Lingyuan Immortal

Chapter 946 Fu Yi's Discourse
Upon entering the hall, the three took their seats as host and guest, respectively. Tea smoke curled from the jade table, but no one raised a cup.

Tao Fengbian had no time for formalities and asked directly, "Fellow Daoist Song has not left the mountain for a long time. May I ask what brings you here?"

Seeing that he was asking a question he already knew the answer to, the Taoist nun surnamed Song chuckled and glanced at Fu Danian out of the corner of her eye: "Master Tao has already sent Fellow Taoist Fu to the territory of my Liangyi Temple. Can't you guess why I'm here?"

Tao Feng's expression darkened, and he said stiffly, "Fellow Daoist Song, you might as well speak frankly."

"Alright."

The nun surnamed Song paused, her eyes flickering: "Today, my Uncle Qi from the Liangyi Temple has emerged from seclusion, ready to change the current chaotic state. Abbot Tao, the Daoist sect is in decline, and our two lineages have been divided for a long time. It is time to rebuild our lineages..."

Even though he was somewhat prepared, Tao Fengbian still couldn't help but sigh when he actually heard it with his own ears.

He composed himself and said as calmly as possible, "It is a cause for celebration that Abbot Qi has broken through the barrier of life and death. A congratulatory gift will be presented later. As for the talk of joining the temple... please do not bring it up again, Fellow Daoist Song."

The nun surnamed Song seemed to have anticipated his words, and instead of being offended, she clapped her hands and chuckled, "Abbot Tao, the situation is beyond your control."

Upon hearing this, Tao Fengbian and Fu Danian's expressions darkened, and they fell into deep thought.

The nun surnamed Song did not pursue the matter further, keeping her eyes closed and her mind at ease, lost in thought.

In fact, their original plan was to conceal the news of Abbot Qi's departure from seclusion, and then suddenly launch an attack to merge the two temples in one fell swoop.

But someone leaked the information, prompting Fu Danian to investigate.

Since that's the case, they have no choice but to go with the flow. If a sudden attack doesn't work, they'll use overwhelming force. Now that they're making their move openly and forcing their way in, it'll just take a little more effort...

After a long silence, Tao Feng finally spoke in a low voice: "I wonder what Elder Qi's intentions are?"

The Taoist nun surnamed Song spoke in a clear, cool voice: "In about three years, the ancestral grotto-heaven will reappear in the world. At that time, Fusheng and Liangyi will finally have to determine who is superior based on their Taoist methods."

"Uncle Qi has made it clear that this battle will be decided by victory or defeat. The victor will inherit the lineage, while the loser will return to the original sect..."

The ancestor she refers to here is not the founder of Liangyi Temple, but a wandering immortal ancestor jointly worshipped by both families.

He failed to survive the three calamities and nine tribulations, and his body and soul perished, leaving only the Mustard Seed Cave Heaven that he created with his own hands.

The reason why Fusheng and Liangyi were able to establish their own sects was entirely due to the Taoist classics and rare treasures that the two disciples of the Sanxian seized from the cave heaven.

However, after that, this grotto-heaven disappeared into the void without a trace, like a mirage.
Although neither family knew the key to it, they gleaned some clues from the oral traditions passed down from their ancestors, which seemed to involve the mysterious third disciple of the Loose Immortal Ancestor...

As time passed and the world changed, just when the descendants of the two lineages began to regard the grotto-heaven as a legend, the long-lost grotto-heaven began to reappear amidst the shifting energy of heaven and earth.

For the two lineages that considered themselves orthodox, this was a matter of vital importance concerning the survival of their lineage, so both sides immediately dispatched their elite troops to the location of the grotto-heaven.

To their surprise, the Mustard Seed Cave was shrouded in a mysterious restriction. Although it was gradually loosening under the erosion of spiritual energy, it still kept them outside.

Neither of them cared who placed the seal; they only knew that one day the seal would be completely lifted, and before that, they would need to decide the ownership of the ancestral cave.

Therefore, the two abbots at that time established the theory of "discussing the Way through blessings and rituals".

