Black Journey to the West: The Imposter Star Lord

Chapter 26: Conversion Ceremony

Good heavens, it's a good thing I didn't intend to touch the silver in the storeroom.

Otherwise, they would probably have already been tracked down by now.

Judging from the words of those constables, it seemed that the temple had also sent experts to investigate. If they traced it back to him, he might end up in endless trouble before he even spent any money.

Thank goodness.

Cao Xing secretly rejoiced, but then he thought back to when that corrupt official asked him to take the silver from the treasury; he probably had already thought of this back then.

The plan to buy his life was a ruse; he wanted to take the money and then have the higher-ups arrest him.

Cao Xing could even imagine that if he really released that corrupt official, took the money and left, and was caught by the people from the Upper Temple, that corrupt official would probably want to dance a song in front of him.

Even if I don't release him, the people from the Upper Temple will find me and help him get revenge.

Heart!

With Bixia by his side, Cao Xing quickly left the yamen. He had no time to wander around elsewhere. After finding an inn and booking a room, Cao Xing began to continue cultivating the Five Viscera and Six Brightness Scriptures.

During the more than half a month they traveled, Cao Xing persisted in cultivating the Five Viscera and Six Bright Scriptures every day. The Five Viscera and Six Bright Scriptures were indeed a miraculous technique.

Using the energy of his own five internal organs as material, Cao Xing, after research, decided to use kidney water as the first choice to condense the first treasure talisman. After more than half a month of hard work, it is now showing signs of taking shape.

"The empty chamber gives birth to light, the kidneys open to illumination. True water gushes forth, the jade talisman is hidden within. Kan and Li unite, the precious light protects the form."

As the incantation ended, he clearly felt a slight warmth and throbbing in his kidney area.

Strands of Qi originating from the kidney's essence, like springs sprouting in early spring, begin to slowly condense and gather, eventually settling and taking shape between the two kidneys.

"Whoosh!!"

Cao Xing's body trembled, and a ray of precious light shone from his kidneys, as the essence of his kidney water transformed into a talisman.

Sunflower Water Spirit Talisman

The moment the talisman took shape, Cao Xing felt a warm, cool, and strange current flowing down his lower back, as if living water from a source was washing over his limbs and bones.

This essence of sunflower water continuously nourishes the body's meridians, cleanses the body of impurities, and gives the individual an extremely high ability to metabolize and break down highly toxic substances.

"As expected of a miraculous scripture, it is indeed wondrous. It's a pity that Zhang Feiyu and his son didn't start with the Kui Shui method and failed to cultivate it to perfection. Otherwise, the magistrate's deadly poison probably wouldn't have killed them."

Cao Xing stood up, glanced at the dark night outside, stuffed all the shady things he was carrying into Bixia's hands, told her to wait for him at the inn, and then pushed open the door to go out to attend the conversion ceremony.

"Thump!!"

Before dawn, singing could be heard from Wochao Mountain outside Wutong City.

"I take refuge in the Dao, the gate to the infinite; I take refuge in the scriptures, the eternal truth; I take refuge in the Master, the root of the mysterious female. May I eliminate the three obstacles and all afflictions, and forever sever ignorance to realize my true nature..."

That was the sound of the Taoist Scripture of Taking Refuge, the sound accompanied by the morning bell, spreading throughout the entire city of Wutong.

After settling Bixia in, Cao Xing followed the crowd up the mountain.

This Wochao Mountain is not high; it's just a small, low hill. You can see the Taoist temple built on the top of the mountain from the foot of the mountain.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the air was filled with the dampness of grass and trees, and an indescribable scent mixed with incense.

"Cough cough cough..."

After walking a few steps, they saw a large, fat man lying on the ground, dry heaving and panting heavily while holding his knees.

He had only climbed about a hundred steps and was already on the verge of collapse, but instead of looking down on him or laughing at him, the people around him cast envious glances at him.

Then they heard someone whispering nearby, "That's Huang Li, the third young master of the Huang family. He looks like a man of great fortune and a giant in the immortal path."

