Chapter 326: The Tao Master Will Live Five Hundred More Years

Summon him at once!

In this realm, the Divine Dao flourishes greatly; even among the Spirit Prayer Dao, few True Persons who have reached the Nascent Soul Stage must 'plead' or 'request' to see a deity—yet to 'summon' is an act of profound disrespect.

Jiang Lin, the old Taoist, having swallowed the qi tornado, instantly shed his decline, his eyes gleaming with divine radiance, his beard and hair bristling.

The voice rang out, imbued with supreme authority; heaven and earth responded, causing Tongli Shenjun to involuntarily recall his own past plea to meet a Zixuan Zhenjun.

He is merely a cultivator—how could he possess such majesty?

Tongli Shenjun did not understand, but his body could not move, his mouth could not speak; he could only watch helplessly.

Earlier, Jiang Lin's single thread of 'Yu Shen' magic power had skillfully severed his connection to his divine position and authority.

That is to say, he was now no different from an ordinary mortal.

Yet how could an ordinary mortal resist the magic power of a Golden Core Stage cultivator?

Hum~

A thread of Jin Guang arrived from afar, swift and urgent.

It landed before Jiang Lin's form within the temple, transforming into a deity whose divine aura surpassed even that of Tongli Shenjun, kneeling prostrate on the ground.

【Deity: Tongwei (Evil and Deceitful)】

【One of the Divine Ministers of the Law Division, entrusted with exterminating demons, subduing monsters, protecting borders, and securing the people; yet for the sake of hoarding incense offerings, he allied with the Plague Division deities, used qi shares as currency, consorted with demons and monsters, and harmed countless lives—his crimes are unforgivable】

【Authority: Governs the earth veins of Tongming County, governs the growth of five grains, records life and death, may summon one unit of Medium Xu Earth Qi and three units of Low Xu Earth Qi monthly】

【Dao: None】

【Magic: Turn Stone into General, Gather Earth into Soldiers】

【Current State: Summonable, Controllable, Enslaveable, Consumable】

Consumable!

Clearly, Tongwei Shenjun's evil deeds were even more severe than those of Tongli Shenjun!

Seeing Jiang Lin summon Tongwei Shenjun with merely one cry, Tongli Shenjun, still immobilized, his pupils shrank violently, his entire being tense to the extreme.

Could it be that this old Taoist is the 'Blasphemous One' the Heavenly Sovereign's personal decree ordered the Thunder Division deities to hunt?

"You wicked, deceitful deities, unjustly occupy divine positions, enjoy human incense offerings yet fail to protect borders or secure the people; for the sake of hoarding incense, you consort with demons and monsters."

The thought that generations had worshipped such a wicked deity ignited Jiang Lin's uncontainable rage.

He stepped forward; his calm words sent chills through Tongli Shenjun's heart.

Tongwei Shenjun trembled uncontrollably.

Summoned from hundreds of miles away by a single cry—such power, how could he not fear?

"Deserving of death!"

No sooner had the word "death" left his lips than Jiang Lin swept his sleeve, casting a soundproofing array, then opened his mouth and inhaled!

Boom!

In an instant, boundless Jin Guang blazed forth from Tongwei Shenjun's body, forming a thread drawn into Jiang Lin's abdomen.

"Aaaahhh—!!!"

Amidst a piercing scream, Tongwei Shenjun's divine aura dimmed, his vital energy plummeting, as if his entire divine essence was draining away with the Jin Guang!

Witnessing this, Tongli Shenjun was terrified beyond endurance; he strained with all his might, desperate to reclaim his divine power and flee.

Yet the outcome was inevitable—he remained utterly motionless.

Less than half a minute passed, and Tongwei Shenjun's entire divine essence, along with his divine position, vanished completely.

He transformed from a mighty deity into a faint, barely sentient wraith.

Jiang Lin froze—he had not anticipated the God-Devouring Art's power would be this immense; a deity rivaling a True Person had been so easily stripped of his divine essence.

But he quickly recovered, pulling a jade vial from his sleeve and sealing the wraith inside.

Only then did he calm himself and turn inward to examine his body.

There, floating serenely above his spiritual sea, lay the pure, heavy divine essence—a golden auspicious cloud, within which hovered a jade tablet inscribed with golden divine runes: the manifested divine position.

Also present, in his mind sea, was a brilliant rune: the technique "Turn Stone into General, Gather Earth into Soldiers."

"Consumption" was merely the first step; he must now use the God-Devouring Art to assimilate these into himself.

Even before beginning the refinement, the pure divine aura continuously leaked out, repairing his long-standing internal injuries.

Even his magic power, stagnant for years, now showed signs of renewed growth.

Truly, its applications were boundless.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Jiang Lin opened his eyes and gazed at Tongli Shenjun, whose face had turned ashen.

With a thought, he restored his speech.

"How does the Shenjun feel?"

"Y-you…"

Fear, confusion, dread…

Having witnessed Jiang Lin devour a deity, Tongli Shenjun was too terrified to utter a single coherent sentence.

"When you allowed that demon to attack villages in pursuit of incense offerings, did you ever consider how terrified those villagers felt—just as you feel now?"

Recalling the piles of bones and flesh turned to mud, he remembered pulling those two children from the corpse heap himself!

Jiang Lin's gaze grew colder.

"Qingmian, summon him at once!"

Qingmian, the local Inspector Divine Official.

Since he had come this far, there was no turning back!

The Tao Master will live five hundred more years!

…

……

Upon the mountain peak.

Xu Xing and Hong Zun watched as Jiang Lin, the old Taoist, summoned the celestial inspector to this place.

