Chapter 549: Overwhelming Demonic Might (2)

Chapter 549: The Overwhelming Demonic Might (Part 2)

Zhao Yanlong was the secular name of Yang Long.

Chen Qisheng was not entirely sure why this former senior brother from Dragon Tiger Mountain had sought him out.

But Li Jun had once relayed to Chen Qisheng what Yang Long had said before his ritual dissolution, so Chen Qisheng did not refuse this meeting.

Inside the quiet chamber of the hermitage, the controlled Wu Daoist, now under Yuan Mingfei's command, had become a vessel for delivering words. Within the Yellow Millet Dream, Yang Long communicated through Wu Daoist with Chen Qisheng, who stood in the present world.

“How did you find me?”

Chen Qisheng’s voice was laced with caution.

“Don’t worry, Junior Brother. Dragon Tiger Mountain does not yet know that you are still hiding in Shangrao County. However, I was able to locate you by analyzing Xie Bi’an’s movements. Zhang Qingyu will eventually discover this as well, so you’d better relocate as soon as possible.”

“Zhang Qingyu?”

Chen Qisheng naturally knew of this famous superintendent of the Mystic Altar Hall at the Heavenly Master Mansion.

“Is he currently in charge of Dragon Tiger Mountain’s operations?”

“It was the Great Heavenly Master Zhang Chongyuan himself who emerged from seclusion to appoint him.”

Yang Long’s tone was grave. “This time, Zhang Chongyuan is genuinely enraged. Not only did he personally select Zhang Qingyu—the pinnacle of the Fourth Dao among the thirty-four Earth Immortals of the White Jade Capital—to lead, but he also dispatched five chief officers from the Nine Departments of Dragon Tiger. Moreover, he mobilized two sealed ‘Xi-generation’ old Heavenly Masters from the Heavenly Master Mansion’s reserves, determined to annihilate all of you within Guangxin Prefecture.”

“Zhang Chongyuan has mobilized nearly half of Dragon Tiger Mountain. That’s quite an undertaking.”

Chen Qisheng drew a deep breath, a heavy shadow of gloom settling on his brow.

Zhang Qingyu and the five chief officers were manageable, but what truly caught Chen Qisheng off guard were the two sealed ‘Xi-generation’ Heavenly Masters.

According to the current generational order of Dragon Tiger Mountain, the generation ‘Xi’ was senior even to ‘Chong,’ which now held authority over the mountain. These were experts who had already crossed into the Fourth Dao and above during the ‘Division of Martial Arts Under Heaven,’ and could be called ‘attainers of the Dao.’

However, due to certain special reasons, their foundations had fallen into an irreversible ‘Heavenly Decay of the Five Elements.’ Thus, they could only choose to seal their own foundations, entering the Yellow Millet Cave Heaven in a state of suspended consciousness to recuperate.

Yet because of this decline, the strength of these individuals could at most be maintained at the threshold of the Third Dao. Moreover, their prolonged stay in the Yellow Millet Cave Heaven prevented them from returning to nourish their foundations, causing their consciousness to inevitably sink into the confusion of reincarnation, gradually losing the ability to think until only the instinct to vanquish demons remained.

Even so, these sealed Heavenly Masters were still the true foundation of Dragon Tiger Mountain’s hidden power.

“Why are you telling me all this?”

If Dragon Tiger Mountain discovered that Yang Long had divulged this information, his consciousness would be imprisoned in the ‘Fengdu Cave Heaven,’ subjected to endless torment.

In Chen Qisheng’s view, his relationship with Yang Long was merely one of mutual exploitation—each taking what they needed. There was no bond of loyalty that would compel the other to risk so much to pass him intelligence.

“In your eyes, Junior Brother, I suppose I am nothing more than a man driven by profit, aren’t I?”

Yang Long gave a bitter laugh. “That’s not entirely wrong. If I weren’t driven by profit, I might have died long ago. But this time, I’m not here to strike a bargain with you. I simply want to verify something with you.”

Chen Qisheng frowned. “What is it?”

“Have you already destroyed your spiritual aperture, revoked your Dragon Tiger Dao registration, and relinquished all your Yellow Millet privileges belonging to Dragon Tiger Mountain?”

“Yes.”

Chen Qisheng nodded. Now that he had defected from Dragon Tiger Mountain, there was no need to conceal such matters.

