Chapter 110: The Truth [Please Vote]

“Burn the incense!”

Under the direction of several servants from Old Master Yu’s household, the people each lit the three incense sticks in their hands and performed the formal rites of worship, bowing three times and kneeling nine times.

“Isn’t this far too crude? There aren’t even any offerings, and not even a prayer.”

Seeing this, Li Yang’s doubts only deepened.

To him, the entire sacrificial ceremony felt like child’s play, riddled with suspicious details everywhere.

First, the number of bearers needed to carry the Dragon King was precisely forty-nine, which made no sense at all. Second, there was the spirit-binding mirror suspended above the Dragon King’s head. Third, there was this present ritual.

Li Yang was certain that something was wrong, but lacking experience, he could not tell exactly where the problem lay, nor what the Celestial Master Sect was truly after.

If the old Daoist from Violet Sky were awake now, he would surely be able to see through the scheme. At the thought of it, Li Yang could not help but miss the days when the old Daoist had been by his side.

Just then, as the people continued their worship, the incense burner before the Dragon King statue had already been packed full of burning sticks. Wisps of white incense smoke curled through the Dragon King Temple.

Threads of faith’s fluctuation gradually extended from that incense smoke, spreading outward with the main hall as their center.

“So this is the essence of incense and fire?”

Li Yang closed his eyes and focused his mind, carefully sensing in which direction the power of faith in the void was flowing.

By ordinary logic, if the deity being worshiped truly existed, the faith power in the void should have been quickly absorbed by that god, or else flowed into the deity’s divine domain.

Yet the faith gathered in the Dragon King Temple was not being absorbed at all. Instead, centered on the temple, it was rapidly spreading outward, as though without purpose.

“Hm...”

At that moment, Li Yang suddenly noticed that the young Taoist from Mount Dragon-Tiger had led Old Master Yu and Master Yellow Cloud toward the rear hall of the Dragon King Temple.

“It seems I’ll have to use the old method.”

With that thought, Li Yang looked around. Seeing that no one had noticed him, he immediately went to a secluded corner of the temple and sat down cross-legged.

“Heaven clear, earth bright, grant me divine aid: borrow the art!”

Taking out the three-legged golden toad from his robe, Li Yang closed his eyes and concentrated, directing the tiny toad, no larger than a fingernail, toward the rear hall of the Dragon King Temple.

...

In a side chamber of the rear hall, Old Master Yu and Master Yellow Cloud sat below, while the young Taoist from Mount Dragon-Tiger took the seat of honor.

“How do you conduct your affairs? Did I not say it clearly? All you needed was to build the Dragon King Temple. Why did you even invite the monks from Empty-Fane Temple?”

The young Taoist half-opened his eyes and looked expressionlessly at the old Daoist beside him, his tone carrying a faint trace of displeasure.

“Please forgive me, Brother Dongxuan. Huangyun knows his mistake!”

Faced with the young Taoist’s questioning, beads of cold sweat instantly broke out on the old Daoist’s forehead. He fell to his knees and did not dare utter a single word in rebuttal.

“Immortal Lord Dongxuan, do not blame Daoist Huangyun. It was I who took it upon myself to invite Abbot Lianyuan.”

Looking at the old Daoist Huangyun, kneeling on the ground and not daring to move, Old Master Yu’s expression stiffened slightly. Forcing out an awkward smile, he said sheepishly, “I am sorry.”

“So be it. This time it was also my oversight; I did not explain things clearly beforehand. Yu, you and the others have spent money on this Dragon King Temple.”

Only then did Dongxuan’s expression ease somewhat. Glancing at Old Master Yu, he said in a calmer tone.

“Immortal Lord Dongxuan is too kind. Being able to serve the immortal masters of Mount Dragon-Tiger is my honor. How could I possibly speak of expense?”

“This matter concerns great affairs. It even bears on whether our Mount Dragon-Tiger can continue to stand as the leader of the Daoist schools. Since it has come to this, I may as well tell you plainly: if this is done well, all of you will benefit. Huangyun, you may return from your post in the local area and resume your cultivation within the sect. As for you, Yu, the commercial affairs in the Guangxi territory of Mount Dragon-Tiger can all be entrusted to your management.”