Using the Slave God Scripture, he controlled both the inspector and Tongli Shenjun, then released the two divine beings back to the Tiangong to cover up his own and his many disciples' future actions upon descending.

"Another five hundred years of life? What a noble aspiration," Xu Xing said.

"Cultivation in this realm is not easy; the young man's vision is still limited," Hong Zun murmured, shaking his head slightly. Cultivation here requires countless preparations—appealing to the Tiangong, being restricted in qi allotments. Low realms are manageable, but the higher the realm, the harder it becomes.

The Divine Path deliberately suppresses cultivators of the Immortal Path.

Thus, among today's practitioners of the Prayer Spirit Path in this realm, Jin Dan are already exceedingly rare, Nascent Soul even scarcer, and Soul Transformation nonexistent.

In contrast, the Steal Qi Path has two Soul Transformation cultivators.

"By the way, I recall the disciple of the Sword Sovereign has reached Nascent Soul completion and possesses profound roots—he should be close to ascending to Soul Transformation, right?"

Nascent Soul completion at barely twenty.

The foremost young cultivator among the Qidaxian Sects of the Tai Xuan Realm is only surpassed in realm by that youngling of the Righteous Alliance.

But that youngling's realm was bought at the cost of squandered potential—there is no comparison.

To call the Sword Sovereign's disciple the top Nascent Soul cultivator across all worlds today is not an exaggeration!

"His roots and cultivation are sufficient, but his temperament still lacks something," Xu Xing sighed. "Though he has faced many life-or-death crises, under the Xiang Jianzong's protection, he has never truly encountered hardship."

Jiu Yu's nature is too flighty, and Soul Transformation is a realm requiring stillness and self-reflection.

"Perhaps our departure this time will grant her some insight."

!. Read

"Actually, there's no need to rush. Compared to our time, she has advanced fast enough," Hong Zun said, withdrawing his gaze from the Taoist temple. "And haven't we journeyed from then until now precisely so our disciples need not rush so desperately?"

Xu Xing smiled lightly: "True enough."

…………

In the Ji Shi Valley of the Tai Xuan Realm.

The Alchemy Ancestor slowly withdrew his hand, revealing in his snow-white, jade-like palm a golden, perfectly round pill the size of a thumb.

"Good, my skill hasn't dulled."

He gazed at the spinning 'Three Realm Pill' before him, his eyes seeming to pierce through barriers and settle upon the myriad beings of that world, sweeping over each of the Qidaxian Sect's trainees.

Some injuries, but no lasting harm.

Good.

With a flick, he sent the 'Three Realm Pill' floating upward, where it hung motionless before the Alchemy Ancestor.

And all within the pill's inner world froze at the final moment of its ascent.

He pulled out a cellphone from his sleeve and opened a group chat.

Alchemy Ancestor: "Everyone, I've retrieved the Three Realm. The disciples who trained within suffered injuries but no lasting harm @All Members"

Tyrant Sovereign: "Thank you, Dao Friend"

Artifact Sovereign: "Thank you, Dao Friend"

Only two replied.

After all, the Spirit Ancestor never chats, and Master Mei Zu is busy transferring her duty of suppressing Hun Tian Yi from the Taishang Dao Sect.

Hong Zun, who loved chatting, has been sent away—now the group feels rather quiet.

Alchemy Ancestor: "By the way, Dao Friends, please claim your disciples soon. I'll notify the Xiang Jianzong and Taishang Dao Sect separately."

Alchemy Ancestor: "When Min Dao Friend arrives at the Xiang Jianzong, remember to add him to the group."

Tyrant Sovereign: "But I think Min Dao Friend probably doesn't use a cellphone."

Alchemy Ancestor: "…"

That makes sense.

The Alchemy Ancestor put away his cellphone, pointed a finger forward, and two strands of green qi drifted away, vanishing into the void.

One headed toward the Taishang Dao Sect, the other toward the Xiang Jianzong.

Having finished this, the Alchemy Ancestor gazed at the pill floating before him, then at the great cauldron before him, churning chaos.

"Ah~"

A sigh spread through the air.

……

……

That afternoon, the Dong Zhen cultivators from the Xiang Jianzong and Taishang Dao Sect arrived at Ji Shi Valley.

It wasn't that they couldn't have sent the disciples directly.

But the Xiang Jianzong and Taishang Dao Sect must clearly explain this matter to them.

Due to suspicions toward Xuan, it was best for representatives of both sects to come in person.

After explaining the full circumstances, the Alchemy Ancestor emerged from his usual alchemy chamber and ascended above Ji Shi Valley's largest square.

Then he took out the 'Three Realm Pill'.

With a flick of his finger, he tapped the pill—and dozens of figures, eyes filled with bewilderment, appeared on the square.

But soon, most of the figures vanished into thin air, each taken directly by their sect's Old Ancestor.

In the end, only the trainees of the Xiang Jianzong and Taishang Dao Sect remained on the square.

This sudden turn of events left the trainees of both sects even more bewildered.

The Dong Zhen cultivator from Taishang Dao Sect who arrived was the founder of the 'Purple Qi' lineage. He gave the trainees a brief explanation, bowed to the Alchemy Ancestor in the sky, then swept his sleeve to release a strand of Purple Qi, taking his sect's disciples away.

The Dong Zhen cultivator from the Xiang Jianzong who arrived was Li Ke.

She, like the Dongzhen Realm cultivator from the TaiShang Dao Sect, briefly spoke a few words, bowed to the Danzu in the sky, then gave no one a chance to ask questions—her sword light curled around them all and vanished.

Among them was Chi Jiuyu, clutching the Qilin egg meant as a gift for his master, now looking utterly bewildered. (End of chapter)