Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Six Realms

Lin Feng let out a long breath, but suddenly heard a cry of anguish by his ear. He quickly turned around to see that Xia Baizhu, desperate to protect his daughter, had been struck by a furious blow from Qi Chan. Blood gushed from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground, clearly beyond saving.

“Move!” Lin Feng shouted. He swiftly drew his bow and fired a second arrow. With a resonant twang, the arrow pierced through Qi Chan’s deformed body, pinning him firmly to the earth. Blood surged forth like a mountain spring.

Exhausted, Lin Feng’s knees buckled and he collapsed, sitting heavily on the ground. Two golden hooks were lodged in his chest, unmoving, as blood pooled beneath him.

“Father! Father!” Xia Tong rushed to her father’s side, wailing in despair. Her garments were stained red by his blood.

“Tong’er, I’m fine... I deserve this, I’ve brought ruin upon you...” Xia Baizhu’s breath was faint as a whisper. His cheeks flushed, his feeble hand trembling as he reached out.

Xia Tong clutched her father’s fingers tightly, tears streaming down her face as she cried uncontrollably, shaking her head again and again, unable to utter anything but those two short words: “Father...”

A sudden brightness appeared on Xia Baizhu’s face, as if his life’s light flared one last time. His lips quivered, and in a deep voice he spoke: “After I’m gone, you... you must leave this place, follow... follow... Lin...” The last word never fully left his lips. The sound abruptly ceased, and his hand fell lifelessly, growing cold.

In the pitch-black night, Xia Tong sat beside her father’s body, eyes blurred with tears, frozen in place.

The others’ faces were heavy with grief as they silently surveyed the battlefield. Ye Ziyin quietly approached Xia Tong, gently comforting her: “Miss, do not mourn. The manor lord gave his life to destroy the evil, and when Prince Rongqing learns of it, he will surely reward you greatly...”

Nie Xuan stepped over to Lin Feng, carefully withdrew the golden hooks from his chest, applied a salve, and remarked, “These hooks were coated with deadly poison. It’s astonishing you survived unscathed.”

“Brother Nie, you can finally rest easy now. With those two dead, there should be no more of their sect coming after you anytime soon, right?” Lin Feng replied with a calm smile.

Nie Xuan looked at him deeply and sighed, “From their words, it seems their master has taken notice. I must change my name and leave quickly. If their second or third senior brother arrives, we’re all doomed.”

Lin Feng nodded in silence, then walked to Xia Tong’s side, speaking softly, “The manor lord died with honor. You… you should come with us.”

Xia Tong’s stiff body moved slightly. She looked up at the sky, where the blackness was pierced by faint starlight.

She brushed away her tears and wept bitterly.

...

Bamboo Garden Manor was draped in white mourning banners and black veils. The manor lord’s body was hastily buried on a hillside, along with the two Qi brothers—now condemned as slaves and servants to guard Xia Baizhu’s tomb, never to be reborn.

“Brother Nie, take a look at these. If there’s anything useful, feel free to take it.” Before them lay a dazzling array of strange objects, alongside a heap of gold, silver, and jewels—all spoils seized from the Qi brothers.

Nie Xuan glanced at the glittering treasures, but his gaze quickly shifted to Lin Feng. “I can choose freely? But you killed them both, by rights all of this should belong to you.”

“That’s true, but without your help distracting them and teaching me the Da Luo Blade Fist, we wouldn’t have succeeded. Alone, I could never have taken them down. Besides, you are all disciples of the same master, so naturally there are things you can use. I want you to take what you need, for everyone’s sake. If each of us grows stronger, whatever enemies we face, we’ll have more to rely on.” Lin Feng looked at everyone in the room, speaking slowly.

“Excellent!” The Five Venoms Child clapped his hands. “Since we’re like family, I won’t be shy.”

“Brother Nie, please help yourself.” Lin Feng tapped the table, and everyone’s attention turned to the pile of oddities.

On the table were several strange stones, three talismans, some pouches, and two manuals.

Nie Xuan picked up the stones and examined them. “Hm, these are top-grade Xiu Iron Ore. Combined with Celestial Silkworm Thread, they can make superb soft armor, resistant to poison and blades—very rare.”

