Chapter 332 - A C.u.mulus Cloud Transformed from a Ray of Spirit

Sooner or later, Zhao Siming would encounter demon beasts that could not be defeated. Shen Lian did not do anything but to let him go with the flow. When the time comes and Zhao Siming had failed, he could at least remember the principle of 'he who knows of the Male, but remain as the Female, becomes the ravine of the world'. The 'male' here referred to the toughness and power, while 'female' indicates the calm and humbleness. Those who are willing to stay low and humble would strive in this world.

The principles in the Daoist scriptures was not suitable for everyone but Zhao Siming was being a tad too arrogant, if he did not grind this air of arrogance off, it would be hard for him to progress further.

Even so, Shen Lian still doubted that Zhao Siming could adept in the Huandan's seventh transformation or beyond it.

Just like that, as Shen Lian observed his disciples, he was in a fugue of the universe. The Great Way had always been there, no more no less for people to try to fathom. Shen Lian's Dao techniques were concentrated, which allowed him to feel even more of the ever development of the universe. Nonetheless, each bit of change was very little. It took Shen Lian two years of being affected bit by bit that only could he be conscious of it. By doing so, with thousands upon thousands of years of acc.u.mulation, only could he see these changes.

Shen Lian felt that this was normal. Dao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, three begets all things. If there were no changes to the universe, the Dao would be exhausted and by then, this universe would be at its end.

Within the two years, many had happened to the disciples who had traveled outside. It turned out that Zhao Siming did encounter a very formidable demon beast and got injured heavily. As the contrary for Choushi, after a few hunts for the predecessor's adobe of immortals with his squad and a few brushes with death, he had become cautious. His methods also grew more and more. Even though his cultivation experience was not considered superb, he had transformed into a man with great depth from his original simple nature after going through the millstone. His rewards became more and more abundant.

With his transformation, it was impossible for him to breakthrough Huandan by himself because his cultivation was still Qing Xuan's fundamentals. If he lost that simple natural nature of his, it would be more difficult for him to have a taste of the successful state of Dan Dao.

Nonetheless, Shen Lian vaguely calculated that Choushi would be reaping some good fortune soon. This was what it meant by 'what one loses on the swings, he gets back on the roundabouts'.

As for the other disciples, each of them had their own little improvements. Of course, it was still unavoidable that there were those who were crude and impetuous that caused massive problems. For this kind of people, Shen Lian manifested to them through his divine thoughts and summoned them back.

Even so, there was still moments of qualms for Shen Lian and three disciples were killed.

In the end, there was a limitation for Shen Lian for him to be able to divide his attention and expend his thoughts. He could not control the bodies of his disciples and it was hard for him to display other formidable supernatural power. He was truly helpless when he encounters sudden serious situations.

He had avenged his three disciples and it was done very crisply. It was not clear that who was right or wrong but as long as he did not avenge them, he was not happy.

However, even after he had done so, Shen Lian still did not feel that happy because the three disciples could not be resurrected after all.

In this universe, there was indeed the karmic cycle but it was never how it was said in legends and myths with the ox head and horse face to bring the dead to the netherworld for reincarnation.

This karmic cycle was more spontaneous. There were even some living creatures with fragile spirits would just scatter and disappear within this universe.

Shen Lian could feel that their spirits have truly dissipated. It was just that he did not know where that bit of divine aura went. Perhaps it had been reborn into somebody and from this flesh, they get a new life and once again, they become a new life.

It was also perhaps they have gone to another world, which was the Nine Underworld.

A very long time ago, Shen Lian's spirit had reached the state where it connected with the netherworld. This was exclusively a particular state after cultivating the Mastery of Senses. He knew that if he abandoned all care into the wind, he would perhaps be able to reach the Nine Underworld. However, he did not do so because he had a feeling that once he went there, there was no coming back.

Legend had it that the source of the Underworld Demon Sect was in the Nine Underworld. The Yin Mountain was also originally in the Nine Underworld and it unexpectedly appeared in this universe.

If he ever met up with Ye Liuyun again, Shen Lian probably would have asked him about it.

As Shen Lian thought of Ye Liuyun, his clear eyes suddenly moved. He would not have to think about Ye Liuyun at this moment for no reason.

At this moment, Shen Lian was not inside the Qing Xuan Hall, he was inside the Quiet Room of Cultivation at Daoist courtyard of the Taiyi Peak. Outside was a fluttering willow catkin. Ruoxi was fixing her concentration amongst the dancing willow catkins. She needed to count how many catkins there were clear and also calculation where and when each catkin would land. This was an extremely difficult task and many formidable cultivators probably could not even do so.

But if one could do it, then there would not be much difficult task under the sun.

Shen Lian did not purposely teach her Dao techniques and allowed her to be on her own devices. At the same time, Shen Lian also experienced the formidability of the Dream Heart Sutra. The rate of growth of Ruoxi's spirits compared favorably to Mastery of Senses that he was cultivating.

This was because each time Ruoxi had a dream, it was a cultivation and also a karmic cycle. Even when she had woken up and forgotten about the memories of these dreams, but the marks left by the flowing ages did not fade away.

Therefore, even though she seemed young, but there was a bit vicissitude that inadvertently showed on her that even she herself did not notice.

Ruoxi calculated each catkin's directions but there was one catkin that did not follow the trend, which was strange to her. Because no matter how she calculated, this catkin would not have fluttered towards her uncle's room.

Once she noticed it, this bit of catkin was like star in the winter night, it could pierce through the void.

Ruoxi's spiritual sense was acute. It was as though she had seen the void tattered and what followed was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. A unique flavor lingered in the corners of her mind, it was the taste of death.

The Qi of vitality began to be chaotic and the void trembled.

Shen Lian quietly sensed all of it and he 'saw' the windows turned to scraps. A bit of catkin flew in, at the same time, a state of death accompanied it. The sound of water resounded in his ears. That was the flowing sound of the underworld Huangquan River waters that was resonating in his soul.

This was no Dao technique but it was brilliant than many of the Dao techniques in this universe.

The might of the Dao technique was not about the profoundness of the mana used but on the caster's spirit. Once his spirit was there, it was enough to move the mountains by just using a bit of the Qi of vitality.

This was like the butterfly of the Eastern coast of the Yuan Continent. With just an unintentional flutter of its wings, when it coincides with some of the universe's meaning of Dharma, it could probably generate a terrifying tornado on the Western coast of the Yuan Continent, destroying thousands of miles of land.

Shen Lian extended a finger, as though he had prepared a long a while ago. This finger seemed similar to Zhao Xiaoyu's Wusheng Finger but it had an extra wisp of abstruse of Daoism.

All things in the world are produced by being, and being comes from non-being.

The vital force of the universe flowed from the tip of the finger and quietly collided with that bit of catkin.

There was no earth-shaking sound of collisions and there was even no roar of the thunder.

There was another person in the room. This person was like a c.u.mulus cloud.

Shen Lian smiled, "I have never seen a guest quite like Brother Ye, to enter so quietly and yet only to cause such a commotion voluntarily in the end."

"It's too quiet here, that was why I wanted to have Brother Shen experience some sort of a bustle so that you won't lose your liveliness by being in the mountains for too long. That would be boring," Ye Liuyun leisurely replied.

Shen Lian waved his flocket and a clear Qi rolled up the scraps, pieced it all together until it finally became a window. It looked brand new as before.

His smile fainted as he said, "You came looking for me, and it is because of our promise from that time."

Skipping formalities, Shen Lian went directly to the subject.