Chapter 313 - 134: Huaisheng Daoist, Fan Xin Daoist Child, and the Heavenly Evil Daoist!

Gradually, he grasped the essentials of this Swordsmanship. While he hadn’t fully comprehended its depths, he could now execute it perfectly.

The brilliant radiance began to slowly recede before extinguishing completely.

Jin Yunfeng gazed at the formless Flying Sword that had condensed in his palm and muttered to himself.

"With this Swordsmanship, things should be fine."

...

With the Incense and Candle Grand Assembly drawing near, countless people flooded into the Da Yu Capital City daily.

The city guards were tirelessly busy during this period, barely able to keep up with counting the collected entrance fees.

CLINK! CLANK!

The crisp jingle of copper coins falling into a basket rang out.

An old Daoist and a young one followed the flow of people through the towering city gate, entering the Da Yu Capital City.

The old Daoist’s robe was as white as his hair and beard. He was empty-handed and looked utterly destitute.

The young Daoist had a dark complexion, a red mole between his brows, and a slightly chubby build.

He carried a banner emblazoned with nine large words: "The Heavens and Earth have spirit, the mortal realm has the Dao."

The wide avenues within the city were paved with blue-green jade, wide enough for a dozen horses to ride side-by-side.

Towering buildings lined both sides, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The sky had only just begun to brighten, but the streets were already teeming with people.

If one looked closely, they would discover incredibly powerful auras hidden amongst the crowd.

From all directions, the cries of vendors rose and fell, mingling with the aroma of food that washed over them.

"So this is the Da Yu Capital City? It’s so prosperous! But this entrance fee is too expensive. It costs dozens of copper coins for just one person!"

The short young Daoist, carrying a medium-sized banner, had been showing signs of fatigue. But upon seeing the splendor of the Da Yu Capital City, he momentarily forgot his weariness.

"It’s no surprise for an Immortal Dynasty to have such a scene. A pity that it has already peaked and is now in decline."

The old Daoist also gazed at the scene, sighing with a complex expression.

"What a pity, what a pity..."

Though they both looked in the same direction, what the old man saw was not quite the same.

The young Daoist saw the bustling crowds, the vibrant clamor, the glorious facade.

The old Daoist, however, saw the Destiny Immortal Dragon. It stretched across the land, roaring at the heavens, yet it showed clear signs of fatigue. Its once crimson-gold body was now tinged with a dim, bloody red.

’I wonder if Emperor Yu can still hold on...’

The next moment, the old Daoist looked toward a certain direction, his expression grave as the thought crossed his mind.

"Peaked and in decline? How could that be?"

The young Daoist rubbed his shoulder and lowered the Daoist banner.

PFFT!

The seemingly wooden flagpole pierced right through a thick slate of blue jade as he set it down. The young Daoist jumped in fright and hastily pulled it out.

"Be careful."

The old Daoist glared at him. "If you break something, you won’t be able to pay for it! Between the two of us, we only have a little over a hundred copper coins!"

"Oh."

The young Daoist smiled sheepishly.

But a moment later, he grew annoyed again.

"Master, we’re Daoists too. Look at the Gui Chen Sect—how glorious and grand they are!"

"You said our Netherworld Daoist Temple has a long and storied history, so why are we so destitute?"

Smelling the rich aromas wafting through the air, the young Daoist swallowed hard.

"Shut up!"

The old Daoist’s face darkened as he shot his disciple another glare. But seeing the boy’s crestfallen expression, he sighed inwardly.

His name was Huaisheng, and the young Daoist was his disciple, Fan Xin. They were the last two members of the Netherworld Daoist Temple.

The Netherworld Daoist Temple was the lineage left behind by the Netherworld Venerable Master. By all rights, it should have been at the height of its glory.

Unfortunately, the founding tenet of the Netherworld Daoist Temple was to protect the mortal realm. Daoists who held a Divine Position operated in the light, while they were meant to be the shadows, never having the chance to manifest their sainthood before the public.

But if that were all, they wouldn’t have fallen into such a dismal state.

The crucial turning point came after the Netherworld Venerable Master vanished.

The heritage of the Netherworld Daoist Temple was unlike that of any other Cultivation Sect in the world.

Its uniqueness lay in the fact that the Netherworld Daoist Temple possessed no profound Daoist Skills, Cultivation Techniques, or Divine Techniques—only a single Secret Technique.

The God Summoning Technique.

As the name implied, their strength was drawn from the Netherworld Venerable Master and the various ghosts and deities of the Netherworld.

From the lowly Demon Ghost Daoists to the mighty Seven Lords of Netherworld, and even the Netherworld Venerable Master himself—they could borrow power from them all.

Alas, after the Netherworld Venerable Master disappeared, the upper limit of their God Summoning Technique plummeted from the Netherworld Venerable Master himself all the way down to mere Demon Ghost Daoists. It was a truly pitiful decline.

"Get your buns here! Freshly steamed big buns!"

"Delicious tofu pudding... We’ve got sweet, and we’ve got savory!"

"Flatbread! Get your flatbread!"

The various cries of vendors were endless in their ears.

Elder Huaisheng Daoist sighed, took out six copper coins, and bought two pieces of flatbread, handing one to his disciple.

"This will have to do. Life isn’t easy in the Da Yu Capital City. In other cities, a piece of flatbread costs just one copper coin. In some of the smaller county towns, you can get two for that price."

"But here, a single piece of flatbread costs three copper coins."

Fan Xin Junior Daoist gulped and took the flatbread.

Abstaining from food is a necessary skill for cultivators, but who would want to do that when they could eat instead?

The master and disciple squatted by the side of the main road, eating their flatbread and chatting.

"You really need to practice abstaining from food more."

Elder Huaisheng Daoist licked his fingers clean and wiped them on his robes.

Fan Xin Daoist Child rolled his eyes and sighed: