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

After Ying Shaoyang left, the atmosphere in the square in front of the main hall seemed to become somewhat subtle.

Those junior disciples and young Taoist boys of Shangqing Palace who were coming and going, responsible for sweeping and guarding, always couldn't help but look at the group of beautiful Qingqiu fox girls.

Some were aloof, some alluring, some charming; the hundreds of beauties gathered together created a stunning visual impact. Many young disciples blushed and their hearts raced, but they dared not look too long. They would often steal a few glances before hurriedly lowering their heads and leaving like startled rabbits.

In stark contrast, the high-ranking members of Shangqing Palace, including some elders and deacons who occasionally passed by, seemed to ignore this group of stunningly beautiful fox women who were enough to stir up any male creature. When their gazes swept over them, they were as indifferent as if they were looking at roadside stones and flowers, without any emotional fluctuation.

This blatant disregard finally made one of the more impatient Qingqiu elders unable to contain herself. Her pretty face turned frosty as she whispered angrily.

"Outrageous! This Shangqing Palace is far too arrogant! My Qingqiu is an ancient clan with connections to various forces, including the human and demon races. We are honored guests everywhere we go. But now, they won't even let us through the gates of Shangqing Palace. We're just left here like this, treated as if we don't exist! This is simply too much!"

She had thought that, given Qingqiu's rich heritage and its intricate connections with various forces, it should at least receive appropriate treatment, even if it wasn't as prestigious as Shangqing Palace. However, reality proved her wrong.

The leader of the Qingqiu clan, a woman of unparalleled beauty, remained calm. She slightly raised her hand to stop the elders' complaints, her voice clear and rational.

"Third Elder, be careful what you say."

She calmly swept her gaze over the Shangqing Palace cultivators who came and went, seemingly oblivious to them, and said softly.

"Let's face reality. The difference in strength between Qingqiu and Shangqing Palace is like heaven and earth. We are still carrying demonic energy. If we weren't with you, young master, we probably wouldn't even be able to step onto these steps. We are only able to wait here because of you."

Her words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly sobering up the disgruntled elders.

The clan chief continued, his voice carrying a sense of transcendence and determination.

"Our goal has never been to compete for momentary glory in the mortal world or to gain the favor of those who are destined to decay along with the depletion of spiritual energy. What is the purpose of all that we have sacrificed, even defying ancestral precepts and giving our all to follow you, young master?"

Her gaze swept over every member of her tribesman, her eyes burning with intensity.

"It's all for the sake of relying on you, young master, to enter that legendary immortal realm! In that new world, we will rebuild the glory of our Qingqiu Fox Clan and find the path to immortality! Compared to this eternal goal, what are the indifference and contempt of these people in the mortal world? They are nothing more than a gentle breeze, not worth mentioning!"

The elders, who had initially been somewhat resentful, had their fighting spirit and desire rekindled upon hearing the clan leader's words. Indeed, they had sacrificed so much, with even the clan leader personally taking action, all for that unattainable destiny of immortality, to escape this increasingly decaying cage! Compared to this grand goal, this small act of negligence was truly insignificant.

“The clan chief is absolutely right; we have been waiting to see him.”

"That's right, as long as I can enter the Immortal Realm with you, young master, all the sacrifices will be worthwhile!"

Just as the women of Qingqiu were reaffirming their beliefs, Ying Shaoyang, led by the young Taoist boy, arrived at the library of Shangqing Palace.

This is a majestic and ancient nine-story pagoda, with flying eaves and bracket sets, exuding a rich aroma of ink and the aura of time. Stepping inside is like entering an ocean of knowledge.

Countless jade slips, books, and silk scrolls were neatly arranged on numerous bookshelves, seemingly endless.

Ying Shaoyang scanned the collection with his divine sense and found that the books here not only included many of the cultivation techniques, supernatural abilities and secret arts inherited by Shangqing Palace itself, but also included all the classic collections contributed by the small and medium-sized sects that had joined Shangqing Palace over the years, either because their lineage had been interrupted or because they were seeking protection.
He casually picked up a few jade slips recording supernatural abilities and immersed his divine sense into them. Just as the sect leader had said, most of the supernatural abilities in the world, when traced back to their origins, originated from the techniques of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends.

However, different people and different sects have vastly different understandings and application methods of the same basic principle, which has led to the development of thousands of supernatural powers and spells with different effects and focuses.

Some focused on change, some specialized in killing, some excelled in defense, and some leaned towards support... All sorts of ingenious ideas and brilliant concepts captivated Ying Shaoyang, broadening his horizons.

