Pure Yang!

Chapter 435 The Secret of the Li Surname! Finally, we met.

Tongluo Mountain, the place where Xuanwu (the Black Tortoise) repels corpses.

The bright moonlight spilled into the mountains, as if transforming into the path beneath the woman's feet.

"Yu Xuanji!?"

Zhang Wuming's gaze sharpened as he looked at the successor of Sanqing Mountain before him, as if facing a formidable enemy.

He learned from Zhang Fan that Yu Xuanji was no longer the same person she used to be.

"You are also a member of the Zhang family."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingchan's focused gaze fell upon Zhang Wuming.

The Zhang family holds extraordinary significance within the Taoist community, especially in the Xijiang region.

That was a family of immortals with a thousand-year-old lineage. Once upon a time, they were the gatekeepers of this mystical sect and the eternal kings of this land.

“The Zhang family…” A complex light welled up in Shen Mingchan’s eyes.

As the eldest disciple of the Lingbao Sect, the Zhang family of Longhu Mountain held special significance for him.

In ancient times, the talismans of the Three Mountains all came to belong to the Dragon and Tiger. That was a true struggle for the Daoist lineage, cruel beyond imagination.

This event marked the beginning of the decline of the Lingbao Sect, which has yet to recover to this day. Its followers are dwindling, its incense offerings are scarce, and it is nowhere near its former glory!

"Don't look at me like that." Zhang Wuming felt Shen Mingchan's gaze and spread his hands.

"It doesn't matter. Even Longhu Mountain perished in that great calamity, while my Gezao Mountain has flourished day by day..."

"The sun rises and sets, the moon waxes and wanes; this is the way of the world," Shen Mingchan said slowly.

He was like a knife, instantly severing his emotions, concealing his sharpness, leaving not a trace of emotion on Zhang Wuming, like water flowing without leaving a mark, like flowers blooming and falling on their own.

This level of attainment far surpasses that of Ming Shenxiu, who was once hailed as having awakened supernatural powers.

Even Zhang Wuming couldn't help but glance at the other party again.

“Zhang Wuming…I saw you in the Ten Thousand Mountains. At that time, you were right next to Zhang Fan.”

Yu Xuanji's voice pulled Zhang Wuming back to reality.

She looked at Zhang Wuming with great interest. Suddenly, the latter's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously took a step back. His primordial spirit surged like a river, and his heart was in turmoil. He was so overwhelmed that he almost lost control of himself.

"That's interesting," Yu Xuanji said with a light laugh.

"The blessings of the Dao Ancestor are truly profound. Even though the Zhang family of Longhu Mountain has declined to this state, talented people still emerge one after another."

“A person like you is utterly insignificant in the Northern Zhang region, yet you harbor great ambitions and keep them hidden.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wuming's expression changed slightly.

"You think I wouldn't know you killed Ming Shenxiu?" Yu Xuanji chuckled.

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingchan's gaze towards Zhang Wuming instantly turned cold.

Ming Shenxiu was his junior brother and a key figure in the revival of the Lingbao Sect. He awakened his innate supernatural powers and thrived in the capital, gaining favor from the Baihe Temple and the Dao Alliance.

This time, Baiheguan and his group came to Xijiang, thanks to his efforts in connecting various parties.

These days, Ming Shenxiu suddenly disappeared without a trace. His senior brother had long suspected this, but he never expected that he would die at the hands of the Zhang family.

"The Zhang family is ultimately a formidable enemy of my Gezao Mountain." Shen Mingchan's eyes were restrained.

Those who cultivate themselves should know about life and death. From the day they embark on the path to seek immortality, they are destined to die on this path one day.

Ming Shenxiu died; that was his fate, and he couldn't overcome it. It's no one else's fault.

Shen Mingchan was concerned about the future of Lingbao Mountain and the struggle for lineage with Longhu Mountain.

“You are indeed a remarkable person. In less than half a month, you have integrated and unified the scattered cultivators in various parts of Xijiang…” Yu Xuanji looked at Zhang Wuming with considerable admiration.

"Unfortunately, your actions are nothing more than child's play in my eyes."

"Without a Celestial Master-level figure in charge, no one or any force can gain a foothold in Xijiang."

"Below the Celestial Master, all are but ants; you should know this principle."

"You see it all very clearly," Zhang Wuming said, pursing his lips with a hint of helplessness.

“With Longhu Mountain gone, no action on this land can escape the notice of Sanqing Mountain,” Yu Xuanji murmured, her confident demeanor overwhelming.

"You want to use the Dan Yuan Dharma Assembly to make a name for yourself, get a share of the incense offerings in Xijiang Blessed Land, and thus grow stronger, and then..."

At this point, Yu Xuanji paused slightly, looked at Zhang Wuming, and a meaningful glint appeared in her beautiful eyes.

"To seize the pinnacle of the world!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingchan couldn't help but glance at Zhang Wuming again. Just from his name, one could tell that although this person also had the surname Zhang, he had never been recognized as a god or established figure. In the Zhang family, he was just an insignificant, marginal figure.

