The Human World

Shangqing Palace, Golden Summit Grand Hall.

Upon receiving Li Jiusheng's carrier pigeon, Li Qingshan learned that his senior brother's breakthrough had concluded. He immediately set aside his current tasks and hurried to the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

Before he even reached the pavilion, he saw Li Jiusheng approaching from afar. Li Qingshan cupped his hands and offered congratulations, "Congratulations, Senior Brother! Congratulations! You've taken another step forward, achieving the Great Grandmaster realm."

"Just a stroke of luck," Li Jiusheng replied.

"You're too modest, Senior Brother. With such a rapid breakthrough, I doubt anyone else in the entire cultivation world could match it. If only you weren't older; if you were a youth venturing out, you would surely astound the cultivation world. How many sect maidens and noble family daughters would dream of you, unable to sleep at night?" Li Qingshan chuckled.

Li Jiusheng's expression was gentle as he invited Li Qingshan to walk along the cliff's edge.

"You seem quite relaxed. Has that ruin already passed?" Li Jiusheng asked curiously. He had been focused on his breakthrough these past few days and hadn't paid attention to outside affairs.

After the fight that day, how did it end? What happened to the ruins? He knew nothing.

Li Qingshan and Li Jiusheng walked side by side. Both wore purple daoist robes, one exuding a sharp aura, the other a graceful one.

Li Qingshan said, "After that day, the ruins entered a hidden state and haven't reappeared. People couldn't find them. Those Venerables surrounded the nearby mountains and searched for three days and three nights, but found nothing and left in disappointment."

"Didn't they say a Grandmaster came?" Li Jiusheng asked.

"That was just rumor. However, a Venerable did bring a Grandmaster artifact and simulated its aura to scare off a group of people," Li Qingshan replied. If a true Grandmaster had appeared, the situation that day wouldn't have unfolded as it did.

"That certainly scared some people," Li Jiusheng chuckled. He suspected Emperor Wu of Zhou had fled to Shangqing Palace in a panic, intending to evade the Grandmaster's pursuit, and had no choice but to target Li Jiusheng, ultimately failing.

"What do you mean, Senior Brother?" Li Qingshan looked at Li Jiusheng in confusion.

Li Jiusheng didn't answer but instead asked, "Did you find Emperor Wu of Zhou this time?"

Li Qingshan nodded, but then added regretfully, "Emperor Wu of Zhou is too cunning. He took advantage of the momentary pause when everyone else hesitated and snuck into the ruins, stealing the Grandmaster Pure Land. Fortunately, I discovered him as he emerged and announced it to the world, drawing the encirclement and killing of several veteran Venerables. He was forced to self-detonate his physical body. His remnant soul's whereabouts are unknown, but this place is nearly a hundred thousand li from Luochuan Sect. With the power of his remnant soul, it will be difficult for him to return in a short time."

"He won't be able to return," Li Jiusheng said leisurely, hands clasped behind his back.

Li Qingshan looked at Li Jiusheng in surprise.

Li Jiusheng then recounted how Emperor Wu of Zhou had nearly possessed him.

After listening, Li Qingshan was both shocked and delighted. He carefully examined Li Jiusheng, confirming he hadn't been possessed, and then breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that you're alright, Senior Brother. You speak of it so lightly, but it must have been incredibly dangerous at the time."

A remnant soul of a Grandmaster attempting to possess a Grandmaster should have been a sure thing, yet Li Jiusheng turned the tables. How could it not have been perilous?

But it was in the past. Li Jiusheng waved his hand dismissively. "It was nothing. I called you here today because after Emperor Wu of Zhou's remnant soul died, he left something behind in my Primordial spirit space."

"What is it? Is it some kind of dao pháp seed? Or perhaps a demonic heart demon puppet? I'll have someone come over immediately to inspect and destroy it. We can't have it affecting your future cultivation, Senior Brother," Li Qingshan said, instantly becoming tense.

Li Jiusheng quickly stopped him, shaking his head. "It's not what you're thinking. Emperor Wu of Zhou left a Grandmaster Pure Land in my Primordial spirit space."

