Heavenly Scripture of Other-Transformation Governing the Desire Realm

Inside the mortuary, Wang Ping opened his eyes. Immediately afterward, he clutched his head as his pupils contracted in shock. Demonic verses surged unceasingly through his mind, one passage after another. The *Heavenly Scripture of Other-Transformation Governing the Desire Realm*! Merely contemplating those words, Wang Ping could faintly see an uncanny Bodhisattva—possessing both male and female forms entwined in an embrace—seated upon a lotus dais and chanting scriptures. It proclaimed that the mortal dust was an immense sea of desire, in which sentient beings struggled. To wallow in pleasure and indulge one's passions was only natural. Yet mortal desires had their limits. Once one had tasted every sensual joy to the full, liberation would follow naturally, leaving the heart untethered and unburdened. This was emptiness. Hence, "indulging in hedonism is emptiness." This scripture acknowledged all desires, even encouraging practitioners to fulfill them so they might ultimately transcend them— The scripture abruptly broke off. The chanting in his head vanished without a trace, leaving Wang Ping standing dazed where he was, practically drooling. Only after a good while did he snap out of it: "...Wait, where's the rest?!" Indeed, this *Heavenly Scripture of Other-Transformation Governing the Desire Realm* ended right after the beginning. It barely finished laying out its philosophy before completely falling apart without an ending. If the scripture's stated goal was to guide a cultivator from pleasure to liberation, then its actual contents only covered the pleasure part... No, it had not even finished the pleasure part. Only by pruning the complexities and distilling the essence could Wang Ping barely piece together a secret method from it. The Desire Realm Innate Method. "This is a secret art to remold the physical body. Once mastered, the body will transform into a special constitution known as the Desire Realm Deva." This constitution could not only perceive the thoughts and emotions of others, but it could even condense spiritual sense—a trait unique to true cultivators—without formal cultivation. "What a treasure!" Wang Ping threw a fist in excitement. He had assumed his stint as human livestock in the immortal sect would yield nothing, yet right before dying, he had stumbled upon such a tremendous opportunity. And Daoist Nun You had practically shoved it down his throat. She truly was a kind soul. For such benevolence, he would definitely find an opportune moment next time to repay her from the bottom of his heart. "Too bad the scripture is incomplete. It only has a secret art to alter my constitution, but no real orthodox method to let me formally cultivate immortality. Otherwise, that would've been an absolute jackpot." At that thought, Wang Ping took a deep breath. "Calm down. Don't get greedy." "Besides, cultivating immortality isn't my only option. I still have the Dashun Dynasty, which at least starts at mid-tier martial arts. Reaching the peak there might not lack a future either." Wang Ping's stance had always been dictated by where he sat, his baseline exceedingly flexible. Though he had previously dreamed of returning to Dashun to bully weaklings, now that the path to immortality was barred, he became a staunch proponent of the martial path. A top-tier martial artist was every bit as good as an immortal! With that settled, Wang Ping immediately drafted a plan. "First, head back to the Dashun Dynasty and master the Desire Realm Innate Method. Ideally, pick up a few martial arts as well. Once I've built up some strength, I'll explore the immortal sect world again!" He then turned his gaze toward the *Classic of Great Peace*. Yet at that moment, Wang Ping noticed that new lines of text had suddenly surfaced on the title page of the towering tome, beneath the section for the Fiend from Beyond: Current Identity: Vagrant (Commoner). Current Karmic Fortune: 1 (White Lotus Sect Hall Master) Consume karmic fortune to exchange for a new identity? "This is...?" Looking at the words on the scroll, Wang Ping instantly recalled another function of the Fiend from Beyond: spending karmic fortune to exchange for a new identity! According to the description, however, it could only be used in specific worlds. "Does 'specific world' refer to the Dashun Dynasty?" After all, White Lotus Sect Hall Master had been his identity when he died the first time, yet there had been no prompt to choose a new identity when he ventured into the immortal sect world. "There are six tiers of identities." "Commoner, Clerk, Scholar, Crimson Robe, Violet Minister, Golden Peerage... For every tier my karmic fortune rises, I can exchange for an identity of the corresponding rank." Now that was wonderful! In any case, it used the White Lotus Sect's karmic fortune. Once gone, it was