Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 762 The Aura of Calamity, Seeking the Truth (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Dark clouds obscured the sun, a sea of ​​blood churned, and countless cultivators perished in the lightning...

"really……"

Li Yunjing put away the tortoise shell, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

This scene was exactly the same as the calamity he had sensed before.

"The Yuanyang Dao Sect is eager to expand its power, probably in order to strengthen its foundation as much as possible before the great calamity comes."

With that thought in mind, Li Yunjing no longer hesitated. He raised his hand and sent out a communication talisman to notify the Supreme Elders of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect".

He's going away for a while to prepare for breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.

As for the cooperation with the "Yuanyang Dao Sect", Li Yunjing considered it a minor matter.

With the Five Elements Immortal emerging from seclusion and taking charge of the "Shenxiao Temple," he finally had someone to share the burden.

The Five Elements True Man is considered one of the top three Nascent Soul cultivators in the "Divine Firmament Dao Sect," and is only one step away from breaking through to the Divine Transformation realm.

Currently, referring to someone as a half-step deity seems perfectly acceptable!

Once this person breaks through, he, along with his teacher and the ancestor in the secret realm, will become a high-end combat force in the sect's Nascent Soul realm.

As for the fact that the three of them are not very strong in the Nascent Soul stage?
There's nothing we can do about it.

It was already a stroke of luck that the three of them were able to break through their cultivation levels; they simply didn't have the time to cultivate their Nascent Soul realm to an extremely high level.

As the communication talisman transformed into streaks of golden light and streaked out of the secret chamber, Li Yunjing had already begun packing his bags.

He carefully organized the detailed regulations of the Six Domains Joint Defense, the research manuscript of the Blood Prison Rune, and the control techniques for the Thunder Guard Puppet and the Nine Heavens Thunder Prison Array, and placed them into a jade box engraved with the words "Divine Firmament".

This was a backup plan left for the Five Elements True Man, and also the last safeguard he laid for the joint defense of the Six Domains.

"Teacher, are you really going into seclusion at this time?"

Yan Yang held the bronze tree, his face full of worry, "There are many important things to do next!"

"A great calamity is approaching; personal cultivation is the foundation for survival."

"I have been stuck at the peak of the Golden Core stage for several years now. If I cannot break through to the Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible, I will not even be able to protect myself when facing experts at the Deity Transformation stage in the future!"

Li Yunjing raised his hand and patted his shoulder, his gaze falling on the darkening sky outside the window: "The joint defense of the six domains is important, but without sufficient strength to support it, it is ultimately a castle in the air."

He paused, took out some resources from his storage ring, and handed them to Yan Yang: "Keep these resources and cultivate diligently. I won't be able to teach you for a while."

Yan Yang gripped the "treasure pouch" tightly and nodded solemnly: "Disciple will certainly live up to Master's expectations!"

Before long, the Five Elements Master stepped into the secret chamber.

He was dressed in a five-colored Taoist robe, and his spiritual power surged like a vast ocean. Although he had not yet fully broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, he was already able to resonate with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Just by standing there, he gave people a sense of oppression as if a mountain was pressing down on them.

"Yun Jing, are you going into seclusion to break through your cultivation level?"

The Five Elements True Man looked at the jade box on the table, a knowing glint in his eyes. “Leave the affairs of the Six Regions to me. As for the Yuan Yang Dao Sect, I will cooperate according to your plan and ensure that the war against Zhao does not go awry.”

"Thank you for your help, Master."

Li Yunjing bowed respectfully.

The Five Elements Master was not only an elder of the sect, but also a guide on his path to breakthrough. If it weren't for the Five Elements Master's guidance, he wouldn't have been able to quickly comprehend the Five Elements Laws.

"This jade box contains all the details of the Six Domains Joint Defense, especially the distribution of the Zhao Clan's in-law forces and spiritual veins. Xuanzhenzi needs to confirm these details before the war begins."

After thanking him, Li Yunjing reminded him, "In addition, the Netherworld Ship in the East Sea is acting strangely. We need to send the 'Sky Patrol Ship' and 'Divine Firmament Warship' to strengthen patrols to prevent the 'Heavenly Demon Sect' and 'Heavenly Net Dao Sect' from taking the opportunity to launch a sneak attack."

"You can go into seclusion without worry."

The Five Elements True Man took the jade box, scanned it with his divine sense and understood immediately. He then smiled and said, "I have already sent a message to the sect. All the Supreme Elders who are not in seclusion are ready."

