Free Web NovelChapter 77: Chapter 50: Restarting the Daoist Canon, Bitter Prison Realm Mountain
After showing Sun Suzhen to a seat in his manor, Xuzhuang listened intently to what he had to say.
"Years ago, the five Commanders agreed to open the Dao Repository together, didn’t they? Since then, perhaps to sound each other out, we’ve remained in constant contact. It looked like opening the Dao Repository was a sure thing..."
"But then, fifteen years ago, one of the Commanders suddenly went silent."
At this, a look of helplessness crossed Sun Suzhen’s face. "There had already been an incident of one Commander ambushing and killing another. So, when this one vanished without a trace, it immediately made the rest of us wary of one another. As for opening the Dao Repository, that became nothing more than empty talk."
Xuzhuang asked, "So you still haven’t actually been able to open the Dao Repository?"
"That’s right." Sun Suzhen sighed. "I’ve been preparing to open the Dao Repository for a long time. Besides you, Junior Brother, I also secured promises from two other True Disciple senior brothers. I can’t stand the thought of all that effort going to waste. So, to get to the bottom of this, I left the sect on my own to investigate..."
Xuzhuang asked, "And did you manage to shed any light on the matter, Senior Brother?"
"No." Sun Suzhen chuckled. "I traveled all over for this. I revealed my identity and paid a formal visit to the Upper Profound Sect. I did confirm that one of the Commanders is their current True Disciple, Tan Chong—I even sparred with him for a bit—but I didn’t find out anything else."
"After leaving the Upper Profound Sect, I went searching for the one who ambushed a Commander twenty years ago. But before I could find any trace of them, the missing Commander who’d gone silent suddenly reappeared. The moment he showed up, he demanded we restart the plan to open the Dao Repository."
"Oh?" Xuzhuang frowned. "That seems rather strange."
"Of course there’s treachery involved," Sun Suzhen sneered. "But I, Sun Suzhen, am not one to be afraid. Tan Chong and the other Commander didn’t back down either. This time, we were decisive and have already set a date to meet."
"I see." By now, Sun Suzhen had made his purpose clear. Xuzhuang gazed out at the rolling sea of clouds, already leaning toward accepting.
He didn’t pursue the Dao just for the thrill of a good fight, but he was genuinely interested in witnessing the prowess of his generation’s chosen... especially the renowned Zhong Shenxiu.
’And there’s another important reason,’ he thought. ’The Dharma Origin Sect was a major sect of the Ancient Xuanmen. Its Dao Repository must be filled with all sorts of opportunities, and perhaps one could help me quickly overcome my current cultivation bottleneck.’
Besides, Xuzhuang had already given his word to Sun Suzhen before he left for the East Sea, and he wasn’t in the habit of lightly breaking a promise. Upon returning to the sect, he had even sought Sun Suzhen out. Only after learning that he was away did Xuzhuang go to cultivate in the Flowing Water Grotto Heaven.
After turning it over in his mind, Xuzhuang made his decision just as he heard Sun Suzhen ask, "I wonder, does the promise you made seventeen years ago still stand, Junior Brother?"
Xuzhuang smiled faintly. "Of course, it does."
Sun Suzhen’s face lit up. "Excellent! With your help, Junior Brother, I’m far more confident we’ll succeed!"
Xuzhuang laughed. "You flatter me," he said, then asked, "How many other senior brothers have you recruited to help? And when is this meeting supposed to take place?"
Sun Suzhen shook his head. "I had originally secured promises from Senior Brother Nangong and Senior Brother Yue. But things changed unexpectedly. Senior Brother Nangong had to leave the sect on some matter three years ago. He only said to message him if the day to open the Dao Repository ever came, but there’s no time for that now."
"Fortunately, Senior Brother Yue is still available. And now with your help, Junior Brother, I’m confident I can persuade one more person to join us. That should be enough to handle any trouble we might face."
"That’s good to hear." Xuzhuang thought for a moment. "Who is the other person you plan to find, Senior Brother?"
Sun Suzhen said, "I have a senior brother I’m on good terms with. He’s also from the Yue Family, has formed a Middle Grade Golden Core, and his Divine Techniques are far from ordinary. I can ask for his help."
