Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Li Xiuyuan drew his Divine Demon Sword. After many days of nurturing, the sword was now a spiritual treasure. He coldly said, "Die!"

In the dark sky, a dazzling sword light flashed, and a figure three zhang away was sent flying backward. His entire body was destroyed, and even his life essence seemed to have been drained.

Li Xiuyuan walked very slowly, but he seemed to float on air, as if his feet were not touching the ground at all, like a ghost or spirit in the darkness.

He caught the bronze jar and scanned it with his divine sense, knowing that it contained the Evil Emperor's Relic, and that the demonic aura it contained was unmistakable.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Alright, you can leave now. As long as I am in this world, the Demonic Sect will not cause trouble for Sister Zhen. As for Su Su and her daughter, I will have them released."

The two breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. They had no choice but to be threatened by Li Xiuyuan that day because of Su Su and her daughter. As for whether his words could be believed, it was naturally very simple.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling didn't even get a clear look at the sword light before the person who wanted to snatch the Evil Emperor's Relic died. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be You Niaojuan, one of the eight great masters of the Demonic Sect. This showed how powerful Li Xiuyuan was. Neither of them had anything that the other could possibly be interested in.

Li Xiuyuan placed the copper jar into the system space. He naturally wouldn't abandon the Evil Emperor's Relic; it would be safest inside and wouldn't affect his combat power.

This relic of the Evil Emperor was originally a burial object discovered by Xie Bo, the first Evil Emperor, in an ancient tomb dating back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when he was searching for a set of silk manuscripts related to medicine.

This tomb is located within the territory of the ancient Qi State. The tomb chamber is grand and magnificent, and the burial objects are extremely luxurious. The fact that there are as many as a hundred fine horses buried alive shows that even if the owner of the tomb was not a king or general, he still had a very high level of power and status.

Although Xie Bo was incompatible with the orthodox society that exclusively revered Confucianism at the time, leading to his cynicism and eccentric behavior, he was not an irredeemable evil person. He devoted himself to medicine, hoping to use his medical skills to unravel the mystery of the most mysterious classic of the Demonic Sect, "The Great Method of Planting Demons in the Heart of the Dao".

When Xie Bo discovered the evil emperor's relics, they were placed under the neck of the tomb owner. They were covered with blood spots and crystal-like mottled. Because of its crystalline and translucent characteristics, it was classified as citrine. In fact, it is very different from any other citrine stone.

What intrigued Shepard the most was that the crystal sphere seemed to contain some kind of strange power. After a long period of experimentation, Shepard made an astonishing discovery: the crystal sphere possessed the peculiar property of absorbing and storing human essence and vital energy.

This discovery is truly remarkable.

Within the demonic sects, various evil techniques and methods for absorbing the power of others have long been circulating. However, no matter how skilled the practitioner is, absorbing the true energy of others is only auxiliary or temporary.

No one can truly and permanently possess the power accumulated over decades by another, and increase their own power dramatically and endlessly. Even if it were possible, due to the inherent difference in true qi, it would only be harmful and not beneficial, easily leading to the danger of qi deviation and demonic possession.

Gao Ming uses the technique of men and women to absorb the other party's yin and yang, but it is still only an auxiliary nature, which is not without risks, and it is not the best way.

But Yuan Jing is another mysterious thing.

Taoism speaks of the Three Origins, which in the heavens are the three lights of the sun, moon, and stars; on earth are the three essentials of water, fire, and earth; and in humans are the three substances of essence, energy, and spirit. The process of refining essence into energy, refining energy into spirit, and refining spirit into emptiness is precisely the entire Taoist cultivation process.

Among the three elements of primordial essence, primordial energy, and primordial spirit, primordial essence is the foundation of everything. Primordial energy and primordial spirit are obtained by cultivating and elevating primordial essence. Primordial energy and primordial spirit vary from person to person due to different circumstances and methods of cultivation, but primordial essence remains the same.

Chapter 42 The Evil Emperor's Essence

This discovery thrilled Xie Bo. After years of research, he finally created a method to inject primordial essence into a crystal sphere. At that time, he was not far from his death, so before his death, he poured all his primordial essence into the sphere and instructed his next generation to find a way to extract the primordial essence from the sphere.

From then on, the crystal sphere was named the Holy Emperor's Relic.

This brings about the most troublesome problem for the two sects of the Demonic Path and the Heavenly Evil Path among the Six Paths. People like Xie Bo, who are learned, insightful, and wise, are truly rare, and successors of all generations have tried their best to achieve them, but it is like sitting on a mountain of treasures and not being able to share even a penny of the benefits.

