A Pagoda Meant to Stand Above the Clouds; Shattered Resolve Ascends to the Heavens of Zen

At dawn, the rooster crowed three times.

The sky was still dark, and sunrise was still quite some time away, but the disciples of the Tongxuan Sect had already gotten up.

Although there are Daoist priests on duty at night, they are only a minority.

As dawn broke, more people woke up, and faint sounds began to emanate from the nearby hilltops.

As the lights came on, people dressed, washed, and began their morning lessons in varying stages.

Breakfast can only be eaten after morning classes.

However, the disciples in the main kitchen were responsible for making breakfast.

They get up even earlier, and by then they've usually finished their morning prayers, prepared their meals, eaten a quick bite, and then it's time to deliver the food.

Mingjingzi was responsible for delivering food to the dungeon on the North Peak. He carried two wooden buckets on a shoulder pole, filled with unleavened steamed buns. There was spring water on the North Peak, which they would eat with the buns.

As he descended the hill from the kitchen and headed towards the North Peak, he heard a noise in the roadside bushes. Instinctively, he wanted to kick it out, but instead saw a gray rabbit.

The rabbit's belly was bulging; it was probably pregnant.

Mingjingzi had an idea. He changed the direction of his bound feet and swept them through the grass. The rabbit was startled and, just as he had hoped, turned and ran into the jungle.

If it goes up the mountain, the rabbit will surely die; if it runs into the jungle, it might have a chance to give birth to its young.

Mingjingzi watched the rabbit go, stood there for a while, and sighed inwardly.

My own situation is not necessarily better than that of the baby rabbit.

The Tongxuan Sect held a very special position in the Ten Commanderies of Guilin.

Many people who used to believe in shamans and respect sorcerers now believe that these Daoist priests have more magical powers and highly praise them.

Many Rogue Person priests, from humble backgrounds, also greatly admire the Daoist priests of the Tongxuan Sect.

Mingjingzi's family were just ordinary villagers. He first became an apprentice of a Rogue Person Daoist priest. Later, because he was good at making medicinal cuisine, had ingenious ideas, and possessed pure skills, he was sent to the Tongxuan Sect.

His master and several fellow disciples gave him earnest advice and placed high hopes on him, wishing him to achieve great things.

However, after studying the Tongxuan Sect's pharmacopoeia and passing several tests before entering the main altar, he discovered that something was very wrong.

The Tongxuan Sect not only forges weapons and medicines, practices martial arts and raises Gu poisons, but also researches demonic arts.

All disciples who enter the main altar are first implanted with Gu worms. The sect rules are extremely strict, and many disciples become the Human Furnace because of their mistakes.

Some who had mastered demonic arts to the point of being able to neutralize the Gu worms also had a deeper connection with their masters through their demonic arts, which gave them the opportunity to be sent out to manage affairs abroad.

After learning about these things, Mingjingzi was often terrified.

They also discovered that some fellow disciples deliberately harmed others, turning them into Human Furnace. In order to compete for the position of supervisor in the field, they often fought according to the sect rules.

The dungeon at North Peak is filled with fellow disciples who were defeated in such duels and became Human Furnace.

Mingjingzi dared not cultivate demonic arts. Although he worked in the kitchen, he was very careful and avoided several hardships. He also built up some connections among the fellow Daoist priests who shared his plight, hoping to stay informed.

But he couldn't guarantee that he could always act opportunistically and escape unscathed.

"When will this kind of life ever end?"

Mingjingzi muttered a complaint under his breath, adjusted the carrying pole, and was about to continue when he suddenly noticed two extra people on the mountain path ahead.

One of them was a handsome young man, wearing an iron crown and a long robe with flowing sleeves, whose appearance inexplicably sent a chill down one's spine.

The other man was a dashing young man with a smile on his face. He was dressed somewhat like a Daoist robe, but with wide sleeves of blue cloth, long trousers, and cloth shoes. He had no leggings and a long sword hanging at his waist.

However, when Mingjingzi met the young man's eyes, she felt a little dizzy and muttered to herself.

He felt as if he had spoken a great deal about his sect to these two strangers, speaking in a low voice and in an orderly manner.

Is that correct?

This... doesn't seem wrong.

Mingjingzi's mind was hazy, but his speech remained consistently logical.

