Yellow Court Daoist

A single moment of negligence, even if one were to hide in the deep mountains and ancient forests, might still precipitate an inevitable calamity.

Extremely perilous.

But as the saying goes, misfortune comes hand in hand with blessing.

Below the doom of a calamity, crisis and opportunity coexist; it might well be an excellent fortune in disguise.

A glint of wild ambition flashed through the middle-aged Daoist's eyes as he shook his head continuously at the north, "The situation in Lingnan County is already set, hiding an upward momentum. That our West River Sect has only just discovered it, is truly an oversight."

In his tone, rather than regret, one could discern a strong sense of thrill.

Having been stuck in the Yin God Realm for many years and seeing no hope for breakthrough, this great calamity in Da Sui may now provide him with that potential to advance.

How could he not rejoice?

Hearing this, the older Daoist's somber face lightened slightly, and he laughed, "It's said that the Lingnan Governor Zhao Jian began with nothing more than a decade ago, yet he has blazed a trail of rapid success. Now the entirety of Lingnan is within his control, and it's feared that his becoming a Marquis or even a King is not far off, and perhaps in the future even transformation into a dragon. Our discovery by West River Sect at this time is, after all, not too late."

The real chaos in Da Sui had begun only twenty or thirty years ago.

And Zhao Jian had risen to power even later.

For these cultivation practitioners, twenty or thirty years was merely the duration of a retreat for cultivation, naturally, they could not detect changes that quickly.

"Correct."

"Not too late."

The middle-aged Daoist laughed heartily, saying lightly, "Now, within Lingnan County, there are but a few insignificant cats and dogs, and all the Daoist sects have no influence. Only a Changqing Temple, which emerged from who knows where and claims to be 'the premier Daoist sect of Lingnan,' still ultimately lacks any real heritage, merely a monkey that becomes the king when there are no tigers in the mountains - not to be feared."

Both Daoists were from West River Sect, with even a Yang Shen Heaven Master residing within their sect. Coming to Lingnan, they certainly had the confidence to make such a statement.

The older Daoist glanced at the sun and said to the middle-aged Daoist, "Zhou Fang was sent here to promote the West River Sect's Dao in Lingnan, and his inexplicable death here has definitely got something to do with Changqing Temple. Let's first find a local Daoist to inquire about the details of Changqing Temple, then we'll uncover the truth."

"Good—"

The middle-aged Daoist was about to agree, but his voice suddenly cut off. The old Daoist reacted the same, and both maintained their expressions weirdly as they took two steps forward.

Whoosh!

Then a gust of wind blew through, and both figures dissipated like the spring breeze, vanishing without a trace.

Out of sight.

A Daoist with the build of a bear, sitting cross-legged at the heart of a Void Storm, his eyes seeming open yet closed, even letting out faint snoring sounds.

…

On this day.

The deaths in Lingnan County were not limited to those two from the West River Sect. In the north, near the West Ridge County of Da Sui, in Lingnan's Qingyi County, two other Daoists were also striding forward.

In the midst of their conversation, their faces suddenly showed terror, and their bodies shattered into fine dust.

Two days later.

In Qianshan County.

A barefoot Daoist was enjoying a pleasant talk with a scholar and a military general. Suddenly, the scholar and general's expressions changed dramatically, pointing at the barefoot Daoist and shouting loudly.

The barefoot Daoist was bewildered; all he saw was the two people in front of him babbling frantically, their mouths moving up and down.

As he was about to inquire, darkness fell before his eyes and all went silent.

"Gongsun Immortal!"

Zhao Gong and Zhao Xun only saw the Haoyang Dao expert Gongsun Qing before them, his face suddenly showing black lines during a conversation. The lines twisted and entwined quickly, densely covering his face like a spider web, filled with a strange, ominous air.

Both of them shouted out loud.

This commotion caused a great stir in the residence, but Gongsun Qing had already fallen backward, lifeless.

…

Not only the West River Sect, not only the Haoyang Dao.

Any Daoist Mage with ulterior motives who stepped into Lingnan perished silently. In less than a few days, Lingnan became an extraordinary and unparalleled place.

Shocking the surrounding Daoist sects.

