My Demonic Cult's Holy Maiden

May 20th, a special day with special significance.

With Su Yue's help, Qi Yu put on a light blue Taoist robe with gold thread.

The Taoist robe fits perfectly; it was custom-made and sewn strictly according to Qi Yu's measurements.

The fabric is made of the rarest snow silk, making it very light and soft to wear.

Su Yue fastened Qi Yu's belt, then raised her hand to straighten the wrinkles in Qi Yu's collar and sleeves before nodding in satisfaction.

Qi Yu's appearance is above average, and even in a Taoist robe, he can exude a unique charm.

"Come here, let me trim the amplitude for you!"

As she spoke, Su Yue pulled Qi Yu to the dressing table, then pressed him down onto a stool. She took out a brand new razor from the dressing table drawer, then squatted down and carefully shaved Qi Yu's beard.

With Su Yue around, Qi Yu usually doesn't need to shave, because Su Yue will help him.

After the hair was trimmed, Su Yue walked behind Qi Yu, combed Qi Yu's hair, then put the hair up in a bun, secured it with a Daoist bun, and finally used a wooden hairpin that looked like a withered tree branch to hold the bun in place.

"Alright!" Su Yue withdrew her hand and said softly.

Qi Yu looked at himself in the bronze mirror and subconsciously raised his hand to touch the golden-blue Taoist bun on his head, as well as the withered tree branch.

He rarely wore his hair in a topknot; he usually let his hair down and tied it up with a ribbon. He didn't want to have a bun on his head.

Today is the succession ceremony, and I have a feeling it won't be a peaceful day.

……

Clang, clang, clang...

The bell of Changsheng Temple rang out eight times, signifying that Taoism was proclaiming its message to the world.

In the main hall of Changsheng Temple, in front of the statues of the Taoist Ancestor and the Three Pure Ones, the head of the sect, dressed in a blue Taoist robe, stands at the innermost part, directly below the statues.

On either side of him were Taoist disciples, arranged in four rows.

Sun Guyuan was located to the right and below the leader, dressed in a gray Taoist robe, his face covered with wrinkles and a beard.

Sun Guyuan is only three years old, but he is already sixty-five years old this year.

He was fifteen years older than Su Chengying, but he came later, so when he saw Su Chengying, he had to call him "Senior Brother".

In Taoism, apart from the leader, he has the deepest seniority.

If the head coach suddenly passes away, then Sun Guyuan will become the new head coach.

But now that Qi Yu is going to succeed him as the leader, he can say that he will never be the leader in this lifetime, because Qi Yu is younger than him and is a grandmaster, so he will definitely live longer than him.

Logically, he should have been furious that a junior had taken his position as head of the sect, but in fact, he was very calm.

He knew about Lin Ruoxi's plan, and he agreed with it.

It would be the best outcome if Qi Yu could serve them.

To be honest, he also admired Qi Yu.

As for the position of head coach, he didn't care. If he really cared about such empty titles, he wouldn't have traveled all the way here fifty years ago.

He would never abandon his dantian and become an ordinary person.

Qi Yu succeeded as the leader of the sect, and by controlling Qi Yu, they essentially controlled Taoism.

Although it may seem like an unnecessary addition, the result remains the same.

Moreover, if this superfluous act can achieve Qi Yu's benefit, then it is meaningful.

So at today's succession ceremony, he did nothing, made no arrangements, and let things take their natural course.

Their secret agents from Xuanzong received no orders and simply watched as Qi Yu succeeded to the position of sect leader.

The bell tolled, and Qi Yu's figure appeared at the entrance of the main hall, drawing the attention of all the Taoist disciples.

Qi Yu wore a light blue Taoist robe with gold thread, exuding a simple and elegant demeanor with a touch of nobility.

A purple jade pendant hung at his waist, adding to his charm. He wore a blue-gold Taoist bun on his head, his hair neatly tied up, making him look very energetic. Combined with Qi Yu's gentle and androgynous face, he looked really handsome, dashing, and composed.

He held Zhanqiu, the sword that Daozu used when he was young, in his right hand, which further elevated his aura.

The head coach smiled at Qi Yu, gave him a kind smile, and waved.

Qi Yu stepped into the main hall and knelt down on the prayer mat in front of the leader.

"Greetings, Master!"

There is a difference between a master and a teacher. You can have countless teachers, but you can only have one master.

Calling someone "teacher" in front of so many disciples is clearly inappropriate, and regardless of whether he has formally become a disciple, he has already been recognized as the sect leader's personal disciple.

The coach's smile widened, then he bent forward, took Qi Yu's arm, and lifted Qi Yu up.

The succession ceremony for the leader is actually very simple. After worshipping Heaven and Earth and the statues of the ancestral masters, the leader's heirloom, the Heavenly Sword, is handed over to the new leader.

The large cauldron outside the main hall has been replaced with a new one. There is no incense inside. In front of the cauldron is a table covered with offerings, which consist only of fruit and no meat.

Taoism, in name, still prohibits the consumption of meat and fish.

Taoists believe that there are three corpse spirits in the human body, and one can become a saint by slaying the three corpse spirits. Eating meat, getting angry, or getting upset will help the three corpse spirits grow stronger and make it more difficult to slay them, which is not conducive to cultivation.

Therefore, Taoists generally advocate a life of purity and few desires. Even though the rules are not as strict now, they still openly prohibit meat and fish.