Prior to today, the two families had already engaged in seven debates and exchanges of magical techniques, with neither side suffering significant losses. However, judging from the words of the Daoist nun surnamed Song, it seems that starting from the next debate, the two families will be serious...

Tao Fengbian and Fu Danian met eyes and both saw the seriousness in each other's eyes.

The ancestral grotto is extraordinary, especially for their Fusheng Temple. If they were to simply hand it over, what difference would it make from merging with the Liangyi Temple?
The Taoist nun surnamed Song raised the corners of her lips in a meaningful smile: "What does Abbot Tao think?"

Before she arrived, there were other voices in the temple. For example, some people advocated launching a full-scale attack, believing that with Abbot Qi's strength, they could intimidate everyone.

But she felt that this method wouldn't work.

The three True Lords of Fusheng Temple are not cowardly people. If they are really driven to the brink of despair, what if they get angry and take their inherited profound skills to another state?
Spiritual veins are easy to obtain, but the goal of the Liangyi Temple has never been Zhuoguang Mountain...

Fu Danian suddenly snorted coldly: "You all really have a good plan. Now that Qi Yunsu has gained power, what chance does my Fusheng Temple have of winning?"

If he had known this earlier, he should have gone all out to weaken the foundation of the Liangyi Temple when the Fusheng Temple was at its strongest.

“Fellow Daoist Fu, you are mistaken. Both of our families can see that the intervals between our ancestors’ appearances in the world are getting shorter and shorter. They may one day truly exist in the world forever. Even without Uncle Qi, do you think our families would still stop at the point of no return as before?”

The nun surnamed Song flicked her whisk, looked around, and said with a half-smile, "Moreover, I haven't seen Fellow Daoist Yan at all. Surely your temple wasn't completely unprepared?"

Seeing that Tao and Fu remained silent, she paused for a moment, then stood up to take her leave: "I have said all I need to say. I believe Abbot Tao will make his decision. I will take my leave now."

He bowed respectfully, then stepped out of the palace gate, his figure disappearing into the clouds as his robes fluttered in the breeze.

Judging from his elegant and unrestrained demeanor, it seemed as if he was certain that Fusheng Temple would agree to this matter.

And his prediction was correct. Tao Fengbian knew that this was a scheme to exploit the duality of Yin and Yang, but he had no choice but to face it.

Fu Danian slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. After pacing back and forth a few steps, he shouted in a deep voice, "What is there to fear? He's just Qi Yunsu. If the three of us brothers join forces, can't we take him down?"

Tao Feng sighed inwardly.

While the three of them working together could certainly defeat Qi Yunsu, surely the Liangyi Temple has other cultivators at the Dao Seeking Realm?
Putting aside others, the cultivation level of that Daoist nun surnamed Song alone was no less than that of Fu Danian.

If all three of our side are tied down, who will be able to withstand such a powerful enemy?
"Now that things have come to this, we can only pin our hopes on Junior Brother Yan..."

Fu Danian's turbulent emotions gradually calmed down, and he nodded in agreement.

If Yan Rongmu's trip goes smoothly, then perhaps there will be some possibility of a successful "Fuyi Asks the Way" three years later. If not, then he will have to find another way out...

Seven days later, with Tao and Fu keeping watch day and night, Yan Rongmu finally rushed back to the mountain gate under the stars and moon.

"Senior Brother Yan, how is it?"

Fu Danian had already come out of the mountain gate to greet them and asked urgently.

Yan Rongmu laughed loudly but did not answer. He simply raised his hand and gestured, "Let's go into the hall and talk in detail."

Seeing this, Fu Danian became even more anxious and, with a hint of anticipation, grabbed the other's arm and rushed into the hall.

Before the greetings were even finished, Tao Fengbian couldn't contain himself any longer: "Junior brother, please speak quickly."

Yan Rongmu’s eyes gleamed, and his voice boomed: “Senior brother, you can rest assured. On this trip, I first went to the Kaiyang Sect and Yunlu Sect, which are on good terms with my Fusheng Temple. Fellow Daoist Zhu and Fellow Daoist Hu are both willing to help us.”

