Chapter 140: The Solar Spirit Nears Completion, the Three Corpses Appear

The Eight Winds Divine Technique was nearing its full bloom, allowing Cao Kong's wind-escape art to improve vastly. In a single instant, he could travel seven thousand miles, and before long, he returned to the Hidden Mist Mountain.

As the sun and moon completed several cycles, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month arrived.

On the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, Taoists call it the Zhongyuan Festival, while Buddhists refer to it as the Ullambana Festival.

This month is known as the Ghost Festival, for during this period, the gates of the underworld are thrown open, releasing neglected and wandering ghosts into the mortal realm to enjoy the offerings and sacrifices of the living.

Consequently, during this month, ghost qi reaches its peak, and yin energy is also exceptionally abundant.

The two types of spiritual wine brewed by Cao Kong would also reach ultimate perfection by borrowing the atmospheric momentum of this auspicious day.

Standing nearby were the Impermanence Brothers, Xie Bian and Fan Wujiu, who had cast aside their official robes in favor of casual attire.

On this day, atop the Hidden Mist Mountain, Cao Kong wore a Taoist robe with a gourd hanging at his waist, twenty jars of spiritual wine arrayed before him. As the hour of midnight approached, he immediately formed hand seals and channeled his magical power, harvesting the spiritual essence of heaven and earth to infuse into the liquor.

After a series of incantations, sensing that the time had come, he broke the mud seal of one jar. Instantly, a fragrance like ethereal incense drifted forth, filling the entire mountain peak. To smell it was to clear the mind and refresh the spirit, as if the very aroma of the wine could seep directly into the soul.

"Ah, what a marvelous fragrance! Merely taking a single breath of it, I can feel my soul-body benefiting. The True Lord truly possesses extraordinary skills."

The Impermanence Brothers offered endless praise.

Cao Kong smiled in return, saying, "You two underworld commanders flatter me too much. This is all thanks to your efforts in procuring the spiritual ingredients. Please, partake." As he spoke, six jars of spiritual wine floated toward the Impermanence Brothers.

The Impermanence Brothers beamed with joy. "Then we offer our sincere thanks to the True Lord."

With a wave of their hands, they used their magic to draw the six jars of spiritual wine into the cloth pouches at their waists.

Cao Kong reminded them, "Respected commanders, the colorless and clear one is the Seven-Turn Soul-Enhancing Wine, while the one with a faint golden hue is the One-Yin Rejuvenating-Yang Wine. Their effects differ, and they can be consumed in combination."

The Impermanence Brothers cupped their fists in salute and departed with the spiritual wine. Their figures gradually blurred until they vanished completely. Suddenly, however, an object dropped down along with a lingering voice:

"Please accept this token, True Lord. Once my brother and I finish drinking this spiritual wine, we will undoubtedly have to trouble you again."

Cao Kong reached out and snatched it. It was a piece of white jade that felt cool to the touch, its texture delicate and fine.

"Yellow Springs Jade Pith. Wearing it can nourish and moisturize the divine soul. They certainly are thoughtful."

Cao Kong smiled faintly. Such an item was exceedingly rare, born beside the Yellow Springs in the underworld. Moreover, the piece of jade pith provided by the Impermanence Brothers was not only of exceptional quality but also engraved with a magical array capable of gathering spiritual energy.

He mused to himself, "This item is of no use to me, but I can give it to Xiao Xiang. He has only plucked one of his Three Flowers; having this piece of jade will save him some effort when the time comes to pluck the golden flower."

With a smile, he tucked it away, picked up the remaining spiritual wine, and went to continue his cultivation.

***

Unawares, a full year slipped away through the tips of his fingers.

During this time, Cao Kong consumed the spiritual wine to strengthen his divine soul, subsequently refining the yin dregs within his soul with remarkable results. This steady advancement was something he could perceive at every single moment.

According to Cao Kong's calculations, in nine years at most, he would be able to completely refine away the yin dregs from his soul, allowing it to become purely yang without a trace of yin, thereby achieving the state of the Yang God.

His cultivation of the Water Circuit of the Water-Fire Convergence also continued steadily. He gathered true water and true mercury to harmonize them into true lead, using the Kan triguan to fill the Li triguan, thereby replenishing his primal essence.

In his daily routine, he never forgot to absorb the atmospheric energy of heaven and earth to augment himself.

These three paths advanced side by side, perfectly balancing his essence, breath, and spirit.

As for the *Myriad Transformations Responding Spiritual Communication*, he continued to study it and gained many insights. In his leisure time, he used his own Taoist Qi to refine and nurture the Immortal Gourd, deepening his connection with it and probing its inner mysteries.

Thus, as time flowed onward, Cao Kong walked further and further along the path of cultivation.

The *Five Elements Great Escape* and the *Changes of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend* were also improving steadily. Nearly half of the Transformations of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend had been mastered, bringing them to the realm of minor accomplishment.

One might say that even if the Three Disasters and Trials were to arrive prematurely, Cao Kong could rely on these arts to prolong his life and evade death. Of course, the premise to all of this was that Cao Kong chose to avoid the tribulation rather than endure it.

Among the Five Elements Great Escape, the Wood Escape was the first to step into minor accomplishment, followed by the Water Escape, which could reach nine thousand miles away in a single instant.

