Chapter 6: The Disciple Pharmacist

  "Brother, I've calculated that there's a destined event that needs to be settled, so I'll temporarily leave Mount Sumeru for a while. It seems it's time for brother to take care of things here." Jie Yin smiled and said.

  "Brother, I think our place is too simple. We should take advantage of this time to tidy up and make the house look a bit more decent."

  A smile led him to think ahead, naturally, when the Western religion is established in the future, it must have a grand momentum and cannot be so simple.

  In later generations, Westerners built a paradise on earth, extremely luxurious and extravagant, but the Buddha's nature is simple and frugal, not that he dislikes luxury, it's just not the right time yet.

  "Brother, in my opinion, as cultivators, we don't need to be too extravagant, but nor do we need to be too frugal. Everything is up to you now. As long as it's habitable, that's enough; building a few more courtyards might even allow me to take on an apprentice this time around. Later on, brother, you'll also inevitably take on apprentices, and besides, you'll still need several young servants to attend to you - just enlighten a few of them."

  "Alright, I'll follow your instructions, brother."

  He bid farewell with a few simple words and left Mount Sumeru, riding on cloud light to head southeast. Along the way, he saw that the creatures of the desolate wilderness were constantly killing each other, and occasionally saw some severed limbs and legs. The air was filled with a faint bloody smell. There were also some demon cultivators who roamed around devouring living creatures and killing each other. The number of spirits transformed from plants and trees decreased, and most of those that survived escaped to remote areas. The demon tribe gradually occupied an important position on the desolate land, and the demons in the desolate land gradually gathered together according to their origins, forming three major tribes: Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin.

  What is the demon race, anyway? Strictly speaking, any species that cultivates by absorbing and spitting out the spiritual energy of heaven and earth can be considered a demon race. The guides who lead these great masters are also considered demons. In later generations, there were also stories about flower demons and tree demons, but at this time, the demon race in the vast wilderness mainly referred to beasts that had transformed into demons, such as tigers, bears, lions, and so on. There were also some innate demon beasts like Bai Ze, Ji Meng, Ying Zhao, and others.

  Nüwa is actually not a member of the demon tribe, but she identifies as one and her fate is tied to theirs, so she becomes one. This still involves a problem of self-positioning. Once you position yourself incorrectly, there will be endless troubles later on. Haven't you seen how Emperor Jun and Taiyi, who claimed to be the Demon Emperor, inevitably met with downfall?

  The eyes of the guide contain infinite compassion, feeling sorry for the decline of all living beings. He utters the true words: "I will be your guide, explaining it separately. If in future generations, there are good men and women who see the image of Ksitigarbha, hear this sutra, read and recite it, offer incense, flowers, food, clothing, and treasures to make offerings, praise and pay homage. They will obtain twenty-eight benefits:

  1. Protection from heavenly dragons.

  2. Increase in good fortune every day.

  3. Accumulation of sacred causes.

  4. Unretreating Bodhi.

  5. Abundance of clothing and food.

  6. No epidemics or disasters.

  7. Freedom from water and fire calamities.

  8. No thieves or bandits.

  9. Respect and admiration from people.

  10. Assistance from gods and ghosts.

  11. Women can be reborn as men.

  12. Become a king, minister, or noblewoman.

  13. Have a handsome appearance.

  14. Be born in heaven many times.

  15. Or become an emperor or king.

  16. Innate wisdom and knowledge.

  17. All wishes fulfilled.

  18. Joyful family members.

  19. Elimination of all calamities.

  20. Eternal elimination of karma.

  21. Freedom to go anywhere.

  22. Peaceful dreams at night.

  23. Liberation from suffering after death.

  24. Receiving blessings from past good deeds.

  25. Praise from all saints.

  26. Intelligent and sharp roots.

  27. Compassionate and sympathetic heart.

  28. Ultimately attain Buddhahood.

  This is the Sutra of the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Having read it several times in my past life, I now recite it and have gained a deeper understanding of the great compassion of Buddhism. The three grains of chaotic relics are even more rounded. Along the way, I guided many vengeful spirits and evil ghosts to be transformed and eliminated their hatred.

  At that time, the Netherworld did not exist in the vast expanse of chaos, and souls had no place to rest or reincarnate. The overwhelming majority of souls drifted aimlessly, rushing towards the Sea of Blood.

  This bloody sea is the polluted blood in Pangu's abdominal cavity, which was transformed into the yin evil energy when the sky opened. It became the most yin and filthy place in the vast wilderness. The soul belongs to yin and mostly died in battle, carrying a fierce yin energy and a sense of injustice. The mechanism of qi leads them to come to the bloody sea frequently.

  In the bloody sea, there are no birds, beasts, grasses and trees, but also gave birth to a great divine being, who is the Old Ancestor of Minghe River. The Minghe River holds in its arms Yuan Tu and A Bi, two fierce swords that have been born.

