Chapter 10 Several Lifes

“Dozens of *benming*, quite a feat…”

Daoist Chang Lin’s eyes narrowed.

Cultivators in the *benming* realm can rely on their *benming* to fly through the air, but not all *benming* are flying swords. Within the Great Qing, there are many sword cultivator sects, but the only force capable of dispatching dozens of *benming* cultivators in one go is the Heavenly Will Teaching.

The Heavenly Will Teaching has a long history, and in recent decades, it has dominated the Great Qing, widely opening its doors. Not only does it recruit disciples, but it also attracts many rogue cultivators, evil cultivators, and even demonic cultivators as guest elders.

It is not surprising that they can dispatch dozens of *benming*, because there are one hundred and twenty major provinces and six hundred minor provinces in the world. If each province has one *benming* cultivator stationed there, that already amounts to nearly a thousand people.

The Heavenly Will Teaching can compete with the Yin-Yang City Gods, partly due to the full support of the Great Qing Dynasty, but its own strength should not be underestimated.

“So many *benming* cultivators, no wonder they can compete with the Yin-Yang City Gods…”

Mingxin, the Daoist boy, also heard the sound of flying swords piercing through the air and couldn't help but sigh in admiration as he looked up.

It was also the first time he had seen so many cultivators, let alone *benming* cultivators.

“The flying swords are stained with baleful aura, and the power of incense is condensed and lingers. Not a few City Gods have died at their hands…”

Daoist Chang Lin was inwardly alarmed.

He saw one of the sword lights suddenly descend, pointing directly at Golden Bell Mountain.

*Whoosh~*

Amidst the rolling air currents, a young Daoist stood in mid-air, loudly proclaiming:

“Is True Man Chang Lin of Golden Bell Tower present? Jia Zheng of the Heavenly Will Teaching requests an audience!”

The young Daoist was eight feet tall, full of youthful spirit, his voice like a sword piercing the sky, directly passing through the great formation and resounding within the Golden Bell Tower mountain gate.

However, due to the barrier of the great formation, those inside could see out, but those outside could not see in.

“Jia Zheng?”

Daoist Chang Lin’s heart stirred, and he glanced at the Daoist boy, Mingxin.

The latter sighed helplessly and called out in a loud voice:

“May I ask what brings the Daoist priest here? My teacher was injured some time ago and is in seclusion, unable to receive guests!”

“Unable to receive guests?”

In mid-air, Jia Zheng frowned:

“Is True Man Chang Lin truly not present?”

The Daoist boy, Mingxin, glanced at Daoist Chang Lin and replied in a loud voice: “My teacher is in seclusion and truly cannot receive guests! If the Daoist priest has any instructions, please feel free to speak, and I will be sure to convey them to my teacher when he comes out of seclusion!”

“Truly not present?”

Jia Zheng’s eyes flickered, and then he called out loudly:

“Since the True Man is indisposed, this poor Daoist will not disturb him.”

With that, the sword light shifted away.

Within the mountain gate, the Daoist boy, Mingxin, breathed a sigh of relief: “The Daoists of this Heavenly Will Teaching don’t seem as tyrannical as the rumors suggest.”

“You are so naive. I fear you will suffer eternal damnation after my death.”

Daoist Chang Lin’s expression remained serious, and upon hearing his disciple’s naive words, he couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh:

“The Heavenly Will Teaching is currently competing with the Yin-Yang City Gods; why would they offend others at this time? Besides, with the great formation as our reliance, even if these *benming* cultivators attack together, I can kill three or five of them.”

And this Liang Province, this world, has more than just Golden Bell Tower.

Although the Heavenly Will Teaching has formidable strength, how can it make enemies of all the cultivators in the world?

After all, cultivators do not have the same severe restrictions as the Yin-Yang City Gods.

*Whoosh~*

The sword light soared into the sky, and Jia Zheng’s face was slightly gloomy.

Another Daoist transmitted his voice:

“Did that Daoist Chang Lin refuse to come out?”

