In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan spends ten years strengthening a top-tier magic weapon, and most of them are still a long time away from the 'Tribulation Transcending Stage', so there is no need to worry about not being able to snatch it.

Even if you can't get one, you can borrow one from someone else.

People like Bai Xuan and Tong Xuan, being core members of the leadership, would inevitably lend it to them.

The emergence of a master who has survived the Heavenly Tribulation in Kunlun strengthens its foundation, so how could Bai Xuan possibly refuse?

Chapter 975 Perfected Nascent Soul Stage: Refining Emptiness and Integrating with the Dao

"Senior brother, Li Yang's Nascent Soul stage has finally been completed."

With joy in her clear, bright eyes, Princess Liyang finally reached the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul stage, aided by the Primordial Spirit Tai Chi.

Keep in mind that she only entered the Nascent Soul Realm a little over ten years ago.

However, because of the existence of the Primordial Spirit Taiji Diagram, she was able to condense her Primordial Spirit from the very beginning, which is why she was able to make rapid progress in the Nascent Soul realm and enter the Perfect realm in a short period of time.

Just as Zhang Xiaoshan had a pure Yang Dao foundation, stepping into the Returning to Emptiness realm was a great achievement.

Princess Liyang, lacking the Taiji Diagram Primordial Spirit and the Pure Yang Dao Foundation—the Nine Provinces Cauldron—could not directly enter the Great Completion Realm of the Refining Void stage like Zhang Xiaoshan. Instead, she needed to solidify her foundation step by step.

"Congratulations, Junior Sister. We will find an opportunity to return to Kunlun and study the Returning to Emptiness Scripture."

Reaching the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul stage makes one a giant in the cultivation world.

Cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage are already rare, let alone top-tier cultivators at the perfect Nascent Soul stage, second only to the legendary Loose Immortals.

As for the cultivation of the Returning to Emptiness Chapter, not every force possesses it.

　19 After all, not every major sect has a top-level Qi cultivation method, not even the Shu Mountain and Emei sects.

The Supreme Golden Chapter is the fundamental essence that the Kunlun Taoist sect has inherited to this day.

Its importance even surpasses that of the Ten Great Immortal Arts.

Therefore, once a cultivator reaches the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, with their cultivation consolidated and preparations complete, they can choose to undergo tribulation and become a Loose Immortal. This is the case for most cultivators, such as Bai Xuan and Tong Xuan.

Or perhaps they would retreat into seclusion and wander the world until the end of their lives.

After all, under the Heavenly Tribulation, there is a nine out of ten chance of death, and for most Nascent Soul cultivators, it is even a ten out of ten chance of death.

The higher one's cultivation level, the greater one's reverence for the Heavenly Dao.

Therefore, many cultivators would rather live a life of mere survival than face the heavenly tribulation and gamble on that sliver of hope.

Finally, there are special cases like Zhang Xiaoshan and the Five Elders of Shushan.

The Five Elders of Mount Shu cultivated the Purification Method to eliminate evil thoughts and strengthen themselves, their magical power comparable to that of a wandering immortal who had survived a heavenly tribulation.

However, because they are inherently incomplete, they cannot transcend tribulations even when they reach a certain level.

Zhang Xiaoshan's "Return to Emptiness" is based on the Supreme Golden Chapter and incorporates innate spiritual energy, making it equivalent to the ancient Golden Elixir Dao.

In recent years, in particular, the Palace Master of Yaochi Palace has also used Zhang Xiaoshan's Primordial Spirit Taiji Diagram to strengthen her own Primordial Spirit and condense the Taiyin Origin - True Spirit Jade Rabbit.

This is the advantage of the Pure Yin Secret Returning to Emptiness Chapter – Refining Emptiness.

Refine the essence of heaven and earth, strengthen your primordial spirit, and transcend yourself!

"Thank you very much, Senior Brother!"

The Return to Emptiness chapter is the final chapter of the Pure Yin Yin Manual, and also the most crucial chapter for cultivation.

It needs to be supplemented with innate spiritual energy in order to condense the true spirit.

Otherwise, it can only be treated like the Kunlun Qi Refining Technique, as a chapter to solidify the foundation and increase the success rate of transcending tribulations.

