ragginovel Chapter 2520 Forming the Net
Chapter 2520 Forming the Net
Chapter 2520 Forming the Net
Yu Ying led Bai Ying'er to the foot of a mountain and said, "The disciples are all waiting in the hermitage on the mountain."
Bai Ying'er nodded, landed on the mountaintop, and spread her divine sense, causing several streaks of light to fly out from the mountain.
At this moment, all the cultivators in the mountain were disciples of the Five Thunder Sect who practiced the "Taiyi Ling Shu Jing". Looking at these disciples, Bai Ying'er felt a little nervous. She was about to lead these disciples to form a spiritual network, and her master was also watching this place.
"Disciple pays homage to Master!"
All the disciples bowed down in unison; there were more than a dozen of them, all of them Yin Spirit cultivators.
Those at the Yin Spirit realm cannot completely abandon their physical bodies and remain in the world solely as Yin Spirits; therefore, they still retain their original physical forms.
"Disciples, heed my command! Concentrate and enter meditation!"
Bai Ying'er sat cross-legged, and the disciples followed suit, and the mountaintop soon fell silent.
At this moment, Qin Sang had stopped cultivating and was observing this place from her cave.
He felt that he had honed his skills enough in the Yin God realm and could try to break through to the Yang God realm, but before that, he had to do one thing: observe the process of forming the Spirit Network.
Bai Ying'er will be the master of the Spirit Network. These disciples are all outstanding cultivators of the "Taiyi Ling Shu Jing" and are directly connected to Bai Ying'er's Spirit Pivot, which is equivalent to the second level of the Spirit Network. In the future, when Qin Sang integrates into the Spirit Network, her status will be comparable to theirs.
The complete Spirit Network is enormous. Bai Ying'er and these disciples are only forming the prototype of the Spirit Network, which will continue to expand and accept more disciples in the future.
Suddenly, Qin Sang's expression shifted as she sensed that Bai Ying'er had activated the spiritual pivot within her Yin Spirit. The other disciples also activated their respective spiritual pivots, and waves of divine consciousness immediately rippled through the void.
The method of forming a spiritual network had already been taught to these disciples beforehand. They were sent here because they willingly cooperated with Bai Ying'er in forming the spiritual network. Forming a spiritual network requires the disciple's sincere acceptance; if the other party is unwilling to integrate, it cannot be successfully cultivated.
When they performed the ritual, an invisible change began to occur within their Yin spirit. The spiritual pivot circulated, and a peculiar thread of divine consciousness gradually emerged.
The first change was to occur in Bai Ying'er. The surrounding spiritual energy was suddenly drawn to her, converging from all directions and quickly forming a roaring spiritual tide. This spiritual tide triggered celestial phenomena, with dark clouds gathering and strong winds blowing.
The primordial energy of heaven and earth converged around Bai Ying'er, and then, like a dam bursting, poured into her body, forming a visible vortex in the spiritual tide. This scene made it seem as if Bai Ying'er was breaking through a barrier.
Within Bai Ying'er's body, the spiritual pivot was operating at full capacity, and the thread of divine consciousness was coiling and intertwining on its own, gradually forming a rune. Even before it was fully formed, the rune was already incredibly complex.
Each time a rune completes a stroke, it has to devour a massive amount of spiritual energy from heaven and earth. Fortunately, it is in Qin Sang's dojo, where spiritual energy is abundant and can be taken at will.
With no major incidents, the rune was successfully formed. Bai Ying'er's tense expression eased slightly, and with a thought, the rune merged into the spiritual core.
This scene reminded Qin Sang of her own experience cultivating the Daoist methods, receiving her ordination, and casting the altar. The two had many similarities, no wonder Senior Zhou dared to call the Spiritual Pivot the Heart Altar. If Qin Sang hadn't known the true nature of the Daoist court in this world, she might have been fooled by Senior Zhou's words.
