Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi

"You want me to recommend?"

Monk Zhenhui paused for a moment before tentatively asking:

"Do you mean..."

"Among these eight Demon Caves, the accumulated Earthly Miasma should vary in quantity, right?"

Zhang Yao raised his eyebrows and said:

"I want to guard the one with the most."

The thicker the Earthly Miasma inside a Demon Cave, the greater the chance of birthing a Golden Core Yin Demon.

Normally, a Golden Core Yin Demon requires several Golden Core Cultivators to jointly hunt it down, each receiving tens of thousands of Good Deeds based on their contribution.

But if one could kill it independently, they could enjoy over a hundred thousand Good Deeds alone. Naturally, Zhang Yao sought such an opportunity.

"I understand."

Monk Zhenhui pondered for a moment before speaking:

"Eighty thousand miles northeast, the Demon Cave beneath Changle Mountain contains the most Demonic Qi among the eight remaining Demon Caves."

"Alright, then Changle Mountain it is."

Zhang Yao stood up, waved his sleeve, and indicated:

"Time is of the essence, let’s set off now, and please have Master Zhenhui lead the way."

"No problem."

Monk Zhenhui readily agreed.

Soon:

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Two Escape Lights soared across the sky, speeding toward the northeast.

Monk Zhenhui had just recently refined his Golden Core, and his tunneling speed was not considered fast among Golden Core Cultivators, so Zhang Yao slowed his own tunneling speed to accommodate him.

The two flew for a day and a night, traversing eighty thousand miles and arriving at the northern territory of Dulin City in Mani Kingdom.

Within Mani Kingdom, there’s no unified Imperial Dynasty but a system of town-guarding cities. Each city has a fixed range of governance, divided into many levels, some as small as a few hundred miles, some as large as several thousand miles.

Dulin City is a mighty northern city, the largest within ten thousand miles around. It has more than three hundred Buddhist Temples, among which twenty-eight provide for Buddhist Cultivators.

"Boom..."

Zhang Yao and Monk Zhenhui’s Escape Light pierced the sea of clouds, hovering high above, overlooking a majestic mountain below.

Changle Mountain, a prominent peak rising steeply from the vast forest, is over twelve hundred zhang high, with beautiful scenery and lush woods—a splendid sight.

And at the top of this peak, a sprawling ancient palace stands, surrounded by a powerful Array Spiritual Light.

"Hmm..."

Zhang Yao extended his Divine Thought and scanned around, feeling a stir in his heart:

"The Array here is indeed very powerful; I can hardly sense any overflow of Earthly Miasma..."

Theoretically, each of the twenty-four Demon Cave Arrays should be independently existing due to their vast distance apart.

But due to the Merit System and the pervasive monitoring system throughout Mani Kingdom, Zhang Yao dared not easily conclude whether these closing and suppressing Demon Cave Arrays have any hidden internal connections.

Yet even if there is no connection, this single Array alone is definitely at Level four, safe from any outside Golden Core Cultivator harboring dark intentions.

"Hermit Qingxu, let’s proceed."

Monk Zhenhui called out and then took the lead, steering his Escape Light down to the summit of Changle Mountain, followed closely by Zhang Yao.

Moments later:

"Amitabha!"

An elderly monk, his hair and beard all white, walked out from the palace atop Changle Mountain, greeting the two at the temple gate.

"Nephew Zhenhui."

The old monk looked kindly and turned his gaze to Zhang Yao, asking:

"Is this the new Cultivator?"

"Greetings, Master Tong Guang."

Monk Zhenhui respectfully bowed before pointing at Zhang Yao and said:

"Master guessed correctly, this is Hermit Qingxu from Da Li."

"I’m bringing him here to take over Master Tong Guang’s position, to oversee Changle Mountain and suppress the Demon Cave here."

"So it’s Hermit Qingxu; I’ve long admired your name!"

Elder Monk Tongguang seemed to have heard of Zhang Yao before, and he warmly smiled:

"With Hermit Qingxu here, I believe Changle Mountain will henceforth be free from worries."

With that, he turned and gestured:

"Cultivator, please."

"Master, after you."

Zhang Yao bowed modestly before entering the ’Changle Palace’ with Elder Monk Tong Guang, all the while listening to Elder Monk Tong Guang’s explanations.

The interior decor of Changle Palace is styled in Buddhist Sect fashion, with a very simple structure, divided into two parts: front and rear.

The front hall area is primarily used for receiving guests and sealing the leakage of Earthly Miasma, while the core parts are in the rear hall area.

The rear hall area is also divided into two parts:

The first is the ’Demon Suppression Well’ deep within Changle Palace, directly connecting to the Demon Cave, often venting some Earthly Miasma, and if a Golden Core Yin Demon manifests, it would only birth in the Demon Suppression Well.

The second is the ’Sealed Demon Hall’, adjacent to the Demon Suppression Well, serving as the Cultivation Hideout for Golden Core Cultivators stationed here, and also as the Array Core of the Demon Cave.

"As the saying goes, the water rises and overflows, suppressing Earthly Miasma also requires a proper release to prevent accumulating into a flood tide that would break the dam and cause an irreparable disaster."

"Therefore, when designing this Demon Suppression Well, a gap was deliberately left open to vent out some Earthly Miasma."

"This Earthly Miasma is extremely easy to form Demonic Thoughts, tempting Cultivators to fall into demonic ways, and is very difficult to eradicate, requiring Golden Core Magical Power along with the local Array to continually extinguish the external leakage of Earthly Miasma."

Elder Monk Tongguang, pointing at the black, metallic well opening, began to speak:

"However, the Earthly Miasma comes from between heaven and earth, and it’s impossible to eliminate. No matter how much you try to guide it out, it can never keep up with the speed of accumulation."

