Chapter 126 - 86: Secrets of the Ghost Immortal, Theory of the Dharma Aspect

Chapter 126: Chapter 86: Secrets of the Ghost Immortal, Theory of the Dharma Aspect

In Jiang Ningzhi’s bedroom.

Since the topic touched upon Immortals, Li Yinsheng listened very intently.

"After a Daoist cultivates to the Dharma Image Realm, the next step is to achieve the Dao and become an Immortal," Shangguan Ling’Er said. "You have experienced the breakthrough from a mortal to a Daoist. Although with your aptitude, you probably didn’t encounter any obstacles, you should still know that if this breakthrough fails, the consequences are disastrous."

Li Yinsheng nodded. "So the breakthrough from a Daoist to an Immortal is the same?"

"Almost, but it’s a bit more complex," Shangguan Ling’Er explained. "When a mortal breaks through to become a Daoist, there are only two outcomes: success or failure. However, when a Daoist breaks through to become an Immortal, there are three."

"Three?" Li Yinsheng was taken aback. "Where does the third come from?"

"Success, failure, and half-success," Shangguan Ling’Er said.

Li Yinsheng grew even more confused.

He wondered how someone could only half-succeed.

"There is no need to elaborate on the result of failure; the outcome is naturally death and the dissipation of one’s cultivation.

"However, for those Daoists who successfully break through, there are two different outcomes," Shangguan Ling’Er explained. "Becoming an Immortal can generally be seen as two successive steps. The first step is becoming a Soul Immortal, and the second step is the Flesh Body becoming an Immortal.

"The Superior cultivators accomplish this in one vigorous effort, achieving the Dao in physical form. Their Flesh Body and soul become Immortals together; they are known as Human Immortals.

"The inferior ones, after their soul ascends to immortality, lack the stamina to continue. They are forced to abandon their Flesh Body and solely become a Soul Immortal. These are known as Ghost Immortals, and they are vastly inferior to Human Immortals.

"As for the Magical Treasure Ningzhi mentioned, which had almost half-transformed into a Spirit Treasure—let’s call it a Quasi-Spirit Treasure for now—Human Immortals disdain using them. They are mostly used by Ghost Immortals."

"I see." Li Yinsheng nodded thoughtfully. "So what Shangguan means is that only Human Immortals can be considered true Immortals?"

"That is not what I meant at all!" Shangguan Ling’Er immediately grew frantic, looking as if she wanted to lunge forward and cover Li Yinsheng’s mouth. "Do you know how hard it is to become a Human Immortal? Most of the Supreme Elders in the Dharma Veins are Ghost Immortals! You must never go around saying that Ghost Immortals aren’t true Immortals!"

"Unless you are a Human Immortal yourself, then you can say it," Martial Uncle Jiang Ningzhi said leisurely.

"With your aptitude, you might actually cultivate to become a Human Immortal one day," Shangguan Ling’Er said, shaking her head. "But for now, it’s best not to say such things."

Li Yinsheng nodded seriously, indicating that he would remember.

"Although Ghost Immortals are inferior to Human Immortals, they are still not an existence that a True Cultivator can contend with," Shangguan Ling’Er said. "Your Xuanzhen Temple was destroyed at the hands of a Ghost Immortal."

"A Ghost Immortal?" Li Yinsheng was startled. "Does it have something to do with the Quasi-Spirit Treasure Martial Uncle mentioned?"

"That’s right," Jiang Ningzhi nodded. "When we found that Quasi-Spirit Treasure, even though it was entangled in Demonic Qi, it appeared magnificent and righteous, bearing the strong presence of the Orthodox Dao.

"Moreover, there was always a trace of Pure Qi lingering within, stubbornly holding on amidst the Demonic Qi.

"We assumed this Quasi-Spirit Treasure was originally a Magical Treasure of the Orthodox Dao that had merely been corrupted by Demonic Qi. Therefore, we brought it back to the temple, attempting to purify and eradicate the Demonic Qi within."

"Wasn’t that too risky? A Quasi-Spirit Treasure is meant to be used by Ghost Immortals; it should be extremely dangerous for Daoists, shouldn’t it?" Li Yinsheng could not help but frown.

"When I made that decision with the other seniors, we naturally had the confidence to suppress it," Jiang Ningzhi said with a bitter smile. "You asked earlier why the Treasure Illumination Scripture never had a backup copy. The reason lies here.

"In the Xuanzhen Temple, there was a top-tier Town-Viewing Treasure named the Mystic Light Stele. Not only could it store and record Techniques, but it also possessed immense suppressive power.

"Although it had not quite reached the level of a Quasi-Spirit Treasure, it was not far off. The Treasure Illumination Scripture was stored within it.

"If one wanted to become a Beginner in the Treasure Illumination Scripture, merely having the Technique was useless. One had to cleanse their meridians and acupoints with the Spiritual Breath of the Mystic Light Stele to practice it. Otherwise, even if cultivated forcefully, its power would be greatly diminished, yielding half the result with twice the effort.

"Correspondingly, any Cultivator who successfully mastered the Treasure Illumination Scripture could use and nurture the Mystic Light Stele without needing Refinement.

"Thus, the Mystic Light Stele did not belong to any single Daoist; rather, it was shared by all Daoists in the Xuanzhen Temple who practiced the Treasure Illumination Scripture.

"The Daoists who practiced the Treasure Illumination Scripture, in addition to nurturing their own intrinsic Magical Treasures, would collectively nurture the Mystic Light Stele, passing it down from generation to generation.

"When the Xuanzhen Temple faced no major incidents, the Mystic Light Stele would stand on the Third Layer of the Scripture Pavilion, imparting the Treasure Illumination Scripture to talented disciples and assisting in their cultivation.

"If they encountered a formidable enemy, the Grand Daoist with the highest Cultivation in the Treasure Illumination Scripture would take the lead, supported by the other Daoists who practiced it, and together they would drive the Mystic Light Stele to combat the foe and resolve the crisis.

"The Mystic Light Stele had existed since the establishment of the Xuanzhen Temple. Before this, the lineage of Grand Daoists had never been broken, and sometimes there would even be two. As for the Daoists practicing the Treasure Illumination Scripture, there were as few as three or four, and as many as six or seven.

"It has been a thousand years since the Xuanzhen Temple was founded, and the nurturing of the Mystic Light Stele has never ceased during this period."

Li Yinsheng gasped.

He was astounded that a single Magical Treasure had been collectively nurtured by countless Daoists and Grand Daoists over a thousand years. Furthermore, in battle, it required a Grand Daoist to lead and several Daoists to jointly activate it. Just hearing about its power made his scalp tingle.

"So, Martial Uncle, your confidence in suppressing that Quasi-Spirit Treasure back then came from the Mystic Light Stele?" he asked.

"Exactly. Even though I didn’t practice the Treasure Illumination Scripture, there were still six Daoists and one Grand Daoist in the temple who did. By joining forces to activate the Mystic Light Stele, they were more than capable of suppressing an Imperial Decree Daoist head-on," Jiang Ningzhi said.

"That’s assuming the Imperial Decree Daoist doesn’t run away and is actually foolish enough to clash with that thing head-on," Shangguan Ling’Er added. "Moreover, if they encountered an exceptionally strong Imperial Decree Daoist like my master, the outcome would be hard to predict."

"With the Mystic Light Stele to rely on, suppressing an ownerless Quasi-Spirit Treasure should have been practically guaranteed." A hint of bitterness surfaced on Jiang Ningzhi’s face.