Chapter 484: Three Methods of Becoming Immortal
The Tianlu carriage drove to the Welcome Immortal Pavilion of Despair Slope, which was the first stop upon entering Despair Slope. When Celestial Way Walkers and Celestial Way Immortals who had been out returned to Despair Slope, they would undergo screening by the Celestial Way Divine Eye at this location.
That Celestial Way Divine Eye was on the upper floor of the Welcome Immortal Pavilion. It was a vertical eye over ten feet tall, rolling about, shooting divine light from its gaze. It could see through all transformations, see through spells like shapeshifting techniques and Transformation Talismans, inspect souls and Primordial Spirits, and only after verifying one's true identity could they enter Despair Slope.
Zhong Wuwang held Fang Zhenxiu's hand as he stepped down from the carriage and stood before the Welcome Immortal Building. The light of the Celestial Way Divine Eye shone over them. Zhong Wuwang seemed somewhat casual, but in his heart, he was preoccupied with Yang Bi's words.
"The first person I see at Despair Slope will really be the Celestial Venerable?"
He hesitated in his heart. Although Yang Bi was full of schemes, he was not omniscient and could be wrong.
After the Divine Eye scanned them, the gate of the Welcome Immortal Pavilion opened. Zhong Wuwang held Fang Zhenxiu's hand and walked into the pavilion.
At that moment, a familiar voice came: "Oh, it's Wuwang."
Zhong Wuwang's heart tightened, but he revealed a hint of surprise on his face. He quickly looked toward the voice, and his look of surprise grew even stronger. He bowed and said, "Wuwang pays respects to the Celestial Venerable."
He held Fang Zhenxiu's hand and knelt down. Fang Zhenxiu felt that this young master's hand was a bit sweaty, and even unconsciously squeezing hard, crushing his hand bones until they were almost broken.
Tears welled up in Fang Zhenxiu's eyes, but he endured the pain without making a sound, following Zhong Wuwang in his bow.
When Zhong Wuwang knelt on the ground, he only then remembered that he was a bit nervous and had squeezed his disciple too hard. He quickly loosened his grip slightly.
Opposite them was an old man with white hair and white eyebrows. He was not taller than Zhong Wuwang, but he seemed tall and imposing.
His eyebrows were long eyebrows of longevity, much longer than normal people's, hanging down along his cheeks all the way to his earlobes.
He wore a simple round-collared robe, with gold thread embroidered fish-dragon patterns on the cuffs, and a black python belt tied around his waist. His attire was very simple and plain. His white hair reached his shoulders, not tied up but casually scattered, giving a rather unkempt impression.
He was the Celestial Venerable, with kind eyebrows and kind eyes, a smile on his face, and a warm gaze. Looking at Zhong Wuwang and Fang Zhenxiu, he raised his hand slightly and smiled: "Rise."
Zhong Wuwang stood up. Although turbulent waves were surging in his mind, his expression remained unchanged, and the surprise on his face was still there: "Celestial Venerable, what brings you, Elder, to the Welcome Immortal Pavilion? Your disciple has not seen the Celestial Venerable or received your teachings for a long time. Could you today please give your disciple more guidance on his cultivation?"
The Celestial Venerable smiled: "I went with Fellow Daoist Feng to investigate the Demon Emperor, and I just returned."
"Uncle-Master Feng has returned?"
Zhong Wuwang was both surprised and delighted, smiling: "This time, the Celestial Venerable and Uncle-Master Feng took action, they must have annihilated the Demon Capital!"
The Celestial Venerable shook his head: "Your Uncle-Master Feng is still investigating the matter of the Demon Capital. I sensed that something was happening at Despair Slope, so I returned early. The Demon Emperor hides his head and conceals his tail, sneaking about. If I were to strike at the Demon Capital without finding him out first, it would alert the snake. Therefore, I did not move the Grand Sacrificial Officer and the others. Wuwang, where did you go? And this is your disciple?"
Zhong Wuwang quickly said: "This is a little disciple I took in, named Fang Zhenxiu. He is from the Yan Family among the Thirteen Great Clans. The Yan Family was exterminated by Chen Shi, so he changed his name to Fang Zhenxiu. Zhenxiu, quickly greet the Celestial Venerable!"
Fang Zhenxiu quickly knelt again.
