The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 25: The Way of the Boundless

After Tie Wu Yi sent out two sound transmission talismans, he pulled Jiang Tang aside to sit down and said with a smile, “Times have changed. We don’t have many trivial matters on Black Reef Island, but there are even fewer people. So, regarding this refinement method… oh, right—how many tokens did you get?” Jiang Tang snapped back to his senses, quickly withdrew his hand, and, putting on an act, pulled out a storage pouch, dumping the thirty-odd tokens inside onto the table. Tie Wu Yi looked at Jiang Tang with excitement, his eyes shining brightly as he exclaimed, “Genius! Little San, you’re definitely a genius!” With that, Tie Wu handed Jiang Tang a storage pouch and said, “Inside are sect tokens, Qi Cultivation manuals, a few crystals, and sect robes. You don’t have to wear the robes on Black Reef Island, but it’s best to change into them when you go to other parts of the sect. As for the manuals, give them a try—we’ll figure it out if they don’t work!” Jiang Tang was baffled by these words, but he immediately expressed his gratitude and put the storage pouch away. Tie Wu Yi continued, “Take these tokens yourself. You can exchange them for crystal stones at most, but let your master take them to exchange for elixirs for you.” For a moment, Jiang Tang didn’t know how to respond. It seemed his master was treating him quite well. Crystal stones were nice, but they were nowhere near as effective as elixirs. Just then, two people walked in from outside the hall—one fat, one thin. The fat one weighed perhaps four or five hundred jin and stood eight chi tall, while the thin one was a full size slimmer than Jiang Tang, nothing but skin and bones, and only five chi tall! “Jiang Tang, come here and meet your senior brothers and sisters,” Tie Wu Yi said. He stood up and pointed at the man who was nothing but skin and bones, saying, “This is your eldest senior brother, Hua Mo Leng. And this is your second senior sister…” Before Tie Wu Yi could finish his sentence, the disciple as fat as a pig immediately spoke up: “You’re wrong, Master—she’s my senior sister!” Upon hearing this, the voice was as coarse as a bull’s bellow, startling Jiang Tang into a daze—no matter how he looked at her, he couldn’t believe she was a woman. “Second is second—what’s with calling yourself ‘eldest senior sister’? You have no sense of propriety,” said the eldest senior brother, Hua Mo Leng, his voice sharp and his tone laced with sarcasm. “It’s none of your damn business what I’m saying to Master.” With that, the plump woman smiled at Jiang Tang: “Little Junior Brother, I’m Senior Sister Ji Yukui—don’t forget that, okay?” Faced with the senior sister—who was so plump she seemed to be oozing with fat, her cheeks resembling two large peaches—Jiang Tang could only clasp his hands and say, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Senior Brother Hua and Senior Sister Ji.” Hua Mo Leng remained expressionless, but Ji Yukui’s thick eyebrows knitted together, revealing her displeasure. “All right, Number One and Number Two, show Number Three around. Give him some guidance whenever you have free time.” As soon as Tie Wu Yi finished speaking, he dismissed the three of them and left, taking Jiang Tang’s token with him. “Oh my, Number Three…” As soon as Tie Wu Yi left, Ji Yukui plopped down hard into a chair, instantly causing it to groan and creak so loudly that even Jiang Tang felt a pang of pity. “If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask your senior brother. Don’t bother me unless it’s urgent—and even then, you shouldn’t come at all. Got it?” As she spoke, Ji Yukui tried to cross her legs, but her thick thigh was almost as heavy as Jiang Tang’s entire body. She tried several times but failed each time. Jiang Tang found it amusing but dared not show it; instead, he looked at Hua Mo Leng with a troubled expression. “Let’s go.” Hua Mo Leng lived up to his name—he seemed cold, but his actions warmed Jiang Tang’s heart. “As for the houses on this island, just pick any one without a formation and settle in. Start cultivating first. In a few days, I’ll teach you some insights on refinement. Although Black Reef Island isn’t what it used to be, we’re pretty idle these days, so nothing will get in the way of your cultivation.” After hearing this, Jiang Tang pointed to a stilt house on the north shore and said, “Junior Brother, I’ll stay there.” “Mm.” Hua Mo Leng nodded, glancing at the bald puppet sitting on a rock, and said, “Your puppet has already been imbued with a spirit, hasn’t it? That’s very convenient. You can have it run errands for you whenever you need to. The sect doesn’t forbid this, but there are some places you shouldn’t wander into without permission. I’ll