Chapter 228 - 226: Three-Body

Chapter 228: Chapter 226: Three-Body

To be cautious, Chen Qingyang performed an Astrological Inference for this matter.

Fearing one attempt wouldn’t be enough, he tried two or three more times, consuming a great deal of Star Power. The result was just two words: Defensive Posture.

This was the second time his inference had produced these two words. The meaning was ethereal and inconclusive. One interpretation was to maintain his current momentum and make no changes. Another was to stabilize the current situation and let things develop as they would naturally.

In other words, whether Chen Qingyang acted or not was entirely up to him. He wasn’t going to get a clear answer by relying on the Star Map.

Although he had unexpectedly acquired over twenty thousand Immortal Seedlings, it didn’t make Chen Qingyang feel rich. On the contrary, he felt an even more desperate need for them.

’Now that my Cultivation has advanced, doesn’t my Wind Control Skill need to be improved as well? And there’s that Array waiting for me to study in depth when I get back. Not to mention the critically important Ziwei Scripture. Back when Master Xuan Gui was still alive, the Demon Sect placed immense value on this technique...’

All these things required leveling up, and Chen Qingyang didn’t want to wait too long. Besides, after taking such a long detour, he’d be damned if he left without taking something with him.

’Just this one last time,’ he thought. ’After I succeed, I’ll make a trip to True Demon Mountain and then get out of here. No matter how that person behind me searches, I won’t let them find a single trace of me.’

Based on his past experience, he calculated that three Fifth Realm Cultivators would yield at least fifteen thousand Immortal Seedlings. He could even pick off a few from the First, Second, and Third Realms to top it off. He might even get infinitely close to the Sixth Realm of Essence Condensation. ’If it causes a huge commotion, so be it. This is the last haul, after all.’

Having made his decision, Chen Qingyang hid his physical body in a valley fifty li away. He held his breath and focused his spirit, minimizing any sign of his presence. Even if someone flew right past him, they would have great difficulty sensing him.

He then had his Conscious Fish tail the three brothers constantly. He believed that as long as he was patient enough, an opportunity was bound to present itself.

However, what happened next exceeded his expectations. For ten consecutive days, the three of them didn’t budge, remaining in the palace to cultivate. If other disciples from the temple came to report, the brothers would simply give instructions from inside, and the disciples would go carry them out. They spent every other moment on their Cultivation.

They neither ate nor drank, so even if he had poison, it would be impossible to use it on them. They didn’t even speak more than ten sentences combined.

Fortunately, Chen Qingyang was composed enough. He was like a venomous snake coiled in the shadows, holding his breath, waiting only for the opportunity to land a fatal strike.

Speaking of which, the three brothers’ Cultivation method was also quite unique.

Whenever they meditated, the three would sit facing one another, their palms connected to form a circle. Their True Essence would then circulate between them without the slightest bit leaking out.

As Chen Qingyang watched longer, he detected three distinct auras from them: a frigid yin, a scorching heat, and a powerful Gang Breath.

The old man controlled the frigid yin, cultivating his Earth Root Acupoint.

The middle-aged man controlled the scorching heat, mastering the arts of the Mingtang Hall.

The youth, meanwhile, controlled the Gang Breath for the soul of the Jiang Palace.

Each of the three had his own strength, and their Spirit Platforms were connected, merging them into one within that small space. They had truly achieved a state where the Cultivation of one benefited all three.

Even their Xuanji Gang Qi could be shared. If one was attacked, all three could absorb the blow.

’Based on my knowledge,’ Chen Qingyang mused, ’True Essence Cultivators must also practice Divine Soul Cultivation. The Divine Soul is the very foundation for controlling True Essence. These three control their True Essence as if they share a single body. Have their Divine Souls also merged into one?’

’The world is truly vast and full of strange things. The Demonic Sect’s Techniques aren’t limited to the ones I’ve seen, like Dual Cultivation, Netherworld arts, and Blood Fiend methods.’

Seeing them sitting there like three sentient logs, Chen Qingyang feared he could wait for another month like this and still not find an opportunity. He immediately had an idea: he should give them something to do.

In the center of the Daoist Temple stood an enormous Divine Maiden Statue. It had a compassionate expression, gazing down upon all living things. The Nether Qi it emanated was far stronger than that of the other Fuyuan Temples.

Chen Qingyang decided to start with the statue. His Conscious Fish slowly approached it, then began to merge with it bit by bit, using its ability to become one with the object.

He had experience with this, so it wasn’t particularly difficult. After several more days, his Yu’Er could finally feel the flow of Nether Qi and sense how the Array’s aura was operating. Immersed within the statue, it could see everything with perfect clarity!

It turned out this object wasn’t part of the Ten Thousand Souls Locking Profound Vault. Instead, it functioned similarly to the Soul Banner on Netherworld Peak. Its endless supply of Nether Qi was drawn directly from the Netherworld, then distributed via an Array to nurture this temple’s Holy Mother and Saint Heir.

The men tilling the fields were called Holy Slaves. Their sole purpose was to ensure the well-being of the Holy Mother and Saint Heir and to grow crops. As for what happened to them if the mother and child met with misfortune, no one knew.

