Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 533 A Bloodbath in the Desolate Realm, Suppressing the Beast Tide with Fists; A Divine General Supports the Sky and Breaks Through the Beast Tide (Seeking Donations and Subscriptions!)

In the world of immortals, the desolate and wild void was torn apart by the deep rumble of the giant spirit ship.

Inside the central control room of the bridge, the crystal screen still flickered with the energy ripples left by the fierce battle just now. The air was filled with the residual ferocity of the ancient beasts that had been killed and purified after they were slain, as well as a faint scent of purple heart grass.

This incense calms the mind and settles the spirit; it is refreshing without being cooling, and it extinguishes internal heat, making it a good aid in spiritual practice.

At this moment, all the disciples on the ship had flushed faces, and their gazes toward the Taoist figure on the central jade throne were filled with fervent worship and longing.

Fighting against nine opponents single-handedly, charging into the beast tide, and then successively slaying three Primordial Wild Beasts at the Void Returning level, and escaping unscathed—such a feat is rare even in the long history of the Taiqing Sect.

Of course, this made them feel proud and unable to control themselves.

Lu Cheng, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, sitting upright on the central jade throne.

In Lu Cheng's own view, this kind of record was a natural thing.

The arts of cultivating immortality are numerous and complex, but four arts stand out as the most important: alchemy, artifact crafting, talismanic arts, and array formations. The art of alchemy is self-evident; ancient cultivators have always had legends of refining immortal pills and ascending to heaven in broad daylight after consuming them.

While reality isn't quite that exaggerated, Lu Cheng has never seen anyone cultivate without taking elixirs.

All artifacts and talismans are protective powers. One can cultivate immortality but not protect it. One may gain eternity but not freedom. One is nothing more than a puppet of others, trapped in a cage. This is not something a wise person would choose!

Among the four arts of cultivation, the lowest ranked is the array master. It's not because it's weak, but because it's difficult. You either know it or you don't. As for alchemy, artifact crafting, and talisman cultivation, once you reach a high level, due to the improvement of your spiritual sense and magical power, even if you don't master them to the highest level, you can still get some of them. From a high vantage point, they seem much simpler. Only the array path is different. Many cultivators at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages can't even understand second or third-tier arrays. And it's even more so at the Primordial Spirit and Returning to Emptiness stages.

However, if one masters the art of formations, one can experience power a whole realm ahead of others, defeat enemies, and even protect one's sect. A large formation connected to the earth's veins can completely trap and kill an enemy who is a whole realm higher than oneself.

The Taiqing Sect's flying ship fleet is such a creation, integrating countless essences from the various arts of cultivation. It requires a great sect to build it. Each ship is as large as a flying continent, and each ship is engraved with terrifying formations.

Besides the four eighth-tier sect-protecting flying ships of the Taiqing Sect—'Heavenly Punishment,' 'Earth Destroyer,' 'Demon Slayer,' and 'Demon Refiner'—there are also thirteen seventh-tier flying ships, which are also the foundation of its deadly weapons.

Even if the Giant Spirit Ship isn't the strongest among them, it's still among the top-ranked.

In other words, they are large-scale formations connected to the earth's veins. As long as the person in charge comprehends them enough, they can control them to overcome a major realm of their own and defeat their enemies!

As for Daoist Lu Cheng, he is the champion of the Immortal Pool Sword Fighting Tournament and the number one young human cultivator in five thousand years. As long as he has enough understanding of the Giant Spirit Ship, he can completely leap a major realm, and ordinary Void Return Realm beasts will naturally be no match for him.

The crystal, which had been taken from the body of the last wild beast and was still vibrating with surging energy, floated in the palm of his left hand. His right hand pressed down to control the crystal ball, and his powerful divine sense, penetrating through the ship's hull, closely monitored the surging void storm and the trajectory of the disintegrating beast horde outside the ship like an invisible spider web.

Ordinary martial artists, if they exert their energy too violently, will injure themselves and damage their own bodies. The same applies to cultivators and even giant spirit warships transformed into giant spirit warriors. Lu Cheng's violent and fierce exertion of energy just now, although it quickly killed the ancient beast, also caused him damage.

