Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

Side jobs? That's against the rules, isn't it?

Looking at the Soul-Capturing Mirror in his palm, the old man's face had vanished, leaving only a line of small characters:

"See you at the foot of the mountain gate archway."

Ye Xuan brushed his fingertips over the characters, and the words vanished like smoke. He put away the bronze mirror, pondering what the old man was really up to.

Just past noon, the area under the mountain gate archway was deserted, with only the stone beasts on both sides shining with their unique luster in the blazing sun.

He stood still for a moment, about to take out the bronze mirror to make contact, when he heard a rustling sound behind him.

"Michiko arrived just in time."

The old man emerged from the shadows, still dressed in a gray robe, but the antique in his hand had been replaced by a palm-sized teapot, which he would occasionally bring to his lips to take a sip.

"I dare not refuse your invitation, senior."

Ye Xuan cupped his hands in greeting, "May I ask what you are referring to, senior?"

Instead of answering directly, he looked up at the winding mountain road that stretched into the clouds outside the archway.

"Daozi, you've been in the sect for several days now. Aside from the desolate wilderness outside, have you ever thought about going out for a stroll?"

Ye Xuan was slightly taken aback, and a look of vigilance flashed in his eyes.

Does this old man have mind-reading abilities? Or does he really know something?

But the old man seemed oblivious to the subtle change in his expression, and continued speaking to himself:

"Although the inner sect of the Holy Sect is vast, it is still just a small world."

He took out a black iron token from his sleeve and handed it to Ye Xuan, saying, "This is the Holy Visit Token."

The token felt heavy in my hand. The front was engraved with the character "访" (fang), while the back featured a map of mountains and rivers with flowing dark gold patterns along the edges.

"A royal decree?"

In Liu Yao's memory, the inner sect did indeed have such a thing. It was a pass for true disciples of the sect and various stewards when they traveled to different places.

Although it's called a pass, this Holy Visit Order is extremely domineering. In the Realm of Immortality, except for the caves of some immortals, one can travel freely in all areas.

With this imperial edict, one can even travel freely among sects and forces scattered throughout the land. If they encounter a weaker sect, they will treat the holder of the edict like a deity...

"Does Daozi know that when your disciples go out on imperial orders, they do so mostly in their personal capacity to investigate information that should not be publicized?"

Ye Xuan looked up. "What task do you want me to do, senior?"

"No rush."

The old man took another sip of tea before slowly speaking:

"Does Daozi know how vast the Realm of Immortality is?"

Ye Xuan was truly unaware of this. Currently in the Realm of Immortality, he only knew of the Holy Sect and Liu Xian Dongting; he had never personally witnessed any of the other beings.

"Although the Holy Sect occupies the Nine Peaks and rules this uniquely blessed land, it is but a drop in the ocean in the entire Longevity Realm."

The old man pointed to the landscape map on the back of the token, "This map only depicts a corner of the Northern Region."

"Beyond the Northern Regions, there are the Eastern Wilderness, the Southern Frontier, and the Western Desert. Further still, there are the Endless Sea and the Void Rift... That is the true world."

"So, where does the senior want me to go?"

"..."

"In the northern border region, there is a place called Jinluan Temple. I would like to ask the Daoist to retrieve something for me."

"Oh? What is it?"

A sudden burst of light appeared at the old man's fingertip, which he tapped into the sacred visit token. A mark then appeared on the landscape map on the back.

"Jinluan Temple was a place of great prosperity three hundred years ago, but it has been abandoned for a long time for some reason. You will know when you go there, Daozi."

He put away the teapot, his expression turning solemn.

"The Golden Phoenix Temple is now in decline. The abbot is only at the Nascent Soul stage, and there are fewer than twenty disciples. However, they have guarded the forbidden area for generations, making it difficult for outsiders to enter."

In two days, the Jinluan Temple will hold its once-in-a-century consecration ceremony. Daoist disciples may go there with a Holy Visiting Token, nominally representing the Holy Ancestor to attend the ceremony…”

Ye Xuan stroked the imperial visit token, his eyes darting around as if he had a question.

The old man smiled, then lowered his voice, "What is Daozi worried about?"

"Jinluan Temple is located on the northern border, only three hundred miles away from a canyon."

That canyon was a weak boundary between the realms of long life and short life, and it was unclaimed land.