Under the guidance of the leader, Qi Yu knelt down on the prayer mat, then offered incense, first to the heavens and earth outside, and then to the statues of the gods.

After bowing, Qi Yu did not get up. The leader walked up to Qi Yu, took the Heavenly Sword, which symbolized the leader's status, from his waist belt, and then raised it.

"Today, as the thirty-fifth leader of Taoism, I hereby announce that I hand over the Heavenly Sword and the position of leader to my second-generation disciple, Qi Yu. From this moment forward, Qi Yu shall be the thirty-sixth leader, and you must all assist him!"

The Taoist disciples waved their sleeves, then raised their hands together in front of their chests and bowed in respect.

The leader looked around, glanced at Sun Guyuan one last time, and then fixed his gaze on Qi Yu. He lowered the Heavenly Dao Sword he was holding and placed it in front of Qi Yu.

Qi Yu looked at the Heavenly Dao Sword, and after a moment's thought, he slowly raised his hands, preparing to receive the Heavenly Dao Sword.

"Wait a minute!"

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Chapter 195 The Truth Comes Out

"Wait a minute!"

Just then, a voice came from the main gate. It wasn't very loud, but in the quiet Taoist temple, it was loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

Qi Yu stopped catching the sword and looked towards the main entrance. Not only Qi Yu, but all the disciples in the Dao Hall looked towards the main entrance.

An elderly man dressed in a white and red robe entered through the main gate; his hair and eyebrows were white.

The leader looked at the old man, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Before the leader could say anything, a number of heads began to appear behind the old man, walking up from the foot of the mountain and standing behind him. There were about a dozen of them.

Moreover, they were all masters!

"What do you mean by this, fellow Daoists?" the sect leader asked calmly.

The old man in front smiled at the leader and said, "Today is the succession ceremony of the Taoist sect, and we have come to offer our congratulations. We had no intention of offending anyone."

"However, I just received some news, so I felt it was necessary to tell you, Master."

The leader looked at the old man with a calm expression.

He naturally recognized this person; it was Zhou Zhiyong, the Supreme Elder of the Purple Qi Pavilion, one of the two Grandmasters of the Purple Qi Pavilion.

Moreover, this person is also a Grandmaster of the Dao!

Although he is not as strong as me, it will still take some effort for me to defeat him.

The leader did not reply, and Zhou Zhiyong did not care. He continued, "Originally, with the strength of young friend Qi Yu, the new leader of Taoism should have a good reputation and be the popular choice."

"We, the righteous path's fellow practitioners, are of one mind and are naturally delighted to see this. We are here to witness and support this event."

"But I suddenly received news that my young friend Qi Yu has ties to the Demonic Sect and has an ambiguous relationship with the Holy Maiden of the Blood God Sect."

"I knew it was nonsense the moment I heard it. Taoism is one of the leaders of our righteous path, and it deeply hates the demonic sect. Taoist disciples have always been at the forefront of eliminating demons. How could the next leader have anything to do with the demonic sect? This is pure slander."

"However, many fellow Daoists still do not believe it. In order to clear the name of Daoism and young friend Qi Yu, and to give an explanation to believers all over the world, I have taken the liberty of coming here to inquire."

Zhou Zhiyong's words were very clear, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, he used his true energy to amplify his voice, making it clearly audible within a radius of at least four miles.

Everyone looked stunned, and then began to whisper among themselves.

How could I possibly have connections with the Demonic Sect?

Who are the members of the Demonic Cult?

They are a group of ruthless killers who treat human life as insignificant as ants and can trample on it at will.

It is often said that a demonic cultivator, in order to cultivate demonic arts, slaughtered a village or destroyed a city, killing the old, weak, women and children without exception.

In the eyes of ordinary people, the two demonic cultivators were no different from devils.

In the eyes of ordinary people, sects like Taoism, Ziqi Pavilion, and Tianya Haige are living bodhisattvas who fought bloody battles against the demonic cult to protect them.

Now they're saying the successor of Taoism has ties to the Demonic Sect? And it's Qi Yu, the brilliant and unyielding scholar!

Of course they don't believe that!

After a while of discussion, the general public quieted down, wondering if there had been a mistake.

Seeing that Qi Yu remained silent, Zhou Zhiyong was not in a hurry. He chuckled and led a group of masters through the gate of the Longevity Temple, where they stood beside the sacrificial cauldron.

"Young friend Qi Yu, whether it is true or not, I hope you will answer truthfully, because this is very important!" Zhou Zhiyong stroked his beard and smiled.

Qi Yu stood up from the prayer mat, then waved his sleeves, patted his knees, brushed away non-existent dust, and then bowed to Zhou Zhiyong.

"May I ask, senior, whether it is true or not, what does it have to do with you?"

Zhou Zhiyong's lips curled up slightly. Qi Yu's words were tantamount to an admission!

"Of course there is a connection. If you, young friend Qi Yu, are truly connected with the Demonic Sect, it's hard for us not to suspect that you are a spy sent by the Demonic Sect to split the Taoist sect and harm our righteous path!"

Qi Yu stared at Zhou Zhiyong, then looked at the masters behind him one by one, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

The moment he learned Su Yue's identity, he imagined the scene of being condemned by thousands and cursed by tens of thousands.

It's okay to criticize oneself, and one can tolerate that, but one thing is certain: one cannot allow these things to affect Taoism.