Secrets of the Rebirth Cult

Old Daoist Liu also breathed a sigh of relief. Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, he said with lingering fear:

"Good thing this old Daoist was clever enough to bring an extra blue talisman when I went out, or I nearly wouldn't have been able to hold the situation down."

Chen Yan, hearing this, was somewhat puzzled and could not help asking:

"It wasn't that serious, was it? Old Daoist Liu, aren't you at the Dao Foundation stage? Could Wu Yan's cultivation be even higher than yours?"

Old Daoist Liu could not help rolling his eyes.

"This old Daoist is at Dao Foundation, but so is he. Do you know that the talisman sword that ambushed you just now was the Rebirth Cult's famed secret art, the Yin Fire Talisman Sword? Who knew how many Dao Foundation cultivators had been done in by that single Yin Fire Talisman Sword."

At this, Old Daoist Liu snorted through his nose.

"That's only because it was this old Daoist. Any other Dao Foundation cultivator might not have been able to block that sword. Even if they blocked the first, they wouldn't have blocked the second."

Thinking of the power and speed of that talisman sword wreathed in green flames, Chen Yan could not help nodding in agreement.

But after saying this, the old Daoist cast a sidelong glance at the youth before him, sizing him up from head to toe twice as he said in a strange, mocking tone:

"But no matter how strong this old Daoist is, how could I compare to Lord Chen? Third Blood Qi Realm, suppressing and killing a White Lotus Dao Soldier—what imposing prestige~"

"Luck. It was only luck..."

Chen Yan awkwardly rubbed his nose.

Only he knew the truth of his own affairs. Though he had killed A Jia, the White Lotus Dao Soldier, he was not so conceited as to think he could fear no White Lotus Dao Soldiers.

In truth, Chen Yan's ability to kill A Jia was not solely due to First-Rank Divine Striking playing a major role. A considerable part of it had also been due to A Jia's contempt and carelessness.

If A Jia had chosen to evade rather than clash head-on with that final slash, the outcome of the battle would have been hard to say.

No matter what, a White Lotus Dao Soldier with an invulnerable body and boundless strength was absolutely a top-tier killing machine.

"Looks like victory hasn't gone to your head and made you forget yourself."

Old Daoist Liu gave him a sidelong look, then nodded.

"If you start looking down on the Rebirth Cult just because you killed one White Lotus Dao Soldier at the True Force Realm, then you're not far from death, kid."

"Don't worry. I won't."

Chen Yan answered seriously, then asked in confusion:

"But speaking of which, what exactly is going on with the Rebirth Cult? Why are we allowing them to grow stronger? Does the Heavenly Supervision Department not care?"

Old Daoist Liu fell silent for a moment. In the end, he sighed and said:

"Since you've already joined the Flying Fish Guard, I won't hide it from you any longer."

The old Daoist paused, lowered his voice, and spoke a cryptic sentence.

"The Emperor intends to establish the Rebirth Cult as the state religion..."

"What?!!!"

Chen Yan was utterly stunned, nearly blurting out:

"That old Emperor—"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!"

The moment Chen Yan spoke, Old Daoist Liu immediately cut him off and glared fiercely at him.

Chen Yan immediately lowered his voice as well. His tone was full of disbelief, and his eyes fixed on Old Daoist Liu with utter incredulity.

"The Martial Dynasty's Emperor worships the Lifeless Old Mother?!"

Chen Yan had heard something of the Martial Dynasty's current Emperor.

He knew that the man sitting upon the imperial throne was the Martial Dynasty's seventh Emperor, Emperor Wuxuan Zhao Longji. He had reigned for more than fifty years, and Chengping was already Zhao Longji's fourth reign title. According to the ancestral instructions of the Martial Dynasty's founding ancestor, an Emperor of the Martial Dynasty had to abdicate and yield the throne after sixty years.

In other words, in a few more years, Zhao Longji should abdicate and become the Retired Emperor, establishing one of his princes as Crown Prince to inherit the Martial Dynasty's great legacy.

Yet who would have thought that in these final years, Zhao Longji would stir up such a colossal mess?

