Chapter 57 - 37: Cultivation Aspiration, Honing the Sword Technique

Chapter 57: Chapter 37: Cultivation Aspiration, Honing the Sword Technique

Later on, this portrait was no longer merely circulating among Female Cultivators who practiced the path of Dual Cultivation; many Female Cultivators of other paths also kept copies of it.

The Female Cultivator who originally painted this portrait did not know the identity of the man she had drawn. She had simply crossed paths with him on the streets of Baoguang Temple and hurriedly cast a spell to capture his likeness.

However, when the painting made its way into the hands of several senior Cultivators with profound Cultivation—some of whom had even attained the realm of Daoist—the identity of the man in the painting was quickly uncovered.

Subsequently, the initially ecstatic and eager Female Cultivators had their hopes completely dashed.

He was Li Yinsheng, the Deputy Temple Master of Xuanzhen Temple and its sole remaining disciple.

The Dharma Vein had never imposed restrictions on Cultivators of Dual Cultivation seeking Dao Companions. The only requirement was mutual consent; coercion was strictly forbidden, let alone practicing the Evil Dao of plundering vital essence.

Otherwise, the offenders would be treated to a taste of the Celestial Thunder wielded by the Dharma Vein’s Law Enforcement Cultivators.

But Li Yinsheng was an exception. The current state of Xuanzhen Temple was far too sensitive. Trying to make Li Yinsheng a Dao Companion—whether by force or not—was simply out of the question.

In theory, he was now the master of Xuanzhen Temple, yet the temple existed in name only. In a sense, capturing Li Yinsheng’s heart meant seizing Xuanzhen Temple, along with the Spirit Vein within Xuanzhen Peak, thereby gaining de facto control over the Spirit Vein.

Anything involving a Spirit Vein crossed the absolute red line set by the Dharma Vein.

The allocation and ownership of all Spirit Veins were solely determined by the Dharma Vein. No Daoist Temple was permitted to overstep these bounds, not even by exploiting loopholes. Anyone who dared to violate this rule could expect the Law Enforcement Cultivators to drop by and haul everyone in for a grueling interrogation.

Consequently, over the years, no profound Cultivator practicing Dual Cultivation had dared to approach Li Yinsheng directly.

Even the two Daoists who were quite interested in Li Yinsheng and had publicly expressed their desire to take him as a concubine added a caveat. They stated they would wait until "Xuanzhen Temple is disbanded and the Spirit Vein is reclaimed by the Dharma Vein" before letting Li Yinsheng join them.

The world was full of lustful people, and the path of Dual Cultivation had even more. However, lust was one thing; risking one’s life for it was entirely another. Such irrational, lust-crazed fools were exceedingly rare.

Naturally, the Temple Master of Jade Altar Temple had absolutely no connection to Dual Cultivation; she merely had a close friend who practiced it. This portrait scroll was a gift from that very friend.

She certainly had no intention of taking a concubine, but... the portrait scroll was innocent! Besides, it was painted so beautifully and embodied her friend’s painstaking effort. It wouldn’t be appropriate to just throw it away or burn it, right? So, naturally, she kept it.

But she absolutely could not tell her disciple any of this.

After her thoughts spun rapidly for a moment, the matron finally spoke. "Let us set aside this Li for now. Do you know the current situation of Xuanzhen Temple?"

"I do not," Meng Yu shook her head.

"This Xuanzhen Temple, it is said that hundreds of years ago, it was the number one Great Daoist Temple under the Zhengyang Dharma Vein. It far surpassed the second-ranked Shouyi Temple of that era. Some even believed that Xuanzhen Temple would eventually evolve into an independent Dharma Vein," the matron said slowly. "However, after one of its ancestors with the most profound Cultivation mysteriously disappeared, Xuanzhen Temple gradually declined. It went from holding the indisputable top spot to fluctuating within the top five."

"The top five?" Meng Yu asked in confusion. "I have never heard of Xuanzhen Temple being among the top five Daoist Temples."

"Because that was about thirty years ago," the matron shook her head. "Back then, I was nothing more than a True Disciple who had just begun her Cultivation.

"At that time, Xuanzhen Temple was arguably second only to Shouyi Temple. It boasted immense prestige and a long-standing heritage.

"In that era, Xuanzhen Temple prioritized quality over quantity when accepting disciples. Although the temple had very few members, Cultivators with profound Cultivation were ubiquitous.

"Thirty years ago, the Zhengyang Dharma Vein waged a great war against the Demon Dao. Under the guidance of our Jade Altar Temple’s Daoists, several Daoists from Xuanzhen Temple penetrated deep into the Demon Dao’s Grand Array and destroyed the Array’s vital core in one fell swoop. Their contributions were unparalleled.

"But shortly after the war ended, a sudden disaster erupted within Xuanzhen Temple. Nearly all the disciples died, and almost all of their Daoists perished. Only one survived, but his Cultivation was completely crippled as a result.

"Even a designated altar of spirit troops within the temple, specifically meant to prevent the destruction of their Dao Lineage, ended up dead, scattered, or fleeing. Xuanzhen Temple was virtually wiped out overnight."

Even with her detached nature, Meng Yu’s face was filled with shock at this moment.

To wipe out a Daoist Temple overnight—one that might have been even stronger than Jade Altar Temple—was truly horrifying to hear.

"What exactly was this disaster? Did the Dharma Vein not help?" Meng Yu couldn’t help but ask.

"Logically, they should have helped, but it happened too quickly. The Dharma Vein had just finished its great war against the Demon Dao and had suffered a severe loss of Primordial Energy, rendering them unable to react in time."

The matron shook her head. "As for the specifics of the disaster... there are many rumors, but no one knows the exact truth.

"Some say Xuanzhen Temple stood out too much during the war, drawing the vengeance of a Corpse Immortal from the Demon Dao.

"Others say that someone within Xuanzhen Temple was turned or possessed by the Demon Dao during the war, destroying the temple from the inside when it was at its weakest and most defenseless.

"Still others claim that when the Daoists of Xuanzhen Temple ventured deep into the Demon Dao’s territory to break the Array, they were all afflicted by a hidden curse that only activated after the war.

"Therefore, the several Daoist ancestors of our Jade Altar Temple who urged them to infiltrate the enemy lines and break the Array also bear responsibility for this.

"There are also rumors that after plunging deep into Demon Dao territory, Xuanzhen Temple obtained an ancient Demonic Treasure and brought it back to the temple, intending to subject it to Refinement to remove its demonic nature and claim it for themselves.

"In the end, that Demonic Treasure proved far too powerful. The Daoists attempting the Refinement suffered a severe backlash, fell into the Demon Dao, and slaughtered each other in a frenzy of madness."