Defending the Righteous Path

After Meng Jingzhou was dragged away in a struggle, screams were heard soon afterward.

Lu Yang and Man Gu were focused on choosing their rewards.

"Man Gu, what do you want to buy?"

"Buy a calligraphy practice book. My teacher said my handwriting isn't good and I need to practice more."

Man Gu was drawn to a calligraphy scroll on the exchange list.

"Thunder Calligraphy Copybook, what a powerful name! I'll buy it."

Lu Yang wanted to persuade Man Gu to think it over more, but before he could say anything, Man Gu had already made the purchase.

The cover of the Thunder Calligraphy Practice Book features a giant lightning bolt, and the first page contains the instructions for use.

"Let me see the usage rules... When writing on the calligraphy template with a brush, if you go beyond the edge area, this template will unleash a thunderous roar. Please use it with caution."

Note: Do not immerse this calligraphy practice book in water, as there is a risk of electric shock.

Man Gu: "..."

Is writing a simple character really this dangerous now?

Man Gu didn't buy anything else; he wanted to use his remaining contribution points to go to the Refining Peak and strengthen his iron hammer.

The automatic recitation of the "Saint's Words" during battle still couldn't fully showcase his identity as a Confucian scholar. Man Gu wanted to engrave the "Saint's Words" on his iron hammer and add two horns to ensure that each strike would leave a hole during combat.

Perfect.

The Imperial Palace.

The chief eunuch had served Emperor Xia for over forty years, and he thought he was quite familiar with the ruler of the Great Xia Dynasty. However, what happened next completely shattered his understanding.

Emperor Xia sat upright on his throne. When he saw Yun Zhi slowly approaching, he rose to greet her with a smile on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Yun Zhi has arrived, please have a seat."

Emperor Xia actually moved a chair for Yun Zhi to sit on, and then sat down beside her, without returning to the imperial throne.

"Someone, bring over the fruits that were just sent as tribute from the south, so that Fellow Daoist Yun Zhi can taste them."

Soon, a young eunuch arrived carrying a fruit platter filled with various fruits, some shaped like lychees, others like bananas...

Yun Zhi peeled open the lychee-shaped fruit, revealing golden flesh containing astonishing heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Just eating this one piece could allow a cultivator to leap from the late Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

"It tastes good." Yun Zhi politely tasted it and praised it, which pleased Emperor Xia greatly.

"Quickly bring a box to Fellow Yun Zhi Yunzhi so she can take it with her!"

Even with the chief eunuch's ability to remain expressionless, his face changed slightly upon seeing this scene.

He had never seen His Majesty treat anyone with such great care.

Yun Zhi stopped Emperor Xia, saying, "Your Majesty need not do this. Please tell me your request."

Emperor Xia dismissed his attendants, including the chief eunuch.

Emperor Xia rubbed his hands together, somewhat excited. "I heard that Fellow Daoist Yun Zhi's cultivation level seems to be much higher than that of our ancestor?"

Yun Zhi slowly shook her head. "It's only a slight difference; please don't exaggerate, Your Majesty."

"It's like this, our ancestor has been thinking lately that he's the best in the world and no one can beat him. This kind of mentality is not good for cultivation, so I was thinking about whether I could find someone to teach him a lesson. After thinking it over, I think Fellow Yun Zhi is the most suitable."

Yun Zhi: "... Does His Majesty have some kind of grudge against your ancestor?"

In Yun Zhi's memory, the Xia Emperor's ancestor was not that kind of person.

"Haha, Fellow Yun Zhi Yunzhi, you're quite the joker. My ancestors and I have been fighting since childhood, how could we possibly have a grudge?"

Yun Zhi: "..."

"Alright, alright, that was just a little joke of mine, Fellow Daoist Yun Zhi, you don't need to take it seriously." Emperor Xia's smile faded.

Yun Zhi wanted to say that Your Majesty didn't seem to be joking just now, but it was best not to say anything that would damage the relationship.

Yun Zhi understood these simple social niceties.

