The State of Chu was a very magical country.
According to legend, the emperor of Chu was born with the blood of a dragon. Therefore, the royal descendants of this country have a characteristic, a small red dragon-shaped birthmark on their chest, which is also the best way to distinguish blood.
This dragon birthmark is not passed down through blood, but is branded in the soul. An interested cultivator once studied it and said it was a sequelae of a contract signed between the founding emperor of the Chu State and an ancient mythical beast.
It is precisely because of these reasons that people in the mortal world have countless beautiful aspirations for cultivators, such as seeking immortals, fairy islands on the sea, etc., and they also praised the Chu State as a paradise on earth.
Although this country perished thousands of years ago, legends about the Chu State have been recorded in many ancient books in the world. Many literati and poets in later generations also like to recall it. Even though it has perished, it often appears in articles and poems, and you can find a piece of it at the Lantern Festival every year.
As for why Qingxuzi knew about this—
It was because he once owed the State of Chu a debt of karma, and he somehow felt that he had not yet repaid the debt. If he waited until the country was destroyed and all the royal family members of Chu died, then Qingxuzi's debt of karma would never be resolved.
He was afraid that he would develop mental demons during his practice in the future, so he happened to show up on the night when the State of Chu was destroyed and saved the then Crown Prince Chu Ci.
Although Qingxuzi was often absent from the world in his later years, wandering around the world and not doing his job, during the time when he was the head of Taiyan Sect, he still spent a lot of time and effort to teach his first disciple.
Ling Yun was originally gifted with outstanding talents, born with sword bones and mutated spiritual roots, which made him even more outstanding than Qingxuzi, a rare genius seen once in a thousand years. Otherwise, Qingxu, who was too arrogant and did not intend to accept a disciple, would not have thought of accepting him as his disciple.
Putting aside other factors, even if he is an extremely strict master, Ling Yun can still meet all his requirements.
Perhaps because of his childhood misfortune, this eldest disciple was also very demanding of himself and wanted perfection. Even if Qingxu didn't say anything, he would get up from his cave before dawn every day and stand on the cliff of the main peak to practice the boring sword swinging. He would practice until the sun rose, exactly a thousand times.
For a child who is only seven years old, such perseverance is enough to attract attention.
Even the elders of Taiyan Sect at that time were pleased with him and gave him high praise: "Neither arrogant nor impatient, neither humble nor overbearing, Junior Master Uncle is definitely not an ordinary person."
No matter what Qingxuzi asked for, Lingyun would complete it diligently.
Qingxu saw his own shadow in this eldest disciple.
In addition, Lingyun is extremely talented and has a bright future.
Qingxu regarded him as his successor, and loved him deeply and taught him strict principles, and was eager to see his son become successful.
In addition to teaching him attentively, imparting his knowledge to him, and guiding him step by step, he also had a strong, almost paranoid desire to control Ling Yun. He knew everything about him, no matter how big or small, and only allowed him to move forward in the direction he wanted.
Before building his foundation, Ling Yun would occasionally take on tasks from the Affairs Hall, but what he didn't know was that every time he went on a mission, Qingxu would attach a wisp of his spiritual consciousness to him.
During a mission, Qingxu discovered that Lingyun secretly went to the mortal world after completing the mission, and stayed outside the former site of the Chu State and the Qi State Palace for a long time.
After discovering this, Qingxu did not alert the enemy, but waited at the mountain gate early. When the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, he saw the young man in white returning slowly.
"Why did it take so long to get down the mountain this time?"
Obviously, the exhausted Ling Yun did not expect that his master, who was usually unkind and aloof, would actually be guarding the door.
He subconsciously took a step back, stopped halfway through the movement, and stood still.
"In reply to Master, I encountered some problems along the way and was slightly delayed."
Delayed
Qingxuzi looked at the slightly tired face of the young man in white, and suddenly a nameless anger rose in his heart, burning more and more intensely.
He was concerned about all kinds of things in the mundane world and did not concentrate his mind on practicing Buddhism.
He avoided the question and talked about other things, deceiving his master.
