Chapter 321: The chivalrous way of the immortals, shouldering the common people. Hunyuan Jinmu, the god of earth spirits.

"Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission and am leading the people back to the mountain."

Song Lin stood on the Linxian Cliff, next to the bluestone that said "The Path to Immortality is Difficult".

He bowed with both hands, looking ashamed.

"Twelve true disciples and one hundred and eight inner disciples followed me down the mountain, and only seventy-six returned. I feel ashamed to the teachers of the various peaks in the East, and I feel ashamed to the expectations of the headmaster."

"Please... Master, punish me!"

Say it.

He bowed deeply and bowed towards the sky.

Behind him, seventy-six Donglin disciples put down forty-four coffins and stood with their hands behind their backs, their brows lowered, revealing looks of deep guilt.

The same is true for Shen Zanggu, Ma Dejian, Master Qingmiao, and Master Dibu.

The atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

In the Donglin Immortal Cliff, many immortals and disciples could not help but show sorrowful looks on their faces.

Among those forty-four coffins, many were their senior brothers, good friends, disciples... and even fellow Taoists.

"Get up."

A sigh floated in the wind.

"Now, there is a disciple of Jianya, a pleasure seeker. He is clever and intelligent, with a sword heart that is enlightened, representing the righteous way of the immortal sect. He comes out of the east with a sword and leads the people to defeat the demons. It took him three years to quell the disaster."

“This is——merit!”

The master's voice gradually became louder and louder, spreading across the sea and sky, and announcing to the world.

"Of course."

"His mind is hard to tame, and his six senses are unstable. He likes to take risks and kill, which has led to the death of his fellow disciples and his reincarnation."

"This is a mistake."

“It is fair to reward merits and punish faults when merits are equal.”

"Give to Li Xunhuan, the disciple of Jianya, the fourth-level spiritual pill, the flying sword, the heart-clearing cushion, and the divine incense. As punishment..."

Speaking of which.

The master's voice suddenly paused.

"I ask you, do you blame him?"

"No wonder!"

Everyone at the foot of the mountain shouted together.

"Master, the demonic calamity happened suddenly, it's not Junior Brother Li's fault."

"He has tried his best and used all his wisdom. If he hadn't risked his life to protect us, we might not have survived."

"Yes."

"If it weren't for him, countless innocent people would have died in the East Lin Land. Using our lives in exchange for the lives of tens of millions of people... it's worth it!"

The person who was speaking had tears in his eyes and his tone was excited.

"Master, we are willing to use our own merits to offset the punishment of Junior Brother Li. Please have mercy on us!"

"Please have mercy, Master!"

Everyone spoke out one after another.

however.

The people at the foot of the mountain felt the same way and spoke up for Song Lin, but the people on the mountain were unable to empathize and remained silent.

"say no more."

Song Lin turned his head away, gritted his teeth, and petitioned: "Please punish us, Master. We... are not qualified to represent the deceased."

"this--"

The immortals were moved when they heard this.

The master and his disciples had already paved the way for him, but he refused to choose and was willing to be punished.

It's really no wonder that he has such an open mind.

But it is indeed as he said.

The living have no right to represent the dead. Those who came out of the mountain together can understand Song Lin. But those who have never experienced it in person, the friends, relatives, teachers, and fellow Taoists of the dead... How can they forgive?

Just based on a few words?
They were indeed meritorious men, and it was inevitable that there would be casualties when they went out to fight demons. But the loss this time was really heartbreaking.

now.

The reward has been given.

How to punish?

Song Lin's words actually threw the difficult problem to the master.

But he was seen standing in the hall, smiling slightly, as if he had already made a plan.

"Then I will punish you with three years of hard labor in Jinguang Cave as a warning to others. Do you have any objections?"

"Follow the teachings of the master."

Song Lin's expression was calm as he bowed his head to accept the order.

He had anticipated this disaster.

He was only punished, and his merits were not cancelled. However, his fellow disciples who were stopped from pursuing immortality because of him paid the price with their lives.