At the same time, a flame of hope ignited in the eyes of both Tao and Fu.

Fellow Daoists Zhu and Hu are renowned Daoist masters in Qizhou who have been practicing Daoism for many years. If we can persuade them to lend their support to Fusheng Temple, it will greatly alleviate our current predicament.

Yan Rongmu's speech quickened: "Afterwards, I visited the other fellow Daoists' caves. Although I didn't receive a clear promise, based on my probing, these opportunists are merely waiting for the highest bidder..." "Agreed!"

Tao Feng suddenly slammed his fist on the table: "As long as it can help our temple overcome this difficulty, we will give them as much as they want!"

Fusheng and Liangyi Temples are both located in Qizhou and each has its own allied sects. Therefore, the key to this contest does not lie with Zhu and Hu, but rather with who can gather more neutral forces and independent cultivators.

Seeing his senior brother's loss of composure, Yan Rongmu was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized and turned to Fu Danian: "Have you met with the Two Elements Temple?"

Fu Danian nodded and explained in detail about the arrival of the Daoist nun surnamed Song.

Yan Rongmu remained silent for a moment, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. After a long pause, he suddenly clapped his hands and said, "I will set off again immediately and will definitely persuade those wavering individuals!"

If Fusheng Temple thought this way, how could Liangyi Temple not have foreseen it?
Thus, in an instant, an undercurrent swept through the cultivation world of Qizhou.

However, compared to the grand scheme of Fusheng Temple, Liangyi Temple, which was confident of victory, was ultimately inferior, which led to more than half of the forces still siding with Fusheng Temple in the end...

However, no matter how fiercely these two families fought, it had nothing to do with Chen Mu at this moment.

Taking advantage of the rare quiet time, he spent his days in the meditation room, refining the Dao traces to temper his cultivation and comprehend the profound Dao methods, occasionally venturing out to check on the progress of the blue duck embryo's development.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed peacefully in this quiet cultivation.

On this day, in the quiet room of Huiyan Mountain, Chen Mu held a yellowed bamboo slip in his hands, concentrating on its study. A deep blue light swirled around the fingertips of his right hand, and a misty haze filled the entire quiet room, as if it were covered with a layer of gauze.

After an unknown amount of time, the mist suddenly flickered like stars. He abruptly raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of rocks and reaching the depths of the cold pool at the foot of the mountain.

"It's faster than I expected..."

He smiled, then his figure vanished suddenly, reappearing above the lake at the foot of the mountain.

The blue duck egg trembled incessantly, and the spiritual energy and demonic essence within a hundred miles flowed like a river, all being swallowed up by this bottomless egg.

After observing for a moment, Chen Mu summoned several streams of pure primordial energy with a flick of his sleeves. In less than half an incense stick's time, a vortex of spiritual energy interwoven with gold and silver had condensed around the embryo, hovering in mid-air and shining like stars.

Seeing this, he put his hands down and stood with his back to his chest, waiting for fate to turn.

Three nights passed, and just as the sun was rising, a sharp "crack" suddenly pierced the air.

In an instant, a beam of light shot into the sky, dispersing many clouds, its brightness comparable to the golden sun at dawn.

At the same time, a clear and melodious cry resounded through the clouds, and the embryonic shell turned into crystal powder and scattered. A divine bird with blue and white stripes spread its wings against the wind, soaring straight up and circling the pillar of light to the heavens nine times. Every clear cry echoed through the mountains.

Chen Mu stared intently, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.

Compared to the original blue pheasant, this one is far superior in both appearance and spiritual aura.

The moment it hatched, it already possessed an aura no less than that of a third-order being. This extraordinary aura was worthy of ten thousand years of accumulation and years of continuous nurturing...

On an unnamed mountain peak a thousand miles away from Huiyan Mountain, a Taoist priest in a coarse robe was meditating cross-legged when he suddenly felt a strange movement in his energy. He abruptly stood up and looked up at the sky, only to be stunned in place.

