Arc 125Rival Temples and River Spirits

Zhang Xiaohua was caught between Feng Shu and Chan Simiao, who erased his memories and sealed his cultivation before leaving him in a ravine. In Changsheng Town, Xiao Hua prepared Jiangchao Temple for its challenge with Little Gold Temple while a Liao River disaster brought fishermen and townsfolk into conflict over the Sea God Lord.

  • Zhang Xiaohua escaped Fey Shadow Fairy’s ambush, but Qiu Feng pursued him and revealed his plan to kill him and take his ring.
  • Feng Shu killed Qiu Feng and returned Zhang Xiaohua’s ring, while Chan Simiao appeared and the two cultivators argued over claiming Zhang’s body.
  • Feng Shu and Chan Simiao agreed to conceal Zhang Xiaohua, erased his recent memories, and sealed his middle dantian and Niwan Palace before he fell unconscious in a ravine.
  • A green-robed cultivator found Zhang Xiaohua alive and carried him toward Huanghua Ridge.
  • Xiao Hua agreed to challenge Little Gold Temple with Jiangchao Temple, while Daoist Master Xiao and Yuan Ya prepared for the contest and Xiao Hua gave Yuan Ya medicinal pills.
  • At the Liao River, whirlpools swallowed fishermen, and Mo Jianli rescued survivors before investigating reports of aquatic tribes and a demon in Changsheng Town.
  • Fishermen arrived at Jiangchao Temple to mourn the missing and restore the Sea God’s statue, then clashed with townsfolk who called the temple sacred ground of True Person Xiao.
  • Yuan Ya stopped the fishermen’s attack, and Xiao Jian persuaded them that the Sea God Lord was also True Person Xiao before Xiao Hua’s voice made the crowd clutch their heads.
Chapters 3101–3125 Vol. 32 Read

Ch. 3101Fey Shadow Fairy (Bonus Chapter for Fellow Daoist 71010401, Please Vote)

Zhang Xiaohua left Demon Subduing Valley with Qiu Feng and was mistaken for a powerful senior by cultivators waiting outside. After posing as a Xuyan Sect disciple named Nameless, he learned about the cultivators seeking spoils from the valley, but Fey Shadow Fairy invited him to travel with her toward Jingbo City, leaving him worried that she would uncover his lies.

  • Qiu Feng escorted Zhang Xiaohua through Demon Subduing Valley’s defensive formation and left him on the hills, warning him to deal with what was before him.
  • Cultivators gathered around Zhang Xiaohua, mistook him for a senior, and questioned him after he claimed to have only Qi Cultivation cultivation.
  • Zhang Xiaohua introduced himself as Nameless of the Xuyan Sect, and Fey Shadow Fairy revealed that she knew Zhu Chenghe of that sect.
  • Zhang Xiaohua claimed he had sneaked into Demon Subduing Valley but been discovered and released by an elder of his sect, while the waiting cultivators discussed the scarce spoils from the valley.
  • Fey Shadow Fairy proposed traveling with Zhang Xiaohua to Jingbo City so he could use its Teleportation Array, and he worried that staying with her might expose his false identity.

Ch. 3102True Colors Revealed

Fey Shadow Fairy took Zhang Xiaohua aboard her shuttle, then revealed she had lured him away to seize his storage ring, which she believed he had obtained in Demon Subduing Valley. The chapter ended as she used spiritual power to pull the ring from his hand.

  • Fey Shadow Fairy offered to take Zhang Xiaohua toward Jingbo City, while Gan Qinggu and the others insisted on joining them to inspect her damaged flying artifact.
  • Fey Shadow Fairy launched the shuttle with Zhang Xiaohua aboard and accelerated to evade the pursuing group, using a decoy to send them flying past.
  • After Fey Shadow Fairy diverted from their route, Zhang Xiaohua questioned her and dodged a crimson attack aimed at him.
  • Fey Shadow Fairy dropped the pretense of knowing Zhang Xiaohua's sect elders and demanded his storage ring, threatening to kill him.
  • Zhang Xiaohua offered the ring in exchange for his life, and Fey Shadow Fairy began drawing it toward herself.