go over them with you later.” “Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother,” Jiang Tang said, clasping his hands in a bow of thanks. “All right, you’ve just completed three consecutive trials—you must be exhausted. Go get some rest.” With that, Hua Mo Leng walked toward a stilt house on the east side. Jiang Tang didn’t hesitate. He approached the stilt house on the north bank, climbed the steps, and upon entering the room, discovered a pentagonal recess behind the doorpost. He paused in surprise, then pulled out the storage pouch given to him by Tie Wu Yi. Taking several pentagonal tokens from inside, he embedded one into the recess without hesitation. Instantly, the sound of the waves outside vanished, and the room became utterly silent. Dongfang clearly noticed this as well. He immediately floated over to the north-facing window, pushed it open, and saw a layer of radiant light, like a bubble of water, enveloping the entire loft. “Try to see if your divine sense can penetrate it,” Dongfang suggested. Jiang Tang, however, remained unfazed. “No need to try. This formation is very crude; it can’t stop cultivators, much less block spiritual sense. It’s merely a warning—though it’s effective even against those at the Intent Martial Realm.” “What if someone comes to visit?” Dongfang asked curiously. Jiang Tang pointed to a black wooden panel on the wall and said, “There’s a message board right here, and there’s one outside too. You just need to channel Yuanli to send a message—the more Yuanli you use, the longer it stays.” “I see,” Dongfang nodded and let the matter drop. He began taking his workbench out of his storage pouch and placing it in the corner, then pulled out a large pile of materials and ancient texts, preparing to embark on a new research project. Although the room was small—only about thirty ping—it contained nothing but a bamboo bed; not even a table, chair, or bench. Such was the life of a cultivator—frugally meager to the point of being terrifying! But it was still a thousand times better than Jiang Tang’s dilapidated mud-brick shack! Lying down on the bamboo bed, Jiang Tang adjusted his breathing and soon fell into a deep sleep. The next day, the first thing Jiang Tang did upon waking was to peruse Xian Zong’s cultivation manuals. “So that’s how it is! I thought spiritual energy must be something miraculous, but it’s really just a purification of primordial energy—only in much smaller quantities. With my current 20,000 units of primordial energy, it takes ten refinements just to reduce it to 10,000. It’s far weaker than demonic energy.” After Jiang Tang finished speaking, Dongfang—without even looking up as he crafted an exquisitely delicate array disk—said, “Let me see it when you’re done.” “I can memorize this after just one read—there’s nothing particularly profound about it.” With that, Jiang Tang tossed the book to Dongfang and then sat cross-legged on the bamboo bed to begin his cultivation. As Jiang Tang’s cultivation technique circulated, the Yin-Yang Fish within his dantian remained completely still. “Hm?” Jiang Tang paused in surprise. Just as he was puzzling over this, a flash of black light appeared on his chest, and Qiong Sang drifted out, smiling. “Primordial energy won’t resist, but demonic energy will. Now that Yin and Yang have merged, they are no longer distinct from one another.” “Then what do I do? Did I come all this way for nothing?” Jiang Tang immediately thought of what Tie Wu Yi had said, wondering to himself if he had seen through something. Qiong Sang, however, said at that moment, “Directly refining it won’t work, but we can use another method. Here’s what you do: first, circulate the Golden Gangs True Qi to channel Primordial Energy into the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, then perform the Xian Zong meditation technique to purify the Primordial Energy within those meridians.” “Will that really work?” Jiang Tang found the idea a bit strange. “Of course. This is the cultivation method of us ferocious beasts,” Qiong Sang said. Jiang Tang looked Qiong Sang up and down and said, “Aren’t you naturally powerful?” “Being naturally powerful doesn’t mean I can’t cultivate—it’s just that I don’t want to.” With that, Qiong Sang ran off to watch Dongfang conduct his experiment. “I’ll give it a try.” Jiang Tang immediately followed Qiong Sang’s instructions, beginning to channel Primordial Energy into his Eight Extraordinary Meridians before activating the cultivation technique. It turned out that trying it wasn’t such a good idea. As soon as he started, Jiang Tang found himself unconsciously throwing punches, clapping his hands, stomping his feet, and somersaulting. Before he could glare at Qiong Sang, Qiong Sang beat him to it and said, “Keep going. This is just