I have a panel that reduces proficiency.

Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Qi Xueyi said, "The primordial true nature is the initial spark of spiritual light in the beginning. It is received from one's parents and bestowed upon Heaven and Earth. When it enters the womb, it becomes a human; when it disperses into nothingness, it becomes a ghost."

"This true nature is neither soul nor spirit, neither essence nor qi, but the master of soul and spirit, and the pivot of essence and qi. The soul can be summoned and the spirit can be captured, the essence can be replenished and the qi can be sustained. However, this one point of spiritual light, once dispersed into the vast void, is like rain falling into the ocean, and cannot be retrieved."

"Therefore, all so-called resurrected beings, without true nature as their master, are merely puppets, their memories copied, like calligraphy rubbings. But without true nature, not a single stroke can be changed. A rubbing is ultimately just a rubbing; it cannot write new words or create a new chapter. It is a dead thing, not a living person." The earth's veins exploded, and turbid energy flooded the four towns. Everyone thought it was just an ordinary calamity. But within that turbid energy lay Chu Qianfan's magical power—his "Supreme Seven Emotions Respond to Transformation into True Water and Attain the Dao True Understanding" refined turbidity with extreme emotion, and his magical power had long been permeated with his obsessions and imprints. The fact that his magical power and intent did not dissipate meant that a sliver of his primordial true nature still remained. He wanted to use this sliver of true nature to absorb the true nature of others, mend himself, and completely resurrect.

"Those people in District B were the first batch of sacrifices in his Five Yin Demon Realm. But how could a mere three thousand people be enough for him to assemble a complete force? He also wants District A, and the people from the other three towns. I cannot let him succeed."

The voice scoffed, saying, "Sister, it's probably not just that. There are indeed capable people in the Three Plates Temple who used the Crimson Token to suppress most of Chu Qianfan's true nature, preventing his resurrection. But they don't know that you are his greatest asset in his resurrection. And in order to avoid being devoured by him, after escaping the Five Yin Demon Realm, you personally sent your husband, who had escaped the calamity, into that Five Yin Demon Realm."

Qi Xueyi said, "Don't talk nonsense! It's clear that the outer perimeter was attacked by Chu Qianfan, and it was surrounded by danger. I sent him into the Seven Emotions and Desires Realm to protect him—I even gave him the 'True Explanation of the Supreme Seven Emotions Responding to Transformation into True Water and Attaining the Dao' along with it!"

The voice said, "Sister, the inner Seven Emotions and Desires Realm is already on the verge of collapse and can't protect anyone at all. Going in now would just make you a scapegoat. So I say, sister, put away your hypocrisy. I was the one who pulled you up the cliff back then, but I was exhausted and couldn't do my best. To save your own life, you stepped on my body to stand on the cliff, letting me fall into the abyss. What's happening now is just a repetition of the past. Your so-called transmission of magic to save him is just bait on the hook to make him hold on longer so he can take a few more rounds of Chu Qianfan's attacks for you. You treat him no differently than you treat me."

Qi Xueyi asked, "Is that so?"

The voice said, "It's like this. Your current confusion is simply due to the influence of Qi Xueyi's infatuation, which you've been unaware of for too long. Just like back then, when you were determined to be resurrected, you were taken advantage of by Chu Yao's obsession—you delivered those two books to Chu Qianfan and altered his memories, making him believe it was an opportunity he had found himself. Do you remember?"

Qi Xueyi said, "Is that so—"

The voice said, "That's right, sister. Selfishness is your true nature. It's all because that Shouyijian is too despicable, holding his sword for a thousand years, day and night without rest, that you've forgotten your true self and been corrupted by the obsessions of these lowly cultivators. If you don't wake up, you'll truly become the person you're impersonating."

"is that so."

Yes, yes, that's right.

Just then, a roar came from the direction of Zone B.

What was that sound?

Zhao Hu loosened Sun He's collar and glanced at the B-section.

