Immortal Road.

Lin Shan pondered to himself.

Now that the original Sword Daoist has returned to the Shangxiao Sword Sect, I, in my avatar there, will most likely be unable to achieve anything. I can simply take what I have and then turn back to the Black Lotus Sect to report back.

Meanwhile, the Seeking Ancient Sect sent back their avatars to guard the area, while their main body set off to meet with the Sword Master Yuan and try to find out what he was up to in secret.

If they really are trying to ambush Sword Saint Ma Yuanjue, he might even be able to get involved. He's definitely going to get involved in this mess!
"Gentlemen, please tidy up your cave dwellings and come stay at the Star Palace for the time being."

Yu Xing Shenjun and Xing Jin Shu Cai had only been released for a short time when they were invited back into the Xing Mansion, and both of them showed bitter smiles.

"Sect Leader Lin, you've only been back for less than a month, and you're already going out in your true form again?"

Lin Shan was worried about the two of them being far away from him, so he had to keep them close by. Every time he went out, he would carry the Star Mansion with him and the two of them, just in case they were like a cooked duck that flew away.

"There's no other way; it's not safe to stay in the Xun Gu Sect, so I'll take you for a stroll around the Shang Xiao Sword Sect."

The two of them were instantly stunned!
I wonder if I'm hallucinating.

Is it safe to seek the Ancient Sect but not the Soaring Sword Sect?
Do you know that this is a top holy land in this world, with a level of danger comparable to Penglai? If you want to die, don't take us with you!
"Don't worry, the Upper Night Sword Sect is very weak. They don't even have a decent defense right now. It's a good place for us to go and relax. Don't make a fuss."

Blackwater Cliff, Black Lotus Sect.

After nearly a month of standoff, allies and reinforcements from both sides arrived one after another, and the church regained its former vitality. Although there were fewer faces than before the battle, the atmosphere was no longer as tense and grim.

But this time, an unusual phenomenon has emerged.

The number of Nascent Soul stage cultivators who remained was actually greater than the number of Great Divine Power cultivators!

The ultimate reason is that those with great supernatural powers either died or fled, but none surrendered. This is because the Immortal Envoy camp would kill anyone who surrendered, even if they were at the Nascent Soul stage or above, in order to collect rewards for their heads.

However, cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage have avatars, and the death of one avatar does not fundamentally harm them. As a result, half of the cultivators still send a second avatar to continue the battle.

It is truly rare to find a powerful cultivator like Jian Guhan who survived five battles. There are fewer than a dozen such individuals remaining in the Black Lotus Sect, most of whom were with You Meiji's main force from the very beginning.

Any flank used as bait for a feint attack will have trouble surviving even at the Nascent Soul stage, and even those with great supernatural powers will face a nine-out-of-ten chance of death!
During the current standoff, the two sides have been clashing daily. The leader of the Xun Gu Sect has made several high-profile moves, attacking whichever side of the Immortal Envoy camp dares to show its face, and his prestige within the Black Lotus Sect is growing.

With figures like Chi Hong, Yu Ming Shenjun, and Han Hai Zun Zhe closely surrounding him, many Nascent Soul stage cultivators who had second-time avatars joined him.

These people had clearly been tricked to death by Youmeiji once before, and were afraid of being tricked again, so they clung to her in advance. There were more than a dozen of them in total!
They quickly formed a formidable group, capable of rivaling Youmeiji within the sect!
"Holy Maiden, the leader of the Xun Gu Sect has been restless these days, going around provoking and attacking others, attracting many fellow cultivators of the Primordial Spirit realm to join him. Is he planning to openly oppose us?"

Youmeiji leaned back on her throne, with people around her reporting on the recent situation. These were all highly skilled individuals trained by the Black Lotus Sect.

"Ignore him. The decisive battle is about to begin. Whether we'll survive is another matter. What's the point of all this?"

"You guys are smart enough to know your place. That Chi Hong is such an ingrate! I thought so highly of him, but in the end he actually sided with an outsider. He's such an ungrateful fellow!"

"Where's Protector Feng? What's he been up to lately? And those two, the Scattered Demon Old Ghost and the Qinghe River Demon, you promised to send Yuan Nian's avatars over for support, have they arrived yet?"

The group immediately began to report their findings in a flurry of voices.

"Protector Feng has stopped associating with the leader of the Xun Gu Sect, probably to avoid suspicion from you."

"The second avatar of the old demon has arrived, saying he wants to invite the World Honored One to appear for a face-to-face meeting. It seems he wants to raise his status and take the opportunity to extort money from us."

"The Qinghe River demon also kept its promise and brought a second Yuan Nian avatar. It also brought the entire Beihai Tonghe demon clan camp, including several Yuan Shen stage demon cultivators and great supernatural beings. It seems that it intends to fully support my sect."

Did they request an audience with the Buddha to demand increased compensation?

Yes! And they have quite an appetite.

Youmeiji rubbed her temples, feeling a slight headache. Although she had temporarily taken over the power of the Black Lotus camp, the three strongest members of the alliance were still not convinced by her.

