Chapter 489: The Great Wilderness Secret Art!

Chapter 489: The Great Wilderness Secret Art!

"Su Qianqian, serve the tea."

Mou Qingyi sat across from Chen Mu and spoke softly.

As she spoke, a young girl, around twenty years old, approached, holding a spiritual tea pot. She respectfully poured a cup of spirit tea for Chen Mu, and as the tea settled into the jade cup, a subtle fragrance wafted through the air.

Chen Mu recognized the girl as Su Qianqian, the true successor of Hehuan Sect after Flower Twirl Moon and Flower Twirl Shadow. She had once visited Seven Mysteries Sect to seek him out, delivering the Nanming Fire. At that time, Su Qianqian still seemed a bit immature, having just entered the Five Viscera Realm. But now, as Chen Mu's gaze swept over her, it was clear that Su Qianqian had deepened her cultivation, almost reaching the Six Viscera Realm.

Chen Mu picked up the jade cup and drank the tea in one gulp.

In the face of the fearsome Hehuan Sect, he remained calm and composed, sitting across from the sect leader. He drank the sect's tea without hesitation, and this alone caused the eyes of the young disciples serving in the hall to widen with awe.

Su Qianqian stood by, and in her eyes, there was a hint of brilliance as she watched Chen Mu. When she had visited Seven Mysteries Sect to pay respects to Chen Mu, he was already the unparalleled Celestial Being Level Grandmaster, a top figure in the world. For Su Qianqian, as the true successor of Hehuan, he was a revered existence. Now, after several years, Chen Mu had reached the pinnacle of martial cultivation, achieving the status of Martial Saint.

In the past, men who entered Hehuan Sect were either bewitched by their allure or made fools of themselves. Of course, this was due to different circumstances, and even when men visited the sect, the atmosphere of desire still prevailed without restraint. But with Chen Mu's arrival, the entire sect had restrained itself under the order of the sect leader, Mou Qingyi.

The spiritual tea served was indeed a proper tea with nourishing effects.

"This tea is gathered from a spiritual land in the mountains. The most tender leaves are picked and prepared by virgins, ensuring they remain untouched by earthly dust," Mou Qingyi explained softly to Chen Mu.

"Indeed, it's excellent," Chen Mu commented, setting down the tea cup with a relaxed expression.

Mou Qingyi smiled slightly and said, "Our Hehuan Sect has recently relocated, and we don't have any heavenly wonders to offer for your viewing pleasure. However, if we speak of human wonders, even across the entire world, it would be difficult to surpass the beauty of Hehuan. Moreover, outsiders rarely have the opportunity to witness it. Today, with your visit to our sect, I've asked these unaccomplished disciples to perform a dance of heavenly principles and human desires for your evaluation."

"Heaven, Earth, and Man are the three talents of transformation. Hehuan Sect has delved into the extreme path of human desires, which indeed aligns with the heavenly order."

As Mou Qingyi spoke, Chen Mu's gaze casually swept across the hall.

At that moment, Su Qianqian, the sect's true successor, quietly retreated to the back, and a group of charming girls surrounded her. These girls, with their youthful or alluring looks, exuded allure in their every move, and each of them had reached the Bone Tempering Realm in their martial cultivation. They were undoubtedly inner disciples of Hehuan Sect, not ordinary women from the mortal world.

A graceful melody from a zither began to play in the hall, its sound like a clear stream flowing through the mountains, conveying joy and happiness, and embodying the most extreme pleasure of human desires.

Accompanied by the zither's melody,

The Hehuan disciples danced gracefully, some swaying their long sleeves and skirts, while others moved their bare arms and legs. Although it seemed like a scene of debauchery, there was a sense of harmony, as if the dance elevated from lust to desire, and from desire to 'human desire', subtly aligning with the wonders of heaven and earth.

Chen Mu only glanced a few times before understanding the essence of Hehuan Sect's path of human desires. His expression remained calm, and he sat there, watching this dance of Hehuan.

Indeed, when it came to dance and song, there was no one in the world who could surpass Hehuan Sect.

In the past, he had served as an official and, on various occasions, visited places of entertainment due to his duties. He had heard songs performed by singing courtesans and witnessed dances by dancing girls, but they couldn't compare to Hehuan Sect's dance that captured the essence of human desires.

After all, every girl in Hehuan Sect was extraordinary, far beyond the dancers and singers from the mortal world. Those performers practiced their art, but the Hehuan disciples cultivated their path, a path of human desires unique to them.

