The attitude toward immortal transformation differed, marking the distinction between the Daoist and demonic factions, and those of the eclectic practitioners.
The true Xuanmen Orthodox, emphasized using profound mana to suppress immortalization. Even if one refined their Primordial Spirit or Dharma Body, as long as they kept it concealed and did not reveal their true form, they could pass for ordinary people.
The Demon Sect, by contrast, sought to harness immortalization. In battle, they would transform into Demon Gods, possessing astonishing combat power, but also becoming extremely prone to descending into madness, turning into lunatics.
The Buddhist Sect spread their faith far and wide, using the devotion and the smoke of incense as an anchor to achieve a balance with immortalization, but this balance was easily disrupted. Furthermore, the incense was toxic; Buddhist Sect cultivators often found themselves so permeated they couldn’t extricate themselves, becoming involuntary in their actions, their personalities altered, and gradually conforming to the ideal image in the minds of the believers, losing their sense of self.
These three factions were considered mainstream in Yan Han, and within their cultivation techniques, there was mutual borrowing.
Hence, it was not too surprising to see elements of both Daoist and Buddhist practices even in the fundamental teachings of the Demon Sect.
The various minor factions, however, were a chaotic mix, blending elements of Buddhism, Daoism, and the Demon Sect with no coherent system.
"This Black Lotus Venerable, who is spreading beliefs, seems Buddhist on the surface but is unspeakably perverse and most likely a branch of the Demon Sect... It could also be a Loose Cultivator taking advantage of the chaos."
Zhong Shenxiu nodded, forming some conjectures.
Master Yixin also agreed with this guess, elaborating on the experiences of Can Yunzi in detail.
Near Luqiao Mountain, there was a small town called Luo Family Manor.
That evening, a disheveled Daoist, weary from his travels, entered the town.
He was only in his thirties, but he wore a tattered Daoist robe, his beard unshaven for who knows how long, and his hair a disordered mess like a bird’s nest, making it difficult to discern his actual age.
This was Can Yunzi, Master Yixin’s second disciple.
After descending from the mountain, Can Yunzi, embarrassed by his empty pockets, had attended several Loose Cultivator gatherings, but frustratingly had not acquired any useful Evil Qi.
But he was a person of steady thoughts and didn’t mind this, Instead, he wandered among mortals in his disheveled Daoist guise and did a few good deeds.
With his return time approaching, he decided to walk back to Yixin Temple.
The dark canopy of the sky descended, casting the land into gloom.
Can Yunzi had walked for half the day before finally seeing the Luo Family Manor. Although cultivators did not fear sleeping in the open, having a roof over one’s head was always better than none.
Before approaching, his expression abruptly stalled.
The keen hearing of a cultivator allowed him to detect the faint sounds of chanting coming from within the village.
’Has this village collectively converted?’
Can Yunzi felt a heaviness in his heart. From those disorderly chants, he discerned that they were not any widely known Buddhist Law or Daoist Scriptures but instead gave off an eerie vibe.
The pronunciations were blurred, the sentences simple, yet uttered with a droning sound, mixed together as if countless musical instruments played at will. They turned into strange notes which even he was unable to interpret.
He just felt his heart growing progressively heavier, as if stones were being piled onto his chest...
’Luo Family Manor is near Luqiao Mountain; my temple also has a responsibility...’
With this thought in mind, Can Yunzi took a deep breath and walked into the town.
On the sole main street in the manor, there were few pedestrians, and those who occasionally appeared were listless, like the walking dead.
"To the kind believer."
Can Yunzi’s back bristled, but he stopped a middle-aged man who looked like a farmer: "I am Can Yunzi, seeking shelter for the night, may I know..."
"The manor... on the east side... there’s a dilapidated temple!"
The farmer spat out a few syllables.
Seeing this, Can Yunzi’s heart relaxed at first, because he realized the man was still conscious, just seemingly very listless, not wanting to deal with others.
"Thank you, may I know if you have encountered anything strange recently?" Can Yunzi bowed and asked.
"Do you know... the Black Lotus Venerable?"
The man’s expression changed dramatically to one of fervor, his speech quickened a lot: "The apocalypse is imminent, the world sinks into desolation, the Black Lotus brings salvation, achieving eternal life..."
’So it is the Black Lotus Sect, has this cult really grown to such an extent? Looking at this man’s demeanor, he actually believes all of this, it’s truly... terrifying!’
But among the simple-minded farmers, there were not a few deceived, Can Yunzi just sighed inwardly, ready to see who in this village was the leader of the Black Lotus Sect.
If their cultivation was weak, he would play tricks before them, which would surely break their faith.
If their cultivation was too high, there wouldn’t be anything he could do, he would have to slip away.
He thought for a moment and asked, "In your village, is there an incense master? An altar master? Or maybe an incense master?"
"Who are... those?" The man’s expression became vacant again: "Haven’t... heard of... them..."
’No one is preaching, then how has the Black Lotus Venerable’s message spread?’
Can Yunzi changed his approach to the question: "Who was the first to spread the word of the Black Lotus Venerable?"
"Scholar Pan... read a book... said he saw... the ultimate truth... others didn’t believe... he copied... a page... then... everyone believed..."
The man’s eyes didn’t move, and he answered in a wooden tone.
’This Scholar Pan, could he be a demon in hiding? Or practicing sorcery? No, there’s no spell on him to confuse the mind... He actually believes all of this from the heart!’
Can Yunzi grew even more perplexed.
Then, he heard the man beside him speak: "The hour... has come... I need to... chant the scripture."
He pulled out a crumpled piece of grass paper from his bosom, his face showing piety and frenzy as he began to recite the scripture: "The apocalypse is imminent, the world sinks into desolation, the Black Lotus Venerable preaches..."
His voice rose and fell, gradually becoming indistinct, blending with the faint chanting sounds that came from around.
Can Yunzi brought his fingers together, stroked them over the position where his eyes were, and activated his spiritual eye to look at that piece of grass paper.
It had no hint of anything miraculous, just the cheapest, most ordinary grass paper that would tear with a slight tug.
On it, seemed to be the scrawled handwriting of a child, even the syntax was incoherent.
It looked, frankly, like a poor joke.
But still, it misled this man.
Can Yunzi felt a chill surge within him, cast a concealment spell, and hid to the side.
Come midnight, he saw the doors of the village households open, and men, women, the elderly, and children... one by one they emerged, gathering at the threshing ground of the village to chant the awkward and indistinct scriptures.
By dawn, they returned on their own, numbly starting another day of life.
Even Scholar Pan, after being secretly inspected by Can Yunzi, turned out to be just an ordinary person. The original ’scripture’ was nothing more than a book of mixed readings, carelessly printed by some small press with some misprints in the middle, but that was all.
Just such a book, together with a deluded man, poisoned a whole village, an endless scourge!
The more Can Yunzi observed, the more he felt these people had completely fallen, living mechanistically each day, fervently chanting scriptures, becoming unresponsive to anything else, as if gradually losing their emotions.
He thought that this matter must be resolved as soon as possible, without delay, so he prepared to further investigate the ruined temple mentioned by the man.
Before setting out, Can Yunzi had a foreboding feeling, so he sent a paper crane message with the detailed news, off to his master...