chsdbacks Chapter 140 Gradually Beginning
Chapter 140 Gradually Beginning
"Buzz...buzz...buzz..."
The ancient bell rang three times in succession.
The numerous ancestral tablets and portraits placed in the center of the tablets inside Tianyun Temple began to sway.
In the portrait, a middle-aged Taoist priest stands sideways with a sword on his back.
In the distance, ethereal mists lingered, white clouds drifted by, and dragons and tigers frolicked around the Taoist priest.
He wore a nine-lotus crown, a crimson brocade cloak, black claw patterns on his collar, a green ribbon in his hand, and pearl-embroidered shoes on his feet.
Its serene face is so lifelike, with every detail vividly depicted. From a distance, it seems as if a living person is reflected within it.
With an unpredictable expression, Lin Yuqing first respectfully offered three sticks of incense on the altar, and then looked into the eyes of the person in the portrait.
"Master, if we follow that person, can we find the successor of our Tianyun Temple..."
After a long silence, Lin Yuqing returned to the side hall. He used ink mixed with black jade, cinnabar, black dog blood, and rooster blood to outline Fang Hongxuan's lifelike eyes.
"Yu Hai, Yu Yi, take this scroll to the young master."
He was tasked with finding the owner of those eyes... If he found them, then his master could refine another batch of Dragon Eagle Soul-Replenishing Pills for him.
...
Zezhou, Prince's Residence
The two young Taoist disciples stood in the main hall with neither arrogance nor servility.
'Squeak...'
The rustic, luxurious, and heavy wooden door was slowly pushed open.
Two beautiful and graceful maids simultaneously reached into her body from either side.
Outside
With the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, a man of imposing stature strode out.
He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and his phoenix eyes gave him an imposing and dignified air. He was eight feet tall, with a well-proportioned body, and was dressed in brocade with a jade ring at his waist.
A gentleman as beautiful as jade, unparalleled in the world.
That's all!
"Two celestial children, is what Master Lin said true?"
Yu Hai, with his handsome features, stepped forward, his humble face revealing an extremely confident expression.
"What Master himself said is certainly true. If the young master still has any doubts, he is welcome to go to Tianyun Temple to find out for himself."
Yu Yi, who was resolute and strong on the right, also spoke up in agreement.
"If Your Highness wishes to search, you may make a trip to Cangzhou..."
Li Qiaosong looked delighted and then cupped his hands in greeting to the two young Taoist disciples.
"In that case, I will certainly not fail Master Lin's trust..."
The two young Taoists exchanged a glance, then bowed and said goodbye.
"We still need to rush back to Chongde Mountain to help our master refine elixirs, so we will not disturb the young master any longer."
"Your Highness, do not send anyone to see us off. If Master finds out, my brother and I might face some punishment."
"In that case, it seems I have neglected you two celestial attendants. Next time we meet, I will certainly offer you two precious consumables..."
Yu Hai and Yu Yi looked at each other, neither refusing nor responding, but a hint of satisfaction appeared in their eyes.
...
After the two left, Li Qiaosong's gentle, spring-like face finally calmed down.
"It's Cangzhou again..."
"The two teams previously dispatched were completely wiped out... Qi Zeyang also restored the area covered by the experiment."
If this causes another huge commotion, it will likely alert those people...
Li Qiaosong sat alone on the main seat in the hall, stroking the smooth and translucent black jade thumb ring on his thumb.
He has never liked to confide his innermost thoughts to others, not even his closest maids.
Things are accomplished in secrecy, and ruined by being revealed.
This is a principle that Li Qiaosong has adhered to since childhood, and it is also the key to his repeated ascents to the top.
"The Demon Suppression Division's competition for the Demon Extermination Captains, which takes place every five years, is a year away. Moving it to three months later and making some secret arrangements should be feasible."
"Although the period of secret observation is too short and there will inevitably be some oversights, we can't worry about that now."
"There has been no news yet about the extraction of the Five Spirits Elixir, which is crucial to the Elixir of Immortality. It seems that the extraction has failed in Cangzhou as well."
"This is a turbulent time, and things are going wrong in every way..."
Chaotic thoughts spread rapidly through Li Qiaosong's mind like wild grass.
His eyes were bloodshot, and veins bulged all over his body. The teacups on the table were all overturned.
Its grotesque appearance was a far cry from its previous imposing demeanor; instead, it bore a resemblance to a living corpse afflicted by the corpse poison.
Clang...
The sound of shattering porcelain was incessant, startling the maids waiting outside the door.
"Young master, what has happened...?"
After a few more breaths, Li Qiaosong finally calmed down, and even the redness on his face quickly faded.
"Come in and clean this place up. Tomorrow, come with me to Cangzhou..."
...
Jinding Mountain, Yanwu Field
The evening clouds have dispersed, and the sky is clear for miles.
Fang Hongxuan stared blankly at the spot where Lin Yuqing had disappeared.
If Daoyuan hadn't been coughing repeatedly, he probably could have maintained this posture for a long time.
"Master, please don't blame your disciple for being lazy..."
Fang Hongxuan, suddenly realizing what was happening, rushed to Daoyuan's side and quickly helped him up, but he dared not look into Daoyuan's eyes.
"Do you still want to summon that immortal to Da Ruo Temple again? Your master no longer has the means to help you uncover the secrets."
As if he could see through Fang Hongxuan's thoughts, Daoyuan chuckled.
"Look at that immortal being, so otherworldly and ethereal, easily suppressing that astonishing Buddha Mother with a single hand. Aren't you tempted...?"
Fang Hongxuan, whose thoughts had been exposed, was unable to answer and could only bow and smile apologetically.
Dao Yuan sighed, then looked at Fang Hongxuan with a smile and asked.
"Do you know why the talisman sect of the Wansheng Dynasty has declined and is no longer as prosperous as it once was?"
How could Fang Hongxuan know such a secret? He could only lower his head even further.
"This disciple...does not know..."
"Hehe... Whether it's the Three Meridians and Seven Wheels of the Secret Realm or the Four Phases of the Wansheng Dynasty, in essence, they are all based on oneself, building a container to hold internal energy."
However, the talisman sect is different. They set up temples, altars, and ancestral tablets, bestow titles upon all things, and widely accept incense offerings. It can be said that the more ancestral tablets of accomplished masters they enshrine, the stronger their altar becomes.
The more powerful the Daoist temple becomes, the more even the mountain spirits and monsters within the sect can absorb the power of sentient beings' wishes, ultimately achieving the highest level of Yin God status.
"Not only are the talismans practiced by his disciples extremely effective, but they can also command troops and defeat opponents by sheer numbers when fighting."
"If our cultivation is to allow our own vessels to hold more water, then the talisman sect is to use external force to create a pool, and then use the talismans they cultivate to draw upon the water in that pool..."
"Even a small talisman can unleash the writer's peak power, regardless of whether the writer is seriously injured..."
Upon hearing this, Fang Hongxuan finally understood why a single order could produce such a terrifying effect.
Dao Yuan's lips and tongue, which had been dry for a long time, finally moved again.
"Both the Golden Core True Monarch and the reincarnation of the Hutuktu require a second cultivation, but the Talisman Sect doesn't. Foolish child... if they don't perish... then who will..."
...