Condensing one's true spirit is equivalent to becoming a 'celestial spirit' in legends, meaning one can continue cultivating and comprehend the ultimate principles of heaven and earth without undergoing tribulations.

This is the final stage of Taoist cultivation—

Refining Emptiness and Uniting with the Dao!

···

"Alright, this seclusion has taken up a lot of time, so it's best to go down the mountain as soon as possible."

"Ok!"

As the sun set, the two figures, their long shadows stretched out and their shoulders close together, slowly walked down the mountain peak.

Zhang Xiaoshan enjoyed the atmosphere.

In the past, people would fly through the skies on swords at supersonic speeds, making it difficult to appreciate the beautiful sunset.

However, before they could reach the halfway point down the mountain, the sun had already completely set.

Zhang Xiaoshan also took to the air on his sword, cutting through the sea of ​​clouds.

"Junior Brother Chunyang! Junior Sister Liyang!"

Shushan Grand Hall.

Xu Changqing looked at Li Yang, who had already broken through, and couldn't help but show envy.

It should be noted that he and Princess Liyang broke through to the Nascent Soul stage around the same time, but at this time he had only consolidated the minor achievements. To achieve major achievements, or even the perfect Nascent Soul stage, would be impossible in less than a hundred years.

Moreover, this is his innate divine appearance, a celestial being with a natural Daoist physique.

After all, cultivators who break through to the Nascent Soul realm are the pride of heaven, and geniuses who can break through to the Nascent Soul realm within sixty years are definitely elite disciples at the leading level of the Xuanmen.

Even so, they were still powerless in front of Zhang Xiaoshan and Princess Liyang.

"Senior Brother Changqing!"

At this time, Xu Changqing was the head of the Shu Mountain sect, with a status equivalent to that of the Kunlun sect leader.

However, in terms of seniority and strength, he is a level below the Kunlun Sect Leader.

The main reason was that the Five Elders of Shushan retired too early, supporting Xu Changqing to take over. In addition, Xu Changqing broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, making him a great cultivator in the cultivation world.

Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan also had to pay rent while cultivating in Shushan.

For example, the Asking Love Sword in Xu Changqing's hand was strengthened by Zhang Xiaoshan when he was promoted to sect leader, and its power was comparable to that of an ancient immortal weapon.

"Senior Brother Changqing, has there been any news from the cultivation world lately?"

"There's no news yet, but the storm is brewing. The demonic path has been unusually quiet lately, probably because they're plotting something again."

After Xu Changqing became the leader of the Shushan Sect, the Shushan intelligence network basically became Zhang Xiaoshan's information channel.

If the demonic path were to wreak havoc anywhere, and the power of Mount Shu was insufficient, Zhang Xiaoshan would readily wipe it out.

In addition, the powerful demons that Shushan fears will also take advantage of Zhang Xiaoshan's power to destroy them.

This is a win-win situation.

In just these few years, Zhang Xiaoshan has eliminated countless evil demons from the human world.

At this time, Zhang Xiaoshan's reputation in the demonic path was like that of a child crying.

After all, most of the demonic cultivators who fell into Zhang Xiaoshan's hands were completely wiped out, with none escaping.

"Since ancient times, the world has been a place of unity that has long been divided, and a place of division that has long been united."

The same applies to the righteous and the demonic paths. When the righteous path prospers, the demonic path diminishes; when the righteous path diminishes, the demonic path prospers. As long as we adhere to the righteous path, we can be sure that the demonic path will not be able to play any tricks.

After all, good will never prevail over evil; this is the will of Heaven!

"Junior brother is absolutely right!"

Xu Changqing also knew that his worries were unnecessary. The most important thing was to uphold a righteous and upright heart.

"However, we must also be wary of the actions of the demonic path. Do you have any suggestions, junior brother?"

"With the strength of Kunlun, Shushan, and Emei, we fear no challenge."

But often the force that defeats a powerful force comes not from the outside, but from within.

A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole.

Zhang Xiaoshan suddenly thought of the calamity at Mount Shu and couldn't help but offer a reminder.

If Jiang Ming is the grand-uncle of Dugu Jiansheng, then isn't he Xu Changqing's disciple? In the end, almost all of Shushan's elite disciples perished in the Demon Locking Tower, a truly tragic end.

"Hmm? What do you mean, Junior Brother?"

