Where the Heart Was Set, as Though Before His Eyes

Lu Yuande took the snake-shaped token and examined it carefully.

Chu Tianshu appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he summoned a token screen that only he could see.

Originally, Chu Tianshu was in a very relaxed mood after successfully killing Monk Qingsheng and his group.

Although he obtained a batch of high-quality Evil Spirit materials, he was in no hurry to use them.

It seems there shouldn't be any formidable enemies in the near future. Once I've mastered the Penglai General Principles and gained some personal insights and additions, I can further optimize it based on those additions, and the final result will be even better.

Chu Tianshu is quite confident in this regard.

Sometimes, whether one can make some detailed additions to a technique depends not only on the level of mastery of that technique itself.

We also need to see if there is sufficient information from other sources to inspire and corroborate our findings, so as to learn from others' experiences.

The True Scripture of Sun-Boiling True Scripture is profound and extensive, and it contains some mysterious principles that may be applied to the Penglai General Principles.

Furthermore, the Celebration of the Sage Temple lineage, as the number one sect in the world and the leader of the Northern religions, has collected many secret manuals and creative ideas on the study of consciousness. This is not just the work of Monk Qingsheng alone.

These can all serve as supplements to the Penglai General Principles.

In the process of reading, absorbing, and adapting, Chu Tianshu inevitably incorporated his own style, making the revised cultivation method more suitable for his own situation.

However, unexpectedly, one thing led to another. Besides the chaos caused by the number one sect in the world and the Demonic Dao masters, there seemed to be some undercurrents at play.

Since that's the case, we should make a clean break.

Demonic Consciousness Reverses Life, Thousand Lights Conceal the Edge, Thoughts Trace Dragons, Buddha Intent Severs Gold...

Chu Tianshu scanned the characteristics of these different Evil Spirit, selected the demonic consciousness belonging to Monk Qingsheng as the main one, and began to refine and deduce it.

[... The simulation has been completed.]

The Penglai General Principles of Innate Supreme Methods.

A thousand moves lead to the same path; one move can overcome a thousand paths.

The most profound methods, when traced back to their origins, all stem from their alignment with the Dao.

The true power of any technique lies in the understanding of the Dao and the application of force.

Learning techniques and focusing one's strength at the moment of attack is insufficient to sustain that strength and build a solid foundation. Knowing the "how" but not the "why" is a form of acquired skill.

After mastering this method, one refines the Attaining the Dao and attains enlightenment. With each unique move perfected, one understands a specific Dao Power, harmonizing and integrating it according to its fundamental principles, allowing for free absorption and release without contradiction—this can be considered innate.

"Huh?"

Chu Tianshu was somewhat surprised.

He had always felt that Monk Qingsheng's Evil Spirit characteristics had the greatest potential to unleash even greater power of his Mind Power in life-or-death situations.

He also secretly wondered what effect this characteristic might have if used in the deduction of cultivation techniques.

But I never expected it to turn out this way.

"Demonic Consciousness Reverses Life" means that in a life-or-death crisis, the Mind Power is unleashed.

However, the essential principle it follows is that a person's innate wisdom is differentiated into the seven emotions and six desires, and countless distracting thoughts. The Monk Qingsheng was able to return to his innate state amidst life and death, and merge with the Tao, thus exerting greater power.

This analysis does not start from its appearance, but focuses on its essence.

The final result, naturally, was that the Penglai General Principles became more adept at comprehending the Dao Power.

Chu Tianshu thoroughly experienced the optimized content and gained some understanding of it.

The amount of energy from heaven and earth that he can absorb now falls into two categories.

First, it relies on the Nanhua Origin Canon to extract vital energy from the surrounding environment and physical objects.

For example, the vital energy of steel must be found in places with steel, and the vital energy of incense and gold statues must be found in large temples and ancient monasteries. Although there seem to be many types, there are actually quite a few restrictions.

The second possibility is that he cultivated his internal energy, comprehended the essence of heaven and earth, and gained profound insights.

For example, the essence of heaven and earth with the water attribute doesn't care whether there is visible water around it or not. Even if it is in a furnace, it can still absorb and exhale water essence.

However, when it comes to internal martial arts, it's best to focus on only one style at a time.

Chu Tianshu usually uses the same internal energy technique to propel different attribute moves.

