A regular carriage was driven out of the Imperial City, driven by a minor leader of Dong Factory. However, the fact that such a third-grade martial arts master served as a coachman was a testament to the identity of the person inside the carriage.
But when the carriage neared the entrance of Shenxiao Square, a voice came from inside the carriage, "Stop!"
Hmm~
Indeed, the coachman's control skills were extraordinary. At the sound of the voice, he immediately pulled back the reins, stopping the horses in their tracks, and the carriage came to a halt just before entering Shenxiao Square.
Then a middle-aged man with a clean-shaven face stepped out. It was none other than Huang Jin, the eunuch currently serving Zhu Houji, the ruler of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty.
"Before Shenxiao Square, military officers must dismount, and civil officials must alight. That's the emperor's decree, and I dare not violate it. I shall walk the rest of the way myself!" Huang Jin's soft voice echoed slowly.
Shenxiao Square is based in the Shenxiao Sect.
The Taoist Temple, originally built by Pei Xuanjing himself, had been expanded countless times as Pei Xuanjing's power and status increased. It was now several times larger than before. The original residents in the area had moved out, and all the remaining houses were bought up by the Shenxiao Sect.
Now, this entire street belongs to the Shenxiao Sect, which is why many people from outside this area refer to it as Shenxiao Square.
The Great Ming Divine Dynasty was thriving, Zhu Houji was unfathomable, ruler of the world. As Zhu Houji's personal eunuch and supervisor of Dong Factory, Huang Jin held high-ranking power. Many elders and high officials of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty didn't dare to take him lightly. Furthermore, with his Divine Position, Huang Jin was a formidable figure ranked among the strongest in the world and was highly respected.
However, even such a man did not dare to act recklessly in front of Shenxiao Square, which spoke volumes about Pei Xuanjing's status and authority as the National Adviser.
Not to mention the rule that civil officials must alight from their carriages and military officers must dismount from their horses before Shenxiao Square, even in the absence of this rule, Huang Jin would not be so rash as to let his subordinates drive into the square.
The higher you stand, the more you see.
Huang Jin's status in the entire Great Ming Divine Dynasty was highly ranked. For this reason, he clearly understood just how strong Pei Xuanjing was. There might be people who would want to confront the National Adviser and defy him, but Huang Jin was certainly not one of them.
Huang Jin was the emperor's servant. As long as the emperor did not sever ties with Pei Xuanjing, he, as the emperor's teacher, had to respect and esteem Pei Xuanjing with the utmost reverence; he couldn't afford the slightest negligence.
It wasn't about being a coward or avoiding trouble. It was the discretion that allowed him to step by step to his current position today.
"Forgive my late welcome, Grand Uncle." A laugh came from a distance, interrupting Huang Jin's reverie. He looked towards its source and saw Pang Hong, the current Vice Head of the Shenxiao Sect and the only direct disciple of Pei Xuanjing.
"Vice Head, you don't need to be overly polite. I am not here on official business on behalf of His Majesty today. I'm just passing by." Huang Jin hurriedly replied with a smile.
"Manager Huang, there's no need for such formalities." Pang Hong pointed and said, "Please."
As Pei Xuanjing's chosen heir, Pang Hong certainly lived up to expectations. With Pei Xuanjing barely involved, he not only managed the affairs of the Shenxiao Sect efficiently but also did not let his cultivation lapse.
When Pei Xuanjing had given him the Shenxiao Command Token, Pang Hong had set out to acquire the true inheritance of the Shenxiao Sect with Yu Zhenzi's accompaniment.
Although he suffered a lot, he was lucky to have had Yu Zhenzi's help. Thus, Pang Hong managed to gain the Shenxiao Sect's inheritance from that restricted place.
Carrying the Seven-Killing Sword to temper his character, Pang Hong had become a qualified successor over the past few years. His mature and steady personality had led the Shenxiao Sect to prosper under his leadership.
Pang Hong had now reached the Onefold Spirit Realm. His cultivation speed among his peers almost ranked at the top, making many seniors feel inadequate by comparison.