At this moment, Lu Cheng spread his divine sense and could see that groups of cultivators were quickly flying to various parts of the giant spirit warship to repair and fix it in order to prevent the damage from spreading. From the ship's skeleton to the array restrictions, there were problems in more or less everywhere.

Lu Cheng's divine sense swept downwards, as if observing his own body, while simultaneously issuing a series of commands to enable the cultivators to repair their damaged bodies more quickly and effectively:

"Body transforms into heaven and earth, array refinement enters the body. Isn't the forging of this giant spirit warship a complete reversal of Junior Sister An Xiaoyue's cultivation method?"

Or perhaps it is here that Junior Sister An Xiaoyue's lineage originated?

No wonder that throughout history, cultivators of the Taiqing Sect skilled in body refinement have all taken command of this giant spirit warship, observing themselves and the ship, comparing the two—this too is a form of cultivation.

This realization dawned on Lu Cheng's mind.

In fact, after the previous generation's Giant Spirit Ship Master failed to break through and perished under the Returning to Void Heavenly Tribulation, the struggle for the Giant Spirit Ship within the Taiqing Sect was so fierce that people were practically fighting tooth and nail.

Although the Taiqing Sect excels in Daoist theory, it has a large number of disciples and many cultivators who practice both physical and magical cultivation. Moreover, not to mention the unique and mysterious uses of the Giant Spirit Ship, its value alone is enough for countless forces within the Taiqing Sect to fight over.

A floating continent, ruling it is almost equivalent to being the ruler of a world. What immense benefits that would be! And the number of available spots might not even become vacant once every ten million years.

However, Lu Cheng stood out in the sword duel at the Immortal Pool of the Nuwa Holy Land, greatly boosting the prestige of the Taiqing Sect and sweeping away its decline. With the strong support of the acting sect leader Xuanzhenzi, he directly reaped the rewards. His merits were great and he was an unexpected riseer, so he was favored by the sect leader, and no one else dared to say anything more.

However, there may be others secretly observing and waiting, hoping to bring him down.

"Having slain three Primordial Desolate Beasts at the Void Returning level, even the sect can now claim credit for this. Your divine might is truly admirable."

Just then, the white-haired Taoist Yuan Qi walked over, bowed, and spoke. He was a mature and prudent man who only sought peace and stability.

Next, I will offer my suggestions.

However, Lu Cheng had already made up his mind. A cold and resolute order clearly reached the ears of every crew member:

"The beast tide has not stopped. Gentlemen, rest for a day and observe the momentum of the beast tide. We must not let them invade the Seven Peaks of Yunlan!"

If the beast tide does not cease after one day, then I urge you all to fight to the death. After the battle, I will certainly reward you handsomely.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Cheng, in his capacity as the captain of the Giant Spirit Ship, issued one order after another, granting his trusted confidants great authority and instructing them to reward the cultivators from various departments who had made meritorious contributions in the recent battle.

Cultivators do not have the same strong sense of power as those in the mortal world.

After all, this is a world where great power returns to oneself. If this were in the mortal realm, Lu Cheng's practice of privately accepting bribes to win people's hearts would be a path to disaster. However, in the cultivation world, no one would say much about Lu Cheng using his personal wealth to subsidize official business.

There are many who enrich themselves at the expense of the public, but few who enrich themselves at the expense of the public. Normally speaking, it simply cannot be sustained.

However, as a result, the rewards for winning battles in normal times are paid by the government, and with the addition of a subsidy from the private treasury of Lu City, the rewards for all the cultivators on the Giant Spirit Ship are extremely generous.

Although Chu Yibai, who was in charge of the finances, kept telling Lu Cheng how much money and resources had been spent, the morale of all the cultivators on the giant spirit ship was quickly boosted by the generous rewards.
If you get paid a year's salary for working overtime for a month, that's because you're working hard. If you get paid ten years' salary for working overtime for a month, many people will say, "Don't treat me like a human being. I'll work like an animal. I'll live next to my workstation, sleep with my eyes closed, and work with my eyes open. You get what you pay for, and that's just human nature."

