Above the Great Dao

Their primordial spirit flickered and withdrew, even Chen Shi needed to observe carefully to see clearly.

This scene is invisible to the naked eye of ordinary people; only with the Heavenly Eye can one see it. In the eyes of ordinary people, everything appears normal.

The old Taoist saw his shocked expression and, with a sense of pride, laughed: "Have you seen the foundation of our Taihua Qing Palace?"

Chen Shi nodded solemnly, looking towards the distant mountains, where the surrounding peaks of Taihua Mountain were often pitch black, with not a single plant.

These peaks were dilapidated, some mountain tops broken, some pierced through the middle, some peaks inexplicably inverted into the ground, and some mountain bodies seemed worm-eaten, full of holes.

These places hold no breath of life.

"What place is that?" Chen Shi inquired.

"The Eighty-Eight Demon Peaks."

The old Taoist, with a look of reverence, said, "This is the place where our eighteen founding ancestors subdued demons. These eighteen ancestors eradicated the demon gods entrenched upon the eighty-eight demon peaks, providing a sky for the Great Ming people to thrive and grow."

Chen Shi nodded lightly, immensely admiring these eighteen founding ancestors.

In those passionate years, the Human Clan had no foothold on the West Bull New Continent, which was rife with evil spirits and demon gods. It was these fearless Qi Refiners who stood against evil spirits and demon gods, paving the way for the present West Bull New Continent.

Chang Ying Daoist and others invited Qing Yang into the Qingyang Palace. Outside the Qingyang Palace, there was an ancient bronze sculpture of Qing Yang and in the front, an incense burner, where incense never ceased.

Qing Yang had been away for a long time, returned to old grounds, filled with emotion, said: "Once, I foolishly stayed here for over three millennia. Little Ten, fortunately your grandfather came; otherwise, I'd still be treated as a mascot, placed here!"

Many Taoists glared angrily at Chen Shi.

Chen Shi smiled slightly, not minding.

Chang Ying Daoist laughed, "Ancestor, you won't leave this time, right?"

Qing Yang shook his head, "I am here accompanying Little Ten, not returning to Qingyang Palace. Moreover, I am already dead, become an evil spirit; staying here is just a source of pollution, to be spared lest causing you harm."

Chang Ying Daoist rushed to say, "How could disciples disdain ancestor? If ancestor is willing to return, we will offer incense day and night, ensuring the evil qi in ancestor doesn't act up, becoming a protector deity of Taihua, revered through the ages!"

Qing Yang upon hearing this, was quite moved.

He stayed in the small village at Qianyang Mountain, incense limited, although free, yet the evil qi in his body grew daily. While it can still be suppressed now, over a long period, there would certainly be a day it couldn't be suppressed.

Returning to Qingyang Palace, with incense thriving, reduces the chances of turning into an evil spirit significantly. Moreover, incense fire qi could propel him further, possibly restoring him to his peak state in life.

Chang Ying Daoist saw him persuaded, quickly added: "Plenty of grass for the grave!"

Qing Yang hesitated for a moment, said: "I shall stay for a few days."

Chang Ying Daoist rejoiced.

The affection Taihua Qingyang Palace holds for Qing Yang is incomparable to other mountain spirits.

The eighteen founding ancestors didn't bring much from the Huaxia Divine Continent, among them were Qing Yang's ancestors, one male and one female Qing Yang. In Taoism, Qing Yang symbolizes vitality and pure yang, representing immortality and the immortal dao. Thus, the founding ancestors named the Taoist sect Qingyang Palace.

Qing Yang descended from those two Qing Yang, endowed with a long life span, after maturing, his strength grew formidable, stronger than average Sect Leaders, hence even if Taihua Qingyang Palace's Sect Leader passed before appointing a new one, no chaos would ensue.

Moreover, Qing Yang was extremely learned, ensuring Qingyang Palace's various cultivation techniques would not be lost; anyone seeking knowledge could inquire from him. Many Sect Leaders watched exclusively over him as they grew, holding deep sentiment, therefore Qing Yang became a symbol of Taihua Qingyang Palace.

This was also the reason why the previous Sect Leader was enraged upon discovering Qing Yang was taken away by Chen Yindou, incapable of resisting, furiously removed the word 'Yang' from the name of this Taoist Sacred Land.

Qing Yang inquired, "Chang Ying, where is your master?" He was referring to the previous Sect Leader.

"He has ascended to immortality."

Daoist Chang Ying's face darkened, and he said, "Before his death, Master still wanted to see the Ancestor Master. He always felt guilty, believing he had not been good enough to the Ancestor Master, which led to the Ancestor Master being led away by bad people. Master wanted to ask the Ancestor Master why he left the Green Sheep Palace."

Qing Yang was silent for a moment and said, "That is the reason."

Daoist Chang Ying was puzzled.

