Chapter 100: Chapter 99: People Coveting Daluo Palace
The experience of being granted a Thunder Seed and brought to another world was enough to shock Taoist Yi Hong for a full year.
"No wonder! No wonder!"
’It all makes sense now,’ he thought. ’Our country is so peaceful and stable; where could all these Demons and Ghosts possibly come from? If they were real, how could there be zero public knowledge of them?’
"So it’s another world!"
"The same writing, the same culture... Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, Divine Spirit Monarchs, Demons and Ghosts... I fear there’s an invisible hand behind all this. The Thirty-Three Heavens, the Three Thousand Worlds... so that’s how it is!"
’To think I’d encounter such an opportunity in my twilight years...’
Taoist Yi Hong was sighing with emotion when he heard Taoist Yan Song speak. "Gu the kid’s Five Thunders Order can condense Thunder Seeds, bring people across worlds, and even absorb Evil Qi from Eradicating Evil and Accumulating Merit to bolster his own power. This is absolutely not something an ancient, accomplished Daoist could have created. Not even Zhang Daoling."
"Especially since this world has Four Symbols Divine Beasts and Celestial Fox bloodlines, but no Taoist Sect heritage," Taoist Yi Hong nodded.
The answer was obvious.
Taoist Yan Song chuckled. "In a world centered around humans, how could there not be human experts?"
Gu Zhao pointed at the Daluo Palace, which was under construction. "This is the beginning."
"Primordial Daluo... You’ve really got some nerve picking that name, kid," Taoist Yi Hong laughed. "Even the Nine Heavens Responding Element Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Celestial Venerable wouldn’t dare use the title Primordial Daluo, right?"
Gu Zhao smiled. "First, we make the name ring out. We’ll deal with the rest as it comes."
Taoist Yi Hong nodded. He was then briefed on the current situation, learning that the only Taoist Sect experts in Daluo Palace were Gu Zhao and Taoist Yan Song. However, there were also local experts: a century-old Female Ghost, a pretty Maid in Harmony with a Celestial Fox, and a head of landscaping in Harmony with an Orchid Demon.
Taoist Yi Hong stroked his beard and smiled. "In that case, I suppose I count as one of the founding elders of Daluo Palace. My luck is quite good!"
"Of course. So you should hurry up, meditate, and restore your Magical Power. Our priority is to wipe out the Golden Wind Sect. Then Changping Prefecture will become the territory of our Taoist Sect, Daluo Palace," said Taoist Yan Song.
Taoist Yi Hong nodded, then shook his head. "From what you’ve told me, the Golden Wind Divine King has several hundred years of Dao Practice. He can fly and use Earth Escape, and he’s publicly acknowledged as the top expert in Changping Prefecture. He also deters the common Demons and Ghosts from getting too audacious.
If we don’t have an expert of that caliber, even if we manage to surround and kill the Golden Wind Divine King, we might not be able to control the aftermath. It could either incite all the demons in Changping Prefecture to rise up, causing even more chaos, or attract opportunistic experts from outside the region to invade. We might not be able to handle that.
Since we can Eradicate Evil and Accumulate Merit to cultivate quickly, we should follow the principle of ’stockpiling grain and being slow to claim kingship.’ We should first eliminate the surrounding powers in Changping Prefecture, raising our own Cultivation in the process. Then, as a righteous and formidable force, we can crush the Golden Wind Sect and take over Changping Prefecture.
The Golden Wind Divine Sect may not be good people, but they do ultimately protect the majority of the population. Changping Prefecture is crawling with Demon Fiends that harm people. We should eliminate those first, like the remnants of the River Demons from Bian Palace and the Fairies of Three Extremes Mountain.
This way, we can both Exorcise Demons and Evil Spirits and supplement our own Cultivation. Eventually, we’ll surpass the Golden Wind Divine King. Given the speed at which we absorb Evil Qi to bolster our Cultivation, it shouldn’t take too long, right?"
Gu Zhao nodded. "Martial Uncle, what you say makes sense. We weren’t planning on moving against the Golden Wind Divine Sect so quickly anyway. Besides, Daluo Palace is still under construction."
The group chatted as they walked from the back mountain all the way back to Cui Mountain Village.
