This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 425 So this is what you guys are like, the Peerless Palace
After the death of the old emperor of Western Chu, Xiang Yuan first sought out the White Palace Master, then the simple-minded one, and learned about the Book of Life and Death, as well as the method to break it: the Three Yin Book of Life and Death + the Ancient Mirror of Reincarnation.

To prevent the mastermind from striking again, he visited many places and, before the Book of Life and Death was written, cursed Liu Che and Xiao Yan.

On the Southern Jin royal family's side, they encountered a formidable obstacle.

Li Yuanrong, the patriarch of the Shangyuan Li clan, was willing to believe Xiang Yuan, but the old emperor of Southern Jin was very hesitant. The way to break the curse was to be cursed by Xiang Yuan. In any case, his life would be in the hands of outsiders. After pondering for a moment, he finally refused.

It's understandable. Xiao Yan sees Xiang Yuan as his adopted son and son-in-law (x2), while Liu Che sees Xiang Yuan as his unreliable senior brother from the Path of True Heart. Despite their disdain, they still have the same level of trust.

The old emperor of Southern Jin dared not easily trust Xiang Yuan, much less gamble, even with Li Yuanrong's guarantee, it was useless.

What you said makes a lot of sense, but how can you prove that this person surnamed Xiang isn't the mastermind behind it all?

Look, he even has a solution!
Xiang Yuan ultimately failed to cast the Cycle of Life and Death Curse on the old emperor of Southern Jin, but the old emperor dared not put all his eggs in one basket, so he sent out three princes to allow Xiang Yuan to cast the curse.

Now, the old emperor is dead, and several princes have followed suit, but only these three princes who were cursed by Xiang Yuan have survived.

The rest of the imperial clan were completely wiped out!
Upon hearing Xiao He's words, Xiang Yuan had nothing to say. He had respected the old emperor's choice back then, and he wouldn't mock Xiao He for being too clever for his own good now.

Respect for the deceased is paramount, so let's refrain from making sarcastic remarks.

"Ha, serves you right for not believing me, now you're dead!"

Xiang Yuan curled his lip and then said, "What is the current situation in Southern Jin? A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Do the three princes each have their own supporters? Is the entire Southern Jin in complete chaos?"

Xiao He nodded. With the perfect example of Western Chu before him, the current situation of Southern Jin was predictable.

He chuckled, his face bearing the typical schadenfreude of the Xiao family, as he recounted the chaotic situation in the Southern Jin Dynasty.

Each of the three kingdoms had its own unique circumstances. In the Northern Qi, because the Shaolin monks were unruly, the court and the martial arts world were relatively peaceful, and no one dared to stand out. The Northern Qi had the best public order among the three kingdoms.

The Western Chu was already in chaos, both in the martial arts world and in reality. On the surface, the three Tianzong families were defiant, while behind the scenes, the Baiyun and Wangjian manors posed a major threat. Any one of these incidents could cause serious trouble for the Western Chu.

Now that we don't have that problem anymore, whether openly or privately, with Tianzong as the leader, everyone is convinced.

The Northern Qi Dynasty had the Shaolin Temple, and the Western Chu Dynasty had the Tianzong Sect, which shows how important a wise and brave underworld boss was to the security of the territory.

In the Southern Jin Dynasty, there was no leader, but there were bosses everywhere!

Moreover, the big brothers of Southern Jin don't mingle in the martial arts world; they mingle in the imperial court. Apart from the three royal families, there are ten major clans in the Qianyuan Realm, and Southern Jin alone possesses six of them. Their good fortune is so great that it makes the Li family of Shangyuan want to curse.

The Yang family of Jingquan, the Zhu family of Linguan, the Zhao family of Hengyang, the Cao family of Luzhou, the Wang family of Liangzhou, and the Sun family of Jiangdong.

Xiang Yuan felt sorry for the Li family of Shangyuan when he saw these six surnames. It's a good thing you are from the old Li family, which has a solid foundation. Otherwise, you would have collapsed long ago.

It's really collapsed now.

After the old emperor died, the six great families immediately stepped forward to help, forming pairs to support the three princes, as if they had planned it in advance.

No doubt about it, it was all planned in advance.

None of the six great families had any ambition to become emperor. The incompetent emperor could be gone at any time, and whoever wanted to take the throne could take it. They pretended to be good people and stirred up trouble, all to weaken the Shangyuan Li family. Only when the capital of Shangyuan was weaker would the power of the great families in the court become stronger.

