Chapter 177: The Two Sects Seem to Have a Rift

Sanyin Temple, quiet room.

Chen Ci tapped the tabletop lightly, a look of slight gravity on his face.

Longhu Mountain Primordial Spirit True Monarch.

Duer Star Lord divine statue.

For the "Cave Profound Wonderful Truth Due Star Lord" to receive offerings, obtain incense, and emit Spirit Light in Changping County—looking at the situation over these past ten days or so, it was not an easy task; at least from Chen Ci's perspective, it was quite troublesome and would require a great deal of effort to accomplish.

The two words "sincere heart" were clearly not just something to be said with the mouth, nor was it enough for some commoners to come and offer incense; incense offerings were not that simple, they had to come from the heart.

But there are no small matters when it comes to a Primordial Spirit; although Chen Ci had established the Due Palace in Changping County and had earned a bit of incense money through his labor, he had not cut any corners in his work, and it could be said he had used his heart and strength.

Looking at it this way, it seemed there was no problem; although Chen Ci belonged to the He Mountain Sect, not to mention that they both cultivated in the Liang Kingdom, his own Jiao Zhenren was also a son-in-law of Longhu Mountain, so to a Longhu Mountain Primordial Spirit True Monarch, he could be considered half—well, a quarter—of a family member, so it was only right to do his best.

But the part of this matter that was not right lay in the point of the "Longhu Mountain Primordial Spirit True Monarch."

Yet he had not mentioned a single word about it; what was his intention?

Either this Longhu Mountain Daoist did not know the origin and significance of this Star Lord statue.

Once the He Mountain cultivators in Xishan Prefecture did not take this matter seriously, or even acted in compliance while secretly plotting or causing trouble, by the time they realized they had offended a Primordial Spirit True Monarch, it would be all over.

"I reckon it is still because of the sharing of the Earth Sha Yin Vein."

In a situation where one family dominates, how Longhu Mountain could allow a small side-door sect like the He Mountain Sect to occupy two prefectures was a question.

However, if today's matter was truly intentional, then the relationship between the two sects was not the "well water does not interfere with river water" that was seen on the surface; it was impossible for the interior of Longhu Mountain to be entirely harmonious, and there might be many cultivators who did not look favorably upon Jiao Zhenren, this side-door son-in-law, and would strike at his He Mountain subordinates whenever they had the chance.

One must know that it was not that Longhu Mountain was a sect of the Liang Kingdom, but that the Liang Kingdom was a country under the jurisdiction of Longhu Mountain; the Nine Springs Temple was merely a branch temple of Longhu Mountain.

But if this was a scheme to install a Primordial Spirit True Monarch, then the things that fellow did were a bit reckless; it looked rigorous, but in reality, it was sloppy. Was he truly not afraid of messing things up and suffering the consequences within Longhu Mountain?

Chen Ci slowly spat out four words, then his brows furrowed slightly: "Or perhaps some Longhu Mountain cultivators in the Liang Kingdom want to use this matter, through the hand of the Primordial Spirit True Monarch, to drive out the He Mountain disciples from Xishan Prefecture?"

Either he was just negligent and forgot to say a word to Chen Ci.

Or this fellow was "carelessly" intentional, and even the He Mountain cultivators in the entire Xishan Prefecture only knew this jade statue as the "Cave Profound Wonderful Truth Due Star Lord," but did not know that this was the true appearance of a True Monarch's star dharma image, involving the layout and schemes of a Primordial Spirit expert.

If it were just distributing Star Lord statues for the side-door cultivators in the various counties of Xishan Prefecture to worship, although this attitude was a bit arrogant, it would not count for much.

Chen Ci had been biased, recognizing the origin of this Star Lord statue and its relationship with that Primordial Spirit True Monarch's star dharma image, which was why he was so dedicated.

If it were the third point—deliberately concealing and omitting important information, downplaying a major matter, and then ordering others to do it—this was a method to harm people.