The two discussed for another half an hour, repeatedly confirming every detail, from the selection of the secluded cultivation location to the handover of sect affairs.

After the Five Elements Master left, Li Yunjing quietly departed.

This time, instead of staying in seclusion within the sect, he chose to travel.

Breakthrough and travel can be done at the same time!

The Yuanyang Dao Sect's plan seemed very promising, but Li Yunjing still felt uneasy without personally inspecting it!

The Shenxiao Dao Sect can join the Yuanyang Dao Sect in fighting others, but they must ensure a high win rate!
The morning mist over the "Crossing the Mountains" had not yet dissipated when a pale gray figure quietly moved through the forest.

Li Yunjing had changed the style of his "Starry Sky Robe" into an ordinary blue Taoist robe, with an inconspicuous longsword hanging at his waist.

He had his spiritual energy completely contained, and even his breathing was in sync with the rhythm of the mountain forest's spiritual energy. If one did not look closely, he would be no different from an ordinary rogue cultivator.

For this trip, he suppressed his cultivation level to the Foundation Establishment stage.

In the world of cultivation, this level of cultivation is neither too high nor too low. It can resolve many unnecessary troubles invisibly and prevent high-level cultivators from doubting themselves.

The reason for going to the "Great Yuan Dynasty" without informing anyone was to secretly investigate the true movements of the "Yuanyang Dao Sect".

Xuanzhenzi claimed that victory was assured, but Li Yunjing felt that the details were too vague and there were no contingency plans for failure, which made him suspicious.

Li Yunjing didn't want the ten True Persons of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" to perish in this battle fought by someone else.

After passing through the last pass of the "Crossing Mountains", the scenery suddenly changed.

Unlike the vastness of the "Mountain Crossing", the land of the "Great Yuan Dynasty" is full of neat spirit fields, with pale gold spirit-gathering runes engraved between the ridges. Every hundred miles there is a small "spirit vein tower" that gathers the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to the towns below.

Along the way, one could frequently see cultivators patrolling in the gray robes of the "Yuanyang Dao Sect." The flame-patterned tokens at their waists glowed faintly, and their eyes vigilantly scanned the passing merchants, clearly indicating that border control was extremely strict.

"No wonder the Yuanyang Dao Sect was able to expand so rapidly; its spiritual vein layout is quite ingenious."

Li Yunjing hid in an ancient tree, watching the spiritual energy surging from the "Spirit Vein Tower" flow into the distance along the underground veins, and thought to himself.

He noticed that the base of these "spiritual vein towers" was somewhat similar to the "thunder prison array" that "crossed the mountain range".

It is clear that the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" borrowed the formation techniques of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect", but focused more on "gathering spirits" rather than "defense" in the details.

After traveling for half a day, a city called "Luoyun City" came into view.

Above the city gate hung a flame flag bearing the inscription "Yuanyang Dao Sect," and the cultivators at the gate were checking the identities of those entering the city one by one.

Li Yunjing mingled among a group of merchants selling spiritual herbs, holding a pre-forged "rogue cultivator identity token" in his hand.

This was prepared in advance by the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" undercover agents. The card was engraved with the two characters "Qinghe" and labeled as "a low-level spirit herb merchant from the 'Great Ming Dynasty'".

These tasks are generally handled by the "Wanfa Association".

This is also why, despite committing a particularly serious error, the "Wanfa Association" still enjoys protection from high-ranking members within the sect and has not been banned.

Later, as Li Yunjing was promoted to a higher position, he learned just how much the "Wanfa Association" had actually accomplished.

From that time on, Li Yunjing had no hostility towards the "Wanfa Society". On the contrary, after he took power, he gave the "Wanfa Society" a certain degree of favor in the allocation of resources.

It was precisely because Li Yunjing acted fairly and justly that the "Wanfa Association" respected this future leader more and more, and basically followed Li Yunjing's orders strictly.

His identity was fabricated by people under the "Wanfa Society," but it could withstand strict scrutiny; his information was almost indistinguishable from the truth.

"Name, origin, purpose of entering the city."

The city-guarding cultivator took the identity token, swept it across with his fingertips, and a scrutinizing glint flashed in his eyes.

"Qinghe, a rogue cultivator from the 'Great Ming Dynasty,' has come to 'Luoyun City' to sell spiritual herbs and also to purchase a few 'True Essence Pills.'"

Li Yunjing spoke in a calm tone, deliberately suppressing his cultivation level to the fourth level of Foundation Establishment. The spiritual light in his eyes was also minimized, making him look no different from an ordinary rogue cultivator.