Why not just honestly acquire land, collect rent, and earn some hard-earned money through monopoly?

Southern Jin also had its own martial arts factions. The collapsed Baichuan Alliance is best left unmentioned, as it is a thing of the past. The remaining four factions are two Buddhist and two Taoist: Yankong Temple and Baojing Temple, which are constantly bickering with each other; Yongle Sect, which is popular among backpackers; and Qingyun Sect, which practices Taoism and martial arts.

These four sects are typical lazy sects. Apart from actively going out to subdue demons and monsters, they spend most of their time cultivating in seclusion and have no contact with the Southern Jin court.

During this major upheaval in the Southern Jin Dynasty, none of the four families participated. They voluntarily closed their mountain gates, using the excuse of cultivating immortality or Buddhism to refuse visitors.

I am a monk! x2
I am a person outside the secular world! x2
Fortunately, the four families did not get involved, otherwise the Southern Jin Dynasty would be in even greater chaos now.

Xiao He continued speaking with unfinished business, then changed the subject. In the capital, the Xiao family was overjoyed, especially Xiao Yan, the dog father, who was almost laughing himself to death!
The Great Chu rose to power, and Xiao Yan became king.

Before he even ascended the throne, the emperor of the enemy state died. This is a blessing from heaven for Western Chu, an auspicious sign!
The only downside was that the Northern Qi emperor was alive and kicking, laughing heartily.

"Where you stand determines where you stand," and this has always been the case between nations. This is also why Xiang Yuan abandoned the Xiao Clan of the Divine Capital and focused on cultivating the persona of the young master of the Heavenly Sect.

If the royal family is incapable of being supported, hoping that the three kingdoms can join forces to consolidate their domestic power and deal with the mastermind behind the scenes is not as good as hoping that a dilapidated boat can rise up and turn the tables to unify the world.

If a salted fish is unwilling to turn over, it doesn't matter. Young Sect Master, put in extra effort and elevate it to the height of unifying the world.

After listening to Xiao He's story, Xiang Yuan said irritably, "How can you still laugh? If Southern Jin falls into chaos, Western Chu and Northern Qi will inevitably follow suit. When the world is in chaos, the mastermind behind the scenes will succeed in his conspiracy, and then it will be his turn to be happy."

“This is a retaliatory laugh. When our Western Chu was in chaos, the Southern Jin must have been secretly enjoying themselves,” Xiao He retorted.

Secretly rejoicing is going too far; Nan Jin is laughing openly and honestly, without even putting on an act.

Not only that, but a series of strategic measures were also formulated to ensure that Western Chu would remain in chaos. However, the rapid rise of the Hegemon led to the swift and decisive action that caused these plans to fail before they could be implemented.

Therefore, Xiao He's joy cannot be attributed to him being a villain; it was the Southern Jin that struck first.

Xiang Yuan rubbed his temples, but before he could finish, Bao Qin raised her hand and used a brainwave to pin him down, then began to massage his temples with just the right amount of pressure.

Xiao He: []
The Prince Zhao's residence wasn't like this before!

Seeing Xiang Yuan's carefree life, Xiao He looked constipated and felt uncomfortable all over. He gave Xiao Lingyan, who was standing there like a silly couple, a wink.

Sister Yan, you were also nurtured in the backyard of Prince Zhao's mansion, so why are you spoiling him like this?
Say something!

Remember not to scold him; you'll reward him.

Xiao Lingyan didn't quite understand, but seeing Xiao He's ferocious features and his eyes almost popping out of their sockets as he winked, she finally realized what was going on. She stepped forward, patted Baoqin's shoulder, and told him to step aside.

That's right!

Xiao He was about to be overjoyed, but his smile instantly froze on his face.

Xiao Lingyan stood behind Xiang Yuan, taking Bao Qin's place, and imitated Xiang Yuan by rubbing his head.

The technique was crude, and he didn't know how to position himself like Bao Qin, but Xiang Yuan found it quite useful and glanced gratefully at Xiao He.

Thank you, brother-in-law. Lingyan isn't very quick to learn, so I'm very grateful for your guidance.

But don't be too happy yet. I will tell Lingyue the truth about this. I will say that it was you who instructed Lingyan to be unable to bear seeing her younger sister being favored.

Xiao He: You're talking nonsense!

