My Demonic Cult's Holy Maiden

But now, he has no choice in the situation; the leader could easily kill him.

After bowing to the leader, Li Muchen left with Li Ming, Li Qing, and the remaining soldiers.

Now, only Lin Ruoxi is left.

The head coach looked at Lin Ruoxi, his wrinkled face twitching slightly as if he were smiling.

"You're quite good. It would be a shame if you died. I'll give your Xuanzong some face and you can leave now."

Lin Ruoxi looked at Qi Yu, her eyes narrowed slightly. Her mission was to take Qi Yu away, but that seemed unrealistic now.

The head coach also noticed Lin Ruoxi's gaze, his smile undiminished, even more pronounced, giving off a cunning and sly vibe.

After bowing to the sect leader, Lin Ruoxi suddenly disappeared from the spot.

After Lin Ruoxi left, the leader squatted down and pressed his withered hand against Qi Yu's head. A bluish-gold light flashed, and Qi Yu's tense and trembling body calmed down.

A series of footsteps sounded, and Qin Xiu led the Taoist disciples who had stayed behind to the scene. They then knelt down and paid their respects before the sect leader.

The leader simply waved his hand, and then disappeared with Qi Yu.

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Chapter Thirty-Eight: Food

The news of the leader's breakthrough to the level of a near-saint and his emergence from seclusion spread across the continent at an astonishing and unbelievable speed.

The specifics were not stated, but this message was conveyed.

After being stunned, countless forces became wary, fearing that Taoism would use its leader's power to expand, grow stronger, and invade them.

The Demonic Sect also ceased its internal strife and wasted resources, turning its attention to the Temple of Longevity.

Then a shocking piece of news spread!

The leader is nearing his end!

He forcibly broke through to the level of a sub-saint at the cost of his own life force; he won't live much longer.

This news brought a sigh of relief to countless people, finally putting their minds at ease.

If the leader of the sect can live a little longer, not too long, maybe ten years, then the mainland may change, and Taoism may very well unify the mainland.

But now that the leader of the sect is nearing death, Taoism is just a shooting star, gone in an instant.

Now everyone's attention is focused on the Changsheng Temple and its leader, waiting for the moment when the leader passes away.

……

Qi Yu had already woken up and arrived at the Star Gazing Tower, where he was kneeling before the leader to pay his respects.

It was a good thing that the leader had emerged from seclusion, but Qi Yu's face showed no smile, and even a hint of sadness, with reddened eyes.

The coach has already told Qi Yu his final deadline.

Seven days!

The leader only has seven days to live!

Normally, he wouldn't have been able to break through to the level of a Quasi-Saint, and he might even have died during his seclusion.

But he used his own life force as a price to break through that barrier.

The coach's condition is not optimistic; his health is rapidly deteriorating.

Knowing when you will die and aging rapidly is torture for anyone.

But on my teacher's aged face, there was no trace of fear of death. He looked at Qi Yu with kindness, and a glimmer of light appeared in his cloudy, yellowish eyes.

“You don’t need to be like this. Everyone dies eventually. I just died earlier.” After a pause, the leader smiled and said, “And I am very content! I have seen the scenery of the Second Saint. I have no regrets in this life.”

Taoism emphasizes cultivating the mind, and its leaders live their lives following their hearts, living openly and honestly, without owing anyone anything.

At the end of his life, he broke free from the shackles of the continent, transcended the level of a near-sage, and left behind experience for future generations. He was already very content.

"Teacher, is it really worth it?" Qi Yu asked in a hoarse voice.

The leader dedicated his life to Taoism, helping the Dayun Dynasty resist foreign enemies and protect the dynasty.

In the end, the leader had nothing, not even a single offspring, which Qi Yu could not understand.

Is Taoism and the Dayun Dynasty truly worth their leader's lifelong dedication?

The leader smiled and said, "Every path is a choice made by oneself. If I think it's worth it, then it's worth it. There's no room for regret."

Qi Yu didn't ask any more questions, but lowered his head and remained silent.

The leader walked up to Qi Yu, then raised his hand and straightened Qi Yu's topknot.

"There's no need to feel regret or sadness about my situation; I have no regrets in my life."

"If I had to say what I regret, it would be that I couldn't witness you leading Taoism to its glory."

