the people's incense and faith.
When a nation is about to perish, monstrous phenomena inevitably emerge. The Taiping Dao of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the White Lotus Sect of the Song and Ming Dynasties, and the God Worshipping Society of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom—the emergence of religions is a major calamity for any nation. While the emergence of the Wusheng Dao and Zhenkong Dao is related to the Crown Prince of the Great Gan Dynasty, it is undeniable that the Great Gan Empire's fortunes had already begun to decline.
Jiang Liu looked at the Eternal Mother in front of him, especially at the halo behind her head. He felt that the halo was moving as if it were breathing, and the entire space was filled with an incomparable spiritual and soul pressure along with this rhythm.
"Is this the power of incense leading to divinity? It's truly miraculous! It's practically indistinguishable from the gods in heaven. I've even killed city gods in the Journey to the West world, but none of them have accumulated the faith of this Eternal Mother."
"Yang Duo's methods are naturally incomparable. The gods of Mount Hua among the Five Sacred Mountains may possess sufficient power of incense offerings and faith, but unfortunately, I have never witnessed it."
These seven halos possess immense power. Each halos is incredibly powerful, comparable to a ghost immortal!
This old woman's cultivation level was very weak, at most reaching the level of possession, and her martial arts were only at the Innate Realm. However, her strength was so great that she could instantly kill a weak ghost immortal who had not survived the tribulation.
"Incense offerings can lead to divinity! How profound! Is the Future Unborn Sutra of the Great Zen Temple the cultivation method for this path? If one establishes a Buddhist kingdom, one can become a Buddha! However, external things are ultimately external things. To be immortal and to place one's hopes on the faith of others is not my path, but I can comprehend it. The Future Unborn Sutra is one of the three great Buddhist scriptures of the Great Zen Temple, and there must be a reason for it."
Upon thinking of this, Jiang Liu chuckled and pointed at the old woman, saying, "Are you the Eternal Mother?"
"Hmph! Who gives you the right to speak here!" The old woman grinned, revealing a cold, undisguised killing intent.
She then spoke in a gentler tone, "Young man, you came with that Holy Maiden Su Mu of the Supreme Dao. Are you her accomplice? However, you see she's watching from afar, showing no intention of approaching. It seems she's using you as a pawn! My Wusheng Dao has many beauties. If you rebel against her and join Wusheng Dao, I will not only spare your life but also make you my servant, with countless beauties at your disposal. But if you remain stubborn and anger me, I will kill you, grind your bones to dust, and imprison your soul, condemning you to eternal damnation!"
This old woman was very skilled at using both kindness and severity.
Jiang Liu couldn't help but chuckle, turning back to look at Su Mu's thoughts, then turning back to say, "You're nothing but a frog in a well! These seven halos are nothing to me. Seventeen more halos might be able to touch me. Sigh... You cultists who manipulate people's hearts deserve to be killed by everyone."
Jiang Liu didn't even bother to manifest his Dharma form; with a wave of his hand, a sword pellet flew out. The fire-attribute sword pellet instantly lit up, like a sun!
The Eternal Mother was startled. Looking at the sword pellet before her, she frowned and said, "Hmm? This is a fire-attribute sword aura! It does have some power, but you're quite arrogant..."
However, before she could finish speaking, Jiang Liu pointed his hand like a sword, and in an instant, the flaming sword pellet burst forth, transforming into three hundred and sixty sword energies. The sword energies solidified instantly, flames soaring into the sky, their heat overwhelming.
One thought can unleash three hundred swords; one thought can shake heaven and earth; one thought can sever life and death.
The sky was filled with flying swords, flames, and killing intent.
The old woman's face immediately changed color!
"What is your relationship with the Peacock King of the Eight Great Demon Immortals? Could you be the Peacock King? We, the Wusheng Dao, have no enmity whatsoever, so why draw our swords against each other? Let's call it a day, and the Wusheng Dao will surely reward you handsomely..."
Seeing that Jiang Liu remained unmoved, the Eternal Mother swallowed the words she was about to say, her face turning extremely ugly. Then, the seven halos behind the old woman's head began to shake violently.
As the aura of light from the incense trembled, waves of invisible, oppressive pressure spread across the sky. Her two cloudy eyes instantly revealed a murderous glint as she stared intently at Jiang Liu, muttering incantations.
She had already recognized Jiang Liu as Peacock King Xingxuan. As the leader of the eight great demon immortals, Peacock King's reputation was not small. As a veteran expert in lightning tribulation, even though the Eternal Mother considered herself to be all-powerful and infinitely strong, she was still extremely wary of him.
However, this is the headquarters of the Wusheng Dao, so even if she wanted to leave, she had to think it over carefully!
If this place is destroyed, the achievements of Wushengdao over the years will be in vain, and the Crown Prince will certainly not forgive her.
Therefore, only one battle is possible!
With a thought, Jiang Liu unleashed 360 fiery swords toward her.
Endless swords, endless flames!
"Doumu's primordial spirit, dragon smoke protecting me, the Crimson Emperor's god guarding my body!"
