Chapter 1 The Grand Qian State Guesthouse

The Grand Qian State Guesthouse was located dozens of *li* away from the imperial palace, covering hundreds of acres. The terrain was open and imposing. At the entrance, a pair of vermilion stone-carved *qilin*, each three men tall, stood guard. Hundreds of elite soldiers in armor patrolled the guesthouse.

Years ago, the previous Qian Emperor was assassinated by Meng Shenji. Because of that incident, the current Qian Emperor made many promises, inviting experts from all over the world to compile martial and Daoist scriptures.

As a result, many experts had already arrived at the guesthouse, including disciples sent by the Supreme Dao (Taishang Dao) led by Meng Shenji.

Besides the Supreme Dao, the Great Chan Temple (Da Chan Si) also came. After all, the tens of thousands of martial monks in the Great Chan Temple consumed food and drink like mountains and seas every day. They naturally wouldn't miss a rare opportunity to earn money.

Therefore, the current state guesthouse not only housed Ghost Immortal (guixian) Zhenren, but also martial arts Human Immortals (renxian). Among them, the most famous was the Great Chan Temple's "Fighting Buddha" Yin Yue, who cultivated the Present Tathagata Sutra. Even masters who had survived five or six lightning tribulations might not be his opponent.

But on this day, a group of monks walked towards the state guesthouse. Leading them was an old monk in his fifties, but his eyes seemed to contain immeasurable light.

If a cultivating Ghost Immortal observed him, they would find that he was surrounded by rich merit and virtue, like a Buddha descending into the world.

Besides him, there was also a young monk, who looked only about twenty years old. His appearance was firm, his eyes were slightly closed, he lightly twirled prayer beads, and he chanted scriptures in a low voice.

His body possessed soaring qi and blood, as if it wanted to shake the sky and rush into the depths of the void.

He was Fahai. San Zang deliberately gave him this Dharma name, but it was undeniable that Fahai was indeed a genius, especially in martial arts. His talent was definitely top-notch in this era.

Worthy of being a disciple personally sent by Sun Wukong!

*Zheng zheng*—

The guards at the gate raised their long spears: "Who goes there? This is an important place of the state guesthouse. Idlers are not allowed to enter!"

"Amitabha…" The old monk, Master Wenxin, slowly bowed and then took out an invitation, saying, "Qiuyue Temple came at His Majesty's call. Please inform the Little Benefactor."

One of the guards took the invitation and bowed to Master Wenxin: "I am also carrying out the general's orders, so I must be cautious. Please forgive me, Master."

"Ignorance is no crime," Master Wenxin said with a smile.

The guard breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to the martial artists and cultivators from other forces, Master Wenxin was much easier to talk to. He didn't have that aloof mentality at all, which made people feel comfortable.

"Please wait a moment, Master." The guard hurriedly ran into the state guesthouse. After a while, a general in armor walked over and bowed: "I apologize for not welcoming you from afar. Please forgive me, Masters."

"General is too polite," Master Wenxin said. Behind him, the monks all put their hands together and chanted a Buddhist prayer.

"There are so many coming." At this time, the general was also shocked. Compared to Qiuyue Temple, the Supreme Dao only sent five people, and the Great Chan Temple didn't send many either, but with the "Fighting Buddha" Yin Yue present, it made up for it somewhat.

But Qiuyue Temple was completely different. It had sent more than thirty people. Although he couldn't see how strong Wenxin and the others were, he could feel a fatal pressure in both his soul and body, as if telling him that any one of these people could easily obliterate him.

Therefore, he didn't dare to neglect them and personally led Master Wenxin and his group into the state guesthouse.

The area inside the state guesthouse was not small. It was paved with white flagstones, with artificial mountains and forests dotted around, creating a beautiful environment. In the center stood a grand hall, hundreds of *zhang* in length and width. Inside the hall, a group of people sat, and countless servants carried books, bustling around.

