Feng Shui - Chapter 41
"These are fifty Crimson Soul Bodies I crafted, forged from fifty individuals with 1,600 years of cultivation in the Ghost Realm, and then bound by Soul-Condensing Crystals, a specialty of the Netherworld. When you reach your most dangerous moment, simply recite my name three times in your heart, and one of these Crimson Soul Bodies will be released from these Soul-Condensing Crystals to protect you. Don't underestimate these Crimson Soul Bodies; the power of each one is enough to instantly turn a city of five million people into a dead city. Moreover, wherever the Crimson Souls pass, not a blade of grass grows, and no living being can survive," Huang Quan explained with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Feiliu felt a chill run through her body, an icy coldness spreading from the deepest recesses of her heart. She realized she wasn't wearing a priceless diamond necklace, but rather a string of extremely dangerous time bombs. However, since Huang Quan had kindly given it to her, she couldn't refuse. Although she sensed the necklace was terrifying, it was still Huang Quan's treasure, and she shouldn't be ungrateful. So, trembling and pale, Zhou Feiliu forced a smile at Huang Quan, her earlier joy completely gone.
Feng Shui sensed Zhou Feiliu's thoughts and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Alright, you have the magic weapon now. You can use this Xuanyuan..."
"I can fly on my sword now, no longer needing to rely on my illusory blade."
"Feng Huanzong, you're not joking, are you?" Zhou Feiliu gripped the Xuanyuan sword in disbelief.
"Sword," he forced a smile.
"Hehe, the Butterfly God Ring you're wearing is a magical artifact of the Demon Butterfly, and Xuanyuan..."
The sword had already been imbued with A Yao's own demonic energy, giving it a shared nature with the Butterfly God Ring. Therefore, as long as you have a thought and wish to go there, Xuanyuan...
The sword will naturally carry you there. Try it if you don't believe me," the feng shui master instructed.
"Is that really true?" Zhou Feiliu looked at the Xuanyuan sword in his hand with disbelief.
"Sword," he murmured.
Suddenly, Zhou Feiliu's thoughts shifted, and he saw Xuanyuan...
The sword flew swiftly towards Yugawara Town on the ground. Zhou Feiliu was because of Xuanyuan.
The powerful force emanating from the sword almost caused him to lose his grip, and he flew towards the ground like a purple meteor.
"Alright, we should go down now and see who's behind that chaotic demonic energy." Feng Shui said with a sigh, watching Zhou Feiliu's departing figure.
Three more figures, like shooting stars, flashed across the sky, rushing towards the direction Zhou Feiliu had disappeared in. Meanwhile, the figure that Xuanyuan had just...
The dark clouds that the sword had cleaved through reformed, as if they had never been broken at all.
2004-12-09 10:58:00
Part Two: Cultivation Array
Chapter Twenty-Two: Vajra
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Zhou Feiliu never imagined that he could actually reach the level of flying on a sword. Although this thrilling feeling was terrifying, it was also inexplicably exciting. The Xuanyuan Sword seemed to have its own thoughts, and Zhou Feiliu discovered that he and the Xuanyuan Sword were kind of spiritually connected.
Soaring through the sky feels so exhilarating...
Upon landing, the surroundings were filled with a foul odor, like rotting, moldy plants mixed with the smell of blood and flesh. However, Zhou Feiliu's strongest sensation was a strange sense of oppression, as if his entire body was placed inside a container filled with inexplicable energy, making it difficult to even breathe smoothly.
However, the purple glow emanating from the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand became even more brilliant, as if it were resonating with the energy present in the environment on the ground, which left Zhou Feiliu completely puzzled.
At this moment, Feng Shui, Jiang Yao, and Huang Quan had also landed behind Zhou Feiliu, looking around at the surrounding environment as if they were sightseeing.
"Feng Huan Sect, what exactly happened here?" Zhou Feiliu walked to Feng Shui's side, looked at the surrounding environment, and asked curiously.