Sun He released his grip, rubbing his neck which had been pinched red, and said irritably, "What sound could there be? The Taoist priests from Sanpan Temple are clearing away the turbid air inside, you know that."

Zhao Hu frowned and said, "We've been clearing away the turbid air for almost a month now, and when have we heard any commotion like this? Those managers come in and out of Zone B every day, perfectly clean, saying everything's fine inside—fine my ass!"

Before he could finish speaking, a second roar exploded out, followed by a third, a fourth, and then dozens of roars, all blending together.

The shouts from the tent area were instantly cut off, and everyone looked towards the "B" section.

Suddenly, a dark figure emerged from the alleyway.

Its body was stiff as withered wood, its knees unbendable, its feet unbent, its face bluish-black as the color of a deep abyss, its lips purplish-blue, its eye sockets sunken like dry wells, its pupils murky like accumulated puddles, devoid of any vitality.

Dark saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth, thick and sticky, making a hissing sound as it fell to the ground.

The most horrifying thing was those hands—their ten fingers were withered and thin, but their nails were as black as ink, over three inches long, and gleamed eerily in the morning light.

Sun He said, "The armor is stiff and blue-faced, its claws are covered in black scales, and its saliva drips and corrodes the earth—this, this is a flying zombie!"

Zhao Hu said, "Flying zombies? How could there be flying zombies? How could there be flying zombies in Zone B? Where are the Taoist priests of Sanpan Temple? Where is Steward Zhou? We've been clearing out for a month, and all we've found is a nest of flying zombies? So all we've been doing every day is plastering walls for the dead!"

More and more dark figures emerged from the direction of Zone B.

One, two, ten, dozens—they squeezed out of the alleyway, with the same bluish-black faces, the same jet-black fingernails, and the same murky eyes, surging forward in dense numbers.

Sun He said, "Where are those supervisors who patrol the construction site every day? Where are the Daoist boys? Where are those Daoist masters at the mid-stage of Qi Refining? Where the hell are they all?! Yesterday they were standing there like respectable men, assigning tasks, saying everything was going smoothly in Zone B, saying the Cleansing Talisman was working wonders! Smooth sailing my foot! They've all turned into flying zombies, and that's what they call smooth sailing? They're either blind, or they haven't even gone in to check! Maybe they just stand at the entrance every day, walk around, and come back to tell us everything's fine, and we can get back to work—our lives are worth less than a cheap, useless talisman to get us through the motions!"

The Jiazi District was immediately thrown into chaos.

A beam of magical light shone from the crowd and struck the flying zombie.

But those things didn't dodge or flinch at all. With a swipe of their claws, they tore the fireball apart, and with a flick of their bodies, they avoided the wind blades without slowing down at all.

Whoosh!

Several flying zombies swooped down on the outermost tents, their black claws flashing and tearing the tent fabric apart like paper. Before the people inside could even rush out, they were swallowed up by the black tide.

As soon as a woman carrying a child rushed out of the tent, three flying zombies pounced on her from the side. Before she could even scream, she was slammed to the ground, her dark fingernails piercing through her back, and dark liquid splattering onto the tent fabric.

Zhou Yuan and Zhou An rushed out of the nearby tents one after the other.

But Zhou Yuan ran even faster than Zhou An, who worked every day.

"Xiao Yuan! Wait a minute!"

"run!"

Zhao Hu immediately turned and ran away, with Sun He following closely behind.

Dark shadows kept rushing past me, and screams and shouts echoed in my ears.

Sun He said, "Then Fang Shi—did he already know? Did he run away beforehand?"

Zhao Hu kept walking and said, "He—he's gone today. He's lucky. He even managed to escape faster than us. What makes him so special!"

Two figures descended from the clouds above Qiyuan Town.

Chu Qianfan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the neat tents on both sides. They had everything, from pots and pans to everything else, but no one was there.

Xuanqing said, "Its form is dignified, its aura is serene. The streets and alleys are as usual, the houses are as before. Yet all phenomena are illusory, and can be shattered with a single thought. If we do not enter, we will not see the changes; only when we enter will we realize that there is nothing there."

