Chapter 249 - 140: The Grotto Heaven Method and the Rite of Zhengquan

Chapter 249: Chapter 140: The Grotto Heaven Method and the Rite of Zhengquan

"’Earth Immortal Ancestor Grandmaster?’"

After the Immoral Taoist left, Xuzhuang was lost in deep thought.

Although the Immoral Taoist’s words weren’t entirely trustworthy, Xuzhuang was, after all, a True Disciple of an orthodox sect, not some ignorant rogue cultivator. He was certainly not clueless about the word "Immortal."

A Primordial Spirit True Man was already long-lived and, to a certain extent, no different from the Immortals understood by the common folk.

Those who refined Pure Yang were even said to be capable of eternal existence, coeval with the world—a level of cultivation completely unimaginable to ordinary Daoists.

Yet even so, neither a Primordial Spirit True Man nor a Pure Yang True Monarch was called an Immortal. Only a Celestial Immortal, a being above Pure Yang, was considered the true achievement of Immortal Merits in the eyes of a Daoist.

’So, could the Earth Immortal Ancestor Grandmaster be a supreme being who has attained Immortal Merits and achieved the great work of a Celestial Immortal?’

Although Xuzhuang didn’t know why the Tai Su Orthodox Sect had established a branch in the Celestial Waterfall Realm, the sect surely wouldn’t be ignorant of the realm’s background. If the Earth Immortal Ancestor Grandmaster had truly attained the status of a Celestial Immortal, then even if the Tai Su Orthodox Sect still couldn’t enshrine him in the Ancestral Hall, Mingjing Zhenren would never have dared to make such arrogant remarks about him.

Therefore, it wasn’t that Xuzhuang was making wild guesses; based on Mingjing Zhenren’s behavior, the possibility of the Earth Immortal Ancestor Grandmaster being a venerable Celestial Immortal seemed slim.

’Then what other kind of being would dare to call themselves an "Immortal"? This so-called Earth Immortal... could it be related to the path of the Grotto Heaven Dao?’

At this thought, Xuzhuang couldn’t help but recall the Grotto Heaven method that Yang Bijie had given him.

As soon as the Grotto Heaven method came into his possession, he had read it in detail. As expected, from the method of attainment to the final result, a Primordial Spirit True Man and a Master Dongt were vastly different.

To become a Primordial Spirit True Man, one had to discard the false to find the true and leap past the Life and Death Profound Gate. This process was entirely independent of external objects—profound beyond measure and difficult beyond compare.

Even in the Tai Su Orthodox Sect, the training of True Disciples primarily consisted of trials and tribulations. Why was that?

’Because nothing in this world could guarantee it would help one attain a Primordial Spirit. The process of severing illusion to perceive one’s true nature has always been a path each True Disciple must walk alone.’

But the method for becoming a Master Dongt completely overturned Xuzhuang’s understanding.

Establishing a Qi Cultivation Dao Foundation, refining techniques for Solidifying the Pill, merging spirit with qi, and reaching the Nascent Soul Great Successor stage—every step of the Celestial Waterfall Realm’s cultivation method before the path to becoming a Master Dongt was identical to that of an orthodox Daoist Sect. But at this final juncture, it suddenly diverged, becoming diametrically opposed to the Primordial Spirit Dao.

Reaching the Nascent Soul Great Successor stage meant a cultivator’s spirit and qi had both reached their peak. Unless they had a fortunate encounter that could enhance their foundation, they were considered complete, a state with no further room for advancement.

However, according to the method recorded in the Grotto Heaven text, a Nascent Soul Great Successor Cultivator could draw upon a Grotto Heaven’s source to continue increasing their spirit and qi cultivation. This in itself was one thing; although it was a rare method for enhancing one’s foundation, it required consuming the Grotto Heaven’s source, which was far too extravagant.

But the Grotto Heaven method naturally didn’t stop there. Otherwise, no matter how much one’s foundation grew, one would merely become a slightly stronger Nascent Soul Cultivator. While drawing on the Grotto Heaven’s source to grow their spirit and qi, the Nascent Soul Cultivator also had to comprehend the Grotto Heaven’s operations, eventually reaching a state where their spirit and qi could commune with the Grotto Heaven’s source.

Reaching this state could take as little as three hundred years or as long as five or even eight hundred years, depending on the cultivator. But unless they ran out of lifespan, any cultivator who had managed to reach the Nascent Soul Great Successor stage was unlikely to be so dull-witted as to fail at this step.

And after reaching the state where their spirit and qi could commune freely with the Grotto Heaven’s source, the cultivator could abandon their physical body, merge their perfected Nascent Soul with the Grotto Heaven’s source, and become a Master Dongt in one fell swoop.

Such a method of attainment relied entirely on external objects. Though somewhat extravagant, in principle, any Nascent Soul Third Level Cultivator with sufficient lifespan could succeed as long as they had the method.

Of course, finding a Grotto Heaven suitable for this attainment was no simple matter, but compared to the illusory and uncertain Primordial Spirit Dao, it was far, far simpler.

At the very least, even the Tai Su Orthodox Sect could not guarantee they could train someone into a Primordial Spirit True Man. However, creating a Grotto Heaven and nurturing a Nascent Soul Third Level Cultivator were both achievable, provided one was willing to pay the price.

Nevertheless, just as Xuzhuang had expected, there were indeed differences—or one might even call them flaws—when comparing a Master Dongt to a Primordial Spirit True Man.

First, after achieving the Grotto Heaven, their Magical Power and Divine Techniques would of course increase astronomically, reaching a level far beyond what any Nascent Soul Cultivator could ever hope to match.

But as for how they truly compared to a Primordial Spirit True Man—who was stronger and who was weaker—Xuzhuang had no way of knowing.

Although he had recently witnessed Mingjing Zhenren obliterate Star Pointing Zhenren’s Dharma Body in an instant, there was the possibility it had been a surprise attack.

Moreover, Xuzhuang had no idea just how profound Mingjing Zhenren’s cultivation was. After all, for both Primordial Spirit True Men and True Form Treasures, every tribulation they overcame resulted in a world of difference in their Daoist techniques and Divine Techniques.

Furthermore, within their own Grotto Heaven, a Master Dongt could command the power of heaven and earth with every move. Xuzhuang suspected that even if a Primordial Spirit True Man’s Divine Techniques were superior, they would be unwilling to face off against a Master Dongt inside the latter’s own Grotto Heaven.

But even setting aside Magical Power and Divine Techniques, it seemed a Master Dongt still couldn’t compare to a Primordial Spirit True Man.

A Primordial Spirit True Man could gather to form a body or disperse into qi. They could enter and leave Qingming, roam the great void, and enjoy absolute freedom.

A Master Dongt, on the other hand, was merged with their Grotto Heaven. Not only could they only travel outside by condensing a Dharma Body from the Grotto Heaven’s source, but shockingly, they were also unable to recover Magical Power outside their Grotto Heaven. Moreover, if that Dharma Body was destroyed, it would consume a real and substantial portion of the Grotto Heaven’s source.