Immortal Mystery Sequence: I Establish a Divine Duty for Heaven and Earth

In the forty-fourth year of the Jingtai reign, in the height of summer.

Yunying Mountain, Lingjiang Temple.

The blazing sun hung high above the mountain peak, the clouds in the mountains gradually thickened, the heat was intense, and the Taoist atmosphere was pervasive.

The back room.

Birds and cranes flew by, bringing a cool, autumnal feel.

The air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense, and the Taoist energy intertwined, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

The three real people sat facing each other.

Dongdaozi sat on the left, Qingshuzi on the right, and in the main seat in the middle sat a thin, stern-faced old Taoist with white eyebrows.

He has been stationed at Lingjiang Temple for six hundred years and has almost never left the mountain. He is none other than the sect's Grand Elder, Fuyangzi.

He wore a simple Taoist robe, perfectly smooth and without a single wrinkle. His hands held a whisk folded in front of him, and the aura emanating from him was unfathomable. His eyes were calm and deep, like an abyss.

His gaze swept lightly over the two people below him, then he slowly lowered his eyebrows, his expression indifferent.

"Why are you two silent? Did you not hear me clearly and need me to repeat myself?"

Dongdaozi and Qingshuzi exchanged glances, briefly reflecting on their thoughts.

Qing Shuzi hesitated for a moment before speaking first: "Elder, in my humble opinion, it's perfectly normal for the Meizhou Daoist sect to be eyeing the agricultural Daoist cultivators of Jiangzhou and wanting a share of the profits!"

"The Agricultural Dao has been established for more than 20 years, and its reputation has long been known not only in Jiangzhou on both sides of the Lingjiang River. Although Meizhou is adjacent to us, it has always had a grudge against our sect. It is reasonable for them to take this opportunity to try to poach some Agricultural Dao cultivators."

Meizhou, named for its plum blossoms stretching for miles, is situated on a fertile plain, southeast of Jiangzhou, bordering it and separated by a large portion of the ancient forbidden land of Jiaosha...

They didn't actually interact much, but they often clashed at the once-every-two-hundred-years Taoist Grand Assembly, where undercurrents were surging.

Fu Yangzi didn't answer, but instead looked at Dong Daozi.

The latter hesitated for a moment, his face showing thoughtful consideration, before saying, "If the Taoist sects of Meizhou are only interested in the agricultural cultivators and want to bring them to Meizhou, that's fine. After all, everyone knows that Dajiang County and Lingjiang Temple in our prefecture are the origin of the agricultural path!"

"With over twenty years of leading development and being a core holy site, Meizhou can't catch up even if it tries; at best, it can only get a taste of the soup."

"What I fear is that Meizhou has much grander ambitions, and their true intentions lie elsewhere! Recruiting agricultural cultivators to compete with us for people is only one aspect; their real aim is the opportunities presented by the ancient forbidden land of Jiaosha. That is the greatest threat…!"

"We can let them introduce agricultural cultivators for now, after all, the number of agricultural cultivators is increasing daily, and we don't need to worry about one or two more. There's no such thing as a thousand days of thievery, and you can't guard against thieves all day long... But we cannot give up an inch of the Horned Sand Ancient Forbidden Land!"

Upon hearing this, Fu Yangzi sneered, "Indeed, this is precisely what worries me."

He stroked his long beard, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Our sect has always strictly kept the secret of how agricultural cultivators can dispel evil energy. However, as the number of agricultural cultivators increases, this secret will eventually become impossible to keep hidden. The vast majority of people in the world are ignorant and easy to fool, but the Daoist sect of other states is not so easy to deceive."

"Meizhou is adjacent to the ancient forbidden area of ​​Jiaosha. Our secret and quiet exorcism and restoration efforts as agricultural cultivators may not be able to be concealed... Perhaps they have discovered some hidden secrets and want to use the opportunity of recruiting people to investigate these secrets!"

The back hall fell silent, and the three masters remained speechless for a moment, each with their own thoughts.

