I forge immortality with a pagoda.

The wise minister looked Shen Yu up and down with astonishment. "I never expected that after so many years, Fellow Daoist Shen would have already entered the Qi Refining Realm. Truly, you possess extraordinary talent! Congratulations!"

Upon seeing his old friend, the wise minister couldn't help but feel a surge of warmth in his heart.

He had naturally heard about the feud between Yu Yihu and Daoist Yunhui.

Although he was not close to Daoist Yunhui, he felt quite sorry for his death at the hands of Yu Yihu.

Seeing that Shen Yu was not only safe and sound, but had also successfully refined his Qi and appeared here, many guesses flashed through his mind.

"And who is this?" Shen Yu changed the subject and looked at Xun Nianzhen beside him.

Xun Nianzhen was arrogant, and even when facing Shen Yu, a Qi Refining cultivator, he still treated him with disdain.

He gave a perfunctory bow and said, "I am Xun Nianzhen, an inner disciple of the Zhan Yue Sect."

Shen Yu said "Oh" and then swung his sword out.

The sword flashed through the air, its speed unstoppable.

Before Xun Nianzhen's arrogance had faded and before her astonishment could even surface, she was cleaved in two by that cold light.

Blood splattered, and the two halves of the body, accompanied by a rain of blood, plummeted from the sky.

The wise minister was completely dumbfounded, his whole body turning ice-cold.

He did not mean to refuse to intervene, but the sword strike was simply too fast.

The moment he raised his hand, the sect disciple beside him was already dead, his soul scattered.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, you're confused!" Xianxiang's voice trembled. "This is an outer disciple of the Zhan Yue Sect. If you kill him, how can You Che let it go? He will definitely not let us go."

He was so anxious that he paced back and forth, and hurriedly said, "Fellow Daoist Shen, you must leave quickly and get out of here immediately. I will try to clean up this mess. If Che questions us, we can say that Xun Nianzhen encountered an accident while traveling. Perhaps we can deceive him."

Shen Yu's heart stirred slightly. She hadn't expected that even in this dire situation, the old man would still prioritize protecting her. He was someone who remembered their past friendship.

"Your Majesty need not worry, Nayu Che has already been killed by me."

"What?!" The wise minister's body trembled, his face full of disbelief.

Shen Yu continued, "When Na Youche was searching for treasure underground, I personally captured and killed him. His companion has also signed a blood pact with me, pledging allegiance to me. He is currently cultivating in the Yu Kingdom."

The wise minister was initially delighted, but then his heart skipped a beat. "So, Yu Yihu must have already been executed?"

Shen Yu nodded slightly, "What the wise ruler says is correct."

Having spent many years in the cultivation world, Xianxiang Dao was naturally shrewd and immediately understood Shen Yu's true purpose in coming to Xian Kingdom.

Though unwilling, he forced himself to speak, "I must naturally relinquish this foundation of my virtuous kingdom. I only beg Fellow Daoist Shen to spare the lives of my family, for my grandson Xianlingqu will require some resources to support his future cultivation..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu chuckled and said, "What is Your Majesty doing? Although I, Shen Yu, am willing to bring Your Majesty under my control, I am not a cruel and bloodthirsty person. Besides, you and I are old acquaintances."

The wise minister was overjoyed upon hearing this, as if he had been granted a pardon: "Thank you for your magnanimity, Fellow Daoist Shen. I will pack my things and leave with my family in a few days."

"No need," Shen Yu interrupted. "The wise ruler will remain the ruler of this wise country. He only needs to hand over a portion of the country's resources to me each year as per regulations. In other words, you only need to manage this place for me and do not need to go to other places."

Upon hearing this, Xianxiang Dao was overjoyed and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Shen."

"In that case, please come with me to my country so that I may become more familiar with it."

Shen Yu had no objection and followed the wise minister into the Zhengji Hall.

