Chapter 461 I Too Become a God
Lu Ya and Huang Xuan's departure in the dead of night did not disturb the night in Xunyang at all.
The starry sky above was quiet, everything as before.
Ouyang Rong, Xie Lingjiang, and the Wang family of Xunyang returned to the study together and chatted for a while longer.
The main focus was on showing concern and care for Li Dalang, who had drunk the water infused with red and black talismans.
"Is Dalang feeling unwell anywhere?"
Li Dalang: "It's alright."
"If you're feeling unwell, don't hold it in. Tell us quickly, Master Lu hasn't gone far yet."
Li Dalang: "Not yet."
"Brother, have you heard Mr. Yuan's voice? His appearance and mannerisms?"
Li Dalang: "..."
Everyone turned to look.
Li Dalang shrank back: "What my sister said is pretty scary."
Li Guo'er lowered her eyes and peeled a pear, saying in a serious tone:
“What’s so scary about Mr. Yuan? We met him when we were kids. He was a kind and gentle old man who would never harm us. According to Master Lu, this talisman was made by Mr. Yuan during his lifetime, so he must have had a deep connection with him. Judging from Master Lu’s reluctant expression, he might even be able to communicate with spirits.”
Xie Lingjiang pondered, "Perhaps it's just that seeing this object reminds me of someone."
Wei Mei thoroughly examined her eldest son's body from head to toe, and only after confirming that he was unharmed did she breathe a slight sigh of relief. Then, she frowned in confusion and asked:
"Why must all four of us drink this red talisman-infused water, but not Wanwan, Tanlang, and the others?"
Li Guo'er shook her head:
"I don't know. The Divine Decree is a secret passed down only by the Shangqing Sect of Maoshan. The Shangqing Sect has the fewest disciples among the Three Pure Ones and Three Mountains, so the Shangqing Sect's unique skills are the least frequently revealed and the most secretive compared to the other two sects. Few people outside know about them, but they are shrouded in mystery in the martial arts world."
"Some people even claim that by using divine decrees, one can summon celestial beings from the land, or even secret beings like ancient immortals."
Everyone's eyes widened slightly, and Li Xian couldn't help but ask:
"How does Guo'er know so much?"
Li Guo'er said calmly, "I've recently become quite interested in Qi cultivators. I've read through many unofficial books and even asked Sister Xie for some advice."
Xie Lingjiang nodded: "What Guo'er said is pretty much right. The divine decree... is indeed quite mysterious, and very few people know the specific details."
She kept her eyes glued to the spot, not glancing at the senior disciple next to her who was looking up at the sky.
After Li Guo'er finished peeling the pear, she raised her hand to throw it at Ouyang Rong. Ouyang Rong, who was lost in thought with his eyes down, subconsciously raised his hand as well. Xie Lingjiang, who was next to him, also raised her hand.
But the pear was not thrown into the air.
The transition from Li Guo'er throwing the pear to her taking it to her mouth and biting into it was so smooth, it was as if the two of them had been deluding themselves.
"What is Young Master Ouyang thinking about so intently?"
Faced with the half-smiling gaze of the little princess in plum blossom makeup, Ouyang Rong looked up and glanced at her:
"I wasn't thinking about anything, nothing's wrong."
Li Guo'er took a bite of the pear with her silver teeth, shook her head and blinked: "Is that so? Hmm, I don't know what you're thinking, but you're definitely having very beautiful dreams."
The double entendre made Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly...
A short while later, the meeting in the study ended, and everyone left.
Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang walked alone on a gallery by the water.
"That bowl of talisman water can only be consumed by the Xunyang King's family, because the success rate and duration of the divine summoning are related to the closeness of the relationship when casting the divine summoning edict."
Ouyang Rong suddenly turned his head and whispered an explanation to Xie Lingjiang:
"Therefore, the descendant and the vessel to which it possesses should ideally have a close relationship, the deeper the better."
“Old Master Yuan knows the Wang family of Xunyang, but not us, so naturally he can’t give us the talisman water to drink.”
Xie Lingjiang said thoughtfully, "I see, so what Senior Brother means is..."
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Although Lu Ya did not make his words clear, only emphasizing that it could guarantee peace once, the red and black talisman containing a divine decree should undoubtedly be invoked by Mr. Yuan himself."
The two exchanged a knowing glance.
Xie Lingjiang narrowed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then lowered her voice and asked:
"Senior Brother seems to know so much, and he remained silent just now. Could it be that he has already grasped..."
"Hmm, Miao Si can provide the spirit ink, and as for the talisman paper, it's that old booklet itself. I almost forgot about it and had to search for it blindly. It was truly a case of getting it without any effort at all."
Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but glance at her senior brother, whose expression remained calm.
The latter, speaking calmly, continued slowly:
"I have just witnessed the use of the red and black talismans up close, and I have indeed benefited greatly from it."
