Great Power and Influence, Descendants of Demonic Beasts

The abbot is the master of the Taoist temple, and within the Great Jing Dynasty, he can also be directly referred to as a Taoist master.

To become the abbot of Dragon Arising Temple?

Jiang Changsheng hesitated, not answering immediately. It would be a lie to say he hadn't considered it. He believed his strength was already the strongest in Dragon Arising Temple, and no one was more qualified. He just hadn't anticipated facing this so soon.

Dragon Arising Temple wasn't exactly a powerful organization, and there was no internal scheming. The disciples were content and detached. Therefore, the abbot had no need to test his disciples.

Jiang Changsheng replied, "I am naturally willing to serve the temple, but I am still young and fear I cannot take on the role. Eldest Sister is more suitable than me. Moreover, why are you asking this, Master? You can continue for many more years."

Qingxu Taoist Priest raised his right hand, his sleeve falling to reveal a wrist covered in black veins, resembling black worms crawling across the skin's surface and still wriggling. It was horrifying and terrifying.

Jiang Changsheng frowned.

Qingxu Taoist Priest said calmly, "This poison is the most evil poison of the Devil Sect. Even True Dragon Qi cannot eliminate it. I can live for at most five more years. I will give you five years to prepare yourself to bear the responsibility of abbot. As for your Eldest Sister, she is a woman with outstanding beauty, and she is Qiu He's biological sister. If she were the abbot, it would surely bring disaster."

Jiang Changsheng felt this made sense. Dragon Arising Temple was located in the center of the Great Jing Dynasty's power, and high-ranking officials often visited. A beautiful abbot would indeed cause many problems.

Five years...

After five years, he would only be twenty-one, which was too young!

While Jiang Changsheng didn't refuse to be the abbot, he didn't want to be too busy too early. His primary focus currently was on cultivation.

"Is there truly no cure?" Jiang Changsheng asked with a frown.

Qingxu Taoist Priest shook his head and chuckled, "Nothing is absolute, but there is no antidote yet. Changsheng, you must learn from this and provoke the Devil Sect as little as possible. Regardless of whether it is good or bad, those who go against the general trend of the world will always bring misfortune to those around them."

Jiang Changsheng pressed further, "Why do you say that? Does the Devil Sect have a special origin?"

Going against the general trend of the world...

Could they be rebels!

Qingxu Taoist Priest shook his head and said no more.

Jiang Changsheng hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Master, do you know about my background? It seems someone wants to kill me. The previous calamity..."

"You don't need to think about it, it has nothing to do with you. Someone just wants to eliminate Dragon Arising Temple," Qingxu Taoist Priest interrupted.

Jiang Changsheng frowned again.

He had finally gotten an opportunity to ask, and he wouldn't give up.

Qingxu Taoist Priest had such a good relationship with Emperor Jiang Yuan, he had to test him!

"Why does Your Majesty show me such special attention? I heard from Chen Li that after just one meeting, he wanted to recommend me for the Martial Arts Imperial Examination, and even had the Fourth Prince find me to learn martial arts. The look in His Majesty's eyes last time..."

Jiang Changsheng didn't finish, because Qingxu Taoist Priest was staring intently at him. That gaze was exceptionally strange; he had never seen Qingxu Taoist Priest look at him like that before.

In an instant, Jiang Changsheng was ready to fight.

He dared to ask because of his strength!

If Qingxu Taoist Priest was saving him as part of a conspiracy, he could always flee Jing City first and return to kill them when he was invincible.

Qingxu Taoist Priest said slowly, "Changsheng, I don't know who taught you. I presume you must have had a master guiding you from behind the scenes. A master who even I cannot detect must have unfathomable power. Perhaps a peerless expert beyond the Spirit Sense Realm. But I advise you to be careful and not to trust others lightly. That's right, your background is indeed not simple. This complexity is not worth exploring; it is very dangerous and very cruel."

Hearing this, Jiang Changsheng frowned. He didn't refute Qingxu Taoist Priest. Fabricating a backing was nothing, but Qingxu Taoist Priest's words made him consider more possibilities.

