Chapter 379: The calamity leads people in together, the five immortals make the elixir
Qiuzhen pinched Chongxu's shoulder, interrupting his remaining words of begging for mercy, took out a jade talisman from his arms, sealed it with magic power, and looked at Gu Qingyuan: "Chongxu has already sent a message just now. The people inside probably got the message. What do you plan to do?"

Gu Qingyuan took a look and said, "The Laozhuang Temple is located under the Biyue Lake, which is a water palace. I see that the ambush person has not yet submerged, and there is a magic array under the lake. I think the Five Directions Taoist has not been broken into by him yet."

He looked at Chongxu again: "But even if the city walls are thousands of feet high, it is difficult to defend against internal enemies. It is not certain if there are people who betray us."

The realm of cultivation in this world is roughly divided into several levels. Building the foundation is the beginning of all paths, the two realms of sensing qi and training qi integrate magic power, and the realm of responding to law practices supernatural powers. After that, it becomes more detailed.

The orthodox method of seeking the great way of the primordial spirit in Xuanmen is called refining the spirit. Different side sects call it becoming elixir, becoming magic seed, or becoming Yin pill, depending on the method. Although the names are different, they are actually the same. Then there are the two realms of Yang God and Yin God, and finally one achieves the pinnacle of the mortal world, the realm of a wandering immortal on land. However, those who only seek Yang God and Yin God, once they have reached the level of a wandering immortal, it will be extremely difficult to make further progress.

This Chongxu was probably just a low-level person who had just reached the realm of responding to the law. He made many small movements along the way, and the fluctuations of the jade talisman's sound transmission could not be concealed from the two of them.

Besides...

"Let me ask you, who asked you to wait here? Have you ever brought anyone else here besides us?" Gu Qingyuan asked.

"There was another wave of people who were the true disciples of a nearby sect. Without the elders accompanying them, I... I tried to lure them into a trap, but I'm afraid it would be disastrous."

Chongxu's legs went limp after he finished speaking. He knew that he would suffer a bad fate with the stain of aiding and abetting the evil. He wanted to kneel down but Qiuzhen held him tightly in his hands. He could not help crying and wailing.

"I don't want to either. It was those evil bandits who forced me. They are at least the devils who are refining spirits. I can't afford to offend them. I am a cowardly person who just wants to stay alive. Please leave me alone."

As he spoke, Chongxu seemed to have lost all his bones, without any spirit at all, and only wanted to survive, but Gu Qingyuan did not indulge him: "I think you are not only brave, but also very courageous!"

"I see from your face and energy that you are disloyal and unrighteous. I guess you got the news from somewhere and found out that your master had mastered the Cicada Molting Pill. You are also dull and have evil intentions. You want to get someone to take over the family business of the Laozhuang Temple. It's not that you were set up by someone, but you have bad intentions and let the wolf in!"

Gu Qingyuan's every word was speculative, but his words were very certain. The more Chongxu listened, the weaker he became. His surprise was evident in his words, as if he had hit the nail on the head.

"However, it is not easy to seek the skin of a tiger. Those monsters are far more powerful than you. You should know this truth, but you were blinded by greed and were controlled. I think you should have something to rely on to survive. Let me ask you, do you have the forbidden entry token outside Laozhuang Temple?"

Chongxu shuddered, but his crying expression disappeared, and he looked a little calmer: "Is my thought so easy to guess?"

He sneered, "Yes, I am that traitor. It's because Wu Fang made things difficult for me. I have been his disciple for seven years, and he has also tortured me for seven years. What he said about tempering my character is all bullshit!"

“If they don’t pass on the true method, the great way, and even the method of refining the elixir is kept secret, then I will go get it myself!” Chongxu’s face was gloomy, “The order to enter the formation is with me. My good master is also very careful and only left one for his most beloved little disciple. When the formation is in place, it will connect the water veins of the Biyuetan Lake. Not to mention the ability to respond to the method, even the powerful people in the realm of refining spirits cannot enter!”

"Since I've been discovered, I'm willing to admit defeat. Let's make a deal, I'll hand over the Qushui Cold Talisman and the details of that group of monsters to you, and you'll let me go, how about that?"

Gu Qingyuan looked at him strangely, and with a hook of his finger, a cold light flew out from Chongxu's heart, turned into a talisman, and fell into his palm: "I am just verifying my speculation. Who said I want to make a deal with you? But you are also ruthless. You hid this talisman in your heart meridian. We will prosper together and suffer together. You made those monsters afraid to act rashly and risk their lives to join the game. You are quite courageous."

As soon as the cold light flew out, Chongxu's aura instantly weakened. The talisman pierced through his heart meridian, and was covered by his water virtue magic power and heart blood. It was violently taken out by Gu Qingyuan, and he was about to die.

"How did you..." He was a little incredulous.

