This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 109 Zhong Baibei's Journey, True Lord of Zhongnan Mountain

But thousands of miles away.

Zhong Bai was staring ahead, with south behind him and north in front of him. He wanted to go to the heart of the Qing Dynasty to take a look.

However, just as Zhong Bai was about to continue north, a golden paper crane landed in his palm from the void.

Upon opening the origami crane, Zhong Bai found a letter on it. The letter was rather long and came from his master, Master Qian Yuan. After carefully reading through all the contents, Zhong Bai frowned slightly.

The letter was very simple, mainly informing Zhong Bai of one thing: stop heading north!
As for the reason, Master Qian Yuan only said one thing: the patriarch of Maoshan Underworld had never seen the soul of the Qing emperor enter the underworld for hundreds of years. However, the dragon aura enveloped the capital, and even the underworld could not see the situation of the Qing court in the mortal world.

This reason was enough for Zhong Bai to give up going to the capital.

Taking a deep breath, the origami crane in his hand instantly burned to ashes, and Zhong Bai withdrew his step.

"It seems the Qing court underestimated the madness of these Manchus."

Shaking his head, Zhong Bai knew he couldn't continue north, but he also wouldn't turn back the way he came.

Since we can't go to the capital, let's head to the northwest.

The most famous place in the Northwest is Zhongnan Mountain, home to the Quanzhen School of Taoism.

Zhong Bai headed straight to the northwest. Three months later, at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, Zhong Bai looked at the Zhongnan Mountain where spiritual energy was surging and couldn't help but smile.

"My little friend, please stay!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai turned around and saw an old Taoist priest holding a cane looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"Senior, this is..."

Zhong Bai was puzzled. He could clearly sense the oppressive aura emanating from the old Taoist behind him, as if the heavens and earth had descended upon him.

Although the pressure wasn't directed at him, Zhong Bai understood that the old Taoist behind him was definitely not an ordinary person and was probably related to the Quanzhen Sect.

"Haha, young friend, you've already reached the mid-stage of the ninth level of Qi Refining at the age of only twenty-something. As far as I know, only the Taoist Master Qianhe of Maoshan is worthy of this level. Therefore, since Taoist Master Zhong has come to visit my Quanzhen Sect in Zhongnan Mountain, it is only right that I show up to receive you."

Since the other party knew everything about him, Zhong Bai simply bowed and greeted them.

"Zhong Bai greets you, senior. May I ask which master of the Quanzhen Sect of Zhongnan Mountain you are?"

The old Taoist chuckled, "I am Yun Qingzi, the previous leader of the Quanzhen Sect."

Young friend Zhong Bai is quite interesting. The old Taoist priest was delighted to have found a worthy opponent, and thus waited here for the young friend.

By the way, Ming Wanqian, who is also your grandmaster uncle, used to have a good relationship with this old Taoist.

In his words, "Young friend, you are the most talented person in Maoshan in the last few hundred years..."

Upon hearing that he was the previous leader of the Quanzhen Sect, Zhong Bai's expression became somewhat strange. It turned out that the old Taoist in front of him was from the same era as his Uncle Master Ming.

If nothing unexpected happens, the old Taoist priest Yun Qingzi in front of me should also be a Golden Core True Monarch.

"So it's Senior Yun in person! Zhong Bai pays his respects to Senior Yun!"

Since the Quanzhen Sect is not a single entity, Zhong Bai can only address them as "senior," even though they are, in principle, his grand-uncle or great-uncle.

However, Yun Qingzi didn't care much about Zhong Bai's way of addressing her. At their level, they had no interest in worldly titles.

After staring at Zhong Bai for a while, Yun Qingzi finally nodded in satisfaction.

"No problem, no problem, young friend, there's no need for formalities. I've come here to forge a connection with you."

Upon hearing the words "bond formation," Zhong Bai was somewhat bewildered. "No, is it necessary for a Golden Core True Monarch like you to form a bond with me?"

Unfortunately, Zhong Bai could never say such a thing. "No, no, no, it was actually Zhong Bai's destiny to meet you, senior."

"Haha, young friend, don't dwell on that. Now that you've come to my Quanzhen Sect's territory, would you be willing to accompany this old Daoist to take a good look at the hundreds of miles of Zhongnan Mountain? And see for yourself what makes my Quanzhen Sect different?"

Zhong Bai had this plan in mind when he came to Zhongnan Mountain, and since Yun Qingzi invited him, Zhong Bai could just go with the flow.

