Further Developments
Little Stone Buddha's past self knew Immortal Palace's master, Xu Xunyang, inside and out.
This master of Taiyi Daoist Prefecture and founding patriarch of the Taiyi Lineage was far from as illustrious as outsiders believed.
He Ping had long known that the decline of the Taiyi Daoist Prefecture lineage had something to do with Xu Xunyang. Indeed, it was highly likely that Xu Xunyang himself had been the greatest hand behind the scenes.
"Daoist Taiyu's departure from Taiyi Daoist Prefecture was also Xu Xunyang's doing. Or rather, Xu Xunyang forced him to leave."
Little Stone Buddha's past self did not mince words, directly telling the two of them that Xu Xunyang had always acted with sinister underhandedness. Back then, the Heaven, Earth, and Human branches of Taiyi Daoist Prefecture each had their own patriarch. Yet his junior brother Taiyu, along with another extraordinary figure, had left no great reputation behind; in later generations, almost no one even knew of them.
Of the three great patriarchs, Xu Xunyang alone became renowned throughout the world as the founding patriarch of the Taiyi Dao Lineage. That alone spoke volumes.
"To put it bluntly, he was a fame-hunting hypocrite with honey on his lips and a dagger in his heart."
Ji Changli gave the explanation directly.
"Our Hemp-Robe Dao Palace also has some records. What Little Stone Buddha says is indeed well-founded. Moreover, during the era of the Great Offering Dynasty, Xu Xunyang's Taiyi Daoist Prefecture came up with some Taiyi Church, using those divine-path methods of gathering incense offerings and condensing faith. There were plenty of deceitful schemes involved."
Xu Xunyang had presumably used Taiyi Church to gather the power of faith, then faked his death and escaped. Later, he became the master of Immortal Palace, stirring up storms in secret.