I became an immortal in the mountains

Chapter 700 There's no such thing as a stroke of good fortune!

"Please speak, senior," Gu Yuanqing said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"What do you think of this world?" The man in blue raised his hand and waved it, and there were flowers blooming in the mountains and birds and beasts playing.

Looking further into the distance, city walls and towers appear, with people coming and going—a beautiful scene of human life.

Everything was peaceful and harmonious.

Gu Yuanqing praised, "Senior's illusionary skills are unparalleled. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'm afraid it would be difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake."

The man in blue chuckled meaningfully and said, "Young friend, you have entered the painting and also entered the illusion. Do you think what you see in the illusion is truly false?"

Gu Yuanqing pondered for a moment and said, "The way of truth and illusion lies in one's heart and in one's thought."

In the eyes of ordinary people, what is tangible and indestructible is real; what is elusive and fleeting is illusory.

For us practitioners, an illusion can arise in a single thought, and it can also be shattered in an instant. The mind is a mirror, reflecting all phenomena; the mind is a furnace, refining the false into the true.

Everything is in flux and change; clinging to the truth of form is a form of delusion. The workings of laws, the aggregation and dispersion of energy, create the myriad phenomena of the universe.

Truth is not constant, illusion is not nothingness; they all ultimately converge.

The man in blue turned his head and stared at the scenery, saying, "Then look at the mountains and rivers here, the clouds rolling and the flowers blooming and falling, it seems full of vitality."

Young friend, you come from the mortal world, so you should know that this is not the real world, but merely a small painting. May I ask you, young friend, is this scene real to you?

"Look at me, I am but a trace of ink in a painting. Young friend, do you think I am an illusion or reality?"

Gu Yuanqing asked, "Is this your second question, senior?"

The man in blue asked with a smile, "Then let's say so."

Gu Yuanqing said, “To me, my eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind all perceive this place as real and authentic. Life and Daoist charm are present, so the existence of this realm is real, and it can be called the realm within the painting.”

As for the senior, his ability to think and debate, his discourse with this junior, demonstrates a clarity of spirit and profound wisdom far surpassing that of the many flesh-and-blood beings this junior has witnessed. If spirit is taken as the true basis, then the senior is undoubtedly true!

"Young friend, your Dao heart is clear and bright, unbound by form or boundaries, truly excellent! However, I have one last question, concerning your choices, the well-being of all living beings, and the very foundation of your Dao heart!"

The man in blue spoke in a deep and resonant voice.

He raised his hand, his fingertips tracing lines in the air, and the sea of ​​clouds before him shifted, revealing a blurry yet breathtaking scene.

This is a celestial realm. In its beginning, it was a peaceful and prosperous place where billions of living beings lived in peace and contentment, and the celestial light was dazzling.

Suddenly one day, a huge void rift spread across this world, emanating a terrifying aura that devoured everything, and fear appeared on the faces of many living beings.

Deep within the crack, a giant eye opened, slowly growing larger, and was forced out of the crack in the sky.

Heaven and earth wept blood, the Great Dao shattered, the Immortal Realm was on the verge of collapse, and countless lives were lost.

"This was deduced by my true self, which is why I created this painting and scattered it throughout the world to guide cultivation. May I ask, if one day you face this calamity, what will you do?"
Is it to save the common people, that he bravely faces this calamity alone?

Or will we stand idly by and watch the Immortal Realm crumble, leaving countless lives lost?

Gu Yuanqing frowned slightly and said, "I don't know."

The man in blue robes then asked, "Then what path do you cultivate? Don't lie; just ask your own heart."

Gu Yuanqing said calmly, "I only ask for two words—peace of mind!"

The man in blue laughed loudly: "That suits me perfectly. Just from these words, I know that you are not a fraud or a charlatan. You are truly a person of destiny! In that case, since I have asked you three questions, I will also give you three choices."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and beckoned, and the sword that was leaning against the side flew into his hand.

"First, there is this sword, named Yellow Springs. Although it is not a celestial weapon, it still contains a trace of celestial charm. If you can comprehend its principles, it will be enough to allow you to break through the shackles between the mortal and immortal realms with the way of the sword."

Gu Yuanqing's gaze fell on the sword, feeling that it was indeed an extraordinary weapon, but for some reason, he always felt that something was amiss.

The man in blue seemed to sense Gu Yuanqing's hesitation and, as if not wanting him to overthink, turned around and said, "Boy, bring me my Five Qi Returning to Origin Gourd!"

The boy, from who knows where, took a gourd and handed it to the man in blue.

The man in green poured out a pill, which shone with golden light and displayed extraordinary phenomena of the Great Dao.

He smiled and said, "The second option is this pill, called the Five Elements Creation Pill. After taking this pill, one can lay the foundation for becoming an immortal. From then on, the Great Dao will be unobstructed, and becoming a true immortal will be just around the corner."