The Celestial Venerable smiled: "Good child, get up quickly."
He took out a tender green jade pendant from his sleeve and stuffed it into Fang Zhenxiu's hand, smiling: "A small gift for you."
Fang Zhenxiu looked at Zhong Wuwang. Zhong Wuwang smiled: "Since the Celestial Venerable gave it to you, accept it. Why not thank the Celestial Venerable?"
Fang Zhenxiu kowtowed heavily and said: "I beg the Celestial Venerable to seek justice for my Yan Family!"
The Celestial Venerable shook his head: "Despair Slope does not interfere in worldly affairs. The Yan Family being wiped out is also due to cause and effect. Since you have joined Despair Slope, study diligently. Whether you can take revenge in the future depends on your own ability."
Fang Zhenxiu acknowledged and climbed to his feet.
The Celestial Venerable said in surprise: "This child behaves like an adult."
Zhong Wuwang said: "Having experienced a cataclysm at a young age, he had to grow up faster, otherwise he would have died at the hands of Old Thief Chen."
He paused and said: "Celestial Venerable, your disciple encountered Chen Shi because of this child and had some dealings with him. On this training journey, I did make a shocking discovery."
He recounted what the three of them had discovered, only hiding the speculation that Chen Shi and Yang Bi had about the culprit being the Celestial Venerable. With a worried expression, he said: "That culprit perished together with the Great Shang immortal. I am worried that he is not completely dead, which is why the attack on us happened. I am concerned that the moon being polluted will endanger the True God."
The Celestial Venerable stared at him, musing: "Troubled times. Outer gods, the Demon Emperor, and now a culprit of evil transformation appears. These beings always want to overthrow the True God and plunge this world under their rule. As for the common people, if it were not for my Despair Slope, who knows how many would have died."
He shook his head and asked: "Wuwang, do you think the culprit is alive or dead?"
Zhong Wuwang hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "Your disciple is not sure. This person might be alive, controlling the flesh to attack us, or he might be dead, with lingering thoughts still in the flesh. Celestial Venerable, that place is truly dangerous! Do not go!"
The Celestial Venerable looked at his face and smiled: "I have my own measure. Wuwang, do you think that Great Shang immortal is alive or dead?"
Zhong Wuwang thought for a moment and said: "This senior should have a glimmer of hope, but after resisting the flesh attack, his Dao patterns were worn away. I'm afraid..."
The Celestial Venerable sighed: "Such a powerful existence, dying silently and unnoticed, truly pitiable. Where are his remains?"
"Many were shattered. A few pieces that did not break were picked up by Chen Shi."
Zhong Wuwang said: "Those few bones still have some incomplete shamanic ritual markings, but they have become very faint and hard to distinguish. Celestial Venerable, your disciple did memorize quite a few shamanic ritual markings. Once I understand the mysteries within, I will transcribe them and send them to the Academy of Inquiry."
The Celestial Venerable nodded slightly: "You have a good heart. Take Zhenxiu and go."
Zhong Wuwang acknowledged, held Fang Zhenxiu's hand, and was about to leave, but then stopped, hesitating as if wanting to say something.
The Celestial Venerable smiled: "What is it now?"
Zhong Wuwang plucked up his courage and said: "Celestial Venerable, your disciple feels that his accumulation is sufficient, but he is still unable to break through to Great Completion and unify with heaven and earth. Your disciple would like to ask the Celestial Venerable for some guidance..."
His hand was held by Fang Zhenxiu, who felt that his palm was damp, covered in sweat, but Zhong Wuwang showed no sign of nervousness at all. Instead, he looked apprehensive, like a disciple who did not dare to disturb his teacher but was unwilling to give up this opportunity.
"I still have much to learn from my master," Fang Zhenxiu thought to himself.
The Celestial Venerable's expression was gentle as he gave guidance: "The True King created the new method and established many realms, with the highest realm being only Great Completion. But the traditional realms also have two later stages: Tribulation Crossing and Ascension. The Tribulation Crossing realm requires crossing the Heavenly Tribulation, borrowing the power of pure yang Heaven Thunder to wash away one's own impurities, allowing the Primordial Spirit to become an immortal. The Ascension realm requires drawing upon immortal qi and immortal light to temper the immortal body, allowing the physical body to also become an immortal. Since the new method does not have these two realms, if you want to achieve Dao Unification, you must first ask yourself: Has your Primordial Spirit become an immortal spirit? Has your physical body become an immortal body?"