gone. Besides, that old bastard Shouchong was the one who had granted him this post; wouldn't not spending it be leaving free money on the table? With this in mind, Wang Ping nodded without hesitation. "Exchange it!" No sooner had the words left his mouth than the text on the *Classic of Great Peace* began to ripple. His karmic fortune plummeted to zero in an instant, while his identity gradually flared with light. A beam of profound radiance. Right after, Wang Ping watched the description in parentheses beside his identity shift from Commoner to Clerk, and the identity itself began cycling. Merchant, local magnate, scholar... Numerous identities flashed past before finally settling on one that caught Wang Ping quite off guard: Constable. A second later, Wang Ping drew a deep breath and strode into the portal of the Fiend from Beyond, his vision slowly swallowed by brilliant radiance. *** Wang Ping opened his eyes. A small room came into view. He stood inside, facing a bronze mirror that reflected a weary face in its early twenties. 'This... is me?' Wang Ping immediately realized something: he hadn't possessed anyone this time. The face was identical to his original appearance, only in the form of a young man. A wave of mixed emotions washed over him. 'Well, it's better than possessing a stranger. It simply arranged a new identity for me directly. I am who I am, a firework of a different color...' Soon, memories surfaced. Rather than memories, it was more like a background profile. Wang Ping quickly grasped his situation, and his relaxed expression turned solemn once more. 'This... is Longxing County!' 'In my last life, I was cut down by the constables of the Longxing County yamen. In this life, I've become one of them? A freshly recruited rookie, no less?' 'According to the background, three generations of my ancestors were constables, duly registered with the yamen—a lineage of constables, basically. Because my father died valiantly in the line of duty, leaving a vacancy, I was recruited into the yamen to fill the gap. My appointment letter and equipment have all been prepared.' With that thought, Wang Ping looked around. Sure enough, he spotted the constable appointment certificate on a nearby table, alongside an oxtail saber, a constable uniform, and a martial arts manual. ...Wait, a martial arts manual?! In an instant, Wang Ping's casual demeanor vanished. Energized, he hurried over to the table and picked up the booklet. *Three Demon Blades of Yanluo*. "This is the standard martial art for the constables of Longxing County... No, for all yamen constables across the Dashun Dynasty. A ruthless art specialized purely in slaughter!" Wang Ping flipped open the manual, reading word for word. Next, he reached for the oxtail saber on the table. With a sharp clang, the blade cleared its scabbard, casting a grim white glint across the room. "This saber art... has its pros and cons." Twirling the oxtail saber casually, Wang Ping furrowed his brow in thought. The upside was that this technique consisted only of combat routines and breathing techniques, with no forging method, because the imperial court had already forged standard oxtail sabers for all constables. Thus, constables had no need for blade-tempering methods at all. With an oxtail saber in hand, getting started was merely a matter of time. This was far simpler than the Pure Moon Lotus Blade passed down by old codger Shouchong; the latter required innate comprehension and money spent on blacksmithing, whereas the imperial court provided everything upfront for constables. Yet therein lay the downside. "Without a tempering method, a martial artist has no foundation. If the oxtail saber is broken or confiscated, the martial art is essentially rendered useless." "Clever scheme by the court," Wang Ping murmured in admiration. "This method binds the constables tightly to the yamen while ensuring that even if the manual leaks out, no outsider can truly master it." While Wang Ping was studying the martial art, a knock suddenly sounded at the door. "...Who is it?" Raising a brow, Wang Ping kept his hand on the saber and cautiously cracked open the door, only to find an errand boy standing outside with a food carrier. "Officer, this humble one has brought your meal." The boy bowed and scraped, deferentially presenting the food carrier as he whispered, "Please take a look, Officer. Is there anything not to your liking?" Only then did Wang Ping remember that he was now a constable. And the meal before him was one of his perks as a constable: three meals a day provided free of charge by Yuelai Tower, the largest restaurant in Longxing County. They called it free, but it was really protection money. After all, constables wielded substantial power in Longxing County; otherwise, they wouldn't have been dubbed "street-clearing tigers." That authority could make merchants wealthy— or drive them