Despite his superior internal energy cultivation and his own insights and refinement, he still couldn't avoid having to temporarily transform his internal energy by circulating it through his meridians and altering some of its attributes.

Since one has not delved into the internal energy cultivation methods corresponding to those techniques, it is naturally impossible to comprehend the attributes of the Qi of Heaven and Earth.

The current Penglai Innate General Principles.

This means that Chu Tianshu only needs to use the Penglai General Principles to Comprehended Move, without needing to cultivate the corresponding internal energy, to understand the power of heaven and earth corresponding to those moves.

After achieving enlightenment, one can simultaneously absorb and harmonize various forces during cultivation.

The human body is itself a Xiaotian.

The more attributes of the power of heaven and earth one can comprehend, the more advantages one will have over those who specialize in only a few attributes.

"Very good, very good indeed."

The more Chu Tianshu pondered, the happier he became.

The essence of the Sun-Boiling True Scripture" is also to emphasize strong adaptability to external circumstances.

With the Sun-Boiling True Scripture as its foundation and the Innate General Principles as its application, connecting these two techniques will certainly be smoother than Chu Tianshu had previously anticipated.

Although I didn't manage to deduce any secret techniques for use in life-or-death situations, I'm not disappointed.

"Using this Innate General Principles, I will then condense my ultimate technique for the Samadhi Power Hand Seal..."

Chu Tianshu subconsciously began to ponder.

Soon after, Lu Yuande's voice rang out, causing him to open his eyes.

"Generally speaking, there are only a few styles of Daoist robes. The differences between different Daoist sects are usually distinguished by their patterns."

Lu Yuande looked somewhat dejected and shook his head, saying, "I looked and looked, but I still couldn't find any special patterns in these lights and shadows that indicate the sect."

"At most, we can only confirm that the fabric of this person's clothes is the same as that of the person who broke into our valley before."

Chu Tianshu asked in confusion, "Wasn't that intruder wearing black cloth? This Daoist's robe is completely different."

"Oh!"

Xiao Liang explained, "It's obvious you don't know much about fabrics. For us martial artists, the color of the fabric is the least important part."

"The quality of clothing depends on three factors: the quality of the silk, the weaving method, and the skill and expertise of the weaver."

"Many high-ranking members of aristocratic families and sects wear robes that offer advantages such as being able to withstand water and fire without sinking, and being difficult to injure with small crossbows. In dire situations, the robes themselves can even be used as food."

At this point, he couldn't help but ask, "Has someone broken into your valley?"

"That person practiced demonic arts of the Daoist sect."

Chu Tianshu pondered and said, "It's not too surprising that these two are in cahoots."

"The only major Daoist sects I've heard of in this era are the Northern Celestial Masters' Way and the Tongxuan Sect, and they both prefer to hide deep in the mountains Old Lin..."

After the Northern Celestial Masters' Way closed its mountain, it was said that they had already ventured deep into the Greater Xianbei Mountains.

That was the place where the Northern Dynasty royal family, the Tuoba Xianbei, rose to power, which was actually the Greater Khingan Range.

The Tongxuan Sect is located in the Ten Commanderies of Guilin, amidst the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

Lu Yuande said, "Regardless of which faction they belong to, their headquarters are very difficult to find."

Chu Tianshu asked, "The Northern Celestial Master has gone into seclusion, but the Tongxuan Sect is said to be quite active in the Ten Commanderies of Guilin. Are they also difficult to find?"

"The Northern Celestial Master was actually quite easy to find before he implemented the Daoist official system in the Northern Dynasty and went into seclusion. However, the Tongxuan Sect, from its inception, was a school that sought immortality and practiced magic."

Lu Yuande explained in detail, "Since ancient times, such sects have always used certain rules to enhance the mystery and authority of their higher-ups."

"Therefore, the higher-ups of the Tongxuan Sect know where the branch headquarters are, but the branch headquarters never know where the main headquarters is. Whenever someone in a branch headquarters is due for a reward, it's as if they've wandered into a fairyland, and when they wake up, they find themselves surrounded by gifts."

Giving out prizes while casting illusions on disciples sounds very suspicious.

But in reality, countless religious sects around the world use such methods.

Some religious sects, despite their generally highly regarded practices, still engage in these kinds of fancy tricks.

That's just how the market is; nothing to be surprised about.

Xiao Liang looked at the moonlight and said with concentration, "Qing Sheng and others are going to kill him, and the world's structure should also change."

