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

"Ling'er believes what Sister Mo said!"

As soon as Zhao Ling'er finished speaking, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and a familiar voice entered her ears.

“What your sister Mo said is of course true.”

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Zhao Ling'er's smile vanished abruptly. She then turned around abruptly and, upon seeing the person she had been longing for, was overjoyed.

"Brother Zhong Bai! You're back!"

Mo Ling, who was standing to the side, was also overjoyed. She had only said it casually, but she never expected that her husband would actually return to Maoshan.

Meeting, tenderness, embrace...

After hugging Zhao Ling'er and Mo Ling, Zhong Bai looked at Lin Qing'er, who was standing blankly outside the door behind him.

He then looked at Zhao Ling'er with a serious expression and said, "Ling'er, this time your husband went to the Nanzhao Kingdom, not just to bring back the Water Spirit Pearl. I wonder how much you know about your mother?"

Upon hearing Zhong Bai's question, Zhao Ling'er shook her head truthfully.

"Ling'er doesn't know either. Ling'er has never seen her mother since she was little. Brother Zhong Bai, what do you mean?"

Nod.

“The woman standing outside the courtyard gate is your mother, the former high priestess of the Nanzhao Kingdom.”

After speaking, Zhong Bai looked at Mo Ling and gave her a wink. Mo Ling understood and took Zhong Bai's hand, leading him into the house. Only Zhao Ling'er remained in the courtyard, her gaze passing through the courtyard gate and meeting Lin Qing'er's eyes outside.

When a mother and daughter meet, there is bound to be a deep emotional connection. Zhong Bai and Mo Ling did not participate in this scene, leaving this time to the mother and daughter.
Back in Maoshan, half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.

Yuanfu Wanning Palace.

This was the first time Zhong Bai had been summoned here by Master Tianning since returning to Maoshan.

Standing all around were the Maoshan elders, all exuding the aura of the Nascent Soul Realm. Zhong Bai's aura was equally strong; he hadn't slacked off in the past ten days, spending 1000 million Demon Extermination Points every day. Although he had only broken through to the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm less than a month ago, his aura was already close to that of the Nascent Soul Realm.

Upon arriving at the hall, all the Maoshan elders were extremely surprised.

After all, they knew very well how long it would take to go from the late stage of Nascent Soul to the peak of Nascent Soul. It could take anywhere from a few years to several decades. Some cultivators could not even break through in their entire lives. But Zhong Bai broke through to the peak of Nascent Soul in less than a year. Now he was almost at the level of Deity Transformation. How could they not be surprised by such a terrifying cultivation speed?

Master Tianning sat cross-legged in the chief seat, smiling slightly as he looked at Zhong Bai who had arrived.

“Zhong Bai is here. I called you here today not only because of the Water Spirit Orb, but also because there is something else I need to tell you.”

Zhong Bai stood in the center of the main hall, politely bowed to the elders around him and the Venerable Tianning at the head of the table, and then slowly nodded.

"Sect Leader, please speak frankly!"

Master Tianning didn't hide anything either.

"Zhong Bai, your marriage with Mo Ling is coming soon. In the Underworld, besides the Feathered Immortal Mansion, there are two other forces that need to be watched out for. One is the Netherworld Ghost Mansion, which is mainly composed of ghost cultivators, and the other is the Myriad Demon Mansion, which is mainly composed of demon cultivators!"

There's no need to worry too much about the Netherworld Ghost Palace, but the strength of the Myriad Demon Palace should not be underestimated. If you want to take over the Underworld in the future, you'll need to eliminate these two forces, and it would be best if you personally expelled them from the Underworld.

In this way, with destiny bestowed upon him, self-imposed confinement would become easier…

Zhong Bai was a little confused, but Master Tianning's explanation was equally clear.

"Once you reach the Nascent Soul realm, you will understand that there is such a thing as destiny. People with abundant destiny will be stronger than ordinary cultivators in terms of cultivation and opportunities."

As the leader of the Maoshan otherworld, Zhong Bai, your luck is not weak. However, it is still unknown whether you can directly refine and seal yourself. To be on the safe side, you need to plunder the luck of other forces to empower you!
The Netherworld and the Demon Palace are the best choices. They occupy the Underworld and possess the vast majority of its fortune. If you can expel them from the Underworld, its fortune will be bestowed upon you, making it easier to seal yourself off. Of course, this cannot be done alone; Maoshan is your eternal support!

Zhong Bai nodded. Tianning Shangren's meaning was not for him to take action against these two top forces now, but to make him understand how to proceed in the future.

