The Devil's Tribulation

Seeing Pan Chengfeng's greasy face, Uncle Niu couldn't bear it anymore. He raised his hand and hit Pan Chengfeng's head, causing him to fly out, and the meat in his mouth spurted out! Pan Chengfeng covered his forehead and rolled on the ground, shouting: "It hurts, it hurts! It hurts so much!!" Uncle Niu was speechless. Although he used some strength this time, it would never cause Pan Chengfeng to react so strongly. He shouted loudly: "Get up and don't play dead! What does the first rule of the sect say?" Pan Chengfeng covered his forehead and sat up and said: "Respect the teacher, don't talk back, interrupt, or disobey." Uncle Niu scolded: "You are disrespecting the teacher by making irresponsible remarks about the elders of the sect. I will forgive you this time. If there is a next time, I will..." Seeing Uncle Niu's momentum, Pan Chengfeng was frightened and said hurriedly: "I promise! There will never be a next time!"

Uncle Niu restrained his momentum, his face eased a little, and continued: "The three disciples of Tiandaoren, the eldest disciple Xuanyuanzi, the second disciple Xuantongzi and the third disciple Xuanlingzi have all reached the marrow refining realm, and have not been able to break through for many years. As a result, there are differences in practice. The three have the qualifications to cultivate immortals. The eldest disciple Xuanyuanzi thinks that since he can't break through to the golden body realm, he should first turn to cultivating immortals, and then continue to study the body refining technique after getting the life span. This is the same as the master, what's wrong? The second and third disciples both think that there are so many disciples in the sect. If the disciples know that the elders of the sect have gone to cultivate immortals, who will be willing to continue to cultivate the body? The sect will be weakened because of this, so they firmly oppose cultivating immortals. But Xuanyuanzi believes that the deadline is coming, and what can he use to carry forward the sect if he has lost his life? Xuantongzi and Xuanlingzi believe that if they can't break through the body refining, they will be distracted by cultivating immortals, and there will be no hope of breaking through. In this way, the sect was divided into two groups, one concentrated on practicing the body refining technique. The other side gave up the body refining technique and chose to cultivate immortals first."

When Pan Chengfeng heard this, he couldn't help himself. He wanted to speak but didn't dare to. He felt very uncomfortable. Uncle Niu saw his constipated expression and said, "Ask whatever you want, as long as you don't slander your elders." After getting permission, Pan Chengfeng immediately said, "I think what Grandmaster Xuanyuanzi said makes sense. The life span is not enough, so how can we have no time to study the body-building technique?" Uncle Niu sneered, "Few people can refuse a long life. As long as a cultivator breaks through to the foundation-building stage, he will have a lifespan of two hundred years, and can learn sword-riding techniques and travel in the sky. The Golden Core stage has five hundred years, and the Nascent Soul stage can reach a thousand years! Not to mention the later realms. Moreover, as long as the cultivator meditates and practices the exercises, as long as the aptitude is good and the resources are sufficient, he can break through. After choosing to cultivate the immortals, basically few people are willing to go back to specialize in the body-building technique. How many people in this world are like the Grandmaster?" Pan Chengfeng thought about it and it was true. The benefits of cultivating the immortals were too obvious. You don't have to endure the hardships of body-building techniques, you can fly into the sky and hide in the ground, not to mention a long lifespan, and you can marry a fairy-like wife. Looking at the female body cultivators, although Pan Chengfeng had never seen one, he could imagine that they were definitely terrifying. Only those who had no hope of becoming immortals would choose body cultivation.

Uncle Niu continued, "In this way, the sect has been maintained for several decades. As the resources needed by the monks are too huge, as the monks' realms are improved, the demand for resources is increasing, and the resources of the body refiners have gradually been encroached. The contradiction between the two sides has intensified, and both sides have fought each other." At this point, Pan Chengfeng seemed to have guessed the ending. If you are talking about a one-on-one fight, at the same realm, the body refiner can still fight with the monks. But in a group fight, the body refiner is definitely not the opponent of the monks! Think about it yourself, a group of people are attacking you from a distance in the sky, and you can only hide on the ground and look for an opportunity to jump up and beat them up. No matter how you think about it, you will suffer a loss. So, I am a person who insists on the side of body refining? That is the losing side.

Uncle Niu looked at Pan Chengfeng, knowing what he was thinking, but he didn't care and continued, "The battle lasted for several days and nights. In the end, Xuan Tongzi and Xuan Lingzi escaped from the Tiandao Sect with the remaining body-refining disciples and body-refining techniques. The battle also alarmed all parties. They all knew that the immortal cultivators had almost crushed the body-refining practitioners. From then on, the body-refining technique fell into decline, and fewer and fewer people practiced it. Those disciples who escaped with Xuan Tongzi and Xuan Lingzi also gradually left the body-refining practitioners. Those who could cultivate immortals went to cultivate immortals, and those who couldn't did not stay with them any longer. In the end, only a few direct disciples were left. Xuan Tongzi and Xuan Lingzi insisted on their own ideas until the end, and did not turn to Taoism. The two of them only studied body-refining techniques throughout their lives until their lifespans were exhausted. When they sat in meditation, they were accompanied by only a few direct disciples." After he finished speaking, Uncle Niu also had a lonely look on his face.