Ch. 3103Immortal-Buddha Grand Ceremony

Daoist Master Xiao, Zen Master Mingyue, and Dean Zhu arranged a challenge between Jiangchao Temple and Little Gold Temple at the Immortal-Buddha Grand Ceremony in ten days, with Jiangchao Temple responsible for setting the rules. After the others left, Daoist Master Xiao tried to recruit Xiao Hua for the challenge, while Xiao Hua questioned him about the ceremony and then returned with donated rice for the temple.

  • Dean Zhu established that Changsheng Academy would set the challenge rules, but Daoist Master Xiao insisted that Jiangchao Temple should do so because it was wagering against Little Gold Temple.
  • Zen Master Mingyue accepted the arrangement, and Dean Zhu announced that they would meet at Little Gold Temple in ten days.
  • After the crowd dispersed, Daoist Master Xiao asked Xiao Hua whether he could defeat Yuan Ya and whether he would take part in the challenge, but Xiao Hua questioned why he should participate.
  • Daoist Master Xiao explained the Immortal-Buddha Grand Ceremony's history and warned that Buddhist experts might soon arrive at Little Gold Temple.
  • When Yuan Ya went to buy grain, Xiao Hua took the remaining copper coins and returned with donated rice after telling the shopkeeper that Daoist Master Xiao would challenge Little Gold Temple and Changsheng Academy.

Ch. 3104Blockade

Zhang Xiaohua was caught between Fey Shadow Fairy and four cultivators who fought over his storage ring, but after Fey Shadow Fairy was killed, he tried to escape and was captured. The chapter ended with Fellow Daoist Xuan discovering that his net could not tighten around Zhang Xiaohua’s clothing.

  • Fey Shadow Fairy pressured Zhang Xiaohua into handing over the storage ring, but Gan Qinggu and three companions shattered the flying shuttle’s barrier and interrupted her.
  • Gan Qinggu attacked Fey Shadow Fairy, while Elder Xuan’s Brain-Eroding Bee struck her and sent her falling from the shuttle.
  • Zhang Xiaohua took back the ring, then tried to bargain for his life and sow discord among the four cultivators, but they agreed to divide the ring’s contents.
  • Zhang Xiaohua threw the ring toward Fellow Daoist Xuan and fled, but an invisible barrier stopped him and a magical net trapped him.
  • Fellow Daoist Xuan tried to force Zhang Xiaohua to release the ring, but his net could not tighten around Zhang Xiaohua’s clothing.

Ch. 3105Villagers Besiege the Ridge

Xiao Hua and Daoist Master Xiao encountered a crowd climbing toward Jiangchao Temple, and Daoist Master Xiao feared they had come to punish him. The crowd instead arrived to thank Xiao Hua for saving Mu Chuan’s wife, leaving Daoist Master Xiao confused as Mu Chuan knelt before him.

  • Xiao Hua noticed that more than a hundred people were climbing the mountain toward Jiangchao Temple, and Yuan Ya warned that trouble might have found them again.
  • Daoist Master Xiao worried the crowd came from Song Family Manor, then decided to approach an old farmer and ask where he was from.
  • The old farmer recognized Daoist Master Xiao and shouted that True Person Xiao had arrived, prompting Daoist Master Xiao to try to flee.
  • Xiao Hua recognized Mu Chuan among the crowd and realized they had come because of the Wutuodan he had given him the previous night.
  • Mu Chuan knelt before Daoist Master Xiao and thanked him, explaining that the pill had cured his wife’s lingering illness.

Ch. 3106Seeing True Person Xiao Again

Daoist Master Xiao realized Mu Chuan’s family meant the ruined statue in Jiangchao Temple, not him, and turned their gratitude into a chance to gather worshippers and donations. He told the crowd that the statue was True Person Xiao and promised it would bring Changsheng Town more miracles.

  • Daoist Master Xiao helped Mu Chuan’s recovered wife up and urged the family to return home rather than climb the mountain that night.
  • Mu Chuan gave Daoist Master Xiao a silver ingot and asked him to prepare incense and candles for the statue in Jiangchao Temple.
  • Daoist Master Xiao ordered Yuan Ya to light the temple’s incense and candles, and villagers gathered to worship the damaged statue.
  • Daoist Master Xiao addressed the crowd, claimed Jiangchao Temple housed a powerful divine being, and said he had vowed to restore the statue.
  • Daoist Master Xiao identified the statue as True Person Xiao and presented Mu Chuan’s family’s experience as a genuine miracle and blessing for Changsheng Town.