Seeing that there was nothing amiss, the city guard returned the identity token: "After entering the city, abide by the city rules. Private fights are not allowed within the city. You are prohibited from approaching the forbidden areas of the 'Yuanyang Dao Sect'."

"Thank you for reminding!"

Li Yun nodded, looking like an honest man.

Upon entering the city, most of the shops lining the streets displayed wooden signs that read "Certified by Yuanyang Dao Sect." From herb shops and magical artifact shops to elixir workshops, almost all of them had some connection with the "Yuanyang Dao Sect."

Clearly, in maintaining its rule, the Yuanyang Dao Sect was far more thorough than the Shenxiao Dao Sect.

The entire "Great Yuan Dynasty" was inextricably linked to the "Yuanyang Dao Sect".

Li Yunjing occasionally saw cultivators dressed in luxurious brocade robes walking by, accompanied by several servants, and passersby would give way to them.

These were the noble cultivators of the "Great Yuan Dynasty" and important vassals of the "Yuanyang Dao Sect".

Li Yunjing walked into an inconspicuous teahouse, sat down, and ordered a pot of the cheapest "Lingya Tea".

The cultivators in the teahouse were talking in hushed tones, mostly discussing information about "crossing the mountain range" and "the Divine Firmament Dao Sect".

This is, after all, the closest place to the "crossing mountain range".

Only information about "crossing mountain ranges" gets discussed.

"Have you heard? The Shenxiao Dao Sect has reinforced its troops again. It's said that two Golden Core cultivators have arrived!"

A monk with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks lowered his voice and spoke to his companion.

"Hmph, so what if we send more troops?"

"With Ancestor Xuanzhenzi presiding over our 'Yuanyang Dao Sect,' we are invincible below the Nascent Soul stage!"

"Besides this time..."

His companion, a fat monk, snorted disdainfully, subconsciously lowering the last few words, "...With thorough preparation, we'll make sure they don't leave alive!"

"Hush! Be careful!"

The sharp-mouthed monk looked around nervously, his voice even lower: "But speaking of which, the city patrols have been really strict lately. My cousin from 'Da Ming' was almost interrogated thoroughly." "Normal! It's a special time."

"I heard it's to guard against spies from the 'Divine Firmament Dao Sect'..."

Li Yunjing listened silently, his fingers unconsciously stroking the rough rim of the teacup.

These fragmented pieces of information confirmed some of his guesses: the Yuanyang Dao Sect was indeed actively preparing for war and was extremely wary of the Shenxiao Dao Sect.

Li Yunjing was not surprised that the Yuanyang Dao Sect was on guard against the Shenxiao Dao Sect. They were allies, but they were not indifferent to each other's actions.

Li Yunjing was just as wary of the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" in the past, and he still is now.

The relationships between different sects may not remain unchanged.

These are trivial matters to him.

He needed more crucial intelligence, especially regarding the source of Xuanzhenzi's confidence in his "inevitable victory."

After paying the bill and leaving the teahouse, Li Yunjing seemingly strolled around the city casually, but his divine sense spread out like mercury, capturing every possible trace of spiritual energy fluctuation and conversation fragment.

However, important areas within the city, such as the city lord's mansion, military camps, and several places marked "Yuanyang Important Sites," are all equipped with powerful isolation barriers, making it difficult for his divine sense to penetrate them silently.

As he traveled to the west of the city, a crowded square caught his attention.

A high platform was erected in the center of the square, where several cultivators from the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" stood and were giving passionate speeches.

Hundreds of low-level cultivators and mortals gathered below the stage, all looking excited.

"The evil forces are rampant, and all living beings are suffering!"

"Our Yuanyang Dao Sect upholds the righteous path and wishes to unite with other sects to jointly attack the demon's lair and restore a bright and clear world!"

"However, the enemy is strong and we are weak; only those with great courage and determination can succeed!"

"Our sect hereby issues the 'Demon Extermination Order,' sincerely inviting all those with ambition from across the land to join us in this grand undertaking!"

"Anyone who signs up to participate in the battle will be immediately given one hundred spirit stones and one bottle of pills!"

The leading cultivator's voice was loud and clear, carrying a seductive power, "Those who make meritorious contributions will be rewarded with spiritual weapons and cultivation techniques, and may even have the opportunity to become disciples of my 'Yuanyang Dao Sect'!"

Sure enough, on one side of the platform, disciples were registering names and distributing small bags containing spirit stones and pills.

