Chapter 60: Every Cause Must Have an Effect
Time passed quickly, like a shuttle weaving through the fabric of days.
In the blink of an eye, another thirty years had gone by.
When Lu Yang opened his eyes once more, although his face still showed no signs of aging, a strand of frost-white hair had appeared amidst his originally thick black locks.
“In a flash, I am already eighty years old…”
Although Qi Refining cultivators lived longer than mortals, their limit was around one hundred and fifty years—not exceedingly high. Eighty years old was already past middle age.
In another twenty years, Zhao Xuhe’s Stealing Heaven’s Mystery talent would unlock.
“Although there is no hope for Foundation Establishment in this life, once I master The Sage Steals, I can at least attempt to charge at Foundation Establishment once to accumulate experience in advance.”
The Dao path was in sight; the Dao path was truly in sight.
Even with the Grand Yin Corpse Liberation Transformation True Method, after thirty years of secluded study, he had successfully devised a tricky secret method to master it, thanks to the Dao-Illuminating Jade Slip.
“To truly master the Grand Yin Corpse Liberation Transformation True Method, one must experience ‘Death and then Transformation.’ But as long as I die, [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] will trigger a restart… However, in reality, this ‘death’ is not so absolute. The Grand Yin Corpse Liberation Transformation True Method cannot possibly require the cultivator to truly die.”
“The so-called ‘death’ is actually limited to the physical body.”
“After the physical body dies, the form is refined underground. Claws and hair grow silently, and the corpse remains as if alive. Over time, the Dao is achieved… It’s just that to others, the death of the physical body means true death.”
“After all, the physical body is the raft for the soul. Once the body dies, the soul will gradually dissipate, making death only a matter of time.”
“However, in other words, as long as I let my physical body die while keeping my soul awake and undead, I won’t trigger [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes].”
“In this way, perhaps there is a chance for ‘Death and then Transformation.’”
This was the solution provided by the Dao-Illuminating Jade Slip. Lu Yang felt its feasibility was high. The only issue was the tricky secret method created for this purpose.
“Although according to the deduction of the Dao-Illuminating Jade Slip, this secret method is sufficient to keep my soul stable and from scattering after my body dies, I have never seen a soul that can truly exist detached from the body. If I could see one and record it with the Dao-Illuminating Jade Slip to get the data, the secret method would be considered perfect…”
More importantly, Lu Yang knew such existences existed in this world.
Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones!
A Foundation Establishment Perfected One has a lifespan of three hundred years, but this is actually only the lifespan of the physical body. The lifespan of the soul far exceeds this. Therefore, they often choose to reincarnate after death.
Although after a Perfected One reincarnates, everything starts over and their cultivation falls from the Foundation Establishment rank, there is no “Mystery of the Womb.” Before the age of eight, they will inevitably awaken memories of their past. From then on, their cultivation progresses a thousand miles a day. As long as they can ascend to the Foundation Establishment rank again, they can obtain another three hundred years of lifespan.
Of course, this cannot continue indefinitely.
Because every reincarnation is a wearing down of one’s own achievements. If the Perfected One’s Dao practice does not increase, they will eventually become weaker and weaker.
The first reincarnation, they will inevitably be a favored child of heaven.
The second reincarnation, they can still be a dragon or phoenix among men.
The third reincarnation, they become an ordinary genius.
By the fourth or fifth life… if the Perfected One’s cultivation still hasn’t improved, they will completely fade into mediocrity, becoming a mortal and losing their former transcendence.
This is the so-called— Fruit of the Perfected One, severed after five generations.
Moreover, reincarnation does not guarantee a return to Foundation Establishment one hundred percent. Once a Perfected One reincarnates, if they cannot suppress their Qi destiny, past karma will follow closely behind.
If one is not careful, dying prematurely is also normal.
Therefore, every Perfected One is extremely cautious when reincarnating. They obscure the heavenly secrets and rarely tell outsiders to avoid accidental karmic tribulations.
Under these circumstances, seeing the reincarnated soul of a Foundation Establishment Perfected One was incredibly difficult.
Thinking of this, Lu Yang felt a headache coming on. He could only shelve the idea temporarily and turn to calculating whether his great undertaking of imparting the Dao had made any progress.