"I will tell you about the current realms of the Martial Dao today. From lowest to highest, they are Third-rate, Second-rate, First-rate, True Essence, and Spirit Sense. The Spirit Sense Realm is known as a peerless expert in the ordinary Jianghu, but that is not the case. There are higher realms above it. As far as I know, there is the Heaven Arrival Realm. The current Emperor appears to have no cultivation, but he possesses the Son of Heaven Luck. Once he unleashes True Dragon Qi, he can rival Spirit Sense Realm experts. Most importantly, there is a Heaven Arrival Realm expert in the imperial palace. That person is the true pillar of the Great Jing Dynasty."

Qingxu Taoist Priest's tone was unfathomable, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

Third-rate, Second-rate, First-rate, True Essence, Spirit Sense, Sky Penetrating!

Jiang Changsheng's brow furrowed even tighter. The Ghost Eye Evil King was a Spirit Sense Realm expert. Before breaking through to the fourth level of the Dao Follows Nature Skill, he could easily kill the Ghost Eye Evil King, indicating that he had at least the strength of an invincible Spirit Sense Realm expert at that time. Now, he was far superior to then. He should be able to contend with a Heaven Arrival Realm expert.

This was just his guess. He dared not gamble. He only had one life and no chance of reincarnation, so he had to be extremely careful.

Qingxu Taoist Priest spoke again, "By saving you, I have already brought great disaster upon Dragon Arising Temple. I intended to keep it hidden, but since you have the intention to investigate, I can only tell you this, Changsheng. You have only two paths for survival. One is for me to send you to a Sacred Land in the Jianghu, but you still cannot escape the pursuit of your enemies. The second is for me to protect you for another five years. Within these five years, you should grow as much as possible. After that, using the name of Dragon Arising Temple, you can win over your own connections and contend against those great powers. Dragon Arising Temple's existence was established by His Majesty the Emperor when he founded the nation and announced it to the world. Unless Dragon Arising Temple commits treason, even His Majesty cannot destroy it."

"Great Jing's foundation is built on trustworthiness. From the Son of Heaven above to the common people below, trustworthiness is most important."

"Alright, you may withdraw."

This time, Jiang Changsheng didn't ask further. He cupped his fists in salute and turned to leave.

After turning, his expression turned cold.

Heh heh.

Great powers.

Jiang Changsheng had understood the implicit meaning of Qingxu Taoist Priest's words and felt fortunate and fearful. Fortunately, he hadn't acted rashly when he met Jiang Yuan.

In the quiet courtyard, Qingxu Taoist Priest stared at the old tree in front of him. A mottled autumn leaf slowly fell, landing on the grass pile below without disturbing a single speck of dust, silent and unseen.

"Alas, one cannot have both family and country..."

The day after his conversation with Qingxu Taoist Priest, Jiang Changsheng moved out and found a separate courtyard to live in. As the second senior disciple, he naturally had this qualification. Meng Qiushuang, who held the main authority, didn't even ask many questions and readily agreed.

Qing Ku was very reluctant to part, but Jiang Changsheng agreed that he could visit him anytime, which made the young man smile.

The reason Jiang Changsheng moved out alone was that he didn't want to be disturbed and wanted to focus on his training.

The Heaven Arrival Realm expert in the imperial palace had become his imaginary enemy. He had to become as strong as possible.

Regarding the poison Qingxu Taoist Priest was afflicted with, he would also try to find a way to detoxify it, especially since he had mastered the Spring and Autumn Medical Canon. However, he couldn't detoxify it for now. He would wait for a year or two. If no danger arose during these two years, it would mean Qingxu Taoist Priest truly cared for him.

Jiang Changsheng's move didn't surprise his disciples. Instead, they felt it was only right, as he should have moved out long ago.

Their second senior brother living in their courtyard made them feel somewhat constrained in their daily lives.

After moving into his own place, Jiang Changsheng stopped striking the bell, transferring that responsibility to other disciples. He was now the second senior brother, and besides Meng Qiushuang, no one dared to refuse him.

Time flew by.

The heavy snow finally arrived, blanketing Jing City.

