Chapter 125: The Floating Cloud Sect’s Hierarchy of Disdain
Chapter 125: The Floating Cloud Sect’s Hierarchy of Disdain
Li Si kept a low profile throughout, watching as all the top figures showed off.
The situation had indeed gotten worse, so even the old troublemaker, Chisongzi, put aside his arrogance and patiently discussed countermeasures with everyone. The herb gatherer Xia Xiaowan became the nominal leader for the first time.
“We now have two fronts. One is at the border between the Mortal Realm and the Illusory Realm—this is the main battlefield. After the Devil Mushroom’s power went out of control, it corrupted a large number of void creatures. Those void creatures mutated and then rushed into the Mortal Realm all at once. Right now, they’re being held back solely by the Great Array of Celestial-Gods-and-Demons Prohibition.”
“And for the Great Array of Celestial-Gods-and-Demons Prohibition to operate fully, it requires the Twelve World-Quelling True Immortals to serve as array nodes to control it. At the same time, it must also suppress the fate, keeping the boundary between the Illusory Realm and the Mortal Realm clear. If the Mortal Realm falls, the Great Array of Celestial-Gods-and-Demons Prohibition will also fail. At that point, everything will return to Chaos, with no distinction between clear and turbid, yin and yang gone, living beings suffering immensely, and all laws becoming void.”
“We all know the importance of this matter. And as the mastermind behind it all, they understand it even better—they may have been planning this for a long time. Muan’s fall to demonic influence is clear evidence. So, I suspect the mastermind’s next move will be to ambush us. I urge everyone to maintain their Dao Heart at all costs and avoid being ambushed. If even one more person falls to demonic influence, the situation will be in grave danger.”
“As a herb gatherer, my abilities are limited. However, I am still willing to do my utmost to help everyone. In the past, I gathered remnants of Seven Emotions Great Medicine residue from the Five-Tone Ruins and the Seven Emotions Medicine Field, and asked Shendanzi to refine them again. This resulted in three Seven Emotions Immortal Pills. Taking one can restore one Dao Heart. Everyone, please show your Dao Hearts. The three weakest will receive them.”
Xia Xiaowan was indeed generous. This time, even Chisongzi looked impressed because if he had obtained Seven Emotions Great Medicine residue, he would never have shared it with anyone—at most giving his disciples some residue of the residue.
His breadth of mind couldn’t compare.
“My seven Dao Hearts are complete; I don’t need them.”
Jiuxuanzi was the first to speak. If Chisongzi was number one in Dao techniques, then she was number one in Dao Heart. Additionally, with forty-five Soul Lamps protecting her, she had the strongest combat power.
“This humble Daoist is ashamed; I only have six types of Dao Heart, but I suppose I won’t need one.”
Tianjizi was the second to speak, followed by Chisongzi, Shendanzi, Lingjingzi, and Qixiazi. These five True Immortals had always been among the strongest group, and their respective disciples were also doing well in the Mortal Realm.
“This humble Daoist only has five Dao Hearts, and the fifth is slightly tainted.” Yunjizi, who had argued with Chisongzi earlier, spoke up and demonstrated his Dao Heart. Everyone present were True Immortals, so nothing could be hidden.
Next, three more True Immortals spoke up. They all had only five Dao Hearts, and each had some taint in their fifth Dao Heart. The Dao Heart was the most important foundation for a cultivator. Without a Dao Heart, facing the Devil Mushroom’s out-of-control power would be very disadvantageous.
And once the Dao Heart declined, without extremely good fortune, it was hard to restore. Of course, no one could be like Jiuxuanzi—she was a talent not seen in a hundred thousand years. The Jiuxuan Spirit Sword Sect even bestowed upon her the precious Dao title ‘Jiuxuanzi.’ After all, the title ‘Jiuxuanzi’ was used by the founding ancestor of the Jiuxuan Spirit Sword Sect. After ascending to the Land of Infinite Vastness, it was left behind. Even successive sect leaders were not qualified to call themselves Jiuxuanzi.
“I… only have four Dao Hearts left.” It was Zhao Qingxie’s turn to speak. Her words stunned everyone, even Li Si was surprised. Old Madam—oh, Fairy Master—was doing this poorly?
Didn’t that mean the mastermind would target her next? With only four Dao Hearts, it would definitely be a sure success.
This matter definitely needed some planning.
Without further ado, Xia Xiaowan had her own criteria for judgment and gave the three Seven Emotions Immortal Pills to Zhao Qingxie and the other two True Immortals.
“Three fellow Daoists, please take the immortal pills here in the Hall of Fate. Leave only after restoring your Dao Hearts. The rest of you, please return to the front lines immediately.”