He didn't know how long he had been talking. Suddenly, he realized that he was still walking and was almost at the foot of North Peak.

What just happened?

Mingjingzi couldn't figure it out, but she noticed that her left fingernail was a little sore, and her body felt a little lighter.

On the mountain road, Chu Tianshu looked at a small, blood-red beetle on his left index finger.

"This Gu worm is quite interesting. It's clearly an evil creature, yet it resides in the acupoint with the strongest Yang energy in the heart meridian. When I drew it out, it also traveled along the Hand Yangming Meridian."

Chu Tianshu laughed, "No wonder that little Daoist priest said that the Grand Elder of the Punishment Hall uses an ice jar to control all the Gu worms, which is in conflict with Yin and Yang."

Xiao Liang, on the other hand, was lamenting another aspect.

"Everyone in Celebration of the Sage Temple practices demonic arts, Tongxuan Sect clearly also has profound Demonic Dao, yet they manage to control it, ensuring that only a portion of their disciples practice demonic arts."

Xiao Liang said, "Such actions may seem like allowing conflicts to arise among disciples, but the internal conflicts within the Demonic Dao sects are far worse. They are usually more hypocritical, and given the opportunity, they will act without restraint."

"The Tongxuan Sect's structure, built upon strict rules, possesses truly terrifying potential for the future."

Chu Tianshu shook his head. "If Demonic Dao were so easy to control, it wouldn't need to be called demonic."

"Such a sect will either fall apart and have no future, or it will simply become a pure Demonic Dao."

"Now that we're here, we should make it end up like the former."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Liang was cautious, but he smiled and disappeared into the nearby grass and forest.

Chu Tianshu took out a needle with his right hand, muttered some incantations, and pricked the beetle in his left hand.

On the main peak, inside the Punishment Hall.

Several elderly Daoist priests with bluish complexions were sitting cross-legged on cloud beds, with different ritual objects placed beside them.

One of the ice jars, about the size of a human head, suddenly flashed and shattered with a bang.

The old Daoist priests suddenly awoke.

When the poison was cast on the disciples of the main altar, it was done by several old Daoist priests separately.

However, the Grand Elder of the Punishment Hall required that any Gu worms used for this purpose must first be placed in his Ice Jar to learn how to control the Gu worms within all his disciples.

This is also to prevent any Old Devil of the Punishment Hall from losing control of their demonic arts and killing all the disciples under their charge.

However, the Frost Insect Jar has never actually been used since the faction was founded.

"Elder, what do you mean by this?"

"This was not my doing!!"

"The destruction of this jar seems to have severed my connection with those Gu worms."

Several old Daoist priests were in a state of turmoil, their swords drawn, when suddenly, Zhang Tongxuan's voice drifted in.

Don't panic; an unwelcome guest may be at your door.

Zhang Tongxuan descended gracefully from the main peak.

His figure passed through the clouds halfway up the mountain, and when he landed, he could already see Chu Tianshu several miles away.

Chu Tianshu's gaze also caught the Daoist priest who had drifted down, and he smiled slightly.

"Daoist Master Tongxuan, that person from your sect trespassed into our sacred mountain grounds. Non-Self guest elders have some skills, he would probably have killed many of our disciples and their families."

Chu Tianshu's voice drifted over, "How about handing over his head as an apology?"

"Fellow Daoist Chu, you jest."

Zhang Tongxuan's robes billowed in the wind, and the closer he got to the foot of the mountain, the slower his descent became, his eyes gleaming brightly.

"I didn't know before that Fellow Daoist Chu was a man of witty remarks, but I now understand that Fellow Daoist Chu truly manages to surprise people time and again."

"The mark you left on the mountain not long ago has clearly been erased by me. May I ask how you found this place?"

Chu Tianshu destroyed the ice jar to lure out this person's movements. Whether he hid on the mountain and released his aura to challenge him, or came down on his own initiative, he must have a clear intention.

However, although Zhang Tongxuan came down, he seemed to have no fighting spirit at all, only a bit of curiosity, which made him very difficult to deal with.

Chu Tianshu glanced around but did not reply.

Zhang Tongxuan continued, "Did you calculate the location by observing the celestial phenomena here?"

Chu Tianshu's heart skipped a beat; the man's tone had become slightly harsher.

"Good."

