Chapter 114: Joining Another Sect

After the Heavenly Demon Palace was destroyed, followed closely by the Clear Water Palace, Mu Yuan felt a chill. He considered the danger and dared not linger. “The Southern Barbarian Mountains have become perilous,” he said gravely. “I believe it’s best to leave this place immediately. Beyond these mountains, where cultivators from various sects gather and protect the area, they should be able to withstand the Monster Saint’s onslaught!”

The others had no better ideas and all nodded in agreement. They immediately began their arduous trek. Along the way, they encountered several groups of weak, disorganized beasts. But with Mu Yuan and his companions present, these creatures were merely fed a few Great Curses!

Gradually, Mu Yuan noticed that besides the freshly condensed Fire Curse, his other four Great Curses had absorbed substantial amounts of essence, energy, and souls. The Earth Guardian Kirin Curse, which had consumed the most essence through the thirteen crystal pillars, not forgetting even the souls of the beasts, showed the most significant change.

The Earth Guardian Kirin Curse could now not only erode zhenqi and swallow yuan power but also penetrate an opponent’s spiritual sense, forcibly plundering their memories! This was eerily similar to the soul-searching secret arts of the Demonic Path, or a Taoist technique. Mu Yuan’s admiration for the creator of this Great Curse grew once more.

The fact that it could derive a powerful spirit beast form most suited to the user’s zhenqi attributes was already astounding. That it could evolve further to the Immortal Demon Body stage was incredible. Now, it could even develop soul-plundering techniques? What other wonders would it unlock in the future? Truly, it defied the natural order of heaven and earth!

Mu Yuan now possessed Five Great Curses. Undoubtedly, the Earth Guardian Kirin Curse was the strongest. Each grain of the sandy matrix forming the thirteen Yellow Sand Crystal Pillars it had consumed had undergone multiple rounds of refinement. Combined, their power was boundless, and now fused completely into the Kirin itself, its manifestation was effortless, far surpassing the others.

Witnessing the formidable power of the Kirin Curse manipulating the crystal pillars, Mu Yuan had an idea. He took out the Green Wood Thunderblade. He had quite a few flying swords and sword pills in his possession now; this particular blade he had won from Hua Zhenzi seemed somewhat lacking. Without regret, he offered it directly to the Longevity Curse.

The azure dragon formed by the Longevity Curse was indeed immensely excited. Transforming into a mass of azure light, it wrapped itself around the blade, slowly seeping into it.

While the Green Wood Thunderblade was a decent flying sword in its own right, it simply didn’t rank among Mu Yuan’s best. Feeding it to the Longevity Curse to bolster its combat strength was a better use.

The azure light of the Longevity Curse slowly enveloped the Green Wood Thunderblade. Slowly, the blade itself disintegrated, dissolving into swirling talismanic seals. Then, the materials used in forging it—Profound Gold Jade Essence, Silver Iron Spirit Evil—were broken down into granular particles. Even the true fire used to temper the sword flickered into existence before being wrapped and dissolved by the azure radiance!

Gaining all these benefits, the Longevity Curse reverted to its azure dragon form. As it coiled and writhed sinuously, its body seemed overlain with a sheen of green-tinged lightning. Testing it out, Mu Yuan willed the Earth Guardian Kirin Curse to project one crystal pillar to bear down upon it. A sharp clang, like metal striking metal, rang out! A long sword of azure light suddenly burst out from the azure dragon’s spine! It vaguely resembled the Green Wood Thunderblade, but its attached thunder energy was far more potent. It clashed repeatedly with the crystal pillar, flashes of yellow dust and azure light sparking furiously—the two were evenly matched!

“The power of those crystal pillars is immense,” Mu Yuan thought. “A single one can withstand the entire might of the Green Wood Thunderblade!” He saw that the transformed blade seemed even more powerful, but he understood this was because he had last wielded it before refining his void-force and evil energies. Among the various Thunder Methods of the Five Elements Path, the most formidable came from the friction and derivation of the Void Force-Yin Yang Qi. Examples were the Yi Wood Divine Thunder, Gui Water Divine Thunder, and Wu Earth Divine Thunder… While Mu Yuan could previously compress water to generate thunder, that didn’t truly count as a Thunder Method!

