Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

Ying Shaoyang took in all these strange occurrences, and his mind was filled with doubts.

After entering the magnificent and Taoist-inspired main hall of Shangqing Palace, guests and hosts took their seats. Taking advantage of the moment when the sect leader instructed his disciples to serve tea, Ying Shaoyang finally could not suppress his doubts. His divine sense spread out silently like mercury, carefully perceiving the details of this ancient Taoist holy site.

This investigation caused him to furrow his brow almost imperceptibly.

Along the way, among the thousands of Shangqing Palace disciples standing inside and outside the main hall, there were quite a few with dull faces, dim spiritual roots, and even many impurities in their bodies! This was completely inconsistent with the standards for selecting disciples of a major Taoist sect.

Even more outrageous, just now, as he entered the corridor of the main hall, he clearly saw a ragged boy, who looked like a little beggar, being helped by an old Taoist priest and hurriedly leaving through a side door. He could hardly sense any trace of cultivation on the boy.

This absurd scene instantly reminded him of the rogue disciple in the original "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" who escaped from his sect using a simple trick of walking through walls. Seeing it with his own eyes now made it even more unbelievable.

His gaze swept over those seated on both sides of the main hall, who were clearly the core cultivators of the Shangqing Palace.

Many of them had weak and mixed spiritual energy fluctuations, and were even less threatening than the elite Jinyiwei in his Great Qin world who were rigorously trained and well-equipped!
Just as Ying Shaoyang's doubts were growing heavier, the gaunt old Taoist priest, the head of the Shangqing Palace, seemed to see his confusion and sighed softly, his voice carrying an indescribable sense of vicissitude and heaviness.

"Does Fellow Daoist Ying feel that the disciples of my Shangqing Palace are of mixed quality, and have many... shortcomings?"

Ying Shaoyang did not deny it, but simply looked at him calmly.

The sect leader let out another long sigh, looked up at the seemingly unchanging sky outside the hall, his tone filled with helplessness and sorrow.

"It's not that we're unwilling to recruit talented individuals, it's just that... we have no other choice."

He paused, then spoke with earth-shattering force.

"The Immortal Realm... has long since severed the spiritual energy connection with this world."

The human world today is a desolate, abandoned wasteland... a barren wasteland!

"what?!"

Ying Shaoyang tensed up instantly! Not because of the content of his words, but because the moment the sect leader uttered the words "the immortal realm cuts off spiritual energy," his powerful divine sense clearly perceived that—within a radius of a thousand miles centered on the main hall of Shangqing Palace, there was an indescribable, profound sense of deathly stillness!

It was as if there was an invisible and intangible yet real barrier that completely separated this world from the source of the power of the stars that should have flowed down from the heavens and the vast energy of the universe!
He had sensed something unusual about the spiritual energy in this world before, and now that it had been pointed out, his perception was even clearer.

The seemingly dense and ethereal spiritual mist floating above Shangqing Palace had completely lost its natural vitality and purity in his perception. Instead, it was full of traces of artificial catalysis, stiff and rigid. It was clearly a defective product that cultivators had forcibly extracted and simulated from the thin air by relying on a large number of pills and formations!
The true essence of heaven and earth, containing the rules of the Great Dao, was probably completely severed many years ago, perhaps as the sect leader said, a hundred years ago!

This world is actually a cage that was actively abandoned by the "Immortal Realm" and is slowly heading towards complete depletion of spiritual energy... or perhaps... a graveyard?
Ying Shaoyang's heart sank. If this realm was truly a "cage of the end times" where the immortal realm had deliberately cut off spiritual energy, then many things needed to be reassessed. The cultivators of this realm, including the Shangqing Palace before him, would likely have their logic and bottom line distorted by this desperate environment.

The gaunt old Taoist priest, the head of the Shangqing Palace, seemed to have noticed Ying Shaoyang's shock from the subtle changes in his expression. Instead of showing sympathy, a cold smile of worldly wisdom appeared on his face. He slowly opened his mouth, his voice carrying a sense of vicissitudes and indifference, and began to dissect this cruel truth to Ying Shaoyang.

"Fellow Daoist Ying must be feeling surprised and doubtful at this moment. Little do you know, for the Immortal Realm, this is nothing more than a normal choice."

The sect leader spoke calmly, yet every word was piercing.

"Over the years, there have been occasional exceptionally talented individuals from the lower realms who have been able to ascend to heaven, which is a good thing in itself."

However, those who ascend to immortality often cherish old friendships and use their great supernatural powers to bring their families, even their entire sect and close mortal relatives, into the immortal realm. There are quite a few examples of this.

He paused, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

Over the years, a vast number of ordinary beings have accumulated in the immortal realm.

