Seven Friends

The abbot paused for a moment, probably giving his two disciples some time to process this information.

Yao Xuanzhou was completely dumbfounded, utterly bewildered. He had grown up in the mountains and had limited experience.

However, Li Fan was fine. After all, what grand occasions hadn't he seen? He remained completely unfazed. He even set out the tea set, poured the abbot a full cup to moisten his throat, and continued speaking.

The abbot, observing the performance of his two direct disciples, smiled wryly and took a sip of tea. Yao Xuanzhou's ability to remain calm was already commendable, but Li Fan's composure in the face of adversity truly lived up to his reputation as a chosen one of destiny.

The abbot then moistened his throat and continued speaking.

"After the heart was removed, I didn't know anything about what happened to Nangong Wubu. I only learned about many of the things he did later from the historical records of the Three Palaces, what others said, and how I deduced what happened afterward. It's hard to tell the truth from the details. You all know the general situation of the Nangong Family."

However, since we've already discussed the secrets of that time, and Qingyue, you mentioned the matter of the Wise Wisdom Dharma King of the Divine Cult, and there are a few other secrets related to this, I'll tell you all about them as well.

It's about the 'Seven Friends'.

In fact, even now, the Three Enclosures still order the Left and Right Supervisors of the Tingwei, along with the Twelve Countries, to capture and apprehend the accomplices and remnants of Nangong's rebellion, recorded as the "Nangong Seven Thieves." However, in historical records, the story of the "Seven Friends" is mentioned first, portraying them as Nangong Wubu's henchmen and cronies when he was young, which is actually a cover-up.

The true "Seven Friends" should refer to the seven people who witnessed the Thousand-Faced Immortal descend that night, survived, and received rewards; Nangong Wubu was just one of them.

However, at that time, Nangong Wubu was standing in the first position, and the other six were behind him. I couldn't remember their faces. Moreover, those who worked under Nangong at that time were all using fake identities. But two of them should be from the Three Great Sects, and they are still alive, which is why they have always concealed the secrets of heaven. I couldn't figure out their true identities.

As for the identities of the others, they can be roughly deduced."

Then the abbot put down his teacup and spread his palm out, finger by finger.

"Nangong Wubu, Mo Chanzi, Shi Tong'er, Lu Hansheng, Luo Yin."

Li Fan's eyes lit up, "Mo Chanzi is the seventh-generation leader of Mo Shan!"

Yao Xuanzhou had also recovered. "Lu Hansheng... could it be referring to the former Abbot of Lu Temple?"

The abbot nodded. "Indeed, and Shi Tong'er later became the Black Lotus Sect's Holy Mother of No Life, while Luo Yin was that Ancestor Luo."

"Hiss..." "Holy crap..."

Li Fan was completely dumbfounded. Ancestor Luo and Wusheng Laomu were actually present at the time... no, it's more accurate to say they were definitely present!

Ink Bamboo Mountain, since this is the place where the Thousand-Faced Immortal descended, then it is the starting point of everything!

So the teachings of the Tai Su Six Ancestors must have originated from here and spread from there!

The abbot calculated, "I think among the remaining two is the Wise Wisdom Dharma King of the Divine Sect I just mentioned."

So, after the Grand Master and the former Abbot were killed, someone broke into the Lou Guan Tower to steal a large number of scriptures and secret texts. It was only afterward, while organizing the sect's records, that I stumbled upon the ancestral temple of Zhenyang Temple.

You said the Wisdom Dharma King was looking for the Holy Flame of the cult, perhaps you were referring to this...

"The Seventh Generation Grand Master and Master Lu were killed?"

"Master, what happened next?"

Li Fan and Yao Xuanzhou were dumbfounded again.

The abbot thought for a moment, "This is a bit disorganized, so let's start from where we left off. Hmm..."

At that time, Nangong Wubu changed his heart to stone, and the others also put forward their own requests, which were mostly about cultivation methods and the true knowledge of the Heavenly Dao.

Only by observing that Master Lu Hansheng, and picking up that... this human heart, can one then ask the Thousand-Faced Immortal for the means to transplant a heart and lungs."

The abbot also paused for a moment.

"I often wonder why he did that."

