In the vast universe, all things are in my heart. When I reach a state of no mind, what could possibly disturb me?
In recent days, in order to understand the mystery of the Xuanhuang Flag and the enigmatic characters, I have studied some Taoist books on thunder magic. Most of them require specific footwork, hand gestures, and techniques related to thunder spells, the transformation of spirit, the collection of thunder and fire, as well as the summoning of lightning.
However, many of these techniques were ineffective despite repeated attempts. Several times, they even caused my vital energy to become disordered, resulting in a cold sweat.
I've also researched the legendary "Five Thunders" technique, but all the texts said was that it stemmed from the Five Elements theory, using the Five Thunders—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—without offering any detailed cultivation methods, leaving me uncertain of where to start.
The only things I've gained are seven different thunder hand seals: the Sky Thunder Seal, Earth Thunder Seal, Cloud Thunder Seal, Water Thunder Seal, Demon Thunder Seal, and Fighting Thunder Seal.
Each time I perform one of the first six seals, the surrounding energies of the world fluctuate, and a strange energy flows into the Xuanhuang Flag. But when I use the final Fighting Thunder Seal, the Xuanhuang Flag releases a powerful force that draws the surrounding energies together, forming small blue lightning bolts at the tip of my finger. I can feel the immense destructive power they possess as soon as I think about it.
Now, seeing the mummy with a sinister expression charging at me, I suddenly remembered the Fighting Thunder Seal. This is a perfect opportunity to test it! Hehe.
I quickly held the unconscious Wu Xiaoman in my left arm and retreated a few steps. With my right hand, I began to form the Fighting Thunder Seal. I concentrated as my pinky bent over the ring finger, my middle finger hooked under the pinky, and my thumb pinched the middle finger, hiding the nail of my thumb. Finally, my index finger, which remained straight, pointed directly at the charging mummy.
In an instant, I felt a faint blue lightning wrap around my index finger.
The mummy froze in mid-air, a flash of surprise and panic flashing across its eyes.
Time seemed to stop at that moment, as if the whole world was still, leaving only me in motion.
My index finger struck precisely at the mummy's forehead.
The lightning at the tip of my finger immediately surged into its forehead...
The mummy's face changed drastically. Struggling, it attempted to move away from my finger, but I followed closely, channeling my vital energy and activating the Xuanhuang Flag. I whispered the word "Fast," and the mummy trembled. Its mouth opened in a silent scream as it collapsed to the ground, reduced to dust by my thunder.
So easy? The mummy was destroyed so easily?
I was stunned, but before I could fully process it, I felt two mysterious forces flowing from my finger into my body. I couldn't react in time. One force rushed towards my Mud Ball Palace, while the other headed toward Wu Xiaoman, who was in my arms.
I was shocked and quickly tried to block them with my energy, but it was useless. The mysterious forces pierced through my energy and sped up.
Strangely, the Xuanhuang Flag in my Mud Ball Palace didn't repel these mysterious forces. When they entered, my mind was immediately flooded with an overwhelming amount of unfamiliar information.
No, to be more precise, I found the memories of an old Daoist named Chongxuan.
A vast amount of information surged into my mind, and despite my strong spiritual sense, I felt dizzy and overwhelmed. The memories were very systematic, but they lacked any emotional or intentional content.
I could sense that the breath of Wu Xiaoman in my arms was slowly becoming calm, and I too relaxed, closing my eyes. I scanned through the memories of the old Daoist, Chongxuan, with my spiritual sense. Then, with all my strength, I sealed the mysterious energy containing the memories into my Mud Ball Palace.
Although these memories were important, I didn't want them to merge with my soul, as that would disturb my true self. The thought of it made me uncomfortable.
From the memories of Chongxuan, I learned everything about the mummy incident.
Chongxuan was the master of the Daoist Tianhuazi from Haixin Mountain. After cultivating for nearly a hundred years, he still remained at the Foundation Establishment stage. As he aged and his vitality declined, his path to the Dao seemed increasingly distant.
By chance, he learned of a mummy appearing at our school. Desperate, he used the Soul Transference Formation of Haixin Mountain to transfer his soul into the mummy's body.
However, during the transfer, something went wrong. Chongxuan's soul was shattered by the energy within the formation, and only his spiritual awareness (Earth Soul) was transferred to the mummy. His wisdom and some of his memories merged with the mummy. This explained why the mummy at our school displayed the walking technique of Haixin Mountain's secret art.
When the mummy was discovered at school, its soul fragments, except for the Heaven and Earth souls and the Original Soul, attached themselves to Wu Xiaoman. Ultimately, I eliminated the Ghostly Evil in her divine palace, but the Heaven and Earth souls couldn't be destroyed. They were suppressed by her Calming Talisman, unable to escape or return to the heavens, so they fused with her soul, which made Wu Xiaoman more spiritually advanced and beautiful.
The resurrected mummy only retained the Earth Soul of Chongxuan and the Original Soul of the mummy, which explained why it was searching for the missing souls. Since Wu Xiaoman possessed the essence of the mummy's Heaven and Earth souls, it focused on her.
I had just destroyed the mummy's body, but I couldn't eliminate the old Daoist's Earth Soul or the mummy's Original Soul.
Souls are primordial, while spirits are acquired. No matter how strong my Xuanhuang Flag or Fighting Thunder, they cannot destroy a soul.
After the mummy's body was reduced to dust, Chongxuan's Earth Soul entered my Mud Ball Palace, while the mummy's Original Soul entered Wu Xiaoman's body.
It was all so intricate.
Although I had obtained Chongxuan's memories, I didn't want them to merge with my own soul, as that would interfere with my true self. But the ancient Daoist's experience over a hundred years of cultivation, and his insights into the secret arts of Haixin Mountain, were invaluable for me as a cultivator without a master's guidance.
Sigh...
I muttered to myself, "In the end, it all comes down to fate."
Amitabha Buddha... wait, no! It should be "Wuliang Tianzun" (The Infinite Lord)!
Through Chongxuan's memories, I finally realized why cultivators always chant "Wuliang Tianzun" instead of "Amitabha Buddha."