These descendants born in the Celestial Realm, nurtured in a higher-level world, possess innate talents and aptitudes far surpassing the so-called geniuses and prodigies of the lower realms. Over time, for the Celestial Realm today, the barren mortal world is no longer its foundation and cradle, but rather a burden—constantly absorbing spiritual energy yet yielding meager returns.

"So, they cut off the flow of spiritual energy from heaven and earth into the human world?"

Ying Shaoyang replied, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"good."

The sect leader nodded and sneered.

"Completely cut it off! For the powerful beings of the Immortal Realm, an Ascended Being might only be born once every few decades or centuries in the mortal world, so this small amount of replenishment is meaningless to them. On the contrary, by completely cutting off the energy of heaven and earth that should flow into the mortal world and using it to nourish the Immortal Realm itself, they can cultivate more Immortals in the Immortal Realm and consolidate their rule and order."

Sacrificing the insignificant human realm in exchange for greater prosperity in the immortal realm—in their eyes, this was a worthwhile trade-off.

He turned his gaze to Ying Shaoyang and said meaningfully.

"That's why divine positions have become almost the only hope for cultivators in the mortal realm today! Obtaining a divine position and absorbing the power of faith is one of the few ways to continue improving one's cultivation and prolonging life even in an environment of depleted spiritual energy. Fellow Daoist Ying, do you know how coveted those dozens of divine positions you possess are?"

The sect leader lowered his voice slightly, with a hint of inflammatory rhetoric.

"If it weren't for your formidable strength, unfathomable depth, and orthodox Daoist lineage, you would have already attracted the mad covetousness of countless cultivators the moment the news spread, a fight to the death! Even I, this old Daoist..."

He smiled but didn't continue, though the meaning was clear.

He abruptly changed the subject, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"However, crisis is also opportunity. Fellow Daoist Ying, in this world, one cannot be merciful or soft-hearted. If you want to gather the necessary resources to exchange for top-tier magic treasures, why not... strike first against the demon race? Those demon kings and great demons entrenched in various places all hold some divine positions. If you could seize them..."

Upon hearing this, Ying Shaoyang's eyes immediately flashed with a "greedy" light, and his face showed an eager expression, as if he had been persuaded. He quickly replied.

"Is the Sect Leader's statement true? To be honest, these dozens of divine positions I possess were snatched from that arrogant Azure Dragon! It seems the demon race is indeed incredibly wealthy! In that case, why not incite the Daoist disciples to strike first against the demon race and seize the spoils? For us righteous cultivators, slaying demons and eliminating evil is simply our duty!"

His behavior was exactly like that of a "righteous" cultivator who was greedy and wanted to take advantage of the situation. "Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, the sect leader burst into laughter, though his laughter carried a hint of helplessness and mockery.

"Fellow Daoist Ying's idea is good, but you're oversimplifying things. The demon race in the human realm, especially the aquatic demon race, is extremely powerful and not a pushover that can be easily manipulated."

He suppressed his smile and said seriously.

"Do you know that the four seas are in the human world, and the sea and sky are connected, forming a whole. Although the immortal realm can cut off the energy of heaven and earth flowing into the human land, its impact on the vast and boundless four seas is relatively small."

Today, many powerful sects in the human realm, with their keen sense of opportunity, have already relocated their headquarters to overseas spirit islands in search of a glimmer of hope. The Dragon Clan of the Four Seas, in particular, has risen in status as a result, receiving flattery and courtship from various forces, and enjoying a superior position.

The sect leader looked at Ying Shaoyang and said meaningfully.

"Regarding the Azure Dragon incident last time, it was because it made a mistake first, forcibly seizing the River God's position and violating certain unspoken rules. In addition, Fellow Daoist Ying, you are powerful and your background is considered to be that of a disciple of a True Immortal from the Heavenly Realm, which is why the Dragon Clan has not acted yet. Otherwise, just because you took those River God's positions, the Four Seas Dragon Palace would have come knocking on our door long ago. How could it be so quiet?"

Upon hearing this, Ying Shaoyang felt no fear, but rather a surge of anticipation. The demon race was coming to cause trouble? Excellent! He had been searching for a suitable reason to act! Slaying the demons would not only grant him their treasured possessions, but their powerful bodies, inner cores, and spirits were all top-tier cultivation resources! This was far more satisfying than scheming against these cunning old Taoists!

He did harbor some anticipation for the so-called immortal realm, but more than that, he was scrutinizing it. After all, his identity as a "true disciple of the Daoist sect" was an imposter. If he actually arrived in the immortal realm and was discovered to have no master to back him up, things would get very messy.

Moreover, although the spiritual energy in this mortal realm is currently depleted, it seems that we haven't yet reaped enough benefits...

In a flash, Ying Shaoyang raised his hand and flipped it over, revealing a divine seal in his palm that emitted a watery shimmer and contained an aura of authority—the very core of the divine position that the Azure Dragon had previously used to control the river.