Gu Qingyuan shook his head: "Do you really think you have hidden it well? Although the Qushuihan Talisman is in the same vein as your water virtue magic power, and it is sealed with a ban, the idea is good, but it can only fool people with poor eyesight, and it can't escape my eyes."

"If you have any trump cards, tell me so I don't have to waste my breath. If you don't have any, show your worth if you want to live."

He looked at Chongxu and said carefully, word by word, "Trash has no value in being used."

Chongxu's heart meridian was severed, his magic power was constantly lost, and he was on the verge of death. There was no cure, no way to save him. How could he listen to Gu Qingyuan's threats? Just as he was about to say a few sarcastic words, he saw Gu Qingyuan raise his hand, and his magic power flowed into his mind, intervened in his heart meridian, turned into a ball of light, temporarily taking over the function of his heart, and even his sharply declining breath stabilized.

Gu Qingyuan looked at Chongxu who was a little stiff and said with a smile: "Do you think you are dead? I know some medical skills and alchemy. It is a little difficult to fight for your life with the King of Hell, but I can still prolong your life." After saying that, he turned around, looked into the distance, and stopped talking.

After a dark period, there is a new hope. Chongxu, who knew he was going to die, now had a chance to survive. His strong desire to survive became stronger. He struggled for a few times. Qiuzhen let go of his hand and he knelt down.

"I'll tell you, there were five monsters in total. I recognized two of them. They were called the Evil Ghost Du Jiang and Yi Jian Mei Li Sheng. They were both at the Ying Fa level. As for the other three, they were entangled with each other. I can't tell their background. However, one of them had an especially fierce aura and wore a black robe to cover his face. He was at least Ying Fa, and more likely to be at the Refining Spirit level."

Chongxu didn't care much about the death of his friend, so he explained the whole cause and effect and all the details of the parties involved, just asking for a chance to save his life.

Gu Qingyuan had his back to him, nodding as he listened. He waited until Chongxu finished speaking before he turned around to look at Qiuzhen. The big monk walked like a dragon and a tiger, and with just one pinch on Chongxu's neck, he fainted.

"That Taoist Wufang really doesn't know how to judge people. He doesn't choose the right disciples, doesn't know how to distribute the work, and is biased. He brings disaster upon himself and causes a disaster." Qiuzhen looked at the unconscious Chongxu and shook his head.

The previous reasons were clear. The Taoist Wufang had three disciples in total. Chongxu was accepted as the second one. His aptitude was not the best among the disciples. The Taoist Wufang also paid special attention to the new disciple, which was biased.

The eldest disciple of the Wufang Taoist failed in his attempt to reach the Spirit Refining Realm, lost all his Taoism, and was released to become a mortal. Chongxu took care of all the matters in the Water Palace, and he lived a carefree life. He thought that when Wufang's merits were complete, he would take over the Water Palace, but who would have thought that a junior brother would appear and be favored by Wufang. Not only was the technique not taught by the eldest brother like Chongxu, but he personally guided him and taught him all the secret techniques of elixirs. He was not worried about the lack of skills but the inequality, which made Chongxu rebellious.

In a rage, he took advantage of Wufang's retreat and called Du Jiang and the other two, intending to seize the family business. However, Du Jiang brought a few more people with him, which broke the balance between Chongxu and Du Jiang, who were evenly matched with each other thanks to their cultivation and magic weapons. Chongxu could only rely on the Qushui Han Fu in his hand to deal with them.

"That's not a biased heart. People like Chongxu are born with a ruthless heart and insatiable desires. They are ungrateful and never satisfied. They insist on asking people to share their bodies, minds and property with them. Even if the Five Parties pass on their cultivation and give him the Water Palace, he still won't be satisfied and will even complain that you are too slow!"

Gu Qingyuan spoke, and kicked Chongxu into the grass nest. A magical power concealed his figure, and it was impossible to tell that there was a living person hiding there.

With a sword of wisdom in his hand, he had the clearest idea of ​​the man's inner desires. He also observed his facial features and what he said was true. Gu Qingyuan had no likes or dislikes for Chongxu, and he did not care about his personality. It was just that he was a bit disgusting and stupid.

If Chongxu was not satisfied and took advantage of the situation to seize the Water Palace, Gu Qingyuan would still praise him for being daring and courageous. However, although he looked smart, he was actually stupid. He failed to take advantage of the situation and was instead controlled by the group of bandits. He did not seem to have any backup plan, so he could not be considered smart.

Qiu Zhen had telepathy, so he could see it clearly. He sighed and said nothing. He took out the Flying Book Talisman from his arms and crushed it.

"I think it must be that the Five Directions Immortals were doomed to fail and were blinded by the secrets of heaven, which led to this disaster. Now the Water Palace is sealed by the magic array. I have your Qushuihan Talisman, but my True Talisman is useless. But if the Five Directions were doomed to fail, how could they send letters and summon help with flying swords when they lost the initiative?"

