Chapter 156: Chapter 148: Strange Transformation of the Left Hand
A Great Mage was powerful enough to establish their own sect in Yidu City, just like the Corpse Daoist who controlled the Ghost Market.
Before Yidu fell into chaos,
whether they were from the City Lord’s Mansion or the General’s Mansion, the Mansion Soldiers all had to obediently follow the rules of the Ghost Market.
And then there was Bamboo Mountain Temple...
It declared itself a Buddhist Holy Land, a place where weapons were forbidden.
Zhu Ju was not a true Great Mage, but his combat prowess was in no way inferior.
Although his current reputation was far from that of the Corpse Daoist or Bamboo Mountain Temple, it was enough to attract Magicians and even Mages to flock to his side.
Tang Yan, Feng Hongda, and his former steward Yangg Qiu had heard the news and gathered by his side once again.
Tang Yan had now become a Mage, Feng Hongda had reached the Profound Light Third Realm, and even Yangg Qiu had accumulated some wealth.
Unbeknownst to him,
Zhu Ju had already established his own team in Yidu.
It was all thanks to his strength. As long as one was powerful enough, certain things would naturally be drawn to them.
Even if he had no intention of it.
After delegating the trivial matters, Zhu Ju ambled into the Quiet Chamber, sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, and took out the detailed explanation of Visualization Images, placing it before him.
In the Warlock World, Cultivation Methods were founded upon Visualization Images as their root and source.
But,
the final destination was becoming a Demon!
According to the Main World’s perspective, this was clearly a deviant path, not a True Dharma.
"All sentient beings can practice Visualization to strengthen and nourish their Primordial Spirit."
The Beast Hide Scroll began by clearly stating the purpose of Visualization Techniques and listed several types.
Indeed.
During the Magician stage, one could cultivate by Nourishing the Spirit and focusing their thoughts without a Visualization Image, relying solely on Meditation methods.
"Opening the Ancestral Acupoint and Condensing a Dharma Form cannot be achieved by ordinary means!"
"On the Day of the Falling Sky, Divine Buddhas, Demons, and Ghosts appeared. Living beings used Visualization to open their Ancestral Acupoints and comprehend the True Dharma."
’The Day of the Falling Sky?’
Zhu Ju’s brow furrowed in thought.
’Could it be that the people of this world have seen real Divine Buddhas and Demons, felt their power, and discovered that Visualization could strengthen the Divine Soul, which is why this Cultivation Path of Visualization Techniques was created?’
The answer was unknowable.
’Hmm...’
’To open the Forehead Ancestral Acupoint and become a Mage, you must have a Visualization Image. There seem to be no exceptions to this.’
He himself had only opened his Ancestral Acupoint and become a Mage after viewing the Night Parade of Hundred Ghosts.
One could do without a Visualization Image during the Magician stage, but for Cultivation after becoming a Mage, it was nearly impossible to progress without one. An anomaly like Zhu Ju, who relied on consuming pills for his Cultivation, was a rare exception.
"Visualization Images are based on Spirit Veins. They manifest myriad phenomena, but never stray from their origin."
"If one obtains a Spirit Vein, the Visualization Image can be integrated into mountains, rivers, stone carvings, or woodcuts without any hindrance."
Below this, several similar anecdotes were recorded.
Someone obtained a Fengshui Painting and ended up comprehending the Flood Dragon Visualization Image from the scroll, which depicted a Hundred Rivers Converging into the Sea.
Someone else comprehended the Angry Three-Eyed Ming King Painting from a stone carving, and so on...
’In other words, as long as I grasp the ’Spirit Vein’ of a Visualization Image, I don’t need to be confined by its external form. I wonder what the Spirit Vein of the Night Parade of Hundred Ghosts looks like?’
Zhu Ju muttered to himself, then gently shook his head.
’Forget it!’
’Even if I knew the Spirit Vein of the Night Parade of Hundred Ghosts, what good would it do? I definitely won’t turn myself into a ghostly creature.’
The Beast Hide Scroll used many words to describe how to accurately grasp the Spirit Vein of a Visualization Image.
However,
Zhu Ju wasn’t interested in any of that.
It was only at the very end that it introduced the types of Visualization Images and the currently most mainstream Visualization Techniques.
"Divine Buddhas!"
"Demon Ghosts!"
"Treasures!"
Among them, Divine Buddhas and Demon Ghosts could be considered one type. To become a True Man, one had to abandon their original Physical Body and devour the flesh and blood of sentient beings to reconstruct it, transforming into an otherworldly being from the inside out.
A True Man is not human!
Instead, they become Divine Buddhas, Demons, and Ghosts.
The Treasure Visualization Image is different.
To practice this type of Visualization Technique, one must visualize a Divine Weapon or a Treasure in their Ancestral Acupoint. When it’s time to become a True Man, one must gather all sorts of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures needed to refine the Treasure. The visualized Treasure then manifests and merges with the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to become real, enabling the breakthrough.
The beast hide book also thoughtfully listed several of the more well-known Treasures.
The Taiyi Splitting Light Sword!
The Buddha’s Heart Lamp!
...
’The Buddha’s Heart Lamp is actually a Buddhist Sect Treasure?’
’No!’
’It has always been a Buddhist Sect Treasure.’
Zhu Ju froze for a moment, then came to a sudden realization.
’It seems the seven treasures of Longmen Temple are all Treasures created through Visualization, and the Flying Sword in Xie Changge’s hands is likely one as well.’
’Tsk...’
’After so many years of arduous Cultivation, you visualize a Treasure comparable to a High Grade Spiritual Artifact, only to leave it for future generations. It’s not much different from doing all the hard work for someone else’s benefit.’
Because the Physical Body of a Treasure Artifact True Man doesn’t undergo the process of flesh-and-blood reconstruction, it remains mortal.
Not only is it weak, but its lifespan is also the same as an ordinary person’s.
The Physical Body of a ’Demon True Man’ is comparable to a Late-Stage Innate Qi Refiner, with a lifespan of up to two hundred years, while a Treasure Artifact True Man’s lifespan is only around a hundred.
Furthermore, Heavenly and Earthly Treasures are rare and their supply is dwindling, whereas humans can reproduce endlessly, providing an inexhaustible supply of flesh and blood. Consequently, fewer and fewer people choose to cultivate using Treasure Visualization Techniques.
Even for those who do, it is difficult to become a True Man.
Except for certain Buddhist Sect Monks who refuse to kill and Sword Sect disciples obsessed with the Sword Dao, very few have chosen this path in the last several hundred years.
’Xinhai and his master must be following the path of the Treasure Artifact True Man. They truly are compassionate people of the Buddhist Sect.’
Zhu Ju put away the book and fell into deep thought.
’Whether it’s a Treasure Artifact True Man or a Demon True Man, their upper limits are far inferior to the Cultivation Paths of the Main World.’
’I will definitely not choose either path!’
’It seems the Magician’s path is a dead end for me.’
With a soft sigh, he slowly closed his eyes. The Night Parade of Hundred Ghosts emerged in his Sea of Consciousness, each ghostly creature appearing vividly lifelike.
If he were to continue this Cultivation, he would inevitably have to choose one of the ghostly creatures from the Night Parade of Hundred Ghosts to be his Divine Soul Dharma Form.
Now...
With a single thought,
five great mountains appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.
