Chapter 551: If We Are Fated, I’ll Wait for You in the Upper Realm

Chapter 551 -301: If We Are Fated, I’ll Wait for You in the Upper Realm

The reason the Abbot of the Celestial Dynasty Palace was so willing to make the trade was that he’d heard a previous abbot say:

“This Treasure of the Palace can alter our Daoist fortune and ensure the Celestial Dynasty Palace thrives for a millennium.”

Ten years would be more than enough for the Celestial Dynasty Palace to grow strong and surpass Le Shen Temple.

After the exchange, the two parties traded a few more superficial pleasantries.

The Abbot of the Celestial Dynasty Palace then led his contingent of Daoists away from Lu Yuan’s residence.

After the Daoists had gone, a confused Su Liyan came to Lu Yuan’s side and asked softly,

“Lu Yuan, you already have two of those golden tokens. Why did you need another one?”

“And you gave them the Celestial Master Sword in exchange! Now you don’t even have a decent weapon to wield!”

…

Facing his beloved’s barrage of questions, Lu Yuan just smiled. ‘Do I look like the kind of person who makes a losing deal?’

With that, Lu Yuan took out the two Daoist Elder Orders he already possessed.

The three Daoist Elder Orders belonged to Ancestor Yellow Emperor, Daoist Ancestor Laozi, and Sect Ancestor Zhang Daoling.

The three golden orders floated in the air, simultaneously attracting and repelling one another.

The dazzling golden light they emitted was so bright that Lu Yuan and Su Liyan could barely keep their eyes open.

‘My guess was right,’ Lu Yuan thought. ‘There really is a secret to them.’

Lu Yuan waved his sleeve, gathering the three golden orders and storing them in his System Space.

Meanwhile, the Abbot of the Celestial Dynasty Palace and his entourage had left the residence but hadn’t even made it a block away.

The flash of golden light that erupted from the residence, though brief, had still caught the Abbot’s attention.

In all his long life, the Abbot had never felt such a pure and resonant Dao Power.

“You all head back to the Celestial Dynasty Palace first,” the Abbot told the others.

Once the others were gone, the Abbot concealed his aura and crept back toward Lu Yuan’s residence, intending to investigate.

The Abbot had already reached the Celestial Monarch Realm. If he was careful when using his Invisibility Technique, not even a Grand Celestial Master would be able to detect him.

However, the Abbot didn’t dare get too close. The man in the residence, Lu Yuan, was in the same realm as him.

‘If I’m discovered,’ he thought, ‘I’ll be utterly humiliated.’

“Abbot, it’s not very proper to be lurking around someone’s walls, is it?”

Lu Yuan was perched atop a nearby wall, watching the Abbot with a teasing gaze.

Seeing that he had been discovered, the Abbot gave an awkward cough. “I… was just…”

‘This kid…’ the Abbot thought, his heart sinking. ‘His power is likely greater than my own. I didn’t even sense him!’

And he was right. Lu Yuan had now reached the Celestial Monarch Great Perfection Realm, all thanks to the *Heaven-Reaching* secret manual he had obtained a few months prior.

“Don’t tell me you were struck by a sudden urge to relieve yourself, Abbot?” Lu Yuan continued to jest.

Lu Yuan never had a particularly high opinion of the Daoists from the Celestial Dynasty Palace to begin with.

In terms of conduct and character, they were a far cry from the Daoists of Le Shen Temple.

The Abbot’s old face flushed crimson at being teased so brazenly by a junior.

The Abbot explained, “Just resting my feet, just resting my feet. I’ll be on my way now.”

“This junior respectfully sees you off, Senior!” Lu Yuan called out, still perched on the wall as he cupped his hands in a mock salute.

Once he was certain all the Daoists from the Celestial Dynasty Palace were gone, Lu Yuan returned to the residence.

Back inside, Lu Yuan immediately took Su Liyan by the hand and started leading her out.

“Lu Yuan, where are we going?” Su Liyan asked, utterly baffled by her man’s sudden actions.

“To find a secluded spot so we can study this thing properly!” Lu Yuan said, still pulling her along.

The pair walked out of the West Gate of the Imperial City and headed for the outskirts.

After walking for several more miles and seeing no one around,

Lu Yuan produced two Invisibility Talismans. He handed one to Su Liyan and said, “Apply this and stick close to me!”

Lu Yuan then tied a red silk thread around Su Liyan’s ring finger, just in case she got separated from him.

Su Liyan took the talisman and nodded. “Okay!”

Once they were both invisible, Lu Yuan shot off at high speed.

Using his Divination Calculation Skill, Lu Yuan had determined that a valley about twenty-some miles west of the Imperial City contained a naturally formed Grand Array.

This array could seal the valley off from the outside world, making it the perfect place for some clandestine activities.

