Chapter 146: Pure and Innocent Heart of a Newborn
From then on, the Xia Emperor realized that a sour relationship with the Dao-Seeking Sect was what would fulfill the “curse of a hundred thousand years.”
Those in the shadows only know that Yun Zhi is very strong, but they have no idea what her “strength” encompasses. If they learn how powerful she truly is, they’ll know how foolish their attempt at sowing discord is.
~~~
“Big Senior Sister, where are we going?” Lu Yang noticed that after they returned to the Dao-Seeking Sect, Yun Zhi flew past Heaven’s Gate Peak instead of stopping.
This was an area he had never set foot in before. Below them were enormous mountains and vast lakes, red lands of a thousand li, and yellow deserts with loess sediments.
“Incarceration Peak.”
Neither Lu Yang nor Meng Jingzhou had heard of this place.
Yun Zhi finally landed on an eerie mountain peak wrapped in gigantic chains, their other ends coiled around a mountain in each of the four directions.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou could feel their hair pricking up, unable to shake off the feeling that this wasn’t a good place.
Lu Yang had studied a bit of feng shui arrays, where “unobstructed flow” is a key principle. At least one of the four cardinal directions should have a connection to the external world to allow for the flow of vitality. However, Incarceration Peak was surrounded by mountains on all sides, completely blocking off any opportunities for vitality. The clouds almost touching Incarceration Peak resembled a lid that sealed off the area tightly.
Incarceration Peak was a place for imprisoning and interrogating criminals. All criminals were locked away beneath Incarceration Peak.
After the three landed, Yun Zhi opened the entrance to an array and entered the foot of the mountain while carrying the souls of the two Fusion cultivators. They descended for about five thousand meters before coming to a halt.
Upon arriving at Incarceration Peak, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou felt as if they had returned to Buyi Town—they couldn’t activate their spirit energy at all. This was not because of the Spirit Energy Disabling Array but some kind of “Rule.”
The two observed nearly a hundred cages here, most of which were empty. Only a dozen or so had people confined in them, or to be more accurate—soul bodies. Under the suppression of the “Rules,” these soul bodies were dispirited and listless. When some of them caught sight of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, they drooled at the mouth, eager to pounce over and devour them. But once they saw Yun Zhi, they immediately became obedient.
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Lu Yang wondered if there were too few prisoners in this place. Even Yanjiang Commandery’s dungeon has more people.
“Be more cautious, those held captive here are ancient Fusion cultivators,” Yun Zhi reminded.
The two instantly shuddered, no longer thinking that there should be more prisoners here. Goodness gracious! More than a dozen Fusion cultivators are locked up here?
“Big Senior Sister, aren’t you worried that they’ll escape?” Lu Yang asked softly.
“Escape? Kid, don’t you think you’re underestimating this old man too much?” a childish voice sounded.
Lu Yang turned in the direction of the voice and saw a child with white hair. The child was short and had to tiptoe just to reach Lu Yang’s waist.
“Grand Shifu.”[1]
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were astonished to learn that the white-haired child was the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s master.
“Grand Shifu,” the two greeted.
“Haha, do you think I’m too small?”
“No, not at all.”
The white-haired child spoke in an air of aged wisdom, “The two of you are still too young and lack experience, so you don’t understand my condition. This is a method of cultivation.”
Lu Yang quickly recalled a legend. People of ancient times often say ‘eternal virtue never departs, reverting to a pure infant state’ and ‘the crowd is lively as if partaking in a grand feast or admiring the picturesque sceneries of spring, while I remain alone and aloof like an infant that has yet learn to smile.’[2]
“Many great cultivators spend their whole lives pursuing the pure and innocent heart of a newborn, but they never attain this realm. When the pursuit is deliberate, it is no longer the mindset of a child, so how can they achieve a truly pure heart?”
“Grand Shifu, are you saying that you have already ‘reverted to the pure state of an infant’ and achieved the state of returning to one’s original nature and oneness with the universe, thus embodying the pure heart of a newborn?”
Meng Jingzhou was also surprised. The pure heart of a newborn has always existed in the legends, and none of the clan elders have achieved this state of mind. Who would have thought that someone in the Dao-Seeking Sect has succeeded?