He waved the divine seal in front of the sect leader, his tone becoming direct and forceful.

"Master, let's cut to the chase."

This divine position, as well as the other divine positions I possess, are all open to trade.

But the prerequisite is that your Shangqing Palace can provide me with magical treasures that satisfy me. If you don't have enough top-quality items, I'd rather not exchange this divine position, or... put it up for auction, and let the highest bidder win!

His words were half true and half false, both to exert pressure and to test the bottom line of the Shangqing Palace.

The sect leader looked at the robes on Ying Shaoyang's body that had just been refined, shimmering with spiritual light and faintly displaying Dao patterns, and then sensed the faint aura of several top-tier magic treasures emanating from the storage ring on his wrist. His brows furrowed slightly.

This kid certainly has a lot of good stuff, and it seems his appetite has been spoiled.

However, considering the dozens of divine positions in Ying Shaoyang's possession, and the fact that the news of these divine positions has recently attracted many desperate rogue cultivators and high-level cultivators to seek refuge with Shangqing Palace, their wealth and collections might be able to offset some of the costs of exchanging them...

After a moment of contemplation, the sect leader seemed to have made up his mind.

With a flick of his sleeve, a seven-colored light flashed, and a neatly folded Taoist robe appeared in his hand.

This robe appears simple, with a moon-white color, but upon closer inspection, one can discover countless fine, ever-flowing, seven-colored light spots shimmering on its surface, as if the most brilliant morning glow had been woven into it, giving one a feeling of lightness, etherealness, yet extraordinary strength.

"This is the 'Cloud and Rainbow Robe'."

The sect leader handed the Taoist robe to Ying Shaoyang, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible pain and pride.

“This robe is not made from ordinary spiritual silk. Instead, it is made from the purest first cloud in the world, collected by the disciples of the ‘Rainbow Cloud Sect’ of the Shangqing Palace’s lower courtyard every day before the first wisp of pure yang purple qi is generated. They then use a secret method to condense it into ‘Morning Cloud Silk’.”

"It took three hundred years to condense enough cloud silk to weave this robe."

The sect leader's voice carried a weighty, historical weight.

"It took another seven hundred years, with the sect's master craftsmen working day and night, to finally weave and forge this robe, which is still not fully completed. Look at the robe, it is covered with tiny runes, all of which are defensive array patterns."

Each strand of the 'morning glow cloud thread' was inscribed with at least several thousand defensive runes! And this entire Taoist robe used a full tens of thousands of cloud threads!

He took a deep breath and handed over another jade slip.

"This is the method for condensing 'Morning Glow Cloud Silk' and the preliminary refining method for this robe, which I will now pass on to you, fellow Daoist. Although this treasure is not yet fully completed, its potential is boundless, and its defensive power is sufficient to withstand several full-force attacks from an ordinary Earth Immortal."

It also possesses many other wonderful uses, such as gathering spiritual energy, warding off dust, and purifying the mind.

Ying Shaoyang carefully accepted the precious treasure and jade slip. He scanned them briefly with his divine sense and was immediately shocked.

He immediately realized that this was indeed a special magic weapon that required a huge amount of manpower, material resources, and a long period of time to refine.

Just as the sect leader said, it is extremely difficult to condense each cloud thread. For example, for a cultivator like Qingfeng who has just entered the Nascent Soul realm, it would probably take him a month without sleep to condense a qualified "Morning Cloud Thread"!

And this is just laying the foundation for the materials. The next step is to inlay thousands of complex and precise defensive runes into the fine cloud threads... The difficulty and workload involved are simply astonishing!
It would be impossible for a sect to complete such a massive project in a short period of time without tens of thousands of loyal and hardworking low-level disciples.

This is almost impossible to replicate given the current state of spiritual depletion and talent scarcity in this world.

However, without anyone noticing, a slight smile appeared on Ying Shaoyang's lips.

Just because Shangqing Palace can't do it doesn't mean Ying Shaoyang can't!
His Great Qin world has hundreds of millions of living beings! Among them, tens of thousands have broken through to the first level of life, equivalent to the Qi Refining stage cultivators in this world! Moreover, that world has relatively abundant spiritual energy and rich resources. More importantly, it has a highly centralized ruling system that can efficiently mobilize human and material resources.

"Upon returning, immediately summon those tens of thousands of Level 1 Lifeforms and pass on the method for condensing the 'Morning Glow Cloud Silk' and the basic cultivation techniques, officially making them cultivators! With them as the foundation, not only will completing this 'Cloud and Rainbow Robe' be a piece of cake, but in the future, this level of magic weapon could even become the standard attire for the Qin Emperor's concubines!" (End of Chapter)