Chapter 996: Rules of the Dharma Cultivator

"As long as Chen Yu isn't removed, I can't sleep. Why is it that this bastard can solve every single problem?" Zou Ziang said through gritted teeth.

"He is nothing more than a Loose Cultivator drifting through the mortal world; there is nothing difficult about dealing with him." The woman giggled: "If Young Master Zou finds this person an eyesore, I can just remove him for you."

"You?" Zou Ziang looked at the woman with some hesitation: "He is a Dharma Cultivator."

"So what if he is a Dharma Cultivator? I have followed Young Master Zou for so long, and you have always treated me as a strategist without ever caring about my background. It is precisely because of this trust that I intend to confess my origins to you," the woman smiled lightly.

"Who are you?" Zou Ziang suddenly felt something was wrong. This woman was named Honglian, and she had been following him for a year.

She had always been by his side offering strategies and managing various matters for his company, but he had never known her true identity.

"I am the same as Chen Yu, and my sect's strength is even more profound than his," Honglian said, blowing a breath toward the fish tank beside her. A streak of white energy instantly froze the large tank into ice, and the fish that had been swimming around were all turned into ice sculptures.

"You are also a Dharma Cultivator?" Zou Ziang looked at Honglian with a shocked expression, and after a long while, he spoke in an incredulous tone.

"Yes, I am a disciple of Cichen Palace, originally a disciple from a Hidden Sect who came down the mountain to gain experience," Honglian smiled faintly.

Zou Ziang looked at Honglian, unable to say a word, because he had always regarded her as a capable assistant, and one with rather ordinary abilities at that. He never imagined that this woman would have such a background.

"Are you scared? Giggle, Young Master Zou, there is no need to be afraid. I have only come to this world to gain experience, to learn some management knowledge, and to prepare for our sect's entry into the world in the next thirty years," Honglian laughed.

"Entering the world?" Zou Ziang looked at Honglian with a puzzled expression: "Don't you Dharma Cultivators always hide in blessed lands to cultivate, ignoring worldly affairs?"

"Dharma Cultivators are also human. Although our realms are higher and we possess more abilities to traverse the heavens and earth—with the strong even able to condense Qi into swords and destroy a mountain peak with a single breath—we are, in the end, mere mortals who have not yet escaped the six paths of Reincarnation."

Honglian shook her head and said: "The so-called Dharma Cultivators follow the rules of Avoidance, Seclusion, and Entering the World; this has been the way since ancient times."

"What are Avoidance, Seclusion, and Entering the World?" Zou Ziang asked, somewhat confused.

"This world is not unchanging. The Great Dao follows cycles, and the Heavenly Dao evolves. We cultivate according to the rules of the Heavenly Dao. Avoidance means a hundred years of avoiding the world, during which we have minimal contact with secular society. Seclusion means three hundred years of hiding from the world; during these three hundred years, all Dharma Cultivators remain out of the mortal world, so during this stage, almost no Dharma Cultivators appear."

"The first three hundred years are the stage of Seclusion, which is why most people do not know of the existence of Dharma Cultivators. Entering the World occurs when the Heavenly Dao changes and there are signs of Spiritual Energy recovering. During these few hundred years, we Dharma Cultivators will enter the world to cultivate our own strength. At the same time, Spiritual Energy will recover during this stage, and exotic treasures will constantly appear. This is the stage where we are active."

"So that's how it is." Zou Ziang suddenly realized: "In other words, in the next few hundred years, Dharma Cultivators will enter the world one after another, establishing sects and recruiting disciples to cultivate their own strength?"

"That's right," Honglian smiled lightly: "Actually, it is not just me; many sects have already begun their layouts. In the next thirty years, a large number of Dharma Cultivators will pour into the world, and those experts who can ride swords will also appear before the eyes of the world. In the future, such things will become commonplace in the eyes of ordinary people."

"This is a good opportunity." Zou Ziang's heart skipped a beat: "Why did you find me?"

"Because in the coming time, many sects will enter the world as quickly as possible, and a powerful family background is what we need most. Since the Zou Family is an Aristocratic Family, you have the power and background we need," Honglian said indifferently.

"Your strength... how is it?" This was the question Zou Ziang cared about most.

"Dharma Cultivators who enter the world to practice are at least experts of the Primordial Energy Realm," Honglian said calmly: "And in our Cichen Sect, there are even Spirit Rhinoceros experts of the Third Realm of Dharma Practice."

"Then killing Chen Yu would be as easy as reaching for something?" Zou Ziang was truly surprised and delighted.

"Why don't you let me slaughter him? Consider it a gift for our cooperation. What does Young Master Zou think?" Honglian giggled.

"Then slaughter him. Let me see the true strength of your Cichen Palace," Zou Ziang said in a deep voice.

At night, Chen Yu walked out of a restaurant after drinking with Huang Shaoyu and the others. Just then, he felt a figure flash behind him, and a faint fragrance wafted toward him.

At the same time, a dreamlike voice sounded behind him: "Brother Chen, are you going back?"

Chen Yu turned his head and saw a pair of eyes like water meeting his gaze. This person was none other than Yu Sili.

"Why are you back?" Chen Yu was surprised and delighted. Yu Sichen was supposed to be practicing in Jizhao Nunnery, doing the things Huizhao Shitai did before she passed away, so why was she back now?

"I missed you," Yu Sichen smiled faintly and stepped forward to take Chen Yu's hand.

"Then don't stay there anymore. It's not like Shengjing doesn't have a place for you," Chen Yu laughed.

"I do need to stay for a few days this time. An old ghost who did evil during his lifetime must perform one hundred good deeds before he can undergo Reincarnation. He has already done over ninety, and he is about to finish," Yu Sichen said: "I need to stay by his side while he completes his task."

"Alright, come with me first; I'll find you a place to stay," Chen Yu said.

"Chen Yu, are you hiding a beauty in your golden house?" Just then, a young girl giggled.

This girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old, standing tall and graceful, and her eyes were particularly captivating—the kind that a man would never forget after one look.

But Chen Yu could tell that these eyes were soul-snatching, and the person who possessed them was definitely not a kind soul. If you were to fall into them, you would likely never be able to get out.

"You are... Zuer?" Chen Yu was startled. How had Zuer changed so much in just a few days?

"What ghost or not ghost? Why call people such an ugly name? I am Zuer now," Zuer looked at Chen Yu with some displeasure.

"She is Zuer now," Yu Sichen glanced at her and said: "Go find Lao Gui. He has three good deeds left; don't let anything go wrong at this time. He was addicted to killing during his lifetime, and if he is not careful, he will fall into the path of a Demon."