Who could have imagined that his ambitions were so great, that he actually wanted to establish his own school and set up his own sect!?
"Mermaid, you're joking. I don't have such grand ambitions. I'm just trying to make a living. You know, the Zhang family's food isn't good; there are too many capable people there," Zhang Wuming chuckled.

"Just trying to make a living? You've got quite the appetite." Yu Xuanji replied with a smile.

"There's something I don't understand: why are you here?"

The place where Xuanwu rejects corpses is where the dragon vein has not stopped and the vital energy has not gathered. It is an extremely ominous place hidden in an auspicious place, just like a black dot in the hazy white of the yin-yang fish.

Back then, before the Three Corpse Taoist had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, he was forced into Tongluo Mountain to undergo a life-or-death ordeal.

This is a secret, known to very few people. Most of them died back then, at Tongluo Mountain, at the hands of the Three Corpse Taoist.

“I’m curious too.” Zhang Wuming shook his head, his gaze sweeping upwards towards the depths of that ominous place.

"Using misfortune to avert calamity—this is no small matter. It uses great misfortune to generate calamity, and then uses calamity to change one's fate..."

"Back then, the Three Corpses Taoist used this to avoid the great calamity of the Three Corpses."

Upon hearing those four words, Yu Xuanji's eyes involuntarily twitched.

"One of you is the eldest disciple of Gezao Mountain, and the other is the successor of Sanqing Mountain. You can be said to be the future face and leaders of the Xijiang Taoist sect..."

"Who exactly is cultivating here at Baihe Temple, that you have been entrusted with protecting and guarding this place?"

Zhang Wuming spoke each word with resounding force.

Yu Xuanji and Shen Mingchan couldn't help but exchange a glance.

"Take a guess?" Yu Xuanji chuckled noncommittally.

"The Taoist scriptures say that the place where Xuanwu rejects corpses is a place abandoned by heaven and a land of human calamity..."

"What Heaven forsakes, I take; what I do turn misfortune into fortune; what I do in times of man-made calamity, I do in times of peace..."

"It seems this person has just suffered a great calamity and needs to rely on this place to turn adversity into opportunity, transform the rotten into the miraculous, and turn misfortune into good fortune," Zhang Wuming sighed.

"Among the people of Baihe Temple, there are those with such spirit and ability..."

"Could it be... Li..."

Before the words were finished, a series of crisp and loud applause rang out in the quiet night, echoing through the mountains and fields.

Yu Xuanji's beautiful eyes shone brightly, and she spared no praise.

“Zhang Wuming, you are indeed a talented person. It is a waste that someone like you is not valued in Bei Zhang.”

“It’s nothing. Back then, Shang Yang wasn’t valued in Wei either, but he adapted to the times and rose to prominence in Qin, laying the foundation for Qin’s sweeping conquest of the six kingdoms,” Zhang Wuming said casually.

“But Shang Yang did not have a good end; he was torn apart by five horses and died a terrible death!” Yu Xuanji said meaningfully.

"A person's choices determine their destiny."

“Zhang Wuming, you are a talented person. If you are willing to submit to me, your future achievements will be limitless.” Yu Xuanji extended an olive branch.

Shen Mingchan's gaze narrowed slightly as she gave Yu Xuanji a deep look, but she remained silent.

"Immeasurable? How immeasurable?" Zhang Wuming asked with a half-smile. "To become an immortal!" Yu Xuanji uttered two words.

"Huh!?" Zhang Wuming was taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh, "Mermaid, your skill in making empty promises is definitely the best in the Taoist sect."

Even with pure Yang energy, one would not presume to claim immortality.

Even for cultivators, becoming an immortal is like a vague legend, a grand dream that everyone yearns for.

“Of all the Taoist priests in the world, nine are surnamed Zhang and one is surnamed Li,” Yu Xuanji suddenly said.

Do you know what's special about the surname Li?

As she spoke, Yu Xuanji turned around slowly and looked towards that dangerous place deep in the mountains.

"The surname Li!?"

"Li is the surname of an immortal... There is a saying that the Nine Methods are supreme, and although they are passed down in the world, only people with the surname Li can truly master them."

Upon hearing this, not only Zhang Wuming, but even Shen Mingchan couldn't help but show a strange expression, clearly they had never heard of such a statement before.

“The end of the Dharma is coming, the Dharma will perish and the Way will be exhausted, all scriptures will be buried…” Yu Xuanji murmured softly.

All methods of cultivation, all classic scriptures and Taoist texts... will all sink and dissipate in the great degenerate age.

If the Tao is not revealed to the world, and the Dharma is not transmitted to the masses, then the mortal world will be like a land abandoned by heaven, devoid of faith, incense, and immortals...

They didn't even know what spiritual practice was.

however……

"Only the Nine Methods can be passed down through generations!" Yu Xuanji suddenly said.

"The Nine Laws have been passed down through the ages, awaiting the turning of time, the birth of a new ancestor, and the beginning of a new era of Laws."

"Legend has it that the Nine Supreme Elixir Methods are the methods passed down from the previous Dharma-ending Age. Back then, Lao Tzu went west out of Hangu Pass, and purple qi came from the east for three thousand miles, all in order to seek the root of the Dao."

