Black Water True Explanation

The demonic sects and the orthodox sects differed markedly in how they trained their disciples.

The demonic sects raised disciples as one raised venomous creatures in a jar, treating them as expendable materials. They permitted, or even enforced, life-and-death competition, where the strong devoured the weak and no means were forbidden. Only the strongest survived, walking the Great Dao alone and contending on the path to immortality!

The orthodox sects, by contrast, placed more importance on aptitude and character, emphasizing the transmission of teachings from master to disciple and mutual assistance among fellow disciples, advancing step by step and walking the Great Dao together.

Both approaches had their advantages and drawbacks. The demonic sects revered strength, and thus their rise was sudden, and their fall was sudden too.

The orthodox sects sought stability, and their lineages endured comparatively longer.

Of course, a cultivator's sect background alone could not determine whether they were good or evil.

Some cultivators from orthodox sects committed evil far surpassing that of demonic cultivators.

Among the demonic sects, there were also ascetics devoted solely to cultivation, untouched by karmic entanglements and at peace with the world.

The jade case Fang Hong had previously received from Zhang Jun at the General Affairs Hall had contained not only the robes of a Yin-Yang Sect inner disciple, but also a copy of the Donglai Gazetteer, which compiled major events in the rise and fall of cultivation sects throughout the history of the Donglai Sea Region.

The deeds of many historically renowned Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators were also recorded within.

After reading the book, he had gained a general understanding of the major sects and aristocratic clans of the Donglai Sea Region, and his horizons had broadened considerably.

Over the past few days, he and Su Yao had also studied the various rules of the Yin-Yang Sect in between cultivating.

The moment Chai Hongzhou mentioned the Fish-Dragon Assembly, Fang Hong had more or less guessed the purpose of his visit.

Their group of disciples had only just entered the inner sect and had shallow foundations. Of the four essentials-wealth, companions, methods, and a place to cultivate-the sect provided the latter three, but they had to strive for the first, "wealth," themselves.

Within the Yin-Yang Palace stood the Myriad Laws Hall. With enough yin-yang talisman coins, one could buy all manner of cultivation resources there, including Dharma Treasures, spirit pills, talismans, formations, and wondrous objects.

One could even go to the Disciplinary Hall to select a cauldron disciple for dual cultivation to increase one's cultivation.

To obtain yin-yang talisman coins, one had to take on sect assignments at the Primordial Demon Hall. Some of these missions were extremely dangerous, requiring several disciples to work together to complete them.

Chai Hongzhou said solemnly, "At the Fish-Dragon Assembly, our group of newly promoted inner disciples will inevitably be the outer disciples' first choice of targets to challenge."

"Ordinary outer disciples are manageable. What worries me are the veteran disciples who have fallen from the inner ranks. Once we fight them, we won't have the slightest advantage."

He paused, then said earnestly, "That's why I have a proposal, senior brother. Why don't our five pairs of inner disciples form an association? We can meet regularly, trade for what each of us needs, exchange information about the sect, and face next year's Fish-Dragon Assembly together!"

Fang Hong sipped his spirit tea and agreed. "That's a good thing. You're well informed and have plenty of connections. You're just the person to organize it."

Chai Hongzhou smiled modestly and offered a compliment. "I have no problem organizing it, but I'll still need to use your name, senior brother. After all, among our group of disciples, no one can match your reputation. With you involved, the others will be easier to persuade."

"All right," Fang Hong agreed.

He also needed to build a network of connections within the sect, lest he find himself completely in the dark.

Chai Hongzhou was immediately delighted. In his plan, as long as he persuaded Fang Hong, the matter would be most of the way settled.

The two chatted a while longer before Chai Hongzhou left, thoroughly satisfied.

The next day.

Fang Hong and Su Yao arrived at the Yin-Yang Palace and entered one of the subsidiary halls of the Teaching Hall.

A Foundation Establishment true disciple was on duty in this hall as well.

Taking duty assignments in the Yin-Yang Sect's five great halls could also earn a considerable number of yin-yang talisman coins.

"According to sect rules, inner disciples may choose the general Qi Refining-stage cultivation method from one of the sect's three great Nascent Soul arts. You may also select one secret manual from the other texts in the Teaching Hall."

The disciple on duty was a cold-faced female cultivator, with a faint trace of killing intent between her brows. Her manner was indifferent, and even her speech was perfunctory.

The Yin-Yang Sect possessed three great Nascent Soul-level legacies. Foremost among them was its defining legacy, the Supreme Profound Origin Yin-Yang Dragon-Phoenix Boundless Treasure Scripture.

Next was the Black Water True Explanation. This legacy had been the supreme defining art of the Nine Nether Sect, a great demonic sect ten thousand years ago. Later, the Yin-Yang Sect had slaughtered that sect to extinction, and its legacy had fallen into the Yin-Yang Sect's hands.

