Daoist Master of Qing Xuan

Shen Lian asked, “Grand Ancestor Master, what is the purpose of sending me here?”

He knew that it was the work of the old Daoist but he did not know why.

“Grandmaster Qingshui once resided there. But once she transcended beyond the mortal world, she hacked this place and turned it into an independent space. You can consider that as a place of enlightenment for Celestials and Buddha. You should be able to see your true self by the time you leave this place.” The old Daoist’s voice could be heard but Shen Lian could not identify the source of the voice.

Shen Lian responded, “It’s ok for me to be here but my niece Ruoxi is troubled. What would happen to her if I can’t leave for the next ten years?”

The old Daoist laughed, “Then you better get out from there as soon as possible.”

The place went dead silence after the old Daoist finished his sentence. No matter how hard Shen Lian hailed, all he could hear was his voice echoing throughout the space. He tried to investigate but he just could not find any traces of the source of the voice.

He knew that the old Daoist would not do any harm to him and that he could only depend on himself if he wanted to get out of this place.

At the first floor of the Taiwei Pavilion, the old Daoist was standing by the entrance. Ruoxi looked at him and asked, “Grandpa, where did you bring my uncle to?”

The old Daoist had a terrifying face but she was not afraid of him at all and stared at him with her water stream-liked clear eyes.

The old Daoist smiled, “Somewhere out there.”

Ruoxi responded, “And where on earth is that?”

The old Daoist smiled and did not reply.

Ruoxi stared at the old Daoist coldly and sent the Taiwei Pavilion into a sudden chill. Her clear eyes had a thin layer of silver light and that oozed out a sense of relentless, just like the highly God of the Nine Heavens who looked at sentient beings in contempt.

A strong force of spiritual consciousness gathered in between her eyebrows and spread out in waves. It was an extremely mysterious aura and it appeared once again in front of her. It looked like a droplet of water and it made no sound at all.

Ruoxi spread out her palms and that droplet of water turned into a flame. There was no heat to the silverish white flame but it looked like a representation of death.

In a split second, Ruoxi became extremely mysterious. The silverish white flame reflected her beautiful face but it was an indifferent icy-cold expression that would never appear on the face of a girl of her age.

She was still the old Ruoxi but it also seemed like turned into a greater being. She could undoubtedly turn the entire pavilion into ashes with the silverish white flame that was floating on her palm.

She coldly asked, “Where did my uncle go?”

The reason why Shen Lian brought her to the Taiwei Pavilion was to consult the old Daoist on how to help Ruoxi. Before he could mention it, he was tossed and trapped in somewhere unknown.

The old Daoist was not surprised by the changes in Ruoxi, he quietly said, “If I don’t tell you, would you burn down this place?”

Ruoxi responded, “I totally would.”

The old Daoist smiled, “Then burn.”

Ruoxi’s palms started shaking. Although she was in a strange state, she still knew that she was Ruoxi and not someone else. But at the same time, she felt that she was being influenced by a greater existence that gave her invincible strength that could potentially match her uncle’s power.

She knew that the old Daoist was a Doyen of Shen Lian, and that this pavilion meant a lot to Qing Xuan. More than anyone, she knew that her uncle was the chief of Qing Xuan and that was why she should not set this place on fire. But she was so mad that the old Daoist would not tell her where her uncle was.

She too, clearly knew that as a Doyen, the scary looking old man would never harm her uncle. However, she was also worried something might have happened to her uncle.

When her rationale and emotions clashed, a hidden force in her body was triggered and awaken.

The essential Qi that she cultivated turned into nothing at this very moment. But her psyche was so strong that it could actually affect reality.

The old Daoist shook his head and he flexed a finger. Silently, his mana attacked and the flame was triggered and transferred from Ruoxi’s palm to the body of the old Daoist.

The flame touched the flesh of the old Daoist and lighted up his rotten body.

The old Daoist turned into a flaming man but flames only lighted up his body and did not affect every other part of him. A pure white flame came out from his body and absorbed the silverish flames to put it off. Although the old Daoist’s flesh looked rotten and his bones were visible but it gave out a feeling of crystal clear.

Ruoxi was taken aback, she fell to the ground and cried.

The old Daoist smiled, “Why are you crying? It’s been awhile since I’ve last moved around, come and accompany me for a walk.”

He got up and held Ruoxi’s hands as the void started to ripple. An elderly and a young girl appeared in the ocean and left Qing Xuan.

If Shen Lian was around, he would have witnessed the pure white flames that came out from the old Daoist. It was an indescribable stunning flam known as the ‘True Samadhi Fire’.

Legend had it that only the celestial fruit or the gifted would be able to cultivate this fire. Once they mastered the fire, it would be very hard to beat them. Even an immortal Zhenren would suffer greatly if they touched the flame.

One would only be able to understand the abstruse behind it once one cultivated it.

Of course, Shen Lian was not aware that the old Daoist had mastered the True Samadhi Fire. Even if the old Daoist had yet to transcend beyond the mortal world, he was not far away from it. In other words, this was the greatest force in the world. Even if Lu Jiuyuan dominated the throne as the greatest person, he could only suppress and not destroy the True Samadhi Fire.

On the other hand, Shen Lian was walking slowly on the Qingshi Road. The plum trees on the sides of the road were in full bloom. There were circulations of light rays but there were day and night. There were no stars neither were there any clouds.

The scattered plum flowers, some landed on the Qingshi Road and some on the ground. But in the end, it all became part of the soil to fertilize the plum tree.

He walked along the alley and headed deep into the plum forest. He had a feeling that this plum forest was the one Ling Chongxiao mentioned in his stories but he needed one more key evidence to prove it.

He finally walked to the end of the alley and there was a plum tree that had lived for countless years. It was thick and strong, and there were traces of writing that has faded over time on the tree trunk.

Shen Lian easily identified the writings.

“Master Chongyang of Difei, people call him Lunatic Wang.

When he came into the world, he nurtures the sun and moon; after he leaves the world, he will entrust himself to the west and east and roam freely.

He makes himself a companion with the clouds and streams; he makes himself a neighbor with the empty void.

His single numinous Real Nature exists; it is not the same as the mind of the masses.”

It was exactly the same as what Ling Chongxiao mentioned in his story.

Behind the plum tree were a stream and a wooden house.

Being in this place had cleansed the vanity in Shen Lian as his mind gradually distanced itself from the secular mortal world.

Shen Lian arrived at the wooden house but there was no door.

He stepped into the house and there was only a bamboo bed and nothing else.

There should be a painting on the wall facing the entrance but there was nothing on the wall.