"This...could it be the spirit beast kept by that person from Huiyan Mountain?"

He instantly regained his senses, hurriedly took out a jade talisman from his sleeve, and copied all the strange phenomena he had seen. Then, with a flick of his finger, the jade talisman transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the sky.

However, Tao Fengbian had no time to pay attention to this message at this moment.

Two days prior, he had already gone to the meeting with his two junior brothers Yan Fu and other fellow practitioners.

The place where the meeting was held was called "Three Immortal Valley". It was located at the junction of the two temples. There was neither spiritual vein to nourish it nor any wonders to see. It was usually deserted and even the disciples of the two temples rarely set foot there.

It wasn't until the ancestral grotto revealed its traces here that the two temples took it seriously and designated it as a forbidden area, strictly preventing entry and exit.

As the date of the "Fuyi Forum" approaches, the previous prohibitions have been lifted.

It is said that Fusheng Temple was one of the most famous Taoist traditions in Qizhou, and Liangyi Temple was not far behind. In addition, these two temples had visited fellow Taoists in Qizhou for three years, which made the "Fusheng Temple Discussion on Taoism" famous far and wide.

All the cultivators of Qizhou were focused on this place, and the ban on outsiders entering was broken on its own...

As previously mentioned, Fusheng Temple, under pressure, used many resources to win over fellow Daoists in Qizhou, and the effort was proportional to the reward. Including Zhu and Hu, they received assistance from a total of six Daoist True Lords on this trip.

In contrast, the Liangyi Temple only had two True Lords from friendly sects and one rogue cultivator to assist it.

Even so, most people still believe that the Yin-Yang Observation has a better chance of winning.

As expected, after several days of fierce fighting, even though Fusheng Temple had the advantage in numbers, it was still defeated by Qi Yunsu, and three of the nine Dao Inquiry True Monarchs were killed on the spot.

The only thing that could offer some solace to Fusheng Temple was that none of its three True Lords had been harmed; those who had perished were all rootless, drifting True Lords.

Furthermore, since the ancestral grotto is still sealed, and the "Inquiry of Blessings and Inquiry" has not yet come to an end, there is still a chance for the outcome to turn around.

However, one thing was inevitable: among the people of Qizhou, no one was willing to get involved in the conflict between the two families anymore, not even the two friends, Zhu and Hu, had distanced themselves from it.

Clearly, they all believed that Fusheng Temple had no chance of winning and were unwilling to take any more risks.

After all, compared to cultivation resources, cultivators ultimately value their own lives more...

After the discussion, the main hall of Fusheng Temple was filled with the smoke of incense.

The three fellow disciples sat down on the prayer mats. The stagnant silence in the hall seemed to have a physical presence. They were all staring intently at the portrait of the patriarch hanging above the incense table. In the painting, the Taoist priest held a yin-yang jade tablet, and there seemed to be clouds flowing around his robes.

As dusk settled over the windowpanes, Fu Danian suddenly exhaled heavily, glanced at his two senior brothers, and asked in a deep voice, "When is the next 'Discussion on the Dao'?"

Tao Fengbian counted on his fingers: "Twelve years."

The shorter the interval between the appearance of the ancestral grotto-heaven in the world, and the more relaxed the current restrictions are, the more likely it will be the time when it truly exists in the world forever.

"Twelve cold and hot seasons..."

Fu Danian couldn't help but grimace. Such years were indeed like a lifetime for ordinary people, but for those of them who lived on dew and clouds, it was nothing more than a moment of meditation. How much could their cultivation improve?

The room fell silent again. After an unknown amount of time, as the night sky grew hazy, Yan Rongmu suddenly spoke up: "Senior brother, the method of leveraging momentum cannot be abandoned."

"Although our fellow practitioners in Qizhou are observing from the sidelines, the vast lands of the four states are boundless. Are there not ascetic practitioners who thirst for resources and materials?"

"As long as we offer them precious gifts, cultivators from any region are welcome..."

(End of this chapter)