This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 451 Reopening the Heavenly Court
In the end, Daoist Wangji accepted this great gift, cast eighty-one seals in succession, and headed straight east with Senior Jiang.

Qu Kuan and Shui Xianghui, the two elders of the Yuyang Sect, hurriedly followed.

Although both are at the Integration Stage, Wangji Daoren's cultivation is clearly higher than that of Pojing Zen Master and Mingxiaozi. Xiang Yuan can overwhelm the two in terms of both stats and mechanics, but he feels a lot of pressure against Wangji Daoren and dares not claim victory.

Specifically, after Xiang Yuan and Wangji Daoren sat down to chat, Pojing Chanshi and Mingxiaozi became dazed and confused. The other masters present, including Qu Kuan and his wife, were all lost in their own world, intermittently deaf, and had no idea what Xiang Yuan and Wangji Daoren had talked about.

Needless to say, the three grandmasters of the Sun family, who held sway over Jiangdong, were just passersby throughout the entire journey; even those who were at the forefront couldn't get a hot meal.

Only Xiao Lingyue and Chan'er, the two adorable girls, were not unaware of the situation. As Xiang Yuan's wives, they stood on either side of him and heard the entire conversation clearly.

"Husband, is this round considered an internal war within the Benxin Sect?" Chan'er asked curiously.

"maybe."

Xiang Yuan shook his head slightly. Even if his three senior uncles, Wangji, Wujiu, and Zhishui, were all combined, they wouldn't be a match for Que Xinyan. It was a one-sided battle, so it couldn't be considered an internal war. However, Que Xinyan avoided talking about the loose cultivators in the East Sea and left everything to him to handle. He was facing his three senior uncles...

Wait a minute, is that dimwit hiding in the back watching the show again?

Xiang Yuan's face darkened; he felt like he had been tricked again.

Xiang Yuan had told Xiao Chan a lot about the mastermind behind the scenes, but some things that involved too much were not explained. The two women watched the scene today and looked at their husbands with great heartache.

They both felt that Daoist Wangji was right. A broken boat is not a wise leader, and Xiang Yuan's busy work would only tire him out. It would be better to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, and switch to a makeshift team to live a carefree life.

That being said, the two women knew Xiang Yuan's personality very well. They could tell just by looking at Bai Wuyan's enlarged pure white golden wheel. Their husbands and the mastermind behind the scenes were not on the same wavelength and were destined not to get along.

Even if Tianzong is a makeshift organization, it has to keep going.

Xiao Chan knew that Xiang Yuan was under a lot of pressure, so he decided to go back to seclusion and cultivate for a period of time, especially the combination technique of "Sun and Moon in the Sky". He believed that Xiang Yuan should follow her husband wherever he went, and he couldn't let Xiang Yuan suffer alone.

"Hey hey hey..."

Xiang Yuan dispelled the spatial restriction and gave Xiao Lingyue and Chan'er a look: "You two wait here. I'm going to check on the bridal chamber. The wedding gifts have all been paid. We can't let my brother be tricked into marriage."

He snorted twice, and, waving the banner of upholding justice for Yue and Jiang, strode confidently toward the inner courtyard.

It's not that easy to trick him into giving money to someone else. If Yue Huanjiang doesn't suffer a bloody defeat today, he'll definitely make Qu Rou suffer a bloody defeat.

Xiao Chan rolled his eyes and quickly followed.

They're having their wedding night, what are you doing here? What, you want to help your brother out?
After the three left, the remaining people in the room came to their senses. Master Pojing and Mingxiaozi exchanged a glance, realized that their memories were not right, and were greatly alarmed. They thought to themselves that this place was not a good place to stay, and hurriedly teleported away.

The three grandmasters of the Sun family finally woke up in a daze, not realizing anything was wrong. They only knew that the Yue Mansion was too deep, and since the event was over, they should leave as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Xiang Yuan had Hongxiao and Qingli lead the way, eventually reaching the newlyweds' bridal chamber. They discovered that the spatial restrictions were tightly sealed, but they easily bypassed them with a little trick.

He didn't go inside. He glanced at it with his spiritual sense, then looked away and shook his head repeatedly.

"Pah! You two, you shameless couple! It's not even dark yet!"