“Taiwei Imperial Edict, Order of Heavenly Pardon…”
Lu Yang pinched his fingers and chanted a mantra. The Taiwei Imperial Edict divined the heavenly secrets, and his mind rapidly sank into the omnipresent web of karma between heaven and earth, beginning a keyword search.
Soon, relevant information surfaced in his heart:
“In the final years of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the muddle-headed ruler lacked the Dao, causing the people to suffer. Consequently, a Heavenly Book emerged, divided into four volumes and scattered across the human world, causing hidden dragons throughout the land to rise up simultaneously.”
“When the chaos settled, the four volumes of the Heavenly Book found their owners. One volume is held by the Haoran Academy, copied by generations of scholars. One volume was obtained by the Hanging Temple, becoming the supreme classic of the Buddhist Sect. One volume was annotated by the Tianshi Mansion, becoming the token of successive Celestial Masters. Only the final volume was lost in the mortal dust, its whereabouts unknown.”
Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism—the three schools divide the world, serving as the source of the current era’s Martial Dao.
“Good, good!”
Lu Yang revealed a look of pleasant surprise. Immediately, he activated The Sage Steals. The next second, he felt a surging Qi destiny sweeping over him, instantly drowning his body.
In an instant, Lu Yang’s body exploded with a boom.
However, miraculously, after his body exploded, it did not turn into flesh and blood but into a sky full of fine dust. Lu Yang’s consciousness resided in the very center of this dust.
He could feel that every speck of his physical dust was currently accepting the scorching and refining of the Qi destiny.
Using the smoke and fire of the human world to refine the Golden Body of a Sage!
Just like that, a long time passed. Until that surging Qi destiny was completely consumed, the fine dust gathered once more, re-manifesting Lu Yang’s shell.
However, this time, his body had undergone earth-shaking changes.
“Sage Steals Golden Body—Small Success!”
A glint of brilliance flashed in Lu Yang’s eyes. He then stomped his foot. Instantly, a terrifying fluctuation capable of shaking mountains spread out like ripples with a boom!
Under the impact of this terrifying fluctuation, the cliffside Cave Abode where Lu Yang was located seemed to experience an Earth Dragon Turning Over. Rocks rolled down one after another as if an invisible storm were raging. Countless fierce birds and beasts were startled into looking at the peak where Lu Yang was in seclusion, then fled in panic.
“…Feels pretty good.”
Lu Yang exhaled deeply. For the first time, he felt a sense of “solidity” coming from his body. Currently, relying solely on his physical body, he could probably rival the Late Stage of Qi Refining!
However, the next second, his expression turned grave.
“According to Senior Brother Luo’s experience, The Sage Steals uses the people of the world as resources, which severely damages merit. Small Success can still be muddled through, but Great Success will inevitably attract tribulation.”
“Many who cultivate The Sage Steals fall short of success precisely because of this tribulation. If lucky, they can keep their lives; if unlucky, like that True Disciple killed by the secret realm natives in a counterattack, they die a violent death… But now that I am behind the scenes, who in the secret realm can become my tribulation?”
Thinking of this, Lu Yang couldn’t help falling into deep thought.
Jiangnan, Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion.
Yun Zhiqiu stood on a pavilion. Compared to his heroic appearance sixty years ago, he now looked like an old man with one foot in the grave.
Just then, a flying letter broke through the air and arrived.
Yun Zhiqiu took the flying letter and looked closely. His expression changed drastically. He immediately rode an escape light and arrived at the ancestral home of the Yun Family in a short while.
As soon as he entered the door, a young man with a bleak expression walked out. Upon seeing Yun Zhiqiu, he cried loudly: “Grand-Uncle… The Ancestor is fading fast. To see you one last time, he has already lit the Seven-Star Lamp. Once the lamp goes out, he will inevitably have to reincarnate. Time is short; please go in and see him quickly!”
“How could this be!” Yun Zhiqiu revealed a look of sorrow upon hearing this.
Besides that, there was panic.
The Yun Family Ancestor, currently the only Foundation Establishment Perfected One of the Yun Family and the pillar of the family within the Sword Pavilion for hundreds of years, had actually reached the end of this life!
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