"Fellow Daoist Yun Zhi has summoned the Great Xia Dynasty and the Four Great Immortal Sects here, surely because you have made a significant discovery in the process of eliminating the Immortal Cult?"

"Yes." Yun Zhi nodded and said nothing more.

Seeing that Yun Zhi had stopped speaking, Emperor Xia assumed she had something to worry about, so he said, "Fellow Daoist Yun Zhi, are you worried about information being leaked here? There's no need to worry. This place is protected by a celestial-level formation set up by our ancestor. Even immortals wouldn't be able to eavesdrop in the dark."

"Or does Fellow Yun Zhi believe that heavenly secrets cannot be revealed and must be hinted at through actions rather than spoken words?"

Emperor Xia pondered what Yun Zhi's behavior might be implying.

Does it imply that the enemy is omnipresent? Does it suggest that silence is the best way to deal with the enemy? Or does it suggest that the wise man of silence is the key to breaking the deadlock?

Yun Zhi hesitated for a moment before saying, "I just don't want to say it to His Majesty again, and then repeat it to the leaders of the four great immortal sects."

Emperor Xia: "..."

The leaders of the four major immortal sects soon arrived at the palace, including Qiu Jin'an, the Sect Master the Five Elements Sect, whom they had just parted ways with not long ago.

Qiu Jinan did not expect the Ask Dao Sect to act so quickly. In less than five days, they wiped out the Immortal Sect in one fell swoop, and even sealed off the breeding farm run by the sect leader.

"Fellow Daoist Yun Zhi, we meet again." Qiu Jin'an cupped his hands in greeting.

"Ask Dao Sect, Daodao Sect! One of the four great demonic sects has been eliminated. I wonder how the remaining three demonic sects will react to this disappearance. They'll probably run away in terror!" The Sect Master of Zhenyu Sect laughed heartily. There was no more exciting news than this.

After he decided to return to his clan, the entire clan was given a five-day holiday to enjoy themselves to the fullest.

"Excellent." The Hanging Temple held his prayer beads, speaking sparingly, but his expression revealed his joy.

The Palace Mistress of the Moon Laurel Fairy Palace, Luo Hongxia, dared not speak to Yun Zhi, fearing that Yun Zhi would remember the engagement and force Lu Yang and Lanting to marry.

Through this operation, the four major immortal sects have gained a new understanding of the Ask Dao Sect.

The previous assessment was that "the four major immortal sects defended the righteous path, Ask Dao Sect shook the righteous path."

Now, public opinion has shifted to "the Five Great Immortal Sects defending the righteous path."

Yun Zhi, unaware of their inner thoughts, directly stated her purpose.

"The reason I've gathered you all here today is to share some intelligence I've obtained from the Immortal Cult, intelligence that even the Immortal Cult's leader himself is unaware of."

"Let me state my conclusion first."

"The existence of the four major demonic sects may overturn our previous understanding. In the past, we simply thought that the existence of demonic sects was a group of Devil Cultivator cultivators forming a cohesive organization, and that their threat was not as great as the upcoming great era."

"Now I correct my view. I believe that the mastermind behind the four major demonic sects is the High Antiquity immortal. The purpose of the four major demonic sects is to condense the rudimentary form of the Dao Fruit. The High Antiquity immortal will seize the rudimentary form of the Dao Fruit at the appropriate time and transform it into his own power."

Upon hearing this, all five were shocked.

They have an amazing background and know many secrets related to immortals, including things about Dao Fruits and their prototypes.

Emperor Xia asked sternly, "Is there any evidence?"

The existence of the four major demonic sects is all for the purpose of condensing the rudimentary form of the Dao Fruit, which High Antiquity immortals then plucked.

This means that an immortal might possess two Dao Fruits!

This is an extremely terrible thing!

"Of course there are, I've brought witnesses."

Yun Zhi snapped her fingers, and an aged immortal appeared from another dimension.

"This is the belief of the Immortal Cult, the Immortal Immortals."

"Greetings, seniors. You can call me Little Face."