Zhong Wuwang's heart shook greatly. He bowed and said: "Your disciple asks the Celestial Venerable, how does one cultivate an immortal Primordial Spirit and an immortal physical body?"
His previous question was only to dispel suspicion, so he stopped to ask. But this time, he was genuinely asking the Celestial Venerable, hoping to get an answer.
The Celestial Venerable seemed to be in a mood to speak without holding back. He continued to guide: "In the past, the True King led the people of the Ming Dynasty to this world. Many cultivators practiced the old method, cultivated to the pinnacle, and crossed the Heavenly Tribulation. I also observed them and found that although they had evil transformations, some had great wisdom and used various methods to suppress the evil transformation. After they crossed the tribulation, the sky split open, immortal light shone down, and immortal qi descended from the heavens. They drew upon the immortal qi and immortal light of the immortal realm to temper their physical bodies and Primordial Spirits in order to achieve Dao Unification and Ascension. Therefore, if you want to become an immortal, you must seek immortal light and immortal qi to temper your physical body and Primordial Spirit."
Zhong Wuwang let go of Fang Zhenxiu's hand and bowed to thank the Celestial Venerable.
The Celestial Venerable raised his hand slightly, and Zhong Wuwang involuntarily rose.
"Immortal light and immortal qi, Despair Slope has them, but the immortal light and immortal qi of Despair Slope are formed by cultivators entrusting their True God Dao Fields, not true immortal light and immortal qi. If you unify with a True God Dao Field and become an immortal, that would disgrace the Innate Dao Embryo."
The Celestial Venerable earnestly taught: "To obtain true immortal light and immortal qi, the first method is to seek out immortal grotto-heavens and blessed lands. The second is to cross the tribulation. The third is to undergo a thousand hammers and a hundred refinements, using patient effort to make your Primordial Spirit and physical body become immortal. Of these three methods, the first is the easiest, the second produces purer results, and the third is the safest. Wuwang, you possess the Innate Dao Embryo. No matter which method you choose, you can become an immortal. I hope you can find a path to immortality for the world."
Zhong Wuwang bowed: "Wuwang will earnestly follow the Celestial Venerable's teachings."
The Celestial Venerable waved his hand, allowing him to leave.
Zhong Wuwang took Fang Zhenxiu's hand and left the Welcome Immortal Pavilion, flying toward his own Tiandao Peak.
Fang Zhenxiu looked up and said: "Master..."
Zhong Wuwang gave him a meaningful look and shook his head slightly, saying: "Zhenxiu, what is it?"
Fang Zhenxiu's mind was extremely sharp. He immediately understood and handed over the jade pendant gifted by the Celestial Venerable, saying: "Master, I'm hungry."
Zhong Wuwang took the jade pendant, showed a smile, and said: "Your master will take you to find some good food."
Looking at the jade pendant, he was secretly vigilant.
"Every move I make could very well be transmitted to the Celestial Venerable's ears through this gift. But fortunately, Zhenxiu is clever."
He silently thought: "Yang Bi, you guessed correctly. The Celestial Venerable is very likely that culprit. Back then, he killed all the gods of the Great Shang Celestial Court and perished together with the Great Shang immortal. He might have possessed the body of some Great Shang subject, plotting to make a comeback. To verify this, I need to know the ages of all the Celestial Way Immortals and see if any of them were officials of the Great Shang court. That should not be too difficult."
Zhong Wuwang arranged for Fang Zhenxiu to stay and taught him how to cultivate. He thought: "I wonder how Chen Shi is doing. Does that Great Shang immortal still have a chance at life?"
Chen Shi returned to Qianyang Mountain and immediately sought out the Beekeeper, A Zhuo. He collected beeswax and rosin, boiled them into glue, and carefully pieced the immortal bones back together bit by bit.
Although the immortal bones were restored to wholeness, the shamanic ritual markings on the surface were faint and blurry.
Chen Shi observed closely. The shamanic ritual markings seemed to be slowly circulating.
"He's not dead even like this?"
