Qinxi Province, Zhongnan Mountain.
Chongyang Palace.
The bright moon hung in the sky, its light washing the heavens pale and empty. Before an ancient, dignified palace and temple, an elder, nearing the end of his days, sat cross-legged by the doorway. Under his shriveled skin, not a trace of blood remained, like a river in its last ebb, ready to vanish in an instant.
Yet at this moment, he raised his head to gaze at the sky, looking toward the distant north. In his previously dim eyes, a peculiar gleam began to shine.
"Tonight, the northern heavens are unusually bright..." the old man murmured in a deep voice.
"The land of Northern Profound Nether, yet produces a blaze of Fire Essence, soaring Fuyao thirty thousand li into the sky..."
"That is where Zhenwu Mountain lies..."
Just then, a middle-aged man in a Daoist robe stepped quietly out from within the palace and temple, standing respectfully by the elder's side.
His gaze was sharp and unwavering; at his realm, he could naturally see what many could not.
"Never or always, extinguished or not, in the seventy-third generation there comes a pause... The Dharma Lineage of Zhenwu Mountain meets with a great tribulation..."
"Tribulation and fortune... Beneath a great tribulation, must come great fortune! If this fire does not die, Zhenwu Mountain may yet seize six hundred years more of luck..." The elder uttered, voice gravely moved.
"To seize another six hundred years of fortune? Could it be that the place of Separation Fire can match Ancestor Lv in times past?" The middle-aged Daoist's expression changed faintly, shock plainly written.
"Zhenwu Mountain... produced a figure like Chu Chaoran; can it be that among the younger generation, another extraordinary will arise?"
As he spoke, the elder gently shut his eyes.
The middle-aged Daoist couldn't help but be stirred; he knew the 'extraordinary' spoken by the elder: if one truly emerged, they would certainly attain the Path of Pure Yang Wuji, radiant and unmatched, just as Ancestor Lv did then.
"Pure Yang! Pure Yang! Who can be as Ancestor Lv, enter the Yellow Millet dream, and realize the Infinite Pure Yang..."
"Only this obsession remains, lifelong beyond reach..."
The words faded, the elder's fingers drooped low, and in that instant, his breath ceased forever.
The middle-aged Daoist stood still for a long time, then bowed deeply before the elder.
"Respectfully sending off Master Uncle!"
As these words fell, the middle-aged Daoist slowly turned around, gazing north. In his deep eyes seemed to dwell the myriad stars of the night sky.
"Zhenwu Mountain..."
...
At this moment, within Zhenwu Mountain, Qingwei Palace.
Flames surging, lighting the heavens. From afar, above Zhenwu Mountain, all was red like alchemical clouds.
In the ancient, shadowy courtyard, Zhang Fan was hardly human anymore; mysterious, arcane flames gushed out from his eyes, mouth, and nose, coiling around his form, half-monstrous, half-divine...
He seemed to have lost his sense of self, moving forward purely on instinct. With each step, the stone tiles beneath his feet vaporized instantly in the terrifying blaze, heatwaves billowing with fearful force, making those around shrink back, unable to approach even half a step.
"Daoist Divine Techniques, Samadhi True Flame... This is impossible... How can this be!?" Qian Shaokun's eyes quivered, unable to believe anything before him.
A boy barely considered a Qi Worker, one he'd thought he could crush at will... How could such a worm awaken Daoist Divine Techniques?
Divine Techniques—yes, techniques that connect to divinity—are heaven's gift, not to be gained by mere cultivation.
Even Chu Chaoran, the Living Zhenren of today, only awakened his Daoist Divine Techniques at the age of thirty, upon attaining the title of Celestial Master.
"Just what... is he!?"
Off to the side, Xia Weisheng's beautiful eyes trembled; throughout her lovely face crept the look of absolute disbelief.
Man as root, truth as fire, thought as kindling; Samadhi complete, myriad flames become king...
This is Daoist Divine Techniques, the Samadhi True Flame, capable of erasing demons, extinguishing all techniques.
In Journey to the West there is Samadhi True Flame; that wondrous book hides many metaphors of the Buddhist and Daoist Families. The Holy Infant King Red Boy stands for the Fire Essence within the Daoist Inner Core; his own realized technique is the Samadhi True Flame.
