Chapter 18 Feng Xi Jian Wind and Clouds Change
Fox Xiaxia was lying on a vast ice rock when he woke up. Looking around, it was pitch black everywhere. Only this piece of ice rock where he was lying was constantly bubbling with cold air and a light blue halo. He slowly climbed up, briefly combed his fur, and jumped off the ice rock but fell into the water with a plop.
He was terrified; he was not good at swimming and choked on the water as he flailed a few times in panic. Fox Xiaxia suddenly had a bright idea, turned into a duck, and floated to the water's surface. In the water, he saw that this ice rock was a vast ten-thousand-year-old glacier, and there was no living thing around except himself.
Where am I? How did I get in here? Fox Xiaxia desperately thought back as countless fragments flashed back into his mind:
He is the family peer in the most outstanding, talented spirit fox. He left his hometown to come out to travel down the mountain, was almost captured by the hunters, saw the giant bear killed, came to the Kunlun Mountain to learn the art of learning from the Master, just now and was instructed by the Master to close the door together to cultivate. Seem to think of it, but then always feel that something is missing, what's missing?
He felt cold all over his body, and his physical strength became more and more unsupportable. He flashed his wings twice to fly back to the ice rock bank. He was starving and also felt unusually cold. His magic power quickly could no longer support the changing art; he hurriedly returned to his original fox form and wrapped himself tightly with his big furry tail.
Fox Xiaxia didn't know how much time had passed; it seemed that time was swallowed up by darkness in this dark and cold cave. At first, he could think calmly to find a way to escape, but as it became more complicated and frigid, his physical and mental strength became increasingly unable to keep up, and his patience and perseverance were worn out. He screamed, pleaded for help, cursed, and cried, but it was all to no avail. He forced himself to calm down as much as he could and tried everything he could to attempt to escape. But to his despair, he was surrounded by never-ending darkness and the deep sea, except for this seemingly ever-smaller chunk of icy rock beneath his feet that he could still stand on. His spells were getting weaker and weaker; he could no longer change anything; not only did he not have the strength to toss and turn anymore, but his mood had also sunk to the bottom, gradually reaching the edge of collapse.
He didn't know how long he had been in this cold darkness, how much longer he could stay, was he going to die here?
Death! Right! Death seemed to be the best solution now; one could not have to suffer, freeze, and starve anymore; why didn't he think of it before? Thinking of this, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. When had he gotten to the point of seeking death? Once unbeatable himself, the hope and pride of the family, the best one among his siblings, the senior disciple handpicked by his Master, the only disciple who could cultivate in seclusion with his Master.
But now, what is the meaning of all this? One is about to die, about to live; what's the use of being proud? High talent can't escape just the same. Cultivation, attainment, and immortality are all jokes to him now. Since childhood, he has been educated by his family and teachers to cultivate, become immortal, remove the fox skin, acquire human form, and become a human being! What's the use of becoming human? Will becoming human keep you from freezing and starving to death? Without the protection of a human's fur, wouldn't a human die faster in this cold realm, covered in nakedness?
"Hahahahahahaha, master, father, and mother, you all lied to me; what's the point of turning into a human?" Fox Xiaxia sadly hung his head and laughed bitterly in despair. He supported his body with difficulty and delay, crawling to the edge of the ice rock, and leaped down, letting his body not be submerged in the cold and bone-chilling water. His whole body gradually sank to the bottom of the water.
"Fourth brother, fourth brother!"
"Fourth brother, will you play with me?"
"Fourth brother, I don't know this question. Can you teach me?"
"My fourth brother is the best in my family; he's number one in the Upper History Exam back and forth, and everyone loves him!"
"Fourth brother, I've always had a question I don't understand. You said that we in the Demon Realm are also living a happy and wanton life, and the skills that we are good at are no worse than those of humans, and some of our abilities are even far better than theirs. Why do we have to keep cultivating in anticipation of taking human form? What great ability does this human have to be the head of all spirits?"
"Fourth brother, soup!"
"Fourth brother, the little loach can speak words. He's so smart."
