Laojun's Way of Health Preservation

The city's water supply is in critical condition! Filthy Demonic Qi has infiltrated, and millions of lives hang in the balance!

This sudden crisis, like a deluge of icy water, completely extinguished the sliver of warmth Lin Fan had felt after the "family meeting" and breakfast. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, not entirely from fear (though there was some), but more from the suffocating sensation of being caught in a monstrous wave and... a strange sense of responsibility. He wasn't a savior, but he was the only one in this room who could communicate with the outside world in a relatively "normal" way. He was the "liaison" designated by Yuanshi Tianzun.

"I understand! I'll make the call right away!" Lin Fan's voice trembled almost imperceptibly, but his actions were swift. He quickly pulled out his phone, his fingers stiff with tension, and almost failed to unlock the screen. Finding Chen Jing's number, he took a deep breath and pressed the dial button.

Each ring of the call waiting tone struck his nerves like a hammer blow. Pick up! Pick up already!

Meanwhile, Yuanshi Tianzun and Goddess Nüwa exchanged a glance. No words were needed; their understanding was mutual.

"Let's go!" Yuanshi uttered a low command. The majestic order dao rhythm surrounding him surged once more, not to suppress or seal this time, but like an invisible coordinate, instantly locking onto the sources of the rapidly spreading foul energy within the city's underground water system! He flicked his sleeve, not to cast a spatial divine power, but in a mystical way, temporarily "assimilating" the rules of the small area around himself and Nüwa. Light distorted, their figures blurred, and in the next instant, they vanished from the rental apartment as if they had never been there! It wasn't teleportation, but a speed beyond Lin Fan's comprehension, following the trajectory of the rules, straight toward their target!

The moment Yuanshi and Nüwa departed, Master Tongtian's eyes blazed with countless sword shadows, like two cold lamps piercing the void! He hadn't moved from his spot, but the supreme sword intent he had suppressed for so long, like a slumbering ferocious beast, awoke completely and erupted with a roar!

"Buzz--!"

A sound that wasn't physical, yet echoed clearly in Lin Fan's soul, a sword's cry! A sphere of pale green sword energy, condensed to its absolute limit, almost transparent, expanded outward from Tongtian, like an inverted bowl, firmly enveloping the entire rental apartment and the small space outside the balcony!

A Sword Domain! A world unto itself!

On the surface of the sphere, countless minute sword shadows flowed and weaved like swimming fish, exuding a terrifying aura that could sever karma and shatter all laws. The air in the room seemed to freeze, filled with extreme sharpness and killing intent. Birds occasionally flying outside, upon approaching the building, instantly hit an invisible wall and turned away in panic. Any malicious probing or energy surge from the outside would be met with the most ruthless and thorough annihilation the moment it touched this Sword Domain!

Tongtian sat cross-legged at the center of the Sword Domain, his expression stern, like a divine general guarding the celestial palace. He had to guard not only against potential demon attacks but also the "time bomb" beside him in an unstable state—Gong Gong.

At the same moment Yuanshi and Nüwa left and Tongtian unfurled his Sword Domain, Lin Fan's call was finally connected.

"Lin Fan?" Chen Jing's voice came through the receiver, with her usual calm and a hint of surprise, as if she hadn't expected Lin Fan to contact her proactively.

"Team Leader Chen! It's an emergency!" Lin Fan couldn't spare pleasantries, speaking rapidly, his voice sharp with anxiety, "The city's water supply! The underground water system! There's an unknown supernatural pollutant infiltrating! It's extremely dangerous! It could affect the entire city's water supply system! We need to activate emergency measures immediately, evacuate residents in potentially affected areas, and... and we need your cooperation!"

He blurted out the key information Yuanshi had given him in one breath, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat.

A brief silence followed on the other end of the line, only the sound of faint breathing indicating Chen Jing was listening. Lin Fan could imagine the shocked and disbelieving expression on Chen Jing's face at that moment. This news was too shocking, far beyond ordinary supernatural crimes or anomalous events.

