Chapter Seventy-Eight: Access Permit for the Daoist Treasury Hall!
"Messenger, sir!" On the rocky shore, a Daoist trembled as he spoke, "We've searched everywhere, even outside the Bear Clan's territory, but we can't find any trace of this sea god! Please, mercy, sir! We're willing to offer a thousand years of mortal blood for you!"
"Mortal blood?" The woman's eyes carried a hint of coldness. "What good is mortal blood? Not only does it lack spiritual energy, but it also depletes merit. You've followed me for so long, you should know that I've long since cleansed the karma from my cultivation and no longer kill mortals needlessly. As for you, hm! Since my sect still needs your service, I'll temporarily spare you for your recent incompetence."
The two Daoists breathed a sigh of relief and hastily exclaimed, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"
The woman cast a cold glance at them, causing them to fall silent and continue kneeling, not daring to even breathe heavily.
"These human cultivators are truly useless," the woman snorted. With narrowed phoenix-like eyes, she gazed into the distance, contemplating the instructions she had just received from her sect.
Her Daoist name was Wen Jing, originally a Bloodwing Mosquito King who had attained Dao, neither demon nor spirit but an ancient fiend; strictly speaking, she was a queen!
Before the six ancient saints attained Dao, she led a swarm of Bloodwing Mosquitoes to harm creatures in the Western Regions. Later, she was restrained by two "backup" saints from the West, but she wasn't killed by them.
At that time, the two saints of the Western Sect had received the Hongmeng Purple Qi bestowed by the Ancestor, but they had not yet comprehended the method of achieving merit.
After countless years, Wen Jing Daoist had secretly achieved Dao and became an agent of the Western Sect, specializing in dirty work that tarnished the reputation of the Western Sect when brought to light.
She was naturally cruel, unflinching at the sight of killing creatures, and chose this seductive appearance during transformation to facilitate her nefarious activities.
Forced to join the Western Sect, Wen Jing Daoist continuously used the merits of incense to cleanse the karma on her body. Now, she had reduced her karma to zero. However, the Heavenly Dao sensed her actions and refused to grant her even a shred of merit, much to Wen Jing Daoist's annoyance.
"If they behave abnormally, just suck them dry and kill them without leaving a trace," she commanded internally.
Shortly after receiving orders to manipulate the incident involving the Daoist heir and the Qi Refiners from Golden Ao Island, Wen Jing Daoist understood clearly that this seemingly small matter involved the relations between the three major sects and the faces of the saints...
She had to plan carefully and could not afford to reveal herself. If she were to accidentally expose the Western Sect's attempt to divide the three sects of Daoism and was caught, she would be the first to be killed by the two saints of the Western Sect.
At that time, this fiend would become the scapegoat for instigating discord among the three sects of Daoism...
Although she had been doing dirty work for the Western Sect all along, it didn't mean that Wen Jing Daoist willingly submitted.
Submit?
She was a queen of her race!
If not for the two saints of the Western Sect holding her entire family of Bloodwing Mosquitoes hostage and using them to threaten her, she would have sucked dry those self-righteous vice sect leaders long ago!
"Hmph!" Wen Jing Daoist flicked her sleeve, and her seductive figure turned into a blood-colored streak, disappearing along with the surrounding formations.
There was nothing left on the surface of the sea, only the lingering buzz of mosquitoes; asking their sound without knowing their whereabouts.
This was probably also a secret technique passed down by the Mosquito Clan.
...
"You stinky senior brother!" At the edge of a lake in Little Qiong Peak, under a willow tree, Lan Ling'e knelt by the water's edge, using a handkerchief dampened with clear water to clean off the "makeup" she had painstakingly applied.
"You rotten senior brother! You didn't explain clearly about that scroll, making me look so ugly! In the end, you still say that I'm unstable in the Dao, engaging in these abnormal behaviors every day. I'm doing all this just to make you happy! Just copy the Book of Inaction a hundred times, what's the big deal!"
In the hut of their master, listening to Lan Ling'e's murmurs by the lake, Li Changshou couldn't help but raise his hand to his forehead.
This...
Sitting on a circle chair in the hut, Daoist Zhiyuan gestured for Li Changshou to take a seat beside him and asked, "Changshou, what do you want to discuss with your master?"
"Master, let's first open the surrounding formations. I'm afraid the walls have ears," Li Changshou replied.
"Hmm," Daoist Zhiyuan nodded and opened the formations around the hut, then scrutinized Li Changshou for a while.
Before, when Ling'e hadn't probed about "how extraordinary her senior brother was," Daoist Zhiyuan merely thought that his eldest disciple was timid and cowardly, but with excellent aptitude and decent progress in cultivation.