Ch. 3107Qiu Feng Arrives

Zhang Xiaohua was trapped by four cultivators who wanted his storage ring, but Qiu Feng arrived and took it. Qiu Feng attacked the fleeing cultivators with a powerful magic treasure, killing Fellow Daoist Xuan as the others escaped.

  • Fellow Daoist Xuan released Zhang Xiaohua from the Bone-Clinging Lock and offered to spare him if he surrendered the storage ring and swore an oath.
  • Fellow Daoist Qi reached for the ring after Zhang Xiaohua hesitated, but a powerful divine sense swept over the group and sent the four cultivators fleeing in different directions.
  • Qiu Feng appeared, took Zhang Xiaohua's storage ring, and launched four crimson lights after the fleeing cultivators.
  • Fellow Daoist Xuan tried to block the crimson light with talismans, a disc, and a rod, but it pierced his defenses and killed him with a Profound Iron needle.

Ch. 3108Banyan Fruit

Daoist Master Xiao used Mu Chuan’s account of his wife’s recovery to persuade the villagers of General's Ridge to worship True Person Xiao and donate. Xiao Hua revealed that the supposed miracle pills were banyan fruits, and the crowd rushed to collect them.

  • Mu Chuan and his family thanked True Person Xiao, and Mu Chuan told the villagers that his wife had recovered after taking an immortal pill.
  • Daoist Master Xiao returned Mu Chuan’s silver ingot and accepted one copper coin instead, encouraging the villagers to offer what they could.
  • Xiao Hua tossed a copper coin into the offering box, prompting the villagers to donate their own coins.
  • A villager found a thumb-sized black object, and the crowd spotted banyan fruits growing in the temple tree.
  • Daoist Master Xiao claimed the fruits could work through sincere worship, and the villagers scrambled to collect them.

Ch. 3109Greed

Villagers crowded Jiangchao Temple to seize banyan fruits, but a supernatural warning and shaking ground drove them away. Afterward, Daoist Master Xiao suspected that Xiao Hua was connected to the temple’s apparent spiritual power.

  • Daoist Master Xiao urged the villagers to leave the crowded temple and return after seeing whether True Person Xiao’s blessing worked, but a fight broke out as more people rushed in.
  • A gale and a voice from the statue condemned the villagers’ selfishness, while the ground shook and knocked people from the banyan tree.
  • Daoist Master Xiao knelt to accept blame, then told Yuan Ya and Xiao Hua to escort the villagers down the mountain while he prayed.
  • Xiao Hua warned the crowd that the blessings had vanished, and the frightened villagers left Jiangchao Temple in shame and regret.
  • Mu Chuan thanked True Person Xiao for speaking to him again and renewed his vow to rebuild the statue’s golden body.
  • After the temple emptied, Daoist Master Xiao relit the candles and suspected that Xiao Hua was behind the strange events.

Ch. 3110Feng Shu Arrives

Zhang Xiaohua fled from Qiu Feng, who revealed that Feng Shu’s story about Zhang being the Alliance Leader’s relative was a cover for an erased memory and attacked him to seize his storage ring. Just as Qiu Feng’s Profound Iron needle was about to kill Zhang, Feng Shu appeared and froze them both, leaving Zhang trapped between two powerful cultivators.

  • Qiu Feng defeated Gan Qinggu and the others, then pursued Zhang Xiaohua toward Demon Subduing Valley.
  • Qiu Feng confronted Zhang, exposed Feng Shu’s fabricated story, and admitted he intended to kill Zhang and take his storage ring.
  • Qiu Feng sent the Profound Iron needle at Zhang, who tried to flee but was caught in a powerful field that halted them both.
  • Feng Shu appeared, revealed he had returned after discovering Qiu Feng’s intentions, and confronted him.
  • Zhang Xiaohua recognized Feng Shu’s voice and feared the Spirit Severing cultivator’s presence as Feng Shu’s figure appeared beside him.

