Chapter 71

Xu Feiniao deliberately pretended to be weak and fled, as Sikong Zhan used his needle to chase her. She then let the Four Sons of Pure Yang and the Four Friends of Wudang use the oil-adding tactic to hold back Sikong Zhan. Meanwhile, she used the Xuan Guang Ruler to capture the needle's light with five light circles, attracting it as she fled to the top of the Immortal Palace. Although the ruler was in her hand, it was actually controlled by Yue Qing from a distance. The five light circles were filled with Primordial True Qi, firmly attracting the Heavenly Light Divine Needle. At this time, Sikong Zhan still thought that the divine needle had trapped Xu Feiniao and was grinding her protective magical treasure. When he began to summon it, Liu Quan immediately took out the Green Mirage Bottle and, together with Yue Qing, absorbed all the needle light into it.

Losing his divine needle, Sikong Zhan was in great distress. Seeing Xu Feiniao return from the mountain and release seven sword lights, which were far more powerful than before, he was caught off guard and became flustered. Liu Buxu took the opportunity to strike him with the Five Elders Immortal Seal, a white jade square seal carrying boundless golden light, which hit him hard on the back, causing him to spew blood and fall from the sky. Before he hit the ground, he recalled the Cloud Thunder Immortal Net to protect himself. As the others' flying swords approached, they were scattered by the millions of divine thunderbolts from the net. He used the Secret Demon Escape Technique, transforming his body into a blood light and fleeing rapidly to the south. If he wanted to leave, no one could stop him, so they let him go.

This battle, though generally smooth, was also quite thrilling, especially for the Four Sons of Pure Yang, who almost got caught in the thunder net and were nearly blown to pieces. After returning to the Northern Immortal Palace, they were still somewhat shaken.

Xu Feiniao said, "Sikong Zhan has lost his precious treasure and will not dare to come to the Wutai Sect to cause trouble in the short term. We are deeply grateful for the great assistance of all the fellow Daoists." She had Liu Quan take out three sets of magical treasures from the Green Mirage Bottle. "These are treasures refined in the Taiyi Heavenly Artisan Furnace within the Eight Trigram Hall, taking 365 days to complete. Although they are not the most extraordinary treasures, they are still effective for protection and defense. My junior brother Yue and I have agreed to give them to the fellow Daoists as a token of our gratitude."

Everyone quickly declined, but Xu Feiniao insisted. First, the Four Friends of Wudang received a set of Eight Yang Immortal Slashing Knives, a set of Eight Yang Divine Spell Talismans, a Sun God Fire Bell, and a Purple Flame Primordial Hammer. They had helped for three years since the Purple Cloud Palace, so their gifts were the most. The Four Sons of Pure Yang received a pair of Yin-Yang Separation Swords and a Six Qi Division Instrument. The Four Friends of Kunlun received an Ultimate Mystic Fan and an Ultimate Great Mystic Pearl. As for the Liu brothers, being part of the inner circle, they received a Taiyi Nine Palace Wheel, as well as a gourd of Primordial Elixir and a gourd of Yellow Elixir.

The group had been on Wutai Mountain for over a year. Now that the major task was completed, they all left one after another. Yue Qing continued to control the furnace fire in the Taiyi Heavenly Artisan Furnace to refine the treasures in the Two Instruments Hall, which would take three years. During this period, Liu Quan taught his disciples in the Seven Stars Hall and practiced Daoist techniques, while Xu Feiniao continued to repair the mountain's protective array, organize Daoist techniques, and refine magical treasures to enrich the先天阁 (Xiantian Pavilion). She strictly enforced the rules and supervised the disciples, punishing those who broke the rules with dragon whip beatings or solitary confinement on the back mountain. For a time, Wutai Mountain truly swept away the gloom and flourished.

Yue Qing was not idle in the Taiyi Heavenly Artisan Furnace. Although he had to watch over the furnace fire, he also worked hard silently. Sikong Zhan's magical treasures were unusable and dangerous, as they were refined by him for hundreds of years. Once taken out, they could be recalled by him from a distance. Even if they were refined and used at will, they could be forcibly taken back by Sikong Zhan with a slight effort. Only after Yue Qing refined the Lieque Double Hooks and the Heavenly Light Divine Needle with Primordial True Qi for a hundred days and then refined them further could he use them without worry.

While refining the treasures, he continuously studied the Profound Mystery Scripture, comprehending the realm where the universe is the cauldron, the sun and moon are the water and fire, and the spirit is寄托于宇宙虚空之间 (entrusted to the cosmic void). During this period, he often entered a meditative state in front of the statue of the Profound Mystery Immortal in the Taiyi Palace, gradually gaining insights. He then began to practice the techniques described in the secondary volume of the Profound Mystery Scripture, the most magical of which was the Eight Scenery Spirit Separation Technique. When Zhu Hong only understood the basics, he could avoid being pursued by many experts from both the righteous and evil sects, demonstrating its great power. Yue Qing had already started practicing this technique from Zhu Hong in the Four Gates Mountain. After comprehending the Profound Mystery Scripture, he finally achieved a small success in this technique.