"Jealous of me? The fourth brother, you've been better than me since you were little; I'm the one at the bottom of the family; how could you be jealous of me?"
"Fourth brother, I'm leaving. Don't worry about me ..."
Who is it? Who's calling me? Fourth brother? I, do I have a sister? Sister? Sister!
Fox Xiaxia pranced in the water and opened his eyes; he had a younger sister, a third senior brother, Shan Xiaohu, as a friend; they had experienced a lot together; he had once been jealous for a long time because his sister had turned into a human first. Why should he be jealous because he was better endowed than his sister regarding looks and talent? Are you envious of her just because he was always the best? Fox Xiaxia, you're so childish and ridiculous! How dare you be jealous of your sister, the closest and most important to you, for those meaningless things.
Fox Xiaxia recalled her sister Moonlight Night's painful cries when she turned into a human form, remembered the way her body gradually weakened after she turned into a human and eventually fainted from vomiting blood, recalled the helplessness of having to go down to the mortal world to refine the demonic qi in her body and quell her antithetical spells so that she could only cultivate. My sister had never acted resentful and downcast in front of them, and even less because of these pains to seek shortcomings. She may not be the most beautiful and gifted in the Spirit Fox Clan, but she is the strongest. Alone, she endured all and went to face all the challenges and hardships head-on. And now, she chose to end her life just because she was trapped in this ice cave.
"Fox Xiaxia ah! Your pride has no roots, and your talent is nothing but vanity. You don't deserve to be a human being, destined to be nothing more than a walking beast." Fox Xiaxia laughed bitterly in his heart; he was continuing to sink; he had just gotten caught up in his thoughts but had overlooked one of the utmost importance: instead of freezing to death or drowning inside the water, he was continuously sinking.
When Fox Xiaxia found this phenomenon, he realized that this ice-hole escape method was the water that he had always been afraid of. Refrain from trying the water quickly, his most inept short board. The difference between life and death is greed for life. Always lying on the ice rock is a dead end, and letting go of the obsession of life gained is to put the death of life.
When he sank to the bottom of the water, he was calm in his heart, holding his breath and practicing his mind, constantly absorbing the aura of all things in the world and circulating it in his body. His spirit bead burst out of the energy that had been hidden for a long time at this moment. He was no longer cold and hungry, with pain, sadness, despair, depression, anxiety, anger, and so on, which had been bothering him for a long time. He entered an entirely new realm in which everything was empty, and his heart was free of any obstacles. He entered a new realm where everything is meaningless, and his mind is free from all attachments.
...
At the time, Fox Xiaxia and Shan Xiaohu were shut up in one place for cultivation. He Yunfeng, the White Crane Boy, came back from the Heavenly Court to resume his duties, and along with him, there was also a great god, a great god that the South Pole Immortal Weng had to curb his usual old boy behavior and bow respectfully - he was the ErLang Shen, Yang Jian, who is the King of Martyrdom, the King of Virtue, the King of Virtue, the True Lord of the Myriad Paths of Qingyuan, and is commonly known as ErLang Shen.
This God is a distant cousin of our Nanji Immortal. Still, Nanji Immortal has never dared to treat him as a relative, and of course, Erlang Shen has never treated Nanji Immortal as one of his people, and their private dealings are extremely rare. We are all officials in the Heavenly Court, each in their way, not so much as a brotherhood of friendship.
"I didn't even know Erlang Shen was staying in my humble abode. I'm sorry to have missed the welcome and for the disrespect!" Nanji Immortal respectfully bowed to Erlang Shen. Even though their ranks were similar, the Nanji Immortal was very self-aware. He knew that he could not afford to mess with this Master, so it would be better to provide him with a little bit of money, and he knew very well that he could not beat Erlangshen (that is to say, how many opponents could Erlangshen have in the six realms?) He was unequivocal that he couldn't beat Erlangshen (in these six worlds, Erlangshen can have a few enemies?).
