From a Zhengyi Taoist Child to a Master of All Laws

Chapter 618 Heavenly Venerable of Purgatory Valley

The Realm of Ultimate Truth, the Valley of Purgatory.

In the far west lies a land of continuous volcanoes, where towering red rocks rise thousands of feet high and smoldering flames. In the center, a fiery peak rises nine thousand feet from the ground, its body adorned with dark golden patterns. Occasionally, the earth's veins surge, and the entire volcano bursts forth with golden patterns, emitting hundreds of streams of molten lava, making even the night as bright as day.

The surging flames resembled a crimson dragon coiling in the sky, splashing and bursting with thousands of purple and white lightning bolts. Countless enormous palaces floated above the raging sea of ​​fire, like celestial palaces.

Above the highest lava volcano, there is a holy city built of molten glass stone. This stone was mined from the core of a star. By day, it is as solid as black jade, and by night, it reveals the molten veins flowing hundreds of feet underground. The palaces and pavilions float on the sea of ​​fire without collapsing, and the streets seem to float on the sea of ​​fire.

At that moment, within the highest palace, an incomparably powerful voice rang out. In an instant, the entire continuous volcanic veins erupted, and millions of fire crows flew out of the lava, soaring into the sky and blotting out the sun, their feathers scattering like a rain of stars.

"Wuji...is dead!"

A heart-wrenching sound emanated from the depths of the palace, causing the entire thousand-foot mountain to shake violently, with rocks raining down.

The sound reverberated in all directions, like a great bell. All the cultivators in the Flame Domain Palace turned pale, filled with anxiety, and hurriedly flew out to kneel before the highest palace.

"The enemy has already been struck by the Crimson Serpent's Corrosion Seal. Kill him! I will ensure his soul and spirit are annihilated, never to be reincarnated again!!"

"This ant's cultivation is not high, merely a Human Immortal. Wu Qiye, you set off now and extract his soul back for me!!"

As if by divine decree, under this overwhelming pressure, a charming young woman dressed entirely in red robes slowly stood up.

"Disciple Wu Qiye obeys the Heavenly Venerable's decree!!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

In an instant, lava erupted throughout the entire fiery domain, turning the clouds in the sky into flowing gold and flying fire.

People within a radius of a thousand miles were trembling with fear, their limbs on the ground, their bodies shaking so badly they dared not raise their heads.
"Disciple of the Celestial Venerable, direct descendant of the Immortal Lord, Luo Wuji is dead!!"

"Luo Wuji is dead. Which dynasty and power will now face annihilation..."

An elderly man with gray hair knelt on the ground, gazing at the raging flames, and buried his head in the dust in utter despair.
-
That night, in the courtyard of Lanling Village, Li Yang ducked low, subtly avoiding Bai Yingluo.

"Sister Wang, there's no time to lose, let's return to the capital as soon as possible."

"By the way, my smuggling from the ancestral star is a top secret. I hope Sister Wang can keep it a secret, otherwise if the Nine Sects find out, it may bring terrible disaster."

“Of course!” Upon hearing Li Yang’s reminder, Bai Yingluo’s expression turned serious, as if she were about to burst into tears.

"The secular dynasty is forbidden from practicing any cultivation techniques. This is an alliance established by the Nine Sects. Once they find out that you, my brother, are not only alive but also possess such astonishing cultivation, not only you but our entire Great Li Dynasty will suffer annihilation!"

“Brother, have you forgotten? Before, the Liang Kingdom was also reduced to ruins by Xuanhuang Hall with a single finger from a distance because of this. And because of this, although our Great Li Dynasty has many cultivation techniques, we have never been allowed to cultivate them.”

Bai Yingluo raised her head and looked at Li Yang with a look of reminiscence.

“Of course I remember. I still remember that you, Sister Wang, had already cultivated your Qi into the Innate Realm, but in the end you still had to abandon your cultivation.”

