Chapter 658

After He Lu Qilang ascended the Floating Mountain, he descended his divine light and walked several li along a green stone path through the mountains, arriving before a secluded Daoist temple—small, with just five or six rooms, quiet and elegant, its corner barely visible amid the dense forest.

He Lu Qilang arrived at the temple gate and lightly knocked on the wooden door, calling out clearly: "Uncle Yan, Lu Qilang seeks an audience!"

After a moment, the side gate opened, revealing a beautiful yet cold-eyed young maiden who bowed slightly to He Lu Qilang and said: "Uncle Yan has been waiting for you. Come inside."

He Lu Qilang paused slightly upon seeing her—he had met her before. At the Dragon Prince's banquet, she had arrived with Jia Wu Yue True Person of Shaoqing, wielding her sword. She was Han Fei's elder sister, Han Xiang, a disciple of Shaoqing. Since joining Shaoqing, he had often heard tales of her: a fourth-generation disciple, a standout among the younger generation, already possessing Fa-level cultivation.

Though both were Shaoqing disciples, Uncle Yan was one of the Ten True Disciples within the sect, long favored by the elders, and cultivated the ancient Sword Dao—refusing to form a Jin Dan or refine the Primordial Spirit, instead nurturing only a single Life-Blade Embryo, gathering boundless sword qi.

Han Xiang, however, was merely an inner sect disciple; only after forming a Jin Dan could she compete for True Disciple status.

He Lu Qilang offered a slight bow, adjusted his robe, and stepped inside. Following Han Xiang, he entered the temple and saw Yan Shu with a disgruntled expression, pinching a Three-Purity Talisman, which he flicked—immediately igniting into a ball of yang fire in his fingers. He traced a line along both shoulders, then another from forehead to chest.

The yang fire instantly expanded, engulfing Yan Shu's body…

This was a simplified ritual used by Daoists before performing a rite—if one could not bathe and change clothes to purify body and soul, yang fire burned away yin and impure energies.

"Celestial Lord of Spiritual Treasures, soothe the form, comfort the disciple's soul, the five viscera, the profound abyss…" He chanted the Shangqing Purifying Body Spell; a spiritual light radiated from within outward, revealing faint traces of yin and ominous qi. Yan Shu spat softly: "Bad luck!"

As the yang fire burned, He Lu Qilang saw several shadows twisting within it, sizzling and popping, shrieking once on Yan Shu's body before dissolving into a wisp of blue smoke.

Several bloodlike, inexplicable qi threads clung to Yan Shu's body, which he severed with sword qi…

Finally purified, Yan Shu's expression eased slightly as he sighed: "I shouldn't have believed my brother's nonsense… made me lie inside and test it!"

His voice still carried resentment.

Yet despite his words, he clutched a green jade gourd like a precious treasure. Seeing He Lu Qilang enter with Han Xiang, he hid it behind his back and smiled: "You came from Sister Ning—did you gain anything?"

He Lu Qilang replied respectfully: "Sister Ning imparted the Great Yin Dao and many wondrous methods—I have benefited greatly!"

"Oh? She didn't teach you the Ice Soul Cold Light?" Yan Shu asked curiously.

"The Ice Soul Cold Light is Sister Ning's secret transmission—I dare not covet it," He Lu Qilang bowed slightly, his expression showing no hint of slackness.

"Better she didn't…," Yan Shu nodded slightly, as if muttering to himself, yet subtly guiding He Lu Qilang: "The Ice Soul Cold Light isn't troublesome, but the Jin Dan it can form carries heavy karmic consequences."

He Lu Qilang heard this deep within his heart: "Both Uncle Yan and Sister Ning say this technique carries heavy karma—likely true. Yet this technique is one of the three best suited for my Jin Dan formation. Should I…?" His thoughts churned rapidly, a flicker of hesitation arising.

Yan Shu murmured inwardly: "Earlier, Brother Brother Qian favored him—perhaps not without intent… But Brother Brother Qian tricked Sister Ning into accepting that karma, shouldering his own connection to the Cold Moon Immortal—perhaps he won't need you! Alas! I originally sent you to see if Sister Ning had other intentions—but it seems she intends to accept that karma herself! Brother Brother Qian saw it too! Sister Ning appears gentle, but her nature is fiercely proud, striving endlessly, unwilling to fall behind us."

"Yet Sister Ning is ultimately not a True Disciple of the Dao—her path as a cultivator is so…"

"Thus, the Cold Moon Palace is her best choice!" Yan Shu sighed inwardly. Though the Cold Moon Immortal gains great fortune and merit each generation, her karmic tribulations are equally immense.

