Chapter 344: Recording Divine Positions

He waved his hand and summoned a hollow porcelain bottle from a wooden shelf lined with many pills, placing the newly refined Tai Ping Dan inside.

He also gathered up all the auxiliary materials scattered on the ground.

Then he swept his sleeve, and the tightly shut door opened, clearing away the heat from the alchemy chamber.

Because he was newly initiated, he still needed external tools like the alchemy furnace.

Once his alchemical skills deepened, he could summon flames from empty space and refine pills by drawing upon natural energies.

After finishing all this, Jiang Lin stood up and walked out, holding the porcelain bottle.

A tall, sturdy Daoist guarded the entrance to the alchemy chamber; seeing him emerge, he immediately bowed.

"Master."

It was Jiang Cheng, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"The Tai Ping Dan is complete," Jiang Lin said, his delight unhidden, then asked, "How is your progress with the new cultivation method?"

"The new method is profound and mysterious; this disciple is dull-witted. Though I've pondered long and gained some insight, I have not yet entered its gate."

"What of your fellow disciples?"

On the day the Tai Ping Dan fruits spread across the world, the old Daoist Jiang Lin had passed down a simplified version of the "Devouring Spirit Method"—the "Zheng Qing Ben Yuan Lian Ling Method"—to his disciples.

It wasn't that he hoarded the teachings; it was that these four methods were too profound and mysterious for him to transmit…

With his current understanding and realm, let alone comprehending the four methods to unlock the "Zong Hu Shi Ji Ji Wu Zhen Fa," he could barely achieve minor mastery in any single one of them, even with Hong Zun's aid.

If he himself didn't understand them, how could he possibly teach them to others?

"My fellow disciples' progress is much the same as mine."

"Don't rush; take it slowly."

Jiang Lin descended the steps; Jiang Cheng hurried to follow.

The two walked together all the way out of the Daoist temple.

Then they continued upward along the mountain path until they nearly reached the summit, where they stopped.

Thin strands of mist leaked down; any ordinary person who accidentally inhaled even a wisp would likely collapse and never awaken again.

After quietly observing for a while, Jiang Lin suddenly reached out and pinched a strand of mist; Jiang Cheng immediately pulled out a porcelain bottle and collected it.

Having done this,

"Retreat a bit lower."

We still lack enough to fully resolve it; for now, don't disturb it.

The two then retreated down the mountain a distance and found a relatively flat stretch of ground.

"Here is fine."

Saying this, Jiang Lin took the porcelain bottle containing the Tai Ping Dan and poured out one pill.

The pale green pill was crystal-clear; the faint mist clinging to its surface was nearly gone.

He tossed it forward; the pill traced a graceful arc, and upon hitting the ground, it instantly merged into the earth.

Then tender sprouts broke through the soil and grew rapidly!

Eventually, it matured into a peculiar plant about one zhang tall, entirely emerald green, with long, broad leaves, clear veins, slender branches, and clusters of translucent Tai Ping Dan fruits, each the size of a dragon's eye, hanging down.

If counted carefully, one would find exactly one hundred and eight fruits hanging down, each exuding a rich, fragrant aroma.

It truly succeeded!

Seeing this, Jiang Lin finally exhaled a sigh of relief.

He had not betrayed the elder who had passed down the alchemy method to him.

Once the fruits from this plant are plucked and mixed with clear water, an ordinary person needs only to drink one bowl of the pill-infused water to feel full.

If consumed directly, the fruits can strengthen qi, nourish the origin, heal injuries, and cure illness.

And the Tai Ping Dan itself is also beneficial to cultivators!

"Later, go to the temple and fetch a gourd; harvest all the fruits from this plant and store them."

"I can now refine nine Tai Ping Dan in a single furnace."

Jiang Lin handed Jiang Cheng the porcelain bottle still holding eight remaining pills.

"But I will refine more later; you must carry these Tai Ping Dan down the mountain to aid refugees and expand our Tai Ping Dao lineage."

"Don't let that dog emperor taint the name of our Tai Ping Dao."

After learning the Emperor of the Datong Dynasty intended to exhaust the realm's resources to build four grand gardens, he had become utterly disillusioned.

He dares summon celestial spirits to command them—how much less would he hesitate to command a mere mortal emperor?

Jiang Cheng's expression turned solemn; he bowed deeply.

"Yes!"

"Before descending the mountain, each of you take a divine tablet; prioritize your own safety above all—if the task proves impossible, summon the deity to hold back the threat; never act recklessly."

The divine tablets were crafted by him using the "Yu Shen Fa," precisely so his disciples would have divine protection.

We are not yet at the point of direct confrontation.

"I understand."

"Go."

"Your disciple takes leave."

Jiang Cheng bowed, then turned and walked toward the temple halfway up the mountain.

Jiang Lin watched his disciple depart, then turned his gaze back to the strange plant before him.

The fruits swayed gently as spring sunlight fell upon their translucent surfaces, refracting beams of rainbow light.

'Ah~'

He sighed softly in his heart.

He could only do this much; to suddenly appear again, as before, and cause the world to be covered in dan fruits that endlessly regenerated…

He felt that even if he fully mastered this alchemy method, he might still not be able to achieve it.

His gaze passed over the plants, gazing farther away.

In a daze, he thought he saw a dragon.

It stretched across the heavens.

It was a colossal dragon, its body bloated and rotting, reeking of decay, its belly swollen with gluttony, surrounded by thick shadows.

Many malevolent figures lurked within, sharpening their blades, waiting silently for the first one to appear, then surging forward to slaughter and devour him!

