Lord Shenxiu
Chapter 377: The Opportunity for Enlightenment (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 377: Chapter 377: The Opportunity for Enlightenment (Please Subscribe)

Within Baoguang Temple.

Zhong Shenxiu’s face suddenly contorted in extreme agony.

He had felt that lofty Heavenly Dao.

But such Heavenly Dao was by no means what he had imagined.

The Heavenly Dao should be selfless, emotionless, neither good nor evil.

Yet the Dao of Seven Luminaries Heaven seemed to be filled with some sort of—malice!

Terrifying aura, countless murmurs, a jumble of bizarre images, all scrambled to burst into Zhong Shenxiu’s sea of consciousness.

To ordinary cultivators, such phenomena would appear as wondrous visions, like lotus flowers emerging from the earth and wisdom raining down from the heavens... They would surely be overjoyed, feeling a substantial increase in their Daoist cultivation.

But Zhong Shenxiu was drenched in cold sweat.

"This world’s Heavenly Dao is definitely problematic... Judging by the reactions of Da Mo and the Stone Buddha Unbreakable Divine Power, it’s very likely to have been contaminated by the Evil God..."

"If I accept this infusion, I’m afraid I will be in trouble immediately..."

He thought of the superpower experts whose internal organs were completely destroyed, and of the Primordial Pill Masters who felt less than human after being injured, and suddenly he understood even more.

"It seems that the path of cultivation in this world has also gone astray."

"By contrast, Zhang Taiyi stumbled upon the Outer Elixir Method by accident, which, it turns out, was the right path."

When Zhang Taiyi first appeared, he was like a ghost, but after cultivating the outer elixir, he regained the image of a graceful young master, which left a deep impression on Zhong Shenxiu.

At this moment, he suddenly grasped another wondrous use for the Outer Elixir Method.

"The cultivator’s Primordial Pill is the very essence of oneself, where the True Spirit resides... Once contaminated, there is absolutely no escape; what’s worse, some might even rejoice and complain only that the contamination is too slow. To them, this is entering the path, approaching the Dao..."

"But I’m different, mine is... an Outer Elixir!"

"The Outer Elixir is not the essence. Though closely linked, it’s like a dike, or perhaps... a firewall!"

"Zhang Taiyi initially saw the Primordial Spirit Ancestors and Dharma Body Masters changing in heart and nature, turning into neither human nor monster, and did not wish for Immortality, hence he created the Outer Elixir Method for the best of both worlds."

"So..."

With that thought, Zhong Shenxiu immediately mobilized his Outer Elixir, absorbing all the madness and contamination.

At the same time, strands of pure Mana essence were squeezed out of the Outer Elixir, purified through and through, without a speck of impurity, and cautiously absorbed by him.

"In this world, the Heavenly Dao leans toward the bizarre, and to become an Immortal, one must either join the contaminating flow or stand apart... But joining the flow would turn one into a monster. Although I’m indifferent to external appearance, a change in nature would certainly become a problem."

"Therefore, the Outer Elixir must bear the madness and contamination, while I and my True Spirit must extricate ourselves, relying solely on the pure Daoist Skill for Foundation Establishment. All Divine Power and abilities should be controlled through the Outer Elixir, establishing a firewall barrier, and that might just barely maintain one’s self."

Zhong Shenxiu desired to live freely and eternally, yet not at the loss of his true nature.

What difference would there be between a person who has lost themselves and the dead?

Even if one had to become a monster or a disintegrated Immortal, it must be of one’s own free will, not through coercion.

Crack!

Zhong Shenxiu looked down to see a crack appear on the surface of the Five-Eyed Six-Transmission Bodhi Seed, shattering into countless particles.

This single Bodhi Bead, capable of granting one an understanding of the Heavenly Dao, would be a gem that countless cultivators in the outside world would fight over.

But now, it held no more value or mystery.

"It seems that the irregularity of this Bodhi Seed was indeed discovered by some high monk, which is why this Baoguang Temple was constructed to suppress it..."

"Could it be that the recent anomaly at Jiugong Mountain, in a chain reaction, caused the seal to break, releasing a trace of evil, leading to the mysterious village before? Could that coffin child be the projection of the Bodhi Seed?"

Zhong Shenxiu was indifferent to this.

