There are no ancestors at all; I made them all up.

Chapter 22: A Dream of Immortals?

A gust of wind rose at the edge of the cliff, and Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes.

"Five years of accumulation have yielded such profound results!"

Upon introspection, the Qi of Great Harmony was surging like a great river, the initial form of the Destiny Symbol had solidified to seven-tenths, and the patterns of mountains and seas were faintly visible.

In his dream, he cultivated diligently for five years, saving him several years of effort in the real world, and he also overcame all the obstacles before condensing the talisman.

"Wow—"

As the "Haiyue Fragment" circulated, the sound of rushing rivers emanated from his body, and his skin shone with a jade-like luster.

"At this rate, I can digest all the insights I've gained over the past five years within three days. What I'll receive in return for my physical body then won't just be spiritual energy, but also a complete understanding of breaking through to a higher realm! However..."

Many memories resurfaced within five years—

His meritorious service in offering advice made him famous throughout the Jade Capital, even reaching the ears of the Celestial Emperor. However, this also made him a target of various factions. To avoid trouble, Princess Xiyao placed him in this "Xuandu Mountain" to cultivate, and also passed on the follow-up techniques of the "Taiyue Tongtian Jue".

Looking up, the ancient bronze palace appears and disappears in the depths of the sea of ​​clouds, with the two characters "Xuandu" as powerful as a sword.

"Xuandu Mountain, the sacred site of true immortals."

It is said that a true immortal is guarding this place, and no one dares to act recklessly. However, Chen Xu has been here for several years and has never seen him.

Recalling the past in his dream, Chen Qing suddenly felt it was absurd.

"Cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality, is all about attaining the Dao and becoming an immortal, living a carefree life and seeing the world forever! I struggle to survive in this world, yet in my dream I glimpse the path to immortality. This contrast is truly remarkable; it's a dream after all, you can find anything! I just wonder what an immortal looks like..."

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly saw a streak of emerald green sword light pierce through the air.

As the sword light fell, Xu Zhaoying's figure appeared.

She wore a lake-green long dress, with a jade belt swaying gently at her waist, but her face was frosty, and her eyes held barely concealed anger.

"Hit another wall?" Chen Qing glanced at the azure longsword in the other's hand as he spoke.

This sword is named "Flowing Water". The blade has flowing water patterns, and the hilt has nine spiral patterns resembling a fox tail.

According to the memory fragments, this sword is a specially made weapon of very high quality. It can also consume spiritual essence to fly through the air. As long as Xu Zhaoying masters the sword control technique, even if her cultivation level is not high, she can still fly through the air on the sword.

"These pseudo-Taoists from Xuandu Mountain! They don't deserve to call themselves disciples of immortals!" Xu Zhaoying sneered and tossed out a jade slip. "Whenever you mention bloodline agitation, they either claim the elixir formula is incomplete or the medicinal herbs are hard to find!"

Chen Qing took the jade slip and scanned it with his divine sense. He found that it was an incomplete "Hundred Meridians Harmonizing Pill Formula". It could be used to regulate the various disorders of blood and qi. In theory, it should be quite valuable, but it was missing the most crucial main ingredient.

"I have treated them well... my Princess Xiyao has treated them well, providing them with tributes every year!" Xu Zhaoying gritted her teeth. "Now that we need their help, they are making such a shirking of responsibility! It's nothing more than their disdain for the bloodlines of the Hundred Races and their deliberate discrimination!"

Chen Qing seemed to be deep in thought.

During her five-year dream, Xu Zhaoying and "Chen Xu" became quite close. This time, they came to Xuandu Mountain together, ostensibly as companions in cultivation, but in reality, they were seeking a pill to calm the restlessness of the Qingqiu bloodline for the princess, but things didn't go smoothly.

He carefully examined the jade slip in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly.

The formulation method of this elixir is seven-tenths similar to the "Fragmentary Formulas of Ancient Elixir" that I obtained during the day.

He looked at the jade slip and said, "The idea of ​​harmonizing all meridians is similar to the ancient method of returning the five elements to their origin. However, at the beginning of the Immortal Dynasty, the effects of many spiritual medicines were still unclear, and their medicinal power was unknown. It may not have been intentionally concealed..."