The text says: liver wood breeds heart fire blooming, heart fire brings spleen earth level. Spleen earth births metal, metal turns to water, water nourishes wood through spirit. Generation and transformation all thanks to fire; fire spreads through the vast sky, all things congeal. When demons comprehend Samadhi, always reigning as foremost in the west.
Once this fire is made, even the Heart Monkey cannot resist, the Yima will be driven mad.
Roar...
Just then, a piercing roar ripped through the moonlit night. A titanic tail, shadowy like mist, swept toward Zhang Fan, striking with weight enough to shatter the sky.
Buzz...
Zhang Fan mechanically raised his head; standing unmoved, the dancing flames coiled around him like serpents. Even before the giant tail landed, it had already been reduced to ash...
Shadow evaporated, revealing the true form of Difficult Insect.
It was a creature half bird, half bug—feathers vivid, supporting a long tail, the tail covered densely in insect legs...
Difficult Insect! Difficult Insect!
In ancient pictographs, 'difficult' means a bird shape; the ancients believed that the appearance of such bug-birds was omen of ill fortune— calamity surely follows.
Because of this, Difficult Insect cultivates false forms, hiding in shadow, hard for mortals to glimpse its real body.
Yet—
"Samadhi True Flame, can make demons vanish..." Po Jie murmured softly.
Even Difficult Insect cannot hide under Samadhi True Flame.
Roar...
Difficult Insect let out a screaming roar, its trembling voice thick with rage and fear. It shook its wings violently, striving to launch into the sky, escaping this place.
Buzz...
Almost at the same moment, a shadow pressed down; Zhang Fan flickered like living flame, and in a blink blocked the way of the Difficult Insect. One hand shot forth, gripping its head tightly.
Rumble...
Samadhi True Flame raged, wild and fierce. In a single motion, it swept across the whole body of Difficult Insect, which beat its wings furiously, struggling madly—the terrifying power cracked the earth...
But in Zhang Fan's grasp, the Samadhi True Flame devoured its form in mere moments, turning it instantly to ash and dust.
"S-so... strong... That was the Difficult Insect..."
"So what? That's the Samadhi True Flame!"
"Terrifying... Is this the Daoist Divine Techniques? Demons flee, invincible in all things?"
Inside Qingwei Palace, countless shocked gazes fixed upon Zhang Fan, their eyes awash in awe and reverence.
That is the true Daoist Divine Techniques—appearing in a man who by rights should not possess it.
Tonight, coincidence and fate intermingle, all within is arcane, entering the ineffable.
"Destiny, fate!"
Just then, a quiet sigh echoed through Qingwei Palace, pulling everyone's thoughts back.
A breeze swept in, and an elder Daoist appeared before Zhang Fan. Though the Samadhi True Flame surged boundlessly, it could not harm him in the slightest.
"Chu Zhenren!"
"Master!"
"Worthy of Transcendent Zhenren—even Samadhi True Flame cannot draw near!?"
Qian Shengwu and Qian Shaokun exchanged glances, fear written clear across trembling faces. They thought to escape, but Po Jie, True Martial Mountain Daoist, had already blocked their way.
"Sleep."
Chu Chaoran reached out, pressed Zhang Fan's forehead; in a blink, Samadhi True Flame vanished, and Zhang Fan staggered, falling directly into Chu Chaoran's embrace.
"Master—it was these two Qian Family youths who set everything ablaze tonight."
At this moment, Po Jie dragged Qian Shengwu and Qian Shaokun forward.
"Kill them!"
A chorus of indignant voices thundered in reply. Tonight, these two dared run amok in Zhenwu Mountain, murder and attack, unleash Difficult Insect, even disrupt the Jade Scroll Transmission Dharma assembly...
Such grave sin—worthy of death, every count.
"Blessings boundless..." Chu Chaoran chanted softly. "Heaven cherishes life; as cultivators, how can we rashly speak of killing?"
At these words, all lowered their heads, shame filling their faces.
"Send them to the back mountain—to your Master Uncle... Let him enjoy himself."
With that, Chu Chaoran changed his tone, grinning wide, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.