Lu Cheng was in charge of the Giant Spirit Ship, and he hadn't handed over his duties in Huangyun Prefecture. He also made profits from the inter-realm trade, otherwise he wouldn't be able to squander money like this.

Lu Cheng Daoist closed his eyes on the central jade throne for two days, and all the cultivators on the entire giant spirit ship worked overtime for two days. The next moment, he suddenly stood up, and a pressure far more vast and heavy than that of a Void Returning Ancient Wilderness Beast suddenly erupted!

There seemed to be an overlap and a resonance between the cultivators and the warships.

Beneath the throne, the rune array of the entire bridge instantly lit up to its maximum, emitting an almost painful hum.

The ship's structure violently deformed and reformed amidst a teeth-grinding, twisting sound!
The massive metal skeleton roared, and the heavy armor plates slid and spliced ​​together as if they were alive, with dazzling immortal runes spreading wildly along every crevice.

In just three breaths, the massive giant warship had vanished, replaced by a towering metallic behemoth, its entire body shimmering with dark gold and immortal runes!

It was covered in heavy armor, with hard and smooth lines. Countless channels flowed through its body like meridians, carrying liquid magic power. The overwhelming pressure of immortality mixed with the cold texture of machinery made the entire void suffocate.

Indeed, the Giant Spirit Warrior.

Normally, such frequent and arduous battles and changes in form would be a huge burden on the entire spirit ship itself, and doing this all the time could easily lead to a major disaster.

However, by using this starship to reflect on himself, the closer he got to his limit, the more he felt his breathing synchronize and merge with the spirit ship. Therefore, he was certain that he was far from reaching his limit.

In the direction of the beast tide, a massive, mountain-like eagle-shaped beast with dark, night-like feathers is flapping its wings and leading the beast tide forward.

In the wilderness, the migration of beast tides is normal, but now that this wilderness has been opened up by the Taiqing Sect, we can only ask these strange and ancient creatures to die!
The Heavenly Furnace Realm, beyond the Seven Peaks of Cloud Waves, has already seen millions of people relocated. If they were allowed to pass through, at least several million would die.

Cultivators are the shield and sword of humanity, not of other races.

Therefore, the giant eagle with black wings paused for a moment after observing the giant warrior standing alone on the mountain peak from afar.

Its state of mind and killing intent did not reach their peak immediately!
Lu Cheng will not give him any more chances.

"Shatter the Void!"

Inside the Giant Spirit Warrior, Lu Cheng's gaze was like lightning, his killing intent soaring to the heavens. His immense will, which had merged the Xuan Tian Divine Art and the Giant Spirit Ship's inheritance, suddenly locked onto the Xuan Winged Giant Eagle, which was at the Void Returning level.

The next moment, Lu Cheng's figure appeared very close to the Xuan Yi Giant Eagle. He took a step forward, not using any weapon, but clenching his right fist. The runes on the dark gold gauntlet suddenly lit up to a dazzling degree, like a sun about to explode!

This punch seemed slow, because even the low-level wild beasts behind the Xuan Yi Giant Eagle could see its trajectory.
The punch wasn't powerful; when it was thrown, it didn't even stir up the surrounding wind or dust.

This punch was even less sophisticated, lacking any mysterious trajectory or hidden follow-up variations; it was simply a straight punch.

However, when this Xuan Yi Giant Eagle, at the Void Returning level, faced this punch, it seemed to instantly turn into a fossil and freeze, its feathers bristling. Only someone with this level of life could clearly feel the terror of this punch.

The Secret Manual of Refining Form in the Mysterious Alchemy Cauldron - The Substance of Fist Intent - The Shattering Void Fist Imprint!
The giant warrior strode forward, its massive body tearing through layers of spatial barriers, traversing a thousand miles in a single step!
The dark gold giant fist, imbued with destructive power, was unleashed in a simple and unadorned manner.