Although he could not cultivate these methods, the ideas and techniques for applying the rules of heaven and earth greatly enriched his knowledge and had immeasurable reference value for him in perfecting his own supernatural power system.

……

Meanwhile, in Maoshan, thousands of miles away...

A talisman shimmering with spiritual light streaked across the sky like a shooting star and landed precisely in the hands of the Maoshan sect leader.

After reading the information from Shangqing Palace in the flying talisman, the head of Maoshan was first stunned, then his face showed unbelievable joy and deep emotion.

He subconsciously looked up, gazing westward at the location of the Shangqing Palace, his eyes filled with a complex and inexplicable sense of gratitude.

"Ten divine positions... Nephew Ying, he... he actually secured ten divine positions for my Maoshan!"

The sect leader's voice trembled slightly.

"Moreover, we have the largest share in this distribution! Even the Shangqing Palace itself probably didn't receive as much as Maoshan!"

This news was too much of a shock to him.

He originally thought that Ying Shaoyang's willingness to remember Maoshan and share one or two divine positions would already be an enormous favor.

Unexpectedly, Ying Shaoyang made a move with a full ten! This almost instantly gave Maoshan the substantial resources to expand its influence and solidify its foundation in the human world!

"Back then, I really underestimated this boy's magnanimity and loyalty."

When the sect leader recalled his initial probing and reservations when he first met Ying Shaoyang, he couldn't help but smile bitterly, a sense of shame welling up in his heart.

At this moment, he was absolutely certain that no matter how many secrets Ying Shaoyang held or how unconventional his style of doing things was, in his heart, Ying Shaoyang always recognized him as a disciple of Maoshan! Otherwise, he would never have secured such earth-shattering benefits for Maoshan!
After the initial excitement and emotion subsided, the sect leader's expression gradually hardened.

He sighed softly, as if he had made a decision, and turned to walk towards the forbidden area behind the mountain, where the treasure pavilion containing the treasures of Maoshan throughout the ages was located.

"Since Junior Nephew Shaoyang treats Maoshan with such sincerity, how can I, as the sect leader, be stingy?"

"Moreover, he has made such a great contribution to Maoshan. It is only right and proper that the sect should show some appreciation."

"More importantly... a Maoshan disciple who is about to ascend to immortality should, according to ancestral rules, return to the mountain so that all disciples can admire his demeanor and experience his destiny as an immortal."

This is the proper etiquette of Maoshan, and it is also... the source of Maoshan's glory!

His steps were steady and swift, and he was already calculating in his mind which treasures he should take out to be worthy of Ying Shaoyang's extremely generous reward and his identity as "the last hope for ascension in the human world".

Ying Shaoyang stayed in the library for half a month. During this time, relying on his incomparably powerful soul power, which had long since reached the level of photographic memory, he devoured the vast collection of books in the library like a gluttonous beast, imprinting everything from the most basic breathing techniques to profound supernatural abilities into his mind without missing a single one.

His initial goal was simply to select some foundational cultivation techniques suitable for the "quasi-cultivators" in the Great Qin world, as well as some practical low-level supernatural abilities, so that he could teach them on a large scale after returning home and quickly build up combat power.

However, in the process of in-depth study, he gained a new and deeper understanding, especially of the fundamental inheritance of Maoshan and the several core Heavenly Divine Powers attached to it.

These orthodox Xuanmen cultivation methods, originating from a time when the energy of heaven and earth was abundant, far surpassed the later methods cobbled together and driven by short-sighted gains due to the depletion of spiritual energy, in terms of their solid foundation, lofty ideals, and complete system. Immersed in this ocean of ancient wisdom, Ying Shaoyang even experienced a kind of enlightenment.

If I had been more experienced and had a deeper understanding of Taoist theory, I might have been able to try to integrate the fundamental methods of the Maoshan and Shangqing schools, discarding the dross and retaining the essence, to create a new practice that is more suitable for me and more powerful.

The benefits of this in-depth study and reflection are obvious. Not only did it allow him to have more precise control over his own power and make his primordial spirit more refined and clear, but it also significantly enhanced the efficiency and ultimate power of the several Heavenly Divine Abilities he had already mastered.

It was as if a thin veil had been lifted from these supernatural powers, revealing their more essential and powerful nature.

……

While Ying Shaoyang was immersed in his studies, Lianxiang, Qingfeng, and other maids had been staying in his secluded courtyard for more than ten days.