This palace is extremely luxurious, with dragon-shaped jade pillars supporting the dome, glazed golden tiles reflecting the flowing light, and wisps of sandalwood incense rising from the auspicious beast incense burner. It fully displays the ultimate glory of an ordinary emperor, and its grandeur is in no way inferior to the Taihua Palace of the Yu Kingdom.

Shen Yu glanced at it briefly, his divine sense sweeping over it, and he already knew the general idea. He then asked the wise minister to take him to see other places.

After spending most of the day, accompanied by Xianxiang Dao, Shen Yu had a general understanding of the layout of the major cities and the mountains and rivers of Xian Kingdom.

"Although the land of wisdom is sparsely populated, it is still a place where hidden talents may emerge."

Standing atop the clouds, overlooking the mountains and rivers, Shen Yu said calmly, "When I achieve mastery of the Dao in the future, I may be able to bring over a few spiritual veins to nurture this land, so that the kingdoms of Yu and Xian may truly prosper."

The foundation of the virtuous minister's path lies here; his ancestors for generations were born and raised here. Upon hearing Shen Yu's words, he was filled with emotion and sincerely agreed, immediately offering a heartfelt compliment.

"From this day forward, you will be in charge of the two kingdoms of Xian and Yu, just like He Chen Sanren."

"If you encounter a powerful demon beast causing trouble, you can go to the Yu Kingdom to seek the help of Quan Wu. He is a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator and should be more than capable of dealing with the demon beasts in the surrounding mountains and marshes."

"I will follow Fellow Daoist Shen's arrangements." The wise minister respectfully agreed.

Shen Yu nodded: "Now that this matter is settled, I will take my leave. If you encounter any difficult decisions, you may come to Lu Jing Sect to find me."

Having said that, Shen Yu didn't linger. His true qi surged around him, transforming into a rainbow light that streaked across the sky and disappeared into the horizon in an instant.

......

Outside the gate of Lujingzong Mountain, one can see thousands of peaks vying for beauty and ten thousand ravines competing for flow.

The clouds and mist are like a sea, swirling among the strangely shaped peaks, where cranes occasionally flutter and cry out in the deep marshes.

The waterfall cascades down the cliff like a celestial river hanging from the sky, its roar faintly audible.

Amidst the swirling clouds and abundant spiritual energy, two cultivators dressed in the Lu Jing Sect stood and conversed beneath an ancient pine tree with gnarled branches.

One of them, dressed in an indigo Taoist robe and carrying a large yellow gourd on his back, was Ji Ran, an inner disciple of the Lu Jing Sect, who was now at the first level of Qi Refining.

Ji Ran, her face full of worry, complained to the person beside her, "Senior Brother Wang, Uncle Yan has really put us through a lot this time. He insisted on finding ten Yangquan Zhi herbs. These herbs thrive in pure Yang energy and often grow alongside earth fire veins. How can they be easily found in ordinary mountains and fields?"

Another tall cultivator, Wang Chengxuan, remained calm. "Junior Brother Ji, in last month's sect competition, you were impetuous and lost to Kan Ruiqing of Lunjing Peak. Do you remember?"

"Uncle Yan asked you and me to find this Yangquan Zhi, also to temper your character. In fact, I was dragged into this mess by you."

Upon hearing the words "a minor contest within the sect," Ji Ran immediately deflated.

He looked miserable and muttered, "Last time, that guy was just lucky and got an advantage in the draw. If we competed again, I definitely wouldn't lose so badly. It might even be possible for me to make it into the top three."

"You're the best at talking back. Even if your cultivation level rises two more levels, you still can't beat Xiao Ling from Tianji Peak or Huang Daocheng from Shayun Peak. They're already late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. How could you possibly defeat them? They haven't even made it into the top five yet, so you have even less of a chance."

"In my opinion, you're incredibly lucky to have made it into the top twenty, let alone the top three."

Wang Chengxuan showed no mercy and dealt a severe blow to Ji Ran.

Ji Ran, with his thick skin, retorted, "They just started learning a few years earlier than me and have had more years of training. If I had a few more years, I would definitely surpass them all."

...