The Greater Good and an Unexpected Windfall

Three bloodcurdling screams echoed mournfully over the Cloud Mountain.

Those three immortal cultivators who had achieved the elixir level perished in the blink of an eye, some turning into ashes and others into blood mist.

Fang Shu remained outwardly calm upon seeing this, but was inwardly quite surprised.

It should be noted that these are genuine immortal cultivators who have achieved the highest level of cultivation. Even the weakest among them is far superior to a fake immortal cultivator, and they have a lifespan of at least four hundred years.

And now, without warning, he has taken down three of them in one fell swoop.

Surprised, Fang Shu looked up at the sky, a chill running down his spine. "Once you enter the Profound Teaching, it's truly hard to tell good from bad."

Logically speaking, those three Immortal cultivator, even if severely injured, should have been able to escape this calamity. However, they had been educated by the Profound Teaching for many years and were suppressed by Fang Shu using the Profound Teaching Sect's Fortune, making it impossible for them to use their supernatural Divine Ability.

For those who have achieved immortality through alchemy, this is tantamount to offering their necks for execution.

Suddenly, a sharp shout rang out, "You audacious madman, how dare you commit such a heinous act!"

The shout interrupted Fang Shu's shock and brought him back to his senses. His expression was cold as he calmly looked at the newcomer.

Suddenly, a Yellow-Bearded Daoist appeared Cloud Mountain Summit, his aura of Golden Core Perfection clearly visible. Even though Fang Shu relied on the Profound Teaching Fortune, alarm bells rang in his heart.

This Yellow-Bearded Daoist was none other than Elder Wenxiang, one of the Five Elders of the sect.

The other party's face was filled with anger and rage as he kept glancing at the places where the three Dancheng Immortals had perished, his expression also showing a hint of heartache.

It should be noted that although these three Core Formation cultivator were only retainers, they were henchmen he had painstakingly recruited. And it was precisely because they were retainers that these three had always been obedient to him, making them far more useful than ordinary Profound Teaching disciples.

In just a short while, all three of them were Fang Shu.

This situation was truly difficult for Elder Wenxiang to accept.

In his mind, even if there were conflicts or even casualties on Cloud Mountain today, it would never have turned out like this.

The more he pondered, the more his anger surged. Streams Fang Shu internal Core Qi danced above Elder Wenxiang's head, seemingly about to strike down at any moment, ready to kill Fang Shu.

Fang Shu looked at this person and became even more wary, feeling as if he were being pricked by thorns.

Clearly, even with the protection of the Divine Immortal Decree, he would still be at a disadvantage if he were to truly confront a celestial Immortal cultivator had Golden Core Perfection.

"Especially since I have the Divine Immortal Decree, and this old thing also has the position of Profound Teaching Elder as a backing." Fang Shu pondered, worried that once the two sides exercised their power, the Fortune of the Profound Teaching might not favor either side.

The thought of avoiding direct confrontation arose in his mind.

But the more this was the case, the more Fang Shu became. He even looked around and said with a smile, "What's wrong? I'm cleaning up the sect to avoid being laughed at by the Immortal cultivator around, but Elder Wenxiang thinks that's inappropriate?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Wenxiang, who was in a fit of rage, regained some clarity in his eyes.

He subconsciously looked around and, sure enough, discovered that faint auras were rising around Cloud Mountain, peering over.

Moreover, Cloud Mountain is located near the Profound Altar, and there are countless Immortal cultivator within a radius of a hundred miles. The commotion that Fang Shu just caused here was enormous, and he made no attempt to conceal it. It is likely that there are even more Immortal cultivator secretly observing this place.

Amidst the struggle in his eyes, Elder Wenxiang Fang Shu utter another sentence, which immediately made him turn ashen with anger.

Fang Shu bowed respectfully and said, "Elder Wenxiang, please prioritize the greater good and refrain from violating the rules of our Profound Teaching, lest we become a laughingstock to outsiders."

"The bigger picture?!"

Elder Wenxiang laughed in exasperation, "You outsider, how dare you discuss the big picture with me within the sect?"

He couldn't contain himself any longer and planned to capture Fang Shu and punish him according to the rules of the sect. However, he didn't realize that the fear in his heart had grown even stronger, and he didn't even dare to utter a word of threat.

Seeing that Elder Wenxiang was really about to make a move, Fang Shu remained calm, but he was already prepared to run away at any moment.

Although he had shown great momentum when he killed the Golden Core offering, he had not forgotten that he was only a Golden Core first tribulation cultivator, and those three Core Formation cultivator were just ordinary True Core cultivators, not True Disciple.

But this old man with the Wenxiang in front of me is different; he cannot be taken lightly.

But just then, a hurried voice rang out. "Please, you two, don't make a move!"

With a whoosh, streaks of jade-colored light, like bolts of lightning, swept across the sky, separating the two sides.

Just then, a figure appeared, whether rushing over or having been watching for a long time, suddenly landed and let out a long sigh, "At least I'm not too late."

