Daoist Scripture Hall's Recruitment (Please Follow and Bookmark)

That blazing sun seemed to be scorching the sky. In the very center, space had visibly collapsed!

"Hiss!"

After watching for less than Two Breaths, Wang Ping felt an unbearable burning pain in his eyes. Yet he stubbornly kept looking up, though his eyes had narrowed to slits.

"Two great realm cultivators are fighting!"

Yulian's voice carried a trace of fear. After speaking, she rode the clouds down onto Wang Ping, transformed into a one-foot-long form, and slipped into his sleeve, leaving only her little head exposed.

"Boom!"

A sound like thunder and war drums echoed beside Wang Ping's ears, making his heart lurch as an uncontrollable shudder rose within him.

Countless pale spheres rose from the horizon and crashed into the massed flames. Every collision seemed to strike the barriers of space itself, sending ripples through it like water. The flames that were struck fractured in a bizarre manner along with the undulating space.

In the Blink of an Eye, the blazing sun that had filled the sky shattered into countless fragments and poured down upon the earth like meteors.

"Hum."

A faint, comfortable vibration sounded beside Wang Ping's ear. He saw a cyan-green radiance rise from the Back Mountain and shoot into the heavens, exploding several hundred zhang in the air to form a visible curtain of light that enveloped the entire Thousand Wood Temple!

This was Daoist Yucheng's handiwork.

And at the instant the light curtain formed, more than ten fireballs carrying scorching heat crashed down toward Thousand Wood Mountain and the Surrounding Areas!

Three deafening impacts rang out in succession. Three fireballs struck the cyan light curtain, and the ripples they sent spreading were extraordinarily beautiful, yet they made Wang Ping's heart pound in terror. The instant the fireballs crashed down, dazzling sparks burst forth and spread continuously as if they had touched off some chemical reaction, until they finally vanished.

"Gulp."

Wang Ping swallowed.

More than ten breaths later, everything in the sky returned to normal, and the cyan-green light curtain quickly faded away. Wang Ping recovered from his shock, forcibly suppressed every thought in his mind, and rode the clouds toward his Master's courtyard on the Back Mountain.

"They were two Third Realm cultivators. One was a Fire Spirit Cultivator, but not from the True Sun Sect. The other was a Secret Method Cultivator fused with some kind of demonic artifact, and he had also advanced to the Third Realm..."

As Daoist Yucheng spoke, the Five Elements Yin-Yang emblem of the Daoist Scripture Hall emerged in the distant sky, cutting him off.

"Something major has likely happened. The Daoist Scripture Hall is summoning cultivators of Fourth Seat and above!" Daoist Yucheng looked grim as he quickly instructed Wang Ping, "Return to your daoist grounds and stay there. We'll talk when I return!"

With that, he transformed into a streak of light and rushed toward the prefectural capital of Nanlin Road. As he rose into the air, he used his Waist Token to summon a projection in the void, announcing his identity to the other prefectural cities.

"How terrifying. That energy fluctuation just now was enough to destroy the two of us a hundred times over!" Yulian poked out her little head and spoke in Wang Ping's Spirit Sea, still shaken.

Wang Ping nodded lightly and sat down beside the Stone Table in the courtyard, trying his best to sever his recollections of those scenes from moments ago before slowly sorting through his emotions.

Before long, Zhao Qing, Lu Xin, Tao You, and Liang Tao, the newly appointed Steward of the Martial Arts Academy, hurried into the courtyard.

"Senior brother..." The four saluted from the courtyard entrance. Zhao Qing stepped forward and asked, "Where is Master?"

"The Daoist Scripture Hall issued an emergency summons. Master has already gone over. There's no need for you to panic. Keep the Disciples under control, send two clever Outer Sect disciples to inquire nearby about what happened, and find out about the damage in the Surrounding Areas. Prepare some medicine for External Injuries as well... If any injured Pilgrims come seeking help, treat them as best you can."

"Yes, senior brother!"

The four visibly relaxed upon hearing this. They met with Zhao Mou, the Steward from the Artifact Court who arrived afterward, chatted briefly with Wang Ping, and then dispersed.

After his junior brothers left, Wang Ping returned to his Mountain Top Courtyard as well.

Liu Shuang was pacing anxiously before the Huai Tree. When she saw Wang Ping return, she hurried over. "Master, that just now was..."

"Don't worry. It's already over..."

Liu Shuang hesitated before saying, "I'm worried about junior brother. He's outside Thousand Wood Temple. If those fireballs just now..."

