On the Avenue.

Chapter 371 Grandpa Digs a Grave
"Is this Taoist Changying the head monk who was almost killed by my grandfather?" Chen Shi looked at Taoist Changying and thought to himself.

Taoist Changying looked like a middle-aged man, but Taoism had a technique called longevity that could keep people young forever, and they would look no more than 30 or 40 years old when they died of old age. Therefore, he was not sure about Taoist Changying's age.

The Taoists who followed the head monk, Taoist Changying, to kill were all dumbfounded. They came in anger, thinking that there would be a bloody battle to subdue demons and defend Taoism, but they did not expect that the one who insulted the ancestor's tomb would be the legendary ancestor Qingyang.

"Who is the Qingyang Patriarch?" some young Taoists asked among themselves.

Someone who knew this story said, "It was the Qingyang Patriarch who was abducted and the former headmaster was so angry that he changed the name of Taihua Qingyang Palace to Taihua Qing Palace."

The young Taoists suddenly realized.

This matter is considered a secret within the Taihua Qing Palace, and the elders in the sect are very secretive about it, because it is said that the reputation of one or several female ancestors is involved. As a result of the deliberate concealment, the younger generation basically doesn't know the story behind it.

Taoist Changying said respectfully with a smile: "Grandmaster, it is windy here and I am not feeling well. Please come back to the palace with me."

Qingyang said lazily, "I just ate too much grass and haven't digested it yet. I'll take a rest before I go. Don't rush me."

Taoist Changying smiled and said, "No, no."

He stood there, motionless, waiting quietly.

Qingyang lay on the grave for a while, glanced at him, stood up and said, "Forget it, I won't be able to sleep well if you guys stay here. Let's go."

Taoist Changying was overjoyed and was about to ask everyone to escort the master back to the palace, but he saw Master Qingyang come to the wooden cart, put the reins on himself, and actually planned to pull the cart to Taihua Qing Palace.

Qingyang harnessed himself and turned around and said, "Xiao Shi, Hei Guo, get in the car. I'll take you to Qingyang Palace."

"Master, please think twice!"

Almost all the Taoists present bowed and prayed, "This is the last face of Taihua Qing Palace!"

Qingyang snorted and said, "They all say that peace and quiet is the way to go, but you guys are such a bunch of idiots, but you have all kinds of rules. It's really annoying. Xiao Shi, Black Pot, get in the car."

"Shh!"

Dozens of flying swords were placed on the necks of Chen Shi and Hei Guo.

"Uncle Yang, please think twice!" Chen Shi said hurriedly.

Hei Guo nodded repeatedly.

Qingyang had no choice but to take off the reins and complained, "I'm annoyed that you guys clearly call me the Grandmaster, but you still control everything. I'm used to being an idle and free person. I'm controlled by you guys every day when I stay in Qingyang Palace, and you even control the grass on my grave... Let's go, what are you standing there for?"

Taoist Changying wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, clouds appeared on the soles of his feet, and he led the way in front.

However, the art of stepping on clouds under the feet is called the Cloud-Treading Art, which is much more difficult than flying with a sword. Many Taoist disciples cannot do it yet, so they have to fly away with swords first, leaving only many uncles and great-uncle generations.

Chen Shi was very good at the art of treading on the clouds. Clouds appeared on the wooden cart, and Hei Guo also stepped on the clouds and followed everyone.

Many Taoists looked at them, secretly surprised.

"Is it Chen Zhuangyuan?" an old Taoist asked with a kind face.

Chen Shi was quite delighted and said with a smile: "It is the junior."

The old Taoist's face turned cold, and he said, "The sins committed by your grandfather in the past have not been washed away by Qingyang Palace! How dare you come to my Taihua Qingyang Palace! Well, how many heads do you have?"

Chen Shi smiled and said, "There is only one junior. But I am an official appointed by the court, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy."

The old Taoist snorted and did not continue to embarrass him.

