The Crimson Mansion Dao Seed, the Purple Yang Immortal Mountain

Ao Ding's expression grew stranger as he watched Duan Lingxiao's attitude turn a full one hundred and eighty degrees.

"Daoist brother, I heard that Senior Sun was a True Person who broke away from the Pure Tenuity Sect? This business of breaking away..."

"No, nothing of the sort! What breaking away? He just had a little wine, got angry, and went out for a stroll!" The young man waved his hands repeatedly. "His immortal residence is still being kept perfectly well at the Pure Tenuity Sect. There were just some old grudges among the previous generation... never mind, let's not talk about it. Anyway, you can be a little more cautious in your future dealings. But don't worry too much about karma and such. Our Purple Sun Sect doesn't bother with that stuff. Just observe the precepts-oh, look at me, I hardly observe the precepts myself. I pass through a profusion of flowers, yet my true nature remains unstained by dust."

Seeing Ao Ding's bewilderment, Duan Lingxiao sighed inwardly.

What can I say? In Uncle-Master Sun's affair, both sides had their own arguments. It was just that Uncle-Master Sun struck too ruthlessly, making it hard to smooth things over afterward, or even speak in his defense. I vaguely remember that he later traveled around the Central Wasteland...

"Is Uncle-Master Sun doing well now?"

"Senior Sun has already reincarnated. He was the one who directed me to seek a master in the Guangfa Sect."

Reincarnated?

The young man frowned. But then he heard Ao Ding describe the three True Persons, Longyin High Person, Cang Xuanzi, and Yin Qiuzi.

"Oh, Uncle-Master Longyin! He isn't on the Liyun Continent right now-he's catching demons in the Western Wilderness. He's short of materials, so..." The young man glossed over it.

That uncle-master's savage reputation was known far and wide. He was every bit as ruthless as Uncle-Master Sun.

"If you ask me, you should go straight to Uncle-Master Cang Xuan. He likes wine, so just prepare some." Duan Lingxiao patted the wine jar on the table and smiled. "That wine master among the Lin Household's ancestors had some skill. They were probably a demon immortal who had attained the Dao. The Lin Household's wine has something of the Jade Cauldron Sect's immortal brews about it. I'm sure Uncle-Master Cang Xuanzi will like it."

Afterward, Duan Lingxiao simply drew Ao Ding and Lin Bai over and began teaching them the way of cultivation.

Although Duan Lingxiao's attainment was far below Sun Chen's, as a young True Disciple of the Six Sects whose progress was closer to theirs, Duan Lingxiao, at the Divine Illumination Realm, was actually better able to guide Ao Ding in his present state than Sun Chen was.

In his words, "Who knows how many lifetimes ago Uncle-Master became an immortal? Following his thinking leaves you floating too high, with nothing beneath your feet."

From the perspective of someone who had walked ahead of them, Duan Lingxiao carefully explained every detail of the Mysterious Gang and Jade Palace realms to Ao Ding and Lin Bai.

Before they knew it, dusk was approaching.

"You don't have a place to stay, do you, little brother? Stay with me tonight." Duan Lingxiao drew a door on the city wall with the Heavenly Secret Banner, creating a path that led to his home.

"A Dharma Realm Spirit Land?"

"That's right. I fashioned myself a home before setting out, so I could conveniently amuse myself with demon women wherever I went."

Hearing this, Ao Ding instinctively looked at his expression.

His gaze was clear, without the slightest trace of lechery.

The young man smiled. "Just some casual fun, willingly shared. There's nothing to it."

"But doesn't the Purple Sun Sect place the greatest emphasis on rules and precepts...?"

"Yes, each of our Eighteen Peaks of Purple Yang has its own precepts. I just don't observe many. I only chose a few, such as abstaining from killing, lying, and gambling-I didn't choose abstinence from lust. Little brother, don't come to the Purple Sun Sect when you seek a master. Some peaks have terribly strict precepts, thousands of them. Those senior and junior uncle-masters are terribly rigid too!"

Ao Ding said nothing.

Only a direct-line True Disciple like Duan Lingxiao, who had grown up within the Six Sects, dared complain so casually.

What ordinary disciple would dare?

Since Lin Bai had to return and report, he chose not to stay with them.

Ao Ding followed Duan Lingxiao through the door. The view suddenly opened before him, revealing the wondrous sight of an immortal mountain floating above a sea of clouds.