How dare he?!
The Taoist priest in green stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes were deep and difficult to understand, and the gaze he gave me was like falling into an ice cellar.
For a moment, Ling Yun even felt that his master had known about his sneaking back to the mortal world. His palms were full of cold sweat, and he almost couldn't stand the silent pressure.
The next moment, he heard the indifferent voice of the person in front of him, "It's getting late, go back as soon as possible."
Qingxuzi said nothing.
However, after Ling Yun successfully established his foundation, he brought him directly to the Qi Palace, and facing the young man's dazed and somewhat fearful eyes, he threw a sword at him.
"Take it and get your revenge."
Of course, his disciples had to practice the ruthless way like him, abandon all worldly things, and devote themselves to the Tao.
This is his disciple, the eldest disciple of Qingxuzi. Qingxuzi is the leader of the Taoist sect, and Lingyun will inherit his mantle in the future. If he is trapped by worldly affairs, how can he achieve great things
Ling Yun is still young, so of course he doesn't know that love can only bring unbearable pain.
Qingxuzi raised his lips and sneered. He threw his most senior disciple, whose mind he had controlled, behind him and cut off half of the palace with one sword. He remained calm in the face of countless shrill screams and howls, harvesting countless souls, causing fires to blaze and blood to flow like a river.
Although Qingxu was ruthless, it was better for a cultivator in the foundation-building stage to avoid bloody karma. Qingxuzi helped him pay off the karma. After all, he was Lingyun's master. Even if he massacred the Qi Kingdom's palace, the heaven would not count this sin of killing on his head.
When the young man finally woke up, the blood-stained iron sword in his hand fell and he staggered to his knees.
Qingxu casually used his spiritual sense to scan and found a person hiding behind the broken palace pillar. He said coldly: "There is still someone alive. Pick up your sword."
"Master, my disciple has avenged his great hatred. That is enough."
The young man in white had blood on his clothes. He knelt down and kowtowed on the ground, his forehead hitting the red-stained floor tiles, leaving a bloody mess.
kindness.
Qingxuzi sneered: "You know, Master is doing this for your own good."
"Disciple knows." Ling Yun's voice choked with sobs: "I shouldn't have lied to Master in the beginning. Disciple knows my mistake. Now that my ties with the world are severed, I will follow Master in cultivation and will never set foot in the world of mortals."
If it was anyone else, Qingxuzi would have forced him to kill the last person, there was no reason for him to compromise. Moreover, Lingyun's hands were not stained with blood, as most of the people here were killed by Qingxu with one strike of his sword.
But for some reason, when he saw the boy's red eyes, stammering lips and the earnest expression on his face, Qingxuzi's heart, which was so strong that it could never be warmed and would never melt, actually felt a trace of pity.
Practitioners of Taoism should be ruthless. As a leader in the ruthless path, Qingxu must know what the fluctuations in his emotions represent.
It is a deadly poison that cannot be touched.
This was an extremely dangerous omen, but unfortunately Qingxu was too stubborn and conceited at the time and did not realize it.
Ling Yun was indeed a very good disciple, so good that no one could find fault with him.
After what happened in the Qi Palace, he fulfilled Qingxu's wish and embarked on the path of ruthlessness, and his cultivation improved by leaps and bounds.
They, master and disciple, lived on the main peak of Taiyan Sect and spent a long time together.
Few people in the world of cultivation know Qingxu’s past.
In fact, before he embarked on the path of cultivation, he was just an ordinary person from a poor and hard-working family. Perhaps he had experienced too much hardship, which made him cold-hearted and heartless, and he could still ruthlessly strike down even his Taoist companion who had been with him for hundreds of years.
After he became famous by killing his wife, he had a bloody journey. The first instinct of the cultivation world was to fear him. People naturally avoided him because he could even kill his fellow Taoist. As time went by, Qingxu stood higher and no one could confide in him.
The memories of that time on the main peak were a very pleasant and memorable time even for Qingxu. Although it seemed ordinary when taken alone, and the daily boring training was repeated, the journey became more interesting because of one more person.
