Yinshan Record

Chapter 545 Inquiry into the Origin of the Meditation Center (Part 1)
It turns out that the yellow rope that trapped the little fox was your doing; you've inherited this old Taoist's favor.

When Su San Gongzi recalled the yellow rope that had helped him a lot in the past, a sense of goodwill immediately arose in his heart.

When I first arrived in Shanyin, I probably wouldn't have survived until today if it weren't for the various treasures given to me by the old Taoists.

We still have to accept the old man's kindness.

"My master had some instructions, which is why I was delayed."

Su Che slowly shook his head as he spoke, then continued, "Brother Dao..."

"Abbot, I am utterly unworthy of the title 'brother Daoist.' Instructor Wei is a direct disciple of the founder, and Abbot is a third-generation disciple of our sect. Although I entered the sect earlier, I was a disciple of Master Lingyun and am a seventh-generation disciple. In terms of seniority, Abbot is my grand-uncle..."

This is truly a case of a small radish growing on someone's back.

In terms of cultivation, we're both at the Core Formation stage, but this old Taoist might even be a bit stronger than me.

However, in terms of seniority, Master Yu Lizi is a direct disciple of Huang Tian Daozu, practically his son. Huang Tian Daozu was also an old friend who drank and played mahjong with the Five Emperors of the Ancient Five Directions.

Young Master Su, your seniority has skyrocketed.

"No need for that, Grandmaster Uncle."

Su Che smiled and waved his hand.

In terms of years of cultivation, this old Taoist priest was far more experienced than I was. Perhaps he was already standing in this Zhixin Temple when the old lion was causing trouble.

If we're talking about the past, this old Taoist priest must have witnessed all of my predecessor's actions in Jiankang City, even though those things had nothing to do with me. Ultimately, he's still a bit weak-willed.

"The sect has its own rules and regulations; how dare Lu Chuan overstep them?"

The old Taoist's expression remained respectful.

Su Che looked at the old Taoist priest before him, whose lifespan was not long, and sighed inwardly.

Previously, when Su Che was in the Huangtiandao Sect, he had read the sect's books and materials in Yu Lizi's residence and had a basic understanding of the history of Zhixin Temple.

The Huangtian Dao sect emphasizes "transcendence." Its founder, Huangtian Daozu, used unparalleled supernatural powers to create palaces in the outer void, making transcendence of the mortal realm the sect's guiding principle. Sharing the same ideals are the three major sects: Tianshi, Shenxiao, and others. These three powerful sects of the Xuanmen (mysterious sects) focus on operations in the outer realms, rarely dedicating themselves to worldly affairs.

In contrast, the mortal world became the place where Xuandu Palace, East Sea Sword Palace, Western Buddhist Sect, and Northern and Southern Demonic Sects set up their operations.

The reason why the Xuandu Palace was able to dominate the world was partly due to the fact that the other three families were far superior to the heavens.

For this reason, Zhixin Temple actually became a place of exile for Huang Tiandao.

Compared to other sects where disciples can directly hear Huangtian Daozu expounding Daoist teachings and revealing the secrets of the sect, Zhixin Temple is far inferior.

Moreover, Zhixin Temple is theoretically the site of the Yellow Heaven Daoist sect connected to the human court, and its leader inevitably has to deal with all sorts of people in the secular world.

One is a true immortal who lives a carefree life in the heavens, and the other is a commoner who mingles in the mundane world. Everyone will make their own choice.

The old Taoist priest Lu Chuan in front of us had indeed committed some crimes and was therefore exiled to Zhixin Temple.

Su Che had heard others mention that the current head of Zhixin Temple was the lineage of Fairy Lingyun. Lingyun was the disciple of Mo Jiaoyu, one of the six instructors of Huangtiandao, making her a relative of the little fox.

As for the sins of the old Taoist priest Luchuan, they are both great and small.

On a grand scale, it would be cutting off his own path to immortality; while not quite expelling him from the sect, it would be very close. On a smaller scale, Lu Chuan's transgressions had nothing to do with the sect, nor did they harm any fellow cultivators or outsiders.

Luchuan has only one crime.

Back then, Lu Chuan had already established himself as a key figure at a young age. Although he wasn't the top genius in Huang Tiandao, he was still considered a rising star in Xuanmen.