A long line of applicants formed, their faces beaming with anticipation for the prize and hope for the future.

"Jointly attack the demon's lair?"

Li Yunjing sneered inwardly.

This so-called "devil's den" probably refers to the "Zhao State" and its supporters.

The Yuanyang Dao Sect is openly recruiting cannon fodder to build up its grassroots strength for the upcoming great war.

This method is not sophisticated, but with generous rewards, it always attracts a large number of desperate people and rogue cultivators eager for opportunities.

As for why we don't mention the State of Zhao?
The Yuanyang Dao Sect isn't stupid; they would never show any hostility towards the Zhao Kingdom before the war begins!

Otherwise, wouldn't the State of Zhao also need to mobilize?
When the great war breaks out, how many people from the Yuanyang Dao Sect will die!
If the people of "Zhao Kingdom" were to openly discuss guarding against demonic cultivators, they would only assume that they were still busy with the task of eliminating the demons "crossing the mountains".

They never imagined that the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" was going to make a move against them.

Li Yunjing's gaze swept over the back of the platform, where several composed gray-robed cultivators stood, clearly inner disciples of the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" responsible for overseeing the matter.

Their sharp eyes scanned the crowd, occasionally whispering to each other, seemingly assessing the quality of the applicants.

A thought struck Li Yunjing, and a plan quietly emerged.

Instead of approaching the registration line, he turned and merged into the crowd, heading towards the largest grocery store in town.

A moment later, he came out with a packet of newly bought, ordinary-looking spirit herb seeds.

He returned to the square, but instead of approaching the high platform, he chose a small stall that was neither too far nor too close to the registration point, where he could observe the inner disciples, and pretended to select items.

"Fellow Daoist has excellent taste!"

The stall was filled with cheap spiritual herbs, low-grade talismans, and broken magic artifacts. The stall owner, a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a beaming smile, greeted Li Yunjing warmly as he stopped, "My 'Azure Pattern Grass' may not be of high quality, but it is a basic material for refining Qi Gathering Pills. I'll sell it to you cheaply, five low-grade spirit stones per pound!"

Li Yunjing did not respond immediately. His gaze seemed to be on the spiritual herbs on the stall, but in fact, he was keeping a close eye on the three inner disciples of the Yuan Yang Dao Sect behind the platform through the corner of his eye.

These three individuals possessed refined auras, and the flame-patterned tokens at their waists gleamed with a faint golden light. They were of a higher rank than the city gate guards, clearly core personnel responsible for selecting "Demon Conquerors."

One of them was dressed in a gray robe, with a thin face, and his fingers kept tapping on the storage bag at his waist, looking slightly impatient.

Judging from the way he frequently scanned the registration line, he seemed to be looking for cultivators who met some kind of standard.

"This 'Azure Vein Grass' has too many impurities, resulting in excessive losses when refining pills."

Li Yunjing deliberately frowned, speaking in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the thin cultivator not far away to hear, "I heard that the Yuanyang Dao Sect is currently recruiting demon hunters and needs a large number of spiritual herbs to refine pills. If you can provide high-quality spiritual herbs, you might be noticed by the Dao Sect and included in their affiliated shops."

"Fellow Daoist, you are unaware of this!"

"High-quality spiritual herbs are all controlled by the inner sect of the Dao Sect. How can we small vendors possibly get our hands on them?"

"Besides, this Demon Conquest Order looks exciting, but who knows whether they'll live or die on the front lines?"

Upon hearing this, the stall owner sighed and lowered his voice: "My nephew followed the Daoist sect to exterminate the demons 'Across the Mountains' last year, and he hasn't returned yet!"

These words seemed to touch a nerve with the gaunt cultivator. He suddenly turned his head to look at the stall, his gaze lingering on Li Yunjing for a moment.

Seeing that Li Yunjing was dressed in an ordinary blue Taoist robe and that his cultivation level was only at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, a hint of contempt flashed in his eyes, and then he turned to the registration team.

However, Li Yunjing could clearly sense that the other party's spiritual power had quietly swept over him, obviously to confirm his identity.

"I see."

"Alright, I'll buy two catties of 'Green Vein Grass' first. If it works, I'll come back to patronize you again in the future."

"By the way, fellow Daoist, do you know where demon hunters are assigned after they sign up?"

Li Yunjing shook his head with feigned regret, and took out a small bag of low-grade spirit stones from his storage bag. "I have a distant relative who also wants to sign up, but he's afraid of being sent to a place that's too dangerous."

