Spirit River Temple's Doubts, the Immortal Legacy of the Ancient Forbidden Land

The forty-fourth year of the Jingtai Era, high summer.

Cloudshadow Mountain, Spirit River Temple.

The blazing sun hung high above the mountaintop. Clouds thickened among the peaks, the summer heat at its height, Dao resonance steaming and billowing.

Rear hall.

Birds and immortal cranes drifted past, and the air was cool as autumn.

Sandalwood smoke curled upward. Daoist Sect True Astral Force interwove in the air, solemn and grave.

Three True Persons sat facing one another.

Dong Daozi sat to the left, Qing Shuzi to the right, while seated in the central seat of honor was a white-browed old Daoist, lean of frame and stern of face.

He had guarded Spirit River Temple for six hundred years and had scarcely ever descended the mountain. He was none other than the sect's Grand Elder, Fu Yangzi.

He wore a plain Daoist robe, neat and smooth without a single crease. Both hands clasped a whisk before him, while the aura unconsciously drifting from his body was unfathomably deep. His eyes were still as an ancient well, profound as the abyss of heaven.

His gaze swept lightly across the two below him before his brows slowly lowered, his expression indifferent.

"Why don't you two speak? Why are you stubbornly keeping silent? Did you not hear clearly—must this old Daoist repeat himself?"

Dong Daozi and Qing Shuzi exchanged glances, communicating briefly with their eyes as each pondered the matter.

After a moment's hesitation, Qing Shuzi spoke first. "Reporting to Grand Elder, this old Daoist believes that the Meizhou Daoist Sect covets our Jiang Prefecture Agricultural Path Cultivators and wishes to take a share of the pie. This... is only natural."

"The Agricultural Path has existed for over twenty years. Its fame has long spread beyond Jiang Prefecture along the two banks of the Spirit River. Though Meizhou borders us, it has always harbored grievances against our sect. Taking this chance to poach some Agricultural Path Cultivators is perfectly understandable."

Meizhou was named for plum blossoms stretching ten thousand miles. It lay upon fertile soil in the great plains, southeast of Jiang Prefecture and bordering it, with most of the Horn-Sand Ancient Forbidden Land between them...

They did not actually interact often, but they frequently clashed at the Daoist Sect Convention held once every two hundred years, dark currents surging beneath the surface.

Fu Yangzi did not answer. Instead, he looked toward Dong Daozi.

After a slight hesitation, Dong Daozi considered his words before saying, "If the Meizhou Daoist Sect merely has its eye on Agricultural Path Cultivators and wishes to bring them into Meizhou, that is not a problem. After all, Dajiang County in our prefecture and Spirit River Temple are the birthplace of the Agricultural Path. Everyone knows this!"

"After more than twenty years of leading development, this is its core sacred land. Meizhou could not catch up even if it whipped its horse to death. At most, it can only trail behind and sip some soup."

"What I fear is that Meizhou's ambitions are far greater—the old man's intent lies not in the wine! If recruiting Agricultural Path Cultivators to compete with our sect for people is merely one part of it, while their true aim is the opportunities within the Horn-Sand Ancient Forbidden Land, then that is the greatest threat...!"

"We can temporarily let them bring in Agricultural Path Cultivators. Their numbers are growing by the day, and we do not lack one or two of them. There are only thieves who steal for a thousand days, never guards who stand watch for a thousand days; we cannot guard against it anyway... But we cannot yield a single inch of the Horn-Sand Ancient Forbidden Land!"

At that, Fu Yangzi gave a cold laugh. "Correct. That is precisely what truly worries this old Daoist."

He stroked his long beard, his brow faintly furrowed.

"Our sect has always strictly forbidden the secret that Agricultural Path Cultivators can dispel baleful qi from spreading beyond our doors. Yet as their numbers increase, this secret will sooner or later become impossible to conceal. The countless common folk of the world are ignorant and easily fooled, but the Daoist Sects of other prefectures will not be so easy to deceive."

"Meizhou borders the Horn-Sand Ancient Forbidden Land. We have secretly and silently used Agricultural Path Cultivators to dispel evil and reclaim it; we may not be able to hide this... Perhaps they have now noticed some hidden truth and wish to investigate our secrets under the guise of poaching people!"

The rear hall fell silent. The three True Persons were speechless for a time, each lost in their own thoughts.

