Chapter 139: The Qiao Clan of Mishan

As the voice faded, Ding Xian suddenly felt the world spin and his vision blur into an instant trance.

When he finally opened his eyes again and his mind cleared, he had already been transported directly into the Daoist temple by a supreme and mighty arcane technique.

"Your humble ghost, Ding Xian, pays respects to True Monarch Qiao! Wishing the True Monarch early completion of your celestial karma and boundless blessings!"

Before the offering table, the solemn divine statue had completely vanished.

In its place, seated upon the futon to the left, was a handsome Daoist whose face was as flawless as crown jade.

He wore a deep cyan treasured robe, a Primordial Sun Grand Lotus Treasure Crown upon his head, and a three-foot-long sword tied at his waist by a multicolored silk sash.

A mere wisp of sharp, piercing edge occasionally leaking from the sword body exuded an unmatched aura as if it could slay all gods and ghosts across the heavens, shaking mountains and cleaving peaks!

It immediately made the bowing Ding Xian's hairs stand on end and his heart leap in terror.

He wished he could lower his head lower, and lower still... sinking right into the dust, just to avoid that surging, heaven-slaying, biting sword intent.

"Your practice of the sword path has grown slack in recent years, Ding Xian."

Seeing Ding Xian's legs trembling, his back nearly drenched in sweat, and his mind thoroughly shaken and wretched, Qiao Yubi raised his eyes expressionlessly and lightly flexed a finger, tapping against the three-foot sword at his waist. Only after scattering that wanton sword intent did Ding Xian feel a sense of relief and slowly exhale the breath caught in his chest.

Qiao Yubi said calmly:

"All these years, ever since I cleaved the mountain to form a pillar and left behind the cultivation method of the 'Yin-Eroding Crimson Water', nearly a full sixty-year cycle has passed, yet you have not achieved the realm of 'Sword Qi Sounding Like Thunder'?"

Just as Ding Xian had slightly relaxed, his heart violently tightened once more.

He stammered, momentarily not knowing what to say, and could only reveal a look of shame while offering a bitter smile.

"Ranks, authority, resources, and all such things are merely external possessions. It seems that ordering you, Ding Xian, to take charge of Five Clouds Wild back then actually harmed your cultivation."

Qiao Yubi stated:

"In the early years when I opened the altar to expound the Dharma, you and Lou Fu were the two among thousands with the most outstanding aptitude for the sword. Remember this, always remember it; do not forget that steadfast heart heading toward the Dao from back then."

"True Monarch... This humble ghost understands, and shall engrave it in my heart!"

Upon hearing this, Ding Xian felt even more profoundly ashamed. With a fierce bite of his teeth, he immediately prostrated himself on the ground and heavily knocked his head.

"Bound by the sect rules of the Zhongyi Sword Faction, although I cannot take you and Lou Fu into my own mountain gate for instruction, it is not that I cannot provide a Daoist sanctuary for the two of you to find a foothold and preserve your lives."

Qiao Yubi spoke evenly:

"Ding Xian, if you can achieve the realm of 'Sword Qi Sounding Like Thunder' within twenty years, I will bestow upon you an examination talismanic edict of the Myriad Phenomena Palace.

That otherworldly profound sect has always practiced the creed of 'teaching without discrimination', treating demons, monsters, humans, and ghosts all on equal terms. The Vice Palace Master who is about to assume office in the Myriad Phenomena Palace is my fourth paternal uncle; if I were to personally step forward, he should grant this Qiao Yubi a slight favor."

Hearing these words, Ding Xian felt as though thunder and lightning had struck beside his ears.

For a moment, he felt somewhat soul-lost and disoriented, seeing golden stars scattering haphazardly before his eyes and losing his footing.

The Myriad Phenomena Palace—

This high and lofty profound sect located in the Mingtian he had once heard mentioned during Qiao Yubi's casual chats while expounding the Dharma.

Although the Myriad Phenomena Palace could not compare to the Eight Factions and Six Sects of Xudutian, it nevertheless possessed a Dao Lord presiding over its mountain gate, ruling over all living beings in the Yanfu realm with a resounding and prominent name!

And he was merely a humble, insignificant Yin ghost of the Earth Abyss...