Li Yang took a sip of tea and sat down at the table.

This matter is top secret, known only to a very few people. Li Yang knows the whole story within Tianyi's sea of ​​consciousness, and he is now recounting it in detail.

Bai Yingluo's expression darkened slightly, but it quickly brightened again: "However, I will never let you, my brother, repeat the same mistakes. The situation is different now. With your cultivation level, I believe we will soon be able to defend against the aliens and no longer be enslaved by the Nine Upper Sect!"

"Do your best."

Li Yang looked at Bai Yingluo and smiled slightly.

"Then, my brother, the Crimson Serpent Mark from Purgatory Valley on your brow..." Bai Yingluo looked up at the still-shimmering crimson mark on Li Yang's brow, hesitating to speak.

Under the cover of night, the crimson patterns shimmered and glowed, standing out vividly in the darkness.

"Well... it's fine."

Li Yang felt a terrible headache coming on as he sensed the venomous aura coiled between his brows.
This thing is like a coordinate; Li Yang can sense that the mark is sending information in a certain direction.

However, Li Yang has now found a solution.

After much deliberation, Li Yang abandoned his cross-legged meditation, put down his teacup, and closed his eyes.

Looking inward at the ancestral aperture between the eyebrows, the strange phenomena such as the Earthly Immortal Palace, Fire Dragon Immortal Palace, etc., have all disappeared. In the entire vast space, there is only a golden light swirling above it, like the rising sun, illuminating the entire ancestral aperture between the eyebrows and the flesh and bones of the whole body with a layer of holy golden light.

"Compared to the Yang Shen, the Yuan Shen is clearly refined and further improved."

"My primordial spirit was cultivated and comprehended through the Sun and Moon Dual Eclipse Qi Method. According to the [Ultimate Path Treasure Mirror], this is the succession of the sun and moon, and is called 'Clarity'."

The primordial spirit is different from the yang spirit. It is the complete yin and pure yang, so it can break through the heavenly gate and even exist independently of the physical body. Even if the physical body is damaged, the primordial spirit can still possess great power.

It can be said that after attaining the 'Clarity' primordial spirit, Li Yang, without external causes, was already able to live a long and healthy life, and was no longer troubled by birth, aging, sickness, or death.

As a fundamental achievement, the greatest power of the 'Clarity' primordial spirit is not in external combat, but rather, as Li Yang just instantly killed Luo Wuji, the spirit and body become one, with the primordial spirit reflecting the physical body, the two becoming one, greatly increasing Li Yang's combat power.

With this primordial spirit, even if Li Yang's cultivation level is still that of a Human Immortal, he is qualified to fight against an Earth Immortal, and even the strongest Extreme Earth Immortal!
"The only way to suppress this crimson serpent pattern is to rely on the power of the 'Clarity' primordial spirit."

Li Yang sighed softly, and with a thought, his ancestral aperture between his eyebrows immediately shone brightly.

In the courtyard, Bai Yingluo saw Li Yang sitting calmly at the table, his eyes closed and motionless.
Just as they were wondering, in the midst of the utter silence, a soft golden light suddenly emanated from between Li Yang's brows.

This light was incredibly warm, like the sun shining brightly and a spring breeze blowing. It collided with and neutralized the fiery red snake pattern on Li Yang's brow.

Not knowing what kind of supernatural power this was, Bai Yingluo didn't dare to disturb it. She sat at the table, resting her chin on her hands, looking at her brother's familiar yet unfamiliar profile with a deep gaze.

A moment later, the crimson snake mark between Li Yang's eyebrows, which looked like a brand, completely disappeared, and the gentle golden light emanating from the same spot also dimmed.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away in the western Fire Domain, a rapidly moving ball of flame suddenly stopped.
"Disappeared? Interesting..."

"Could it be that a Celestial Venerable orchestrated the removal of the Crimson Serpent's Mark, with the other nine sects intervening?"

