Chapter 292 - 117: He Wants to See Me

"Hm? What do you mean? Hasn’t our war with the Gui Chen Sect already ended?"

Chen Tianhua looked stunned. The smiles vanished from the other Daoists’ faces, replaced by a solemn expression.

"That may be true, but many Daoists have had their Daoist Temples and manors completely destroyed. No one is even going back to restore the statues that were smashed..."

Mu Guihai sighed.

"More importantly, this war has caused many Daoists to lose their confidence. They’ve become completely disheartened."

The Daoists all looked at each other, and for a moment, silence fell over them.

In this recent conflict, Gui Dao Mansion’s losses weren’t necessarily greater than the Gui Chen Sect’s. But now that a truce has been called, the real suffering for many Daoists has just begun.

Shattered Daoist Temples and manors, destroyed statues, a severed supply of Incense that would be difficult to re-establish, and the need to quickly recover from grievous injuries.

All of these issues became difficult problems confronting the Daoists.

More importantly, the neglect from the upper echelons of the Dayu Immortal Dynasty had left many Daoists utterly demoralized. They were no longer willing to provide Shelter for the People of Dayu in exchange for Incense.

They were, after all, a part of the Dayu Immortal Dynasty’s system. Yet when they faced a true life-or-death crisis, the higher-ups turned a blind eye. Anyone in their position would have their Heart Spirit crushed.

Daoist Temples and manors could be rebuilt, but once the people’s hearts were scattered, they were nearly impossible to bring back together.

"Without Incense, they’re all just waiting to die," Chen Tianhua said with a frown. "Don’t these people want to live anymore?"

Common mortals die without food, and the same was true for many Daoists who already had little time left. Once they lost their supply of Incense, their lifespans would plummet, and they would perish within a few years.

As more and more Daoists died, the overall strength of the Gui Dao Mansion would inevitably dwindle. It was easy to imagine that they would then become lambs for the slaughter.

"That’s what they’re saying. I’m not clear on the exact details myself."

Mu Guihai’s expression was grim.

"Everyone, please wait here for a moment. I’m going to request an audience with our senior and ask him for guidance."

After speaking, he cupped his fists in a salute and strode out of the grotto-abode.

Hearing the gravity in his tone, how could the other Daoists possibly remain in the mood for wine?

They immediately hurried after him.

The large procession arrived at the foot of a tranquil Cyan Mountain.

Upon arriving, they saw a large, silver-white dog sprawled out before the mountain, lazily basking in the sun.

A tiny Little Red Fox was curled up on its back, meticulously plucking out stray hairs one by one. The fox and dog seemed to get along quite well.

In just ten days, the Silver-White Dog Demon before them had become even more imposing. From a distance, it looked like an ancient, primeval Fierce Beast. Even its soft snores were enough to make many of the Daoists feel a crushing pressure.

The Daoists couldn’t help but look on with envy. It was just a Dog Demon, yet by following the right master, it had received a tremendous stroke of fortune.

"Bai Venerable! We wish to request an audience with our senior."

Mu Guihai dared not show any disrespect, quickly cupping his fists in salute.

The Silver-White Dog Demon glanced lazily at the crowd of Daoists before closing its eyes again.

Mu Guihai breathed a sigh of relief and led the other Daoists toward the summit.

Chen Tianhua found this scene quite amusing.

’Mu Guihai’s attitude wasn’t always like this,’ he thought. ’After their last scuffle, that white dog must have used some Secret Technique, because Mu Guihai ended up suffering a major defeat.’

’Ever since, his attitude has improved significantly.’

’Losing to a Dog Demon is a bit embarrassing, but refusing to admit it would be truly shameful!’

The Little Red Fox stared with its bright red eyes, watching the large procession head for the summit, feeling quite envious.

It had been here for several days now, but it still hadn’t been allowed onto the mountain!

The surrounding mountains were all capped with white snow, but the peak the Daoists were heading toward was entirely emerald green, covered in lush forests and blooming flowers, like a scene from spring.

Occasionally, golden ripples would shimmer in the air above the Cyan Mountain, a rather peculiar sight.

In a small courtyard at the summit, Su Bai sat atop a strange black rock with his eyes slightly closed.

Shimmering golden ripples flowed from his body, and mysterious, ancient golden Patterns flickered across his skin, seeming to reflect the universe itself—all of creation, the sun, the moon, and the stars.

’Still a little more to go...’

At a certain moment, he opened his eyes slightly and whispered to himself.

A line of information then appeared before his eyes.

[Cultivation Technique: Fourth Immortal Golden Body Transformation (Super Grade!) Realm: Returning to the Essence! (29,000,000!)]

During this period, he had also split off numerous Divine Thought Incarnations to secretly capture criminals with impressive Cultivation, reaping a considerable amount of Experience Points!

He then converted a large portion of the Experience Points he obtained into Tier Two Experience Points.

The Experience Points for his Fourth Immortal Golden Body Transformation, fueled by his efforts, had now reached 29,000,000. As a result, Su Bai’s physical body had also improved significantly.

He had a feeling that once he broke the thirty million mark, his Fourth Immortal Golden Body Transformation would undergo another metamorphosis.

"Senior!"

Not long after, Mu Guihai and the others arrived to pay their respects.

Ever since Su Bai’s battle with the Leader of Gui Chen Sect, his attitude toward Su Bai had grown increasingly deferential.

It wasn’t just awe for Su Bai’s power; he was deeply impressed because Su Bai had accomplished something he himself had always wanted to do but couldn’t.