The old woman uttered sixteen words, and the outermost layer of crimson halo behind her head suddenly expanded violently, bursting outward like a balloon. With a deafening roar, it pushed aside the hurricane-like airflow. In an instant, the crimson halo transformed into a majestic man dressed in crimson clothes, with fiery red hair, a bristling red beard, and eyes that shone with a copper bell-like light, making him someone no longer daring to look directly at.
The Crimson Emperor of the Southern Fire Clan, named Chi Biao Nu, is most skilled in manipulating fire and is an ancient sage who wields flames.
This circle of faith power actually coalesced into the image of the ancient Crimson Emperor.
Faced with 360 flaming swords, this person also transformed into a fire-man, and swung a flame-shaped fist at the endless swords.
"Swish swish swish swish..."
The Crimson Emperor was then completely engulfed in flames.
"Hey! Mysterious Netherworld Water Force, God of the Black Emperor, extinguish fire with water!"
Before the second halo could materialize into the Ancient Black Emperor, three hundred and sixty flaming swords pierced through the body of the Eternal Mother, turning her completely to ashes.
The instant that the Eternal Mother was killed caused Su Mu, who was watching from a distance, to freeze in shock.
"So powerful... Where did he come from? How come my Supreme Dao knows nothing about such a powerful being!"
Chapter 196 Surviving Four Tribulations of Lightning
The Eternal Mother was annihilated by Jiang Liu's 360 flaming swords, and the seven layers of light behind her head showed signs of collapsing instantly.
Jiang Liu enveloped his consciousness and captured him.
"This is the power of incense and faith! The combined power of the people can change dynasties and even overturn the heavens and the earth! However, as powerful as it is, it is also a double-edged sword. Absorbing it would be harmful in every way and would only pollute my primordial spirit. I'll put it away for now!"
As soon as he finished thinking, Jiang Liu pulled the seven colorful halos into his storage space and imprisoned them in the Nine Provinces Cauldron.
Then he grasped the fragments of the Eternal Mother's soul and searched them thoroughly. His eyes flashed with a sharp light, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"The cultivation method of the Future Lifeless Scripture is unfortunately only a handwritten copy! However... this Lifeless Scripture is indeed miraculous. In the Journey to the West world, cultivating incense and faith requires an appointment from the Heavenly Court or a mortal emperor, making one subject to others. A decree from the Heavenly Court, no matter how strong the incense and faith, will be instantly broken. Even a decree from a mortal emperor can be broken. But this Lifeless Scripture can actually seize incense and faith for its own use, unaffected by anyone... It seems I underestimated the path to godhood through incense and faith!"
The soul of the Eternal Mother gradually dissipated in Jiang Liu's hands. Jiang Liu remained silent for a moment, his expression solemn.
Then he muttered, "Too much mixing of powers is not good. If I could create clones in the future, I could let them cultivate the path to godhood. The Vacuum Great Handprint has the power to shatter everything, but unfortunately, it can only be used after gathering incense and faith."
The Vacuum Great Handprint is the most powerful Taoist technique in the Future Unborn Sutra!
The Great Zen Temple's Number One Soul-Attack Technique!
"A clone... a clone... can only be crafted from spiritual objects nurtured by heaven and earth, and it must possess sentience. If it's an inanimate object, even if refined, the clone will remain inanimate and unable to cultivate or grow. If I remember correctly, the Marquis of Champion possessed a stone embryo, a naturally formed spiritual object like a monkey. If it were born, it would be born with the power of a human immortal. This is an excellent material for refining into a clone. It might not be as powerful as a monkey, but it shouldn't be underestimated—it's a natural human immortal body! You must know that my current physical body has only just cultivated to the Upper Realm Eight Gods; I'm still a long way from becoming a human immortal! There's also the Peach God Path's Divine Split Puppet, which is transformed from a peach wood infant. We can take a look at it!"
With this in mind, Jiang Liu finalized his plan and then rode the wind away.
Jiang Liu looked at Su Mu not far ahead and appeared in front of him in a flash, laughing, "I thought you were going to run away! What? You can't bear to part with me?"
Su Mu smiled, unmoved by Jiang Liu's teasing, and said, "I've given you the cultivation methods for the Twenty-Four Gods. If you just leave like this, wouldn't you be at a loss? Besides, your great Buddha has been hidden in the void all along. Do you think I can't sense it?"
Jiang Liu laughed and said, "The Supreme Dao's Dao of the Universe is indeed powerful. It's only polite to reciprocate. I'll give you some sweet treats, and you're reluctant to leave. How about this? I see that you've already achieved great success in your Ghost Immortal cultivation, and the Spring Thunder is approaching. I'll help you overcome the tribulation. What do you say?"
"A tribulation of lightning?" Su Mu narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and sneered, "Can a tribulation of lightning be overcome by borrowing someone else's help? Unheard of! Even the sect leader of my Supreme Dao wouldn't dare to make such a boast! Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"
The highest level of training in Taoist cultivation is the tribulation of lightning!
