Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme - Chapter 125
Chapter 125: Chapter 91: Taoist Scriptures_1
Translator: 549690339
The situation has progressed to this point, and the outcome is no longer in doubt.
As an evil cultivator of the Ghost Path, the Peach Blossom Taoist was indeed formidable, especially with the Three Aunts and Six Wives’s Nine Ghosts powers. Even a high-ranking individual of the Righteous Path amongst “Taoists” without specific countermeasures would likely be no match for him.
But alas, what led to his rise through evil skills also led to his downfall by the same!
In a thunderstorm, the awe of heaven and earth prevails!
Even for the Three Aunts and Six Wives’s Nine Ghosts, their abilities are reduced to a fraction of their power, completely unable to unleash any of their tricks.
Under such conditions, when faced with Xu Yang, who was empowered by the “Small Thunder Talisman” and executed the Lightning Thunderbolt Fist, the outcome was predictable.
“Boom!”
Xu Yang threw a punch, and the thunder roared like a rampaging dragon. An old woman with stark white hair couldn’t dodge in time and was instantly vaporized into ash, not even able to let out a wail.
“Pfft!!!”
Another of the Three Aunts and Six Wives’s Underworld Ghosts was blasted to ash by the thunder, severely affecting the Ghost Lord’s Divine Soul. The Peach Blossom Taoist trembled, spewing out a mouthful of fresh blood. The remaining Yin Qi in his body went out of control, violently reverberating throughout his flesh and even his soul.
The backlash of evil skills was terrifying indeed!
“Die!”
Another punch was thrown, and with the might of lightning and thunder, the last of the Three Aunts and Six Wives’s Ghosts was obliterated.
“Ahh!!!”
The Peach Blossom Taoist screamed and fell to the ground. From the arrow wound in his chest, a copious amount of Yin Qi burst forth, with glimpses of rampant thunder and ravaging electric currents. After a spasm like this, the Taoist also turned to dust and smoke.
In the end, only a set of clothes and a duster were left on the ground.
Once the Ghost Lord died, the remaining Underworld Ghosts immediately tried to flee, but where could they go during a thunderstorm? They had no choice but to shrink back into the Yin Altar, begging for mercy in complete terror.
“Mage, spare our lives, Mage, spare our lives!”
“We were controlled by the Peach Blossom Taoist’s evil skills, and we had no choice but to obey him!”
“Mage, spare our lives, we are willing to serve you as our master, to go through fire and water, nothing will be too much to ask!”
“Please, spare us!”
“Hmph!”
Faced with the cries and pleas of a group of Underworld Ghosts, Xu Yang coldly snorted without saying a word, but he did not strike them down again.
“Whew!”
It was also time for the two Spirit Talismans stuck to the center of his palm to disintegrate into ash and fall off on their own, dispelling the terrifying power of thunder and lightning, which made all the Underworld Ghosts hiding in the Yin Altar heave a sigh of relief.
Xu Yang remained expressionless, taking strides toward the remnants left by the Peach Blossom Taoist.
A gentleman may take revenge after ten years!
Having the ability to travel through numerous worlds and return to this one, he did not rush to avenge his previous life with his mere mortal cultivation; instead, he lay dormant, accumulating strength while secretly investigating Peach Blossom Mountain and the Peach Blossom Taoist Temple.
After lying dormant for ten years, he not only accumulated some power but also figured out the foundation of the Peach Blossom Taoist Temple.
Thus, he launched a sudden attack, taking advantage of the right time and place, and successfully killed his enemy, avenging the murder of his body!
Indeed: Knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles!
Xu Yang came to the site of the Peach Blossom Taoist’s remnants and found that only the Supreme Pure Hibiscus Crown and the pink peach blossom robe were preserved; all other garments had perished along with the Peach Blossom Taoist.
Xu Yang squatted down and lifted the robe only to discover a pouch lined inside containing three scroll scriptures.
Whatever material these three scriptures were made of, they remained intact despite the Peach Blossom Taoist being struck by thunder talismans and electric arrows, and with Yin Qi uncontrollably ravaging his body, destroying flesh and clothes to ash. Only the Taoist garments and Magic Artifact were left undamaged, indicating that these scriptures were certainly no ordinary items.
Xu Yang, not in a hurry to leave, started to examine them on the spot.
The three scriptures included the “Supreme Cave True Spirit Cultivation Scripture,” the “Nine Heavens’ Responsive Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable Jade Shu Sutra,” and “Xuanming True Person’s Ghost Controlling Method.”
“Taoist skills?”
“Evil skills?”
Xu Yang raised an eyebrow in surprise.
