"Little friend, you have a trace of Golden Immortal level demonic mark on you!"
"What?"
"It's very likely a Golden Immortal level demon placed a curse on you before dying!"
"Holy crap! When did I offend a Golden Immortal level demon?"
Yang Hong was on the verge of tears. Golden Immortals were sixth-tier immortals, beings said to be eternally incorruptible and live as long as heaven and earth!
He truly had no idea when he had encountered such a terrifying being!
Jing Kong's eyes shot out golden light, directly illuminating Yang Hong. This time, Yang Hong did not dodge, allowing Venerable Jing Kong to see him openly.
After thirty breaths, Jing Kong retracted the golden light from his eyes and said,
"According to my observation, it's unlikely a Golden Immortal level demon lord personally cursed you. It should be a wisp of a Golden Immortal's soul that cursed you.
Furthermore, there is a soul mark left by a Profound Immortal on you.
How in the world did you manage to offend a Profound Immortal and a Golden Immortal while still in the mortal cultivation world?"
"Even I, who have cultivated for sixty thousand years, have not offended a Profound Immortal!"
Listening to Venerable Jing Kong's teasing, Yang Hong felt even more like crying.
He had a slight idea about the Profound Immortal's soul mark – it was left by the nascent soul from the Dao Tian Sect. However, he had absolutely no clue about the Golden Immortal level demonic curse.
"Does the Venerable know how to break this soul mark and demonic curse?"
"Heh heh~ It's very simple. Exceed the strength of the one who cast the curse and erase it directly with your own powerful strength.
If you wish to seek help from others, you will need to invite a Grand Unity."
"Hiss~~"
Grand Unity!
The lowest being a seventh-tier immortal, beings said to number less than ten thousand in the entire immortal realm!
How could they possibly act for a mere mortal cultivator like him?
Forget it, no use thinking about it. It's more practical to focus on cultivating himself.
"Thank you for your guidance, Venerable."
"Take care, little friend. I hope we can meet again."
Venerable Jing Kong had no desire to keep Yang Hong. He was also worried that if he wasn't careful, he might also contract that Golden Immortal level demonic curse, which would be fatal!
However, he still sent a telepathic message to Yang Hong: "Ascend quickly. The power of the ascension realm can weaken part of the curse, making it harder for that Golden Immortal demon to locate you."
"Thank you for your guidance, Venerable!"
Hearing this, Yang Hong turned and bowed deeply to Venerable Jing Kong to express his gratitude.
It seemed that not all Buddhists were bad people.
With a sigh, he returned to his disciples, formed the Sky Roc Grand Formation, and rapidly flew back to Qing Xun Plain. Then, using a teleportation array, they quickly teleported to Nine Plum Mountain in Qian Ran Plain.
Utilizing formations to gather the collective strength and break through space, they completed the journey of over 200 million li in just fourteen days.
Upon returning to Qing Feng Villa, Yang Hong immediately declared that Qing Feng Villa would enter a semi-secluded state, with the entire sect entering a cultivation phase. Elixirs and spirit stones were unlimited; disciples could use as much as they could refine.
Qing Feng Villa would not engage in external conflicts or initiate foreign trade. Those who wished to trade should come to the designated area in Liu Hua Plain.
This was a gesture of goodwill towards the immortal and Buddhist sects.
Now that demons existed and had indeed appeared, it was time to maintain friendly relations with the immortal and Buddhist sects. If they encountered demons they couldn't defeat, they would have allies.
On Qing Feng Mountain, Yang Hong summoned his disciples. Of course, only outer disciples with cultivation above the sixth-tier Nascent Soul stage, and all inner disciples, were eligible to attend.
There were 283 tribulation-passing realm disciples, 8,829 integration realm disciples, 40,821 nascent soul realm disciples, 6 spirit-devouring realm disciples, 2 golden core realm disciples, and 1 foundation establishment realm disciple.
Looking at the dense crowd standing on the main hall plaza of the sect, Yang Hong felt a surge of pride.
These were his disciples, nearly fifty thousand high-level cultivators. Even an ordinary eighth-grade sect would not have so many high-level disciples.
