Yixin Temple, the backyard.
As the ground’s disappearing glow flickered, the figure of Zhong Shenxiu emerged from the soil.
This was an Earth Escape Technique.
The complete Earthly Fiendish 72 Transformations, primarily based on the Yin Evil Skill from the Dragon Tiger Pill Book, allowed him to convincingly impersonate a disciple of the Inner Sect of the Supreme Dragon and Tiger Sect.
If he had waved his hand and cast the Taiching Demon Refining Immortal Light, he might have even been mistaken for a True Inheritor!
"Unfortunately, it is essentially still a simulation of the Earthly Fiendish 72 Transformations, and the power seems to be slightly inferior to the original," he sighed, "It always feels like it lacks a bit of genuine essence, yet the flaws do not hide the merits..."
As Zhong Shenxiu sighed, within his sea of consciousness, the talisman that originally transformed into the Earth Escape Skill suddenly changed, acquiring an extremely sharp Sword Qi and wrapped in strands of mysterious Xuanyin Energy, morphing into a Xuanyin Soul-cutting Sword Seed!
He took out the Poison Dragon Sword, infused the Xuanyin Soul-cutting Sword Qi into it, and began a deeper refinement.
This time, the Poison Dragon Sword did not resist; instead, it seemed to cooperate, breathing in and out, its body shifting from semi-transparent to gradually displaying a hint of dark green.
"The Xuanyin Soul-cutting Sword Technique, although a part of the sword cultivator lineage, melts Xuanyin Energy and embodies piercingly cold Sword Qi, posing extreme damage to the Divine Soul..."
This Sword Technique was actually the true secret of the Ten Thousand Techniques Sect, and it might even be a treasured asset of Yixin Temple.
However... Zhong Shenxiu had deduced its existence.
Because its part of genuine essence had indeed already been integrated into the Nine Changes of Mysterious Evil, it was just not manifest before.
Later, fulfilled by the Heavenly Show System, it finally bloomed its brilliance.
’This broken system is actually quite useful.’
Zhong Shenxiu looked at the Poison Dragon Flying Sword that had turned into a piece of jade-like green, flicked his finger.
The Poison Dragon Sword transformed into a stream of light, flying around the garden, with Sword Qi whistling, instantly slashing beyond the hundred steps limit, barely reaching three hundred steps before it felt a sense of Mana hard to reach.
’Gang Sha Cultivators can perform the Hundred Steps Flying Sword; this is the normal standard... I have a flying sword and a Sword Technique, naturally, I can significantly exceed the common standard.’
’With the Poison Dragon Sword and this Xuanyin Soul-cutting Sword Technique, I fear that below the level of Divine Skills, it’s capable of slashing down even the true transmissions of the Daoist sects.’
As for True Inheritors? They truly cannot be cut.
After all, Zhong Shenxiu had himself experienced the might of the Taiching Demon Refining Immortal Light; just a Yin Evil Skill was tremendously powerful.
His was still merely a forced simulation and transformation, not comparable to the true original.
As he pondered, Zhong Shenxiu made a gesture with his sleeve, retracting the Poison Dragon Sword into his cuff.
He heard someone approaching; the origins of the Xuanyin Soul-cutting Sword Technique were unclear, and it was better not to let others see it, to avoid awkwardness.
Soon, footsteps hastened, sounding extremely urgent.
A young Daoist boy ran into the garden, "Mr. Shenxiu... sob... Master has summoned you!"
Zhong Shenxiu saw his red-rimmed eyes and couldn’t help but ask.
"I just received the news, my second senior brother is in danger..." the young Daoist boy replied sadly.
Zhong Shenxiu fell silent.
In Yixin Temple, there were merely two or three cats, and the true cultivators probably only numbered four, Master Yixin and his three disciples.
Now that the eldest had died and the second was in danger, didn’t it mean that this little Daoist boy had become the sole seedling?
Zhong Shenxiu observed coldly, seeing that the young Daoist boy’s sadness was genuine, he couldn’t help but comment that although the sect was small, the master-disciple relationship was truly sincere.
He made his way to the hall and saw Master Yixin.
The old Daoist bowed, apologetically saying, "I had initially hoped to host fellow Daoist for a few more days, but an urgent matter has arisen in the mountains below, and I must rush there immediately..."
