Chapter 78: Daoist Canon Inner Hall Admission Order

"Administrator Shi Zhe!"

On the reef, a Daoist trembled and said, "We have already searched everywhere and watched outside that Xiong Zhai for a long time... But we completely couldn't find the whereabouts of that Hai Shen! Please spare our lives, Administrator Shi Zhe! We are willing to find a thousand years of mortal blood for you!"

"Mortal blood?" The woman said with a hint of coldness in her eyes, "What's so good about mortal blood? It has no spiritual energy and only depletes merit. You have followed me for so long, so you should know that I have already cleansed the karmic obstacles from my original cultivation and no longer kill mortals indiscriminately. As for you two, hmph! Considering that my cult is still in need of people, I will spare you from the punishment of incompetence for now."

The two Daoists both sighed in relief and quickly shouted,

"Thank you, Administrator Shi Zhe!"

"Thank you, Administrator Shi Zhe!"

The woman glanced at them coldly, and the two Zhenxian Daoists immediately fell silent, continuing to kneel there without daring to breathe.

'These human Qi refiners are truly useless.'

The woman snorted coldly, her narrow phoenix eyes narrowing as she stared at the distant sea surface, pondering the orders she had just received from her cult.

She was known as Wen Jing, originally the king of the blood-winged black mosquitoes who had attained the Dao, neither demon nor spirit, but truly an ancient vicious demon. Strictly speaking, she was also a queen! Before the ancient Six Saints had attained their enlightenment, she had led her swarm of blood-winged black mosquitoes to plague the beings of the West, only to be subdued by two prospective saints from the West, though they did not kill her. At that time, the two saints of the Western Cult had already received the Hong Meng Zi Qi granted by the Dao Ancestor, but they had not yet comprehended the method of attaining sainthood through merit. Now, after a long era, Wen Jing had secretly cultivated to success and become the Jing Wen Shi Zhe of the Western Cult, specializing in the dirty work that could damage the cult's reputation if exposed.

She was inherently vicious, killing living beings without batting an eye. Choosing such a seductive appearance for her transformation was also to facilitate her nefarious deeds. After being forced to join the Western Cult, Wen Jing had continuously used the merit from incense offerings to cleanse her karmic obstacles, and now they were completely gone. However, the Heavenly Dao sensed this and did not allow her to gain even a trace of merit, which greatly annoyed Wen Jing. She truly wanted to stab at this biased Heavenly Dao that favored humans!

As Wen Jing was deep in thought, she heard the two beside her chattering again...

"Administrator Shi Zhe, that South Sea Cult only occupies the fringe areas. The incense we arranged covers a large swath of the southwest region of Nan Jambudvipa... Actually, this time... we, we didn't lose too much."

"Administrator Shi Zhe, why don't we secretly destroy that Xiong Zhai..."

Wen Jing turned her head and glanced at the subordinate, making him tremble and dare not say more. He only regretted having a mouth!

"Killing mortals only adds to karmic obstacles without any benefit. What I want is to find the one who is scheming to establish incense offerings here and drain his merit and essence blood. The fact that so many offering statues have been set up so quickly shows that this person's scheming is far superior to you useless ones."

The seductive Daoist in the blood robe scowled coldly as she took a few steps to the side, her figure swaying gracefully and stunningly beautiful, but the two dared not lift their eyelids.

After a moment of contemplation, Wen Jing added, "The South Sea is already far from our Western Cult, and losing the incense from just a few hundred thousand beings here is no big loss. Now, I have a more important matter for you two to investigate. In Dongsheng Shenzhou, there is an immortal sect called Du Xian Men, which is barely under the Ren School lineage. Recently, they fought a skirmish with a few mediocre Tianxian from Jin'ao Island. You two should head to Dongzhou today to investigate this matter thoroughly and see if there's any opportunity for scheming. If you handle this well, you can redeem your faults, and I will grant you some rewards."

The two exchanged glances, their eyes filled with relief at surviving the ordeal. Then, they shouted with full spirit,

"We obey your orders!"

"Go now. If you mess up or expose your identities, you know the consequences."

Wen Jing lightly waved her slender fingers, and the two quickly took their leave, leaping into the sea and swiftly leaving the area covered by the array.

"Trash is truly just trash, only useful for gathering information."

A hint of coldness flashed in Wen Jing's eyes as she flicked her finger, sending two black mosquitoes flying out silently to land on the necks of the two Zhenxian without them noticing...

'If they act suspiciously, just drain and kill them without leaving a trace.'

She issued the order in her mind, and soon received the response from the black mosquitoes:

'Understood, my queen.'

The one who had previously sent her the order—to use this matter of the Ren School's minor lineage fighting with the Jin'ao Island Qi refiners—was a disciple of one of the great saints, the deputy cult leader of the Western Cult. This seemed like a trivial matter, but Wen Jing knew full well that it involved the three teachings of the Daoist path and the face of the saints... She had to plan it carefully and absolutely could not appear in person. If she were careless and exposed the Western Cult's ongoing attempts to divide the three Daoist teachings, she would be caught red-handed, and without the Daoist experts needing to act, the two saints of the Western Cult would eliminate her first. By then, as a vicious demon, she would become the scapegoat for stirring up conflict among the three Daoist teachings...

