Starting Immortal Cultivation from a White Dog

“Indeed,” said the Great Wisdom Zen Master, who was seated first on the right.

He was thin and frail, as if a gust of wind could blow him over. He wore a faded gray old monk's robe, his face was gaunt and deeply wrinkled, but his eyes shone with a sharp inner light.

The Great Master Zhi, who was in charge of the Vinaya Academy, was known for his meticulous thinking and profound wisdom.

His gaze swept over Dawei and Dayong, finally settling on Abbot Dajue's slightly closed eyelids. He said slowly and deliberately, "According to our informants in Wuling County, Lady Zhurong has never left the Lu family... Now, more than ten days have passed and we have completely lost contact with her."

"The Zhu Rong clan has sent people there many times, but they have not only failed to see anyone, but they have also failed to see Lu Ding."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Right now, the Lu family is probably in a terrible predicament, barely able to cope with the Zhu Rong clan's accusations. How could they possibly have the energy to meddle in the affairs of our Longxiang Temple?"

Below Master Dazhi was Master Dade, who had a ruddy complexion, a slightly plump figure, and always wore a smile. He was in charge of welcoming guests and managing the temple's secular affairs.

He shook his head slightly. "In my opinion, Lu Ding made those harsh remarks at the banquet that day because he was caught in a dilemma and had no choice but to put on a brave face to save face."

"Now that times have changed, our allies are fighting amongst themselves, and he's embroiled in his own troubles, he must be kicking himself. He probably wishes we'd forgotten about that ten-day agreement long ago, so how could he dare to bring it up again?"

"Haha! Brother Dade, you see things clearly, that's exactly right!" Zen Master Dawei clapped his hands and laughed, but because it aggravated his injuries, he coughed violently a few times, and his face became even more flushed.

"What that brat Lu Ding said back then, now seems to be nothing but the delusions of an ignorant madman. Our Buddhist temple is a pure and solemn place, protected by Vajra protectors and the Dragon Gods. How can we allow such an arrogant and ignorant brute to run wild?"

"If he doesn't come, fine. But if he dares to recklessly set foot on my temple's gates..." A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, "I will make him know just how powerful my Longxiang Temple's thousand-year-old Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Divine Power and Vajra Subduing Demon Method truly are."

"He can come, but he can't leave!"

Zen Master Dazhi smiled and said, "Junior Brother is right. This boy is just a newly promoted Nascent Soul cultivator and not worth mentioning. Senior Brother Dawei's defeat that day was very likely due to Lady Zhurong's secret actions."

"For us, the most important thing right now is to expand our strength in Kunming Prefecture and gain a firm foothold."

"Originally, there were several small families that were wavering between our temple and the Zhu Rong clan. Seeing that the Zhu Rong clan had lost its composure again, they have recently sent people to express their goodwill to our temple."

“Abbot Brother…we can take this opportunity to expand our influence in Kunming. Now that the Zhu Rong clan is leaderless, it is a golden opportunity.”

Upon hearing this, Dawei and Dayong both showed interest, and even Abbot Dajue, who had been keeping his eyes slightly closed, paused slightly in the fingers that were turning his prayer beads.

The Great Master slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the four chief monks present. His voice was deep and resonant, carrying an unquestionable authority that echoed in the meditation room.

"Amitabha. Although our Buddha is compassionate and saves all sentient beings, he also needs to protect the Dharma, subdue demons and monsters, and maintain the purity and authority of our Buddhist tradition."

“Providing protection and guidance to those devout believers who sincerely turn to Buddhism is also a meritorious act. As for the specific matters, Brother Dazhi can handle them at his discretion.”

"I will obey the abbot's decree!" Zen Master Dazhi's smile widened, and he quickly put his palms together in a gesture of respect.

Soon, the influence of Longxiang Temple began to intervene in the territory of Kunming Prefecture that originally belonged to the Zhurong clan. Under the guise of mediating disputes or providing protection, they gradually encroached on the resources and territory that originally belonged to the Zhurong clan.

……

The ancestral home of the Zhurong clan.

Inside the Chongming Hall, the ever-burning fire of Zhurong God burns year-round, illuminating the four walls in a crimson glow. At this moment, however, the atmosphere inside the hall is even more scorching and oppressive than the fire itself.

With a loud "bang," a long, sturdy bronze table was smashed to pieces by a fist engulfed in flames.

The one who made the move was an elderly man who was nine feet tall and had a ruddy complexion.

That was a highly respected elder of the Zhurong clan, named Zhurong Ba.

This person's cultivation has reached the second level of the Nascent Soul realm, and he is in charge of a portion of the clan's fighting force.

He was always hot-tempered, and at this moment his eyes were blazing with fire, his hair and beard bristled, and crimson flames rose uncontrollably around him, scorching the ground beneath his feet until it was slightly black.

