Chapter 389 - Spiritual Land
There was no fear in her, she only had the determination to pursue Dao.
But as she was just about to go out, she noticed a beautiful woman standing on the wall of the courtyard. Under the pitch black sky, there was a circle of the clear halo surrounding her and a veil that concealed her face. By looking at her figure and water droplet-like eyes, it was stunning enough to mesmerize anyone.
Fang Yanying was somewhat alert. She looked at her and asked, "Who are you?". This person was able to enter without making any noise. She figured that she probably could not match her but yet she did not want to die meaninglessly.
Fierce wind stormed up in the heaven and earth as if it wanted to sweep the Temple of Killings away.
The laughter of the woman pierced through the wind and landed gently in Fang Yanying's ears, "Don't be afraid, I am a friend of your Uncle-Master Shen Lian."
The demonic spirits finally started taking action under the commands of a demon king.
Then, a blue ray of light then came by and struck on one of the demonic spirits. The remaining demonic spirits and cultivators witnessed how the demonic spirit turned into blood colored powder and mixed with the lightning.
A man lifted his long sword and pointed high up towards the sky.
Although he did not cast any spell, the thunder and lightning came striking down quicker than the rain.
The man was in the center, also the most intense lightning striking spot but the rest of them were also within the range of the lightning strike area.
The wind growled and the mountain shook, the earth cracked open while the air was filled with a burnt smell.
Many instruments and lights appeared as the demonic spirits and cultivators finally realized that this man was going through the trials of the lightning at this very spot. When a person overcome the trials of lightning, the more the amount of cultivated living beings were present in that area, the more forceful the lightning would be. They wondered if the man is inviting death?
No matter how quick they tried to escape, they could never outspeed the lightning. One by one they turned into ash without having the chance to resent the man. Reason being this trial of lightning came from the laws of heaven.
Shen Lian used his Five Elements Magical Sword as the bait to trigger his trial of lightning.
Originally, this trial of lightning should only come five hundred years later. But he brought it forward by triggering it with the Five Elements Magical Sword.
Among the millions of methods, the lightning method has the most potential and it had infinite power.
It was quite an experience for Shen Lian.
Moreover, he used the Five Elements Magical Sword as a lightning insulator and most of the impact of the trial of lightning was focused around him. In fact, there were all sorts of lightning in the form of flying birds that flew out from the dark clouds. It was extremely terrifying.
The lightning came striking like the raging waves and Shen Lian was drowned in it ups and downs. The Five Elements Magical Sword let out a cry and sobbed in the sound of the thunder.
Shen Lian's body exploded with five-colored divine lights as if a Swire God descended to the world and stood proudly in the sea of lightning.
His body gradually raised up to the void as layers of lightning struck down. This was indeed the Five Lightning Strikes. The grasses, woods, bamboos, and rocks on the ground turned into powder as they surrender to the powers of the heaven and earth.
Shen Lian was the only one who kept calm and lifted his sword and flew upwards.
The thunder and lightning gathered on the long sword and it was not shy to display its power. The crackling sound from the lightning passed through Shen Lian's bones and flesh via the Five Elements Magical Sword.
He summoned the unnamed method from the Black Water Residence and it gave him a gratifying feeling, even more satisfying than consuming the powers of the stars. His originally tight flesh was broken up and beaten into powder, then with the operations of the method, his flesh, to its smallest pore was rejuvenated.
The power of the thunder and lightning was the most refined Qi of vitality of the heaven and earth. Every strike of lightning would produce countless Qi of vitality and bring about big changes to the Yin and Yang.
Most immortal Zhenren were fearful of their first trial of thunder. Even if they managed to overcome it, nothing good would come out of it as they have to worry about the damage caused to their Primordial Spirit
But for Shen Lian, he used the cultivation of the unnamed method to nourish his Qi of vitality.
Furthermore, the impact of the thunder was greatly reduced after being filtered through the Five Elements Magical Sword.
The relationship between man and sword was refreshed after the baptism of the trials of lightning.
Shen Lian was the only one who had the courage to borrow the terrifying trials of lightning to cultivate.
Cultivators and demonic spirits were generally awe-stricken by the lightning and such awedness was embedded deeply in their spirits. Even cultivators who mastered the lightning methods too were in awe of it.
Shen Lian, on the other hand, was not one bit impressed by the lightning as he was fully aware of the principles of lighting physics. If he had the interest, time and energy in the future, he could teach the ordinary beings in this universe to control fire and lightning.
Micro lightning passed through the Temple of Killings. It landed somewhere near Fang Yanying and disappeared. Her Shapeless Sword aura was on standby and she could release it as she likes.
Her orifices points were filled with Shapeless Sword aura and although she has yet to be able to control it as she likes, she was still able to handle the scattered lightning like a piece of cake.
As for Zhao Xiaoyu, the thunder and lighting avoided her as if she was its ancestors.
Reason being, she was a Goddess and Gods have the ability to control the laws of nature, including thunder and lightning. She released an indescribable divine solemnity and the lightning would avoid her naturally.
This horrifying sea of lightning went on for one night. As a result, the area within a hundred miles radius was charred while countless cultivators and demonic spirit turned into ashes and blended into the soil.
Their spiritual forces combined with the Qi of vitality of the aftershock of the thunder and lightning turned the surrounding areas of the Temple of Killings into an out of the world spiritual land.
In the morning, Shen Lian who was dressed in the light of dawn with his fluttering black hair walked into the Temple of Killings.
Fang Yanying was extremely stunned to see her uncle-master. Back then during their last encounter, her cultivation experience was still very shallow. She would think that a small hill was a mountain and a pond was the sea. But this time around, after seeing Shen Lian, she realized that magnitude of mountains and seas were beyond imagination.
She had always known that her uncle-master was awe-inspiring but there was just now words to describe how awe-inspiring he was.
Everyone would know how high the sky was but it would be hard to describe how high it was exactly. At this very moment, Fang Yanying, more than any other time, knew the distinction between celestials and ordinary beings.
"Yanying, you've reached the tenth level of the Shapeless Sword aura in such a short period of time. Can you tell me how did you do that?" Shen Lian's warm voice pulled Fang Yanying back to reality. Maybe it was the effects of the thunder and lighting, Shen Lian's voice was somewhat magnetic.
Fang Yanying who was a little embarrassed responded, "Uncle-master, would you believe if I said that I dreamed that I mastered the tenth level of the Shapeless Sword incantation, and I woke up to realized that I've reached that level of cultivation?"
She found that hard to believe but that was the truth.
"You cultivated in your dreams?" Shen Lian and Zhao Xiaoyu looked at each other.
With a gentle voice, Zhao Xiaoyu said, "Dream cultivation exist in both Dao and Buddhism. Back then, Zhenren Xiyi achieved immortality by sleeping for a hundred years. He slept for another three hundred years and then transcended beyond the mortal world. It was something my sect's founding master witnessed personally.
She was not speaking to Shen Lian but instead was explaining to Fang Yanying.
Shen Lian nodded in agreement and said, "Dream cultivation is still practiced today. For instance, Daoist Baishi who was roaming in the mortal world had a 'dream pillow' that could help people cultivate in their dreams. Yanying, can you describe in details what was it like in dream cultivation?"