Chapter 370
Chapter 370
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 372
Chapter Title: Qiongyang Ancestor
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"Corpse dismemberment to become an immortal?"
Chen Shi was stunned.
Corpse dismemberment among immortals was one type, also a form of evasion technique. There were many ways to do it: first refine utensils like swords, staffs, or bamboo into one's own form, then when lifespan is exhausted, use that form to deceive the underworld messengers, allowing the true body to roam free.
Back then, when Grandpa had held a funeral for him, the fake death method used was one form of corpse dismemberment.
If choosing soldier dismemberment, one needed to kill oneself with a divine weapon, abandon the fleshly body to cultivate as a ghost immortal, and finally merge the primal spirit with the Dao. This method ignored the fleshly body, seeking only for the primal spirit to merge with the Dao.
The Water-Fire Tempering Art, on the other hand, used water and fire tempering methods to preserve the fleshly body, greatly differing from soldier dismemberment.
"If merging the primal spirit with the Dao, perhaps there's no chance of evil transformation," Chen Shi thought to himself.
But he immediately realized that merging the primal spirit with the Dao also required the Void Great Realm. Without obtaining the primordial star chart to calculate the correct positions of the stars in the sky, true merging couldn't be achieved, and evil transformation was still likely.
So, had these ancestors of Taihua Qing Palace truly achieved immortality through soldier dismemberment?
If they became ghost immortals, had they undergone evil transformation?
Qingyang said, "We dug up almost all the tombs of the successive sect leaders. The empty ones belonged to the fourth-generation sect leader Guangxian, the seventh-generation sect leader Daocheng, the sixteenth-generation sect leader Jingxu, and the seventy-eighth-generation sect leader Dancheng. Your grandpa suspects they became ghost immortals, merged with the Dao, and still exist in the world."
He paused, then said, "I've eaten the grass on their graves—tasteless and chewy."
Chen Shi was stunned. "You can tell if it's an empty grave from the grave grass?"
Qingyang said, "Mostly, yes. Just now, I chewed on the grave grass of many sect leaders and found the one your grandpa nearly did in had somewhat tasteless grass too... Blackie Pot, wasn't it a bit tasteless?"
Blackie Pot stood up, face serious. "Woof!"
Chen Shi blinked. "Could it be that this sect leader also corpse dismembered into a ghost immortal?"
Qingyang said, "We'll know once we dig it up."
He said excitedly, "I have a few Luoyang shovels hidden in Qingyang Palace—they probably weren't found. Blackie Pot, help keep watch!"
Blackie Pot nodded eagerly.
A Daoist came over and led Chen Shi to arrange guest quarters for rest. Chen Shi asked, "Junior brother, is Yulingzi on the mountain?"
The young Daoist said, "After Senior Brother Yulingzi returned from Xijing, his temperament changed drastically. During a spar with several senior brothers from Taihua Qing Palace, he broke their fingers. The sect leader punished him with confinement; he's now in the Demon Suppression Grotto."
Chen Shi said, "Where is the Demon Suppression Grotto?"
The young Daoist pointed to a nearby peak. "Right on Wenxu Peak. The cave with rolling demonic qi billowing out is it."
Chen Shi looked toward Wenxu Peak and saw it bathed in sunlight, exuding a refined air, though faint demonic qi leaked from the mountainside.
"Yulingzi is a Daoist of our Heavenly Court. If he's kept confined on Wenxu Peak, won't it delay him?"
Chen Shi left his quarters and headed straight to Qingyang Palace to find Qingyang, planning to ask him to plead for Yulingzi to release the little Daoist. But he found the entire Taihua Qing Palace bustling—Daoists busy preparing the ceremony for the Immortal Sword's return.
Qingyang had a big red flower around his neck, sitting like a mascot on a tall altar, looking utterly dejected.
He was surrounded by Daoists and villagers from the countryside, offering cattle, horses, and livestock as sacrifices to Qingyang.
Some sacrifices were sheep themselves, bleating away.
This was just rehearsal; the real return of the Immortal Sword would invite court officials and experts from other sacred sites as witnesses, making it far grander.
Seeing this, Chen Shi didn't approach. Then a soft voice came from beside him. "You're... Chen Shi?"
Chen Shi turned and saw a beautiful woman, seemingly in her early twenties, with skin like congealed fat, bright eyes and white teeth. She wasn't in Daoist robes but a light, gossamer goose-yellow gown draping from shoulders to ankles, exposing her arms, with silk ribbons winding under her armpits and fluttering behind her head.
She had an immortal-like aura, ethereal yet radiant, her eyes sparkling—whether from reflecting sunlight or their own brilliance.
Chen Shi nodded lightly and smiled. "I'm Chen Shi. And you are, miss?"
The beautiful woman sized him up and smiled. "You've grown up. The first time I saw you, you were lying in a coffin... You look more and more like your grandpa in his youth. I'm Qiongyang. Were you the one who brought back Ancestor Qingyang and the True Martial Slaying Evil Sword?"
Chen Shi said, "Yes. But Uncle Qingyang is just staying a few days, not planning to settle in. Miss Qiongyang, you..."