Xiao He was so angry that his mouth twisted in disbelief. He was furious that the Overlord's Mansion and the Zhao Prince's Mansion were nothing alike. His father had never received this treatment back then. Out of sight, out of mind, he turned to leave.

"Wait a minute."

Xiang Yuan stopped him and asked, "Brother-in-law, are you going back to the capital or to the Heavenly Sect?"

"Heavenly Sect".

Xiao He frowned and said, "There's not much to see in the capital. There are too many old men and too many rules and regulations. It's not suitable for a free-spirited bird like me."

"What a coincidence, I was also planning to visit the Heavenly Sect."

Xiang Yuan said, "Before going to Tianzong, I will first go to Tai'an in Northern Qi. Please ask my brother-in-law to go back to Shendu first and tell him that the Overlord is not fond of fighting but only of resolving conflicts, so that they can save themselves some trouble and stop thinking about the troublesome waters of Southern Jin."

“You’re going to offend people easily by doing this…” Xiao He shook his head repeatedly.

"It's better than a dead person."

Xiang Yuan gave a simple reply.

Xiao He said no more, and was not worried that Xiang Yuan's words would not work. Everyone in the capital knew that the Overlord was unreasonable. Baiyun Manor, Wangjian Manor, and Dajue Temple were the best examples. When the Overlord spoke to you nicely, you had better listen to his advice.

After Xiao He left, Xiang Yuan closed his eyes and pondered, then tilted his head slightly and took the initiative to position himself.

Xiao Lingyan blushed slightly. She had already moved to the Overlord's Mansion, so how could she reject intimate behavior with Xiang Yuan? But, in broad daylight... her sisters would be unhappy if they saw it.

After an incense stick's time, Xiang Yuan's figure faded away, and he asked Xiao Lingyan to inform his two older sisters that he would not be having dinner at home that night.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Northern Qi Dynasty, Tai'an Prefecture, capital city.

Xiang Yuan saw Liu Che's gloomy face and lack of joy, and immediately asked in confusion, "Junior Brother, the Emperor of Southern Jin is dead, why aren't you smiling?"

"Heh heh, how can I laugh when the Hegemon of Western Chu has come to my door?"

When the news of the old emperor's death arrived from the Southern Jin Dynasty, Liu Che was initially quite happy, but his joy vanished when Xiang Yuan arrived.

Having been involved in the 140s and 150s and served as emperor for so many years, Liu Che could guess Xiang Yuan's intentions even with his toes. He bluntly said, "Senior brother, last time you told Northern Qi to hold back, and I followed your advice and agreed not to attack Western Chu for three months. This time, are you going to interfere with Southern Jin as well?"

Liu Che's tone was unfriendly. Xiang Yuan was a cultivator of the Benxin Dao in Northern Qi. Because he was from Chu, he was unhappy that Xiang Yuan did not help his junior brother, the emperor. However, he could tolerate it.

After all, Xiang Yuan had saved his life. Without Xiang Yuan, the Book of Life and Death might not have been able to harm a grandmaster like him, but the Liu imperial family would have suffered heavy casualties. That's how the emperors of Western Chu and Southern Jin met their end. This great favor existed whether he acknowledged it or not.

But Xiang Yuan has no connection with Southern Jin. He doesn't cultivate in Southern Jin, nor is he a Jin person. It's a bit unreasonable for him to interfere.

Liu Che, his face dark, repeated what he had said to Xiang Yuan before. He could give Xiang Yuan face, but Northern Qi was so vast, and there were too many people eager for promotion and wealth. Suppressing Western Chu for three months had already caused a lot of discontent, and if they suppressed Southern Jin for another three months...

There are only three major powers in the Qianyuan Realm. If we suppress them any further, there will be no more merit points to be gained!

"Senior brother, how can I explain this to the entire court?" Liu Che threw the question to Xiang Yuan, asking him to give a respectable answer.

"Anyone who dares to utter a word will have their entire family wiped out!"

"..."

Liu Che rolled his eyes. He would not exterminate his own people's entire clan for the sake of peace and stability in the Southern Jin Dynasty. If he were to do that, he might as well resign from his post as emperor.

Even the emperor's circle isn't this muddled!
Is it possible that there are so many incompetent emperors that even if you were a warmonger, no one would dare to call you a tyrant?
Xiang Yuan had prepared many words of advice before coming, but he was at a loss when faced with Liu Che's probing questions. Cutting off someone's source of income was like killing their parents, let alone wanting to ruin their career prospects.

