Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 688 The Rise of the Green Hall Master

If we take this down, the funding for Baoantang will skyrocket!
"The Poison Dragon Venerable's meager wealth is nothing..." She subconsciously reached for the Qiankun bag at her waist, but her fingertips suddenly paused.

The excitement was fleeting, followed by some doubt: were these valuables somewhat... illusory?

Master Qing was a man of many tastes and experiences, and he felt that the place was too extravagant.

Then I realized something was wrong. Where were all those demons who had rushed in earlier?

Just as the brain is working...

"Master Qing! You've finally arrived."

"Our Bao'an Hall is waiting for your meeting."

The gentle voice startled her so much that her scales stood on end. Xu Xuan emerged from behind the gold and silver mountains, his moon-white robe spotless.

He remained as composed as ever, and as dignified as ever, but what was startling was the hint of admiration in his eyes.

"Wait!" Xiaoqing took three steps back. "What did you call me? Besides, how can I chair the meeting with you here?"

"You are the head of the main hall, and I am the deputy head, so you should preside over this." Xu Xuan smiled warmly, and he was quite handsome, just like a dashing second male lead who was a simp.

What he said was a little hard to understand.

I?
Is it true or not? The following conversation was also quite interesting.

Xiaoqing sat on the gilded throne, her chin resting on her hand, her toes swaying slightly unconsciously. Before her, "Xu Xuan" was holding an account book and speaking eloquently, his gentle voice like the drizzle of March in Jiangnan.

In this state, the person is exceptionally well-behaved in both speech and action, completely lacking the usual yin-yang energy, and full of sincerity.

To be honest, the scholar-monk's state is... quite good, he's making Little Green King beam with joy.

Being good at speaking can be a great asset in positive situations.

Xiaoqing felt that although the matter was strange, it wouldn't be too much to indulge in it for a little while.

After listening to the report from Deputy Hall Master Xu (the word "Deputy" is in bold, underlined), Xiao Qing felt an unprecedented sense of comfort.

Actually, there wasn't much to report; it was all praise and flattery.

She wouldn't take compliments like "civil and military prowess" to heart.

"Ahem..." She deliberately put on a stern face, her fingertips tapping out an authoritative rhythm on the table. "Deputy Hall Master Xu... your work still needs improvement. Not to criticize you, but..."

Little Green King also got into the zone.

(The following 3,000 words are omitted.)

Just as I was feeling smug, I heard a cold, clear voice.

"Xiaoqing, is the meeting over? Come and give your older sister some guidance on her cultivation."

The moment that cold, icy voice entered her ears, Xiaoqing's crossed legs jerked violently, and she nearly slipped off the gilded throne.

She turned her head stiffly and saw Bai Suzhen standing to the side of the hall in plain clothes, her brows slightly furrowed, holding a scroll of the "Huang Ting Jing" in her hands, looking at her with a troubled expression.

"Sister...?"

Xiaoqing's voice suddenly tightened. The blissful feeling she had just experienced from Xu Xuan's flattery receded like a tide, replaced by an almost instinctive fear.

She knows her own limitations all too well.

Although I've learned a little bit from Xu Xuan over the years, when it comes to the foundation of Taoist magic, I'm not even qualified to carry my sister's shoes, let alone guide her cultivation.

In the illusion, "Bai Suzhen" had already opened the scroll, her slender white fingertip pointing at a certain spot: "The 'Qi ascends the twelve-story tower, the spirit crosses the three gates of the mysterious aperture' you mentioned last time, I've tried it several times but it always feels sluggish..."

Xiaoqing... this illusion is too much!

Some things, even in an illusion, are still impossible. Centuries of bloodline suppression forced her to snap out of her reverie.

Because my mind was protected by the pollution of information, I was not fully immersed in it, and now I was startled.

As the mind actively detached itself, the three streams of will power around the body converged in the eyes, and the golden light was broken away layer by layer.

