Pure Yang!

Chapter 455 The Five Great Magic Swords! The Zhang Family Becomes Immortals in Heaven
A thousand-year-old temple, before the ancestral master's seat.

The bright moonlight shone through the doorway and into the temple, like a silver river, sprinkling between the two.

"Bei Zhang..."

Zhouzhou stared intently at Zhang Fan, her beautiful face returning to normal. She asked with interest, "How did you know I'm a disciple of the Northern Zhang?"

"It is unusual for a girl like you to appear in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night."

“Either you’re highly skilled and daring, or you are…” Zhang Fan paused.

"What?" Zhouzhou asked.

"You're stupid."

Zhouzhou smiled and said, "Even so, that doesn't prove that I am a disciple of the Northern Zhang."

“All predestined connections have traceable clues,” Zhang Fan suddenly said.

"It's no coincidence that you're here at the foot of Longhu Mountain, in front of the Ancestral Temple..."

“I just said you are a disciple of the Northern Zhang, and you did not deny it, so you must be a disciple of the Northern Zhang.”

In fact, there was one more thing Zhang Fan didn't say. From the moment they met, he smelled a fragrance on the other person, a fragrance that ordinary people couldn't smell, like the incense in a temple. It was a special fragrance that only disciples of the Northern Zhang Sect could possess after they were enshrined as gods and had their statues erected.

Only Zhang Fan, who had awakened his spiritual light and entered the realm of the head of the vegetarian sect, could perceive this incense-like fragrance.

In other words, the woman named Zhouzhou in front of us is not only a disciple of the Northern Zhang, but also a master of creating statues of deities.

"Zhao Jiexuan truly lives up to his name; no wonder he made such a name for himself at the Dan Yuan Dharma Assembly," Zhouzhou chuckled softly, praising him.

At this moment, her appearance was even more radiant, as if she blended into the bright moonlight, with nothing left to hide.

"My surname is Zhang, and my name is Zhang Suxin."

"You can also call me Zhouzhou, that's what my family calls me."

“Zhang Suxin…Suxin…the disciple of the Northern Zhang who erected the statue of the deity!?” Zhang Fan’s eyes narrowed to a slit: “You know me?”

“Zhang Wuming has made great strides in Xijiang Province, unifying the scattered cultivators in various places. He also stole the show at the Dan Yuan Dharma Assembly, winning the title of the First Blessed Land. Naturally, your name has also spread back to Bei Zhang.” Zhang Suxin said with a light laugh.

"Who would have thought that he, who was not favored by the patriarch and was not granted divine status, would possess such abilities?" Zhang Suxin exclaimed.

In fact, when Bei Zhang sent Zhang Wuming back, it was only to test the waters of Xijiang, and he had no expectations of him whatsoever.

However, when news of what happened in Xijiang came back, it caused a stir throughout Beizhang.

Only then did they take it seriously and send people to investigate the details.

"Heroes have always come from all walks of life. Even the Three Corpse Taoist couldn't be deified or have his image erected back then," Zhang Fan said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Suxin's gaze sharpened, and she looked at Zhang Fan with a meaningful expression.

“You know quite a bit about the Zhang family.”

“The patriarch did not pity the empty title bestowed upon us… The Zhang family of Dragon and Tiger is known as a divine sect, yet they still forcefully distinguish between superior and inferior, and differentiate between insiders and outsiders…” Zhang Fan sighed.

"In this way, the sects will become increasingly powerful, and the world will be separated from us. How will the Daoist teachings be passed on, and how will the incense offerings continue?"

Zhang Fan sighed softly. He stood before the patriarch's seat, his shadow swaying in the moonlight seemingly mirroring the clay sculpture of the Dao Ancestor.

Zhang Suxin was stunned for a moment, and her eyes became unfocused.