"I am a self-taught monk, and I only have a copy of the 'True Teachings' in my possession. I have only studied it for a short time, so my understanding of divine decrees is definitely far inferior to that of Lu Ya and those direct descendants of the Shangqing lineage."
"Heh, this kind of fundamental secret technique that forms the basis of a sect must be understood only by the Shangqing Sect itself. It is the most core secret of the Ancestral Hall."
"It's a pity. Even if Lu Ya and the Shangqing Ancestral Hall have a good relationship with us, and I go there to be honest with them, they won't tell me anything. There might even be some rifts or disputes. I have to keep it a secret. Well, I guess I can only learn by stealing their teachings."
Ouyang Rong looked somewhat regretful.
The next instant, he felt a slight pain in his shoulder. He turned his head and saw that it was his junior sister's fist that had punched him.
Xie Lingjiang couldn't help but scold the person who had gotten the better deal:
"What else do you want? You've already learned the most core techniques of their sect. Do you expect them to give you all the other minor details? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Senior Brother, you mustn't be too greedy."
"Ahem, that's true."
Ouyang Rong rubbed his shoulders, sounding somewhat embarrassed.
Actually, compared to the divine decree, he was more interested in another unique skill of the Three Pure Ones and Three Mountains.
That is the Thunder Pool within a small space.
Compared to the divine decree of Shangqing and the Nine-Turn Elixir of Yuqing, the Fangcun Thunder Pool is even more domineering.
I had previously heard Miao Si praise it as the number one thunder technique in the world.
Only the Zhang family Celestial Masters within the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain can learn this skill; even Celestial Masters of other families cannot.
On the day of his decisive battle with Qiu Shenji at Dagushan in Longcheng, Ouyang Rong had seen his junior sister use a vermilion talisman. That talisman was not a complete Fangcun Thunder Pool; it was a gift from the Celestial Master's Mansion to protect the Xunyang King's family.
A true small, dangerous area, capable of both offense and defense, and also a place to escape.
Even so, the junior sister still managed to hold off Qiu Shenji for quite some time with her incomplete version of the Fangcun Thunder Pool.
If he could learn the Fangcun Leichi (a martial arts technique), he wouldn't be flustered when facing Xue Zhongzhu in the future. He could leisurely arrange his sword within the Fangcun Leichi, and Xue Zhongzhu would likely be the one to flee.
Moreover, according to Miao Si, Fangcun Leichi seems to be able to escape using lightning, which is not much worse than Xuanhuang Dilong's earth escape technique...
At present, Ouyang Rong's merit purple aura seems to be able to act as the spiritual energy of other Dao lineages, activating many unique skills that are not from his own lineage.
If the Three Pure Ones' ultimate techniques were placed in front of him, he could successfully steal and learn them.
However, just like the "True Proclamation" and the Divine Decree, to flexibly master the Fangcun Thunder Pool, one needs to learn the secret "Divine Firmament Purple Thunder Technique," a closely guarded secret of the Celestial Master's Mansion. This technique is an absolute secret of the Supreme Purity...
"So that means..."
In the gallery, Xie Lingjiang frowned slightly upon hearing this, her tone somewhat enlightened:
"Can a divine edict really summon the spirits of the deceased? I'd vaguely heard this speculation before, but I thought it was fake. I always thought that those who were possessed by Shangqing Taoist priests were hidden beings still alive in the present world..."
"Now it seems... after all, Mr. Yuan has passed away, yet he can still be a spirit."
"Junior sister is clever."
Ouyang Rong nodded in approval, his tone quite moved:
"As I predicted, tonight's events have confirmed that it is indeed possible to invite people from the past. However, the most difficult part is still the condition of maintaining a close connection."
Xie Lingjiang nodded, gently took Ouyang Rong's arm, glanced back at the distance, and curled her lips slightly:
"This Fellow Daoist Lu is truly well-hidden. He is cautious and speaks little, and it turns out he has been carrying a red and black talisman the whole time. He only took it out now that he was leaving. When the senior brother asked him about it before, he was still vague and said he didn't have it. It seems that he is quite wary."
Ouyang Rong smiled:
"Our relationship with the Sanqing Ancestral Hall is essentially based on shared interests, with the Xunyang Prince's Mansion as the only link between us. Supporting the dragon is the biggest interest for both sides right now. As for personal relationships, they will have to wait."
Xie Lingjiang was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, as if remembering something, and said with some dissatisfaction:
"Thankfully, the eldest brother upheld justice and gave Xiaoxuan to them."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "That was Xiaoxuan's own choice. We've said everything we needed to say and given all the conditions we were supposed to give. As long as we didn't convey the wrong message to Xiaoxuan, that's fine."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard his junior sister's soft voice suddenly come from beside him:
"If you say so, Xiaoxuan will definitely stay. Hmm, young girls are the easiest to coax. It's a pity I'm a girl. Don't you think so, Senior Brother?"
Ouyang Rong pretended not to hear, didn't respond, and didn't even look at his junior sister next to him with an unreadable expression.
His experience of surviving a near-death experience taught him that he must not hesitate at this moment.