As for comparing with ninth-grade sects, that was out of the question. Ninth-grade sects had ninth-tier Mahayana realm cultivators to anchor them, and they had to have ancestors who had ascended to the immortal realm to be recognized as ninth-grade sects.
Qing Feng Villa did have six grand-aunt masters who had ascended to the immortal realm, but no Mahayana realm disciples had been born yet.
However, they were only lacking a little in this aspect. Therefore, Yang Hong planned to give a lecture on cultivation techniques and divine arts to help his disciples accelerate their cultivation. He intended to cultivate rapidly so he could ascend quickly.
"Greetings, Sect Master. May the Sect Master enjoy eternal happiness and live as long as heaven."
"Greetings, Sect Master. May the Sect Master enjoy eternal happiness and live as long as heaven."
"Greetings, Sect Master. May the Sect Master enjoy eternal happiness and live as long as heaven."
As Yang Hong walked out of the main sect hall, the earth-shattering welcoming cheers made him feel a bit dizzy.
The blessing of "live as long as heaven" was not an ignorant fantasy in the cultivation world. To cultivators, once they ascended, they could live as long as heaven and earth, hence "live as long as heaven."
Yang Hong, who had just broken through to the ninth level of the tribulation-passing realm after destroying an ancient ruin, was now on the verge of breaking through to the Mahayana realm and could ascend at any time.
This phrase, "enjoy eternal happiness and live as long as heaven," was the most simple and sincere wish.
Smiling, he accepted his disciples' well wishes and lightly pressed his palm down, and the plaza instantly fell silent.
"You have followed me for nearly two hundred years, haven't you?"
"Sect Master, it hasn't been two hundred years. It's only been one hundred and eighty-seven years since you brought us out of Yu Rou Plain."
Ke Ji Mei stepped forward as a representative to answer. She sighed inwardly.
As a grand elder of a third-rate sect, she had thought that cultivating to the Nascent Soul realm in a thousand years was amazing. Being captured and made a servant at Qing Feng Villa felt very unfair.
She never expected that in just one hundred and eighty-seven years, she had become a tribulation-passing realm mighty figure, with ascension within reach.
And at Qing Feng Villa, there were many disciples who had cultivated from zero to the Nascent Soul realm in one hundred and eighty-seven years.
"It's already been one hundred and eighty-seven years. Time flies. If they were mortals, six or seven generations would have already reproduced?"
With a sigh, Yang Hong instantly felt much older. He then shifted the topic to the main point:
"Today, I will open the altar to lecture on the Dharma. Listen carefully. Disciples below the Nascent Soul stage, if you can't bear it, find a place to sleep; you will still benefit a little."
"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the origin of heaven and earth; the namer is the mother of all things.
Therefore, always without desire, one observes its mysteries; always with desire, one observes its manifestations.
These two emerge from the same source but differ in name; this common source is called the profound. Profound and more profound, the gate to all wonders..."
Instead of directly teaching cultivation techniques, Yang Hong began with the "Tao Te Ching," expounding on the profound mysteries of the Tao.
As soon as he spoke, spiritual energy converged from the sky. After reciting a short passage, spiritual energy condensed into mist and began to swirl around him.
"All people in the world know beauty as beauty, and in so doing, recognize ugliness. They all know good as good, and in so doing, recognize evil..."
As Yang Hong lectured, he himself entered a state of enlightenment. The scriptures he chanted transformed directly into true words. All the rules he comprehended emanated from his body, influencing the surrounding world.
Spiritual energy on the entire plaza condensed into dazzling crystal lotuses. Under the infusion of rules, the lotuses slowly bloomed, emitting pure spiritual energy imbued with rules, making it easier for the disciples on the plaza to absorb.
"The reversal is the movement of the Tao; the weak is the function of the Tao. All things in the world are born from existence, and existence is born from non-existence..."
The scriptures continued to be lectured. Towards the end, Yang Hong needed an hour to utter a single character, but each character contained the profound rhyme of rules, incredibly mysterious.
Spiritual energy lotuses had condensed everywhere in the entire Qian Ran Plain. Everyone, whether mortal, cultivator, or demon, entered a profound state of enlightenment.
Even the plants and trees swayed mysteriously, touched and transformed by the scriptures.