Chapter 453: Killing with Divine Thought
Chapter 453: Killing with Divine Thought
Zhang Quan, the Lingchu Array, and the traitor of Xiaolingyin Zong—these three were definitely connected. However, with limited clues, the trail was challenging to follow.
For now, the array took precedence.
In Qingfeng Xu's courtyard, Mo Hua was still practicing the Lingchu Array. But suddenly, he felt as if he had forgotten something.
What was it?
Mo Hua paused, then suddenly recalled.
Zhang Quan's ancestor, whom he had stuffed into his storage bag...
That portrait of the Zhang family's ancestor!
Zhang Quan had opened an altar and burned incense to pay homage to the ancestral portrait, channeling the power of his ancestors' divine thoughts to refine the corpse-controlling bell.
Divine thoughts were embedded in the painting.
This suggested that the ancestral portrait was likely a visualization diagram.
And the offering for the ritual was human spiritual sense.
Thus, the being residing within this visualization diagram, even if it wasn't a malicious spirit like the Green-faced Imp, was likely some kind of impure, evil thoughtform.
Zhang Quan practiced necromancy.
His method of corpse refinement had been passed down by his ancestors.
And those ancestors were definitely not benevolent beings.
Mo Hua touched his storage bag, his expression hesitant.
"Do you want to take a look?"
If he looked, there would likely be danger.
Just like in Heishan Stockade, this ancestral portrait might contain some evil spirit waiting to seize the opportunity to invade his sea of consciousness.
And the Dao Monument had only recovered by half.
If it couldn't suppress the evil spirit, being invaded by the evil thoughts would be like inviting a wolf into the house—a disastrous outcome.
It might even expose the secret of the Dao Monument, making the situation even more perilous.
However, not looking wasn't an option either.
This portrait couldn't be kept.
If it fell back into Zhang Quan's hands, it would only enable his nefarious deeds.
And if it didn't end up with Zhang Quan but was obtained by other cultivators, it might still endanger their lives, providing the evil presence within with a source of nourishment in the form of spiritual sense.
Keeping it himself was also risky.
There was no telling when, at a moment between life and death, the evil thoughts within the portrait might emerge to cause chaos.
Thus, it couldn't be kept.
And if he wasn't keeping it, the only option was to destroy it.
He would burn Zhang Quan's ancestor to ashes and scatter them to the wind.
If Zhang Quan found out, he would probably be furious.
Mo Hua couldn't help but mock him in his mind.
But then, Mo Hua hesitated, feeling somewhat reluctant.
After all, visualization diagrams were rare.
So far, Mo Hua had only come across two:
One was the Heishan Stockade's Mountain and Water Taoist diagram.
And the other was this Zhang family ancestral portrait.
Both diagrams were extremely precious and well-hidden, and obtaining them had not been easy.
To burn it would be a waste of a treasure.
More importantly, if he could refine the divine thoughts within the visualization diagram, he could enhance his spiritual sense.
Mo Hua's greatest strength was his spiritual sense, and it was also what he lacked the most.
His spiritual sense far surpassed that of Qi Refining cultivators, and it was no less impressive than that of a typical early Foundation Establishment cultivator—perhaps even more profound.
But it wasn't enough.
He had to find a way to break through his spiritual sense to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
In other words, he needed to reach the fourteen meridians realm.
Only then could he proceed with Foundation Establishment, building the foundation of his spiritual sense and pursuing the path of spiritual enlightenment.
Currently, he lacked high-level arrays to temper his spiritual sense.
The Lingchu Array was a twelve meridians array, but it wasn't complete.
Obtaining the complete diagram would likely require more effort and twists and turns.
Under these circumstances, if he could refine the visualization diagram, his progress in improving his spiritual sense would be much faster.
Mo Hua could also achieve Foundation Establishment sooner.
After some thought, Mo Hua decided to consult Master Zhuang.
He placed the crumpled, ash-stained Zhang family ancestral portrait, now a messy ball, in front of Master Zhuang.
Master Zhuang looked at the dirty object, his expression complicated.
"Why did you crumple it like this?"
Mo Hua frowned, his tone serious.
"I was afraid it would bewitch me!"
Master Zhuang remained silent for a moment before asking, "Did it bewitch you?"
"Yes." Mo Hua nodded.
"How did it bewitch you?"
"It flattered me, saying I had good talent and offering me opportunities. It even asked me to look at it..." Mo Hua huffed, "As if I would fall for that!"
"And then?"
"Then I taught it a lesson, and it behaved."
Master Zhuang glanced at the portrait again.
The diagram was full of creases from Mo Hua's small hands, with ash smudges and a few tiny footprints.
It did indeed seem like it had been "taught a lesson"...
Master Zhuang couldn't help but smile at the sight.
Mo Hua asked softly, "Master, can I look at this diagram?"
Master Zhuang thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Not yet."
Mo Hua looked disappointed, but then his eyes lit up as he asked, "Not yet... So, Master, when will it be possible?"
Master Zhuang didn't answer directly but instead asked a question, "How's your progress with the Lingchu Array?"
"I've learned a bit..."
Mo Hua shared his insights and understanding of the Lingchu Array with Master Zhuang.
Master Zhuang listened and nodded slightly.
Mo Hua couldn't help but ask, "Master, isn't this Lingchu Array a bit too simple?"
Master Zhuang paused, then reached out and poked Mo Hua's forehead with his finger, "Don't say that outside."
Otherwise, some array masters might hear it and get so angry that they'd want to punch you.
Mo Hua smiled awkwardly but still didn't understand, "Master, I thought the Lingchu Array would be more challenging..."