It was slow, yet it made time seem to stand still throughout the entire battlefield;
If not fierce, the void is silently annihilated where the fist passes, leaving behind eternal, pitch-black cracks.
Unfortunately, the trajectory pointed directly to the spatial node where the Xuan Yi Giant Eagle was hiding. No matter how it struggled and moved, that fierce and unparalleled will had already locked onto every inch of space around it!
Shattering Void Fist Imprint, Breaking Boundaries and Suppressing Emptiness!
The giant eagle with black wings let out a fierce cry that shook the heavens, for at that moment it had already sensed the danger of its own demise.

Instinctively, he wanted to teleport away, but the surrounding void was as heavy and viscous as if it had been filled with billions of tons of mud and sand.

Each spatial jump felt like sinking into quagmire, with the distance compressed to its limit!
It could only frantically unleash its innate divine power, spraying countless tiny spatial blades from its body to cut through the void, attempting to open a path to survival.

The three Void Returning level wild beasts, which were relatively close from several other directions behind them, also realized that their companions were in imminent danger. They fiercely spewed out the breath of destruction, swung their Void Devouring tentacles, and flew away from three directions, launching a fierce attack on the Giant Spirit Warrior!

The movement speed of the Void Returning level beings is too astonishing. Even though this beast tide covers a very wide area, they can arrive very quickly once they react.

There are a total of nine Void Returning Heads. Lu Cheng killed three of them before, leaving six. Now, after attacking one, he sensed three more, and two more remain hidden.

Perhaps it's because of the distance, or perhaps it's because they are good at hiding.

However, if they were combined, they could still potentially damage or even destroy the Giant Spirit Starship, a responsibility that Lu Cheng could hardly bear. But all these struggles and rescues, all the unpredictable dangers, seemed pale and futile before the Giant Spirit General's shattered void fist imprint, condensed to its ultimate form.

So close, yet everyone is an enemy!
Flash! The Xuan Yi Giant Eagle forcibly shifted a hundred feet at a distorted node.

The fist arrived! The giant warrior's fist, imbued with destructive power, followed closely, and space automatically collapsed beneath its blade.

Flash again! Despite the backlash, the Xuan Yi Giant Eagle leaped three times in quick succession within a small area.

The fist imprint drew closer! In fact, the power accumulated by the fist imprint did not diminish; instead, it absorbed fragments of the void with each shattering of spatial barriers, condensing even more of the true meaning of "shattering the void"!
Three flashes! The Xuan Yi Giant Eagle transformed itself into a fleeting, ethereal afterimage.

The Xuanhuang Pagoda flew out with a burst of light, like a pillar stabilizing the sea, completely suppressing the deep space it attempted to escape into!
Still trying to escape? They've already reached a dead end!
The moment the Xuan Yi Giant Eagle was forcibly brought back to reality, the spatial laws within its body became disordered due to the backlash from excessive teleportation.

The Giant Spirit Warrior's "Shattering Void Fist Imprint, Breaking Boundaries and Suppressing the Void," which had been accumulated to its limit and seemed capable of shattering the entire universe with a single punch, was finally imprinted onto its bizarre body composed of countless spatial nodes without any hindrance!

"Sizzle—Boom—!!!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a terrifying, annihilating sound that froze the soul, as if the deepest foundation of the universe was being forcibly torn apart!

Wherever the fist touched, the space was like a shattered glass mirror, collapsing, compressing, and then completely annihilated layer by layer!
This giant eagle with teleportation abilities, which made many human cultivators who had returned to the Void Realm extremely wary, was completely and cleanly "erased" along with the distorted spatial structure around it under the absolute crushing force of this spatial plane.

There was no flying blood and flesh, only a rapidly flattened void, as if ironed smooth, and the lingering, unsettling spatial aftershocks.

The Black-Winged Giant Eagle has perished!
The Xuanyi Giant Eagle was instantly killed, and the Xuanhuang Pagoda rose up to suppress the ten directions of the void. The attacks of the other three Returning Void Beasts seemed to crash into an invisible Xuanhuang Qi wall, and their power was ultimately reduced and dissolved layer by layer, like a mud ox entering the sea.