“The Dao has never been easily passed on, not because the techniques are of varying quality, but because people’s hearts are divided into good and evil,” Zhang Suxin said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan's eyes lit up, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

“The reason why they haven’t been deified and had statues erected is because they lack talent and the affinity for immortality. But if they can find another way to turn calamity into fortune, then they will naturally have great supernatural powers,” Zhang Suxin continued.

"Gods were originally made from mortals, but I fear that mortals are not determined enough."

“Perhaps, those disciples who have not been deified and had their images erected are not because the patriarchs do not pity them, but because they were born in accordance with the times, which is why they have so many hardships and tribulations. If they can break through and then establish themselves, their achievements will be limitless…” Zhang Suxin sighed.

"It's a pity that these people don't understand the will of Heaven and don't understand the painstaking efforts of the ancestors. Over the years, the Zhang family has only produced one Three Corpse Taoist."

"In this way, it is only natural that they did not deify or erect statues of gods."

"Tsk tsk, you've even developed a closed-loop logic." Zhang Fan couldn't help but laugh. "As expected of a disciple of the Northern Zhang, you have such insight."

"Longhu Mountain has a worthy successor."

"Hmm!?" Upon hearing this, Zhang Suxin pursed her lips and couldn't help but say, "You're not that old, you look more like my younger brother, why do you talk like an old man?"

"A younger brother?" Zhang Fan was taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle: "I don't have a older sister."

"Really? Who else is in your family?" Zhang Suxin asked.

"Are you trying to probe my strength?" Zhang Fan asked in a low voice.

"I suppose so," Zhang Suxin said without any attempt to hide her feelings.

"Your outstanding performance at the Dan Yuan Dharma Assembly proves you're no nobody. My purpose in returning to Xijiang this time, besides meeting Zhang Wuming, is to investigate your background."

"You're quite sincere," Zhang Fan said with a smile.

Zhang Suxin was completely unpretentious in front of him, whether out of openness or sheer confidence, it was hard to tell.

"Um!?"

Suddenly, Zhang Fan raised an eyebrow. His gaze swept over Zhang Suxin and he saw a shrine enshrined in a corner of the dilapidated hall...

The altar was empty, but the shrine in front of it still stood there.

Zhang Fan paused for a moment, then walked straight over. On the half-destroyed shrine, the following was clearly written:

The Primordial Great Calamity, the Ten Directions, Myriad Spirits, and the Three Corpses Divine Positions!

"The Three Corpses Divine Position!?"

Zhang Fan frowned, a strange expression appearing on his face: "Why would the temple of the Dao Ancestor enshrine the deities of the Three Corpses?"

"It seems you don't know everything about the Zhang family either," Zhang Suxin's voice came from behind.

"Please enlighten me," Zhang Fan said humbly.

"The Nine Laws are supreme, and the Three Corpses illuminate destiny. Throughout history, only three people in the world have mastered this method, and one of them is my Zhang family's ancestor."

As she spoke, Zhang Suxin looked at the Dao Ancestor's altar with a respectful expression.

“This altar is not empty either.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she reached out and pulled Zhang Fan to the side.

The soft moonlight shone into the temple, and the shadow of the Taoist patriarch fell precisely on this secluded altar.

The shadow resembled the worshipped deity.

Only then did Zhang Fan see clearly that there was a strange mural on the wall behind the altar, and that mural depicted...

"Sannomiya!?"

The human body has three palaces, the upper dantian being the primordial palace, but in the painting, it is depicted as a mountain.

The middle dantian is the Crimson Palace, but in the painting, it is depicted as a cauldron.

The lower dantian is the mysterious palace, but in the painting, it is depicted as a furnace.

These three palaces contain the secrets to becoming an immortal.

The shadow of the Taoist Ancestor fell upon the altar, overlapping with the three palaces in the mural, connecting and linking them together, exuding a mysterious and eerie aura.

“This Celestial Master Temple should have been built by my Zhang family’s ancestors,” Zhang Suxin suddenly said.

"It is said that there is also a temple like this on Longhu Mountain, with a similar layout. This one must be a replica."

