The Book of Troubled Times

Chapter 651 Life and Death

 In fact, there are still a lot of things to do in the Four Symbols Sect ceremony. How can it end immediately after the ceremony of establishing the leader?

 The three women discussed it all afternoon while Zhao Changhe was copying books, discussing many details of doctrinal modifications, as well as the code of conduct that is compatible with the state religion, which should be promulgated by the new leader in public.

 This is the really important fact of this ceremony.

The so-called retreat cannot be ended directly, but the dozens of people underground moved to the ground, and everyone continued the ceremony outside. Xia Chichi replaced Suzaku as the host and presided over the conference.

The door that had been left open during this period of time in the secret realm of the Imperial Ancestral Temple suddenly closed, and it was no longer possible to see what was happening below.

 Xia Chichi and Sanniang looked at each other from time to time during the meeting, with strange expressions. It doesn’t matter if you can’t see, everyone can guess what’s going on down there.

Zhao Changhe did not drive everyone away because he was in a hurry, but the flame he had just triggered must be absorbed and used immediately.

But objectively, it had the effect of asking the Venerable to stay and sleep with her in public, as if she was retaliating for letting her copy the book... but the Venerable didn't object.

 The most important thing is to have no objection.

 At this moment, the congregants should have mixed feelings in their hearts...

"Are you taking revenge on me?" Underground Suzaku pouted and raised his head to ask.

Zhao Changhe pulled her up and held her in his arms: "Originally, I wanted to discuss how to operate it with you, but you refused to discuss it with me, so you just punished me for copying books. Then I can only cause the fire in public... Now that it’s triggered, it can’t be stopped…”

“I don’t care, you’re just retaliating against me for letting you copy the book!”

 “Good, good, good, good, good, good, good, fine, and others will always copy.”

Zhuque was angry and funny, so he tilted his head and didn't answer.

Zhao Changhe touched it with his hand: "So...are you allowed to copy it?"

Suzaku bit his lower lip: "First of all, how did you do this? In addition to the enlightenment of Nanming's Lihuo that you inexplicably gave me, I now realize that it should be the Book of Heaven... Where did this real source of fire fall from the sky come from?"

"This secret realm was created by Lao Xia with his ability to control the world. Heaven and earth are one, similar to a scaled-down world. As long as you control this artificial sky, you can reach anywhere and use the characteristics of any place for your own use. .So even though the source of the earth fire here is far away in the south, casting can still be called here."

"so?"

"I have roughly controlled the earth's veins in the process of forging the sword, and I mainly relied on this power to break through the three secrets." Zhao Changhe said: "I spent the entire afternoon copying books while sensing fire in the sky. It was hard to find the location of the source...otherwise why would I be squatting here copying books..."

 Suzaku wanted to laugh a little when he heard this.

"Of course, simply bringing out the source of fire may not be useful to you. You also said that you don't rely on absorbing flames...80% of the time you need to go here in person to experience the birth of the source of fire up close." Zhao Changhe said: "It's thousands of miles away. Yao, you may not be able to leave, and you may not be able to find the specific location if you go there. We can feel what I feel from a distance, using me as the medium..."

 Suzaku’s cheeks started to heat up: “Why do I use you as a medium?”

"Of course...it's something that Qing'er has always refused to do." Zhao Changhe raised her chin: "So you said it, are you allowed to copy it?"

 Similar questions, Tang Wanzhuang, a shy person, was still willing to say "give" shyly.

Looking at Suzaku, who is much more unrestrained and enthusiastic, everyone has done everything, but it is extremely difficult for her to say "give", even if she bites the bullet and doesn't say anything.

Perhaps she would say it when she was not Suzaku, but once she was Suzaku, she would not be able to tell.

Zhao Changhe found this kind of Suzaku particularly interesting, and slowly lowered his head and kissed her: "If you don't let me, I will force you..."

Suzaku said angrily: "You are a malicious and frivolous subordinate!"

“Well, it’s like Lord Suzaku playing with the fire and pigs in the room...”

 “When did I play with you? Let…umuuuu…”

Under the starry sky, on the high platform, in front of the lower platform.

Venerable Suzaku was pressed on a low table, with his back leaning on a pile of soft papers, on which were densely copied the teachings of the Four Symbols.

Above the secret realm, the new leader of the Four Elephants Sect is preaching new doctrines and new regulations. Countless Four Elephants believers are kowtowing to listen and praying in low voices.

At the bottom of the secret realm, Venerable Suzaku, the most respected and feared figure in the hearts of the Sixiang believers, was suppressed by his teachings. He wore a sacred mask but took off his solemn robes. He refused to say "give", but when they became one, Suzaku still consciously started the dual cultivation technique.