He dared to curse the Leader of Gui Chen Sect, calling him worse than an animal, but he was incapable of actually defeating the man.

But Su Bai had.

WHOOSH!

With a single thought, Su Bai dispersed the golden radiance surrounding him. A five-colored light flashed in his eyes.

"Senior, this time I traveled to the other Great Provinces..."

Mu Guihai didn’t beat around the bush, directly relaying everything he had seen and heard on his journey.

Finally, he pleaded,

"This junior boldly begs you, Senior, to disseminate the Cyan Wood Longevity Technique to all the Daoists."

"And please rest assured, Senior. We will find a way to cover the costs for those True Masters who have no Incense or whose Incense does not meet the standard."

"Otherwise, the Yin Department is bound to collapse. A constant stream of Daoists, under the threat of death, will transform into Demon Fiends and Fierce Ghosts. When that happens, we may witness the tragedy of a Night Parade of Hundred Demons, a scene of wanton slaughter."

The other Daoists also bowed in unison.

Many years ago, two or three Great Provinces, including Desolate Province, were saturated with dense Evil Qi and gloomy Ghost Qi, devoid of any vital essence.

Across the land, Demon Ghosts outnumbered people, and even the Dayu Immortal Dynasty was powerless to stop it.

They couldn’t just destroy these Great Provinces, could they?

That is, until the Netherworld Venerable Master appeared out of nowhere. He joined forces with the leaders of Da Yu, established the Yin Department system, created the land of the Netherworld, and devoured the endless Evil Qi, Ghost Qi, and Demon Qi.

Only then did these Great Provinces regain their Vitality.

However, if the Daoists were to fall to corruption one by one, transforming into terrifying Demon Fiends and ghosts...

...the Demonic Qi and Evil Qi within them would surely spill out and affect countless innocent people.

A Night Parade of Hundred Demons, the slaughter of the Ten Thousand Spirits, Evil Qi that shakes the heavens, Ghost Qi that pierces the sky...

Such a scene was not impossible.

Some wished to see this scene come to pass, while others did not.

Mu Guihai was one of the latter.

"Do you think," Su Bai suddenly asked, "that these Daoists, once they have this Life Extension Method, will continue to willingly provide Shelter to the mortal populace as they did before?"

’The Yin Department system isn’t perfect,’ he thought. ’It’s merely functional.’

’He could certainly gather all the Daoists in the world and grant them a Longevity Technique.’

’But why would Daoists who no longer need Incense willingly continue to listen to the pleas of mortals or care about whether they live or die?’

’They were willing before because Incense was the thread that connected them.’

’Now that the Incense is gone, that connection is naturally severed as well.’

"That..."

The words died on Mu Guihai’s lips, and he hesitated.

He knew it was impossible.

Their relationship with the mortal populace was one of naked, mutual interest. Once the connection of Incense was gone, who among them would still care about mortals?

"You need not worry. The matter of the Daoists will be resolved."

Su Bai said slowly, his gaze fixed on the distant Cloud Sea.

"However, before we resolve it, I ought to meet the one who is supposed to be governing you..."

Exchanging the Longevity Technique for Incense was currently Su Bai’s main method for obtaining Merit Points.

The amount of Merit Points he had would determine his ability to deduce higher-level Divine Techniques and Cultivation Techniques.

As Su Bai’s voice fell, the entire mountain went still.

The Daoists gulped, a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

"Senior, are you referring to the Mansion Master of the Capital City Gui Dao Mansion, Qin Wuliang?"

"Or perhaps... you mean to meet the two Venerables?"

Although they, as Daoists who had obtained Divine Positions, theoretically had no official hierarchy.

But Qin Wuliang was different. He was a ghost-god serving under the Netherworld Venerable Master, a Ten Thousand Years Feathered Daoist, and the spiritual backbone of all the Daoists.

As for the two Venerables, Bai You and Hei Ming, their status went without saying.

They were the Guardian Double Venerables of the Netherworld, the two highest-ranking individuals in the entire Yin Department, second only to its creator, the Netherworld Venerable Master!

Naturally, they hoped he meant the latter.

In the current situation, only the two Venerables had the power to quell the chaos. Even the formidable Leader of Gui Chen Sect would be forced to bow his head before them.

"I cannot go to the Netherworld for the time being."

Su Bai said, shaking his head.

With his current Cultivation and strength, he could certainly go to the Netherworld if he wished.

It was just that the next few days were extremely critical, pertaining to his breakthrough into the Void Realm and the metamorphosis of his Immortal Golden Body.

He couldn’t afford to be careless.

"I see..."

Hearing this, the hopeful light in the Daoists’ eyes immediately dimmed.

Mu Guihai forced a smile.

"Right now, Lord Qin is trapped in the Gui Chen Sect’s main headquarters, and the true body of the Leader of Gui Chen Sect is also there. Are you planning to go to the Gui Chen Sect’s headquarters, Senior?"

Su Bai naturally understood what these Daoists were thinking and smiled faintly.

"Who said I was going to look for Qin Wuliang?"

"Then... then you are?"

Mu Guihai’s eyelid twitched, and he asked with a surge of excitement, "You... you’re going to see the two Venerables?!"

His voice was trembling by the end.

The other Daoists were also shaken to their cores, their faces showing utter disbelief as a Divine Light flared in their eyes.

"No."

But Su Bai simply shook his head again.

The Daoists were stunned once more.

The next moment.

Su Bai gazed into the distance, his expression turning grave as he declared:

"He is the one who will be coming to see me!"