Chu Tianshu stared at him, "Daoist Master Tongxuan, so you also have expertise in astrology and divination?"

"Truly stargazing..."

Zhang Tongxuan's eyes clearly changed slightly. "You really were able to accurately calculate the location of my headquarters just by observing the stars in the night sky in such a short time?!"

Chu Tianshu laughed and said, "It seems that Daoist Master Tongxuan is not just a researcher, but a fanatic."

"I'm not obsessed; I've only studied a little for practical purposes."

Zhang Tongxuan realized that his emotions were fluctuating, but he made no attempt to hide it. He suddenly turned to the side and pointed to the corner of the main peak with his left hand.

"Fellow Daoist, can you see that iron tower?"

When Chu Tianshu arrived, he had already noticed a tall, thin iron tower there, completely black.

"It is naturally visible that it is not made of bricks and stones, but rather cast from gold and iron."

Chu Tianshu said, "Are you trying to tell me that the people you captured are all locked up in that tower, and if I insist on starting a war today, you'll have them pushed down and killed?"

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to probe. There are no prisoners in that tower."

Zhang Tongxuan's gaze sharpened, and he said gently, "That's the treasure I used to go to the moon."

Moon landing?!

Chu Tianshu almost thought he had misheard, his eyelids twitched, and he looked at the tower.

What do you mean? That's not a tower at all, it's actually a rocket?!

You mean...?

Chu Tianshu's tone was subtle, "Once your tower is activated, fire will spew from under its butt, and then it will soar straight to the highest heavens and ascend above the bright moon?"

This surprised Zhang Tongxuan.

"I thought you might not believe me, but I didn't expect you to guess the way the Great Void Pagoda flies with just one sentence."

Zhang Tongxuan's gaze swept over Chu Tianshu from head to toe.

"However, fellow Daoist, you are still wrong about one thing. It's not that as long as you can fly out of the nine heavens, you will definitely be able to successfully land on the moon."

"The sun, moon, heaven, and earth are constantly in motion and changing, full of mysteries. This Great Void Pagoda, in its flight, focuses solely on ascending. It can control its speed, but it cannot freely change direction."

"A precise trajectory must be calculated before launch in order to successfully land on the moon."

When Zhang Tongxuan got to this point, his tone revealed a deep sense of regret.

What he gleaned from the stone slab were the secrets of all kinds of weapon crafting.

His knowledge of cultivation, medicine making, and Qimen Dunjia largely originated from the development of the local Daoist sect.

According to the Daoist cosmological system in China at that time, the universe was perfectly round, like a chicken egg, and could also be called the celestial sphere.

The earth is like an egg yolk, residing at its very center.

The sun, moon, and stars are merely distributed on the outermost layer of the celestial sphere, rising and falling in a cycle influenced by the pervasive and boundless energy of the primordial void.

When Zhang Tongxuan forged the Great Void Pagoda, he ascended to the clouds, hoping to glimpse the Taixu landscape and immerse himself in the bright moonlight.

As a result, he only began to realize something was wrong after the pagoda had truly ascended to the heavens.

The vast emptiness beyond the heavens is truly boundless and limitless.

Its vastness far exceeded his original imagination.

The results obtained using the old Zhou Tian algorithm naturally contained huge errors.

If the pagoda continues to fly past, the distance between it and the moon's true location will be immeasurable.

It will only drift into the dark void, with nothing to rely on.

Zhang Tongxuan realized something was wrong and promptly manipulated the Great Void Pagoda to descend back, but before he could land back in Ten Commanderies of Guilin, he crashed into the sea.

That first Great Void Pagoda was thus lost to the vast ocean.

He went to great lengths to return to his headquarters to recuperate and build the second pagoda, preparing to recalculate the trajectory with utmost precision.

However, it is easy to imagine the difficulty he would face in overcoming countless obstacles in the development of mathematics over a thousand years on his own within a few years.

The sect has many disciples, some learning medicine, some learning weapon crafting, and some learning demonic arts.

Very few were proficient in mathematics, let alone anyone who could rival him or help him.

After years of deep thought, Zhang Tongxuan suddenly had an epiphany.

Since mathematics is unreliable for the time being.

Then let's continue relying on magic.

Having experienced entering the void once, Zhang Tongxuan gained a deeper understanding of the art of weapon forging, and subtly applied some of its mysteries to his own soul.