Chen Shixiang asked, "Senior, how come the ancestors of Qingyang Palace are buried here? This place is remote and there is no ban. The mountains are not green and the water is not beautiful. It is obviously not a Feng Shui treasure land. Moreover, these ancestors' tombs look very simple. What are the status of the ancestors of Qingyang Palace? How can they be buried so simply?"

The old Taoist sneered, "Our ancestors were buried with honors, so why are you digging your grandfather's grave?"

He felt that he was being too extreme, and said, "We cultivators don't pursue external things. The founder of the sect said that if you can't become an immortal during your lifetime, why bother with a grand funeral after death? That's why when you're dying, you always ask for a thin coffin and bury yourself in the ground, which can also moisten the soil."

Chen Shi was filled with respect and said, "The ancestors of all generations have high realms and their hearts are pure and unobstructed."

The old Taoist laughed and said, "Some people want to cultivate the immortality of corpse transformation, and they are afraid that if they bury their bodies with great care, people will covet the treasures in the tomb and destroy their bodies, and they will not be able to become immortals."

Chen Shi's eyes lit up and he asked, "So, is there a ancestor who has become a corpse-reincarnated immortal?"

The old Taoist said, "It existed before, but somehow it was lost later."

Chen Shi thought to himself, "No wonder everyone values ​​the Water and Fire Refining Technique so much."

When we arrived at the Taihua Green Palace, we saw many palaces with white walls and green tiles, hidden in the mountains, scattered around in an orderly manner, adding a bit of worldly touches to the green.

These palaces are connected by mountain roads, like silk threads strung with pearls, linking one palace after another.

The mountain gate is halfway up the mountain. Many people living nearby pass through the gate and climb up the mountain in an endless stream, probably to burn incense.

Chen Shi observed the yin and yang and had already seen that this place was extraordinary. Many of the plants, birds and animals in Mount Taihua had gained enlightenment because of incense and worship, and became extremely powerful beings, hiding in the mountains, but their spirits and appearances were very huge. On many mountaintops, there were giants comparable to those of the Soul Refining and Returning to the Void, guarding the mountains and rivers.

There are also some strange cultivators who transform into human forms and hide among the Taoists in Taihua Qing Palace. They are no different from ordinary people, but occasionally strange spirits appear in the void above their heads. There are ferocious beasts such as lions and tigers, as well as strange beasts, and even insects such as cicadas, centipedes, and poisonous snakes.

Their spirits disappeared in a flash, and even Chen Shi had to observe carefully to see clearly.

This scene is invisible to the naked eye of ordinary people, and can only be seen by those who have opened their third eye. In the eyes of ordinary people, everything is normal.

Seeing his shocked expression, the old Taoist was not without satisfaction and said with a smile: "Have you seen the strength of my Taihua Qing Palace?"

Chen Shi nodded solemnly and looked at the mountains in the distance. He saw that the mountains around Taihua Mountain were often pitch black without a single plant.

These mountains are in a dilapidated state. Some of the mountaintops are broken off, some have a hole in the middle, some are inserted upside down into the ground by someone unknown, and some of the mountains are riddled with holes as if they had been eaten by insects.

There is no sign of life in these places.

"Where is that place?" Chen Shi asked.

"Eighty-eight Demonic Peaks."

The old Taoist said with an expression of admiration, "This is the place where our eighteen founding ancestors conquered demons! The eighteen founding ancestors annihilated the demon gods entrenched on the eighty-eight demon peaks here, and created a sky for the people of the Ming Dynasty so that they can reproduce and thrive." Chen Shi nodded slightly, expressing his great admiration for the eighteen founding ancestors.

In that passionate time, the human race had no place to stand in Xiniu Island, which was full of evil spirits and demons. It was because of the fearless fight against evil spirits and demons by these Qi Refiners that Xiniu Island was created today.

Taoist Changying and others invited Qingyang into the Qingyang Palace. Outside the Qingyang Palace there was an ancient bronze sculpture of Qingyang and an incense burner in front of it, with incense burning all the time.