Although she had always been doing the dirty and tiring work for the Western Cult, that didn't mean Wen Jing was willingly submissive. Submissive? She was a queen of her race! If not for the two saints of the Western Cult holding her entire race of black mosquitoes hostage and using that as leverage, she would have long drained those hypocritical deputy cult leaders dry!

"Hmph!"

Wen Jing swept her sleeve, and her seductive figure turned into a streak of blood, vanishing along with the surrounding array. The sea surface was now empty, leaving only a faint buzz of mosquitoes lingering; one could hear the sound but not see the source. This was probably an ancestral secret technique of the mosquito race.

...

"Smelly senior brother!"

At Xiao Qiong Peak, by the lakeside under the willow tree, Lan Ling'e was kneeling by the lake, using a handkerchief dipped in water to clean the makeup she had painstakingly applied to her face.

"Bad senior brother! You didn't explain what that painting was about and made me embarrass myself so badly! In the end, you said my heart for the Dao is unstable and that I engage in these improper behaviors every day. I only do these to make you happy! So what if I have to copy the 'Wen Zi Jing' a hundred times? I'll just copy it! What's the big deal?"

In the thatched hut of their master, listening to Lan Ling'e's quiet complaints by the lake, Li Changshou couldn't help but raise his hand to his forehead.

Qi Yuan, the old Daoist, sat in the armchair and gestured for Li Changshou to sit beside him, asking, "Changshou, what do you need to discuss with me?"

"Master, let's activate the arrays around us first. I'm worried about eavesdroppers."

"Very well," Qi Yuan nodded, activated the arrays around the hut, and then scrutinized Li Changshou for a moment.

Before Lan Ling'e had revealed that her senior brother was extraordinary, Qi Yuan had only thought of his eldest disciple as timid and afraid of death, but with good aptitude and steady cultivation progress. However, after being trapped in the pill room's maze array, Qi Yuan reflected on his interactions with his eldest disciple... but still couldn't find any clues. Yet, the intricate arrays around the pill room... this profound Turtle Breath Equalizing Qi Art... and that paper-cutting divine ability that even he couldn't understand...

"Changshou," Qi Yuan leaned forward and whispered, "Be honest with me as your master. What is your current realm?"

Li Changshou smiled and said, "When I went out to return home last time, I went through my heavenly tribulation."

—And during the tribulation, I accidentally ascended a bit... but he naturally couldn't say the second part out loud.

Qi Yuan nodded, feeling a bit more at ease.

At least, he had confirmed his eldest disciple's true cultivation; after the tribulation, one becomes a Yuanxian. Achieving immortality in just over a hundred years made for top-tier talent!

Qi Yuan frowned again and asked, "Then why are you hiding your realm? Normally, showing your true level would get you attention and protection from the sect, wouldn't that be good?"

"Master, the world is full of hardships, and people's hearts are unpredictable."

Li Changshou lowered his voice and said, "Think about it; when I was at the Return to Void realm, I pretended to be at the Divine Transformation realm. If someone wanted to deal with me, they would plan based on facing a Divine Transformation Qi refiner, which might expose their flaws and give me more chances to survive... You should understand this reasoning."

Qi Yuan nodded, looking thoughtful, though he felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint it.

Li Changshou continued, "I've always disguised myself as an outstanding disciple in the sect, with strength just behind the top talents. Each month, I get supplies that are only about twenty percent less than theirs. But the benefits are that no one knows my name or techniques, so no one schemes against me. Master, imagine if Xiao Qiong Peak produced a top talent, others would envy us. If it produced a chief disciple, we might be targeted by other peaks... Peaks compete for cultivation resources, after all, since the sect's overall income is fixed."

Qi Yuan pondered for a while and slowly nodded.

He had always thought his eldest disciple's unconventional ideas were misguided, but now that his disciple's strength surpassed his own, he suddenly found these reasons... actually quite plausible.

Qi Yuan stroked his beard and sighed, "You're right; I hadn't thought deeply about it before."

Li Changshou raised an eyebrow, surprised that his master was easier to convince than expected.

"Master, what I want to discuss today concerns you, my junior sister, and me—our future prospects."

"Prospects?" Qi Yuan chuckled helplessly and scolded, "What do you mean by prospects? We cultivate in the sect every day in peace; isn't that wonderful? Or do you feel the sect can't accommodate an immortal like you?"

"The sect is naturally very good to us. If the sect faces disaster, I would help as much as I can while ensuring my own survival, and I'd definitely seek revenge if possible later."

Li Changshou said seriously, "But Master, don't you want to live longer?"

"Of course I want a longer lifespan," Qi Yuan sighed, "But you don't need to worry about me. Becoming a Zhu Xian still gives me a chance to cultivate to Zhenxian, and I'm already content..."

Li Changshou smiled and said, "Master, there's a way for you to extend your life even after reaching Zhenxian. It would also bring many benefits to me and my junior sister in the future."

"For you and Ling'e? Tell me more."

Li Changshou pointed upward and wrote two large characters on the table:

Tian Ting.