Xuzhuang nodded. Someone from a major family who had also formed a Middle Grade Golden Core would certainly be a powerful ally.
He had considered suggesting bringing Lieyun along if Sun Suzhen was out of ideas, but it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary.
Sun Suzhen added, "According to the agreement between the Commanders, we are to meet in three months. However, I plan to set out early. Two months from now, if you’re ready, Junior Brother, just come find me at Su Zhen Peak."
With that, he cupped his hands in a farewell salute to Xuzhuang, who returned the gesture. Sun Suzhen let out a hearty laugh, and without further delay, he rose and departed.
’I have two months. I should indeed make some preparations.’ Xuzhuang mused for a moment, then suddenly formed a hand seal for a Magic Formula and sent a telepathic message, "Lieyun, come see me at once."
Moments later, a flood dragon slithered in through the entrance of the Grotto Heaven. "Master, you’ve returned," it said respectfully.
Xuzhuang asked in surprise, "What’s happened to you...?"
Lieyun gave a fawning smile. "This humble beast has just recently finished refining Marquis Fuhai’s Jiao Pearl. My demonic body is in the middle of a transformation."
The flood dragon was indeed vastly different. The horns growing from its head were rather majestic, but its scales—patchy with shades of green and grayish-black—were anything but aesthetically pleasing.
Xuzhuang nodded at this and beckoned Lieyun closer. Lieyun obediently slithered before him and asked, "Master, did you have instructions for me?"
Xuzhuang didn’t answer. He took a sheet of talisman paper from his sleeve and spread it on the desk. Then he brought out a brush and ink. He held the brush poised over the paper for a moment before the tip finally touched down, blooming into a dot of ink. But he still didn’t begin to write.
Xuzhuang frowned. ’As I thought, the strange script of a Celestial Demon’s true name can’t be easily written down.’ After a moment of contemplation, he instead used ordinary script to write out ten large words: "Great Freedom Profound Monarch Six Marvelous Jade Muddy Heavenly Son." With a flick of his wrist, he handed the talisman paper to Lieyun.
Lieyun took the talisman paper and examined it closely. A look of confusion appeared in its eyes. It peered at it again but still couldn’t make sense of it. Finally, it asked, "Master, what is this?"
Xuzhuang let out a soft sigh and took back the talisman paper. "It’s nothing," he said. "You may return to your cultivation."
Lieyun scratched its head in confusion. Seeing Xuzhuang’s lack of enthusiasm, it left the manor.
Xuzhuang mused internally, ’To simply know its name is to be sensed by it... what level of power is that? Even a Pure Yang True Monarch might not possess such an ability. This Outer Celestial Demon Lord couldn’t possibly have such a Divine Technique. The summons of a Celestial Demon can truly only be spread through a special method.’
Since refining the Ming Venerable’s Image Pendant, Xuzhuang had been able to shield himself from demonic interference, but the root of the problem remained. To find a permanent solution, he had spent a great deal of time studying the sections of the *Primordial Venerable Dao Transmission and Demon Refining Scripture* outside of the Eight Demonic Refining Dao Techniques. This had deepened his understanding of Celestial Demons, allowing him to form some theories about how their summons worked.
"Chen Zongyu..." Xuzhuang tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, his mind suddenly recalling his previous investigation into the man. ’How is he able to spread the true name of a Celestial Demon? Was it an accidental discovery? Or... has he already been implanted with a demon seed?’
’Perhaps it’s time I met him in person.’ A glint flashed in Xuzhuang’s eyes. He straightened his robes, stood up, and left the manor. He mounted his light stream and flew straight toward the central region of the sect’s Land Continent. Before long, a peculiar mountain peak leaped into his field of view.
Viewed from the side, the mountain looked no different from the neighboring Spirit Peaks. But upon looking down from the top, one would discover that the summit was a massive, round hole. The mountain’s interior seemed to have been completely hollowed out, creating an abyss that appeared even deeper than the mountain was tall. The entire mountain was just an empty shell.
This was the place where the Tai Su Orthodox Sect imprisoned criminals, traitors, demons, and monsters: Suffering Realm Mountain, home to the Six Realms of Suffering.
