Yue Buqun Pays Homage to the Immortal, Land Immortal

"There's no room for negotiation on this matter."

Ning Zhongze's attitude was incredibly firm.

The main reason was that this place was too special. Other places didn't matter; if Yue Lingshan wanted to cause a scene, she could let her.

But this was Yue Buqun's study, and also where he meditated. It even housed the Mount Hua sect's sect leader skill—the Purple Haze Divine Skill.

She rarely entered it herself, let alone Yue Lingshan.

It was fortunate that it was Yue Lingshan. If it were anyone else coveting Mount Hua's skills, it would be an irreconcilable hatred.

Even Linghu Chong, who would later be recognized as the sect leader of Mount Hua, would be punished and made to face the wall at the back mountain's Reflection Cliff for several months.

"Ah!"

Upon hearing her mother's tone, Yue Lingshan felt disheartened and dejected.

Her daily lessons already took five hours, and adding another hour meant half the day was gone!

Excluding meals and sleep, the thought of only having one or two hours of rest each day made her feel like life was meaningless.

"Mother, do you know what Father is meditating for? I haven't seen him in so long."

Thinking that her purpose for coming here hadn't been achieved and that she had even been punished for it, she felt the need to recover some ground.

At least satisfy her curiosity!

"Stop asking nonsense!"

After saying this, Ning Zhongze felt a pang of regret. After all, her daughter was asking out of concern for her father.

"Senior Brother is in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Grandmaster realm. He should be out in a few days. You should go back to sleep now."

"Ah? But didn't Senior Brother say Father was praying to the gods? I thought Father was cultivating immortality?"

Yue Lingshan blinked in confusion.

She had only come to sneak a peek out of curiosity because she heard her father was cultivating immortality. Otherwise, who would come here for no reason! And now she'd been caught and punished with an extra hour of lessons.

"Cultivating immortality?"

Ning Zhongze was also taken aback for a moment, then her expression turned extremely serious as she stared at Yue Lingshan and questioned her.

"Did Senior Brother say that?!"

She knew that Senior Brother had always made the revitalization of the Mount Hua sect his sole ambition.

If such rumors spread and made everyone believe that the sect leader of Mount Hua was a superstitious person who prayed to gods and Buddhas, then all their efforts over the years would be in vain.

"Y-yes, Senior Brother said it..."

Yue Lingshan was stunned by Ning Zhongze's stern gaze. It was the first time she had ever seen her mother look like that.

"Senior Brother also said he personally saw Father forge a statue out of pure gold and carry it back to the backyard."

Hearing Yue Lingshan stammer out everything like a pouring bean pod.

Ning Zhongze also began to hesitate.

She had watched Linghu Chong grow up since childhood and naturally understood his personality. Although he was carefree and seemed unreliable, he never lied.

Besides...

Ning Zhongze looked suspiciously at the brightly lit study. When she usually brought food to Senior Brother while guarding him, she could vaguely smell wisps of sandalwood from outside the study.

Could it be that Senior Brother had truly become obsessed with gods and Buddhas?

Thinking this, Ning Zhongze felt a sense of urgency.

As the daughter of the previous sect leader of Mount Hua, she was a true martial artist through and through.

Therefore, she naturally did not believe in such superstitions about ghosts and gods. In fact, anyone with a certain status would scoff at them, knowing they were merely tools to control the ignorant.

Otherwise, why would there be so many apostates even in a Buddhist Holy Land like the Shaolin Temple?

"Perhaps Senior Brother is under too much pressure to revive the Mount Hua sect alone and has finally placed his hope in the manifestation of immortals."

Ning Zhongze felt a lump in her throat at this thought, feeling immense guilt towards Yue Buqun.

In her opinion, if it weren't for her father's dying wish, how could Yue Buqun have taken over the mess that was the Mount Hua sect and still be thinking of reviving it?

And Yue Buqun placing his hope in immortals—the key was that this situation had been going on for a month. During this month, Yue Buqun had confined himself to his study, and she hadn't noticed her Senior Brother's state of mind in time.

If not for her daughter's reminder, she wouldn't have known all this.

With that thought, she lost the mood to discipline Yue Lingshan and hurriedly rushed towards the study.

"Mother, wait for me!"

Yue Lingshan was stunned. Seeing her mother turn and leave, she subconsciously followed.

Arriving at the study door, she smelled the distinct sandalwood scent, further confirming her suspicions.

She initially wanted to go straight in, but after thinking about it, Ning Zhongze decided to knock first.

At least she had to give Senior Brother some time to prepare. After all, Senior Brother was in this situation because of her, so she planned to persuade him first. She had even prepared herself: the Mount Hua sect didn't need to restore its former glory; as long as their family was happy and safe, that would be enough.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Brother, how much longer will your seclusion last?"

Ning Zhongze's voice trembled slightly, but she managed to suppress it.

"Creak!"

When she heard no response from inside, and just as Ning Zhongze was about to knock again, the study door opened by itself.

Ning Zhongze subconsciously looked into the room. Amidst the swirling sandalwood incense, the most conspicuous object was a golden statue.

A statue of the Donghua Emperor!

Ning Zhongze was very familiar with this. The ancestor of their Mount Hua Sect was Hao Datong, a former disciple of the Quanzhen Sect.

The Quanzhen Sect worshipped the Donghua Emperor as their immortal, and they naturally continued this tradition.

Her gaze moved downward. She saw her husband sitting cross-legged beneath the statue, in the Five Qi Towards Origin posture, his eyes slightly closed.

"Brother?"

Ning Zhongze called out suspiciously. After all, apart from the statue and the incense filling the room, this scene truly looked like he was in seclusion.

Recalling Yue Buqun's words to her about entering seclusion to break through, she hesitated again. What if her husband was truly breaking through his cultivation realm?

He did look like he was meditating.

As she was lost in thought, a phantom image suddenly appeared above Yue Buqun's head. Though its appearance was unclear, it emanated divine radiance and an imperial aura, making one feel it was the lord of all immortals, the king of gods. A white lotus floated beside him, dazzling like the moon surrounded by stars.

"This..."

Yue Lingshan turned to Ning Zhongze and said blankly, "Mother, you still said Father wasn't cultivating immortality?"

Before Ning Zhongze could reply, moonlight from the heavens pierced through the sealed roof, enveloping Yue Buqun. With each of his breaths, this silvery moonlight was slowly absorbed into his body.

And his cultivation was continuously rising.

"Grandmaster... Great Grandmaster..."

Ning Zhongze rubbed her eyes, staring at the scene before her in disbelief. Her throat even felt hoarse.

"Land... Land Immortal!"

Sensing the aura within Yue Buqun, she grew increasingly numb. This was a Land Immortal.

A realm that even the founder of the Quanzhen Sect had not reached. In thousands of years, only Zhang Sanfeng had become a Land Immortal a hundred years ago.

Land Immortals were called immortals precisely because they were synonymous with extreme power.