The “Supreme Cave True Spirit Cultivation Scripture” needs no further explanation, it is a Taoism cultivation method that allows one to cultivate Taoist Mana, recognized as a canonical classic in Dao Zang.
Taoist Scriptures are categorized into two main types: those for cultivating the way to immortality and those for protecting and battling on the path.
This scripture is of the former type, for cultivating mana, strengthening Taoist Cultivation, enhancing one’s foundation, and seeking immortality.
In this world where Divine Souls can practice cultivation through borrowed means, cultivating this method does not require Spiritual Energy, nor does it require a Spiritual Root. One simply needs to study the Taoist Scriptures, recite them daily, and over the years, mana can be cultivated.
Seeing this, Xu Yang frowned.
Although this method could be practiced, it did not align with his initial pursuit of the way, nor did it match the purpose of his divine travels in this world.
What interests him in this world is the Divine Soul Cultivation Method that allows for the practice of cultivation through borrowed means.
This scripture is merely a product of the Divine Soul Cultivation Method, a result of the Taoist tradition cultivated over many years by millions of believers, offerings, and worshipping, not the foundation of the Divine Soul Cultivation Method.
It can only cultivate mana in this world; in another world without the practice of cultivation through borrowed means, it would revert to its original nature, becoming a mere ordinary book no matter how much it’s studied, useless.
Therefore, it is not what Xu Yang ultimately seeks!
What Xu Yang desires is the root of the cultivation practice of this world, the Divine Soul Cultivation Method that can transform mundane books into Taoist and Buddhist scriptures.
Only by obtaining such a Mana Point, could he apply the Taoist skills of this world to other worlds.
However, a method that relates to the fundamental secrets of cultivation, arguably the biggest secret of this world, clearly isn’t something a mere evil cultivator could possess.
“It seems one would need clues from the core inheritance of the Three Teaching Sect.”
Xu Yang shook his head, taking this scripture and then turning his attention to the remaining two scrolls.
“Nine Heavens’ Responsive Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable Jade Shu Sutra”
This is — Taoist Skills!
Dao Protection Combat Skills!
Xu Yang flipped through it right there and after a short while, his eyes lit up with delight.
This set of Dao Protection Combat Skills was actually a rare Thunder Series Combat Skill, including not only the most basic Thunder Commanding Power, but also various thunder sigils, talisman, and curse spells.
Such as Thunder Summoning Talisman, Thunder Inviting Talisman, Falling Thunder Talisman, Five Thunders Talisman, Heavenly Thunder Talisman, Fire Thunder Talisman, as well as Yin Thunder Talisman, Yang Thunder Talisman, Gathering Thunder Talisman, Transforming Thunder Talisman, along with Five Thunders Protective Spell, Five Thunders Ghost Annihilation Spell, Five Thunders Sha Breaking Spell, Five Thunders Demon Destruction Spell, Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Spell… and so on and so forth.
In summary, this was a very complete set of Thunder Series Combat Skills, containing various wonderful uses of thunder.
It could be used in combat and offense, for protection and defense, to avert disasters and solve difficulties, to gather thunder and transform electricity, and even to combine the power of the Five Elements and the Four Laws, invoking the lightning of the Five Elements, the thunder of the Four Laws, and casting spells such as ghost subjugation, sha breaking, and demon slaying, using various targeted methods to activate thunder to obtain even more powerful restraining effects.
This delighted Xu Yang immensely.
Although in the real world, due to the limitations of the Spiritual Root, thunder methods are in a state of “Available but Unvalued” and unwanted, resulting in a low price, that only applies to ordinary thunder methods, low-tier thunder methods.
But for something like this fully systematic high-tier Thunder Series as in “Nine Heavens’ Responsive Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable Jade Shu Sutra”, the value is definitely high, not something you can buy with Spirit Stones.
The techniques of gathering and transforming thunder contained within it, along with the Five Thunders Protective Techniques, could even tackle Heavenly Tribulations, making their value for high-tier cultivators immeasurable.
Most importantly, this Thunder Series differed from the previous Taoist Scriptures, as it was not about the Divine Soul borrowing the falsehood of cultivation to achieve success, but a genuine spell that could be directly used in reality and various worlds.
To Xu Yang, this was not surprising.
The reason this world relies on the power of the Divine Soul to borrow and fake cultivation is because the world is poor in resources and sparse in Prime Spirit, lacking the sustenance to support cultivation. Hence, it is necessary to find another path and substitute the power of the souls of all beings for the power of the Heavenly Earth Prime Spirit.
But the problem of resources only affects cultivation techniques, not cultivating skills.
Cultivating skills, like a cannon, as long as you provide it with ammunition, with energy, it can harm your enemies.
