Chapter 1134
Side Story: Picking Up the Person
Zhang Liuzhen withdrew his gaze: "It's quite a coincidence. After Abbot Wang went into seclusion, Wang Cong and Daoist Yin never returned to Sanqing Mountain."
Yin Song coughed lightly, looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, and said sadly, "My fellow disciples are all gone. If we go back, it will only add to our sorrow."
Pan Yun: "...Second Senior Brother, we are only ascending to immortality, not dying."
"Anyway, we've all gone to another world."
Pan Jun was speechless.
The Cliff of Repentance is now completely different. Not only is the top covered with arrays, but it also has two swords stuck in the ground, a pagoda the size of an arm hanging from it, and a seal pressing down on it.
The swords were crossed and inserted in the center.
Pan Yun couldn't help but look at it again and again.
Zhang Liuzhen stood beside the sword, smiling, and asked, "Is this the first time we've met?"
Pan Yun couldn't help but take out the sword he had given her and said, "It looks more powerful than this sword."
Zhang Liuzhen said, "In terms of the materials used to forge these swords, these two swords are naturally inferior to the one in your hand. However, it was wielded by my successive Celestial Masters. It not only contains the magical power of the Celestial Masters of each generation, but also their soul power, so it can suppress all evil."
"Therefore, it is called the Male and Female Evil-Slaying Swords."
Pan Yun exclaimed in surprise, "So this is the legendary Celestial Master Sword!"
Pan Jun only gasped in surprise for a moment before quickly focusing her attention on the foot of the Cliff of Repentance: "It figured it out?"
"It's not just a thought, it's already taken action. Fortunately, we discovered it in time, and the elders of the Elder Council mobilized together to suppress it. Otherwise, if it had really come out, the people at the foot of Longhu Mountain would have become its food."
Monsters eating humans is just like humans eating chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep. Even intelligent monsters can't really control themselves from eating intelligent creatures.
Only a very small number of demons are consciously trying to control themselves, and of those, only a very small number are able to control themselves.
Therefore, it is even more difficult for demons to ascend to immortality.
It's harder than being human.
But fate is fair; when it closes a door for them, it opens a big window for them.
Demons are naturally stronger than humans in combat, and in battles between people of the same level, humans generally cannot defeat demons.
Therefore, powerful demons like those suppressed under the Cliff of Contemplation, if they don't come out, all is well; but once they do, corpses litter the ground.
Zhang Liuzhen said, "In times of chaos, great demons wreaked havoc in the human world. After Emperor Taizu pacified the country, there were several major cannibalistic disasters. He issued three imperial edicts in succession, ordering the demons to retreat to the mountains and forests and not to cause harm to the human world."
This was the first time Pan Yun had heard of this, and her eyes lit up: "The founding emperor was so domineering, and then what?"
"Then this is just disobeying the imperial decree. In fact, the Yuan Dynasty was too chaotic, and the people were out of order. Most of the demons that were born at that time would not obey the emperor's orders." Zhang Liuzhen said, "When the Ming Dynasty was first established, the world was not stable. There were wars everywhere and bandits were rampant. Demons would not obey such orders even more."
Zhang Liuzhen paused for a moment before continuing, "Emperor Taizu first used diplomacy before resorting to force. After issuing three imperial edicts, he summoned all the abbots and monasteries from famous mountains and rivers to the capital..."
Pan Yun reached out and said, "I know this. It is taught in the Taoist Records of the Academy. After all, it is an important historical point in my Taoist studies."
She smiled and looked at Zhang Liuzhen: "Was it at this time that the Zhang family's ancestor was able to inherit the title of Celestial Master and change his title from Celestial Master to Daoist Master?"
Zhang Liuzhen nodded: "Those who cultivate Taoism and Buddhism throughout the world responded to Emperor Taizu and took action to suppress evil demons. Some who committed many evils were killed in the battles, but such great demons could not be killed or driven away. We could only try our best to suppress them."
