Inquiry about immortality

Chapter 2618 The Red Lotus Calamity Sutra
Qingyangzhi.

What was once the Deer Plain is now the sacred land of Qingyang.

That sacred statue has stood here for thousands of years, with incense burning continuously, and people still travel from afar to worship it every day.

Before the statue, they excitedly recounted the legend of this Qin sage to their companions. Through word of mouth, it was exaggerated many times over compared to the truth, sounding almost like a miracle.

People came and went in front of the statue, but few noticed the young Taoist priest in a blue robe standing next to it.

Qingyang Zhi followed the laws and regulations of the Taoist court and transmitted the Taoist teachings. The Taoist teachings flourished, and Taoist priests are now a common sight. Taoist hairstyles and robes have become fashionable, and even non-Taoists are happy to wear them.

Among the cultivators in Qingyang today, seven or eight out of ten are dressed as Taoists.

Now that Qingyang rules the world and has set up altars to spread the Dharma in various places, with the Taoist court having a more complete and profound method, who would look at those sects with incomplete lineages and no future? Moreover, joining the Taoist sect not only grants access to exquisite techniques but also supreme authority.

The Taoist school opens its doors wide to the outside world, regardless of background or social status. As long as one's talent and temperament meet the requirements, there is a path to advancement.

The young talents of Qingyang are all drawn to the Daoist arts, scrambling to get in. Other sects and forces can only pick up what the Daoists have rejected, and what's infuriating is that even then, the Daoists might not even look at them. Many would rather earn merit points to exchange for Daoist techniques than learn any 'heretical' methods.

Those once renowned families and sects in the Storm Realm have suffered numerous calamities, and even their deepest foundations have been exhausted. Already weakened, they have now been stripped of their resources, truly showing signs of decline. Moreover, like water without a source, they will only slowly dry up.

For some sects and factions, even passing on their traditions has become a difficult task.

This was Qin Sang's open scheme, and they might not have been unaware of it, but given the circumstances back then, who would have dared to stand up and oppose it? Besides, Qin Sang had done everything he could in public back then, and hadn't swallowed them up in one fell swoop.

These forces knew that staying in Qingyang would lead to a bleak future, but they had nowhere to go to escape, as they were surrounded by the Niehe River and the territories of other races.

The Qingyang Alliance's business in Kanzhou has grown exponentially, with connections in and out, but only those they can trust are allowed to leave, and even then, they must undergo rigorous testing within the Qingyang Alliance. Those forces are trapped here; they dared not oppose Qin Sang back then, and now they have even less power to protest.

Those who understand the times are wise. Many intelligent people saw through the trend. Talented individuals from forces that were already close to Qingyang Temple, such as the Four Saints Palace and Xuantian Palace, switched to Taoist practices and joined the Taoist sects. Only a few disciples remained in the sects to continue the lineage.

The most tragic were the Demonic Sect. They had rendered meritorious service in fighting against foreign enemies, so the Daoist sect would not deliberately suppress them. However, anyone who dared to do evil would not be spared. Unfortunately, the Demonic Sect's cultivation methods were inherently like this, and some demonic cultivators could not change their evil ways and got what they wanted. Some could only hide near the River of Sin and eke out a living. In a short time, their talents were depleted and their sects were in ruins.

The Wu tribe is the most prosperous. Qin Sang has reserved places for them in the Shanyu Academy. As long as they are honest and law-abiding, they will always have a place in the Taoist system.

Although there were many unruly demons, they eventually realized the situation. Some joined the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea, while others joined the Taoist sects and became demon soldiers. With Yu Nu's connection, they were not oppressed.

The once-powerful Storm Realm has now become the domain of the Taoist sect!

Although the young Taoist priest had an impressive bearing, people only glanced at him and subconsciously ignored him, coming and going in a hurry.

The Taoist priest in green robes stood frozen before the sacred statue like a clay or wooden sculpture for an unknown period of time. If any cultivator familiar with the legendary figures of Qingyang were present, they would surely exclaim in surprise.

