The Jin Clan Leader and the Nine Nether Cult

"Master Chenyuan is far too heartless. When you were young, you traveled around the Great Xia Dynasty begging for alms with a fake ordination certificate. You were caught by the government and almost imprisoned for possessing forged official documents. It was only because I stepped in to explain that the government did not pursue the matter."

The Great Xia Dynasty had strict requirements for the qualifications of monks and Daoist priests. Whether they were monks from Buddhist countries or disciples of the Hanging Temple, they were all treated equally and needed to pass examinations and reviews and hold ordination certificates to become monks recognized by the imperial court.

Only after approval can one solicit alms or perform rituals; otherwise, it is illegal.

When Master Chenyuan came to Daxia to propagate Buddhism in his youth, the first thing he did was to obtain a certificate of ordination.

Mentioning this matter, Master Chenyuan became even more agitated. "If you hadn't told me that I needed a certificate of ordination to preach in the Great Xia, and then sold me a fake certificate, how could I have been arrested by the authorities?"

The Grand Elder argued vehemently, "You were the one who approached me first, saying that the people of Great Xia were living in misery and suffering. You came to Great Xia to help them escape their plight, to guide them to your Buddhist kingdom to recite Buddhist scriptures and enter the monastic life."

"I told you the people of Great Xia live better lives than those in the Buddhist Kingdom, and you didn't believe me. I'll just send you to jail to see for yourself."

"Even prisoners in jail don't live in such dire straits, how could ordinary people be like you describe?"

"Later, when I saw you resisting quite fiercely when you were arrested by the authorities, I stepped in to explain the reason."

The Grand Elder and Master Chenyuan sat in the first row, with Ao Li of the East Sea Dragon Clan between them.

Ao Li, intrigued by their argument, temporarily forgot his grudges with the Grand Elder and subconsciously asked, "Did the authorities release Master Chenyuan?"

"No, not at all. Although he didn't know he was carrying fake documents and it didn't constitute the crime of possessing forged official documents, he didn't understand the rules of the Great Xia Dynasty. He came directly from the border, which is considered illegal entry, and he was still caught. I was caught along with him."

"Why are you being arrested?" Ao Li didn't understand.

"Because I forged documents."

"Oh, right."

Master Chenyuan closed his eyes to rest, no longer paying attention to the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder continued searching for acquaintances at the table.

When traveling, one should remain silent even when the Daoist Master is not present. The Grand Elder's words and actions represent the face of the Ask Dao Sect. In such situations, he should take the initiative and do a good job in the Ask Dao Sect's diplomatic work.

When the Grand Elder was young, he traveled extensively and had acquaintances in the East Sea Dragon Clan, the Buddhist Kingdom, the Demon Realm Dragon Clan, the Phoenix Clan, the Qiongqi Clan, and more.

"Xiao Jin isn't here?"

The Grand Elder found it strange that the position of the Qiongqi Clan Chief was vacant. Why didn't they attend such an important event as the founding ceremony of the Demon Kingdom?

"Do you know Chief Jin?" Ao Li couldn't help but ask again.

"Of course we know him! Back then, when Xiao Jin mistakenly joined the Demonic Sect, it was the Nine Sons of our Ask Dao Sect who intervened in time and rescued him from the Demonic Sect."

Ao Li was even more curious. "Which demonic sect?"

"Qin Jiunian, shut up!"

Clan Chief Jin arrived late, panting heavily. Upon hearing the Grand Elder mention the matter, he gave him a warning look.

Two nights ago, he met Jiang Lianyi and then rushed back to the clan to pay his respects to the Little Ancestor. The Little Ancestor, upon learning that Jiang Lianyi had reappeared in the world, sensed that something might happen at the founding ceremony and urged him to hurry back to participate in the ceremony.

The Dijiang and Qiongqi tribes spanned most of the demon realm, and Chief Jin worked himself to the bone just in time to catch up.

He had just arrived when the elder revealed his dark past.

The Jin clan chief is relatively young among the leaders of various powerful forces, only a little over nine hundred years old.

Nine hundred years ago, when he was just Nascent Soul Realm, he felt that the Qiongqi Clan was stagnant and its thinking was rigid. He believed that if this continued, they would definitely become poorer and poorer.

In search of a way out, he left his hometown and illegally crossed the border to Daxia.

Lacking a legitimate identity, he spent a long time mingling in the black market, and fortuitous opportunity chance, he joined the Nine Nether Sect.

After working for the Nine Nether Sect for a while, he met a wealthy young man.

The young master, like him, indulged in drinking, gambling, and whoring, and often treated others to meals; the two quickly became friends.

The rich kid lived a life of debauchery, yet he seemed to have an endless supply of money, which he greatly envied.

On one occasion, he tentatively inquired about the young master's identity and which wealthy Aristocratic Clan he belonged to.

The young master said he wasn't from the Aristocratic Clan family, and the money he spent wasn't given to him by his family, but earned by himself.

This made the Jin clan chief even more curious, so he continued to press the young master about his ways of making money and whether he could participate as well.

At first, the young master disagreed, but he served him like a slave, doing all sorts of work for him, and it took a lot of effort to finally get the young master to agree.

The young master said that a friend of his had invented a longevity-enhancing Pill Formula. Although the effect was not significant, it was enough to make cultivators nearing the end of their lifespan scramble for it. Now, investing money in this industry would make money; investing 100 would earn 120, and the more you invested, the more you would earn.

Clan Chief Jin tentatively put in 20,000 Spirit Stone, and a year later, the young master gave him 24,000.

That night, Chief Jin was so excited he couldn't sleep, feeling that a chance to make money had arrived.

However, he was not a reckless person. Worried about the instability of this line of work, he tested the waters for another two years.

For three consecutive years, there have been high profits every year. The young master wasn't lying!

The road to wealth and prosperity is right in front of you!

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and the matter was discovered by the leader of the Nine Nether Sect, the superior of the Jin Clan Chief.

The leader ousted the clan chief and began negotiating with the young master.

Some time later, the Jin clan chief was being hunted down by the Nine Nether Sect, which made him think about the reasons while he was running.

Even after he escaped back to the Demon Realm, he still couldn't understand why the Nine Nether Sect was hunting him down.

Two hundred years ago, when he was chatting with the First Elder, he inadvertently mentioned this matter, and only then did he realize that the young master he knew back then was the Eighth Elder.

The Nine Sons of the Ask Dao Sect set up a scam against the Nine Nether Sect, defrauding them of everything. He was the first member of the Nine Nether Sect to be deceived.

Perhaps out of revenge, the leader of the Nine Nether Sect at the time ordered him to be killed, but he escaped.

More than a year ago, he discovered that three members of the Nine Nether Sect had infiltrated the Demon Realm. Thinking of the days when he was hunted down, he was furious and killed the three members with a single claw.

Joining the Nine Nether Sect and being deceived by the Nine Sons of the Ask Dao Sect —this is something the Grand Elder absolutely cannot reveal; it's too shameful.

His tiger-like eyes widened, staring hostilely at the Grand Elder, who spread his hands, indicating that he would not tell anyone about it.

I'm just here to catch up; I mean no harm.

The Grand Elder wanted to continue chatting with acquaintances when, at that moment, the bronze bell rang out, its deep sound echoing across the Temple of Heaven as if from the distant past.

Clouds and mist rose above the Temple of Heaven, and the enormous figure of Emperor Dijiang appeared and disappeared in the mist, making him very mysterious.

The white clouds in the sky changed shape, transforming into auspicious clouds.

The founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China officially began.

Out of courtesy, the elder had no choice but to temporarily abandon his plan to chat.

The second update will be at 11 PM.