Xu Zhaoying shook her head and interrupted him in a low voice, saying, "Three days ago, the princess's bloodline was restless again, and she almost showed her demonic form. Someone in the court has already submitted a memorial saying that she is not of our kind!"

Chen Qing was startled.

No wonder Xu Zhaoying is so anxious today.

Then, he remembered the "Heavenly Fox Xi Yao" that Bai Shaoyou had mentioned.

Is it really going to come true?

“If there is no other solution,” Xu Zhaoying clenched her fist in her sleeve, “if news of another bloodline going out of control spreads, those old fogies will force the princess to go to the Meridian Cleansing Pool!”

The moment the words "Meridian Cleansing Pool" were uttered, fragments of memories in Chen Qing's heart surged up—it was the great weapon used by the Immortal Dynasty to deal with alien races. Those who entered the pool would have their bloodline destroyed at best, and their souls scattered at worst!

But... she's a princess of the Celestial Dynasty, and she's going to be punished just because of a bloodline disorder?
Is this dream a replay of history?

Or……

"Actually, that's not true. We won't be staying here for many more days." Xu Zhaoying suddenly changed the subject and took out a talisman from her sleeve. "This is a secret letter from the princess."

Chen Qing took it and looked at it; what he saw was a line of neat, small characters—

"Minister Chen's advice is of great merit to the nation. The Emperor has summoned you and you will be traveling to the capital in three days. You should accompany him to receive your reward. Do not delay."

A few ink stains are faintly visible between the characters, as if the writer was having trouble calming down while writing the letter.

"Is the resettlement policy not going smoothly?" Chen Qing asked, putting away the letter. In the past few years, Meng Zhong had been focused on cultivation and knew almost nothing about the outside world.

Xu Zhaoying sighed, "It was not only difficult! Those criminals rioted three times. Some people in the court secretly provided weapons. If it weren't for the princess personally overseeing the situation and uniting the Lu and Zhao families, it would have been ruined long ago!"

As she spoke, a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes as she looked at Chen Qing: "However, your divide-and-conquer method is indeed brilliant. By the third year, 30% of the criminals had voluntarily naturalized. Now, five years have passed, and the term is about to expire. The first batch of criminals who have been released from their status are almost indistinguishable from ordinary citizens of the Immortal Dynasty!" After a pause, Xu Zhaoying smiled: "I heard that many aristocratic families and important figures of the Immortal Dynasty are searching for your whereabouts, wanting to recruit and visit you. After you leave the mountain, your door will probably be bustling with visitors."

Dangdangdang——

As they were speaking, a bell suddenly rang in the distance, nine times in a row, shaking the sea of ​​clouds.

"The annual sermon is today!" Xu Zhaoying looked at the ancient hall. "It is said that the sermon this time is given by the second disciple of the Xuandu Mountain Master, Master Taiyan! It is often said that immortals are hard to see, but such disciples of immortals are also hard to find. If one can receive his guidance, the benefits will be immeasurable."

She glanced at Chen Qing and reminded him, "We're leaving anyway, so don't stay behind closed doors and cultivate in seclusion this time. Come with me and listen to what's going on. See if you can draw inferences from this and find a way to condense the life talisman."

She knew that her fellow Daoist was strict with himself. Five years ago, he had already formed the prototype of the Life Talisman, but in order to make it as perfect as possible, he had been accumulating and refining it.

Chen Qing nodded. Before, his true self was absent, and this body should have acted according to the most basic understanding and focused on arduous cultivation. Now that he had returned from his dream, how could he miss the lectures of the immortal disciples?
A warmth rose in his heart; he knew that true immortals had long since vanished from the mortal world!
However, as he followed Xu Zhaoying and stepped onto the Flowing Water Sword, smelling the fragrance on her body, he was thinking about the troubles he always encountered every time he entered the dream—escaping from the Xuanyu prison, listening to the wind and offering advice, and this time even preaching the law in Xuandu and receiving a princess's blessing!
"Could it be that I'm going to experience a turning point in Chen Xu's life?"

call--

The wind is howling!

The two rode their swords, passing through the sea of ​​clouds, and arrived at a suspended mountain peak.

This peak is entirely made of green jade, surrounded by swirling clouds and mist. The platform at the summit is as smooth as a mirror, with a white jade altar standing in the center. Dozens of people are already seated below the altar, each with an extraordinary bearing. There are scions of noble families in fine clothes and old cultivators with profound auras.