However, the giant warrior did not stop moving at all, and the fist imprint, having lost its main target, swept out again.

After killing the Xuan Yi Giant Eagle with the Shattering Void Fist Seal, Lu Cheng could feel his connection and resonance with the entire Giant Spirit Warrior ship, which boosted his power significantly in a short period of time.

The Giant Spirit Starship had been piloted by several previous owners. If Lu Cheng wanted to completely refine and master it, he had to defeat those former cultivators and infuse the Giant Spirit with his will!

"Seven Forms of Shattering the Void, Overlapping Waves and Collapsing Thunder!" The Giant Spirit Warrior swung his fists, creating ripples in the void. Lightning crackled around his fists, and the five elements reversed. Each punch contained the pure power to shatter stars!
The fist intent surged layer upon layer, wave after wave, instantly engulfing the wild beast on the left that resembled a multi-headed giant lizard and was spewing out a destructive breath!

The fist's energy pierced through its proud, hard scales, shattering its massive body inch by inch, and turning its bones into dust!
The Giant Spirit Warship's shoulders, arms, and chest suddenly unleashed countless cannon muzzles, requiring no refilling, purely triggered by Lu Cheng's power that instantly exploded from the Giant Spirit Warship's core strength!
Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—the five colors of extinction divine lightning converged into a world-destroying pillar of light, as thick as a mountain, which precisely struck the core of a fleshy, desolate beast on the right side, which was wielding its space-devouring tentacles.

The monster's proud devouring tentacles, under the destructive impact of the Five Elements Divine Lightning, broke and charred like rotten wood, and the core crystal emitted a dazzling flash in the five-colored lightning before exploding!
Finally, the rhinoceros-shaped Void Returning Beast, covered in bone spurs and possessing astonishing defensive capabilities, felt a deep-seated fear and roared as it tried to turn and flee into the massive horde of ancient beasts behind it.

"Trying to leave?" Lu Cheng's cold divine thought came from the core of the Giant Spirit Warrior.

The giant, who embodies the laws of heaven and earth, made a grasping motion with one hand. The projection of the Xuanhuang Pagoda, which had been floating in the air after killing the Xuanyi Giant Eagle, suddenly flew back and expanded in the wind, transforming into a huge treasure seal that blotted out the sky.

"go with!"

The precious seal pressed down like a mountain, and the primordial energy surged like the sea!
The bone shield that the rhinoceros-shaped beast desperately summoned, along with the thousands of ancient beasts around it, were all turned into cosmic dust in the dull and grand crushing sound, like refined iron being thrown into a millstone!
Only the purest and largest core of the Primordial Wild Beast remained, enveloped and drawn back by the glow of the Xuanhuang Pagoda.

The four Primordial Desolate Beasts at the Void Returning level were all annihilated within a few breaths!
With no leader and the terrifying power of the Giant Spirit General, which could suppress all heavens and destroy space, spreading out, the Primordial Beast Tide, which had already fallen into chaos, completely collapsed at this moment!

Freed from the restraint of the high-level wild beasts, the billions of ancient beasts, like hornets whose nest had been disturbed, trampled and tore at each other under the influence of their instincts, fleeing desperately away from the giant spirit general, creating a chaotic scene on a massive scale.

But at this very moment, every inch of that seemingly invincible giant's body began to erupt with bursts of sparks.

In a short time, with just a few moves, Lu Cheng almost squeezed the spiritual and magical power of the Giant Spirit Starship to its limit. Several parts of the ship's hull even showed signs of melting. The amount of spiritual and magical power overloaded in such a short time was astonishing.

However, faced with the Giant Spirit Warrior in this state, the two Primordial Desolate Beasts hidden in the shadows ultimately dared not make a move.

They were intimidated by the sheer force of the attack and by the horrific deaths of other life forms of the same level. Therefore, even though the giant warlords were not in good condition, they ultimately did not dare to attack. After hesitating for a moment, they chose to remain hidden and slip away.