If he could truly enter this otherworldly profound sect to cultivate, then even attaining the Yin Spirit realm would be something he could dare to aspire to!

"I have already spoken of this matter to Lou Fu, but seeing that your temperament was unstable, I temporarily set it aside. In the future, you must still cultivate diligently and not abandon or give up on yourself."

Qiao Yubi did not bother to gaze much at Ding Xian's tearfully grateful expression. After instructing this disciple, he reached his hand into his sleeve, retrieved a beast-head token, and handed it to Ding Xian:

"Since that Chen Heng has obtained the inheritance of the 'Yin-Eroding Crimson Water', he has forged karmic entanglement with the old monster Yin Xing. After he completes his seclusion, you shall deliver this token to him on my behalf."

"This is?"

Though filled with doubts, Ding Xian respectfully accepted it.

He curiously inspected it several times without discerning any clues, and asked: "Dare I ask True Monarch, is this a celestial magical artifact or some secret treasure?"

"It is merely a relic of the old monster Yin Xing. What needed to be said has already been said, so I will not linger. As for your cultivation, you should take good care of yourself."

After saying these words calmly, Qiao Yubi's form dissolved into a stream of sword light that scattered, illuminating all four walls as brightly as quicksilver.

The sword light flew down before the offering table and transformed once more into a solemn divine statue, solemn and unmoving.

"This humble ghost respectfully sends off True Monarch Qiao!"

Seeing this, Ding Xian hastily made a grand bow and paid homage.

Not until Qiao Yubi drew his consciousness back across the void and the statue returned to its clay-and-wood sculpted posture did he slowly raise his head, his expression exceptionally complex.

Ever since Qiao Yubi slew the Yellow Pus Great Demon and opened up the Golden Drum Grotto, he had rarely expounded the Dharma from an altar again, not even showing his face.

An instance like today, where his consciousness was projected across the void and manifested in the world, had to be traced back thirty years ago when Lou Fu defeated sixteen adversaries with a single sword during a Dharma demonstration.

"The Myriad Phenomena Palace... I wondered why True Monarch Qiao frequently brought up this otherworldly profound sect during our casual chats back then. So the True Monarch already had a draft in mind at that time, determining our destination?

Yet since Lou Fu that kid knew the inside story, why didn't he speak plainly to me? He made me vainly waste so much time..."

Ding Xian sighed desolately in his heart.

Thinking of Qiao Yubi's evaluation of him as having an "unstable temperament," after a moment of silence, he could only offer a bitter smile.

Qiao Yubi hailed from the Mishan Qiao Clan.

And the Mishan Qiao Clan was one of the Twelve Noble Clans of Xudutian, naturally flourishing with deeply planted roots.

It was by no means rare or unusual for members of the Qiao Clan to travel far beyond the heavens to cultivate and become one of the leaders of an otherworldly profound sect; it was quite a common occurrence.

For such prestigious noble clans, their scheming had always upheld the principle of placing bets in multiple directions to prolong their family fortune.

In worldly idioms, it meant not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Often, if members of the same clan gathered for a feast and discussed their origins, they could manage to assemble nearly the entire Eight Factions and Six Sects of Xudutian, which was hardly considered a novel story.

Not to mention that with Qiao Yubi's status as a Pure Yang True Monarch, his words naturally carried the weight of heaven and golden decrees.

Merely because he hailed from the Mishan Qiao Clan, relying solely on this illustrious family background to secure an examination talismanic edict for the Myriad Phenomena Palace was hardly a difficult task...

"To achieve the realm of 'Sword Qi Sounding Like Thunder' within twenty years in order to obtain an examination talismanic edict of the Myriad Phenomena Palace... Although not easy, it is not something that can be accomplished just by flapping one's lips together.

The True Monarch treats me with such profound grace and meticulously plans for me; it seems I can only rouse my ambition and exert myself! If I were to continue self-pitying and looking down on myself because of my Yin ghost body, then I would truly have no face left to survive in this world!"

Ding Xian's thoughts turned over and over. With a long sigh and a stomp of his foot, he transformed into a long rainbow that pierced the air and flew away, his whereabouts vanishing.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Within the deep and secluded cavern.