It doesn’t care how you obtained the ammunition; as long as it meets the specifications, as long as it can be fired, it will shoot.
Therefore, it is a true method that can be directly applied to reality and other worlds, driven by sufficient mana, no matter whether this mana was cultivated through Divine Soul, Spiritual Energy, or converted from some other power, it does not matter, and does not affect it.
This made Xu Yang feel as if he had found a most precious treasure.
Even though in the real world those ignorant cultivators see him, “Thunder Lightning Mana King Shi Jian,” as a mysterious and powerful Thunder Cultivator, he knows his own matters. How could he count as a Thunder Cultivator? Not knowing a bit of Thunder Cultivation techniques, he solely relied on the Innate Divine Ability to command thunder and show power.
Oh, and there was also a Small Thunder Talisman, but strictly speaking, that is Talisman skills, not Thunder Series.
The real Thunder Series, that’s in the “Nine Heavens’ Responsive Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable Jade Shu Sutra”.
All the wonderful uses of thunder are in there.
Compared to before, Xu Yang was truly unworthy of the name Thunder Cultivator. It was like an ignorant wild monkey finding a rod of thunder but only knowing how to swing it like a stick, never truly unleashing the power and subtlety of thunder.
“I’ve benefited greatly, benefited greatly indeed!”
Xu Yang muttered to himself as he solemnly stored the scripture in his bag.
Just obtaining this genuine scripture on thunder was enough to make his divine travels in this life worthwhile.
It was unknown where Peach Blossom Taoist had found his fortune to obtain such a proper Thunder Series scripture.
Fortunately, the man was an Evil Cultivator, a Ghost Path Cultivator, who dared not practice this method, or else Xu Yang would have had no chance of overcoming him today.
“It’s all about timing and fate!”
Xu Yang sighed softly, turning his attention to the last scroll.
“Xuanming True Person’s Ghost Controlling Method”
Just by reading the title, one could tell that nine out of ten, it was an Evil Skill.
But techniques have no moral alignment, and power no righteous or evil nature; it all depends on how the cultivator uses them.
Therefore, Xu Yang was not averse to it and began to read.
This scripture was not made of paper nor woven from golden silk. Instead, it was crafted from some kind of leather, soft to the touch as if caressing a woman’s skin, fine and smooth. Within the lines, there was a chilling ghostly energy and a formidable malice, a decidedly evil method and object.
The text was Taoism, except it was the Taoism of the evil path. It could cultivate mana, advancing Taoist cultivation, but the methods of cultivation were too cruel, requiring the consumption of human blood, flesh, and souls, not only damaging the harmony of heaven but also unaccepted by the world. There were many hidden dangers, many taboos, easily suppressed by various righteous Taoist methods.
The Peach Blossom Taoist, who had been vanished, was the perfect example.
Full of Yin Qi mana, facing thunder’s righteous methods, even with higher Taoist cultivation, he was powerless to resist.
Xu Yang would not abandon the Righteous Path to practice such a problematic Evil Skill.
So, he overlooked the Evil Cultivator’s methods and focused solely on the Ghost Enslaving Skills.
Within the scriptures, the Ghost Enslaving Skills were not as impressive as the previous Thunder Series scripture, but they still contained numerous spells, talismans, and sigil techniques.
For instance, the “Three Aunts and Six Wives” Nine Ghosts, “Partners in Crime” Two Ghosts, and “Learned Scholarly Command” Five Ghosts, “Increase Life and Damage Fate” Two Generals, as well as various Underworld Soldiers, Ghost Generals, Ghost Kings, Ghost Emperors, and methods for refining and commanding Ghost Gods.
Besides, there were Exorcising Ghost Talisman, Ghost Subjugation Talisman, Ghost Collecting Talisman, Ghost Sending Talisman, Soul Hooking Talisman, Soul Stealing Talisman…
Many sigils related to “controlling ghosts” were recorded.
There were also the Five Ghosts Transportation Technique, Five Ghosts Wealth Attraction Technique, Five Ghosts Life Stealing Technique, Five Ghosts Misfortune Transformation Technique, and spells like Nine Ghosts Soul Searching Spell, Nine Ghosts Body Division Spell, Nine Ghosts Life Healing Spell, Nine Ghosts Life Extension Spell, Soul Snatching Spell, and so on and so forth.
Also included were crafting methods for “Yin Altar”, “Magic Artifact”, “Soldier Tomb”, “Command Flag”, and other Ghost Path objects.
“Although it’s not as good as the Thunder Series genuine scripture, it’s still a method against enemies!”
Xu Yang muttered to himself as he also stored this scroll into his bag.
