Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

Chapter 119 Daoist Companion (3rd update, please vote)

"No wonder—" Xiang Qianhu glanced at Gu Yue Zhenren on the cloud bed out of the corner of his eye, thinking to himself that he had seen through the truth.

He had been wondering why Xia Dong, a low-ranking officer with some martial arts talent, would be so deserving of Gu Yue Zhenren's protection.

In retrospect, there was a prior cause.

In the blink of an eye, countless thoughts flashed through Xiang Qianhu's mind.

He finally realized a reality: regardless of Xia Dong's potential, just the involvement of the Ascension Token and the powerful backing of Master Guyue meant that Xia Dong was someone he absolutely could not afford to offend.

Thinking of this, Commander Xiang glanced warily at Deputy Commander Qian beside him, whose face was beaming with joy, and his sense of crisis grew stronger.

Right now, the person he needs to be most wary of is not anyone else, but this old bastard surnamed Qian!

Lord Qian had always coveted the position of commander of a thousand households and had always known how to win people's hearts.

If that old bastard were to take advantage of Xia Dong's influence and try to pull some strings in the capital, he might snatch away my position as a commander of a thousand households in no time.

A thousand thoughts can be pondered in the blink of an eye.

Commander Xiang quickly composed himself, bowing even lower, his face filled with impeccable respect. He clasped his hands deeply to the Lonely Moon Immortal on the cloud bed, readily accepting the task: "Please rest assured, Immortal, upon returning, I will immediately draft the official document and expedite its delivery to the Tongxuan Division. There will be absolutely no delay in Commander Xia's crucial matter of registering him in the Immortal Register and receiving the Ascension Order!"

"Alright, you Eagle Wolf Guards may now withdraw." Master Guyue nodded slightly.

Commander Xiang and Deputy Commander Qian exchanged a glance, then bowed deeply to Master Guyue: "This humble official takes his leave, and would never dare to disturb the Master's peaceful cultivation any further."

Xiang Qianhu understood that, in any case, Gu Yue Zhenren was, after all, from the Qixia Immortal Sect.

Now, the Qixia Immortal Sect is in turmoil, its foundation has been swept away, and even the fate of the mid-grade Golden Core ancestor is unknown. With so many messes in the sect, True Person Guyue, as the only pillar of the Qixia Immortal Sect, will definitely have to spend time dealing with the sect's secret affairs alone.

These outsiders naturally couldn't stay here any longer and get in the way.

Xiang Qianhu was quite sensible; before leaving, he placed the storage bags of the Three Ghosts of Tianshui and the Black Spider Dharma King on the ground before slowly retreating.

As Xiang Qianhu and the others respectfully withdrew from the illusion set up by Master Guyue, only Elder Liang of Qixia Immortal Sect remained in the arena.

Only after the Eagle Wolf Guards had completely retreated did the frost on Master Lonely Moon's face soften slightly.

Her gaze fell on Elder Liang, and she calmly instructed, "Elder Liang, I have just broken through my cultivation and my realm still needs to be stabilized. I will return to the mountain in a few days. You go back first, take the remaining people to tidy up the mountain gate, and appease everyone."

Upon hearing Master Guyue's promise to return to the mountain, Elder Liang was overjoyed, tears streaming down his face. He repeatedly replied, "I will obey Master Guyue's decree! With your words, the lineage of the Qixia Immortal Sect is preserved!"

Master Guyue nodded slightly, took out a crystal-clear jade talisman from his sleeve, and used his magic to hold it up and present it to Elder Liang. He continued, "As for the trivial matters on Guyue Peak, let Qin Wan handle them. She is not currently in the sect, but in the Yinling Mine, hiding in a secret room where I used to go into seclusion."

Seeing Elder Liang accept the jade talisman with both hands, Master Guyue instructed, "Send a reliable disciple to the Yinling Mine. Once outside the mine, crush this jade talisman. She will sense it and emerge from the secret chamber. At that time, tell her exactly what I said and have her return to the sect immediately to take over Guyue Peak."

"Yes, I will make arrangements immediately upon my return." Elder Liang carefully put the jade talisman into his pocket, then respectfully bowed and took his leave.

Having made these arrangements, Master Guyue gently closed his eyes, his cool aura slowly flowing through the tranquil illusion.

In fact, placing Qin Wan in the most secluded seclusion room of the Yinling Mine was a hidden move she had made long ago.