Lu Yuan wasn’t taking Su Liyan there for a romantic tryst; he had serious business to attend to.

‘Who in their right mind would mess around outdoors in the early spring?’

‘That’s something for alley cats!’

For Lu Yuan and Su Liyan, a distance of twenty-some miles was nothing.

They arrived in less than an hour.

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan made a sweep of the valley and confirmed there was no one else around.

Lu Yuan chose a spot in the valley, set up Dao Banners around the perimeter, and then added another barrier for good measure.

His extreme caution made Su Liyan, watching from the side, hold her breath.

Lu Yuan once again took out the three Daoist Elder Orders and infused them with a stream of Mana.

The three Daoist Elder Orders resonated with each other again, shooting a beam of golden light into the sky.

After about ten seconds, the golden light gradually began to fade.

“Well now! If it isn’t a couple of young friends!”

A hearty voice boomed from high above Lu Yuan and Su Liyan.

They looked up to see a man in a Golden Robe descending from the sky.

It was a remnant soul!

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan cupped their hands. “We juniors greet you, Senior!”

The man in the Golden Robe landed softly on the ground and carefully examined the pair before him.

“A member of the Human Race! And one from the Half-demon Race! To be able to summon me… your strength is adequate, I suppose.”

‘Adequate?’

‘In the entire Divine Ling Empire, our strength is already among the very top.’

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan remained silent, merely keeping their hands cupped in a respectful gesture.

Even as a mere remnant soul, his power was clearly far beyond their own.

“Good, good. No need for such formalities!” The remnant soul teleported in front of Lu Yuan in a flash.

‘I’ve never heard that the three Dao Ancestors ascended when they were middle-aged,’ Lu Yuan wondered, looking at the Man in Golden Robe.

The Man in Golden Robe seemed to read Lu Yuan’s mind. He said,

“That’s right! I’m no Dao Ancestor. I’m one of their disciples, ordered by my master to leave behind a sliver of my soul.”

“I’ve waited for who knows how many years. For you to summon me today… it must be fate!”

‘Listening to his tone,’ Lu Yuan thought, ‘if I’m not mistaken, his next line is going to be: *I can grant you three wishes!*’

At this thought, the corners of Lu Yuan’s mouth curled up involuntarily.

The Man in Golden Robe’s brow furrowed. “You two aren’t members of Taoism?”

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan hadn’t officially joined the religion, but the Techniques they cultivated were related to Taoism.

In this era, there was no Buddhism, Christianity, or Islam…

Within the Divine Ling Empire, any and all Cultivators practiced Taoist Magic Skills.

Besides those who formally joined Taoism, there were also Celestial Masters and Grand Celestial Masters who had no sect and wandered the world, vanquishing demons.

These individuals only needed to go to a Daoist Temple and pass the relevant assessment to be certified as a Wandering Celestial Master or a Wandering Grand Celestial Master.

Others who had broken the rules of Taoism and were expelled also became Wandering Celestial Masters and Grand Celestial Masters.

Compared to the Daoists who had joined a sect, these Independent Cultivators enjoyed much more freedom.

The downside was a lack of cultivation resources, which made advancement far more difficult.

Lu Yuan respectfully cupped his hands. “That’s correct. We are both Independent Cultivators.”

The Man in Golden Robe floated over to Su Liyan. “Little lady of the Half-demon Race, how would you like to become my disciple?”

????

‘What the hell?’ Lu Yuan was completely baffled. ‘That’s not how the script is supposed to go!’

‘Forgetting about the three wishes is one thing, but now he wants to take my girl as his disciple?’

Su Liyan looked toward Lu Yuan, equally at a loss.

The Man in Golden Robe looked at Su Liyan, then it dawned on him. “Ah, you’re a couple!”

“No matter. You’ll be the Eldest Disciple, and he can be the Junior Disciple!” the Man in Golden Robe said with a smile.

‘Holy hell,’ Lu Yuan thought. ‘I bet this is the first time he’s ever tried to recruit disciples!’

Su Liyan replied directly, “No! He’s my man, and I only listen to him!”

The Man in Golden Robe let out a few hearty laughs. “Fine, fine! So be it!”

The Man in Golden Robe’s smiling expression vanished, replaced by a serious one.

“Watch closely, both of you! By order of the Dao Ancestors, when summoned by one with fate, I am to impart the Space Secret Technique. Whether or not you can grasp it is up to you.”

Before Lu Yuan and Su Liyan, the Man in Golden Robe performed the technique once, his movements as fluid as moving clouds and flowing water.

The space around him was ripped asunder, as if a wormhole had been torn open.

The Man in Golden Robe stepped inside and vanished.

Only a few lines of text remained floating in the air:

“If fate allows, I will be waiting for you in the Upper Realm!”