Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 96: Mind Enters Eternal Hell, Transforming Illusion into Reality to Manifest a Sacred Form

"Everyone, look!"

Outside the Ten Thousand Laws Sect Altar, the dignitaries who had come to witness the ceremony cried out in alarm.

A magnificent light shone from within the building, veiled in rosy clouds and a misty, dreamlike haze. It was no different from the Celestial Immortal Realm of myths and legends.

Even more astonishingly, spiritual forms manifested within the rosy clouds, coalescing into the shapes of a true dragon and a white tiger. They intertwined and illuminated one another, while ethereal feathers seemed to drift down, creating a scene of serene sanctity.

The scene was so breathtakingly shocking that the crowd almost believed they were not in reality, but living in a legend, witnessing the heavenly ascension of a True Immortal who had attained the Dao through Cultivation.

"His heart enters the Eternal Hell, Transforming Illusion into Reality to manifest his sacred form."

A complex look appeared in Wei Cheng’s eyes. The Elder Celestial Master had been a Saint for a hundred years; his Cultivation was already unfathomable.

Yet even so, he could not break the natural laws of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

Where, then, did the path of the Great Dao lead?

In the courtyard, the Elder Celestial Master shattered his Great Pill and sublimated his very being. He opened the book of his life, demonstrating the most important Taoist Skills he had learned. The profound and mystical state of this act plunged everyone into a deep Meditation Realm.

A Pure Qi seemed to rise from Zhou Qingchen’s body. She sat cross-legged on the ground, her figure so ethereal it looked as if she might ascend into the sky.

A divine light shone from Huang Tianhu’s eyes. He sat on the ground, a brush in his hand and various pigments beside him, rapidly painting his every insight onto paper so they could be preserved for posterity.

Ding Huiyuan’s expression was one of nirvanic tranquility. His usual cynical rebelliousness had vanished. As his organs operated, the faint sound of scripture could be heard.

...

Everyone was having their own epiphany.

This was especially true for Zhang Taifeng, who sat at the very front. His expression was serene. Amidst his extreme sorrow, he entered a state of great meditative stability. The Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal he held trembled slightly, as if resonating with him.

He hailed from Dragon Tiger Mountain, practiced the Dragon and Tiger Elixir Dao, and was the successor to the position of Celestial Master. Naturally, his insights into the Elder Celestial Master’s life experiences were the deepest.

Earth-shattering changes were quietly taking place within his body. His Yin and Yang harmonized, and in his great meditative state, a True Pill condensed. As his organs, Qi, blood, and breath resonated, the sound of a dragon and tiger clashing emerged.

When the pill formed, the dragon and tiger appeared.

Zhang Taifeng, the sixty-fifth Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, at the age of thirty, received the teachings of the sixty-fourth Celestial Master, Zhang Daoming, in the Ten Thousand Laws Sect Altar and achieved Ascension on the spot.

The old Saint fell, and a new Saint was born. A life had passed, but the will endured.

And besides Zhang Taifeng, Yi Beidou was the one who had gained the most.

He was different from other Saints. He cultivated the Free Heart Technique, endured twenty years of tribulations, and achieved Ascension on the spot once his Freedom Technique was complete. He lacked the gradual insights that other Saints gained on their path, and he didn’t even know a single Technique after his Ascension, needing to learn Martial Arts from scratch.

Although he had read Martial Arts classics and understood the details and key points of various Martial Arts Dao realms, it was as the saying goes: what is learned from paper is ultimately shallow. Without personal experience, there would always be something missing.

Now, the Elder Celestial Master was using the Corpse Dissolving Method to transmit the Great Dao, revealing the important milestones of his life’s Cultivation and perfectly making up for the gaps in Yi Beidou’s experience.

The introduction to the Martial Arts Dao: Posture Stance and forms, understanding Qi and blood, and recognizing Power. This is called "Ming Jin."

As one’s skill deepens, Qi and blood strengthen, and the use of Power and Techniques gradually becomes masterful, ingrained as bodily instinct. This is called "Expert." At this realm, one can roam the martial world, and even several armed opponents would find it difficult to get close.

When Techniques and Power are integrated, profound, and internalized, moving from the external to the internal, the organs achieve harmony, and every movement unifies the entire body. This is called "Tonghui Internalization."

A step further, Qi and blood grow powerful, and Heart Intent becomes like iron. One’s actions carry Divine Intent, and a single punch can seize a person’s mind. This is the realm of "Mighty Spirit," which is divided into the two layers of "Soul Capturing" and "Soul Stealing."

At Soul-Stealing Peak, Heart Intent shatters the boundary of life and death. One can then transcend mortal limits, experience a Transformed Body, and achieve Body Ascension, becoming impervious to blades and spears—an Immortal in the mortal world.

But Body Ascension is not the end point either.

Mediating Seven Souls, Re-Creating Yin and Yang to form a Dharma Body.

Harmonized True Qi, commanding Ghost Gods to manifest Divine Power.

Heart entering Eternal Hell, Transforming Illusion into Reality to manifest a sacred form.