"Zhong Bai is willing, but it would be a bit of a trouble for you, senior."

"Come with me……"

As Yun Qingzi waved his hand, the cries of cranes came from the sky, and two cranes with wingspans of several feet landed in front of Zhong Bai and Yun Qingzi.

"Young friend Zhong Bai, I've raised these two white cranes for a hundred years. Now they can finally be of some use. Please come up..."

As she spoke, Yun Qingzi instantly stood on the back of a crane.

Seeing this, Zhong Bai did the same.

The crane took flight and soared into the sky. The Zhongnan Mountains below stretched out endlessly. In about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhong Bai and Yun Qingzi landed steadily in front of the Chongyang Palace of the Quanzhen Sect!

After landing, Zhong Bai glanced around. The entire Quanzhen Sect had a serene atmosphere that quickly calmed the mind and spirit. There were no misty clouds, only a sense of peace.

"Young friend Zhong, please come in..."

Yun Qingzi walked in front, with Zhong Bai following behind. After entering Chongyang Palace, Zhong Bai saw middle-aged Taoist priests bowing to Yun Qingzi.

Even the current leader of the Quanzhen Sect, Master Changming, who was seated at the head of the table, stood up and said, "Disciple greets Master!"

Yun Qingzi waved her hand, indicating that there was no need for such formalities.

"Young friend Zhong, this is a group of elders from my Quanzhen Sect. Alas, compared to Maoshan, perhaps my Quanzhen Sect is somewhat inferior. However, young friend Zhong, my Quanzhen Sect still has some strengths!"

Upon hearing Yun Qingzi mention Zhong Bai, Zhong Bai immediately clasped his hands in greeting to the Quanzhen Sect elders in the hall.

"I am Qianhe, a Taoist from Maoshan. I greet all of you esteemed masters!"

After hearing Zhong Bai's self-introduction, Master Changming, the leader of the Quanzhen Sect, finally realized what was going on.

The main reason was that his master had not informed him in advance, so Master Changming still thought that Zhong Bai was his own Yun Qingzi's newly accepted disciple.

"Haha, so it's the young friend Zhong Bai, the Taoist priest from Maoshan, in person!"

"We, the Quanzhen Sect of Zhongnan Mountain, have all heard of Zhong Xiaoyou's heroic deeds in Wuchang Prefecture." "Senior Brother, Zhong Xiaoyou, along with fellow Daoist Zhang Jing of Cangjian Mountain, recently slew a silver-armored corpse king."

To be honest, we all spent decades cultivating before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, while young friend Zhong is only in his early twenties and is already close to it.

Such talent is the envy of all; the Maoshan Taoist truly lives up to his reputation!

An elder from the Quanzhen Sect chimed in, explaining that when they learned of Zhong Bai's identity, they roughly understood why their senior master, Yun, the previous sect leader, had brought him to Chongyang Palace.

Therefore, they cooperated very well.

As they sang in unison, the hall was filled with praise for Zhong Bai, which made Zhong Bai feel somewhat embarrassed and also made him more alert.

"Alright, all you people do is boast and brag. Young friend Zhong came to my Quanzhen Sect as a guest, not to listen to your nonsense."

Yun Qingzi stopped the elders, and Zhong Bai was finally able to calm down.

"Young friend Zhong, you've been traveling for a long time. Why don't you rest at my Quanzhen Sect for a while?"

Upon hearing Yun Qingzi's suggestion, Zhong Bai thought it was a good idea and readily agreed. "What you say is absolutely right, senior. I'll have to trouble the masters of the Quanzhen Sect!"

Zhong Bai soon left Chongyang Palace and was arranged to stay in an elegant garden.

.........................................................

Inside Chongyang Palace, the elders of the Quanzhen Sect did not leave. After Zhong Bai was settled, the elders, including the sect leader Changming Zhenren, looked at Yun Qingzi with questioning eyes.

Yun Qingzi sighed.

What kind of look is that?
Do you think the old Taoist priest did something wrong?

"Senior Uncle, we dare not!"

Finally, it was the sect leader, Master Changming, who spoke up and asked, "Master, why did you bring the Maoshan Daoist to Chongyang Palace?"

Upon hearing his disciple ask this question, Yun Qingzi became quite indignant and said, "How dare you ask? This old Daoist had no other choice..."

If you could break through to the Golden Core True Monarch realm, why would this old Daoist need to do this?

Upon hearing this, Master Changming was speechless. He also wanted to break through to the Golden Core True Monarch level, but his talent and ability were always lacking and could not support his breakthrough.

