Chapter 382: Immortal Official (4K)

The events that took place in the Ancestral Master Hall were never leaked; they were listed as an absolute secret of the Tongshan Dao lineage.

Zhang Jian had still not fully matured.

This is a matter concerning the Divine Path Emperor Sovereign; the longer it is concealed, the better, ideally until after attaining immortality and fully mastering the authority of the Divine Path Emperor Sovereign.

Otherwise, if this matter becomes known to those powerful beings, it will inevitably invite disaster.

Zhang Jian went to the Ancestral Master Hall to borrow the ancestral master's handwritten texts, while over the course of two days, distinguished guests from various regions gradually arrived.

For many immortal sects and Daoist traditions, this is a grand event occurring once in several thousand years.

Attaining the Dao and proving oneself as a Heavenly Immortal.

This is the legendary imagery from mythology reflected into reality.

Even some immortal sects and Daoist traditions that have disagreements with the Tongshan Dao lineage brazenly brought generous gifts and entered the divine mountain's territory to attend the ceremony.

A massive ascension platform was erected before the Divine Mountain.

This place is vast, and even more rare is that it is located at a site of exceptionally favorable feng shui.

As the auspicious time approached, one could see on the ascension platform a nine-colored rosy light shining through, and from the void, figures emerged one after another.

The two second-generation ancestral masters of the Tongshan Dao lineage led some third-generation disciples, fourth-generation, and even some fifth-generation senior cultivators to manifest their true forms.

The two second-generation ancestral masters are Qingyuan Old Ancestor and Zidian Old Ancestor.

As the true forms of these two second-generation old ancestors faintly appeared, the senior cultivators from various sects observing the ceremony below could not help but change their expressions.

"These two old fellows are indeed still within Tongshan..."

Many senior cultivators with ancient auras and solemn visages each showed slight changes in expression, their demeanor becoming solemn.

The Slaughter Demon True Lord and Zhang Jian also manifested their true forms among the crowd.

The Slaughter Demon True Lord glanced downward, simultaneously introducing Zhang Jian to some of the "distinguished guests" who had come to observe the ceremony.

"Many cultivators have come to observe the ceremony at my Tongshan; we have not only invited some allies, including the 'Si family' and 'Jiang family' of the Eight Great Sacred King Clans, the Xuanyuan Sect, and the Tianhe Sect,

but also some extremely ancient true immortal families, or even immortals and gods who have come in person.

For example, among the Four Great Inspection Envoys of the State and Path Divine Path, the Human Inspection Envoy!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian followed the Slaughter Demon True Lord's gaze downward to the ten or so special seats before the observation platform, where he saw a figure clad in purple robes, surrounded by vast starlight, engaging in conversation with numerous Daoists whose immortal lights flowed and shifted.

"Is this a Star Lord?"

Zhang Jian felt a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He knew that the Divine Path is divided into seven grades.

Among them, third-grade deities are equivalent to Primordial Spirit True Persons.

Second-grade deities are usually called Star Lords, or Heavenly Gods, depending on the path one follows.

However, most deities follow the Star Lord path.

The Star Lord path is a major avenue already traversed in the Divine Path—not only powerful and ancient, but also convenient for transferring cultivation to other Divine Path disciplines.

Zhang Jian merely glanced and then withdrew his gaze.

The Slaughter Demon True Lord laughed and said:

"Well, you will have the opportunity to come into contact with the Four Great Inspection Envoys in the future!"

Zhang Jian's gaze flickered.

In the State and Path Divine Path, the State and Path Emperor Sovereign is most exalted; beneath him are several unknown first-grade Star Lords.

These first-grade Star Lords are mostly nominal, their rank just below that of the State and Path Emperor Sovereign.

A first-grade Star Lord, in essence, is equivalent to a Heavenly Immortal in the Daoist path.

And as Heavenly Immortals bestowed by the Divine Path's canonization, their strength is somewhat greater.

The most active are primarily the Four Great Inspection Envoys.

The Heavenly Inspection Envoy, Earthly Inspection Envoy, Human Inspection Envoy, and Netherworld Inspection Envoy—each responsible for overseeing the deities of the State and Path Divine Path, while also ensuring its normal operation.

