Jiang Ding fell into deep thought.
"Gold, the cause of gold..."
"This may be related to the Immortal Skill: Void Suppression, within the suppression of the Five Elements—specifically Suppressing Metal. To seek the origins of the Five Elements and eradicate them with a swing."
"If the Luoxu Clan once obtained a piece of an immortal technique stele like the one Senior Chen He had, then I need it."
"If not, then the cumulative insights on that stele by the sages of the Luoxu Clan throughout the generations, the indirect, second-hand information—I will collect it all."
As his thoughts became clear one by one, Jiang Ding suddenly saw the light.
Reflecting on the various cause and effect cultivation methods and magic spells he had encountered, which were absurd and nonsensical, like the ramblings of a delirious shaman—could these be the results of comprehending an immortal technique?
Is this the universal madness that occurs when cultivators, including the high-level ones of the Luoxu Clan, with inadequate talent forcibly try to comprehend an immortal technique that far exceeds their own realm, causing a widespread aberration that encompasses the entire sect?
"The knowledge contamination of immortal techniques?"
Jiang Ding thought of a possibility and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Perhaps the immortal technique had no malicious intent; it simply existed here.
But it was too complex, too bizarre, that the information contained within Golden Pill methods could overwhelm the Sea of Consciousness of a Qi Practitioner, while a single thread of knowledge from an immortal technique could turn the brain of a Nascent Soul Monk into a mist of blood.
Just as forcibly pouring the water of a long river into an ordinary gourd would result only in the gourd breaking and the river flowing on, unstoppable.
Furthermore, it was too fragmented.
Even if the immortal technique were a whole, organized in all directions, sequenced from the simplest to the most complex, mortals would still struggle to touch and comprehend it.
Now it was shattered by unknown circumstances, scattered in all directions, some the size of a fist, others as small as a thumb, some as fine as dust, making the difficulty of comprehension grow exponentially.
Parts from different stages and directions mixed together, the immortal technique had become a tangled mess.
For mortals to attempt to decipher it for their own use at this time would doubtlessly be like facing an abyss, slowly, but irreversibly, being devoured by it, becoming yet another deformed vessel for the immortal technique.
"Shuoyang Heavenly Monarch..."
Jiang Ding muttered to himself.
A Heavenly Monarch, who is at least thousands of years old, would have a Dao Heart unimaginably stable. A sudden near-reversal change in his way of doing things might very well be influenced by an immortal technique.
A multitude of fears arose in his heart.
Fortunately, the fragment of immortal technique possessed by Daoist Chen He was so incomplete, and his current realm was too lowly, almost entirely insulating him.
Had he actually comprehended anything back then, it would have been troublesome, as the instant knowledge contamination from the immortal technique could have caused a terrible aberration to occur within him. Even if he didn't die, he would no longer be himself.
Such an aberration, he estimated, might not even be solved by the Xianmen Sect.
"Immortal techniques... Can Xianmen Sect handle them?"
Jiang Ding got a shock and felt it was a thorny issue.
The complete destruction of the Luoxu Clan seemed to be related to the immortal technique, where the entire sect, except for Shuoyang Heavenly Monarch, perished and even the traces of the sect were thoroughly erased from the Northern Plains.
If he were to bring back a fragment of an immortal technique, causing a wide range of unknown contamination and aberrations, that would really be troublesome...
"No, it shouldn't be so bad."
"Xianmen Sect is not comparable to the Luoxu Clan."
Jiang Ding took a deep breath, "I vaguely remember that Xianmen Sect has pseudo-immortal technique inheritances, not just one; moreover, the Central Array Spirit Computer can even use them against enemies. Even if there's a huge chasm between an immortal technique and a pseudo-immortal technique, a single fragment wouldn't lead to total annihilation."
"The probability of danger certainly exists."
"But for me, for Xianmen Sect, this is a huge opportunity, one worth taking the risk for, and the risks are bearable."
He held a jade slip in his hand, standing idly in the same spot for more than ten days, his breath not showing, his appearance ordinary, like a rural youth who walked over from somewhere.
Immortal Baimei and others each held a jade slip, not daring to disturb him, and waited for more than twenty days.