In Taoism, one can be ordained and have an altar cast upon entering the path. However, the *Taiyi Lingshu Jing* requires reaching the Out-of-Body stage, equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage, before one can begin casting the spiritual pivot. Furthermore, the spiritual pivot must be stable before one can connect to the spiritual network. But the spiritual network is clearly simpler and more convenient. Cultivators do not need to build an altar in reality, nor do they need to rely on external objects. All that is required is a powerful primordial spirit and abundant primordial energy of heaven and earth.
Bai Ying'er demonstrated her magic in public so that her disciples could observe and learn from her.
The whole process seemed uneventful, but it was actually extremely complicated. Even with Bai Ying'er's cultivation level, she was unable to fully comprehend it. Only after receiving Qin Sang's careful guidance did she grasp the essence and succeed in one fell swoop.
Bai Ying'er slowly opened her eyes and saw that the disciples all had different expressions and were deep in thought, so she did not disturb them. It wasn't until half a month later that the first disciple showed a look of realization and immediately began to try it.
Sensing the commotion, Bai Ying'er turned her gaze and saw a fair-skinned young man. She recalled that his Dharma name was Lan Gu, and then she saw that the disciple's first attempt had failed.
She is the master of the Spirit Network, and the runes she has condensed are far more complex than those of her disciples. Theirs are more like simplified versions; otherwise, even sitting on the mountaintop for several years, few people might be able to achieve this.
This disciple kept trying, failing repeatedly but never giving up. Gradually, the other disciples also began to realize the truth.
In an instant, fluctuations of divine consciousness permeated everywhere, and the primordial energy of heaven and earth gathered and dispersed at times. Sometimes, various celestial phenomena would appear in turn within a few breaths.
Finally, the first disciple successfully cultivated this method, and that was Lan Gu.
Bai Ying'er showed a look of relief, her mind stirred slightly, and Lan Gu, who was examining his spiritual core, became solemn upon hearing the sound.
Immediately afterwards, Bai Ying'er activated her spiritual core, creating a phantom of a rune that floated towards Lan Gu.
Lan Gu focused his mind inward, and the runes manifested within the spiritual core, flying away from it and merging with the illusory image of the runes. Bai Ying'er's illusory image of runes seemed to be absorbed by his runes; at the moment the runes intertwined, a subtle fluctuation flashed by.
Inside the cave, Qin Sang's eyes flickered slightly.
That step just now meant that Lan Gu had connected with Bai Ying'er's spiritual network. In an instant, although there were no strange phenomena, there seemed to be a trace of Daoist charm. There was something in it that even Qin Sang could not see through. Bai Ying'er and those disciples only knew what it was but not why it was so. They thought they had comprehended this method, but little did they know that they were still only scratching the surface.
Qin Sang pondered to herself what the Daoist aura she had just experienced was, without interrupting Bai Ying'er and the others.
Lan Gu retrieved his spiritual pivot, sensed it for a moment, and then looked at Bai Ying'er with a strange expression. Bai Ying'er nodded slightly to him, then looked at another disciple who had just finished as well.
As time went by, more and more disciples connected with Bai Ying'er's spiritual network and then worked with her to comprehend it.
Not long after, Qin Sang sensed the divine message from Bai Ying'er and reported what she had learned to him.
Bai Ying'er and her disciples discovered three functions of the Spirit Network.
Firstly, members of the Spirit Network can communicate directly through the Spirit Network. Even if the distance between them is far beyond the range of their spiritual senses, they can instantly perceive each other's thoughts, thus eliminating the need to rely on talismans or other means.
They all practice the same cultivation method, the "Taiyi Lingshu Jing". When they encounter questions or bottlenecks, they do not need to leave their cave. They can activate the Lingshu and use the Lingwang to ask others for advice and discuss the Dao remotely. They can also leave their insights on the Lingwang for everyone to study.
At this moment, Lan Gu and the others were having a heated discussion in the Spirit Network about a vague passage in the Taiyi Ling Shu Jing.
For major powers, having access to information is of great importance, especially on the battlefield.
However, Bai Ying'er and her colleagues believed that there should be a limit to this distance, which is related to the Lord of the Spirit Network and the cultivation levels of both parties, and still needs to be verified.
