Establishing a Clan in the Eastern Wilderness: A Daily Divination, Cultivating Longevity in a Grotto

Chapter 115 Mysterious Organization, Evolution of the Heavenly Dragon God

Lines of text appeared in the celestial book:

【A Chance Encounter at Wulong Mountain: Sword Grass Seeds】

Within the ruins of the Five Dragon Mountain cave dwelling, seeds of Sword Grass are found. Sword Grass, a first-tier spiritual plant, is nourished by spiritual energy and matures once every three years. Once mature, its leaves are as hard as refined steel, and upon falling to the ground, they form swords that can be forged into low-grade first-tier flying swords. This grass has demanding requirements for its growing environment, needing a place with abundant spiritual energy and neither too much shade nor too little light to grow. A small number of seeds remain in the cave dwelling ruins.

Li Changsheng's eyes lit up.

The acre of pasture that the space created came in handy.

Moreover, compared to ordinary planting sites, space ranches can obviously accelerate the growth of sword grass seeds, which can mature in just one year.

He composed himself.

He took out the mysterious mask he had obtained from the underground cave from his storage bag.

The mask was entirely black, made of neither gold nor wood, and felt cool to the touch. The red gem on its forehead glowed faintly in the darkness, like a half-open eye.

The heavenly book revealed its characters at the opportune moment:

The Thousand Illusion Mask: A token of the ancient and mysterious organization "The Faceless".

This organization existed before the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, spanning several dynasties and generations. To this day, no one knows who its founder was or where its headquarters are located. The masks are crafted from special spiritual materials; after a blood oath is performed, they become bound to the wearer's soul, allowing them to change their appearance at will. Cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage cannot see through their disguise.

[The holder can accept bounty missions through the mask. Completing missions earns points, which can be exchanged for resources corresponding to the holder's rank. Current holder rank: Tier 1, Low Grade. Exchangeable resources: Tier 1, Low Grade Spiritual Items.]

"Such a divine object exists!"

Li Changsheng dripped a drop of his blood onto the red gemstone on the forehead of the mask.

The blood seeped into the gemstone, causing the mask to glow slightly before returning to normal.

He pressed the mask against his face, and it moved as if alive, blending perfectly with his skin. He reached out and touched it; the texture was indistinguishable from real skin.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

His face began to change—from a boy to a middle-aged man, from a middle-aged man to an old man, and from an old man to a completely unfamiliar face.

Ever-changing, as one pleases.

He removed his mask, revealing his true face.

The divine sense probed into the mask, and a light screen unfolded in the sea of ​​consciousness, densely filled with bounty missions, each marked with the reward points.

He quickly scanned the page, his gaze settling on one task:

[Task: Find the Illusion Grass.]

Illusionary Spirit Grass, a top-grade Tier 1 spiritual plant, grows only in places where Yin energy is concentrated. Its leaves are silvery-white with veins resembling a spiderweb. Each Illusionary Spirit Grass awards 100 points. Current inventory: 0/5.

Li Changsheng accepted the mission.

He was already planning to go to Five Dragon Mountain. He also wanted to find the Illusionary Spirit Grass and earn some points—a win-win situation. Once he had enough points, he might be able to exchange them for the Foundation Establishment Pill recipe, something he had been eyeing for a long time.

Qilin Town, Tianlong Temple.

The triennial Tianlong Temple Festival was held as scheduled.

Before dawn, the streets of Qilin Town were already packed with people.

People from all over Qinglan County, pilgrims from neighboring counties, and even cultivators who came all the way from Anyang Prefecture packed the entire town to capacity. Street vendors shouted their wares, selling everything from spiritual fruits and incense to snacks. Children rode on their fathers' shoulders, holding candied hawthorns in their hands, their eyes wide and looking around.

-

The square in front of the temple was packed with people.

Incense smoke curled and rose straight into the sky.

The people held incense, candles, and offerings in their hands, their faces filled with piety and anticipation.

In the crowd, several people from out of town huddled together, curiously looking around. One of the young men curled his lip in disdain: "It's just a dilapidated temple, what's so great about it? Evil spirits will still come. I don't believe that worshipping a god will keep us safe."

