Chapter 43: The Methods of the Heart Sect!

Anyone versed in the musical arts would be intoxicated by the wondrous artistic conception of Lan Qing's zither melody. However, Lan Xing of Fenggu, who knew nothing of rhythm and stood as an enemy to Lan Qing, suddenly spat a mouthful of fresh blood. Releasing a multicolored radiance to block the sound of the zither, she cried out in shock and dismay, "What kind of divine ability is this? It actually causes my soul to tremble violently and my mind to fall into utter chaos!"

Lan Qing smiled without a word, playing the melody *The Heavens of Ya and the Earth of Yuan* with such enchanting absorption that it felt like a gentle spring breeze brushing past the ears, brimming with boundless vitality.

Yang Nan sneered inwardly: Since this Lan Xing was ignorant of the musical arts and blind to the righteous path, facing the zither music of the Confucian Sect with a wicked and perverse mind, how could her soul escape injury? If she kept listening, her soul would descend into total disarray, and she would be wiped out in a single stroke by Lan Qing!

Seeing how formidable the zither music was, Lan Xing let out a furious roar. The multicolored phoenix beneath her spread its sharp talons and lunged straight at Lan Qing! If the zither music were allowed to continue unchecked, Lan Xing would be defeated even without exchanging blows!

Noticing the viciousness of Lan Xing's magical treasure, Yan Qian assumed a solemn and dignified expression, saying in a stern voice, "Slow down, slow down, and hearken to my words: Form is righteousness, and intent comes first. When the heart is righteous, the form is likewise righteous. Clinging to this righteous heart and righteous intent, one may travel anywhere beneath the heavens."

Above Yan Qian's head, the figure of a pre-Qin philosopher holding a scroll condensed with a ringing sound. His demeanor was austere and his bearing dignified. That scroll resembled the azure vault of heaven, firmly blocking Lan Xing's multicolored phoenix treasure. No matter how vicious or ruthless her treasure might be, it could never pierce through the scroll emanating the righteous energy of heaven and earth held in the philosopher's hands!

Gong Fu pointed his brush with rapid strokes, sighing with stirring generosity as he said, "A single character serves as the heart, and its wondrous uses are infinite. Though the heart harbors a thousand illusions, the intent remains inherently as one. This heart is none other than the heart of heaven; it can save all creation and take pity on the common people. Therefore, the gentleman must use a benevolent heart to succor the world, and what joy could surpass this!"

A character for "heart" the size of a peck fluttered and coiled around Lan Xing. Moving unpredictably forward and backward, shifting like a dragon and writhing like a snake, it was both rigid and pliable, assuming myriad forms. Pushed to the brink of utter confusion by the three grandmasters, Lan Xing let out continuous furious roars and struggled with all her might to charge forward, yet she remained trapped within the zither music, the script-scroll, and the character of the heart, unable to move a single inch.

Yang Nan sighed inwardly. Under normal circumstances, if Lan Qing and the other two had encountered Lan Xing individually, they surely would have lost without a win. But here at the mountain gate of the Heart Sect on Mount Qingming, aided by the boundless and vast scholarly aura of the mountains, for Lan Xing to triumph over the three of them would be like trying to contend with three spiritual mountains—how could she possibly avoid defeat?

On Mount Qingming, the joint forces of the three grandmasters were almost capable of defeating a master of the Great Venerable tier!

Since Lan Xing was merely at the initial stage of the Venerable realm, how could she possibly match the three grandmasters?

Trapped within the web of the zither, the scroll, and the character, Lan Xing's spiritual radiance dimmed entirely, and her multicolored phoenix treasure lost its previous fierce and formidable momentum. The character of the heart was like silk, like mist, like a dragon, and like a snake; the zither music penetrated every crevice, disturbing the mind and spirit; and the vast, peerless scroll protected the three grandmasters. How could Lan Xing possibly withstand such infinite magical power and divine arts?

After battling for a long while, Lan Xing let out a miserable scream, and her entire figure burst into countless specks of light. These numerous specks of light suddenly condensed from ethereal to solid, transforming into a gigantic phoenix engulfed in raging, blazing flames. The phoenix was magnificent and dazzling; it emitted a sharp cry at the edge of the clouds, and the power of the flames rolled wildly across the sky, completely burning away the divine abilities and techniques of the three grandmasters. Hovering in the air with piercing phoenix eyes, she gazed coldly at Yang Nan and said, "What divine abilities! What formidable techniques! The grudge of this day shall certainly be repaid by Fenggu in the future!"