He suddenly remembered something and stared blankly at the beautiful woman, stammering. "Y-you're Ancestor Qiongyang?"
The beautiful woman couldn't help laughing. "Why so shocked? Has your grandpa mentioned me? During the time you were in trouble, your grandpa came to me and begged me to save you."
Chen Shi couldn't believe it a hundred times over—this woman before him was Ancestor Qiongyang, who had a romantic history with his grandpa Chen Yindu. He'd thought she'd be a decrepit old hag or nun, not an immortal fairy-like figure.
Chen Shi said honestly, "Grandpa never mentioned the Ancestor."
Ancestor Qiongyang's face dimmed. "Which woman did he mention? Lady Lingsu of the Celestial Master Mansion? Li Huazhi of the Li family? Zhang Qiaoxi of the Zhang family? Or Divine Nun Hu yin? Definitely not Huali—she was just a little girl..."
Chen Shi said cautiously, "Grandpa never mentioned any women's names to me."
Ancestor Qiongyang breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Looks like in his eyes, none of us mattered as much as his Dao. But that's fine—saves me from competing with them."
Her eyes turned to Chen Shi. "Good thing it was you who came this time. If it were your dad, I might not resist giving him a hard time. Hmph, who knows which wild woman he was born to!"
Chen Shi smiled. "Ancestor, my dad wouldn't dare come. Ancestor, Yulingzi is confined in the Demon Suppression Grotto—can he be released?"
"Yulingzi? He broke several senior brothers' fingers and was punished to cultivate in the Demon Suppression Grotto."
Ancestor Qiongyang said, "That's a small matter."
She beckoned a Daoist over, took out a jade talisman, and said, "Take my handwritten order to Wenxu Peak and release Yulingzi."
The Daoist hesitated. "Yulingzi injured the sect leader's disciples—the sect leader put him in there..."
Ancestor Qiongyang's face turned frosty as she sneered. "Do as I say—why the chatter? If Changying won't release him, I'll lock him in the Demon Suppression Grotto to reunite with his master!"
The Daoist didn't dare speak, assenting meekly and flying off on his sword.
Ancestor Qiongyang looked at Chen Shi, her expression softening as she smiled. "Don't be scared. I'm not usually like this—I'm very gentle. Your grandpa knows that."
Chen Shi smiled. "I think the Ancestor is especially gentle too."
Ancestor Qiongyang smiled shyly, clearly delighted.
Daoist Changying hurried over, smiling obsequiously. "Uncle-Master Qiongyang, Yulingzi returned from Xijing without taking the metropolitan exam or palace exam. When a few senior brothers scolded him, he flew into a rage and broke their fingers..."
Qiongyang said, "He's been confined long enough to reflect."
Daoist Changying said, "My disciples had all ten fingers broken by him. Even his Uncle-Master Ai tried to intervene and got his finger grabbed— if his cultivation weren't stronger, it'd have been broken too."
Qiongyang said, "Uncle-Master Ai must have pointed at him with his finger, so he grabbed it. That's not intervening—that's scolding."
Daoist Changying tried to say more, but Ancestor Qiongyang's face turned cold. "Keep chattering, and you'll join your master down there!"
Daoist Changying quickly told the nearby Daoist, "Why haven't you gone to release him yet?"
The Daoist hastily agreed.
Ancestor Qiongyang stopped him. "You went to the sect leader to complain—punish yourself by staying a day in the Demon Suppression Grotto!"
The Daoist's face paled as he hurried off.
Qiongyang glanced at Daoist Changying in surprise. "Sect Leader, why are you still here? Go tend to your business. Little Ten and I will stroll around."
Daoist Changying assented. "Uncle-Master, please don't make things hard for Chen Shi. Chen Shi returned our sect's immortal sword—a great boon to us. I've ordered all mountain Daoists not to call the Chen family demons anymore..."
Ancestor Qiongyang smiled. "Why would I make things hard for him? When Little Ten died back then, I personally went to the underworld to save him. Go on—nothing for you here."
Daoist Changying sighed in relief and left.
Ancestor Qiongyang said to Chen Shi, "Don't misunderstand—I'm usually very gentle. The sect leader isn't afraid of me."
Chen Shi hesitated, thinking his earlier judgment might have been slightly off.
"I usually live on Qingluan Peak. Back when your grandpa was my Dao companion, we renamed it Hongluan Peak."
A auspicious cloud formed under Ancestor Qiongyang's feet, carrying him and Blackie Pot toward Qingluan Peak. Recalling the past, her eyes filled with affection as she smiled. "Those were wild times. The Daoist nuns and priests on the mountain gossiped, even my master couldn't help advising me to restrain myself. I snapped back: We cultivate immortality, seek the Dao—why must we wear Daoist robes? Why be passionless and desireless? Isn't desire part of the Dao? He shut up after that. Later, when your grandpa left, I was heartbroken and changed it back to Qingluan Peak."
Her cloud-stepping technique was incredibly fast; they arrived at Qingluan Peak in moments and descended.