An old man from Qilin Town overheard this, turned around, and looked at him with a smile: "Young man, you're from out of town, aren't you?"

'

The young, unaffiliated monk nodded.

The old man stroked his beard and said slowly, "I've lived in Qilin Town for sixty years. In the past, as soon as the sun set, every household would close their doors and windows, and no one dared to light a lamp. Every year, people would be killed by evil spirits; either a child would go missing in one family, or an elderly person would die in another."

He pointed in the direction of the temple: "Ever since the Heavenly Dragon God came, the people of Qilin Town have never been bothered by evil spirits again. Even at sunset, when evil spirits appear most frequently, we still go about our business as usual. Isn't that amazing?"

Another out-of-towner chimed in, "Is he bragging? It can't be that amazing!"

The old man wasn't annoyed. He chuckled and said, "If you don't believe me, don't leave tonight. After sunset, go for a walk outside the town and see if the evil spirits dare to approach."

The group of out-of-towners looked at each other in disbelief. Could it really be that effective?!

The auspicious time has arrived.

The bells rang throughout the sky.

The temple keeper, Li Shiren, dressed in a brand-new Taoist robe and holding a whisk, slowly walked out of the main hall of the temple. His beard and hair flowed in the wind, and he had an air of otherworldly grace. Every step he took was steady and powerful. With the blessing of spiritual energy, his robes moved without wind, giving him the demeanor of a celestial being.

Old Man Jiang followed behind him, wearing a gray Taoist robe, his back ramrod straight, full of energy, a stark contrast to the frail old man he had been a few months ago.

Among the crowd, several independent cultivators who recognized Old Man Jiang stared wide-eyed.

"That's... Old Man Jiang?" A rogue cultivator rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.

"Impossible! Wasn't he almost dead before? How come he's acting like a completely different person now?"

"Could this Heavenly Dragon God really be that powerful?"

Several rogue cultivators who had visited the Crimson Forbidden Zone and whose families included elderly members were already planning to send their elders to the Heavenly Realm upon their return.

Let's try praying at the Dragon God Temple. What the heck, we might as well give it a shot; who knows, it might actually work!

Li Shiren stood on the altar, waved his whisk, and the bell rang again. He raised his voice, and with the blessing of spiritual power, his voice clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"Heavenly Dragon God above, bless our people. Once every three years, we celebrate this auspicious time. We worship Heaven and Earth, giving thanks to the gods. Please, clan chief Li Changsheng, recite the sacrificial text."

Li Changsheng stepped out from the crowd and ascended the altar step by step. Today, he wore a solemn black robe, a jade belt around his waist, and a golden crown in his hair. His features were clear and bright, and his demeanor was composed. On the altar, incense smoke curled upwards. He unfolded the sacrificial text in his hand and began to read it aloud.

"In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Li family of Qinglan County respectfully offers this simple offering to the Heavenly Dragon God—"

The eulogy was long, recounting the origins of the Li family, the bestowal of the title upon Qinglan Mountain, the manifestation of the Heavenly Dragon God, and the peaceful and prosperous life in Qilin Town. Li Changsheng's voice was clear and steady, neither hurried nor slow, and every word clearly reached everyone's ears.

After reciting the sacrificial text, he lit three incense sticks, faced the statue of the Heavenly Dragon God, and bowed three times and kowtowed nine times. Behind him, Li Shiren, Old Man Jiang, Li Changle, Li Chang'an, Chen Wenyuan and other clansmen, as well as tens of thousands of people in the square, all knelt down and kowtowed with him.

The smoke from the cigarette rose straight into the sky.

Li Shiren stepped down from the altar, walked to the statue, and took out a jade box from his robes. Inside the box was a palm-sized clay doll, entirely black, with a ferocious face, bound with red ropes and sealed with talismans.

He removed the sealing talisman.

The runes on the clay doll suddenly lit up, and a wisp of black smoke billowed out from it, condensing in mid-air into the figure of a young girl. She wore a red wedding dress, a phoenix crown, and a red veil over her face. Beneath the veil, the clay sculpture's face was twisted and grotesque, its mouth split to its ears, revealing two rows of sharp teeth.