"Lin Fan, are you sure? What's the source of the information? Evidence?" Chen Jing's voice remained calm, but her speaking pace clearly quickened, carrying a professional caution and pressure.

"I... I can't provide evidence you can detect! But this is... this is what 'they' sensed!" Lin Fan broke out in a sweat. He knew it was hard to gain trust with mere words and could only place his hope in Chen Jing's apprehension of "them" and the (forced) trust they had established. "Those things are filthy, full of destructive power, and their target is to contaminate the water source! There isn't much time left! Please believe me! If the water source is massively contaminated, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

He was practically begging.

Another two-second silence on the other end, which felt like an eternity to Lin Fan. He could hear the rapid tapping of a keyboard and quiet conversations with others on Chen Jing's side.

Finally, Chen Jing's voice rang out again, with a decisive tone: "Information received. I will report to my superiors immediately, activate the highest-level emergency plan, notify the water and disease control departments for emergency city-wide water quality monitoring and source investigation, and issue warnings and evacuation orders as necessary. Tell me, what do 'they' plan to do? What kind of cooperation is needed?"

She chose to believe, or rather, she dared not disbelieve. The incident at the unfinished building and the anomalous data from the "Xi Rang" statue had made it clear to her the terrifying and unpredictable nature of the beings behind Lin Fan (three now). For an event involving millions of lives, it was better to err on the side of caution.

Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Senior Yuanshi and Goddess Nüwa have already gone to intercept and purify the source of the pollution! But they need a location! They need to know the specific path and core point of the pollution's spread! Your monitoring data, if shared in real-time, should be a great help! Also, when evacuating the public, if you encounter... encounter incomprehensible black mist or abnormal creatures, do not approach them, evacuate immediately, and notify us!"

He stated all the ways he could think of for them to cooperate.

"Understood. I'll find a way to sync the monitoring data to... you?" Chen Jing paused, clearly considering how to transmit data to a "non-human" entity.

"Sync it to my phone! I have a way for them to see it!" Lin Fan said immediately. He planned to use features like video calls on his phone; it was rudimentary, but it should work.

"Alright! Keep the communication channel open!" Chen Jing ended the call decisively, clearly needing to rush off and deploy resources.

Lin Fan put down his phone, his back soaked in cold sweat. He glanced at the rental apartment shrouded in the pale green Sword Domain, at Tongtian guarding the center like a stone statue, and at Gong Gong in the corner, still clutching his broken artifact and restless due to the external Demonic Qi. A sense of immense powerlessness washed over him. This was all he could do. The rest depended on those two Sages and the official forces of this world.

Deep within the city's dark, damp, and intricate underground pipe network.

Yuanshi Tianzun and Goddess Nüwa appeared like specters at a junction of large main pipelines. The roar of rushing water and the heavy smell of damp mold filled the air. However, at this moment, an even more nauseating foul energy, mixed with the stench of rot and sulfur, was seeping out from cracks in the pipe walls like ink dropped into clear water, merging with the flowing water and spreading downstream at an astonishing speed!

Wherever the foul energy passed, the clear water instantly turned turbid and black, even faintly glowing with an eerie green light. The life within the water was rapidly stripped away, replaced by a deathly stillness of extreme corrosiveness and destructive power!

"What a vicious method!" Nüwa frowned, her delicate brows furrowed. She could clearly feel countless tiny aquatic microorganisms dying in large numbers in the water. If this pollution flowed into countless homes, not only would mortals die immediately upon drinking it, but it could also trigger terrible plagues and mutations!

"More than one leak point," Yuanshi Tianzun's gaze was like lightning as he scanned the crisscrossing pipe network. His order dao rhythm acted like the most precise radar, instantly detecting at least three major sources of foulness simultaneously releasing toxins in different pipes! "Let's split up and finish this quickly!"

