Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Seeing that all eight people had fallen to the ground, Li Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Six Ears, I'm handing this Bloodthirsty Staff over to you."

As he spoke, his hand shot out, and Zhang Xiaofan, who was already seriously injured, couldn't even hold onto the stick anymore, which flew directly into his palm.

what!

Li Xiuyuan held the Bloodthirsty Staff in his hand, feeling a bloodthirsty urge. He was bewitched by the Bloodthirsty Staff, which even seemed to want to devour his blood.

But under his magical protection, it naturally had to behave itself and settle down to be an ordinary stick.

"Master, what's so special about this stick? Is it comparable to my Qiankun Stick?"

As he spoke, the Six-Eared Macaque walked over. Although the Bloodthirsty Cudgel was not bad, he still didn't think much of it.

After hearing the Six-Eared Macaque speak, Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "You monkey, don't underestimate this stick. The Blood-Devouring Stick originally belonged to the Black-Hearted Old Man. It can absorb people's essence and blood to nourish itself."

Later, it was sealed away by the monk Puzhi and entrusted to Zhang Xiaofan before its death. Accidentally, it was refined by the Blood-Devouring Bead and the Soul-Seizing Blood, becoming the Soul Devourer.

He paused and then said, "The Bloodthirsty Cudgel is nothing special among acquired spiritual treasures, but it is insidious and vicious. A single strike can draw blood from another person, making it extremely difficult to defend against. If it were integrated into your Qiankun Cudgel, it would definitely bring immense benefits."

After saying that, he glanced at the snarling Six-Eared Macaque and was clearly very satisfied with what he had heard.

hum!

All eyes were on Li Xiuyuan's hand; no one expected that this ordinary stick had such a background.

The people from the Ghost King Sect originally came here to search for the Bloodthirsty Pearl, but they didn't expect it to have already been taken away.

As for the people of the Blood Refining Hall, they were even more unaware.

The Six-Eared Macaque exclaimed, "Then what are you waiting for, Master? Quickly help me blend in!"

As he spoke, he gestured wildly, appearing very happy.

"No...no, that's Junior Brother Zhang's treasure."

At this moment, Lu Xueqi, who was usually cold and aloof, actually spoke up for Zhang Xiaofan.

Upon seeing Lu Xueqi, Li Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Gentlemen, I think you haven't figured something out yet. You have already lost, which means you are my prisoners. You are not qualified to make me change my mind."

As he spoke, he took the Bloodthirsty Staff in one hand and the Universe Staff in the other.

A strange light flashed, and the Bloodthirsty Staff and the Universe Staff merged. A blood-red light slowly merged into the Universe Staff.

After a long while, the light finally faded, and the Bloodthirsty Staff disappeared without a trace, leaving only the Qiankun Staff. It took Li Xiuyuan 5000 merit points to fuse the two staffs together.

After seeing the Qiankun Staff fully formed, Li Xiuyuan smiled slightly and said, "Six Ears, this staff has extraordinary uses. I hope you will use it well."

After saying that, he threw the Qiankun Staff over. After merging with the Bloodthirsty Staff, the staff carried innate power. With one strike, it could whip out a person's soul.

If someone's cultivation level were slightly lower, they would probably be annihilated by the Six-Eared Macaque's blows.

"Good baby, good baby!"

The Six-Eared Macaque stroked the Qiankun Cudgel, looking quite fond of it, and couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration.

The disciples of Qingyun Sect were secretly saddened to see that Zhang Xiaofan's magic weapon was gone. Under such circumstances, the only way to retrieve the Bloodthirsty Staff was for the sect elders to personally intervene.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a deafening roar came from afar, and the merciless sea surged with towering waves, the sound of which was deafening.

On the dark sea, two enormous lamps with a ghostly green light slowly lit up, and upon closer inspection, one could vaguely make out the outline of a snake's head.

A pair of eerie green eyes, radiating a cold and menacing intent.

what!

Li Xiuyuan was surprised. When he saw this strange beast, he knew in his heart that it was the Black Water Serpent. This creature lived near the Dripping Blood Cave and was an ancient beast.

An enormous black serpent slowly appeared before everyone.

Its lower body was coiled up, its body submerged in seawater. The bodies of several people were less than one-third the thickness of that enormous snake.

The Blackwater Serpent's upper body and head stood dozens of feet above the ground, its eerie green eyes looking down at the people who were like ants to it.

Upon seeing the Black Water Serpent appear, Li Xiuyuan's lips curled up slightly, and he chuckled, "Six Ears, this beast is now yours."

Having said that, he decided not to make a move and instead wanted the Six-Eared Macaque to take action.

Although the Blackwater Serpent is an ancient mythical beast, the Six-Eared Macaque is no less formidable. Even without cultivation, his terrifying talent alone would be enough to defeat it.

"Master, don't worry! This rotten snake dares to underestimate me. I'll beat it until it bleeds."

As he spoke, the Six-Eared Macaque soared into the air and slammed down with his Qiankun Cudgel.

The Blackwater Serpent had clearly gained intelligence; upon seeing the Six-Eared Macaque make its move, it immediately swung its tail across the ground.

Rumble!

As soon as the two clashed, the Blackwater Serpent was at a disadvantage.

Chapter 222 In the Dripping Blood Cave

As soon as the two clashed, the Blackwater Serpent was at a disadvantage.