As for Shangqing Palace, perhaps out of consideration for avoiding suspicion—after all, the hundreds of Qingqiu fox maidens brought by Ying Shaoyang still possessed demonic energy, and their prolonged movement within the palace might cause gossip—or perhaps for some other reason, they had already quietly sealed off this courtyard, prohibiting them from going out at will.

For maids like Qingfeng and Caifeng, who came from prominent families and knew the proper etiquette, although they felt somewhat resentful, they were able to endure it and understood the principle of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

But for Lianxiang, a naive and simple-minded mountain spirit, the ten-plus days of waiting were pure torture.

Seeing that Ying Shaoyang had not returned for a long time and was being held under house arrest, and feeling the occasional strange looks from the disciples of Shangqing Palace, she wondered if her master had been detained by these old Taoist priests, and that they, the maids, had suffered a great injustice.

Several times, she couldn't suppress her anxiety and tried to force her way out to find Ying Shaoyang, but she was politely but firmly stopped by the invisible barriers and guarding disciples outside the courtyard.

This sense of powerlessness and worry continued to build up in her heart.

On this day, when Ying Shaoyang finally appeared at the gate of the courtyard, Lianxiang's pent-up grievances, worries, and fears of more than ten days burst forth instantly!

Disregarding all decorum and propriety, she cried out, "Master!" like a fledgling returning to its nest, her voice trembling with tears.

She rushed forward without hesitation, hugged Ying Shaoyang's arm tightly, buried her head in his chest, and burst into tears. Her small shoulders trembled uncontrollably, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

“Master…why did you only just come back…they, they wouldn’t let us go out…Lianxiang was so scared…scared that you wouldn’t want us anymore…”

She sobbed and cried incoherently.

Although the other maids did not lose their composure like Lianxiang, they also surrounded Ying Shaoyang upon his return, their eyes also filled with lingering anger and long-suppressed worry.

Qingfeng stepped forward and reported in a low voice.

“Master, during the days you were away, Shangqing Palace sealed off this place and forbade us from going out.”

Ying Shaoyang gently patted Lianxiang's back to comfort her, then glanced at the women, taking in their expressions, and understood what was going on.

He didn't say much, only calmly.

"It's nothing, I'm back."

Just then, a gentle voice rang in his ear; it was the voice of the Shangqing Palace Master, summoning him to the main hall.

Ying Shaoyang comforted Lianxiang for a few moments, stopping her from crying, and then moved swiftly to the outside of the main hall.

He straightened his robes and calmly stepped into the hall.

Inside the main hall, besides the head of the Shangqing Palace, there was another familiar face—Master Qingyuan, the head of the Maoshan Sect, who was already waiting.

Following proper etiquette, Ying Shaoyang bowed to each of the two sect leaders.

"Junior Ying Shaoyang greets the Sect Leader and Uncle Qingyuan."

When Master Qingyuan saw Ying Shaoyang, he immediately stood up, his face showing a complex mix of emotions and apology, and spoke first.

“Nephew Shaoyang, there’s no need for such formalities. I’ve come here today to apologize for the oversight on Maoshan’s part, which forced you to tolerate the hundreds of female demons following you into the tranquil Shangqing Palace. This matter was indeed a mistake on Maoshan’s part, and I’m sorry to have put you in such a difficult position.”

He spoke quite sincerely. After all, Ying Shaoyang was nominally a disciple of Maoshan, yet he led a large group of alluring fox spirits to a Taoist holy site, which did not look good on him.

Ying Shaoyang waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care.

Upon seeing this, Master Qingyuan straightened his expression and continued speaking.

"Secondly, and most importantly, I came here specifically to thank you, my junior disciple!"

His tone was filled with barely suppressed excitement and gratitude.

"Thank you for bestowing those ten incomparably precious divine positions upon Maoshan! Moreover, it is the largest share among all the sects in this distribution! Even the Shangqing Palace did not receive as much as Maoshan! We, the entire Maoshan sect, will forever be grateful for this kindness and favor!"

For the now-declining Maoshan sect, ten divine positions are nothing short of a lifeline, a huge resource that could change the sect's fate! Master Qingyuan couldn't help but be excited.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent emotions, and revealed his third purpose.

"Thirdly... Nephew Shaoyang, as a legitimate disciple of Maoshan, you have never set foot in our sect. This is unreasonable and absurd. I have come here to invite you back to the mountain, to familiarize yourself with our sect, and to let the disciples of the mountain witness the brilliance of Maoshan's contemporary prodigy!"

Upon hearing this, Ying Shaoyang's heart skipped a beat; this was precisely part of his plan, and he immediately agreed. (End of Chapter)