Ch. 3111Daoist Master Xiao's Story

After Xiao Hua helped save the villagers, Daoist Master Xiao suspected he was a powerful Daoist and tried to persuade him to take Yuan Ya as a disciple. Xiao Hua emerged from the west wing and denied ever agreeing, leaving Daoist Master Xiao's plan unresolved.

  • Daoist Master Xiao wondered whether Xiao Hua was a great Daoist master and worried that his presence might attract even more powerful enemies.
  • Xiao Hua returned to Jiangchao Temple with Yuan Ya, then went to the west wing to meditate while Yuan Ya and Daoist Master Xiao gathered the copper coins.
  • Daoist Master Xiao asked Yuan Ya to recount the story of the king of Danliang, then tried to draw Xiao Hua into listening.
  • Daoist Master Xiao asked Yuan Ya about the challenge in ten days, and Yuan Ya admitted he could not defeat the scholars from Changsheng Academy.
  • After Yuan Ya said Xiao Hua had refused to take him as a disciple, Daoist Master Xiao urged him to ask again and claimed he agreed to the apprenticeship.
  • Xiao Hua emerged from the west wing and said he had never agreed to take Yuan Ya as a disciple.

Ch. 3112Chan Simiao Arrives

Feng Shu killed Qiu Feng and tried to take Zhang Xiaohua to Ascension Gate, admitting that his Soul Searching Technique had erased Zhang Xiaohua’s memories. When Zhang Xiaohua resisted, Feng Shu moved to seize him, but Chan Simiao suddenly intervened and called him a treasure.

  • Feng Shu revealed that Qiu Feng had marked Zhang Xiaohua with divine sense and killed Qiu Feng when he tried to use a magic artifact.
  • Feng Shu returned the storage ring to Zhang Xiaohua and confessed that his Soul Searching Technique had erased Zhang Xiaohua’s memories.
  • Zhang Xiaohua refused to accept the ring or go to Ascension Gate without knowing his sect, and Feng Shu urged him to stay there while he recovered.
  • Zhang Xiaohua pretended to strike his own forehead, but Feng Shu froze him and pulled him toward himself.
  • Chan Simiao appeared, broke Feng Shu’s hold on Zhang Xiaohua, and called him a treasure.

Ch. 3113Yuanya's Duel

Xiao Hua agreed to help Xiao Jian drive the Little Gold Temple monks out of Changsheng Town, then learned that Yuanya had to return to an arena in six years to fight for his freedom. He left open the possibility of helping Yuanya, while refusing to formally accept him as a disciple.

  • Xiao Hua told Xiao Jian he would challenge the Little Gold Temple and said he expected a seventy percent chance of winning in ten days.
  • Xiao Jian introduced himself as Xiao Jian and urged Xiao Hua to teach Yuanya, though Xiao Hua initially refused to take him as a disciple.
  • Xiao Jian explained that Yuanya’s indenture contract remained with the arena, where he had to return in six years and defeat its strongest fighter to regain his freedom.
  • Xiao Hua acknowledged Yuanya’s predicament but said he was injured and postponed deciding whether to accept or teach him.
  • Xiao Hua explained that he had given a medicinal pill to a poor family, and Yuanya asked whether he had more before agreeing not to call him Master.

Ch. 3114Cultivation Realms of the Cangxian Continent

Xiao Hua gave Yuan Ya two Wutuodan, and Yuan Ya passed one to Xiao Jian before Xiao Hua agreed to consider helping Jiangchao Temple during the next ten days. Xiao Hua then asked Xiao Jian to explain Yuan Force grades and Daoist cultivation realms, leaving Xiao Jian doubtful about Xiao Hua’s cultivation after he asked about forming a core.

  • Xiao Hua gave Yuan Ya two Wutuodan for use when he was injured.
  • Yuan Ya gave one Wutuodan to Xiao Jian, who thanked Xiao Hua and asked him to help Jiangchao Temple attract benefactors before leaving Changsheng Town.
  • Xiao Hua agreed to let fate decide whether he would help, then asked Xiao Jian how the Three Great Continents divided Yuan Force grades and cultivation levels.
  • Xiao Jian explained that Yuan Force had nine grades with upper, middle, and lower tiers, and described the corresponding Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist ranks.
  • Xiao Hua asked what realm began when true essence condensed into a core, and Xiao Jian wondered whether he had already formed one.