It could be said that if any Five Viscera Realm expert from the martial world were to witness this dance, as long as their soul core wasn't fully awakened and their martial will wasn't strong enough, they would struggle to suppress the awakening of their primal desires.

However, Chen Mu remained composed, his eyes revealing only a hint of appreciation, without any disturbance or desire. His current cultivation was unparalleled, and his soul core was the highest in the world. Although Hehuan Sect's dance showcased the beauty of the girls to the fullest, it was still insufficient to stir desires within him.

Unless he intended to give in to desire, there would be no desire. Without intention, there was no desire, and all thoughts remained within his heart.

Without desire in his heart, his eyes only saw the beauty of humanity.

As the dance concluded,

The Hehuan disciples bowed respectfully towards Chen Mu, their voices like a chorus of nightingales and swallows, paying homage to the moon. Su Qianqian, the true successor, knelt on the ground, her face adorned with a subtle smile.

Mou Qingyi smiled and turned her gaze towards Chen Mu, awaiting his evaluation.

This dance, performed by the Hehuan disciples, was not merely a display of beauty and grace. It was a presentation of Hehuan Sect's path of human desires, a path that led to the heavens above the evaluation of physical appearance.

In the current world, when it came to martial cultivation, no one could surpass Chen Mu.

"The ancient saints spoke of preserving heavenly principles and eliminating human desires as the way to inquire about the mysteries of heaven and earth. Heavenly principles are the unchanging laws of the universe, while human desires are ever-changing. To cultivate the heart and seek heavenly principles is the orthodox path."

"The path of Hehuan seeks the extreme of human desires, questioning the principles of heaven and earth, but it is a challenging path to follow. The world is a balance of yin and yang, and to seek the extreme of human desires without succumbing to them, maintaining an unwavering heart, is also a way to cultivate the heart. There is nothing wrong with the path of Hehuan Sect; it is just more difficult than the path of ordinary people, requiring stronger willpower and a more challenging journey to become a Celestial Being."

Chen Mu's expression remained calm as he evaluated Hehuan Sect's path, pointing out its advantages and disadvantages.

Before reaching the Celestial Being Level in martial cultivation, one must first understand the human path to comprehend the heavenly path.

Just as there are those in the world who cultivate the path of detachment, seeking to become closer to heaven by eliminating emotions, there are also those who embrace the path of the mortal world, seeking to understand heaven through the cultivation of the heart. Hehuan Sect is no different. While some strive to eliminate desires and seek heaven, Hehuan Sect's path explores the extremes of human desires, polishing the heart, and offering a way to reach the ultimate realm. However, this path is more challenging, easier to fall into temptation, and more likely to lead to confusion.

Not everyone is born with the potential to reach the realm that Chen Mu currently possesses.

The disciples of the Huanhuan Sect, these young girls, are merely ordinary mortals in the secular world. Even though they embrace the principles of the Huanhuan Dao from birth, they are still human, susceptible to emotions and desires. On the path of pursuing human desires, once their will wavers, all previous progress is lost, and they regress instead of advancing.

The founder of the Huanhuan Sect was well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of this path. Thus, he used the sect's principles to restrain the hearts of the disciples, nurturing them from a young age to ensure that all Huanhuan disciples would consider the sect as the direction of their hearts and the foundation of their will. No matter how they are tempered by the trials of human desires, their hearts would always belong to the sect, thus achieving the purpose of stabilizing their minds.

Of course, there are also disciples like Hua Nongyue and Hua Nongying, who guard their desires and emotions. Once they are moved by desire, they are also moved by emotion. Before being moved by desire, they cultivate by traversing the mortal world, free from all kinds of distractions. After being moved by desire, they are immersed in their emotions, using the object of their heart's desire as the foundation for stabilizing their minds.

In fact, the reason why Hua Nongyue and Hua Nongying have been able to cultivate so smoothly and effortlessly, breaking through to the Grandmasters realm with ease and naturalness, is largely because Chen Mu has been guiding them step by step, pointing them in the right direction.

Chen Mu is the object of their emotional attachment after being moved by desire. Since he can cultivate to become an invincible Martial Saint, standing at the pinnacle of the martial world, the Huanhuan twin sisters, whose hearts are connected to him, naturally benefit from his influence, making their thoughts clearer and their will more concentrated.