Qi Yuan furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment.

Li Changshou sighed inwardly. His master was probably like most cultivators, resistant to a place like Tian Ting, which was essentially a bureaucracy. There was no helping it; cultivating freely in the mountains was far better than being bound by heavenly rules and ordered around.

Li Changshou had prepared a speech to persuade him, but if his master didn't want to go, he wouldn't force it—this was just a trial...

"Mas—"

Before Li Changshou could speak, Qi Yuan asked curiously, "What use is that place for lifespan?"

Huh?

Li Changshou was taken aback. "Master, are you unaware of the benefits of that place?"

"I've heard people mention it; after the Wu-Yao War, several saints established it on the ruins of the demon court," Qi Yuan frowned. "But I don't know the details."

Li Changshou: ...

The presence of Tian Ting at this time was... almost nonexistent!

"Master, let me explain it to you in detail."

Qi Yuan nodded eagerly, listening with interest as Li Changshou began to speak slowly.

Half a day later.

Li Changshou walked back to his pill room with his hands behind his back; the small box had already been returned to him from his master.

Unexpectedly, his master wasn't resistant to joining Tian Ting and even found it quite novel, which motivated him to cultivate toward Zhenxian more vigorously...

Thinking about it, after becoming a Zhu Xian, his master didn't quite fit in the sect anymore. If he could break through to Zhenxian soon and secure a minor official position in Tian Ting, or even become a land god, it would ease his burdens...

Li Changshou had left his master with many pills to boost cultivation. Since he was already a Zhu Xian, there was no need to be too picky; piling on pills to advance wasn't a bad idea.

Once his master reached Zhenxian, Li Changshou could use his connections with Yue Lao to help him join Tian Ting as a clerk—no problem at all...

The second step of his plan had gone smoothly.

Next, it depended on how long it took for his master to break through to Zhenxian—probably around a thousand years, or even two thousand... But it would definitely be before the Jie Yun of the Feng Shen calamity formed!

Cultivating as a Zhu Xian was much harder than as a Yuanxian; part of it was due to missing the full heavenly tribulation opportunity.

'Before that, should I set up a safe house outside the mountain?'

Li Changshou pondered carefully. If Du Xian Men faced a sect-destruction crisis before they joined Tian Ting, he could at least have a place for his master and junior sister to take refuge...

After strolling through the forest, Li Changshou decided against it for now. His top priority was to improve the composite great array of Xiao Qiong Peak. Besides, he didn't have enough treasures to build another fully array-equipped safe house.

As soon as he returned to the pill room, Li Changshou's immortal sense detected Jiu Wu flying toward him.

This sudden visit from Ao Yi had indeed helped him a lot, whether intentionally or not, and he appreciated the gesture.

The short Daoist seemed to be in high spirits, laughing as he entered the outer isolating array of Xiao Qiong Peak.

"Ha ha ha ha! Changshou, my nephew, guess what I've brought you? You handled that group from Jin'ao Island quite well, so the sect has many rewards for you!"

As he spoke, Jiu Wu stood on the cloud and tossed over two storage pouches. "These are some treasures for setting up arrays—consider it the sect's encouragement for you to keep studying the Dao of arrays!"

Li Changshou used his immortal power to catch the pouches and examined them from a distance before taking them.

Jiu Wu was already used to this and hovered on his cloud ten zhang away.

Li Changshou bowed with hands clasped. "Thank you, Uncle."

"Hey, thanking me now is too soon." Jiu Wu pulled out a silver-white small sword and tossed it over casually, saying offhandedly, "This is the access token for the inner hall of the Dao Repository. I went through some trouble to get it for you from over there. The inner hall of the Dao Repository has a lot of arrays and alchemy texts that only Zhenxian in the sect can access. How about it? Hmm? Hmm hmm?"

As he spoke, Jiu Wu winked repeatedly.

Li Changshou's heart stirred, and he quickly grasped the silver-white small sword, turning it over in his hands with a slight upturn of his lips.

He hadn't expected such a bonus this time!

Exposing his cultivation earlier had drawn attention and cost him a bit, but now it seemed like he had profited handsomely!

"Uncle, come in and sit down to talk."

"No need, no need," Jiu Wu waved his hand and sighed. "Ah, I'm destined for hard work. I have to head out soon. Once you become an immortal and take on sect duties, you'll know how exhausting it is."

A thought crossed Li Changshou's mind, and he asked, "What are you going out for this time, Uncle?"

Jiu Wu laughed. "It seems Zhongshenzhou is organizing a Three Teachings Immortal Sect Conference, probably in fifty or a hundred years. I'll go with two elders to make an appearance on behalf of Du Xian Men and discuss the details with those major sects. But our Du Xian Men is too young compared to them, so we don't have much weight—we'll just listen to the other Ren School immortal sects."

A Three Teachings Immortal Sect Conference? What was that? Related to the Feng Shen calamity?

Li Changshou pondered briefly, but Jiu Wu seemed in a hurry and urged him to cultivate well before turning to leave.

Li Changshou looked up and quickly said,

"Uncle, wait a moment!"

—He had said it out of habit; it should have been "please stay."