With a shake of her twin wings, Lan Xing vanished into the distant horizon like a streak of colorful rainbow light.

Just as Yang Nan slapped his dharma weapon, intending to transform into a black serpent and pursue her, Xiao Ruo waved his hand from the side and said, "Brother Yang, hold on. There is no need to pursue her further."

Yang Nan was stunned for a moment, and said, "This Lan Xing has already suffered severe injuries. If we do not eliminate her today, she will surely become a grave hazard in the future."

Xiao Ruo shook his head and sighed, "I have seen records in ancient books stating that when a phoenix undergoes nirvana and is reborn, its divine abilities and magical power double at the very least. If Brother Yang were to pursue her at this moment, I fear you would suffer a heavy loss."

*'Nirvana and rebirth?'* Yang Nan was startled with awe and said, "Did Lan Xing really undergo nirvana just now? Won't her cultivation level regress by a century?"

When a phoenix bathes in fire and undergoes nirvana to be reborn, its might is undeniably immense, but the price is equally steep. For at least a century, Lan Xing's strength would revert to the Grandmaster realm, and she would never again possess the qualification to issue a challenge to Yang Nan!

During the process of phoenix nirvana, the divine abilities are vast, which is why they are called "immortal birds." Legend has it that when the primordial ancestor created the phoenix tribe, they were regarded as the most gorgeous and perfect race between heaven and earth. Although phoenixes cannot live forever, many have attained sagehood or immortality, making them uniquely favored by heaven!

Knowing when to retreat in the face of difficulties, Lan Xing had fled; if Yang Nan had ignorantly pursued her, he would only have met with a disgraced and humiliating end.

Xiao Ruo flicked his sleeve and said with a calm expression, "This phoenix was utterly devoid of self-awareness, actually daring to come and act wildly at the mountain gate of the Heart Sect. Without undergoing nirvana once, how could she live up to the prestige of the Confucian Sect?"

Seeing that this grandmaster of the Confucian Sect possessed a natural bearing of awe-inspiring inviolability, Yang Nan knew in his heart that had Lan Qing and the other two faltered earlier, Lan Xing would have fallen into Xiao Ruo's hands instead!

All the righteous energy of the world belonged entirely to the Confucian Sect!

Even a sage, should they dare to provoke the mountain gate of the Confucian Sect, would have to weigh their own worth carefully!

The sages transformed from Lan Qing and the other two played elegant melodies and inscribed ancient characters in the sky, arousing a surge of scholarly aura from the spiritual mountains. Stimulated by this upheaval of heaven and earth, the six ancient characters on the towering cliff suddenly emitted successive roars, transforming into dozens of brush-strokes and characters that blanketed the entire sky above Qingming!

*'How formidable! Provoked by Lan Xing, these three old grandmasters have truly set up a Confucian array to protect the firmament. The next time some blind demon comes here again, I'm afraid they will be slashed into dust by those countless characters sharp as divine weapons!'*

Witnessing such might, Yang Nan secretly felt a sense of reverence for the Confucian arts of the Confucian Sect. Only after the three grandmasters had set up the dharma array did they disperse the spiritual radiance above their heads and walk toward Yang Nan with calm and leisurely expressions.

Xiao Ruo bowed deeply until his hands touched the ground and said, "The profound creation of the teachers fills this junior with yearning. Although the firmament above is protected by divine weapons today, it lacks the proper arrangement of rituals and order, failing to push my Confucian arts to their absolute limit. Though lacking in talent, this youth is willing to lend a helping hand! I hope the three teachers will forgive any offense." Even though he wished to offer his assistance, he still maintained an appearance of modesty and caution.

Seeing that Yan Qian and the other two had taken great pains to establish such a powerful Confucian array, they smiled and said, "We have long heard that the rationalist teachings of the Form Sect can determine the order of heaven and earth, and we were just about to seek instruction. Though the three of us are old, we are not so muddle-headed as to cling blindly to the past. Grandmaster Xiao may display his divine abilities for us to witness."

Xiao Ruo nodded, stretched out his hands, drawing a square with one and a circle with the other, and shouted loudly, "Without rules, one cannot form a square or a circle. Lend me your power to decree the will of heaven!"

