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

Chapter 205 Zhong Bai Enters the Nascent Soul Stage, Scholar Ning Caichen

Streams of spiritual energy from heaven and earth surged toward Zhong Bai. In an instant, the surroundings were filled with a thick fog formed from the spiritual energy, and even the spiritual energy dripped water onto the ground.

At this moment, Zhang Zhiwei had just broken through to the Golden Core True Monarch realm. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a mist gathered by spiritual energy. Just as he was wondering about this, he sensed the terrifying, overwhelming power of Zhong Bai nearby.

"This is……!"

Startled, Zhang Zhiwei realized that Zhong Bai's aura had surpassed the Golden Core Perfection stage and was moving towards a realm he couldn't believe. As time passed, the Golden Core in Zhong Bai's dantian underwent astonishing changes.

The golden core, originally the size of a fist, was now quietly detaching from its core and floating in mid-air, while the core itself was radiating a golden light.

With a whoosh, streaks of pill patterns rushed toward the golden core, and all twelve streaks condensed into a black shadow at the center of the golden core.

At this moment, Zhong Bai was also feeling the changes in his dantian. In his soul, pure soul energy began to transfer towards the golden core. The nascent soul he was nurturing would be the next home for Zhong Bai's soul. Only when the nascent soul was condensed could the physical body and soul truly achieve complete separation.

Even if the physical body dies, it cannot damage the nascent soul. However, if the physical body dies before the nascent soul is formed, the soul will also be damaged and the person will become a ghost.

After nurturing his nascent soul, Zhong Bai could even abandon his current physical body and re-form it. Of course, no one would be foolish enough to abandon their perfectly intact physical body, especially since Zhong Bai's physical body was comparable to the peak of the Golden Core stage.

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

Within his dantian, the changes in the golden core continued. The golden core, originally the size of a fist, began to shatter little by little. As Zhong Bai's divine soul energy surged in, the black shadow gestating within it was rapidly taking shape.

Finally, when the golden core in Zhong Bai's dantian shattered with a crack, almost all of his true essence rushed towards the black shadow. His soul, true essence, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth above Zhong Bai's head surged even more fiercely.

Boom!

Within his dantian, the previously dormant thunder seal suddenly unleashed a bolt of purplish-gold lightning. The lightning coiled around the black shadow that had shattered the golden core. In a short while, the black shadow slowly coalesced, revealing itself to be a miniature version of Zhong Bai.

This is Zhong Bai's nascent soul!
In an instant, Zhong Bai's aura surpassed that of a Golden Core cultivator, and the surrounding pressure was like a mountain, causing even Zhang Zhiwei, who was protecting Zhong Bai, to be shaken.

"Is this... the terror of a Nascent Soul Dao Lord?"

Zhong Bai slowly opened his eyes. At this moment, his divine sense swept across the area, and every blade of grass and every tree within a hundred miles, even the tree demon in Lanruo Temple, were within the range of Zhong Bai's divine sense.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Qianhe, on achieving the Dao Lord status!"

Zhang Zhiwei approached Zhong Bai and respectfully bowed to him.

Zhong Bai smiled and nodded.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Zhang, you're too kind. Fellow Daoist Zhang has also made a breakthrough, becoming a Golden Core True Monarch, which is quite a powerful existence in this world!"

Hearing Zhong Bai's words, Zhang Zhiwei smiled bitterly. Although Zhong Bai's words made sense, Zhang Zhiwei understood one thing: the gap between him and Zhong Bai was widening. If the difference between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment was only one major realm, then the difference between Golden Core and Nascent Soul could very well be a lifetime!

"Fellow Daoist Qianhe, you flatter me. However, the power of a Golden Core True Monarch is indeed incomparable."

After a brief conversation, the two returned to Guobei County. Now that they had broken through their cultivation levels, it was time for Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei to go to Lanruo Temple to kill the tree demon!

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Inside the inn, Zhong Bai looked at Zhang Zhiwei with a hint of a smile, seeing her surprised expression.

And all of this stemmed from Zhong Bai's presence.

At this moment, Nie Xiaoqian had a chance to come out of Zhong Bai's seal of the Yang Realm Inspector to get some fresh air. Zhong Bai didn't hide anything either. When he saw Nie Xiaoqian, Zhang Zhiwei finally understood why he had sensed something was wrong with Zhong Bai that night: the cultivator's vital energy was gone!

"Fellow Daoist Qianhe, you're quite the lucky one!"

Zhang Zhiwei joked, while Zhong Bai looked at Nie Xiaoqian and said, "This is Zhang Zhiwei, the True Lord of Longhu Mountain, who is of the same path as me."

Nie Xiaoqian bowed to Zhang Zhiwei in greeting. Looking into Zhang Zhiwei's clear eyes, Nie Xiaoqian was truly surprised that there could be such a pure Taoist in this world.

"Haha, Miss Xiaoqian, you don't need to be so polite. I am not an old-fashioned person. Fellow Daoist Qianhe was not allowed to have a Daoist partner in the past, but it is normal for him to be like this now."

"Since this is our first meeting, I have no gift to offer Miss Xiaoqian. Please forgive me."

"No, no, no, Lord Zhang is joking. Xiaoqian is my master's maid. How can you blame her?"

After getting to know each other, Zhang Zhiwei left Zhong Bai's room on her own initiative. Yes, this was the result Zhong Bai wanted.

Looking at Nie Xiaoqian who had been left behind, Zhong Bai was somewhat surprised. When he took Nie Xiaoqian into his seal last time, she was only at the late stage of Ghost General. But now, only a few days later, she had already reached the peak of Ghost General, and the pure energy in her body was even continuing to increase.

