Unlimited priesthood

Chapter 177 Epiphany
Although the relocation has already taken place, it was only a temporary one. There was no need to move everything. The spirit fields, herb gardens, orchards, etc., remain unchanged, with many spirit plants growing there, a result of the accumulation of decades of time.

Shen He descended with his escape light and arrived at the long-sealed weapon-refining room. The room was completely empty, with all the facilities, including the Eight Trigrams Furnace, removed, leaving only the earth veins intact.

But it didn't matter. In the years he had been slaying demons and consecrating swords overseas, he had also been studying alchemy, talismanic arts, weapon techniques, and formations, and he would practice them from time to time. So he forged a Bagua furnace for himself.

After replacing the original Bagua furnace with a new one, and setting up an array to connect with the earth's veins, the Five Fires and Seven Feathers Fan was taken out and fanned, causing the furnace fire to roar up.

Shen He sat down, and two streams of light flew out and plunged into the furnace fire; they were the Demon Blade and the Dao Sword.

A sword and a saber, each occupying half of the furnace, were placed together. Shen He then took out black iron, spirit sand, and other refining materials, and put them in one by one as the ruler, minister, assistant, and envoy, to consecrate the saber and refine the sword.

Over the years, he has slain demons in the South China Sea. Although his gains have not been particularly huge, they have been satisfactory overall. He has not only mastered swordsmanship and made great progress in his cultivation, but has also accumulated a lot of resources, such as pills, talismans, magic weapons and arrays, as well as countless spirit stones and various rare and precious materials. He has also accomplished his original plan of "fishing in troubled waters and making a fortune".

Now is the time to transform these resources into strength.

The swords are placed in the furnace, where they are fused with various materials for a final transformation.

Shen He also closed his eyes and once again used the Myriad Paths Origin Great Technique to ascend to the Free Heaven Realm for enlightenment and cultivation.

To advance the Demon Blade and Dao Sword to the sixth rank, one must not only improve the weapon's grade but also enhance their blade and sword techniques.

The Blade of Karmic Fire and Three Calamities!

Sacrificial Sword to Slay Demons!
This is the key point of Shen He's enlightenment this time.

The root of all paths lies in the freedom of transformation.

Mysterious and wonderful.

Shen He's spiritual consciousness soared, and he arrived at another strange realm.

There was neither heaven nor earth, like a chaotic void.

But within the chaos, one sees heaven and earth, and all paths are complete.

Mysterious beyond mystery, wondrous beyond wonder!
Shen He ascended into it, his spiritual consciousness transforming into a human form. He first took up a weapon and practiced the Karmic Fire Three Calamities Sword Technique.

Three calamities and four tribulations, the killing of Zen masters and the destruction of Buddhas, the destruction of heaven and earth.

It is a blade of destruction.

There are twelve realms, with the first four being the foundation and the last four corresponding to the eight realms from Golden Core to True Demon.

However, these methods are incomplete; currently, there is only the Three Calamities Cultivation Method, and there is no subsequent Four Calamities Path.

These three calamities are war and fire, plague and flood, famine and wind, which correspond to the three realms of Golden Core, Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation, respectively. Each realm and each calamity has a killing move to manifest it.

Shen He is now practicing these three calamity-killing moves in this Free Heaven Realm.

Warfare and fire—scorching sun!
With a single slash of Shen He's demonic blade, karmic flames engulfed the sky, like the sun falling from the heavens. The war raged, tearing apart the earth, and all living beings suffered as their bodies were consumed by the karmic fire.

To put it bluntly, it is a slash that brings with it the effect of karmic fire, becoming a weapon and fire for all living beings, and all sinners must be killed by it.

hack!
This is the most basic move in swordsmanship. When combined with karmic fire, it becomes the first killing move of the Three Calamities Swordsmanship - Blazing Sun!
After unleashing the first move, "Blazing Sun Splits the Earth," Shen He soared into the air again, unleashing his second deadly attack.

Plague and floods—a scourge!
Shen He held the knife in both hands, his wrists moving wildly. First, he swept out thousands of blade energies, and finally, he raised the knife upward with a backhand, merging the thousands of blades into one, with liquid karmic fire burning within, like a raging sea of ​​calamity roaring down on his opponent.