But if the title of "Primordial Spirit True Monarch" were removed, and it was just a "Duer Star Lord" left behind by a Longhu Mountain cultivator, would Master Chen still be so dedicated?

This point... is very critical.

Thinking about it more closely, the Longhu Mountain Daoist that day seemed to have said everything that should have been said and gone through all the procedures that should have been gone through; he came in the name of the Nine Springs Temple, brought out the Longhu Mountain order, the prefecture government's official documents, and the Red Dragon Temple's dharma decree to finalize the matter, but his attitude toward the work, to be honest, was quite casual. He didn't even give many instructions, leaving behind the Star Lord jade statue and the name, then left gracefully.

To tell the truth, Chen Ci had long felt that the distribution of power in the Liang Kingdom's cultivation world was somewhat improper.

But in reality, no one had explicitly told Chen Ci that the "Cave Profound Wonderful Truth Due Star Lord" was related to a "Longhu Mountain Primordial Spirit True Monarch," nor had anyone said that this divine statue was the scheme of a Primordial Spirit expert; and with the vision and knowledge of a small side-door He Mountain cultivator in Xishan Prefecture, he shouldn't have been able to see the origin of this Star Lord statue.

It was only after going to the Liangjiang Sea Market and meeting Jiao Zhenren that Chen Ci understood a little more about the relationship between the two sects; it all relied on his own Zhenren eating soft rice hard. It was hard to say much else, but at the very least, Jiao Zhenren must have received the nod and approval of a Longhu Mountain Primordial Spirit True Person, otherwise, how could he have married a Golden Core female cultivator from Longhu Mountain.

"Borrowing a knife to kill?"

Taking a step back, as for the style of the He Mountain cultivators, although they certainly wouldn't dare to kill people to practice their arts in the Liang Kingdom's Xishan Prefecture as they did in Miaojiang, their reputation in private was likely not much better. That fellow even specifically emphasized placing the divine statue in the He Mountain cultivators' dojo; in form, it was indeed quite important, but in reality, did he not have a clue how many commoners would dare to offer incense? Was he trying to arrange this matter well, or was he trying not to arrange it well?

Taking another step back, if that Daoist had even mentioned "This was ordered by our Primordial Spirit ancestor," then even if the He Mountain cultivators heard it, their attitude toward the work would have at least improved by more than three levels.

Chen Ci rubbed his brows and simply got up to pace back and forth in Sanyin Temple; this matter had significant implications, and since he was considered a grassroots cadre of the He Mountain Sect in Xishan Prefecture, he naturally had to pay some attention to it.

Chen Ci stopped his steps, his eyes narrowed; although Lin Laohu had mentioned that Jiao Zhenren had contributed greatly regarding the "Sea Market" and "Sha Field" in the Liang Kingdom, so the Fuhu Altar in Xishan Prefecture also had the right to use the Quanshan Earth Sha, it seemed that the Longhu Mountain cultivators—perhaps the Nine Springs Temple—did not think so.

Some side-door left-path people are also worthy of sharing the opportunity of Golden Core formation with us Longhu cultivators?

"Following He Mountain, nine meals hungry in three days; endless work, endless worry; good things never catch up, beatings never escape."

Chen Ci couldn't help but complain; Master Chen, he was wronged.

But being wronged was useless; Chen Ci pondered for a moment, still unsure if he was overthinking it, so he simply ordered toward the door: "Qingfeng, go call Xian Zhi."

"Yes, Master."

A slightly childish voice sounded from outside the door; it was a new Daoist boy taken into the temple, no more than ten years old, a relative of a village head in the village under Sanyin Temple. He could recognize a hundred characters, and when his family heard the temple was recruiting, they sent him over. He was accepted by Long Xianzhi and sent to Chen Ci's side to be kept for use.

As for this name, ha, there were at least eight or nine thousand Daoist boys named Qingfeng in this world; it was nothing strange.

After about the time it takes to eat a meal, Long Xianzhi arrived at the door and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Teacher."

