Maoshan Shangqing. Since the mountain was sealed last time, the Shangqing Sect presented a desolate scene. Although Master Ge, a Corpse-Released Immortal, revived from Shangqing, he did not choose to stay.
With the mountain master missing, one of the Three Mountains, the Shangqing Sect, lost its Pure Yang level expert guarding its gates. Its control over surrounding Taoist temples immediately declined significantly. The only good news was that the lunatics from Biyou Palace and the seventy-two sects of Xiaomaoshan suddenly fell silent.
Biyou Palace governed the seventy-two sects of Xiaomaoshan and was originally the source of Shangqing in Lishanghe. It was established by the Zhu Huo Heavenly Palace to contend with the southeastern Dharma teachings, and of course, to replace "Shangmaoshan" with a new lineage. The Zhu Huo Palace even gave the Qingping Sword to the master of Biyou Palace, and indulged the Xiaomaoshan cultivators in killing Shangqing cultivators everywhere, not even sparing the pilgrims. In essence, this was also due to the factional struggles within Shangqing in Lishanghe.
However, all of this ceased after the deaths of two Shangqing Ancestors from the Zhu Huo Palace.
The vast mountain gate was deserted, with few pilgrims.
Ji Xiang pushed open the Shangqing mountain gate and sensed a few familiar presences, but far fewer than before.
Of the thirty-six Shangqing Sect Masters, perhaps less than half remained.
"It's you!"
A Sect Master in green robes was offering blessings to a few pilgrims. Upon seeing Ji Xiang suddenly appear, his expression changed drastically! He immediately called other on-duty disciples to take over his work, while he warily approached Ji Xiang.
Of course, the few pilgrims also saw Ji Xiang arrive and looked at him with curiosity.
A Taoist in black, never seen before.
However, during the founding of the Ming Dynasty, they had received help from a monk in black. Was this Taoist imitating the ancients, hoping to make a name for himself?
Some pilgrims couldn't help but discuss, letting out light laughter.
Eccentric people exist everywhere; it was not surprising to dismiss them with a laugh.
However, the black-robed Taoist, who appeared harmless and could even be casually commented on by the pilgrims, put immense psychological pressure on this Sect Master.
"Dao Master, what brings you here? Shangqing has not had any Zhu Huo Immortals descend in the past two years."
The Sect Master in green robes, with a tense expression, invited Ji Xiang to the side for a chat.
"The Sect Master of the Beiji Tianxin Sect? I recall you ranked fifteenth among the Shangqing mountain gate."
The Sect Master in green robes was startled, then nodded: "I didn't expect Dao Master to remember me."
"You are the only one from the Tianxin Sect among the Shangqing mountain gate, of course I remember you." Ji Xiang still had an impression of this fifteenth Sect Master. He was among the three great cultivators who had blocked him when he first left the mountain, and he also used the lightning techniques of the Tianxin Sect, which was unique within Shangqing.
"In the past, you Sect Masters should have been in the inner mountain, and it was impossible for you to come to the outer mountain to offer blessings to pilgrims. Has Shangqing Sect declined to this extent in two years?"
Upon hearing this, the Sect Master in green robes' expression dimmed considerably:
"Without a Pure Yang realm expert to guard us, and the Daozi also missing, the Zhu Huo Palace has not sent any immortals to descend or impart teachings. The surrounding Taoist temples gradually disobey Shangqing's orders and defect to other factions, and are also covered by other forces. Shangqing's position among the Three Mountains is also precarious."
"Our innate talents are limited, and within a mere two years, it is difficult to advance to the Pure Yang realm. Previously, several Sect Masters attempted to break through forcefully but were all burned to death by the sun's fire, turning into smoke and passing away."
"Also, some Sect Masters were killed by external enemies while spreading the teachings outside..."
The Sect Master in green robes' eyes were vacant. A thousand-year-old great sect, in just two years, was merely a blink of an eye in the long river of time, but this decline was severe. If this state continued for some more years, the Shangqing Sect would likely fall out of the Three Mountains.
As for Ji Xiang, when he first entered, he had no enmity with the Shangqing Sect. He was even willing to represent the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to resolve the trouble of Biyou Palace. In the end, the existence of Biyou Palace, the deaths of the Qingping Sword and Shangqing disciples, were all deliberate actions by the Zhu Huo Palace, which even intended to reset the lineage of the Shangqing mountain gate. This made them disheartened with their ancestors.
The Shangqing Ancestral Talisman was so important, and its location had not yet been clarified, yet the Zhu Huo Palace did not hesitate to destroy the foundation of a thousand-year-old lineage. Was it because all the ancestors were currently in Lishanghe, and as long as Lishanghe was not broken, Shangqing would never perish or change, no matter where it established its teachings in Bianshanghe?
Then, what was the meaning of their existence?
Therefore, sometimes he also thought that whether Ji Xiang came or not, Shangqing was destined for great upheaval.
However, the decline of Shangqing was not unrelated to Ji Xiang.