Xiang Yuan looked on with envy—no, disdain—as a success story. He waved his hand, leaving the two maids to eavesdrop by the window, and then turned and left with Xiao Lingyue and Chan'er.

Yue Huanjiang is not him. Without the troubles of blood-nourishing medicine, and if his fertility is good, he can take his junior brother to the market in two years.

"Speaking of which, after a snake is coiled around by a nine-tailed fox, will the offspring be a fox or a snake...?"

"Hydra?"

……

The backyard of the Overlord's Mansion.

Chan'er has been living here for some time now. Apart from learning a lot of the laws of heaven and earth when she was cultivating with Xiang Yuan, she has spent the rest of her time fighting with Xiao Lingyue. She hasn't been able to calm down and cultivate properly. She has decided to go back to the Yellow Springs Path to go into seclusion and ask her master, the Yellow Springs Path Master, who has been offline, for advice on her cultivation problems.

The 'Reincarnation Sutra' that Chan'er cultivates is too obscure, with its own set of independent laws of heaven and earth, seemingly incompatible with the three thousand worlds. Xiang Yuan cannot copy hers, and she cannot copy Xiang Yuan's. The two of them gain very little from their dual cultivation.

In comparison, Chan'er and Xiao Lingyue get along better. The idea of ​​the sun and moon shining together seems superfluous and hinders their deep sisterly bond.

Seeing the immense pressure Xiang Yuan was under, Chan'er decisively abandoned her thoughts of marital bliss and returned to the Yellow Springs Path to seek out her Daoist master for cultivation.

Xiao Lingyue had the same thought and planned to return to Wushuang Palace to seek guidance from that person.

Speaking of which, what Bai Wuyan can teach Xiao Lingyue, Xiang Yuan can also teach Xiao Lingyue because of his supermarket shopping trip, and it's even more efficient because of their dual cultivation.

However, cultivation is not just about the laws of heaven and earth. There are many insights, techniques, and experiences in terms of realms that Xiang Yuan cannot impart. What Xiao Lingyue lacks now is not the laws of heaven and earth, but the same realm that matches the laws of heaven and earth.

The only option is to go back to Wushuang Palace to find that person.

Furthermore, if she stayed in the Overlord's Mansion, she feared that Xiang Yuan would become obsessed with frivolous pursuits and that she herself would follow suit. Although the Peerless Palace was not very quiet, it was much quieter than the Overlord's Mansion, and with that person in seclusion to guide her, it was the most suitable place for cultivation.

Xiao Lingyue did not leave immediately. After Xiang Yuan sent Chan'er to the Yellow Springs Road, she asked him to take her to the Peerless Palace.

There was no other meaning; it was simply to treat everyone equally. Since Xiang Yuan had sent Chan'er, he had to send her as well.

Inside the White Lotus Palace, the gatekeeper Qingzhuying peeked out and saw Xiang Yuan bring Xiao Lingyue to Bai Wuyan. She swallowed hard.

Bang!

The palace gates were tightly shut. The gatekeeper regretfully withdrew his gaze, muttering to himself that if he could have continued watching, it would have been worth dying for.

There was no other reason than that, the moment the palace gates closed, Qingzhuying keenly noticed that Bai Wuyan's cold face was even more chilling than usual, and Xiao Lingyue's tone when addressing her as "Master" was particularly stiff, showing a bit of the air of a rebellious disciple.

Anyone who didn't know better would think that the master and apprentice had fallen out over a stinky man.

Now, let's talk about the White Lotus Palace.

Bai Wuyan sat upright on the crystal cloud bed, put away the immaculate white lotus in her hand, and narrowed her eyes slightly when she saw Xiao Lingyue kneeling obediently below.

The names used in Wushuang Palace are quite confusing. For example, there's Yinshuang and Daoxue, Bai Wuyan's former junior sister and now a disciple. Then there's Xiao Lingyue and Cheng Yuling, who are both mother and daughter and fellow disciples.

These can all be explained.

Yinshuang and Daoxue were demoted from junior sisters to nominal disciples because Bai Wuyan was enlightened by the Lord of the Yellow Springs and realized that she was the Queen Mother of the West. No one in Wushuang Palace was above her, not even her peers. Yinshuang and Daoxue had to be demoted.

