Lingyuan Immortal

Chapter 815: Great Trend
A breeze suddenly arose, blowing up a wisp of remaining clouds.

There are gurgling springs on Tianyao Mountain, and the sound of fish leaping can be heard from time to time.

Hua Meimei sat upright, her eyes darting around without stopping.

I don't know how long I stayed in this state, but suddenly my heart moved and I looked up into the sky.

Buzz —

The next moment, a buzzing sound was heard between the clouds and the sky. The flowing clouds retreated like a tide, revealing an inexplicable scene as clear as a jade sky.

Then a gray light flashed, and Chen Mu flew out from it, and instantly fell back to where the Taoist body was.

"came back?"

Hua Meimei got up, came closer and looked around curiously.

"How is it? Have you obtained the Origin Demonic Breath? What's the situation inside now?"

Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes, smiled and nodded when he heard that, then stood up and replied, "The demonic aura has been obtained, but that place has become a demonic domain."

Hua Meimei's expression became serious, and she nodded, "Then I'll talk to the ancestor about it after I get back."

Chen Mu nodded again, then took out the Demon Ancestor's token and handed it to him.

"I won't go and say goodbye to you, Senior. Please express my gratitude on my behalf."

Hua Meimei put away the token and waved her hand: "Don't worry..."

The two said goodbye to each other, then each summoned a cloud of smoke, which suddenly broke through the sky and went their separate ways.

When we meet next time, it will probably be the time of the catastrophe...

Not long after Chen Mu flew away, his eyes suddenly flashed. He looked forward intently and saw an extremely obscure small rainbow light coming from afar. The aura on it was the one he left for his two disciples.

"It's been less than a month since we last met, and who sent me this message?"

An idea came to his mind, and he immediately reached out and grabbed it.

When the rainbow light fell into his hand, he lowered his eyes to look at it, then frowned slightly, obviously lost in thought.

"Shangzhen Palace... Ruan You..."

Not long after, he sneered, flicked his sleeves, and disappeared in an instant...

……

Black and White Taoist Palace, the main hall of the mountain gate.

On this day, the sky was clear, the sun was warm and the wind was gentle.

Three or five figures in tall hats and wide belts landed in front of the palace gate. After greeting each other and talking and laughing, they walked into the palace together.

"Senior Brother Liu, today doesn't seem like a big day, right? Why did the head Taoist brother summon so many fellow disciples?"

One of them looked at the familiar faces coming and going and asked curiously.

The "Senior Brother Liu" he was referring to had an unfathomable expression on his face and whispered back, "Junior Brother Li rarely goes out. I'm afraid he's unaware of the recent major event within the sect."

Taoist Li became interested and took a few steps closer, saying, "I really don't know. Please, Senior Brother, please enlighten me."

Senior Brother Liu snorted and looked around, but he was worried about the crowd and the attention, so he changed his tone and began to speak.

Taoist Li's expression changed again and again, and he finally cried out, "Is this really true?!"

"Can I still lie to you?"

There was a moment of silence. Taoist Li was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "So, what is the meaning of the Sect Leader summoning us here today..."

Senior Brother Liu paused, but still shook his head and replied, "I don't know either, but let me tell you, the position of Palace Master of Shangzhen Palace does need to be taken by someone from the sect..."

Taoist Li understood what he meant, and after careful consideration, he nodded in agreement and said, "This is the right thing to do. Now that the demonic calamity is about to begin, how can such an important position be held by an outsider?"

"but……"

He hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Lingyuan was appointed by True Lord Xuyun after all. Now that he's returning, I'm afraid it would be difficult to explain if we used our power to seize him."

"What are you afraid of!"

Senior Brother Liu led him to look around, then raised his head and said, "Look, is there any fellow disciple who is truly happy to be dominated by an outsider?"

"As long as we all speak out, will Master Xuyun insist on going his own way?"

"Besides, Brother Ruan Dao is quite prominent. He's been making a lot of noise these past two days, and no one seems to stop him. This shows what the other two ancestors are thinking..."

Taoist Li frowned, "Senior Brother Liu...is he recommending that Brother Ruan remain at Shangzhen Palace?"

Hearing this, Senior Brother Liu chuckled, patted Taoist Li's shoulder meaningfully, and said slowly: "Yes, and no..."

"How much benefit can I gain by speaking up for Brother Ruan?"

"I'm just following the general trend and making a statement. Even if Brother Ruan Dao doesn't get the position in the end, he can still bring that Beiyuan guy down."

"When that happens, it will be time for us to fight for our own success..."

Taoist Li's eyes widened, and he was stunned for a few moments before he reacted. He quickly glanced at his fellow disciples around him.

Senior Brother Liu patted his shoulder again and leaned closer, saying, "Otherwise, why do you think they are so enthusiastic..."

"Let's go."

He flicked his robe sleeves and walked towards his seat.

