Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 35 The Great Black Law
Qi Yun's mind sank into the depths of his sea of ​​consciousness, where the warm and ancient jade slip floated quietly, its radiance restrained, just as it had been before.

He focused his mind, trying to touch the eight thick seal characters "Northern Yin Fengdu Black Law Edict" that had just appeared on it, but his intentions were like a stone sinking into the sea, and the jade slip did not respond at all.

There was no expected flood of information, no initiation of Taoist teachings, and not even the slightest ripple was stirred.

"'The Black Laws and Edicts of the Northern Yin Fengdu'..." Qi Yun repeatedly chewed over these words in his mind, a surge of vague memories from his previous life welling up.

"The legendary 'Great Black Law' of Taoism, which governs the underworld, commands ghosts and gods, and rewards good and punishes evil!"
How... how did this get imprinted on my jade slip?

And...why is there absolutely no movement?

A huge amount of doubt, like a cold spider web, entangled him.

His mind raced, and he suddenly grasped the last two words: "Imperial Edict"!
Like a lightning bolt cleaving through the fog, Xuanji Zi's aged yet solemn voice echoed clearly in my ears:

"Taoist cultivation is roughly divided into four realms based on the depth of one's true qi cultivation. The first is 'receiving the ordination': a formal ceremony is required to report to Heaven and Earth and the Ancestral Master to receive the ordination talisman, only then can one be considered to have truly entered the Taoist sect!"

“Imperial edict…register…!”

Qi Yun's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart pounded in his chest like a drum. "The 'ordination' that the old Taoist mentioned is the recognition of the sect's inheritance, the formal 'ticket' to enter the Taoist path of cultivation. It imparts the foundation of the Taoist methods of the Five Organs Observation, and is the starting point of the 'technique'!"

It's a symbol of status!

"And this 'edict' on my jade slip... Beiyin Fengdu... Black Laws..."

He felt an indescribable heaviness and chilling atmosphere wash over him. "This is definitely not the 'entrance talisman' of any specific sect!"
This is more like... a kind of 'authority' directly granted by a higher level of being!
A kind of… qualification to wield the laws of the underworld!

Upon realizing this, a surge of ecstasy instantly overwhelmed the cold doubts in my heart!

"A jade slip! It truly is an extraordinary opportunity!"

Qi Yun almost roared to the sky, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, "The first time, it gave me the Crimson Hunting Fire to burn away evil spirits!"

The second time, they actually gave me a 'decree' to take charge of the Great Dark Laws of the Underworld!
This is not a direct power of cultivation techniques, this is... an enhancement of 'authority'!

It's a 'passport' to a higher level of power!

He recalled the terrifying scene in the ghost realm: "I merely imitated the old Taoist's scripture for the souls of the dead, recited it once, and with the help of the jade slip, I actually sent Liu Wen and Zhang Qiang's souls back to peace and opened up a path... And this brought me such a great 'benefit'?"
Could this edict be an acknowledgment of the 'exercise of authority and responsibility'?

Qi Yun's gaze returned to the eight majestic and ancient characters on the jade slip, his eyes burning with fervor: "With the imperial edict issued, it means I am qualified to learn, and even... enforce the Black Laws of Beiyin Fengdu! What an incredible opportunity!"

However, this burning passion was quickly extinguished by the cold reality.

"But... what about the cultivation method? What are the specific techniques?"

Qi Yun frowned. "The jade slip only gave me 'qualification' and 'identity,' but did not directly impart any cultivation methods or techniques for using the 'Great Black Law'!"
Am I supposed to go and find out for myself? To figure it out?

He examined himself: "More importantly, of the five internal organs and five orifices, I still haven't opened the liver orifice!"

The body has not yet generated its own 'true qi'!
Without true qi as a foundation, even if I were given a complete Great Black Law cultivation manual right now, it would be useless!

The initial excitement subsided quickly, replaced by a heavy sense of urgency.

The jade slip granted him supreme "title" and "authority," but the path to this authority and power still required him to lay a solid foundation and forge ahead step by step on his own!
He took a deep breath of the cold, deathly air of the ghost realm, suppressed all his chaotic thoughts, and turned his gaze to the fork in the road that the phantoms of Liu Wen and Zhang Qiang had finally pointed to.

