"After the ancient era, immortal paths withered, spiritual energy became scarce, and longevity was hard to attain."
"Martial Saints opened the martial path, forging another way for our human race."
"The martial path is to transform the human body into a furnace and a treasure vault, refining all things in the world within oneself, turning them into a treasure vault, and opening the path forward in martial arts."
"The ancient martial path was to walk the immortal path through martial arts, seeking immortality and freedom."
"However, this path was too cruel, harming countless descendants."
"In the martial path, one either possesses heaven-shattering combat power and forges their own martial path, or they absorb the essence of all things, incorporating them into themselves, achieving longevity and freedom without becoming an immortal, known as a Land Immortal."
"This old man absorbed the essence of all things, incorporating it into himself, allowing him to live for hundreds of years. Although I indulged in play for centuries, I ultimately could not escape turning into a handful of yellow sand."
Chen Jiuyang looked down, realizing that this Peng Zu Longevity Method was about refining the essence of all things in the world within oneself, transforming oneself into a great medicine that could grant longevity.
According to the inheritance of the Pure Yang Medical Immortal, Chen Jiuyang determined that this Peng Zu cultivation method was of the wood element, which allowed him to live for hundreds of years.
Chen Jiuyang continued to read down the stone wall and indeed, it was as he expected.
However, Peng Zu was truly astonishing in his era. He lived for eight hundred years through martial arts, fathering countless descendants. But Peng Zu thought he would turn into yellow sand; instead, he transformed into a large tree, indicating a flaw in the martial arts cultivation method.
Chen Jiuyang recorded the cultivation method, intending to modify it and pass it on to his family for longevity.
Peng Zu's martial path was very similar to the path of invincibility in divine abilities, but Peng Zu forged his own way, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and locking it within his physical body without leakage, thus achieving centuries of life.
Reading to the end, Peng Zu wrote: "I have suppressed my own corpse here because I once encountered an old monster. That old monster was truly terrifying, and I was completely inferior to her in the path of longevity."
"That old monster claimed to have discussed the path of longevity with Sage Confucius. She is a madwoman, and she loves lotuses the most, saying that lotuses in the mud can achieve longevity, and she is the lotus in this muddy world."
"She devours all things in the world to prolong her life. I have seen her consume the life essence of people, and I have also seen her devour dragon脉 and spiritual脉 springs to achieve her longevity."
"However, in my pursuit of longevity, my martial power was insufficient, and I dared not confront her. I leave these words for future generations. My Han descendants must be extremely cautious of this old monster."
Chen Jiuyang was greatly shaken. An old monster who discussed longevity with Sage Confucius, loved lotuses, could she be the legendary old monster of the Lotus Sect?
Chen Jiuyang had not dared to believe what the Chen family head had told him before, but now, in the Peng Zu ruins, with Peng Zu's dying words, it was almost confirmed that the Lotus Sect had an old monster who had lived for a long time by consuming people.
This sent a chill down Chen Jiuyang's spine.
This old monster of the Lotus Sect consumed people's life essence and devoured the spiritual脉 and springs of the Dragon Kingdom. It was likely that Peng Zu and Sage Wang knew this, which was why they sealed the spiritual脉 and springs here to prevent that old monster from consuming them.
He had originally underestimated the Lotus Sect, but now it seemed that the Lotus Sect was truly terrifying...
Just then, a young woman dressed in a moon-white long dress, like a banished immortal, entered the Peng Zu ruins.
This young woman had no martial aura, but the moment Chen Jiuyang saw her, his pupils suddenly constricted. He had seen this woman before.
She was ranked first on the Hidden King List of the Six Gates in Fengcheng, 'Jia Fuben'.
Jia, pronounced 'jia', means 'to flower without bearing fruit', a very rare surname.
Jia Fuben walked into the Peng Zu ruins with her hands behind her back, as if strolling through her own backyard. As she walked, she surveyed the Peng Zu ruins and said, "So this is the Peng Zu ruins, a place where the essence of heaven and earth is concentrated. A good place... Hmm? Is there someone here?"