Chu Qianfan said, "As expected, the Forgetful Water Lord dragged the remaining people into the outer Seven Emotions and Desires Realm. Adding that to the original three thousand people, her remnant spirits certainly have a good appetite."

Xuan Qing said, "The deeper the Seven Emotions and Desires merge with the earth's veins, the harder it is to eradicate. If we don't eliminate her remnant spirit now, and she completely refines those people's true nature fragments, even if we take action, we won't be able to do anything to her."

Chu Qianfan said, "What's the rush? My Five Yin Demonic Domain has already infiltrated the outer layer of the Seven Emotions and Desires Realm, and Brother Xuan Ge has also entered the inner layer of the Seven Emotions and Desires Realm with the help of the Three Plates Temple's array token. With attacks from both inside and outside, she won't be able to hold out for long."

Before he could finish speaking, a figure suddenly appeared at the alley entrance.

He had a fair complexion and a light beard, and wore a blue Taoist robe.

Xuan Qing abruptly turned to stare at Chu Qianfan, saying, "So this is the clone you appeared in the Cold Mist Ravine! You even lied to me, saying that the body's mind was too shallow to bear your consciousness! You made me hand my disciple over to you for nothing! My disciple may be useless, but I raised him myself!"

Chu Qianfan's smile remained unchanged, and Li Daoyuan walked straight towards him. The two figures overlapped and merged in the morning light, and a powerful aura emanated from Chu Qianfan.

"Brother Xuanqing, don't be angry. This is just insurance. If this clone hadn't replenished my Primordial True Nature in the Cold Mist Ravine, where would I have gotten the strength to kill the Forgetful Water Lord? He is a True Lord who merged with the Dao of Heaven and Earth. Even if he only has a wisp of remnant spirit left, it would still require both of us to exert our full strength. Besides, one..."

He smiled enigmatically and said, "Didn't you also steal the physical body of Brother Xuanmu's disciple?"

Xuan Qing said coldly, "I am different from you. After the matter is accomplished, I will return this physical body myself."

Chu Qianfan laughed and said, "What's the difference? A son steals his father's essence, a mother steals her son's blood; kindness arises from harm, and harm arises from kindness. You stole his body for a mere means of survival—that's stealing. You promised to find another body later—that's giving. The difference between stealing and giving is just a thought. Today I take the lives of thousands to replenish my true nature—that's stealing. When I return to my peak, I might be able to retrieve a few from reincarnation—that's giving. You say you want to return the body—but does the disciple whose body you stole agree?"

Xuan Qing said coldly, "I hope that after this is done, you won't try to deceive me again. That rice root must be handed over."

Chu Qianfan said, "Brother Dao, rest assured, we have already signed a Dao oath using cloud-script letters, leaving no room for further deception. Now, let me say this—"

"You and Brother Xuange both want the rice stalks, how should we divide them?"

Xuan Qing snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, turned and walked deeper into the Jia-character area, saying, "This is none of your business."

""

By using some of the concepts and methods in "The True Understanding of the Seven Emotions of the Supreme Being to Generate True Water".

Fang vowed to guide the turbid air with fear.

The turbid qi followed the fear and adhered to the outer wall of the meridians, which was indeed much easier than before.

-

The mind no longer needs to constantly focus on every step of the seven steps of summoning the spirit. Just keep that wisp of fear in the mind's eye, and the turbid energy will return to its place on its own, and the flow of the spiritual mist will be much smoother.

[Small Water Cloud Technique Proficiency +5]

But this ease is only relative.

While it's true that fear can draw in negative energy, it can also lead to an excess of it.

Turbid air is inherently heavy and stagnant. Once fear amplifies its downward momentum, it rolls downhill like a boulder, faster and faster.

He was momentarily distracted, and fear overwhelmed him. The turbid qi sank too deep and clung too tightly to the wall, causing his meridians to ache slightly.