A moment later, the firelight died down, revealing a plump woman in a red robe.
"In that case, I can't just rush off to arrest them so recklessly."

"The last place Wuji sent the message to was called the Great Li Dynasty, right...?"

Wu Qiye gazed in the direction where the Crimson Serpent Mark had disappeared, his eyes filled with a melancholy.
-
"Okay."

Li Yang slowly opened his eyes and calmly looked at Bai Yingluo.

This is a celestial mark, which even Li Yang, with his 'Clarity' primordial spirit, cannot completely erase.

At this moment, Li Yang used the golden light of his primordial spirit to envelop the mark and seal it within his primordial spirit.

"The only way to completely remove the mark is to wait until I return to the Earth Immortal realm and condense the Sun and Moon Dao Fruit again, so that this problem can be eliminated."

"However, if I use my full primordial spirit, the Crimson Serpent Mark will be exposed again. If it's only for a short time, it's fine, but if it's long, the experts from Purgatory Valley will inevitably come after me."

Li Yang frowned, deep in thought. He realized that he had no chance of dealing with the entire Purgatory Valley. This was for the best. He would first use his identity as the Crown Prince of the Great Li Dynasty to hide himself and find out the true strength of the Nine Sects.

"Sister Wang, let's go back to the capital."

"Okay." Bai Yingluo glanced at Li Yang's clean brow again and nodded.

In her mind, the Crimson Serpent Erosion Mark hidden in Purgatory Valley was something that could not possibly happen.

The two stepped out of the courtyard, where the elite Chongxuan Army and a group of villagers stood neatly on both sides, having waited for a long time.

"What about the villagers of Lanling Village? They live with you day and night, and they have just learned a lot about us."

Bai Yingluo mounted her horse, glanced at the villagers kneeling on both sides, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

The fact that the younger brother of the king smuggled himself back from the ancestral star, possessed such astonishing supernatural powers, and killed the direct descendant of the Purgatory Valley, Immortal Luo Wuji, and that any of these things, once they got out, would bring annihilation to the Great Li Dynasty.

The villagers kneeling below realized what was happening, their faces turning deathly pale. They could only helplessly cry for mercy, banging their foreheads until they were bloody and mangled.

"It's alright." Li Yang shook his head and waved his hand to stop the hundreds of soldiers of the Chongxuan Army from moving.

“Brother, don’t let your momentary mercy leave you with future troubles. The methods of Purgatory Valley are unpredictable. When you come to them, even if they don’t want to talk, Purgatory Valley has countless ways to pry the truth out of them.”

Bai Yingluo frowned and tried to dissuade them, pointing her spear at the kneeling villagers, her eyes flashing coldly.

"I naturally have ways to avoid future troubles."

Li Yang walked slowly to the kneeling villagers, looking calmly at these humble and fearful mortals.

Erniu, kneeling on the ground, looked up at her, and a golden hand was reflected in her tear-filled eyes.

Too much happened today; worrying too much is bad for your health. It's better to forget some things.

Li Yang's voice seemed to come from another world, ethereal and melancholic, as he gently stroked Er Niu's head with his right hand.

A soft golden light emanated from Li Yang's palm once more, then spread in all directions, bathing the thousands of villagers of Lanling Village.

"I will erase all your memories of the past three months, so that you will never think of me again."

May everything go smoothly for you from now on, and may you live a peaceful and stable life.

As Li Yang finished speaking, Er Niu's consciousness completely drifted into a daze.

The last scene before darkness falls is of a young Taoist priest in a blue robe standing smiling in the moonlight. The soft, water-like moonlight and golden glow envelop his figure in a transcendent golden hue.

"Fairy..."

As the golden light dissipated, all the terrified and anxious villagers fell into a coma, their faces still wet with blood and tears.

Erasing the memories of thousands of mortals without using the power of his primordial spirit is a considerable burden for Li Yang.