"Zhong Bai understands, thank you for your guidance, Sect Leader!"

After finishing his business, Master Tianning took out the Water Spirit Pearl from his robes.

"Maoshan already possesses two of the Five Spirit Pearls. Zhong Bai, what are your thoughts?"
If you could gather all five elemental pearls, it would be an extremely rare opportunity for you!
However, if the Water Spirit Orb is used to address the drawbacks of Nuwa's bloodline, only four of the five spirit orbs will remain. Even if you find all four remaining orbs, the effect will be greatly reduced.

Zhong Bai pondered. The meaning of these words was clear: he was given a choice—whether to choose his future cultivation speed and opportunities, or to use the Water Spirit Pearl to resolve the drawbacks of Nuwa's bloodline.

Without the Demon Exorcism Panel, Zhong Bai would definitely be conflicted when faced with this problem, but with the Demon Exorcism Panel, Zhong Bai doesn't need the Five Elemental Pearls as much anymore.

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, Zhong Bai has thought it through. Even without the Five Elemental Pearls, Zhong Bai can still reach the top step by step on his own!"

After understanding Zhong Bai's choice, Master Tianning showed no emotional change.

There's a reason for either choice: the former is straightforward, while the latter allows for faster cultivation after acquiring the Five Elemental Pearls.

There's no such thing as the best choice.

"In that case, after your partner gives birth to a child, I will personally refine the Water Spirit Pearl into your child's body to resolve the drawbacks of the Nuwa bloodline."

"Zhong Bai kowtows in gratitude to the Sect Leader!"

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

Zhong Bai doesn't need to concern himself too much with the affairs of Maoshan. Tianning Shangren and the other elders can handle them well. For Zhong Bai at this stage, cultivation is the most important thing.

Shushan.

After slaying the Water Demon Beast, the Sword Saint, the leader of the Shu Mountain Sect, was taken back to the sect by the sect's founder. It took him several days to slowly wake up.

After waking up, the Sword Saint seemed like a completely different person. He was no longer as ruthless and cold as before, much to the astonishment of the elders of Mount Shu.

Of course, the current Sword Saints prefer a sect leader who is flesh and blood, which is much better than a cold and indifferent one.

At this moment, inside the sect leader's hall, the Sword Saint and a group of elders were discussing matters concerning the Drunken Sword Immortal.

"Sect Leader, the Drunken Sword Immortal and the Moon Worship Cult Leader colluded to release the Water Demon Beast, causing the deaths and injuries of millions of people throughout the Nanzhao Kingdom. Such an act cannot go unpunished!"

Normally, these elders might not have discussed this matter, after all, the Sword Saint had a special relationship with his junior brother.

But this topic wasn't brought up by them; it was brought up by the Sword Saint himself.

"Not only that, the matter concerning Zhong Bai of Maoshan has also been explained. Daoist Zhong Bai of Maoshan did not provoke the Drunken Sword Immortal at all. He went to him himself and was beaten up. After returning to Shushan, he turned around and blamed others, causing a rift in the relationship between Shushan and Maoshan. This matter also needs to be punished!"

"Everyone, please don't forget that, besides all of the above, the Sword Immortal only cares about drinking every day, acting crazy and damaging the image of Mount Shu. We usually don't dare to speak frankly about it, but now that the sect leader has brought it up, we might as well..." An elder was about to continue speaking when the Sword Saint slightly raised his right hand to signal him to stop.

He exhaled a breath of stale air; at this moment, the Sword Saint no longer wanted to protect his junior brother, the Drunken Sword Immortal.

"The Sword Immortal is my junior brother. The elders have hesitated to admit that he is inextricably linked to me, but now it is time to settle accounts."

According to the patriarch's wishes, the Drunken Sword Immortal should be captured and imprisoned in the Demon Locking Tower for 300 years as a warning to others. What do you all think?

If you are not satisfied with this outcome, we can discuss it further…

Upon hearing that the Sword Immortal was to be captured and imprisoned in the Demon Locking Tower for three hundred years, the elders, who already disliked him, were overjoyed.

"Master is wise!"

Clearly, they had no objections. The elders of Shushan knew exactly what the Demon Locking Tower was; imprisoning living people there for 300 years was incredibly cruel.

"Since everyone has no objections, let's issue a notice according to this resolution and capture the Drunken Sword Immortal!"

Shushan acted swiftly. As soon as the announcement was issued, several elders from the Enforcement Hall set off to track down the wisp of the Drunken Sword Immortal's soul left behind in Shushan. Within just a few days, they captured and brought him back.

