This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 202 County Name: Guo Bei County, Forbidden Lanruo Temple

Zhong Bai's breakthrough did not last long. After reaching the Golden Core stage, Zhong Bai bid farewell to his master, True Man Qian Yuan, and a group of Maoshan elders and left Maoshan.

In his final days, he wanted to see some old friends.

Nanjing Prefecture.

In a quaint and elegant office, a woman with slightly graying hair was looking at the documents on the table in front of her, her glasses in hand.

Just then, tap tap tap...

A series of rhythmic footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a knock.

"Minister, a Taoist priest wants to see you, saying that he is an old acquaintance of yours."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman gently put down the documents in front of her, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. However, she did not choose to refuse to see him, but instead stood up and said, "I understand. Please ask the Taoist priest to wait a moment."

"Understood, Minister!"

The footsteps gradually faded away...

In the reception room, Zhong Bai, dressed in a plain Taoist robe, sat quietly on a somewhat modern leather sofa. This sense of temporal disconnect was acceptable to Zhong Bai.

"Master, our minister will be here shortly, please wait a moment!"

Hearing this, Zhong Bai nodded, showing neither dissatisfaction nor impatience.

Time passed slowly, and Zhong Bai had only waited for about half an incense stick's time when he saw a well-dressed woman with gray hair approaching from the corridor in the distance.

"Summer Lotus..."

Zhong Bai's expression was gentle, with a faint smile on his lips, like a spring breeze. The person who came was Xia He, Zhong Bai's former maid, now a high-ranking official.

Hearing Zhong Bai's familiar voice and seeing his face, which remained untouched by time, Xia He was stunned. Her gaze was filled with inquiry and disbelief until she covered her mouth and her eyes became moist.

"gentlemen!"

This "sir" comes after several decades.

This brought back long-buried memories for Xia He, and she ran straight to Zhong Bai.

"Sir, aren't you practicing asceticism at Maoshan?"

Zhong Bai smiled and nodded.

"In the past, but I will soon be leaving this world. Before I leave, I want to see how my old friends are doing..."

Upon hearing this, Xia He immediately tensed up.

"Sir, you..."

Seeing Xia He's worried gaze, Zhong Bai realized she was wrong; his so-called leaving this world really meant moving to another world.

"My health is fine, and I have hundreds of years left to live."

Xia He realized she had misunderstood, but she didn't continue the previous topic. There were some things Zhong Bai could talk about, but she couldn't ask.

If Zhong Bai wants her to know, then she will know. If Zhong Bai doesn't tell her, it proves that she doesn't need to know or even has no right to know.

"I see. I'm so glad you're alright, sir. By the way, sir, it's rare for you to come all this way, so Xiahe will cook for you herself right away!"

Zhong Bai shook his head upon hearing this.

"Don't bother, I just came to see you old friends. Once I've seen you, I'll feel at peace."

Xia He was taken aback, but she still tried her best to keep smiling. She knew that they were from different worlds and it was impossible for them to have any further contact.

"Yes, sir, please rest assured, Xia He is doing very well. The ideal that Xia He once said she wanted to realize is now in progress. Xia He may not be able to fly through the sky and escape into the earth like you, sir, or live forever and become an ancestor, but Xia He is already satisfied!"

Zhong Bai listened, then smiled and waved to Xia He.

"Once a move is made, there is no going back, let alone when one's heart is satisfied."

This humble Taoist is leaving now. Take care...

After saying that, Zhong Bai's figure disappeared from the spot, as if he had never been there.

Xia He watched quietly.

................................................

Zhong Bai went down the mountain and met Xia He, Chun Hua, and the Yang family patriarch who was still alive. Finally, Zhong Bai arrived at the foot of Longhu Mountain.

Zhong Bai didn't even need to go up the mountain; he saw a streak of light coming toward him.

With a whoosh, the stream of light landed steadily in front of him; it was Zhang Zhiwei.

"Fellow Daoist Qianhe, we may depart now!"

Without the formal titles, the two seemed to have returned to the time when they first met.

Zhong Bai nodded and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, let's travel light and set off!"

After saying that, he took out the seal of the Yang Realm Inspector and threw it into the void. The passage between the two worlds opened directly. Zhong Bai was the first to be hit, and Zhang Zhiwei followed closely behind without fear.

Hell.

When the two arrived, they saw the patrolling ghost soldiers and generals coming towards them.

"We pay our respects to Your Excellency the Inspector!"

Zhong Bai waved his hand, and the group of ghost soldiers and generals immediately understood and dispersed.

"I've long heard that you are not only the leader of the Maoshan Sect, but also hold a position in the underworld and a patrol officer in the mortal realm. A seventh-rank underworld official, tsk tsk, you are the envy of many!"

Zhong Bai shook his head as he listened to Zhang Zhiwei's teasing.

"In truth, based on my merits, I am not worthy to continue holding this seal..."

Zhang Zhiwei didn't take these words seriously at all, but Zhong Bai himself knew very well that the destruction of Japan had killed millions of people, and he hadn't yet paid off his own karma. According to the rules, even if the underworld didn't punish Zhong Bai, it would still revoke his position as an inspector, but in the end, nothing came of it.

Zhong Bai was unaware of the reason and had no intention of getting to the bottom of it.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, let's go. Once we cross the Bridge of Helplessness, we can be teleported to the realm of King Yama." With that, Zhong Bai led the way, with Zhang Zhiwei following behind.

The two soon stepped onto the Bridge of Helplessness.

Having learned from experience, Zhong Bai kept his eyes straight ahead, not daring to look at the person opposite him, for fear of making eye contact with Meng Po again. This comical scene naturally did not escape Meng Po's notice.

"That kid from Maoshan is really interesting..."