Just as the Qiuyue Temple group entered the hall, gazes were cast upon them, some of them in surprise, as if they had seen something incredible.

One of them was a monk, wearing a white monk's robe, his brow furrowed, his aura extremely restrained, but still giving off an undeniable feeling like a great sun.

His gaze was the first to arrive, first lingering on Master Wenxin for a moment, and then looking at the young Fahai standing beside Master Wenxin.

Fahai seemed to sense his gaze and suddenly opened his eyes. In an instant, it seemed as if purple lightning passed through the void, colliding in another space. An invisible force suddenly descended, shocking many people in the hall.

"Qiuyue Temple, Fahai." After a while, Fahai closed his eyes again, and at the same time, said to the monk.

"What's going on? Someone asked his name?"

"He's probably crazy to get famous. They all say that Buddhists are free from worldly desires, but now it seems that's not the case."

"He really thinks anyone will care…"

In the hall, people discussed in whispers, some with disdain and some with mockery. But just as their thoughts were active, the seated monk also put his hands together and said to Fahai, "Great Chan Temple, Yin Yue."

"Zen Master Yin Yue? How could he?"

"That pressure just now, could it be…"

"How old is that Monk Fahai? It can't be him, right?"

Some people immediately guessed something, but neither Fahai nor Yin Yue had any intention of explaining. Even if they had more guesses, they could only be guesses, unable to be verified.

"Zen Master Fahai, please take a seat. There are still many flaws in the martial scriptures. I was just about to discuss and verify them with someone," Monk Yin Yue said to Fahai, completely ignoring the thoughts of the grandmasters beside him.

But this was normal. Among those present, only he could vaguely see Fahai's strength, so this situation was within his expectations.

However, he didn't care. He had the title of "Fighting Buddha," which showed how eager he was to compete. Now that he saw Fahai, he was naturally full of anticipation.

But now that he had taken the benefits of the Grand Qian Kingdom, he naturally had to do things. He could also take this opportunity to test Fahai's theoretical knowledge. As for actual combat, it could be left until after the compilation was completed.

"Acceptable," Fahai said, walking forward calmly. As he walked, no one else was worthy of his attention.

"Hmph!" On the other side, an old cultivator wearing a Daoist robe snorted coldly. This person was once Elder Xiao of the Fang Xian Dao. He had just survived a lightning tribulation, and his strength wasn't great, but he was arrogant. He had even spoken rudely to Yin Yue, and as a result, Yin Yue had almost made his soul fly away with a single roar.

Therefore, he naturally had no good attitude towards Yin Yue. But this time, the Grand Qian Kingdom had promised many benefits, and he was reluctant to give them up. So, he had defected to the Grand Qian Kingdom and came out to preside over the compilation of Daoist scriptures.

However, besides him, there were only three Ghost Immortals, all belonging to the Grand Qian Kingdom, basically at the level of the first tribulation. Their strength was not considered very strong.

They were also the main force in compiling the Daoist scriptures. As for those world-renowned Daoist sects, such as the Supreme Dao and Fang Xian Dao, they were just here to make up the numbers, only sending a few disciples.

"Amitabha, Elder, this old monk has some insights into the Ghost Immortal Dao. I wonder if I can participate in compiling the Daoist scriptures?" Master Wenxin looked at Elder Xiao and smiled.

Elder Xiao was watching Fahai and Yin Yue discussing the Dao and hated Qiuyue Temple because of it. He already had no good feelings for Qiuyue Temple. Now that Master Wenxin interrupted his thoughts, he was about to reprimand him, but when he turned his head to look, his gaze suddenly froze.

In his eyes, Master Wenxin was shrouded in Buddha light. Under the illumination, all negative emotions seemed to dissipate, like a guiding light that allowed him to see the road to the future.

"Buddha… Buddha Law?"

Elder Xiao murmured in a low voice, but the next moment he was suddenly shocked. He was covered in cold sweat, his hair standing on end, as if he had walked through the gates of death.