He took a deep breath, "The Heavenly Dao of this world is all like this; my cultivation plan must also be changed."

Previously, he had thought of seeking cultivation techniques from the Buddhist and Demon Paths.

But these were new methods, adapted to the new Heavenly Dao of this world, and were bound to bear the taint, with unpredictable fortunes and disasters in the later stages!

Zhong Shenxiu did not want to be restricted by the world, therefore he could only give up.

’New methods won’t work, ancient methods won’t work either; ancient methods have long proven to be rejected in this world, doomed to fail... Therefore, the only way is the Outer Elixir Method!’

’To continuously deduce the Outer Elixir Method to great success, proving to be an Outer Dao Primordial Spirit, Outer Dao Dharma Body... Only then can one use the qi of this world and yet remain untainted by the heavens and earth, having the opportunity to achieve true immortality and roam freely... and moreover, become a real Immortal!’

If one took the path of achieving the Dao through the Outer Elixir Method, it was clear that in the end, Zhong Shenxiu himself would not become a monster, at most the outer elixir would become some strange and odd object.

This wasn’t an issue; it was equivalent to refining a particularly fierce and evil external incarnation.

Just like those mythological Buddhist monks, with their dignified and majestic appearance, yet having many different forms of Yaksha and Asura protectors.

’It’s just... the follow-up to the cultivation technique, that’s still a problem.’

Zhang Taiyi only deduced an Outer Dao Elixir Method.

But Zhong Shenxiu wanted to go a step further, deducing the Outer Dao Primordial Spirit Method!

’Zhang Taiyi’s foundation lies with the Supreme Dragon and Tiger Sect’s Daoist Skill; if I want to deduce the Outer Dao Primordial Spirit Method, perhaps I must still obtain the profound Daoist Skill of the Dragon Tiger Sect for reference... Otherwise, the tenfold consumption is truly terrifying.’

In Zhong Shenxiu’s opinion, this didn’t count as starting a new path.

In fact, he also stood on the shoulders of many cultivators of the new methods, only differing in applying the new methods to the practice of the outer elixir.

As for himself, he might still lean towards the practice of the ancient method cultivators.

By integrating the new methods with the ancient methods, finding balance amidst contradictions, one could seize the chance to achieve the Dao and roam freely in the Seven Luminaries Heaven of this world.

’Seven Luminaries Heaven... that name itself is problematic. In this world, there are only three suns and two moons at most, which should be five luminaries; why did the ancient cultivators call it Seven Luminaries Heaven? Could it be... there was once a great war that made the heavens lose two luminaries?’

’Perhaps, in the Ancient Era, there was a catastrophic war more terrifying than the downfall of the Yan Han Empire... Did it completely change the ecology of this realm?’

Zhong Shenxiu was deep in thought, a glint of speculation flashing in his eyes.

Lu Jianping, however, had awakened from the profound Daoist enlightening sounds of earlier, pressing his palms together, "Donor has profound Buddhist nature and is greatly destined with this treasure, having been able to grasp the essence of the Buddha’s teachings so suddenly, I have benefited a lot; I thank you..."

’This person... has fallen into the pit.’

Looking at Lu Jianping, Zhong Shenxiu wore an expression of pity.

This scholar might have had some fortuitous encounter on the Bodhi Seed before, receiving teachings from a high monk, entering the path, and cultivating the Buddhist Law, comparable to the Gang Sha Realm.

But just now, he had been bewitched by the Heavenly Dao of this world, mistaking it for the highest ’Brahma’ of the Buddhist Sect!

He had strayed from the path, and not even nine bulls could pull him back.

’However, the Buddhist Sect of this world is already off track; perhaps in their eyes, a scholar in such a state is still a real Buddha’s son of the Buddhist Sect...’

Zhong Shenxiu thought somewhat speechlessly.

As for going from Confucian to Buddhist?

That wasn’t a problem at all because, in this world, mere reading could at best cultivate one’s temperament, but it wouldn’t lead to achieving Divine Skills.

Those scholars maintained a superficial pride, but behind closed doors, who knows how much they envied the cultivators.

"This is also your chance; don’t be polite."

Zhong Shenxiu responded with a smile, "Our destinies have run their course, let’s part ways here..."