Chapter 146
"Mu Rong, you feel so unfamiliar to me."
"Did you come all this way just to buy this thing?"
Mu Rong Xiao chuckled awkwardly, "I've been studying the martial arts of the Buddhist sect lately."
"And then?"
Li Mo was puzzled. The Jin Zhong Zhao (Golden Bell Shield) was indeed a Buddhist martial art that required the practice of Buddhist principles. Was this really your reason for coming to buy it from the Emperor's uncle?
With a serious expression, Mu Rong Xiao explained, "The sutras say, 'Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.' As long as one's mind is clear, seeing beauty is like gazing at withered bones."
"If one does not experience temptation, how can one ignore it? If I don't enter hell, who will?"
"So, I've decided to challenge my weaknesses head-on!"
"......"
Li Mo fell into deep thought. Is this really how one interprets 'form is emptiness'? Is this how one achieves purity of the six senses? Yet, it seemed to make some sense, and he found himself unable to refute it.
Unable to make sense of it, Li Mo could only nod and say, "Alright, just remember to return it after you're done."
"Sure thing, Li brother, take care."
Mu Rong Xiao happily accepted the art book. Just as he was about to head back to confront his weaknesses, Li Mo's voice called out from behind, "By the way, Mu Rong, your understanding of Buddhism should be kept to yourself. Don't go spreading it around."
"Huh? Why not?"
"I'm afraid if it reaches the Buddhist sect, the masters might challenge you on your weaknesses regarding killing."
...
At the main peak's ancestral hall.
The hall was located at the center of the mountain, heavily guarded. Ying Bing followed several elders, traversing a long path before finally arriving.
Along the way, Ying Bing felt several waves of spiritual energy sweep past her. The power of the Qing Yuan Sect was certainly not limited to the elders in plain sight.
After a moment, they arrived at a large door, where a drowsy old man sat.
"Shibo." (Master Uncle)
Shangguan Wen Cang respectfully greeted him with cupped hands.
"Oh, Wen Yuan! It's been a long time since I've seen you. What brings you to visit this old man?" The elder, as if waking from a dream, opened his murky old eyes.
"Shibo, I am Wen Cang," Shangguan Wen Cang said with a wry smile.
"Oh, oh, you're Wen Cang... My memory is failing me."
The elder patted the back of his head and asked, "What brings you here?"
"I've brought the true disciple Ying Bing to meet our ancestors."
Shangguan Wen Cang took out the sect leader's token.
"True disciple..." The elder's gaze passed over the several elders and landed on Ying Bing, who stood quietly. A glimmer of light flashed in his murky eyes.
"Good, very good..." He praised repeatedly before taking the token and merging it with the one in his hand.
The combined tokens were inserted into the center of the heavy ancient door adorned with a pattern of mystical birds, and it slowly creaked open.
Ying Bing raised her gaze, her eyes narrowing slightly. In her previous life, she had never been to this place.
Before her stood bronze pillars supporting a dome, resembling the style she had seen in the Blood Phoenix Secret Realm. The hall was filled with the aura of ancient birds.
They all stood atop a bronze divine tree.
In that moment, she felt as if they were still alive, their spirits vibrant.
Whoosh—
Candles ignited spontaneously, illuminating the divine tree.
"This is the heavenly artifact of the Great Shang..."
"To be precise, it's just a part of it."
Shangguan Wen Cang clasped his hands behind his back, gazing at the shimmering bronze tree. He sighed softly, "You are destined to take on my burdens in the future. Some things are now due for you to know."
"All those on the divine tree are the powerful figures of the former Great Shang royal family, their spirits imprinted with their essence."
"You must be curious why this object is here."
Shangguan Wen Cang's eyes flickered.
After a pause, he continued, "Our ancestor, the founder of Qing Yuan, was a meritorious minister of the Great Yu and also the last of the Great Shang royal family."
"After assisting the Martial Emperor in pacifying the realms, she refused any rewards and returned to Ziyang Prefecture, the former capital of the Great Shang, to guard the spirit of our ancestors."
"So beneath Qing Yuan Sect lies..."
"The Great Shang Imperial Tomb."
Listening to Shangguan Wen Cang's narrative, Ying Bing furrowed her brows, re-evaluating the bronze divine tree.
