Chapter 360: Chapter 359: Speculation About the Daluo Palace Homeland
Only two Thunder Seeds remained circling the Five Thunders Order in Gu Zhao’s Sea of Consciousness. Thus, he could only bring Taoist Xi Ning of the Quanzhen Huashan Sect and Taoist Miao Zhen of the Chen Ancestor Huashan Sect.
As for Taoist Xi Ning’s disciple, Taoist Xian Yuan, and Taoist Miao Zhen’s disciple, Taoist Fa Ran, along with his grand-disciple, Taoist Tong Hui, they would simply have to wait for the next time.
Without any need for an explanation from Gu Zhao, Taoist Xi Ning and Taoist Miao Zhen, having received the Thunder Seeds and understood everything, took care of all the necessary arrangements.
"Stay here and focus on your Cultivation!"
"I will go first to scout the way for you, and then I will come back to get you!"
Despite the two old Daoists’ solemn expressions and their heartfelt speeches about "this is for your own good" and "I’m blazing a new trail," the other three Daoists could see them grinning from ear to ear.
Yunyang was reminded of Taoist Zhi Qing from the Celestial Master’s Mansion, just as Gu Zhao was reminded of Taoist Han Zheng and the others from Sanmao Mountain.
Fortunately, those Daoists had already arrived in the Otherworld. They were now joyfully, almost vengefully, roaming the lands, upholding justice and Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits. They were making sure all the hidden Demons and Ghosts felt the long-suppressed passion of the Celestial Masters from the Celestial Master’s Mansion and the Mages of the Shangqing Sect.
...
「Cuiluo Mountain, Daluo Palace.」
Taoist Yu Hua of the Northern Emperor Sect, Taoist Ling Ya of the Purple Sun Sect, Taoist Chong Xuan of the Shenxiao Sect, and Taoist Xi Ning and Taoist Miao Zhen of the Huashan Sect all arrived.
"WOW!"
The world filled with Spiritual Qi, the palaces covering half the mountainside, the endless stream of devout pilgrims, and the Demons and Ghosts possessing Magical Power all left the newly arrived old Daoists utterly stunned.
However, the old Daoists weren’t discouraged. Having received the Thunder Seeds, activated their Innate Qi, and consolidated a lifetime of cultivation, their Dao Practice had instantly jumped to over two hundred years, far exceeding that of the ordinary disciples in Daluo Palace.
Once they began to descend the mountain to uphold justice and vanquish evil, they estimated that, if all went well, they could cross the five-hundred-year Dao Practice threshold in just six months to a year. Then they would be able to soar through the heavens, burrow into the earth, and command the vast oceans.
"Welcome!"
Daluo Palace’s influence was vast now, and the various old Daoists were either overseeing branch temples or traveling far and wide, so they couldn’t always get away. Thus, not everyone returned to welcome the newcomers; only those who were acquainted with them or from related Dharma lineages came.
Taoist Yi Hong from the Changping Prefecture branch temple returned. As a veteran of the Quanzhen Dragon Gate Sect, he pulled aside the eldest of the newcomers, Taoist Ling Ya, to chat.
Taoist Huai Yi of the Golden Mountain Sect from Lao Mountain, Taoist Tai Xian of the Sui Mountain Sect, Taoist Xuan Yong of the Yu Mountain Sect, and Taoist Xu Ning of the Pure Sect arrived together to welcome the two old Daoists from the Huashan Sect.
Taoist Ming Yu of the Celestial Master’s Mansion and Taoist Gao Yue of the Qingwei Sect smiled as they invited Taoist Chong Xuan to take a seat.
As for Taoist Yu Hua... his senior brother, Taoist Yu Zhang, was right beside him!
Zhuo Qingyan sat beside Gu Zhao, keeping him company and casually chatting about daily life in Daluo Palace—for instance, how she and Bi Yingying had developed a new painting technique, or how the Silk Embroideress had created a new dessert.
The numerous Guardian Star Officials also had their own table to accompany the guests. Miaoyun Princess whispered to Ye Ruyan, "Are these the veteran elders from Daluo Palace’s homeland? They don’t seem that powerful."
Ye Ruyan shook her head. "What do you think of the Dharma Gates passed down by Daluo Palace?"
"Exquisite, profound, and unfathomable," Miaoyun Princess replied instantly.
Ye Ruyan then pointed toward the front. "And what do you think of Elder Yi Hong and Elder Ming Yu?"