The Horn-Sand Ancient Forbidden Land was said to have existed for ten thousand years. It was one of the largest and oldest forbidden lands in Jiang Prefecture. Countless strange monsters dwelled within, and high-realm monsters were beyond number. Even the sect master did not dare venture deeply inside with ease. Yet such ancient and perilous lands... often concealed the greatest opportunities and inheritances!

In the past, there had been no Agricultural Path Cultivators. Baleful qi could not be dispelled, and forbidden lands could not be reclaimed, so there had been nothing to be done. But now that the Agricultural Path had emerged, they could trade mountains of corpses and seas of blood for the reclamation of the forbidden land... the situation had changed completely!

Recently, they had continuously and secretly sent Agricultural Path Cultivators into the Horn Sand Forbidden Land for the sake of this hidden ancient opportunity!

If they could seize the chance presented by the Agricultural Path and unearth that opportunity, they could seek a sliver of a way forward on their path, perhaps even surpass every Daoist Sect beneath heaven and become the foremost of the Eastern Daoist Sect!

This was called seizing the moment and ascending to heaven in a single step.

If they missed this chance, or if Meizhou took the lead, who knew how long they would have to wait before they could rise again!

After a moment of silence, Qing Shuzi suddenly asked, "Grand Elder, this old Daoist dares ask: what sort of opportunity is hidden within the Horn-Sand Ancient Forbidden Land? Is it truly worth Spirit River Temple openly confronting the Meizhou Daoist Sect, tearing off all pretense and refusing to yield an inch?"

"In the past, we only heard that an inheritance of ten thousand years was hidden there. But what inheritance is this, exactly?"

Fu Yangzi did not answer at once. He pondered for a while, seemingly weighing whether he should reveal these secrets.

Only after quite some time did he speak, his expression especially grave.

"Previously, immortal opportunity was hard to seek, and forbidden lands could not be reclaimed. There was no meaning in speaking of this secret... But since matters have reached this point and opportunity lies before us, this old Daoist will no longer hide it from you!"

Once he opened his mouth, he revealed a tremendous secret spanning tens of thousands of years!

"After Heavenfall thirty thousand years ago, the immortal path was severed, the Buddhist-Taoist Path vanished, and every great inheritance in the world collapsed and perished... Yet later generations learned that there was in fact an exceedingly secretive inheritance of the immortal path, hidden unimaginably deep, that had never been cut off."

"More than half the foundation of the inheritances held today by the Eastern Daoist Sect and the Western Buddhist Sect originated from this sole surviving immortal path!"

"This matter is not an absolute secret within the Daoist Sect. You should have heard something of it."

Dong Daozi slowly nodded.

"Of course! This most secret immortal path in the world—the legends of Mount Gushe and its Gushe Immortal Sect—this old Daoist has naturally heard of them long ago!" Before his words had fully fallen, he abruptly froze and sucked in a sharp breath. "Grand Elder, could it be that... the opportunity in the Horn-Sand Ancient Forbidden Land is connected to the Gushe Immortal Sect?!"

Fu Yangzi neither admitted nor denied it, merely smiling freely.

Everyone present was an old bone and a clever person. The meaning was self-evident; there was no need to say more!

That was right!

If it involved the inheritance of Mount Gushe, then what lay hidden in the Horn-Sand Ancient Forbidden Land was an Immortal Legacy! A heaven-reaching orthodoxy! And the sole Great Dao amid Spirit River Temple's blocked path ahead!

"Hiss... If that is truly so, then no matter what, we cannot let the Meizhou Daoist Sect seize the lead!!!"

Fu Yangzi said solemnly, "Therefore, this old Daoist has decided to send you both down the mountain together. Unite every force of our sect's inner and outer branches throughout Jiang Prefecture, firmly seal off the news, and use Agricultural Path Cultivators... to reclaim the Horn-Sand Ancient Forbidden Land as soon as possible and dig that Immortal Legacy into our hands!"

"This matter cannot be rushed. At least sixty years will be spent on it, but it must be meticulous and secret! And it must also be swift!"

"When that day comes, it will be the day Spirit River Temple soars into the sky!"

"Only with you two working together beyond the mountain can this old Daoist rest easy. You can also conceal matters from the Meizhou Daoist Sect as much as possible and maneuver against them. This is our sect's grand plan for the next hundred years!"

Dong Daozi immediately answered, "Excellent! This old Daoist has many disciples training below the mountain. I can use this chance to descend and see how they are doing, exhausting every effort for our sect's century-long plan!"