After Lingyun formed his infant, Qingxu stepped down as the sect leader and once again accepted a closed disciple in the sect.
At that time, Lingyun Sword Master's name had spread far and wide in the cultivation world, and he became the representative of the new and cutting-edge cultivators. He also had the demeanor of a senior brother of the Taiyan Sect, and got along very well with the new junior brothers.
Later, the reputation of the two gods under the tutelage of Patriarch Qingxu spread throughout the world of cultivation and became the object of everyone's envy.
Ling Yun even surpassed Qing Xu, and after a series of adventures and great opportunities, he successfully entered the Tribulation Crossing Stage. Perhaps because of his stable state of mind, he entered the Tribulation Crossing Stage even faster than his master Qing Xu, and he entered the Great Perfection without any obstacles.
No one in the world of cultivation has challenged the heavenly tribulation for millions of years.
There were cultivators who had achieved perfection in the Crossing Tribulation Stage, but they all died under the nine-fold thunder tribulation of becoming an immortal. Over time, many cultivators who had achieved perfection in the Crossing Tribulation Stage chose to suppress their cultivation and became earthly immortals of this realm. In addition to not being able to attain the Tao and ascend to heaven, they also enjoyed an almost endless lifespan and retired to the mountains and forests.
Before this, Qingxuzi had a long talk with Lingyun, and finally decided to go for it.
Practicing Taoism is to go against the will of heaven. Now it has reached the last step. What is the point if one cannot attain enlightenment and become an immortal
Ling Yun smiled and said in a half-joking and half-carefree tone, "Master, don't worry too much about me. I'm just using my life to prove the truth. If I succeed in ascending, it will be of great benefit to Master. Maybe we can meet again in the future."
Qingxu frowned, tapped the eldest disciple's forehead with the whisk in his hand, and laughed and scolded him for being naughty.
On the day when Lingyun Sword Master overcame the heavenly tribulation, almost all the cultivators in the world of cultivation came.
The location was chosen to be the back mountain of Taiyan Sect. Everyone expected this favored child of heaven to break the tradition that no one in the cultivation world had ever become an immortal.
There are so many things that an immortal can bring. Not only can he prove the end of the path, but he can also allow onlookers to gain some enlightenment. Everyone is happy to come and support him.
Unfortunately, although he became an immortal, the man who descended from the sky had become a demon.
Qingxuzi never imagined that his first disciple, the senior disciple whom he had high hopes for, would actually come to this point.
He could tolerate Ling Yun making mistakes. Even if it was other mistakes, or even making enemies with the entire cultivation world, Qingxuzi could turn a blind eye.
But he was possessed by a demon.
This is the only mistake that Qingxuzi can never forgive.
"I said—"
"If you are possessed by a demon, I will definitely clear your house."
He looked at his former disciple's eyes which had turned red, and a huge rage rose in his heart. He swung his sword without holding back.
The moment the sword fell, blood splattered and inner demons suddenly arose.
Then, in the thousands of years that followed, Qingxuzi's cultivation level did not improve. After his last disciple rebelled against his master, even the ruthless way showed signs of collapse.
He couldn't understand and couldn't figure it out.
Qingxu was able to attain enlightenment by chopping off his fellow Taoist's head. He cleaned up his sect, but ended up with this result.
Many things happened thousands of years ago, and Qingxuzi once thought he had forgotten them long ago, and he deliberately forgot them.
It was not until this moment that I realized how wrong I was.
The moment I saw this dragon-shaped mark, it was like a switch of memories was triggered, and countless past events came flooding back.
He never really forgot.
"Thank you for your help, senior."
This gaze was so hot and strange that Zong Ci was startled and lowered his head following Qingxuzi's gaze.
Oops! Mark!
Zong Ci's pupils suddenly shrank, and he subconsciously wanted to pull his collar to cover the winding red mark, but he didn't expect the other party to be faster.
“Crash—”
Almost instantly, a force that could not be ignored came from in front of him.
