Chapter 68 Returning Tianxiang Niangniang opened her eyes and pointed in Dongtang's direction...
With a flick of her jade hand, Shen Cang obtained the Kunlun Sword.
She stared intently at the billowing black mist outside the First Hall, her anger particularly intense this time. Suddenly, her gaze pierced through the cliffs and looked into the distance, where black mist continued to surge in every corner of Kunlun. Not only the Incense Hall, but all the other disciples in Kunlun were also affected by the anger, transforming into nourishment for countless lives.
Perhaps it was because Dongtang had been lurking in Kunlun for a long time and had harmed many disciples. Now that all the black energy had gathered, Shen Cangyu realized that Dongtang was more powerful than any of the Wuliang Sheng she had ever encountered.
"Like being sealed off or closed off."
Shen Cangyu plunged her sword into the ground, and the aura around her formed a tight barrier around her feet, protecting her from the surrounding black energy.
The black mist, following the scent of humanity, crashed against the wind wall in waves. Under the cover of the black mist, Shen Cangyu raised her hand, and a copper coin began to spin in her palm.
"A single coin can reveal a person's heart," she murmured silently.
The colors of the surrounding scenery changed, and she looked through the layers of people at Dongtang standing beside the statue in the distance. Shen Cangyu had thought that since Dongtang had such strong anger, her greed should also be quite high, just like Wuliangsheng, whom she had met on the ship.
But unexpectedly, although Dongtang resented all the unfair things, she didn't have much greed in her heart.
She wasn't particularly greedy, which meant that Shen Cangyu's "coin-eyed greed" technique wouldn't have much effect on Dong Tang. Since they couldn't use the "coin-eyed greed" technique on her, they had no choice but to take action.
Shen Cangyu removed the barrier that had been blocking her, picked up her sword, and charged forward into the black aura.
Dong Tang noticed Shen Cangyu's movement, raised her hand, and black energy rushed towards her: "You're courting death."
The black energy crashed into Shen Cangyu, but she cleaved it in two with a single sword strike. Dong Tang hadn't expected that Shen Cangyu's sword energy could actually cut through the anger. Clusters of dense black energy rushed towards Shen Cangyu; some were blocked by her, some struck her body, and some wrapped around her limbs, trying to stop her.
Purple marks and torn wounds appeared on Shen Cangyu's body, but she remained calm and rushed towards Dongtang with all her might.
If she is killed, the reproduction of Wuliangsheng in Kunlun will cease, and with the flapping of a butterfly's wings, perhaps many future disasters will end here.
“You’ll regret killing me,” Dongtang said to Shen Cangyu.
"Whether you regret it or not is not up to you." Shen Cangyu raised his sword and plunged it into her heart.
Dongtang leaned back, but the corners of her mouth curled up.
It is only after experiencing death that Wuliang Sheng truly comes back to life. Now that her physical body has died, she has become the immortal Wuliang Sheng.
As Dongtang's body fell, it turned into ashes and dissipated in the air. Then, the surrounding black energy gathered and solidified into a new body for her.
“I told you, you’ll regret this,” Dongtang laughed loudly. “Now, I’m invincible, no one can hurt me.”
Shen Cangyu ignored her and continued to raise his sword to stab her.
Seeing the blade of her sword, Dongtang instinctively dodged, but the blade pierced her chest, leaving a gash.
Dongtang gasped in pain, "How could this be... How could your attack still hurt me?"
She is now a spirit, and living beings cannot touch her. Swords and blades should not be able to harm her in the slightest... Could it be that the Kunlun Sword is really so magical that it can even wound the spirit of Wuliangsheng?
Shen Cangyu was not surprised by this result.
Because she is not a living person, she does not belong to this world; she is also an inanimate object. Therefore, she can naturally make direct contact with Wuliangsheng, who is a soul, because they are essentially the same thing.
Similarly, the Kunlun Sword, which she summoned, is naturally capable of slaying souls, just like her.
"This is so annoying." Dong Tang's eyes changed as she began to absorb the souls of the surrounding Xingxiang Hall disciples, gaining power from them. As screams rang out, Dong Tang's originally translucent body gradually solidified: "If I had known you were this difficult to deal with, I should have eliminated you much earlier."
She chanted a series of incantations, and the surrounding black mist wove into dense nets that enveloped Shen Cangyu. The nets were as sharp as blades, and if one were to be struck by them, one would likely be reduced to pieces on the ground.
Shen Cangyu kept dodging, but his eyes were fixed on Dongtang's weaknesses, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.
Shen Cangyu's attacks were effective against Dongtang, and Dongtang's attacks could also inflict irreparable damage on Shen Cangyu. The injury to the soul is different from the injury to the body; it is a lingering, persistent dull pain that always recurs unexpectedly, causing excruciating pain.
Shui Linglong tossed several stones into the air. The stones landed on the ground and rolled around like living things, drawing a protective barrier around her. She then took out a stick of incense from her sleeve.
The incense in Xingxiangtang had long been dampened by snowmelt and could not be lit, and the new incense also had problems, so all the incense was useless.