However, while they let Lu Cheng go, Lu Cheng had no intention of letting them go.

After a cup of tea, the numerous disturbances within my body were somewhat suppressed.

"Chase him." Lu Cheng's indifferent voice rang out again.

The entire starship, from top to bottom, was almost being exploited by Lu Cheng in a cruel way, yet it also unleashed astonishing potential and combat power.

A generous reward will surely attract brave men, and each victory will bring indescribable excitement to the cultivators on board, seeping into every hair on their bodies and suppressing their fatigue to a minimum.

Therefore, after a brief adjustment, the giant warrior's massive body once again burst forth with astonishing speed, transforming into a golden bolt of lightning that tore through the desolate void!

Sometimes it transforms into a colossal warship that blots out the sky, its main cannons unleashing beams of annihilation that traverse the galaxy, clearing vast empty corridors along the way; other times it transforms into a metallic giant, wielding a thunderous spear and a mysterious yellow seal, like a deity in mythology chasing after primordial beasts, catching up with, killing, and taking the cores of those powerful Void Returning level ancient beasts that still wanted to organize their disintegration or were alone!
The beast's blood stained patches of the void, only to be completely purified by the Xuanhuang treasure light and the Five Elements Divine Thunder.

This pursuit went deep into the wilderness for countless miles before finally pinning the last Void Returning Ancient Wilderness Beast, which was trying to hide and launch a sneak attack, to death in the void storm!

Twenty-four days later, the massive giant spirit ship hovered in the void, its hull covered with damage marks from the fierce battle. Some areas were dimmed of immortal light, but the core magic array was still operating powerfully.

The ship's elders and disciples carried out the various tasks, such as taking inventory, repairing the hull, comforting the wounded, and rotating personnel for rest, in an orderly manner.

In the central hub of the bridge, the soundproof array was quietly activated.

The seven radiant, powerful, and savage-like core crystals of ancient beasts at the Void Return level, representing their battle achievements, were now quietly suspended on the jade platform in front of Lu Cheng, like seven miniature stars forged in blood and fire.

Any one of them is enough to make even Void Returning cultivators envious, and could be used as the main ingredient to refine rare treasures or as an unparalleled elixir to break through bottlenecks.

After all, cultivators who can reach the Void Returning Realm must already have their own power base, and they will not easily engage in fighting and wasting their lives.

Although the Primordial Wild Beasts at the Void Returning level in the wilderness are weaker than normal Void Returning level cultivators, they are unwilling to risk fighting each other easily. Instead, they choose to trade and buy, so as to be absolutely sure of their safety.

Lu Cheng Daoist sat upright on the central jade throne, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and at the same time repeatedly savored the insights gained from the twenty-four days of non-stop fighting.

Taoism emphasizes the cultivation of both body and mind; therefore, understanding life is a universal key to Taoist practice.

Although Lu Cheng himself knew that constantly chasing death in order to understand life would eventually lead to his death—but since I am an avatar, it doesn't matter.

A dozen days later, a communication jade talisman, radiating dazzling golden light, pierced through the ship's armor and hovered in front of Lu Cheng.

The jade talisman trembled, from which came the solemn voices of the sect's masters, announcing that the sect was aware of the battle's outcome and inquiring about casualties and losses. Their words were filled with shock and concern.

The Taiqing Sect naturally needed to use troops and manpower everywhere to explore the wilderness, but Lu Cheng's feat of single-handedly quelling a large-scale beast tide was still quite astonishing and a great achievement.

However, almost at the same time, in the Taiqing Mountain of the Earthly Immortal Realm, a series of hidden divine thought fluctuations quietly gathered in a heavily guarded secret council chamber within the sect.

Inside the secret pavilion, the water mirror technique reflected the illusory figures of several solemn-faced elders of the sect.

“Senior Brother Xuanqing, isn’t this matter… a bit too presumptuous? Although the master of the starship has the authority to make decisions on the spot at the front, but…” A white-haired, old Taoist priest in charge of the sect’s discipline spoke first, his tone heavy.