Yue Qing took out the Taiqing Eight Scenery Lamp he had obtained from Zhu Hong, placed it in front of him, and released his spirit, placing it on the lamp. The lamp immediately ignited, and Yue Qing's spirit became the flame, sitting in the center of the lamp, resembling a flame figure. The flame was divided into seven colors and five hues, with eight shadows surrounding it according to the Eight Trigram positions. Yue Qing suddenly felt his spirit split into eight, each with its own independent thoughts and ideas, yet still part of a single whole.

At this moment, the main spirit in the center needed to remain completely still. Any slight fluctuation in thought would immediately force the eight spirits to return and merge into one.

After meditating for several days, he gradually began to comprehend the Dao, feeling as if his entire being had merged with the void. The lamp burned steadily and brightly, emitting a variety of colors.

One day, the spirit in the Kun position suddenly stood up, transformed into a golden light, and disappeared in the air.

At the same time, far away in the Green Snail Mountain, the divine hand Biqiu Weifeng suddenly froze, staring blankly.

She was lying in bed, leaning on a pillow, her long robe loosely unbuttoned, her hair disheveled, and wearing a belly band embroidered with a blue lotus. A boy of about 14 or 15 years old was sitting on her lap, his hands reaching behind her to unbutton the belly band. Her first reaction was to slap the boy, the sound of the slap ringing out, followed by a kick that sent him rolling under the table.

The boy was terrified, kneeling on the ground and repeatedly begging for mercy: "Immortal Lady, spare my life! Immortal Lady, spare my life!"

Weifeng sat there motionless, but in reality, her thoughts had been taken over by Yue Qing.

After Yue Qing's visit to Green Snail Valley, Weifeng was affected by the Heart Stealing Technique of the demonic sect. Although the technique was crude, Weifeng, being skilled in magic, broke it on the spot. However, the power of magic lies in its ability to penetrate the heart. Although Weifeng believed she had broken Yue Qing's magic, she indeed had a deep and unerasable affection for him. This affection gradually grew uncontrollable.

At first, she did not feel anything after Yue Qing left, but later, every time she was with a man, she could not help but think of Yue Qing. Her memories were filled with his good qualities. Sometimes, she thought that just holding his hand or seeing him once a day would be enough to satisfy her. She was naturally promiscuous and had been with over a hundred men, but she had never known or imagined that she could have such a pure and sincere side. Frustrated, she sought out many men, engaging in passionate encounters with different men in different places, but every time her emotions surged, the image of the man in white would appear in her mind. For this reason, she drove all the young men out of the palace and lost interest in her old lovers.

The boy on the ground was Lei Qilong, a disciple of the Huashan Sect. His master, the Jade Rod Immortal Jin Shenzi, was also one of her lovers. Years ago, Jin Shenzi had a conflict with the Huashan Sect's Feng Lady Zhao Jinzhen over a man. Zhao Jinzhen did not allow Jin Shenzi to be with her, and Jin Shenzi did not dare to offend her, so he sent his disciple to her, telling her, "This boy came up the mountain with me half a year ago. He was originally just a cowherd for a landlord. I haven't taught him much swordsmanship, only a cultivation method for gathering and supplementing left by a predecessor. After half a year of practice, his skills in bed are quite remarkable. He has a natural talent in this area and can certainly serve you well. I have recently been practicing and injured my kidney, so I can't have sex for several months. Let this boy serve you in my place. He hasn't served anyone before, so please be patient with any awkwardness."

When Lei Qilong came to her and showed affection, Weifeng saw that he was handsome and charming, with rosy lips and white teeth, and skin as smooth as milk, better than any woman. Among all the men she had been with, only the deputy leader of the Yin-Yang Sect, Feng Wu, could match him. She was aroused and moved by emotion, and her thoughts immediately turned to Yue Qing, feeling both frustrated and angry, but mostly filled with longing and love. She wished that the man in her arms was Yue Qing. This deep longing attracted Yue Qing's spirit from afar, taking control of her body.

Yue Qing's main spirit remained in the void, completely still, while the divided spirit thought on Weifeng's body. For a moment, he felt like a newborn baby, curious about his surroundings. Then, the memories of Yue Qing and Weifeng flooded his mind, and he entered a very peculiar realm: his main spirit was deeply in meditation, entrusting itself to the void, with no thoughts or emotions, while the divided spirit was receiving memories, organizing thoughts, and experiencing a variety of feelings—strange, novel, interesting, and profound.

He felt that he had no thoughts, as his main spirit was completely still, like an observer or a mirror reflecting everything about him. The bed in Green Snail Valley, the curtains, the boy on the ground begging for mercy, the earth fire in the Heavenly Artisan Furnace, the copper hall, and the ancient lamp burning faintly—all appeared clearly in his mind.

At the same time, he felt a multitude of thoughts, the past of Weifeng, the past of Yue Qing, the future of Green Snail Valley and the Wutai Sect, the Taiyi True Explanation, the Ten Demon Scriptures, the Vajra Department Buddhist Dharma, and the Jade Pool Heavenly Book...