Eighteen Corpse Nails Suppressed a Dead Dragon?

The voice of the skeletal Daoist priest echoed in the empty pavilion, carrying an ancient and heavy resonance, as if it had traveled through thousands of years and came from another world.

As soon as he finished speaking, the other skeleton Daoists also reacted.

First came the skull holding the cup with its head tilted to one side. It slowly straightened its head, its cervical spine making a dry, creaking sound, and then turned its face, its two dark eye sockets pointing towards the Hu Mang.

Next came the skeleton that had been propping its chin up. It lowered its skeletal hand, braced itself against the edge of the stone table, and slowly straightened up.

Then there was the skeleton curled up in the corner, which stretched its body as if waking from a long slumber, and then turned its head as well.

One after another, all the skeleton Daoists on the pavilion slowly turned their heads.

The gloomy Yin Qi in the air seemed to grow even stronger, and the temperature dropped a few degrees.

The blurry shadows that had been drifting above the island stopped wandering and gathered above the pavilion, hovering there like onlookers, quietly watching the scene below.

Even the eyeball-like vines growing on the stone pillars turned their "gaze" toward the location of the Hu Mang.

In this atmosphere, Hu Mang immediately knew that if he didn't answer well, trouble would likely ensue, and it probably wouldn't be anything good.

Can one truly understand the relationship between nature and destiny?

It's a shame you're Daoists from the Chen Dynasty. I happen to know an old Daoist from the Liang Dynasty. I can't speak for other things, but at least in terms of Inner Alchemy Technique, each dynasty has made progress.

Hu Mang coughed twice and said loudly:

"Nature is the mind, and destiny is vital energy. Nature cannot exist without destiny, and destiny cannot survive without nature. Neither nature nor destiny can be neglected. Cultivating nature without cultivating destiny will make it difficult for one's Yin Spirit to attain sainthood even after countless eons; cultivating destiny without cultivating nature is like a fire without oil, which will not last long."

The group of skeleton Daoists fell into thought, and soon, the skeleton holding the cup also spoke.

How to begin the Golden Core process?

"First learn to be without intention, then learn to forget form. Only when the mind dies can the spirit live; only when the physical body perishes can the soul flourish."

What is the Innate Primordial Qi?

"Before the separation of heaven and earth, there was only one spirit, a single point of true yang within the body. Because it preceded all things, it is called the innate. The acquired qi is the breath we breathe; one should not mistake acquired breathing for the innate qi."

What are large and small furnaces/cauldrons?

"In cultivating the Golden Elixir of Great Rejuvenation, one must first establish the furnace and cauldron. The cauldron is neither gold nor iron; the furnace is neither jade nor stone. The Yellow Court is the cauldron, and the Qi Cavity is the furnace. The Yellow Court is located above the Qi Cavity, connected by a single thread, which is the place where the blood and veins of the True Person converge. The Ding hexagram says that this is the proper position for condensing life. This is what is called the small furnace and cauldron. The Qian position is the cauldron, and the Kun position is the furnace... When the fire is properly controlled, the supreme treasure is refined."

In Heavenly Gate, those who work in civil engineering don't need to defend their theses; they just pick up a cement mixer and get to work.

The scene before him made Hu Mang feel as if he were giving a thesis defense, with a group of Daoist death mentors in front of him.

Fortunately, Hu Mang had reference answers. The Chen Dynasty priests of the five dynasties of Yu, Chen, Liang, Shen, and Yu could not figure out the problems that the Daoist priests of the Chen dynasty could not figure out, but the Daoist priests of the Liang Dynasty could basically figure out.

So after asking a whole bunch of questions, the group of death priests quickly ran out of things to say.

Inside the pavilion, the Daoist priest holding the cup suddenly turned his head and looked at the people playing chess opposite him.

"What are these so-called Ghost Immortals?"