"Like the one-star, ten-meridian Inverse Spirit Array or the one-star, eleven-meridian Thick Earth Array, which require a deeper understanding to master..."
"But with the Lingchu Array, it doesn't seem like I need to understand anything profound. I just learned it roughly..."
Master Zhuang's expression was half-smiling, half-serious, "How do you know you haven't understood anything profound?
Master Zhuang asked, "What is the core of the Lingchu Array?"
"Controlling spiritual energy," Mo Hua blurted out.
"How do you control it?"
"Through the array, decipher the fundamental structure of spiritual energy, then divide the spiritual energy to form delicate strands. With one's spiritual sense, at the center of the array, control these strands of spiritual energy, and thus manipulate external objects."
Master Zhuang smiled meaningfully:
"Does that sound familiar?"
Mo Hua frowned and thought about it.
Spiritual sense controlling spiritual energy...
After a moment, Mo Hua suddenly realized, "The Tian Yan Technique!"
The Tian Yan Technique was also a cultivation method that focused on refining one's spiritual sense for manipulation.
The deeper one's mastery of the Tian Yan Technique, the sharper their spiritual sense manipulation became.
"Indeed!" Master Zhuang nodded, "The Lingchu Array emphasizes spiritual energy control, while the Tian Yan Technique cultivates spiritual sense manipulation. They originate from the same source and are interconnected..."
"You didn't fail to comprehend the Lingchu Array."
"Instead, you gradually and unknowingly grasped these array principles while cultivating the Tian Yan Technique over time."
"So, the challenge in comprehending the Lingchu Array isn't as significant for you."
"After comprehending the absolute array, it was just a matter of deepening your daily realizations, without any sudden epiphanies..."
Mo Hua slowly nodded, understanding flooding into him.
After a moment, he furrowed his brows and asked,
"But Master, isn't the spiritual energy control involved in the Lingchu Array and Tian Yan Technique still different?"
There was quite a significant disparity between the two.
That was why he hadn't thought of this connection initially.
Master Zhuang's eyes shone with approval, and he nodded, "They are like two paths leading to the same destination, similar in essence but different in emphasis..."
"The Tian Yan Technique emphasizes spiritual sense manipulation, focusing on the spiritual sense itself."
"The Lingchu Array emphasizes spiritual energy control, focusing on manipulating objects with spiritual sense, or more precisely, controlling spiritual energy with spiritual sense, using it to meticulously manipulate spiritual energy."
"One is inward, the other outward; they complement each other."
"Since you've cultivated the Tian Yan Technique, your spiritual sense manipulation is strong, making it easier for you to understand the principles of the Lingchu Array, and your understanding is more profound."
"Spiritual sense manipulation of objects..." Mo Hua suddenly thought of something and asked, "Is this related to the ability of Foundation Establishment cultivators to manipulate objects with their spiritual sense?"
Master Zhuang explained,
"The principles are the same; both involve manipulating objects, but the forms differ. Spiritual sense manipulation of objects emphasizes strength, while spiritual sense control of objects emphasizes subtlety and precision."
"Can I manipulate objects with my spiritual sense now?" Mo Hua asked.
"No," Master Zhuang replied, "You can only learn that at the Foundation Establishment stage. Your spiritual sense is sufficient, but your cultivation is not."
Mo Hua looked a little disappointed but then nodded, understanding that it was only reasonable.
The methods of Foundation Establishment were not as easily learned as those of the Qi Refining stage.
After Master Zhuang's explanation, Mo Hua understood a lot, but he still had many doubts.
"Master, how does this relate to visualization diagrams?" Mo Hua asked.
Master Zhuang's gaze intensified, "Do you remember when I said I would teach you the method of killing with divine thought?"
Mo Hua's heart stirred, and he eagerly nodded.
Master Zhuang's eyes deepened, "Killing with divine thought uses spiritual sense as its foundation and manifestation. Spiritual sense control of objects is the method."
"Spiritual sense as the foundation, manifestation as the form, and spiritual sense control of objects as the method..."
Mo Hua quietly repeated the words to himself.
"Do you understand now?" Master Zhuang asked.
Mo Hua honestly shook his head.
He understood the terms "spiritual sense," "manifestation," and "control of objects" separately, but when Master Zhuang connected them, he found it hard to follow.
"It's alright," Master Zhuang smiled, "We'll take it one step at a time..."
"Killing with divine thought is an extremely unorthodox method, extremely difficult, dangerous, and rarely practiced by ordinary cultivators."
"Even among Demon Path cultivators, few know this art."
"I'm teaching it to you because you've chosen the path of spiritual sense cultivation, and you will undoubtedly face life-and-death situations involving spiritual sense in the future."
"In fact, you've already encountered such a situation..."
Like the green-faced imp in the Heishan Stockade's visualization diagram...
Master Zhuang thought to himself, unsure of how Mo Hua had resolved that situation, but he didn't ask.
Some secrets were best kept hidden.
Master Zhuang looked at Mo Hua and admonished, "Use it as an advantage, but don't become reliant."
"External objects can be relied upon, but not depended on."
"You must continually strengthen your spiritual sense and master the technique."
"Learn to face the dangers within divine thoughts with your own power..."
"It is your spiritual sense that is the key to your path, not any external object."
Mo Hua paused, then his expression cleared, his face serious as he nodded.
Seeing the clarity in Mo Hua's eyes, Master Zhuang nodded, satisfied that his disciple understood.
Then he pointed to the crumpled and ash-stained portrait of the Zhang family ancestor on the table, "Once you've learned the method of killing with divine thought, you can use this diagram to practice..."
(End of Chapter)
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