"At the last initiation ceremony, it seems that one member of the Huang family has already entered the immortal sect."

"He is the second young master of the Huang family. It is said that he spent half of the Huang family's brocade estate at the conversion ceremony that day, becoming the champion of the day. His spirit was so great that even the immortal master of the Upper Temple praised him, saying that his will to cultivate immortality was as firm as a rock."

Just as people were admiring them, someone exclaimed, and everyone turned to look.

Behind them, four strong sedan chair bearers carried a luxurious sedan chair up the mountain.

The four sedan chair carriers were all muscular and clearly skilled in martial arts, yet they willingly served as Xianmiao's porters.

"Who is this?! Riding in a sedan chair up the mountain?" A boy next to Cao Xing exclaimed in surprise, his eyes wide.

The boy muttered to himself, "How much money is this going to cost?" He counted on his fingers, "One porter costs 35 taels, so four porters would cost 140 taels. Extravagant, too extravagant."

Not only did the young man find it extravagant, but even Cao Xing was secretly astonished.

140 taels, that's almost 800,000 RMB.

It's only a few miles up the mountain.

The young man sat there with his eyes closed, fanning himself with a folding fan. His carefree and leisurely demeanor was something everyone admired.

Cao Xing glanced at the young man and recognized him as the young master of the Chen family whom he had met that day.

What a wonderful saying! The path to immortality is boundless, with money as the boat; the sacred mountain has a path, with jade as the ladder.

Thinking of this, Cao Xing touched the little over a hundred taels of silver left in his pocket and felt a pang of guilt. But after thinking about it carefully, he realized it didn't matter. If he failed, he could just become a rogue cultivator.

After all, he possessed the Heavenly Compass, and as long as his cultivation level increased, he would not lack cultivation techniques.

Thinking of this, Cao Xing quickened his pace and followed the others as they strode up the mountain.

"Thump!!"

Before the echoes of the morning bell had faded, Cao Xing had already joined the crowd to climb to the top of Wochao Mountain. A white jade archway suddenly stood before him, inscribed with the three characters "Shangfangguan".

Passing through the archway, one enters a spacious square paved with large, dark blue stones, where three or five ancient pines with gnarled branches stand silently.

Further on is the mountain gate of Shangfang Temple. The gate has not yet been opened, but several Taoist priests dressed in blue robes are already standing on the stone steps in front of it.

As soon as the crowd entered the square, the Taoist priests glanced around and, upon seeing the young men in coarse linen clothes standing in front, couldn't help but show disdain on their faces.

Their gazes naturally swept past the poor wretch and continued to the back. Only when they saw the several young noblemen who were panting heavily, pale-faced, and with weak legs did the Taoist priests show a look of satisfaction.

"Huh!"

When they saw the sedan chair carrying the young master of the Chen family, the Taoist priests couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"This child has the potential to become an immortal; his potential is limitless."

"Not bad, not bad, it seems we're going to have another good junior brother."

The Taoist priests nodded repeatedly, as if they could already see a new junior brother standing among them.

Once everyone at the foot of the mountain had arrived, a Taoist priest gently waved his hand, and an invisible force rushed into the crowd, causing them to disperse.

Cao Xing's heart stirred. When the force pushed against him, he only felt his body sink slightly, as if he had been blown by a strong wind.

But seeing that everyone else around him was slowly spreading out under the force, Cao Xing could only move his feet in response.

Once everyone had stood still, with each person one meter apart, the entire large square was filled.

"Greetings, esteemed benefactors. I am Tang Xiu, a Taoist priest." He stepped forward and bowed with one hand.

After he finished speaking, several other Taoist priests dragged silver trays to his side, on which were various bottles of elixirs.

Cao Xing looked closely and saw labels on red paper that read: [Golden Spear Jade Pill], [Kidney-Strengthening Tonic Pill], [Yin-Yang Harmony Powder], [Dragon and Tiger Intercourse Paste], [Jade Dew Ginseng Pill]...