Even if he didn't care about the entire court of Northern Qi, he still had to care about Liu Che. The name Liu Che alone gave off the air of an emperor who would expand the territory. He had suppressed the latter once, and he couldn't suppress him a second time.

Liu Che remained silent, staring intently at Xiang Yuan. In truth, there was still some room for negotiation.

For example, if a princess from Northern Qi were to marry Xiang Yu, the King of Western Chu, the two brothers would become even closer, and Xiang Yu would also have a share in Northern Qi. Minor matters like expanding territory could then be discussed.

Having a hegemon but not using it, and not having a hegemon to use, are two different things. What Western Chu had, Northern Qi must also have.

Liu Che thought this to himself but didn't say it aloud. He had been warned by the Yellow Spring Saintess last time, and he was still apprehensive whenever he recalled the power of the Reincarnation Mirror.

Therefore, he hoped that Xiang Yuan would take the initiative to propose a marriage alliance to seek peace.

They sought a marriage alliance with the Northern Qi and a peace treaty with the Southern Jin.

During such a serious meeting, Xiang Yuan had no idea that Liu Che was lusting after him. Moreover, Southern Jin was not Western Chu, and he was unfamiliar with that place. He didn't know where to begin if he wanted to make a quick decision.

After a moment, Xiang Yuan nodded, unwilling to make things difficult for Liu Che any further, and decided to endure some hardship himself and make a trip to Southern Jin as soon as possible.

“Junior brother is right. You are, after all, the emperor. The burden on your shoulders is too heavy. If you are burdened again, it will probably crush you.” As Xiang Yuan said this, he disappeared into the teleportation space.

Liu Che was dumbfounded.

Wait a minute, come back! Why did you leave so soon?
I said there's no room for negotiation, and you actually believe there's no room for negotiation? Do you even know how to negotiate?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Peerless Palace, a small grotto in the cold pool.

Xiang Yuan was certain that Liu Che's attitude was firm and there was no room for negotiation, so he decisively left and came here to find the White House Master, who never spoke in riddles, in order to enjoy his wife's company again.

"Huh, he's not here?"

The small cave was deserted. Xiang Yuan did not see Bai Wuyan. He closed his eyes and sensed the area, but he did not see any elegant seats at the bottom of the pool. He wondered where the rich woman had gone.

It was just like an NPC before, how did it suddenly come to life?

Looking up from a distance from the small grotto, they found that the blue phoenix was gone.

He closed his eyes again to sense, but did not detect Bai Wuyan's aura. However, he found the location of the four magical treasures: the Wujie Sword, the Cloud-Weaving Heavenly Robe, and pointed to the front of the sword. He then moved through space and took a step forward.

The pure white hall, with its dome like a crystal, is bathed in sunlight that reflects a cold, radiant glow against the icy walls.

White Lotus Palace.

This is Bai Wuyan's forbidden palace. There are no candles or fires inside, only the faint, cold glow reflected from the sky, which makes the entire palace look like a dreamlike realm sculpted from ice crystals.

No one may trespass without the summons of the Palace Master.

Those who trespass will, at best, have their souls frozen and be trapped in eternal slumber; at worst...

Well, Xiao Lingyue, Cheng Yuling, Yinshuang, Daoxue and other disciples went to the side to face the wall. No one else from Wushuang Palace had the ability to break in. Xiang Yuan was the first one.

Inside the hall, Bai Wuyan sat cross-legged on the crystal cloud bed, her fingertips lightly touching the ground, where a ninth-grade immaculate white lotus floated in front of her.

Within the grand formation of the Buddhist kingdom, Xiang Yuan held a golden lotus in his left hand and a white lotus in his right, working together to annihilate the Nine-Rank Lotus inherited by Dajue Temple. The opportunity of the Nine-Rank Lotus was split in two, with golden liquid flowing and flowing into Xiang Yuan's Blood Sea Golden Lotus and Bai Wuyan's Immaculate White Lotus respectively.

Seeing that the Immaculate White Lotus had made further progress and its grade had been improved, the White House Master's face darkened.

She advised Xiang Yuan to lie down and not to fight against the opportunity. Now that it was her turn to pick up a pie that had fallen from the sky, she was cautious and wanted to return this opportunity.