She knew perfectly well that trying to steal the "Sacred Heart Lotus Seed" from the Crimson Fire Mine was like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth, and it would definitely be fraught with difficulties.

She was used to always preparing for the worst.

If the situation truly deteriorates to an irreversible point and she unfortunately perishes, then Qin Wan, who is hiding in the secret room and uninvolved, will be able to escape this calamity and shoulder the heavy responsibility of continuing the lineage of her Lonely Moon.

Moreover, Qin Wan's background is extremely mysterious.

Master Guyue had long sensed that there was a hidden force protecting this place, like an invisible talisman, ensuring it wouldn't perish so easily in the turmoil.

Although Gu Yue Zhenren had already achieved the Purple Mansion realm, her family background was by no means ordinary in the Great You Dynasty. Therefore, she had heard about the treacherous secrets in the capital.

However, in her view, the old case at Xuantian Temple from back then was still shrouded in mystery.

Back then, if she hadn't coveted the legacy of Xuantian Temple, she would never have easily accepted Qin Wan's adoptive father Qin Dafu's request to take Qin Wan under her tutelage, thus unwittingly getting entangled in such karma.

However, looking back on this thrilling scheme and feeling his current level of mastery, Master Guyue couldn't help but reveal a complex yet somewhat relieved smile.

So far, it seems that her greatest gain from voluntarily stepping into this mess and going around in circles is not the Sacred Lotus Seed or the inheritance of Xuantian Temple, but Xia Dong.

According to her original plan, once she successfully broke through to the next realm, she would try to obtain the hard-won Ascension Token, travel across the ocean to the Three Islands Sea Area, where the spiritual energy was much more abundant than that of the Great You Dynasty, and naturally join the Holy Land Sect in order to seek the opportunity to become a Nascent Soul cultivator.

But does entering a holy site truly grant one great freedom?

While the holy land is rich in resources and has a complete heritage, which is extremely beneficial for future cultivation, it is also a place where great cultivators gather and various factions are formed.

As an outsider cultivator with no connections, she would ultimately be living under someone else's roof.

To obtain top-tier cultivation resources, one inevitably has to humble oneself and act according to others' wishes. What fundamental difference is there between this and her previous situation of internal strife and being hampered by others within the Qixia Immortal Sect?

The pursuit of immortality and the Dao is essentially about seeking a life free from human constraints and the freedom to do as one pleases.

But it's different now.

Xia Dong has an extremely special identity and immense potential. Rather than relying on others in the sacred land of the Three Islands, it would be better to forge a different path, leveraging Xia Dong's unique identity to fight alongside him and create a business that truly belongs to both of them!

Master Guyue had a grand plan taking shape in his mind.

Furthermore, the world is vast, and there are countless undiscovered relics of immortals.

In the future, as long as she joins forces with Xia Dong, they can find and completely control a hidden, unclaimed realm, or even unlock an ancient immortal site.

At that time, they only need to plant a "Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root" that can seize the creation of heaven and earth, and let it continuously absorb and transform pure heaven and earth spiritual energy, and they will be able to have their own stable cultivation foundation!

"This matter involves far too many causes and effects; it cannot be resolved overnight."

Master Guyue sighed inwardly.

Moreover, Xia Dong's current cultivation level is still too weak.

The difference in their cultivation levels was like an insurmountable chasm.

Such grand ambitions of establishing a sect and vying for the destiny of heaven and earth can only be truly participated in by Xia Donglai when his cultivation level truly improves and he enters the Foundation Establishment or even Core Formation realm.

If we were to tell him about this heavy ambition and plan now, it would not only be of no help to the current situation, but would also add to his psychological pressure and worries.

On the path to enlightenment, the greatest taboo is being impatient, restless, or having unrealistic ambitions.

If this causes him to become anxious and disrupts his steady and methodical cultivation pace, it would be counterproductive and harm him.

"Let you focus on your cultivation for now and let things take their course. I will protect you from the storms ahead," Master Guyue thought to herself, then gently waved her jade hand.

The Yin energy that permeated the Tiger Hill Cave and froze the void quickly receded like the receding tide, completely disappearing into her body.

Inside the cave, tranquility returned.

Master Guyue composed himself and said softly to Xia Dong, "I have just broken through to the next stage and need some time to meditate and stabilize my Purple Mansion realm."

As soon as she finished speaking, she gently waved her hand.

