The chicken and the monkey often crossed paths, and when the monkey heard that the Golden Simurgh loved eating insects, it thought, "That's easy! You give us the incense offerings you earn for our hall, and we monkeys will help you catch insects across the entire mountain."
Even the lice on the female monkey's bodies will be specially saved for you.
Who is the Golden Simurgh? The kind of foodie that can't walk away when it sees insects!
So, most of the incense offerings every month were spent by the Golden Simurgh to satisfy its own appetite.
After three years, Phoenix Fairy Hall earned quite a bit of incense offerings for the main hall, but this chicken didn't save much for itself.
Looking at the Golden Simurgh, which weighed two hundred pounds and was bigger than an ostrich from Layered Mountain Country, Xu Qing was utterly speechless.
Beside him, Master Yizhen also sighed, "Since the Golden Simurgh survived the calamity, strangely, it has comprehended the method of accommodating heaven and earth."
"In the early years, our master often had the Golden Simurgh listen to lectures and meditate, hoping it could awaken its bloodline power in the future, possessing divine techniques to purify a realm's filth and impurities."
"Who would've thought that years of effort would end up bringing such a devouring, all-encompassing divine technique..."
"..."
Xu Qing watched his nose, his nose watched his heart. He couldn't guarantee whether the Golden Simurgh had been influenced by him, staying hungry with him by the Yin River, and thus awakened the divine technique of wide-eating.
Wasn't it because this chicken had to endure frugality for so many years, just for a full meal...
Xu Qing felt that this matter had nothing to do with him.
"Speaking of which, I should thank you, Junior Brother, without your careful care, this Spiritual Bird might not have broken free from its shackles and realized its true nature for a long time."
"True nature?"
Xu Qing looked at the Golden Simurgh, whose gaze was both stupid and clear. Could this chicken also comprehend the Dao?
Master Yizhen nodded, "Perhaps it's the fortune it's destined for; after devouring many yin and evil things, it found its unique path."
Xu Qing recalled the parasites nurtured by the Yin-Eroding Law King, thinking some naturally gifted demon spirits defy logic in their cultivation, eating and drinking whatever they want, yet still muddledly comprehended their way to establish a presence.
"If you have Dharma Artifacts contaminated by filth, Junior Brother, you can put them into the Golden Simurgh's crop. Soon enough, the filth will disappear."
Xu Qing shook his head. For a cultivator committed to righteous cultivation, this function might be miraculous, but for him, an utterly evil zombie, it had no practical value.
Arriving in the backyard, Master Jingxu was there, playing chess with Tao Sanmei with a grudge.
At this moment, Tao Sanmei couldn't wait to end the chess game sooner. This Primordial Spirit True Man was shameless, always tormenting her alone!
Isn't it just because two years ago the Emperor Dayong had someone assassinated, an old gossip lady couldn't resist divining, which summoned thunder and incurred a lot of incense debt...
What's the big deal, working for the Immortal Hall for a few years will pay it off, right?
Why is she so narrow-minded, bullying her, a junior, everywhere?
"The Sect Leader is back!"
Seeing Xu Qing, Tao Sanmei felt like she received a pardon and ran behind the Sect Leader wrapped in a peach blossom fragrance.
Even the trunk of her real body, the peach tree, straightened up a lot, as if she had found a backbone.
Master Jingxu snorted coldly, ignoring Xu Qing.
Instead, she hinted, "Falling flowers have meaning, flowing water is ruthless. Some people have been remembered for ten years, yet those they remember might not hold them dear."
"Look, the sun is almost beyond noon."
Xu Qing didn't understand the cryptic message the little old lady was sending. Following etiquette, he cupped his hands and greeted her:
"Haven't seen you in many years, Master Jingxu's spirit seems even better than before."
Master Jingxu finally looked up at Xu Qing.
Though she is a Primordial Spirit True Man, she has no physical body resident, and over the years, she has been deliberately avoiding it, yet still being subtly influenced by the calamitous world, not daring to casually use magic and divine techniques.
But having lived in Underground Street for these years, her Primordial Spirit body instead became clearer, and she could even walk freely in the Jin Sect without entering her case.
She noticed that this anomaly was related to a strand of clear air born in the Jin Sect, but try as she might, she couldn't find the source of that clear air.
It could not possibly have been born in monster-infested Underground Street.
In Master Jingxu's eyes, these immortal monsters only managed to hold onto their principles and persist in righteous cultivation because of the influence of that clear and upright air.
As for anyone suggesting that this strand of independent clear air was born in Underground Street, Master Jingxu was utterly disbelieving.
Looking at Xu Qing, whose cultivation depth was like a deep pool with no visible ripples, the little old lady couldn't help but furrow her brows.
It must be noted that ordinary people couldn't see the changes in her; this kid surely couldn't be a Primordial Spirit True Man too...