"I can use the excuse of discussing important matters to go to the Tongxuan Sect members and say I want to visit Zhang Tongxuan to see if I can find any clues."

"In the north, we should spend some money to ask Grand Matriarch Gao to help us find the Northern Celestial Master."

Chu Tianshu slightly bent the scroll in his hand, his fingertips loosening their grip.

The hundreds of bent pages, relying on the elasticity of the paper, gradually opened up, making a soft rustling sound.

"No need for that."

Chu Tianshu smiled, looking at the book in his hand, "Have you forgotten we have this?"

Xiao Liang asked, puzzled, "What use is this?"

Chu Tianshu tossed the book to him, and with a flick of his sleeve, a warm breeze swept away the dew from the grass. He then sat down cross-legged.

"Please protect me, I'll be right back."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Tianshu's soul left his body and slowly rose into the air.

He faced the bright moon, his hands flashing and forming several hand seals before his figure suddenly vanished.

There are two most important points to entering the Eighth Consciousness Realm.

First, one must have at least the cultivation equivalent to the Seventh Manas Consciousness, Manas.

Second, one must be able to accept the power of the Moon Turbidity with equanimity.

The Eighth Consciousness Realm of this world is based on the power of Moon Turbidity, which records information about sentient beings related to the Demonic Dao.

Once these two conditions are met, and with the Monk Qingsheng's manuscript as guidance, entering that place will not be difficult.

Chu Tianshu was not a Demonic Dao cultivator, but he had cultivated the "Mountain Hermit's Sun-Boiling True Scripture" to the point where he could directly pollute moonlight and use it as the main medicine. Of course, he could also calmly accept the power of Moon Turbidity.

After performing several magic seals from the manuscript, he successfully arrived at a peculiar space.

The sky here is serene and deep, a pure black without a trace of other colors.

At the highest point in the sky, there was only a crescent moon.

The mountains and rivers on the land are all in deep hues: black mountains and gray waters.

But from the mountain crevices and riverbeds, wisps of colorful aurora borealis rose up.

Chu Tianshu landed by a river and reached out to scoop up a little water.

The river in the palm of your hand, once disturbed, conjures up many fragmented scenes.

With half a straw mat and a newly repaired window, the family, sheltered from the rain, happily shared a meal of wheat porridge.

A hardworking wife and children, a strange man suddenly intruding, the twisted corpses of the wife and children...

This is a record of a victim of Demonic Dao.

Chu Tianshu lowered his eyes slightly, then raised them again, staring at the pool of water, and rubbed his hands together.

The river water transformed into a transparent flower stem, with three leaves accompanying it, eventually giving rise to a crystal-clear night-blooming cereus.

Chu Tianshu placed the flower on the riverbank.

"Just as I thought."

The Qingsheng Handscroll records that the records in the Eighth Consciousness Realm do not have a fixed form.

What those who enter this place observe is actually related to their own imagination.

A person with a strong soul can control their imagination and cause the scene before them to change dramatically.

The spatial distance here is completely different from the distance in the real world.

The Monk Qingsheng and his companions were not on the battlefield in Heze before, but as long as the war progressed according to plan and the people suffered, the monks of the Sheng generation successfully performed their magic.

Qingsheng and Wubei could directly appear at the vortex of the corresponding battlefield within the Eighth Consciousness Realm, pushing the power there into reality and shaping it into relics.

"So, if I were to look for a Demonic Dao cultivator..."

Chu Tianshu closed his eyes, recalling the scent emanating from the black cloth.

Although the black cloth was destroyed, he had deeply memorized its essence.

As he closed his eyes and opened them again, he was no longer at the foot of the mountain or by the river, but in a dark bamboo forest.

On those bamboo stalks, as thick as human legs and with branches as black as ink, hung skeletons.

There is also a deep pool inside the bamboo forest.

Two strange fish, one black and one white with sharp teeth, swam around in the deep pool, constantly chasing and biting each other's tails, howling like bulls and wolves, seemingly enjoying themselves immensely.

All records related to the Demonic Dao will be displayed here.

Living Demonic Dao cultivators naturally have corresponding imagery projected here.

Chu Tianshu walked slowly around the pool, observing it for a while, and then suddenly took a step onto the water's surface, his entire soul sinking into the depths.

(End of this chapter)