Nüwa nodded, her figure flashed, transforming into a gentle stream of emerald light. She ascended along a severely polluted branch pipe, heading straight for one of the sources. A majestic life-creating energy emanated from her, like warm sunlight. Wherever she passed, the polluted black water seemed to encounter its nemesis, the foul energy being rapidly purified and dispelled, the water quality visibly returning to clarity. But the source was releasing pollutants at an extremely fast rate; she had to find it and purify or seal it completely.

Yuanshi chose the source on the main pipeline with the most severe pollution. He took a step, and it was as if invisible stairs appeared beneath his feet, allowing him to ignore the swift current and appear directly in the core area of the most intense pollution. On the pipe wall ahead, a hole about a meter in diameter had mysteriously appeared. Thick, tar-like black mist, constantly churning with distorted faces and tentacles, was pouring out from it!

"Order shall not be defiled!" Yuanshi shouted coldly. Instead of directly attacking the black mist, he formed a hand seal, channeling his innate dao rhythm to communicate with the rules of space and energy within a hundred-meter radius!

Instantly, countless shimmering order runes appeared from the void, like well-trained soldiers, rapidly weaving and combining around the foul hole, constructing a complex and rigorous three-dimensional magic array! The moment the array formed, the surging black mist seemed to hit an invisible yet tenacious wall, being forcibly contained within the array's boundaries, unable to spread outward even a fraction!

"Seal!" Yuanshi uttered another true word. The array's clear light flared, beginning to contract inward, compressing, like a giant purification furnace, intending to refine and annihilate the foul black mist within the array!

The black mist let out a piercing shriek, frantically assaulting the order array. The foul energy and the clear order light clashed fiercely, emitting a sizzling corrosive sound, making the entire underground pipe network tremble!

However, just as Yuanshi thought he could successfully seal this source—an anomaly occurred!

The black mist, confined within the array, suddenly condensed and contracted. Instead of blindly impacting, it transformed into a spear, black as ink, entwined with the wails of countless resentful souls! At the tip of the spear, a point of ultimate darkness condensed, as if capable of piercing all order and laws!

"Break!" a cold, sinister thought emanated from the spear!

Whoosh--!

The black spear, with a soul-tearing shriek, fiercely stabbed towards the weakest node of the order array! This strike contained far more power than before. Clearly, the demon had realized Yuanshi's threat and unleashed its true killing move!

Yuanshi's expression changed slightly. With this concentrated point attack, the array he had set up in his current state might not be able to block it completely! Once the array was broken, the foul energy would erupt instantly, and the consequences would be unimaginable!

At this critical juncture—

"Infinite Heavenly Venerable."

A peaceful, calm voice, as warm and lazy as afternoon sunlight, suddenly sounded amidst the roaring water and the clash of energies.

The voice was not loud, yet it strangely cut through all other noise, clearly reaching Yuanshi's ears and seeming to echo throughout the entire underground space.

As the voice sounded, a soft yet incredibly pure beam of light, like the brightest star in the night sky, silently appeared before the pitch-black spear that was rapidly thrusting forward.

Within the beam of light, a round, translucent, dragon-eye-sized object could be vaguely seen, emitting a faint medicinal aroma... a pill?

Yes, it was a seemingly ordinary pill!

The next moment, the pill began to spin rapidly, its clear light surging, transforming into a slowly rotating Taiji phantom. The yin-yang fish eyes precisely targeted the pitch-black spear filled with destructive energy.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no roar of clashing laws.

The evil spear, capable of piercing through the Order Formation, upon touching the Taiji phantom, let out a soft "hiss" like ice meeting a scorching sun, and then... it simply dissolved, silently.

Yes, dissolved! Starting from the tip of the spear, it rapidly spread to the entire shaft, along with the terrifying, foul energy and the wails of countless resentful souls contained within, all turning into wisps of smoke and dissipating into the air. It was as if the world-shattering strike had never existed.

The entire process was quiet, swift, and carried a sense of inevitability akin to the Dao.