The soul is not a physical entity and is much less bound by the earth. Even if it cannot reach the speed of the peak of the Great Void Pagoda, it can still persevere and float into the sky.

However, the soul is more susceptible to the influence of the mixed energies of heaven and earth.

The farther away from the ground, the more effort it takes.

The higher one climbs, the more susceptible one becomes to the influence of various invisible malevolent forces emanating from the void.

Although Zhang Tongxuan had refined his soul to the point where it was enough to ascend into the Great Void, making him more than a hundred times more flexible than controlling the pagoda, once inside the Great Void, he could change direction on his own without needing to predict his trajectory. He only needed to persevere and pursue the bright moon.

However, the loss of cultivation level is also considerable in the process.

Even though it took him the equivalent of more than ten days and nights on land, he finally reached the bright moon.

I fear that he too will find it difficult to maintain his composure and cultivate peacefully amidst the boundless, Moon Turbidity.

This led to his plan to build the Great Void Heart-Transmission Well, secretly plot and scheme to capture a master of Attaining the Dao.

With the assistance of these Heart Transmission Well.

Even after Zhang Tongxuan lands on the moon, his spiritual connection with the eight masters will not be severed.

He could use his Demonic Dao mind-transfer technique to transfer the excess Moon Turbidity essence into the bodies of the eight masters.

In this way, he could cultivate to his heart's content on the bright moon, strengthen his foundation and nourish his vital energy. After returning to the earth, he could then rely on the Eight Human Furnace to transform and refine the Moon Turbidity essence, thus greatly increasing his cultivation level.

From this point on, Zhang Tongxuan's strength will advance by leaps and bounds, and he will be able to comprehend the stone tablet more easily, thus accelerating the unraveling of its many mysteries.

He has abandoned the idea of flying through the void using the Great Void Pagoda and decided to use another plan to achieve his goal.

But when he discovered that Chu Tianshu actually possessed a far more advanced method of star observation and divination than expected.

This mysterious, young, and unparalleled master was not just a martial artist who only knew how to fight and kill.

The regret of having been forced to give up surged wildly in his heart.

Zhang Tongxuan observed Chu Tianshu very carefully and saw that the man's expression showed that he truly believed that landing on the moon was feasible and did not have many doubts.

This made him even more restless.

"Fellow Daoist, your attainments in astronomy and mathematics are so profound, how about we go to the moon together?"

Zhang Tongxuan paused for a moment, then said, "The bright moon is the source of the strange changes over the past hundred years. You should be able to imagine how much change we could discover in the path of cultivation if we were to ascend to the moon to cultivate."

"If we can use the Great Void Pagoda to ascend to the moon, we can bring with us a large quantity of elixirs and magical artifacts to resist the Moon Turbidity."

"If you're worried, you can prepare these things yourself and then ask Xiao Liang to come along."

"At that time, we will all be in the Great Void, and since there will be no significant difference in our strength, none of us will dare to act rashly."

Chu Tianshu seemed to be deep in thought.

Zhang Tongxuan's eyes flickered slightly.

"I know that Fellow Daoist Chu is a kind-hearted person who cannot bear to see innocent people suffer. I have captured eight Attaining the Dao skilled Daoists here, one of whom is a good friend of Xiao Liang and has a great reputation in the martial arts world."

Zhang Tongxuan showed his utmost sincerity.

"How about this: once we successfully land on the moon and return, I will release all eight of them."

"All eight of them have to owe you this favor. With these eight renowned masters joining your sect, how could you possibly fail to grow stronger in the future?"

The soul leaving the body also has a time limit.

Zhang Tongxuan needs dozens of days just to travel to and from the moon. Even with the assistance of eight enlightened Attaining the Dao as his Human Furnace, the time he can spend cultivating on the moon each time is still very limited.

If we could use the Great Void Pagoda to carry elixirs and magical artifacts to the moon, the effect would certainly be no less than this.

More importantly, there are very few truly Attaining the Dao masters in the world.

If these eight Human Furnace are ruined, who knows when they will be able to be collected again.

If the Great Void Pagoda can successfully reach the moon, all it will need to consume is the liquefied Heavenly Ding and Heavenly Jia Qi.