Cheng Yuling and Xiao Lingyue became Bai Wuyan's disciples one after another because she felt a connection and sensed a predestined relationship.

In the beginning, when Cheng Yuling was just a young girl, Bai Wuyan met her by chance and felt that she was destined to be with her, so she took her as her eldest disciple and brought her back to Wushuang Palace to train her carefully.

The result was not good. Cheng Yuling seemed shrewd, but in reality, her cultivation aptitude was terrible. Later, she became obsessed with romance and then became a master of palace intrigue, completely neglecting her cultivation.

Otherwise, given Bai Wuyan's cultivation level and status, she wouldn't have taught a first disciple who was only at the Innate Stage.

At first, Bai Wuyan thought the problem lay with her, as she lacked experience in mentoring a disciple for the first time and had delayed Cheng Yuling's progress.

It was only later that she discovered that Cheng Yuling had delayed her, causing her to be able to teach only one disciple with the cultivation level of the Innate Stage.

The question is, what is the karmic connection with such a useless disciple?

When Cheng Yuling gave birth to Xiao Lingyue and brought the adorable little girl back to Wushuang Palace to show her off, Bai Wuyan finally realized that Cheng Yuling was just a temporary person with a connection, and that the true destiny lay with Xiao Lingyue, who was her destined good disciple.

As expected, Xiao Lingyue lived up to expectations and reached the Grandmaster level in the blink of an eye. In the blink of an eye... she got together with the pretty boy who was destined to marry her master.

Bai Wuyan: (_)
The White House chief disapproved of this predestined marriage from the bottom of her heart. It was an arranged marriage, and there was no possibility of acknowledging it, nor would she accept it.

But looking at Xiao Lingyue and Xiang Yuan, who were acting like a perfect couple, he felt all sorts of displeasure and had a terrible feeling.

She's used to being arrogant and won't admit it. Just because she can't use something doesn't mean others can. But she just can't bring herself to say those words.

His mind was in a turmoil, and the only way to relieve his frustration was to kill that pretty boy!
Bai Wuyan's killing intent was undisguised, her killing intent locked onto the only pretty boy in the field, and a faint sword aura swept past Xiang Yuan's thick... solid defense.

This wasn't the first time Xiang Yuan had been targeted by the White House's murderous aura. He remained calm and composed, standing there with unwavering confidence.

Xiao Lingyue was quite dissatisfied. Who was he yelling at? If you don't cherish him, there are plenty of others who will. All he did was bring his wife to you, his mistress. He didn't do anything wrong. Why did you have to yell at him?

For a moment, you could hear a pin drop inside the palace.

Bai Wuyan stared coldly at Xiang Yuan, Xiang Yuan looked down at Xiao Lingyue, and Xiao Lingyue straightened her back and stared at Bai Wuyan, their gazes forming a perfect loop.

In the end, Xiang Yuan spoke first. If they continued to delay, they were afraid that Bai Wuyan would suddenly make a shocking revelation, or that Xiao Lingyue would suddenly call out "sister".

He bowed slightly and said, "Lord Bai, Lingyue, she..."

"lady!"

Xiao Lingyue reminded him, “Master Bai, my wife is your last disciple, and you are a highly respected and renowned teacher. I shouldn’t say anything more, after all, compared to the two of you, I am an outsider to Wushuang Palace.”

Without batting an eye, Xiang Yuan uttered words that both Xiao Lingyue and Bai Wuyan found distasteful, and continued, "My wife has recently encountered difficulties in her cultivation, so I have specially sent her to Wushuang Palace and prepared a small gift to express my gratitude to the Palace Master for her many years of guidance."

Seeing that Bai Wuyan's expression remained cold, Xiang Yuan couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine: "I still have some miscellaneous matters to attend to at the manor, so I won't stay for dinner. I'll be leaving now."

At the same time, the primordial spirit transmitted a message, explaining that he would go to the small cave to cleanse himself.

It's definitely not going to happen; it's bound to end well.

Rather than humiliating yourself, it's better to be straightforward, take the initiative to clean yourself up, apologize, admit your mistake, and go through the proper procedures.

