Cultivation Starts from Killing Pigs

The alley was dark, and the fine rain soaked the moss in the corners of the walls.

"Damn it..."

Limp Wang rubbed his face, cursing and limping along, grimacing from time to time.

His luck was bad today; he lost everything he had and owed a lot. Afraid of being caught by the gambling den's people, he had to sneak through this dark alley.

There were many such alleys in the Capital City where few people visited, so kidnappers, thieves, and those with shady dealings would choose such places. Sometimes, stumbling upon a dead body was not surprising.

Just like a couple of days ago, a eunuch died here. When discovered, his parts were shattered everywhere, and it was rumored that he was quite a high-ranking official.

"Hmph, these days, neither good people nor bad people live long..."

Limp Wang muttered, not noticing at all as a wisp of black smoke seeped from the wall corner behind him...

Sss!

Limp Wang gasped, suddenly feeling a chill throughout his body, his neck hair standing on end.

Something was watching him!

Limp Wang swallowed, ignoring it and quickening his pace forward. He knew a bit about these things, and if you ran into something evil, turning your head would only make you die faster.

Suddenly, he froze, a hint of blackness appearing in his eyes, and then, with a blank expression, he walked out.

"I must... go to Lanzhou..."

...

The sky was dark, the ground was heavy, and locusts blotted out the sun.

At the mountain's peak, a streak of blood-red light shot straight into the sky.

Clang!

The bell's sound echoed across the wilderness, and in an instant, golden light burst everywhere.

At the mountain's base, the disciples of Shouxin Temple watched everything in astonishment. Some were excited, and others were trembling with fear.

A few days ago, the tale of exterminating the Locust Demon in Lanzhou had spread far and wide, known throughout the land. Temples were built everywhere to worship the human Sacred Artifact.

To think that the National Guardian True Men's second stop would be in Qingjiang State. It wasn't surprising, though, as it was said that True Man Zhang was born here and was once a pig-slaughtering butcher.

As a major sect of cultivators in Qingjiang State, the disciples of Shouxin Temple were proud since their master, True Man Puyang, was the National Guardian of Qingjiang State.

But now, all that pride vanished.

Is this magic?

Compared to their daily talisman painting, chanting, and sword and Qi training, the scene before them seemed straight out of a legendary battle between deities and demons.

At the mountain, before the altar, Zhang Kui, dressed in a purple robe, had the Divine Court Bell suspended above him, golden light bursting forth as he changed spells, and Flying Swords fell like rain.

In front, the Locust Demon clone shrieked miserably. Below, the Five Elements Array, and above, the Four Symbols Evil-Slaying Sword Array trapped it firmly, rendering it immobile.

The same tactics, yet it was noticeably much easier.

Firstly, the National Guardian True Men had become very coordinated, and there were no evil spirits to disturb. Secondly, the Divine Court Bell was growing stronger daily.

Temples were simultaneously built and worshipped across the thirteen provinces. Although not as devout as in Lanzhou, the surging Power of Incense Fire had multiplied the power of the Divine Court Bell.

The Divine Court Bell was now completely golden, with a faint hint of purple, without a single crack, and ancient cloud patterns had appeared on it.

Presently, Tai Shi's body had completely solidified, transforming into a three-story tall Magic Body, akin to a Golden Armored Giant God, and the power of Disaster Exorcism had also greatly increased.

"Evil-Slaying, Disaster Exorcism!"

Boom!

One man and one god worked in perfect harmony, the sword array and divine skills unleashed together, and the ragged Locust Demon instantly turned into flying ash.

Beside the altar, several National Guardian True Men exchanged smiles. This demon extermination was easy, and such being the case, achieving a great victory in Central State would be a matter of time.

Zhang Kui checked as well, a display in his mind showed he had over a hundred and twenty skill points left.

In terms of his cultivation progress, everyone perceived it as astonishingly fast, with rumors even circulating among cultivators that he was the reincarnation of a Great Demon.

Zhang Kui was somewhat helpless about this; after all, in this world, old demons and evil spirits didn't play fair. Regardless of the realm difference, they would strike when needed, without regard for status.

Does this work? This doesn't work!

Looking at the misty sea of clouds before him, Zhang Kui unhesitatingly consumed a hundred and nineteen points to upgrade his Grain Avoidance Skill to the maximum level.

In the Grain Avoidance Realm, dining on the wind and drinking the dew, ingesting Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, Zhang Kui's innate exceptional talent led to rapid upgrades, causing a breathtaking transformation within his body.

Simultaneously, the large ingestion of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi triggered a celestial anomaly. The mountaintop was hit by violent winds, and the surrounding sea of clouds roiled as if boiling.

The surrounding National Guardian True Men were utterly astonished.