Leaving aside the troublesome leader of the Xun Gu Sect, both the Scattered Demon Old Ghost and the Qinghe Water Demon are late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators who don't recognize anyone except the Azure Lotus Fairy.

She often had to coax the other person, which was really exhausting.

However, one cannot report to Fairy Qinglian for every little thing, as that would make one appear incompetent. Therefore, many things must be suppressed!
Having mastered the only channel of communication with Fairy Qinglian, he was practically second only to the emperor. Since the Holy Hearing could only hear one voice, he had to make good use of it to gain benefits for himself.

Just then, news came from outside.

"Holy Maiden, I request an audience with the Ancient Master."

"not see."

Youmei Ji didn't even listen and simply waved her hand to refuse.

But footsteps could be heard outside the cave, and after a few words of dissuasion from the gatekeeper, there was silence. Lin Shan strode in!
"Holy Maiden, it's really not easy to see you."

"How did you get in? Did I summon you?"

You Meiji immediately stood up and questioned him sharply about why he had broken in. Several powerful cultivators from Ququlin Mountain beside her immediately tensed up, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

"Hehe, oh?"

Lin Shan looked at these people with some surprise.

"I'm just here to discuss something. Why are you all reacting so strongly? Do you have something to hide?"

"."

Youmei immediately calmed down and waved her sleeves to dismiss those around her.

They only spoke again after everyone else had left and only the two of them remained in the cave.

"Speak, what brings you here?"

Lin Shan didn't beat around the bush and directly told her about the recent movements of the Haoran Holy Land and the Shangxiao Sword Sect, getting straight to the point.

"The task of the Azure Lotus Fairy is complete. Shouldn't you give me what you promised me?"

Youmei Ji frowned and asked in return:

"Done? What did you finish? The teams from the Haoran Holy Land and Shangxiao Sword Sect are still there; they don't seem to have withdrawn from the front lines, do they?"

"But the Heavenly Treasure Mountain and River Brush of the Vast Sacred Land and the Supreme Elder Yuan Jian Dao Ren of the Shangxiao Sword Sect have returned. Isn't that enough?!"

Lin Shan knew this woman would definitely make things difficult for him, but he was mentally prepared, so he barged in for a face-to-face meeting today to see what surprises she could give him.

really!

Upon hearing this, Youmei Ji raised an eyebrow, then sat back on her throne, leaning back lazily and even seductively revealing her long, shapely legs.

"Sect Leader Lin, what we agreed on was that you would create a huge enough disturbance in the rear to detonate all the ley lines of the two holy lands, forcing them to withdraw more forces from the front lines to defend. Which of these two points did you achieve?"

"Did the ley lines explode? Or did they really retreat with the main force?"

"The departure of just one Yuanjian Daoist and Tongtian Lingbao is probably not enough to have a significant impact on the overall situation, and it's not worth the huge sum of money for five hundred days of incense offerings, is it?"

Lin Shan didn't have time to admire You Meiji's legs. If he had had that kind of leisure back then, he would have taken care of her when she was a prisoner.

"The ley lines of the Vast Sacred Land are 70% damaged, and two-thirds of the floating islands of the Upper Soaring Sword Sect are destroyed. Isn't this considered a major operation?"

"If you don't believe me, go out onto the mainland and ask around. Isn't it common knowledge that the Shangxiao Sword Sect has been driven to the brink of destruction?"

"Furthermore, I was willing to exchange five hundred days' worth of incense offerings before the battle for his services, so why aren't the Sword Daoist and the Heavenly Treasure worth the same price?"

You Meiji smiled, and at this moment she actually started to play with words, convinced that she had Lin Shan under her control.

"Are you sure you can reason with this Holy Maiden? 'Sect Leader Lin, seventy percent is seventy percent, and two-thirds is two-thirds, so that means the mission wasn't completed? How am I supposed to explain this to the World Honored One?'"

"Then you don't need to explain. Just bring out Fairy Qinglian, and I'll talk to her face to face."

Lin Shan was too lazy to waste words with her; he had expected this to happen.

Youmeiji is already at odds with me, and she'll definitely try to sabotage things. There's no need to get angry with her; I can just demand my reward from the source.

The Azure Lotus Fairy is in charge of the ancient charm, and she directly connects with the source, eliminating the middleman's profit margin.

But to everyone's surprise, Youmeiji went even further, shaking her head and deliberately dragging out the last syllable.

"Unfortunately, the World Honored One is currently engaged in a crucial battle with Layman Jinglian in the heavens and has no time to see you for the time being. I will inform you when I have time."

"."

The atmosphere became somber.

A slight unease surfaced in Lin Shan's calm demeanor as he stepped forward, exuding a subtle pressure.

Are you kidding me?

“I’m not joking. The World-Honored One is engaged in a magical contest with Layman Jinglian and cannot extricate himself.”

The fact that Youmei Ji brought this out was enough to block all requests to see the Azure Lotus Fairy.

Anyway, I have the channels of communication. If you want to meet the Emperor, you have to get past me. If I don't agree to let you see him, you won't get to see him. What can you do to me?
"Sect Leader Lin, I advise you to go back and handle your business properly. First, resolve the issue of the ley lines in the two holy lands. Otherwise, even if you meet the World Honored One, won't you be in trouble?"