Mr. White House, your wife was here just now, please make yourself at home. I will kneel down first.

Bai Wuyan received the telepathic message, and her expression improved slightly. She glanced at Xiao Lingyue out of the corner of her eye and said indifferently, "Very well, you go to the small cave and wait. I will come to find you after I have given Lingyue some pointers."

"..." x2
No, how could you say it so bluntly? x2
……

A small, secluded paradise in a cold pool.

Xiang Yuan first retrieved medicine above Yaochi, swept away the recently dissipated moisture, and refined it into his body before staring with dead fish eyes and going to take a bath in the cold pool.

Some things may seem insignificant on the scale, but can weigh a ton even on a scale.

That rich woman is so immature today. She says whatever comes to mind and makes a fool of herself. Won't she become a laughing stock for the Doorway Sword Master?

Half an hour later, a halo of light flashed ahead, and Bai Wuyan, dressed in a white palace robe, stepped out, her gaze looking down with a hint of anger mixed with indifference.

She raised her delicate hand, removed the hairpin from the Wujie Sword, and her bound black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. As Qinglian moved, the cloud-woven heavenly robe on her body also dissipated.

"Go down."

Bai Wuyan stepped on Xiang Yuan's shoulder, shoving him into the water.

The scene shifts to Xiang Yuan standing behind Bai Wuyan, having finished dressing her in palace attire, and then waving his hand to find the Wujie Sword hairpin to tie her hair up.

"No need, I don't want to tie my hair up today."

"..."

Are you unwilling to tie your hair up? Are you deliberately letting your hair down for your apprentice to see?

Xiang Yuan was completely stunned. Their relationship was perfectly innocent, but Bai Wuyan's actions had turned it into something else entirely.

He ignored Bai Wuyan and insisted on tying her hair up, saying earnestly, "Princess Bai, something is wrong with you right now. You and I both know that the rumors about the Queen Mother of the West and King Mu of Zhou in the Lower Abyss Realm are just rumors. If you let them get you caught up in them, you'll inevitably make mistakes. It's better to take them lightly..."

"I never thought about that rumor; it's just false. How could it become true? I just don't want to tie my hair up today," Bai Wuyan interrupted directly, not wanting to listen to Xiang Yuan's lecture.

"In that case, you should tie your hair up even more."

"I do not wish to be dictated to by others!"

Bai Wuyan snorted coldly, sheathed the Wujie Sword, and prevented Xiang Yuan from summoning it again.

He said he wouldn't tie his hair up, and he didn't. With a single step, he vanished into space and went to instruct Xiao Lingyue on her cultivation.

Xiang Yuan: (～`)
"If you continue to act so stubbornly, you'll likely suffer in the future."

Xiang Yuan tested the surrounding space and found that he could leave freely. Not daring to continue wading in the muddy waters of Wushuang Palace, he went straight to Tianzong and found the broken sampan.

He went to Wushuang Palace partly to see Xiao Lingyue off, and partly to inform Bai Wuyan about the Yuyang Sect. If the time was right, he would put on an admiring face and ask the rich woman to calculate the name 'Zhang Tianyang'.

Clearly, the timing was terrible; my back was numb from being gripped so tightly.

Since the rich woman was unresponsive, the only option was to prop up the dilapidated sampan.

Xiang Yuan recounted the intelligence he had gathered. Upon hearing that Yu Yang had dispatched a strong and well-equipped army, Ji Wuzhou felt a chill run down his spine. Looking around, he realized that apart from the young sect leader and the inner sect steward who was nowhere to be found, the vast Tianzong Sect had no one else who could be of use.

It's not that there's no one available, it's just that they can't perform well against the mastermind behind the scenes.

Ji Wuzhou stood in the Taixu Hall, deducing the Heavenly Sect Grand Formation. Seeing Xiang Yuan frowning, he said, "Zhang Tianyang is pressing us step by step. It's not that I'm completely without a solution, but this method goes against what I've been thinking. If we take action, it might just be playing into his hands."

Xiang Yuan knew what Ji Wuzhou meant by the method, and his brows furrowed even more: "Master doesn't want to become the Heavenly Emperor, he wants to live his own life, but circumstances are beyond his control. If you don't strive to become the Heavenly Emperor, let alone live your own life, I'm afraid you'll even have a hard time surviving..."