But after being trapped in the maze formation in the alchemy room, Daoist Zhiyuan pondered over various interactions with his eldest disciple...
Still couldn't find any clues.
But, the grand array around Danfang...
This mysterious "Turtle Breathing and Calming Technique"...
And that paper-cutting adult magical technique he couldn't understand...
"Longevity," Qi Yuan Lao Dao leaned forward, whispered, "Let me in on it with your master. What realm are you in now?"
Li Changshou smiled, "When I went out before, disciple underwent tribulation."
Then, accidentally ascended a bit during the tribulation... Naturally, the latter part couldn't be said directly.
Qi Yuan Lao Dao nodded slightly, feeling slightly relieved in his heart.
Finally, he confirmed the true cultivation level of his eldest disciple;
After the tribulation, he became an elemental immortal.
To become immortal in a hundred and twenty years, this aptitude is already a top-notch immortal seedling!
Qi Yuan Lao Dao frowned again, "Then why did you hide your realm?
Normally revealing your realm, you get the care and protection of the sect, isn't that good?"
"Master, the world is difficult, and people's hearts are unpredictable."
Li Changshou whispered, "Think about it, when I returned to the virtual realm, I always appeared to be in the Foundation Establishment realm;
If someone wants to deal with disciple, naturally, they would consider it as dealing with a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Then the other party is very likely to reveal flaws, and disciple will have a better chance of surviving...
You should understand this reasoning."
Qi Yuan Lao Dao nodded, with a pensive look, feeling that something was not quite right, but couldn't say it for the moment.
Li Changshou continued, "Disciple has always disguised himself as an outstanding disciple of the sect, with strength close to that of an immortal seedling. The monthly benefits disciple receives are only two percent less than those of the immortal seedlings. But the benefits obtained are that others don't know my name or understand my methods, so no one will calculate against me.
Master, think about it; if Little Qiong Peak produces an immortal seedling, it will definitely attract jealousy from others. If it produces a chief disciple, who knows, it will be targeted by other peaks...
Between peaks, there will also be competition for cultivation resources, after all, the income from various aspects within the sect is what keeps things stable."
After pondering for a while, Qi Yuan nodded slowly.
Before, he always felt that his eldest disciple's reasoning was crooked, but now that his eldest disciple's strength is stronger than his own, he suddenly felt that these reasons...
Actually make sense...
Qi Yuan Lao Dao stroked his beard and sighed, "It seems that I've thought too little about this before."
Li Changshou raised an eyebrow, unexpectedly, his master was better to persuade than he imagined...
Ahem, fortunately, it was easy to convince.
"Master, what disciple wants to talk to you about today is about you, senior sister, and my future path."
"Future path?"
Qi Yuan Lao Dao suddenly felt a little funny, scolding, "Why do you mention a future path again?
Aren't we happy practicing in the sect every day? But do you think that the sect can't accommodate you immortals anymore?"
"The sect is naturally very good to us. If the sect encounters difficulties, and on the premise of saving our lives, disciple will definitely help as much as possible. In the future, if revenge is possible, it will definitely be sought." Li Changshou said seriously, "But master, don't you want to live longer?"
"Longevity, of course, is desired," Qi Yuan sighed, "but you don't need to worry about your master.
Being able to become a Transcendent Immortal and having the opportunity to cultivate to a True Immortal, your master is already satisfied..."
"Master, there is a way to extend your life after you become a True Immortal. Moreover, it will also bring many benefits to disciple and senior sister in the future."
"For you and Ling E, benefits? Tell me about it."
Li Changshou pointed above, and wrote two big characters on the table with his finger:
Heavenly Court.
Ancient character version!
Qi Yuan Lao Dao frowned, pondered for a moment;
Seeing this, Li Changshou sighed inwardly.
His master should be like most cultivators, somewhat resistant to places like the 'public' Heavenly Court.
There's no way around it, after all, practicing in the mountains is much better than being subject to the rules of heaven and being called around by others.
Li Changshou had prepared some arguments in advance, trying to persuade his master to go to heaven;
If his master didn't want to go to heaven, Li Changshou wouldn't force it either, this time was just to try it out...
"Master..."
Li Changshou was about to speak, but Qi Yuan was puzzled and said,
"What's the use of this place for longevity?"
Huh?
Li Changshou was taken aback, "Master, don't you know the benefits of this place?"
"I've heard people mention it. After the battle between witches and demons, a few saints erected this place on the broken demon court," Qi Yuan frowned, "But I haven't heard the specifics."
Li Changshou:...
At this moment, the presence of the Heavenly Court...