to ruin. As everyone knew, collusion between officials and merchants made money faster than outright robbery. Yuelai Tower had grown to its current scale precisely by currying favor through supplying three daily meals. After seeing the boy off, Wang Ping carried the food container back into the room. Lifting the lid, an appetizing aroma immediately washed over him. The rice grains were plump and glistening, while the vegetables and meats were of premium quality. Eating this before training would yield twice the results with half the effort. "Is this... Wojiao rice?" Wang Ping parted his lips slightly, recognizing the rice inside. It was a mutant strain cultivated through secret arts, infinitely more precious than ordinary polished rice. Moreover, the meat appeared to be taken from some demonic beast, and the vegetables had been specially harvested from medicinal herb gardens, possessing the virtue of enriching the blood and boosting qi. To say nothing of eating it, merely standing by and inhaling the aroma made Wang Ping feel his blood boiling and circulating with greater vigor. "These parasites..." At the sight, Wang Ping couldn't help recalling his past rustic life in the countryside. Back then, he had thought having rice and meat was already pretty good. Compared to the folks in the county seat, how was that any different from eating filth? And this was merely what the lowest constables of the county yamen received. What on earth did the real officials eat? Wang Ping couldn't even begin to imagine. In an instant, sorrow welled in his heart. Casting his thoughts back years ago, his greatest dream had been to finish his undercover mission and enter the county yamen on merit, legitimately dining on imperial grain. He had poured so much effort into that, only to be betrayed and die violently. Looking at the *Classic of Great Peace*, which had effortlessly landed him a constable post in the yamen, Wang Ping sighed from the bottom of his heart: 'Indeed... personal effort is important, but in the end, you still need cheats!' Fury surged from his heart and recklessness spurred his nerve. Grabbing a spoon, he dug out a massive helping from the container and shoved it straight into his mouth. *Hiss*... Delicious! *** In a certain compound in the eastern quarter of Longxing County, right as Wang Ping was revived under his new identity, a pair of closed eyes snapped open. "What is going on...?!" As a voice thick with shock and fury rang out, an arc of lightning seemed to flash through the room. Deep within those opened eyes lurked utter bewilderment and indignation. Immediately after, another voice spoke. "Master? What happened?" If Wang Ping were here, he would have instantly recognized the speaker as his good senior brother, Xie Shi. As for the person trembling with shock and wrath, he was naturally the Sect Master of the White Lotus Sect, the old Daoist Shouchong. At that moment, Shouchong's eyelids twitched violently. His previously ruddy complexion flushed a deep crimson, and his tightly clenched teeth chattered softly. A second later. *Pfft!* His head snapped back as he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. The crimson flush drained instantly from his face, leaving behind the sickly pallor of a corpse. Then, a raspy, owl-like screech echoed eerily through the room: "The karmic fortune... is gone." "The karmic fortune of our White Lotus Sect... Traveling north and south, fighting bloody battles against the imperial troops three times, the prestige and fortune that this old man painstakingly forged—nearly half of it has vanished out of nowhere!" At the thought, Shouchong felt his heart bleed. With the fortune gone, his plans had to be revised from scratch, introducing countless variables and dimming any hope of advancing his martial cultivation further. "Who on earth is it?! Who is plotting against me?!" *Rumble!* Rolling thunder echoed within the chamber without leaking the faintest sound outside, demonstrating his profound skill while showing that Shouchong had not lost his senses. After a long silence, Shouchong's voice rang out once more: "Someone must have tampered with the Lotus Blade; otherwise, this would never have happened. The blade must be retrieved—we cannot let it remain with the authorities any longer." Hearing this, Xie Shi beside him wore an expression of concern: "Master, the county yamen is an imperial stronghold, guarded by that blackcoat from the Divine Constabulary. It's far too dangerous—one slip could lead to disaster." Shouchong looked at Xie Shi and tilted his head slightly. "Naturally... your master understands this. Rest assured, my good disciple, I have already prepared a foolproof plan. A mere county yamen cannot trap me." Hearing that, Xie Shi looked admiringly at him. "Master, you're going to storm the county yamen?" "No, *you* are going to storm the county yamen." Xie Shi: "...???"