The sound of water was heard belatedly, and the splashing water scattered everywhere. Zong Ci, who had just been struggling to hold up his upper body, was pushed down and fell to the side of the pool with a "bang". His eyes went black and he felt dizzy.
The young man in black clothes was lying on the edge of the hot spring which was paved with pebbles and jade stones. His black hair was placed behind him and spread out like a fan. The ends of his hair were soaked with water and spread all around him.
The child in blue leaned forward slightly, half of his clothes were soaked by the spring water. His cold hands climbed up the boy's chest like a snake and mercilessly tore open his already loose collar.
His force was so great that with just a push of his fingertips, Zong Ci's clothes turned into scattered pieces of cloth.
However, the hand hasn't stopped moving yet.
On the boy's chest, which was as white as jade, there was a crimson dragon seal with bared fangs and claws, hovering over his heart, like a red plum blossom blooming in the snow in winter, breathtaking.
The child's tender fingers stroked upward from the tail end of the dragon seal. When the sharp nails scraped against the skin, he could sensitively feel the unconscious trembling of the person below him, and the beating heartbeat intertwined together, making a loud noise.
Yes, it is indeed the dragon seal of the Chu State.
But the State of Chu had perished a thousand years ago, and the royal family was completely wiped out.
The only known survivor is Ling Yun.
Qingxu stroked the mark, seemingly tenderly, but with an unknown strength. Everywhere his fingertips passed, there were shocking marks left behind.
His voice was like the whisper of a lover, yet it seemed to contain a cold murderous intent, "Where did this mark come from?"
Zong Ci's heart was chilled, but his limbs were now powerless, and any resistance was like a tickle from a kitten. He was unable to exert any force under the shackles of the powerful man in the Tribulation Crossing Stage.
Helplessly, he had to maintain his most superficial emotions and said in confusion: "... ... To answer your question, I don't know either."
"I have had this birthmark since I was born."
Since birth
Qingxuzi was stunned, and suddenly remembered—
Ever since his last disciple rebelled against his master, he has been in seclusion for more than six hundred years.
The dragon seal of Chu accompanies the soul and will not disappear even if the body is changed or reincarnated.
More than six hundred years have passed...it's time for reincarnation.
But since it is engraved in the soul and can be reincarnated, then the other royal families of the Chu State at that time also had the possibility of reincarnation.
The child's pupils were as dark as ink, and strands of messy hair fell from both sides of his cheeks, but the strength in his hands began to slowly loosen.
He couldn't be sure whether the black-clothed young man in front of him was Ling Yun's reincarnation.
Only after he broke free from that insane state did Qingxu come back to his senses.
The black-clothed young man was still being pressed down on the cold stone surface. The corners of his narrow eyes were stained red, and it was unclear whether it was caused by fear or the hot water. His beautiful eyebrows were slightly frowned, with obvious confusion.
The clothes on his chest had long disappeared, and the edge of the red mark on his chest was covered with rough red marks and bruises, and the red tassel was also trembling slightly in the water mist. The clothes under his body were even more torn, his slender long legs were submerged in the water, and the torn cloth could only barely cover his slender waist, like a poor little thing that was bullied.
Qingxu could even feel the cool touch of skin under his hands, like mutton-fat jade.
The mist lingered around them, and their breath seemed to be filled with scorching heat. For a moment, the only sound they could hear was the gurgling sound of hot water bubbling out of the spring along the bamboo joints.
He was suddenly startled, as if he was scalded, and withdrew his hand in embarrassment, his eyes inadvertently sweeping across the boy's thin lips which had some blood on them.
Compared with the dark blue color it had when it fell in the rain before, it was much better.
"Put on your clothes."
As if to cover up his awkwardness for a moment, Qingxu took out a piece of clothing from the storage space and threw it over, disappearing on the spot in an instant.
If this is really Ling Yun's reincarnation...
It is undeniable that as soon as he thought that the young man in front of him might be the reincarnation of that person, his heart, which had been silent for many years, began to loosen, and was filled with hot emotions that even its owner could not understand.
Ling Yun is a bad boy who doesn't listen to his master.
If it happens again, Qingxuzi will never make the same mistake again.