“Have you truly ascended to the position of Human Immortal Master?”

Whether it was an illusion, Chen Qisheng sensed a slight tremor in the voice that emerged from Wu Daoist’s mouth.

The source of that tremor was not fear or astonishment, but an excitement barely restrained.

“How did you manage to reach this step?”

Before Chen Qisheng could answer, Yang Long pressed on eagerly. “Do you know the true rituals of the old-school Dao sequence?”

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘true.’ The rituals of the old-school Dao sequence that I understand all originate from Dragon Tiger Mountain.”

Chen Qisheng paused for a moment. “However, when I broke through my seals and advanced in the sequence, I did not satisfy any of its requirements.”

“Then how did you break through? And how did you come to know this step is called the Human Immortal Master?”

“Inspiration came to my heart. When I saw it, I naturally understood it.”

Chen Qisheng gave his answer slowly. He had not lied, yet his words plunged Yang Long into a long silence.

“Inspiration came to your heart, huh? Perhaps you and Li Jun are the same kind of people—a counterstrike from the declining old-school genes against this distorted and malformed Dao sequence of today. As for someone like me, I am fated never to tread that path to immortality.”

Yang Long seemed to accept Chen Qisheng’s absurd reply, which was almost like a riddle, with surprising ease.

Chen Qisheng could even imagine, through his voice, the disheartened and gloomy expression on Yang Long’s face.

“You are an old-school cultivator as well?” Chen Qisheng blurted out.

Yang Long quickly composed himself and said calmly, “Let’s just say I used to be. Now I am no longer worthy to be called a ‘Yan-generation’ Daoist of Wudang Mountain.”

A look of shock suddenly spread across Chen Qisheng’s face. Not only was Yang Long an old-school cultivator, but he had actually belonged to the Dao sequence of Wudang Mountain?!

What was Wudang Mountain? Before the division of martial power under heaven, it was the only Daoist institution within the entire Ming Empire qualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with Dragon Tiger Mountain as the ancestral court of the Daoist path. It was the culmination of the old-school Dao sequence and the sole force whose disciples could contend one-on-one with members of the martial sequence without falling behind!

In fact, after the war, when the Dao sequence joined Confucianism and Buddhism in carving up the remnants of the martial sequence and ascended to the second seat among the Three Teachings, Wudang Mountain’s contribution was indispensable.

Yet in a ‘Struggle for Dao Orthodoxy’—a topic now taboo within the Dao sequence—Wudang Mountain vanished without a trace.

Even young cultivators like Chen Qisheng could only find scattered fragments of records about Wudang Mountain in certain archives at Dragon Tiger Mountain. And even those were likely subjected to layers of revision and censorship, their authenticity impossible to verify.

“If you belonged to Wudang Mountain’s Dao sequence, how did you end up at Dragon Tiger Mountain…”

“Just a possession.”

Yang Long was evidently unwilling to dwell on the subject, brushing past it lightly.

“The rituals of the new-school cultivators focus on the strength of the Dao foundation and the level of Yellow Millet privileges. The strength of the foundation is judged by the number and duration of cycles of reincarnation, while the level of privilege depends on one’s seat in the Immortal Banquet of the White Jade Capital.” Yang Long explained in measured tones.

Chen Qisheng was still reeling from the shock of Yang Long’s true identity, staring blankly in a daze.

“The rituals of the old-school cultivators, on the other hand, were closer to the traditional path of cultivation recorded in Daoist scriptures, emphasizing enlightenment of heaven and earth and the refinement of one’s own divine consciousness—pure practice without relying on any external force.”

Chen Qisheng said in a low voice, “That is different from the philosophy of the old-school cultivators currently passed down by Dragon Tiger Mountain.”

“Of course it’s different. If they could have accepted that philosophy, the ‘Struggle for Dao Orthodoxy’ would never have erupted back then.”

Yang Long said calmly, “The current ‘Four Mountains and One Palace’ plundered the heritage of Wudang Mountain and modified it, forcibly applying the artificially controllable rituals of the new-school system to the old-school path, trying to find universality and regularity. The ‘Combat Department’ was established for this purpose. But the final result did not go as they wished. After the improved old-school cultivators were shackled by the constraints of Yellow Millet privileges, they degenerated into a deformed hybrid.”