Now that he wielded Void Force, the Great Curses intertwined with his own zhenqi could immediately employ these divine abilities. Combining the Longevity Palace’s Jia Wood Divine Thunder techniques with the Yi Wood Divine Thunder naturally amplified the Green Wood Thunderblade’s power.

The journey was uneventful. Exiting the Southern Barbarian Mountains, they entered the domain of Tiandu. The villagers from Feilong Village submitted a petition to the local authorities and were astonishingly quickly settled down, even allocated land and houses. Upon inquiry, they learned that many refugees fleeing the Southern Barbarian Mountains had recently poured into neighboring states. These measures were aimed at winning popular support. Both Heavenly Firmament and the Kingdom of the Sky had enacted similar policies. Mu Yuan had little interest in such political matters. After arranging for the villagers, he turned to the two Clear Water Palace disciples to ask their plans.

He had learned during their travels that the older female cultivator was called Meng Shuirou. She was steady in temperament and possessed magical power at the Void Refining Realm. The other was Yue Ranzhu, at the Condensing Evil Energy Realm. When Mu Yuan inquired about their intentions, Yue Ranzhu looked lost and uncertain. Meng Shuirou spoke with determination, “Now, there’s no choice but to seek refuge in another sect, for a place to belong. Our Clear Water Palace is destroyed, scattered like wind-blown clouds. Where to go from here, how to continue cultivation… we know not. We can only study methods of a different path and start anew on the cultivation road.”

Mu Yuan nodded, thinking to himself, “That’s the only way.” Hearing Meng Shuirou mention joining a sect, an idea sparked within him. He quickly said, “If that’s the case, I have an awkward request. Might you two fellow Daoists be willing to do me this favor?”

Meng Shuirou smiled gently. “Fellow Daoist, you overstate it. You saved our very lives. Whatever you ask, we shall obey!” Yue Ranzhu shared the sentiment.

As they said this, a slight flush colored both their faces, though Mu Yuan didn’t grasp the reason. He simply continued, “Since you two fellow Daoists must study new methods… could you perhaps impart even just a little of the Clear Water Palace’s core techniques?”

Hearing this, both women froze. Yue Ranzhu remained silent, but a look of disappointment flashed across her face. After a moment’s pause, Meng Shuirou chuckled. “That isn’t a big deal. Clear Water Palace belongs to the past. Those core techniques are no longer some unrevealed secret. If they could flourish under your hand, that would surely be better than gathering dust as a cherished secret between us sisters!”

Saying this, she drew a thin booklet from an embroidered pouch at her waist. “This was hastily handed to me by an elder as the beasts attacked the mountain. Originally, my sister and I only had the verses up to Elixir Formation. Now the text is complete. However, I cannot gift you the original. You are welcome to copy it down. This core technique can serve as our repayment for saving our lives, as we prepare to join another sect.”

Mu Yuan smiled gratefully. He flipped through the booklet. There was no need to copy it; after opening his dual spirit, his spiritual sense had become vast, capable of remembering everything after one look. A single careful reading was enough to memorize the entire contents.

The Clear Water Palace’s method was called the “Pure Stream Heart-Cleanse Truth Art”. It wasn’t terribly advanced, leaning towards water-attribute techniques among the Five Elements. However, a peculiar aspect was that while circulating zhenqi to cleanse the organs, it could unexpectedly stimulate the heart fire, thereby generating fire elemental magical power. “No wonder both used copper rings to conjure fire serpents earlier,” Mu Yuan realized.

He returned the booklet. Meng Shuiro and Yue Ranzhu bid their farewells and departed. Only after they left did Zha Yun’er giggle. “Mu big brother, just now, I actually thought you were going to ask those two elder sisters for their hands in marriage?”

Mu Yuan was dumbfounded. Laughing, he retorted, “What’s going through that little head of yours? Am I that sort of person?!”

