There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

Dongfeng Island.

Ao Bing's Taoist temple is located on the top of a mountain thousands of feet high in the center of the island. This mountain is not covered with green mountains and clear waters, as it is surrounded by gorgeous pavilions and lofts. Between the lofts are dense water spirit magic arrays, which are in a spiral upward state and converge at a magnificent palace on the top of the mountain.

There are white jade steps more than ten feet high around the palace. On each step there are aquatic soldiers like heavenly soldiers, who guard the hall at the top of the steps. The green halo emanating from above the hall continues to spread to the surrounding areas of the island, forming a faint barrier.

The barrier surrounds the entire Dongfeng Island. On the south side of the island is a Taoist temple where disciples of Linshui Mansion practice. In the jungle to the north, there are countless exotic flowers and plants, as well as countless rare fruit trees. It is obvious that natural treasures are thriving there.

The attic on the top floor of the palace seemed a bit empty despite the magnificent decoration, because there was only a chessboard placed in the center of the entire attic. The windows around it were wide open at this moment, allowing the sunlight to fully shine in, and the reflected light made the hall even more luxurious.

There was a person sitting cross-legged on each side of the chessboard. One of them was Ao Bing, the owner of this palace, and the other was Kaiyun from the Vajra Temple. They were both wearing blue Taoist robes. There were a few wisps of green smoke coming out of the incense burner next to them. In front of each of them was a cup of hot tea, and the teapot was held in the hands of a young disciple in the distance.

“This sip of tea is really a joy to the heart.”

Kaiyun took a sip of the tea and commented with a smile, "Daoyou Zhenyang also roasted this kind of tea in the past, but at that time, due to the frequent fighting between the various sects, few people could taste it."

"is it?"

Ao Bing said indifferently.

Kaiyun took another sip of tea and responded seriously, "Yes, I remember it very clearly. I was very stupid at that time and could never comprehend the 'Fourth Tribulation'. I had no interest in the struggles among the various sects and just liked to travel around. Taoist Zhenyang was the wisest of all the cultivators I had ever met. He treated me to tea when I discussed Taoism with him."

"Later, the situation changed. People like Daoist Zhenyang couldn't resist the temptation of the fifth realm. I don't know if his consciousness still exists. Then several of my fellow apprentices also died one after another. Only then did I gradually realize the 'fourth calamity' and cultivate the Ju Niu Dharmakaya."

"From his case, I saw the importance of respecting tradition. The universe, the heavens and the earth, and all things have their own traditional laws. Our Five Sects of Xuanmen also have our own rules, but there are always people who want to challenge these rules. The reason why I changed sides in the last battle with Fellow Daoist Yang De was precisely because of this."

Ao Bing listened to Kai Yun's words quietly, snorted rudely, and said, "There are only two of us here, and the other True Lords won't spy on me, so there's no need for you to talk about these big principles. I don't blame you for what happened to Yang De, he was the one who asked for his own death."

He picked up a black piece and placed it on the black and white chessboard. He stared into Kaiyun's eyes and said, "Changqing has been in charge of Zhongzhou's divine weapon for more than 300 years. Now that the divine weapon is about to be replaced, all the True Lords have nodded. Don't you have any ideas?"

Kaiyun didn't care about Ao Bing's sarcasm at all, and responded with a smile: "We are fine practicing Buddhism in Zhongshan Kingdom, and have no intention of participating in the fight in Zhongzhou. If you are interested, I can assist you. If you can win, you just need to lift Zhongzhou's suppression of Buddhism."

"How can you help?"

"How do you want me to help you, fellow Daoist?"

"Of course there are enough people. Zhongzhou is now ruled by Zhenyang Sect and Qianmu Temple. There are temples of Changqing and Rongyang everywhere, and their disciples are everywhere. Moreover, Taiyan monks are very difficult to deal with. As long as my disciples enter Zhongzhou, their every move will be monitored. There is no secret at all."

When Ao Bing talked about Zhongzhou, his expression became serious and cautious. "You should have seen how powerful they are. Our last plan in the Liangjiang area ended up in vain because they were able to gather hundreds of third-level cultivators in a short period of time."

Kaiyun shook his head slightly and said, "If you continue to do things the same way as before in the Liangjiang region, you will never have a chance to win, even if we call on the Taiyin Sect. Don't look at me like that, this is a fact..."

"First of all, let alone the Xuanmen monks, we don't even have that many side-door monks. But Changqing doesn't need to worry about this. They can control thousands of Taoist temples. After hundreds of years of peaceful development, there are tens of thousands of second-level monks. As long as there are enough materials, they can have hundreds of third-level monks even if they are lucky."