The so-called magnificent scene of the Dragon Palace has changed, and what one looks like at a glance...

The once magnificent Dragon Palace is now in ruins. The towering palace pillars are leaning and broken, their surfaces covered with thick moss and grime. Scattered glazed tiles lie on the ground, gleaming faintly in the dark water.

Several holes have been broken in the roof of the main hall, and schools of fish occasionally dart through. The broken dragon carvings have peeled off the walls, and the eyes of the dragon heads are missing, leaving only empty eye sockets. The once glittering throne is now covered in rust, and nine thick chains hang to the ground, with deep scratch marks remaining at the clasps.

Coral decorations have turned into grayish-white withered branches, and only scattered threads remain of the pearl curtains. Thick layers of mud and sand have accumulated on the ground, with scattered gold and silver utensils and broken jade artifacts faintly visible. Some unidentified aquatic plants have spread among the ruins, their slender vines twining around the broken pillars.

What's chilling is that on the crystal floor in the center of the palace, there is a huge drag mark, at the end of which are several large, blackened scales.

The walls were covered with deep claw marks, and in some places, dried blood remained. The entire Dragon Palace was eerily silent, save for the whimpering sound of water flowing through the ruins.

What's even more terrifying is that she was in a coral forest at that moment.

The coral, which should have been magnificent and colorful, now looked like a living creature that had been skinned, with twisted and gnarled branches and dark red veins covering its surface, as if what flowed beneath its skin was not tree sap but viscous demonic blood.

The coral trees are scattered at varying heights, the smallest being no bigger than a palm, while the largest are like ancient trees reaching for the sky, their branches piercing the dome of the underwater palace.

The most terrifying thing is that every coral branch is "bearing" fruit - that is tens of thousands of aquatic spirits!
A catfish spirit with its gills pierced by a coral branch was hanging in mid-air, its tail still twitching unconsciously.
The shrimp and crab soldiers hung upside down on the branches like dried bacon, their shells blending seamlessly with the coral.
"Swish..."

Several blood-red coral branches, like venomous snakes that have smelled blood, are silently snaking toward her.

Within the coral blossoms blooming on the branches were miniature demonic faces, grinning ravenously at her.

Xiaoqing felt a chill run down her spine, her snake-like eyes shrinking to slits: "Xu Xuan said there are many strange things in the secret realm..." Her voice tightened, "...So this is the kind of strange thing?!"

I had expected to face ancient ferocious beasts, dragon restrictions, and was even prepared to fight to the death against the remnant soul of a true dragon. Instead, I encountered a bizarre instance.

This... she's not good at it.

Looking down again, he saw that the turtle he was holding had glazed eyes and seemed to be in a dream.

A low-quality bolt of dark lightning struck the tortoise shell, but divine lightning warded off evil and promptly woke it up.

"Big Turtle, quickly check if this place is safe."

The turtle-shaped detector felt a tingling sensation all over its body, almost to the point of tears. "Your wake-up method is quite fast, but..."

Looking at the terrifying coral forest before him, he thought about the illusion he had just fallen into.

Sigh... There's a reason why illusions can be so addictive; the real world is just too bitter.

Such a life for a tortoise can only be described as extraordinary.

Just as Xiaoqing was leading Guida through the eerie Dragon Palace dungeon, the fog above Dongting Lake grew thicker and thicker.

The new Shushan swordsmen guarding the surrounding area sensed something was wrong, but this change in the celestial phenomena did not exude much danger, and they were unsure how to deal with it for the time being.

However, they did not notice that the mist was constantly eroding the Dragon Palace. At first, it entered the Dragon Palace gate in wisps, but later it poured in in large swaths.

The fog seemed particularly interested in this new map that it was seeing for the first time.

Li Yingqi used the Purple Pure Spirit Flame to illuminate his surroundings, and as he scanned the area, he saw a figure moving through the mist.

His figure was very familiar.

"Master Xu?"

(End of this chapter)