Ch. 3115Cauldron and Possession

Zhang Xiaohua learned that Feng Shu and Chan Simiao both wanted to possess his unusually suitable body, and their confrontation carried him into a hazy space. They began negotiating over him, with Chan Simiao offering to erase his recent memories so Feng Shu could still proceed.

  • Feng Shu and Chan Simiao argued over who would claim Zhang Xiaohua’s body, explaining its exceptional value as a vessel for possession.
  • Their clashing auras sent Zhang Xiaohua drifting away, and Feng Shu moved him into a hazy space where Qiu Feng’s magical artifact and bag lay nearby.
  • Chan Simiao refused to abandon the opportunity and threatened to report Zhang Xiaohua’s body to the Alliance Lord if Feng Shu destroyed his avatar.
  • Feng Shu explained that another Soul Searching Technique would make Zhang Xiaohua’s mind collapse and endanger Feng Shu’s consciousness.
  • Chan Simiao apologized and offered a secret technique to erase Zhang Xiaohua’s recent memories, and Feng Shu agreed to continue talks if Chan Simiao yielded half a step.

Ch. 3116Little Gold Temple

Xiao Hua agreed to help Jiangchao Temple face Little Gold Temple in the challenge ten days away, though Earth Crystal Yao Ru still prevented him from using his full cultivation. At Little Gold Temple, Zen Master Mingyue prayed for the temple’s continued growth and received the monk Mingfa for a late-night meeting.

  • Xiao Hua told Daoist Master Xiao that he had entered the grades, giving Jiangchao Temple hope for its challenge against Little Gold Temple.
  • Xiao Hua resolved to oppose Zen Master Mingyue’s effort to drive Jiangchao Temple out of Changsheng Town, despite his blocked meridians and suppressed abilities.
  • The three cultivators at Jiangchao Temple reacted to Xiao Hua’s help by cultivating, praying, and gazing at the stars.
  • Zen Master Mingyue ended the evening lesson at Little Gold Temple, then prayed to Buddha and praised the temple’s growth to thirty-two members.
  • Mingfa arrived at Zen Master Mingyue’s meditation chamber late at night, and Zen Master Mingyue invited him in and asked what had brought him.

Ch. 3117The Buddhist Sect's Support

Mingfa and Zen Master Mingyue discussed Little Gold Temple’s growth and its rivalry with Jiangchao Temple ahead of their challenge in ten days. Mingyue revealed that Martial Uncle Xinghai might attend, but worried that the temple’s wager could backfire if he did not come.

  • Mingfa praised Mingyue for Little Gold Temple’s flourishing and discussed the Buddhist sect’s struggles against Confucian and Daoist rivals.
  • Mingyue rebuked Mingfa for bringing monks to Steward Lu’s ritual and for clashing with Jiangchao Temple, while Mingfa explained how the invitation had been arranged.
  • Mingfa asked about Buddhist supernatural abilities and complained that Little Gold Temple lacked Protectors to face Yuanya.
  • Mingyue said he had proposed a contest with Jiangchao Temple after Daoist Xiao provoked him, but admitted the wager could be risky if Martial Uncle Xinghai did not arrive.
  • Mingyue reassured Mingfa that Yunlin Temple would send a Martial Uncle in the Clearing Dust realm even if Xinghai could not come.

Ch. 3118Sealing

Feng Shu and Chan Simiao agreed to hide Zhang Xiaohua on Xiaoyu Continent until one of them needed his body for a tribulation, then erased his memories and sealed his middle dantian and Niwan Palace. After the sealing left him unconscious and naked in a rain-swollen ravine, a passing cultivator found him and carried him toward Huanghua Ridge.