Was that old bastard not afraid the Martial Dynasty's founding ancestor would flip open his coffin lid?

"It hasn't gone that far yet."

Old Daoist Liu shook his head. "But the Emperor indeed intends to establish the Rebirth Cult as the state religion."

"Why?"

Chen Yan found it incomprehensible. "Can that old Emperor not see the danger posed by the Rebirth Cult? Is that old bastard afraid the Martial Dynasty won't perish fast enough, so he wants to add more fuel to the fire?"

"You can say that to me in private, but if it gets out, be careful your head doesn't stay on your neck."

Old Daoist Liu shot the youth a sidelong glance, then shook his head and sighed.

"Some things happened back then that made the Emperor wary of the Heavenly Supervision Department. Along with some other reasons, the Emperor intends for the Rebirth Cult to replace the Heavenly Supervision Department—or perhaps for the Heavenly Supervision Department and the Rebirth Cult to stand as rival courts, contending against and restraining one another."

"You only need to know that so long as the Rebirth Cult does not truly rebel, the Heavenly Supervision Department has no authority to eradicate them."

"That stupid fucking bastard..."

Chen Yan was completely speechless.

Then he thought of something else and could not help asking:

"What about those Immortal and Buddhist Orthodox Schools? Won't they step forward to stop this?"

"Do you think the existence of the Martial Dynasty truly brings them more benefit than harm?"

Old Daoist Liu asked in return.

Chen Yan immediately fell silent.

The two remained silent for a long time. Old Daoist Liu shook his head, then suddenly let out another long sigh.

"And the Heavenly Supervision Department... is no longer the Heavenly Supervision Department it once was."

"Forget it. Let's not talk about this. These matters are still far too distant from you. Be more careful from now on. On the surface, the Rebirth Cult would not dare do anything to our Flying Fish Guard, but in the shadows, it would be hard to say."

"I understand."

Chen Yan nodded, only to see Old Daoist Liu hand him more than a dozen ancient books. These books were much the same as the Tai Wei Eight Sceneries Record he had given him before, all Daoist scriptures such as All Daoist Arts and Record of Daoist Canon Essentials.

Old Daoist Liu said:

"These are all Daoist Canon scriptures I read back then. They encompass everything—Daoist talismans and incantations, spells, insights, penetrating the true, and countless other all-encompassing subjects. By rights, you should cultivate yourself for three years and read the Daoist Canon for three years before undergoing Qi Induction.

"But although you have now undergone Qi Induction and stepped onto the path of cultivation, these steps still cannot be skipped.

"Chen Yan, you must understand: cultivation cultivates the body, but at the same time, it also cultivates the heart..."

Faced with Old Daoist Liu's earnest instruction, Chen Yan was moved to the depths of his heart. He nodded heavily and promised:

"Yes! This junior will certainly keep it firmly in mind!"

At this point, Chen Yan could not help adding:

"But Old Daoist Liu... Daoist master, do you truly refuse to take me as your disciple?"

The old Daoist gave a haughty snort. "You're still far from being worthy of becoming my disciple. We'll talk after you break through to Dao Foundation."

Chen Yan rolled his eyes at that. He had only just stepped onto the path of cultivation; calling him early Essence Cultivation would already be flattering him. Who knew when he would be able to cultivate to Dao Foundation?

Moreover, Chen Yan always felt that the old Daoist had some unspeakable difficulty. He had consistently avoided taking him as a disciple, yet still taught him the Dao and imparted his knowledge.

It was truly strange...

Afterward, the scene was left to Zhao Gang and the other constables to handle. Chen Yan took the Daoist scriptures, as well as the yellow paper and cinnabar he had newly asked Old Daoist Liu for, carried the Guangong Statue on his back, and returned to his home in Ping An Fang.

The moment he returned home, Chen Yan impatiently entered the void space and opened the Heavenly Book of Merit.

Sure enough, two new lines of small Cloud Seal Script appeared upon the Heavenly Book of Merit:

"Spring of the Thirteenth Year of Chengping: Acted on Heaven's behalf, eradicated treacherous evildoers. Blessings found their rightful home. Obtained one thousand three hundred merits."