"The moonlight illuminates the underworld————"

As the song began, with each syllable that fell, a jet-black arm materialized in the void. More and more arms appeared, growing denser and denser, weaving behind the girl into the phantom of a thousand-armed evil god. The thousand arms moved in unison, grabbing at the people in the square.

The people were terrified, some screamed, some cried, some collapsed to the ground, and some desperately tried to push their way back.

At that very moment—

The statue of the Heavenly Dragon suddenly lit up.

Golden light surged from the statue, like a waterfall cascading down, shooting straight into the sky. In mid-air, the golden light condensed into a massive golden longsword, its blade flowing with ancient runes and radiating a chilling aura.

The longsword slashed down.

The Thousand-Handed Evil God shattered like ice and snow meeting the sun in the golden light. The girl let out a piercing scream, her body rapidly melting away under the golden light. She turned to escape, but the golden light followed her relentlessly, locking her in place.

"No--!

""

With a scream, the girl transformed into a wisp of black smoke, completely engulfed by the golden light. The clay doll fell from mid-air, crashing to the ground and shattering into several pieces.

The golden light subsided, and the statue returned to its ancient appearance, but the surface luster seemed to have become a little warmer.

The square was deathly silent.

Then, someone shouted, "The Heavenly Dragon God has appeared!"

"Long live the Heavenly Dragon God!"

The people knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly. Even the wandering cultivators from other places who had initially questioned the deity were now kneeling, their faces ashen and their bodies trembling. They had witnessed the Thousand-Handed Evil God with their own eyes, and they had seen the Heavenly Dragon God annihilate it with a single sword strike.

Is it effective? It's incredibly effective.

Li Shiren pressed his advantage, announcing loudly, "The Heavenly Dragon God protects all people, and the devout can receive divine grace. Today, the Heavenly Dragon God will select a temple keeper to serve the deity and propagate the divine message on his behalf."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Heavenly Dragon statue lit up again. Golden light surged from the statue, condensing into a golden pillar in mid-air. The pillar swept through the crowd and finally landed on Zhao Ling'er.

-

Zhao Ling'er stood in the crowd, enveloped in golden light. She was stunned for a moment, then learned that she had been chosen, and was overjoyed.

Golden light condensed into a golden divine seal, which slowly descended and entered Zhao Ling'er's brow.

Zhao Ling'er shuddered and closed her eyes. A moment later, she opened her eyes, a faint golden light swirling within them. Her aura began to rise steadily—from the first level of Qi Refining, to the second level, to the third level—until it reached the fifth level, at which point it slowly stopped.

A deafening cheer erupted from the crowd.

"A miracle! A miracle!"

"The Heavenly Dragon God chose her to be the temple keeper!"

"A meteoric rise! A meteoric rise indeed!"

Zhao Ling'er knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to the statue. Her grandfather knelt beside her, weeping like a child.

Among the crowd, those independent cultivators who had been hesitant before now had red eyes. A meteoric rise, from the first level of Qi Refining to the fifth level—was this the reward for serving the Heavenly Dragon God? They wished they could rush forward and become the temple keeper in Zhao Ling'er's place.

Li Shiren stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction. He glanced at Ji Changsheng, who nodded slightly in return.

Just now, the instant the divine seal entered Zhao Ling'er's brow, he silently sent the Netherworld Seed into her sea of ​​consciousness as well. The divine seal was a decoy; the seed was the real key. With her Netherworld Body and the Netherworld Seed, Zhao Ling'er's future in communicating with spirits and deities was limitless.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the Heavenly Book trembled violently:

[Heavenly Dragon God's Divine Power Increased: Peak of Tier 1 → Early Stage of Tier 2 (1/100)]

[Family Luck Value +1000, Current: 17100/20000]

Li Changsheng was overjoyed.

He stood on the altar, looking down at the kneeling people in the square, feeling the power of devout faith surging from all directions, converging into the Heavenly Dragon statue, and then a purer power emanating from the Heavenly Dragon statue, which entered the originally dried-up underground dragon vein.

at this time.

The Heavenly Book trembled once more:

[Tier 1 Low-Grade Dragon Vein: 1/100]

Dragon veins really can enhance one's abilities!

Li Changsheng was overjoyed.

One day.

Perhaps the Heavenly Dragon God can truly revive this dragon vein.