"The places for suppression were carefully selected. Each suppression point is a feng shui treasure, and some are even directly connected to the dragon vein."
"That sounds impressive."
“The predecessors who suppressed the great demon suffered heavy casualties and had to entrust the guarding to the younger generation,” Zhang Liuzhen said. “The Zhang family built the Reflection Cliff above the place where the great demon was suppressed, firstly to facilitate the guarding, and secondly to use the popularity of people and the luck of the students who came here to strengthen the formation.”
The Zhang family's method of borrowing fortune is certainly not about stealing the student's luck or harming the student's physical body.
If we divide fortune into science, it is called Qi and luck.
When one's energy is at its peak, one's fortune is at its peak; when one's fortune declines, one's energy is at its lowest. Energy and fortune are like grasshoppers on the same rope, which is why they are often mentioned together. Outsiders then assume that they are the same thing.
Even some students with limited knowledge and poor academic performance could not distinguish between the two.
Among them, qi is further divided into many types.
There are many types of qi in a person. The most common type of qi is called human qi, which actually refers to the breath of a living person.
Goblins hate human presence the most, because human presence is a mixed bag, and also because the vitality of human presence is precisely what counters them.
The Cliff of Contemplation borrows from the complex and mixed energy within a person.
The students punished here were either violent, aggrieved, or reflecting on their actions...
The violent, resentful, and repentant energy emanating from them can all be used by this formation to transform into energy that suppresses the great demon.
These energies are actively emitted by them; of course, the presence of powerful demons strengthens the "energy" within them.
Therefore, if a tyrannical person comes here and cannot calm down and repent, he will become even more tyrannical after leaving. The Cliff of Repentance is his permanent residence.
Aren't there more than a dozen people imprisoned for life in the cave right next to the great demon?
Those weren't just evil cultivators in the martial arts world, but also disciples from academies.
Naturally, those who repent are more acutely aware of their mistakes... That's why this place is called the Cliff of Repentance.
It is true that a single thought can lead to enlightenment and return one to the human realm, while a single thought can lead one to hell and fall to the bottom of a cliff.
“Back then, the royal family agreed to let the Zhang family establish an academy. One of the reasons we chose the foot of the Cliff of Contemplation as the location of the academy was to use the popularity of the academy to strengthen the suppression formation. Facts have proven that we were right. Since your ascension, the spiritual energy of the world has surged, the dragon veins have revived, and the formations of several towns with great demons have all broken down,” Zhang Liuzhen paused and then said, “As far as I know, two great demons have already escaped, and the situation of the rest is even worse than that of the Cliff of Contemplation.”
Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "Humans are strange creatures. When there is no external danger, they will fall into internal strife, which often causes humanity to stop progressing or even regress. So, in order to maintain balance, God will give humanity a powerful external crisis at the right time, so that humanity can move forward bravely instead of indulging in internal strife."
Zhang Liuzhen: ...
Pan Yun raised his hand and made a grasping motion: "The dragon vein has been revived, releasing so much spiritual energy. Meanwhile, the cultivation techniques of our Great Ming have been spread for more than 30 years, and human lifespan, physical fitness, and martial prowess have all increased. Heaven cannot possibly favor only humans; it is only natural that other creatures have also been enhanced."
"You, like Abbot Wang, have decided to ignore this?"
Pan Yun glanced at him: "How do you expect me to manage this?"
After a moment of silence, Zhang Liuzhen said, "At least we can't let it wreak havoc on the world."
Pan Jun smiled slightly: "It's my pleasure to serve you."
Before he finished speaking, Pan Jun disappeared from his spot and reappeared at the bottom of the cliff in the familiar cave.
The water flooded the cave, submerging almost half of the great demon's body. The chains still tightly bound it, but it was full of life, only more emaciated.
As soon as Pan Yun appeared in the cave, it immediately raised its neck, its eyes as big as lanterns staring at her, and instantly recognized her: "It's you?"
It was surprised: "You're still alive, and your cultivation level..."