Chen Heng, entirely enveloped by a blood river, sat cross-legged at ease within it, his hands pressed before his knees, eyes slightly closed as if wandering empty and unattached through the void, ready to flow away with the ripples of the water.

The Dharma technique obtained from the stone pillar was operating naturally, following an ineffable guidance transmitted through the blood river, continuously refining the river water.

Bit by bit, he sought to condense a true drop of "Yin-Eroding Crimson Water" within his chest and abdomen.

If one wished to cross the threshold into the Yin-Eroding Crimson Water, it was imperative to have a massive quantity of Yin-eroding spiritual essence as an auxiliary aid before achievement was possible.

Yet previously within the True-Realm, where could one find any Yin-eroding spiritual essence?

No wonder that despite painstakingly executing it a few times, it was all in vain without the slightest reaction.

Presently, this blood river, fierce and surging like a celestial waterfall—an entire river of it—was transformed from spiritual essence of the Yin-eroding attribute, left entirely for Chen Heng to take and use without the slightest reservation!

Under such circumstances,

how could he worry about failing to succeed?

His embryonic breathing rotated slowly within his chest, expanding outward into a sphere of pristine white, gentle halo that brushed away the blood water surrounding his body layer by layer, capturing it into his acupoints to circulate according to the cultivation method of the Yin-Eroding Crimson Water. His eyes temporarily turned a vibrant, dazzling crimson, resembling drops of fresh blood.

If one were to encounter the technique of the Yin-Eroding Crimson Water for the first time, it would take at the very least arduous effort and careful study to commit it thoroughly to memory before daring to put it into practice.

Yet Chen Heng was absorbing spiritual essence from the blood river on one hand while continuously operating it within the True-Realm on the other, mastering the underlying meridians.

Amidst this dual-tasking, although he took a few wrong turns in his nodes within the True-Realm and accidentally coughed up blood a couple of times, his progress was rapid, and he quickly came to understand it thoroughly.

It ran unimpeded between his Qi meridians and acupoints, as if fused into a seamless whole, with no more stagnation or hindrance...

Time flew swiftly by. By the seventh day, Chen Heng suddenly reined in his entire aura as a violent explosion echoed in his mind, and an indescribable, mysterious sensation flooded his limbs and bones.

He laughed aloud, flipping his hand over, and a drop of Yin-Eroding Crimson Water slowly emerged in his palm—crimson, bleak, and bewitching!

As soon as this true water manifested, it displayed a boundless, fierce, and gloomy intent, agitating the blood river all around him into a temporary commotion and setting off a roaring tumult!

"Yin-Eroding Crimson Water, a drop of it has finally been refined. I have crossed the threshold."

Chen Heng gazed at the solitary drop of Yin-Eroding Crimson Water suspended quietly in his palm, feeling deeply emotional.

Having already mastered the superior Dao technique "Immortal Great Sun Divine Light," he had finally acquired another immensely powerful offensive means.

While a superior Dao technique was the pinnacle of Dao techniques, taking a step further would classify it among divine powers—an extraordinary feat indeed.

Yet if one were to truly compare them,

the "Immortal Great Sun Divine Light" still fell short of the "Yin-Eroding Crimson Water."

After all, this water was one of the three subsidiary waters of the Nether True Water and a rare treasure of heaven and earth.

As the saying goes:

Dharma is divided into three grades, while immortals have five ranks.

Within the cultivation path of the Yin-Eroding Crimson Water, condensing a single drop of Yin-Eroding Crimson Water could only be considered crossing the threshold.

Once used, one had to seek out another desolate land anew, harvest the Yin-eroding spiritual essence within it, and then refine another drop.

As for the minor accomplishment realm, one needed to refine a full eighty-nine seventy-two drops of Yin-Eroding Crimson Water.

The medium accomplishment realm required thoroughly comprehending the Dharma technique, using a precious medicine named "Three Elements Qi" as a guide to wash and refine those eighty-nine seventy-two drops of Yin-Eroding Crimson Water up and down, before being able to make another breakthrough and refine a full three hundred and sixty-five drops of Yin-Eroding Crimson Water, secretly aligning with the number of the Great Heavenly Cycle.