Wang Ping led Liu Shuang back into the courtyard and cast a divination with the Jiaobei. "Nothing serious. Go back to your work. If you're still worried, send someone to ask around."

"Mm!"

Early the next morning, Yang Ziping sent word asking whether the temple had suffered any harm, cautiously inquiring whether next month's wedding would be affected.

"Are you worried about his future cultivation?" Yulian voiced what Wang Ping had been thinking.

"Yes!"

"Worrying is useless. His state of mind is no longer what it was before he went down the mountain. In your terms, everyone has their own aspirations, and nothing can be forced."

"I never should have let him go to Sanhe Prefecture last time..."

"Even without Sanhe Prefecture, there would have been something else. His temperament may be steady, but his will is weak."

Wang Ping did not respond. He merely sighed soundlessly. He had originally thought Yang Ziping was exceptionally suited for the Dao and would go farther than Liu Shuang. Who would have thought that after their journey down the mountain, Liu Shuang had tempered her nature while Yang Ziping became troubled by the desires of the mortal world?

"A great many people have come up from the Mountain Foot. Most of them are injured!"

Yulian changed the subject, pulling Wang Ping away from Mundane Affairs.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping formed a magic seal with his hands and summoned his divine soul to sense the surroundings. Through the flowing spiritual energy, he soon felt distinct pain, helplessness, and anger. After some thought, he decided it was necessary to visit the Front Hall.

Just as he left the courtyard, he stopped again. He then cast an Invisibility Technique on himself, rode the clouds along the spiritual energy currents of the mountaintop, and descended into the sky above the familiar Training Ground.

The courtyard at the Front Hall was now bustling with voices. Some of the people had been burned by fire, and the severely injured were covered in rotten flesh, filling the air with a sickening stench. Most had come to take refuge from the disaster.

The temple's infirmary had already expanded five or sixfold, and enough healers had been trained to accommodate the seriously wounded brought into the temple. But this was only temporary. Far more injured people remained at the Mountain Foot, making their way toward the temple with relatives or friends beside them.

"Do not let your kindness disrupt your heart."

Yulian softly said, "This is how all things in the world are. We should remain kind, but we cannot allow kindness to overflow, or more people will be dragged into trouble."

"I understand!"

Wang Ping nodded and looked toward the distant horizon, where he saw Daoist Yucheng returning.

"Corpse Soldiers besieged Yongming Port overnight. Preliminary investigations suggest that an unknown demonic artifact was conceived deep underground. It awakened the bodies buried beneath the earth. During the previous dynasty, Yongming Port suffered a tsunami, and more than six hundred thousand people were buried underground!"

Daoist Yucheng explained to Wang Ping, "Yesterday's battle involved a Third Seat cultivator from the Daoist Scripture Hall encountering a follower of the Taiyin Lustful Sect at Yongming Port... The two fought all the way to the vicinity of Shang'an Prefecture."

His expression gradually turned solemn. "At the latest within three days, the Daoist Scripture Hall will conscript every Sixth Seat in Nanlin Road to go to Yongming Port and clear out the Corpse Soldiers."

Wang Ping instinctively straightened in his seat.

Just as he was about to reply, Daoist Yucheng continued, "You need not worry too much about the mission itself. Once the Daoist Scripture Hall makes up its mind, resolving Yongming Port will be as easy as turning over one's hand. Therefore, what you must focus on during this trip is not the mission itself, but the cultivators of Baishui Sect..."

"Five Dao Prefecture, Baishui Mountain—the current Sect Gate of Baishui Sect. Several decades ago, a Great Demon ran rampant on Baishui Mountain. The Daoist Scripture Hall issued a mission: whoever dealt with the Great Demon of Baishui Mountain would claim Baishui Mountain. Back then, your eldest Martial Uncle was in the Third Realm and had long been planning Thousand Wood Temple's expansion. This was undoubtedly a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, but..."

The unwillingness and fury on Daoist Yucheng's face vanished in an instant. He then let out a breath and said, "You only need to know that the enmity between Thousand Wood Temple and Baishui Sect cannot be reconciled... In other words, a conflict between us is inevitable. When that conflict comes, remember this: never be softhearted!"

"..."

Wang Ping froze. Wasn't the usual script supposed to be telling him to keep a low profile and stay out of their way?

Seeing Wang Ping's expression, Daoist Yucheng continued, "Hatred cannot be avoided simply by hiding. Baishui Sect must be thinking the same as I am now. They have a Third Realm cultivator, but he cannot leave Baishui Sect. I have already spoken with Fellow Daoist Gu Heng. When the time comes, our two sects will act together!"