As for seeking the Yellow Dame in the Earthly Depths, he was still on the journey. Cao Kong searched every single day without ever growing weary for a moment, nor did he ever seek quick success or greedy advancement. He knew that one day, the Yellow Dame would bow before him and be put to his service.

The forging of the Primordial Sword was likewise proceeding in an orderly and unhurried manner.

During this period, the Impermanence Brothers frequently sent people to deliver spiritual ingredients, which Cao Kong used to brew spiritual wine to aid his cultivation.

As for Cao Xiang, he spent much of his time practicing medicine and bestowing charity, yet his cultivation never lagged behind by even a fraction; indeed, he even had the sensation that his progress was growing faster and faster.

It had taken him nearly a hundred years to pluck the lead flower. By conventional reasoning, plucking the silver flower should take no less than that timeframe.

Yet Cao Kong had a feeling that Cao Xiang might be able to pluck the silver flower within fifty years.

Though he did not fully understand the underlying mechanics, he was exceedingly joyful nonetheless.

Imperceptibly, the Hidden Mist Mountain experienced summers and autumns; its peak turned white with snow several times and grew green with foliage once more.

The mortal world also turned through several years. The incense of the Qin Dao Kingdom grew even more prosperous, and the spiritual charm within the mountains deepened.

The lotus flowers in the pond gradually bloomed, bestowing tranquility upon the mountain and awakening the sentience of all living creatures. One could only say they were truly worthy of a gift from a Bodhisattva, something impossible to find anywhere else in the mortal world.

As for the planted orange seeds, they grew slowly without any day of bearing fruit yet.

A few years later, the yin dregs remaining in Cao Kong's soul were reduced to a mere trace. One day, seeing the great sun rise for the first time, its golden radiance brilliant and dazzling, a strange sensation welled up in his heart.

The opportune moment had arrived.

The Taoist sat upon the mountain summit as the great sun cast its golden light upon his body, as though draping a robe over him.

Cao Kong smiled faintly, then began to harvest the essence and breath of the solar qi to refine his divine soul.

How fierce was the solar qi? Yet Cao Kong used it to refine his spirit without feeling any discomfort, simply because his cultivation had finally reached that level.

Watching closely, the solar qi burned away the yin dregs deep within his soul, and wisps of yin energy were refined into nothingness.

Cao Kong felt neither sorrow nor joy, his mind unified and tranquil, continuing to refine and cultivate just as he always had.

For nine consecutive days, he used the solar qi for his refinement, the mass of yin gradually being stripped away while pure yang gradually emerged.

On the ninth day, midnight arrived. This was the moment when yin and yang intertwined and communicated, the heavenly yang descending while the earthly yin ascended, following the cosmic principle of heaven and earth uniting so that all things might flow freely.

At this precise juncture, Cao Kong merged his spiritual mind into oneness, drawing upon the heavenly yang to repel the earthly yin.

Whether he succeeded or failed depended entirely upon this single moment!

Though it was clearly the dead of night, Cao Kong's body radiated golden light, and within that golden light flickered a speck of golden nature, bearing an aura of eternal indestructibility and perfection without lack.

Thus, the heavenly yang descended into his soul, and the very last speck of utmost yin dregs gradually dissipated, on the verge of turning into absolute nothingness.

Yet just at this moment of approaching success, a sudden change occurred!

Cao Kong abruptly felt an ignorant, benighted sensation flood into his spiritual mind. All sorts of illusions and desires surged forth, and every negative emotion in his heart, the resentment accumulated over more than a hundred years of practicing the Tao, and the various base roots buried deep within his soul seemed to erupt all at once.

Greed for glory and wealth, gluttony, anger, lust, and avarice all transformed into reality, whispering into Cao Kong's ears that as long as he stopped, he could obtain everything.

Demons of lust transformed into alluring and seductive fairies, presenting the transcendent realm of union, promising that stepping forward would lead to a paradise of ultimate bliss.

All manner of miraculous pills and divine medicines manifested, their exquisite nectar and spiritual fragrance drifting forth to tempt his five viscera, while figures draped in official robes and holding jade tablets promised him immense glory, wealth, longevity, and everlasting joy.

It turned out that because the Yang God was about to be completed, various demons were born to obstruct his path to the Tao.

Yet Cao Kong's expression remained devoid of sorrow or joy, completely unmoved. He calmly stated, "So it is the Three Corpses."

The human body possesses the Three Corpses, which are the obstacles to cultivating the Tao.

The Upper Corpse is named Pengju, the Middle Corpse is named Pengzhi, and the Lower Corpse is named Pengjiao.

Seeing that Cao Kong had exposed their origin, the Three Corpse Spirits knew that this person's Dao heart was steadfast and exceedingly difficult to shake.

Consequently, they transformed into the shapes of ugly, vicious ghosts, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws as they lunged toward Cao Kong, accompanied by piercing, demonic sounds that battered his mind.

These three energies alternately transformed into insects and demons, drilling into Cao Kong's physical shell, tearing at his flesh, and gnawing upon his soul.

The yin dregs within his soul that had been on the verge of complete refinement suddenly began to regenerate.