"Ghost Immortal are below the Five Immortals. They transcend the Yin realm, their divine forms are unclear, they have no surname in the Ghost Realm, and no name in the Three Mountains. Although they do not enter the cycle of reincarnation, they find it difficult to return to Penglai. In the end, they have nowhere to go, and can only be reborn into another body." The skull playing chess did not even raise its head to speak.

"What magic did this Ghost Immortal use, and what form did it shed to arrive here?"

"Those who cultivate themselves initially do not comprehend the Great Dao, but desire quick results. Their bodies are like withered wood, their hearts like dead ashes. Their Divine Sense is guarded within, their will unwavering. In meditation, they manifest Yin Spirit, a pure and ethereal ghost, not a pure Yang Yin Spirit. Because their Yin spirit is unwavering, they are called Ghost Immortal. Although they are called immortals, they are actually ghosts. Those who worship Buddhism throughout history, when they reach this point, call it the Dao, which is truly laughable."

Huh?

A follower of Buddhism? You noticed I practice Buddhism? You have good eyesight.

Were you secretly cursing me just now?

So when you can't get any more answers, you resort to personal attacks? How vulgar!

Hu Mang grunted twice, and with a thought, he turned the small boat around and began to bypass the strange Three Perfected Island.

However, he also knew that this was only because he answered the defense well; if he hadn't, the outcome would have been quite different.

But how did these Three Perfected Immortal Island become Ghost Island here?

Fellow Daoist!

The Hu Mang suddenly turned its head and saw that the island was still a fairyland, with pavilions and towers scattered in a well-ordered manner, exquisitely carved beams and painted rafters, rare flowers and exotic plants blooming everywhere, and rare birds and auspicious beasts playing in the forest.

On the pavilions and towers, a group of Daoist priests, some tall, some short, some fat, some thin, were either laughing heartily or bowing to him.

One of the middle-aged Daoist priests, who was clearly drunk, pointed his finger in the distance.

Hu Mang suddenly felt a weight in his hand. Looking down, he saw a Daoist book that had appeared in his grasp without him noticing.

The book's cover was made of some kind of dark yellow paper, and the corners were worn, making it look quite old.

The cover bears three characters written in ancient seal script, " On Treatise on Sitting and Forgetting".

The Hu Mang raised its head again, and all the Daoist priests had vanished.

The small boat quickly passed through Three Perfected Island and continued its journey upstream towards the end of the Yin River.

Hu Mang sat on the small boat, lost in thought and silent.

He knew about "The Treatise on Sitting and Forgetting," one of the most famous Daoist mental cultivation theories, which emphasizes cultivating the spirit and nature, and rarely discusses essence, energy, or life force.

Moreover, it hasn't been lost; you can find the original text by searching online.

However, the book in his hand seems to be a reconstructed version by this Daoist Sima after he went to sea, mixed with his higher pursuit of the Dao of Dao of Sitting and Forgetting in Oblivion.

After watching it, Hu Mang felt a strong sense of déjà vu.

This seems to be a cutting-edge exploration of "Yin Spirit," "Ghost Immortal," and even "Corpse Liberation."

"The master of one's own body, the commander of all gods. Stillness breeds wisdom, movement breeds confusion."

"If one can attain the Dao, one can achieve longevity. One's form follows the Dao, and one's spirit becomes one with the Dao."

"Hu Mang murmured."

As expected, there are indeed capable people in Heavenly Gate.

However, it is highly likely that this Sima Daoist did not truly achieve the "Dao of Sitting and Forgetting" before he passed away.

"I've encountered another ancient person, albeit a dead one from ancient times."

The Hu Mang muttered to itself.

Next, Hu Mang encountered several more islands, all of which were either fairy islands at sea or ghost islands underwater.

As for the scenery on the island, some are immortals, some are the Underworld, some are fox spirits howling at the moon, and some are island spirits.

He steered the small black boat nimbly across the surface of the Yin River, maintaining a safe distance from each island.

The rhythm of those bony arms paddling changed with his will, sometimes accelerating, sometimes decelerating, sometimes turning, controlling the small boat like a mudfish swimming in the water, nimbly circling around the attractive range of each island.