"Since you’re here, why don’t you stay for a meal," Gu Zhao said.
Since he might have to be stationed in the Otherworld permanently in the future, Taoist Yi Hong naturally had no objections.
Upon learning that another elder from Gu Zhao’s Sect had arrived, Silk Embroideress He, Zhuo Qingyan, and even Wang Yue, who had been tending to the flowers in the backyard, all came out to pay their respects.
Seeing the Female Ghost with a physical Body and the talking White Fox, Taoist Yi Hong maintained his perfect persona. He even offered some guidance on their Cultivation, speaking so eloquently and logically that they all gained quite a bit from his advice.
Zhuo Qingyan looked at Taoist Yan Song, then at Taoist Yi Hong, and couldn’t help but nod. ’Now this is what a Sect senior should be like!’
Gu Zhao told Zhuo Qingyan that they might have to delay their move against the Golden Wind Divine Sect and Yuan Wenrui.
Zhuo Qingyan was very understanding. She said softly, "It’s been thirty years. Just finding my enemies and having the hope of revenge is already wonderful. What’s a little more waiting?"
Zhuo Qingyan lowered her eyes. "If, in the pursuit of revenge, living people are harmed, wouldn’t that be putting the cart before the horse?"
"Thank you for understanding."
"Brother Gu, there’s no need to be so polite. It is I, Qingyan, who should be thanking you." Zhuo Qingyan shook her head. "Without you, Brother Gu, I would either be living in a daze or might already have perished."
Taoist Yi Hong looked at Gu Zhao, then at Zhuo Qingyan, and finally at Taoist Yan Song.
Taoist Yan Song nodded, and a look of shock appeared in Taoist Yi Hong’s eyes.
Although Gu Zhao had been spending most of his time in the modern world lately, he still made time to return to the Otherworld every day to cultivate and would occasionally have a meal with them. As a result, the women didn’t feel like he had been gone for very long.
However, Wang Yue brought something up. "With all this major construction we’re doing, besides the craftsmen from nearby towns who have come to help, some unidentified people have been showing up in the area recently."
"What kind of people?" Taoist Yan Song asked.
"They don’t look like good people," Wang Yue said. "I asked a few of the craftsmen, and none of them knew them. I suspect they might be bandits from Cuiluo Mountain, and they’ve set their sights on us."
"No way! We’re building a palace for a Mage here. They’d have to have nerves of steel to dare cause trouble." Elder He, who was sitting with them, expressed his doubt.
The Silk Embroideress beamed with pride. "Ever since we started building Daluo Palace, there have been far fewer highway robberies by bandits nearby. Some of the villages that were being harassed have become much safer. Everyone says it’s thanks to us."
Hearing this, Zhuo Qingyan’s eyes narrowed. "In that case, how are those bandits and robbers making a living?"
"Huh?" The Silk Embroideress was taken aback. She hadn’t thought of that. Now that Zhuo Qingyan had pointed it out, she immediately understood. "You mean those bandits really are targeting us?"
"Whether they are or not, since we’re establishing a Sect here, we can’t allow bandits and robbers to remain in the mountains," Gu Zhao said.
This was true not just in a Xianxia World, but even in a Martial World; no famous or prominent sect would permit a bandit stronghold to exist within its territory.
The Silk Embroideress nodded repeatedly. "But the bandits are all hidden deep within Cuiluo Mountain. They’re very hard to find."
Gu Zhao smiled. "That’s for ordinary people. We happen to have a mountain expert."
Bai Ke jumped onto the Silk Embroideress’s shoulder, holding a chicken leg in its paws. "Don’t worry, it’s a piece of cake! I guarantee I’ll find them, no problem!"
The Silk Embroideress thought for a moment and asked timidly, "Are we... going to kill them all?"
Zhuo Qingyan couldn’t help but tap the Silk Embroideress’s forehead. "Of course we’re handing them over to the Government Office."
Taoist Yi Hong looked at the craftsmen who were starting to rest and then at the newly started construction of the Spirit Official Hall. He stroked his beard and said, "Those who commit evil should naturally be handed over to the Government Office. But if they are poor people who can’t find enough to eat, we might as well offer them a meal."