Just as he was about to rise, Qing Shuzi, who had remained silent for a long while, suddenly raised a hand.

"Grand Elder, Dao Brother, wait! Before descending the mountain, there is one matter this old Daoist must speak of."

"Oh? Go on, then."

Qing Shuzi's expression gradually turned grave. "To be honest, hearing of this Immortal Legacy has stirred this old Daoist greatly. If we succeed, it will indeed serve our sect's century-long plan! Yet there is one matter that has always left this old Daoist uneasy."

"Now that the Agricultural Path has developed to this point, this old Daoist believes it cannot be underestimated, nor can we fail to guard against it."

"In barely twenty years, Field Stewards can now be seen everywhere in Dajiang County, moving earth and escaping through the ground, with several thousand cultivators among them! Their flesh, blood, life, and death can purify baleful qi and reclaim baleful domains—an unheard-of marvel in all eternity! And spirits that guard the land, never before seen, can arise upon their fields, each with its own unique traits. Such phenomena have never been witnessed in ancient or modern times... If they continue to develop, I fear they may shake the ten-thousand-year foundation of our Daoist Sect!"

"For now, they remain under our control. We can regard them as expendable resources and arrange them as we please—but what about in the long run?"

"Their growth has far exceeded what you and I envisioned. Now Meizhou intends to introduce the Agricultural Path into another prefecture, and its power is visibly expanding at a rapid pace! At present, they are still weak and their abilities are not apparent, so they can live under another's roof. But if they develop other intentions in the future, will we still be able to handle them as casually as we do today?"

Dong Daozi hesitated. He wanted to argue, but then fell silent.

These words seemed to make some sense.

The Daoist Sect's absolute control over Agricultural Path Cultivators had indeed made him never consider whether they would truly remain obedient forever, or whether they might secretly plot and wait for the day they could rise up in resistance.

Fu Yangzi, however, waved a hand, unconcerned. "Qing Shuzi, are you not worrying that the sky will fall? Agricultural Path Cultivators do indeed possess many unusual traits absent from our Daoist Sect inheritance, but in one respect, they fall far short of our sect!"

"Cultivation and strength! In these chaotic times, that is the only hard truth! They are skilled only at farming, not battle. Second Realm Field Stewards can at most use petty Daoist arts such as Earth Escape and moving earth, while our Daoist Sect can ride swords through the sky after the Second Dao Reception, suppress foes with five thunders, and cultivate the Twenty-Four Forms of the Two Qi Dao Art!"

"Not to mention True Persons like you and I, who have undergone the Fifth Dao Reception. How can we be compared to mere grass-roots Agricultural Path cultivators? Thus, from the very root of it, the Agricultural Path can only serve as an accompaniment to our Daoist Sect, subject to our command, with a single word deciding their life or death!"

Qing Shuzi did not immediately refute him, instead explaining from another angle.

"This old Daoist once thought the same! Yet that exceedingly strange auspicious snow in Dajiang County years ago, along with the unceasing output of improved seeds in recent years, have truly left this old Daoist deeply apprehensive!"

"The treasure pills refined from those improved seeds can presently only match the medicinal potency of the most basic low-grade Daoist pills. But without question, they are gradually replacing the foundation of our Daoist Sect's Daoist pills! How much painstaking effort does it take to refine a single Daoist pill? And how easily can those improved seeds yield abundant harvests? Their production increases year after year!"

"Grand Elder, you witnessed these things with your own eyes! When the auspicious snow fell, crops shot up overnight, premium-quality produce sprang up everywhere, and countless farmers knelt on the ground crying out that heavenly auspiciousness had descended. Yet what this old Daoist thought then was: why did such celestial signs fall upon the Agricultural Path in Dajiang County, rather than upon Spirit River Temple?"

Fu Yangzi fell silent, his gaze flickering.

As the sect's Grand Elder, he was naturally no fool. Qing Shuzi's words were reasonable and supported by evidence; he could not help but believe them!

At that moment, his expression slowly turned solemn.

"What you say... is not without reason. This old Daoist still remembers that auspicious snow vividly. Since Heavenfall, when has our Daoist Sect ever seen such an auspicious sign and strange phenomenon? Why should the insignificant Agricultural Path alone be favored by heaven and receive such heavenly auspiciousness?"

"Right! Did your disciple Li Xiaobing not return to the sect to report recently?"

"Call her here! This old Daoist wishes to ask her personally... just what sort of foundation the Agricultural Path possesses now!"