Xu Changqing's expression froze upon hearing this. Although he did not believe that there were traitors in Shu Mountain, he still noticed Zhang Xiaoshan's warning.

"It means exactly what it says."

If I were the demonic path, and wanted to deal with the righteous path at its current peak of power, I would never confront them head-on. Instead, I would choose to incite internal conflicts within our righteous path, thereby weakening, or even severely damaging, its strength.

Senior Brother Changqing has only recently ascended to the position of sect leader, and his strength is only at the initial stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He still has a long way to go before reaching the peak of the Divine Transformation realm or even becoming a Loose Immortal.

This is the perfect opportunity for the demonic forces to take advantage of the situation.

"Changqing thanks you for the reminder, Junior Brother!"

Xu Changqing also raised an eyebrow. From the perspective of the demonic path, he was now the easiest nut to crack.

Even though Zhang Xiaoshan is in Shu Mountain, he is still a disciple of Kunlun and is merely cultivating there; he is not a true disciple of Shu Mountain.

Chapter 976 Ding Yin's Visit: The Blood Demon's Birth

"Senior brother, what you just said was true?"

On the way down the mountain, Li Yang looked at Zhang Xiaoshan with a somewhat serious expression.

At this time, Mount Shu is the protective umbrella of the Royal Merchant Guild. If Mount Shu encounters problems, the headquarters of the Royal Merchant Guild will also be thrown into turmoil.

Even within the trading company, Bai Suzhen was in charge.

But there are always some fearless demons who think they can deceive everyone or be invincible.

"The righteous and the demonic paths are inherently opposed to each other, and given the chance, they will both try to undermine each other."

Unlike the Kunlun Taoist sect, which has a long history, the Shu Mountain sect is not like the Kunlun Taoist sect. Even the Dragon Slayer Sword and the Five Fires and Seven Birds Fan are just two ancient magical treasures. Who knows how much more secrets are hidden within the Kunlun realm.

Moreover, the old Taoist Xuanxu was calculating that these two magic treasures were meant to bind my karma; otherwise, even my three senior uncles wouldn't have an ancient divine weapon.

As for Mount Shu?

If the Five Elders of Shushan were in charge, they could naturally intimidate all heroes; Senior Brother Changqing was ultimately lacking.

"I only squeeze the softest persimmons; I hope Senior Brother Changqing can get through this."

Upon hearing this, Li Yang couldn't help but sigh.

I understand that Zhang Xiaoshan is right. Xu Changqing took over the position too early. It's like the Three Mysteries of Kunlun. The two of them passed through the Heavenly Tribulation and became immortal masters before taking over Kunlun.

Moreover, the Three Mysteries of Kunlun, like the Five Elders of Shu Mountain, possessed a formidable reputation that suppressed the cultivation world.

In contrast, Xu Changqing was merely a senior disciple of the Shu Mountain sect, and had only recently entered the Nascent Soul realm.

In the eyes of those powerful figures of the demonic path, this was precisely the opening to attack the righteous path.

"Alright, these are not things we should worry about. Even if Mount Shu collapses, there are still tall people to hold it up. Even if we can't survive this calamity, the foundation will still remain."

Three years later, we set off to return to Kunlun.

"Understood, Senior Brother!"

They were disciples of Kunlun, not disciples of Shushan. Zhang Xiaoshan had already done more than enough to remind Xu Changqing.

Interfering would be overstepping boundaries, and Shushan would not only be ungrateful but would also create discord.

Therefore, Li Yang did not take the matter to heart.

At this point, their strength was such that they were not afraid of any challenge, nor did they need to worry that the turmoil in Shu Mountain would have too much of an impact on the business.

After all, over the course of thirty years, with the Royal Trading Company spread throughout China, it had established a well-known and deeply ingrained system of business practices.

It can also be said to be the most comprehensive regulatory system and the fairest promotion standard.

As long as the Royal Merchant Guild possesses absolute deterrent power, there is no need to worry about other forces targeting it.

···

The headquarters of the Royal Trading Company—Tianji Tower!

The Heavenly Mystery Tower is the core and central nervous system of the entire Royal Trading Company headquarters.

At this moment, thousands of elite businessmen within the organization are sorting through news from all over China and then summarizing it according to its importance and urgency.