Zha Yun’er chuckled merrily. “I wasn’t the only one thinking it! Those two sisters clearly assumed the same. Didn’t you see the disappointment on their faces when you asked to see the Clear Water Palace techniques?! Hmph, how couldn’t they be hoping? Suffering the great calamity of their sect’s destruction, meeting a handsome, powerful young hero… marrying him would mean no need to join another sect and live under another’s shadow. Who wouldn’t want such a good thing!”

Mu Yuan found it funny but merely patted her shoulder, saying nothing more. Recalling his earlier words, it indeed could easily lead to such misunderstandings. He shook his head with a wry smile, deciding not to dwell on it. Seeing that the people from Feilong Village were settled, he wished to linger no longer. Clouds gathered beneath his feet, and he soared off in a single breath!

Zha Yun’er stamped her foot in frustration. By the time she flew up into the air, Mu Yuan was long gone. She had no choice but to descend and return to her new house within the village.

Mu Yuan traveled west over a hundred miles before finally stopping. Below him was a dense forest. He descended and, seeing no one around, leaned against a massive tree fork. Silently, he began to recall the details of the Pure Stream Heart-Cleanse Truth Art.

This Daoist technique bore some resemblance to Buddhist Supernatural Power. It emphasized a bright, clear spirit platform and a pure, unclouded Dao Heart. Where the mind was clear, one could perceive all things. This resonated with the Buddhist idea of seeing one’s true nature through mind cultivation, differing somewhat from Taoist heart-refinement methods. Mu Yuan didn’t mind. He quietly sensed that sensation of pure, clear water vapor, guiding it into his body. It flowed back and forth through his meridians, gathering from droplets into streams, swelling into rivers, until finally, like countless streams converging, it formed a vast ocean within his dantian!

Every sect that could pass down its legacy naturally held some valid principle. The brilliance of the Pure Stream Heart-Cleanse Truth Art didn’t lie in conventional areas, but rather in its uniquely innovative approach to refining and tempering the visceral organs. This part also bore some similarity to the body-forging arts of the Demonic Sect. Overall, it wasn’t purely Dao, not fully Buddhist, nor strictly Demonic – a heterodox approach typical of loose cultivator sects.

Mu Yuan harbored a plan. He intended to disguise himself as a Clear Water Palace disciple and journey west to try his luck. If he could bump into an heir of the Five Elements Metal Path and successfully enter under their tutelage to obtain the Eternal Art… that would be ideal!

This plan, however, was built upon the jade slip he had obtained from the Southern Wildlands Immortal’s Abode. When he had secluded himself some time earlier to cultivate the Great Sun Divine Fire Art, he had finally examined the jade slip. He was initially somewhat disappointed. It contained no profound orthodox technique, but rather a collection of esoteric tips for applying divine abilities. Among them was a set called the “Great Art of Yin-Yang Soul Shackling and Qi Sealing”. It sealed one’s own spiritual sense together with zhenqi. Even a cultivator at the Primordial Spirit realm would be unable to discern its subtlety! At the time, he dismissed it as a useless gimmick; now, he was thrilled!

He wasn’t naive enough to think that merely cultivating the Clear Water Palace art and then joining another sect with lies would work. The elders of any established sect were far too discerning and experienced; the fluctuations of his internal zhenqi would be spotted instantly with just a slight application of their spiritual sense. With this “Great Art of Yin-Yang Soul Shackling and Qi Sealing” in hand, he could finally conceal himself effectively!

The chaos in the Southern Wildlands was timely. Out of nowhere, a Monster Saint seemed to have appeared, rampantly attacking mountain retreats, slaughtering disciples, stealing treasures, causing mass disarray, and destroying sects. This created the perfect window of opportunity for Mu Yuan. His immediate task was to cultivate this “Pure Stream Heart-Cleanse Truth Art” to its third layer, achieving its perfect circle. Then, he could hurry to the Tianlong Kingdom in the west and seek out the current holder of the Eternal Art!