The peak had an Azure Palace called Qingluan Palace, also enshrining a bronze statue of Qingyang.
It must have been called Hongluan Palace back then.
Qingluan Palace was filled with female cultivators, none in Daoist robes, all youthful and graceful, a dazzling sight.
Feeling the influence of his lower corpse spirit Peng Qiao, Chen Shi quickly composed himself and asked curiously, "Did Ancestor Qiongyang save me before?"
Ancestor Qiongyang smiled. "Your grandpa begged me—how could I refuse? I thought after he left Taihua Qing Palace, we'd be in separate worlds, never to meet again. But he came back for you. Seeing him again, I thought I'd forgotten, but turning back, he was still there."
Many female cultivators in Qingluan Palace kept glancing curiously at Chen Shi.
Ancestor Qiongyang scolded them. "All of you, stay away. Haven't I suffered enough heartbreak? You moths flying to the flame, going after Chen family men. He looks handsome, but he's fickle! Little Ten, not you—I mean your grandpa!"
Chen Shi was used to it by now.
Ancestor Qiongyang shooed them away, then asked in detail about Chen Yindu's last few years, laughing long and sighing long.
"If not for saving me, Grandpa wouldn't have left so soon," Chen Shi said sadly.
Ancestor Qiongyang sighed. "He was old, and so am I. Perhaps one day I'll go join him—no one to compete with then. Sigh, cultivated the Dao a lifetime for longevity, yet didn't achieve it. If I'd been braver back then, left everything with your grandpa, I might be your real grandma."
She grew sad at this.
The Dao unachieved, affections lost.
Looking back, only empty sorrow remains.
She merely maintained her youthful appearance through arts; in truth, she was aged with little lifespan left.
Chen Shi thought of Lady Lingsu, hesitated, and didn't tell her of her passing.
"Ancestor, who was the previous sect leader before Daoist Changying?" Chen Shi asked.
Ancestor Qiongyang said, "Senior Brother Jinghong. A few years older than me, he passed a few years ago. Back then, your grandpa nearly beat him to death."
"So he's the sect leader Grandpa nearly did in!" Chen Shi realized.
Ancestor Qiongyang asked puzzledly, "Why ask about him?"
Chen Shi hesitated, then relayed Qingyang's theory about grave grass. "Uncle Qingyang suspects Sect Leader Jinghong corpse dismembered into immortality and still lives."
Ancestor Qiongyang's eyes lit up as she smiled. "Back when your grandpa and I dug up the ancestors' graves, we did find a few empty coffins!"
Chen Shi stared at her in shock. Ancestor Qiongyang blushed slightly, embarrassed, and explained, "Who doesn't have wild youthful days? I was especially reckless then, and with your grandpa's bag of mischief, I went along with it."
She quickly changed the subject proudly. "Later Qingyang caught us, so your grandpa threatened him with his grave-grass eating. Then Qingyang joined us. We dug up all the ancestors' graves... I still have two Luoyang shovels here, refined into divine weapons. One for you, one for me—we'll go dig Jinghong's grave later."
Chen Shi jumped in fright. "Ancestor, this disciple wouldn't dare! Besides, Uncle Qingyang and I agreed to act tonight..."
Ancestor Qiongyang rose and entered a side hall, fetching two gleaming golden Luoyang shovels and handing one to him. She smiled. "Qingyang's stuck as a mascot now—can't get away for days! We won't wait!"
Chen Shi stored the Luoyang shovel in his little temple, heart pounding.
Ancestor Qiongyang led him out when Yulingzi's voice came from outside. "Disciple Yulingzi thanks Ancestor for pleading!"
Ancestor Qiongyang exited Qingluan Palace. Yulingzi bowed outside, spotting Chen Shi with surprise and joy. "True King Chen!"
He snapped to and corrected himself with a smile. "Uncle-Master Chen, long time no see!"
Ancestor Qiongyang, ever impetuous, glanced at him. "Yulingzi, come along too—you can catch up on the road."
Yulingzi was thrilled inwardly. "The Ancestor is promoting me!"
He hurried after them and whispered, "Uncle-Master, where are we headed?"
Chen Shi said, "To dig up Sect Leader Jinghong's grave."
Yulingzi shivered, face ashen, longing for the Demon Suppression Grotto.
"Later, Yulingzi and Blackie Pot keep watch; Little Ten and I dig!" Ancestor Qiongyang said.
Yulingzi inwardly wailed. "I only broke a few senior brothers' fingers—I never thought of betraying the sect..."
They soon reached Taihua Qing Palace's forbidden zone, entering the graveyard. Blackie Pot patted Yulingzi's shoulder, signaling him to follow and stay alert.
Yulingzi looked mournful but kept watch with it.
Chen Shi and Ancestor Qiongyang wielded their Luoyang shovels like the wind.
"Wrong one—not this, it's my master's grave."
Ancestor Qiongyang's voice came. "Master, forgive this disciple... It should be the one next to it."
Moments later, Sect Leader Jinghong's coffin was opened.
Inside, it was empty, save for a Daoist robe.