A brilliant purple sun shed wisps of Dao qi, nourishing the spirit beasts and Spirit Plants all over the mountain. Towers, terraces, and palaces dotted the immortal mountain, with over a thousand chambers and halls of varying sizes.

"This is the immortal mountain I refined-I originally intended to invite some demon women from various places to live here. But after looking around, I decided some fun was enough. There really was no need to make it last for years."

Seeing Ao Ding's confusion, Duan Lingxiao gave a dismissive smile. "So-called romantic love is nothing but desire at work. Why do you think 'love between humans and demons' is taboo, yet cultivators aren't forbidden to take demon concubines? Isn't it because our elders and True Persons know perfectly well that we're merely venting our desires? Once those feelings fade, we naturally stop caring."

Recently, he had found a few Snake Women in White Mountain Commandery to amuse himself with.

He had never released his true yang, merely played with them using secret Pill Cauldron arts.

Once his training journey ended, he would sweep his sleeve and leave.

"That affair involving Tu Qing'er you mentioned is probably much the same. When their feelings are strong, the two dare oppose the whole world. But once they marry, grow older, and spend every day counting firewood, rice, oil, and salt, their affection will fade day by day. When they're seventy or eighty, and He Xiao no longer has talent, handsome looks, or vigor, Tu Qing'er will return to the mountains. Such things are everywhere in the cultivation world-"

Ao Ding remained silent.

Of course, although the young man himself was pessimistic, he did not mind offering Ao Ding a few kind words of comfort.

Taking Ao Ding by the hand, he casually picked out a golden palace on the immortal mountain. It contained fifteen rooms.

"Oh, this is the one I'm using at present-"

Catching sight of the untidied mess inside the palace, Duan Lingxiao silently cursed the three Snake Women for their laziness. Before Ao Ding could make out what the implements on the floor were, he swiftly swept everything away.

"Come, come, worthy younger brother, pick any chamber you like to rest in. If you wish, you can practice with me. I can guide your cultivation."

With a Divine Illumination Realm cultivator offering guidance, Ao Ding naturally would not miss the chance.

He drew Duan Lingxiao over and began asking detailed questions about the Golden Light Method, the Five Qi Returning to the Origin Formula, and even the spells of numerous Six Sects immortal arts.

At first, Duan Lingxiao thought little of it and assumed the air of an elder brother. But as Ao Ding's questions grew deeper, even touching upon the true seal scripts of Supreme Image, Supreme Tenuity, and Supreme Unity, he began to buckle.

This boy really is a fine seedling for the Guangfa lineage. So eager to learn!

After just a few hours, Duan Lingxiao paled by comparison and had to change the subject, skirting some of Ao Ding's harder questions.

Suddenly, a demonic wind blew in from outside.

"Ah-I forgot to tell them not to come tonight."

Duan Lingxiao flicked a finger. A ray of immortal light scattered the demonic wind and carried a voice transmission that sent the three Snake Women away.

At the foot of the immortal mountain, the three Snake Women could only watch as the palace doors stood open and immortal light flashed, while they were forbidden to approach.

"The exalted immortal summons us to his bed day and night. Why today... could some seductive demon from another household have beaten us here?"

"That shouldn't be possible-who in this White Mountain Demon Spirit Realm knows how to serve someone better than us three sisters?"

"I heard that the Tu Household's young lady had her engagement broken off. Could it be... that the Tu Household has made a connection with this one?"

Malice flashed in the three snakes' eyes.

The struggle between Fox Immortals and Snake Women played out in the inner quarters of many cultivators.

As the three snakes saw it, someone had stolen their prize again.

"Hmph-come, let's settle accounts with the Tu Household!"

The three snakes swiftly darted away.

Inside the palace, Duan Lingxiao watched Ao Ding practice the Five Qi Returning to the Origin Formula. Fire qi circulated behind him, slowly spreading toward his heart.

This boy cultivates the Glazed Immortal Body-huh? He's actually severed the Three Corpse Gods?

Severing the three corpses was not particularly difficult within the Six Sects.

With rituals and incantations, one could begin severing the three corpse Peng Spirits at the Divine Illumination Realm.

But the problem was-Ao Ding was only at the Mystic Gang Realm. Could he even see the three corpse worms inside his body?

Suppressing his amazement, Duan Lingxiao chanted an incantation and carefully guided Ao Ding in refining his Dao seed. "The crimson seed resides in the heart. Since the heart is tied to life, it is difficult to lodge a Dao seed there. Thus, you must turn the qi through nine cycles, then circulate the three yang..."