Shaking her head, Master Jingxu dispelled the impossible doubt. This kid, who hasn't returned after wandering for ten years, probably just casually spoke some flattery. How could he genuinely see her changes?
"Spare me your flattery. The favor owed to your hall will be repaid in full someday..."
When the conversation turned to returning favors, the old lady's tone noticeably dropped. The old Temple Master suddenly thought, if the ties were cleared, wouldn't that mean leaving the Underground Street and returning to the Five Elders Temple?
Why does it feel less appealing than owing someone a favor?
Master Jingxu felt an urge stirring. Maybe another day, she should cast another divination...
Xu Qing didn't know what the reclusive old lady was thinking, but he wasn't here to comfort the elderly.
After encountering Tao Sanmei and the old Temple Master, Xu Qing led Daoist Yizhen into the side room, closing the door tightly, not just bolting it but also having his senior sister set up a barrier array to block any investigation from outside.
Master Jingxu frowned, pacing back and forth at the door, sensing something was off, but based on her understanding of her own disciple, under the glaring sun...
No matter what, the two of them wouldn't do anything inappropriate.
Tao Sanmei's eyes were bright as she stared at the door to the side room, her thoughts a mystery.
Inside, Daoist Yizhen followed her junior brother's instructions without question, arranging various arrays.
She recalled her father Hu Baosong's advice—"You can listen to Xu Qing, but do not trust him."
Daoist Yizhen felt her actions were correct, even thinking her junior brother's words weren't entirely untrustworthy either.
After all, besides her master, the only one left to her by Hu Baosong was this convenient junior brother. If she didn't trust her junior brother, her path to cultivating connections might as well end.
In the Fox Race, cultivating through connections was vital. If she didn't take this path, she truly didn't know where to go in the future.
"Junior Brother, just say what you have to say, Senior Sister trusts you!"
Xu Qing blinked his eyes; he hadn't even spoken yet, and she had already declared her stance?
Xu Qing didn't mind, pondering for a moment before taking out a collection of treasures glistening with radiant light from the Mountain and River Map.
The Foxlight Mirror, Moon Worship Banner, Silk Threaded Double Swords, Yu King Zither, Phantom Moon Pearl...
Daoist Yizhen felt a subtle connection between these treasures and her own bloodline, and asked in shock:
"Where did you get these things, Junior Brother?"
Apart from robbing the Hu family's ancestral tomb, Daoist Yizhen couldn't think of any other possibility.
Xu Qing lightly coughed and said, "As Dayong was falling, many forces were vying at the Ancient Yin River Dao. While hiding, I accidentally entered a site of the Earth Mound Collection and obtained some Nine-tailed Fox treasures."
"These things are of no use to me, so I brought them back for you, Senior Sister."
"Earth Mound Collection site?" Daoist Yizhen's furrowed brows relaxed a bit.
But when Xu Qing passed on the complete inheritance of the Hu family, Daoist Yizhen fell into silence.
"You really didn't go to the Hu burial ground?"
"I didn't. Why would I go there?"
"These really came from the Earth Mound Collection site?"
"Of course!"
"..."
Seems like her father's warning was true; Junior Brother Xu's words can't be fully trusted.
The Earth Origin Technique of the Tushan Wishful Technique uses emotions as a guide to make wishes to heaven and earth, temporarily boosting fortune or reversing karmic and bloodline Divine Techniques.
Nine Tails into the Nether
With each tail awakened, a new talent is unlocked:
First tail, Enchantment. Bewitch the mind, confuse the senses, hypnotize others.
Second tail, Tongqiao. Open the three General Knowledges: Broad Sight, Adept Ears, and Extensive Awareness.
Third tail, Phantom Shape. Transform appearance, change disguise in countless ways.
Fourth tail, Prayer. Make wishes to heaven and earth, boost fortune, enhance one's or another's blessing with a cost (dog calamity, human calamity, etc.)
Fifth tail, Disaster Evasion. Mitigate personal or others' calamities to a certain extent, dissolve disasters and difficulties.
Sixth tail, Void Vision. See through illusions, observe everything clearly.
Seventh tail, Life Creation. Control the essence of nature, bringing life to dead wood, turning barren soil green. Can extend the life of a dying person at the cost of a century's worth of vital essence actions, but will incur divine punishment.
Eighth tail, Heavenly Wisdom. Achieve a profound insight into adaptability, understanding change and seeing destiny, using the heart as a mirror to glimpse the future.
Ninth tail, Heavenly Auspice. Know the prosperity and decline over millennia, purify a region of calamities and foul auras. Only with heaven's mandate and the favor of the Dao can it be activated. Otherwise, one risks being backlashed by calamities, burning in endless karmic fire, without a burial place.
Only merit can resolve Illusion Techniques, love bonds, auspicious talismans, prayer, causal laws' application in support, offense and defense, and special Dharma Artifact attributes: illusions, bonds, protections, with the three core Mind Confusion Spells: Phantom Moon, Floating Clouds, Soul Captivation.