Qi Yu raised her head, her lips pressed tightly together, her voice trembling with a hint of tears, and said, "Teacher, even now, do you still want me to become the head instructor?"

The sect leader smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course! You're my only disciple, and you are indeed quite good!"

Qi Yu remained silent for a long while before slowly speaking.

"Teacher, I've been poisoned by the datura flower, and I might not be able to become the sect leader!"

Recently, the poisoning has been flaring up more and more frequently, and he is finding it increasingly difficult to control his emotions, becoming easily irritable and angry.

"The datura flower, in your world, is not without its solution, is it?" the leader asked.

Upon hearing this, Qi Yu abruptly raised his head, staring in astonishment at the instructor. His mouth was slightly agape, and his head was buzzing, as if he had been hit with a sledgehammer.

The leader just said 'your world'!?

The leader looked at Qi Yu's appearance, chuckled, then patted Qi Yu's head and said, "After I broke through to the Quasi-Saint level, I saw some things that I couldn't see before."

"For example, the lingering remnant soul of the real Qi Yu that remains within you!"

Qi Yu's...remnant soul!?

Is he not completely dead yet?

The instructor didn't explain anything, but squatted down and helped Qi Yu up.

"No matter who you are, I entrust Taoism to you. Don't let me down. The Datura flower is not insurmountable. I believe in you!"

Qi Yu was speechless, unsure of what to say next.

……

While everyone's attention was focused on the Changsheng Temple, Taoism issued a statement announcing that Qi Yu would succeed as its leader.

The handover ceremony will be held in seven days!

This news shocked and delighted countless people.

If the head of the religious order has handed over the reins, then this means that the head of the religious order is nearing the end of his life.

With the death of its leader, Taoism was only being held up by Qi Yu alone.

No matter how strong Qi Yu is, he is just a young man in his early twenties. How will he protect Taoism in the future?

The Lin family was quite pleased to hear this news.

Qi Yu has been poisoned and is now under their control.

Qi Yu became the leader of the sect, and they controlled him; Taoism would fall into their hands.

At that time, one will unite with Tao and Xuan, and become a true Taoist.

Given Taoism's prestige on the mainland, their invasion would be very smooth, and they might not even need to use too much force.

This time, they will not allow anyone to disrupt the handover ceremony in seven days.

Sun Guyuan and Lin Ruohai began making arrangements to ensure that Qi Yu could smoothly take over as head of the sect.

On the day the Changsheng Temple made its announcement, Lin Ruoxi wrote a letter to Qi Yu, inviting him to meet.

After reading the letter, Qi Yu lowered his head and pondered for a long time before setting off to keep the appointment.

The place Lin Ruoxi arranged was a famous restaurant in the capital, which Qi Yu found very easily.

Qi Yu had disguised himself, but Lin Ruoxi spotted him immediately and stood up to bow to him.

Qi Yu entered the private room, and Lin Ruoxi personally poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him.

"Young Master Qi, please have some tea!"

Qi Yu looked at the dignified and beautiful woman in front of him, whose every move exuded the grace of a well-bred lady, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Qi Yu took the teacup and took a small sip. Although the taste was good, Qi Yu did not want to drink more of Lin Ruoxi's tea.

This woman is very cunning; I have now completely fallen into her trap.

"Speak, what do you want with me?"

Lin Ruoxi smiled slightly and said, "Young master, there's no need to be so wary. Ruoxi won't eat you!"

Qi Yu turned his head, gave a cold smile, and said, "I actually hope you can eat me; that would at least be direct enough."

Lin Ruoxi looked into Qi Yu's eyes, which seemed to be able to see through a person's soul, dark and deep, unlike those of a human.

"I really want to eat Young Master Qi, but if I eat you, Sister Su Yue will come after me to my death!"

When Lin Ruoxi said "eat," she meant actual eating; there was no other meaning.

In her eyes, Qi Yu was indeed food.

Corpse Gods feed on negative emotions, and their prized possessions are Taoist priests and Confucian scholars who possess righteousness and talent.

Qi Yu possesses two of these qualities, and in the eyes of the Corpse God, Qi Yu is the most delicious food.

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Chapter Thirty-Nine: Struggle

"Young Master Qi, would you like to come to our Xuanzong Sect?" Lin Ruoxi extended an invitation with a smile.

Qi Yu chuckled twice and asked, "Do you think it's possible?"