A beam of pure Yin divine light flew out from her sleeve, like a dark blue galaxy, and quickly intertwined and coiled around the cold pool, transforming into a mysterious and solemn restriction formation.

With her current cultivation level at the Purple Mansion Realm, the light screen generated by this casually set-up barrier flows endlessly, almost reaching the point of being inexhaustible. Even without spirit stones to maintain it, it can draw on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to sustain itself for a long time.

Moreover, once night falls, this Taiyin restriction can automatically gather the Taiyin moonlight from the heavens and nourish those within the formation.

Seeing that Master Guyue had already closed his eyes and entered meditation, preparing to continue his secluded cultivation, Xia Dong naturally understood the situation. He respectfully bowed, then quietly withdrew from the restricted area and came to the open space outside the cave.

Breathing in the cool air outside the cave, Xia Dong sat cross-legged on a flat rock and began to silently circulate the qi and blood in his body.

With the help of the flow of Qi and blood, he conducted an extremely thorough examination of his body, inside and out.

The fact that the injuries have healed is certainly a wonderful thing, but—

Xia Dong slowly opened her eyes, her brows furrowing slightly. The erotic dream she had experienced while unconscious uncontrollably surfaced in her mind.

In the dream, the sensation of their skin touching, the ultimate pleasure of their union, and the gentle and beautiful face of the Lonely Moon Immortal after shedding her coldness were all so clear as if they had actually happened.

Then, recalling the fleeting awkwardness in Gu Yue Zhenren's eyes when he looked at me, and his noticeably gentler and more approachable attitude than before—

Although Xia Dong is not an expert in matters of the heart, having lived two lives, he is incredibly perceptive.

He had a vague feeling that there was probably some hidden story behind it all, and that the so-called "spring dream" might not just be an illusion.

But he quickly cut off the thought and dared not think about it any further.

"Whether it's true or not, there's no point in thinking about it now," Xia Dong thought to himself with a bitter smile.

The cultivation world has always been a place where strength reigns supreme and the strong prey on the weak.

There was a world of difference in status and strength between him, a low-level cultivator, and a high-ranking, promising Grand Master of the Purple Mansion. There was absolutely no equality between them.

Faced with an absolute disparity in strength, even if something had actually happened between the two, even if there was a hint of lingering ambiguity, the initiative was entirely in the hands of the other party.

To put it bluntly, even if she's just playing with you for a moment and exploiting you, what can a weak person like you do to her?

Can't we ask for a formal title?

"Why----"

Xia Dong sighed deeply, eradicating those unrealistic and whimsical thoughts from his mind.

"To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. No matter how much you think, it's not as good as the strength you actually have in your hands. We still need to find ways to improve our strength first. As for other miscellaneous things, we'll take it one step at a time."

After calming his mind, Xia Dong stood up and looked at the spiritual field outside the cave.

After being thoroughly irrigated by the "Emperor's Dew" phenomenon in the Purple Mansion, the spiritual plants in the spiritual field experienced an unprecedented and unstoppable growth.

Especially those purple-spotted leaves that were originally quite young, now not only have lush foliage, but the purple spots on the leaves are also deep and vibrant, exuding a rich medicinal fragrance. They are clearly fully mature, and their age is even better than he expected.

Xia Dong's eyes lit up.

A few days ago, he forcibly took Yinling Pill, which caused his spiritual consciousness to surge to the eighth level of Qi Refining, but his foundation was very weak and urgently needed to be polished.

The exquisite control of the heat and the subtle perception of the medicinal liquid during the refining of pills are excellent means of tempering one's spiritual sense.

Now that we have this batch of exceptionally fine purple-spotted leaves, it's the perfect time to try and refine the "Spirit-Guiding Pill"!

Without hesitation, Xia Dong rolled up his sleeves and nimbly walked down to the spirit field, carefully harvesting the ripe purple-spotted leaves.

"Do you want to refine elixirs?"

Just as Xia Dong finished harvesting the last batch of purple-spotted leaves and was about to put them into his storage bag, a clear and lonely voice suddenly rang out from very close to him without warning.

Xia Dong hadn't sensed any approaching presence at all. The sudden sound exploded in his ears, startling him so much that he almost dropped the purple-spotted leaf in his hand.

He turned his head sharply and saw that Master Guyue, who should have been in seclusion in the cave, had silently appeared beside him, gazing at him with deep, cold eyes.