Perhaps it was because Lou Guan's lineage was expelled and exiled by the Three Palaces, but because of his seniority as the Grand Master of Ceremonies, he had received many years of favors from the Nangong Family, who regarded him as the Grand Preceptor and strategist, and trusted him greatly, which he could not repay. Serving the Emperor Star had always been Lou Guan's mission.

Thus, Nangong Wubu treated Lu Hansheng as a confidant, and Lu Hansheng also regarded Nangong Wubu as a friend. Cleaning up after him had become a habit.

So perhaps he felt that if Nangong Wubu regretted it one day, he would still have a way to make amends...

Regardless of Lu Hansheng's thoughts, since he asked, the Thousand-Faced Immortal will teach him.

So the previous abbot, Lu Hansheng, retrieved Nangong Wubu's human heart and preserved it using a secret technique. Following the teachings of the Thousand-Faced Immortal, he calculated the location of a newborn boy nearby. Then, he used the blood of the entire village of that boy as a sacrifice, dissected the boy's heart and lungs, and while he was still alive, replaced it with Nangong Wubu's human heart and sealed it away. Finally, he brought the boy back to the temple, nurtured him with elixirs and medicinal wine, and adopted him as a cowherd boy, bestowing upon him the Feng A.

Upon hearing this, Li Fan and Yao Xuanzhou couldn't help but exchange a glance, but they still didn't interrupt the abbot's recollection.

Yes, in fact, the abbot's childhood memories are not many. He was just a shepherd boy. Later, when he went out to travel and study, he did not receive much guidance or true teachings from Abbot Lu.

Because he really was just a boy that Lu Hansheng picked up specifically to help Nangong Wubu cultivate his mind.

Oh, Lu Hansheng did offer some guidance on alchemy, so that Feng A could prepare his own medicine when he had chest pains. But he never intended to entrust the Lou Guan lineage to this Feng Xin Tongzi.

The previous abbot Lu Hansheng, simply fulfilled his duties as a subject and a friend, preparing a way out for Nangong Wubu. When the time truly came, there was no doubt that Abbot Lu would retrieve the sealed human heart from the boy and return it to Nangong Wubu.

As for how the innocent child will survive, that's not something he'll consider.

Thus, the Nangong Seven Friends obtained the Tai Su Dao they had longed for, a Dao that could overturn the heavens and earth. This Nangong rebellion group, which had survived the calamity, hid in the Ink Bamboo Mountain to exchange what they had learned, develop together, progress together, and transform into Non-Thing.

If things continue to develop normally like this, this group of demonic cultivators will probably soon be able to overthrow the Three Great Sects, right?

But since they aren't normal people, how could the plot possibly progress normally?

Then, a series of minor deviations occurred.

For example, Nangong Wubu abandoned human nature, gradually lost control and no longer bothered with pretense, revealing his true nature—a nature devoid of humanity.

At that moment, someone immediately objected; yes, it was Mo Chanzi, the seventh-generation Grand Master.

Although Mo Shan, like other demonic sects, is a wanted criminal and celestial thief, it's important to understand that it's not that the Three Palaces can't tolerate Mo Shan, but that Mo Shan can't tolerate the Three Palaces!

Mo Shan joined Nangong Wubu not because Nangong Wubu particularly outstanding, but simply to rebel against the Sanyuan. Now this guy has become even more despicable than the Sanyuan. How can he tolerate this?

I can't bear it! People with different principles cannot work together!

So, almost immediately after the Thousand-Faced Immortal left, Mo Chanzi turned against Nangong's faction and went off to study his own Tai Su transformations...

For example, although they were all outstanding figures of their time, the Tai Su Dao was too advanced, and the time was not yet ripe. Furthermore, they lacked the Tai Su method of the Mo Chanzi lineage. As a result, the Seven Friends, whose cultivation was still shallow, could not grasp the Tai Su method at all and took many detours.

For example, because they sacrificed too many henchmen to please the Thousand-Faced Immortal, the Nangong Family's strength was greatly reduced. The Demon Race took the opportunity to counterattack, and the Sanyuan also secretly caused trouble. Many old Nangong Wubu issues came to light, which also distracted Nangong Wubu and delayed their progress in rebellion and cultivation.

For example, Emei sensed that an extraterrestrial demon had descended to the south and attacked, wiping out the entire clan.