"Therefore, every few decades or centuries, a Golden Core Level Yin Demon will inevitably be born in each demon cave. This kind of Yin Demon is extremely frightening. Once it appears, it must be eradicated as quickly as possible, or else if it escapes, it will bring endless harm!"

At this point, he paused, then looked at Zhang Yao:

"Hermit Qingxu, you chose to guard this Changle Mountain demon cave, it must have been intentional, right?"

The demon cave of Changle Mountain had accumulated Earthly Miasma for nearly a hundred years, and a Golden Core Level Yin Demon might emerge soon.

Elder Monk Tongguang was very aware of this. He surely did not believe that the renowned Elder Qingxu chose this demon cave by coincidence.

"Indeed."

Zhang Yao nodded slightly, speaking directly:

"The master’s discerning eyes see through everything. I volunteered for this role."

"Hmm..."

Elder Monk Tongguang nodded slightly and said:

"Hermit Qingxu, your intention is not difficult to guess. However, you are skilled and courageous, not comparable to an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator. The old monk won’t persuade you further."

"But I still want to warn you with one sentence: the most terrifying aspect of a Yin Demon is not its ability to kill but its capacity to pollute the mind and transform it into Demonic Thoughts. I hope that when you refine the demon in the well in the future, you will act cautiously."

"While good deeds are worthwhile, they are insignificant compared to one’s own Golden Core Dao."

"Thank you, master, for the reminder. I will certainly act with caution."

Zhang Yao politely bowed and asked more about the Golden Core Level Yin Demon.

After a comprehensive inquiry, the transfer process was nearly complete. Elder Monk Tongguang transferred the Array Core authority to Zhang Yao, successfully completing the handover.

"From now on, this Changle Mountain is entrusted to you, Hermit Qingxu."

Elder Monk Tongguang smiled faintly:

"My nephew Zhenhui and I are preparing to return to Mani Temple now."

"There are many wonderful sights in the temple, and regular Dharma assemblies are held. If you have the opportunity to visit in the future, feel free to seek me out for a chat."

"And me too."

Monk Zhenhui promptly added from the side:

"If you have time to visit Mani Temple, do remember to find me. We can exchange cultivation experiences."

"Certainly, certainly."

Zhang Yao nodded politely, seeing them off out of the Changle Palace.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Two golden Escape Lights sliced through the sky, flying far away, disappearing over the horizon in just a few moments.

After witnessing the Escape Lights vanish, Zhang Yao withdrew his gaze, flicked his sleeves, and turned to enter the Sealed Demon Hall, sitting on the specially crafted golden mat.

"Buzz..."

As soon as he sat down, a mysterious and unfathomable force enveloped him.

With this force’s empowerment, Zhang Yao suddenly felt his body lighten, and both his Divine Thought and Magical Power seemed to break free of an invisible cage, becoming incredibly nimble, as if they had sprouted wings.

"Is this the Earthly Miasma?"

In this special state, Zhang Yao keenly sensed that this Sealed Demon Hall, along with the Demon Suppression Well behind, indeed existed as one.

The Earthly Miasma constantly leaked from the Demon Suppression Well, sealed in the Sealed Demon Hall through isolated Array channels, with the sealed gateway or keyhole being the golden mat he sat on.

"I see!"

After observing the state of the Earthly Miasma, Zhang Yao had a sudden epiphany in his heart.

The energy of the world: clear becomes immortal, turbid becomes demon.

Heavenly Spiritual Qi forms the foundation of the Immortal Dao, while muddy Qi opposes it, thus forming Demonic Qi that can transform into Demonic Thoughts and lure cultivators. It stands in stark contrast to Spiritual Qi.

The direct clash between Spiritual Qi and Demonic Qi usually leads to mutual annihilation.

Without a doubt, a cultivator’s Magical Power is further refined Spiritual Qi. Especially the Magical Power at the Golden Core Level has gone through numerous qualitative changes, being far purer than ordinary Earthly Miasma.

"The so-called suppression of the demon cave and refining of Demonic Qi is essentially, with the aid of Array Power, to continuously erode the Earthly Miasma using Golden Core Level Magical Power."

"Because Golden Core Magical Power is exceedingly pure, just a wisp can dispel hundreds of times the muddy Qi, making the consumption of Magical Power not even as fast as a Golden Core Cultivator’s natural recovery."

"Even if a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators were to come, despite having more total Magical Power than a Golden Core Cultivator, it cannot replace the role of a Golden Core Cultivator..."

Having penetrated the mystery of the Sealed Demon Hall, Zhang Yao couldn’t help but be amazed by its ingenious design.

"Hmm... a considerable amount of Demonic Qi has already accumulated. It’s best not to delay any longer."

While observing the Array and muddy Qi, the Earthly Miasma continued to gather.

He discovered that the special space in the Sealed Demon Hall was limited and couldn’t contain too much Demonic Qi. If not quickly eradicated, it could lead to disaster.

Just a moment ago, Elder Monk Tongguang gave him a tour, stepping away from the post, and combined with his observation time, in less than an hour, a substantial amount of Demonic Qi had already accumulated in the Sealed Demon Hall.

If the absence lasted a bit longer, a few hours without refining the Demonic Qi would cause trouble.

"There really is no room for error here. The design is too rushed..."

Zhang Yao shook his head inwardly, immediately mobilizing his Magical Power, aided by Array Power, as he probed into the special space through the mat beneath him.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the collision between the pure Magical Power and the Earthly Miasma ignited a vehement conflict.

Zhang Yao felt a wisp of Magical Power deplete rapidly, vanishing in just a few moments, while the surrounding Earthly Miasma was transformed, leaving a large void.

"Hmm?"

His expression suddenly changed, revealing a hint of delight:

"I see!"

"There are indeed benefits to refining Demonic Qi..."