"Then how does the surname Li represent the hope of becoming an immortal?" Zhang Wuming asked.

"Do you think there are gods in this world?" Yu Xuanji suddenly asked, changing the subject.

Zhang Wuming paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"Perhaps it exists, or perhaps it's somewhere we can't see it."

As she spoke, Yu Xuanji pointed to the sky.

Throughout history, there have been many things that we cannot see, yet they manifest themselves in the world in various forms, giving us enlightenment...

"The Hetu and Luoshu diagrams, the hexagrams of the I Ching, and even the myriad deities... they are all in places we cannot see..."

"You could say it's in the sky, or, to use a trendy term, a higher-dimensional space."

"In ancient times, those sages, great beings, and even immortals of the land saw what was a projection from the heavens falling upon the human world..."

"Those projections hold the secrets of heaven and earth, and the hope of becoming an immortal."

“The Nine Methods are one of them.”

As she spoke, Yu Xuanji's eyes became exceptionally bright.

The dragon-horse carrying the map and the divine tortoise carrying the book are both projections from the heavens, preordained in the dark.

Only Fuxi saw the Hetu (Yellow River Map).

Only Yu the Great saw the Luoshu.

"There is a saying that only those with the surname Li, and those with pure blood in the Li family, can have their primordial spirit bear the projection of the Nine Laws."

"In other words, only a pure-blooded Li-surname primordial spirit can find that legendary..."

"The Ninth Law!"

Yu Xuanji's words were like the sobbing wind in the mountains, carrying an unspeakable mystery, echoing in the quiet mountains.

Zhang Wuming raised his gaze and looked towards the depths of the mountain pass.

"Do you now realize... how special and important he is?" Yu Xuanji asked meaningfully.

"Zhang Wuming, you're a talented person."

"Heroes always rise from humble beginnings, and even dragons sometimes find themselves trapped in abysses... Your staying with the Zhang family is a waste of your talent. If you submit to me, you will have a much bigger stage to perform on. This land of Xijiang will not be just a stepping stone for us."

"Our future is not just about Taoism, not just about non-action, and not even just about the world..."

"And that heaven!"

As she spoke, Yu Xuanji pointed to the sky. Her gaze was clearer than ever before, and every word she uttered was devoid of any vain thoughts. It was as if she had a grand ambition, seeing that distant and ethereal future.

"Mermaid, you really have a huge appetite," Zhang Wuming exclaimed as he recovered from his daze.

"According to you, one day you won't even put Chunyang Wuji in your eyes."

"What is Pure Yang?" Yu Xuanji's gaze turned cold.

"Even Chu Chaoran will one day die in his tribulation. Only by becoming an immortal and living forever can one achieve true eternity."

"You should say that the Nine Laws are supreme, concerning the secrets of becoming an immortal, especially the ninth law..."

"It is also the key to it."

“There aren’t many people with the pure blood of the Li surname left in the world.” Yu Xuanji looked deeply at Zhang Wuming: “You are a smart man, you should know how to make choices.”

“I know…” Zhang Wuming nodded.

"It seems the Mermaid really thinks highly of me, otherwise she wouldn't have wasted her time telling me stories all day long..." Zhang Wuming smiled.

Yu Xuanji looked at him, neither confirming nor denying.

"How about this, let me go back and think about it for ten days or half a month, then we'll make an appointment and I'll give you an answer."

As he spoke, Zhang Wuming took a step back.

Rumble…

With just this one step, a terrifying aura soared into the sky, startling the mountains and fields and darkening the floating clouds.

In the sky, the radiance of the great moon seemed to shatter at that moment.

Zhang Wuming's expression changed drastically, his face drained of all color. Even from a distance of a hundred paces, he seemed to be held in the grasp of an invisible force, his life hanging by a thread, his primordial spirit about to perish in an instant.

"This woman is so domineering!?" A voice seemed to roar in Zhang Wuming's mind.

He knew that Yu Xuanji was no longer the same as before, but this feeling seemed to be something otherworldly, and her methods were so bizarre that they were unimaginable.

"Zhang Wuming, it seems you're still not smart enough."

"In that case, you shall stay here forever."

As she spoke, Yu Xuanji's gaze turned indifferent and cold, as if she were looking at an ant, whose life and death were only a thought away from her.

Suddenly, Zhang Wuming felt as if he were falling into an abyss, all his senses were dissipating—light and shadow, sound, touch, heartbeat… even his primordial spirit, thoughts, ideas… everything was vanishing.

His connection with the mortal world seemed to be completely severed and stripped away in an instant.

"Get out of here!"

At that moment, only one thought remained in his mind.

"Don't worry, your life is more precious than the sky."

Just then, a soft, slow voice suddenly rang out in the vast darkness of the night. Zhang Wuming's expression changed drastically, and all his senses returned, as if he had been pulled back from the abyss.

He subconsciously turned his head to look, and in the hazy moonlight and amidst the verdant mountains, a figure strode forward, roaring like a tiger and howling like a dragon. Who else could it be but Zhang Fan?
"Yu Xuanji, we've finally met!"

(End of this chapter)