Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology

A half-and-half island of ice and fire appeared below.

This island made Song Lin suspect the presence of treasures—it couldn't possibly remain half scorching hot and half freezing cold without conflict.

He steered the ship toward Ice-fire Island with a single thought.

The treasure ship docked next to the icy side of the island. Two white tigers and two white wolves stood guard—white tigers with joints embedded with components of iron and wood, lined with intricate runes inscribed upon them. Apart from their original fur-covered exteriors, their internal organs had all been replaced by rune-based mechanisms.

These were Song Lin's strongest puppet beasts under his command, with combat strength approximately at the Divine Establishment Period. The white tigers could summon ghosts and gods, spewing Gang Wind and Fiery Fire from their mouths.

The wolf demon summoned misty monstrous winds, shaped like spectral apparitions, resembling Yakshas.

Though puppets lacked the lively intelligence of spirit beasts, they boasted unmatched advantages.

First, the ease of cultivation; second, their affordability—even if they lost a limb or suffered damage, repairs were simply a matter of reassembly.

The four creatures stepped onto the land, immediately scanning their surroundings with vigilant expressions.

Twenty wooden men formed ranks and entered.

Suddenly, their gazes collectively fixated deep inside a cave on the ice-side of the island.

With roars, they charged into the cave.

"Monster!"

An enraged voice echoed from within.

Yin Wind surged, accompanied by wailing cries of ghosts and howling wolves.

With a final scream, the commotion gradually subsided.

Song Lin entered the cave to discover a humanoid shrimp beast, its claws broken in two, looking pitifully defeated.

"Great King, spare my life! Great King, spare my life!"

The shrimp demon wailed, tears squeezed from its vertical eyes.

"I can spare your life, but first, I have a question," Song Lin said.

From the shrimp soldier, he learned it was currently the Yuan Dynasty, and chaos had erupted across the lands starting last year—the Yuan Dynasty likely could not hold on much longer.

"Not yet to the Ming Dynasty?"

Song Lin pondered.

He calculated that Zheng He's Western Ocean voyage occurred during the Yongle Period, estimated to be roughly a Jiazi away—ample time to complete his cultivation and refine his puppet techniques further.

If the blood sacrifice component were removed, the threshold for mastering the art would lower significantly—it could even revolutionize the Qimen Forest.

Promoting puppet mechanisms within the forest would be possible, though approval from Guu Ling was crucial to avoid offending others.

Soon after, he killed the shrimp demon and ventured deeper into the cave, finally discovering the source of Ice-fire Island's phenomena.

It turned out to be two springs, each the size of a well mouth.

On the left was red; on the right, transparent.

One cold, one hot—the cold pierced the soul, the heat burned like the sun.

Simultaneously, they brimmed with dense Essence Qi, nearly sixty times more concentrated than the outside world.

If one could withstand the extreme traits, the massive Essence Qi could be absorbed.

"A treasure," Song Lin thought to himself.

This was perfect for his cultivation of the Five Qi Yellow Court and the Twenty-four Divinities.

The Lower Realm Eight Gods refined into Core Formation; the Middle Realm Eight Gods refined into the Purple Mansion; the Upper Realm Eight Gods refined to achieve Transcendance Tribulation Stage.

The Lower Eight Gods included the stomach, intestines (both small and large), esophagus, thorax, diaphragm, flanks, left Yin/Yang, and right Yin/Yang.

These organs were regarded as Primordial Energy, which could then be extracted and refined into the Qi of the viscera to form human shapes, thereby completing this cultivation method.

Afterward, Song Lin settled down here.

By the tenth year of the Western Ocean Record.

Song Lin entered the Divine Establishment Realm in his cultivation.

Occasionally, fishermen straying into the area would be escorted away by puppets.

Over time, legends spread across the mortal world of an immortal residing in the East Sea, attracting fervent seekers willing to cross the sea in pursuit of an audience.

Meanwhile, Song Lin wasn't entirely reclusive—those daring enough to approach him were sometimes taught spells, provided their aptitudes were sufficient.

By the twentieth year of the Western Ocean Record.

Song Lin successfully refined the Lower Eight Sceneries Primordial Spirit, attaining Core Formation Stage.

Within the Ice-fire Island palace.

Song Lin suddenly opened his eyes; brilliant golden light flashed within them.

He exhaled white Primordial Energy.

The energy split into eight parts, forming figures resembling him seven to eight-tenths, each expressing distinct characteristics.

These were the Lower Realm Eight Gods.

"Hmm… what if I used pills? Would that speed up the refinement process?" Song Lin pondered.

Back then, among the Three Great Pills thirty-six recipes, the Spiritual Pill Chi Song Pill and Treasure Pill Du E Treasure Pill were particularly beneficial for refining the five viscera and six bowels.

If so, wouldn't it help eliminate the cumbersome process of absorbing outsiders' viscera Essence Qi, while mitigating risks of inner demons caused by resentment energy?