The disciples of Xingxiang Hall are believers of the Goddess of Heavenly Fragrance. Their connection with the Goddess of Heavenly Fragrance relies entirely on incense as a medium. Without incense, they are useless.
But the incense in Shui Linglong's hand was different. These incense sticks that summoned spirits had been stored in her sleeve for years without being used. Unlike other incense sticks, hers were normal and could invite the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess to descend to earth.
As disciples of Xingxiangtang, they burn incense every day to communicate with the Goddess of Heavenly Fragrance. They burn incense when they need something and pray when they don't. This is their daily routine.
It's hard to imagine that a disciple of the Incense Offering Hall wouldn't burn a single stick of incense for several years. If she doesn't need the Heavenly Incense Goddess's abilities, why does she stay in the Incense Offering Hall?
Long ago, Shui Linglong wondered why the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess, who was omnipotent, could not directly bestow her abilities upon them, but instead required them to draw power from her by burning incense.
Why can't they possess their own power, like other disciples of the Daoist arts?
Elder Xu Mei told her that because prying into the secrets of heaven is a shortcut, the most convenient and easiest way is to simply offer sincerity and faith. There are no barriers to entry. Whether it is royalty, nobles, ordinary people, or even penniless vagrants living in dilapidated temples or under bridges, everyone has the right to faith.
Regardless of the reason for their prayers, the Goddess of Heavenly Fragrance rewards those who are sincere. Her ability to grant all requests is the reason for her enduring popularity and widespread following.
However, the blessing bestowed by the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess is ultimately only an external aid, unlike other Taoist practices that require continuous learning and comprehension. Their paths to power differ, and so do their outcomes.
Shui Linglong asked, "Then why don't the mortals living outside the mountains go and learn, so that they can comprehend other Taoist methods?"
Elder Xu Mei smiled and shook her head. Shui Linglong would understand when she grew up.
Learning was something incredibly simple for her, but for ordinary people outside the mountains, it represented an insurmountable barrier. In this era, not everyone had the right to education. Those of them who grew up in Kunlun were the luckiest; their very birth gave them the opportunity to choose.
Shui Linglong's relatives were all disciples of the Xingxiang Hall; she was born a member of the Xingxiang Hall. However, she had thought many times in the past about choosing a different path, preferring to hold her abilities in her own hands rather than seeking help from the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess.
"But if you want to see your future clearly and take every step well, and you also want to gain more attention and praise from others, isn't that exactly the essence of seeking the secrets of heaven?" Elder Xu Mei said. Shui Linglong suddenly understood and stayed there from then on.
If it were someone else, they would comfortably forget their own struggles and focus on worshipping the Goddess of Heavenly Fragrance, drawing energy from their faith.
But Shui Linglong began to study the arts of the mind. She knew that the arts of the mind were different from Taoist magic; Taoist magic could only be learned by disciples of that particular path, but the arts of the mind were something that everyone in the world could learn. The power of Taoist magic could not satisfy her, so she gained power from the arts of the mind, even though most disciples of the Xingxiang Hall despised the arts of the mind, considering it self-inflicted suffering. With the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess by their side, they already possessed omnipotent immortal power.
People are inherently different; even those who believe in the same doctrine can have different thoughts.
Some people try to glimpse the secrets of heaven in order to see their own future. They know that destiny is hard to defy, and they know how to follow their own path, to go with the flow, and not to make futile attempts.
Some people peek into the secrets of heaven in order to see their own limits and try to improve themselves within a limited time so that the future will be better than expected. This is Shui Linglong.
She learned all sorts of psychological techniques in order to find another solution when disaster strikes.
“This time, I still don’t need you to personally intervene. You should go and help others.” Shui Linglong raised her hand and waved the incense sticks. The incense flew in different directions and landed in front of the disciples of Xingxiang Hall who were struggling to control their minds.
"This is..." The disciples of Xingxiang Hall, accustomed to this practice over the years, reached out and grabbed the incense in front of them. The next moment, all the incense sticks burst into a crimson flame.
The black mist instantly froze, and white fog emanated from the incense, growing thicker and thicker.
Dongtang realized something was wrong, and she immediately stopped absorbing the black energy. The black energy enveloped her, and she flew towards the outside of the mountain.
The disemboweled statue suddenly moved. Tianxiang Niangniang opened her eyes, raised her hand from her knees, and pointed in the direction of Dongtang.
The white smoke entangled Dongtang, who was flying in mid-air, and the smoke kept shrinking, as if it wanted to compress and crush her.
Dongtang struggled, her bloodshot eyes fixed on the distant statue: "Am I not your believer too? Why do you help them? Why don't you help me? As a deity, why can't you treat everyone equally and grant my wish?"
Tianxiang Niangniang did not answer. The rope of white mist pierced Dongtang's soul, and Dongtang let out a shrill scream.
"Amitabha, even now, are you still hiding in the back and refusing to come out?" Dongtang revealed a ferocious expression. "Since that's the case, then no one will get this treasure!"
She raised her hand and suddenly swallowed the spirit pearl hidden in her hand.
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