Fang Shu and Elder Wenxiang looked up and saw that the person was Elder Yushan from the sect.

Fang Shu an eyebrow, his heart immediately settling down, knowing that today's events were already decided.

Elder Wenxiang then shouted, "Yushan, you've come at the right time! This brat is so reckless, daring to kill True Immortal in public! Capture him at once!"

"Alas!" Elder Yushan had rushed over, sighed and said in a benevolent manner, "Fellow Wenxiang, why be angry? Although they are three True Immortal, they are merely guest Guest Elder within the sect. Why ruin the harmony with your own True Disciple?"

"You!" Elder Wenxiang.

Elder Yushan quickly added, "This matter needs to be considered carefully, carefully."

During the exchange, several more beams of spiritual light shot out from the direction of the Profound Altar, each possessing a powerful aura; they were the other elders in the sect who Golden Core Perfection.

When they arrived, they all exclaimed, "Don't be angry!"

"Fellow Daoists, you can talk things out calmly. Why make yourselves a laughingstock in front of outsiders?"

Surprisingly, some people even spoke well of Fang Shu.

Such an attitude made Elder Wenxiang's face even more aggrieved. He really didn't expect that the words "consider the overall situation" would one day fall on his own head.

However, now that Yushan and the others have arrived, and Fang Shu holds the Divine Immortal Decree, Cloud Mountain should indeed belong to Fang Shu in principle.

If we really judge it according to the rules of the church, then he was truly in the wrong for Wenxiang.

And with the hints from Yushan and the others, Elder Wenxiang's expression changed several times, as if he had remembered something. In the end, he simply flicked his sleeve, snorted a few times, and disappeared.

Seeing Elder Wenxiang leave in a huff, Yushan and the others relaxed.

Fang Shu looked at the other party's behavior with surprise. He hadn't expected that today's matter would be resolved so easily.

However, this did not stop Fang Shu from smiling as he watched Yushan and the others looking at him.

He cupped his hands and smiled, "Thank you all for your understanding. Once I establish my residence at Cloud Mountain, I will certainly invite you all for a few cups of fine wine."

Yushan and the others exchanged glances, their tone ranging from sighing to polite, "True Disciple Fang to his reputation as the disciple favored by the Goose Divine Immortal. On his first day back in the sect, he has already made a name for himself throughout the entire sect."

"Definitely, definitely."

But when Fang Shu was about to discuss things with them, the elders all made excuses and left first.

Even Yu Yushan, who was the first to speak and had the most moderate attitude, hastily instructed, "True Disciple Fang, we've killed them and fought them. Please release the remaining Immortal cultivator on the mountain. Many of them are Wenxiang's clansmen. Don't let things get too messy."

If True Disciple Fang has other intentions, he can send a portion of the various spiritual items from the mountain to Wenxiang's residence.

As soon as he finished speaking, Elder Yushan nodded to Fang Shu Shuyi, then transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the Cloud Mountain.

This hasty arrival and departure made Fang Shu feel quite uncomfortable for a while.

However, after watching the group leave, he turned back, looked at the dilapidated Cloud Mountain, pondered for a moment, and then a slight smile appeared on his face.

Without even glancing around, he directly commanded the Immortal cultivator who were spying on the area, "All Profound Teaching disciples, listen to my command immediately and come over to sweep and clean."

As soon as he finished speaking, he bypassed the area where the three immortal cultivators who had achieved the Dan Cheng realm had perished and rushed straight into the Cloud Mountain to begin a thorough search for Elder Wenxiang's clansmen.

Yushan reminded him that since there were Wenxiang tribesmen on the mountaintop, he should make proper arrangements for them.

In particular, the corpses that had already died under his Law Technique must be dealt with properly.

Of course, he wasn't trying to mend his relationship with that old man; he just believed that there's a use to being alive, and there's a use to being dead.

Who knows, we might be able to extract even more benefits from that old man.

On the other side.

Inside a large hall within the within the Profound Altar, several figures suddenly appeared, each radiating abundant spiritual light.

Those people were the Profound Teaching Elder who had just shown their faces on Cloud Mountain; all five of them were present, not one missing.

Elder Wenxiang, who had been furious just moments before, now appeared calm, though his eyes held a cold glint.

Elder Yushan, who had just been trying to smooth things over, shook his head and said, "We never expected that this True Disciple Fang would be so ruthless, far exceeding our expectations."

Upon hearing this, Elder Wenxiang sneered, his words finally revealing his inner turmoil. "Since Fellow Daoist Yushan also finds this boy cruel, why don't we all exercise our power of law enforcement, forcibly remove him from his position as a True Disciple, and imprison him?"

Upon hearing this, Yushan chuckled and said, "It's not that bad yet; this matter needs further consideration."

Upon Elder Wenxiang's sneer deepened.

