All Things Were Born Sustained by the Dao

"Haha, fellow Daoist, why didn't you let me know beforehand that you were coming to my Ancient Cloud Temple? I could have had my disciples greet you properly."

Outside the main hall, the Daoist Qianji flicked his whisk and strode into the temple.

His face was full of a warm, welcoming smile.

Why haven't you served tea to my fellow Daoist?

When Daoist Qianji entered, he looked around and saw that there was no tea beside Fang Zelin. He immediately felt that his disciple had not been hospitable enough.

"Oh, no need to be so polite."

Fang Zelin waved his hand, and seeing Daoist Qianji's happy appearance, he was immediately puzzled. "What's wrong? Is there a happy occasion in the temple today? Why are you so happy, fellow Daoist?"

"It's all because of you, fellow Daoist!"

The Daoist Qianji sat down, his face full of a happy smile.

"When I returned to the mountain to cultivate before, I took my disciples to Jade Void Mountain. Disciples from other sects also went to Jade Void Mountain together. The disciples all studied the 'Scripture of Salvation 'Scripture of Salvation by my fellow Daoist."

"They all went to the Seeking Dao Mountain!"

The Daoist Qianji, beaming with joy, announced the good news.

It happened more than ten years ago, but seeing Fang Zelin again now, I still can't help but think of this happy event.

Right now, he's all smiles.

Fang Zelin suddenly realized what was wrong and asked what made him so happy.

"I see."

Seeking Dao Mountain, he realized that he had spent ten years at Yingping Peak and had also entered the path.

It's probably been more than forty times, right?

Fang Zelin thought about it carefully, but he hadn't really remembered the matter, so he found it difficult to figure it out for a moment.

"The Scripture of Salvation left by you, fellow Daoist, is truly a supreme and wondrous scripture!"

As Daoist Qianji recalled the image of his disciples sitting together in front of the stone wall, comprehending the truth, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

In the future, the Daoist Sect disciples will have hope for a continuous lineage.

"It is all because the disciples of the Daoist Sect are quite talented that they have made such progress."

Fang Zelin gave a modest reply, then stated the purpose of his visit, "Fellow Daoist is well-versed in astrology. May I ask what the current state of affairs is in the Great Qian Dynasty? I have heard that the Great Qian has now established relations with the Northern Liang."

"Northern Liang is also a powerful nation, and I am worried that war may break out between the two."

If war breaks out, the nation's strength will decline, and its fortune will also weaken along with it.

In this way, all the previous prayers would be rendered useless.

"Is that so?"

Since returning to the mountain, Daoist Qianji had stopped paying attention to matters down below, and this was the first time he had learned of this matter.

After a moment's hesitation, he spoke, "Fellow Daoist Fang, even if there is a war between the two, it is not something we can interfere with. We cultivators have never meddled in matters of this kind."

"Wars between nations, or dynastic changes among Human Race, are choices made by the Human Race itself, and are not something we can interfere with."

Affairs among Human Race have always been far too complex, with various interests, intrigues, and power struggles constantly emerging.

Therefore, those who cultivate immortality have never bothered with such matters. As long as there are no demons or monsters threatening to annihilate the Human Race, they can simply stay in the mountains and cultivate in seclusion.

Fang Zelin was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded, "I've learned my lesson. Perhaps I was being too persistent."

"The Tao is always Non-Action, yet nothing is left undone. All things live by the Tao, and this is how it is. I still need to cultivate myself more."

His purpose was to cultivate the Tao, not to follow it blindly; he hadn't quite mastered it.

Fang Zelin sighed slightly as he finished speaking.

Daoist Qianji was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment, then looked at Fang Zelin with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

This Fellow Daoist Fang can recite such Daoist scriptures; his understanding of the Dao is so profound that it is beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators. How can he still say that his cultivation is inadequate?

The Daoist Qianji was about to say something, but then he realized that the path of cultivation had no end.

With that thought in mind, he swallowed the words that were about to come out.

"Speaking of which, back in the day, many cultivators from the cultivation sects of Northern Liang came to this place and worked together to slay demons and monsters."

When Daoist Qianji heard Fang Zelin mention Northern Liang, he couldn't help but think of the cultivators there.

Back then, the cultivation sects in this area were in decline. When the cultivation sects of Northern Liang learned of this, many fellow cultivators came to this place to help them overcome this crisis.

"Oh, compared to the sects here, how do the disciples of the cultivation sects in Northern Liang compare in strength?"

Fang Zelin perked up upon hearing this.

He had never seen any cultivators from outside this place.

Upon hearing this, Daoist Qianji pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know much about this matter, only some details of what happened back then, based on the records in the temple."

"However, the disciples of the immortal cultivation sects in Northern Liang should be quite strong. Northern Liang is a great nation, and the Human Race Karmic Fortune has always been strong. With such national strength, the disciples of the Daoist Sect here should have many days to cultivate in peace."

"Judging from the disciples from various sects who came back then, there were disciples from five generations or more; there must be even more now."

The Great Qian region can be considered a remote and isolated place.

The surrounding area is filled with towering mountains, swamps, and miasma, teeming with poisonous insects and countless demons.

Surrounded by demons on all sides, many cultivation sects located here engaged in battles.

This suggests that Daoist Sect is in decline.

The situation in Northern Liang was different. Although there were demons there, the Human Race Karmic Fortune there had always been strong, and their dynasties had been able to last for a long time after they were established.

This gave the Daoist Sect many days for quiet meditation.

As a result, a clear difference in strength naturally emerged between the cultivators of the Great Qian and the Northern Liang.

Nothing compares.

"I see."

Fang Zelin understood upon hearing this.

Whether it was Jade Void Mountain, Ancient Cloud Temple, or any other cultivation sect, the disciples were weak.

Fang Zelin already knew about this beforehand.

However, it seems that there are other cultivation sects in other places with considerable strength.

"By the way, fellow Daoist, has the snow ferret spirit in your Pill Furnace still not produced any luck?"

Having overheard the disciples of the temple saying this, Fang Zelin couldn't help but ask another question.

Having refined it for ten years, enduring the daily tempering of the elixir fire, the experience must be quite unpleasant.

"Yes, I am powerless to help in this matter. I already told them back then that this suffering is beyond the endurance of ordinary people."

"This ferret spirit is quite resilient, managing to endure until now. However, if it continues to refine itself like this, even if it manages to cultivate its own destiny, the spirit will suffer damage to its very foundation, resulting in a significant reduction in its lifespan."

In the end, even the Daoist Qianji couldn't help but show a complex expression.

From this perspective, the ferret spirit's feelings for his disciples must be genuine.

Otherwise, this kind of dark and dreary tempering would be worse than a quick and painless cut.

Every time the other party felt like giving up, it was because they saw Minglian that they were able to persevere.

It's clear that this was because the disciples had persisted.