While the Spirit Network offers convenience, there are many other ways to achieve the same effect in the cultivation world. For instance, when a Daoist court initiates a ritual, the will of the practitioner can instantly spread to all altars throughout the entire realm. The second function is similar in principle to the Daoist court's initiation of rituals and the summoning of talismanic deities.
The Lord of the Spirit Network can gather all members within the network to unleash powerful supernatural spells, demonstrating strength far exceeding that of any individual member. Other members can also receive assistance from like-minded individuals within the Spirit Network.
The Taiyi Ling Shu Jing, which Senior Zhou passed on to Qin Sang, records two methods, one offensive and one defensive, called Biluo Kongge and Tianluo Shenbi respectively.
Bai Ying'er had been studying cultivation techniques and had not yet mastered these two methods, so she was unable to verify their power for the time being.
The third function of the Spirit Network is even more astonishing: members of the Spirit Network can actually attain enlightenment through it!
The spiritual network is formless and intangible, yet it truly exists.
Qin Sang suspected that the Daoist charm he couldn't understand earlier might have been caused by the spiritual net resonating with heaven and earth, touching upon some kind of 'Dao'. Although the spiritual net was created by Bai Ying'er and others, it originated from a profound method created by a powerful figure in Qianzhou, so it wasn't surprising that it could touch upon the level of 'Dao'.
If his guess is true, the Spirit Network is closer to the 'Dao'. When cultivators encounter bottlenecks, they can use the Spirit Network to comprehend the Dao and break through the barriers more easily.
Upon hearing this, Qin Sang immediately warned Bai Ying'er not to be impatient for quick success or seek shortcuts.
The Spirit Network is composed of many cultivators. The 'Dao' of the Spirit Network is not the 'Dao' of one person, nor is it one's own 'Dao'. Rather, it is a mixture of the 'Dao' of all cultivators in the Spirit Network.
Cultivators come in all shapes and sizes. Although they practice the same cultivation method, the 'path' they cultivate may seem similar, but in reality, they are vastly different.
The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao. Even if everyone comprehends the same Great Tao, the results of their cultivation will be different. The Eight Princes of Zhu Qian are a prime example. The Zhu Qian Dynasty was founded on the concept of 'fire,' but the eight princely mansions inherited eight completely different spiritual fires.
The Great Dao is likened to a river, its waters vast and boundless, yet each cultivator can only access the waters around them.
Borrowing from others to break through one's own bottlenecks, especially from so many people, the result is obvious: at best, one goes astray; at worst, one's foundation is shaken and one goes astray.
However, this is not without its benefits. As long as one is not impatient for quick success and patiently studies the spiritual network, one can gain a lot of inspiration from it. Learning from the ways of others and correcting one's own path is the right way!
As the master of the Spirit Network, Bai Ying'er is not usually affected by those disciples. The Spirit Network does not need her to maintain it deliberately; once it is formed, it will operate automatically through the cultivator's spiritual hub.
With so many similarities between the Taiyi Lingshu Jing and the Daoist court, Qin Sang couldn't help but suspect the relationship between them.
The rules and regulations of the Taoist court, as well as the divine court and talismanic arts, are extremely complicated. However, the Taiyi Lingshu Jing has abandoned many complicated things, and everything points to two words - simplicity.
The most precious thing about the method of spiritual practice is its simplicity!
"Did it truly evolve from the Daoist Court? The Daoist Court progressed from cultivating talismanic arts to creating talismanic gods, and then evolved into the divine path of uniting with the gods through truth. It was then besieged, its lesser worlds destroyed, and it has stagnated ever since. If the Daoist Court were allowed to continue developing, it might very well be able to initiate a fourth Divine Firmament Council, completely breaking free from the shackles of talismanic gods. That would seem quite similar to the *Taiyi Lingshu Jing*..."
A thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind.
It is unlikely that any well-known lineage or tradition in the world could be created out of thin air by someone's inspiration; most of them have traceable origins. For example, the layout of the Taoist court can be traced back to the demon court, and the talisman gods originated from ancient talismanic arts, which initially arose from the worship of heaven and earth and the sacrifices to deities.