No one objected this time. The Twelve World-Quelling True Immortals vanished in a flash.
Xia Xiaowan also left. Not only was she responsible for Li Si’s defensive line, but she also had to manage Zhao Qingxie’s defensive line. On top of that, she still found time to investigate in the Mortal Realm—what a treasure bride she was.
Li Si stayed behind. The Great Array of Celestial-Gods-and-Demons Prohibition had nothing to do with him. Even if he wanted to get involved, it was useless. With just his measly Golden Core cultivation, there was no point in joining the excitement.
He couldn’t even do anything about his own Fairy Master’s damaged Dao Heart.
Hmm, stay calm. Muan’s fall to demonic influence had multiple factors, with the key being in the Mortal Realm. So as long as the Floating Cloud Sect was fine, Fairy Zhao would be safe no matter what.
After all, the Yunhua Law Seal covered the Kaoshan Law Seal, and the Kaoshan Law Seal covered the Floating Cloud Sect. With three layers of nested protection, if she still got ambushed, then Li Si would accept defeat.
And now, he needed to go obtain the fifth Soul Lamp—also a very important one.
He currently had four Soul Lamps, placed on his four limbs. With a fifth one, he could place it on his head. This would create the effect of a Soul Lamp Unbreakable Body.
He could then move freely within the Illusory Realm, having the most basic security.
Additionally, five Soul Lamps could effectively conceal Li Si’s presence. Unlike now, where whenever he entered the Illusory Realm, it was like throwing a meat bun into a dog’s den.
Lastly, with five Soul Lamps guarding his spirit, advancing to the Nascent Soul stage in the future would be much easier.
With a thought, Li Si left the Hall of Fate. The entrance to the Palace Ruins Secret Realm was not far away. There, a big red lantern hung high—one of the Phantom Bride’s Soul Lamps. This lamp illuminated several miles around, ensuring peace in the area.
Here, five juniors were waiting because entering the Palace Ruins Secret Realm required queuing. It wasn’t that multiple people couldn’t enter at once, but if they did, they’d all go into the same secret realm, and its difficulty would increase greatly. For those aiming to obtain Soul Lamps, a single-player instance was the most cost-effective.
“Junior Brother Li, is it really you?”
Suddenly, a figure rushed out and grabbed Li Si. Fortunately, Li Si reacted quickly; otherwise, his four Soul Lamps would have automatically defended him. With Xu Shen’s poor single Soul Lamp, his spirit might have been scattered again.
“Senior Brother, of course it’s me. Who else would it be, a ghost?”
Li Si smiled. There was no need to hide that he was the Kaoshan Patriarch anymore—everyone knew.
“Junior Brother… does Master know?”
Xu Shen still felt his worldview had been shattered, and he felt uneasy inside.
“Calm down, Senior Brother. Aren’t you also a minor deity now? I was just favored by Master earlier, so I got sealed as a deity ahead of you. In the future, you might become some patriarch too. Speaking of which, would you be interested in being the local guardian deity of Heishi Town downstream of Blackwater River? Then you could call yourself the Heishi Patriarch.”
“Junior Brother, be careful with your words. Don’t joke around.” Xu Shen hurriedly stopped him. What kind of place was this to talk nonsense? They shouldn’t let others laugh at them.
“So, you are the Kaoshan Patriarch?”
One of the people queuing ahead, a refined middle-aged man, turned around and smiled.
“Indeed.” Li Si recognized him—Chisongzi’s disciple Mo Yi, who had almost taken his position as one of the Twelve Major Deities of Heaven and Earth.
The man then cupped his hands. “In terms of seniority, we are all peers. But in terms of deity rank, you are ahead as a junior brother. So, junior brother, would you like to go first?” Mo Yi didn’t seem to hold any grudges, his tone gentle and expression natural.
“That won’t be necessary. You all go first.”
Li Si would never cut in line. Besides, progress in the Palace Ruins Secret Realm was very fast. Each stage only took a moment. And sure enough, in the blink of an eye, a figure walked out of the Palace Ruins Secret Realm, actually managing five steps. He had already obtained five Soul Lamps.
This was Tianjizi’s proud disciple Xu Ang, with Nascent Soul Realm strength.
With five Soul Lamps in hand and Nascent Soul Realm power, Xu Ang could pretty much walk sideways in the Mortal Realm—well, as long as he didn’t encounter the Blood Coffin, the Peach Blossom Evil Immortal, or things of that level like the Eye of Karmic Retribution or the Proud Bone Bamboo Forest. Otherwise, even if he didn’t die, he would end up with a shattered Dao Heart and a damaged Dao body.