When the cultivator was in danger, he first lost his mind and ability to calculate his own body, and was completely unaware that the crisis was approaching. However, the Five Directions Immortal seemed to have sensed something and sent a letter early on, asking for truth and guessing that it was probably because the Five Directions Immortal's external power was still intact and his life was not over.

When he approached this place, he sensed the movement of the calamity energy. When Chongxu showed up, he was even more certain. Although Chongxu was in charge of the affairs of the Water Palace, he had never seen the world after all.

The five parties, when inviting guests under the pretext of a banquet, naturally had to follow the banquet rules. Not to mention handing in business cards and verifying identities, they would not just send a disciple to greet the guests. There were rules on which door to open, which person to send, what to say, and from where to enter the mansion. Checking the guest list was even more superfluous. The righteous ones were so shameless, would they be driven away if they were not on the list?
This matter can also be attributed to the fact that there are few visitors to Laozhuang Temple and Chongxu does not know the rules, but he should not have said that he was waiting on the orders of the Five Directions Immortals. He is an old hand and will definitely have instructions on how to deal with visitors and will not make any mistakes.

Therefore, Chongxu was exposed from the beginning, and Qiuzhen and Gu Qingyuan were just watching a one-man show.

"What secret is there? Won't we know once we enter the temple?" Gu Qingyuan looked into the distance. He had heard Qiuzhen say that such red tape was prevalent in the righteous way, but it was all bullshit. In the final analysis, it was to establish authority and show the noble demeanor.

My righteous path has strict laws and regulations, and there is an order of seniority. I am a major sect of the Xuanmen, which is different from those small sects of the side doors. I am even more incomparable with the ignorant evil sects. With pressure from above and below, layer by layer, the situation becomes bigger and bigger, and the rules become stricter and stricter, but the ones who benefit are still the people at the top.

The majesty of heaven cannot be violated, and neither can the great sects. It's just that some means of ruling are used to bind them with rules, suppress selfishness, and divide the monks who have always been restless into different levels. If you don't follow the rules, then you are ignorant of etiquette and unreasonable. If you are unreasonable, I will talk to you about physics. Crows are all black, it has been like this since ancient times.

Gu Qingyuan didn't take these things to heart. At most, he overturned the table. He now wanted to observe the world from another perspective instead of relying solely on calculations, so as to avoid being harmed by the fate and cause and effect.

He looked into the distance, and through the magic circle, he could see wisps of Dan Qi brewing: "I have the cold talisman, and it will be easy for me to enter the formation. Do you want to get involved?"

Qiuzhen nodded, and the two of them concealed their breath and walked inside.

Biyuetan Water Palace.

Inside the Laozi and Zhuangzi temple, there is a quiet room for alchemy.

True Man Wufang carefully observed the temperature of the alchemy furnace, licked his dry lips, and stared at the elixir inside. He had been guarding here for some time and was about to succeed.

The method of refining elixirs in this world requires the right time and place. One may choose a famous mountain with rich spiritual energy, or a blessed land with corresponding energy. Once the furnace is lit, it may take forty-nine days to succeed, or seventy-seven to forty-nine, eighty-eight to sixty-four, or even ninety-nine to complete the task. There is a fixed rule, and if it takes longer, it may take dozens or even hundreds of years.

The elixir refined by the Five Directions Immortal was the perfect one. More than half of the eighty-one days had passed, the fire in the furnace was burning strong, and the elixir was compounding, but he could not detect even the slightest bit of it. He had to devote himself to it, which was very exhausting. Now he looked haggard and emaciated. It did not look like he was refining the elixir, but more like he was refined by the fire.

He raised his hand tremblingly, picked up a medicinal herb with his chicken-skinned and bony palm, smelled the fragrance, waited for a moment, and was about to put the elixir in.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that."

A voice resounded throughout the quiet room, startling the Five Directions Immortals. Turning back, they saw a monk and a Taoist priest approaching together.

"It turns out to be Master Qiuzhen. It seems that my Master Fujian has received it." Wufang Zhenren spoke, his voice was as dry as metal or stone cracking silk.

"It is me, I received the talisman and immediately set out to rush here. How did the five donors become like this?" Qiu Zhen naturally would not say that he had taken a leisurely stroll. It was true that he was a monk, but he did not say that he would answer every question and that the answer must be reliable. If that were true, he would have been eaten up by the devil long ago.

He looked at Wufang. When they parted all those years ago, the immortal still looked like an immortal. But now his hair was disheveled, his flesh was so dry that only the bones could be seen. He looked extremely miserable.

"Thank you for coming to my aid, Master. Ahem," Wufang Zhenren paused, "Since Master is able to come here, I believe my bad disciple has been killed, right?"

Judging from his appearance, he knows everything.

(End of this chapter)