"Don't you have any remnants of her primordial spirit on you?"

Lin Shan interrupted her directly, staring at her wrist, where there was a green bead strung on a red thread.

Youmei immediately shook her head and told him with a smile.

"No, the World Honored One has already withdrawn his primordial thought. Now, even if I wanted to see her, I would have to ask permission."

"Boom~~~"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Shan stepped forward and, before You Meiji could react, the Soul-Devouring Prison Light Cage descended from the sky, grabbing her by the collar!
"You didn't have the Azure Lotus Fairy protecting you, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"not me."

Caught off guard, You Meiji was suddenly grabbed by this man and lifted up, dangling in mid-air from the throne. She was too terrified to speak.

Sensing something was wrong, a group of powerful Black Lotus Sect members burst in, only to be terrified by the scene before them, and immediately began shouting and yelling.

"Holy Maiden? What's wrong?"

"Sect Leader Lin, don't be impulsive! Release the Holy Maiden!"

"Let's talk this out. Why do we have to resort to violence? This is Black Lotus Sect territory."

"If the World-Honored One sees this, things will likely not end well. Think carefully before you act!"

They shouted and yelled, but none of them dared to go up, because they knew they were no match for Lin Shan, so no one wanted to die.

Lin Shan, holding You Meiji in his arms, had a chilling glint in his eyes.

"I'll give you one more chance. Summon the Azure Lotus Fairy and let me speak with her face to face."

Youmeiji recovered slightly from her panic and forced herself to suppress her fear as she replied:

“You dare not kill me. This is the headquarters of the Black Lotus Cult. If you kill me, even your avatar won't be able to leave, and you can forget about the final payment for the five hundred incense offerings. So you dare not kill me.”

"I didn't say I had to kill you, I just wanted you to find Fairy Qinglian."

"The World Honored One is busy right now, so you cannot see her."

"I think you want to die!"

Lin Shan suddenly roared, startling the group below, who took several steps back. But then they started arguing and begging him not to act rashly.

Instead of laughing, You Meiji burst into maniacal laughter for the first time ever!

"Who are you trying to scare? All you want is the final payment. How can you get the final payment if you kill me? Besides, you haven't fulfilled the conditions of the contract in the first place. How are you going to see the World Honored One?"

Bang! ! !
With a violent tremor, small stones began to fall from the entire mountain. The Black Lotus Cult members stared wide-eyed, realizing that You Meiji had been killed by the Ancient Seeking Cult Leader!
"This this."

They've never seen anything like this before. No matter how fierce the argument was in the past, it was just verbal bickering. Everyone knows about the feud between the two of you.
But what's wrong with us today? They suddenly started attacking each other without warning. Is this the start of an internal conflict? Should we run or not?
"Don't worry, we only killed one of her primordial avatars, she's not really dead."

Lin Shan held the green pearl in his hand and gave a cold snort to the air.

"I've been annoyed with you for a long time. You're still playing these tricks on me at a time like this. If you won't call for help, I'll do it myself!"

He squeezed it hard.

Click~
The green bead shattered instantly, and the viscous liquid inside immediately dripped out. Then, as if sensing something, a wisp of smoke flew out.

It was none other than the Azure Lotus Fairy's Yuan Nian!
"The leader of the Ancient Search Cult? What are you doing?"

Qinglian Fairy was a little confused. She suddenly realized that Green Pearl was in Lin Shan's hands and had been destroyed, and Youmei Ji was nowhere to be found.

"If you have something to say, talk to the fairy."

Lin Shan put on a friendly face again and gestured for the people behind him to step back.

The Azure Lotus Fairy Yuan Nian realized something and knew that the Black Lotus Sect members were useless to stay here, so she decided to speak up for them.

"You guys get out first!"

The members of the Black Lotus Cult breathed a sigh of relief and quickly withdrew from the cave one by one.

"Alright, now you can tell me where Youmeiji went, how you got this green bead, and why you broke it?"

The Azure Lotus Fairy's tone was unmistakably cold. Clearly, Lin Shan's repeated provocations had pushed her to the limit. If he couldn't give her a clear explanation, she might really have to settle things today!

“I killed Youmei Ji. She deceived her superiors and subordinates, and killed an avatar as a warning.”

"Who told you to kill her?!"

The Azure Lotus Fairy was very surprised and couldn't understand why he was so sudden.

Lin Shan replied leisurely.

"It's not that I have something important to discuss with you, but she's preventing me from seeing you. I had no other choice but to resort to this tactic to report. Actually, I just don't want you to continue being misled by her. Otherwise, no outside information can be conveyed, and you and Layman Jinglian are fighting each other in the heavens without knowing what to do, aren't you?"

The Azure Lotus Fairy fell silent.

She could easily reconstruct the events, and Youmeiji probably abused the power she was given to her, otherwise she wouldn't have actually been beaten to death.

If I'm not mistaken, this guy came prepared today and is probably ready to confront me completely!

"Very well, then tell me, what business do you have with me?" (End of Chapter)