Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 644 - 644 643 Wild Thoughts

644: Chapter 643: Wild Thoughts 644: Chapter 643: Wild Thoughts The two left the secluded cultivation site of these Langzhong Daoists one after the other, their hearts filled with different emotions.

Having spent over a decade in Pingliang, Li Shipeng knew more about the history of the place and understood it more deeply.

Some things shouldn’t be carelessly spoken, but before Capital Commandant Hou, he had no reservations; it was time for heartfelt repayment.

“Capital Commandant, these ancient Langzhong cultivators are strange.

I don’t know if I should speak of it; it might be somewhat disrespectful to discuss one’s ancestors, but some facts really do have their reasons…”

Hou Niao laughed, “If you want to say it, just say it.

What goes from your mouth to my ears isn’t being publicly announced to reveal someone’s secrets; why be so cautious?”

Li Shipeng chuckled, “Capital Commandant, have you noticed any particular traits about these Langzhong cultivators in terms of their appearance?”

Hou Niao was taken aback; he hadn’t really paid attention to this aspect, “Traits?

What traits?

They look quite normal to me, aside from liking to keep beards…

That’s a preference, right?

As far as I know, many ethnic groups in the Northwest like to have beards.”

Li Shipeng spoke cryptically, “You’ve hit the nail on the head, Capital Commandant!

It’s precisely the beards.

But let me tell you, these ancient Langzhong cultivators are not only hairy on their faces.

If you were to see their bodies without clothes, their hair growth isn’t just out of lifestyle or religious habit but because their follicles are naturally more developed, different from ordinary people.”

“What do you mean?

Wild men?

How could there be such a situation in the culturally rich Southwest?”

Li Shipeng’s imagination ran wild, “Capital Commandant, I’ve been here for over a decade and have had my fair share of interactions with these Langzhong cultivators.

They are extremely cautious about their bodies.

Outsiders can hardly ever see them.

Even in death, they must be cremated and not left outside.

Due to a certain accidental reason, I’ve seen the corpse of an ancient Langzhong cultivator; that amount of hair, it really was no different from a beast—oh, I’m not insulting them; perhaps like a bird-man?”

After thinking it over, he came to a conclusion, “I always found it odd why the people here who can’t cultivate look just like normal people, yet only the cultivators have such excessively hairy bodies.

Could it be a kind of atavism?

I used to be puzzled, but after seeing that original painting, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Could it be that these ancient Langzhong cultivators are actually descendants of that great bird deity?

The denser the follicles, the more ancestral blood they retain, and so they are able to practice the Ming King’s Screen?

Those with normal follicles are mere mortals, their blood diluted and assimilated by humans, with no remnants of their ancestors?

And is it because as time passes, the bloodline inevitably thins out, making it increasingly unlikely for someone to master the art of the Ming King’s Screen, thereby diminishing its power until they are now in decline?”

Hou Niao listened, dumbfounded.

This man was truly talented, capable of making such logical deductions.

“Just these reasons?

Isn’t that a bit presumptuous?

Hmm, according to what you said, if it’s about bloodline inheritance, the oldest bloodlines must have died out long ago.

After being passed down generation by generation for thousands of years or even longer, even the thickest bloodline power would have diminished, wouldn’t it?

It shouldn’t have persisted until now.

I see many cultivators in the Mu Shuai Mansion, and there are even more who haven’t joined it…”

Li Shipeng smiled cunningly and lowered his voice, “Capital Commandant, there’s something else you might not know.

I learned from a cultivator who was close to these ancient Langzhong cultivators that hundreds of years ago, they stopped intermarrying with ordinary mortals or normal human cultivators.

They only chose their mates from within the Langzhong cultivators.

This has led to another extremely serious problem…”

Hou Niao narrowed his eyes, “If the group size is too small, inbreeding rejection is possible.

This…”

“That’s precisely why the Langzhong Daoist lineage has weakened with each generation.

Their power comes from their bloodline, but now, not only is the bloodline diluted, but it’s mixed and impure.

So, they will never be able to restore the former glory of arts like the Ming King’s Screen, no matter how hard they try.”

Hou Niao shook his head.

Such ancient history and complex bloodline inheritances were too far removed from them; they could only hear and guess about it, treating it as an amusing anecdote.

For now, his own abilities were insufficient to delve into these long-gone tales, occupied as he was with his own myriad problems.

“Enough of that, let’s stop here.

Regardless, the Ming King’s Screen is indeed a genuine and profound artifact of mystery and wonder, wouldn’t you agree?”

Li Shipeng solemnly bowed, “Thank you for your guidance, Capital Commandant.

Without you, how could I have such an opportunity?

As the saying goes, ‘missed in the east corner, collected in the west corner.’ I might not be able to learn Brother Fang’s swordsmanship, but this Ming King’s Screen might not be inferior.”

Hou Niao nodded, “So, have you gained anything?”

Li Shipeng didn’t keep secrets.

Though he’d never seen the Capital Commandant make a move, he had an intuition that if it really came to a confrontation, he might not withstand a single strike.

In front of such a powerful cultivator, any pretense was just asking for trouble.

“The seven-colored rays of light, whether they are the strongest form of the great bird is still uncertain.

Maybe there will be eight or nine rays?

But that’s not important.

The key point is, what do these seven rays of light represent?

As you say, five of them correspond to the Five Elements, and the other two to Yin Yang.

We don’t need to look too far ahead for now; wouldn’t mastering just one complete system allow one to dominate the world?

Of course, the difficulty of achieving this is truly daunting.

I estimate it would be hard to master within the Tongtian three realms, and only in the Golden Core might there be some slight chance.

Countless Langzhong cultivators have focused on research for millennia and have not deciphered it.

For me to gain anything substantial in this area might be harder than reaching the heavens.

There’s no rush; understanding will come slowly.

Setting goals now is premature as everything is still very unclear.”

“Five Elements?”

“No, my main practice is Yin Yang.”

Hou Niao nodded.

One shouldn’t think that because there are five rays corresponding to the Five Elements and only two for Yin Yang, that Yin Yang would be easier.

That’s not the right comparison.

Both are fundamental principles of the Cultivation World’s Great Dao; there’s no question of which is easier or harder, only which one suits best.

Naturally, aiming for such high goals at the Tongtian three realms is actually harmful.

These techniques are likely meant to develop substantial power after Nascent Transformation; taking them up now could be overreaching.

Actually, whether in the Tongtian three realms or the Golden Core Realm, the approach taken by the three elders of the Langzhong Sect is the wisest and most appropriate: not being greedy, focusing on one thing persistently, and considering other paths only once significant progress has been made in one’s realm.

But his situation was somewhat different, having come into close contact with the Earth and Water Spiritual Pearls, which could help him avoid many detours.

When he observed the original painting of the Ming King’s Screen, he could clearly sense the trajectories of the Five Elements, particularly the Earth and Water rays, making him realize that at least in these two aspects, he might be able to make a breakthrough.

After all the hard work in accessing the two beads, the season of harvest had finally arrived.