“But if this matter is botched, then not only will you gain nothing, even I may be implicated.”

Dongxuan Daoist looked at Master Yellow Cloud and Old Master Yu, his expression grave and his tone considerably heavier.

“This... Brother Dongxuan, is it truly that serious?”

Hearing Dongxuan Daoist’s words, Master Yellow Cloud’s expression changed at once, his eyes full of uncertainty and alarm.

“So be it, get up. This cannot be explained in a sentence or two. To prevent you from making further mistakes, I will keep it brief.”

“Huangyun, you are also a member of Mount Dragon-Tiger. There is much I need not hide from you. With the world’s environment now greatly changed, this mortal realm is becoming less and less fit for us cultivators to remain in.”

“So several years ago, the Heavenly Master made a decision: to seal off the blessed cave of Mount Dragon-Tiger and completely sever contact with the outside world, lest spiritual energy continue to dissipate.”

“Mount Dragon-Tiger is now the leader of the cultivation world, with many disciples. The blessed cave has limited spiritual energy; it is impossible to support so many people cultivating at once. Thus the Heavenly Master long ago decided to take only a small number of direct disciples, along with a few inner disciples of outstanding merit, and retreat into the blessed cave to live in seclusion, awaiting the next resurgence of spiritual energy.”

At this point, Dongxuan Daoist glanced meaningfully at Master Yellow Cloud and continued.

“However, one great difficulty still stands before Mount Dragon-Tiger. Since the ancestors of past generations followed the Heavenly Court into hiding beyond the world, Mount Dragon-Tiger has only declined further. Fortunately, the age of waning laws has not targeted the Celestial Master Sect alone; the other schools have also fallen into decline one after another.”

“We major orthodox sects are still somewhat better off. At the very least, we have the blessed lands and caves left behind by our forebears, enough to barely survive. But those sects without deep foundations could suffer annihilation of their lineages with the slightest misstep.”

“But you know as well that Mount Dragon-Tiger follows the ancient path of the celestial immortal. The current Heavenly Master is already an earthbound immortal who has formed the golden core. Though the term immortal is in the name, such a being is at most a half-immortal. Possessing only an untainted immortal body, yet unable for the primordial spirit to merge with heaven and earth or comprehend the mysteries of the laws, one can live no more than a little over three hundred years. Our present Heavenly Master has already passed three hundred and twenty springs and autumns, and has at most ten years of life remaining.”

“If the Heavenly Master sits in death and we retreat into the blessed cave, that would be no different from suicide. Without an immortal body to open the seal of the cave, if we enter, we can only be trapped to death. Moreover, the laws within the blessed cave are incomplete, and it would be impossible to form a golden core there. Thus, this path cannot be chosen.”

“This... what does that have to do with the Heavenly Master building the Dragon King Temple?”

By now, Master Yellow Cloud was even more bewildered, while Li Yang, eavesdropping from the side, had already formed some suspicions.

Sure enough, Dongxuan Daoist merely paused briefly, then gave a light laugh and continued.

“Still, heaven has not abandoned Mount Dragon-Tiger. Under the Dao of Heaven, all things retain a sliver of hope. Several years ago, in the coastal lands of Guangxi, the Heavenly Master discovered traces of a true dragon’s kind.”

“The dragon and phoenix clans are divine beasts nurtured by heaven and earth. The dragon essence and phoenix blood of such beings are excellent things for extending life. After years of searching, only a few months ago the Heavenly Master finally discovered the lair of that dragon brood beneath an offshore island.”

“A divine beast born of heaven and earth is naturally no small matter in battle. Though the Heavenly Master has passed through the trials of wind and fire, it was only by relying on Mount Dragon-Tiger’s supreme guardian treasure, the Three-Five Heavenly Master Seal, that he managed to injure it slightly. Even so, it escaped to the area near Yinghai.”