“When they realized this path was utterly unviable, other Daoist factions chose to abandon it, concentrating all their resources on developing the Yellow Millet Cave Heaven. And the true reason for Dragon Tiger Mountain’s decline lies precisely in this.”

Chen Qisheng listened quietly to Yang Long’s account, waiting for him to lift the heavy veil shrouding the true history of the Daoist path.

“In the War of Orthodoxy, Dragon Tiger Mountain, as the instigator, faced a full-scale counterattack from Wudang Mountain and suffered extremely heavy losses. The majority of the ‘Xi-generation’ Dao sequence then in power were obliterated—their souls scattered. Those who survived by chance fell into ‘Heavenly Decay of the Five Elements’ due to severe injuries and could only hide in cave heavens, lingering on in a state of suspended existence.”

“Fear breeds irrepressible desire and greed. In order to grasp the power of the old-school Wudang cultivators, Dragon Tiger Mountain did not proceed gradually with experiments like other forces. Instead, it poured the entire strength of the mountain into its experiments. An entire generation’s worth of cultivation seeds from the population base, along with vast material and financial resources, were consumed in this process. Yet the results greatly disappointed the Zhang family. By the time they woke up, Dragon Tiger Mountain had already been left behind by other Daoist factions. The once ancestral court of Daoism had become a hollow shell in name only.”

“If what you say is true, then how could my master have reached the Fourth Dao…”

“Think carefully. Is the Fourth Dao of the Mystic Battle Heavenly Master the same as yours? I told you, it was a flawed method after modification.”

Yang Long sighed. “Privilege is both a shortcut and a cage. Your unintentional act allowed you to break the golden rope and snap the jade lock—by a twist of fate, you stepped onto the correct path. Perhaps this is heaven’s will…”

“So new is new, and old is old. The fundamental difference makes these two paths incompatible and incapable of intercommunication.”

From this point, Chen Qisheng finally understood the entire chain of cause and effect.

“Exactly. The Dao foundation nourishes the divine consciousness, and the divine consciousness feeds back into the Dao foundation—that is the cultivation method of the Dao sequence. But with the advent of the Yellow Millet Cave Heaven, the divine consciousness galloped like a wild horse. The shocking speed of improvement intoxicated the new-school cultivators, driving them to abandon all senses and flesh that breed desire in exchange for longer cycles of dream reincarnation. Yet the result of this was that the swollen divine consciousness could no longer match the lagging and feeble Dao foundation. Thus, more and more new-school cultivators fell into demonic possession.”

Yang Long’s voice suddenly grew fervent, and he roared in a frenzy: “They were all wrong! The most vivid Yellow Millet dream cannot compare to ten-thousandth of the real world. The path of cultivation has never had shortcuts. The Yellow Millet Dream is not an opportunity—it is a calamity! It is a trap that will utterly destroy the Dao sequence.”

A trap?

Chen Qisheng frowned. The Dao Order was one of the principal architects of the Yellow Millet Dream, and also its greatest beneficiary. If this was a trap, who could be the one behind the curtain?

With each layer of the veil pulled away, what appeared before Chen Qisheng was only an even denser fog.

“Senior Brother Zhao—”

Chen Qisheng rose to his full height, cupped his hands, and said with solemn gravity, “Does my senior brother require something of me?”

The words Yang Long had spoken were of unquestionable importance to Chen Qisheng; they were no longer a simple clarification but rather a bestowal of the Way.

Chen Qisheng was not one to accept favors without cause—distinguishing kindness from enmity was his true nature.

“The sect still has its Martial Order and Heaven’s Gate, but Wudang has been left with nothing—utterly obliterated into ashes. What could I possibly need from you?”

Yang Long’s voice was desolate: “I am nothing but a coward. When the sect faced its moment of life and death, I chose to shrink back. Now I will not force upon you those things I myself dare not face. I tell you this only because I wish to do something for the true old-school cultivators, so that the guilt in my heart may be somewhat lightened.”

“Perhaps the Xuan Dou Celestial Master also saw something, which is why he named you Qisheng—‘Begging for Life.’”

Yang Long gave a deep sigh: “Junior Brother, the Dao is a long road. Take care of yourself.”

As his words fell, the Daoist Wu crumpled like a puppet with severed strings, the divine light fading from his eyes as he retreated into the corner.

“How much of what Zhao Yanlong said do you think was true, and how much was false?”