By enduring the tempering of the wrath of heaven and earth with one's divine soul, one can refine the sinister ghost immortal into a pure yang body, ultimately reaching the realm of the Yang God. This is the path of cultivating the divine soul.
The tribulation of lightning is not merely an attack of heavenly lightning; the word "tribulation" itself signifies the true danger. A tribulation of lightning is the condensation of the will of heaven and earth, powerful enough to annihilate any divine soul. Success in transcending this tribulation depends on whether one can use the power of lightning, the will of heaven and earth, and their own divine soul to be tempered and refined!
Jiang Liu wasn't bothered by Su Mu's sarcasm. He looked up at the sky and said, "The Awakening of Insects is approaching. In three days, spring rain and thunder will arrive together. How about this? I'll undergo my tribulation first, shall I?"
Su Mu's eyes flashed with various thoughts as he thought to himself, "After undergoing the tribulation of lightning, the soul is extremely weak, like a lamp in the wind, about to be extinguished at any moment. Even if you successfully pass through it, you will definitely be extremely weak, which will be the perfect opportunity for me to kill you and seize your Dao Fruit. Hmph! There are countless ghost immortals in the world, but how many truly dare to undergo the tribulation of lightning and succeed? Even the sect leader of my Supreme Dao is extremely weak every time he undergoes the tribulation. I'll see how you far you are. Whether you succeed or not, it will be a great opportunity for me."
Just as Jiang Liu had predicted, the spring thunder arrived on schedule. A light drizzle began to fall, dampening our clothes.
Thunder rumbled in the sky. The first clap of thunder at the start of spring immediately awakened all the animals that had been hibernating since winter. It also awakened the life force hidden within the earth during the cold winter.
Jiang Liu had seen spring thunder before, but the spring thunder in this "Yang Shen" world seemed very different. It seemed to contain endless pressure, as if it had condensed the Heavenly Dao.
"This feeling is indeed much stronger than the Heavenly Dao rules of the Battle Through the Heavenly Dao world! My primordial spirit also needs to be tempered. I'll use the lightning tribulation to bathe in lightning. I wonder how many levels of lightning tribulation I can withstand?"
Jiang Liu looked at the sky without much worry. This was not only because he possessed many magical treasures, but more importantly, because he had a second primordial spirit. With the two primordial spirits taking turns undergoing tribulation, he was not worried about being completely destroyed by the lightning tribulation, nor was he concerned about the weakness after undergoing the tribulation.
"Moreover, the Heavenly Dao rules of the Yangshen World are very different. In other worlds, heavenly tribulations actively seek out cultivators and then strike them with lightning. But in the Yangshen World, cultivators actively seek out tribulations to gain strength, treating heavenly tribulations as a training ground..."
Jiang Liu glanced at Su Mu indifferently, then his primordial spirit emerged from his body and soared straight into the heavens.
He also wanted to use the tribulation lightning to cultivate.
Su Mu smiled mysteriously, standing like a jade maiden in the spring rain, her clothes damp, looking up at the sky. All those who cultivate their divine souls know that during thunderstorms, ghost immortals below the level of lightning tribulation dare not freely unleash their divine souls. Otherwise, the rolling thunder and destructive force emanating from the sky would be enough to shatter their divine souls.
Those with low Taoist skills were directly shattered.
During the tribulation of lightning, it is absolutely unacceptable to have no one to protect you. The physical body can be considered the weakness of a cultivator of the divine soul. If it is destroyed by someone, although it will not lead to death and the annihilation of one's cultivation, one can only seek possession of another's body or be reincarnated to start anew.
However, Su Mu dared not launch a sneak attack on Jiang Liu's physical body, because she knew that even if his soul left his body, Jiang Liu's physical body was still extremely terrifying.
How could someone who can exchange blows with the immortal Hong Xuanji not be strong?
In the blink of an eye, his primordial spirit soared three thousand feet into the sky, reaching the edge of the thunderclouds, where lightning flashed before him. Although he was only a hair's breadth away from entering the dark cloud layer, Jiang Liu stopped in his tracks.
The tribulation of lightning in this Yangshen world, the true nature of the lightning before me, is unlike anything in any other world.
The power of heaven and earth is almost the same, but the shapes of the lightning tribulations are vastly different.
Because he sensed that whenever thunder struck, there seemed to be nine circles in the vast void, from the edge to the center, reflecting the varying strengths of the will of heaven and earth.
In each circle and each zone, the strength of the will of heaven and earth varies. At the very edge, it is the weakest, while the further in you go, the stronger and more terrifying the will becomes.
"Purple lightning, five elements of heavenly lightning, heavenly lightning transformed into weapons, lightning snakes, lightning dragons, and other creatures formed from lightning, a thunder god with a bird's face and a human body... Further in, there is chaos, and it is definitely even more dangerous..."
Stepping into the first area, lightning struck instantly. Having survived a tribulation before, Jiang Liu was naturally unfazed. The lightning struck his primordial spirit, sending a tingling sensation followed by a feeling of refreshment. He slowly walked towards the center of the thunderclouds, but the intense, almost tangible, qi filled the air, blocking his path.