Nangong Wubu abandoned people's hearts, not their brains. Of course, he understood that going head-to-head with Emei at this time would be suicidal.

But since Emei has personally come to slay the demon, we must give Emei face and find a 'demon' to step forward and give an explanation in order to protect Nangong Wubu.

So Lu Hansheng stepped forward and died.

However, he also dragged a group of people down with him.

The previous abbot Lu Hansheng, fulfilled his duty as a subject by using some means and schemes, sacrificing himself to wipe out the 'traitor' Moshan and the Emei disciples who came to exorcise the demon.

However, without this strategist who devised plans and maintained team cohesion, the "Seven Friends" rebel group, which had escaped disaster, soon disbanded.

After all, they've been targeted by Emei. If they all stick together, they'll be wiped out in one fell swoop! If things get tough, they should run away and lie low for now. Once they've mastered their skills, they can just jump out and kill them all!

What happened next is a fairly well-known story.

Nangong Wubu began to lay low his henchmen and became engrossed in researching methods of reincarnation and human modification, attempting to transform the descendants of the Nangong Family into demon gods who were exactly like him, fearless, immortal, and indestructible.

Meanwhile, the Luo Sect and the Black Lotus Sect began to spread in the north and the Central Plains, and rose rapidly, stirring up the situation in the world.

Although a large number of people died in Mo Mountain, the seventh generation of Mo Chanzi still survived. Moreover, Mo disciples die one after another, so what does it matter if a group of disciples die? Just keep recruiting!

So Mo Shan continued to Moon Worship, continued to explore the Tai Su Realm, and continued to spread the Way of Mo Shan.

Meanwhile, Feng A, with a group of servants, began rebuilding Lou Guan with the support of the Nangong Family...

Later, these Demon Path were quelled one by one by the Three Great Sects, leaving only a ripple in the annals of history.

Almost no one remembers that night when those young bastards shed their blood and changed the world.

"I never imagined there would be so many twists and turns..." Yao Xuanzhou also picked up his teacup and took a big gulp.

"So... Master, you only had a heart transplant, right? That can't be considered the reincarnation of Nangong Wubu, can it?"

Li Fan felt much more relaxed and chatted while cracking sunflower seeds.

The abbot shook his head. "Not entirely. The Thousand-Faced Immortal's heart-swapping technique isn't that simple. I can sense that Nangong Wubu n't dead yet. Perhaps if I don't perish, he won't perish either."

"What! Nangong Wubu is still alive!!" Li Fan almost choked on his sunflower seeds.

Yao Xuanzhou, however, was already numb from holding his teacup, probably having entered a state of "I've seen it all, come on, bring it on!"

The abbot nodded. "Nangong Wubu waited for his opportunity, remaining in seclusion for many years. Finally, after the chaos of the Luo Sect, he had the chance when the elites of the Three Great Sects were all gone. At that time, even the Sword Ancestor Xuantian, who suppressed the demonic path of the world, disappeared. Meanwhile, Nangong Wubu's demonic arts had been honed for many years and had reached a high level. He was about to break through to the Enlightenment Stage and could rightfully challenge the Three Realms."

At that time, the Nangong had made full preparations for rebellion; the arrow was on the bowstring and had no choice but to be released.

I knew that Nangong Wubu was determined to make his father proud in front of the Three Palaces and the high officials, so I joined forces with the Immortal Palace took the initiative to show weakness and back down, inviting Immortal King Nangong to Luoyang to take charge of the royal government under the pretext of bestowing upon him the title of Chariot and Cavalry General.

The rank of Chariot and Cavalry General is comparable to the Three Dukes, second only to the Grand General. After being granted this title, no one in the world will dare to look down on the Nangong Family. Soon after breaking through his cultivation level, he will be directly promoted to Grand General, which will be perfectly legitimate. After several twists and turns, he finally succeeded in Nangong Wubu into the Three Palaces and killing him."

Holy crap... this is way too sneaky...

The abbot sighed, "It's better for one of them to die than for the common people to suffer. Besides, at that time, the Nine Great Xuan Sects were in turmoil, and the Nangong Wubu Immortal Palace and Divine Sect also suffered heavy casualties. Nangong Wubu's fighting skills were truly not weak. At that time, no one in the world would have dared to take action against him."