Zhang Jian merely glanced and then withdrew his gaze; staring fixedly at other immortals is an extremely impolite act.

"Among the Four Great Inspection Envoys this time, only the Human Inspection Envoy has come; the other three are said to be investigating an unknown change in an ancient relic site, and that異類仙人 beside them is the Qingping Dragon Lord, the Qingping Dragon Lord is the leader of the true dragon clan of the Qingping Sea—do not underestimate this dragon clan force; within our great realm, true dragons are numerous, but this immortal is not the strongest among the dragon clan; the strongest dragon clan powerhouse resides in a certain forbidden zone within this realm, and among those old fellows who refuse to ascend, there are absolutely dragon clan powerhouses..."

Zhang Jian's brow twitched.

"Master, are there still immortals who forcibly remain, unwilling to ascend?"

He felt surprise in his eyes.

The Slaughter Demon True Lord nodded slightly.

"Yes, and not a few—during the desperate battle of the ancient war, when the last ancient sacred king was born after the Middle Ancient War, he employed a secret method to force many immortal masters to leave this realm, but some immortal masters, great powers, instead chose to hide themselves; in the future, you must be cautious—although these ancient immortals, due to heavenly and earthly restrictions, can only exert limited power, each of them has profound mastery of Dao arts, and ultimately far surpasses those of the same level..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian nodded slightly; he too was hearing such secret news for the first time.

Can one really remain forcibly?

Does this great realm still hold other secrets!

Zhang Jian silently thought: to be able to nurture so many ancient sacred kings and ancient immortals, this great realm clearly possesses its own allure.

The Slaughter Demon True Lord, taking the opportunity, further introduced Zhang Jian to the surrounding immortals.

Zhang Jian silently memorized them.

Seeing Zhang Jian's expression, the Slaughter Demon True Lord could not help but laugh again: "These immortal old ancestors usually spend most of their time wandering outside the realm; your chances of encountering them are small, so there's no need to be overly cautious!"

Immediately afterward, he heard the Slaughter Demon True Lord say again:

"Moreover, some have come uninvited—for example, the Deyang Old Ancestor of the Five Elements Immortal Sect, the Supreme Person of the Elemental Extreme City, the Heavenly Wu Goddess of the Poison Witch Sect, and also the Copper Drum Immortal from the Extreme Immortal Island on the Wind and Sea—these are all ancestral masters of their sects, individuals of profound Daoist cultivation and magical power, some of whom have already been confirmed to have cultivated immortal bodies, such as the Copper Drum Immortal!"

Zhang Jian silently nodded, noticing that the gazes of many accomplished great cultivators swept over him from time to time, faintly but perceptibly.

And the position he currently occupies is indeed quite special.

At this moment, he is walking alongside many third-generation disciples.

In fact, according to the arrangement of the Daoist Jue Ming, he should have been standing together with the second-generation old ancestors, serving as the foundation to suppress the sect.

However, considering the recent establishment of Great Xia, Zhang Jian refused such an arrangement.

In the crowd, Zhang Jian also saw the Qi and Bai families, who were also seated in the upper seats.

What was rather strange was that Zhang Xian actually stood behind the Floating Daoist, constantly participating in the busy affairs of the Ascending Daoist's ascension.

This was also a certain expression of stance by the Qingyuan lineage!

Zhang Jian noticed that many high-level cultivators' gazes fell upon Zhang Xian, whether intentionally or not.

Obviously, the title of Innate Dao Fetal Body was very prominent.

And after everything was complete, one could see in the void that the Ascending Daoist manifested his form; he wore a Daoist robe woven of black and white, with a sun-and-moon lotus crown bound on his head, and numerous golden lights flowed and turned on his Daoist robe, while a circle of golden light naturally manifested in his mind at this moment.

At this moment, standing on the Ascension Platform, his eyes were crystal clear, and the laws of the Immortal Dao flowed around him; he first swept his gaze over the many guests, then smiled and said.

"Fellow Daoists, many of you are my good friends, and there are also former rivals with whom I have had disputes and battles, but today you are able to come as guests without holding past grudges, naturally you are all friends of the Tongshan Dao lineage... My ascension is imminent, and many places may be inadequately hosted; I still ask you friends for your understanding!"

"

Upon hearing this, however, the Qingping Dragon King laughed and said.