This person is actually the abbot of Qingyang Temple, the master of Jingjing Altar in Zhongzhou, and the de facto controller of Qingyang!
Li Yufu stared at the statue, a thousand thoughts surging in his mind.

Over the years, he had shouldered the expectations of his senior master and dared not slacken in the slightest. Finally, he broke through the barrier of the Refining Void Realm and avoided the calamity of exhausting his lifespan and dying. After that, he never relaxed for a moment. Whether it was his own cultivation or the management of Qingyang Prefecture and Qingyang Alliance, he devoted himself to it with all his heart and soul, striving for perfection.

All he wanted was to live up to that person's hard work and expectations, and to receive a word of praise from that person.

He has done it now, but he has yet to hear any praise.

My thoughts drifted back to that day a hundred years ago, when the holy statue that had stood there all this time, protected by a great array, suddenly collapsed and instantly turned into countless fragments.

Upon hearing the news, he was furious, thinking it had been deliberately sabotaged. But when he rushed over, he found that the great formation was undamaged and the holy statue had shattered on its own.

He was nominally Qin Sang's junior disciple, but in reality, he was Qin Sang's disciple, and Qin Sang kept some of his secrets from him.

Li Yufu knew that his senior master was trying the Mahayana path, and Qingyang was managing his temple. This sacred statue could be said to be the fulcrum of this temple and the connection between his senior master's merits and achievements.

What does it mean when a holy icon is broken?
In that instant, Li Yufu was gripped by deep panic.

As the master of the Jingjing Altar in Zhongzhou and in charge of Qingyang Prefecture on behalf of Qin Sang, Li Yufu felt more strongly than other cultivators that there was always an invisible connection between Qingyang Prefecture and the distant unknown land. He knew that it represented his senior uncle, so he did not panic even though his senior uncle had been missing for thousands of years.

But now he was truly terrified, and what terrified him even more was that the connection had been severed!

Little did he know that the moment the sacred statue shattered was the very moment Qin Sang resolved to merge with the Lesser Vehicle of Killing and sever the altar of divine will! With the foundation of the Dao changed, this Daoist temple naturally lost its proper function.

Li Yufu could not show his panic, so he forced himself to remain calm, ordered the pursuit of the murderer who destroyed the sacred statue, temporarily deceiving the world, and then tried to find Qin Sang.

But when Li Yufu sorted through the information, he found that there weren't many people who could help and whom he could trust.

Over the years, Qingyang has developed rapidly, but it has also suffered a series of misfortunes. First, Senior Sword Slave left for some reason, and then Senior Su Nu suddenly disappeared. Only Master's wife, Jade Slave, and Junior Brother Shen Chen, who infiltrated the Five Elements Alliance, can be completely trusted.

Master's wife lives in seclusion in the Supreme Dao lineage, in seclusion for many years, and it is unknown when she will be able to see the talisman; Junior Brother Shen Chen has stood out in the Five Elements Alliance and has been valued. It is said that he was sent by the Five Elements Alliance to a secret place to participate in the trial.

One can imagine how helpless Li Yufu must have felt at that time, yet he still had to pretend to be nonchalant in front of outsiders and manage his vast business empire.

Soon, the rumor of the appearance of the Heavenly Lord of the Dao Court spread throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty. Upon learning the news, Li Yufu finally felt a glimmer of hope amidst his despair.

The difference between "Shijun" and "Tianjun" is only one word, yet they are worlds apart.

But this was Li Yufu's only hope. He immediately sent a message to Yu Chang'en, asking him to build a secret residence in Xunzhou. After dealing with matters around him, he would personally go to Xunzhou.

When Li Yufu came to his senses, he found that it was already dark, but the worshippers in front of the statue were still coming in droves.

He sighed softly, bowed deeply, and then left.

Before long, he entered the Qingyang Temple gate and headed straight for the main hall. Just as he arrived in front of the hall, a disciple hurriedly came to greet him.