The Jiaosha Ancient Forbidden Land is said to have existed for ten thousand years. It is one of the largest and oldest forbidden lands in Jiangzhou. It is full of strange and bizarre creatures, and there are countless high-level monsters. Even the sect leader dares not venture into it easily. However, such ancient and dangerous places often contain the greatest opportunities and inheritances!

Before, there were no cultivators of the Agricultural Path, the eerie aura could not be dispelled, and the forbidden land could not be restored. That was fine. But now that the Agricultural Path has been born, it can exchange mountains of corpses and seas of blood for the restoration of the forbidden land... The situation has changed drastically!

Recently, they have been secretly sending agricultural cultivators to the forbidden area of ​​Jiaosha, all for this hidden ancient opportunity!

If they can seize this opportunity in agriculture and find a way out, they can find a way forward and hopefully completely surpass all other Taoist sects in the world, becoming the leader of the Eastern Taoist sects!

This is called seizing the opportunity and achieving instant success.

If we miss this opportunity, or if Meizhou beats us to it, who knows when we'll be able to rise again!

After a moment of silence, Qing Shuzi suddenly asked, "Elder, if I may be so bold as to ask, what kind of opportunity is hidden within this ancient forbidden land of Jiaosha? Is it worthwhile for Lingjiang Temple to openly confront the Meizhou Daoist sect, tearing off all pretenses and refusing to yield an inch?"

"In the past, we, the humble Daoist priests, have only heard of a hidden lineage of ten thousand years, but what exactly is this so-called lineage?"

Fu Yangzi didn't answer immediately. He seemed to be pondering for a while, as if weighing whether or not to reveal these secrets.

He spoke after a long while, his expression quite solemn.

"Previously, opportunities to become an immortal were hard to come by, and the forbidden land was no longer accessible, so revealing the secrets here would have been pointless... Now that we've come to this point and the opportunity is before us, I will no longer hide anything from you!"

His words revealed a major secret spanning tens of thousands of years!

"After the collapse of the heavens 30,000 years ago, the path to immortality was severed, Buddhism and Taoism ceased to exist, and all the great Dao inheritances in the world collapsed and perished... But later generations learned that there was actually an extremely secretive and deeply hidden lineage of immortality that had never been broken."

"The foundations of our Eastern Taoism and Western Buddhism today largely originate from this sole and only remaining path to immortality!"

"This matter is not a top secret within the Taoist community; you should have heard of it to some extent."

Dong Daozi slowly nodded.

"Of course! We've long heard of the most secret immortal path in the world, the legends of Mount Gushe and its Gushe Immortal Sect!" He stopped abruptly before he finished speaking, gasping in shock. "Elder, do you mean... the opportunity in the ancient forbidden area of ​​Jiaosha is related to the Gushe Immortal Sect?!"

Fu Yangzi neither admitted nor denied it, but simply smiled nonchalantly.

Everyone here is an old-timer, a smart man. The meaning is self-evident and needs no further explanation!

That's right!

If we're talking about the lineage of Mount Gushou, then this ancient forbidden land of Jiaosha holds the legacy of immortals! It's a heaven-reaching lineage! And it's the only true path for Lingjiang Temple in its current predicament!!

"Hiss... If that's really the case, we absolutely cannot let the Meizhou Daoist sect beat us to it!!!"

Fu Yangzi said solemnly, "Therefore, I have decided to send the two of you down the mountain together to unite all the forces within and outside our sect in Jiangzhou, resolutely block the news, and utilize the agricultural cultivators... to complete the restoration of the ancient forbidden land of Jiaosha as soon as possible and obtain that immortal legacy!"

"This matter cannot be rushed; at least sixty years will be spent here. But it must be meticulous, secretive, and swift!"

"That day will be the day our Lingjiang Temple soars into the heavens!"

"With the two of you working together diligently outside the mountains, I can rest assured and do my best to keep it a secret from the Taoist sects in Meizhou, and negotiate with them. This is the grand plan for the next hundred years of our sect!"

Dong Daozi immediately responded, "Perfect! I have many disciples training at the foot of the mountain. I'll take this opportunity to go down and observe their movements, and do my utmost for our sect's long-term plan!"