Taoist Li came to his senses and hurriedly followed.

After a short while, there were twenty or thirty figures in the hall. In addition to the other five masters of the True Palace and some people who were in seclusion or out, all the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Black and White Taoist Palace were among them.

While waiting, everyone looked more or less at Ruan You and Zi Yang who were sitting in the upper corner.

It's strange to say, the two who were arguing directly a few days ago, now both have calm expressions and close their eyes to rest, which makes people a little confused...

"The master has arrived!"

A moment later, Taoist children on both sides of the hall door shouted loudly, and everyone in the hall stood up immediately and bowed in greeting.

The shadows of the clouds shifted, and figures were reflected on the jade in the hall.

Everyone noticed something and looked up, they saw a Taoist priest in a feather robe with a jade face, a tall crown and extraordinary aura sitting in the upper seat. It was Ming Xuan, the head of the Black and White Taoist Palace.

"We are here to greet the Sect Leader, Brother Dao!"

"Sit down, everyone." Taoist Mingxuan smiled slightly.

After everyone thanked him and took their seats, he spoke up and said, "It wasn't my idea to call you all here today, but Junior Brother Ruan has something to say..."

Everyone smiled at each other. They naturally knew who the real culprit was this time, but they still needed to make a public show of it. So after they took a look, the Taoist named Liu stood up and asked:
"I wonder what Brother Ruan Dao wants to do?"

After saying this, he gave Ruan You a look and smiled smugly.

But Ruan You seemed not to notice, and said calmly, "It's not a big deal, but it concerns the Palace Master of Shangzhen Palace, so I specially asked you all to inform me."

Taoist Liu immediately responded, "It's only right. Brother Ruan, please go ahead and tell us."

Ruan You nodded, raised his eyes and looked around, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he slowly said: "I want to resign the position of the Palace Master of Shangzhen Palace..."

Taoist Liu's smile instantly cooled, and he said in shock, "Wha...what? Resigning from the position of Palace Master?!"

The others, including Zi Yang, all showed disbelief. They exchanged glances, and one of them frowned and asked, "Is this Junior Brother Ruan's private opinion, or is this from Master Dong Zhen..."

He didn't finish his words, but his meaning was clear.

However, he suspected that it was the intervention of Lord Dong Zhen that caused Ruan You to have such a change.

"If that's really the case, then what's the point of talking about using power to seize power..." Everyone thought to themselves, in the Black and White Taoist Palace, what power can compare to the support of two True Lords?

Ruan You remained calm and said calmly, "It has nothing to do with my mentor. This is just my personal opinion."

"I was originally only holding this position temporarily, and it has been forty-eight years now. Since Fellow Daoist Lingyuan will be returning soon, I have no intention of using the remaining days. I might as well give it up..."

Taoist Liu didn't even think twice and simply waved his hand and said, "That's absolutely not possible!"

He was still planning to let Ruan You bring down Chen Mu so that he could gain benefits from it, so how could he be willing to do what Ruan You said.

In an instant, everyone in the field turned their eyes to look over.

Only then did he realize that his reaction was a bit too much. He quickly coughed lightly and began to make amends, "Brother Ruan, why would you have such thoughts?"

"For the past forty years, we have witnessed everything you have done. Everyone in the Zhen Palace is convinced. If I resign now, I'm afraid I will disappoint the Zhenjun!"

"Yes."

Another person stepped forward and said, "Now that the demonic calamity is about to begin, our sect depends on you, Daoist brother, to rally the forces. With a little perseverance, we can put order out of the chaos and improve the situation significantly. How can you so easily resign at such a critical moment?"

"What a great way to set things right..."

Zi Yang couldn't stand it any longer. He immediately stood up, pointed at the man, and shouted, "Huang Qi! What do you mean? Are you saying that Master Xuyun's decision has caused chaos and turmoil in our sect?!"

Huang Qi's face suddenly changed drastically. He didn't dare to acknowledge the accusation and quickly changed the subject, "Why are you speaking so strongly for that monk Beiyuan? Did he promise you something good?!"

Just as the two were confronting each other and were about to come to blows, Taoist Mingxuan waved his hand and both of them were pushed back to their seats by his energy.

Everyone's eyes flickered, and an off-topic thought occurred to them: "The master's strength is becoming more and more unfathomable..."

"Well, there's no need to argue about this."

Taoist Mingxuan flicked his sleeves and said loudly, "Although Senior-Uncle Xuyun didn't specify the future arrangements for Shangzhen Palace when Chen Shangzhen was captured, Junior-Brother Ruan was only holding the position temporarily. Now that Chen Shangzhen has returned, it's only right that he should return to Shangzhen."

"There's no need to resign in advance. I'll wait until Chen Shangzhen returns to the palace, and then I'll report this to the three True Lords, and then we can make the transition..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall suddenly fell silent.

Zi Yang was not happy, but frowned tightly instead.