"Reporting to the Abbot, a talisman has just been sent from Xunzhou..."

This disciple was responsible for liaising with Xunzhou.

Upon contacting Yu Chang'en that same day, Li Yufu ordered that as soon as a talisman arrived in Xunzhou, he should immediately report to him.

Li Yufu grunted, took the talisman, and strode into the main hall, assuming that Yu Chang'en had completed the secret residence and was informing him.

He thought to himself that Yu Chang'en was very quick to act.

These days, the affairs of Qingyang Alliance and Qingyang Zhi have been basically arranged. With Yuanqiao City approaching, he plans to go directly to Xunzhou from the Dharma Assembly, leaving Yu Nu to take care of Qingyang Zhi.

Yu Chang'en is quite capable; the Qingyang Alliance should also do a good job of managing its affairs in Xunzhou.

He had too many things on his mind, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. His divine sense swept over the talisman, and he suddenly froze on the spot.

The female cultivators and young disciples who were standing in the main hall bowed to the abbot as he entered, and then they witnessed a scene they would never forget.

The abbot Li, who was incomparably dignified in their eyes and who had always kept his emotions hidden, now had a relaxed brow and a joyful expression. In the end, he even burst into laughter, which made the main hall of the sect reverberate. The trace of gloom between his brows vanished.

The disciples looked at each other in astonishment.

I have never seen the abbot lose his composure like this!
……

"Elder Qin, we're almost at the Sea of ​​Fog."

On the treasure ship, Qin Sang, who rarely gets any fresh air, bumped into Yu Chang'en on the deck.

This treasure ship belongs to the Yu family's merchant ship. It had been frequently robbed recently and only dared to go to sea when it was accompanied by others. This time, however, it sailed alone and sailed smoothly. It was as if those pirates had vanished into thin air.

Qin Sang nodded, leaning on the railing to look out. He couldn't see the fog yet, but he trusted Yu Chang'en's judgment.

The distance between Xunzhou and the Fog Sea is shorter than that between Xunzhou and Kanzhou. Furthermore, due to the flourishing trade routes, Xunzhou's ties with the alien water tribe are closer than those between Xunzhou and Kanzhou. Back in Kanzhou, some business had to be conducted discreetly, for fear of being accused of colluding with foreign tribes. But in Xunzhou, these businesses could be conducted openly and legitimately, with well-established trade routes already in place. Along the way, they encountered many merchant ships.

The trade route opened up by Yu Chang'en and Qing Yangzhi had to pass through the Chi Ru tribe, a powerful clan in the waters, for transit. Of course, the Chi Ru tribe remained hidden in the shadows, and Yu Chang'en could only make contact with the Jie Gou tribe.

As fate would have it, with the Yuanqiao Sea City event just around the corner, Qin Sang planned to go directly to Yuanqiao Sea City through the Jiegou Clan and asked Yu Chang'en to send back a talisman in advance.

As he approached his hometown, a sense of trepidation arose within him, and thoughts began to stir within him: how many old friends would he be able to see this time?

At this moment, sensing the energy behind him, Young Master Yan also left the cabin.

Elder Qin.

He was no longer as casual as he had been in front of Qin Sang. Even though Qin Sang had discussed the Great Dao with him and his wife many times on the ship, he still felt uneasy. "Elder Qin, I have seriously tried to absorb external fire as you suggested last time, but unfortunately it is not compatible with my Burning Crystal Sect's mental cultivation method."

Qin Sang was not surprised at all; the two methods may seem similar, but they are fundamentally different.

It was this fundamental difference that greatly inspired him.

His achievements in the path of fire all came from absorbing external fire, and in the end, he refined the Qilin's essence, which, in a way that was almost like infusing his body, caused his cultivation to soar.

The Qilin's essence can be considered the purest power in the world.

