Chapter 259

"Listen to me," Brother Qian Chen said calmly. "This Great Supreme Supreme Tian Mo Stele must not be kept."

"First, the Great Supreme Supreme Tian Mo Stele consists of twelve stones altogether. Even if we assume the demonic sects of the Earth Immortal Realm may hold the main fragments of the one we possess, any replica crafted as a spiritual treasure would inevitably trigger a resonance. Aside from the seven stones here in the Lord of Reincarnation's domain, the rest of the Great Supreme Supreme Tian Mo Steles should all be in the Central Lands of Shenzhou—surely they too would resonate?"

"If we forge a replica of this stele, we will inevitably entangle ourselves with the demonic sects!"

"At that point, countless demonic lords in the Central Lands will fix their eyes on us. This spiritual treasure will attract no end of trouble. Though we are not afraid of them, we have no need to further entangle ourselves with the demonic sects."

Seeing Yan Shu nodded slightly and said, "True. If this treasure were in my hands or my sister Si's, those demonic lords wouldn't dare come to Shaoying—or even approach Master Tao. But you, Brother, travel alone and must rebuild the Supreme Louguan Sect. Drawing the demonic sects' attention is extremely troublesome!"

Brother Qian Chen nodded slightly and continued, "Second, this spiritual treasure is a relic of the demonic sects. Though I can use it, our natures are fundamentally incompatible. After enduring this trial, my heart has grown clearer: my greatest tribulation lies not in Master Miaokong, nor even in the Supreme Louguan Sect—but in the demon within my own heart. For us, true disciples of the Daoist path, accumulating too many demonic spiritual treasures is not a good thing."

Ning Ning Qingchen also nodded in approval: "Brother, your Dao heart is truly steadfast! We were all swayed by the spiritual treasure and lost our Dao hearts."

"Sister, don't mention Dao heart steadfastness!" Brother Qian Chen laughed bitterly. "I once met a man who claimed to have a 'steadfast Dao heart'—I dare not compare myself to him!"

Brother Qian Chen briefly recounted his farce with the Jin Chuan Sect. Si Si Qingguo pounded the ground laughing: "So that old Wang bastard disliked you for this reason? He's got the arrogance of a noble family… How many guts does the Jin Chuan Sect have to provoke a monster like you?"

"If that old Wang bastard had seen the slaughter you wrought in Chang'an, I guarantee he wouldn't dare even let out a fart!"

"Sister!" Ning Ning Qingchen tapped Si Si Qingguo and whispered, "How can a young lady speak so crudely? If Master Tao hears this, when Brother Brother Qian visits you, his fate won't be better than Wang Yan's!"

Si Si Qingguo clapped her hand over her mouth and glanced around, whispering, "My father hasn't heard, has he?"

Brother Qian Chen's expression turned solemn: "Lastly, regardless of other matters, this mission's outcome—this Great Supreme Supreme Tian Mo Stele ending up in my hands—is deeply suspicious…"

He handed Si Si Qingguo a pure blue talisman, faintly tinged with purple: "This is your true talisman, Sister."

Si Si Qingguo's mouth dropped open: "This… this is a fourth-rank divine talisman, nearly third-rank! Third-rank is a Heavenly Mansion Tianfu Tianfu Zhenfu—these have always come from the Heavenly Court. My heavens! I only drew a ninth-rank true talisman, barely enough to enshrine a Land God, let alone a sovereign. Even emperors can't grant third-rank divine titles; only my father and others can enshrine below third-rank. Three Heavenly Masters, using the Zhengyi Sect's foundational treasure, the Register of Enshrinement, can barely confer second-rank. First-rank divine beings are Great Ones who bear the title 'Lord'—to enshrine one in the mortal realm, you must petition the Heavenly Court directly."

"This is, quite simply, the pinnacle of mortal talismans!"

Si Si Qingguo's hand trembled as she held the talisman, her voice quivering: "This isn't about cultivation level. Even primordial spirit immortals who excel in talisman arts can draw primordial spirit-level Heavenly Mansion talismans and forge Yellow Turban Warriors with primordial spirit power—but without the primordial authority granted by the Primordial Dao Zangshan Laozu, without heavenly court endorsement, it's nearly impossible to draw a talisman above sixth-rank."

"This is divine authority. Even the Zhang Tian Shi Seal can grant at most fifth-rank—without the Register of Enshrinement…"

"Indeed… the Dao Dust Pearl isn't simple. As the symbol of the Supreme Dao lineage, it 'is as the Supreme's decree,' carrying immense symbolic authority. After the Supreme merged with Heaven and Earth, in meaning it surpasses even the Register of Enshrinement and the Heavenly Emperor's authority—it is the supreme divine treasure."

