Demon Sword Sect's Undercover

The first night Hou Niao spent in the Dao Mansion was somewhat muddled, and when he met the elderly Bao Shi again the next day, the old man was rather embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, young Hou, I know you have some questions, and I'm here to clarify things for you today. However, let's not drink alcohol; let's drink tea instead."

Yesterday he had brought a wine jug, but today he brought a set of exquisite teaware, showing that he was someone who truly enjoyed life.

"What would you like to know? Even though we are at the end of our lives, seeking the Dao does not depend on the situation or timing; but, don't ask me how to achieve longevity, as I am not clear on that myself."

Hou Niao was calm, boiling water and preparing tea, and only when the fragrance of the tea wafted between them did he nonchalantly ask:

"Nothing special, just that I don't really understand this so-called Anhe prayer, and I want to know what exactly this Ghost Gate is, that it makes so many cultivators pale at the mention of it?"

Bao Shi, the old man, took a satisfying sip of tea, which greatly cleared his hungover mind,

"Heh, I thought too much. Indeed, with your level of cultivation, you lack the most basic things, the most common knowledge; I'm afraid you can't ask too profound questions. It turns out we are a good match: one asks simple questions, and the other gives crude answers—it's just perfect."

It was clear that Bao Shi genuinely enjoyed playing the role of a mentor, especially since he had only recently reached the Essence Building Realm. Throughout his life, aside from fooling around with children, he hardly had the chance to teach anyone else; having only stepped into the Essence Building Realm in his late sixties, his talent was only slightly better than Hou Niao's.

"The so-called Anhe prayer is, frankly, a kind of sacrifice, not unlike how the Mountain Demon and Water Demon offer boys and girls to awaken their bloodlines; it's just that the Daoist Sect always deems itself orthodox and finds such wording distasteful, hence they call it a prayer."

Clearly, Bao Shi held deep grievances against the Daoist Sect—a common attitude among the Loose Cultivators.

"The purpose of the prayer is to express one's requests through such a ritual, seeking the heavens' assistance in one's cultivation… Such prayers are not unique to Anhe Country; other countries and forces have them too, it's a capability exclusive to Nascent Transformation Immortals, beyond the reach of others."

Hou Niao was somewhat puzzled, "Heaven is so elusive; can it really bestow something tangible? Or is it merely for a peace of mind? But isn't it inappropriate to use a nation's resources for personal purposes?"

Bao Shi spoke with certainty, his decades of struggle in cultivation providing him with limited insight into the true essence of Daoism, but countless pieces of minor knowledge,

"There are indeed tangible items! But it's not guaranteed. Sometimes a prayer goes unanswered—this is a false prayer; other times, magical treasures, cultivation techniques, or other valuable items might descend. It's not about what you wish for, but what the heavens decide to give.

As for your concern about misusing public resources, that isn't really an issue. Icons like Nascent Transformation Immortals are pillars of the Daoist Sect and rulers of nations. If they benefit, it actually means that their disciples below them also benefit, and they don't keep secrets."

"This time, the Anhe prayer is orchestrated by the Daoist Immortal Master Xiao Zhen of Anhe Country, sensing that the time was right and Anhe was beset with dangers. Hence, he intended to use this ritual to bolster the strength and confidence of the Anhe Daoist Sect, in face of the increasingly aggressive demons and evil spirits."

Hou Niao felt bitter; he had arrived at such a pivotal time, "Do you mean, we are part of the offerings this time?"

Bao Shi nodded, his tone tinged with bitterness, "Humans are the knife and the fish, what can be done about it?

The Demon Clan needs to take lives when offering sacrifices to heaven, as this is a trait of their bloodline inheritance; the Daoist Sect is hypocritical—they offer not life, but heaven-bestowed Spirit Roots!"

"Spirit Root endowed by heaven?" Hou Niao heard this concept for the first time.

"Yes, it's actually the ability of a cultivator to sense the Heaven and Earth Spirit Mechanism! In this world, those who can sense the Spirit Mechanism have great opportunities and fortune. They are rare among mortals, so it's not excessive to call it heaven-endowed.

Every cultivator is heaven-endowed. The Daoist Sect sacrifices those among these endowed ones who might harm the group to gain the favor of the heavens, to prove this Daoist destiny's intention of protecting the people, and to receive some rewards along the way."

Hou Niao pondered thoughtfully, while Oldman Baoshi snorted again,

"This is the origin of the Daoist Sect's prayers. I have studied the Dao for decades and don't dare say I'm proficient in Daoist philosophy, but I can clearly understand human nature; The rhetoric of the Daoist Sect might not completely invert right and wrong, but it certainly contains inaccuracies and ambiguities. However, it's difficult to distinguish what's true and what's false among them. You can't guess without reaching that realm."

"After seeking the Dao for many years, I haven't even seen the doorstep of the Daoist Sect, yet I've become the one who may harm the group... old man, I see that most people here are loose cultivators, with few genuine Daoist Sect people. Could this also be seen as a kind of exclusion of the others?"

Oldman Baoshi stroked his beard and smiled. This young one was still too naive, viewing problems sharply but always from a mundane perspective, lacking the vision of the Daoist Sect. No wonder, being a minor cultivator from a small place, standing so low, he naturally couldn't see far.

"No, as I mentioned before about the Spirit Root endowed by heaven, there's another type of Spirit Root known as the ostensible Spirit Root designated by heaven, referring to those destined to have cultivation resources from birth.

They have elder family members to rely on, resources and wealth at their disposal, and cultivation techniques and paths to follow; eating spiritual food, learning the Great Dao, meeting with Masters. Growing up in such an environment, they are much more likely to sense the Spirit Mechanism than ordinary people are, by a factor of ten times or even a hundred times.

Once they step onto the Daoist Path and enter the Pulse, who can clarify whether their Spirit Root is heaven-endowed or acquired? Thus, they are called ostensible Spirit Roots endowed by heaven.

Among these people are both the truly heaven-endowed and the nurtured ones, but not like us, born wild and free—aren't we merely lucky by chance?

Lucky by chance, that is what being heaven-endowed means! So, we are not content!"

Oldman Baoshi became impassioned, his spirit shone brightly, "The Daoist Sect's prayers have always existed in this world, with a long history. After countless such prayers, Daoists found that perhaps offering true heaven-endowed Spirit Roots has a better effect than offering ostensible Spirit Roots?

Thus, we loose cultivators end up in big trouble. With just a minor fault, we might be offered up by the Daoist Sect; there are also those demons from the Demon Sect, who don't care whether you've committed a great sin or not. Once it's the time for their prayers, they'll seize you without hesitation in a human tragedy.

The Daoist Sect is hypocritical, while the Demon Sect is brutally direct, it's just tough on us..."

Hou Niao was at a loss for words, "No wonder they would even consider someone like me..."

Oldman Baoshi stood up and paced back and forth, trying to calm the anger in his heart, "Of course they would! Just speaking of the heaven-endowed Spirit Root, there's no difference between a minor cultivator like you in the Pulse phase and those in the Essence Building phase who fast! In the eyes of the heavens, we are all ants, no distinction!"

The two felt a shared sympathy, lamenting together in a moment of poignant sadness. They could not help but feel deeply moved as they faced this dire predicament together.

Indeed,

The old man has a look of seas and rivers, the novice monk's words melt like ice and snow. Both are guests who haven't returned westward yet, burning incense and brewing tea marks Chongyang.