If Daozi wishes to investigate the whereabouts of his old acquaintances in the Short-Lived Realm, he might consider doing so along the way.

Ye Xuan's expression changed drastically. This old man had even guessed that he was concerned about the Short-Lived Realm?!

He immediately stepped back a few paces, his Taoist robe swirling with blue and white energy. Suddenly, the surrounding scenery changed; the original mountain gate archway transformed into a dreamlike landscape of towering mountains and flowing water.

The old man waved his hand, "Haha, is Daozi a little surprised? There's no need for that."

"I have lived for so long and have seen too many disciples."

Your path to advancement is unusual, and the Dao-merging technique you practice likely includes the Longevity Willow, right? It's not hard to guess a bit of that."

Ye Xuan subconsciously extended his senses, but he was unable to break through the suddenly appearing illusion. At this moment, amidst the mountains and flowing water, he had completely lost contact with the outside world...

"Rest assured, Daozi, apart from me, no one else in the sect knows your identity."

This journey may be risky, but I promise that retrieving that item will greatly benefit Daozi.

As he spoke, the old man waved his sleeve, and the illusion around them dissipated, and the two returned to the mountain gate archway.

"..."

After a moment's thought, Ye Xuan still solemnly cupped his hands in greeting.

Although he couldn't discern the old man's identity and intentions, what he said should be true.

Most importantly, the old man's actions seemed casual yet unfathomable. Even though he didn't make a move in the illusion, he still felt immense pressure.

"When do we depart?"

"It's natural to follow the Daoist's lead; setting off now is not out of the question."

After he finished speaking, he took out several talismans from his sleeve and handed them to Ye Xuan. These were travel talismans from the Holy Sect that allowed one to travel ten thousand miles a day.

"If you wish to depart now, Daozi, simply hand the cloth bag to me."

The requirements from the alchemy room are one recipe per day. As expected of a Daoist disciple, he's truly prepared for the future.

After receiving the bag containing the ghosts from the back mountain, Ye Xuan realized the old man was clearly mocking him. Ye Xuan didn't want to get entangled with him any longer; being seen through was unpleasant.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, the old man called him back, and he gave him his final words of advice:

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. There are two things you need to remember on this trip, Daozi."

The old man's smile faded, and his gaze became calm.

"Firstly, although the Golden Phoenix Temple is in decline, it still enshrines the remains of an ancient Golden Phoenix, whose divine power reaches the heavens. If the Daoist encounters a conflict, he should not take it by force."

Secondly, if Daozi were to explore that narrow canyon where the two realms are separated, he must not linger.

The Short-lived Realm and the Long-lived Realm have been separated for countless years. The rules there are chaotic, and the longer one stays, the easier it is to be marked by the aura of both realms.

At that time, it won't be so easy for Daozi to pretend nothing happened or return to the Holy Sect using someone else's identity.

Ye Xuan noted down these two points, ignored the old man's attempt to chat with him further, and left immediately.

If we stay any longer, this old man will probably strip us down to our underwear.

Watching Ye Xuan's departing figure, the old man stroked his beard and smiled, a hint of something unfathomable flashing in his eyes.

Silently taking two steps back, weighing the soul-catching bag in his hand, the old man's figure began to blur, but his voice remained clear:

"Oh dear, there are only so many ghosts in this dense forest behind the mountain. If we had to catch them every day like you did last night, wouldn't that be too much trouble?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man's figure completely disappeared into the mountain wind, leaving only the faint fragrance of the teapot.

At this moment, Ye Xuan had already returned to his residence.

He put the three Soul Pills into his storage bag and checked his belongings again: Daoist Token, Holy Visit Token, Travel Talisman... as well as Zhao Wuna's miscellaneous notes.

I picked up my pen and wrote on the latest page—

"On the fifteenth of April, at noon, I received the imperial decree to visit the Golden Phoenix Temple in the Northern Region."

And that old man from Fengtang has an unfathomable identity, as if he can see through everything... He's really dangerous!

This was the first time his identity had been exposed to outsiders since he joined the Holy Sect. Regardless of whether the old man had any ill intentions, Ye Xuan felt uneasy.

He closed the miscellaneous notes, hung the Daozi Order inside his lapel, and hung the Shengfang Order in a conspicuous place on his waist.

Before leaving, he looked back at the mansion where he had just stayed for two days. He saw that the surroundings were silent and the spirit-gathering array was still shrouded in mist.

"That's enough."