"Mm, sit down and speak."

Chen Ci tapped the tabletop, thought for a moment, and then slowly began to speak: "I called you here today because there is an important matter that requires you to do it. This journey is quite far, you need to be prepared."

Hearing his teacher speak, Long Xianzhi's face also tightened, and he cupped his hands and said: "Teacher, please give your orders."

"Good!"

Chen Ci nodded slightly and ordered: "You will set off lightly in a moment. Choose five counties in Xishan Prefecture and discreetly inquire about the situation of the Duer Star Lord. See if the local attitude toward this matter is heavy or light. If the He Mountain cultivators in the various counties value this matter highly, you should inquire about the reason and come back to report to me. But if the attitude is all perfunctory, you will immediately go to Xishan Prefecture, hold my name card, and pay a visit to the master of the Fuhu Altar. Say that during the Dragon Lord's birthday banquet, I happened to see a Primordial Spirit True Monarch from Longhu Mountain, and that True Monarch's dharma image was nine-tenths similar to this Star Lord. Remember that."

"Disciple remembers."

Long Xianzhi went over these words in his heart and nodded seriously.

"If you go to the Fuhu Altar, you don't have to return directly. Go down the river to Dongshan Prefecture and the three prefectures of Jiangzhou, pick three or five small counties in each, see the local cultivators' attitude and actions regarding this matter, and then return to report to me."

Chen Ci let out a turbid breath; this was the benefit of having a disciple. The so-called "cannot be in two places at once"—unless a cultivator has the supernatural ability to divide their Primordial Spirit, no matter how high their cultivation or how deep their Dao practice, one person can only do one thing, easily distracted by miscellaneous matters, which affects cultivation.

"Disciple will set off now."

Seeing Chen Ci's serious expression, Long Xianzhi, though not knowing the intention of this move, thought it must be quite important, so he bowed and prepared to withdraw.

"Mm, go early and return early. You now have cultivation in your body; as long as you are not brave and combative, although the Liang Kingdom is large, it can let you walk it."

Chen Ci came back to his senses, chuckled, took a Spirit Iron Short Sword from his sleeve, handed it to Long Xianzhi, and said: "Although this sword is short, it is still sharp. Today I bestow it upon you for self-defense. Although we cultivators value Dao practice above all, one must have a protective tool. Before you leave, go to the temple to draw a thousand taels of silver and a good horse; spend what you should spend, do not lose your own bearing."

It was good to use, but it was also truly expensive; in just this short while, six thousand taels of silver had been bestowed.

Sigh, having mixed for so long and followed several leaders, he hadn't learned a bit of the skill of drawing cakes; Master Chen was still honest.

After Long Xianzhi turned and went out, the smile on Chen Ci's face slowly faded, and his eyes flickered.

The change in the Fuhu Altar was a struggle for power and profit among the He Mountain Sect's Xishan Prefecture cultivators; although it was troublesome, as long as Chen Ci kept a low profile and stayed steady, it wasn't a big deal, and he just wouldn't get involved.

But if it were related to Quanzhou, or rather, related to the Quanshan Earth Sha, and the Longhu Mountain cultivators had other thoughts, that would be the real trouble. Once the two sects had a dispute, he didn't know if Jiao Zhenren's face and status would be useful, but what the outcome would be for small He Mountain cultivators like them was hard to say.

Chen Ci felt an inexplicable sense of unease in his heart; he did not know why, but although he dared to risk his life for the path of the Dao, he was particularly sensitive about his own safety.

Or, as it is commonly called, he lacked a sense of security.

Although Changping County was poor and remote with few resources, there were no high-level cultivators here; Master Chen was the number one expert in the area, and the only one who posed any threat, the Ma Family Ancestor, was of no concern as long as one did not go to Ma Family Village to seek trouble. This gave Chen Ci an indescribable sense of security; otherwise, he would not have run back from the Liangjiang Sea Market the moment he felt something was amiss.