  • Feng Shu and Chan Simiao agreed not to reveal Zhang Xiaohua's existence or contact him until one of them underwent a minor heavenly tribulation.
  • Chan Simiao used his secret technique to erase Zhang Xiaohua's memories while Feng Shu gathered his belongings.
  • The two cultivators used the Universe Two Forms Sealing Demon Array to seal Zhang Xiaohua's middle dantian and Niwan Palace, exhausting their spiritual incarnations.
  • Zhang Xiaohua fell unconscious into a mountain ravine as days of rain and lightning followed the sealing.
  • A green-robed cultivator found Zhang Xiaohua alive, covered him with a Taoist robe, and carried him toward Huanghua Ridge.

Ch. 3119The Buddhist Sect's Realms and Buddha Fruits

Zen Master Mingyue explained Buddhist cultivation realms and Buddha Fruits to Mingfa, then ordered preparations for Little Gold Temple’s Immortal-Buddha Grand Ceremony and challenge in ten days. At Changsheng Academy, Zhu Junfeng and Mister Tai'an discussed using the ceremony to curb the Buddhist sect’s influence and assumed Little Gold Temple had arranged for a powerful expert to defeat Jiangchao Temple.

  • Zen Master Mingyue told Mingfa about the four Buddhist supernatural-ability realms he knew and explained that Buddha Fruits required accumulating merit, sometimes across multiple lifetimes.
  • Mingfa vowed to pursue the Kalan Buddha Fruit and dedicate himself to Buddha Tathagata.
  • Zen Master Mingyue instructed Mingfa to begin preparing for Little Gold Temple’s first Immortal-Buddha Grand Ceremony, scheduled for ten days later.
  • After Mingfa left, Zen Master Mingyue worried whether Martial Uncle Xinghai would agree to help Little Gold Temple in its challenge against Jiangchao Temple.
  • At Changsheng Academy, Mister Tai'an criticized Zhu Junfeng for involving Little Gold Temple in the ceremony, while Zhu said he meant to suppress the Buddhist sect’s influence.
  • Mister Tai'an and Zhu Junfeng speculated that Zen Master Mingyue had postponed the challenge because a Buddhist expert capable of defeating Yuanya would arrive in ten days.

Ch. 3120Mo Jianli

Zhu Junfeng and Mister Tai'an received a message from Mo Jianli, who had arrived on the Liao River and summoned them there. As they flew to meet him, mysterious whirlpools overturned fishing boats and dragged nearly ten fishermen beneath the water.

  • Mister Tai'an and Zhu Junfeng discussed Mo Jianli’s unexpected visit to Changsheng Town and his likely role in confronting the Buddhist sect.
  • A flying sword letter delivered Mo Jianli’s message: he was on the Liao River and wanted Zhu Junfeng to come meet him.
  • Mister Tai'an rode an auspicious cloud while Zhu Junfeng flew on his treasured sword, and their departure inspired Changsheng Academy’s students to study and cultivate.
  • At the Liao River, sudden sinister winds and whirlpools overturned several fishing boats and pulled nearly ten fishermen underwater.
  • Nearby fishermen rushed to help, rowing toward the whirlpools and diving into the river to rescue the missing men.

Ch. 3121The Danger of the Liao River

Mister Mo rescued fishermen from strange whirlpools on the Liao River, then plunged into the water to search for Sun Lao Er. Zhu Junfeng and others gathered on the bank and waited as a brilliant river surged into the sky.

  • Strange whirlpools swallowed fishermen and pulled others under until Mister Mo arrived and weakened them with his voice.
  • Mister Mo used a silk handkerchief and his own hands to rescue several fishermen, then learned that Sun Lao Er was still missing.
  • Mister Mo ordered three Chongyun Sect elders to escort nearby boats to shore, sent a sword-light signal toward Changsheng Town, and dove into the Liao River.
  • Mister Tai'an and Zhu Junfeng arrived, and the fishermen told them about the bizarre whirlpools.
  • Qiu Jian and Li Momo warned Zhu Junfeng not to approach the river, and he agreed to wait with them.
  • A brilliant surge of water shot more than ten zhang into the air and eclipsed the starlight and moonlight.

Ch. 3122The Truth Is Always Unexpected

Mo Jianli returned without finding Sun Lao Er or the missing fishermen, then warned Changsheng Town’s fishermen and revealed that Chongyun Sect had sent him to investigate signs of aquatic tribes near the Liao River. After hearing of a demon spotted in town, he set out for Changsheng Academy to question witnesses.