But under normal circumstances, Xu Ang could indeed destroy an Evil God Idol without harm to himself.
As for encountering an Unknown Deity/Demon… hey, no need to dampen morale.
“Congratulations, fellow Daoist! With this, you can open up a hundred-mile Pure Land in the Mortal Realm.”
Mo Yi was the first to offer congratulations, very sincerely. The others also congratulated him.
“I don’t deserve it. Fellow senior brothers, junior brothers, and junior sisters, please guard your true hearts. I take my leave.” Xu Ang was very humble, specifically cupping his hands toward Li Si, before returning to the Mortal Realm. Although he met the standard to establish a Pure Land, whether to actually do it or not still required discussion with his master Tianjizi—it had to be decided based on the situation.
Because once a Pure Land was established, the Blood Coffin Curse was unavoidable.
Next to enter the Palace Ruins Secret Realm was a dark, thin young woman. She was not old, only at Golden Core Realm, and had just one Soul Lamp. This was Jiuxuanzi’s disciple Mi Zhou’er, another one brought out just to fill the quota—not really qualified to be sealed as a deity, but since the other World-Quelling True Immortals were doing it, there was no need to waste a spot.
Li Si, last in line, saw this and casually sent a Calamity-Dispelling Curse and a Heart Cleansing Curse her way. Only because Mi Zhou’er had already taken three steps but only obtained one Soul Lamp—this meant she had failed two stages.
The Palace Ruins Secret Realm was like this: if you failed, you had to move on to the next stage, with no chance to retry—like Li Si’s first stage.
And each successive stage would get harder and harder.
If you weren’t careful, it was easy for your soul to scatter.
Since Li Si came across her, he had to lend a hand. After all, she was also his junior sister, right?
When Li Si acted, the others didn’t notice, but Mo Yi, who was already at the Divine Transformation Realm, noticed immediately. He turned and said, “I already advised Junior Sister Mi earlier, but she insisted on going to train. I also gave her a Five-Thunder Spirit Talisman and a Clear-Mind Spirit Talisman. I expect she should be able to come back safely.”
“Senior Brother, you’re thoughtful. But… can you bring spirit talismans inside?” Li Si was curious.
“Of course you can. But only spiritual items are allowed—like spirit talismans, spirit jades, spirit treasures. However, at this stage, bringing spirit talismans is the most cost-effective. Of course, the spirit talismans need restrictions—only those made by cultivators at Nascent Soul Realm or above are effective.”
Hearing Mo Yi’s words, Li Si looked at Xu Shen. Xu Shen looked back at him. Right, no need to say anything—their own boss was also poor.
And their Floating Cloud Sect didn’t have any Nascent Soul cultivators!
Li Si looked at Xu Shen sympathetically, while Xu Shen looked at Li Si sympathetically.
“Senior Brother, why are you looking at me? Do you have spirit talismans?” Li Si was quite disdainful. What kind of look was that? As if he were a beggar?
“I don’t have spirit talismans, but I have a family heirloom spirit weapon. Master also let me pick a spirit weapon from the treasury.” Xu·Humblebrag said thusly.
“Junior Brother, why are you looking at me? Do you perhaps have spirit talismans?”
“I don’t have spirit talismans, but I have two Soul Lamps.” Li Si successfully turned the tables. Hmph, was the title of chief of the Four Heroes of Floating Cloud undeserved?
But why didn’t he have a spirit weapon? Biased Old Madam!!
Oh, that’s right—he had an Acquired Spirit Treasure…
“Junior Brother, what I meant was… maybe I could give you a spirit weapon? Though it only has one use left.”
Xu Shen was quite open. Li Si waved his hand, looked at the Palace Ruins Secret Realm, and gradually frowned. Three minutes had passed, and Mi Zhou’er still hadn’t come out.
This wasn’t good!
The people ahead, Mo Yi and the others, also noticed something was wrong because the time it took to enter and exit the Palace Ruins Secret Realm was usually similar. Even if you failed a stage, you typically came out quickly.
“Not good! Quickly, go get Senior Herb Gatherer!”
“I’m afraid it’s too late.” Mo Yi sighed deeply.
Li Si had already stepped into the Palace Ruins Secret Realm without a word.
“Hey, hey! Junior Brother, what are you doing?”
Xu Shen panicked and rushed into the Palace Ruins Secret Realm after him.
This move scared Mo Yi and the others into stepping back repeatedly. Damn, are all the people from Floating Cloud Sect this stupid? Three people entering meant triple the difficulty—Mi Zhou’er would probably have her soul scattered immediately!