After the great calamity of Taoism, the Zhang family split into northern and southern branches, and Zhang Suxin should be considered a fourth-generation disciple.

Therefore, the details of Longhu Mountain can only be gleaned from oral accounts by elders of the clan and from ancient and secret texts.

"The three palaces of the human body contain the secrets to achieving immortality... the Three Corpses..."

Zhang Fan stared at the shadow of the clay sculpture of the Dao Ancestor, which overlapped with the portraits of the Three Palaces on the wall. It was so mysterious and profound that he was mesmerized.

“I’ve heard that the layout of the Wuwei Sect’s ancestral temple is somewhat similar to this,” Zhang Suxin said in a deep voice.

On the central axis of the Wuwei Sect's ancestral temple lies the Three Palaces of the Human Body, which have been guarded by their respective masters since ancient times, and outsiders are forbidden from entering. Legend has it that the first patriarch of the Wuwei Sect hid the secret of the "Three Corpses Illuminating Fate" there.

"Isn't this interesting? This is no coincidence," Zhang Suxin said in a deep voice.

Longhu Mountain and Wuwei Sect have a deep connection, with their grudges and affections dating back thousands of years.

The Dao Ancestor and the Three Corpse Daoist discussed the Dao in Crane Cry Mountain.

From then on, the first act of destroying a mountain and demolishing a temple marked the beginning of a millennia-long feud between the Taoist and Wuwei sects.

"The Three Palaces, the Three Corpses... hold the secret to becoming an immortal." Zhang Fan said solemnly, "Is that why Longhu Mountain set up the shrines of the Three Corpses in the Dao Ancestor Temple?"

At this moment, Zhang Fan remembered what Chu Chaoran had told him.

If there is any place in this world where the secrets of the "Three Corpses Illuminating Fate" are still hidden, it is only the Wuwei Sect and Longhu Mountain.

"It's exactly the same..."

Just then, Zhang Suxin's voice came from the side.

Zhang Fan followed the sound and arrived at the back of the main hall, where he found something enshrined behind the Dao Ancestor's altar.

It was a bronze mirror, covered in rust and dust.

"Does your ancestral home in Beizhang also have a temple like this?" Zhang Fan asked Zhang Suxin.

"Mm." Zhang Suxin nodded.

"Why would you enshrine a bronze mirror?" Zhang Fan asked, puzzled.

“The patriarch said, ‘The primordial spirit is like a mirror, while the three corpses are like dust!’” Zhang Suxin said solemnly.

"The primordial spirit is like a mirror, while the three corpses are like dust!?"

Zhang Fan frowned, pondering those words, and slowly walked to the bronze mirror, raising his hand to wipe away the dust.

His hands were filthy, but the dust on the mirror hadn't been wiped off yet.

"I understand," Zhang Fan said solemnly.

"What do you understand?" Zhang Suxin looked at Zhang Fan and couldn't help but ask.

"The three corpses are like dust on a mirror; no matter how clean you wipe them, over time..."

"He will still appear."

As he finished speaking, a chilling glint appeared in Zhang Fan's eyes.

At this moment, he finally understood why Chu Chaoran, despite suppressing the Three Corpse Gods with the Pure Yang Limitless Realm for sixty years, had failed to destroy them.

"This temple set up by the patriarch of Longhu Mountain is no ordinary temple; it enshrines the Three Corpses and holds the secrets of the immortals."

"This altar holds the secret to resolving the Three Corpses."

Zhang Fan murmured softly. He suddenly looked up and saw a huge, mottled, and ancient portrait on the wall behind the bronze mirror.

Behind the dimly lit hall, there was almost no light at all.

However, this painting was incredibly clear to Zhang Fan, who had mastered the art of life cultivation.

In the center of that painting, however, was a sword…

A black sword, surrounded by incense smoke, exuded an ominous aura.

"The Corpse-Slaying Sword!?"