Chen Qing couldn't help but exclaim, "What a magnificent scene!"

Xu Zhaoying smiled and said, "Xuandu Mountain is indeed a fairyland on earth, but it can't compare to the few floating mountains with their abundant immortal energy, such as the Rainbow Light, Void Abyss, and Golden Crow Mountains, which can traverse continents and roam the four seas. These are the true immortal traces. Judging from the time, there are a few of them in Zhongling Continent. I'll take you to see them in a while."

Mount Xuyuan?!

Chen Qing's heart tightened. Wasn't this the sacred mountain that the gatekeeper of Xiaoyingzhou had mentioned, the one discovered by Haiyuan Temple?
"Could the floating divine mountain found by Haiyuan Temple be the Xuyuan Mountain that Xu Zhaoying mentioned? This... this spans two continents and how many years? However, it is, after all, a dream, so there may be some discrepancies."

But deep down, doubts inevitably arose.

Was it really just a dream?
Just thinking about it.

"Please take your seats here and do not speak loudly so as not to disturb others."

A young boy in blue robes approached the two of them, casually pointing to the outermost stone benches with a perfunctory attitude. Only when he saw the jade pendant at Xu Zhaoying's waist did he become slightly more respectful: "So you are from Princess Xiyao's residence."

Chen Qing noticed that the brocade cushions in the inner circle had long been occupied by several cultivators with powerful auras. The attendants were very attentive to them, offering them spiritual tea and immortal fruits from time to time.

"According to the rules of Xuandu Mountain, those with higher cultivation and higher status sit in the inner circle." The boy casually explained when he saw Chen Qing's gaze. "It's normal that you don't know this since you're new here. Please take a seat."

Xu Zhaoying snorted coldly, about to speak, when she was suddenly interrupted by a clear and cheerful greeting—

"Is this Fellow Daoist Chen Xu?"

A scholar in a blue robe walked briskly towards them. He had a refined appearance and a small bronze seal hanging at his waist.

"That's right." Chen Qing cupped his hands in greeting.

The scholar's eyes lit up: "It really is you! I've heard you were in Xuandu Mountain for a long time. I never thought that I would actually run into you on this whim to come and listen to the Dharma teachings in Xuandu! How did you come up with that strategy of 'dividing power and dispersing influence'?" He clapped his hands in admiration, "One strategy to eliminate 100,000 enemies, truly ingenious!"

Before the words had even faded, a commotion broke out in the inner circle.

"Chen Xu? Chen Xu who offered advice to pacify the people?"

A young man in brocade robes gracefully arrived, and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting: "I am Qiu Fang of the Qiu family. My father often praises Brother Chen's strategies as ingenious and unparalleled!"

This was like stirring up a hornet's nest. In the blink of an eye, the Zhao and Li families flocked in, completely surrounding the outer stone benches.

When the boy saw these arrogant young masters from noble families vying to bow to a cultivator sitting on the outer edge, he almost dropped the tea tray in his hand.

Xu Zhaoying smiled slightly and said softly, "Your reputation for 'one policy to bring peace to the people' is even more impressive than I expected." Then she frowned, "Unfortunately, such worldly wisdom has tainted the celestial atmosphere of this place."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing laughed, recalling the cultivation world that had appeared outside of his dream.

Xu Zhaoying retorted angrily, "What are you laughing at?"

Chen Qing pointed to the distant mountain peaks and said, "Look at the clouds on the mountain peaks. When they gather, they form a scene; when they disperse, they become mist. The fate of immortals and human relationships are nothing more than the cycle of gathering and dispersing."

Xu Zhaoying was taken aback, pondered carefully, and when she looked at Chen Qing again, her gaze changed subtly.

"when--"

The bell rang again, parting the sea of ​​clouds, and everyone instantly returned to their places in solemn silence.

A golden rainbow descended from the sky, and a white-robed Taoist priest stood on the altar. This man had a gaunt face, eyes that flashed like lightning, and an aura that was as deep and imposing as a mountain, causing all the cultivators present to hold their breath and concentrate.

"Today's topic is 'Heaven and Earth as a Furnace'."

The sound was like gold and jade striking each other, echoing across the mountaintop.

(End of this chapter)