"Ascending Daoist, if we talk about the years and duration of cultivation, you surpass all the fellow Daoists present; I'm afraid only I can contend with you for supremacy, so you don't need to be polite—you are all my juniors or peers; just prepare well for your ascension!"

Upon hearing this, the Ascending Daoist smiled wryly.

And in the upper seats, the Copper Drum Immortal at this moment snorted and said.

"You old Daoist, having achieved the rank of Heavenly Immortal, yet still so dilatory—no wonder you have remained in the position of Sect Master of Tongshan for thousands of years; but speaking frankly, to be able to linger in such a position for thousands of years by meticulous effort, this Immortal admires you!"

Saying this, the Copper Drum Immortal's eyes also held much admiration.

After becoming an Immortal via the Dao, he still could endure thousands of years of hardship in the mortal realm, only to ascend to the Heavenly Gate as a Heavenly Immortal—this is not something ordinary Immortals can do.

Most Immortals, after achieving True Immortality, basically go to the realms beyond, then through special methods in those realms' relics, directly enter the Heavenly Realm; who would truly follow the ancient method, obtain a Heavenly Immortal body, and ascend?

The Ascending Daoist glanced toward the horizon; at this moment, a stick of incense on the bronze tripod before him had already burned down to the end, and he knew the auspicious time was approaching.

Then he respectfully came before the Qingyuan Ancestor and performed the great kowtow ritual.

"Disciple bows in gratitude to Master for your profound kindness in creation!"

The Qingyuan Ancestor smiled slightly, rose, and helped the Ascending Daoist to his feet, merely saying: "Cultivate well; we shall meet again in the Upper Realm!"

The Ascending Daoist rose, then immediately turned to the Purple Lightning Ancestor, bowed to him, then turned to the Boundless True Sovereign, the Burning Bones True Sovereign, the Slaying Demons True Sovereign, the Azure Cloud True Sovereign, and other junior fellow disciples, and said.

"Fellow junior disciples, the lineage of Tongshan Dao is now entrusted to you!"

Lastly, he turned his gaze toward the dozens of disciples kneeling before the Ascension Platform, with a feeling of emotion.

Over these thousands of years, the Ascending Daoist has taken on many direct disciples, numbering in the dozens, including Godsoul True Sovereigns, Godsoul Great True Persons, and also many disciples who have only just achieved Golden Core and Yin Spirit.

Even Zhang Xian, who has only recently established his Foundation, is among them.

As the Sect Master of the Tongshan Dao lineage, the Ascending Daoist has clearly done an excellent job in expanding the sect.

For these disciples, he has long since given his instructions, merely smiling and saying.

"Disciples, cultivate well, do not grieve; we shall continue our master-disciple bond in the Heavenly Realm!"

As his words fell, one could see that on the great tripod, a piece of blue text turned to ash, and above the firmament, suddenly appeared myriad streams of auspicious clouds and propitious vapors.

Boom—boom—boom!

The firmament split open.

Golden light shone upon the Ascension Platform.

Zhang Jian raised his head and looked; in the distant, vast illusory void, it seemed a great power pierced through heaven and earth, opening a spatial passage, and the phantom of a magnificent gate projected forth, with multicolored light stretching ten thousand zhang, and neon-like lights rolling.

A surge of magnificent power suddenly surged from the gate, and nine-colored light condensed.

As that power appeared, the surrounding Immortals felt as if they sensed the deep firmament, the Heaven and Earth Great Dao regulations trembling, as if the Heavenly Dao had given birth to will; even though that gaze had not yet fallen upon them, they all felt their hearts startled and their spirits trembled.

Zhang Jian, in the crowd, also felt a terrifying pressure; even his own status as a Godpath Emperor could not help but stagnate.

But one saw in the deep, dark void, at this moment a calm, solemn voice sounded:

"The Heavenly Emperor's decree: Now there is a disciple of the Tongshan Gate, born in the wilds, attained the Dao amidst ignorance, obtained the creation of heaven and earth, the divine essence of sun and moon, merits shining brightly, fortune forming a rainbow, grace bestowed upon the mixed and dark common folk... And now, I decree him to be the Blessing and Virtue Spiritual Official of my Purple Azure Division, permitting him to immediately ascend the Heavenly Gate!"