"Brother Brother Qian now shows the aura of a shadowy master manipulating eternity—may he have made arrangements!"

As Yan Shu pondered, he waited for the other Shaoqing disciples and a child, about four or five years old, wearing a golden necklace and a red belly band, looking like a porcelain doll, to arrive at the small temple. Seeing the child, He Lu Qilang stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Master!"

The toddler crossed his arms, pouting: "Brother Qian Chen tricked me badly! I told him to just find any body—I'd even accept reincarnation! But he said this gourd was a relic of our Qiongming Xie Xie Zushi, and taking it required clearing karma—he used the gourd to refine this primordial embryo for me. But the primordial embryo's maturity is tied to the gourd vine—I'll need three thousand years to mature, growing one inch every five hundred years!"

Beside him, Yan Shu chuckled: "Friend Master Feng Han Xian, you jest! A primordial embryo is such a rare opportunity…"

"I have another gourd—should I ask your brother to give you one too?" Master Feng Han Xian looked at Yan Shu with ill intent.

Yan Shu laughed it off: "I'm merely a sword cultivator—my life hinges on one blade embryo. Why would I need such a fine body? This form is enough… Daoists of high attainment often walk as children or infants—why are you so upset?"

The toddler roared: "Do they wet the bed?"

At this, the other Shaoqing disciples lowered their heads, covering their faces. Even He Lu Qilang couldn't suppress a smile.

Master Feng Han Xian realized his mistake and sighed: "Though the primordial embryo is wondrous, its innate nature is vastly stronger than an ordinary infant's. I've reincarnated with past-life wisdom, rebuilding my cultivation. Body and mind are one—my cultivated Dao-heart has been ruined by this body!"

Yan Shu said solemnly: "Friend Master Feng Han Xian, the Dao-heart is indestructible. If it's affected by the body's nature, it proves the heart was never true. This indifference and passivity is merely the decay of an aging body—not your true nature. Rebirth reawakens the spirit; the gloom is gone, and your true nature is sprouting! This is the wonder of the primordial embryo—if you merely changed bodies but kept the same heart, you'd only have an infant's shell, and your Dao-heart would age over time."

Master Feng Han Xian stiffened slightly, nodding his tiny head, his voice high-pitched: "You're right! So now, my true nature is to settle accounts with Brother Qian Daoist! The primordial embryo is half-divine—when I grow older, astonishing abilities will naturally arise. By then, he should have regenerated through Yin refinement. I'll go to him then and beat him senseless!"

Yan Shu glanced at him, shaking his head slightly inwardly: "If you go to him, you won't be beaten—you'll be mocked. With Brother Brother Qian's playful nature, he'll likely capture you and toy with you."

"The seas beyond are stirring. The Immortal Han's Lingbao Dew Tray has appeared, and the hidden places within Gui Xu are showing signs of opening. In the coming years, the seas will know no peace. Yet even this turmoil won't reach our Shaoqing Cloud Sea Isles. But all of you have ties to the Dew Tray—holding its fragments binds you to its karma."

"Though Shaoqing can protect you, we must ask: what are your plans? Will you enter the world to face this tribulation?"

Han Xiang answered first: "My Great Yin Mirror was passed down by my family, but now that I've joined Shaoqing, I follow the sect's orders."

The other three Shaoqing disciples—two men and one woman, making four in total—added their responses. One young man in fine robes bowed first: "Uncle Yan, we obtained our Dew Tray fragments through the sect's deliberate bestowal and our own merit—we intend to compete for this opportunity!" The others nodded in agreement.

Master Feng Han Xian sighed: "The Dew Tray's shattering was done by our ancestors—this karma I must resolve; I cannot escape it!"

He Lu Qilang paused, then raised his head decisively: "I wish to journey to the Eastern Sea!"

Yan Shu nodded, pondered a moment, then said: "This tribulation sends you into the world due to calculations by the sect and one of my friends. Thus, you're answering the sect's call. I've just returned from visiting him and received many favors—I'll share some with you now, along with the sect's bestowed artifacts, to give you more means to face this tribulation."

He drew from his sleeve a rusted ancient golden halberd and addressed the other female disciple: "Sister Luonan, though you excel in sword arts, your Dark Water Sword Method is soft as water, heavy as sea—among Shaoqing's few defensive styles. While ordinary cultivators can't defeat you, you lack a decisive strike. This ancient weapon is a relic of the Immortal Qin."

"It was forged with great skill, and after ten thousand years of wear, its lethal aura is deeply internalized. When wielded, its power is immense, countering most protective artifacts and Gangqi."