By the door, Yuan Mingfei leaned against the frame, quietly watching Chen Qisheng.

“Nine parts true, one part false.”

Chen Qisheng expelled a mouthful of turbid breath and said, “What he said about the new and old Dao Orders is true.”

“Then what is that ‘one part false’? That he isn’t merely trying to do things for atonement, but rather casting a long line to catch a big fish?”

“No.”

Chen Qisheng got up and walked to the window of the refined chamber, his eyes reflecting the ruins of Shangrao Dao Palace. “That one part false is that Zhao Yanlong is not a man who fears death.”

“It’s possible. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked contacting you at such a time.” Yuan Mingfei gave an ambiguous smile.

“Elder Sister Yuan, where are the Dao officials dispatched by Mount Longhu now?” Chen Qisheng suddenly asked.

“They are currently stationed temporarily at Cangsong Temple north of the city.”

Yuan Mingfei said, “According to the intelligence Zou Sijiu uncovered, you may know the leader of this batch of Dao officials.”

“Who?”

“The current Superintendent of the Heavenly Master Mansion’s Promotion Office and Controller of the Combat Department, Yang Zong.”

Chen Qisheng raised his head to gaze at the sky, his eyes fixed on the sun that was gradually moving westward, and slowly a cold smile traced its way across his lips.

“I am indeed very familiar with him.”

“A peak Dao Four among the first fifty Earth Immortals, two sealed Heavenly Masters suspected to be Dao Threes, plus a group of elite veterans from the Nine Departments of Dragon Tiger—it seems you have thoroughly enraged that Grand Heavenly Master this time, to dispatch such a lavish lineup to slaughter you, the demon of the Martial Order.”

Lord Ma analyzed: “Shangrao, Yushan, Yiyang, Guixi, Yongfeng—within the population base of Guangxin Prefecture there are five counties in total. Shangrao is led by Yang Zong; Zhang Chongyuan has pushed him forward as an obvious bait, and there must be at least one Dao Three by his side, right? Yongfeng County has already been tested by Shen Li—three chiefs of the Nine Departments. Guixi is the mountain gate of Dragon Tiger itself, personally overseen by Zhang Chongyuan.”

“Then by this reasoning, in the two places of Yushan and Yiyang, either a Dao Three is lying in ambush, or it is that Zhang Qingyu, the Superintendent of Xuantan Hall?”

“I never noticed it, Lord Ma—when did your brain become so sharp?”

Atop a pine tree on the mountain peak, Li Jun stood on its crown, peering down at the county town of Yiyang below, taunting as he spoke.

“A man walking the martial world only gets by on his looks for a short while; only those with both courage and cunning can last a lifetime. I, Lord Ma, simply seldom bother to use my head. If I really got serious, even Yuan Mingfei would have to concede defeat.”

“That formidable?”

“Naturally.”

“And how do I compare to Zhang Fengyue? I’ve done countless thankless jobs for him without realizing it, and even now, thinking about it makes me gnash my teeth.”

Li Jun ribbed him: “Why not help me get back at him once?”

“Get back at him? That’s where you’re wrong, boy. Zhang Fengyue—how old is he? An old antique of nearly two hundred years! Why bother arguing with him? Don’t you understand ‘respect the old and cherish the young, and suffer a loss is a blessing’?”

Lord Ma snorted: “Stop teasing me, boy. You’re just a Martial Order; if you were a Ming Ghost, you’d know what kind of legendary figure I, Lord Ma, once was.”

“I know—a man like an eagle.”

Li Jun laughed: “Then how about a bet? Right now, in Yushan City, is it Zhang Qingyu, or that Dao Three of the ‘Xi’ generation?”

“Bet what?”

“The loser pays?”

“Fine, no problem. It’s been a while since I’ve had any hands-on practice. My skills that make heaven weep and gods shudder are probably a little rusty—just the perfect time to warm them up again.”

“You’re older, you choose first.”

“I choose Zhang Qingyu!”

“Are you sure?”

“Sure.”

“Then you can just wait to pay up!”

Li Jun boomed with laughter, spread his arms wide, and leaped down from the mountain summit.

“What do you mean, boy? Did you already have intelligence all along, and now you’re tricking an old man like me, eh?”

The flustered cry burst out from the red eyes within the helmet and scattered into the blustering wind.