However, besides the envy and jealousy of those who didn't know him well and envied him for having an excellent master, those familiar with him knew that besides having Pei Xuanjing as his master, his own hard work and diligence were indispensable.
Together with Huang Jin, Pang Hong walked into the Taoist Temple. After everyone else had left, Huang Jin revealed his purpose for coming: "I came here today to ask if the National Adviser intends to take action against certain individuals?"
Huang Jin's purpose for coming was to ask about the news that Pei Xuanjing had recently disseminated through Bai Xiaosheng—that he intended to take action against those returning from the Tianhuang who were reluctant to follow the rules.
This matter should naturally be inquired of Pei Xuanjing directly. However, since Pei Xuanjing was in seclusion in the Taoist Academy and the emperor could not leave the Imperial City, no one else was eligible to find Pei Xuanjing for confirmation. Therefore, Huang Jin had to find a way to approach Pang Hong to validate the news.
Since the return of individuals from Tianhuang, the most vexed force in the entire Daming world was naturally the Great Ming Divine Dynasty.
The strength of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty was sufficient to suppress all factions and maintain a stable state across the entire world. However, the appearance of these people had undoubtedly introduced countless variables. They wouldn't dare to touch the forces behind Pei Xuanjing, but they didn't show the same respect to the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, occasionally provoking them.
"Indeed." Pang Hong nodded, not denying it.
Pei Xuanjing had told Pang Hong about the reasons behind this news a while ago. Regardless of any decisions Pei Xuanjing made or any consequences that might arise, Pang Hong would not care and would support him wholeheartedly.
Even if Huang Jin hadn't come to find him today, after they're all prepared on their side, they would also find time to enter the Imperial City to explain this matter to the emperor. After all, the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, in actuality, is more eager to solve this issue than they are.
"Great!" On hearing these words, Huang Jin's face showed a trace of joy, he said to Pang Hong, "Vice Head, if you are willing, could we go to the Imperial City now to explain this matter to His Majesty?"
Pang Hong agreed, and after a brief preparation, the two entered the Imperial City together.
...
At the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of War, Wang Qiong was discussing this matter with Gu Ji.
"What is your opinion on this matter?" Wang Qiong asked Gu Ji.
Gu Ji approved of Pei Xuanjing's move, saying, "We should support this proposition. As more and more people return from the Tianhuang, the situation becomes increasingly unstable. If we let this continue, it will undoubtedly cause greater chaos. Now if we can suppress these people, even if it only lasts for a while, it will undoubtedly give us more time to develop."
The Great Ming Divine Dynasty, despite its promotion, still lacked some foundation and needed more time to accumulate and settle down. Every day was precious, and getting entangled with these people undeniably slowed their pace. When the forces of Tianhuang descended in the future, their response would only be even more lacking.
Wang Qiong had the same attitude, he said, "So, you should focus on coordinating this matter. Regardless of how the Factory Guards react, the Six Gates can start to move and cooperate with the National Advisor's actions."
"Has Pei Xuanjing always been so domineering?" Wang Changqing asked Yang Yongxiu who stood before him.
Wang Changqing, a powerful figure from the Hell Demon Sect of the Demonic Way in Sky Wasteland, initially had a Spirit Realm Sixth Level strength. However, he suffered significant injuries during his journey to the Ancestral Land, along with the rejection from Heaven and Earth, which limited him to exhibit only Fourth Level power in the Spiritual Realm.
If it weren't for his grievous injuries, he wouldn't have spared the life of Xue Wuheng of the Demonic Cult when he struck initially.
No one expected Xue Wuheng, who appeared low-key all these years, to also have Fourth Level power in the Spiritual Realm in such a short time. Regardless of how he achieved it, from the moment he fought back, Wang Changqing realized he had underestimated the strength of the Ancestral Land's powerhouses.
This mistaken move made Wang Changqing consecutively fall into a state of decline, injured by Xue Wuheng who seized the opportunity. He was then forced to alter his plans, escaping with Yang Yongxiu to establish a new stronghold for the Demonic Cult.