What's more troublesome is that if the fear is too strong, the turbid qi will be squeezed too quickly to the ends of the meridians. Before it can spread evenly, it will shrink into a ball downstream and return to the old blocked path.

He had to devote extra attention to controlling the intensity of his fear; too little fear prevented the turbid qi from attaching, while too much fear caused it to stagnate.

As a result, we've once again fallen back into the old trap of mind control.

After several repetitions, the turbid blood in his chest surged up again.

[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +4]

[Small Water Cloud Technique Proficiency - 20]

Wow!

Blood was spilled all over the earth once again.

Fang Shi didn't care at all and continued to ponder.

The problem is not the severity of the fear, but where the fear comes from.

He has been using visualization to induce fear.

Visualization is an active mental activity; once the imagery fades, the fear dissipates.

The more intense the imagery, the stronger the sense of dread.

Using visualization to control fear is essentially still using the mind to control it, just in a different guise.

What he needs to do is not to control the intensity of fear, but to make fear no longer need to be visualized to be triggered.

Fang vowed never to reminisce about his peaceful life in Qiyuan Town, nor to relive the moment when the earth's veins collapsed.

Contemplation is a enslavement of the mind.

Using visualization to evoke fear is like throwing firewood into a fire; when the firewood runs out, the fire goes out.

Controlling fear with your mind is like holding the wind in your hand; the tighter you hold it, the faster it will escape.

What Fang Shi needs now is not to control fear, but to forget fear.

What does it mean to forget fear?

It was probably not something from outside, but rather a remnant of past calamities, which had long since merged with his bones and blood.

Just as a spring naturally flows from the bottom of a cold pool, there is no need to dig a well.

Like the natural grain of an ancient wooden wheel, which needs no carving.

He sank his mind into that abyss of past experiences, neither delving into it nor looking at it.

Simply keep your mind focused on it.

Like the moon reflected in a cold pool, the moon neither comes nor goes, and the pool neither welcomes nor rejects.

When the mind dwells in the abyss, fear arises from the abyss, and fear causes one to sink.

There is no need to control it, no need to measure it; if the abyss exists, there is fear of its existence; if the abyss is still, there is fear of its stillness.

Then he activated the "Little Water Cloud Technique" again.

The spiritual mist seeped into the meridians, and the turbid qi was dismantled during the seven steps of spiritual invocation—this time, the turbid qi no longer surged or stagnated, but rather spread naturally on the outer walls of the meridians like evening clouds returning to the mountain peaks or autumn leaves falling to the ground.

The mind and spirit, no longer struggling with fear, all returned to the spiritual mist.

The ritual and practice proceed in tandem, as if guided by the will of Heaven.

The pure rise to become clouds, and the turbid fall to become dew. One rises and the other falls, each returning to its place, neither interfering with the other but rather encouraging and inspiring each other.

[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +5]

[Small Water Cloud Technique Proficiency +50]

Fang Shi silently observed the effect of the convection of pure and impure energy within his meridians, thinking to himself: This current technique is already more than twice as efficient as the "Minor Water Cloud Technique" at its proficient stage. Although the purity of spiritual energy still affects the speed of cultivation—the higher the purity, the more abundant the pure energy, and the faster the fusion—the impure energy is no longer a mere burden. It presses against the outer walls of the meridians, becoming an aid in propelling the flow of spiritual mist.

This technique has evolved from expelling impurities to utilizing impurities, and is no longer suitable to be called the "Small Water Cloud Technique".

The clear and the turbid flowed separately; the turbid became the deep pool, while the clear became the clouds.

Let's call it "Yuanyun Jue" instead.

With a thought, the panel activated: [Yuanyun Technique (Proficient): 98/200]

[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency +1]

[Minor Breath Concealment Technique (Beginner): 96/100]

Suddenly, the sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses arose from ahead.

The steward reappeared, standing at the entrance of the herb garden, and said, "I told you to go back to your cave, what are you still dawdling here for?"