As for the great accomplishment realm.

That required co-cultivating with either the "Dark Nether Black Water" or the "Departed White Water"—any one of the other subsidiary waters—aligning their auras before attaining it, and cultivating a single Dharma seed to anchor oneself.

Once this Dharma seed was condensed, one would no longer be restricted to the single domain of Yin-eroding spiritual essence, and its might would be world-shaking, incomparable to before!

True water and true fire in this world naturally grew more formidable in power the greater their quantity, and the Yin-Eroding Crimson Water was naturally no exception.

A single drop of Yin-Eroding Crimson Water was enough to corrode and destroy a cultivator's treasured body, killing them outright.

And if a hundred or so drops gathered together, if one were careless, even magical artifacts might be defiled and knocked down a grade, reduced to piles of scrap iron.

As for unleashing a thousand drops, that would be sweeping away all armies and remaining unrivaled!

It was enough to flatten all adversaries standing in one's path and claim supreme dominance!

Chen Heng reckoned that with this hanging river of Yin-eroding blood before him, refining eighty-nine seventy-two drops of Yin-Eroding Crimson Water to bring this Dao practice to the minor accomplishment realm would not only be easy,

but judging by the massive total volume of spiritual essence, there should still be more than enough to spare...

"It's just a pity that the 'Three Elements Qi' is currently lacking. If I had it to wash and refine the Yin-Eroding Crimson Water, transforming its essence and quality, perhaps even the medium accomplishment realm could be aspired to."

Chen Heng withdrew the drop of Yin-Eroding Crimson Water hovering in his palm, looked at the surging scarlet blood river all around him, and sighed inwardly.

He wondered if this blood river arrangement was intentionally orchestrated by that True Monarch Qiao.

The abundant spiritual essence contained within it clearly seemed meant to give him a helping hand, enabling Chen Heng's cultivation of the Yin-Eroding Crimson Water to make further refinements.

If he had that "Three Elements Qi," even if he couldn't cultivate the Great Heavenly Cycle number of three hundred and sixty-five drops, condensing over two hundred should not have been difficult.

However, right now...

Chen Heng shook his head slightly.

Steadiness returned to his mind as he continued to immerse himself in the Dharma technique, incessantly looting the Yin-eroding spiritual essence within the blood river for his own use.

Just as his aura surged violently, like a rushing torrent soaring endlessly,

not far from Five Clouds Wild, within a cramped and gloomy tidal river valley,

several Xuanzhen Faction Daoists trembled with fear as they jointly hoisted a protective light barrier to shroud their figures, waiting until the dark, cold ghost cloud hanging overhead had drifted far away before wearing mournful expressions and cautiously putting away their talismanic artifacts.

"That old ghost named Gao Bi, why does he keep prowling around Five Clouds Wild? What on earth is he trying to do? Is he looking for a nice grave for himself?"

A lean Daoist with short, goat-like whiskers cursed softly, wiping the cold sweat from his brow while his palms still trembled.

The surrounding Daoists likewise chimed in with curses, evidently still shaken with lingering fear.

Amidst this chaotic din,

in the very corner,

holding an iron sword, Xu Zhi looked even more drained of color, pressing his back tightly against the rock wall to keep his legs from turning to jelly and causing him to collapse to the ground.

"There are ghosts! There are ghosts! There are truly too many Yin ghosts in this Earth Abyss, more than the ants on the yellow mud path. You see them in flocks; people will die, if we stay here any longer, we will surely die..."

Xu Zhi screamed frantically inside:

"No, I must find Junior Brother! With him around to look after me, I can preserve this life of mine! But where on earth has Junior Brother gone? He hasn't been eaten by ghosts already, has he?!"

As Xu Zhi's emotions churned tumultuously, he failed to notice that at some unknown point, the chaotic noise around him had gradually ceased.

Startled, he hurriedly turned his gaze to look, meeting several pairs of eyes that faintly radiated a chilling intent.

"Senior Brother Xu, what were you thinking about just now? So lost in thought?"

The lean Daoist with the goat-like whiskers smiled a thin, mirthless smile and said:

"In such a perilous situation right now, I wonder what brilliant strategy Senior Brother might have?"