"Also, if we go head-to-head with them, it looks like we have more power, but if you calculate carefully, ignoring the bow, Changqing's magic array is obviously inherited from Lord Xiaoshan, which means he is just one step away from becoming a god. And he himself is a Taiyan cultivator. If he fights hard, he alone with his magic can hold back the two of us. And now the spirit snake beside him has reached the fourth realm. Have you forgotten how terrifying Senior Yuxiao was back then?"

"Finally, there is Rong Yang. I know him, and I know even better why the True Yang Sect and the Tai Yan Sect formed an alliance. He will do his best to fight against us. If he recalls the other two True Yang monks near the Sun Station, how will you respond?"

"Not to mention there is the Yuqing Sect!"

Ao Bing was quite sympathetic to what he heard before, but when he heard about Yuqing Sect, he immediately showed a look of disdain and said, "Now Yuqing Sect only has one fourth-level cultivator left, and is even worse than Taiyan Sect. What do they have to worry about?"

Kaiyun warned him sternly, "Don't underestimate the Jade Purity Sect. Their power is not only in Hushan Country. If you have been to Dongzhou, you will know how terrifying the Jade Purity Sect's background is."

Ao Bing raised his eyebrows and said in surprise, "Isn't Dongzhou under your control? Didn't you bring Shangqing Sect to Dongzhou just to make it easier to control Dongzhou?"

Kaiyun shook his head slightly and explained simply: "Things here are very complicated. It has been six thousand years since the rise of humanity, and the monks of various sects are all intertwined."

At this point he changed the subject and said, "We have strayed far from the topic." After that, he closed his mouth, placed a move, then picked up the teacup and took a sip of the tea.

Ao Bing picked up a black piece, looked at the chessboard, and said softly: "If you can convince the person in Lingshan Temple..."

Kai Yun did not wait for Ao Bing to finish his words before retorting, "Why don't you go and convince your brother? This may have a higher chance of success than my trying to convince Master Wang Qing."

The two fell into a brief silence because of this topic.

After they placed five or six chess pieces in succession, Ao Bing broke the silence and said, "If we really go down to the battlefield ourselves, then we can mobilize no fewer people than the other side. But there is no need for that. My goal is very simple, which is to follow in my brother's footsteps and cultivate the fourth realm to great perfection. Therefore, I need enough believers to stabilize my humanity, and at the same time use divine magic to take back what Ao Hong took from me."

Kaiyun couldn't help but look at Ao Bing when he heard this, and suggested: "Maybe you can cooperate with Changqing!"

"Before he was promoted to the fourth realm, I had this idea and put it into action. Unfortunately, he did not keep his word and turned against me at the critical moment. I hate people who do not keep their word the most."

Ao Bing crushed a black piece in his hand.

Kering kept a smile on his face.

Ao Bing picked up another chess piece and spoke faster, "The one from the True Yang Sect obviously has some ideas. So, we don't need to do too much. We just need to plan within a limited scope and then quietly wait for the one from the True Yang Sect to make a move. That will definitely be our chance."

"It's your chance. I'm just upholding the laws of Xuanmen. I'm not interested in anything else!"

"It's meaningless for you to say that. If you really don't care about the benefits, I don't even dare to cooperate with you."

Ao Bing looked straight at Kaiyun.

Kai Yun didn't care to look at Ao Bing, and responded: "Maintaining the laws of Xuanmen is my greatest interest, so Taiyan Sect, Zhenyang Sect and Yuqing Sect are my natural enemies."

"If they start to follow the tradition, will you immediately turn your attention to me?" "They won't follow the tradition unless they achieve their goal, but they have to destroy the tradition to achieve their goal." Kaiyun signaled Ao Bing to make his move quickly, and said, "You can now tell me how you want to make your move on the Zhongzhou continent."

Ao Bing looked at the chessboard in silence for more than ten breaths before making his move. He then said, "Shangjing City is now poorly guarded. If a large army suddenly attacks, the only option for the royal family is to abandon the city and flee. As long as they flee, the artifact that has maintained Zhongzhou for three hundred years will break. Of course, it won't break immediately, because the army that attacks Shangjing City will also be defeated by the army that supports the king."

"The army will see that the royal family has no teeth. Due to Qianmuguan's influence, they may not dare to take action immediately, but they can let their subordinates test it quietly."

Kaiyun nodded and asked, "Where is your army?"

“Qingpu Road!”

...

Qingpu Road.

The capital was called Lingkou Prefecture, and there was a mountain between it and the fief of Marquis Yong'an to the east. The prefecture was located at the entrance of the mountain. By controlling this place, Marquis Yong'an could be blocked from advancing eastward.