"A nine-headed Primordial Desolate Beast at the Void Return level! Its battle record is outstanding, and its contributions to the sect are undeniable. However, the Giant Spirit Ship was left behind by the sect's founder and is a precious treasure used to suppress the sect's destiny. It should not be used lightly unless absolutely necessary! While Junior Nephew Lu's loyalty is commendable, his actions in these few times piloting the giant ship to charge into the perilous wilderness have been too ruthless and extreme, leaving no room for compromise!"

"Back then, when I was working in Huangyun Prefecture, I killed countless alien races, which led to karmic entanglements. Now, I have recklessly charged straight into the beast-exterminating tide. Such actions, if successful, are naturally good, but if the ship is destroyed and people die, it will shake the fortune of my Taiqing Sect to a great extent! How can such a heavy weapon be regarded as an ordinary sword-fighting magic weapon? Should we suggest to Senior Brother Xuanzhenzi that at least some rules be set up to restrain it? Or should we transfer him back to the sect?"

Another elder, with a lean face and a sharp, powerful aura, said in a deep voice:

"Junior Brother Xuanming, you are mistaken! What do you mean by overstepping your bounds? What Lu Cheng has slain are not just wild beasts, but also the ambitions of foreign enemies who coveted our Taiqing Sect's land reclamation! If it weren't for his swift and decisive suppression, would we be at peace now? As for troop deployment, in this land reclamation, where in the sect isn't there military action? The Giant Spirit Ship is a treasure for protecting our path and winning battles; if it remains hidden for too long, it will become useless! Do we want to be like those misers, watching our precious treasure gather dust? Junior Nephew Lu's cultivation has advanced rapidly, and he can even pilot the giant ship to become a divine general, slaying generals and seizing flags. This is a treasure finding a wise master, and it should be so! To restrain him? Wouldn't that chill the hearts of the disciples who are fighting and bleeding on the front lines?"

“Excellent!” another elder replied after some thought, his aura as smooth and harmonious as a precious pearl.

"Senior Brother Xuanzhen entrusted the Giant Spirit Ship to Junior Nephew Lu to guard the front line of the pioneering work, which shows his trust in his abilities! Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures! To be timid and hesitant, guarding such a powerful weapon in vain, is no different from sitting and waiting for death."

"But war is dangerous and perilous; we must not be negligent!"

At the head of the table, the old Taoist, Xuanqing, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, slowly opened them, his eyes seeming to hold the celestial river flowing within them. He glanced around at the illusory figures of the elders arguing in the secret pavilion, causing the quarrel to cease immediately.

Daoist Xuanqing spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet carrying an undeniable composure and profound depth:
"Gentlemen, you are overthinking it. Magical treasures are ultimately external objects, refined to protect, prove, and seek the Dao."

"Your talk of restraints and regulations is nothing more than a fear of damaging the ship's materials and diminishing its apparent aura. But I ask you:"

"As long as Lu Cheng... can truly master the 'Taoist Immortal Body' and completely enter the Profound Realm! What does it matter if this giant spirit ship is destroyed, or even if thirteen protective fleets are destroyed?!"

"Do you really want my Taiqing Sect to be trapped in this world for generations, clinging to these ancestral treasures, unable to ascend to immortality?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the secret chamber fell into a deathly silence.

All the arguing fell silent instantly. The elders' faces were a mixture of shock, contemplation, and awe.

Xuanqing Daoist's gaze swept over the crowd, returning to calm, yet he spoke with unwavering certainty:
"Firstly, in our Taiqing Sect, the victor should not be judged for his or her victory."

"Secondly, the foundation that has supported my Taiqing Sect to stand for ten thousand years has never been any rare and precious materials or spiritual ships and heavy weapons, no matter how precious they may be."

"It is 'human beings'! Those who can bear this glorious lineage and grasp the profound mysteries of this supreme Daoist art—'human beings'!"

"We are cultivators of the Taiqing realm. Magical treasures, spiritual objects, prestige, and power are nothing but fleeting clouds to us. Our true goal is to ascend to immortality."

(End of this chapter)