“This place has been sealed off by a very strong demonic energy. I think all ordinary life forms in this area should be dead.” Feng Shui looked around and said calmly.
"That's too exaggerated! Didn't you just say there were several different energy fluctuations here?" Zhou Feiliu exclaimed in surprise, startled by the mention of feng shui.
"Hehe, those beings with fluctuating auras can no longer be considered ordinary life forms. For example, you now possess three magic treasures, so you can no longer be considered an ordinary life form." Feng Shui patted Zhou Feiliu's shoulder and instructed him.
"That's amazing! Does that mean I'm already a cultivator?" Zhou Feiliu asked excitedly.
"You're not there yet. Having magic weapons without a real foundation in cultivation is not enough to become a cultivator. Besides, with your current level, you simply can't fully unleash the true power of these three magic weapons. But now that you have these three magic weapons, you can 'show off' a bit in the cultivation world, hehe," Feng Shui joked.
"What's the point of being so 'smug' if you can't even fully utilize it?" Zhou Feiliu pouted and said unhappily.
“Alright, now the four of us will split into three groups and scout out the surrounding area. We’ll meet back here in an hour,” Feng Shui said to Jiang Yao and Huang Quan.
Jiang Yao and Huang Quan understood Feng Shui's intention. Feng Shui wanted to teach Zhou Feiliu some cultivation techniques privately. If Jiang Yao and Huang Quan were present, they would undoubtedly offer unsolicited guidance. This would not only be unhelpful to Zhou Feiliu, a complete novice in the path of cultivation, but would also foster a dependency that wanted to take shortcuts to instant success, which would be detrimental to her future cultivation progress.
Moreover, these different auras are located in different places, and exploring them one by one would be a waste of time and energy. It would be better to split up and explore separately. Jiang Yao and Huang Quan understood each other, nodded and smiled, and the two of them flew off in two long rainbows in different directions within the Yugawara Town area.
"Alright, now let's go check out the locations of those eighteen individuals possessing pure cultivation energy. I wonder what kind of cultivators they are," Feng Shui said with a smile.
"Feng Huan Sect, can the two of us handle it? I feel that Sister Jiang Yao and Sister Huang Quan are both very powerful, and although you are also very powerful, I feel that you are not as strong as the two of them," Zhou Feiliu asked tentatively.
"Ah...you don't need to worry about that. Although I'm not as strong as the two of them in terms of cultivation power, I've already reached a level of mastery that they can't comprehend," Feng Shui said with a forced smile.
"Is that really true? Don't lie to me. I've read a lot of books. I've watched many fantasy movies and read many fantasy novels. I know that after reaching a certain level of cultivation, you can fly without using a sword. I see that Sister Jiang Yao and Sister Huang Quan can fly without using a sword, but you still need that black sword to fly." Zhou Feiliu still didn't quite believe in the power of feng shui.
“You’re quite a strange girl. Actually, I cultivate through demonic arts, but you’re not suited for it at all. That’s why I use sword flight to help you,” Feng Shui explained helplessly.
"Is that really the case? What's the difference between cultivating demonic arts and cultivating the Dao?" Zhou Feiliu asked curiously.
"The path of cultivation is based on the cultivation of the Dao, and only then can one reach the realms of immortal cultivation, god cultivation, and so on. However, demonic cultivation is a different method of cultivation from all other paths. It is a path of no return. If one cannot reach the great achievement, one will fall into the Demon Realm and will never be able to reincarnate and cultivate again. One can only be trapped in the demonic path in the Demon Realm forever," Feng Shui said with emotion.
"What happens if you fall into the demonic path?" Zhou Feiliu asked.
“Your sister Jiang Yao and sister Huang Quan used to be like me, primarily cultivating demonic arts. However, they couldn’t reach the pinnacle, the level of possessing a demonic body. So they had to fall into the Demon Realm, rejected by the cultivation world, and unable to rebuild their original bodies to continue their cultivation,” Feng Shui sighed.
