Chapter 37 - The Law is Not to Be Passed on Lightly, the Great Tribulation Destroys the Law
Chapter 37: The Law is Not to Be Passed on Lightly, the Great Tribulation Destroys the Law
The Flood, the West.
This was where spiritual energy converged—once considered the pure land of the Western regions.
Yet now, even this sacred place was tainted by devilish qi. An ominous, unnatural corruption had begun to seep in.
Xuan Qing was puzzled and turned to ask the First Heavenly Father.
The old immortal sighed, his tone heavy with emotion.
“Xuan Qing… this isn’t the work of some devil cultivator rampaging through the land. Rather, a cultivator here became a devil. Alas… the corruption of the demonic path is insidious. Those rogue cultivators who hunt devil cultivators often become exposed to demonic qi. Even a trace—absorbed carelessly—can contain the will of the Luo Shu and the essence of the devil’s path. Slowly, it corrodes the mind and the Dao heart.
“To rid themselves of the corruption, many of them return to this place to recuperate and purge the demonic influence. But if they fail to cleanse it… they fall. They descend into the devil’s path and become what they once hunted. That is what happened to this loose cultivator today—he failed to overcome the test of the demonic qi and was lost.”
Xuan Qing’s expression turned grave.
“This is too dangerous. Even if one survives the hunt, just absorbing a small amount of demonic qi can lead to corruption. That’s terrifying.”
The First Heavenly Father nodded solemnly.
“This is the most terrifying aspect of Luo Shu’s legacy—and the most difficult part of the Devil Dao.”
Xuan Qing fell into thought, then asked,
“Senior Uncle, couldn’t these loose cultivators prepare in advance? Are there not treasures or methods that can purify or resist demonic qi?”
“Silly child,” the First Heavenly Father shook his head, “such things do exist in the Flood. But while not exactly rare, they are far from common. The truly powerful have already seized most of them. As for the rest… the weaker, scattered cultivators might obtain a few by luck, but more often than not, they go without.
“Some among the ancients did create methods and divine arts that resisted demonic qi. But during the great battles between Dao and Devil, they became prime targets. Many of those techniques were lost, wiped out by devil cultivators. They couldn’t be passed down.”
Xuan Qing sighed inwardly. With so many cultivators across the vast Flood Wasteland, those who possessed the means to resist demonic qi were a minority. Most loose cultivators lacked such resources. And those who created counter-methods naturally became the devil cultivators’ enemies. Especially with someone as domineering as Luo Shu, trying to oppose him was asking to be eradicated.
Turning to Laozi, he asked,
“Master… is there an elixir capable of purifying demonic qi? Or at least resisting its erosion?”
“An elixir that purifies demonic qi?” Laozi stroked his beard thoughtfully, as if recalling something from the depths of time. “There are none that I know of today.”
Xuan Qing frowned.
“Master, I don’t understand. The Flood has existed for countless ages. Even if not many specialize in the Dao of Alchemy, there should be no shortage of cultivators who can refine pills. Over so many generations, has no one created a pill to counter demonic qi? Why are there so few Dan formulas in general?”
Laozi sighed.
“Apprentice… that is a long tale. But to put it simply—‘The law should not be passed on lightly.’
“No one knows how long the Flood Wasteland has existed. But over time, its resources dwindled, and all living beings became aware of this. As the number of cultivators increased, so too did the demand for resources. That caused them to deplete faster.
“To preserve what remained, the mindset shifted. Cultivation methods became valuable. Many came to an unspoken agreement—not to pass on their arts recklessly. They took only a few disciples, if any, to inherit their knowledge.
“But then… the Flood Wasteland experienced several great calamities. Each one brought the fall of countless powerful beings. And many left no inheritance behind. Because they adhered to that belief—that the law should not be passed on lightly—divine arts, dan formulas, cultivation methods… were lost to time.
“After every great tribulation, entire legacies vanished. And so, each time, we start from near nothing again. This is why there are so few Dan formulas circulating today.”
“So that’s how it is…” Xuan Qing murmured with a deep sigh.
He had long suspected that, after countless years of accumulation, there should be innumerable methods and pill recipes. Yet the reality was the opposite—methods were scarce, and data formulas even more so.
It was that very belief—the law is not to be passed on lightly—that led many cultivators to take no disciples at all. This reduced the number of orthodox cultivators, which in turn reduced resource consumption. It made sense: cultivation, like all things, obeyed the principle of conservation. Power required resources. Cultivating the Tai Yi Realm, for instance, had already cost Xuan Qing an entire Innate Banana Tree. Future cultivation would demand even rarer treasures.
From that perspective, the rule made sense. But it also meant that when a calamity struck, and great cultivators fell, their arts vanished with them. Every tribulation reset the world, forcing the survivors to start over.
…
Xuan Qing was filled with emotion. He finally understood the truth of the Flood—the glory, the cruelty.
Tongtian also sighed.
“Through the endless conflict between Dao and Devil, countless great beings have perished. And with their deaths, much of the Flood’s heritage was lost. It is tragic, but… this is the law of the Flood.”
Xuan Qing nodded silently.
“Senior Uncle, what about Master Ancestor’s sermon at the Purple Heavenly Palace?”
“That?” The First Heavenly Father chuckled faintly.
“Your Master Ancestor’s sermon appears to be a generous act of transmitting the Dao. But he only accepted three thousand inheritors—those so-called Purple Heaven Guests—and it was not a free inheritance. Do not forget, the lingering demonic qi, the devil cultivators… were all his leftovers.
“Now he ignores the consequences and lets the Violet Heaven Guests clean up his mess. Consider it their payment for receiving the Dao.”
Xuan Qing was speechless. The way Yuanshi Tianzun put it, his Master Ancestor sounded a bit… unscrupulous. He preached, yes—but the price was having to clean up his karmic aftermath.
After a long silence, Xuan Qing spoke again, his eyes filled with resolve.
“Then, Master… may I create a dan formula? One that purifies demonic qi?”
“Of course you may,” Laozi smiled slightly, his gaze approving.
“But creating a new elixir is no small task. It requires not only wisdom, but time and experience. Still…”
He stroked his beard again, now with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “I look forward to what you might achieve.”
Xuan Qing lowered his head respectfully.
“Master, your disciple shall do his utmost. I will create a pill that purifies demonic qi.”