This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

As soon as Qingfeng stood up, Li Daoxuan turned to look at Mingyue.

With a flick of his wrist, a talisman appeared in his palm, crafted from a branch of the ancient camphor tree in the courtyard.

The inscription on it reads "Imperial Decree of the Supreme True Daoist Heavenly Venerable," and it is Li Daoxuan's natal talisman.

"Daoist Mingyue receives the decree..."

Mingyue immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying:

"Disciple Mingyue respectfully obeys the Dharma decree..."

Li Daoxuan said in a loud voice:

"With Taoism newly established, there are many complex matters. In the name of the founder of Taoism, I appoint you as the Second Master, in charge of transmitting skills and administering punishments."

"Use this ancestral master's talisman as your faith, and assist your senior brother in glorifying the Daoist sect."

As soon as he finished speaking, a wisp of Xuanhuang merit power descended directly from the sky and landed on Mingyue.

Seven tiny golden patterns, each the size of a grain of rice, appeared between Mingyue's brows, encircling her and making her appear like a celestial goddess, sacred and inviolable.

With a sudden realization, Mingyue's cultivation level naturally improved significantly, and she was now on par with her senior brother Qingfeng.

The moment she received the ancestral talisman from her master, her mind seemed to merge into this world, and with a thought, she could command heaven and earth to bring down punishments.

Mingyue understood that this was her authority.

"Disciple Mingyue respectfully obeys the ancestral master's instructions."

Li Daoxuan nodded gently and said softly:

"Mingyue, after I leave, you should assist your senior brother well. But you two remember, our Taoist sect values ​​fate and destiny, and never forces anything."

"Promoting the Tao is merely going with the flow. We welcome those who are destined to seek the Tao, but please do not take any actions that deliberately try to convert people into the Tao in order to spread the Tao."

Qingfeng Mingyue bowed and replied:

"Your disciple obeys."

Li Daoxuan turned to look at Zhu Jiu, who was standing to the side with an expectant expression, and smiled, saying:

"Xiao Jiu, you are different from your senior brothers and sisters. You yourself possess the destiny and fortune of a lineage."

"Your path lies in the great rivers and streams of this world. Once your mind is at peace, you can travel the world, enlighten your kind, and strengthen the lineage of the true dragon."

"As the ancestor of this lineage, you can use this opportunity to transform into a true dragon and comprehend immortality."

Zhu Jiu seemed to understand but not quite, and nodded gently, still holding onto Li Daoxuan's arm tightly.

Li Daoxuan rubbed his head and sighed softly.

Finally, his gaze fell upon Ye San Niang.

Ye San Niang looked terrified and quickly bowed down.

"Third Sister, I have a Taoist martial art here, which I will now teach you."

After saying that, Li Daoxuan raised his hand and pointed at Ye Sanniang's brow.

In an instant, countless memories flooded into Ye San Niang's mind.

Every move, every breath, and the Taoist principles contained within that set of boxing techniques.

When all the memories were clearly imprinted in Ye San Niang's mind, two things naturally came to mind—Tai Chi.

Ye San Niang was overjoyed and extremely excited.

"This disciple deeply thanks the Patriarch for transmitting the Dharma..."

Li Daoxuan nodded and said earnestly:

"Once you have mastered this martial art, Qingfeng will ordain you, and from then on, you will lead the entire Taoist martial arts lineage. What do you say?"

Ye San Niang's eyes reddened, and she knelt down and kowtowed.

"This disciple will humbly obey the instructions of the Patriarch..."

Li Daoxuan sighed, looked up at the sky, and saw that the sky was full of stars.

"Alright, it's time for me to go..."

In an instant, dazzling golden light emanated from Li Daoxuan's body.

His feet began to slowly lift off the ground, floating towards the sky.

The disciples all knelt down and bowed, tears welling in their eyes as they bid farewell.

"Master, when will we be able to see you again?"

Mingyue finally couldn't hold back and asked.

Li Daoxuan smiled calmly and waved his hand gently.

"When the time comes, we will meet..."

Mingyue bowed her head and choked back tears, saying:

"Respectfully seeing off Master..."

Li Daoxuan floated higher and higher, his speed increasing.

Ultimately, it transformed into a streak of light and vanished in an instant, its whereabouts unknown.

Qingfeng and the others sat blankly in the courtyard, unable to come back to their senses for a long time.

Although Master often went into seclusion, everyone still knew that he was there and that they would meet again sooner or later.

But now, Master has gone to the heavens, and may never return tomorrow, the day after, or even forever.

If they want to see their master again, they can only do so by transcending this world and going to the heavens.

Qingfeng and Mingyue exchanged a glance, smiled at each other, and then nodded silently, each with a long-term goal in mind.

At this moment, Wang Yangming and Wang Jingshu, who were reuniting with their family in the Wang family mansion, suddenly felt something and looked out of the house.

A streak of light flashed across the sky and disappeared in an instant.

A sudden, inexplicable sadness welled up in their hearts, and they knelt down on the ground simultaneously, choking back tears and kowtowing.

Where did Li Daoxuan go at this time?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Due to a defeat at the beginning of the year, the northern border of the Great Zhao Kingdom was reduced to a hellish place under the iron cavalry of the Great Li.

Two hundred thousand border troops were either killed or scattered.

Even the commander-in-chief was captured by Da Li, and his fate is unknown.

The remaining tens of thousands of main force troops had already retreated back into the country, awaiting orders from the capital.

Besides this main force, there was another elite force that failed to break through the encirclement and had no choice but to retreat to a desolate border town to put up a last stand.

On the city walls of the border town, the defending troops, who had just repelled the Dali's umpteenth attack, were already exhausted.

The city walls were deathly silent, with only the echoing sounds of soldiers carrying corpses and cleaning up the mess.

The commander of this elite force of three thousand men, Chen Jing, was standing on the city wall, covered in blood.

A hideous wound on his face stretched from the corner of his left eye all the way to his cheek.

The wound was still bleeding, clearly a new one.

The helmet on his head had long since disappeared.

Chen Jing reached out and wiped away the spilled blood, letting out a soft sigh in his heart.

If it weren't for the elixir given to him by Li Daoxuan, he would probably have died long ago.

Now that the elixir is used up, even the remaining medicinal power has faded.

If he suffers another serious injury, there may be no way to save him.

Chen Jing looked at the Dali army camped in the distance outside the city, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

"Is this my destined calamity, Chen Jing?"

Chen Jing had come to terms with it. Over the years, he had been fighting in the northern border. At first, he was full of enthusiasm and wanted to make a name for himself, but in the end, he saw through the scheming and corruption in the army. His burning heart had long since turned cold.

The previous crushing defeat was not, in fact, due to the lack of strength of the Zhao army.

Rather, the entire high command of the Great Zhao border army was rotten to the core.

The soldiers below could only go to war on empty stomachs.

He had finally accumulated some military merits, but they were taken away by his superior without any reason.

With such an army, how can we talk about victory?

His entire Flying Cloud Sect participated in the battle, and in the end, only a few remained.

Even his master, a sixth-realm grandmaster of the Flying Cloud Sect, was trampled to death by the enemy's heavily armored cavalry on the battlefield.

If it weren't for his master's sudden outburst before his death, single-handedly holding back a thousand heavily armored cavalry, Chen Jing would have had no chance to escape.

However, it seems that the outcome is not much different now.

"Our supplies...are completely exhausted..."

He Ying, pale-faced and with her armor torn, stood behind Chen Jing and spoke in a low voice.