because your meridians are unstable and there are blockages inside. Once your entire body is unblocked, you’ll be able to control it freely.” With no other choice, Jiang Tang had to calm his mind and try again. This time, he forcibly used his muscles to suppress his tendons and meridians. Instantly, the veins all over his body bulged, as if they were about to burst through his skin—a truly hideous sight that caused him immense discomfort. But if he didn’t do this, the cultivation technique simply couldn’t be activated. Cultivating the meditation technique required remaining as still as a mountain, entering a state of deep meditation, and not being disturbed; otherwise, when reaching advanced stages, a single misstep could result in a backlash. Jiang Tang spent the entire day struggling through his cultivation. When he finally opened his eyes, he was drenched in sweat and felt utterly miserable. After sleeping for a while, Jiang Tang resumed his arduous practice the next day. It was uncomfortable, but it was indeed effective—albeit slowly. Five days later, when Jiang Tang awoke from his meditation for the first time, he noticed a dozen or so small red characters glowing on the message board. “It must be Senior Brother Hua looking for me.” Jiang Tang jumped out of bed, wiped the sweat from his face, grabbed a door pass, and walked out of the stilt house. Not seeing Hua Mo Leng outside the building, Jiang Tang headed toward the Black Reef Hall. Inside the Black Reef Hall, Jiang Tang still didn’t see Hua Mo Leng—only his master, Tie Wu Yi. “You’re here,” Tie Wu Yi said with a sly grin, tossing three small vials to Jiang Tang. “These are the Marrow-Yang Elixir, the Sha Blood Pill, and the Qi-Condensing Pill.” Jiang Tang’s whole body trembled, and his face turned slightly pale. Tie Wu Yi, however, seemed oblivious to this, smiling broadly as he said, “From now on, never let anyone touch your body! Otherwise, your secret will be impossible to keep!” “Master, I…” Jiang Tang tried to explain, but Tie Wu Yi just chuckled, “No need to worry. I’ve seen your cultivation method in ancient texts—its profundity surpasses all other cultivation methods in the world. You’ve fused Yin and Yang, achieved the Tai Chi, and opened the beginning of the Dao. However…” At this point, Tie Wu Yi’s expression suddenly turned serious. He fixed his gaze on Jiang Tang and continued, “Whether you can cultivate to the Limitless State of the Dao, I do not know. For the Supreme Ultimate gives rise to the Two Polarities, and the Two Polarities give rise to the Four Phases. Others all cultivate from nothingness to existence, from one to two, before evolving into myriad cultivation methods and secret arts. You, however, have gone against the norm—cultivating from two to one, and from one to nothingness. This is the Way of the Boundless. I have never heard of anyone who has attained it, nor has any such cultivation method ever been made public. While there are indeed many records of people attempting it, without exception, they have all ended in failure!” Tie Wu Yi shook his head and let out a long sigh. Looking at Jiang Tang, who seemed completely dumbfounded, he asked, “Over the past few days, have you tried practicing these meditation techniques countless times without success?” “Um…” Before Jiang Tang could answer, Tie Wu Yi offered a bitter smile, his expression one of certainty: ““This is the curse of Tai Chi! With Yin and Yang united, even dual cultivation is useless. Forcing cultivation will only disrupt the balance and backfire on you. I suggest you destroy your Qi Sea and start over. Consider this ‘Solidify the Roots and Nourish the Essence Pill’ a gift to mark your initiation. With it, you’ll surely be able to re-establish your Foundation within a year. The choice is yours. I have urgent business that will keep me away for some time—I likely won’t return for three to five years. Take good care of yourself. If you have any questions, ask Hua Mo Leng.” As soon as Tie Wu Yi finished speaking, he turned and walked away with his hands behind his back. Jiang Tang looked at the three small vials in his left hand and the single pill in his right, feeling a bit at a loss for words. He’d been considering whether to reveal the truth, but before he could make up his mind, Tie Wu Yi had already come to a firm conclusion. Since that was the case, there was no need to reveal his secret again. Just as Jiang Tang was feeling frustrated, a short, frail figure emerged from the hall—none other than Hua Mo Leng. “Junior Brother Jiang, follow me.” Without hesitation, Jiang Tang followed Hua Mo Leng to the inner hall, where the rows of rooms left him somewhat mesmerized. Hua Mo Leng pushed open the door to one of the rooms and said, “Now I’ll teach you how to refine sea demon materials.”