Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

Shangyuan Prefecture.

This place is not on the federal map.

On the surface, the area 300 miles northwest of Tianjing appears to be just a national nature reserve.

The mountains are deep and the forests are dense, with clouds and mist that never dissipate.

After passing through the three layers of spiritual gates set up by Shangyuan Prefecture, an ancient Taoist city hidden among the mountains will appear before your eyes.

Long streets lined with blue bricks, bridges spanning the sky, and Taoist temples built against the mountain, with copper bells hanging from their eaves.

This is one of the ancestral temples recognized by the nine branches of Taoism.

When Xuanming Daoist arrived with Elder Qingxu, two stewards, and twenty core disciples, it was already evening.

As soon as I crossed the last cloud gate, a tall, thin old Taoist priest greeted me with a smile.

"Master Xuanming, you've finally arrived."

The visitor was named Yuanjing Zhenren.

One of the seven commanding immortals of Shangyuan Prefecture, and also an old acquaintance of Xuanming Daoist.

Taoist Xuanming cupped his hands in greeting.

"It's been many years, Fellow Daoist Yuanjing, you still retain your charm."

"Come on."

Master Yuanjing waved his hand, but his gaze couldn't help but sweep over the disciples behind Xuanming.

"I have long heard from the Celestial Master Shangyuan that your Xuanzhen lineage is destined for great prosperity in the future."

"Over the years, I've wanted to ask you several times, but you've either been in seclusion or pretending to be deaf and dumb."

"Now that you've arrived at the ancestral temple, shouldn't you give this humble Taoist a heads-up?"

Master Xuanming stroked his beard and smiled without saying a word.

He had the air of a wise man who believed that secrets of heaven could not be revealed.

In fact, he himself did not know where the so-called opportunity for great prosperity lay.

Before his death, Yun Song left behind only eight words: "The young man returns to the mountain, and the Xuanzhen sect prospers."

Now that the boy has not yet appeared, Xuanming is starting to feel uneasy.

But in front of outsiders, one should not show weakness; the less clear one is, the more mysterious one should appear.

Seeing this, Master Yuanjing shook his head helplessly.

"Alright."

"The affairs of your Xuanzhen Temple are all kept incredibly secret."

"The disciples' accommodations have been arranged; let them rest first."

"Come with me to the council chamber."

Xuanming nodded, instructed Elder Qingxu to look after his disciples, and then followed True Person Yuanjing into the Shangyuan Hall.

The hall was already full of people.

The leaders, elders, and elites of the nine branches of Taoism were all present.

Two people were seated at the head of the table.

On the left is an elderly man dressed in a purple-gold Taoist robe. He has a thin face, but his eyes seem to be able to see directly into the depths of people's hearts.

He is the current Celestial Master of Shangyuan Prefecture, and the nominal head of the nine branches of Taoism.

The man on the right was wearing a wide black and white robe, with a wooden sword without a scabbard hanging at his waist.

He sat there with his eyes closed, while behind him, thousands of blurry mental images were constantly arising and disappearing.

The Celestial Master of the Lower Yuan Prefecture is also the cultivator of the Mind Realm who is closest to the Myriad Manifestations Realm in this era.

After Xuanming Daoist entered the hall, everyone paid their respects.

The Celestial Master of the Upper Realm nodded slightly.

"Now that we've arrived at Xuanzhen Temple, let's begin."

The hall fell silent.

A giant light screen formed from the image of the heart unfolded in mid-air.

On the light screen are areas around Earth where anomalies have recently occurred.

Three cities in the northern landmass, one rail port in the eastern sea, two underground transportation nodes in the southern river region, and a lunar residential area under construction.

At each location, a distorted black dot appears.

The Celestial Master of the Upper Realm spoke slowly.

"In the past six months, the frequency of activities of the Anti-True Society has tripled."

"Seven Twisted Seeds have been confirmed so far."

"Two of them have already begun to take root in reality, forming the prototype of the Twisted Pillars."

"What's more troublesome is that they seem to have regained control of the method of mind sacrifice."

One of the elders in charge of the meridians frowned.

"Has Xie Wuwang emerged from seclusion after many years of cultivation?"

The Celestial Master of the Lower Realm slowly opened his eyes.

"It's not confirmed yet, but the Rebel Alliance's operation this time is very well-organized."

"There must be someone coordinating the operation, so the Zhenwang Division must be restarted."

Although everyone had already guessed, their expressions still turned serious when they heard this.

Once the Zhenwang Division is restarted, it means that the nine branches of Taoism will once again wage a full-scale war against the Nizhen Society.

The Celestial Master of the Upper Realm continued to announce the candidates.

The Celestial Master of the Lower Realm served as the head of the Department of Suppressing Illusions, and the Taoist Master Xuanming served as the deputy head.

The remaining nine branches each sent elders, deacons, and young elites to reorganize nine action teams.