Besides them, outside the array was a chubby, white-bearded old Taoist, True Man Puyang of Qingjiang State, staring at Zhang Kui with suspicion.

Soon, Zhang Kui felt mana surge within him, reaching its peak, as if a small body held a great lake, out of tune with the universe.

Elder Huayan laughed heartily, "Congratulations, young friend, on advancing to the Celestial Tribulation Realm. In over a thousand years since the founding of Qian, I've never heard of such bold and rapid progress."

The others smiled and offered their congratulations.

For a thousand years, humanity had weathered storms and was now blessed with the anomaly that was Zhang Kui.

"Thank you, seniors."

Zhang Kui couldn't help but smile.

From now on, he would tread a completely different path than the cultivators of this world.

Others would temper their bodies in the Celestial Tribulation Realm and refine their Divine Souls in the Divine Travel Realm, ultimately reaching Mahayana.

But for him, after defeating the Locust Demon next, learning the Pill Manipulation Skill, utilizing its magical effect to regulate Yin and Yang, unifying True Water and True Fire to forge a Golden Core, permanently stabilizing his Dantian, he would become immortal through the calamities, achieving longevity akin to heaven.

While others sought immortality in the Underworld, he was already on the road to transcendence. And the Golden Core Path would appear in this world for the first time...

With the Locust Demon vanquished, everyone descended the mountain.

The National Guardian True Man of Qingjiang State, Puyang Lao Dao, finally made up his mind, approaching Zhang Kui and respectfully said: "Taoist Friend Zhang, I heard you hail from Qingjiang State. When Yutang County faced calamity, I couldn't make it in time to help, and I hope you can forgive me."

Zhang Kui shook his head slightly, "It's not your fault; the culprit was the General's Tomb. I, Old Zhang, can tell right from wrong."

The excuse of not being able to help in time was obviously a lie. He probably couldn't hide quickly enough.

However, in the face of terrifying evil spirits and Forbidden Lands, few humans dared to stand up.

Zhang Kui didn't say much more. He wouldn't misplace his grudges on others, nor would he rely on anyone else.

Seeing the rumored Zhang Kui, who was said to kill at the slightest displeasure, wasn't that hard to get along with, True Man Puyang was overjoyed and insisted on inviting everyone to be guests at his Shouxin Temple.

After deciding on a plan to first deal with states without Forbidden Lands, they charted a course, first to the nearby Qingjiang State, then upstream to handle Lai State and Qingzhou, where the Capital City was located, before finally heading to Qingzhou.

With the fleet at the dock needing preparation, everyone accepted Puyang Lao Dao's invitation.

The old Taoist indeed managed the temple well, not only taking in many disciples but also having thriving incense offerings.

"True Man Zhang, behold this hall..."

True Man Puyang led the group into a grand hall with a smile, where a statue of the "Divine Court Bell" and even a divine statue of Tai Shi were enshrined.

"I heard that the human Sacred Artifact and True Gods have emerged, and I was overjoyed, so I had a divine statue altar erected overnight, worshipped day and night by faithful believers constantly..."

While this might have been an act of goodwill from Puyang Lao Dao, Zhang Kui was suddenly struck by an idea.

The Disaster Exorcism Skill, which expels locusts and plagues, was of great use to humans. He had initially planned to spread it across the world, but because there was no god to worship, he couldn't teach it. Now that Tai Shi had emerged, the timing was perfect.

Thinking about this, Zhang Kui wasted no time and sternly told everyone, "The Disaster Exorcism Skill is miraculous, borrowing the Power of Incense Fire from all beings."

"There are so many disasters and famines in the world, and Old Zhang here can't handle them all. I might as well pass down the technique of worship and Disaster Exorcism today, so all human cultivators can use it to bless humanity."

The miraculous nature of the Disaster Exorcism Skill was well known to everyone on their journey. Imperial Uncle Li Xuanji was immediately moved, bowing with cupped hands:

"Friend's deeds will benefit generations!"

Elder Huayan was also pleased, never imagining that the fond friendship from Qingzhou would lead to such heights.

The Celestial Water Palace Master, Gu Ziqing, nodded slightly with a calm expression, quickly avoiding eye contact with Zhang Kui.

True Man Puyang was all the more excited, immediately ordering the erection of a Magic Altar, summoning all disciples for Zhang Kui to pass on the teachings.

The reputation of Zhang Kui in Qian had indeed risen remarkably. While common people might not know who the other National Guardian True Men were, he had already become a character in folk tales and storytelling.

Stories like "True Man Zhang pacifying demons in Qingzhou" and "True Man Zhang subduing the Locust Demon on Jun Mountain" were circulating everywhere.

And now, there would probably be another: "True Man Zhang teaching at Shouxin Temple"...

True Man Puyang was delighted with himself.