With fine beads of sweat on his forehead and a pale face, Li Yang mounted his horse and looked at Bai Yingluo beside him with a slightly tired expression.

"I'll leave the rest to Sister Wang to handle."

Riding the cloud deer, after seeing Bai Yingluo nod, he walked towards the darkness outside the village.

Looking at Li Yang's retreating figure with a complex and inexplicable gaze, Bai Yingluo made a gesture, and hundreds of Chongxuan soldiers immediately began to clean up the mess, carrying all the unconscious villagers back to their homes.

With everything prepared, Bai Yingluo and a group of Chongxuan soldiers rode cloud deer and stood outside Lanling Village, watching Li Yang fly into the night sky and use his supernatural powers under the moonlight. Wherever the moonlight shone, all the ruins and destroyed village houses were restored to their original state.

"Princess, do you think this is really Prince Moro?"

Wang Jie, the leader of the Chongxuan Army, looked up at the otherworldly figure under the moon and asked Bai Yingluo in a low voice.

"A top expert who leans towards mortals and harbors hostility towards Purgatory Valley and the Nine Great Sects... what does it matter if he is the prince's brother? If he wants to be, then so be it."

Bai Yingluo spoke calmly, his handsome features hidden in the moonlight.
She turned her head and looked at the Chongxuan Army soldiers around her with a grim expression.

"From this day forward, all of you must treat him as Prince Moro, or you will be punished according to military law!!"

"Yes!!"

Hundreds of soldiers from the Xuan Army clasped their hands in a respectful salute.

"Let's go."

Erasing all traces of himself, Li Yang slowly descended from the sky, mounted the cloud deer, and calmly smiled at Bai Yingluo.

"it is good."

Bai Yinglu smiled radiantly, her face filled with the joy of reuniting with her younger brother.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight shone into Lanling Village, nestled amidst the mountains,
Erniu slowly opened her eyes as usual.

Lanling Village began to come alive from its deathly darkness. Smoke began to rise from every household. The men ate their meals hastily, carried their farm tools, greeted the villagers warmly, and headed towards the farmland that had been cleared outside the village.

The women were chopping pig feed or feeding chickens and chasing ducks, and from time to time, the sound of them yelling angrily at their unruly children could be heard throughout the village.

This is what Lanling Village has looked like for thousands of years: working at sunrise and resting at sunset, utterly ordinary, without immortals, demons, gods, or Buddhas, without armies or cavalry, only the daily grind of tea, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and more, day after day.

"What's going on? It's one thing for Grandpa Ting to be taken to the county by his children, but why are Xu Mi and Ayan also suddenly taken to the county to enjoy their retirement?"

Carrying baskets for cutting grass on their backs, Erniu and Wang Yue walked along the mountain path, pouting and complaining.

"That's right, that's right! We agreed to share joys and sorrows, how come you just ran away? Not only did you not tell us beforehand, but you didn't even send a single letter to the village!!"

Wang Yue exaggeratedly complained, her eyes filled with resentment at her friend's meteoric rise to success and enjoyment of life.

As Wang Yue walked down the mountain on her own, she suddenly noticed an empty space beside her. Looking back, she saw that Er Niu had stopped in place, looking up at the sky, motionless as if in a daze.

Wang Yue also looked up at the sky and saw blue sky and white clouds, with occasional snow-like wisps of cloud drifting and gathering, which were then dispersed by the mountain breeze.

It was just ordinary, everyday weather.

"Erniu, what's wrong with you? Why are you looking at ordinary white clouds so intently?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing."

Erniu was startled awake by Wang Yue's shout and looked at her in surprise.

"Are you alright? But your face..." Wang Yue looked puzzled, then pointed at Er Niu.

Erniu was taken aback for a moment, then touched her cheek in equal confusion.

Upon touching it, it was cold and damp.
"Oh, my face, what happened to my face?"

Beneath the blue sky and white clouds, the young girl on the mountain path was already in tears...

(End of this chapter)