"Chen Mu, the number one Martial Artist in the world today, truly understands the advantages and disadvantages of the Huanhuan Dao."

After hearing Chen Mu's words, Mu Qingyi couldn't help but sigh.

The various cultivation methods of the Huanhuan Dao often lead to rapid progress in the initial stages of practice, especially for those who also cultivate the Qi-replenishing techniques. Their cultivation journey is like riding the wind and commanding lightning, easily strengthening their muscles and bones, and even entering the Five Viscera and Six Viscera Realm is not difficult.

This also results in a larger number of lower-level disciples in the Huanhuan Sect compared to sects like the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Xuanji Pavilion. There are many more disciples who can cultivate to the Muscle-strengthening Realm, and the number of those who can enter the Five Viscera Realm from the Muscle-strengthening Realm is also higher than in other sects.

However, everything has its pros and cons.

As they approach the Five Viscera Realm, the benefits gradually decrease. After reaching the Six Viscera Realm, it becomes almost impossible to gain significant benefits from the Qi-replenishing techniques. Moreover, breaking through the Marrow Gate is extremely challenging, even more so than for ordinary people.

From the perspective of the current era, some people who are about to break through to the Marrow Washing Realm may have souls that are not fully awakened. However, they can still awaken completely due to fortuitous circumstances during the process of breaking through the Marrow Gate, and then they can shatter the Marrow Washing barrier and cultivate to the Grandmaster realm. But disciples of the Huanhuan Sect cannot do this. They often need to concentrate their will to a certain degree and fully awaken the power of their souls before they can break through.

This is because when cultivating the Huanhuan Dao, which involves human desires, the heart demons encountered when breaking through the Marrow Gate are naturally much stronger and more challenging to overcome than those faced by ordinary people.

Since the Huanhuan Sect has a larger number of core disciples who have cultivated to the Five Viscera and Six Viscera Realms compared to sects like the Seven Mysteries Sect, the number of Grandmasters in the Huanhuan Sect can keep up, and even the Blood Replacement Realm's heritage has never been interrupted. However, there has never been a Celestial Being in the Huanhuan Sect. This is not only because the Huanhuan Sect has never produced someone with talent that surpasses all others in the world, but also because the Huanhuan Dao is easy to enter but difficult to master.

After Mu Qingyi's sigh, she glanced at Chen Mu and saw that his gaze remained clear and unchanged. She knew that Chen Mu's temperament and will had long reached the state of unchanging self-perception, merging with heaven and detaching from human desires. Whether or not Chen Mu had someone he favored, if he wanted to personally experience the Huanhuan Dao, it would not be directed at her but rather at the many disciples of the Huanhuan Sect, so she waved her hand at them.

"All of you, step down."

Su Qianqian and the other Huanhuan disciples immediately bowed respectfully and then retreated one after another.

Soon, only Mu Qingyi, the Sect Master of the Huanhuan Sect, and Chen Mu remained in the grand hall.

Chen Mu put down the teacup in his hand and looked at Mu Qingyi, saying, "I have many past connections with the Huanhuan Sect. Now, Yue'er and Ying'er are following me. Sect Master Mu, what is the important matter that you invited me here for? Please speak frankly."

Mu Qingyi picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then looked at Chen Mu as she spoke slowly, "With Chen Mu's current status, you should be aware of many secrets about the Great Wilderness, right?"

"I know a little," Chen Mu replied calmly.

Mu Qingyi spoke seriously, "In the Great Wilderness, there are numerous opportunities. Not only are there various spiritual objects and treasures, but there is also a possibility of coming into contact with beings from other realms. You may even learn some exotic secret techniques that are different from those of the Great Xuan Dynasty, such as the Corpse Refinement Technique of the Tian Shi Sect, which is actually a heretical secret technique obtained from the Great Wilderness a long time ago..."

Mu Qingyi narrated many secrets about the Great Wilderness, and her knowledge of it slightly exceeded Chen Mu's expectations. Compared to many Celestial Beings, she seemed to know even more, even though the Huanhuan Sect had never produced a Celestial Being.

But upon further reflection, it wasn't surprising. The Huanhuan Sect has always been proficient in intelligence gathering. Although they are often looked down upon by orthodox sects, in secret, the Huanhuan Sect is quite influential. However, the information Mu Qingyi knew was mostly within the scope of what Chen Mu was aware of. Conversely, the knowledge Chen Mu possessed, such as the delineation of the Divine Realm's Nine Stages, was unknown to Mu Qingyi.