Yuanshi Tianzun's pupils constricted, and he abruptly turned his head to look at the source of the voice.

On a section of dry pipe support not far away, a figure had appeared at some unknown time.

It was an elder wearing a faded, ordinary gray jacket, thin and gaunt, with a complexion as rosy as an infant's. His beard and hair were all white but meticulously combed. A gentle smile graced his face, his eyes clear and profound, as if containing the ultimate principles of the universe's creation and destruction. He held a seemingly old enamel mug, from which steam rose, emitting a faint aroma of tea.

He sat there casually, completely out of place in this dark, damp, and perilous underground environment, like a retired teacher who had stumbled upon this spot while taking a stroll in the park.

But the moment Yuanshi Tianzun saw him, his usually placid face finally revealed unprecedented shock and... a complex, hard-to-describe expression.

"Eldest Senior Brother..." Yuanshi slowly spoke, his voice carrying a dryness that even he himself hadn't noticed.

The person who had arrived was none other than the head of the Three Pure Ones, the leader of the Human School, Taiqing Daode Tianzun, Taishang Laojun!

Taishang Laojun smiled slightly at Yuanshi and nodded, acknowledging him. His gaze swept over the source of the black mist, trapped by the Order Formation and now appearing somewhat restless due to the dispelled attack. He then looked at the tributaries being purified by Nüwa in other directions and gently shook his head.

"Stubborn dirt and filth, cleaning it up is quite troublesome," Laojun's tone remained calm, as if commenting on a trivial matter. He raised the hand holding the enamel mug and casually... flicked his finger at the trapped source of the black mist.

There was no light, no energy fluctuation.

But the instant his fingertip flicked, the black mist, which had been frantically churning and impacting the formation, seemed to be thrown into an invisible alchemical furnace, abruptly contracting inward, condensing! The foul energy was forcibly stripped away and refined. The evil intent within let out a final, desperate wail. Ultimately, the black mist was compressed into a dragon-eye-sized, entirely black pill that no longer emitted any aura... a pill?

Laojun beckoned, and the pitch-black pill floated lightly into his hand. He glanced at it and casually tossed it into his seemingly ordinary enamel mug.

"Gulp." The pill landed in the tea, made a bubble, and then sank, falling silent.

At the same time, the other two pollution sources, locked by the Dao rhythm of Nüwa and Yuanshi, seemed to be drawn by some invisible force. Through the thick soil and pipes, they were forcibly extracted and refined, eventually turning into two similarly pitch-black pills that flew through the air and landed in Laojun's enamel mug.

In the span of just a few breaths, the terrifying pollution sources, capable of destroying a city, were casually "brewed" into his teacup by Taishang Laojun, as if he were dusting something off.

The nauseatingly foul aura in the entire underground space instantly vanished, leaving only the normal sound of rushing water, and... the faint aroma of tea and medicine.

Nüwa, who had just finished purifying a branch and rushed over, was stunned in place upon seeing this scene, her beautiful eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

"Eldest Senior Brother..." Nüwa also called out softly, her voice carrying a sense of emotion as if a lifetime had passed.

Taishang Laojun looked at Nüwa, his smile becoming a little gentler. "Junior Sister Nüwa, are you well?" He shook the enamel mug in his hand, looking at the three black pills floating within, and said with a hint of teasing, "The 'medicinal ingredients' in this world are quite peculiar. They have too much fire; they need to be simmered slowly over a low flame to extract their 'medicinal properties'."

He referred to the essence of Demonic Qi, capable of poisoning millions, as... "medicinal ingredients"!

Yuanshi and Nüwa looked at Laojun's nonchalant demeanor, as if he had merely gathered a few herbs, and for a moment, they didn't know what to say.

This was the Taiqing Sage, this was the Ancestor of Alchemy! In his eyes, everything could be medicine, and all methods could form pills. Filth? Demonic Qi? They were merely "medicinal ingredients" with more potent properties.