"Outrageous! Those bald monks from Longxiang Temple are going too far!" Zhu Rongba's voice boomed like thunder in the hall. "Taking advantage of my clan leader's absence, they dare to openly extend their reach into my Kunming territory, encroaching on resources and plundering mines. This is simply taking advantage of my Zhu Rong clan's misdeeds."

Another elder beside him frowned and added worriedly, "Longxiang Temple is certainly hateful, but what's even stranger is the Lu family. The lady clearly went to the Lu family, but now she has disappeared without a trace."

“Our clan sent three groups of people, all of whom returned empty-handed. The last time, they couldn’t even get into the Lu family’s gate and were beaten and driven back.”

"What exactly is the Lu family trying to do?"

He glanced around at the other clan elders in the hall, who also wore worried expressions, and said in a deep voice, "The Lady is the pillar of our Zhurong clan. With her here, there is nothing to fear at Longxiang Temple."

"The most urgent matter for any animal is to confirm the lady's safety. The Lu family's blatant obstruction makes one suspicious...do they harbor malicious intentions? Could they really dare to imprison, or even...murder my clan's rogue immortal?!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall, with voices of shock and anger rising from all sides.

"Our Zhurong clan is now beset by internal and external troubles without a wandering immortal to oversee it. The Longxiang Temple is eyeing us covetously from the outside, and the whereabouts of our lady are unknown..." An elder of the clan said with a bitter expression, "If this continues, I fear a great upheaval may occur!"

"Can't wait any longer!"

Zhu Rongba suddenly stepped forward, his voice booming like a bell, and declared resolutely, "I will personally go to the Lu family to demand the person back! I want to see them alive or dead."

“If Lu Ding dares to make excuses again and doesn’t give a clear and explicit explanation, I, Zhu Rongba, will risk my old life to storm his Lu family’s ancestral home and demand justice.”

"I wish the Rong family a long and prosperous future. I would rather die standing than live on my knees! At worst, we'll fight to the death, but I will never let such a treacherous person get away with this!"

He was already hot-tempered, and now, worried about his wife's safety and indignant at the actions of Longxiang Temple and the Lu family, he was even more furious and wished he could sprout wings and fly to Wuling County immediately.

Although the other elders felt that his actions were too reckless, the current situation was difficult, and there was no news of his wife. They did need someone of influence to go and negotiate forcefully.

After exchanging glances, the elders finally acquiesced to Zhu Rongba's actions, but repeatedly warned him to be careful, act according to circumstances, and not to completely break off relations.

Zhu Rongba paid no heed to any of this. He immediately gathered twenty elite guards, clad in bronze armor and wielding flaming halberds. The group moved swiftly and without concealment, riding on their fiery escape light like an angry fire dragon, leaving the ancestral land of the Zhu Rong clan and heading straight for Wuling County.

The cultivators along the way all gave way when they saw this menacing Zhu Rong clan's group, secretly wondering what major event was about to occur.

……

Wuling County, in front of the gate of the Lu family ancestral home.

It was nearly noon, and the sunlight was a bit dazzling. The two heavy gates of the Lu family were tightly closed, and sixteen Lu family guards, with solemn expressions and unwavering gazes, stood on either side of the gates as if cast in iron.

Suddenly, a wave of heat and the sound of air being torn apart came from the horizon. A crimson streak of light approached from afar at an astonishing speed, and in the blink of an eye, it landed in front of the Lu family's gate. With a loud bang, it stirred up a ring of scorching air, blowing away the dust on the ground.

The light faded, revealing Zhu Rongba's tall and imposing figure, along with twenty menacing guards behind him.

"Where is Lu Ding? Come out and see me!" Zhu Rong shouted like thunder, the booming sound crashing directly into the Lu family's gate, causing dust to fall from the lintel.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the tightly closed door, his chest heaving with rage. "I am Zhurong Ba, an elder of the Zhurong clan. I have come here today only to demand the whereabouts of my clan's Lady Zhurong."

"Lu Ding, you have repeatedly obstructed my clan's visits to the patriarch. What is your intention? If anything happens to my wife in your Lu family, my Zhu Rong clan will fight you to the death!"

His roar carried far across the street, immediately attracting the attention of many cultivators and commoners nearby, who stopped to watch and whisper among themselves.

The sixteen guards in front of the Lu family's gate remained expressionless, as if they hadn't heard the deafening roar. They stood straight, but their eyes became sharper, and their hands had quietly rested on the hilts of their swords.

Seeing that the gate remained tightly shut and there was no response, Zhu Rongba's anger intensified. He took a step forward, and the ground trembled slightly.

"Lu Ding! Don't be a coward! If you don't give me an explanation today, I'll smash down this door and go in to find him myself!"