In the main hall, the Sword Immortal, covered in wounds and appearing somewhat deranged, sat at the head of the table. The Sword Saint watched this scene indifferently, without wavering in the slightest.

"Sword Immortal of Drunkenness, do you know your crime?!"

With a shout from an elder of the Shushan Law Enforcement Hall, the previously cloudy-eyed Sword Immortal suddenly snapped to attention and became clear-headed.

When I looked up, I saw my senior brother sitting at the head of the table.

"Sect Leader, please save your junior brother!"

Upon hearing the plea for help from the Sword Immortal, the Sword Saint remained expressionless.

"Junior brother, it's not that your senior brother is heartless, but what you did was indeed a bit too much..."

"You knew perfectly well where the Water Spirit Orb was, yet you still chose to take it and trade it with the Moon Worship Cult Leader. Do you know that the birth of the Water Demon Beast caused the deaths of millions of lives?!"

Hearing this, the hotel fairy, who had still held a sliver of hope, was utterly devastated.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared directly at the Sword Saint sitting in the first seat.

"What crime have I committed!"

Sword Saint, you are the real culprit. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have ended up like this. You took Qing'er away, and you also inherited the position of the leader of the Shu Mountain Sect. You took all the benefits. I hate you!

Why, why didn't she even look at me properly after I rescued Qing'er? She'd rather leave with Zhong Bai, someone she'd just met, than believe me...

Hahahahaha!
"If you want to punish me, then bring it on!"

After saying that, the Sword Immortal's aura suddenly changed. He tried to struggle to get up, but before he could make any move, the elder of the Shu Mountain Law Enforcement Hall standing beside him struck out with a palm. The next second, the Sword Immortal spat out a mouthful of blood and lay stiffly on the ground, unable to move.

“Take him to the Demon-Sealing Tower…”

The Sword Saint felt a pang of sadness, and after saying those words, he turned and left.

What awaits the Drunken Sword Immortal is only imprisonment in the Demon-Locking Tower, enduring endless darkness.

Time still flies by, and Zhong Bai, who is far away in Maoshan, has become quite busy these past few days.

He had exhausted his demon-slaying points, but even with a large number of demon-slaying points, they were useless at the moment. He had already reached the peak on the path to the Nascent Soul stage, and to break through to the Divine Transformation stage, he needed to comprehend the universe.

This is something that exorcism points cannot do.

Of course, besides this, there is another matter: Zhao Ling'er is about to give birth.

Outside the courtyard, Zhong Bai was somewhat anxious, as this was the first time he had faced such a situation. Beside Zhong Bai was Mo Ling.

As for Zhao Ling'er's mother, Lin Qing'er, she was currently in the room guiding Zhao Ling'er through childbirth.

Watching Zhong Bai pacing back and forth, Mo Ling covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

"It's rare to see a moment in the world that would make my husband so anxious."

Hearing Mo Ling's teasing, Zhong Bai stopped in his tracks.

“Ling’er is not a cultivator, and this is her first time giving birth. For ordinary people, this is a huge hurdle…”

Mo Ling nodded.

“That’s true, but has my husband forgotten that with Aunt Lin around, even if something happens, it won’t be a big deal? You can rest assured.”

That makes sense, but how could Zhong Bai really feel at ease?

"There's one more thing. Now that Ling'er already has your child, I wonder if my belly will cooperate..."

At this point, Mo Ling felt a little melancholy.

It's true that the Nuwa bloodline has its drawbacks, but it also has its advantages. For example, the fact that she is very easy to get pregnant is attractive to Mo Ling right now.

During Zhao Ling'er's pregnancy, she would pester Zhong Bai for whatever she could, but even after more than half a year, Mo Ling still showed no signs of pregnancy.

"Mo'er, there's no need to be anxious. It's quite difficult for cultivators to conceive offspring. It often takes more than ten years, or even hundreds of years. Ling'er is a special case. We have a long time ahead of us."

Zhong Bai's comforting words gradually calmed Mo Ling's restless heart.

"Don't worry, my husband, I understand."

The two continued to wait, and before long, one by one, the Maoshan elders arrived at Zhong Bai's cave. This was the first newborn born in Maoshan!

Although Maoshan disciples are not prohibited from marrying, for thousands of years, no one has actually chosen to have children in Maoshan.

The reason is simple: elders only have the path to immortality in their hearts, and they can't possibly be like Zhong Bai.

More and more people arrived, and the congratulations and well wishes never stopped...

(End of this chapter)