The results have been mediocre, and despite repeated attempts, it has still not been successful.

Beside the crystal cloud bed stood a blue phoenix, or more precisely, a green bamboo shadow that had transformed into human form.

Former Great Demon Elder of Baiyun Manor, now the exclusive mount of the Palace Master of Wushuang Palace.

With skin as smooth as jade, and eyebrows as beautiful as a painting, she wore a light blue gauze dress that accentuated her graceful figure. A jade hairpin loosely held up her long black hair. With delicate features and a quiet temperament, she was a gentle and refined older sister.

Wet nurses are generally quite gentle.

Xiang Yuan stared intently at Qing Zhuying. Because of the demonic form of the Azure Phoenix, he subconsciously associated her with the Azure Phoenix Fairy, a celestial being. He only wanted to ask, "Sister, do you farm? What crops do you grow on your few small plots of land?"
Upon seeing someone intrude, Qingzhuying pressed down on the jade hairpin to protect the emperor, showing unwavering loyalty, as if she had been well-trained by Bai Wuyan.

But upon seeing the newcomer's face, Qingzhu Ying retreated. The newcomer was the young sect leader of the Heavenly Sect, whose status in the Peerless Palace was the same as hers; they were not enemies.

Qingzhu Ying remembered clearly that when they were at Baiyun Manor, Qu Rou mocked Xiang Yuan for being the young sect leader of Tianzong but willing to be Bai Wuyan's dog. The latter was not ashamed but proud, and stood tall with her head held high.

Xiang Yuan is Bai Wuyan's dog, and she is Bai Wuyan's mount, so their status is just average!

Why are you looking at me like that? What's with that look? Do you really think I'm a dog?
Hilarious! That guy is such a freeloader!
Xiang Yuan chuckled at the look in Qing Zhuying's eyes, who was on his own side. He snorted twice, stepped forward, kicked off his boots, sat cross-legged beside Bai Wuyan, pulled her into his arms, and his primordial spirit surged in to study the Immaculate White Lotus with her.

He didn't know what Bai Wuyan was researching, so he just followed along.

Qingzhu Ying stared in shock and disbelief at the two people behaving intimately. She had been in Bai Wuyan's hands and had never seen a kind look from her. She knew how difficult Bai Wuyan was to get along with.

As a result, she didn't struggle when Xiang Yuan held her in his arms...

Wait a minute, isn't he engaged to your apprentice?

What a prestigious sect you are! So this is the Peerless Palace you are!

Qingzhuying was shocked. Her worldview had been so drastically reshaped. She seemed to realize something, and her face turned pale, a bitter expression appearing on her face.

Could it be that her mount is shared?

Bai Wuyan ignored Xiang Yuan. After a moment, she put away the Immaculate White Lotus, glanced at the hand resting on her shoulder, and looked at Xiang Yuan expressionlessly.

"presumptuous!"

Bai Wuyan pointed a finger, and the spatial fluctuations swept away, her actions decisive, giving him no time to react.

Seeing this, Qingzhu Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I was terrified! I really thought it was one of those legendary palaces.

She knew it! The White House is so high and mighty, how could it be subservient to a dog...

Huh, what's that sound?
Beside Bai Wuyan, the ripples in the space had not yet dissipated. Qingzhuying vaguely heard the sound of tearing cloth, accompanied by the stirring of flowing water, as if something was being washed.

With the cultivation of a Tongyou Grandmaster, she had seen all kinds of situations, but this one really stumped her; she couldn't guess what it was.

Just a few breaths later, Xiang Yuan was pulled out completely naked.

Bai Wuyan casually arranged Xiang Yuan into a cross-legged sitting position, then moved to sit on him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his neck as she did so, her cloud-woven celestial robes dissipating.

Seeing Bai Wuyan's fragrant shoulders and beautiful back, her ice-like skin and jade-like bones, Qingzhu Ying was so shocked that she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Thinking it was a hallucination, I wanted to confirm it again, but then my vision blurred and I found myself outside the White Lotus Palace.

goalkeeper.

Green Bamboo Shadow: (д)
Who am I? Where am I? Was what just happened an illusion?
He's not a dog!
Inside the hall, Xiang Yuan felt a little uneasy as there was no water around. He tightened his embrace around the voluptuous figure and said, "Palace Master, what brings you here today..."

"Cultivate first!"

"Oh."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

10,000 words, please vote with monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)