The blade's energy flowed like water!
Corresponding to the realm of "sword energy like silk", it combines thousands of water-like sword energies into one, like a raging sea of ​​disaster crashing down on the opponent, and also contains the power of karmic fire, like a plague.

Faced with such a move, ordinary people would either be torn apart by the sword energy, suffering the pain of being cut to pieces and dying tragically, or be corroded by the plague-like karmic fire, ultimately being burned to ashes by their sins.

That's incredibly vicious!

But if a demonic blade isn't ruthless, what kind of demonic blade is it?

This is the second move of the Three Calamities Blade Technique – Calamity Sea!
Amidst the calamity, Shen He flipped over and unleashed another deadly attack with his sword.

Famine and typhoon - Shattered Mountain!
He flipped over and swung his sword horizontally, instantly creating a swirling vortex of sword energy that swept across the land like a storm.

The wind swirled from the tip of the blade, surging violently the instant the blade was drawn, instantly transforming into a raging tornado filled with the sharp edge of the demonic blade and dark red karmic fire. Wherever it passed, everything turned to ash; even a ten-thousand-foot mountain would be shredded by the blade and reduced to dust.

This is the third move of the three sword techniques – Shattering the Mountain!
Although Shen He was of average talent and comprehension, he possessed the Myriad Roots Great Art, a miraculous skill for enlightenment, as well as the Immortal Hermit's Blessed Land, the Longevity Cultivation of the Immortal Cultivator, and the Myriad Paths Pursuit of the Dao Seeker. These professional characteristics, which could enhance the effectiveness of cultivation, made his cultivation speed no less than those geniuses, and even better.

Therefore, he had already cultivated the Three Calamities Blade Technique to the third level.

But for some reason, he did not attract the Heavenly Tribulation.

Logically speaking, anything that enters the sixth rank will be subject to the tribulations of heaven and earth.

However, even though he had already cultivated the Three Calamities Blade Technique to the Wind Calamity Realm, which corresponds to the seventh-level Nascent Soul stage, he did not attract any heavenly tribulations.

Not only did he not attract any heavenly tribulation, Shen He himself also sensed that his Three Calamities Blade Technique was not perfect, and he couldn't even refine the magic restrictions. To this day, he still only had the 45th level of Earthly Fiend Magic Restriction, and he hadn't even refined the 69th level, let alone the 79th level.

Why is this?

Shen He didn't know this at first either, but after returning to the real world, he found the source online.

It turns out it was because he hadn't grasped the truth!
Indeed, he has mastered the Three Calamities Blade Technique and can unleash the three deadly moves: Blazing Sun, Calamity of the Sea, and Shattering Mountain.

But such an approach is simply following the answer and solving problems in a formulaic way!
He did not grasp the principles of the Three Calamities Sword Technique. His methodical mastery of the technique was merely a formality, lacking its essence. Therefore, he failed to gain the approval of Heaven and Earth and was subjected to tribulations.

To give a simple example, if I gave you a copy of the Tao Te Ching, would you become a Taoist master after reading it once?

Obviously not!

Even if you've only read it, or even if you've written or copied it, or even if you can recite the Five Thousand Words of Morality from memory and write it down in a book, you still can't become a moral sage.

Because you only saw its surface, without understanding its underlying principles.

This is why both Taoism and Buddhism like to talk about "enlightenment." They don't tell you the truth explicitly, but use various verses and koans to help you understand, or even let you experience it yourself to truly comprehend it.

This isn't them being deliberately mysterious or playing tricks; rather, it's about profound truths that can't be explained simply by talking about them, and can only be understood by people themselves.

What you see is not yours, what you hear is not yours; only what you understand and comprehend is truly yours.

Shen He can only recite and copy what he hears and sees, without understanding or comprehending it, let alone turning it into his own knowledge.

Therefore, his Three Calamities Sword Technique only has the form, but lacks the essence.

Although Shen He understood this point, he didn't know how to grasp it.

悟！
This single word is truly profound.