The white-haired child smiled and nodded, displaying an approving expression.
Yun Zhi found it puzzling. “Why does this not match up with the news I’ve heard?
“Grand Shifu, my shifu said that when you were young, you were a notorious ladies’ man, lingering in brothels and hindering your cultivation. Later, you somehow woke up and worked hard in your cultivation journey. To demonstrate your resolve, you fixed your body at the age of six so that you no longer have to worry about your yang energy leaking out.”
Lu Yang, “...”
Meng Jingzhou, “...”
Strictly speaking, this can indeed be considered a method of cultivation.
The two recalled that when cultivators reached a certain realm, they could control their appearances. But why are there cultivators who like to adopt the appearance of a young child or an old person? Is Grand Shifu similar?
No no no, we can’t think too much about this. The two of them hastily cleared their minds.
“In any case, with me here, none of the Fusion cultivators here can dream of escaping!” The white-haired child forcibly changed the subject. “Lass Yun, you’ve captured two people?”
“Mmm, I want to interrogate them.”
“Why don’t you just search their souls?” the white-haired child suggested.
Yun Zhi shook her head. “Searching their souls will damage their minds. Fusion souls are excellent materials for crafting magical treasures. If they lose their mind and consciousness, the effects of the magical treasures will be severely compromised.”
The two Fusion cultivators trembled. Isn’t the Dao-Seeking Sect supposed to be a righteous sect? This is not the righteous sect we imagined!
Yun Zhi looked at the two Fusion cultivators in confusion, not understanding why they were frightened. “Since you caused so many people to die in fear, isn’t it only normal for you to be subjected to a similar treatment?”
Don't do unto others what you don't want done unto you. Yun Zhi thought that the two were already well aware of this principle.
Yun Zhi and the white-haired child each grabbed one of the Fusion souls and tossed them into the cages. Lu Yang followed Yun Zhi, while Meng Jingzhou followed the white-haired child.
From the outset, Yun Zhi executed a series of brutal tortures, employing a myriad of torture instruments designed for soul bodies in succession. The person cried out in pain repeatedly, and Lu Yang’s eyelids involuntarily twitched. I didn’t expect Big Senior Sister to be so harsh.
Hold on, wasn't Big Senior Sister also like this when I began cultivating? Don’t tell me that Big Senior Sister applied her experience in torture to teaching me how to cultivate...
Every time the Everlasting Immortal Fairy saw Yun Zhi use a torture instrument, she couldn’t help but shiver. It was really a wise decision to join the Dao-Seeking Sect. They shouldn’t be so ruthless to their own people, right?
“Strange, why is he not confessing anything?” Yun Zhi was perplexed. Grand Shifu has told me that the criminals will definitely spill all the beans if I follow this entire process.
Lu Yang whispered at the side, “Big Senior Sister, you haven’t asked him anything yet.”
“Oh,” Yun Zhi replied curtly. Then, she picked up the first torture instrument and prepared to start the process all over again.
The Fusion cultivator was scared out of his wits and shouted, “No, no, no! I’ll confess! I’ll tell you everything!”
“Which era are you from?”
“The forty-thousandth year of the Great Yu Dynasty.”
“Have you heard of the Everlasting Immortal or the Everlasting Immortal Fairy?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Hmm? Are you lying?”
The man was frightened to the verge of tears by Yun Zhi’s cold visage. “I really haven’t heard of them. In our era, we only heard that there were immortals in the western Buddhist Kingdom and the southern Demon Region, and it was suspected that the East Sea and the Extreme North had immortals. I don’t even know the name of an immortal.
“If you are looking for the Everlasting Immortal, you might want to check out the Extreme North. Perhaps the immortal is frozen there. That can somewhat count as ‘everlasting.’”
The Everlasting Immortal Fairy was so enraged that she nearly rolled up her sleeves to hit the person.
1. Shigong is the master of the master, or in other words, the shifu of one’s shifu. ☜
2. The two phrases are respectively from chapters 28 and 20 of the Dao De Jing by Laozi. ☜