The third legacy was called the Lihuo Treasure Scroll. Three thousand years ago, a supreme elder of the Yin-Yang Sect had seized its original text from their mortal enemy, the Li Fire Heavenly Palace.

Now, the jade volume of the defining legacy kept in the Li Fire Heavenly Palace was instead a copy.

The Lihuo Treasure Scroll was the fundamental Daoist art of the Li Fire Heavenly Palace, as well as one of the foremost treasure manuals of artifact refining among the orthodox sects of the Donglai Sea Region.

Over the years, friction between the Li Fire Heavenly Palace and the Yin-Yang Sect had been constant. One important reason was the former's desire to reclaim the Lihuo Treasure Scroll.

As for the Yin-Yang Sect's outer disciples, they were not qualified to cultivate the three great Nascent Soul-level arts and could only choose from the Golden Core-level arts collected by the sect.

Before coming, Fang Hong and Su Yao had already considered what each of them needed. Fang Hong immediately told the female cultivator, "I wish to cultivate the Black Water True Explanation."

Su Yao said, "I'll cultivate the Lihuo Treasure Scroll."

Neither of them chose the Supreme Profound Origin Yin-Yang Dragon-Phoenix Boundless Treasure Scripture.

Fang Hong had tested his choice with the Fate Mirror, and choosing the Black Water True Explanation had yielded a sign of great fortune.

Su Yao, meanwhile, was unwilling to cultivate more demonic arts.

The various Daoist arts in the world differed in their underlying principles and in the profound spiritual subtleties they contained. Thus, the quality of the magical power cultivated through them differed as well, resulting in a gulf as vast as heaven and earth in the power and marvels of their divine abilities and spells.

Low-tier arts had shallow principles and low upper limits. Constrained by their creators' own limitations, the magical power they produced was loose and ordinary, and their spells were far less powerful.

Sometimes, the difference in the quality of magical power between a supreme art and a low-tier art was even like the difference between molten iron glowing red and an ordinary stream of water.

The cultivation world divided magical power quality into three ranks-heaven, earth, and spirit-and twelve grades. All three of the Yin-Yang Sect's great Nascent Soul-level arts belonged to the heaven rank.

The Lihuo Treasure Scroll and the Supreme Profound Origin Yin-Yang Dragon-Phoenix Boundless Treasure Scripture were lower-grade heaven-rank arts.

The Black Water True Explanation was a middle-grade heaven-rank art.

The Fang family's ancestral Azure Sea Mysterious Art, meanwhile, was a lower-grade earth-rank art.

According to legend, the Shangqing Sect's Shangqing Treasure Register was also a lower-grade heaven-rank art, but very few throughout its history had managed to reach Nascent Soul through it.

The cold-faced female cultivator took out another jade slip and had the two select from the other cultivation arts and secret manuals collected by the Yin-Yang Sect.

The jade slip contained only a catalog and summaries of the various secret manuals.

Fang Hong gestured for Su Yao to go first. After taking the jade slip and looking through it briefly, she made her choice. "Senior sister, I choose the Lesser Heavens Cloud-Ban True Method."

Fang Hong took the jade slip and began browsing it carefully.

The extensive catalog of cultivation arts and secret manuals in the jade slip contained hundreds of entries!

Seventy-two of them were Golden Core-level arts. These had all been created or collected by the Yin-Yang Sect's Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators over the generations.

The rest were Foundation Establishment-level methods. There were actually very few Qi Refining-level ones, probably because successive masters of the Yin-Yang Sect's Teaching Hall had considered them beneath their notice and had not included them.

Fang Hong browsed while watching the Fate Mirror's reaction, until he came across a secret pill-refining method and the candlelight within the Fate Mirror abruptly blazed.

"Senior sister, I choose the Precious Spring Pill Record."

He spoke with his expression unchanged.

Judging by its summary, this was a rare water-method pill-refining art, containing thirty-six pill formulas, with twelve each for first-, second-, and third-tier spirit pills.

The cold-faced female cultivator took out an ancient beast hide and said, "You two must swear a great heart-demon oath in this hall, never to transcribe the cultivation arts you learn or disclose them to anyone."

Following her instructions, the two swore the heart-demon oath written on the beast-hide scroll.

As the oath was completed, it seemed as though an evil gaze fell upon them from the unseen, glancing at the two.

Fang Hong's expression grew solemn. The Donglai Gazetteer had recorded quite a few cases concerning great heart-demon oaths.

This oath had been created by an ancient demonic sect and could connect to the heart demons hidden in the boundless void above the nine heavens.

Once a cultivator violated the oath, heart demons would invade their sea of consciousness while they entered meditation to cultivate, and they could easily fall into cultivation deviation.