"The orthodox and demonic sects gathered at Meeting Yang Mountain, intending to engage in a world-shattering battle. Unexpectedly, someone emerged from Meeting Yang Mountain, claiming to be Yang Zhao Emperor. His cultivation was terrifyingly immense. The combined forces of the orthodox and demonic sects were defeated by him alone, making his name renowned throughout the land."

"Although it's a martial world, how can one claim to be an emperor? His Majesty was furious upon hearing this and ordered the Silver Armor Leopard Light Cavalry to surround and suppress Meeting Yang Mountain. Three thousand Silver Armor Leopard Light Cavalry, that was the elite of the Great Jing Dynasty. Over a thousand were killed or injured, and Yang Zhao Emperor escaped. Now, Yang Zhao Emperor's bounty is posted in every corner of the Great Jing Dynasty."

Chen Li spoke with dramatic flair, holding his wine cup as if he were a storyteller. Jiang Changsheng listened with great interest.

In the new year, Chen Li seemed to age faster than time itself, with more and more white hairs appearing at his temples and his eyes filled with exhaustion.

Every time he visited Dragon Arising Temple, besides bringing gifts, Chen Li would tell Jiang Changsheng about matters in the martial world and the imperial court. Sometimes, he would use these occasions to vent his own frustrations.

After hearing about the prominent figures in the martial world, Jiang Changsheng curiously asked, "Is His Majesty still engrossed in the art of alchemy?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Li said indignantly, "That's right, it's simply foolish!"

Jiang Changsheng was startled. Although his senses were sharp and he knew there was no one outside the building, Chen Li's boldness was not a good thing. It could easily lead to fatal consequences, and he didn't want to live a life of constant wandering.

"Don't speak nonsense, Brother Chen. You should pay more attention to your words and actions. Perhaps your predicament is related to your words and actions."

Jiang Changsheng said earnestly. Chen Li's drunkenness subsided slightly, but he remained angry.

Chen Li gritted his teeth and said, "His Majesty favors the Demonic Taoist, and the Demonic Taoist is close to the Second Prince. It's only a matter of time before a succession crisis arises. When that happens..."

Jiang Changsheng listened and began to understand.

The position of the fake Crown Prince was unstable.

Could the Demonic Taoist being close to the Second Prince be Jiang Yuan's intention?

Chen Li picked up his wine cup, downed it in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and let out a long sigh. "Changsheng, I'm leaving now. That small box contains a snake egg. This snake egg was laid by a demonic snake and is extremely spiritual. If it can be raised well and passed down through generations, it can become a guardian spirit beast in the future."

He got up, put on his straw cape, and left with his sword.

Watching his hunched back, Jiang Changsheng felt a pang of sympathy and said, "Brother Chen, if you encounter any trouble, you can tell me. I will help if I can."

Chen Li stopped at the doorway and chuckled, "You brat. By the time I really need your help, my Chen family will have already reached its end. I won't hesitate to ask then. Cultivate well."

He pushed open the door and closed it gently.

Jiang Changsheng fell silent. It seemed the vortex in Jing City was becoming increasingly chaotic.

The Emperor's obsession with pursuing longevity was, in his past life's history of Huaxia, always a bad omen, possibly even leading to dynastic collapse.

Could the Great Jing Dynasty be the Qin Dynasty of this world!

Jiang Changsheng got up and walked to the table. He lifted the cloth covering the small box and opened it. Inside was a white egg, larger than a goose egg. He reached out to touch it. In the midst of winter, it was surprisingly hot. He could even feel a faint, peculiar energy within it.

A descendant of a demonic beast?

Jiang Changsheng became interested. Raising a pet wouldn't be bad either.

From his current understanding, although there were demonic creatures in this world, they were rare. At the very least, they weren't enough to overthrow a human dynasty. There were no Celestial Gods in this world either. As for cultivators, most of them were Demonic Taoists who deceived people or charlatans, often exposed by Martial Artists and revealing their ugly true forms.

The new book period is one month, and I can't update too quickly at the beginning, but there are still over 6,000 words per day. The updates will gradually increase later~~