It's simply too tempting!
"Master, let me tell you in detail." Qi Yuan Lao Dao nodded immediately, listening with great interest as Li Changshou began to slowly explain.
Half a day later.
Li Changshou walked back to Danfang with his hands behind his back, and the small box had already been retrieved from his master.
Unexpectedly, his master was not resistant to going to the Heavenly Court for a job, but rather curious, and more motivated to break through to the realm of True Immortal...
Thinking carefully, his master actually didn't fit in with the sect after becoming a Transcendent Immortal;
If his master could break through to the realm of True Immortal as soon as possible, and go to the Heavenly Court to be a minor official or become a local deity, his master would also be much more relaxed...
Li Changshou had left behind many elixirs to increase cultivation for his master;
As Transcendent Immortals, there was no need to pay much attention to them. Their potential for future development was already limited, so it was not unreasonable to use elixirs to build up their cultivation.
When his master reached the realm of True Immortal, he would use the relationships of the Matchmaker Senior to help his master integrate into the Heavenly Court as a literary official, which would not be a problem...
The second step of the plan was relatively easy.
Next, it depends on when his master can break through to the realm of True Immortal, probably taking a thousand years;
Or even two thousand years...
But definitely before the formation of the Divine Calamity that seals the gods!
Cultivation as a Transcendent Immortal was much more difficult than the Celestial Immortal Dao; part of it was also due to the lack of opportunities for the Heavenly Tribulation.
'Before that, should I build a safe house outside the sect?'
Li Changshou took his time pondering. Just in case before the three of them, master and disciples, reported to the Heavenly Court, if there was a crisis of extinction in the Du Xian Sect, it would be good to have a place for himself, his master, and his junior sister to stay...
After strolling through the woods for a while, Li Changshou temporarily dismissed the idea. The top priority now was to perfect the complex array at Little Qiong Peak. In fact, he didn't have enough precious materials to build another fully equipped "safe house" with an array.
Just as he returned to his alchemy room, Li Changshou's divine sense detected the figure of Jiuwu flying over. This visit from Aoyi was indeed helpful to him in many ways, whether it ended up being a help or a hindrance, he appreciated the sentiment.
The short Taoist seemed to be in a very good mood, laughing heartily as he entered the outer perimeter array of Little Qiong Peak.
"Hahaha! Changshou nephew, guess what your uncle brought you this time? You handled those Qi Refining cultivators from Jin'ao Island pretty well, so the sect is rewarding you with many prizes!"
With that said, the short Taoist stood on a cloud and directly threw two treasure bags over, "These are materials for setting up formations, considered encouragement from the sect for you to continue your research on array formations!"
Li Changshou used his divine power to control the treasure bags, inspecting them from a distance before finally taking them into his hands.
Jiuwu was already accustomed to this, hovering in the sky about ten yards away.
Li Changshou clasped his hands in gratitude, "Thank you very much, Uncle."
"Hey, it's too early to thank me now."
Jiuwu then took out a silver-white small sword and casually tossed it over, pretending to be indifferent, "This is an entry token for the Daoist Treasury. Your uncle had to do a bit of talking over there to get it for you; the Daoist Treasury contains a large number of array formations and alchemy scriptures that only true immortals of the sect can access. How about it? Hmm?"
As he spoke, Jiuwu winked and grinned.
Li Changshou's heart moved, immediately grabbing the silver-white small sword and playing with it back and forth, his lips slightly upturned.
He hadn't expected such benefits this time! Revealing his cultivation earlier had attracted attention, which was a bit of a loss at the time. But now, it seemed like he had really gained!
"Uncle, come in and have a seat."
"No, no need," Jiuwu waved his hand, sighing, "Ah, I'm just a tired soul. I'm about to head out again. You should ascend to immortality sooner, become an official in the sect, and then you'll know how exhausting this job is."
Li Changshou's heart stirred, asking, "Uncle, what's the purpose of your trip this time?"
Jiuwu chuckled, "It seems like there's going to be a Three Teachings Immortal Conference in Central Shenzhou, expected to be held in fifty or a hundred years. Your uncle is about to go with two elders to show our faces, representing the Du Xian Sect, to discuss the specifics with those big sects and schools. However, compared to those major sects, our Du Xian Sect is still too young and insignificant. We dare not speak too much and can only listen to what the others have to say."
A Three Teachings Immortal Conference? What's that? Related to the calamity of sealing the gods? Li Changshou pondered for a moment. Jiuwu seemed a bit impatient, reminding him to practice well before he was about to leave.
Li Changshou looked up and hurriedly said, "Uncle, wait!" Said a little too smoothly, it should have been "wait a moment".