It paused, becoming even more cautious: "I can't even see through your cultivation level. Were you the First Marquis or the Third Marquis when you came last time?"
Pan Jun chuckled softly and said, "We're old friends, you must have heard what we were saying upstairs, right?"
The great demon braced itself on the ground with its palms, resting its massive head on its hands, so that it was almost eye-to-eye with Pan Yun: "It's been a while since I last saw you, and you've become so powerful that you can even command the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain?"
Pan Yun smiled, extended her palm, and a ball of white and gold energy appeared in her palm.
The great demon felt a chill run down his spine, tilted his head back, and looked down at her with condescending eyes. He said cautiously, "You, you are an immortal? How come you are still here? No, that's not right. Since the Tang Dynasty, no mortal has become an immortal. How did you become an immortal?"
Pan Yun: "Even the spiritual energy between heaven and earth has become active. What is impossible in this world?"
"Then we demons..."
"Although demons and humans are not the same kind of beings, and demons eat humans just like humans eat chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep, humans do not eat creatures that have gained intelligence. This is common knowledge. Those who violate this rule are equivalent to demons, and everyone has the right to kill them. Heaven will also punish them severely. I think that demons that have gained intelligence should be treated the same as humans."
The great demon remained silent.
Pan Jun stepped forward and patted its paw like a brother, saying, "Brother, you've cultivated to this level, can eating people increase your Yuan Power? Is that little bit of cultivation comparable to being struck by lightning during your tribulation?"
The great demon was deep in thought.
Pan Yun's final, deadly question: "Does human flesh taste good?"
The great demon looked disgusted.
Pan Jun saw this and shrugged: "See, even you think it tastes bad, why bother harming others?"
"I don't necessarily have to eat people when I kill them."
“In that case, if the person makes the first move, I definitely won’t stop you,” Pan Jun said, shaking his head as he saw the great demon still deep in thought. “Brother, haven’t you figured this out after all these years of being stationed at the foot of the Cliff of Contemplation?”
The great demon snapped out of its daze and glared at Pan Yun: "It's not that I haven't figured it out, it's that you humans are cunning, and the Heavenly Dao is biased towards you!"
Pan Yun shook her finger: "No, the way of Heaven is the fairest. It is neither biased towards humans nor towards demons. All things are equal."
"Therefore, if a person's power surpasses that of all things in this world, the Heavenly Dao will either cleave him to pieces or open a spatial passage to allow him to ascend and leave. The same applies to demons and all other things."
The great demon was stunned for a moment, then instantly realized: "Why didn't you perish, but ascended instead? How did Heaven choose between the two?"
"Because I'm strong, it can't kill me."
The great demon narrowed his eyes: "Has something new happened in the mortal realm, which is why you became an immortal? Heaven needs to maintain balance, so the dragon veins are shaking, and it's time to let us out..."
The great demon laughed loudly: "In other words, even if you don't release us, we will eventually break through the formation and gain our freedom."
Pan Yun waved her hand to disperse the breath that was spraying towards her. Luckily, she knew it had a strong breath and that there had been an invisible barrier between her and the creature since she entered the cave, otherwise she would have been suffocated by the breath.
She looked at it silently: "Then guess whether I can kill you before you break free."
Pan Yun said, "Those people couldn't kill you because their cultivation level wasn't high enough. Do you think I can't either?"
The great demon felt a chill run down his spine and looked at her with suspicion and uncertainty.
After a moment, she suppressed her murderous intent and patted its paw again in a friendly manner: "Just kidding, we've eaten together twice, how could I kill you?"
The great demon isn't really stupid, so why would it believe such polite words from humans?
Humans are so hypocritical; just now, their murderous intent was clearly about to slit its throat.
However, the great demon did start to think about it seriously.
Actually, it doesn't necessarily have to kill people. It's just that it's about to break free from its constraints. After suffering underground for a hundred years, what's wrong with it venting its frustrations?
Of course, if it's life-threatening, it doesn't necessarily have to vent. (End of Chapter)