As he spoke, flames surged around him, and he raised his right hand. A golden halberd formed from raging flames faintly appeared behind him, radiating a scorching and sharp aura, as if he were about to slash at the gate.

Just then, a giant hand, its entire body wreathed in pale golden light, appeared without warning above Zhu Rongba's head.

The moment this giant hand appeared, all the noise in front of the Lu family's gate vanished, and a soul-chilling sense of oppression enveloped the area within a hundred feet.

Zhu Rongba's pupils shrank suddenly, and the hairs on his body stood on end as an unprecedented sense of deadly crisis enveloped him.

He roared, no longer caring about attacking the gate, and poured all his magic power into the golden spear in an attempt to defend himself. The guards behind him also changed color and formed a battle formation.

However, everything is in vain.

The pale golden giant hand simply pressed down lightly.

"Boom!"

Zhu Rong's golden halberd, forged with his own divine powers and countless rare and precious materials, couldn't even last a moment before shattering into countless streams of fire.

He was like a nail being hammered into a wooden board by a giant hammer, unable to even utter a scream, before being forcefully slammed into the hard granite-paved street beneath an irresistible, immense force.

Gravel flew everywhere and smoke filled the air.

When the smoke and dust cleared up, a human-shaped pit with neat edges and a depth of more than three feet was seen on the ground.

Zhu Rong was embedded in the bottom of the pit, his armor twisted and deformed, covered with cracks.

His face was ashen, blood was flowing from his mouth and nose, his eyes rolled back, and his magical power was completely sealed. He couldn't even move a finger, and only his weak, intermittent breathing proved that he was still alive.

The twenty guards were thrown away by the force and fell to the ground in disarray, their faces pale, and they dared not make the slightest move.

The entire street was deathly silent; all the onlookers gaped, speechless with horror.

An elder of the Zhurong clan, who was at the Nascent Soul Realm, was suppressed so easily and almost humiliatingly with a single palm strike.

The Grand Commander of the Lu family... is he really this powerful?!

The Lu family guards standing in front of the gate seemed to have anticipated this scene, and the two of them walked straight to the human-shaped pit.

One of them bent down, grabbed Zhu Rong's armor from the tattered back with one hand, and lifted him out of the pit as easily as lifting a chicken or duck to be slaughtered.

Another person stepped forward and, together with their companion, supported the limp and confused Zhu Rongba.

The two men grabbed Zhu Rongba and, as if throwing away a bag of insignificant trash, flicked their arms, sending this once-arrogant Nascent Soul Realm elder far beyond the boundaries of the Lu family's territory.

"Bang!" Zhu Rongba crashed heavily onto the street in the distance, rolled several times, and barely came to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dust.

After doing all this, the two armored soldiers turned around, faced the still-shaken soldiers of the Zhurong clan, and said in icy voices.

"The patriarch has decreed: Lady Zhurong is currently in seclusion at a critical juncture and must not be disturbed in the slightest. Anyone who makes a disturbance, attacks the Lu family, or attempts to interfere with Lady Zhurong's cultivation, regardless of who they are or what clan they belong to, will be killed without mercy."

After saying this, the two armored soldiers ignored the reactions from the outside world and turned back to the front of the Lu family's gate.

……

This matter quickly reached the ears of various forces that had been closely monitoring the situation.

The Lu family's strength and domineering nature far exceeded many people's expectations.

The Zhu Rong clan was in complete uproar, filled with righteous indignation and hatred for the Lu family and Longxiang Temple. Even Zhu Rongba was suppressed with a single palm strike, and even the clan elders at the third level of the Nascent Soul realm would likely not fare well.

The family is currently in chaos. Some want to gather a large army to rescue Lady Zhurong, while others want to contact other forces to put pressure on Longxiang Temple and the Lu family. Still others want to defeat Longxiang Temple first.

Due to disagreements among high-ranking officials, the entire Zhu Rong clan is in chaos, facing a predicament both internally and externally.

……

Wu Tian completely ignored the commotion outside. He casually suppressed the Zhu Rong clan's visitors with a single palm strike and then continued to immerse himself in his cultivation.

During this period, he had already completed the twelfth level of the "Wind Mother Twenty-Four Phases Blade" cultivation, and the Wind God Magic Pearl had been cultivated to the third level of the Dao Embryo realm.

He is currently practicing the thirteenth level of the technique and is nearing completion.

He needs three months to complete the sixteenth level of cultivation before he can condense the Wind Mother Dharma Image and become a Loose Immortal.

Time was short, and he had no intention of wasting his precious time on other things.

Inside Tingzhu Pavilion, a bluish-green mist filled the air, and moonlight cascaded down like a waterfall.

A Wind God's magic bead slowly rose, incantations intertwined, and various forms rotated. (End of Chapter)