Upon seeing the enormous size of the Blackwater Serpent, the Six-Eared Macaque, not to be outdone, unleashed his Dharma Body of Heaven and Earth: a ten-zhang-tall giant ape appeared out of nowhere before everyone's eyes.

A series of deafening sounds rang out. After witnessing the fierce battle between the Black Water Serpent and the Six-Eared Macaque, everyone was astonished. They had originally thought they had overestimated the monkey, but they had underestimated it, as it possessed such abilities.

Rumble!

The fierce battle between the Blackwater Serpent and the Six-Eared Macaque affected the onlookers. Rocks on the cliff collapsed with the sound of the fight, and everyone retreated.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiuyuan chuckled and said, "Let's leave first!"

After saying that, he and a few others retreated for the time being.

As for the disciples of Qingyun Sect, Fenxiang Valley, and Tianyin Temple, even those who were injured were running for their lives, hoping to take this opportunity to leave as quickly as possible.

When Li Xiuyuan saw that the group was about to leave, he did not stop them. In his mind, they were just a few small fry and there was no need to pay them any attention.

Besides, Li Xiuyuan will go to Qingyun Sect sooner or later, so let them go back and report! In any case, he is not afraid of anyone in Zhuxian.

With these thoughts in mind, Li Xiuyuan began to lead the group on their way. After a while, they finally found the Dripping Blood Cave.

Just as described in the original work, there was an old tree at the foot of the cliff, and sure enough, there was a cave entrance under the old tree.

The opening was very well concealed and would be difficult to spot without careful observation.

"Huh! Is this the Dripping Blood Cave?"

As she spoke, Biyao opened her beautiful eyes and looked around.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan's lips curled up, and he nodded in agreement, "That's right, let's hurry up and go!"

He paused, then said, "You few stay here."

As he spoke, an invisible force seemed to emanate from his mouth, directly imprisoning Wild Dog Daoist and Elder Nian, along with other disciples of the Blood Refining Hall.

"Ok!"

After exchanging glances, Biyao and Youji agreed to enter the Blood-Dripping Cave. Although they didn't have the Blood-Devouring Pearl, they couldn't possibly leave the cave now that they were there!

Moreover, the Blood-Dripping Cave is the territory of the ruthless old man, so there might be other treasures there!

Li Xiuyuan led two people into the Dripping Blood Cave. The Dripping Blood Cave was not very deep. After walking for about ten minutes, they entered a spacious cave.

The cave is filled with all sorts of stalactites and stalagmites of various shapes and colors, but the most eye-catching thing is the huge monument standing in front of it.

The giant stele is inscribed with ten large characters in a flowing, dragon-and-phoenix style: "Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs."

Each character is half the size of a person, with an ancient and simple style, vigorous strokes, straight and powerful, as if it were a dragon or snake rushing out and roaring into the sky.

"Book of Heaven!"

Youji stared intently at the giant stele, her heart pounding with shock, for there was a similar giant stele in the Ghost King Sect.

Legend has it that within the Blood Refining Hall, there is a secret treasure cave hidden in the Ancient Cave of Ten Thousand Bats, containing many rare treasures, demonic books, and evil scrolls.

Li Xiuyuan's lips curled up. After glancing around, he swung his right palm out. A loud rumble rang out, and a huge stone wall was smashed into dust.

Heavenly Book: The creation of heaven and earth refers to the time of chaos, when ignorance and separation were not yet established. The sun and moon contained their brilliance, and heaven and earth were mixed together. After a complete transformation, the clear and the turbid were revealed.

The reason why heaven and earth can endure is that they do not live for themselves; therefore, they can endure.

However, all things in heaven and earth have their forms, but sentient beings are deluded, confused by the concepts of self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan. Because of these various forms, their minds give rise to the three poisons, three fears, and three terrors; this cannot last long…

After seeing the Heavenly Book, Li Xiuyuan carefully read it. After a long while, the corners of his mouth turned up, and he murmured softly, "As expected, it is true. This is the relic of Daoist Duobao."

There are very few people in the world today who understand Buddhism and Taoism, but the Heavenly Book contains not only Buddhist and Taoist teachings, but also the secret methods of the demonic sects.

In this world, apart from sages, the most learned person is Daoist Duobao. Why do I say that?

Duobao Daoren, who is now the Buddha Tathagata, was once the eldest disciple of Tongtian Jiaozhu, so he naturally knew the Daoist arts of the Jie Sect.

Then came Lao Tzu. During his time converting the barbarians, Lao Tzu taught the Daoist Duobao, and finally, the secret methods of Buddhism.

That Daoist Duobao is the Buddha Tathagata, whose understanding of Buddhism is unmatched by most. Next is the Daoist teachings of the Primordial Sage, yet there are so many traitors within Buddhism.

With a little effort, Daoist Duobao can exchange for the Daoist teachings of the Primordial Sage. This is the Taiji Xuanqing Dao of the Qingyun Sect, which is divided into: Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing.

The above correspond to Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian respectively, while the method with the character "Xuan" represents the Xuanmen (mysterious sect).

In addition, the Buddhist sect's method is the one of Tianyin Temple. As for the demonic sect's method, Li Xiuyuan thought it was probably the Daoist Duobao who wanted to combine the secret scriptures of the three religions, as well as Buddhist and demonic techniques, to forge his own path to sainthood.

As for why the Heavenly Book was abandoned, it's probably because it was incomplete! If it were truly perfect, how could Daoist Duobao have left such a cultivation method behind in the Earthly Immortal Realm?

Of course, the above are all speculations by Li Xiuyuan.