"Jiang Yao and Huang Quan seem very powerful. They must be extraordinary to have reached such a level. Is it necessary for them to reshape their original bodies for cultivation?" Zhou Feiliu asked, even more puzzled.
"Hehe, that's where your misunderstanding comes from. People only focus on the 'righteous' path, while cultivating demonic arts is considered an 'outside' path. Becoming a god is the ultimate achievement in cultivation, so everyone flocks to the path of cultivation. Only when forced to do so will they choose to cultivate demonic arts. Jiang Yao and Huang Quan used to cultivate the righteous path, but I don't know why they chose to cultivate demonic arts. I haven't asked her about it in detail. Every demonic cultivator has an extremely tragic story, and I don't want to reopen her wounds." Feng Shui looked at the sky and sighed.
"Oh, I see. So what exactly is the Demon Realm?" Seeing Feng Shui's desolate expression, Zhou Feiliu felt embarrassed to ask any more questions about demonic cultivation, so she changed the subject.
"I've never been to the Demon Realm, and I never asked Jiang Yao or Huang Quan's original form, Demon Butterfly, when I was in love with them. Hehe..." Feng Shui recalled the time he spent with Demon Butterfly when he was a god, and a sweet feeling welled up in his heart again.
“You’re all so strange…” Zhou Feiliu murmured.
"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. I'll tell you slowly when we have time later. Now let me take you to see the world of cultivation. Fly on your sword, follow me..." Feng Shui took a deep breath and said.
Having identified the location of the eighteen pure energies, Feng Shui wielded his "Illusion Blade" and took to the air. Zhou Feiliu, with a thought, also gripped his Xuanyuan Sword and followed Feng Shui. This time, Zhou Feiliu felt much more at ease with sword flight, no longer as nervous and clumsy as before.
In truth, Zhou Feiliu was completely unaware of the changes she had undergone. These changes stemmed from the Xuanyuan Sword given to her by Feng Shui, the Butterfly God Ring given by Jiang Yao, and the fifty Crimson Soul Necklaces given by Huang Quan. These three magical artifacts, each with different attributes, were supreme magical weapons in the cultivation world. In the cultivation world, the Xuanyuan Sword could be considered an ancient divine weapon, essentially reaching the level of a pseudo-divine artifact. If an immortal possessed the Xuanyuan Sword, they could use it to quickly cultivate to the realm of a god.
Jiang Yao's Butterfly God Ring is one of the magical treasures of the goddess demon butterfly in the Demon Luo Domain. It is one of the most famous magical treasures in the Demon Luo Domain. Moreover, it was personally refined by the demon butterfly, one of the public evils of the Three Realms. The power it contains is unimaginable. It is enough to allow the lowest-level fallen demon in the Demon Luo Domain to easily cross a cultivation realm in his pseudo-demon cultivation realm.
2004-12-09 10:59:00
The Crimson Soul Necklace of the Underworld is one of the more famous Netherworld artifacts. With this artifact, one can not only be invincible in the ordinary human world, but also be enough to intimidate a region in the Netherworld, making some demons, monsters and all evil things wary.
These three magical treasures, each with different attributes, are combined within Zhou Feiliu. The energy released by these three treasures is enough to transform an ordinary person. However, because these three treasures have different attributes, they are mutually reinforcing and restraining, with their powers being roughly equal. Moreover, being placed within one person has caused an abnormal change in his nature, leading to an exchange of energy between them and a continuous cycle of transformation.
These three energies were subtly altering and merging within Zhou Feiliu's body, gradually building a nascent soul that combined three different attributes within her. Unfortunately, Zhou Feiliu herself was unaware of this, but Feng Shui sensed the changes in her. Entering this area shrouded in demonic energy would have instantly demonized an ordinary person, turning them into a monster. However, Zhou Feiliu remained unaffected, completely untouched by the demonic energy.