But in this world, there was clearly no room for choice for low-level minor cultivators. To say that Nine Springs Temple and Fuhu Altar would have a massive brawl in Quanzhou was likely an exaggeration, otherwise they would have fought long ago, but these petty, malicious maneuvers were also quite frightening; who knew when one might land on one's own head.

"Troublesome."

Chen Ci sighed; it was still better to be treated as part of a Profound Gate sect—day after day, where would there be so much bullshit?

Time to cultivate!

Ten days later.

Five Ghosts Transportation Method: Perfected/80/100

Soul Fixing Talisman: Proficient/17/100

Chen Ci slowly withdrew his gaze from his personal panel; among all the Daoist arts he currently possessed, only this Five Ghosts Transportation Method was progressing smoothly and steadily. Although the Soul Fixing Talisman Method had also made progress, grinding it was truly exhausting, and there were no visible gains in the short term.

As for the Five Ghosts and Golden Scale Wonderful Method, because he was preoccupied with the affairs of Due Palace and had to go on duty every day, he dared not find a place for quiet cultivation, so there was little progress.

After a moment of silence, Chen Ci suddenly asked, "Qingfeng, has Xian Zhi returned yet?"

"Reporting to Master, there is still no news of the Senior Apprentice Brother."

Outside the door, the child acolyte Qingfeng reported truthfully.

Ten days of time; for the nearby five counties, a cultivator's foot speed was more than enough to make a round trip. His Registered Disciple had not yet returned to Sanyin Temple, so he must have gone to Fuhu Altar. It seemed he had truly guessed correctly; the He Mountain cultivators in Xishan Prefecture likely had no idea that this Star Lord divine statue was a scheme laid out by a Primordial Spirit True Monarch, and he reckoned few people took this matter to heart.

"Saved the lives of a bunch of cheap fellow disciples."

Chen Ci thought this, but there was no joy on his face; he sighed. It was really hard to get by in a side-door sect, and he had the thought of jumping ship again.

Unfortunately, he couldn't jump at all right now.

In the future, he would have to keep his guard up for anything related to Longhu Mountain.

Chen Ci simply got up and headed toward Due Palace. Over twenty days had passed, and the Spirit Light on that jade statue was still almost motionless; even for those who had previously made the jade statue flash with Spirit Light, bringing them back to worship again did not work every time.

Annoying as hell.

Is it really that hard to just believe for a moment?

If you still don't believe, your Master Chen is going to have to use some methods.

Chen Ci grinned and gave a bitter smile. Cultivating in a side-door sect was already difficult, and he was being distracted by such matters, not daring to leave Changping County at all; his path of the Dao was truly not smooth.

The Five Ghosts Possession Method and Golden Scale Wonderful Method would not show results in the short term; although they could accumulate strength for a later breakthrough, the future was the future, and the present was the present. He had originally thought he could lay low in Changping County for a few years or a dozen years, and wait until his Daoist arts were accomplished to stage a "Dragon King's Return," but looking at it now, that was too idealistic.

What if—just saying, what if—the Great Success realm of the Soul Fixing Talisman was still not enough, and it required the Perfected realm to suppress the Five Aggregates Yin Demon Body? Was he just going to let the Nether Yin True Qi wear him down for the next ten years?

Theory was ultimately just theory, but time would not wait for him.

Chen Ci gritted his teeth, subconsciously tallied his own assets, and made up his mind.

The Five Ghosts Possession Method, Golden Scale Wonderful Method, and Soul Fixing Talisman Method had to be practiced, but pinning all his hopes on them was not stable; it was not as if the Five Aggregates Yin Demon Body could not be advanced through hard cultivation.

As long as there were enough Spirit Pearls, Five Elements Divine Sand, and Treasure Pills.

"What kind of bullshit wonderful method? Aptitude, Five Ghosts Possession—if the He Mountain cultivators can't practice it, it's because they're poor. Facts prove that Han Tianzun's path is the true path!"

It seems that if these pills aren't refined, it simply won't do.

(End of chapter)