Devour

Chapter 406: Corpse Suppression Pavilion

All the elders in the Transmission Hall were frightened into silence by this scene, and watched helplessly as the "Holy Son" who was neither human nor demon devoured the head of the defeated without daring to say a word.

When Zhu Se Yi Mie blasted through the Transmission Hall, several unlucky elders were implicated and killed, and no one dared to ask a question.

Master Li's eyes twitched slightly, and he tried to remain restrained as he cursed in a low voice, "This fellow is extremely cruel!"

Bei Tingjun's eyes showed disgust, but he said nothing.

"The disciples trained by Jingtao Sect are cruel to others and even more ruthless to themselves." Cheng Bai was shocked, but did not say anything, because so far it was still an internal affair of other people's sects.

Wang Xiongwu extended his long tongue and licked the liquid flowing from his fingertips. His face twisted back into a human form, and he glanced at the platform and shouted arrogantly, "I've already won, why don't you tell the world?"

Wang Mingsheng caught Wang Hong's eye and immediately understood what he meant. He quickly channeled his inner energy and spoke in a concentrated voice, "In the fifth match, Wang Xiongwu, the guardian of the Zhanjian Peak Guardian Hall, won. Congratulations on winning the championship and being promoted to the Holy Son!"

The announcement resounded across the island like thunder, but only silence remained, without the echo of the solemn bells.

Wang Xiongwu felt quite lonely and said dissatisfiedly, "The Holy Son is born, and the bell is rung nine times. Who is so blind as to forget to ring it?"

Wang Hong secretly waved his hand backwards, and the bell on the top of the third level of the Transmission Hall rang nine times in succession again. The sound spread throughout the island, but it had a hint of sadness.

Atop Xuandao Peak, dark clouds rolled in and out, obscuring the sunlight. The gloomy sky seemed to be quietly brewing a storm, and the air was filled with depression and unease.

The view outside the palace was expansive. The disciples gazed at the former site of Zhangjian Peak, which was now only a patch of gravel and rubble. They couldn't help but whisper, "The mountain is gone, so does the sect's Dharma Protector Hall still exist?"

Wang Hong, perched on the Nine Dragon Throne, shifted nervously, forcing a smile as he said, "This throne should support the Holy Son in achieving his wish..."

He paused briefly, a subtle hint of inquiry in his eyes. "I wonder... what does the Holy Son need? Such things as a cave, magical treasures, elixirs, gold, iron, and manpower. Could you please state them clearly? I will do my best to provide them."

Wang Xiongwu, anxious to regain his virility, urged excitedly, "In that case, take me to find the secret of immortality and aphrodisiac power in the ancient tomb of the Sword Immortal. I've been training on Jing'ao Island for many years and have never heard of such a thing. Seeing your furtive and evasive expressions, I imagine the tomb contains earth-shattering secrets!"

Wang Hong's eyes were filled with complexities. He gritted his teeth and slowly stood up, saying, "This is a sect secret from generations past! Since it is the Holy Son's request, please follow me."

He hesitated for a moment, then turned to Cheng Bai and the others and said carefully, "You three are guests from afar. Would you please come with us to witness this grand event?"

"It is the Confucian scholar's responsibility." Master Li smiled, stood up and left the table, accompanying him up the mountain.

"You're welcome, Lord Wang." Cheng Bai bowed in response and followed closely behind with Bei Tingjun.

Wang Xiongwu glanced at Master Li and Cheng Bai, feeling wary but unwilling to show any of it. He strode forward, shoulder to shoulder with Wang Hong, and sneered, "If you want to get them to collude with you, I'm not afraid. We fought yesterday, and they couldn't hurt me at all!"

"You three are all distinguished guests who have come to watch the ceremony. The Holy Son is broad-minded, so there is no need to worry too much." Wang Hong laughed and acted as if nothing had happened, then walked leisurely to the top of the mountain.

They all possessed unique skills, and even if they deliberately walked slowly, it didn't take long for them to reach the leader's exclusive palace at the top of the main peak - the "Zhenhai Pavilion", the hub of Jingtao Sect.

Standing at the highest point on the island, the temple exudes a solemn and majestic aura, seemingly ruling this small world. From the temple's observatory, one can survey the entire island and gaze out over the vast surrounding sea, a boundless and captivating vision.

Arriving at the gate of Zhenhai Pavilion, Master Li looked around and exclaimed in surprise, "I once made a quick visit here and thought the feng shui was excellent, but I didn't notice anything unusual. Now that a peak is missing, why are there such strange sights?"

Cheng Bai, who had been studying "Qian Kun Qi Men" in his spare time, had gradually gained a good understanding of the various formations and layouts. He was surprised and said, "I also feel that there are some signs of ferocity."

Wang Hong remained quiet throughout the trip. Overhearing the conversation, he sighed, "When our ancestors first set foot on this island, they thought it was a paradise. When the two ancestors reached the top of this mountain, they saw that the plaque hanging high above the ancient temple didn't read 'Zhenhai Pavilion,' but the ancient characters 'Zhenshi Pavilion.'"