More importantly, large-scale procurement of pills from the Donghua Jungle would be necessary, potentially relying heavily on them.

By the fortieth year of the Western Ocean Record.

Song Lin's alchemy technique reached the Seven-Transformation Realm.

He successfully refined the Seven-Transformation Red Pine Pill, amplified by the Furnace of Eight Trigrams—a pill equivalent to superior-grade treasure pills in potency.

One pill consumed could boost Taoist Realm by a Jiazi.

In the real world, such techniques barely reached the Three-Transformation level.

However, alchemy mastery depended on both experience and methods.

With accumulated expertise from the story world's alchemical advances, real-world pill production surged rapidly.

Not only could superior treasure pills now be refined—techniques also advanced into the Four-Transformation realm.

The Nine-Transformation Indestructible Body was on the verge of breaking into Five-Transformation.

Meanwhile, Ice-fire Island now housed seventy-two immortals, the highest cultivation level being the Divine Establishment Stage Taoist Dao Tong.

Dao Tong hailed from Jiangnan aristocratic families, having ventured to sea seeking immortality amid the chaos, eventually accepted by Song Lin as a disciple—one of seven students known collectively as the Seven Immortals, who practiced the Taoist Soldier Skill.

One day, Dao Tong returned to the island.

"Master, your disciple has surveyed the surrounding seas—it seems Ice-fire Island is three thousand miles from Liuqiu Island. Liuqiu is a thousand miles from the Shenzhou Continent. Nearby, there's also a Sea Country called Wuchang Country. Its territory contains the Divine Wood Fusang. Should we occupy this island?"

As Song Lin's cultivation progressed, the island's Heaven and Earth Essence Qi grew increasingly scarce.

Perhaps conquering Wuchang Country was the solution.

The following year.

Song Lin's group traversed the seas to reach Wuchang Country.

This small island had an elongated shape, formed by two slender islands joined together.

The upper island served as the bustling region.

Song Lin led seven disciples onto the island.

They entered Wuchang Country's capital, Fusang City.

At the city's center stood a ten-zhang tree of golden wood, its entire body gilded, radiating brilliant golden light.

Beneath the Fusang Wood was a golden palace, whose gates were adorned with a golden sun insignia.

The city's customs and practices appeared typical of normal humans, but its inhabitants had notably narrow waists, resembling clay figurines squeezed at the abdomen.

Aside from that, they were largely similar to Central Plains people.

"Master, something you may not know—Wuchang Country's hierarchy is rigid. Their national title is Yang Country; their king calls himself the Yang Emperor—the Divine Emperor of a perpetual dynasty," Dao Tong explained.

"What nonsense," Song Lin retorted, sneering at their arrogance.

"Wuchang is named after their short intestines—food rapidly passes through, leading to the term 'through-the-belly satiation,'" Dao Tong continued.

"What happens to what they expel?" Song Lin asked, intrigued.

Food discharged so quickly shouldn't be fully digested.

"That's where hierarchy comes in—officials eat the freshest food, then excrete it to be sold to the wealthy; the wealthy excrete theirs for servants, servants excrete theirs for the commoners' delicacies," Dao Tong said.

"Some secretly overeat—instead of one meal, they consume three to four courses. Such behavior is considered transgression and subject to legal punishment."

Walking through the crowded streets, Song Lin spotted food stalls selling slightly off-colored delicacies and couldn't suppress his revulsion.

"This country is utterly depraved. These people are truly heartless. I'll pay a visit to their Yang Emperor!"

With a swoosh!

Song Lin soared into the air, manifesting eight avatars.

He surrounded the palace from all directions.

"Audacious!!"

Crash!

A diminutive old man clad in a dragon robe, adorned in flames, and wielding a Jade Seal emerged.

"Who dares intrude? Kneel and surrender at once!" the old man thundered.

Glancing at the short, stout figure before him, Song Lin smirked and remarked, "I thought you'd have a higher cultivation level—but alas, merely Core Formation! Attack!"

His eight avatars wielded Jade Ruyis, Golden Spears, poison streams, acid fog… launching an assault.

Under the combined attack of eight Core Formation Masters, the self-proclaimed Yang Emperor barely put up a fight before falling headless.

Song Lin then exterminated all officials and wealthy from the nation.

Under such a corrupt system, nearly none proved virtuous.

The commoners were relocated to the lower island, left to fend for themselves.

Thus, the East Sea Fusang Island Independent Immortal Taoist Doctrine was established!

Beneath the Fusang Wood, the Pure Yang sect was proclaimed, and Song Lin self-styled the Donghua Monarch.

At this time, the Central Plains Taoist Sect remained unaware of this new doctrine emerging in the East Sea.

...

In the real world, Song Lin's Golden Body ascended into the Five-Transformation realm. The Silver Flower process reached perfection, approaching the third bloom.

...