"Now I bestow it upon you…"

He then produced a weathered yellow talisman, painted with crimson pigments bearing mysterious shamanic glyphs, and handed it to another male disciple: "This ancient shamanic talisman was originally a ritual to worship shamanic deities, later redrawn in Daoist talismanic form. It holds a fragment of a demonic spirit summoned from the Nine Heavens. Though merely a trace of demonic intent—not even a true remnant soul—if activated, it can unleash a sliver of that demon's divine might. Once used, even a Soul Transformation True Person must tread carefully."

"Yunzhang, you're the most cautious among you—this talisman is entrusted to you."

He gave another male disciple a beam of divine light, explaining it was condensed from the mirage-light of the endless, abyssal Gui Xu. It not only granted invisibility but allowed escape through light—ordinary Soul Transformation cultivators could not block it—a vital treasure for protection and escape.

Finally, Yan Shu turned to Han Xiang, about to speak, when she suddenly knelt: "Uncle, I carry only my sword on this journey—I need nothing else. I only beg the Sect Master's mercy: admit my sister into the sect! Then, even if I die facing this tribulation, I may rest easy."

"What talk of dying!" Yan Shu frowned. "Does Shaoqing not protect even one disciple?" He sighed: "You care deeply for your sister, but she simply lacks the temperament for sword cultivation. You know how much your master, Jia Wu Yue True Person, dislikes her."

He paused, then said: "Shaoqing's rules are no joke, and its Dao cannot be lightly taught. Even those with excellent nature and talent undergo strict trials—why else have outer sects and so many tests? Since your sister is of the Qiongquan Sect's main lineage, and Qiongquan Changming now has only you two as heirs, I'll permit her to inherit the Changming lineage and establish a branch on the Cloud Sea—with sect support."

"Thank you, Uncle!" Han Xiang said gratefully.

"This isn't part of today's gift…"

Yan Shu pulled from his sleeve a paper figure and said solemnly: "This paper figure is… a peculiar treasure with a substitution ability—it will shield you from one death. But its cultivation method is unusual: it contains many residual souls that often wander at night, performing strange acts. Keep it close to you—it absorbs your essence and grows more like you; you may transform it into a spiritual avatar. When facing death, it will take your fate upon itself."

"But remember—this thing is strange. Use it, but never grow curious or study it!"

Yan Shu recalled when Brother Qian Chen took him to visit those "Daoist friends"—countless paper figures moved as if alive, bowing, greeting, discussing Dao. He shuddered: all were cut by Brother Qian Chen, infused with countless residual souls summoned from Gui Xu and the Nine Heavens.

This one was a paper figure that took an instant liking to Yan Shu and was gifted to him as his own spiritual avatar.

Beings who survive death in Gui Xu and the Nine Heavens, retaining consciousness—imagine how refined their substitution method must be. Yan Shu's claim that it can block one death is true—but such entities, even if unwilling to harm the living, bring great misfortune to those who dwell near them.

Yan Shu had barely left Brother Qian Chen's side before he'd absorbed countless strange energies. The previous impurities likely weren't fully cleansed—he'd soon enter the Quiet Mind Chamber, internally observe those qi, then sever them with his Life-Blade Embryo.

Han Xiang accepted the paper figure, sensing its strangeness.

What manner of person was Uncle Yan's Daoist friend? Why did everything he lent—rusty, bloodstained ancient weapons, talismans birthing demonic remnants, mirage-light, now even this clearly unorthodox paper figure—feel so yin and ominous?

And when Uncle Yan purified his impurities earlier, the phenomena he revealed were also… unusual.

Finally, Yan Shu turned to Master Feng Han Xian and He Lu Qilang. Before he could speak, Master Feng Han Xian grinned: "Uncle Yan, I don't need anything!"

Yan Shu pulled out an object and pressed it into his hand, whispering: "It's what he gave you."

Master Feng Han Xian glanced at it, pursed his lips, and reluctantly accepted it…

He Lu Qilang spoke up: "Sister Ning already gifted me an artifact—I dare not greedily seek more from Uncle."

Yan Shu stroked his chin and nodded: "That won't do. You acted on my orders—you deserve your due." He looked at He Lu Qilang's slight frame, then touched his waist's green jade gourd, his expression pained: "Then I'll give you a farewell drink." He summoned a lump of dark ice, carefully poured from the gourd, and filled a cup with dark amber wine, handing it to He Lu Qilang: "Gather your things—you're heading to the Flying Ship Market."

He Lu Qilang accepted the cup and bowed with the others: "We understand!"

Then he raised the cup and drank the Immortal Wine…