One of the nine weapons, the Corpse-Slaying Sword.

"You are indeed very knowledgeable." Zhang Suxin glanced at Zhang Fan and nodded.

"That is indeed the Corpse-Slaying Sword."

"Legend has it that this sword is the nemesis of the Three Corpses' Fate, capable of breaking this technique and severing all three corpses."

Zhang Fan remained silent, staring intently at the enormous mural before him.

A dark sword stands in the center, surrounded by undulating mountains, while five ancient swords float around it.

"What does this painting mean?" Zhang Fan asked. "These five swords must all have a history, right?"

"You recognize him?"

“Last year, I saw an ancient painting on the black market in Chang’an that was somewhat similar to this one.”

"The painting also depicts the [Corpse-Slaying Sword], but at that time, He only had three magic swords by His side."

"Pure Yang!"

"Taiyi!"

"Changchun!"

The Pure Yang Sword, needless to say, was left behind by Lu Zu and is kept in Zhenwu Mountain.

Zhang Fan had seen it more than once, and apart from the time when Chu Chaoran personally took action, it was indeed unremarkable and showed no extraordinary abilities.

The Changchun Sword, also known as the Qiu Zu Sword, is a pure Yang magic weapon of the Qiu family.

The Taiyi Sword is a pure Yang magic weapon from Zhongnan Mountain.

“The three pure Yang magic swords you mentioned are all depicted in the painting,” Zhang Suxin said solemnly.

"Besides that, the other two are the Xu Zu Sword and the Lao Jun Sword."

As the name suggests, the Lao Jun Sword is a pure Yang magic weapon from Lao Jun Mountain.

As for the Xu Zu Sword, also known as the Dragon-Slaying Sword, it is a pure Yang magic weapon of the Xu family.

“The Five Pure Yang Swords!” Zhang Fan’s expression turned solemn.

"I heard from the elders in the clan that these five pure yang magic swords once surrounded and killed the Corpse-Slaying Sword," Zhang Suxin said in a low voice.

"Ambush them!?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but exclaim.

“That’s right, it’s an ambush, but it’s also to force the Corpse-Slaying Sword to be born.” Zhang Suxin nodded and said, “You should know that thing is almost as mysterious as the Three Corpses’ Fate-Illuminating Sword.”

"Of course, this is just a legend."

"However, since then, there has been no further news of the Corpse-Slaying Sword in the world."

Some say that this sword has met with misfortune.

"Only the five pure yang magic swords have traces left behind, which can provide clues."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan remained silent, only gazing at the enormous mural before him.

The appearance of this painting here is no coincidence; perhaps only the Corpse-Slaying Sword can truly resolve the Three Corpse Calamity.

"You're very interested in the Three Corpses' Fate-Illuminating Technique?"

Just then, Zhang Suxin's voice rang out, pulling Zhang Fan back to reality.

"That is, after all, one of the Nine Methods, a profound skill cultivated by the former number one master in the world," Zhang Fan said casually.

"Anyone who cultivates will be more or less interested in studying it."

"Do you have any tips or insights? Let's share them."

Zhang Suxin's lips curled up slightly, revealing a friendly smile.

"What should we discuss? How far did the Nan Zhang lineage progress in their exploration of the [Three Corpses Illuminating Fate]?" Zhang Fan suddenly asked.

He turned his head and looked at Zhang Suxin, a faint smile on his face, a smile that even carried a hint of mockery.

At this moment, Zhang Suxin's expression gradually froze.

"Liu rule the world, Li rule half the world, Zhang family members are gods in heaven... Do you think that just because you have the surname Zhang, you are really a god?"

Zhang Fan let out a cold laugh. Before the laugh had even faded, the surrounding scenery gradually melted away like ink painting, and a dim yellow light shone into his eyes.

Looking again, he was still sitting in the tavern. Zhang Suxin looked surprised. Not far away, the old man with gray hair was staring straight at him.

(End of this chapter)