He had been tricked with just one glance. He had almost abandoned the Dao and converted to Buddhism, almost being converted into the Buddhist sect.

This method was simply incredible.

But because of this, he dared not look at Master Wenxin again, nor did he dare to question Master Wenxin.

"*Yin*—"

A sword cry resounded through the clouds. A few breaths later, a loud laugh came: "Riding the sword on the wind, eliminating demons between heaven and earth, with wine, I am happy and carefree, without wine, I am also drunk, one drink empties the rivers, another drink swallows the sun and moon, a thousand cups cannot get me drunk, only I, the Sword Immortal of Wine!"

*Clang!*

Immediately afterward, a sword flew over and stuck into the ground. Then a figure followed, landing right on the hilt of the sword, holding a wine gourd in one hand and pouring a mouthful into his mouth.

"Who goes there?!"

The guards shouted loudly, their hearts trembling. This person was too strong, making people fearful and不敢靠近. But as Grand Qian soldiers, they couldn't show weakness, so they could only bravely step forward.

"Hahaha! I am Situ Zhong of the Shushan Dao, here at His Majesty's call." Situ Zhong laughed loudly, his sword intent overwhelming, as if to suppress the entire Jade Capital City.

"What amazing sword intent!"

Inside the hall, Monk Yin Yue's eyes flashed.

"Shushan Dao! Is it the Shushan Dao that has risen to fame in the last ten years?!" Someone exclaimed. Shushan Dao was a force that had only become famous in the last ten years, but it was very strong, especially the current number one person of Shushan Dao, known as the Sword Saint, who was even more transcendent and sanctified.

Legend has it, he has already entered the realm of the Human Immortal in martial arts, and broken through four tribulations in Daoism!

"The Sword Immortal of Wine! He is actually the Sword Immortal of Wine!" A martial artist seemed to recognize Situ Zhong and couldn't help but exclaim.

"The Sword Immortal of Wine? The one who is said to have entered the Human Immortal realm in martial arts and survived the lightning tribulations in Daoism?! He actually came too!" A cultivator exclaimed. Shushan Dao cultivated both Daoism and martial arts, and among the strongest disciples of the current generation, there was the Sword Immortal of Wine.

He was both a Human Immortal and a Ghost Immortal!

Calling himself the Sword Immortal of Wine was naturally acceptable.

At this time, Situ Zhong, dressed casually, had already entered the hall with a long sword on his back. He saw that his cheeks were flushed, his eyes were blurred, his steps were staggered, but he was still constantly pouring wine into his mouth.

"Hic—There are really a lot of experts here!"

The Sword Immortal of Wine turned his body, using some kind of mysterious footwork, chasing the wind and shadows, and in an instant appeared in the place where Yin Yue and Fahai were.

"You two, can I also take a look at this martial scripture?" Although the Sword Immortal of Wine's eyes were blurred, his soul was clear, seemingly drunk but not drunk, seemingly awake but not awake, making people curious.

"Naturally," Yin Yue said, pushing out the completed part of the martial scripture in his hand.

The Sword Immortal of Wine took a sip of wine and then looked at it, only to see that the opening said: The world is like a sea of ​​misery, and the way of martial arts, cultivating the flesh, uses the flesh as a raft to cross the sea, in order to transcend life and death, and if the flesh is immortal, it can carry people directly to the other shore of the sea of ​​misery…

"Not bad," the Sword Immortal of Wine shook his head and swayed: "Unfortunately, there are only cultivation methods below the Martial Saint, and it is not perfect enough."

"The compilation of martial scriptures is only aimed at enhancing the combat power of the Grand Qian army. How can the Human Immortal Dao be easily transmitted?" Yin Yue said calmly, looking directly at the Sword Immortal of Wine and Fahai.