Since Zhong Bai did not choose to associate with her, Meng Po Niangniang could not possibly frighten Zhong Bai. In her eyes, Zhong Bai was nothing more than an ant that was somewhat interesting.

After crossing the Bridge of Helplessness, they arrived at the teleportation array and were quickly transported to the territory of King Yama.

When Zhong Bai arrived this time, he saw the Tenth Ancestor standing in front of him.

"Zhong Bai pays homage to the Ten Ancestors. May the Ten Ancestors enjoy eternal bliss and boundless peace!"

"Zhang Zhiwei, a disciple of Longhu Mountain, pays his respects to the senior!"

Hearing that Zhong Bai was called the Tenth Ancestor, Zhang Zhiwei was not stupid. He understood that the person in front of him was definitely a top-tier figure in Maoshan even in the underworld.

"No need to be so polite, please get up."

After speaking, the Tenth Ancestor looked at Zhang Zhiwei, his gaze sweeping over her slightly without any change in expression. Clearly, standing with Zhong Bai was, to some extent, Zhang Zhiwei's tragedy.

"Go directly to the Fourth Patriarch..."

As soon as the Tenth Patriarch finished speaking, he waved his hand towards the void, and a space appeared.

As soon as Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei stepped into the space, they appeared in front of a staircase made of white jade. Looking up, they saw an endless staircase.

At the very top stands a magnificent palace with several large, gilded characters inscribed on it.

[The Palace of the Wheel-Turning King!]

The two had just stepped onto the white jade steps when they were instantly teleported to the front of the palace. To their surprise, Zhong Bai was the first to arrive at the palace gate and knock on it.

"Disciple Zhong Bai pays respects to the Fourth Patriarch!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the palace gates in front of them slowly opened. The two exchanged a glance and then stepped inside.

Inside the palace, there were three figures: one was the Fourth Ancestor, one was the Patriarch of Longhu Mountain, and the other was a high-ranking official of the Underworld.

Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei went straight to the three people and looked at the three figures sitting above them. Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei bowed deeply once again.

“Zhong Bai, you’ve arrived on time, but going to the New World is not an easy task.”

The Fourth Patriarch was the first to stand up and speak, and Zhong Bai had already mentally prepared himself for what he was about to say.

"Reporting to the Fourth Patriarch, this disciple has no fear!"

"Senior, I am not afraid either!"

The Fourth Patriarch smiled faintly.

"Alright, the disciples of Longhu Mountain are yours to handle. Zhong Bai, you can't go to the New World without a protective item. Here, take this with you!"

After he finished speaking, a drum appeared in the Fourth Patriarch's hand, and Zhong Bai frowned immediately upon seeing it.

"Fourth Ancestor, this Kui Niu Drum..."

“A spiritual treasure is only a treasure when it is used. Keeping it in Maoshan is like letting it tarnish its glory. You can keep it with you.”

Without giving Zhong Bai a chance to refuse, the Fourth Patriarch flicked his finger from a distance, and the Kui Niu Drum flew straight towards Zhong Bai's brow and disappeared.

"This Kui Niu Drum can only be used after you reach the Nascent Soul stage. For now, we will seal it within your body."

"Do you two have anything else to say?"

He glanced at the Longhu Mountain Patriarch and the high-ranking officials of the underworld beside him, who showed no emotion whatsoever, and nodded.

"In that case, the three of us will work together to open a passage for them!"

As soon as they finished speaking, the three of them stood up at the same time and began to bombard the void in front of them. A passage was thus opened up, and a spiritual energy of heaven and earth dozens of times richer than that of this world surged out from the passage, with gusts of wind sweeping through the deep passage.

"Zhong Bai, you two go inside..."

Upon hearing the Fourth Patriarch's words, Zhong Bai walked towards the passage, letting the gale hit him, while Zhang Zhiwei behind him used the Golden Light Divine Mantra to shield him from the gale.

In a short while, the two disappeared from the palace, leaving only the Fourth Ancestor and the three high-ranking officials of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Ancestral Master and the Underworld, with beads of sweat dripping from their foreheads.

......................................................

Daqian.

Guobei County.

The people who usually come and go in the county all looked up at the sky at the same time, and saw a crack that covered the sky and the sun quietly appearing in the void.

With a crack, thunder surged between heaven and earth, and as the wind and clouds shifted, two fireballs descended from the sky through the cracks in the void.

There was a loud bang.

The fireball landed a hundred meters from the entrance of Guobei County, creating a huge crater with intense heat that deterred curious locals from approaching.

In the deep pit, Zhong Bai was somewhat weak. The energy in the passage was pulling at his true essence and soul. If it weren't for his strong physical body, he might not have been able to wake up immediately, just like Zhang Zhiwei, who was still unconscious at the moment.

Zhong Bai sat cross-legged in the deep pit, feeling the abundant spiritual energy between heaven and earth, which made his mind ripple. However, when Zhong Bai looked at the demon-slaying panel in front of him, he felt a chill in his heart.

[Normal spiritual energy concentration detected. The demon-slaying panel is upgrading...]

"Doing this at a crucial moment... but it seems like it's okay to level up without needing demon-slaying points."

Zhong Bai was slightly speechless. At this moment, his true essence was almost gone. He had originally planned to use the Demon Extermination Points to accelerate the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique's absorption of some spiritual energy to replenish his true essence, but now it seemed that he should just honestly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on his own.

However, just as he attempted to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, Zhong Bai's face immediately darkened.

"I had completely forgotten that I still have 20 million karmic points on me..."

The surrounding spiritual energy was abundant, but it seemed to avoid Zhong Bai. He could only absorb a small portion of it into his body, a snail-like pace that was worse than not cultivating at all.

(End of this chapter)