Seeing Xia Dong turn around abruptly like a startled bird, a surprisingly vivid and gentle smile flashed across the usually frost-covered, beautiful face of the Lonely Moon Immortal.

However, the smile was fleeting; she quickly suppressed it and resumed her aloof, indifferent, and superior demeanor.

Master Guyue slightly raised her hand, and a strange flame, tightly enveloped in a ghostly blue aura, floated silently in her palm. The base of this flame was none other than a Sacred Lotus Flower.

"This Sacred Heart Lotus Flame will come in handy for your alchemy." Master Guyue handed the sealed flame to Xia Dong, explaining calmly, "This Sacred Heart Lotus Flame was originally a rare earthly fire born from the deepest depths of the earth, incomparably violent. Now, having been forcibly suppressed by me and rooted in the ruins of this Sacred Heart Lotus, it has shed some of its wildness and become much more docile. You only need to use the Fire Control Technique to initially refine it into your body, and then nourish it with your magic power from time to time."

She paused, then continued, "Strange flames are spirits nurtured by heaven and earth, and for countless alchemists, they are rare and precious treasures that are hard to come by. Once you have completely refined this Sacred Heart Lotus Flame, its power and mystery will even surpass the natal true flames that Foundation Establishment stage alchemists have painstakingly cultivated. With the help of such a strange flame, you can not only remove impurities from medicinal materials and greatly improve the quality of the pills, but also increase your chances of successfully refining pills."

Hearing this, Xia Dong was both surprised and delighted.

He had naturally seen the preciousness of strange fire in cultivation books. With this Sacred Heart Lotus Fire, not only would it greatly help him in alchemy, but it could also slightly explain his excessively high success rate in alchemy.

Of course, this matter only needs to be explained to the public when it is absolutely necessary to expose it.

He quickly and solemnly bowed, saying, "Thank you so much for bestowing this treasure upon me, senior!"

Seeing his delighted expression, Master Guyue suddenly remembered something and asked, "Do you have a fire control technique?"

Xia Dong replied respectfully, "Last time, thanks to borrowing your token, I was able to bid on a copy of the 'Basic Fire Control Technique' at the auction."

"Well, that's good then." Master Guyue nodded slightly. "This thing clashes with my attributes, so I don't have any suitable fire-type techniques to give you. You're still in the Qi Refining stage, so this 'Basic Fire Control Technique' is just right for you to use to initially control the Sacred Heart Lotus Flame. If you want better and higher-level fire control techniques later on, I'll help you inquire about them."

Xia Dong felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this and quickly declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, senior. My cultivation is still shallow, and these basic techniques and the strange fire are enough for me. I really dare not trouble you any further."

Hearing Xia Dong's polite, even somewhat distant, tone, a complex emotion flashed through Gu Yue Zhenren's heart.

She looked at Xia Dong deeply, softened her tone, and said softly, "Xia Dong, we've been through life and death together, so our relationship is naturally different from others. When it's just the two of us in private, there's no need to be so formal and reserved with me."

"Yes, senior." Xia Dong replied obediently, his attitude still respectful, without the slightest fault.

He didn't get carried away by Master Guyue's kind words at all.

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger!

When you're with this capricious and unpredictable Grand Master of the Purple Mansion, it's always best to be honest and polite, no matter when or where.

The reason someone is nice to you now and says you have a special relationship is because that's exactly how they feel right now.

But if he were to act recklessly and lose his composure, and anger the other party, given the vast difference in their strength, he would become an ant that could be crushed at will, and no amount of friendship would be of any use.

In this world, no one's promise to oneself counts; only what one can decide for oneself counts.

Therefore, he must not become complacent because of the other party's gentleness; on the contrary, he must be more careful than ever before.

Furthermore, he has now reaped considerable benefits.

With a powerful cultivator like Master Guyue, who possesses profound spiritual insight and keen observation, by his side, Xia Dong would find it extremely difficult and restrictive to go into seclusion and digest these gains.

However, the current situation leaves him no room for criticism.

He couldn't very well ask a Grandmaster of the Purple Mansion realm to leave Tiger Hill Cave, that would be asking for trouble; and if he were to find an excuse to leave, the outside world was currently in turmoil, with the remnants of the Wusheng Sect and various forces stirring up trouble, and for the time being, there was absolutely no safer place than Tiger Hill Cave.

"I can only endure it for now," Xia Dong thought to himself.

Fortunately, these precarious days are destined not to last long.