The political struggle in the court some time ago had caused tensions between the various government offices in the city. Now the earthquake had made the people in the city panic. The huge rocks that collapsed from the nearby mountains buried one third of the East City. There happened to be a battalion of government soldiers stationed there, and the commander-in-chief of the third battalion was stationed in that camp.

This made the remaining two battalions of soldiers in the city have no intention of training, and the runners of various government offices were busy transferring money for their masters. As a result, the public security in the city declined rapidly in just a few days, even to the point of robbery on the streets.

In order to avoid the disaster, most people gathered in some temples in the city. Among them, the Taoist temple was the most lively, with people filling both inside and outside. Although it was crowded, the most basic order was maintained.

To the south of the Taoist palace, just across the street, there is a small temple. The temple has only one main hall and three side rooms, but there are so many people hiding here that even the streets outside are crowded with people.

This is a temple dedicated to the Lord of Changqing Prefecture. At this moment, there are two Taoists in gray-blue Taoist robes burning incense and praying in the main hall. One of them is the temple priest here, and the other is Ziluan who came from Qianmu Temple.

While the two men were burning incense, two Qigong practitioners were guarding the gate. The people in the yard outside sneaked a peek into the main hall with some fear, but did not dare to make any sound.

"Does Yong'an Hou really intend to rebel again?"

After burning incense, Zi Luan walked to the side hall at the invitation of the temple priest. There was a small meeting room here. As soon as he sat down, Zi Luan got straight to the point.

The temple keeper was a disciple of Qianmu Temple's internal affairs, and was considered an open chess player in Lingkou Prefecture. Facing Ziluan's question, he said in a positive tone: "Marquis Yong'an did not hide his thoughts. The Governor's Mansion is deserted. The Governor's Office is a royalist, and now in order to protect itself, it has taken the initiative to surrender to Marquis Yong'an."

"You do know how to choose the right time!" Zi Luan picked up the teacup beside him and asked, "I asked you to contact the True Yang Sect. Have they responded?"

The temple keeper quickly replied, "Yes, you can go to the Taoist temple to meet him at any time. You only need to tell us the name of our small temple."

Zi Luan said "hmm" and stopped talking. After he finished enjoying the tea in his cup, he stood up and walked outside. When he reached the hall, he turned into an unobservable stream of light and disappeared.

Half an hour later.

Zi Luan met the chief of this place in the main hall of the chief tower in the backyard of the Taoist palace. The chief was a third-level fire cultivator from a side sect named En Jing, a typical northern man.

"What is the attitude of the Three Councils now?"

Eun-kyung asks his first question after exchanging politeness with Zi-luan.

From this question, it can be seen that Enjing's status in Zhenyang Sect is not high, so Ziluan maintained his usual smile and responded: "It's still the same quarrel as before."

Eun Kyung nodded, and then asked the second question: "What is Qian Muguan's plan this time?"

Zi Luan came to the north as the third inspector, responsible for inspecting cases in several areas in the north and investigating whether the earthquake was caused by human factors.

"Fellow Daoist, just tell me what you want to do!"

He kept smiling.

Enjing looked at Quan Luan seriously, clasped his fists and said, "I don't care if Yong'an Hou wants to be the emperor, but the cultivators in Linshui Mansion have been going too far recently. Some even dare to openly violate the laws of the Dao Palace. Do you think I should file a case against them?"

Zi Luan listened to it seriously and immediately expressed his opinion: "Of course, I fully support you. The existence of the Dao Palace is recognized by the True Lords. No one can violate the rules set."

His answer made Eun Kyung a little uncomfortable.

Eun Kyung adjusted his collar and asked in a low voice, "Is there any limit?"

Zi Luan smiled and said, "What restrictions can there be? You are the chief of Qingpu Road who was jointly nominated by the Three Councils. As long as everything you do complies with the laws of the Dao Palace, I will speak for you at the Three Councils."

After he made the promise, he whispered, "You and I have an alliance. You can do whatever you want. The cultivators from Linshui Prefecture cannot cause any trouble in Zhongzhou. Think about what happened to them in Liangjiang area more than ten years ago."

En Jing's eyes suddenly became hot, he was jealous of the benefits that Liangjiang region would gain from annihilating the disciples of Linshui Prefecture.

Zi Luan looked at Eun Kyung's expression and continued, "Besides, I have some personal matters to attend to in the North."

"What's the matter?"

"I heard that the Northland often trades puppets with the Taiyin Sect. I want to buy some puppets from the Taiyin Sect. In addition, I need a soul with water spirit attributes for my cultivation. The disciples of Linshui Mansion..."

Zi Luan only said half of his words.

Eun Kyung immediately said: "This matter is very simple..." (End of this chapter)