Being caught in the middle of it all, there's nothing you can do; some things can't be stopped just because you want to.

The two were silent for a moment, and Ji Wuzhou said, "Tianzong is the prototype of the Heavenly Court. If I want to defeat him, I can only start with Tianzong and gain the support of the powerful... But Tianzong was deliberately left for me, and he also sent me a Styx Token. If I do this, he will most likely steal the benefits, and I will be doomed no matter what. What do you think I should do?"

It is inevitable for everyone to die; the question is whether to wait for death or seek it.

“Since Master has said this, he has already made his judgment. Why should I, his disciple, speak?”

"Uh, your teacher wants you to give me a push."

"Then I'll tell you, disciple."

Xiang Yuan paused, then cupped his hands and said, "Waiting to die is too humiliating. Your disciple urges you, Master, to bravely face death... What if we win!"

"What a 'what if'... You're too honest."

Ji Wuzhou's lips twitched.

He realized early on that the pressure was too great and he chose to wait for death. Later, after discussing the Dao with Xiang Yuan, he decided to give it a shot.

After struggling to break free from the predicament, I encountered the mastermind behind it all and entered the next predicament. Feeling overwhelmed by the pressure, I once again entered a state of waiting to die.

After several attempts to change course, he finally realized that whether he was waiting to die or courting death was not up to him; the mastermind behind the scenes had been forcing him to seek death.

In that case, why not try something reckless, just in case...

We won!
"Master, the Heavenly Sect is the embryonic form of the Heavenly Court. If you were the Heavenly Emperor, would you have suitable personnel to arrange?"

Xiang Yuan raised his hand and pointed behind him. It was true that Tianzong was a makeshift organization, but it was not without resources. The Twelve Pavilions were the team left behind by Yan Xuanhe. If they could be used properly, they might be a trump card.

Ji Wuzhou shook his head. It was true that the Twelve Dao Pavilions were good things, but the reincarnation of the Heavenly Emperor was not qualified to distribute divine positions. Only when the Heavenly Court was established and the Heavenly Emperor was in power could he distribute the corresponding divine positions.

Now, only those whose destinies correspond can take the divine positions in the Twelve Pavilions.

Ji Wuzhou gave a simple explanation: he could develop the Heavenly Sect into a simplified Heavenly Court, and he could also guess that the mastermind would intercept it at this moment. Before the Heavenly Court was fully established, the Twelve Dao Pavilions were just decorations. They looked powerful, but they were useless at the moment.

"By the way, my disciple, if I win, what do you think of the divine position of the Eastern Azure Emperor?"

Come again?

Does this pretty boy look a lot like the Venerable Taiyi Jiuku?
Xiang Yuan was full of doubts: "Master, why is it the Eastern Azure Emperor? Is this divine position so destined for me?"

"How would I know that? I just heard you say it."

"..."

It's my fault; I had unrealistic expectations of you.

Ji Wuzhou deliberately sought death and finalized his plan to restart the Heavenly Court. The top priority became how to recruit people. The makeshift team was short of people, so he needed to find some capable helpers. He offered them promises and incentives to lure them onto the pirate ship.

If one could obtain an official position in the Heavenly Court, it would be an immense fortune akin to becoming an immortal or an ancestor. Countless people would kneel and beg for a way in, so the claim that one was tricked into joining a thief's ship is a bit of an exaggeration.

And it really is true!
Cultivating immortality and cultivating divinity are two different things. Those who can distinguish between the two will not actively approach the Heavenly Court; they will have to be deceived or ambushed.

Conversely, those who eagerly approach upon hearing the name of the Heavenly Court are all dispensable; using them to deal with the mastermind behind the scenes would be less than cannon fodder.

Ji Wuzhou stared intently at Xiang Yuan. The young sect leader had quite a few connections outside and knew many experts in the upper three realms, such as Bai Wuyan, Sword Venerable Su Ran, and Old Daoist Que Xin. These were all future pillars of the Heavenly Court!
"Young Sect Master, please speak!"

"..."

The young sect leader didn't want to talk and gave you a disapproving look, leaving you to figure it out yourself.

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)