He could sense the ghost ship's consciousness yearning for those islands, as if those islands held something it needed, but the Hu Mang suppressed this yearning each time, urging the small boat to continue forward.

His ability to pass the "Daoist Death Response" does not guarantee his ability to pass other tests.

More importantly, Hu Mang did not sense Elder Cui's presence on these ghost islands.

It's important to know that the Underworld Bureau Token and the Judge's Token can sense each other.

But in his perception, Elder Cui was still far ahead.

As it swam upstream, even with the Yellow Springs Water-Parting Saber opening up the Yin River, the Hu Mang gradually felt the strain.

The function of this Dragon Vein treasure is to open up Yin River in areas with abundant Yin Qi, starting from the lowest level of the Yin River and then moving to the Nether River. If there is truly an unlimited supply of Yin Qi, it can even open up the Yellow Springs.

He felt that he was already opening up the Nether River, even though he hadn't reached the Yellow Springs yet.

Fine, spiderweb-like cracks began to appear on the river's surface, emanating a deeper, more ancient black light.

The light seemed to come from another world, carrying a chill that seemed capable of swallowing all light and heat, causing the temperature around the small boat to drop sharply.

The Hu Mang's breath condensed into white frost in the air, and a thin layer of white frost began to form on its eyebrows and hair.

Even as the Hu Mang continued to carve out the river channel, the channel began to narrow visibly, and without the Yellow Springs Water-Parting Saber, it was merely a gray line visible to the naked eye.

The Nether River, the second boundary between the Underworld and the living world, is deeper, older, and more dangerous than the Yin River.

Then, Hu Mang saw Cui Yu.

Elder Cui stood at the end of that "gray line," and Hu Mang could only see his back.

Surrounded by boundless darkness and surging Yin Qi, that figure gave off a sense of unwavering stability, as if he himself were a lighthouse standing on the banks of the Nether River, unmoved by the raging winds and waves.

This old man was really hard to find!

With great effort, the Hu Mang rowed the ghost ship to the other man's side, mimicking his gaze into the distant darkness. After a moment of contemplation, it said:

"Elder Cui, what are you looking at?"

Cui Yu slowly turned her head.

His movements were so slow that the Hu Mang could even hear the slight cracking sound coming from his cervical spine.

When he turned his face completely, Hu Mang saw a pair of pale white eyes.

"I didn't see anything."

You're looking even though you haven't seen anything!

Hu Mang silently complained to himself, but knowing that this old judge of the Underworld Bureau was knowledgeable and must know something, he asked again:

"Elder Cui, is there something wrong with this dead Dragon Vein?"

"The eighteen corpse nails suppressed the dragon; anything that could cause a problem has been nailed down. What problem could there be?"

"Eighteen Corpse Nails? Wait, Elder Cui, the eighteen corpse nails you're talking about, could they be the Eighteen Inner Islands among the Thirty-Six Immortal Islands of the Eastern Sea?" Hu Mang asked in astonishment.

Cui Yu nodded slightly, her movements still very slow.

"So, this Turbid Dragon was already nailed to its death while it was still alive?"

"Without these eighteen nails, it wouldn't grow tall."

Perhaps because Hu Mang had gone to great lengths to come see him, Cui Yu was reluctant to say more.

"Sea Dragon Vein are different from land dragon Dragon Vein. Land dragon Dragon Vein are determined by the mountain ranges; where the mountains are, the Dragon Vein are, and they will not change for thousands of years. But sea lines are subject to change. Ocean currents will change course, the seabed will rise, and islands will sink. A Sea Dragon Vein that exists today may disappear completely tomorrow due to changes in the seabed topography."

"Not all Sea Dragon Vein can take shape." His voice carried a hint of melancholy, as if from the depths of time.

"Out of a hundred Sea Dragon Vein, if even one or two truly take shape, that's already an immense stroke of luck; the rest are either swept away by ocean currents before they even form, die prematurely during their growth due to seabed changes, or are devoured by other sea beasts or cultivators, becoming nourishment for them."