Gu Yuanqing felt the elixir's fragrance was irresistible, and his mouth watered. It was as if just smelling its aroma made his blood and qi boil. The elixir seemed to have an infinite attraction, and a voice in Gu Yuanqing's mind kept telling him that if he could take this elixir, he could become an immortal.

He almost couldn't resist reaching out to take it, but out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a hint of eagerness in the eyes of the man in blue.

But when Gu Yuanqing looked at him directly, his eyes were clear and calm, as if he were simply offering Gu Yuanqing a choice, and everything just now was just an illusion.

The man in blue chuckled: "The third option is this blue stone, which is the Stone of Myriad Paths, the crystallization of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth."

"The Myriad Paths Stone?" Gu Yuanqing suddenly raised his head, his mind becoming clear.

But then he suddenly remembered Hades' words: the Stone of Ten Thousand Paths, the River of Boundless Light, the Path of Others!
The man in blue nodded and said, "Indeed, the Myriad Dao Stone contains the imprint of the Great Dao. Cultivating upon it allows one to easily enter the state of enlightenment where one is one with heaven and man. Young friend, these three items are the opportunities I offer you. Which one would you like to choose?"

Gu Yuanqing's gaze swept over the three items, and then he glanced at the pageboy beside him.

When the pageboy met Gu Yuanqing's gaze, he quickly lowered his head.

The man in blue turned to look at the boy.

The pageboy trembled slightly, clearly uneasy.

Gu Yuanqing bowed respectfully with his fists clasped, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, senior. However, the opportunity you left in the painting is for finding someone to help you overcome your tribulations in the future. I know I am not capable of such a great task, so... I dare not covet the opportunity. I can only thank you, senior."

The man in blue smiled and said, "Since you've come here, it must be fate. Young friend, there's no need to belittle yourself. Besides, I've already made a promise to you, how can I break my word?"

Gu Yuanqing declined again: "Entering this painting to comprehend the sword path is enough. This is not because you broke your promise, but because how could I, Gu, disregard the common people and covet the opportunity to save the world? If I did that, my conscience would be guilty, and I would be unable to face the tribulations to come?"

"What if I insist that you choose one?" The smile on the man in blue's face slowly disappeared. Gu Yuanqing's repeated refusals made him realize that the other party might have noticed something. As a result of the change in his thoughts, the world in the painting also began to tremble.

The once vibrant spring mountains suddenly became desolate, with wisps of cold air rising from them.

The pageboy standing nearby was terrified and ran away as fast as he could.

Gu Yuanqing sighed softly, "Why force me, senior? Besides, I'm just an avatar here." Upon hearing this, the man in blue seemed to completely shed his disguise. His gentle, ethereal aura was instantly replaced by a cold and violent one. His gentle, jade-like face became somewhat distorted, and his eyes were filled with venomous resentment.

The entire world in the painting trembled violently, the mountains and rivers lost their color, and the auspicious clouds drifting among the mountains turned into billowing black smoke. In the end, the whole world turned into black and white.

He said in a sinister tone, "I told you, you and I are destined to meet. What I've given you, how could I take it back? Since you're being so polite, young friend, and you don't want to choose for yourself, then I'll choose for you. Or, you can take all three items!"

As he spoke, the man in blue suddenly swelled up, transforming into a twisted, enormous black shadow composed of thick ink and resentment, radiating a suffocating pressure.

Everything around him quickly squeezed towards the center, trying to imprison Gu Yuanqing's body.

At the same time, the long sword flew up, also turning black, and stabbed towards Gu Yuanqing's brow.

The black shadow that the man in blue had transformed into also coiled around Gu Yuanqing.

The golden elixir inside the gourd also changed color, turning into ink and black smoke, intending to be poured into Gu Yuanqing's seven orifices.

The huge blue stone also disappeared, appearing at Gu Yuanqing's feet and transforming into numerous hands that firmly grasped his feet.

In this realm, the person in the painting has absolute control, just like in their Dao realm. All changes are completed in an instant, and Gu Yuanqing was somewhat caught off guard.

"Since the divine destiny has been bestowed upon you, how can you refuse it? Don't resist, it's useless. Don't worry, I won't kill you. From now on, you will be me, and I will become you, helping you survive well in the outside world!"

The man in blue laughed loudly, but his smile vanished abruptly.

Because Gu Yuanqing, who had been imprisoned by him, suddenly disappeared.

However, a moment later, a smile appeared on his lips, followed by a smug chuckle, and finally a loud laugh.

"Now that I know you can leave this world silently, why would I not make preparations? Why do you think I've been talking to you for so long?"
It's just... going to be much more troublesome!

……

Inside the North Spring Cave.

Gu Yuanqing's clone was pulled back, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

First, the clone was enveloped by the Chaotic Primordial Flame, and then it was further enhanced by the Dao of Object Manipulation.

A moment later, wisps of black smoke floated out, as if sensing danger and attempting to escape and hide, but Gu Yuanqing instantly suppressed them and sealed them in a jade bottle.