Furthermore, due to improper methods, the relics continuously absorb all sorts of harmful or harmless vital energy, making the problem more complex and difficult to solve. However, all the evil emperors of the past, unless they died a violent death, in accordance with their dying instructions, infused their vital essence into the relics before their passing. This has become the way of passing away chosen by the successive leaders of the Heavenly Evil Path.

Due to various changes, researching how to extract the primordial essence of relics has become an extremely dangerous undertaking; a single misstep could easily lead to demonic possession. However, some individuals have been able to extract beneficial primordial energy from the relics, which has indeed multiplied their power, a fact that has fueled the relentless pursuit of successive generations of practitioners.

As for how to extract the primordial essence from the relic, they were still at a loss. It wasn't until Xiang Yutian, with his extraordinary talent, cultivated the Dao Heart Demon Seed Great Technique and suddenly comprehended the method for extracting the primordial essence from the relic that Xie Bo's dream was realized.

At this time, Xiang Yutian encountered a problem while cultivating the Demon Seed Technique. He also saw that none of You Niaojuan's four disciples were capable. Before his death, he entrusted the relic to Lu Miaozi, instructing him to find capable people from other factions of the Demon Sect and pass it on to the relic. This would unify the Demon Sect and end the centuries-long fragmentation and incessant infighting within the Demon Sect.

Finally, Lu Miaozi concluded that no one in the Demonic Sect was qualified to receive the relic, so he secretly hid it in Yang Gong's treasure vault. At this point, it finally fell into Li Xiuyuan's hands, and the Demonic Sect could begin its unification.

hum!

Suddenly, the entire void trembled as four people attacked simultaneously. The one from the northeast was the most fierce, wielding a multifaceted diamond spear that radiated a chilling light.

When the Evil King, the Queen of Yin, and the others saw the four people, they were greatly alarmed. Under such an offensive, they would also find it difficult to gain any advantage. The four people were the Demon Master Zhao Deyan, Ding Jiuzhong, a disciple of Xiang Yutian of the Evil Extreme Sect, Zhou Laotan, and Jin Huanzhen.

As for the person who died, it was You Niaojuan from the Evil Extreme Sect, who couldn't wait to come out and snatch the relic.

Seeing the four people attacking, Li Xiuyuan remained fearless and thrust out his Divine Demon Sword, unleashing the Fourteen Deadly Swords. As the sword struck, the sun shone like gold, gravel turned to slurry, the earth cracked, rivers dried up, birds vanished, and white bones filled the fields... Countless apocalyptic illusions descended.

In the blink of an eye, the fourteenth transformation was completed, and everything came to an end once again. The world of death and emptiness froze, and the changes in sword techniques ceased.

In that instant, in the deathly silent world, it seemed as if ethereal musical notes rang out, or as if a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky.

With a "pop" sound!

The frozen image seemed to have been shattered, yet it came alive again. The change that had seemingly come to an end unexpectedly extended into a new opportunity.

boom!

The four figures were sent flying backwards. After Li Xiuyuan used the Divine Demon Sword, this sword was several times more powerful than when he fought Shi Zhixuan. Although the four were not weak, they were all killed by the Fourteen Deadly Swords!

Incredulous eyes flashed in Zhao Deyan's gaze. He simply couldn't believe that such swordsmanship existed in this world, so sharp and fierce that he had no power to resist.

This successor of the Demonic Image Sect died the moment he appeared on stage.

Those hiding nearby were terrified. The Buddhist masters had planned to let the demonic sects fight amongst themselves first, but they never expected such a figure to appear.

Amitabha!

A chanting arose, and all the experts from the Righteous Path Alliance appeared before them.

There stood a young monk, dressed in a moon-white robe, who appeared to be only in his twenties or thirties, with a handsome face. His eyes, which seemed to encompass the heavens and the earth, held a profound and serene Zen-like quality. He held a huge bronze bell in his hands.

Beside this monk were four other elderly monks, each with a distinct temperament and gaunt appearance, all with solemn faces; these were the Four Great Holy Monks.

Shi Feixuan's stunning figure also appeared, along with Ning Daoqi, who appeared to be an ordinary old man. Behind them followed hundreds of monk soldiers.

Daoxin chanted the Buddha's name, his face filled with compassion, and said, "Amitabha! You have committed many evil deeds, causing bloodshed in Chang'an. Today, this old monk will rid the people of this scourge."

Seeing the Buddhist masters gathered together, Li Xiuyuan thought to himself that his many schemes had not been in vain. He chuckled evilly and said, "Hehe, I have committed many evil deeds, and your Buddhist sect is no better."

Chaotic times present opportunities for the development of various religious sects.

The Buddhist community was at its peak, and the temple properties of each temple were exempt from taxes! They also recruited many tenants, obtained favors from people, trained warrior monks, and amassed weapons and armor, making them veritable local tyrants and bullies!