Yi Beidou and the others had only just reached the realm of "Harmonized True Qi." But the Elder Celestial Master, a Saint for a hundred years, was already capable of Transforming Illusion into Reality, manifesting a sacred form in the mortal world.

The misty, rosy clouds enveloping the entire Ten Thousand Laws Sect Altar, and the churning, intertwining forms of the dragon and tiger, were visible to the naked eye, tangible and real—a testament to his power.

At this realm, the possibility of bestowing one’s will and achieving rebirth through Corpse Dissolution becomes available.

For several full hours, the Elder Celestial Master demonstrated all the Dao and Skill of his life.

The rosy clouds covering the Ten Thousand Laws Sect Altar began to contract, while the Elder Celestial Master’s own condition grew even more dire.

Blood seeped from the skin all over his body, and it flowed from his mouth and nose. The white under-robe he wore was completely soaked, turning it blood-red.

The Corpse Dissolving Technique involves one’s personal magnetic field Transforming Illusion into Reality, revealing a true radiance as waves of True Intent penetrate the very spiritual marrow. How could such a thing be done lightly?

This was a Dharma Gate that required the price of one’s life. Otherwise, Corpse Dissolvers could simply create multiple reincarnated bodies that possessed their memories to mitigate risks.

Unfortunately, that was impossible. The Heart Intent is limitless, but the human body is finite. To demonstrate a lifetime of Dao and Skill, one had to stake one’s entire life and Cultivation on a single, all-or-nothing gamble.

After using this Dharma Gate, even a Saint’s Life Force would be extinguished on the spot within moments, with no chance of revival.

The Elder Celestial Master’s life had reached its end.

However, at this very moment, the Elder Celestial Master’s eyes snapped open. His personal magnetic field and True Intent, which had been gradually dissipating, suddenly surged in a final, brilliant burst of life.

"I ask you: at the end of life, at the peak of the Dao, today I cast off this mortal shell, abandon form and consciousness, and return to nature!"

The next moment, everyone’s hearts trembled as they witnessed an unbelievable scene.

The light around the Elder Celestial Master’s body suddenly converged, and from his spent and dying form, a figure of light stepped out.

Forged from rosy clouds, his primordial spirit left his body. It looked exactly like the Elder Celestial Master.

The figure of light detached from the physical form, and with a light tap of its feet, it soared into the air.

Ascending to the heavens, soaring amidst rosy clouds.

"Th-that’s...?!!"

Outside the Ten Thousand Laws Sect Altar, all the observing dignitaries felt their scalps tingle, staring dumbfounded at the human-shaped figure of light flying in mid-air.

Could the legends be true? Does the Immortal Realm really exist?!

The tales of daytime ascension have existed since ancient times, but no one has ever been able to prove whether they are true or false.

However, the Elder Celestial Master’s figure did not fly up into the sky.

He knew full well that this "ascension to the heavens" was a delusion. The Immortal Realm did not exist in this world. Right now, he was nothing more than a personal magnetic field that had detached from his body. Without the anchor of a physical form, he would dissipate into nothingness under the assault of the world’s "Gang Wind" in a matter of minutes.

But it was precisely because he had shed his physical form that his senses for certain things were now even sharper.

He would use this last bit of strength to do one final thing for Dragon Tiger Mountain.

"You evil spirits, hiding in the shadows, did you really think I was unaware? Today, I will shatter your Taoist Skills and expose you for what you are!"

The Elder Celestial Master’s voice thundered, but it was not produced by a physical body. It was generated by the vibrations of his magnetic field, transmitted through Heart Intent.

「Meanwhile, at the foot of Dragon Tiger Mountain.」

Three figures hid in the mountain forest, gazing up toward Dragon Tiger Mountain, where they could see bursts of rosy light.

"Zhang Daoming has been a Saint for a hundred years, and he is truly remarkable. He already has the ability to enter the Eternal Hell and achieve rebirth through Corpse Dissolution. It’s a pity he doesn’t know how to cherish it, scattering his own Cultivation just to protect his lifelong reputation. Utterly foolish. Wasting the opportunity of a lifetime," one of the figures said lightly.

"If he hadn’t scattered his Cultivation, how would we have gotten this chance? In a way, he’s the one who made this possible for us," another figure said with a laugh.

"I can faintly sense the aura of a new Ascension. Perhaps the successor of Dragon Tiger Mountain has reached the Saint Realm. This could be a bit troublesome," Dong Xuanzi said with a frown.

"Then we must act quickly. While this person’s realm is unstable, having just achieved Ascension, they will be easy to control..." the first figure said.

But before he could finish his sentence, the expressions of all three changed drastically.

They could vaguely see a human-shaped figure of light soaring into the sky above Dragon Tiger Mountain, its gaze falling in their direction.

BOOM!!

In that instant, even separated by mountains and rivers, the three of them felt an intense stimulation of their True Intent. Karma intertwined, and their bodies reacted instinctively, subconsciously erupting with a powerful fluctuation of aura.

The Dharma Gate they were using to conceal their presence was instantly broken.