"Human Immortal, what's so great about it?" The Sword Immortal of Wine sneered: "In ancient times, the holy emperors had countless strong people under their command. Except for the last generation of holy emperors, has anyone dared to rebel?"

"To put it bluntly, the reason they dare not spread the Dao is that the current imperial family is not strong enough."

The Sword Immortal of Wine was unscrupulous. Even sitting in the state guesthouse, in front of people from all sides, he dared to directly state the shortcomings of the Grand Qian Kingdom. These words, needless to say, would be transmitted to the ears of the Grand Qian Emperor.

However, both Yin Yue and Fahai just smiled faintly. They could see that the Sword Immortal of Wine was testing the thoughts of the Grand Qian Kingdom, so they didn't say much, but changed the topic and continued to discuss the shortcomings in the martial scriptures with him.

"Fellow Daoists, can you add me to the compilation of martial and Daoist scriptures?" At this moment, a voice came from the distant sky, followed by a clear avenue of light spreading out, and on the avenue of light, a woman's shadow appeared. The woman had two curved, blood-coral-like dragon horns on her head.

"That is…"

"A demon?!"

As soon as this was said, countless people were shocked and took out their weapons, wanting to fight. Even Monk Yin Yue's face darkened, as if he felt a threat from the woman.

"Who is Your Excellency? My Grand Qian Kingdom does not seem to have invited demon clan experts!" A Grand Qian Kingdom general said, very afraid.

"Hehe, I, the True Dragon Dao, walk the world, why should I be invited by others? Although the Grand Qian Kingdom is the master of the human race, why should my True Dragon Dao listen to the Grand Qian Kingdom?" The Dragon Girl laughed lightly, with a brilliant light, as if to set off a monstrous wave.

"Not so, not so…" At this moment, another voice came, followed by a figure appearing, wearing a long sword, dressed as a scholar, holding an ancient book, stepping through the void.

"Since Your Excellency has entered my Grand Qian, you should abide by the laws of my Grand Qian. How can you not take my dynasty's emperor, officials, and people into consideration?" The scholar spoke softly, each word seemed to carry the power of heaven and earth, directly touching people's hearts, making people unable to question his words.

"A disciple of the Heavenly Immortal Academy?" The Dragon Girl's eyes flashed, as if thinking of something, she couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows slightly.

"Exactly," the scholar smiled and bowed to the Dragon Girl: "Fang Yun of the Heavenly Immortal Academy, I have met the True Dragon Holy Maiden."

"Heh, I didn't expect the Heavenly Immortal Academy, which has always avoided the world, to come out. What, do you also want to share a piece of human fortune?" The Dragon Girl snorted coldly. As soon as this was said, countless people were stunned.

Those martial artists knew about the existence of the True Dragon Dao, which had also risen since ten years ago. In just ten years, it had incorporated the eight great demon immortals of the demon clan, and had also recruited countless demon clan experts.

This Dao, named after the True Dragon, advocated that all spirits in the world have the possibility of transforming into True Dragons, and it is said that there is also a True Dragon Transformation Scripture passed down, which can allow all spirits in the world to cultivate into True Dragons.

Because of this, the True Dragon Dao rose extremely quickly, and its current reputation is no less than that of the Supreme Dao. Some people have even said that the master of the True Dragon Dao already possesses strength no less than that of Meng Shenji, the master of the Supreme Dao!

As for the Heavenly Immortal Academy, no one had heard of it, but seeing that the True Dragon Dao Holy Maiden valued it so much, it must also be a super force, but it had been low-key before, and now it was taking the opportunity to compile martial and Daoist scriptures to prepare to enter the eyes of the world.

"Haha, that's natural," Fang Yun laughed loudly, his voice spreading for ten *li*, like thunder: "My Heavenly Immortal Academy wants to spread the Confucian Dao's sacred words to the current scholars, internally cultivate the noble spirit, and externally cultivate the talent of the literary star, creating a prosperous age of Confucian Dao!"