 —She studied it secretly and knew that sooner or later she would use it with her own piggy.

It's a pity that Yuan Yin has been lost, and it was a bit wasted... Suzaku gasped in a low voice, feeling a little guilty for no reason in his heart. If he didn't have to hide his face, he could have been given more. But now not only do I have nothing to give him, but I am actually accepting his gifts.

"Don't think too much... connect mentally and feel the sky." Zhao Changhe's voice came to her ears, and he kissed her ear beads.

Suzaku's whole body trembled and became tense.

The spirit is lingering, as if flying into the starry sky, with the whole earth in sight.

 The perspective stretches and shifts, all the way to the south.

Then I discovered that the south is also a vast sea with countless islands. The climate is getting hotter and hotter. It is obviously the cold winter season, but the closer to the south, the warmer it becomes like spring, and in the end it is almost like summer.

　　It is said that this world is a small world with a round sky and a square square. It looks small on the surface, but is actually not small at all. For example, in the Far East, if you go straight, you won't be able to fly to the end of Tianya Island. That depends on the transfer of the blue dragon's will. It can be said that the end of the sky is endless, and it is impossible to reach the end by human power.

 The same goes to the south. No matter how you move, it will always be an endless sea and a vast island.

 But this time is different from the time when we went out to sea in the far east. That time we went there physically, but this time we went there with consciousness.

 Consciousness is infinite and unobstructed. As long as there is knowledge, it can be seen.

 As long as the place has been explored and recorded on this sky screen, you can see it.

So Suzaku saw an extremely strange place. It was either a volcano or lava, or a flame burning on the sea but never extinguished.

 This is a scene that normal people can hardly understand. How can fire burn on water, and how can it keep burning forever?

The trace of fire that was introduced into the body before began to respond when it saw the flames, and it ignited in the body. Even Suzaku's understanding and control of the flames could not suppress it.

 The response from the Dual Cultivation Technique came to him, and the fiery power entered his body, partially consumed in his body, and then circulated back. So it softened a little and became a force that Suzaku could handle.

She took a deep breath, and her entire consciousness rushed into the flames.

 Their practice does not rely on absorbing flames, but relies on understanding and application. When you control it, the fire is yours and there is no need to absorb it. As the master who gave Xia Chichi some training, Xia Chichi didn't learn the meaning of Suzaku at all, because Xia Chichi was really stupid about flames and couldn't understand it at all.

 Everyone has something they are good at.

 And Suzaku's expertise in flames is unparalleled in the world, and with the help of the Heavenly Book's auxiliary analysis, it is no longer a problem.

 As early as when the effect of burning Maitreya was not good, Suzaku was thinking about whether there was something wrong with his own flame. Theoretically, as long as the temperature of the flame is high enough, it can burn everything. If it cannot burn, it is because it is not strong enough. However, with Maitreya's half-corpse demon body, he should not be able to withstand the temperature of his own flames. It was understandable that he was challenged for the first time.

Thinking about it afterwards, it was not the level of Maitreya, but the death energy of the corpse demon and the death of the flame. This is a very mysterious understanding, surpassing the flame itself.

 But fire is not only death.

 It forges and reshapes the sword, is it death or life? That is living toward death.

Suzaku is a very special constellation. Among the stars, Jingsu, which is the eye of Suzaku, represents the astrology of death. If Suzaku knew the culture of this world, he would know that the understanding of Jingsu in Eastern and Western cultures is all about death and the netherworld. The East is called Corpse Well. , in the West, Cancer is called to accumulate corpse energy. But this star, which represents death in many cultures, is within the category of the Suzaku, which symbolizes life and enthusiasm, flame and rebirth. This is a philosophy unique to the East, the unity of life and death, and the interaction of yin and yang.

Flame not only burns and destroys, it also enlivens and shapes.

 Only when one understands this, will there be Nanminglihuo, the immortal flame.

If we had understood earlier, then in the battle of Maitreya, Xue Wu would not have fought. From Maitreya to other monk soldiers, everyone would have turned into Suzaku's puppets.

 She is the master of life and death.

 Suzaku opened his eyes.

 A heat wave is injected into the body, rushing into the limbs and bones, rushing into the soul, and turning into endless vitality.

The Four Symbol cultists above felt a cry of phoenix at the same time. Among the stars covered by clouds in the sky above, the appearance of a red bird shone in the sky, and a huge firebird soared in the sky, circling non-stop.

 (End of this chapter)