Brother Qian Chen silently gave the Lord of Reincarnation the finger in his mind: "Damn it, trying to steal my treasure again!"

"The Yin-Yang Fan symbolizes the Supreme's Yin-Yang transformation; the Eight Trigrams Furnace symbolizes the Supreme's alchemical unity; the Dao Dust Pearl symbolizes the Supreme's decree. The Supreme's Three Treasures are far more than mere spiritual treasures. Are those billions of spiritual treasures in the Lord of Reincarnation's possession truly just stronger versions of the Great Supreme Supreme Tian Mo Stele?"

"If I truly control the Dao Dust Pearl, I could even enshrine gods in Heaven's stead and rebuild a Heavenly Court belonging to the Supreme Dao!"

"This is literally slapping the Primordial Dao Zangshan Laozu in the face—and yet he can't touch me, since among the Three Dao Ancestors, the Supreme still reigns supreme. But if I truly did this, the Daoist sects would split completely! This treasure directly threatens the very foundation of the Daoist path."

Brother Qian Chen's heart grew uneasy. If he went rogue, the Three Pure Ones' lineage would fracture, and the entire Daoist world would tremble. Holding such immense authority in his hands—how could he not be terrified?

"The Dao Dust Pearl has been in the Supreme Louguan Sect for so long, yet they never used it to enshrine any deity. Even if they feared offending the Primordial Dao Zangshan Laozu's dignity, they couldn't have lacked even a few guardian deities? Could it be… 'as the Supreme's decree'—only I can use it?" Brother Qian Chen had a sudden insight: "No wonder the Lord of Reincarnation only offered thirty million for such a terrifying treasure!"

Si Si Qingguo still stared blankly at the talisman. Brother Qian Chen, having pondered these thoughts, asked her: "Sister, can you use this talisman?"

Si Si Qingguo, dazed and still not fully awake, replied instinctively: "We Zhengyi disciples receive Dao talismans. But Dao and divine power share similarities. Though we cannot fully unleash the talisman's power, we can still draw upon three-tenths of its strength."

Brother Qian Chen nodded slightly. Si Si Qingguo looked up in alarm: "Brother, this is too precious…"

"Precious?" Brother Qian Chen asked. "What use is it to my Dao?"

"Even if it grants instant attainment of the Yang Spirit realm, could I possibly abandon my path and turn to the divine path?" Brother Qian Chen said calmly. "This talisman is better suited for your disciples of the Primordial Dao. Sister, you're usually so generous—why are you so timid now?"

"How can you compare?" Si Si Qingguo laughed helplessly. "Even though this is only a fourth-rank Yang Spirit talisman, it's a position of immortality. Without an ancestral elder to hold things down, my imperial uncle would trade half his empire for it. Every great family in Great Jin would drain their entire fortune—except their ancestral spiritual treasures—to obtain this one talisman!"

"Even half their fortune?" Brother Qian Chen was startled.

"For a Yang Spirit ancestral elder to guard the family for ten thousand years—why wouldn't they?" Si Si Qingguo countered.

"Do you know how many ancestral elders in the world would sacrifice everything to obtain a Zhang Tian Shi's divine enshrinement? Do you know why the Wang and Xiao Xie ancestral elders bow before the Heavenly Masters, why my father can strike Wang Yan at will, and why he must submit meekly?"

"Because the Dao Academy—or rather, the Zhengyi Sect—holds divine authority," Brother Qian Chen mused.

Si Si Qingguo nodded slightly: "The noble families control public opinion, but public opinion—what are the Twenty-Eight Characters of Shenzhou, the Central Officials, family lineages? All of it is ant warfare compared to the power of enshrinement. The true ancient noble families are all descendants of the heavenly emperors; they rely on divine authority. Whoever holds divine authority, the noble families are but ants."

"Sister?" Ning Ning Qingchen sighed helplessly.

"Fine, fine, I'll shut up, Sister!" Si Si Qingguo clapped her hand over her mouth. "I didn't mean to—I just get carried away…"

Brother Qian Chen sighed deeply: "Sister Si! If you still curse like that in front of the Zhang Tian Shi, I really won't dare go to Jiankang!"

"When I defended the city with the rebel army, everyone cursed the demonic troops constantly. I found it satisfying, so I just…," Si Si Qingguo lowered her head and returned the talisman to Brother Qian Chen. "Brother risked everything to hold Chang'an—this divine reward is yours. I can't take it."

Brother Qian Chen shook his head slightly: "That's precisely why I say I cannot keep either the Great Supreme Supreme Tian Mo Stele or this fourth-rank talisman. Both appearances are too suspicious! The former was born from the accumulated life-force of Chang'an's people, summoned in response to the demonic threat—does a divine position arise so easily?"

Seeing Yan Shu winced: "Logically, it makes sense—but it shouldn't be this easy."