"Their Dao Practice is sublime and their Magical Power is profound!" Miaoyun Princess answered with equal conviction.
Ye Ruyan said meaningfully, "It’s said that just two years ago, they hadn’t even reached five hundred years of Dao Practice."
"How is that possible?" Miaoyun Princess was incredulous.
Elder Yi Hong and Elder Ming Yu were first-tier Elders in Daluo Palace. Their Dao Practice Magical Power exceeded a thousand years, and either one of them could support a Prefecture-level Influence on their own.
’And you’re telling me masters of this caliber transformed in just two years?’
"Although the Sect Leader and the other Elders have never said so, many in the palace have their suspicions," Ye Ruyan said. "The Daluo Palace’s homeland must be a place where Spiritual Qi isn’t abundant."
"Hmm?" Miaoyun Princess frowned in thought.
"This might have been a deliberate choice by the ancestors of Daluo Palace," Ye Ruyan added.
"Why?" Miaoyun Princess asked, confused.
"Because it forces the disciples to focus on improving their Dao Practice and Mental Realm, so they aren’t distracted by external things," Ye Ruyan explained. "Anyone who succeeds in their Cultivation in a place lacking Spiritual Qi may not have high Magical Power, but their Mental Realm and Dao Practice are already far superior.
Once they emerge, they can advance by leaps and bounds with almost no bottlenecks, growing at a speed that far surpasses ordinary Demons, Spirits, and Gods, or even the rapid growth from cultivating in Harmony, until they reach their own limits."
Miaoyun Princess looked at Taoist Yi Hong and Taoist Ming Yu, then at Taoist Gao Yue, Taoist Huai Yi, and the others. "They still haven’t reached their limits?"
"Obviously not," Ye Ruyan said. "They haven’t, and neither has the Sect Leader."
Miaoyun Princess said, "The Sect Leader is young, but his Cultivation speed is even faster than the Elders’."
Ye Ruyan smiled. "Well, what else would you expect? He’s the Sect Leader for a reason."
Miaoyun Princess looked at the newly arrived old Daoists. "But this approach has its pros and cons. If Spiritual Qi is scarce, it might stifle the potential of many people. And wouldn’t it be a terrible waste if something unexpected happened along the way?"
Ye Ruyan nodded. "That’s why the Daluo Palace’s homeland must be an extremely secret location. Besides the Sect Leader and the Elders, no one knows where it is."
"Not even Miss Zhuo or the Silk Embroideress know," Ye Ruyan added.
Zhuo Qingyan’s status in Daluo Palace was practically that of the Sect Leader’s Wife, and the Silk Embroideress was Gu Zhao’s personal attendant. Since even those two didn’t know, everyone else had long since accepted the situation.
Miaoyun Princess understood. "Secrecy is the key to success. No wonder Daluo Palace has been able to achieve its current power."
Ye Ruyan said softly, "According to the Sect Leader, Daluo Palace has been in seclusion for several hundred years. Now that they have emerged, they must have made thorough preparations. More and more Elders will be coming out in the future."
Miaoyun Princess was astonished. "Daluo Palace already has more than a dozen members who have surpassed five hundred years of Dao Practice. If all the Elders in the palace have this potential, and there are many more Elders to come..."
Ye Ruyan and Miaoyun Princess exchanged a look, not daring to imagine the power Daluo Palace would wield in the future.
’Hundreds of Elders who could fly through the air?’
If the Sect Leader could reach the level of Dao Practice of the Xuanwei Divine Sect’s Leader or the Ancestor of Chaoyang Island, and then have several hundred top-tier Elders supporting him, Daluo Palace could probably be called the number one power in the world.
Ye Ruyan and Miaoyun Princess had no doubt that Gu Zhao could achieve this, because Daluo Palace had a powerful backer. This was something that Chaoyang Island, Silent God Mountain, and White Spirit Mountain had all jointly confirmed.
"I heard someone from Silent God Mountain came to pay their respects to Daluo Palace the other day?" Ye Ruyan asked Huang Yuan, who was not far off.
Huang Yuan first nodded, then shook his head. "A master from Silent God Mountain named Lu Yu did come, but he was mainly here to visit Elder Jing Feng. When he heard Elder Jing Feng was at the Daluo Temple in Qianshan Prefecture, he went there instead."
He Feng leaned in, sharing in the pride. "I heard that several masters from Chaoyang Island also frequently seek out Elder Shen Hao at He Yan Mansion to discuss profound principles and techniques. They’re apparently quite impressed with him."
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