"Whether you host me or not, I’ve received your kindness, and I must repay it. I’ll come with you this time..."
Zhong Shenxiu said with a smile.
Master Yixin was very much intrigued.
He had already planned it, just too embarrassed to mention it.
This Young Master Shen Xiu, his Daoist Skill was unfathomable, but his cultivation should indeed be above his own.
Otherwise, why was he so agreeable before? And why did he offer Daoist Skills out of the blue?
At this moment in Yixin Temple, the old Daoist had little life left, his eldest disciple Lu Huolong had died, and the young Daoist boy was too small; the future relied only on his second disciple to handle everything, making it inevitable for him to worry.
"Thank you, all of us at Yixin Temple will always remember your great kindness."
Master Yixin bowed solemnly.
"I am only willing to help, but the details of the matter need to be thoroughly discussed," Zhong Shenxiu said with an unchanged smile.
However, if halfway he discovered the danger exceeded his expectations, he would turn around and leave without any hesitation.
"Naturally, let’s hurry along the way," Master Yixin replied.
Master Yixin took out a cloud-bed Magic Artifact and invited Zhong Shenxiu to sit, then drove it to fly high in the sky, swiftly disappearing into the distance.
’This Master Yixin, his cultivation is only of Yang Gang Skill, and it’s not even perfect.’
By this time, when the opponent circulated his Mana, his entire cultivation was undoubtedly revealed.
Zhong Shenxiu secretly thought to himself, then he heard Master Yixin’s voice, clear even amidst the raging violent winds.
"My second disciple, titled Can Yunzi, is stable in character and mature in handling affairs... Several months ago, I sent him down the mountain to search for suitable Gang Sha Qi and other opportunities... All had been safe until seven days ago when I received his paper crane message detailing a very mysterious affair."
Zhong Shenxiu raised his eyebrows, "May I know what mystery?"
"Have you ever heard of the Black Lotus Sect?" Master Yixin asked in return.
’Again this thing? Still lingering around?’
Zhong Shenxiu felt chilled inwardly but showed nothing on his face, "Of course, it’s said that this sect is connected to the Demon Sect. Despite being a new emergence, it’s guarded by a person with Great Divine Power, not to be taken lightly..."
"When the six paths of the Demon Sect emerge, there are bound to be some Demon Pups stirring trouble..." Master Yixin sighed, "Fellow Daoist, you know too little. The Black Lotus Sect worships the Black Lotus Venerable. Their doctrine roughly states that this world will face a calamity, and the common people will sink into oblivion; only by believing in the Black Lotus Venerable can the soul ascend into the Black Lotus Marvelous Realm, eliminating sins..."
"Is this Black Lotus Venerable, perhaps an Evil God?!" asked Zhong Shenxiu.
"Maybe, or possibly just a cultivator following the way of gaining followers; such heretical ways are very susceptible to entering demonhood, but achieving even a slight success is very remarkable... Wooing followers from a lower realm, some even exhibiting partial signs of immortality, must be dealt with cautiously!"
Master Yixin, being part of the branch from the Ten Thousand Techniques Sect, knew some secrets and kindly reminded him.
Zhong Shenxiu nodded earnestly.
Like Dragon and Tiger True Man, having rotten internal organs doesn’t count.
Only those who truly achieve a Primordial Pill and reveal their true form can be called ’almost immortal’!
And true immortality is achieved at the Dharma Body Realm, where Daoists develop various Dharma Bodies, and the Buddhist Sect attains states like the Arhat Golden Body and others.
Such Dharma Body Golden Bodies, upon sight by mortals, will submerge them in devotion, and even cultivators of lower realms will be injured, for they exhibit the state of immortality!
The closer one is to becoming an Immortal, the more the Dao manifests externally, unseen by mortals, which is truly terrifying!
And some heretical paths, perhaps at the Divine Skills or Primordial Pill Realm, might enter demonhood, with a ninety-nine percent chance of death.
If they don’t die, some inexplicable changes may arise, such as prematurely possessing certain characteristics of the immortality state.
According to the research of the Supreme Dragon and Tiger Sect, this inferior version of ’immortality’ can indeed cause some impact on the Divine Soul but is not overly severe.
But if one doesn’t know the basis and during a duel, the opponent’s immortality impacts his mind and spirit, causing a moment of distraction, he will surely suffer a great loss!