Clearly, when it came to intelligence about the Great Wilderness, the Great Xuan Dynasty's court indeed had deeper insights.

"...One of our Huanhuan Sect's ancestors actually brought back a secret technique from the Great Wilderness a long time ago. However, this technique was so difficult to cultivate that even Blood Replacement Realm practitioners struggled with it. The ancestor concluded that only by reaching the Celestial Being level could one cultivate it, so he sealed away this secret technique. After several hundred years, the later generations of the Huanhuan Sect have never been able to produce a Celestial Being."

As Mu Qingyi spoke, she shook her head slightly.

Chen Mu, holding the teacup, paused slightly in the motion of stirring the tea with the lid, and looked at Mu Qingyi with a hint of surprise. It was indeed somewhat unexpected that the Huanhuan Sect possessed a Great Wilderness secret technique that they couldn't cultivate.

The Great Wilderness is often known for its abundance of spiritual objects and treasures. High-level cultivators from various sects frequently collect spiritual objects and materials from there. Compared to these, the rare treasures like the Divine Bead used by Yang Qingshan are much less common.

Even rarer are secret techniques and skills.

At Chen Mu's current level, standing at the pinnacle of the martial world, he has only heard of a few Great Wilderness secret techniques. Among them, whether it's the technique used by Ji Xuanfei to interfere with spiritual weapons, or the Soul Splitting Puppet secret technique comprehended by the Six Paths Alliance Master, Mo, or the Soul Merging and Orifice Snatching technique cultivated by Ji Yongzhao, all of them are extraordinary.

Hearing that the Huanhuan Sect also possesses a Great Wilderness secret technique, Chen Mu immediately became interested. However, he didn't rush to ask Mu Qingyi about the type of technique but instead waited quietly for her to continue.

In the Huanhuan Sect, the Great Wilderness Secret Art was an extremely confidential matter, known only to the Sect Master and the Holy Maiden through generations of oral tradition. Even elders of the sect would likely not be privy to such information. However, as Mu Qingyi revealed it to Chen Mu without any hesitation, it was highly likely that she would disclose everything.

Chen Mu had already guessed the general idea.

This secret art was exclusively reserved for those who had reached the Celestial Being Level, and even then, it was not guaranteed that one could successfully cultivate it. Moreover, the art was not a consumable item. By offering this secret art to Chen Mu and making a deal with him, it would also benefit the Huanhuan Sect.

The primary reason was the karmic connection between Chen Mu and the Huanhuan Sect. His status and position as the foremost person in the world, the Supreme Martial Saint, surpassing all living beings, made him incomparable in terms of temperament, insight, and vision. Even if this secret art defied the heavens, entrusting it to him would not pose a threat to the Huanhuan Sect.

On the contrary, if it were anyone else, even someone of the Five Absolutes like the Six Paths Alliance Master, attempting to make a deal with the Great Wilderness Secret Art would be fraught with danger. The subsequent developments would be unpredictable, and it was highly likely to bring calamity upon the Huanhuan Sect.

As Mu Qingyi looked at Chen Mu, she said, "To cultivate this secret art, one not only needs to reach the Celestial Being Level but also requires some special spirit treasures as supplementary tools. These spirit treasures are unheard of, not something obtainable in the Great Xuan World. Most likely, they originate from the Great Wilderness. Even if someone in our sect achieves the Celestial Being Level, cultivating this art would still be extremely challenging. In this world, only you, Chen Saint, are capable of traversing the Great Wilderness and gathering the necessary resources."

Traverse the Great Wilderness? Chen Mu shook his head slightly. With his current abilities, traversing the Great Wilderness seemed like a distant dream. After all, the concept of the Divine Lower Ninth Stage originated from the Great Wilderness, and if such a concept existed, there must be figures of that caliber.

Those at the Divine Lower Sixth Stage were almost capable of breaking into the Divine Realm at any time. As for the Seventh and Eighth Stages, Chen Mu could hardly imagine the power they possessed. Perhaps they could even rival true Divine Realm beings. At present, he was still far from reaching such heights.

Of course.

With his innate talent and the assistance of the system panel, he was destined to reach those heights in the future.

However, Chen Mu did not elaborate on this to Mu Qingyi. Instead, he asked with a thoughtful expression, "If cultivation requires special resources, what type of secret art is it?"