The celestial sound echoed faintly, the Heavenly Dao's regulations shone clearly!

As the rising and falling tone fell, one could see a nine-colored talisman edict condense into form from the void.

At the moment of its manifestation, many Godsoul True Persons below, and even Immortals, felt their own Godsoul violently tremble.

They involuntarily gazed upon this edict, and in their eyes flashed a deep hue of longing.

But one saw in the vast multicolored light, as if the clouds and rosy light of the heavens split open, a stream of nine-colored light fell from the firmament, transforming into a halo of rosy light that enveloped the Ascending Daoist's entire body.

Within the nine-colored rosy light, one could see the Ascending Daoist's vital energy flowing, intense immortal light bursting forth, the magnificent spectacle as if shaking heaven and moving earth.

The immortal light was like formless ripples, rushing out from the depths of the Tongshan Blessed Land.

Having received this Heavenly Palace Talisman Edict, the Ascending Daoist's body had countless spiritual mechanisms surging; his form involuntarily shot swiftly into the void, while a clear, hearty laugh rang out.

"Fellow Daoists, we shall meet again in the Heavenly Realm!"

"Congratulations, Master, on ascending the Heavenly Gate!"

"Congratulations, Great Blessing and Virtue Spiritual Official!"

Below the Ascension Platform, many disciples of the Tongshan Dao lineage, led by the Wandering Daoist, all bowed in unison.

The sound echoed through the Divine Mountain.

Many visiting guests who witnessed this scene also could not help but change their expressions.

"Blessing and Virtue Spiritual Official of the Purple Azure Division?"

In the crowd, Zhang Jian pondered in his heart; Purple Azure usually refers to nobility, also to blessings and emoluments.

This is easy to understand: after the Ascending Daoist's ascension, he should obtain the noble office of overseeing human blessings and emoluments, longevity, and the like.

Such an office counts as a sinecure.

If used properly, one can thereby accumulate blessings and creation, which is beneficial to Dao-heart cultivation and the accumulation of blessings and affinities.

Compared to those martial posts of fighting and killing, this is certainly far more noble.

Martial positions are not only dangerous, but also easy to become cannon fodder, tainted with killing qi and demonic qi.

This is the advantage of having someone above; otherwise, relying solely on the Heavenly Immortal Fruit to ascend, one might not immediately have a divine position vacant.

Just like the secular court, one cannot help but still have to wait for the Ministry of Personnel.

This matter Zhang Jian could understand, and other high-ranking Daoists also knew very well; for a time, each of them had solemn expressions, with no lack of envy in their eyes.

This is truly a great elder.

Those like them, in the mortal world can make a fuss, but if they run to the heavenly realm, they will inevitably be arranged to the 'Heavenly Soldiers Post', and may not smoothly mingle into 'Heavenly Generals', let alone say this one compared to a palace general, or the commander of the heavenly soldiers, the great spirit official.

And Daoist Jue Ming, who just ascended and touched the threshold of mid-level celestial officials, is obviously not comparable to ordinary ascended celestial immortals.

Enviable indeed!

……

As Daoist Jue Ming successfully ascended to the Heavenly Gate, the Ascension Grand Ceremony was held satisfactorily, and many of the distinguished guests who came to attend the ceremony departed one after another, while only a small portion remained, preparing to participate in the succession ceremony of the third Sect Master of Tongshan.

Many immortal sects and Daoist lineages also wished to take this opportunity to inquire a little about the new Sect Master of Tongshan Daoist lineage's views on the current situation.

A new emperor brings new ministers.

Whether this newly appointed Sect Master, after succession, will still allow the Tongshan Daoist lineage to continue in seclusion.

……

And at this moment, just after Daoist Jue Ming's ascension, in the border region of the two realms, deep within an ancient city, suddenly a thunderous explosive sound shook heaven and earth; when this explosive sound rang out, the faces of the city's living beings froze in an instant, and the next moment their eyes showed fear, yet they saw a shocking, earth-shattering blazing firelight surge forth from within, suddenly engulfing the heavens.

A drought demon burst forth from within, soaring into the sky, wherever it passed, drought flames rose into the air, simply rushing straight toward a certain direction, galloping swiftly away.