"Pei Xuanjing has been very low-key all these years, but no one dares to underestimate him. No one thinks that cultivating his morality and nature will change his character." A murderous glint flickered in Yang Yongxiu's eyes as he spoke gravely.
All blame lies with Pei Xuanjing. If it were not for Pei Xuanjing's attack on his father, which disrupted his father's plans and led to the downfall of his family, he would not have been reduced to barely surviving.
Yes, barely surviving.
Although the present Yang Yongxiu is rising to prominence as a powerful figure of the Demonic Way in the eyes of many, commanding numerous strong followers, he sees himself as utterly distraught, like a homeless stray dog barely clinging to life.
If Yang Yongxiu was initially a person of insignificance, he would not feel wronged to have his current status and power, instead, he would feel proud of all he possesses.
Sadly, that is not the case. The comparison made it harder to bear.
Yang Yongxiu was of high standing before, his father was the leading minister, high-ranking in the court. He himself was from a prestigious background, a top scholar with unlimited potential.
But the appearance of Pei Xuanjing has reduced him to his current state. How could he possibly feel well?
After all, as powerful as the Demonic Cult is, it's still considered heretical.
However, despite his deep-seated hatred for Pei Xuanjing, Yang Yongxiu's evaluation of him is very clear, completely devoid of personal feelings.
He is brimming with wisdom and intelligence, otherwise, he wouldn't have made it this far under such challenging circumstances.
As for Pei Xuanjing, his arch-enemy, it is precisely because of his intense hatred that he dare not underestimate him.
"So…" Wang Changqing fell silent.
In fact, he already had a thorough understanding of this first-rate powerhouse and invincible National Master, Pei Xuanjing, from the very beginning of his arrival in the Ancestral Land.
"In that case, we can only lay low for now." Wang Changqing sighed deeply, his decision surprising Yang Yongxiu somewhat, "I was wondering how to persuade you to lay low."
Having known this powerful figure from Sky Wasteland's Demonic Way for some time, Yang Yongxiu always found him to be a man born for the demonic way—ruthless, decisive, cold-blooded, and arrogantly proud.
So when he heard him ask, he thought he intended to confront directly and prepared to persuade him to lie low instead.
Wang Changqing scoffed and said, "Despite their swagger, people of the Demonic Way know who they can provoke and who they cannot. Naive fools can't survive in the Demonic Way—they're dead already."
Though people of the Demonic Way seem outrageously arrogant, they are actually the most savvy among all the forces in the world. They top the list when it comes to adapting to circumstances and playing along.
The Demonic Way is condemned by all, intolerable to many on the Righteous Path. If not for the threat of the Demon Race, the human race's Righteous Path would have eliminated these followers of the Demonic Way, despite their reluctancy to harm themselves. Even so, the Righteous Path still suppresses the Demonic Way.
Aside from threats from the Righteous Path, the Demonic Way itself has significant problems. After all, it is a group of cultivators that are not tolerated by the Righteous Path. Unlike the Righteous Path adhering to surface-level manners and etiquette, the Demonic Way is full of naked survival of the fittest—mighty prevail, the weak can only obey or perish.
Such an environment cultivated the Demonic Cultivator's supreme ability, or instinct, to see which way the wind blows and curry favor with others.
"Pei Xuanjing is currently the strongest here in the Ancestral Land. Since I can't resist him, I just have to obey and dodge." Wang Changqing stated indifferently.
Pei Xuanjing announcing this information at this moment indicated that he wanted to intimidate the returned people from the Sky Wasteland, aiming for a strawman effect. Regardless that he was now being pursued by the young Xue Wuheng, even if he were undefeated, he wouldn't foolishly provoke a Sixth-Level powerhouse. Even if the other party is just stepping into the Sixth Level, a Seventh Level Spiritual Realm powerhouse is not someone he can offend at present.
As he said this, he looked at Yang Yongxiu solemnly and said, "Our current alliance is to counter Xue Wuheng and the Demonic Cult. I will not interfere in your grievances with Pei Xuanjing, so don't think of dragging me into it. Otherwise, when the day comes, the first person I will kill is you."