The situation back then was far more perilous than it is today, but in the end, they managed to subdue Nangong Wubu yet exhausted. Now, his head is sealed under the Dragon-Slaying Platform.

But after I attained enlightenment, I could feel the connection between us growing stronger and stronger. I fear that the cultivation of the True Yang Technique will also benefit Nangong Wubu. If this fiend were to break free of his seal, he would surely become a scourge. I might even be subdued by him!

So you two remember this: when the time comes, don't hesitate, and don't hold back. First, destroy this demonic heart of mine..."

Yao Xuanzhou and Li Fan were shocked. "Master! How can this be...?"

The abbot said, "... First, destroy Nangong Wubu, then immediately cut off my head and replant it using the <Ink Mountain Nourishing Embryo Technique>. This might help me resist Nangong Wubu spirit, aid my disintegration, and preserve my life."

Yao Xuanzhou and Li Fan: "... Yes, disciples have remembered."

The abbot stopped his calculations, looked at the two people before him, and nodded.

"Alright, enough of the small talk. Now that you know I'm neither a member of the Immortal Palace nor a Wisdom Dharma King, you can all rest assured. Let's get down to business. Xuanzhou."

Yao Xuanzhou bowed and said, "Disciple is here."

"Since the True Yang Technique can ignite the Holy Flame of the Divine Cult, you should take this technique with you and hand it over to the Dharma King from the west. If handing over this technique is enough to make him withdraw his troops, spare the people of my Li Country, and return to the Divine Cult to seize his position as Sect Leader, that would be ideal. But if he refuses..."

The abbot took out a jade slip from his sleeve, handed it to Yao Xuanzhou, and gave him instructions.

"Go to the servant girl in Mountain Lord's household and fetch a lamp and some lamp oil. You don't need to lift a finger; just wait until tonight to release the Taotie, and that should be enough to defeat this army."

Holy crap... Master, you...

Yao Xuanzhou was shocked. "But... but I'm afraid I can't control the Taotie..."

The abbot waved his hand, "It's alright. Master Mo Zhi is recuperating in Kunlun Mountain, not far away. He will surely sense the appearance of Taotie and come to lend you a hand."

Li Fan realized what was happening and pulled out the Taotie Saliva. "I have some! I have some! I'll go fight the enemy with the Abbot!"

The abbot shook his head, "Qingyue, you have another important mission that cannot be accomplished without you. You should go to Xuanzhou first."

"Yes, disciple obeys." Yao Xuanzhou then took the Taotie Saliva from Li Fan and flew away.

The abbot then took out two more talismans and gave one to Li Fan.

"Huixing Cloud Script?" Li Fan recognized it at a glance; it was the kind of super talisman that could create a clone of a talismanic being.

The abbot seemed to have done another round of calculations, and after a moment of silence, he spoke.

"Qingyue, to resolve this crisis for my Ink Bamboo Mountain, it's impossible without resorting to lethal force. I need to personally orchestrate a killing spree. Just now, I calculated that having you as an ally would greatly increase our chances of victory."

But this matter not only carries the risk of death, but I also have no confidence in completely concealing the secrets of heaven. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, you must not reveal the abilities of our sect, otherwise, endless trouble will ensue. Are you confident in your ability to do so?"

Li Fan was overjoyed and patted his chest, saying, "Such a good thing! Leave it to me!"

The abbot frowned. "This matter is no child's play. I've been going around in circles, deliberately omitting one person from my conversation. I'm here to deal with this. Do you understand?"

One person was left out? The Seven Friends...

After a moment's thought, Li Fan suddenly understood and said seriously, "Could it be referring to..."

The abbot raised his hand to stop him, "Alright, that's enough. From now on, you must not speak of it. Later, leave your physical body here, and let your primordial spirit leave your body and attach itself to this Huixing Cloud Script, and go with me."

"Once I unleash the killing spree, you can make your move. I can cover for you for an hour. Kill as many as you can. If you can't withstand it, immediately return to life. Understand?"

Li Fan understood, but hesitated again, "... Really... kill them all? But Master, aren't you... a good person?"

The abbot then realized that he truly understood, and his face darkened. "What? Must good people just take the beating without fighting back? Kill them all!"