This statement sounds like support for Chen Mu's reinstatement, but the meaning is ambiguous...

Taoist Liu and the others were secretly moved, secretly thinking happily: "Yes, Master Xuyun never said that after Chen Mu returns, Ruan You should give up his position to him."

"Leave some time for the transition, and we'll have a lot to do..."

Their eyes lit up and they couldn't help but look up at the master.

"It seems that the headmaster also wants Brother Ruan to continue to persevere..."

"Indeed, this is related to the interests of the sect, and the headmaster has always made clear distinctions."

In the past, I had agreed to the Northern Plains monk becoming the Supreme True One because I wanted to protect the fortune of Central Continent and bring blessings to the Dao Palace. Now, I was sympathetic to Ruan You's insistence, hoping that the Black and White Sect members would gain a little more luck during the catastrophe...

Thinking of this, they felt that this was very possible.

Even the head of the sect has sided with them, not to mention that Master Xuyun is not in the sect. Even if he really insists on doing it his own way, in the end, it will be the black and white sect members except Chen and Ruan who will benefit!
This is what the Sect Leader is happy to see, and what they desperately desire...
At this moment, Ruan You suddenly stood up, bowed his head and thanked him, saying, "Master, what you said is reasonable. I will obey your orders."

Hearing this, Taoist Mingxuan nodded and smiled, saying loudly: "Since the matter here is over, everyone may disperse."

After he finished speaking, he waved his sleeves, and his figure disappeared in the air.

Zi Yang stood up a step too late, and could only stare at the empty seat for a long time without saying a word...

"Ha ha……"

The others stood up with a smile, ignored Zi Yang, and walked to Ruan You's seat.

"Brother Ruan, please compete with that monk from Beiyuan. We brothers and sisters all hope that you can become the Palace Master of Shangzhen Palace."

"That's right. In terms of identity and strength, that Beiyuan cultivator is just a junior. Even if he had the good fortune to catch the eye of Senior Uncle Xuyun, he is still no match for our Senior Brother Ruan!"

……

Everyone expressed their opinions one after another. Once Taoist Mingxuan left, they didn't even have to pretend anymore.

Ruan You lowered his eyes and looked at the group of fellow disciples below who were exchanging glances. He smiled faintly and said, "My fellow disciples, your words are too polite. When did I ever say that I wanted to argue with Chen Shangzhen?"

The group of Yuanying Daoists laughed knowingly, then nodded one after another, bowed to Ruan You, and said, "Since that's the case, we'll go back first."

"Everyone, take care." Ruan You gestured with his hand.

Only after everyone had disappeared into the distance did he purse his lips and chuckle.

As early as when he was confronting Zi Yang, he had already understood that competing with Chen Mu was the general trend.

Even if he doesn't come out now, there will inevitably be others who will plot against him in the future for various reasons.

And the result was just as he expected. The intention he expressed a few days ago pushed him to the forefront of this trend.

Even if he resigns today, there will be a steady stream of fellow disciples speaking up for him, or even deciding to help him.

At this stage, he couldn't decide his own progress or retreat...

As for the thoughts of his fellow disciples, how could he not guess?
It's just that he has confidence in himself.

"With the devil's calamity ahead, this position is meant for the capable."

"As long as I can defeat Chen Mu, I believe that Senior Uncle Xuyun will have nothing to say..."

He slowly stood up and walked down.

He walked to the seat where Zi Yang was sitting silently and paused, as if he wanted to say something.

Zi Yang's eyes flashed and he looked over.

But Ruan You only sneered, then swung his sleeves and strode away, disappearing in a few breaths...

……

A gentle breeze rises, whitening the lake water. The cranes cry and spread their wings against the wind.

The sky was dark, the wind was blowing and the air was hazy. Three days passed in a blink of an eye.

Yu Chengduan held the sword behind his back, closed his eyes, and drew the air with the fingers of his right hand, with sword energy overflowing from his body.

True Man Fenglian kept pacing aside, looking solemn and anxious.

After a moment, she couldn't help herself and said loudly to Yu Chengduan, "Fellow Daoist Yu, I wonder how long it will take for Chen Shangzhen to return?"

Yu Chengduan came back to his senses and smiled slightly, saying, "Fellow Daoist, you have asked me this question no less than ten times."

Feng Lian Zhenren shook his head and sighed, "I don't have the same Qi-cultivation skills as you do."

She paused and continued, "Master Liu and the others are gathering together again. I'm afraid..."

"No need to worry."

Yu Chengduan waved his sleeves to put away his flying sword and said in a clear voice: "Under the prevailing situation, any plan will be..."

"What are you going to say?" Seeing that he suddenly stopped talking, Master Fenglian asked with a smile.

But Yu Chengduan laughed loudly and jumped up, and the sound of his laughter echoed throughout the place.

"Master has returned. I will leave this question to you, my friend!"

……

(End of this chapter)