"Then, there is both good news and bad news. The good news is that the people of Xiaomaoshan have left the Shangqing territory and completely relocated to the southeastern territory, no longer ambushing Shangqing cultivators. The bad news is that a large number of common people have become their believers and left with them. There are not many pilgrims left in the surrounding areas managed by Shangqing..."
"The deceased Sect Masters, besides spreading teachings, also died in disputes with Xiaomaoshan cultivators. Now that Shangqing has no Pure Yang expert to suppress them, even if a Xiantian cultivator dies, we can only endure it in silence!"
Ji Xiang was somewhat confused:
"Such a large migration of common people, without any natural disasters, but leaving to follow a religion. This is akin to the White Lotus Sect misleading the masses. At least half of the seventy-two sects of Xiaomaoshan should be on the official wanted list, becoming branches of the White Lotus Sect. So... how did the government control this matter?"
The Sect Master in green robes explained that too much military force had been deployed to the Korean War, and the Zhejiang Navy, which was responsible for nearby security, had all been dispatched to Korea. The coastal Wokou (Japanese pirates) disturbances had also gradually resurfaced. After all, among the Wokou, seven out of ten were Chinese pirates, and the remaining two or three were Japanese ronin.
Whether Toyotomi Hideyoshi attacked Korea or not had nothing to do with the coastal Wokou disturbances. The pirates were not raised by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. If there was no Korean war, they would not go to Korea but would plunder elsewhere.
Of course, these Wokou also visited Japan, but when they were in Osaka, they encountered some "natural disaster," and a large number of people died. It was said that some people saw gods and demons fighting, with scorched earth stretching for thousands of miles.
Ji Xiang pondered that it must have been when he and Xu Fu were fighting, and unexpectedly, a group of pirates plundering Japan were also killed. When this news spread at sea, the pirates were not fools, and naturally chose places without gods and demons to rob, thus no longer going to the southern seas of Japan.
"And besides these naval forces, other government soldiers..."
As the Sect Master in green robes spoke, his expression gradually changed, and he could only shake his head vigorously, lamenting:
"The power of the Dharma teachings is terrifying! Even we do not know where the seventy-two sects of Xiaomaoshan, these refugee Dharma followers, got such abilities!"
"Those soldiers were also pilgrims and believers. Even the county magistrate abandoned his jade seal, and the yamen was empty. Where were the security personnel?"
At this point, Ji Xiang was also surprised.
This scene felt familiar.
"Two years ago, a similar incident occurred in the north. The Eastern Mahayana Sect misled the local Imperial Astronomical Bureau and county yamen, all due to a malevolent god named Mi Long. Some magical arts are beyond the suppression of national power, and they even completely disregard it because they exploit loopholes in national power. As long as they are first conferred the title of righteous gods, they will not be judged as evil spirits."
"And the seventy-two sects of Xiaomaoshan moving to the southeast... this is bad."
The Shangqing Sect was unaware of the events in the southeast, but Ji Xiang had come precisely to resolve the issues there. The news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard was terrifying. Now, the southeastern Dharma teachings had become a kingdom within a kingdom, and they had colluded with Western Christian monks. Under this Sino-Western fusion, the southeastern coast was impregnable, and the common people only knew of the Dharma deities and not the Son of Heaven.
Ji Xiang continued to inquire about the current situation and then went to the inner mountain as if he were familiar with it.
The cultivators within the mountain gate were several times fewer than before, and it was cold and desolate. The few Sect Masters he encountered were all terrified upon seeing Ji Xiang appear, not knowing his intentions.
When he reached the place where Maoshan had set up the formation, he pushed open the gate of the Grand Yuanbao Hall in Sheng You Peak, entered its depths, and arrived before the True Spirit Registry.
As clouds and mist arose, Ji Xiang leaped forward, his entire body becoming like a piece of paper, transforming into the Registry.
As the rainbow light gradually dispersed, the sound of the Donghua Bell rang in Ji Xiang's ears.
The Donghua Fairy appeared, looking at Ji Xiang, who had returned to this painted immortal realm, with surprise.
"You... you're back?"
Ji Xiang had sensed some power and suddenly disappeared. She had no way to find him. She did not expect him to reappear after such a short period, and his state...
In the Donghua Fairy's eyes, her pupils gradually shrank.
Sun Refining Form! How could he be on the verge of ascending to immortality in such a short time?
This... have the cultivators of recent times become this powerful?
Ji Xiang also smiled:
"Two years have passed, Donghua Fairy. I have brought you two pieces of good news."
"Good news?" The Donghua Fairy raised her delicate eyebrows. After a moment of stunned silence, she finally remembered Ji Xiang's words and became somewhat surprised and delighted: "Could it be that the matter from back then... is about to be fulfilled? That would truly be good news, and I would owe you a great favor."
"This is the first."
Ji Xiang spread his large sleeves: "The second."
"Have you ever considered becoming a 'National Immortal'?"