Given time, while it may not be certain that he will attain immortality, he will certainly be able to touch the threshold of immortality.

However, after one of his travels in the human world, this Taoist priest, Lu, suffered a fundamental mishap. He no longer wanted to live.

It wasn't that he was threatening to commit suicide, but rather that the fundamental purpose of the Xuanmen sect, "longevity and immortality," had suddenly lost its meaning for Lu Chuan.

All the mystical sects under heaven, whether it is the Xuandu Palace which claims to be the direct descendant of the Dao Ancestor, or the three great Dao sects of Shenxiao, Huangtian, and Tianshi which are closely related to the Five Emperors of the ancient Heavenly Court, as long as you still respect the lineage left by the Dao Ancestor, have only one ultimate goal.

To live a long and healthy life, to live as long as heaven and earth, to shine as brightly as the sun and moon, to travel from the North Sea in the morning to Kunwu in the evening, seeking a carefree and unrestrained existence.

To put it simply, it's about "immortality".

To go a step further, it means transcending and breaking free from the laws of life and death, reality and illusion, the vast emptiness, and so on, and replacing the laws of heaven and earth with one's own way.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they stole the sky and changed the sun.

This is the foundation of spiritual practice, and also its prerequisite.

In pursuit of immortality, every sect and lineage has resorted to every means possible. The Buddhist sect forced fifty kinds of demonic forces to expel the five defilements in search of emptiness, while the Sword Palace cultivated sword energy to break through all barriers and conventions in search of liberation. Even the demonic sects, after fraught with danger amidst the five desires and six dusts, ultimately still sought the same thing.

However, after wandering through the mortal world several times, this Taoist Master Lu Chuan somehow encountered some problem.

He no longer wanted to live forever.

A certain Heavenly Emperor, who wished to remain anonymous, once said...

"Immortality is the sum total of all meanings."

However, for Master Lu, immortality became meaningless.

He doesn't want to fix it anymore.

Luchuan lost the courage and diligence that a cultivator should have, but he did not become despondent.

He lost interest in life and chose to peacefully embrace the tranquility of death.

There is great terror between life and death. Lu Chuan saw through this terror, but instead of moving towards liberation and upward progress, he chose to endure it peacefully.

This is Luchuan's freedom, but it is also a kind of inner demon.

On the path of cultivation, there is no reason to stop halfway. It is like a fish leaping over the Dragon Gate. Either you cross that barrier and shed your mortal body to become a true dragon, or you shed your scales and armor and turn into dust.

If you suddenly don't want to go anymore halfway through your journey, I'm sorry, that's your inner demon.

A single thought can give rise to inner demons, and endless evil spirits will arise.

Although the old Taoist Lu Chuan did not truly fall into demonic possession, he was already entangled by inner demons, which was a violation of the sect's rules.

Su Che had heard that the Nine Heavens Beyond was the home of endless demons, and the Huangtiandao Sect had opened up in that outer void, which was no less than a feast for these demons.

If it weren't for Huangtian Daozu's extraordinary supernatural powers and notoriously ruthless methods, which led to the deaths of several unsuspecting Dharma Masters, Huangtian Daozu would likely have been completely overrun and turned into a den of demons long ago.

Lu Chuan is currently plagued by inner demons. It would be somewhat inappropriate to place him in a sect. The Xuanmen sect would not directly kill such a disciple as the Buddhist sect would. There are generally two ways to deal with him.

One can either seclude oneself within the gate for a period of intense meditation, hoping to break through one's inner demons and advance further; if one cannot take that step, then it is as if one has passed away within the gate. Alternatively, one can be sent into the mortal world, where, below the Nine Heavens, celestial demons cannot arise, and one can temper oneself in the mortal world, seeking opportunities—this is also a legitimate solution.

Huang Tiandao's handling of Lu Chuan clearly falls into the latter category.

However, Su Che looked at this Taoist priest Lu and saw that he seemed to accept his fate, so he couldn't help but sigh slightly.

This old Taoist priest probably won't be able to overcome this inner demon.

Unfortunately, all his cultivation has been lost to the flowing waters of time.

(End of this chapter)