Therefore, Feng Shui wanted to continue developing Zhou Feiliu's potential here, so that she could quickly and truly comprehend the nascent soul within her body and thus truly embark on the path of cultivation.
Soon, Feng Shui discovered the location of the eighteen streams of pure cultivation energy. In a dense forest within a canyon, eighteen monks dressed in golden robes sat cross-legged in meditation, each enveloped in a pure white Buddhist light. However, their facial expressions suggested they were struggling against something. Feng Shui noticed that several monks whose cultivation appeared slightly weaker had beads of sweat on their foreheads.
"So it's the Eighteen Vajras of the Shingon sect in Japan. It seems the Japanese cultivation world has also sensed the power of this demonic energy." Feng Shui floated in the air, looking at the monks below, and said softly.
"Isn't the Shingon sect of Japan a secret sect? How can it be part of the cultivation world?" Zhou Feiliu, who was also floating on his sword beside him, asked curiously.
"It seems you know quite a bit about Japanese history," Feng Shui said with a smile.
“When I was in college, I took Japanese as an elective, so of course I have some understanding of Japanese history,” Zhou Feiliu said proudly.
“Hehe… Actually, the term ‘cultivation world’ has a very broad meaning, but not many people can truly achieve even a minor level of cultivation. However, anyone with even a little cultivation skill uses the term ‘cultivation world’ to distinguish themselves from the different worlds that ordinary people come into contact with,” Feng Shui explained.
"I never imagined there would be so many cultivators in Japan," Zhou Feiliu exclaimed.
“Actually, cultivators exist in every corner of this world, only the levels they achieve are different. Do you remember that friend named ‘Wuyong’ that we met in Xi’an a while ago?” Feng Shui smiled.
“Of course, I have a pretty deep impression of that handsome guy with an otherworldly air about him,” Zhou Feiliu said with great interest.
"He is also a demon cultivator, but his comprehension is extremely high, and his skill should be considered one of the top in this realm." Feng Shui recalled what Jimi had told him and said with emotion.
"So powerful? Such a powerful person would eat snacks at a roadside food stall. People in the cultivation world are really interesting." Zhou Feiliu said with amusement.
“Let’s go help them,” Feng Shui said with a smile.
Feng Shui and Zhou Fei flew towards the eighteen True Word Sect monks on the ground on their swords, and in the blink of an eye, they had landed twenty meters in front of them.
"Watch my technique closely. This is a hand seal for setting up a defensive array. However, don't look at it with your naked eyes; use your spiritual sense to perceive it," Feng Shui instructed Zhou Feiliu.
"What is spiritual consciousness?" Zhou Feiliu asked, puzzled.
"Try to sink your consciousness into the depths of your heart. You will feel a very active fluctuation in your spiritual world. Try to guide this fluctuation through your entire body with your consciousness," the feng shui master advised.
Zhou Feiliu slowly closed his eyes, letting his consciousness sink into his body, but he couldn't sense the active fluctuations that Feng Shui had mentioned. At that moment, Feng Shui formed a hand seal and gently touched the top of Zhou Feiliu's head. Zhou Feiliu felt his dormant consciousness suddenly become clear. Just moments before, because he had closed his eyes, the world around him had been completely dark, but now he could see everything around him more clearly. Every fluctuation of sound, the trajectory of a gust of wind, every breath, the changes between the various elements in nature—Zhou Feiliu could feel them all clearly.
Suddenly, an unusually active energy fluctuation appeared in Zhou Feiliu's consciousness, hopping around in his mental world like a little white rabbit. Zhou Feiliu tried to connect with this energy fluctuation with his consciousness, and the fluctuation quickly merged with it, then began to move automatically throughout his entire body, completely uncontrollably. In the blink of an eye, this fluctuation, integrated with Zhou Feiliu's consciousness, had traveled to every acupoint and meridian in his body.
