Chapter 822

Taiheng Mountain remained quiet as ever.

Except for occasional idle chatter between palace maids and eunuchs, it was mostly desolate.

Fortunately, this had become the norm.

Everyone here was accustomed to it.

In the past, this place was the ancestral mausoleum of the Yu Kingdom’s imperial family, too sacred to be defiled, so it naturally had to be solemn; later, when the Elder Changqing arrived, it remained just as desolate.

After all, whose immortal sect would be lively and bustling?

Yet compared to recent years,

there was now an additional teenager.

In the courtyard, a middle-aged man with streaks of gray at his temples was teaching the boy how to breathe and absorb.

The Retired Emperor Zhu Long intended to personally guide the reincarnation of Grand Secretary Zhang onto the path of cultivation.

If the old Yu people found out, they would surely exclaim, “How novel!”

Zhu Long, as the Sacred Emperor, had weaker foundations than other cultivators of his realm, yet the privilege of being personally instructed by a Heaven-Man cultivator was extraordinarily high.

The boy had exceptional talent; within just three years, he sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and became a cultivator.

Zhu Long watched the boy’s transformation and felt genuine joy deep within.

In his past life,

Grand Secretary Zhang had never touched a Dao scripture—was it because he disliked them?

Of course not.

It was because he could not.

The vast Yu Kingdom was like a starving infant, desperately needing rice to be put into the pot.

And Grand Secretary Zhang was the man who cooked a meal without rice.

Difficult.

Extremely difficult.

So much so that even without the machinations of the Nightmare Dao Lord, Grand Secretary Zhang would not have lived long.

The Sacred Emperor knew full well that this scholar, who once lit up at the mention of immortals, had secretly desired more than anyone else to become a carefree cultivator.

What was owed in the past life, he would repay in this one.

Creak.

The door opened from within.

Out stepped Li Rui.

The teenager, seeing Li Rui, bowed with some restraint: “Master Li.”

He wasn’t foolish; having stayed in this Taiheng Mountain villa for so many years, he knew full well that the man before him was the old ancestor of Yu, the heaven of Jinting Small Prefecture.

Li Rui waved casually: “No need for formalities.”

He held immense respect for Grand Secretary Zhang from his past life.

That was why he had been willing to ask the Sword River Dao Lord for help.

“I’m going down the mountain.”

“Alright.”

Zhu Long nodded.

Over the years, he had long grown accustomed to Li Rui descending the mountain once every decade, usually for a few days, sometimes up to half a month.

Having spoken, Li Rui summoned his flying vessel and headed north.

He descended the mountain,

solely to attend the gathering of the Three Lives Dao Altar.

Ji Fan, Ye Yuan, Bai Lian True Person, and Guan Xu True Person were all Dao Lords reincarnated; their cultivation insights always brought him sudden clarity and greatly aided his comprehension of the Dao Seed.

Crossing Zhongyaozhou,

he soon entered the territory of Zhongzhou.

Finally, Li Rui’s flying vessel landed before a Daoist temple in Sanqingzhou.

As soon as he landed,

he heard Guan Xu True Person’s voice: “Elder Changqing, it’s been a long time.”

Stepping into the temple,

he saw Guan Xu True Person already standing in the courtyard, smiling warmly at Li Rui.

Li Rui took a moment to observe him.

Guan Xu True Person’s aura of Dao had grown even deeper—clearly, his cultivation had advanced.

“Congratulations, Elder Guan Xu, your cultivation has greatly improved.”

Li Rui bowed.

Upon hearing this, Guan Xu True Person burst into laughter: “Elder Changqing, you’ve missed a tremendous opportunity—the immortal tomb was brimming with primordial Dao essence; it was precisely from what I gained there that I condensed the Xi Ming Wheel.”

Xi Ming Wheel.

Body Integration perfected!

Li Rui felt a faint surprise within.

To achieve perfection in Body Integration was no small feat; Guan Xu True Person reaching it so swiftly clearly meant the benefits he gained in the immortal tomb far exceeded expectations.

As the two spoke,

two more auras appeared.