Just as he was about to get up, Uncle Qing, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly raised his hand.

"Elder, fellow Daoist, wait! Before descending the mountain, there is something I must say."

"Oh? Tell me about it."

Qing Shuzi's expression gradually became solemn: "To be honest, I was also quite tempted when I heard about the legacy of the immortals. If we can succeed, it can indeed be a great plan for our sect for the next hundred years! However, there is still one thing on my mind that I cannot let go of."

"As agriculture has developed to this point, I believe it should not be underestimated and must be guarded against."

"In the blink of an eye, twenty years have passed, and in Dajiang County, it is now common to see farmers moving earth and burrowing underground, with thousands of cultivators among them! Their flesh and blood can purify the strange energy and restore the strange realm, a wonder never before seen in all of history! Moreover, the land is also giving rise to guardian spirits, each with its own unique characteristics. Such phenomena have never been seen before... If this continues, it may shake the foundation of our Daoist sect for ten thousand years!"

"They currently have it under control and can treat it as a consumable resource to be used at will, but what if this continues in the long run?"

"Their growth has far exceeded our initial expectations. Now, Meizhou is going to introduce agricultural routes to other prefectures. Their influence is expanding rapidly, which is clearly visible to the naked eye! At present, their power is still weak and their abilities are not yet apparent. They can rely on others, but if they develop ulterior motives in the future, will we still be able to manipulate them as easily as we do today?"

Dongdaozi hesitated for a moment, wanting to speak in rebuttal, but then fell silent.

These words seem to make some sense.

The absolute control that the Daoist sect had over the agricultural cultivators meant that he had never considered whether they would truly remain obedient indefinitely, or whether they might be secretly plotting to rebel one day.

Fu Yangzi waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Uncle Qing, aren't you worrying unnecessarily? While agricultural cultivators do possess many unique qualities that our Daoist tradition lacks, there's one thing they can't match in any of us!"

"Cultivation and strength! In chaotic times, these are the only true principles! They are only good at farming, not at warfare. At best, a second-realm Tianju only knows minor Taoist techniques like earth-遁 (遁地动, meaning to move earth or burrow), while my Taoist sect, after receiving the Dao twice, can fly through the air on a sword, suppress the Five Thunders, and cultivate the Twenty-Four Symbols Daoist Method of the Two Qi!"

"Not to mention that you and I are true men who have received the Dao five times, how can we be compared to mere peasants and hermits? Therefore, the abilities of peasants, fundamentally speaking, can only serve as an adjunct to my Daoist school, subject to my control, and have their life and death decided by a single word!"

Uncle Qing didn't immediately refute, but instead offered a different explanation.

"I initially thought so too! But the strange snowfall in Dajiang County a few years ago and the continuous production of high-quality seeds in recent years have truly made me uneasy!"

"The precious pills refined from that superior seed, at present, only match the most basic low-grade Dao pills in terms of medicinal power, but it is undoubtedly gradually replacing the foundation of our Dao pills! And how much effort does it take to refine a single Dao pill? And how easy is it for that superior seed to yield a bumper harvest? Increasing production year after year!"

"Elder, you witnessed these things with your own eyes! When the auspicious snow fell, the crops grew taller overnight, and good crops sprouted everywhere. Countless farmers knelt on the ground and cried out that the heavens had sent down auspicious omens. At that time, what I was thinking was, why did such a celestial phenomenon fall on the agricultural roads of Dajiang County, and not on my Lingjiang Temple?"

Fu Yangzi fell silent, his eyes flickering.

As the sect's Grand Elder, he was certainly not a fool. Uncle Qing's words were reasonable and well-founded, leaving him no choice but to believe them!

At this moment, he slowly became serious.

"What you say... isn't without merit. I vividly remember that auspicious snowfall. Since the collapse of the heavens, when has our Daoist sect ever witnessed such a propitious omen? What makes our humble farming sect so special, receiving such a heavenly blessing?"

"Yes! Did your disciple Li Xiaobing return to her family home to report recently?"

"Summon him here! I want to ask him myself... what exactly is the true nature of this farmer!"