Jia Fuben looked at Chen Jiuyang, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. "Marquis Xuanyang Chen Jiuyang, I didn't expect you to enter these Peng Zu ruins before me. It seems you truly deserve the title of peerless genius."
Jia Fuben's tone was extremely arrogant, as if it was only right that she should be the first to enter the Peng Zu ruins.
"It's just a false reputation, not worth mentioning," Chen Jiuyang replied.
"You have some self-awareness," Jia Fuben nodded gently with her hands behind her back. After examining the large white fruits on the tree, she came to the stone wall and looked at it again, sighing, "Peng Zu's martial path, walking the wood-element cultivation method, can be said to have reached its extreme. But in the end, his remains turned into essence. The advantages and disadvantages are truly worlds apart, with some merit."
"And this old monster's name, her name appears in every ruin I visit, it's truly tiresome."
"Hmm?" Chen Jiuyang's heart stirred, and he asked, "Miss Jia, have you been to many ruins?"
"I've been to a few," Jia Fuben replied.
"Amitabha! Greetings to Benefactor Chen and Benefactor Jia!" At this moment, Monk Puhui clasped his hands together, a smile on his face, his entire being seeming to have been sublimated, possessing a blend of the evil and the divine.
Jia Fuben looked at Monk Puhui, her gaze shifting, a look of disgust in her eyes. "You old bald donkey actually survived in the heart. Truly, good people don't live long, and bad people live for a thousand years."
"Amitabha," Monk Puhui said, "Thank you for your praise, Benefactor Jia. As the saying goes, if I do not enter hell, who will enter hell."
"Heh," Jia Fuben scoffed, "You've done something proper this time, joining forces with Du Manying and laying a decade-long plan to capture all the aristocratic families in the Lingnan martial arts world."
"Not only the Lingnan martial arts aristocratic families, but also some additional merits have been achieved."
"Old scholar Du should be promoted to the Imperial Capital today to enter the cabinet."
Chen Jiuyang looked at Monk Puhui with surprise.
"Amitabha!" Monk Puhui smiled, "This old monk is struggling to save himself in this sea of suffering, and Mr. Du and I each get what we need. He helps me see the other shore of the sea of suffering, and I help him clear the parasites of Lingnan."
As he spoke, Chen Jiuyang also inferred the overall situation of this Peng Zu ruins incident.
Du Manying knew about Wang Shouren's illusion array and had set up a trap to kill the aristocratic families in the Lingnan martial arts world.
What great courage, to clear out the martial arts aristocratic families of an entire province by himself.
"I'm leaving. I find you old bald donkeys repulsive." With that, Jia Fuben left the Peng Zu ruins as she said, seemingly wary of Monk Puhui.
Chen Jiuyang cupped his fists and said, "Congratulations, Master Puhui, on your progress in the Buddhist path."
How could he not see the earth-shattering changes in Monk Puhui?
Monk Puhui clasped his hands together and congratulated him as well, "Amitabha, congratulations, Benefactor Chen, on completely stepping onto the path of invincible divine abilities. From now on, your鲲鹏 will spread its wings, and the heavens and earth will be vast."
Chen Jiuyang asked, "Master Puhui, do you know Jia Fuben?"
Monk Puhui smiled, "Benefactor Jia possesses my Buddhist sect's Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart and has a connection with my Buddha, but she is unwilling to submit to my Buddhist sect."
"When she was born, the Grand Elder of Shaolin Temple had a premonition, and the 108 Arhats of Shaolin Temple went to the Imperial Capital to protect her. In my youth, this old monk was one of the 108 Arhats of Shaolin Temple and had the honor of meeting Benefactor Jia when she was young."
Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart?
Chen Jiuyang was surprised. This was an incredibly rare and exceptional innate constitution. No wonder Jia Fuben carried herself with such arrogance, looking down on the world; she had the capital for it.
As he spoke, Monk Puhui walked to the stone wall, and then his tone became solemn as he said, "Amitabha."
"I never imagined that Peng Zu had met that old monster, Lotus."
"Benefactor Chen, the Peng Zu ruins have now concluded, and your second tribulation has begun. How do you plan to deal with it?"