Intimidated by the consecutive deaths of several Yin God Masters in Lingnan, many Daoist sects dared not probe further. They also realized that Changqing Temple, as the leading Daoist sect of Lingnan, would tolerate no schemes or invasions in their home territory.

Some Daoist sects were enraged but held back.

Others were beyond anger, like the Haoyang Dao of West Ridge.

"War!"

"Declare war!"

Lingnan forbidding free entry, Haoyang Dao sought to initiate war, to swallow West Ridge and consume Lingnan.

On the battlefield, the truth would be tested.

"Cross over Azure Dragon Ridge!"

"Seize Lingnan County!"

"Destroy Changqing Temple!"

West Ridge mobilized, and the clouds of war loomed over Lingnan.

Right at this juncture, several major events occurred in succession in Lingnan—

First was Zhao Jian becoming a Marquis, bringing great joy throughout Lingnan, with people spreading the news excitedly.

However.

Joy often leads to sorrow.

Not many days later, Zhao Jian's old illness recurred, and he died in the Lingnan Marquis Mansion. Before passing, he entrusted Lingnan County Governor Lu Changqing with his legacy, bestowing the title upon his eldest son, Zhao Ce.

Thus.

The eight-year-old Zhao Ce was helped onto the position of Lingnan Marquis.

While Lingnan County Governor Lu Changqing took total control, holding the power as the guardian minister and teacher to the young Marquis, he unilaterally decided all military and political affairs across the twenty-one counties of Lingnan.

Chancellor Zhao Gong and Zhao Wu Captain Zhao Xun, taking advantage of the youth of their master, attempted to usurp power. They were suppressed by Lu Changqing's disciple, Captain Zhenwei Wu Guang, who led the troops.

Executed were the main culprits Zhao Gong and Zhao Xun, along with one hundred and seven accomplices, a rolling execution of severed heads.

The bloodshed was terrifying.

Lingnan was thus pacified.

With such fearsome authority, Lu Changqing wielded power decisively. He reformed flawed policies, elevated civil and military officials, and secured the twenty-one counties as impenetrable as a steel barrel.

Lu Xiang of Lingnan was renowned for his simultaneous efforts in spurring civilian vitalization and military training. Troops assembled by the thousands in the northern counties of Fanchang and Qingyi, commanded by newly appointed Colonel Wu Guang, displaying a might of a hundred thousand soldiers. The outbreak of a great war was imminent.

At that moment, Lu Xiang, who held the power of life and death over the entirety of Lingnan, was already tens of thousands of miles away...

"Teacher," Lin Ye said as she glided on a palm fan, cutting through wind and waves in the sky, looking at her teacher flying side by side. "The battle for Lingnan is approaching, and many decisions still require your presence. There's truly no need to rush at this moment."

A tinge of guilt lingered in her heart. Over the past decade, her teacher had been fostering growth in Lingnan, and her third junior brother, Wen Guang, adopting the alias 'Wu Guang,' led troops into battles far and wide. Only she, apart from serving her teacher's daily needs and performing menial tasks like serving tea, had been strictly instructed to focus on her cultivation.

Whether it was the mundane military and political affairs of Lingnan or the matters of Changqing Temple, she was kept uninvolved.

Lin Ye understood that involvement in such worldly duties brought about karma and could entangle one in calamities, often doing more harm than good to an orthodox cultivator of the Immortal Dao. After all, the path of Immortal Dao was different from that of Fang Xian Dao or the Martial Dao. While the latter could utilize the fortunes of mundane dynasties to swiftly progress, Immortal Dao cultivation was about laying solid foundations, requiring years of arduous polishing. Involvement in the mortal world could lead to quick advancements but was more likely to lead to stagnation and inability to make any progress at all.

With neither the Divine Speed of Fang Xian Dao nor the risk of falling into stagnation, she preferred the unbound joy of being detached from the world.

It was for this reason, among nations such as Da Meng, Da Hao, and Da Sui, that practitioners of Fang Xian Dao were commonplace, while Immortal cultivators were rare, often staying apart from the mundane, dwelling in the Spiritual Mountains and great rivers, seldom seen by mortals.

Lu Qingfeng's decision to keep Lin Ye away from worldly affairs in Lingnan was based on this consideration.