The harm caused by Buddhism is no less than that of the demonic sects; it's just that the demonic sects' methods are more direct. As for Li Xiuyuan, this world is entirely his domain of transcendence; otherwise, why would he be plotting against both sides?

Fen Qinghui said coldly, "No matter how many lies you tell, you cannot hide the fact that you have killed many martial arts masters in recent days."

Since Li Xiuyuan made up his mind to kill all those who wanted to seize the Evil Emperor's Relic, the people of Chang'an City have been living in fear for several days, and no one dares to show their faces at night.

Chapter 43 The Battle Between Good and Demon

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan smiled strangely and said, "Hehe, if you want to fight, then hurry up and do it. What is there to fear from my Demonic Sect? There's no need for such nonsense."

As he spoke, he pointed the Divine Demon Sword diagonally at the sky, and in an instant, a chilling aura filled the entire sky.

hum!

Everyone felt a slight vibration in their eardrums, followed by a clear, ringing sound of a sword.

The four holy monks arrived swiftly, standing at the four corners, yet closely connected to each other, forming a seamless whole without revealing a single gap.

laugh!

Suddenly, the Divine Demon Sword in Li Xiuyuan's hand slashed down towards Di Xin, its sharp blade gleaming. A powerful killing intent surged through the air with the rushing airflow, accompanied by a sharp, chilling aura that tore through the air.

Golden Buddhist light burst forth from Di Xin's body, and two giant handprints crashed into the divine and demonic sword light. Almost simultaneously, under the pull of the energy, Dao Xin and the other two launched their attacks, and eight giant handprints collided with the divine and demonic sword light once again.

"Boom!"

The deafening collision of the eight paths ignited a battle between the righteous and demonic factions. A fierce gale swept across the sky, preventing anyone within a radius of several hundred meters from approaching for fear of being innocently caught in the crossfire.

At this moment, Ning Daoqi strode over, and Evil King Shi Zhixuan met him head-on. Both of them were Grandmaster-level experts, and once they exchanged blows, they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Ning Dao's expression was resolute as he pondered, "Water benefits all things without striving. It is precisely because it does not strive that nothing in the world can contend with it. Therefore, the highest good is like water!"

He suddenly let out a long chant, pushing his internal energy to its limit. Shi Zhixuan activated his supreme demonic power, and suddenly the two clashed.

boom!

Two ineffable and indescribable forces intertwined, two terrifying beams of light, one white and one black, entangled and entwined with each other.

Immediately, a horrific explosion occurred.

In an instant, a massive distortion enveloped an area of ​​more than ten meters, forming a terrifying sinkhole.

The people on the bridge jumped back, and the Evil King and the Grandmaster of the Daoist sect officially began their battle.

At the same time, Shi Feixuan pointed her sword diagonally, her cold voice ringing out, "Witch, prepare to die!"

Her Cihang Sword Manual has reached perfection, and her cultivation has entered the Grandmaster realm. She believes she is no weaker than Wanwan. The two have been fighting for decades, and it's time to settle the score.

One sword brings glory!

A sharp flash streaked across the sky, like a line of light tearing through the eternal night, sparks of light bursting forth and radiating brilliant brilliance.

Seeing Shi Feixuan challenge her, Wanwan, not to be outdone, leaped forward. Dressed in plain clothes and barefoot, she resembled a ghost emerging from the deepest, darkest dream. Before she even arrived, a thin ribbon flew out from her right sleeve, coiling towards Shi Feixuan like a venomous snake, its power extremely fierce.

Ding Ding Ding!

Shi Feixuan thrust her sword horizontally, and it dissolved into the air.

The force of this push was incredibly swift, yet it also gave the strange feeling of a frame-by-frame image slowly unfolding. The extreme contrast between the speed and slowness of the swordplay was perfectly integrated, making it truly breathtaking.

Shi Feixuan's sword trembled slightly, stirring up the surrounding air currents. It seemed that even the air itself turned into a swamp at this moment, churned into a mess by the sword's force.

The sword's power finally reached its peak at this moment.

Layers of sword shadows filled the void!

The sword lights intertwined into a dense spiderweb, like bolts of lightning and thunder clashing and intertwining.

In the blink of an eye, this incredibly brilliant sword strike generated a chilling light, enveloping Wanwan within it.

Wanwan was amazed by the subtlety of that sword strike; after several months apart, her opponent had caught up. Neither of them knew that this was Li Xiuyuan's deliberate act, ensuring their martial arts skills weren't too far apart.

Wanwan's hands clasped together, forming a harmonious Tai Chi symbol. Centered on her entire being, an invisible force pushed outwards, creating a vacuum area.

She opened her palms and unleashed a palm strike that perfectly blended yin and yang, reaching the pinnacle of artistry.