Upon seeing the names of these pills, Cao Xing's expression turned strange, thinking to himself, "Why do these pills look so rather shady?"

Just as Cao Xing was wondering, Tang Xiu said to everyone, "Our Quanzhen lineage cultivates both body and mind. The key is to keep one's own primordial yang energy intact in order to uphold the true path. This cultivation method is the ultimate test of one's willpower."

After saying this, Tang Xiu looked at everyone, his smile growing wider, and took out a precious scroll from his sleeve.

"This is the superior-grade magic artifact, the Rakshasa Thousand Maidens Painting, crafted by Elder Jin Yuan of the Upper Gate. It will serve as the basis for this test."

"Within three hours, the last twenty people who can guard the Yuanyang can be admitted to the mountain gate."

After Tang Xiu finished speaking, the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.

"What does 'preserving one's vital energy' mean?"

"You don't even understand this? Just make sure you don't leak your vital energy."

The inexperienced looked bewildered, as did the experienced, their eyes fixed on the scroll in Tang Xiu's hand, wondering if it could make them hand over their primordial yang?

Just as everyone was puzzled, Tang Xiu suddenly opened the treasure map in his hand, and in an instant, a wisp of peach light flashed on the treasure map and enveloped everyone.

Cao Xing suddenly felt a blur before his eyes, his head was spinning, and he could vaguely hear Tang Xiu's voice in his ears.

"The path to immortality is arduous and fraught with peril. In addition to one's own perseverance, one also needs the assistance of external forces. During this Dharma assembly, we are providing our sect's finest elixirs to help fellow Daoists unleash their potential."

As the voice faded, a detailed list appeared before Cao Xing's eyes.

The list contained a detailed list of the pills that had just been seen.

The only difference is that each type of elixir has a price tag attached.

【Golden Spear Jade Pill】: Ten ounces, fair to all ages, specially for treating impotence.

【Kidney-Strengthening and Tonifying Pill】: Twenty taels, blessed by both kidneys, with boundless magical power.

【Yin Yang He Huan San】: 50 liang, harmonizes Yin and Yang, and enhances blood and Qi.

【Overlord's Confluence Ointment】: 150 taels, imbued with the essence of immortality, possessing the bearing of an overlord.

【Dragon and Tiger Returning to Origin Pill】: Four hundred taels, Dragon and Tiger Bring Prosperity and Jade Pillar, Immortal Body Lightly Crosses Ten Thousand Mountains.

"Wow!! That's so damn expensive!"

Cao Xing glanced down and found some talismans below, but these talismans were not expensive.

[Boosting Charm]: Five taels, summons two little devils to help with the push.

【Powerful Talisman】: Five ounces. Extraordinary skills and clever tricks are not as good as single-minded strength.

【Golden Light Talisman】: Five taels. Although the golden light blessing is not as good as medicine, it is still quite interesting.

【Ugly Talisman】: 500 taels. As long as the other party is ugly enough, no one can take away your vital essence.

"These talismans look like they're good quality and inexpensive."

Just as Cao Xing was pondering whether to buy a few talismans to bless himself, the peach blossom smoke dissipated, revealing a young woman standing there. The woman had a graceful figure and wore a pink gauze dress that was as thin as a cicada's wing, almost transparent. Only a few exquisite silver leaves were attached to her key areas to cover them, which only added to her allure.

Cao Xing stared, his eyes wide with disbelief.

But the young woman was not shy at all. Instead, she leaned in and snuggled into Cao Xing's arms. Her red lips touched Cao Xing's ear, and he felt a heat on his ear. A fragrance wafted over him, and he heard her alluring voice whisper in his ear: "Young master, I'm starting."

Cao Xing was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and instinctively wanted to resist: "Don't come any closer, I'm still a baby!!"

But then they saw the young woman had already bent down...

"hiss!!"

Cao Xing's eyes widened instantly, his arms bulged with veins, and his big toes tensed.