Seemingly sensing Zhong Bai's confusion, Nie Xiaoqian blushed and said, "My innate yin essence is a balance of yin and yang for you, and your primordial yang essence is the same for me."

Zhong Bai smiled brightly, "So that's how it is."

"Okay, Xiaoqian, from now on you can just call me 'sir,' no need for 'you' or 'me'..."

Nie Xiaoqian nodded. The key issue was that she really didn't know how to address Zhong Bai. Should she call him Master? Lord? Or Daoist Lord?

Their relationship was somewhat complicated; they were neither Daoist partners nor true master and servant. He was called Mr. Zhong Bai. Although Xiaoqian didn't understand the meaning behind it, she didn't find it offensive.

"Yes, sir!"

A spring breeze swept through the night, and peach blossoms bloomed in abundance.

At dawn the next day, Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei planned to go to Lanruo Temple to eliminate the tree demon. On the way to Lanruo Temple, Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei remained silent. When they were about a kilometer away from Lanruo Temple, they saw a beam of Buddhist light shining in all directions from within the temple.

The two exchanged a glance and quickened their pace. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the gate of Lanruo Temple. Looking at the ancient Buddhist scriptures posted around the temple, Zhang Zhiwei couldn't help but approach and examine them closely.

"This is... the Heart Sutra!"

Upon hearing Zhang Zhiwei's words, Zhong Bai didn't even use his divine sense to investigate. He went straight to the temple gate. These Buddhist scriptures might be treasures to evil spirits and demons, but they were completely useless against Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei.

The two pushed open the door and entered, where they saw a young man in a gray robe shivering and huddled in a corner, looking utterly lost.

Upon seeing Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei arrive, the previously distraught young man quickly got up and stumbled towards them, then knelt down with a thud.

"Master Yan, please, save Xiaoqing!"

Hearing the man's inexplicable words, even Zhang Zhiwei, who had a good temper, frowned. With a wave of his hand, the young man in front of him was sent flying several meters away and collapsed to the ground.

"A frail scholar..."

This is Zhang Zhiwei's evaluation.

Zhong Bai, on the other hand, was quite curious. He guessed that the young man in front of him was very likely the famous Ning Caichen!

Just then, a bearded man walked out of the temple. However, Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei could tell at a glance that the man in front of them was a fellow Daoist.

"Hero Yan!"

The young man who had just been thrown off by Zhang Zhiwei was now heading towards the burly man with a bushy beard.

Yan Chixia was somewhat helpless, but he didn't throw it like Zhang Zhiwei.

“Ning Caichen, I have already made myself very clear. The girl Xiaoqing you speak of is nothing more than a wandering ghost controlled by that tree demon. She is with you only to absorb your yang energy.”

Why are you so stubborn?

After saying this, Yan Chixia finally had a chance to carefully examine Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei in front of him.

"Your integrity endures forever. May I ask if you hailed from a famous mountain or river?"

Yan Chixia was somewhat surprised. He couldn't see through Zhong Bai, but Zhang Zhiwei's early stage Golden Core True Monarch realm was genuine, and it wasn't difficult for Yan Chixia, a late stage Golden Core cultivator, to judge.

In particular, Zhang Zhiwei's every move exudes an ethereal, otherworldly aura, a quality that no rogue cultivator could possess.

"This humble Taoist priest is Zhang Zhiwei, a disciple of Longhu Mountain!"

Zhong Bai then introduced himself with a smile.

"I am Zhong Bai, a Taoist priest from Maoshan."

Upon hearing this, Yan Chixia was utterly incredulous.

"Longhu Mountain, Maoshan!"

Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei had no idea whether Maoshan and Longhushan existed in this world, but Yan Chixia, the native cultivator, knew very well that Longhushan and Maoshan were top-tier sects of Taoism!

"Fellow Daoists, I never expected you to be from Longhu Mountain and Maoshan. It is said that Longhu Mountain and Maoshan are mysterious and unpredictable, and rarely appear in the world. Among the six great masters of the Daoist sect, this is the first time I have met cultivators from Longhu Mountain and Maoshan."

"I am Yan Chixia, a disciple of the Shu Mountain sect. I greet you two fellow Daoists!"

Zhong Bai chuckled awkwardly, and upon hearing the name Shu Mountain, he immediately understood why Yan Chixia's sword control technique was his trump card.

However, Yan Chixia clearly misunderstood the Longhu Mountain and Maoshan mentioned by Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei. This mountain was not the same as that mountain. Of course, Zhong Bai and Zhang Zhiwei did not choose to explain.

"Fellow Daoist Yan, do you not know who this person is?"

Zhong Bai pointed at the trembling Ning Caichen, and Yan Chixia immediately became furious.

“Alas, Fellow Daoist Zhong, this is a long story. This young man is a weak scholar. I don’t know why he came to Lanruo Temple to spend the night. I’m sure you two are familiar with the situation of Lanruo Temple.”

Ning Caichen, who was not afraid of death, actually spent a night with a female ghost in green robes who was at the early stage of the Ghost General realm and one of the tree demon's subordinates.

A ghost is a ghost, and this kid isn't content with just surviving; he wants to take that female ghost in green with him and leave Lanruo Temple...

That's just wishful thinking!

At this point, Yan Chixia's gaze toward Ning Caichen turned one of disgust.

"This kid wants to die, I won't stop him."

Since he has come to me for help, I naturally cannot confront that tree demon just to help him.

After all, a peak-level demon king is not someone to be trifled with!

(End of this chapter)