Chapter Twenty-five: The Daoist Primordial Spirit

In the past year, although Nan Luo had yet to enter the stage of refining essence into qi, the benefits of his six years of silent meditation and mental cultivation were becoming evident. The divine power he had just displayed—transforming into a giant—was a supernatural art unique to the Wu Tribe, known as “Heavenly Law Manifested on Earth.” Yet, his use of it differed from that of the Wu people. The Wu relied on their vital blood, propelling their arts with it, whereas Nan Luo used magical power instead. Thus, with his cultivation not yet fully reaching the stage of refining essence into qi, he could not maintain it for long.

The Wu cultivate essence, the demons cultivate qi—this was what the Celestial Master Tongxuan had told Nan Luo. At the time, Nan Luo had asked, “Aren’t we cultivating qi as well?” The Celestial Master replied, “Our Daoist lineage first cultivates essence to transform into qi, then transforms qi into spirit, and finally merges essence and qi into the primordial spirit, harmonizing with the great Dao of Heaven and Earth, transcending the cycle of rebirth…”

After Nan Luo had merged with the bloodline of Zhu Rong, his vital blood became overly abundant; ordinary qi cultivation methods could not generate inner breath. Only the secret techniques of the Daoist lineage from the Celestial Master could produce the sensation of qi through essence cultivation. The stronger one’s vital blood, the harder it was to refine essence into qi; but once achieved, one’s magical power at the same level would far surpass others.

The ancestral blood of the Wu tribe is extraordinarily precious; not only does it help purify the bloodline of the Wu people, it also contains the mysteries of supernatural powers. It was similar to how the Great Immortal Yang Li passed down his legacy. Nan Luo's “Heavenly Law Manifested on Earth” was inherited in this way; although the flame he conjured contained only a faint trace of the Earthly Fiend Poison Fire, it still carried a sliver of Zhu Rong’s fire lineage.

After burning the body of the Blackwater King, he found that the little green snake had already disappeared, likely to digest the inner core it had obtained…

Nan Luo felt somewhat uneasy about having feigned distraction to lure the Blackwater King into making a move. He never considered himself a good or saintly man. As his priest once said: “He distinguishes clearly between kindness and enmity, but his temperament is rather cold, though deep within, a trace of kindness still lingers.”

He continued to sit upright in meditation, reciting the “Huangting Classic” each morning, though noticeably fewer people came to listen. The Blackwater King had arrived with murderous intent, surely alarming many who watched from the shadows the previous night…

The reputation of the scripture-reciter before the Hall of Supreme Ultimate was likely now tinged with gray. Nan Luo thought this and smiled inwardly—what did fame matter? He would recite his scripture, never having sought reputation, so why care for others’ opinions?

Those six years of silent waiting and meditation had made Nan Luo’s mind ever more tranquil, as deep as an abyss.

The Celestial Master Tongxuan had returned, and peace was restored to the Supreme Ultimate Palace; no one dared stir trouble there. The Celestial Master, though he did not preach himself, never stopped Nan Luo from reciting the “Huangting Classic” before the palace.

With the “Huangting Classic” at hand, Nan Luo found he had little need to seek out the Celestial Master for advice on cultivation. So he continued his daily recitations, while the two young attendants, Golden Horn and Silver Horn, fanned the flames and, in their leisure, sat beside Nan Luo, resting their chins on their hands, listening to his stories. They delighted in hearing about his childhood among the Yangping clan, and his later capture and imprisonment, never tiring despite repeated retellings. Each time, they grew indignant and loudly declared that they would seek out the Third Prince of the Eagle King to avenge Nan Luo.

When Nan Luo spoke of the Great Immortal Yang Li, they alternated between calling him cowardly and useless, but finally insisted that if they ever met him again, they would bring him back here, where no one would dare harm him.

Unknowingly, another year had passed; thus Nan Luo had spent nine years in the Supreme Ultimate Palace.

Suddenly, he heard the voice of the Celestial Master Tongxuan in his ear, and hurried to the Supreme Ultimate Hall. There, the Celestial Master said, “I have a fellow Daoist who has built a Jade Void Palace three thousand miles from here. In three days’ time, he will formally open the mountain and accept disciples. If you are inclined, you might go and see.”

Nan Luo quickly replied, “Your disciple’s heart remains devoted to serving you alone; I have never thought of such things.”

The Celestial Master’s gentle voice sounded again: “You need not worry about that. Should you join another’s school, I will not blame you. My Daoist friend Yuanshi’s Jade Void Palace is also a branch of the Daoist lineage, so you need not fear the teachings will conflict.”

Upon hearing this, Nan Luo sighed inwardly and bowed his head, answering, “Yes, Master.”

Nan Luo had once hoped that one day he might be formally accepted as a disciple of the Celestial Master; now, hearing his words, he understood implicitly that this would never come to pass.

…

Mount Kunlun spanned over ten thousand miles, yet the Supreme Ultimate Palace only occupied a fraction—less than a thousand miles—at the source of the spiritual veins. The Jade Void Palace stood three thousand miles away atop another peak.

Nan Luo had not yet mastered the art of riding the clouds; to reach that place, he could only travel by earth escape.

His earth escape technique differed from the common methods; having inherited it from the Great Immortal Yang Li, it was not merely a spell but a true innate divine power.

Divine powers are difficult to inherit, while spells can be taught, for spells are created by those with great supernatural abilities, based on their own powers. Though there are rare individuals of exceptional insight who can comprehend such arts on their own, their power seldom matches that of true divine powers. Thus, innate abilities are called divine powers, while those learned later are spells.

After bidding farewell to the Celestial Master, Nan Luo left the Supreme Ultimate Palace under the envious gazes of Golden Horn and Silver Horn. As he departed, the two quietly slipped out from the palace: one produced a green gourd from his robe, the other a golden ribbon, both pressing them into Nan Luo's hand for self-defense on the road. Nan Luo promptly tried to return them, knowing these two, in their naivety, had stolen treasures for him—he did not dare accept.

He was certain that any treasures Golden Horn and Silver Horn took were already within the Celestial Master’s awareness. If he truly lost his sense of propriety and accepted them, he might lose even his status as a registered disciple.

Seeing that Nan Luo truly would not accept, the two finally said, “If you really run into danger, you must declare yourself as coming from the Supreme Ultimate Palace.”

Nan Luo mused to himself that if real danger arose, aside from fleeing for his life, announcing his connection to the Supreme Ultimate Palace might only hasten his demise; others, fearing the palace, would want to leave no witnesses behind.

Their prestige held sway only within the palace grounds, where no one dared challenge them. But outside, when true conflict arose, reputation alone could not save him—only genuine skill.

Amidst the verdant mountains and azure seas, where auspicious clouds gathered, there were also places of baleful waters and deadly auras.

Three thousand miles would be nothing on a smooth road; Nan Luo could cover the distance in a day. But within the Kunlun Mountains, the journey was no simple matter. Passing through mountains dominated by great demons was never easy; if the local spirit had a mild disposition, one might pass unimpeded. If he or she was tyrannical and fierce, then one could only rely on true ability to get through.