Ouyang Rong stroked his chin, pretending to ponder for a moment:
"It's not necessarily a bad thing that Fellow Daoist Lu is leaving temporarily. He's been testing us, which has made me feel a bit constrained. There are some things we need to keep to ourselves and need to maneuver a bit more..."
"Speaking of which, he even wanted to take Miao Si away. This Fellow Daoist Lu is really interesting. He's even more cunning than your senior brother. Tsk tsk, so dishonest."
Although it was meant as a sarcastic remark, Xie Lingjiang noticed that his senior brother leaned back slightly, his expression showing a hint of mutual respect. Clearly, after meeting a worthy opponent, he felt that he himself was the more cunning one.
Xie Lingjiang suddenly asked expectantly:
"Senior Brother, what did you learn from observing this? Did you remember the edict on the red and black talisman? Can you restore it? Should we also invite Celestial Master Yuan?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head, his expression unchanged, and said:
"There was a gain, but not this. The handwriting on that red and black talisman should indeed be Mr. Yuan's, but it should be a standard edict for a divine invocation."
“I took a look and realized that drawing talismans when I get back would save me some trouble. I can just copy the template directly. I won’t need to figure out how to draw talismans anymore; they’re all based on the same template, so I can just follow it.”
He paused, then turned to his dazed junior sister and said:
"Junior sister may not understand the divine decree. The reason why the red and black talisman that Dalang took tonight could invite Mr. Yuan's 'spirit' to possess him was because of that inconspicuous drop of blood in the porcelain bottle in Lu Ya's hand."
"The most crucial part of the entire ceremony tonight is this drop of blood. If I'm not mistaken, it should be Mr. Yuan's essence blood."
"The Qi Refining Technique of the Shangqing Sect is based on the Divine Decree. After so many years of inheritance, it is very likely that the essence and blood of many legendary celestial masters or ancient true men have been left behind as a medium for later disciples of the sect to use the Divine Decree, making the necessary connection of the Divine Decree even closer."
"Without an important medium like essence and blood, I cannot summon Master Yuan even by using my divine powers."
"Speaking of which, although Lu Ya lost to the Grand Queen of Yunmeng in public during the Sword Competition in Peach Valley last year, his actual combat skills may not be weak, and he may even be comparable to the sixth-rank Snow Candle. The main problem is that the Divine Decree cannot be used during the Sword Competition..."
Ouyang Rong analyzed the wave, sighed, and said with a hint of self-mockery:
"It's a pity that I'm just an outsider now, without any medium of transmission. I'll have to think of other ways to use the divine decree."
Xie Lingjiang suddenly realized, "So that's how it is... Senior Brother, there's no need to belittle yourself."
She offered care and comfort.
Ouyang Rong glanced at his junior sister, who had a serious expression, and then changed the subject:
"However, this time it wasn't without other gains."
"What did you gain?"
"So this is how divine decrees can be used? Doesn't that mean..."
"Isn't that what?"
Ouyang Rong put his hands behind his back, strode forward, and said loudly:
"Junior Sister, who said that using a divine summoning edict requires inviting a god to possess you? Can't I become a 'god' like Master Yuan, who, even after death, can descend into another vessel?"
"As for the conditions for completing the ritual... judging from the relationship between Master Yuan and Dalang, it can be roughly inferred that either the descendant or the vessel to be possessed must be able to issue divine decrees in order to create the red and black talismans."
Ouyang Rong, with clear logic, raised his index finger and listed them one by one:
"Therefore, this most secret martial art among the Three Pure Ones and Three Mountains actually has two uses."
"Take me as an example. The first use is as a vessel that possesses the divine command. Using red and black talismans, I can carry a deceased or living descendant, regardless of whether they possess the divine command or not, as long as I know how to use it."
"The second use is that, as a descendant who has already learned the art of summoning, I can create a red and black talisman and give it to someone else to enter a closely related possession vessel. This person does not need to know the art of summoning."
Xie Lingjiang was slightly taken aback, her eyelashes drooping as she chewed for a while.
Just then, she turned her head and saw her senior brother chuckle softly, put his hands behind his back, and disappear into the night outside the gallery, shaking his head as he left.
"Learning a little bit is fun, very fun."
When Ouyang Rong returned to his residence in Huaiye Lane, it was already past 8 PM.
This era is already quite late.
Aunt Zhen Shuyuan did not sleep; she sat in the main hall, waiting for him to return.
The two had some late-night snacks together, and Ouyang Rong and Ye Weilai, carrying lanterns, returned to Yinbingzhai one after the other.
In the inner room, Miaosi was still sleeping in.
After taking a bath, Ouyang Rong put on a robe, used the excuse of studying at night to send away the white-haired maid, and returned to his desk.
He removed the lampshade and refilled the lamp with oil.
Then, from the tabletop where the light shone even brighter, he took out a golden bowl containing spirit ink, and a blackened page that served as a talisman...
(End of this chapter)
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