The clone shook its head and sighed, "Indeed, there are no such things as opportunities falling from the sky. If it weren't for the Heavenly Fishing and Object Manipulation techniques, I would probably have already fallen into their trap this time."

Gu Yuanqing himself laughed and said, "Back then, I sensed danger in opening Qingping Cave. I thought it was because of the Heavenly Demon Sword Master, but now it seems that the real danger lies in this painting."

“That’s right. Even you, the original self, who were inside the cave, were accidentally pulled into the world within the painting,” the clone said.

"I must thank Hades; if it weren't for him, I might not have been able to escape unscathed."

"To be honest, I'm a little curious. We met three times, and it seemed like each time he came specifically to help us. Could it be that we had a relationship with him that we ourselves were unaware of? Or... is our encounter at Beiquan Mountain related to him?"

The clone remained silent, for both were one entity. The original body was unaware of this, so how could he possibly know?
"Forget it, there's no use thinking about these things. Perhaps we'll find out in the future. For now, don't return to your original body. Stay in the mountains and check if the person in the painting has any other tricks up their sleeve. I'll send another clone to retrieve the Demon-Subduing Sword!" the original body said again.

The clone said, "We need to be more careful. These people cannot be regarded as ordinary Chaos Cultivators. While we were comprehending the Dao in the painting, the other three must have also gained something. They have been lingering in the painting for so long, and they may have already taken control of a part of the Qingping Dao Palace."

"Don't worry, I know! Although most of my attention was on the painting, I did glance outside a few times."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yuanqing transformed into another clone, still splitting into thirty-six Dao Principle imprints. True essence surged into it, and the clone's strength instantly reached the peak of the Shattering Heaven realm.

He then used the Heavenly Fishing Technique again.

This clone then appeared directly on the plaza below the Qingping Palace.

It turns out that when Gu Yuanqing followed, he had already secretly left a soul imprint here, which was for the sake of this unexpected event!
As soon as he arrived, he immediately established a connection with the Demon-Subduing Sword.

It felt as if the power of the Demon-Subduing Sword was almost completely suppressed by the other three swords, and the three Heavenly Demon Sword Masters had almost refined most of the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array.

Their power was transmitted through the three swords into the Zhou Tian Star Array, thereby refining the core of the array!

"Fortunately, it's not too late!" Gu Yuanqing said calmly, and with a thought, the Demon-Subduing Sword Intent instantly strengthened the Demon-Subduing Sword.

The Demon-Subduing Sword, which had been suppressed due to the lack of its master's power, immediately shone brightly.

Gu Yuanqing's swordsmanship has been honed through experience, and he is now completely different from before, truly possessing the aura of a master swordsman.

The power of the Demon-Subduing Sword surged instantly, breaking through the restraints and shattering the seal, its power spreading towards the Zhou Tian Star Array.

Having just returned to this place, he was still unable to deduce the location of the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array's base, making it difficult for him to refine it. However, he didn't need to do so; he only needed to disrupt the actions of the Heavenly Demon Sword Master and the others.

The vast sword energy spread in all directions along the Zhou Tian Star Array, and it could completely annihilate the auras of the Heavenly Demon Sword Master, the Demon Sealing Sword Master, and the Demon Slaying Sword Master within the array!

This movement was immediately known to the Heavenly Demon Sword Master and the others inside the Qingping Dao Palace.

The Heavenly Demon Sword Master shouted, "That guy surnamed Gu has come out! But he doesn't seem to be inside this palace!"

The three guards inside the Taoist palace intend to kill Gu Yuanqing as soon as he leaves the painting.

When they saw the painting of immortals showing unusual activity, they immediately prepared for battle and set up a killing formation.

After waiting for a while, the scene in the painting returned to normal, but Gu Yuanqing did not appear. Just as they were wondering about this, they felt the Demon-Subduing Sword break through the seal in the Zhou Tian Star Array.

Daoist Qingxu flew out of the Dao Palace and stood in the void. His eyes shone with the light of Yin and Yang and the Eight Trigrams. He scanned Lijian Peak and quickly locked onto Gu Yuanqing's location, pointing and saying, "There!"

Chi Jinyu's eyes flashed with a cold light as he said, "Ignore the Demon-Subduing Sword. Before its power can gain a foothold in the Zhou Tian Star Array and interfere with the array, use the power of the array to kill it!"

The three of them moved in response.

Then, the three powers of the Demon-Sealing Sword, the Heavenly Demon Sword, and the Demon-Slaying Sword were unleashed simultaneously, pushing the Zhou Tian Star Array together. As the stars shifted, a huge sword shadow appeared above Gu Yuanqing's head, locked onto his aura, and swooped down.

The power of sealing demons suppressed and imprisoned them, like a mountain.

The power of the Heavenly Demon disturbs the mind and is unpredictable.

The power to vanquish demons is vast and boundless, a sharp edge to cleanse the world.

With the combined power of the three forces and the aid of the magic array, even the immortal Hun Tian would have no choice but to retreat!
(End of this chapter)