Erlang Shen needs to be more polite, slightly nodding even if he is greeted. The emperor and the queen mother in front of the red man, not relying on the status on the status of the blood, but by a pair of fists and hands of the three-pointed, two-edged knife to fight out of the hall of fame, self-esteem is very high some, but people also have a complicated reason. This time, Erlang Shen came to Feng Xi Jian to give Nanji Immortal the decree.
"Nanji Immortal, listen to the decree. Nianjun has scrupulously done his duty and has sincerely submitted to the law, and the thousand-year thunder punishment will soon end in 100 years. At that time, you will be authorized to be reinstated to your official position and be in charge of the lifespan of all living beings in the four seas and eight wastelands. Return to the Heavenly Divine Thunder Jade Mansion and return to the Immortal Class. Admire this!" Erlang Shen handed the sacred decree to Nanji Immortal and, with a rare smile, said, "Congratulations, immortal friend, finally you can leave this Feng Xi Jian. You don't have to suffer from thunder anymore."
The South Pole Immortal Weng hurriedly arched his hand and thanked him, "Aiya, thank you very much for your kind words, Divine Sovereign. Just this Feng Xi Jian also lived for nearly a thousand years, more or less have a few feelings, look, I also in this kind of a peach tree." Then he beckoned to pick a basket of peaches, to Erlang Shen, full of smiles, said: "God hasn't come to my place, may as well taste my hand-planted peaches, then the Queen Mother's Peach how?"
Erlang Shen said with a smile, "Is this a bribe?"
"How could it be? No, no, no. This is just me doing my duty as a landlord. It's good to have friends coming from afar! Come on, have a taste; it's been a long journey; why don't you have a peach to quench your thirst."
"Then I respectfully disagree." Erlang Shen took the peach and casually wandered a few steps into Feng Xi Jian's thatched courtyard, then asked Nan Ji Xian Weng commonly, "I heard that Xian Weng has recently taken in a few new disciples. This is a great, joyous event! I wonder which immortal mountain these young disciples come from and what kind of clan they are from?"
Nanji Immortal paused for a moment, glanced at He Yunfeng, who had been silent next to him with his afterglow, and then piled up his smile again and replied, "Really, nothing can be hidden from the Divine Sovereign, and it's not any exceptionally endowed immortal child or divine beast, it's just three ordinary little demons. It's also fate, so I'll take them together and accompany me to relieve my boredom."
Erlang Shen put on an incredulous expression as he looked at Nanji Immortal and deliberately exclaimed, "Aiya, I say Xianweng. How did you dare to provoke the demon race again? Could it be that you still want to suffer another 1000 years of lightning punishment? Or do you want to repeat the mistake of personally beheading that thousand-year-old fox demon before?" Erlang Shen laughed and raised his hand to place his arm on Nanji Immortal's shoulder as if discussing it intimately, "500 years ago, I just led several tens of thousands of heavenly soldiers and generals and subdued a few demons and devils that were causing trouble and chaos. Why don't you come to the world with me to kill the demons and devils? It's much better than staying under house arrest in Feng Xi Jian like this?"
The Nanji Immortal tried to remain calm and laughed, "I'm flattered by the Divine Sovereign. The little older man can already take care of himself by being a longevity star and being in charge of the lifespans of the living beings in the six realms, so how can I still have the ability to follow the Divine Sovereign to slay demons and get rid of evil spirits. My three disciples have been put into different boundaries. They are now practicing to purify their demonic qi, and they have eaten my immortal peaches, so it won't take too long for them to shed their demonic bodies and refine their immortal bones. Rest assured, God Sovereign, if they misbehave, I, as a master, will clean up the door at the first opportunity."
Erlang Shen looked at the immortal peaches in his hand, laughed a few times, then nodded and said, "Since Immortal Weng has such a realization, this monarch cannot say anything more, so please take care of yourself. After a hundred years, we will talk again in the Heavenly Court. Farewell!" Then, Erlang Shen carried the basket of immortal peaches and left it in the clouds.