Qixia Immortal Sect is now beset by internal and external troubles, leaderless, and its foundation has been largely eroded. As the sect's only pillar of stability, True Person Guyue will inevitably have to return to the sect to take charge in order to preserve its lineage.

She stayed here to consolidate her cultivation, but it was only a temporary stay.

With this in mind, Xia Dong's emotions completely calmed down. Since he couldn't immediately shut himself away to process his hidden gains, he might as well turn the tables and take the initiative.

How profound must the vision and knowledge of a Grand Master of the Purple Mansion be?

The other party not only owes him a favor, but is also unusually mild-mannered.

If we could take advantage of this time to ask Senior Lonely Moon for advice on some difficult and complicated issues in cultivation, it would be an extremely desirable thing!

This is an incredible opportunity that countless low-level cultivators would be willing to kowtow for.

Having made up his mind, Xia Dong carefully put away the Sacred Heart Lotus Flame, then straightened his expression and became even more respectful and humble.

Taking advantage of Master Guyue's good mood, he took the opportunity to humbly ask Master Guyue for guidance on the parts of his difficulties he encountered in circulating his magic power, fusing his qi and blood, and initially comprehending the "Basic Fire Control Technique".

Seeing Xia Dong's humble and respectful demeanor, Master Guyue patiently answered his questions about cultivation, while his admiration for Xia Dong deepened.

She was initially worried that if she showed too much favor to Xia Dong, the boy might become arrogant and spoiled.

But not in summer and winter.

Instead of taking advantage of the situation, he became even more cautious and reserved, knowing when to advance and when to retreat. This caused Master Guyue's favorability towards him to rise even further without him realizing it.

"This child's resilience and composure are truly rare," Master Guyue thought to himself.

She became increasingly certain that although Xia Dong's cultivation was currently shallow, he had a great chance of soaring to great heights in the future and becoming an excellent helper on her long journey to immortality.

The path of cultivation is inherently defying the heavens, and its course is unpredictable.

No matter how powerful your cultivation is, you can't guarantee that you won't encounter a life-or-death calamity that leads to your death and the dissipation of your cultivation.

If one could become a "Daoist partner" with someone who knows you inside and out, is wise and has great potential, and support each other, then when you encounter any insurmountable obstacles in the future, you would have an absolutely reliable helper to pull you up at the critical moment.

Of course, putting aside these calculations of interests and the Great Dao, even Master Guyue had to admit that spending time with Xia Xiaozi during these dull and cold years of cultivation was always a very pleasant and relaxing thing.

The two continued their conversation at a leisurely pace in the quiet Tiger Hill Cave, and time quietly passed.

The communication sword, gleaming with spiritual light, plummeted straight into the colossal Tongxuan Division, which governed all the extraordinary forces in the Great You Dynasty.

"Report!"

The urgent and sharp announcement broke the silence in the central hall of the Tongxuan Division.

:

:

When the high-ranking official on duty opened the official document bearing the top-secret seal of the Eagle Wolf Guard commander of Lin Yuan Prefecture, his expression instantly changed from nonchalant to utterly horrified.

The document was brief, yet every word struck like lightning:

Firstly, the Lonely Moon Immortal of the Qixia Immortal Sect triggered the "Bright Moon Rising from the Sea" phenomenon at Tiger Hill in Linyuan Prefecture, which brought down Imperial Dew and successfully opened the Purple Palace!

Secondly, Xia Dong, the seventh-rank Eagle Wolf Guard commander of Lin Yuan Prefecture, possesses a Daoist certificate and has already had his spiritual root tested, thus embarking on the path of immortality. In accordance with the law, he applies for supplementary registration in the immortal register and requests the allocation of Foundation Establishment Pills and Ascension Orders!

The news sent shockwaves through the entire Tongxuan Division's leadership.

Purple Mansion!

This is a secret realm and immortal site that broke free from the control of the Great You Dynasty, and the Purple Mansion was created!

"Quickly! Report this to His Majesty immediately!"

The powerful figures in the Tongxuan Division could no longer sit still and slammed their fists on the table.

Winning over a newly promoted Purple Mansion is of great significance.

Moreover, there must be a great secret behind the way the other party achieved the Purple Mansion.

This is of great significance for the Great You Dynasty to cultivate true "Purple Mansion" cultivators.

At the same time, the momentous news of Master Guyue opening his Purple Mansion began to spread to various forces, causing waves of varying degrees.

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