At his loud cry, the newly formed Confucian array emitted a slight tremor, and countless characters emerged from the sky. Pointing a finger toward the sky with a stern expression, Xiao Ruo said, "The heavens are boundless; hence, the heavens are above!"

The disorderly characters instantly arranged themselves like rows of soldiers, forming an orderly formation that resembled peerless divine swords, guarding the airspace above the three peaks of Qingming so tightly that not even wind or rain could leak through.

Having established the order, Xiao Ruo pointed a finger at the mountains and said with a solemn expression, "The earth sustains all things, and its thick virtue supports humanity; hence, the earth is below!"

In response to his call, the three peaks of Qingming spewed forth three brilliant pillars of light that integrated into the dharma array in the sky. With the injection of boundless spiritual energy, the aura of the aerial dharma array became even more majestic. Through this decree, the green mountains would never be broken, the dharma array would never cease, the earth's veins would never be destroyed, and the divine weapons would never run dry.

The vault of heaven, the spiritual mountains, and the scholars formed the indestructible ternary pillars of heaven, earth, and man on Mount Qingming. Employing a grand and powerful divine ability, Xiao Ruo arranged the order of these three elements so that the defense remained entirely without flaws. Only then did he withdraw his hands and smile, saying, "This junior has been presumptuous; I hope you will all forgive my clumsiness."

Yang Nan sighed inwardly at how many talented prodigies existed in this world. Although this Xiao Ruo usually appeared ordinary, who could have known that when he took action, he could actually drive the earth's veins of the spiritual mountains? Such divine ability was truly astonishing and terrifying!

Yan Qian clapped his hands and smiled, saying, "Rituals cannot be discarded; without rituals, there is no distinction of nobility and inferiority between heaven and earth. Grandmaster Xiao truly possesses remarkable skills."

The three grandmasters stroked their beards and smiled together. Xiao Ruo's assistance in perfecting the dharma array won him the favor of everyone within the Heart Sect. Even the usually strict Yan Qian could not help but put aside his preconceptions, no longer viewing Xiao Ruo as a pedantic and rigid scholar of pedantry.

Having expended vast spiritual energy, Xiao Ruo finally shook hands in reconciliation with the three elders of the Heart Sect, feeling boundless joy in his heart. Hearing their praise, he lowered his head and said, "I dare not accept such acclaim. Although I am the sect master of the Form Sect, I also know that vast as heaven and earth may be, the common people are paramount. The genuine nature of the three teachers is what truly fills this youth with admiration."

Through this battle, the two sects finally attained a trace of harmonious atmosphere. The provocation of Venerable Lan Xing had unexpectedly fostered a concerted cooperation between the two previously feuding sects—a twist of karma that truly caught everyone off guard.

Yan Qian gave instructions to prepare a banquet to host Xiao Ruo and Li Hao.

Li Hao hailed from the imperial family and possessed exquisite mastery of Confucian studies, not to mention Xiao Ruo. Even Yang Nan, deeply instructed by his grandfather, had dabbled slightly in the arts of the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Singing poetry and expressing their aspirations through song at the banquet, the gathered company found themselves in a harmonious and joyous mood.

Several days later, having discussed strategies and communication methods with the three grandmasters, Xiao Ruo finally bid farewell and departed with Li Hao. Watching with a cold eye from the side, Yang Nan noted that Li Hao's entourage today included two grandmasters alone, with no fewer than six masters accompanying him! Compared to that day beneath Mount Kunlun, their strength was simply incomparable!

*'Truly, after parting for three days, one must look at someone with entirely new eyes…'* Just as Yang Nan was sighing with emotion, Lan Qing smiled cheerfully from the side and said, "Yang Nan, today the ultimate outcome has been settled. No doubt you are eager to return to Mount Kunlun to report your mission. Why not pick a day to transmit the sacred scrolls of the sages to Fang Xuan?"

Over the past few months, Fang Xuan's scholarship had progressed immensely, with scholarly aura surging forth—clearly having won the approval of the three grandmasters. Moreover, stimulated by Xiao Ruo today, the three old grandmasters were even more determined to compete with the Form Sect. Once Fang Xuan obtained the sacred scrolls of the sages, his scholarship would advance even further. Realizing this logic, Yang Nan consented immediately.