“Could it be that the Heavenly Master intends to use the power of incense and fire to draw out that dragon brood?”

At this point, Master Yellow Cloud finally reacted and asked.

“It is not so simple. That dragon brood is naturally of the water divinity line, the king of rivers and streams. If it were willing, it would not even need to receive Heavenly Court’s formal decree; it could directly assume the divine seat of the Dragon King and use incense devotion to refine and purify its bloodline. But such divine beasts born of heaven and earth possess intelligence far beyond the ordinary. How could it possibly be fooled so easily?”

“The reason the Heavenly Master ordered the construction of the Dragon King Temple here is because that dragon brood has innate divinity. It can instinctively attract the power of incense and draw it to the place where it dwells. As long as it remains near Yinghai, and we pay attention to the direction in which the incense power moves, we will naturally be able to find it.”

As Dongxuan Daoist spoke, he glanced at Master Yellow Cloud and continued, “That is also why I needed to seal off the news. This dragon brood is a divine being born by nature, and the effects of its dragon essence are extraordinary. Extending life is merely an added benefit. For creatures of scale and shell, it is even the very foundation for transforming into a dragon. To prevent those old monsters from the cultivation world from coming to seize it, the Heavenly Master himself gave repeated orders that I must act in secrecy.”

“This... the Heavenly Master is an earthbound immortal, standing at the summit of today’s cultivation world, and Mount Dragon-Tiger is likewise the leader of the present cultivation world. Surely there cannot truly be anyone so reckless as to dare pluck teeth from the jaws of our mountain?”

Master Yellow Cloud could not help but stare in astonishment.

“Hmph. Narrow vision. What do you know? That is only what appears on the surface. Since ancient times, the lands of the Central Plains have teemed with cultivators like carp in a river. In the primordial ages, this very realm was the center of heaven and earth. The hidden secrets contained within Mount Zhou are beyond your imagination. Leaving aside those powerhouses hiding in other-dimensional spaces, there are already quite a few old monsters barely hanging on in blessed caves and sacred lands.”

“Even a few years ago, the Heavenly Master encountered a sleeping ancient ferocious beast, the Gluttonous One, deep in the mountains. If not for that beast being in such deep slumber while resisting the tribulation of the Five Declines of Heaven and Man, the Heavenly Master might not have escaped so easily.”

Dongxuan Daoist gave a cold snort, his expression full of disdain.

“But it is only natural that you do not know these ancient secrets. You think the Celestial Master Sect’s inheritance is very long? In truth, that is merely an illusion. From the first Heavenly Master, Ancestor Zhang Daoling, to this day, it has only been a little over a thousand years. If not for our ancestor’s good fortune in encountering the Supreme Dao Ancestor during a spirit-roaming excursion, Mount Dragon-Tiger would never have become the foremost Daoist sect of the world today. It is only because some of those old monsters consider the Dao Ancestor’s face and have not come out to cause trouble. If we grow arrogant and complacent because of this, then I fear our destruction will not be far off.”

Dongxuan Daoist’s expression was complicated. He sighed, waved a hand, and motioned for Master Yellow Cloud and Old Master Yu to leave first.

“Gluttonous One...”

Li Yang, hidden by the crack in the door all this time, stirred at the name.

If he could subdue that Gluttonous Beast as his natal strange beast, would he not rise to the heavens at once? Such an adult ancient ferocious beast possessed power so overwhelming that, even if it could not compare to ordinary heavenly or earthly immortals, it was by no means inferior to them.

A Gluttonous One that had withstood the Five Declines of Heaven and Man was all the more extraordinary; at the very least, it must have been one of the ten ancient fiends whose bloodline had reached its peak.

Still, this was only something Li Yang dared to think about. If he truly had to face a Gluttonous One, to be honest, even if the other side did not resist, he would still be unable to succeed in a blood sacrifice. Their very natures of life existed on different planes. Forcing a blood sacrifice would be no different from courting death.

If it were a newly born Gluttonous One, he would dare to give it a try. As for where this Gluttonous Beast was, Li Yang already had some guesses.