"Exactly! Without 'as the Supreme's decree,' even if I saved Chang'an ten times, I still wouldn't have this chance. Divine path matters aren't just about merit (achievements)—the most important thing is promotion from above. If your superior favors you, once your merit is sufficient, you rise instantly—even skipping three or five ranks. But if your superior wants to test you further? Then you're screwed…"

"I'm the heir apparent—you understand, right?"

Brother Qian Chen silently mocked: "Don't say you sense something odd—even Li Li Linfu couldn't believe it! Everyone says demonic sects advance swiftly, but how swiftly can they match divine path insiders who rise effortlessly? Demonic sects start from nothing, amass wealth through criminal law—running scams, direct sales, fraud. The orthodox path operates capital steadily; at first, it can't compete with demonic methods, but the capital snowball grows larger and accelerates faster. In the end, its potential far surpasses the demonic path. After all, how much fraud can you commit to match the profits of a bank?"

"As for the divine path—if you have no one above you, you wait for seniority. If you have someone above you, you're the heir apparent—you understand? Buddhism is a public institution: it has the divine path's step-by-step progression and the immortal path's freedom. Yet it's less free than the immortal path and less powerful than the divine path in controlling cosmic laws."

Brother Qian Chen sighed deeply. This was a more orthodox path than the demonic path—its prospects were far superior. Too bad it didn't suit his carefree, freedom-seeking nature.

"It shouldn't be this easy!" Brother Qian Chen told Seeing Yan Shu and the others. "At the final moment of the Chang'an battle, I felt I could become a god or a demon with a single thought. As if in an instant, I could have answered Chang'an's collective will, attained a first-rank divine talisman, become the Lord of Chang'an, utterly destroy the Yu Jiuyou Passage, and ascend through this merit. Or as if I could transform the demonic relic into a demon, devour a million demonic troops and countless demonic cultivators, burn Chang'an with boundless karmic fire, and be reborn from the karmic lotus, drawing in the demonic energy from the Yu Jiuyou rifts, sinking this world into hell and ascending as a Demon Lord!"

Seeing Yan Shu looked deeply at Brother Qian Chen and said, "Brother, this is an external obstacle. At a certain level of cultivation, such illusions arise. If you become entranced by this illusory power, demonic fire will burn your soul to ashes."

Brother Qian Chen smiled and asked, "Brother Yan, are you certain this is merely an external obstacle?"

Seeing Yan Shu fell silent, then sighed helplessly: "Brother…"

"Every gift from fate has already been secretly priced…" Brother Qian Chen sighed. "Brother Yan, no need to say more—I know this isn't good."

"So—is the Great Supreme Supreme Tian Mo Stele also one of these 'gifts from fate'?"

Brother Qian Chen held the stele and slowly sensed it. A shadow of a three-headed, six-armed figure, standing upon a lotus, slowly took shape upon the stone.

Seeing Yan Shu's expression turned grave. He sighed bitterly: "This is a curse. Can't keep it! We just killed Master Miaokong—and now this Great Supreme Supreme Tian Mo Stele? It's no good. Sell it! Sell it! Let the Lord of Reincarnation enjoy it."

Si Si Qingguo and Ning Ning Qingchen also looked solemn, urging Brother Qian Chen to sell the spiritual treasure.

As the stele dissolved into a shadow and vanished into the Lord of Reincarnation's descending column of light, Brother Qian Chen glanced at his exchange point balance—and his heart began pounding uncontrollably.

Brother Qian Chen forcibly suppressed his excitement, pulled out the Demon Tianmo Tianmo Sheli, and calmed himself. Gazing at the divine-demonic shadow within the relic, standing atop a demonic dragon, he felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him. He sighed helplessly: "I can sell the Great Supreme Supreme Tian Mo Stele—but I can't sell this Demon Tianmo Tianmo Sheli! I can't discard it, I can't destroy it. It tempts me toward demonic corruption every day."

Seeing Yan Shu had no better solution. This relic was essentially Brother Qian Chen's external avatar; if he sold it to the Lord of Reincarnation, he might just create a 'Demon Brother Qian Chen.' With that demon's talent, after two reincarnation cycles, he'd attain Demon Lord status and come hunting his original self. Seeing Yan Shu wouldn't be the least surprised.

This thing simply couldn't be handled. The only option was to constantly resist its temptation and refine one's character.

Brother Qian Chen shoved it back into his robes and turned to the Lord of Reincarnation's interface, where his moral points had already surpassed ten thousand. He rubbed his hands together in excitement. This mission had cost him dearly in equipment—he needed to upgrade everything.

It was time for the tense, thrilling spending phase.

Brother Qian Chen couldn't contain himself and murmured, "Main God bankrupt, reincarnation broken." Then he opened the exchange page.