Whether it was the Vermilion Bird, who was also a demon, Tian Li, who was a spirit insect, or Qin Sang, who was a human, after refining the Qilin's origin, they did not encounter any obstacles or suffer any backlash. They easily controlled this power, making it truly belong to them, and even used it to forge their Dao foundation.

This power was pure enough and of high enough grade, but Qin Sang always felt that something was missing, which meant that even though he had met all the conditions, he was still unable to achieve Dao.

Actually, he had already figured out where the problem lay.

Before leaving, he passed on the revised cultivation method to Bai Ying'er and renamed it "Red Lotus Calamity Scripture". He chose this name because practicing this method and cultivating the Lotus Platform of Fire was something he forcibly comprehended during a life-or-death ordeal.

He incorporated his thoughts into the cultivation technique, and with Bai Ying'er's intelligence and the guidance of high-ranking Daoist masters, she would surely understand it in the end.

This conversation with the elder and younger sect leaders of the Burning Crystal Sect confirmed Qin Sang's thoughts.

The lotus throne is shrouded in fire, and the flowers bloom in six grades.

This lotus platform supports his foundation of cultivation, and the flames that make up the lotus platform are all derived from the outside. He thought he had completely refined all the external flames and made them entirely his own, but this was not the case.

To perform the actions of the Dao, one must possess a flame that truly belongs to oneself, like the heart fire of the Burning Crystal Gate. Even if only a single spark is conceived, it can be used as a furnace to throw in external fires and let them swirl around, serving as provisions to allow the lotus platform to experience another cycle of decay and rebirth before taking the final step.

Among cultivators who have achieved Dao Integration, few can possess such clear judgment as Qin Sang. This is thanks to the fact that the "Red Lotus Calamity Scripture" is derived from the Qilin inheritance, to the pure power of the Qilin's origin, and even more so to the fact that Qin Sang is a cultivator who has achieved Dao Integration, giving her a perspective that is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Conversely, according to the sect leader's own admission, the Burning Crystal Sect's techniques also seem to have flaws. He was the only one in history to achieve Dao, and he almost failed at that time, which was extremely dangerous. Perhaps this was because the Burning Crystal Sect focused too much on internal cultivation.

Qin Sang wouldn't criticize others' inheritances too much; she simply offered a word of advice as a return for the benefits she received from the Burning Crystal Sect, suggesting that whether successful or not, it was an inspiration. Young Sect Master Yan, limited by his perspective, hadn't grasped the deeper meaning, but he should be able to understand it when it reached Sect Master Li.

Now that she had a goal, it was very clear what to do next; all Qin Sang lacked was time.

The three chatted on the deck.

Whenever Qin Sang went to a new place, she liked to learn about the local customs and traditions. Young Master Yan and Yu Chang'en would rack their brains to tell her stories and legends that happened along the trade route, and there were quite a few interesting anecdotes.

As they were speaking, a white expanse suddenly appeared ahead, the sea covered by thick fog.

Seeing the familiar scenery, Qin Sang knew that she had finally returned to the Sea of ​​Fog.

Yu Chang'en was somewhat nervous and immediately ordered the Red Carp Clan's banner to be raised. Without the teleportation array that directly connects to the outer realms like the Siyou Clan, the treasure ship had to pass through the outer defenses of the Mist Sea. The banner was given to the Yu family by the Jiegou Clan and could not be faked; it was an essential item for trading in the Mist Sea.

Not all Inhumans are benevolent; they may hesitate upon seeing a flag, but when they encounter a merchant ship without a flag, it is common for them to kill and rob.

The treasure ship slowed down and slowly sailed into the thick fog until its stern was completely submerged in the mist.

The area was heavily guarded, and spying thoughts emanated from the depths of the mist, but Qin Sang could not escape his senses. He concealed his aura, disguising himself as an ordinary Void Refinement cultivator, and thus went unnoticed.

The banner of the Shuibu tribe proved effective; the treasure ship underwent one inspection, but Yu Chang'en offered bribes and was released.