Li Qingshan's eyes widened as he stared at Li Jiusheng, then he exclaimed joyfully, "The Grandmaster Pure Land is actually in your Primordial spirit space! This is truly a grand destiny! Once you break through to the Venerable realm and reach the peak of your cultivation, you can use this Grandmaster Pure Land to easily break through to the Grandmaster realm. Congratulations, Senior Brother! Congratulations!"

"That's too far off. Besides, I'm not used to using other people's things," Li Jiusheng said calmly, shaking his head without any excitement. To Li Jiusheng, who needed constant rebirth, using someone else's Grandmaster Pure Land to break through would be like severing his own foundation.

Breaking through from the peak of the Venerable realm to the Grandmaster realm would inevitably require immense energy and long-term accumulation. This was precisely a prime opportunity for rebirth. To rashly use the Grandmaster Pure Land would lead to a breakthrough, but the chance for rebirth would be lost.

Chasing the trivial and abandoning the fundamental!

Li Jiusheng would never do such a thing.

He said to Li Qingshan, "I plan to gift the Grandmaster Pure Land to you, Junior Brother. Your current realm is perfect for using it. By digesting this Grandmaster Pure Land, you will undoubtedly reach the Grandmaster realm. Only then will Shangqing Palace truly have a foothold."

Li Qingshan was astonished and immediately wanted to refuse, but Li Jiusheng stopped him and continued, "After killing Emperor Wu of Zhou's remnant soul this time, he must know and surely hates Shangqing Palace and me. We don't know what will happen next. Junior Brother, you must break through to the Grandmaster realm to suppress troublemakers, protect the thousands of disciples of Shangqing Palace, and ensure that I can continue to live such a peaceful and stable life."

Li Qingshan was so moved he couldn't speak. He no longer refused, clasped his hands in a daoist salute, and thanked him solemnly, "Your grace in remaking me, Senior Brother, I am eternally grateful."

"Alright, why be so formal? When you first joined the sect, you were still wearing an open-crotch diaper, drooling, and only knew how to play, disliking studies. I raised you. Now I'm guiding you into the Grandmaster realm, isn't that only natural?" Li Jiusheng said with a smile, revealing some old memories and causing Li Qingshan's face to flush.

"Junior Brother, if you were Emperor Wu of Zhou, with your Grandmaster Pure Land stolen and your Primordial spirit severed, and Shangqing Palace being the culprit for everything, how would you retaliate?" Li Jiusheng suddenly asked.

Li Qingshan pondered for a moment and gave his answer: "With Emperor Wu of Zhou's personality, he would definitely seek revenge for the slightest grievance. However, his Grandmaster foundation was first severed, then his Primordial spirit was possessed and exploded, his remnant soul was killed by you, Senior Brother, and he lost the Grandmaster Pure Land he coveted. The losses are heavy, and he will be unable to emerge for a considerable time."

"If I were Emperor Wu of Zhou, I would forge alliances, seeking out sects or enemies who have grudges against Shangqing Palace. I would offer them great benefits to unite them against Shangqing Palace. At the same time, I would find assassin organizations to assassinate people from Shangqing Palace, create chaos, and work from all sides to dismantle and destroy Shangqing Palace." Li Qingshan truly put himself in Emperor Wu of Zhou's shoes, deducing Emperor Wu of Zhou's personality and speaking these cold, ruthless words.

"Assassin organizations?" Li Jiusheng frowned. "What kind of assassin organization could deal with a major sect like Shangqing Palace?"

It wasn't that Li Qingshan was bragging. Although Shangqing Palace didn't have a Grandmaster, it had hundreds of elders and thousands of disciples. It occupied several spirit veins and had numerous dependents, fertile land, shops, and merchant caravans. While not comparable to top-tier great sects or millennium-old holy lands, it was still a first-class daoist sect. What kind of assassin organization would dare to attack such a force?

"Human World!" Li Qingshan said with a serious expression.