Lin Ye felt guilt for not being able to assist her teacher, and now, as the conflict in Lingnan drew near, her teacher set aside the battle, leading her away from Da Sui and straight to the Four Saints Immortal Realm to make a breakthrough into the Earth Immortal Realm. This only intensified the unease in her heart.

Humans are nurtured by all of creation, yet there is nothing they can do in return for heaven.

Grace as vast as the sky.

"Don't overthink," Lu Qingfeng said as he steered the auspicious cloud, constantly adjusting their direction and casually responding. "Our trip to the Four Saints Immortal Realm is just a convenient detour to aid your breakthrough to Earth Immortal. The main purpose is to find your elder brother."

Lin Ye's expression froze. Any emotions that were brewing were broken as she awkwardly chuckled, "I was just worried about the situation in Lingnan, considering the teacher has invested a decade of effort."

While she spoke, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation—she had been separated from her elder brother Lin Feng for tens of thousands of years. In those years, she had almost reached the stage of Earth Immortal.

Moreover, by the time she saw her brother, she might very well have attained the Dao Fruit of an Earth Immortal.

Among the four fellow disciples who had arrived in the Nanhua Realm together, she had the least talent and the lowest level of cultivation. When she separated from Lin Feng forty thousand years ago, she was still struggling in the Mahayana Sensing Realm, whereas Lin Feng and Zhang Yang had already surpassed several Heavenly Tribulations. As for the third junior brother Wen Guang, who was extraordinarily talented and hardworking, he had long reached the True Miao Realm and left them in the dust.

Forty thousand years had passed, and she could only wonder how far her elder brother and fourth junior brother had come—perhaps they had already achieved the Earth Immortal Realm before her?

Lin Ye was full of anticipation.

However, considering Wen Guang…

"Unfortunately, for third junior brother—"

Thinking of Wen Guang, Lin Ye's heart sank, leading her into silence.

"With your third junior brother in charge of the military back in Lingnan and your teacher leaving behind a Divine Thought, all daily matters can be handled without worry," Lu Qingfeng reassured Lin Ye.

Before departing, he had made thorough arrangements.

Not to mention Wen Guang.

This time, Lu Qingfeng had also left behind a total of four Demon Gods, including the Emperor Jiang Demon God and the Heavenly Wu Demon God, stationed in Lingnan to guard the extraordinary realms in all directions.

As long as one did not face an expert of the level of Mao Mountain Dao's Jiyuan or Shenxiao Sect's Zhengqing, they could handle any situation that might arise.

Lin Ye felt somewhat relieved to hear this and, taking advantage of the moment, asked, "Teacher, why didn't you allow me to help, yet placed third junior brother amidst the military? Is there a special plan?"

Both were disciples of the Immortal Dao, and both were the teacher's pupils.

One was kept out of reach, while the other was deeply immersed in it all. Curious about the reason, Lin Ye had pondered many possibilities and was not certain of any.

Taking advantage of today's conversation, she couldn't help but ask.

She naturally hoped that their teacher could find a way out for the third junior brother.

Yet, Lin Ye was aware that after being dismembered by five horses and imprisoned for over ten thousand years, Wen Guang's cultivation had stagnated and even regressed, undoing his Dao ability and mana.

Thirteen thousand years ago, he had already reached the peak of the Mahayana True Marvel Realm.

By the time he escaped ten years ago, he barely retained his Mahayana cultivation, only holding on to the initial stage of the Sensing Realm.

Under such circumstances, it was doubtful even the heavens could provide a remedy, and the teacher was likely powerless.

Which was the reason Lin Ye hadn't inquired before.

"A special plan?"

Lu Qingfeng was also somewhat silent.

In the end, the efforts of man can hardly surpass the will of heaven.

For thirteen thousand years, Wen Guang had been suppressed—first dismembered by horses, then subjected to the Yan Xiao Punishment. Trapped beneath the Dragon Vein, he could only consume soil, metal, and rocks, enduring untold suffering, his foundation irreparably damaged.

Lu Qingfeng spared no Immortal Pills in helping Wen Guang recuperate.

Yet all they could manage was to barely maintain his Sensing Realm Dao ability; anything beyond that was out of reach.