Qingyang had been away from this place for a long time. When he revisited the old place, he felt quite emotional and said, "I foolishly stayed here for more than three thousand years. Xiao Shi, it's a good thing your grandfather came, otherwise I would still be regarded as a mascot and placed here!"

All the Taoists glared at Chen Shi.

Chen Shi smiled slightly and didn't take it seriously.

Taoist Changying said with a smile: "Now that the Grandmaster has returned this time, he will definitely not leave, right?"

Qingyang shook his head and said, "I am here to accompany Xiaoshi this time, not to return to Qingyang Palace. Besides, I am already dead and have turned into an evil spirit. Staying in the palace will also be a source of pollution. I will not harm you."

Taoist Changying said quickly: "Grandmaster, how could I dislike you? If you are willing to come back, we will burn incense and worship you day and night. We will teach you to prevent the evil spirit from taking effect and turn you into a god who protects Taihua and will be admired by all generations!"

Qingyang was quite moved when he heard this.

He stayed in a small village in Qianyang Mountain, with limited incense. Although he was at ease, the evil in his body was increasing day by day. He could still suppress it now, but if it continued like this, there would be a day when he could no longer suppress it.

Back at Qingyang Palace, he would continue to burn incense, so the possibility of him becoming an evil spirit would be much lower. Moreover, he could use the energy from the incense to make himself go one step further, and maybe even recover to his peak state before his death.

Taoist Changying saw that he was interested and quickly added, "There will be plenty of grass on the grave!"

Qing Yang hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll stay for a few days."

Taoist Changying was very happy.

The feelings that Taihua Qingyang Palace has for Qingyang are incomparable to those of the spirits in other mountains.

The 18 ancestors brought few things from China, but the exotic beasts they brought were the ancestors of the Green Sheep, a male and a female. In Taoism, the Green Sheep represents vitality and pure Yang, symbolizing longevity and representing the way of immortality. Therefore, the founder of the sect named the Taoist sect the Green Sheep Palace.

Qingyang is the descendant of those two Qingyangs and has a long lifespan. When he grows up, he is very powerful, stronger than ordinary chief priests. Therefore, even if the chief priest of Taihua Qingyang Palace passes away and a new chief priest has not been appointed, there will never be chaos in Taihua Qingyang Palace.

Moreover, Qingyang was extremely knowledgeable, so there was no need to worry about the various skills of Qingyang Palace being lost. If they were lost, they could ask him and learn them. Moreover, many of the masters grew up under his care, and they had a very deep affection for him, so Qingyang became the symbol of Taihua Qingyang Palace.

This was also the reason why the previous headmaster was furious when he discovered that Qingyang had been abducted by Chen Yindu, but he could not defeat him, so he removed the word "Yang" from the name of this Taoist holy land.

Qingyang asked, "Changying, where is your master?" He was referring to the previous headmaster.

"The immortal is gone."

Taoist Changying looked sad and said, "Before his death, Master still wanted to see the Grandmaster. He always felt guilty and thought that he was not good enough to the Grandmaster, so the Grandmaster was abducted by the bad guys. Master wanted to ask the Grandmaster, what was the reason for the Grandmaster to leave Qingyang Palace?"

Qing Yang was silent for a moment, then said, "This is the reason."

Taoist Changying was puzzled.

Qingyang said: "I used to live a very happy life in Qingyang Palace. I watched you grow up generation after generation. I watched you grow from an ignorant little Taoist priest to the most powerful master. I took good care of you and treated you like my own children. Later, you died one by one."

He stroked his bronze statue, lost in thought, and said, "I have trained generation after generation of masters, and sent off generation after generation of masters. I have watched generation after generation of disciples grow up, and watched them gradually grow old and die. Every death of you pains me, just like the death of my own child. I can't forget your laughter and joy around me. But I have no other way, you know? I can't find any way to keep you alive, and I can only bear the feeling of losing generation after generation of relatives alone..."