It was quite remarkable. The ancient, the glorious, the ruined, and the exquisite could all manifest in a single entity.
She noticed a distinct vacancy above the divine tree. This should have been a place surrounded by a hundred birds, yet it was empty.
Shangguan Wen Cang seemed to sense her confusion and explained, "That should have been the place where our ancestor left her essence imprint, but she later went to the imperial city and never returned."
"Thus, the form of the Golden Crow is missing."
"The essence imprints on this tree are all of the highest form, obscure and profound. You have a long way to go, so take your time to comprehend."
Shangguan Wen Cang, throughout his life, had only comprehended one form, known as the Mang Que Swallowing Dragon form.
To condense the shapes of a hundred birds and gather the essence of the phoenix was the path left by the ancestor.
He had thought this would remain a distant dream in his lifetime until Ying Bing's appearance brought him a glimmer of hope.
After Ying Bing followed Shangguan Wen Cang to pay respects to the divine tree, she stepped closer to the broken bronze divine tree.
"Little Bing, this divine tree is imposing and should not be approached directly..."
Xue Jing began to speak but was silenced by a look from Shangguan Wen Cang.
"Leader, these essence imprints were left by the Great Shang royal family, and their wills still linger within."
Xue Jing said anxiously. Those wills once belonged to the most noble of powerful figures. Each will was unyielding and extremely proud.
If Little Bing approached the tree without caution, she might be harmed by those wills...
"Let’s observe for now."
Shangguan Wen Cang remained calm, squinting his eyes.
He saw Ying Bing standing before the divine tree, her hair and dress swaying gently, like a snow lotus standing in the wind.
Her cool gaze remained unwavering, as if the overwhelming aura around her did not exist at all.
She seemed to stand even taller than the divine tree.
Thud, thud—
A sound like a heartbeat suddenly resonated from the broken divine tree.
A blue phoenix perched at the top truly 'came to life.'
The blue phoenix flapped its wings and descended, leaving behind a mystical trail in the void, as if transcending time and space.
It stood before Ying Bing and bowed in greeting.
"Qing Luan..."
Ying Bing fell into a state of enlightenment.
Based on this essence, she began to carve her own spirit.
Then, various bird forms actively flew down from the branches.
Buzz—
An extraordinary aura flowed around Ying Bing, as if she were receiving the worship of a true phoenix.
In the depths of her being, it felt as if heavenly music flowed, lingering in the air.
Xue Jing's eyes widened, almost believing he was seeing an illusion.
The other elders shared similar expressions.
Stunned.
---
Chapter 148: The Diagram of Forms is Destroyed, Am I to Draw It Myself?
On Ruyi Peak, in the bamboo grove.
Just ten minutes ago, it had been bustling with activity, but now it was eerily quiet.
For some reason, the place had suddenly become deserted.
Li Mo sat in the room, examining the various paintings around him.
High mountains and flowing water, springtime snow, portraits, birds and beasts—there was no shortage of them.
All were excellent works that could serve as divine observation diagrams.
Of course, most were of the lower forms, with few of the middle forms.
"So, Ouyang, since your divine observation diagrams are so good, why do you have to take on a side job?"
"Ah, you don't know how poor artists can be, my junior brother."
Ouyang opened up, pouring out his woes.
A good divine observation diagram is not something that can be created overnight. It requires a flash of inspiration and a significant amount of rare materials.
Even after it's painted, it might not find the right person to appreciate it.
For instance, that painting of high mountains and flowing water, which contains the essence of mountain and water, cost three thousand taels, and he still hadn't encountered anyone suitable to appreciate it, so it just sat there gathering dust.
After listening for a while, Li Mo fell into thought. How is it that in this world, artists still struggle to make a living?
"So, Ouyang, you have to find a side job to support your painting?" Li Mo asked.
"Well, not entirely," Ouyang chuckled.
Li Mo replied, "Brother, you're about to drool."
"Ouch..." Ouyang wiped the corner of his mouth and then said seriously, "Junior brother, are you preparing for the divine observation realm?"
Li Mo nodded, "I really don't know what kind of essence I should be observing."
"You came to the right person!"
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