The Taiyi Lingshu Jing (太乙灵枢经) is a technique that cannot appear out of thin air. Could it be that, as Zhuque (朱雀) said, the Qianzhou Lingwang (乾州灵网) "inherited" the legacy of the Daoist court?
Qin Sang ordered Bai Ying'er to continue studying the Spirit Network, but she did not discover the expected effects.
For example, Qin Sang had heard as early as the Great Zhou Dynasty that Qianzhou implemented a system of merit-based rewards. Cultivators could gain merit by slaying demons, which was almost indistinguishable from the Dao Court's 'merit'. However, they did not need to return to Qianzhou to exchange merit for rewards. They only needed to use a method similar to sacrifice, setting up an altar anywhere in Qianzhou as an offering, and exchanging it for the desired treasure. The treasure would immediately appear on the altar, which sounded unbelievable.
Qin Sang now knows that it was achieved through the Qianzhou Spirit Network, but Bai Ying'er couldn't do it.
Is it because Bai Ying'er, the master of the Spirit Network, lacks sufficient cultivation, or because there are too few members in the Spirit Network, and its full power has not yet been displayed?
Or perhaps, Senior Zhou held back some teachings when he passed them on!
With Senior Zhou's cultivation level, it wouldn't be difficult for him to tamper with the cultivation technique and deceive Qin Sang's eyes and ears.
Qin Sang was already prepared for this.
Qin Sang withdrew her gaze, calmed her mind, and re-examined the "Taiyi Lingshu Jing".
Bai Ying'er was instructing her disciples on the mountaintop. In fact, they would no longer need to come to pay their respects to Bai Ying'er; they could simply ask her questions through the spiritual network.
Several days later, Bai Ying'er dismissed the disciples. After they returned, they could take in new disciples and continue to expand the spiritual network, which unfolded layer by layer like a large net.
At the foot of the mountain, Yu Ying watched the whole thing unfold, a strange light flickering in her beautiful eyes, as if she were somewhat tempted.
Unfortunately, one must modify the *Taiyi Lingshu Jing* to cultivate the Lingshu and connect with the Spirit Network; otherwise, cultivators throughout the Spirit Realm would likely be tempted. A Spirit Network covering all races of the Spirit Realm—the thought alone is terrifying. However, the major powers probably wouldn't allow such a Spirit Network to exist.
Besides that, there is another regret: the Lord of the Spirit Network is not Qin Sang. I wonder what he is worried about.
Congratulations, Ying Er!
Seeing Bai Ying'er fly down the mountain, Yu Ying gracefully went to greet her, offering a friendly reminder, "The Spirit Network is excellent, but it's not without its drawbacks. People's hearts are fickle, and if those people constantly discuss various matters on the Spirit Network, there will always be some busybodies with impure intentions, inevitably causing all sorts of problems. Moreover, these disciples were all recruited into the Five Thunder Sect halfway through their cultivation, with complex backgrounds and diverse origins. How loyal they are to the Five Thunder Sect and the Sect Leader is still debatable. The Sect Leader has entrusted the Spirit Network to Sister Ying'er; how to manage it in a way that does not disappoint the Sect Leader's expectations is something Sister Ying'er must carefully consider."
Bai Ying'er said solemnly, "Thank you for the reminder, Protector Yu. I have been pondering these issues as well, and I feel that the timing is difficult to grasp. I wonder if Protector Yu has any good solutions?"
Yu Ying smiled and took Bai Ying'er's arm. "Sister Ying'er, come with me. I just acquired a kind of spiritual tea and would like you to taste and evaluate it..."
While they were discussing spiritual principles, Qin Sang went through the entire Taiyi Ling Shu Jing again in her cave, and as expected, she gained new insights.
At this moment, Qin Sang felt that there was nothing wrong with her, so she adjusted her breathing for a while and then summoned her Yin Spirit to prepare to break through to the Yang Spirit realm!