“Oh, I’ve never seen Xiu Iron. Celestial Silkworm Thread, though, I’ve seen twice in my sect’s treasure house. If we find some, we could forge a fine armor.” Seeing that Nie Xuan had no interest in the stones, Lin Feng pushed the two manuals toward him. “See if these are useful.”

“Hmm... ‘Minor Poison Sutra’!” Nie Xuan flipped through the first pages and his eyes lit up in delight. “Master really favored them—he gave them the Minor Poison Sutra!”

“Minor Poison Sutra?” Lin Feng asked, surprised.

“Yes! It’s our sect’s secret, divided into Minor and Major Poison Sutras. The Minor Poison Sutra lets you control most deadly poisons—poison stones, poison water, poison mist. The Major Poison Sutra controls living poisons—snakes, insects, beasts. If you master both, ten out of ten poisons in the world will not harm you. Even without entering the Dao, you could live two hundred years. Grains, water, and air all contain toxins; if you avoid them, your lifespan increases.” Nie Xuan smiled as he flipped through the pages. “It’s a handwritten copy. I’ll take it.”

“Huh? Why’s there a scripture here? Did they kill a monk?” Nie Xuan picked up the other manual and handed it to Lin Feng. “Not for me. See if you can use it.”

“Sandalwood Heart Sutra.” Lin Feng skimmed through it—it seemed unremarkable. Buddhist scriptures fall into three categories: those for guiding souls and rituals; those for cultivating the mind and understanding Zen; and the most profound, which reveal the path to transcendence, guarded as secret texts like the Longevity Arts of the Hundred Flowers Sect. This Sandalwood Heart Sutra appeared to be of the second type. Lin Feng flipped a few pages and set it aside.

Nie Xuan examined the three talismans closely, his face showing alarm. “Ice-Fire Talismans!” he exclaimed.

Everyone gathered around to see. The talismans bore blazing flames intertwined with silvery, snow-like lines, forming an intricate, mysterious design.

It was clear that most had never heard of the Ice-Fire Talismans. Nie Xuan coughed and spoke gravely, “Combining ice and fire properties in a talisman is extremely difficult and dangerous. These were surely taken from Qi Bat—he was best at hiding treasures. If he’d used them, none of us would have survived.”

“That’s right, they were found on that bat,” Liu Yun said.

“How about it, can you use them?” Lin Feng rubbed his hands with anticipation.

“No, I’ve never practiced fire control. I’ve wasted years hiding, and to start anew would take a long time. I can’t use these yet.” Nie Xuan regretfully set them aside.

“So, Brother Nie, do you have a method for cultivating such arts?” Lin Feng’s eyes brightened.

“Control of fire and ice isn’t rare. If you wish to learn, I’ll teach you, but you have to reach late-stage Qi Refinement first,” Nie Xuan replied.

“Good. There’s something I’ve never understood. Before reaching late-stage Qi Refinement, what is the sensation? I notice you all have similar spiritual power to mine, but your secret arts are many times greater. How can a single rank make such a difference?”

Nie Xuan was momentarily taken aback, then laughed. “There’s not much difference between late and mid-stage. In mid-stage—what you call Qi Refinement—spiritual power can be projected. At this point, it’s simply used. When your dantian can no longer hold more power, you can begin to shape and transform it, like this...”

He stretched out his hand. A white aura burst forth, slowly condensing into a sharp cone.

“Controlling fire and water works the same way, but is even harder. Most who reach late-stage spend years, even decades, just mastering these basic arts, and see no real progress in combat. When facing an enemy, there’s little difference from mid-stage practitioners.”

Lin Feng and the others nodded. If early and mid-stage Qi Refinement were worlds apart, then mid and late-stage were separated only by a single peak. In essence, there was no visible difference, but in reality, a long path of choices remained.

“Just now you mentioned ‘Refining Light’—is that a term used by the demonic path?” Lin Feng’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Nie Xuan.

“You’re right. The demonic path’s six realms are similar to your Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Gold Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Separation, and Tribulation Crossing, but differ in names. We call them Refining Light, Condensing Essence, Core Formation, Demon Infant, Spirit Roaming, and Tribulation Crossing. Creatures like Black Horse have six realms: Breathing, Transformation, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Out-of-Body, and Tribulation Crossing. Different paths, different methods, different names.” Nie Xuan explained.