He couldn't help but marvel. The Great Shang's Immortal Art of Immortality was truly too powerful.
But the recovery of the shamanic ritual markings was very slow. It was unknown how long it would take for them to fully recover.
Yang Bi was eager to return home and asked Chen Shi to take his leave. Chen Shi smiled: "I promised Sister-in-Law that I would personally send you home. I will use my minor heaven to send you back."
Yang Bi thanked him.
Chen Shi activated the Celestial Court token and entered the minor heaven together with him. He asked: "Brother Yang, you have seen my Huangpo Village. What do you think?"
Yang Bi pondered for a moment and said: "On the yellow earth slope, true immortals stand in multitudes. The gods of China use divine power to jointly build the Empress Temple, welcoming the Empress's descent, a scene of prosperity. There are also King Chen's four great disciples overseeing, and seniors like Chen Yindu and Creation Little Five. In the underworld, there is also King Chen's influence. The talisman masters of Red Mountain Hall are spread throughout the world. It can be said that in both the Yin and Yang realms, there is no enemy left. The remaining twelve great clans are nothing but mantises trying to stop a chariot. King Chen will inevitably unify the world, and then his body will perish and his Dao will vanish."
Chen Shi stopped in his tracks and looked at him with a half-smile.
Yang Bi also stopped and met his gaze.
Chen Shi smiled: "Tell me, why do I die after unifying the world?"
Yang Bi said: "All power returns to oneself. That is what King Chen told me. Now, Huangpo Village is filled with experts. Who has the highest cultivation and the strongest strength? How high can they reach? How does it compare to using one's own power to annihilate the Celestial Way Immortals of the Upper Realm? The Empress of Earth's clone descends, and the clones of the gods of China stand in multitudes—how spectacular! Yet, why did the True King's Era disappear at its end?"
He said solemnly: "The way the True King was defeated and perished back then is exactly how King Chen will be defeated and perish in the future. The overturned cart ahead serves as a warning for the cart behind."
Chen Shi sighed and said: "I also agree with your view. But how can one gather all power to oneself?"
Yang Bi's eyes flickered: "I believe that King Chen should become an immortal."
Chen Shi frowned: "How does one become an immortal?"
Yang Bi said: "King Chen's highest realm right now is the Blood Lake Sutra. Wielding the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, he can fight Zhong Wuwang without being at a disadvantage. Although this cultivation realm is elevated by the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, it is still a realm. Your realm is no less than Zhong Wuwang's. Zhong Wuwang can strive to become the first immortal of the new method, and King Chen can also achieve it!"
Chen Shi immediately felt the pressure.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about breaking through the shackles of the new and old methods to cultivate into a deathless immortal, but using the Blood Lake Sutra to become an immortal felt inappropriate to him.
The Blood Lake Sutra was too sinister. It was a matching cultivation technique for the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade, and its cultivation speed was too fast!
Such a technique must have hidden dangers!
Now, Chen Shi could still block the backlash of the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade and was not affected by the Blood Lake Sutra. But what about after becoming an immortal?
At the time of Dao Unification, the demonic nature of the Blood Lake Sutra and the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade would be at their heaviest. Whether he could still withstand the backlash at that time was hard to say.
Moreover, relying on the Blood Sea Hell of the Blood-Transforming Divine Blade to charge into the immortal realm—could it really succeed?
Would unifying with the Blood Sea Hell make him a proper immortal?
Chen Shi remained silent as he opened the Celestial Court token for Tianyu County. The two walked through the portal and arrived at Red Mountain Hall in Tianyu County.
They walked out of Red Mountain Hall and headed toward the Yang Family home, not speaking a word along the way.
When they arrived at the Yang Family home and saw Sister Yang, Xiao Fang, Chen Shi smiled: "Sister-in-Law, I have fulfilled my mission and brought Brother Yang back safely."
Xiao Fang smiled in thanks.
Just as Chen Shi was about to return to Huangpo Village, Yang Bi's voice came from behind him: "King Chen, do you think that without the Innate Dao Embryo, you cannot compare to Zhong Wuwang? All power returns to oneself. If you cannot achieve it, then after you die, I will."
Chen Shi stopped, turned around, and looked back sharply like an eagle or a wolf.
"Brother Yang, don't be impatient. I will definitely become the first immortal!"