Nanji Immortal watched him go, glanced at He Yunfeng, and without saying anything, he turned around and went into seclusion. Mei Xiangzi walked out of the dan room, looked at eldest senior brother He Yunfeng, and left without much goodwill.
He Yunfeng, this time, is not a person, initially following the provisions of every two months to the Heavenly Court, just to report that the Master is still undergoing the thunder torture, and there is no particular action on the good. Why do you have to be more than that mouth, said the Master has three new disciples. This not only alerted the Heavenly Court, blaming him and Mei Xiangzi for not supervising well but also made Erlangshen take the excuse to run to them for inspection, causing the Master, his old man, to get angry.
As the Heavenly Court sent down the supervisor, he and Mei Xiangzi initially did not feel that this was what was wrong; they were listening to the work. After nearly a thousand years of living together, the two genuinely admire this seemingly old boy with great wisdom, a significant commitment to God, and a master. The usual courtesy is not superficial but from the heart of respect.
Just for He, Yunfeng is not like Mei Xiangzi, so see-through and open-minded, more or less, for the Master received three goblins as a disciple in this matter, the heart dissatisfaction nagging. But when he just saw the Master, Erlang Shen suppressed, and his old man was angry and disappointed, He Yunfeng regretted. No matter what, he couldn't turn his elbow outward and help outsiders bully his own family!
He Yunfeng went to look for Mei Xiangzi, but Mei Xiangzi gave a "hmph," turned around, changed to her original form of a plum blossom deer, and went to the mountains to collect medicines alone. He had no choice but to run outside his Master's cave, where he was in seclusion, and kneel to ask for forgiveness.
"Master, please chastise my disciple. I was wrong about this. If you have any grievances, punish me! You don't want to break your body in anger."
Inside the cave, there hadn't been any reply, so He Yunfeng had no choice but to stay on his knees outside the cave, waiting for the next day when his Master went out of the cave to go to the torture platform to see his old man and plead for his Master's forgiveness.
However, the following day, He Yunfeng also did not see the Master; the older man from another exit just refused to see him. He Yunfeng, this time, panicked. Master, usually nothing can be put on the heart, always a cheeky look, never to anyone so unheard of, this time how angry? And also so big fire? This isn't like the character of the master teacher, ah?
He Yunfeng knelt at the cave entrance for a month straight. On this day, Mei Xiangzi brought a basket of freshly picked Ganoderma Lucidum, passing by here, saw that his elder brother was still kneeling outside the cave, and asked curiously, "What are you doing, elder brother?"
He Yunfeng said gravely, "I'm asking for the Master's pardon. I hope the Master will chastise me."
Mei Xiangzi laughed, saying, "Master is not as petty as you think. He has no time for you. Every time he was tortured these days, he would go to see how well Oldest Three and Oldest Four had practiced.
Eldest brother, please don't blame me for talking too much. Although you have reached a certain level of profundity in your magic power, the path of cultivating your heart is still too far away~ As immortals, if our hearts are still so narrow, even if we have a high level of Taoism, how can we afford the incense and fire offerings of the mortals in the lower realms?"
Mei Xiangzi knew that his words might be a bit heavy, but since he had said it, he didn't intend to cover it up anymore. He continued, "After all, those three are still all little kids over 100 years old. Even if they are demonic in body, the suffering they are suffering right now is not something they should be able to bear at their age. Whether it's the youngest senior sister actively facing it or the two senior brothers, Oldest Three and Oldest Four, passively enduring it, it's all a great test. I think that even a Divine Beast like me, who has cultivated that suffering for ten thousand years, may not be able to bear it openly. However, once their tribulation is completed and their cultivation is complete, they will naturally shed their demonic bodies, refine their immortal bones, cultivate into human form, and attain immortality. Eldest Brother must no longer treat them as demons. They are the same as you and I, true and honorable immortals now."
He Yunfeng looked at Mei Xiangzi, momentarily at a loss for what to say. His mouth opened twice, then closed again. Mei Xiangzi patted him on the shoulder and said, "Master should be at the top of the pointed mountain watching Shan Xiaohu now. Go there and fetch Main back to rest!"