"Why are you asking so many questions, you cultivator?"

Just as the stall owner was about to speak, the gaunt cultivator suddenly stepped forward and said coldly, "The matter of conquering demons is a secret of the 'Yuanyang Dao Sect.' How dare you inquire about it so casually?"

"Please forgive me, Immortal Master!"

Li Yunjing immediately looked alarmed and quickly bowed, saying, "I was only worried about the safety of my relatives and had absolutely no intention of prying into any secrets!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "Immortal Master" slightly, both to satisfy the other person's vanity and to imply that he recognized his identity.

The gaunt cultivator's expression softened slightly. He scanned the identity token handed over by Li Yunjing with his fingertips and saw that the information on it, "Qinghe, a rogue cultivator from the Ming Dynasty, a spirit herb merchant," matched the information registered at the city gate. Only then did he lower his guard a little.

"The demon conquerors must go to the front lines to wipe out the remaining evil forces in the 'Crossing Mountains.' Danger is inevitable, but how could my 'Yuanyang Dao Sect' mistreat those who have rendered meritorious service?"

"If your relative is truly courageous, let him sign up. As long as he can achieve meritorious service, he will not only receive a generous reward but will also be able to join an affiliated sect of the Daoist sect, ensuring he will have no worries about cultivation resources in the future!"

The gaunt monk shamelessly began to make grand promises.

Judging from his appearance, he clearly didn't know the truth and genuinely believed that the recruitment of cultivators was aimed at "crossing the mountain range"!
"Thank you for your guidance, Immortal Master!"

Li Yunjing readily showed his gratitude, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the "treasure pouch" at the thin cultivator's waist.

The pouch was embroidered with a unique flame and cloud pattern, slightly different from the tokens of ordinary inner disciples, with a faint hint of bloodlust in the pattern.

Li Yunjing's heart stirred, recalling that Xuanzhenzi had mentioned that the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" had a secret force called the "Blood Flame Guards" who were specifically responsible for carrying out special missions.

"Could this person be a member of the 'Bloodflame Guard'?"

He pondered to himself, but remained outwardly calm, continuing his conversation with the gaunt cultivator: "Immortal, your bearing is extraordinary; you must hold a high position within the Dao Sect. I humbly request to know, if you wish to provide the Dao Sect with a supply of spiritual herbs, do you have any connections?"

A hint of disdain flashed in the gaunt cultivator's eyes, but upon hearing the words "spiritual herb supply," he became slightly tempted: "How many spiritual herbs do you have?"

"Not many, but the quality is acceptable."

Li Yunjing took out several "Green Spirit Grasses" he had prepared in advance from his storage bag. The grass leaves glowed with a faint spiritual light, and their quality was indeed much better than those sold by vendors.

“I picked these on the outskirts of the ‘Crossing Mountains’. I originally intended to bring them back to ‘Da Ming’ to sell, but it would be even better if they could be supplied directly to the Dao Sect.”

"There is some skill involved."

"Here's what we'll do: three days from now at noon, bring the spirit herbs to 'Hundred Herbs Hall' in the east of the city and find Manager Chen."

The gaunt cultivator took the spiritual herb, probed it with his fingertips to check its quality, and his expression softened a bit: "If it can pass the test, it may become an external supplier for the Dao Sect."

"Thank you, Immortal!"

Li Yunjing repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting, but he already had a plan in mind.

"Bai Cao Tang" is the distribution center for spiritual herbs of "Yuan Yang Dao Zong" in "Luo Yun City". If one can infiltrate it, one may be able to obtain information from higher levels.

After leaving the square, Li Yunjing did not rush to the inn to rest. Instead, he strolled along the main street of the city, seemingly wandering around, but secretly memorizing the layout of every building that might be related to the "Yuanyang Dao Sect".

The layout of "Luoyun City" is completely different from that of the cities in the "Ming Dynasty". The streets are distributed radially, with the city lord's mansion and the branch of "Yuanyang Daozong" at the center, and various shops and residences around it.

This layout facilitates rapid troop deployment and is clearly the result of careful design.

Upon reaching the east of the city, a magnificent architectural complex comes into view.

High walls and vermilion gates stand before two stone lions, their eyes inlaid with red gemstones that gleam eerily in the sunlight.

The three large gilded characters "Baicaotang" on the door plaque are written in a vigorous and elegant style, with a small flame and cloud pattern below, which is the emblem of "Yuanyang Daozong".

(End of this chapter)