Qing Yang said, "I was originally very happy at Green Sheep Palace, watching you grow up generation after generation, watching you transform from ignorant little Daoists into the mightiest masters. I took care of you meticulously, treating you as my children. Later, you died one after another."

He caressed his bronze statue, lost in thought, and said, "I trained generation after generation of Sect Leaders, sent off generation after generation of Sect Leaders, watched the disciples grow, only to see them gradually age and die. Every single one of your deaths was incredibly painful for me, as if I had lost my own child. I cannot forget your laughter and chatter by my side. But I had no way, do you know? I couldn't find any way to keep you alive, I could only endure, alone, the loss of one generation of kin after another..."

Daoist Chang Ying was silent.

Qing Yang said, "Later, Chen Yindou came. He came to Taihua Qingyang Palace, he was a disciple who brought his skills, but his perception was too high, and he became your Ancestor Master's disciple. This man had a very astute mind. By the second month he was at Taihua Qingyang Palace, he felt that all the cultivation techniques of the Qingyang Palace were just so-so. I watched him; I found him very interesting, unlike all of you. When I was at the Ancestor Master's Tomb in the forbidden area grazing, I saw him furtively holding a Luoyang Shovel, ready to dig up the Ancestor Master's Tomb."

Chen Shi coughed repeatedly upon hearing this.

"...I chatted with him a lot and found that he had so many whimsical ideas, not only planning to dig up the Ancestor Master's Tomb to see if the Ancestor Master had hidden some Immortality Technique, but also intending to search for the lost secrets of the True King Era. So I dug up many Ancestor Masters' Tombs with him."

At this point, Qing Yang spoke, and Daoist Chang Ying looked extremely embarrassed, coughing repeatedly.

Qing Yang continued, "...So, when he said he was going to leave Qingyang Palace, I decided to leave everything behind and go with him to look for the lost secrets of the True King Era. Only by following this man could I hope to find a way to keep you little Daoists alive, so I wouldn't have to watch generation after generation of juniors leave me."

Daoist Chang Ying choked and said, "If Master knew this reason, he would not have blamed himself so much before he died. He always thought he had made a mistake."

"It's not his fault, it's not his fault." Qing Yang patted his shoulder.

Daoist Chang Ying wiped away his tears, and said self-mockingly, "Ancestor Master, don't laugh at me, I still cannot achieve indifference to material things, indifference to feelings."

Qing Yang laughed and said, "I can't do it either, so how could you? Little Ten, tell Chang Ying the purpose of your trip."

Chen Shi agreed, pondered for a moment, and gave a brief account of his encounter with the Innocent Taoist at Yin Mountain, omitting his grievances with the underworld Ghost Clan, and said, "The Innocent Taoist was the fire-tending Daoist boy of the founder Ancestor Master of Qingyang Palace. Yet, he cultivated to a half-immortal body and was thus nearly killed by the True Martial Evil Extermination Sword. Now he wants to return to Qingyang Palace and hopes that you will welcome him back."

Upon saying this, Chen Shi took out the True Martial Evil Extermination Sword and said, "This immortal sword is the very one that killed the Innocent Taoist back then. The Innocent Taoist entrusted me to return this sword to Taihua Mountain."

Daoist Chang Ying was moved, hurriedly leading the Daoists in a kneeling salute, and said, "Welcome back the Church Suppressing Immortal Artifact to the mountain!"

They were not bowing to Chen Shi but to the True Martial Evil Extermination Sword.

This sword is rumored to have been forged by the Great Emperor Zhenwu before he ascended to immortality, and after ascension, he left this sword in the Mortal World, enshrined on Taihua Mountain. Later, eighteen Daoists took this sword to the New Continent to exterminate evil and demons, establishing extraordinary battle achievements.

Chen Shi offered the True Martial Evil Extermination Sword with both hands, and Daoist Chang Ying respectfully stepped forward, received the sword with both hands, and carefully took small steps into the Green Sheep Palace to enshrine the immortal sword on the altar.

Chen Shi resolved a matter weighing on his mind, exhaled in relief, and said with a smile, "If there are no other matters, I will take my leave. When Qingyang Palace plans to welcome back the Innocent Taoist's remains, please let me know, and I can lead everyone there."

Daoist Chang Ying expressed gratitude repeatedly and urged, "Chen Zhuangyuan, do not be in a hurry to leave. You have done a great favor by returning this sword to Qingyang Palace. Please stay for a few days so we can fulfill the duties of a host."

Chen Shi thought for a while, agreed, and secretly asked Qing Yang, "Did my grandfather and you really dig up the tombs of the past Ancestor Masters?"

Qing Yang nodded and whispered, "Yes, we did. We even dug up some empty tombs with nothing but clothes inside, and some with just a sword."

Chen Shi was stunned.

"Some dissolved into a soldier and became immortal," Qing Yang said.