Taoist Changying remained silent.

Qingyang said, "Later, Chen Yindu came. He ran to Taihua Qingyang Palace. He came with his skills, but his comprehension was too high, so he became your master's disciple. This man is very smart. In the second month after he came to Taihua Qingyang Palace, he felt that all the skills in Qingyang Palace were just so-so. I looked at him and found him very interesting, different from all of you. When I went to the forbidden area to eat grass on the grave of the master, I saw him sneakily holding a Luoyang shovel, ready to dig the grave of the master."

When Chen Shi heard this, he coughed repeatedly.

"...I talked to him a lot and found that he had so many wonderful ideas. He not only planned to dig up the ancestors' graves to see if the ancestors had hidden any secrets of immortality, but also planned to look for the lost secrets of the True King era. So I dug up many ancestors' graves with him."

When Qingyang said this, Taoist Changying looked extremely embarrassed and coughed repeatedly.

Qingyang continued, "…So, when he said he was leaving Qingyang Palace, I decided to abandon everything and follow him to find the lost secrets of the True King era. Only by following this man can I find a way to keep you little Taoists alive, so that I don't have to watch generation after generation of my descendants leave me."

Taoist Changying choked up and said, "If Master knew this was the reason, he wouldn't blame himself so much before he died. He always felt that he had done something wrong."

"Don't blame him. It's not his fault." Qingyang patted his shoulder.

Taoist Changying wiped away his tears and said self-deprecatingly: "Master, please forgive me for laughing at you. I still cannot achieve the state of not being stuck in things and emotions."

Qingyang smiled and said, "I can't do it, let alone you? Xiaoshi, tell Changying the purpose of your trip."

Chen Shi said yes, and after thinking for a moment, he briefly recounted his encounter with Tianzhen Taoist in Yinshan, skipping the grudge between him and the ghosts in the underworld, and said: "Tianzhen Taoist was the fire-burning Taoist boy of the founder of Qingyang Palace, but he cultivated to a semi-immortal body, and because of this he almost died under the Zhenwu Zhuxie Sword. Now he wants to return to Qingyang Palace, and I hope you can go and bring him back."

At this point, Chen Shi took out the Zhenwu Zhuxie Sword and said, "This is the sword that killed the Taoist Tianzhen. The Taoist Tianzhen asked me to send this sword back to Mount Taihua."

Taoist Changying was moved, and hurriedly led the other Taoists to bow and said, "Welcome the immortal weapon of the sect back to the mountain!"

They did not worship Chen Shi, but the Zhenwu Sword for Killing Evil.

It is said that this sword was a sword for killing evil spirits that the Great Emperor Zhenwu refined before ascending to heaven. After ascending to heaven, he left this sword in the human world and worshipped it on Mount Taihua. Later, Xiniu Island was discovered, and the eighteen Taoists brought this sword to Xinzhou to kill evil spirits and demons, and made great military achievements.

Chen Shi held up the Zhenwu Zhuxie Sword with both hands. Taoist Changying stepped forward respectfully, took the sword with both hands, bowed his body, took small steps, entered the Qingyang Palace, and placed the sword on the altar.

Chen Shi let go of his worries, breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a smile: "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave. When Qingyang Palace plans to take back the body of Taoist Tianzhen, please let me know and I can lead you there."

Taoist Changying thanked him again and again and tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "Mr. Chen, please don't be in a hurry to leave. You have done a great favor to our Qingyang Palace by returning this sword. Please stay for a few days and let us show our hospitality."

Chen Shi thought about it, agreed, and quietly asked Qingyang: "Did my grandfather and you really dig up the tombs of the ancestors?"

Qingyang nodded and whispered, "We dug it up. We also dug up several empty graves with no one inside. Some only had clothes, and some only had swords."

Chen Shi was stunned.

"Someone has become an immortal after being liberated from the military force." Qingyang said.

(End of this chapter)