Pan Chengfeng thought to himself, "So, there is no Tiandao Sect in this world now?" Pan Chengfeng looked uncomfortable again. Uncle Niu nodded. Pan Chengfeng immediately asked, "What about the current Tiandao Sect?" Uncle Niu sighed and said, "There is no Tiandao Sect now, only Tiandao Sect, which was the predecessor of Tiandao Sect. Thousands of years ago, after defeating the body refiner, Xuan Yuanzi changed the sect into a sect, proclaimed himself the sect master, and recruited many disciples, saying that he practiced both magic and body. However, the disciples who entered the sect basically went for immortal cultivation, and no one practiced body refining. The current Tiandao Sect is also a big sect in the world of cultivation." Pan Chengfeng asked again, "Then we are the descendants of the ancestors Xuantongzi and Xuanlingzi?" Uncle Niu nodded and said, "After the two ancestors left Tiandao Sect, they lived in seclusion in a place in Dongzhou. I don't know exactly where it was, only your master knows. The two ancestors said, 'The Taoist lineage of Tiandao Sect cannot be broken,' and then they established another Tiandao Sect there. It's just..."

Uncle Niu did not continue. Pan Chengfeng did think of it. There should be few people in the sect, or only the master in front of him and the ignorant master. It seems that the inheritance is going to be broken. Fortunately, he met him! Thinking of this, Pan Chengfeng said: "Master, just put your heart at ease. Let me carry forward the body-refining technique and revitalize the Tiandao Sect!" He thought to himself: "When I am strong enough and stand at the top of this world, I will have the final say in everything! I can marry whoever I want and as many as I want! I asked you to practice the body-refining technique, and you dare to practice immortality?!" Uncle Niu was a little surprised. He hadn't even said this sentence yet, and this kid took over the job by himself. He still remembered that his master said the same thing to him: "The burden of revitalizing the sect and carrying forward the body-refining technique is handed over to you as a master!"

Uncle Niu nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, since you want to be my disciple, you must know who I am and who your master is." Pan Chengfeng also looked at Uncle Niu curiously, but he didn't know his name or the name of his master. Uncle Niu looked at Pan Chengfeng very seriously and said, "My surname is Zhou!" After that, he looked at Pan Chengfeng and didn't continue for a long time. Pan Chengfeng blinked and waited for Uncle Niu to continue, but he stopped talking after saying the surname.

The two stared at each other for a few breaths, and Uncle Niu suddenly laughed. How could this apprentice know the meaning of the surname Zhou since he was a child in this poor mountain valley? So he continued, "We are now in Dongzhou, Aotian Continent, within the borders of the Great Zhou Kingdom." Pan Chengfeng slowly opened his mouth, pointed at Uncle Niu, and after a long time, he uttered four words: "Are you a royal family?" Uncle Niu was very satisfied with Pan Chengfeng's reaction, and then said, "That was in the past. Now I am just a big shot in a small mountain village." After that, Uncle Niu fell into memories, slowly talking about how he went from a noble royal family to what he is now.

When Uncle Niu was eight years old, the royal family tested the qualifications of all children over eight years old. Unfortunately, Uncle Niu was found to have low mental strength and did not have the qualifications to cultivate immortality. After that, he began to encounter a lot of unequal treatment. He was bullied by his brothers of the same clan and generation. Even his biological father, the Emperor of the Great Zhou, changed his attitude towards him by 180 degrees. He didn't care about his experience and even said that he was a shame to the royal family. The word spread quickly, and even the servants began to obey in public but disobeyed in private. His mother was also neglected by the emperor because of his affairs, and finally died of depression. Uncle Niu lived very depressed in the palace. After his mother died, he found an opportunity to escape from the palace. He began his wandering life. At that time, Uncle Niu thought to himself: "Even if he dies outside, he can never go back to that cold palace."

Just when Uncle Niu was feeling discouraged, he met his mentor on the street. Uncle Niu recalled, "My master said that I am gifted and a genius in practicing physical exercises!" Hearing this, a scene appeared in Pan Chengfeng's mind. It was a scene from a movie in his previous life. An old beggar with messy hair said to a runny-nosed child, "Little friend, I see that you are gifted and a rare martial arts genius. Do you want to learn the martial arts masterpiece 'Tathagata Palm'? It's only ten yuan a copy." What a vivid picture! Just when Uncle Niu was feeling sad, Pan Chengfeng was thinking of this scene and almost laughed out loud, but fortunately he held it back.

Pan Chengfeng asked with a smile, "What happened later? How did Master come here?" Uncle Niu continued, "Later, I followed Master to travel and practice in the Great Zhou Kingdom. Until more than ten years ago, Master suddenly received an invitation from a fairy named Lin, saying that there was something important to discuss with Master. So Master took me to the appointment. It turned out that the friend was entrusted by someone to exchange body refining skills with Master. The rules of the sect do not allow the sect's skills to be passed on without authorization. Although the conditions were very tempting, Master still refused. As a result, not long after we separated from that person, we were besieged by eight masters. They were carrying special spiritual weapons. Master and I were outnumbered, and the weapons were specifically designed for us body refiners, so we were soon seriously injured. In order to save me, Master finally launched a secret technique to delay the enemy and gave me a chance to escape." After speaking, Uncle Niu's eyes were already red. For the first time, this tall man showed his powerlessness in front of Pan Chengfeng. Pan Chengfeng asked with concern, "How is Master now?" Uncle Niu said painfully, "I don't know whether he is dead or alive."