"When did Eldest Senior Brother descend to this world?" Yuanshi suppressed the shock in his heart and asked the crucial question. Laojun's appearance was too sudden, and too... timely.

Taishang Laojun took a sip of the "tea" in his enamel mug and said slowly, "A few days after you two. When I woke up, I was in a nursing home on the outskirts of the city, playing chess with a few ordinary elders and drinking tea for a few days. It was quite peaceful. Just now, I sensed a 'fiery energy' soaring here, with filth spreading everywhere, harming the natural order, so I came to take a look and clean it up along the way."

He said it lightly, but Yuanshi and Nüwa both understood that Laojun must have also experienced similar cross-dimensional energy loss as them. However, his realm was profound, and he was particularly skilled in conserving energy and governing through non-action, so his recovery speed might have been faster than theirs, and he was better at concealing himself.

"This world is fraught with danger, not only with official surveillance but also with such evil demonic creatures lurking. Does Eldest Senior Brother know their origin?" Yuanshi steered the conversation back on track.

Upon hearing this, Laojun's gentle smile slightly receded, and a profound gleam flashed in his eyes. "This kind of filth is not native to this world. Its roots... bear a strong resemblance to the 'Void Tide' that caused the collapse of heaven and earth in the late Primordial Era. However, it is more subtle and better at utilizing this world's rules."

Void Tide!

This term made Yuanshi and Nüwa's expressions change again! That was a legend of a catastrophe more terrifying and thorough than Gong Gong knocking down Mount Buzhou or the Investiture of the Gods calamity! It was one of the ultimate reasons for the final shattering of the Primordial Era!

"Eldest Senior Brother means..." Nüwa's voice trembled slightly.

"The Primordial Era is gone, but the calamity energy has not dissipated," Laojun looked at the black pills floating in his cup, his tone calm but carrying a weariness that saw through eternity. "Perhaps, 'something' followed us and 'leaked' through. Or perhaps, They have always existed, just waiting for the right moment."

He raised his head, his gaze seeming to penetrate through layers of earth, looking in the direction of the rental apartment.

"Junior Brother Tongtian, and... that old friend, are both here, right? This is not a place for conversation. We can discuss it further when we return." Laojun stood up, patted the non-existent dust from his clothes, and holding the cup of tea brewed with three "Demonic Qi Pills," he stepped out like an ordinary old man returning home after a stroll, and his figure vanished from the spot.

Yuanshi and Nüwa exchanged glances, seeing unprecedented solemnity in each other's eyes. Laojun's arrival brought powerful assistance, but it also brought more unsettling news—the enemies of the Primordial Era might have also arrived!

They lingered no longer, their figures flashing as they also swiftly departed the underground pipeline network.

Inside the rental apartment.

Lin Fan stared intently at his phone. Chen Jing had already sent the preliminary water quality monitoring data through an encrypted link. The screen showed several key pollution indicators soaring abnormally, but just a few minutes ago, all indicators had plummeted like a cliff edge and quickly returned to normal!

"The pollution... is under control?" Lin Fan was both surprised and delighted, almost unable to believe his eyes. So fast? The efficiency of two Sages at work was this terrifying?

Just then, the pale green Sword Domain within the room trembled slightly, like ripples on water, and then quietly dissipated. Master Tongtian slowly opened his eyes, the sword shadows in his pupils vanishing. He glanced out the window and snorted, "They were quick."

Almost simultaneously with the dissipation of the Sword Domain, the space in the room rippled.

First to appear were Yuanshi Tianzun and Goddess Nüwa.

Immediately after, beside them, Taishang Laojun, dressed in a gray jacket and holding a enamel mug, also appeared with a smiling face.

His appearance immediately drew all eyes!

The moment Master Tongtian saw Laojun, his pupils suddenly contracted. The sword intent that had just calmed down around him began to stir again, but it seemed to be forcibly suppressed. His expression turned even colder, and he turned his head away, gruffly throwing out a sentence: "You're here too."