  This Nether River has a gloomy and stern nature, and when it transforms, it can be compared to the Great Luo Golden Immortal. Born with the Blood Sea as one entity, its magical powers are robust, and its cultivation is strong. The struggles in the Desolate Expanse continue, and the yin souls constantly gather towards the Blood Sea, making Nether River feel even more powerful.

  He also came up with a great method, combining the yin souls with the Blood Sea to refine the Blood Spirit Sons, and for a time his divine powers made great progress. The Nether River refined over 100 million of these avatars, earning him the reputation of being "unending" and "undying". Gradually, as the yin souls combined with the Blood Sea, they gave birth to a new kind of life form, but their spiritual intelligence was extremely low, not even worthy of being called living. As the Nether River's powers grew, he became dissatisfied with passively accepting the yin souls that came to him and began to take the initiative to attack and devour living spirits.

  This day, Minghe had just swallowed dozens of Xian cultivators and was preparing to refine them into new Blood Gods. In his heart, he secretly thought: "This time's harvest far surpasses the previous ones. The cultivation of these dozens of Xian is extremely profound. The previous Blood Gods were only at the Tianxian level, but this time it's likely that they will reach the Jinxian realm."

  As he thought, a smile that was even uglier than crying appeared on Minghe's gloomy face. A blood-colored cloud of light rushed towards the Blood Sea. Just as he had walked out not far, Minghe felt that there was a Xuanxian cultivator not far ahead. Minghe's heart was filled with joy once again. There were countless cultivators in the Hongyuan, but the Hongyuan was too vast after all. Sometimes, even tens of thousands of miles away, one might not encounter a single cultivator. Moreover, Jinxian cultivators had already become the backbone of various forces, and Daluo Jinxians were extremely rare, all being the overlord of their respective domains. A lone wanderer like Minghe wouldn't be able to provoke them, so he was extremely happy to be able to swallow some Xuanxian cultivators. He originally had tens of billions of Blood Gods, and if he could refine all of his Blood Gods to the Xuanxian level, he would become a major force himself. Minghe was working towards this goal.

  Minghe followed the mysterious immortal, unaware of a pair of eyes staring at him from behind.

  In the beginning of heaven and earth, countless spiritual herbs were born. A long-lived herb was favored by heaven and earth, transformed into a human form, and emerged. As the chaos increased, this spiritual herb disliked the struggle and moved to the edge of the bloody sea to settle down. Here, cultivators are extremely rare, with hardly any strife, as if it's a paradise on earth. Gradually, many cultivators came to hide here, and the long-lived herb cultivated to the realm of Xian, having some reputation among these cultivators, known as the Medicine Master.

  These creatures, however, were completely unaware that a terrible demon lived next to them and the misfortune they would soon encounter. The medicine master had discovered in recent days that several of his good friends had gone missing without cause, leaving him puzzled and worried. Today, he went to visit the Peach Blossom Immortal, who was also a transformed peach tree and an accomplished immortal cultivator. However, the medicine master found that this friend too had disappeared. His unease grew even stronger, feeling danger looming ahead, his emotions were unsettled, and he couldn't calm down. The medicine master prepared to pack up and leave, fleeing far away to avoid disaster. Suddenly, from behind him came a chilling laugh: "Little friend, why must you leave in such a hurry? I want to borrow something from you."

  The pharmacist suddenly turned his head and saw an old man standing behind him. The old man was wearing a crimson Taoist robe, with white hair and a face full of sinister intent. He had two precious swords on his back and was staring at the pharmacist. The pharmacist was greatly shocked in his heart. This person could quietly stand behind himself, and he couldn't see through the other's depth, so his cultivation must be far beyond his own. His heart was extremely uneasy, but he forced a calm expression on his face.

  "I've met fellow Taoists before, and I'm courteous to them. I don't know what this fellow Taoist wants to borrow, but as long as I have it, I'll definitely do my best to provide it." The pharmacist said with a bow.

  "Haha, of course, Fellow Daoist can lend it to me. I'm currently cultivating a divine ability and need this fleshly shell, so I hope you'll fulfill my wish."

  "Friends of Tao said with a smile, isn't this going to take your life?"

  "What's the point?" The voice of Minghe River had just fallen, and he struck out with a bloody light that rushed straight at the Medicine Master. In an instant, the Medicine Master was tied up, and the bloody light continuously seeped into his body, constantly corroding his Dao body, even shaking his primordial spirit.

  The two people's cultivation levels differed too greatly, and the Medicine Master had no power to resist. His life force was constantly draining away, and his situation was extremely dangerous. Minghe saw that the Medicine Master's Dao heart was stable, and his own Blood Sea Great Law couldn't quickly take down the Medicine Master, so he felt a slight displeasure and unconsciously increased his strength.

  The pharmacist let out a mournful cry, as if it came from his very soul, and he was overcome with agony.