He explained Purple Yang's formulas for nourishing life and tempering the body. Under his guidance, Ao Ding drew the crimson qi into his heart. The brilliant sun of purple qi high above the immortal mountain immediately shed a swath of golden light over him.

"Hiss-my Purple Yang Treasure Pearl-" Watching a wisp of the Purple Yang Dao Qi of Primordial Heaven he had painstakingly refined being drawn away, Duan Lingxiao felt a pang.

It took him a whole year's effort to refine that single wisp!

But when he saw Ao Ding's progress, he pushed that pang to the back of his mind.

Witnessing the birth of a human genius was a joyous thing too, worth playing with seven demon women!

Ao Ding silently circulated his cultivation. Only when the crimson seed had fully taken root in his heart mansion did he slowly open his eyes.

The black, azure, and crimson Dao seeds inside him resonated with one another. Faintly, a fourth Dao seed was about to form in his spleen.

"Thank you for your protection, Daoist brother." Ao Ding looked up at the purple sun within the immortal mountain world. "For this expenditure, I'm willing to compensate you with two spirit-"

"No need, no need-primordial purple qi only costs me a little effort." Duan Lingxiao waved his hand, feigning complete indifference. "The four sects of the Central Wasteland are branches of the same tree. Since you intend to join the Guangfa Sect, you're my junior brother. Just consider it a greeting gift from your senior brother. Why stand on ceremony!"

It hurts!

But with one more genius among the Six Sects, there would be another prodigy to smash the Demon Court in the future.

For humanity's sake, and for the Six Sects' sake, a True Disciple of the Purple Sun Sect, which styled itself the guardian of order in the cultivation world, would not quibble over this little material wealth.

Early the following morning, Ao Ding bade Duan Lingxiao farewell.

Duan Lingxiao said, "Southern Liyun is suffering a severe drought now, and evil demons seem to be causing trouble. The road may not be safe. I'll take you part of the way, straight to Uncle-Master Cang Lingzi's immortal residence."

Then he called Ao Ding along to obtain some spirit wine from the Lin Household.

When they returned to the south of the city, Duan Lingxiao suddenly blew up a wild wind, using great magical power to wrench apart auspicious clouds and carry Ao Ding south.

"Mmm..." Duan Lingxiao nodded to himself.

My Jingxiao Cloud-Shifting Great Method really has improved again. I can actually deliver someone to their destination so smoothly.

Impressive, impressive. Today I can try five demon women!

The wild wind wrapped around thick clouds. Ao Ding grew so dizzy that, for a time, he could not even open his left eye.

"Terrible! Terrible!" Red Boy said furiously. "Later, I'm going to find eight hundred or a thousand ugly women and torment him to death!"

Yellow Boy and Blue Child silently surveyed the outside.

Even the Primordial Truth Mirror could not see what was happening outside. This was far inferior to Sun Chen's spell!

But amid all the jolting and swaying, Ao Ding traveled ten thousand li... and finally fell at the entrance to an immortal residence.

Thud-

The clouds dispersed three feet above the ground. Ao Ding flipped over and swiftly steadied himself on his feet.

Looking ahead, he saw purple qi coiling about and immortal light soaring into the sky. Above, the words "Manifest Yang" were written large.

"This place..." Yellow Boy said hesitantly. "Is this the Cang Xuan Immortal Residence?"

Ao Ding climbed the jade steps. The immortal residence's main gates were open, and he could see many cultivators hurrying back and forth.

He found someone and asked.

The man said in surprise, "The Cang Xuan Immortal Residence? Wait, you seem to have come to the wrong-oh, you could say you came to the right place too. Look, the immortal residence you're after is over there!"

He pointed at a raging blaze on a distant mountaintop. The outline of an immortal residence and a great serpent writhing and struggling were faintly visible within it.

"Senior Uncle Cang Xuan caught a demon snake practicing the Deathless Method. That snake demon is so formidable that several of our uncle-masters couldn't kill her. In a rage, Senior Uncle Cang Xuan set his own immortal residence on fire, intending to burn this demon woman to ashes with the Nine Profound Divine Fire. It's been burning for seven days now."

The man turned and examined Ao Ding closely, a trace of understanding in his eyes. "A cloud-shifting art? Luckily for you, you had good fortune. If you'd been shifted into the Cang Xuan Residence, you'd probably have burned along with that demon woman!"