Wang Changqing issued a warning to Yang Yongxiu, knowing that even though he belonged to the Hell Demon Sect, one of Sky Wasteland's top forces and himself had Spirit Realm Sixth Level strength, following the Demonic Cult's style, they would not unnecessarily provoke a Spirit Realm Seventh-Level powerhouse. And he shared the same mindset.
Their cooperation with Yang Yongxiu is just to counter Xue Wuheng and the Demonic Cult, nothing more.
Yang Yongxiu's face was impassive, his thoughts inscrutable. He merely said coldly, "I understand."
He never expected these people to revenge for him. If he were the previous Yang Yongxiu, he might have considered relying on others. But after years of countless hard knocks, Yang Yongxiu would no longer harbor such naive thoughts.
If Pei Xuanjing were just an ordinary cultivator, Wang Changqing might have chosen to help him take revenge in order to win him over. But now that Pei Xuanjing is an existence he can't provoke, how could he take on such a matter?
"That's good!" Wang Changqing nodded satisfactorily.
Unless necessary, he certainly did not wish to provoke a Seventh Level Powerhouse of the Spiritual Realm, particularly without sufficient compensation.
Best if Yang Yongxiu acknowledges this; otherwise, don't blame him for acting regardless of how unpleasant the result may be for both parties.
"Given the current situation, we can no longer stand up against them directly. We can only choose to lay low. Do you have any good places to go?" Wang Changqing asked aloud.
A glint of brightness flashed through the deep eyes of Yang Yongxiu at his words. He slowly uttered, "There is one place we can go to which is securely hidden. Xue Wuheng will never think of it."
"Where?"
"The place my father ventured into, the Forbidden Place in our Blessed Land." Yang Yongxiu recalled this place.
Previously, his father, Blood Demon Yang Tinghe, found some secrets in this forbidden Blessed Land and chose to renounce his power in the Blood Demon Sect, willingly infiltrating the Great Ming Court for decades.
"The path of cultivation consists of refining essence, refining qi, and refining spirit. These are but different methods of cultivation and none are superior to the others. Those who refine their essence, polish and temper their bodies, aiming for physical immortality; those who refine qi, harbor a vital breath within, merging their qi with the universe, aiming for ceaseless primordial qi; and those who refine the spirit concern themselves with forging the soul and nourishing the spirit, allowing it to leave the body unharmed, aiming for an immortal spirit. I humbly practice all three paths, aspiring for an indestructible body, infinite qi, and an everlasting spirit. Once such a realm is reached, one is considered a true immortal, eternally existing in the world…"
In the public lecture area of the Taoist Academy, a nine-zhang high platform stood in the center, Pei Xuanjing, clad in a Taoist robe and holding a Sanbao Jade Ruyi in his hand, was elucidating his path of cultivation.
Although the Taoist Academy's public lecture area housed several platforms, the largest one in the center was exclusively used by Pei Xuanjing.
It wasn't that Pei Xuanjing prohibited anyone else from using it but that the instructors regarded listening to Pei Xuanjing's lectures as an honor, treating him with the respect of a disciple, not daring to share the same platform, demonstrating their admiration.
At the time when Pei Xuanjing expressed his intentions of establishing more branches of the Taoist Academy, recruiting more principals for these branches, and the news relating to the instructors being spread, countless people flooded in hoping to receive Pei Xuanjing's favor and acquire the position of an instructor in the academy.
Pei Xuanjing did not reject any of those who swarmed in. He announced to everyone that he would give public lectures in the Taoist Academy for a while, and all those who aspire to become instructors and branch principals were welcome to partake in the lectures.
Once Pei Xuanjing's lectures were over, they could write about their experiences and understandings during this period of listening to the Tao on the contribution ledger of the Academy. They would then be granted a varying number of contribution points based on what they had gained. Pei Xuanjing would proceed to choose the instructors from the people who had earned the highest contribution points, meaning the ones who gained the most from listening to the Tao.