"Master, disciple..."

"No need to say anything more. This old Taoist priest asks you, you've all seen this Maoshan Taoist priest, what do you think of him?"

At this point, the Quanzhen Sect elders looked at each other, and to be honest, they had never imagined that there could be a cultivator in the world with such a fast cultivation speed.

In her early twenties! Mid-stage of the ninth level of Qi Refining!

When they were in their twenties, they were only at the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining. The difference was too great. They couldn't possibly boost the morale of others and diminish their own prestige in Chongyang Palace, could they?
Seeing that the elders couldn't speak openly, Master Changming, as the sect leader, had no choice but to step forward.

"Master, to be honest, Zhong Daozi's talent and abilities are rare in the world. Maoshan is truly blessed!"

"Ugh!"

Yun Qingzi sighed, as if he had aged decades. "The Zhengyi Sect was already powerful. Both Longhu Mountain and Maoshan had a deeper foundation than our Quanzhen Sect. Now, the Quanzhen Sect only has this old Daoist as a Golden Core True Monarch. It was fine before, but now this old Daoist can't hold on for much longer. If the Quanzhen Sect can't produce a Golden Core True Monarch in the future, you should all think about it..."

The situation is dire. The lack of successors is a huge burden on the Quanzhen Sect. Unfortunately, despite knowing how serious the situation is, they have no way to solve this problem.

"Master, we..."

"What I mean is that you have all seen Zhong Daozi's talent. If you give him another ten years, he will probably be able to break through to the Golden Core True Monarch level. In the future, Zhong Daozi will definitely be a giant in the entire Daoist sect!"

"It's better to offer help in times of need than to add flowers to brocade. If we wait until Zhong Daozi has achieved foundational enlightenment before befriending him, well, it'll be too late."

After letting out a long sigh of relief, Yun Qingzi began to get down to business.

"You are all elders of the Quanzhen Sect. What are your opinions on how to build a good relationship with this Zhong Daozi? It's up to you."

After Yun Qingzi finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

After a long while, Master Changming finally looked up.

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Master, I see that this Zhong Daozi is about to establish his foundation, and the sword on his back is a foundation-establishing spiritual treasure.”

Perhaps the only thing our Quanzhen Sect could attract Zhong Daozi's attention is the Quanzhen Sword Control Technique.

"The art of flying on a sword, capable of beheading enemies from a thousand miles away—using this supernatural ability to befriend them is actually feasible!"

The other elders also thought it was a good idea.

They also knew some of Zhong Bai's deeds, as he possessed the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique and the Samadhi True Fire Divine Power.

In addition to the Golden Light Divine Incantation and their powerful physical bodies, the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure they possessed was clearly somewhat useless.

Unlike others, Zhong Bai was, after all, a Taoist from Maoshan. After giving away the Quanzhen Sword Control Technique, they didn't have to worry about the technique being leaked.

In this way, it was merely going with the flow for the Quanzhen Sect, but for Zhong Bai, it meant he was indebted to the Quanzhen Sect.

"What you say, Master, is absolutely right. We agree!"

Seeing that all the elders nodded in agreement, Yun Qingzi, the previous leader of the Quanzhen Sect, simply made the decision.

"In that case, tomorrow Changming, you will personally teach Zhong Daozi the Quanzhen Sword Control Technique and personally demonstrate and teach it for a period of time."

As for my teacher… I've heard that Zhang Zhiwei, a true disciple of the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, is also approaching Shaanxi. A Maoshan Taoist is certainly good, but if I could also establish some connection with a true disciple of the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, the Quanzhen Sect would be even more stable in the future.”

"Disciple understands!"
Master, please go without worry...

Yun Qingzi smiled helplessly. How could a Golden Core True Monarch like him go to such lengths, like a bandit bringing someone to Chongyang Palace and shamelessly behaving like this? Wasn't it all to leave some connections for the Quanzhen Sect after his soul returned to the underworld?
Sigh, it's all fate. Yun Qingzi shook her head. Life is destined to be hard; let's continue...

From now on, it will be three chapters for every 10,000 words. Four chapters for every 10,000 words and three lectures is really too tiring, and I can clearly feel that the quality is not good.

I will continue to write 10,000 chapters a day without stopping, and the quality will be better.

Then, I plan to quickly move to the Foundation Establishment stage and officially begin the story. Finally, thank you all for your support, and I'd like to ask for more monthly votes and subscriptions!
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(End of this chapter)