"Follow the teachings of the Master!"

On the mountain and at the foot of the mountain, countless immortals bowed together.

Some people looked surprised, while others secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Hard labor in Jinguang Cave was indeed a heavy punishment, but if there was no punishment, it would not be enough to appease people.

Seeing that Song Lin responded so decisively, many people showed admiration.

The blame in my heart will never arise again.

"Welcome the meritorious people into the mountains!"

The head master gave an order.

Suddenly, the sky was filled with colorful clouds, which turned into a fairy road and a long rainbow falling on the Linxian Cliff.

However, Song Lin, Shen Zanggu and others took the initiative to give way and shouted, "Welcome, the meritorious people to go home."

"go home!"

The eyes of the seventy-six Donglin disciples suddenly moistened, and they all lifted up the forty-four coffins and set foot on the immortal road that welcomed them. Song Lin, Shen Canggu, Ma Dejian, Master Qingmiao, and Master Dibu followed closely behind.

"Brother, we are going home."

"Sister..."

"My disciple!"

"Howling Wind!"

One figure after another rushed forward, and cries of grief echoed among the mountains.

As the coffins were claimed one by one, the peaks of Donglinxianya were shrouded in an atmosphere of sadness.

Song Lin lowered his head.

The shame in his eyes became more and more obvious.

The immortals of Donglin are both immortals and human beings.

They also have seven emotions and six desires, and are not as pure and desireless as the immortals in the legend.

On the contrary, because we live longer, we value relationships more.

"Junior Brother Li, this is your reward. After you put these things away, follow me to the Jinguan Cave to practice." Xuan Fengzi walked forward with a tray in his hand.

Song Lin took a look.

The fourth-level spiritual pill, the flying sword, the pure heart cushion, the divine incense, each of them is a treasure of great value. But it never caused a ripple in his heart.

"Brother Xuanfeng, please help me exchange these things for cultivation resources and distribute them to the families of the forty-four brothers." Song Lin said in a low voice. "Why?" Xuanfengzi was surprised.

"I owe them this." Song Lin said.

"But this is what you deserve." Xuan Fengzi's face was calm.

"But it was also because of my willfulness and recklessness that they died in a foreign land."

"You've done enough."

“I can actually do better.”

The two of them argued back and forth, neither giving in.

for a long time.

Xuan Fengzi looked at Song Lin's determined eyes and finally gave in.

He sighed, "Okay. I will exchange these things for supplies and give them to their relatives, descendants, or fellow Taoist teachers."

"And us!"

Suddenly, a burst of orderly voices sounded around the two of them.

I don’t know when.

Shen Zanggu and others and the seventy-six Donglin disciples stood around, each holding the gains of this meritorious service with sincere eyes.

"Senior Brother Xuanfeng."

"Please change these for us as well."

"We are all of the same origin. We share happiness and difficulties."

"They died for us, and that's all we can do."

"From now on, their teachers are our teachers, and their relatives and friends are our relatives and friends."

"We are waiting, please help Senior Brother Xuanfeng!"

Everyone bowed to him.

One by one, they placed the objects in their hands at the feet of the stunned Xuan Fengzi, and then turned around and left silently.

A long, long time.

A gust of sea breeze blew by, and Xuan Fengzi came back to his senses.

"Forget it, forget it." He waved his hand.

One by one, rare treasures were lifted up by the wind and floated in the air. There were hundreds of them, making it look like a Taoist monk with many treasures.

"Let's go." Song Lin said.

"Aren't you going back to Jianya?" Xuan Fengzi turned around and asked.

"It's better not to go back than to go back again."

There was finally a hint of a smile on Song Lin's face.

"Okay, I'll take you to the Golden Light Cave first." Xuan Fengzi carried countless treasures and walked towards the depths of Donglinxian Cliff.

Enlightenment of the mysterious peak.

The head master stood in the main hall, and it seemed that he could see what was happening in the mountain.

"This child really did not disappoint everyone's expectations." He nodded repeatedly, a look of relief on his face.

He can feel it.