“Indeed! That old geezer didn’t even say a word, clearly unwilling to leave the mountain.”

Jia Zheng’s expression was grim.

“It’s not surprising. After all, few in the world dare to be enemies with these City Gods. But when the Teaching Master achieves his great cause and settles accounts one by one, they will know what’s what.”

Another middle-aged Daoist snorted coldly and asked with suspicion:

“Compared to that, I’m more curious about the fact that we’ve been in this Liang Province for three days and have passed through no less than seventy cities, yet we haven’t seen a single City God. Have these wandering souls and wild ghosts truly fled without a trace?”

The other Daoists also frowned.

As the Great Qing Dynasty began to target many City Gods, the situation had begun to reverse. Although the Heavenly Will Teaching suffered heavy casualties, the losses of these City Gods were even greater.

Although the smashing of City God temples in the mortal realm would not interfere with the City God mansions in the incense-offering realm, the loss of support from the outside world would greatly diminish the strength of any City God in the mortal realm.

Other places were still going smoothly, but this Liang Province…

“City Gods do not cross provinces. This is an order from the Underworld Monarch. They cannot escape Liang Province!”

Jia Zheng sneered:

“They killed people, destroyed temples, and still want to run? There’s no such thing! We’ll search all the way. I don’t believe they can fly to the heavens or burrow into the earth!”

“Speaking of which, we should thank that Underworld Monarch. If not for his restrictions on many City Gods, this battle would be ten times more difficult!”

An old Daoist laughed heartily:

“What City Gods and ghosts? Without their master, they are just a bunch of wandering souls and wild ghosts!”

City Gods do not possess bodies, City Gods do not leave provinces… When that Underworld Monarch established the order of the underworld, the restrictions on the resident Yin Gods, the City Gods, were beyond imagination.

Otherwise, with the power of the City Gods, after losing contact with the underworld, they would have taken over the entire mortal realm in the first place. Where would there be any business for their Heavenly Will Teaching?

“That’s right!”

“We must kill these wandering souls and wild ghosts!”

“Let’s go!”

A group of Daoists from the Heavenly Will Teaching roared and flew away, leaving behind trails of scorching white energy that lingered for a long time.

…

“What is Divine Power (*shentong*)?”

Listening to Yan Xiake’s question, An Qisheng pondered for a moment before saying:

“Martial artists practice martial arts, whether it’s knives, spears, sticks, or fists, legs, fingers, and palms, they all rely on the body to perform. Whether there’s internal energy (*neiqi*) enhancement or not, it’s all called technique (*ji*)…”

On the mountainside named Taiji Mountain by An Qisheng, An Qisheng leaned back on the rocking chair he made himself, explaining his understanding to Yan Xiake:

“Taking technique a step further, it becomes Art (*shu*). Art, such as talismans, magic tools, and even the internal energy leaving the body among mortal martial artists. This is essentially using the small to gain the large, using one’s own internal energy, magic power to influence the essence of heaven and earth, from drawing talismans to summoning wind and rain, moving mountains and filling seas, all of these are called Art.”

“Moving mountains and filling seas, summoning wind and rain, are these just within the scope of magic arts?”

Yan Xiake was somewhat surprised.

These were legendary Divine Powers.

“Naturally, it’s Art.”

An Qisheng’s eyes slightly closed, and he said faintly: “Whether it’s summoning wind and rain or moving mountains and seas, the essence has not deviated from the scope of Art. It’s nothing more than magic power influencing the essence of heaven and earth, thereby performing it. Once you cut off the magic power, the wind will stop and the rain will cease.

“Divine Power lies in the fact that even if you cut off the magic power, even if you die, it can still exist. This is called Divine Power…”

In the Imperial Heaven Realm, even though there aren’t too many cultivators in the past 100,000 years, and there have been many discontinuities, the things that have been passed down are extremely numerous.

During these days, in addition to pondering and speculating on his own path, An Qisheng has been studying everything in the Imperial Heaven Realm.