Shen He didn't know how to comprehend it for a while. Although he knew those principles and had even experienced them personally, it was still extremely difficult to combine them with the Three Calamities Sword Technique and turn them into his own Three Calamities Sword Technique.

With no other choice, he could only practice repeatedly in this Free Heaven Realm, preparing to use its power to help him understand the principles of the Three Calamities of Karmic Fire.

So and so...

"Scorching sun, calamous sea, shattered mountains!"

"Fire, flood, typhoon!"

"Swords, plague, famine!"

"Destruction, rebirth, creation!"

"what!!!!!!!"

Within the Free Heaven Realm, Shen He's demonic blade danced wildly, the blazing sun and sea of ​​fire shattered mountains, and the three forms of swordsmanship, plague, and famine were practiced in turn, growing more and more intense and frenzied.

How to understand, how to understand?
I don't know, I don't know!
Madness, chaos, chaos!
Without realizing it, you lose yourself, and then you see yourself again.

Shen He wielded the knife in both hands, and in the midst of his chaotic movements, he seemed to see all living beings.

All beings suffer; all beings face difficulties.

Human greed is insatiable. For fame, profit, wealth, and lust, people are willing to wage war and start battles. Underneath the glory of imperial ambitions, power, and beauty, how many skeletons are left behind?
One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand; the rise and fall of a empire brings suffering to the people!

This is a sin of the human heart, a sin of greed!
There is also the sin of selfishness and the sin of indulging in desires!
While the rich wine and meat smell, the road with frozen bone!
There is no idle land under the heavens, yet farmers still starve to death!
Those adorned in silk robes are not the ones who raise silkworms!
Looking at the world, how ugly it is!
Look at the sins of the people of this world.
Shen He wielded his demonic blade wildly, and in a moment of reverie, he saw a Buddha.

Out of compassion, the Buddha could not bear the suffering of the world, so he sacrificed himself to enter the world and save people.

But even after countless trials, suffering remains, and sins persist.

Why, why?
The Buddha was puzzled and did not understand the truth. But upon observing the people of the world, he suddenly attained enlightenment.

He was wrong!
He was very wrong!

Sin originates from the human heart, and the human heart itself is sin.

How do we get through this? How do we get through this?
Only kill!

Only by killing all people can one be free from sin; only by slaughtering all living beings can one attain enlightenment!

Therefore, the Buddha fell into demonic possession, and karmic fire destroyed the world!
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!

The sounds of killing, the thoughts of killing, the desire to kill—all filled the air in an instant.

Shen He's hair was disheveled, his eyes were bloodshot, and the demonic blade in his hand was even more frenzied.

Scorching sun, calamity from the sea, shattered mountains!

Fire, flood, typhoon!

War, plague, famine!
He understood, he understood, he finally comprehended the cause of the Buddha's demonic possession and the reason for the three calamities of karmic fire.

In such a world, with such people, what can we use to save ourselves?
The only option is to kill!

Kill all living beings, then save all living beings!

Extremes, extremes, the Tao reaches extremes.

Shen He finally understood why he had been unable to master the Karmic Fire Three Calamities Blade technique.

He was so kind!
What is the righteous path, and what is the demonic path?
They all deserve to be killed!

"Hahahahahaha!"

Shen He rose with a wild laugh, the demonic blade growing ever more ferocious, about to completely transform into the Three Calamities Blade Demon that slaughtered all living beings, falling into the demonic path and never looking back.

This is a demonic cultivation technique.

How can one become a demon without going to extremes?
But once one goes to extremes and becomes obsessed, one will be trapped in that state forever.

This is the danger of attaining enlightenment.

Although seekers of the Dao possess the professional talent of "Iron Heart," which enables them to resist various external demons and evil spirits from confusing their Dao mind, this demon is not from the outside, but rather arises from within.

The demonic path is also a path!
This is something I have come to understand myself; it is not pollution or erosion. It is the power of seeking the Way that is beyond my control.

Does he really have to become a demon?

"boom!!!"

Just as Shen He was at his lowest point, a loud clang rang out, and the radiance of the Dao Sword suddenly appeared.

Shen He gripped the sword with his left hand and began to wield it wildly, along with the demonic blade.