Now that he understood the workings of the Array, Chen Qingyang could tamper with it. For the time being, no one noticed that the dark green aura surrounding the Divine Maiden Statue was gradually fading away until it vanished entirely.

This was a matter of extreme importance to the Fuyuan Temple. Before long, a disciple came to investigate. He looked all around but couldn’t find the cause, so he hurried off.

The Conscious Fish simply lay in wait on the Divine Maiden Statue. Not long after, the three brothers finally stirred, rushing over from outside.

’All three of them,’ Chen Qingyang thought, frustrated. ’After all that effort, I still couldn’t get them to separate.’

The three of them, from youngest to oldest, walked one after another in a circle around the Divine Maiden Statue.

"Senior Brother, what’s going on?" The one who spoke first was the youth in the lead. His voice was that of an old man, though his face was young.

The old man at the very back, who had worn a gloomy expression ever since Chen Qingyang first laid eyes on him, grumbled, "You’re asking me? How would I know? Second Junior Brother, you tell us what’s going on."

He didn’t answer, instead tossing the question to the middle-aged cultivator, who said in a gruff voice, "If you two don’t know, why would I? Let me be clear: I don’t know either."

"Aiya!" The youth stomped his foot in frustration. "This isn’t about whether we know what’s wrong! The Sect sent the three of us here to guard this Array, and now there’s a problem with it. The priority is to figure out how to fix it!"

The old man slapped his thigh. "You’re right. The priority is to solve the problem. So how do you propose we solve it?"

The question was once again thrown to the middle-aged man. "Two things. First, we bring out the Command Talisman that controls this Array and use it to see if the Array itself is the problem."

"Second, if there’s nothing wrong with the Array, then we must report to the Sect at once and have them send someone to investigate. We can’t afford to delay any matter related to this place."

As the three talked, a circle of people stood around them, all completely silent.

Seeing the expressions on the onlookers’ faces as they listened to the three brothers’ conversation, Chen Qingyang sensed something. ’Did they become this dim-witted because of their cultivation, or were they born this way?’

He ultimately concluded it was the former. Someone born so slow-witted would have found it nearly impossible to even begin the path of Cultivation.

Furthermore, their interconnected Cultivation Technique, while allowing them to overcome their individual flaws, absorb each other’s strengths, and raise their collective potential, also meant their Divine Souls would inevitably fuse. This would easily lead to a loss of self, turning them into the figures they were today.

’For every gain, there must be a loss.’ Chen Qingyang no longer found their Dharma Gate so miraculous. ’The Demon Sect is just raising them to be three-headed guard dogs.’

After speaking, the middle-aged man added, "So, who should we send to retrieve it?"

The youth pointed at the old man. "I think he should go. He didn’t come up with any ideas, after all. Let him run the errand."

The old man frowned slightly, as if sinking into deep thought. "Mmm... that seems logical. I’ll make the trip, then."

Chen Qingyang saw his chance arriving. As long as the old man went alone, he would find a way to kill him and then make it look like he had vanished. Given the state of the other two’s minds, they would surely fall into chaos, creating another opportunity for him.

But just at this critical moment, the middle-aged man disagreed. "Why should he go alone? I say we all go together. Didn’t Master warn us? As long as the three of us stick together no matter what, and just focus on meditation and Cultivation after arriving here, no one can touch us."

His plan, so long in the making, was about to fall apart. Chen Qingyang grew anxious and hastily employed his trick again, making the Divine Maiden Statue start spewing Nether Qi once more.

"Three Temple Masters, it seems to be emitting True Qi again." Aside from the three masters, the others present acted perfectly normal.

As if their minds couldn’t process the sudden change, the three of them froze for a moment. The quickest to react was the youth. "Well then, we don’t need to get the Command Talisman anymore. Let’s just go back to our meditation."

"Mm, alright."

The other two agreed. Just as they were about to leave together, the Array acted up again.

A surrounding disciple stared in disbelief, examining it carefully. "Three Temple Masters, it seems... there’s a problem again. I’ve been here for over fifty years, and nothing like this has ever happened. Isn’t this a little too bizarre?"

"Bizarre?" The youth was the first to speak up again. "It is indeed very bizarre. Why would this be happening?"

The man was no stranger to the trio’s behavior; he was just worried about getting himself into trouble. "We still need to retrieve the Command Talisman," he suggested. "I think the Grand Temple Master should go. The Second and Third Temple Masters have profound Cultivation, so perhaps they should remain here to keep things under control. I’m afraid another incident might occur."

"Hmph?" Who would have thought that such a minor suggestion would make the youth’s eyes fly open with fury. "Master said no one is allowed to separate us! How dare you say such a thing!"

BANG! The youth had barely finished speaking when the middle-aged man strode forward and sent the disciple flying backward with a single punch. The rest of the disciples fell silent, as quiet as cicadas in winter. Though filled with anger, they could only curse inwardly.

Chen Qingyang was both puzzled and exasperated. ’These three are certainly ferocious guard dogs, but they’re completely incapable of handling the slightest deviation from the norm. What was the person who arranged this thinking?’

He wondered what must go through the minds of these Fuyuan Temple disciples whenever they had to deal with the three brothers on a daily basis.