This was essentially an examination; Pei Xuanjing lectured, and the people took in his teachings, creating a thesis that they would then upload onto the cultivation method exchange platform built by Pei Xuanjing. He would then evaluate their gains, grading the points which would replace their grades, and then distribute them.
Moreover, this method created a win-win situation for both parties as Pei Xuanjing could derive inspiration from their comprehension and insights, while they could earn contribution points in exchange for things they required, making it a scenario of killing two birds with one stone.
"However, there are quite a lot of people coming this time, will the principal be able to cope?" Qingyang Zi expressed his doubts about the method proposed by Pei Xuanjing.
Pei Xuanjing confidently assured Qingyang Zi, "That's not a problem at all; you just need to organize and disseminate the news."
He made no tall claims; accomplishing this task was a simple matter for Pei Xuanjing.
With Pei Xuanjing's current prowess and realm, his spiritual power or mental strength reached a terrifying magnitude, far surpassing the top-tier internet servers of his previous world, functioning like a precise calculator that could promptly respond and assess upon receiving data.
If it were any other Seventh Level Spiritual Realm experts, even those who specialize in refining spirits could only do so much but couldn't sustain it indefinitely. The consumption of mental strength eventually reached a peak and would be depleted, requiring time for recovery.
However, for Pei Xuanjing, this wasn't a worry because his mental strength could be quickly restored. The belief and incense power that streamed in without intermission could continuously replenish his mental strength. As long as this belief and incense power did not cease, he did not have to worry about the possibility of mental strength depletion.
For Pei Xuanjing, he only needed to divide a line of spiritual consciousness, nurtured by the elements of faith and incense power, to create a spiritual avatar dedicated to handling these matters.
This was the foundational confidence Pei Xuanjing had when he initially proposed establishing more branches of the Taoist Academy. He could distribute countless spiritual consciousness, construct his sculpture in every branch of the academy, and nurture the spiritual consciousness with the power of faith and incense. This would aid everyone from the academy branches to exchange cultivation methods.
In other words, he had effectively made himself a human server, with all of these divided consciousness functioning like base stations in the countless academy branches.
If someone from Pei Xuanjing's previous life were to look upon this, they would be utterly dumbstruck. This was equivalent to Pei Xuanjing single-handedly establishing an internet throughout the Great Ming World, with him being its foundation, all processing systems and servers resident within him, with nobody able to replace him.
"Such a method, if one day all the lands are enveloped within my spiritual consciousness and everything is interconnected, wouldn't this internet be a divine kingdom? But does this method belong to the Divine Immortal Path or the Earthly Immortal Path?"
In the beginning, Pei Xuanjing only wanted to address the potential issue of cultivation method leakage and hadn't thought too much about it, merely devising solutions for the problems that arose.
However, as his solutions accumulated and overlapped, creating the current scenario, it provided Pei Xuanjing a glimpse into an astonishing possibility.
Legends have it that gods wield authority, build their own divine kingdoms, and are omniscient. Whenever and wherever their believers make sacrifices and call upon them, the gods can instantly shift their attention, providing salvation to the believers.
Then there is the path of the Earth Immortal where the main body resides within one's cave heaven and blessed land, with the spirit freely traveling beyond, knowing the affairs of the world.
From Pei Xuanjing's current actions, although not yet fully implemented, his vision naturally saw far into the future. If one day he was successful, it seemed he would possess this magical power.
Having made this discovery, Pei Xuanjing naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. Although he had deduced that there are five categories at the Immortal Realm—Heaven, Earth, Human, God, and Ghost—none of these gave a clear idea about advancement. At the moment, this discovery, while he couldn't determine whether it belongs to the Divine Immortal Path or the Earthly Immortal Path, was nonetheless a great revelation for him. Of course, he wouldn't miss out and would seize this opportunity to try it out, accumulating more experience for his future path to immortality.
During this time, while refining Tao rhythm, Pei Xuanjing also pondered this plan, assesses the feasibility of this plan, trying to identify any potential flaws or deficiencies.
After all, this was different from the simulation of life where he had countless opportunities to try and err. A grand plan like this, by definition, made failure not an option.