The Blade of Karmic Fire and Three Calamities!

Sacrificial Sword to Slay Demons!
This sword is in a similar situation to the saber; both have only mastered the fifth level of the forbidden techniques, and have not yet reached the sixth or seventh level.

The Path of Karmic Fire, though possessing form, lacks spirit, which is understandable, since Shen He has never truly fallen into the demonic path.

But this sacrificial sword for slaying demons doesn't require falling into the demonic path; it only requires slaying demons with a heart that protects the Dao. Can't he even understand this?

I understand!

However, the core of the Sacrifice Dao Demon-Slaying Sword Technique is not only about slaying demons, but also about sacrificing to the Dao!
How to perform the ritual?

Offering sacrifices to gods, to one's own body, to the law, to the Way—everything can be used as offerings, offerings for the sword, offerings for attaining the Way.

The core of this sacrificial ritual lies in creation, using oneself as a sacrifice to create the Dao sword.

This became an obstacle for Shen He. He did not have a deep understanding of the Dao of Creation, so it was difficult for him to advance in the realm of this sword. The reason why he was able to slay demons in the past was mostly due to his own cultivation and professional strength.

but now……

Shen Hedao held the sword in his hand and combined it with the demonic blade, refining them together.

Sacrifices were offered to the gods, to one's own body, and to the law.

The three flowers on the top of the head, the five qi in the chest, the foundation of the Great Dao, the primordial spirit of the Purple Palace... all can be used as offerings.

One way to sacrifice elixir!
A single ritual for the infant!
A sacrifice to the gods!
The three killing moves all appear to be a single sword strike, but each possesses its own unique mysteries.

Unbeknownst to them, the methods of sacrificial rites and the principles of creation had already merged.

After integration, there is connection!
What does it connect to?
Slay the demon!

Offering sacrifices to the Tao to slay demons, offering sacrifices to the Tao to slay demons, creating life and destroying?
Why must we slay the demon?
For myself, for the Way, and for all living beings!
The creator of this Dao-sacrificing Demon-Slaying Sword was a true virtuous immortal who spared no effort to achieve the feat of slaying demons. The ultimate technique of the "Primordial Spirit Dao-sacrificing Demon-Slaying Sword" is proof of this.

I will sacrifice myself to slay demons, even in death I will have no regrets!
One immortal, one demon; one life, one death.

With swords in hand, a fierce battle ensued.

Shen He gripped the sword, his face contorted, a mixture of madness and rationality.

Extreme, extreme, two extremes, intense conflict.

If this continues, he will definitely go mad!
It was at this extreme juncture.

Beyond the sea of ​​consciousness, within the present world.

Shen He sat on the futon, his clothes were tattered, his hair was disheveled and flying everywhere, and on his naked body, the demonic fire of the demonic blade and the spiritual light of the Dao sword clashed and clashed fiercely.

It seemed that both sides were about to perish together...

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, a golden light flashed, revealing the dantian (energy center).

Within the dantian of Qi, a figure sat steadily; it was none other than Shen He's Nascent Soul.

The nascent soul was seen circulating its energy, forcefully gathering the karmic fire and spiritual light, and wielding the demonic blade and Dao sword.

At the same time, in the Free and Unfettered Heavenly Realm...

"Wailing cries and blood-soaked cities, all for the sake of saving the common people!"

"The demon is not me, nor is the Buddha!"

"I am who I am, and my true self is who I am!"

"The blade uses destruction to create, the sword uses creation to destroy!"

"Three calamities and four tribulations, Nirvana and reincarnation!"

"Sacrifice oneself to slay demons, and give up one's life for righteousness!"

"I... understand!"

In the Taiyuan World, inside the alchemy room, Shen He opened his eyes and uttered a single sentence.

"boom!!!"

At the same time, with a resounding clang, the demonic blade and the Dao sword burst forth from the furnace.

At the same time, Shen He leaped up, holding the Demon Blade and Dao Sword, smashed the roof of the weapon room, and soared straight into the sky.

Suddenly...

"Boom!"

The sky suddenly darkened, and calamity clouds rolled in, obscuring the fish and dragons of Dongting Lake.

(End of this chapter)