His tone was complex, with surprise and rejection, and perhaps a trace of... an imperceptible, even he himself was unwilling to admit, awkwardness akin to "family" reuniting?

Lin Fan was completely stunned. Who... who was this kindly old grandpa holding a teacup? He looked... so ordinary, yet felt so extraordinary! Could he be on equal footing with Yuanshi, Nüwa, and Tongtian? And was he called "You're here too" by Tongtian? Could it be...

An unbelievable thought rose in his mind, almost making him bite his tongue.

Taishang Laojun! Could it be Taishang Laojun?!

Laojun paid no mind to Tongtian's cold attitude. His gaze swept across the room, first looking at Nüwa's paintings and sculptures imbued with Dao rhythm, nodding slightly. Then he looked at Gong Gong, who was curled up in the corner clutching a broken artifact, becoming even more vigilant at his appearance, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

Finally, his gaze fell on Lin Fan, whose face was deathly pale and dumbfounded. A more benevolent smile appeared on his face, like a kindly old grandpa seeing a favored junior.

"Young friend, are you Lin Fan?" Laojun asked with a smile, his voice gentle and as pleasant as a spring breeze. "I observe your Blood Essence is slightly deficient, your soul is newly settled, and your foundation is still shallow. In this chaotic world, it is quite difficult. As this is our first meeting and I have nothing on me, I shall gift you this. Take it daily to strengthen your foundation and clear your mind."

As he spoke, he rummaged in the pocket of his ordinary gray jacket and pulled out a small, transparent plastic box that looked like it held throat lozenges, handing it to Lin Fan.

Lin Fan subconsciously took it and looked down. Inside the plastic box were dozens of bean-sized, round, and translucent... candies? They exuded a faint woody fragrance and a weak spiritual light.

No, these were definitely not ordinary candies!

Lin Fan could feel that each "candy" contained extremely pure, gentle, and powerful life energy! It seemed easier to absorb and more nourishing to body and mind than the trace of Innate Qi he had managed to draw upon!

"This... this is..." Lin Fan's voice even started to stutter.

"Just some little things I refined myself, nothing valuable," Laojun said with a smile, waving his hand. He then picked up his enamel mug and took a sip of the tea, which had three "Demonic Qi Pills" steeping in it. He added, "The key to health is persistence. One pill a day, taken with warm water. Don't be greedy."

Lin Fan held the box of "candies," feeling his hands tremble. Pills personally refined by Taishang Laojun! Even if he called them "little things," they were priceless treasures! For him, a novice cultivator, they were dream divine medicines!

"Th-thank you, Senior Laojun!" Lin Fan was so excited he almost knelt, quickly bowing in respect.

Laojun accepted it calmly, then his gaze turned back to Gong Gong and the fragments of the three artifacts in his arms. The smile on his face gradually subsided, becoming profound.

"Fellow Daoist Gong Gong, it has been a long time. And these fragments of the 'World Boundary Tablet', 'Clean Basin', and 'Soul Eater'... it seems our drifting to this realm was not by chance."

He sighed softly, and in that sigh, it seemed to carry the weight of the ancient Primordial Era.

"The matters here seem to require long-term planning. Young friend Lin Fan, would it be possible to add another set of bowls and chopsticks?"

Lin Fan looked at the seemingly ordinary yet unfathomably profound Taishang Laojun before him, then at Yuanshi, Tongtian, and Nüwa with their varied expressions, and Gong Gong in the corner with his special status. He felt his scalp tingle, yet a sense of inexplicable pride surged within him.

The Three Pure Ones gathered, Nüwa present, and an Ancestral Witch revived (albeit in an incorrect state)...

His humble rented room was truly going to become the "Primordial Era Liaison Office in the Mortal Realm"!

And his "Path of Mediation," after the addition of Taishang Laojun, who seemed the most reasonable but might actually be the most unfathomable, was likely to face unprecedented "challenges."