At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out in the hall. "Fellow Daoist, it is not unreasonable for us to exercise this power. Even if we disagree, you should have your own way to obtain the divine decree."

But Fellow Daoist Wen, judging from this boy's behavior today, does he really intend to tear off all pretense of civility?

These words made Elder Wenxiang's cold laugh freeze. He gritted his teeth and involuntarily closed his eyes slightly.

Seeing this fellow's behavior, the others understood even more clearly.

Yushan then stated directly, "Since the test has already been conducted, let's drop it. However, there is one more matter that is worth discussing."

Aside from Wenxiang, the other three all looked towards Yushan.

Immediately, Yushan brought up the matter of Fang Shu's previous request for an Ancestral Altar quota.

"Judging from this young man's behavior, he seems quite confident. I'm afraid he'll rely on the Goose Divine Immortal as his support, feel it's unfair, and cause trouble for the Profound Teaching again. If that happens, we'll be in a difficult position to deal with. If it damages the relationship between the two Divine Immortal, that would be even worse."

Upon hearing this, the others also showed expressions of unease.

It should be known that everyone present understood this.

The reason Wenxiang sent people to occupy Cloud Mountain was not simply because this fellow was too greedy and disregarded the rules of the sect, but rather it was a test.

Now that Fang Shu has returned with the decree of the Goose Divine Immortal, Wenxiang's refusal to grant permission to Cloud Mountain is a genuine test.

Now that the test has yielded results, it seems that the Goose Divine Immortal's situation is far better than rumored. Perhaps he was simply indulging in too much play outside, or perhaps he was refining some kind of fortuitous opportunity and didn't want the sect to share the benefits.

Otherwise, Fang Shu him, how would he dare to be so arrogant?

Furthermore, given that this young man hails from Mount Lu, and that a disciple of Outer Dao sect was suddenly promoted to Profound Teaching True Disciple, this is truly a rare occurrence in the thousands of years of history within the within the Western Altar.

Who knows, Fang Shu might be a pawn used by the Goose Divine Immortal Mount Lu opportunity.

Given such a complex situation, if they had a choice, none of them would want to be involved.

To avoid being caught in the crossfire when the Divine Immortal fight.

Suddenly, Elder Wenxiang opened his eyes, his gaze shifting slightly.

The man said nonchalantly, "Since this boy holds the Divine Immortal Decree, according to the rules of the sect, he should be given a place at the Ancestral Altar quota."

Since that's the case, then grant his wish and give him an imperial edict, allowing him to go out to sea to pursue him."

These words reached the ears of Yushan and the others, causing them to look at Wenxiang with surprise and suspicion, wondering why this guy was so magnanimous.

But soon, the group of people seemed to understand something and realized what was going on.

The results of the test are now in. If Fang Shu stays in the sect, he will only become the messenger of the Goose Divine Immortal, hindering Wenxiang and the others from Thousand-Foot Divine Immortal's affairs.

There's no guarantee that things won't escalate into even greater conflict.

Fang Shu, besides being True Disciple, is a genuine Divine Immortal's son. In contrast, Wenxiang and the other two only hold the position of elder, but are not disciples of the Thousand-Foot Divine Immortal.

Their situation was quite similar to that of the few Guest Elder on Cloud Mountain.

If the conflict becomes too great, Wenxiang and the other person might be ignored or even abandoned.

On the contrary, if one were to proactively escort Fang Shu to sea, not only could one avoid conflict, but the overseas dangers would also be a concern, as there have been several instances in the past Refining Spirit seed have perished overseas.

Even if no one is lost, Fang Shu Ancestral Altar quota, there will inevitably be a True Disciple who loses that place.

There will inevitably be disputes, some more serious than others; this is a strategy to divert trouble eastward.

Having understood this, Yushan and the others remained silent, their expressions thoughtful.

Elder Wenxiang glanced around at the group and, finding no objections, said directly, "Fellow Daoists, please grant me the decree."

Upon hearing this, Yushan and the others looked up at the sky. Seeing that there was no movement above them, they immediately understood that Wenxiang's actions were probably in line with someone's intentions.

They all cupped their hands in greeting, saying, "We will do as you say, fellow Daoist."

Buzzing.

Immediately, an Edict Talisman was written by Wenxiang, and the five people in the hall each used their seals to imprint their own auras. They then summoned Strongmen and Jade Maidens and, in accordance with the proper rites of the sect, sent it to Cloud Mountain promulgation.

Watching Edict Talisman leave, Wenxiang's expression remained calm, yet a hint of coldness surfaced, and a half-smile played on his lips.

The others, standing to the side, saw it, but pretended not to.

Only Elder Yushan remained in the hall. After seeing everyone off one by one, he stared at the empty doorway of the hall and muttered to himself, "Clearly a Golden Core Master, yet repeatedly embroiled in such palace intrigues—could it be that this truly offers him a chance to be reborn?"

Inside the main hall, a voice, whether laughter or a sigh, rang out, and then there was no one else.