  • Mo Jianli apologized to the fishermen for failing to find Sun Lao Er and the others, warned them against fishing at night, and gave them silver for Sun Lao Er’s mother.
  • Mo Jianli greeted Zhu Junfeng and Mister Tai'an, then asked about the old tales of aquatic tribes in the Liao River.
  • Mo Jianli revealed that students from Jianzhu Gate’s Jingzhu Academy had died fighting the aquatic tribes and that the supposed immortal who defeated them had been a Buddhist disciple.
  • Mo Jianli said Chongyun Sect had received news of aquatic tribes near the Liao River and had sent him to protect Changsheng Academy, while Little Gold Temple might also be investigating.
  • Zhu Junfeng told Mo Jianli that a demon had appeared on Changsheng Town’s streets, and Mo Jianli ordered Ji Dong to keep watch as he returned to the academy to question witnesses.

Ch. 3123Stealing Techniques (Bonus Chapter for Fellow Daoist Xuan Qing)

Xiao Hua cultivated at Jiangchao Temple while Xiao Jian and Yuan Ya worried over their prospects and watched him practice the Big Dipper Divine Fist. The morning ended with Xiao Jian preparing to earn money in town and Yuan Ya admitting he could not remember the fist forms.

  • Xiao Hua refined Earth Crystal Yao Ru and wondered whether Cangxian Continent was his true homeland, while Xiao Jian struggled to judge his origins and cultivation.
  • Xiao Jian discovered Xiao Hua had vanished from the western wing, then found him practicing the Big Dipper Divine Fist outside with Yuan Ya secretly watching from a tree.
  • Xiao Jian saw that no townspeople had come to Jiangchao Temple and decided to go into town to earn more copper coins.
  • Xiao Jian packed his belongings and wondered whether Xiao Hua had taken temple money, but confirmed the merit box remained untouched.
  • Yuan Ya admitted that he understood the Big Dipper Divine Fist's forms but forgot the later moves whenever he tried to perform them.

Ch. 3124Worshipping the Sea God

Fishermen from Changsheng Town came to Jiangchao Temple to worship the Sea God after a deadly disaster on the Liao River, ignoring Xiao Jian and rejecting his claim to the temple. As the ceremony neared its end, another group arrived and began a prayer that stirred both groups.

  • Drums and a lion dance announced a procession of fishermen carrying offerings and mourners in white, and Xiao Jian mistakenly hoped they had come to worship him.
  • Yuan Ya remembered that Jiangchao Temple had once enshrined the Sea God, and Xiao Hua urged Xiao Jian to enter and preside over the temple.
  • The fishermen called Xiao Jian a wild Daoist and warned him not to interfere as they cleared the offering table and began their ceremony for the Sea God.
  • The worshippers mourned nearly ten fishermen lost in a Liao River disaster, while craftsmen measured the statue to prepare a new golden body.
  • Another group entered the temple, and their first words inflamed the fishermen and the newcomers alike.

Ch. 3125Conflict Erupts Again

Fishermen and townsfolk fought over whether Jiangchao Temple belonged to the Sea God Lord or True Person Xiao, until Xiao Jian persuaded the fishermen to stop by declaring the two names belonged to the same god. Xiao Hua then understood Xiao Jian’s signal and released a cold voice that left everyone but Xiao Jian and Yuan Ya clutching their heads in pain.

  • A recovered elder and other townsfolk called Jiangchao Temple the sacred ground of True Person Xiao, provoking the fishermen who had come to restore and worship the Sea God Lord.
  • The fishermen beat the townsfolk, and Xiao Hua ordered Yuan Ya to intervene; Yuan Ya knocked the fishermen down and frightened their elderly leader.
  • As the fishermen prepared to fight again, Xiao Jian stepped forward and warned them that violence would offend the Sea God Lord and invalidate their offerings.
  • Xiao Jian claimed that the Sea God Lord was also True Person Xiao, explained that the god’s original name had been forgotten, and persuaded the fishermen to kneel and repent.
  • Xiao Hua noticed Xiao Jian blinking at him, understood his signal, and spoke with a cold voice that made everyone except Xiao Jian and Yuan Ya clutch their heads in pain.
Arc 125 of 217