Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

Lu Yu's words made Zhuge Liang's eyes light up; he discerned the implied meaning. As long as he was willing, he could cultivate the Way of Ghost Deities and avoid falling into the cycle of reincarnation.

At that moment, he saw Lu Yu gently tap his forehead, and instantly countless pieces of information flooded his mind. Upon careful sorting, he discovered they were the techniques for forging an Incense Golden Body, including the uses and taboos of the Power of Incense and Fire.

He couldn't help but kneel and say, "Thank you, sir, for imparting the technique!"

"With this technique, you can cultivate the Body of Ghost Deities. The Way of Incense Flame values one's will. The common folk make vows, the Divine Spirits fulfill them, and afterward the common folk repay their vows. Only then is the Power of Incense and Fire the purest of forces, untainted and not polluting oneself.

Ordinary Power of Incense and Fire will only contaminate the soul and spirit, and over time, it will greatly alter one's nature and bring about calamities. Remember this well! Remember this!"

Lu Yu's words led Zhuge Liang to a sudden epiphany. He had often heard folktales about how, after lengthy ages, many Ghost Deities seemingly became different beings, abandoning what they once stood firm on and often undergoing drastic changes in temperament. So that's how it was.

"Sir, may I teach this technique to others?" he asked.

"The technique was originally pondered by many solitary ghosts and wild spirits. I combined it with the ancient Divine Spirits' faith techniques and elements of the Immortal Path of Ghost and Path of the Immortals, discarding the dross to shape its true form. If you are willing, you may spread the teachings on my behalf," Lu Yu thought for a moment and then said.

The Law of Ghost Deities and the Immortal Path of Ghost are different from the Celestial Immortal Dao in that they completely abandon the cultivation of the soul and spirit, relying solely on the Power of Incense and Fire for existence. They can be considered so-called gods of faith. Although named Ghost Deities, they actually depend entirely on the Human Path.

If the Human Path is thriving, then naturally the Ghost Deities are powerful, but if the Human Path declines, then the Ghost Deities also risk downfall.

This technique has existed for a long time, previously emerging as a method for solitary ghosts and wild spirits to extend their life, hence lacking a coherent system and a so-called heritage. Lu Yu traveled far and wide, witnessing many mountain Ghost Deities cultivating this way.

In his recent meditation, he inadvertently merged it with the ancient sacrificial rites of the Divine Spirits, thus giving rise to this technique.

However, for someone like him, who had cultivated the Celestial Immortal Dao, this technique was useless. It was merely by chance that it was passed on to Zhuge Liang. To Lu Yu, this was a good thing; it would distress him immensely to be actively spreading the Immortal Path of Ghost Deities himself.

"Great kindness of the master, the junior on behalf of all beings under the heavens, thanks the master," Zhuge Liang said as he knelt with deep gratitude. Though he was not a cultivator, his extreme intelligence allowed him to realize the benefits of this technique the instant he learned it.

The barrier for cultivation was very low, almost without any requirements for the cultivator's innate abilities, the only necessity being that there be people who believed. It also depended greatly on the Human Path, which was beneficial for the common people since the life, death, and power of Ghost Deities were entirely contingent upon the willpower the people held for them.

This meant that Ghost Deities would care about the common people's wellbeing far more than the aloof and distant gods.

Lu Yu was unaware of the terrifying potential of the technique he had inadvertently created, a future where the human race's Ghost Deities were ubiquitous, and many villages had their so-called household deities for protection, a remarkable spectacle of that time.

At the moment, as the technique was newly established and not yet widespread across the world, Lu Yu naturally didn't feel its significant impact. To him, this was merely a result of a minor experiment.

At this time, Lu Yu had already ridden the clouds away from the Wuzhang Plains. The Three Kingdoms were drawing to their end, with unification within reach, yet the Fortune and Destiny of the human race in Kyushu had significantly declined. After drawing on it for so many years, Golden Cicada was about to trigger a qualitative change.

Soon, a dark era was about to descend upon the land, an age void of sunlight, when the Han people would face their greatest challenge.

Even knowing the inevitability of this matter, Lu Yu still felt somewhat oppressed in his heart. Perhaps in the eyes of those powerful beings who had lived countless years, this was so-called Heavenly Dao, the indifference of heaven and earth, treating all beings as mere straws for dogs.

They observed coldly, quietly awaiting the arrival of a new era, already having overlooked the wailing creatures and the blood flowing upon the earth.

With such a heavy heart, Lu Yu approached Liu Qingyun and took a good look at his disciple, whom he hadn't seen for many years. Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

It was then that he realized his disciple had transformed from a youth into a middle-aged man. Although he was still tall and straight, and the familiar smile remained on his face, Lu Yu couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.

"Qingyun, why put yourself through this?" Lu Yu asked with a sigh.

"Teacher, I think it's quite nice this way, keeping all the past joys in my heart. It's so that one day, when I become a cultivator as lifeless as a rock, recalling these memories will still cause my heart to flutter. Isn't it the joy of an immortal?" Liu Qingyun said with a smile.

Ever since Tong Yuan failed at Heavenly Gate Foundation Establishment and completed his life's journey, Liu Qingyun maintained the appearance of a middle-aged man. For those on the Celestial Immortal Dao, their appearance is often a reflection of their state of mind. A youthful state of mind naturally reflects a youthful appearance, while a middle-aged mindset shows a middle-aged appearance.

"Now I can still recall the look of Tong Yuan as a child. I remember he was once determined to create the best spear technique in the world and even named it Phoenix Homage. Later, I saw his disciple, a young man named Zhao Yun, use it, and it really pleased me."

"Sometimes I think, if only I had stopped him from cultivating the Celestial Immortal Dao, perhaps he wouldn't have missed the best opportunity to cultivate. He could have lived a long and healthy life too. But he was too proud and ambitious, always aiming to surpass me, and in the end, he couldn't make it past the first threshold," Liu Qingyun said with a slight sigh.

His emotions began to fluctuate, and a wave of desolate feelings burst forth. Liu Qingyun suddenly froze, because he could clearly sense something in his lungs, quivering with this sorrow, as if something was about to emerge.

His mind flashed back to Lu Yu's teachings, realizing this was a sign that the Five Qi were about to be stirred. He quickly composed himself and sat cross-legged on the ground.

Lu Yu looked at his disciple with satisfaction. Although it took a long time, he had finally caught the opportunity, and soon he would be able to summon his first strand of the Five Qi.

In a short while, Liu Qingyun suddenly stood up and let out a long howl that echoed in all directions, startling countless birds from the trees. A sharp white Qi burst from his mouth, the Innate Golden Qi.

"Don't just stand there! Gather it quickly and don't waste this precious Innate Qi," Lu Yu urged, seeing that his disciple seemed frozen in place.

Liu Qingyun finally snapped out of it, pulled out his long spear, and absorbed all the Innate Qi into the silver spear.