From receiving the mandate from the heavens to relying on the nascent soul (*yuanshen*), from drawing talismans to summoning wind and rain, moving mountains and seas, and even Divine Power.

His Qi Seed has been achieved, and its foundation does not lie in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. However, by replacing it, he can also perform any magic arts or even Divine Power of this realm.

Naturally, he has his own understanding of the Divine Power of this realm.

The magic arts of this realm, from the small Armor Horse Technique to the large summoning of wind and rain, are essentially a means of driving them with divine power, and the magic power then interferes with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is like oil, and magic power is like a spark. The combination of the two naturally produces a power that is not comparable to either one alone.

But there are also differences. When the ‘spark’ of magic power disappears, the ‘oil’ of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth also goes out, causing no ripples.

Divine Power is different.

It can exist automatically without magic power, just like an incarnation. Not only can it exist independently between heaven and earth, but it can even absorb the essence of heaven and earth to strengthen itself.

Just like that strand of hair of True Man Heavenly Will before, it can leave the magic power and independently absorb the essence of heaven and earth. Precisely because of this, even tens of thousands of miles away, it can still defeat the combined strike of two hundred City Gods.

“I see…”

Yan Xiake was slightly enlightened:

“When I read the Daoist scriptures, I once saw some records that said that before True Man Chiding ascended in ancient times, he suppressed a demon until his ascension without disappearing.

“Even after that demon died of old age, it still existed. This is Divine Power, right?”

“That’s right.”

An Qisheng nodded.

In the Imperial Heaven Realm over the past 100,000 years, there have naturally been ascenders. True Man Chiding was one of them. The Daoist sect he founded has long disappeared in the river of time.

But his Chiding Nine Fire Scripture is still circulating in the world, as the secret scripture of the Great Qing sect, Danding Sect.

“Cannot understand.”

Although he knew its classification, Yan Xiake still couldn’t understand it.

Although he had picked up a volume of Daoist scriptures by chance and entered the Dao, it was just a sword scripture, and the introduction to cultivation and magic arts was very scarce.

Naturally, let alone Divine Power.

His volume of sword scripture, *benming* was already the end, without even a method to enter the Dao, let alone the Divine Power after becoming a True Man.

“It’s indeed difficult to understand without reaching that step.”

An Qisheng seemed quite interested and raised his hand, pointing slightly in the void:

“I cultivate the Taiji Induction Chapter, using the Five Qi Revolving to the Origin as my foundation, deriving twenty-four body gods, combined with the five viscera gods, totaling twenty-four Divine Powers…”

Traveling through the three realms, nearly a hundred years of hard cultivation, plus the accumulation of the past military lords of the Long Floating Realm for three thousand years, his own foundation was too rich. After the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top was achieved, naturally, twenty-four Divine Powers were achieved.

This Divine Power originated from his Taiji Unrestrained Hands (*taiji sanshou*), but it’s also different. It is both the foundation for him to carry his five styles of Unrestrained Hands, and the Divine Power rooted in himself, or rather, his instinct.

Just like people eating, drinking water, breathing, and blinking.

*Buzz~*

As An Qisheng’s finger landed, ripples gradually appeared in the void, spreading in all directions, forming a small Xuan Light Mirror.

The picture in the Xuan Light Mirror gradually became clear, and constantly stretched from near to far.

Soon, it had crossed the mountains and was fixed outside the mountains, next to a mountain forest:

“After listening for so long, I wonder if Your Excellency has any insights?”

Just outside the mountains, on the side of the mountain forest, on the long-disrepaired official road, a person paced leisurely, like a scholar from an academy on a spring outing, with every move being indescribably relaxed and natural.

“Who?”

Yan Xiake’s heart trembled, and he stared intently, and was immediately startled.

He saw that man wearing a blue shirt, with no crown or bun on his head, with black hair draped over his shoulders, and deep eyes like the sea.

Few people in the world don’t recognize this person.

Outside many states and counties in the Great Qing, there are Daoist temples erected with his statues.

He is True Man Heavenly Will!