Wang Xiongwu snorted arrogantly and said, "There's a legend about Jing'ao Island since ancient times that it was formed from the petrification of an ancient dragon turtle. Does 'corpse suppression' refer to the dragon turtle's corpse?"

Wang Hong shook his head and said, "So-called legends are often just the beautiful parts that have been passed down."

Cheng Bai speculated, "Since there's talk of the Sword Immortal's Tomb, could this ancient immortal have transformed the dragon turtle's bones into a tomb, and even built a pavilion to contain his own remains?"

"It's not that simple." Master Li pondered for a moment before explaining, "After a cultivator achieves Nirvana and his Dharmakaya, he advances to the Three Rebirths Realm. Due to their varying obsessions, goals, and paths, their encounters vary. Therefore, their methods of slaying the Three Corpses and achieving Immortal Sainthood are also vastly different."

Cheng Bai understood and said, "That is to say, the corpse buried in the Corpse Suppression Pavilion is definitely not the corpse of an ordinary sword immortal, but the three corpses of a sword saint?"

Wang Xiongwu disagreed and sneered, "I don't need to kill the three corpses to become a saint."

Master Li said sternly, "You didn't need to eliminate the Three Corpses. You clearly completed the process long ago. I'm afraid you don't even know how you did it."

After hearing this, Wang Xiongwu was stunned for a moment, his heart trembling, and he couldn't answer for a while.

Master Li patiently taught, "A cultivator's pursuit of the Dao transforms into countless forms. The Three Corpses are actually redundant, contradictory to one's own Dao. Certain exercises can confine the Three Corpses to the upper, middle, and lower Dantian. The upper corpse is called 'Ju,' the middle corpse is called 'Tu,' and the lower corpse is called 'Qiu,' representing the spirits within the human body."

Cheng Bai asked, "I don't quite understand. Since it is the cultivator's own deity, wouldn't it be self-destructive to kill it?"

Master Li elaborated, "The so-called 'severance' doesn't simply mean severing ties and going our separate ways. For example, the Buddha taught a superior method of cultivation that transforms the Three Corpses into controllable wrathful forms, becoming visionary incarnations, allowing the practitioner to summon or dispatch them at will. This is the result of breaking attachments!"

Others who had not yet experienced a similar process followed the group and listened quietly to the explanation.

Master Li continued, "The Immortal Master's path of beheading the Three Corpses is relatively more advanced and diverse. For example, a cultivator can entrust the Three Corpses to various treasures, refining a life-defining magical weapon that is closely aligned with their own body and possesses infinite power. However, this path requires an extremely high level of refinement and heat control, and even the highest-level saints of the Immortal Master path may not be able to achieve it."

Cheng Bai pondered, "If a cultivator lets the three corpses wander and transform into ghosts, wouldn't they become evil spirits similar to those in the Nine-Layered Abyss?"

Master Li chuckled softly and said, "That's the miserable state of a cultivator whose soul has vanished, their spirit scattered, and their three corpses' resentment lingering. The Immortal Master Dao also has a method of refining the three corpses into little ghosts for command. These methods are closely connected, yet mysterious and dangerous. Compared to refining a life-long magic weapon, this method is much simpler and more convenient, but of a lower quality. Other sects often derogatorily refer to these cultivators as 'ghost immortals.'"

Cheng Bai questioned, "This method of suppressing corpses seems to have nothing to do with the three methods I just mentioned."

Master Li spoke gravely, "This sword immortal must have possessed a profound obsession upon achieving sainthood, believing the Three Corpses to be a hindrance to his path. He resolutely abandoned them, even turning against them and going so far as to build a tomb to 'suppress' them. This type of person is extremely rare, and there's likely something fishy going on. Perhaps this sword immortal is a dangerous individual."

Cheng Bai was surprised and asked, "Is there such a ruthless person in the world who cultivates by harming himself?"

Bei Tingjun interjected, "Some extreme cultivators, in order to delve deeper into their cultivation techniques, are willing to resort to self-mutilation, self-torture, and castration to achieve their ideal state. Therefore, suppressing the Three Corpses isn't too surprising."

Master Li nodded in agreement and said, "Elder Bei has extensive knowledge and insight, and what he said is absolutely true."

Wang Xiongwu looked gloomy and pretended not to hear what everyone was saying.

The group walked along the ancient stone pavement, passed through the quiet corridor and walked into the depths of the hall while talking.

Pausing in the moment, the view before you is both majestic and exquisite, drawing visitors' awe. Brilliant sunlight filters through the skylight in the hall's ceiling, subtly refracting and gently scattering like a veil onto a tall stone niche in the center.

It was as big as a house, meticulously carved from noble smoky purple jade, with a stone door on each of its four sides. Even more eye-catching was the top of the stone niche, where a shining sword was placed horizontally.