"Let this humble Taoist be the first…" In an instant, all vanished.

Only lush mountains and rivers, scenery like a painting, the spring breeze having already swept away the unchanging white snow.

…………

Ninefold Tiangong.

Imperial Supreme Soaring Hall.

Winter passed and spring came to the mortal realm, yet the celestial assembly had not yet ended.

The Heavenly Sovereign still sat at the highest seat, but having clearly made up his mind, he now joined the gods in feasting, drinking cup after cup of nectar and jade dew.

This brought the assembly's atmosphere to its peak.

Judging by this, had it not been for the need to maintain divine decorum, the great gods would have long since descended to dance and sing aloud.

In contrast to the great gods' revelry, the many "Zhenjun" appeared extremely calm and detached, utterly unlike their earlier state.

Please... Your Excellency... Collect_(!)

They seemed to be waiting for the assembly's end, or perhaps for some moment after it concluded…

"Younger brother, did you two come here before?"

Higher up, Xu Xing and Bie Xuening stood upon empty air, gazing down at all below.

Yes, only the two of them.

Xiang Yuanjun was truly occupied with the final steps of establishing communication channels, so she had no time to come out.

"Mm." Xu Xing nodded slightly. "This is, after all, the supreme divine assembly of this realm; I wished to witness it."

Bie Xuening glanced at the hall's arrangements.

The starry cosmos formed the ceiling, auspicious clouds guarding it, pillars arranged in rows.

Starlight flowed like water, fine threads descending into the auspicious clouds, casting colorful auspicious mists; the pillars coiled with golden-scaled True Dragons that glowed like the sun, their crimson beards like fire, swallowing qi and exhaling radiance, illuminating the heavens.

Merely this portion revealed the extravagance of the divine assembly.

"Indeed impressive."

After returning, I can use this to have Jiu Yu and Yunlu design several new little yellow duck emojis for me.

They are cultivators raised in the new era; perhaps they'll have some good ideas.

"Once this assembly ends, the 'Zhenjun' will descend to the mortal realm," Xu Xing said.

This assembly was the final revelry of the divine gods.

Once the many 'Zhenjun' descend, the divine system will lose a massive portion.

Since divine beings and the divine system mutually reinforce each other, as the divine system becomes incomplete, the blessings granted by all divine positions—except those of the Emperor-level and the Great Yin and Great Yang positions—will gradually weaken.

And immortal cultivators will seize this opportunity to begin hunting divine beings, stealing their divine essence to cultivate!

Just as in the last epoch, when the divine path rose and drained the essence of immortal cultivators to build this celestial palace symbolizing divine order, the transition of great eras has always been this naked and cruel.

"The flaw of the divine path," Bie Xuening said coolly.

No matter how weak one was before ascending to divinity, once seated on a divine position, one could draw upon the power of heaven and earth.

But as the divine system collapses, all will naturally revert to their original state.

Thinking of this, she suddenly paused, lowering her gaze to the mortal realm.

More precisely, she looked toward Mount Chengming—what she saw was precisely the moment Jiang Lin had forged the dan.

"The alchemy method you transmitted—your junior disciple has entered it."

"Yes." Xu Xing had seen it too.

Taiping Dao…

Now that the great immortal age is approaching, the feudal monarchy system will no longer be suitable.

This Taiping Dao, influenced by him and Hong Zun's friend—how far will it go…

"First, collect this realm's divine system."

He opened his hand, and a complex gray sphere formed from countless threads floated into view.

It was the "container" he had prepared to store all information of this realm's divine system.

After all, his goal was to build a "Ascension Guidance Immortal Network" centered on True Immortal power; many problems needed consideration, the difficulty was great, so he must proceed step by step.

"Go."

With a soft whisper, an invisible ripple spread from the gray sphere in Xu Xing's palm.

Upon touching the Heavenly Sovereign, his divine position and authority were swiftly analyzed, extracted, then transformed into a stream of information that flowed into the gray-threaded sphere.

A bright golden light ignited at the sphere's center, dyeing a portion of the gray threads into brilliant gold.

The position of "Tianzun," as the core of this realm's divine system, naturally occupied a substantial share.

After analyzing the Tianzun's position, the ripple did not stop, but continued expanding outward.

Within the Imperial Supreme Soaring Hall, the divine positions and authorities of countless Xingjun and Tianjun deities were instantly analyzed.

Gradually, the ripple spread from the Ninth Tiangong to the other heavenly palaces.

All divine beings within the heavenly palaces—Shenjun, Shen Shuai, Shen Jiang, even Lingjun-level celestial soldiers and divine servants—had their divine positions analyzed, transformed into streams of information flowing into the sphere in Xu Xing's palm.

As information from numerous divine positions flooded in, most of the gray lines forming the sphere were dyed brilliant gold.

From afar, it looked as if he held a tiny sun in his palm.

The light it emitted even overshadowed the auroras exhaled by the crimson-bearded, golden-scaled Sun True Dragons coiled around the pillars, yet none of the gods in the hall, not even the Heavenly Sovereign himself, noticed at all.

After collecting all the information on the celestial palace's divine positions, Xu Xing turned to Bie Xuening:

"Sister, do you want to look a bit longer, or shall we head straight to the next place?"

They had only come out for a stroll; there was no need to come in person just to collect divine position data.

"Let's go."

After watching for a while, it was just as dull—Bie Xuening had little interest in such things.

Immediately, their figures vanished from above.

The gods continued drinking and reveling.

The next target was naturally the two foundational divine positions of the divine path: Taiyin and Taiyang. (End of chapter)