Gradually, this fluctuation encountered an object enveloped in pale yellow light within his body, and slowly the fluctuation dissolved into the object. The pale yellow light slowly faded, revealing the object's true form, which turned out to be a Zhou Feiliu one-hundredth the size of Zhou Feiliu.
"Ah... what is this?" Zhou Feiliu opened his eyes in shock and said.
"Hehe, can you feel it? That's the basic 'Inner Body Nascent Soul' you're cultivating within. Your future cultivation levels will depend on it. Now try to feel it with your own consciousness again," Feng Shui said with a smile.
This time, Zhou Feiliu did not close her eyes, but she found that her consciousness was different from before. She was more clearly aware of all the changes around her, so keen that she could hardly believe it herself. Moreover, she realized that this did not seem to be her own consciousness at all, but rather the world being perceived by the one-tenth of her inner self.
"That's amazing!" Zhou Feiliu exclaimed excitedly.
"This is what's called spiritual awareness. From now on, your consciousness will basically be gone, because it will have been replaced by spiritual awareness. From this point on, you will see and feel many more things that will baffle you. Now, pay attention to my hand gestures. I'm only demonstrating this once," the feng shui master reminded him.
The feng shui master's hands moved swiftly, making over a hundred different hand gestures. Each change in gesture would produce a blue, phantom-like pattern in front of him. Each pattern would vanish instantly with the next gesture, only to reappear as a new, different pattern appeared.
There are a total of 136 hand gestures, each accompanied by a 136-fold blue phantom pattern. Once the hand gestures are completed, all the blue phantom patterns disappear.
Zhou Feiliu's spiritual sense saw that the 136 cyan phantom patterns quickly transformed into 136 invisible energies, distributed within a radius of 100 meters, rapidly separating the area where they were located from the demonic energy, and the surrounding demonic energy disappeared.
"Did you remember?" the feng shui master asked.
"Wow, that's amazing! What is this?" Zhou Feiliu asked excitedly.
"Hehe, this is something I copied from Gui Eting of the Illusion Sect. I don't really know what it's called, but I saw her use it back then. After I improved it, it became 136, and I used it even more perfectly than she did," Feng Shui said somewhat awkwardly.
Thanks to the defensive array set up by Feng Shui, which successfully resisted the invasion of demonic energy from the outside, the pressure on the eighteen monks was somewhat relieved. The leading monk, Liu Jie, slowly opened his eyes and saw Feng Shui talking to Zhou Feiliu. Moreover, he sensed an energy reaction from Feng Shui that was similar to the demonic energy present in this place.
"You monster, you've finally shown yourself!" Monk Liujie suddenly stood up, pointed at Feng Shui and Zhou Feiliu, and shouted loudly in Japanese.
2004-12-09 11:00:00
"Huh? What is he saying?" Feng Shui asked Zhou Feiliu beside him curiously.
“Oh, he’s mistaken us for monsters,” Zhou Feiliu translated.
However, Monk Liujie did not give Fengshui and Zhou Feiliu a chance to speak again, and swung his extremely wide sleeves at them.
"Quickly, get out of the way! This is the Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeve..." Feng Shui exclaimed in surprise.
As the monk Liujie's sleeve struck the location where Feng Shui and Zhou Feiliu were, the two quickly dodged into the air. However, the residual force of Liujie's "Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeve" attack did not diminish; with a loud "bang," a large cloud of flying sand and stones appeared on the ground. When the sound and sand settled, two incredibly wide and deep trenches, nearly a hundred meters long, were visible in the ground.
"Wow...that's ruthless!" Zhou Feiliu exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the hundred-meter-deep trench on the ground where he had just been standing with the feng shui.
"Alas, this is the consequence of not being able to communicate..." Feng Shui said helplessly, shaking his head.
“Hey…! We’re here to help you…” Zhou Feiliu shouted loudly in Japanese to the monk Liujie below.