Still motionless, like a puppet.
Immortal Baimei looked left and right, mustering the courage to greet him as softly as possible, trying to minimize the chance of offending the other party.
The other Golden Pill Monks didn't dare to even let out a breath, watching cautiously.
Jiang Ding snapped out of his reverie from his contemplation of the Immortal Technique and regained his senses. His Divine Sense swept around and, upon seeing the various Jade Slips and animal skins in the hands of many Golden Pill Monks, immediately understood, "Have you made your choices? Bring them here, and I'll decrypt them for you. Be quick about it; I have other matters to attend to."
"Yes, Lord Tushan, we have made our selections."
Immortal Baimei was delighted and handed over a Jade Slip surrounded by thunderous Runes, its aura ancient.
"The 'Three Heavens Divine Thunder Canon,' a third-ranked top-level cultivation method, which suits you quite well."
Jiang Ding nodded, and his Divine Sense and Sword Intent surged into it, starting to break the seal.
Although this cultivation method was only third-ranked and on par with the one Immortal Baimei cultivated, it was a cultivation method of the Falling Void Sect, aiming directly at Nascent Soul, even steps beyond. Its various exercises and explanations for refining the Golden Pill, Mana, and Divine Soul were greatly beneficial for forming the Nascent Soul.
If in the future he could obtain the Infant Formation Secret Art, it might even add a two to three percent chance of success.
At the very least, it could be passed on to future generations, enabling them to have a smoother journey on the path of cultivation, making it quite valuable.
Jiang Ding handed back the thunderous Jade Slip: "Do not damage it."
"Thank you, my lord!"
Immortal Baimei bowed deeply and, unable to wait, took out a blank Jade Slip, transferring the method into it en masse.
After the transcription was completed, he bowed again in thanks, returned the original Jade Slip, and then flew away without looking back.
Clearly, he was somewhat distrustful of the other people. As soon as he got his hands on it, he fled far away so that no one could find him, naturally leaving no opportunity for others to strike.
Another Golden Pill Monk stepped forward respectfully.
Jiang Ding didn't waste any words, broke the restriction, and let him make the copy.
Afterwards, one after another, the Golden Pill Monks stepped forward. Some time later, Jiang Ding hardly needed to do anything, only needed to cultivate by the side.
There were twenty-four classics-grade cultivation methods of the Falling Void Sect, limited to the Golden Pill Realm and its preceding chapters. Most of these Golden Pill Monks chose from these methods, and many had similar selections, so breaking a few dozen seals was quite straightforward.
"I hope to meet you again in the future and serve under your banner once more."
The last Golden Pill Monk handed back the Jade Slip, bowing deeply and expressing his gratitude.
In just over a month, he was thoroughly impressed with his peer of equal cultivation status, strong and willing to share benefits with subordinates, not keeping everything for himself, honoring his word without going back on it.
Unlike some old demons who were not only weaker but also capricious, teetering on the brink of demonic possession year-round, killing subordinates for amusement, no different from madmen.
In comparison, this man was the dream leader one could wish for.
"Well said, well said."
Jiang Ding waved his hand, watching the last Golden Pill Monk leave. He placed the last of the Sutra Pavilion's cultivation method classics into his storage bag and glanced at the empty loft.
"So many high-quality cultivation methods dispersed to the Northern Plains, the gap between the direct lineage of the families and the Loose Cultivators will narrow further. It will become increasingly difficult for the Northern Plains families to suppress disturbances..."
Jiang Ding thought indifferently.
The gap between the direct lineages of the Northern Plains families and the Loose Cultivators was naturally not limited to cultivation methods; there were orderly inheritances, a plethora of Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasures, and teachings from predecessors as well.
But the Loose Cultivators also had their advantages.
Emerging from adversity, their will to fight, their battle wits, their talents in cultivating the Dao, and crucially, their numbers, all surpassed those of the Northern Plains' families' direct lineages.
These Loose Cultivators could lend their strength when their interests aligned.
"To the Ancestor Temple, where there might be buried results of Immortal Techniques..."
Jiang Ding tucked these future plans into his heart, his form disappeared into Concealment, and he flew towards the core of the Falling Void Sect's mountain gate.