Under Song Lin's leadership by example, Donglin Xianya has a different atmosphere.

It's like the chivalrous spirit in the rivers and lakes and the immortal demeanor of the immortal cliff in the east, combined to create a different flavor.

Perhaps one day in the future, this trend will bring extraordinary changes to Donglinxianya!

[The forty-seventh year since the Sword Master transformed into a sword.]

[You have calmed down the demonic calamity and returned to the Immortal Cliff. You are open-minded and set an example. You are recognized by your fellow disciples and praised by your teachers.]

[The head master praised: "The chivalrous way of the immortals is to shoulder the responsibility of the people. This boy will be able to take on great responsibilities in the future. In addition to being a sword immortal, he will also create his own way of chivalrous immortals."]

【For a while.】

[You were sentenced to hard labor in Geumgwangdong, but you became a chivalrous man praised by everyone and became famous. ]

[Jianya Xuanfeng and the Wine Immortal Li were both involved in this event, and they were always very proud of it whenever they mentioned it.]

【However, is this really what you want? 】

[Life will eventually pass away, but the most important and precious thing is the process of life! ]

[A month passed in the blink of an eye. ]

[You toil day and night in the Golden Light Cave, living hundreds of miles underground, and spend every day digging. There is only a special 'gold digger' around you, and endless gold mines.]

You start to reflect on yourself.

[This life belongs to you. For everyone, it also belongs to their own life. ]

[Self, true self, is the path you are pursuing in this life. ]

【The second month.】

[You gradually discovered the special features of Jinguan Cave. ]

[Gold is just the most common metal in the world, belonging to the mundane world. It is soft, but can isolate the five elements.]

[Although this place has no Earthly Evil Qi and is a place where the Five Elements are completely spiritual, it is like a huge Five Elements Gold Earthly Evil Dojo. Being in it, the progress of cultivation is more than twice as fast as usual.]

[You finally understand the Master's good intentions.]

【Three months later.】

[You gradually go deeper into the ground and find a nine-legged spider that feeds on gold diggers. Its eight legs walk as fast as lightning. One leg digs for gold and is invincible.]

[A pair of mouthparts can swallow elites worth hundreds of gold. 】

[After killing more than ten spider spirits, you discovered that there was a special kind of gold in their bodies. One hundred of them could equal a strand of Earthly Evil Qi, and could be called a natural treasure.]

【After this.】

[Your cultivation level is improving rapidly.]

[In the first year after entering the Golden Light Cave, he refined twenty strands of magic power. He achieved thirty-three strands of ten-absolute golden light, and achieved a small success in the realm of fighting.]

[In the second year, you continue to go deeper underground.]

[Countless golden winds turned into sword energy, mixed with gold grains like slag and sand, indestructible and able to destroy everything.]

[The gold digger and spider spirit have completely disappeared, and there is no trace of life around, but you gradually smell a wisp of the scent of the golden evil spirit. ]

【However.】

[The golden sand gale is extremely fierce, and the Ten Absolute Golden Lights can only resist it for a moment. ]

[You have been extremely cautious along the way, and can only advance ten miles a day. ]

【Third year.】

[You don't know how deep you have gone into the ground, and the breath of life around you suddenly increases.]

[You seem to have entered the legendary netherworld and seen a bizarre underground world.]

[Boom~~]

[A mysterious and distant heartbeat came from deep within the earth.]

[You finally saw the deepest secret of Jinguang Cave - Hunyuan Jinmu. A spiritual god of the earth that existed in the ancient times and witnessed the vicissitudes of history.]

Look up.

Song Lin saw a huge golden mountain, beating slowly like a living heart. Countless golden evil spirits turned into golden sands all over the sky, swarming in from all directions.

With just one breath from the Hunyuan Jinmu, endless sands from the Ganges River were scattered into a wide sand river in front of her.

"Golden Mother of the Primordial Universe!"

At this moment, Song Lin finally understood.

Why is there not a trace of evil energy in this golden cave that contains countless gold, stones and minerals?

(End of this chapter)