Controlling the Five Thunders and the Two Worlds

Chapter 293 The Doubts and Expectations of Several Experienced Taoists
Gu Zhao walked around the Taiqing Palace but did not find the figure of Daoist Huaiyi, nor did he find any Daoists who had cultivated internal energy.

Okay, this is standard procedure now.

Even if a Taoist priest who has already achieved enlightenment is willing to step into the mortal world, he would not work as a service staff member in a scenic area.

So Gu Zhao left Taiqing Palace and walked to Shangqing Palace.

Compared to the former, which is located by the sea, the latter is situated high up on the mountainside of Laoshan. Moreover, due to its remote location, there are not many tourists, making the environment quiet, comfortable, and pleasant.

Shangqing Palace was very small, just a simple courtyard. But as soon as Gu Zhao stepped into the courtyard, his eyes lit up and he looked toward the back gate of Shangqing Palace.

The lightning seed in the sea of ​​consciousness leaped with joy, a reaction to encountering a suitable person. More importantly, in the feedback given to Gu Zhao, there was more than one suitable person on the other side.

This surprised Gu Zhao quite a bit. He didn't expect that there would be so many hidden masters in this small Shangqing Palace.

So Gu Zhao lit three incense sticks, paid his respects to the Three Officials and the Jade Emperor, and then walked through the small courtyard and out of the back gate of Shangqing Palace. It was a stone staircase, wide enough for two people, that wound its way up.

Not far from Shangqing Palace, a side path leads from the stone steps to a flat area in the woods, where three pavilions and two corridors have been built for resting.

Gu Zhao could see clearly that five Taoist priests were sitting in one of the pavilions. There was a teapot and teacups on the stone table in the pavilion. The five of them were drinking tea and chatting, looking very comfortable.

But importantly, the five people in front of them were all Taoists who had cultivated internal energy, and their numbers were second only to the grand gathering of true Taoists at the Zhenwu Mountain Martial Arts Festival.

"It's convenient for me to be gathered together." Gu Zhao couldn't help but smile, then looked around and nodded.

The Taoist Studies Office compiled statistics on Taoists in China who had cultivated true Qi, but due to various reasons, the statistics were not complete; for example, Master Huaiyi was not included in the statistics.

Of the five people in front of them, only three were on the list compiled by the Taoist Office, and that included Taoist Master Huaiyi.

They are respectively Daoist Huaiyi of the Jinshan School, Daoist Taixian of the Suishan School, and Daoist Xuning of the Qingjing School.

Master Huaiyi was thin and frail, Master Taixian was broad and plump, and Master Xuning looked like a skinny old lady.

Yes, that's right, Master Xu Ning is also a female Taoist priest.

It must be said that Qingjing Sanren's "Secret Book of Chongyang Yuanjun's Alchemy" is really quite suitable for women to cultivate.
The other two were an old Taoist priest similar to Master Huaiyi, who looked younger, with a short beard, a restrained glint in his eyes, and a calm and composed demeanor. Although he didn't speak much, he was clearly a man of his own mind.

The other one was a bit unexpected for Gu Zhao; she was a stunningly beautiful woman with exquisite features and graceful demeanor.

Tall and slender, she exudes charm even in Taoist attire. With a simple Taoist hairpin and light makeup, her beautiful eyes are sparkling. If you take a few photos from the right angle, you don't even need to edit them. Just add the tag "Taoist Woman" to a certain platform, and you'll attract a swarm of admirers.

Gu Zhao found it hard to imagine how such a beautiful woman could cultivate such profound and pure Daoist Qi, which attracted the unusual activity of the Thunder Seed.

Gu Zhao glanced at them casually, then went to another pavilion, sat down, took a sip of purified water, and leaned against the mountain, admiring the distant sea view as if he were resting.

The two pavilions were separated by a corridor more than ten meters wide, so ordinary conversations would never be heard. Therefore, the Taoist priests glanced at Gu Zhao but did not care and continued chatting.

The beautiful Taoist priest refilled their tea.

Master Huaiyi smiled and nodded his thanks, then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Master Tai Xian said in a deep voice, "I went to the Taoist Association to inquire. The Office for Supporting the Exchange of Taoist Culture is not affiliated with the Taoist Association, but is an office directly under Yandu. The Taoist Association does not know the specifics either."

Master Huaiyi nodded. "The talismans they were holding were extremely powerful. After sensing the evil energy, they activated on their own and sent the other party flying. In my opinion, that foreigner will be bedridden for at least half a year."

Master Tai Xian patted his stomach and took a sip of tea. “Statistics on the true Dao, management of Daoist scriptures, foreign sorcerers, protective talismans—what’s wrong with this world?” Master Xu Ning glanced at the beautiful female Daoist beside him and said to the crowd, “Perhaps that video from the United States is real.”

Master Huaiyi, who never went online, couldn't help but ask, "What video?"

The beautiful Taoist priest picked up her phone from the table, pulled up a video, and showed it to everyone. It was a video related to the five-colored thunderclouds and golden figures in Berkeley.

Master Tai Xian frowned. "Are you kidding me? How could this be true?"

Master Xu Ning asked, "Then how do you explain these recent events?"

Master Tai Xian waved his hand, "But this is too exaggerated."

The beautiful Taoist priest shook her head, her voice calm, "My classmate in the United States sent me a message saying that the building was indeed destroyed, and local sanitation workers also witnessed the scene in the video."

Master Taixian clicked his tongue, still disbelieving, but remained silent.

The short-bearded Taoist priest, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, "Master Yihong of Baiyun Temple has gone missing."

"What?" Everyone turned around.

"Master Mingyu and Master Mingchong of the Celestial Master's Mansion have also gone missing," the short-bearded Taoist continued.

Everyone's eyes narrowed.

“Although saying ‘disappeared’ isn’t quite accurate,” the short-bearded Taoist priest thought for a moment, “they previously organized and established a Taoist research institute in Guangzhou, nominally under the Taoist Association, but not actually managed by it.”

"But not long after, the staff of this research institute was transferred out of the Taoist Association," the short-bearded Taoist continued. "After that, these people never appeared at any of the various activities of Baiyun Temple or the various rituals of Tianshi Mansion."

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances before looking at the video on the beautiful Taoist priest's phone.

Master Huaiyi couldn't help but take out a cigarette and smell it. "You don't actually think that Master Mingyu from the Celestial Master's Mansion is performing the Five Thunder Technique in the video, do you?"

"I don't know," the short-bearded Taoist priest shook his head.

Master Tai Xian continued, "Those people in the Taoist office that are supposed to be compiling statistics on the true Tao are also not saying anything, and we can't even find them!"

Master Huaiyi shook his head. "They said we'd find out sooner or later."

After a moment of silence, Master Xu Ning smiled and said, "It seems that something has happened in the Daoist sect. There may really be some secret."

Master Tai Xian frowned. "Is it related to the true path?"

The short-bearded Taoist nodded. "Taoist Yi Hong and Taoist Ming Yu are both highly accomplished Taoists whose cultivation is even deeper than ours."

Master Huaiyi smiled leisurely, "But we're not bad either, it's about time it was our turn, isn't it?"

The beautiful Taoist priest brewed tea for them again, saying, "Since you have gained nothing, just wait patiently."

Several old Taoist priests laughed upon hearing this, and Master Huaiyi praised, "Jingyi truly has a good heart; the Qingjing School has a worthy successor!"

(End of this chapter)