He straightened his clothes, bowed deeply in the direction where the two souls had disappeared, filled with heartfelt gratitude and the weight of farewell.

After the ceremony, he shouldered the heavy snakeskin bag and, without the slightest hesitation, strode into the path indicated by the departed spirits.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the muddy feeling underfoot gradually faded, as if we had traversed an invisible, viscous curtain of water.

Suddenly, a cool breeze carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, the earthy smell of soil, and moisture rushed into my mouth and nose, no longer the solidified, decaying, cold, and deathly aura of the ghost realm!

Qi Yun paused, and suddenly the view opened up before him!
The blinding sunlight poured down without any obstruction, causing him to squint instinctively. The sky was not clear, but covered with a heavy, leaden-gray layer of clouds that pressed low down on the rolling mountains.

A pale light peeked through the edges of the clouds, casting a hazy gray glow over the world. The air was damp and heavy with the scent of rain; every breath carried the unique freshness and coolness of the mountain forest after the rain.

The silence was gone, replaced by a vibrant clamor!

The gurgling sound of the mountain stream in the distance could be clearly heard;
Nearby, unknown insects chirped softly and persistently from deep within the damp grass.

Among the treetops overhead, several birds were shaking off their wet feathers, emitting short, crisp chirps that broke the tranquility of the mountains and fields.

"We're out! We're finally out!" Qi Yun took a long, deep breath of the air, which was filled with moisture and the fragrance of grass and trees. His cold lungs felt as if they had been cleansed by this vitality.

A chilling feeling of relief, like surviving a disaster, spread down my spine.

He looked around; beneath his feet was a narrow, rugged mountain path that snaked away into the depths of the dense jungle.

On both sides of the mountain road are lush trees and ferns, which are exceptionally green after being washed by the rain, and glistening water droplets still hang on their leaves.

"Last night, that ghostly realm... devoured everyone in the carriage, and I was the only one who managed to escape... How could the ghostly realm and its creatures from 95 be so ferocious and treacherous?"
It's a hundred times more dangerous than in ancient times!

Looking back on everything that happened last night, the people around me died suddenly, without any warning whatsoever!

The Ghost Realm distorts space and time, and Xuanjizi once used this "shortcut" to travel.

Looking around Qi Yun, one sees layers upon layers of mountains, their terrain unfamiliar, and their vegetation quite different from that of Guizhou.

"This place is definitely not where the train encountered trouble! In fact... it may even be no longer in Guizhou Province!"

The road ahead is uncertain, with only this slippery mountain path beneath my feet.

He tightened the snakeskin bag on his shoulder, started walking, and walked forward along the mountain path.

The road became increasingly desolate.

At first there were some blurry traces of the roadbed, but later it was completely submerged by wildly growing weeds and overgrown shrub branches.

Many sections of the road were washed away by flash floods, leaving behind jagged rocks and slippery mud ditches that require climbing on both hands and feet.

At a steep bend in the mountain, half of the mountainside slid down, and huge rocks and uprooted trees completely buried the road, forming an insurmountable obstacle.

Qi Yun had no choice but to painstakingly detour, searching for footholds on the steep hillside, with loose stones tumbling down beneath his feet.

Occasionally, you can see half-rotten wooden stakes or road sign remnants that are so rusted that the writing is almost illegible and the direction is unclear.

This road has been abandoned for many years.

Fortunately, four of Qi Yun's five orifices have been opened, greatly improving his physical strength, endurance, agility, and perception.

Despite the exhaustion of the night, my body still possessed abundant strength. Trekking through these desolate mountain paths, my steps were difficult yet steady and powerful.

The sun struggled to pierce through the thick, leaden clouds, casting a blurry halo on the gray-white sky; it was approximately noon.

The gloomy sky could no longer hold back the moisture, and a light, cold rain began to fall again, quickly soaking Qi Yun's hair and thin coat.

A chill seeped into my bones, bit by bit.

Just after he climbed over a rocky, slippery moss-covered hillside, the view suddenly opened up before him!
A wide and flat cement road suddenly appeared in the mountain valley not far below!

The black road surface, like a winding ribbon, stood out clearly against the backdrop of the gray sky and lush mountains.

Those are traces of civilization, paths leading to human habitation!

(End of this chapter)