Mu Qingyi's gaze deepened as she looked at Chen Mu and said, "Soul Refining Technique."

Soul Refining Technique!

Just hearing its name was enough to understand that it was a precious secret art related to the refinement of the soul and heart.

Even before the Kunlun Debate, when the world of martial arts had not yet clarified the connection between the path of the soul and heart and the martial body, Mu Qingyi and the successive sect masters of the Huanhuan Sect were well aware of the value of such soul-related secrets. After the Kunlun Debate, the entire world came to realize the preciousness of soul secrets.

If this Great Wilderness Secret Art were to be leaked, all Celestial Beings in the world would likely fight for it. This included Cold North Heavenly Blade Gongyang Yu and East-Facing Sword Venerable Gu Xiaochen, who were peerless figures.

Although the Huanhuan Sect was a prominent sect, it would not be able to resist such a situation.

Mu Qingyi's boldness in revealing this secret art before Chen Mu was indeed a display of her audacity. On one hand, it was because her martial prowess was unparalleled in the world, making her the sole Supreme Martial Saint. On the other hand, it was in line with her consistent style of handling matters, always being clear about favors and grudges. Mu Qingyi was betting on Chen Mu's character as a Martial Saint, hoping he would not develop greed for a secret art.

After revealing that the secret art was related to soul refinement, Mu Qingyi's initial tension and anxiety had mostly dissipated. This was mainly because of Chen Mu's display of a Martial Saint's demeanor on Kunlun Summit.

Chen Mu had been very open about the reasons for his powerful physique, his cultivation method in the Blood Replacement Realm, and more, leaving almost nothing hidden. It was as if he was imparting his martial path to the world.

Evidently, for the current Chen Mu, it was not only his martial prowess that was invincible, but his mental state as well. He did not mind if others followed his martial path or even surpassed him. Instead, he hoped for the world of martial arts to develop and progress faster.

Upon hearing Mu Qingyi utter the words 'Soul Refining Technique,' Chen Mu paused for a moment.

"Your Huanhuan Sect truly has an extraordinary encounter."

After a while, he shook his head slightly and spoke.

Seeing that Chen Mu's expression remained calm even at this moment, Mu Qingyi couldn't help but sigh inwardly impressed. Chen Mu was indeed an unparalleled Martial Saint, both in mental state and martial prowess. Such an extraordinary hero, yet he did not come from their Huanhuan Sect... If the Huanhuan Sect had intercepted Chen Mu in Yu Prefecture and recruited him into their sect instead of the Seven Mysteries Sect, perhaps Chen Mu would have become the pillar of the Huanhuan Sect.

However, these thoughts were fleeting. Mu Qingyi, as the sect master of her generation, quickly calmed her mind. She gently flipped her hand, retrieving a demon skin scroll from her sleeve and offering it to Chen Mu.

"This is the Great Wilderness Secret Art, the Soul Refining Technique."

"Our Huanhuan Sect's ancestor, through a stroke of luck, discovered a corpse in the Great Wilderness. From that corpse, she found this demon skin scroll containing the secret art. Fortunately, it was not incomplete. Unfortunately, the later generations of our sect were not up to the task. Despite having the opportunity, they were unable to cultivate it and could only barely glimpse some of the mysteries of the soul path."

Mu Qingyi paused briefly before continuing, "Speaking of which, I was one of those who performed the surgery for Yue'er and Ying'er. They were not only physically connected but also had their souls intertwined before they were fully formed. I attempted a technique I had comprehended from the Soul Refining Technique, and by chance, it succeeded in separating them."

"If not for this Soul Refining Technique, perhaps Yue'er and Ying'er would not exist today."

As Mu Qingyi spoke, Chen Mu reached out and took the demon skin scroll, a faint light gleaming in his eyes. He had always been curious about the peculiarities of Hua Nongyue and Hua Nongying's bodies and souls, and Mu Qingyi's explanation resonated with some of his own thoughts.

Hua Nongyue and Hua Nongying were not only perfectly attuned in their qi but also shared a connection in their hearts and minds. Indeed, their souls were not entirely one, but they had once been intertwined, confirming one of Chen Mu's previous guesses.

A fleeting thought crossed his mind.

Chen Mu slowly lowered his head, gazing at the demon skin scroll in his hand. He unfurled it and saw the large characters written on it—Soul Refining Technique!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end