As each arrangement was completed, the atmosphere inside the hall finally relaxed a little once the preliminary personnel roster was finalized.

Just then, a middle-aged Taoist priest suddenly looked around.

"what?"

"Why hasn't the Shouzhen lineage arrived yet?"

Someone nearby laughed.

"The lineage of Shouzhen is now reduced to just one old man and one young boy."

"The place I live is deep in the northern plains."

"It's uncertain whether we'll even receive a summons."

While this is true, it carries a hint of disdain.

The Shouzhen lineage has always followed a single master-disciple transmission path, without cultivating power or associating with federal elites.

Throughout history, there have been at most three to five people.

In this generation, only an old Taoist priest and a young disciple remain.

Compared to a large sect like Xuanzhen Temple with hundreds of disciples and influence throughout Nanjiang, it certainly appears meager.

Someone then looked at Xuanming Daoist and laughed, "The Xuanzhen lineage is still the most prosperous."

"He has many disciples and countless followers in the outer sect."

"The Federal Parliament, the military, and major corporations all have good ties with Xuanzhen Temple."

"If we had even half the management skills of Xuanzhen Temple, we wouldn't be arguing so fiercely over a few qualified disciples every year."

The other person laughed and agreed.

"Yes, I'll need Fellow Daoist Xuanming's help in the future."

"We're all brothers in the Taoist sect. Since Xuanzhen Temple eats meat, let us have a sip of soup too."

Xuanming Daoist appeared humble, but inwardly he was quite pleased with himself.

He always believed that the path taken by Xuanzhen Temple was the right one.

Since the Taoist sect exists in the human world, it should engage with the world, make connections with the federal high command, and cultivate external forces.

The practice of recruiting many disciples and accumulating resources, like the Shouzhen lineage which hides in the deep mountains with only one or two tattered scriptures and practices a one-on-one transmission of knowledge, will eventually lead to the extinction of its lineage.

Just as everyone was carrying the Xuanzhen Temple while secretly guarding one of the lineages, a cheerful voice suddenly came from outside the hall.

"Of course! Who can rival the power of Xuanzhen Temple?"

An old Taoist priest in a tattered robe led a young boy carrying a sword into the main hall.

He is Chen Shouzhou, the contemporary successor of the Shouzhen lineage.

Just as Master Xuanming was about to get up, he exchanged a few polite words.

Chen Shouzhou continued, "How powerful is Xuanzhen Temple?"

"Illegally detaining federal citizens, establishing superhuman armed forces, controlling local administration, suspected of colluding with the Anti-True Society, and endangering the security of Earth."

"Now it has been listed by the federal government as a top-level illegal supernatural organization."

The old Taoist clicked his tongue twice.

"This kind of grandeur is something my lineage of Shouzhen can never learn."

The smile on Xuanming Daoist's face froze instantly.

"Chen Shouzhou, what nonsense are you spouting?"

The others in the hall also frowned.

Some people directly reprimanded them.

"This is the Grand Hall of the Shangyuan Festival, not a place for you to speak in such a strange and unsettling manner!"

"The Xuanzhen Temple and the Nizhen Society have been fighting for hundreds of years, how could they possibly collude?"

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you must have evidence to support your claims."

Chen Shouzhou wasn't angry; he simply pulled an old communicator from his sleeve and waved it around.

"What era are we living in?"

"Don't any of you have federal network terminals?"

"Just click on any news article and you'll know, right?"

The hall fell silent.

Xuanming Daoist felt a sudden, inexplicable sinking feeling in his heart.

After leaving Xuanzhen Temple, he entered the Xinxiang Gate of Shangyuan Prefecture, and communication remained closed.

He quickly took out his terminal, and as soon as the signal was connected, dozens of urgent messages popped up at the same time.

At the very top is the official federal news.

The military officially announced that Xuanzhen Temple has been classified as a top-level illegal supernatural organization.

The operation to purge Xuanzhen has ended; two Hundred-Faced Cultivators were killed on the spot by General Gu Changjin.

Federal Deputy Speaker Zhou Yuanli has been arrested on suspicion of colluding with the Xuanzhen Temple.

Assets of Xuanzhen Temple across the entire Federation frozen; over 3,000 peripheral members under investigation.

Military Notice: Anyone who harbors the Xuanzhen Temple will be considered a traitor to the Federation.

Xuanming Daoist read through the list one by one, his face changing from astonishment to ashen, and finally turning completely red.

When he saw the Xuanzhen Temple gates sealed off and the bodies of the two elders who stayed behind lying on the ground, his mental energy instantly went out of control.

boom!

Thousands of illusory images of the mind simultaneously appeared in the main hall.

The entire Shangyuan Mansion trembled slightly.

Xuanming Daoist suddenly stood up, his roar echoing throughout the hall.

"Federal Armed Forces!"

"I'm going to smash you all!"