This repeated process is clearly more stable and sustainable than cultivating using the Eight Great Human Furnace.

"That sounds very appealing, and I am indeed very curious about the moon, but there's a small problem."

Chu Tianshu laughed, "Aren't you afraid that if you release those eight, all ten of us will kill you together?"

"If you're not afraid, it means you're planning to use drugs or some other means to cripple their abilities before they're released."

"At least they won't be able to retain the full combat power of Attaining the Dao being, and perhaps they'll also be subject to your control due to the periodic antidote."

Zhang Tongxuan did not deny it. "This is only to be expected."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Chu Tianshu laughed a few times, "I'm afraid they themselves wouldn't accept such conditions."

"Yeah?"

Zhang Tongxuan's tone softened, "It seems that words alone are not enough to sway you, fellow Daoist."

"Fellow Daoist, do you believe that as long as we fight, Xiao Liang is more than capable of defeating Zhuangzhi, and will definitely have a chance to rescue those eight people?"

On the main peak.

The sixteen Daoist priests guarding the deep well remained unmoved by the outside noise, yet suddenly felt a sense of impending doom.

All sixteen people opened their eyes.

With their unseen will and the perfect coordination of the sixteen people, they almost fixed the morning mist and light within the square, making it impregnable.

Xiao Liang's figure was also faintly visible under this pressure.

But his actions could not be restrained by these thoughts.

The White Snake Divine Sword suddenly appeared from the sleeve, about to pierce the air and kill, but the blade suddenly turned and blocked to the side.

Clang!!!!

A beam of bright blue divine light, about the thickness of a thumb, struck the White Snake Sword.

Xiao Liang's fingers trembled slightly, and he turned his head in surprise.

This divine light, though only as thick as a finger, was over 150 feet long.

The source of the divine light was on the iron tower at the corner of the summit.

That slender iron tower has thirteen stories, eight sides and eight corners, and each story has eight eaves.

Apart from the divine light that just shot out.

As Xiao Liang turned his head, he saw several more blue dots appearing on the tower.

This blue divine light—I don't know what it is.

Its speed after being launched is several times faster than the movement speed of Attaining the Dao being.

Even a swordsman like Xiao Liang could only dodge and parry in a split second by relying on his intuition.

The sound of the divine sword colliding with the divine light echoed throughout the entire mountaintop in the next instant.

That resounding, thunderous roar shook one's very soul.

It felt as if one's ears had ceased to exist; the sound pierced directly into the soul.

But everyone on the main peak, and even on the nearby hilltops, can still see it.

The slender iron tower was rotating slightly on each level, emitting streaks of blue light.

The Great Void Pagoda can fly, but it's not a rocket that can only be used for flying.

This is a powerful artifact; its combat capabilities are indispensable.

From Chu Tianshu's perspective, Xiao Liang cannot be seen directly.

But just by looking at the direction in which those bright blue divine lights flashed and pierced through, one could tell.

The placement of these rays of light was exquisitely precise, far from being random bursts.

"Was this tower really built in Guilin?"

Chu Tianshu clicked his tongue slightly, "If you didn't know better, you'd think it was built at the Yangtze River."

Zhang Tongxuan didn't understand what he was saying, nor did he care to delve into it. He simply smiled and asked, "So, how about it now?"

Chu Tianshu stared intently at the scene, and after a few breaths, a smirk suddenly appeared on his lips.

He had already sped forward, but suddenly exploded halfway through!

It's as if a new figure bursts forth from the old shadow, transcends it, and is freed from it.

All the protective Gang Qi on his body had undergone a miraculous transformation, turning into even stronger power the moment the old image shattered.

Eight Steps to Catch a Cicada, Ultimate Technique, Shattering the Chan Body!

Seeking meditation amidst the cicada's song and shadows, one shatters the illusion of permanence to ascend to the heavens of Zen.

Chu Tianshu arrived suddenly, seemingly transcendentally.

The fine threads scattered around Zhang Tongxuan's body exploded before they could even absorb his power.

Everywhere there were broken, fluttering threads, which began to glow red and burn.

Because Chu Tianshu struck the enemy with a palm as red as the sun.

"Not good at all!!"

You can't elicit a flaw, you can't suppress someone's mindset, and you can't create a situation.

Let's simply compete in martial arts skills!

(End of this chapter)