Telling Them Apart
Upon realizing his true nature, Duanmu Ren felt a black, illusory fire rise and burn within his heart.
The Shaman Runes engraved all over his body lit up, transforming into countless ferocious faces of Duanmu Ren, some angry and savage, some laughing wildly, some drinking blood and eating hearts, and some pricking their thighs and torturing themselves.
The [Resentment of the Myriad People] that enveloped Duanmu Ren seemed to be frightened, rushing out and turning into gray smoke to dissipate. However, a very small portion of it turned into hatred and entered Duanmu Ren's body, turning into black Shaman Runes, which also committed various evil deeds, such as killing officials with weapons or throwing stones at the emperor.
The Manifestation "Drink the People's Blood" on Duanmu Ren's body gathered and subsided, transforming into a strange Shaman Runes etched on his heart, constantly bursting forth with Essence Blood to nourish his body and strengthen his soul.
A wind surged from the depths of the cave, blowing the stones and making a sound like the wailing of ghosts.
The stone walls inside the cave had turned black, and spots of fresh blood were constantly seeping out.
Black flames burned on the rubble beneath Duanmu Ren's feet.
Do stones also harbor hatred?!
It should be.
I hate that something is crude and unrefined, not Spirit Stone.
I am trapped in this dark cave, unable to see the sun, moon, or stars.
Duanmu Ren raised his head and looked towards the entrance of the cave.
A powerful aura of hatred was approaching from there.
"Evil Cultivator, prepare to die!" With a roar filled with hatred, Hu Yueqiu disregarded life and death and unleashed the strongest sword strike of her life!
Although Duanmu Ren had only recently entered the Qi Ingestion path and had not yet practiced any magic, he was not without ways to manipulate mortals. He reached out and made a gesture towards Hu Yueqiu from afar.
Hu Yueqiu's body suddenly stiffened, her eyes were obscured by a layer of red blood mist, her heart was pounding like thunder, and she could hear the inexplicable sound of flowing water.
No!
That wasn't the sound of water.
It felt like my own blood was surging so fast it was about to burst out of my body.
"Stop!" Li Chengxuan's voice came from a great distance, just in time to save Hu Yueqiu's life. "Duanmu Ren, come to the Ancestral Hall immediately."
Duanmu Ren, carrying Hu Yueqiu in his hand, arrived at the Ancestral Hall and saw three familiar faces.
Sect Leader Li Chengxuan, Fisherman Liu Zhijian, and Hua Chunning, who is holding a peach blossom.
Behind Hua Chunning, a little girl was hiding.
Duanmu Ren activated the black fire within his heart, and finding that none of the four people before him harbored any hatred towards him, he secretly felt relieved. He casually tossed Hu Yueqiu aside, bowed, and said, "Duanmu has successfully Qi Ingestion."
Hua Chunning quickly came over to help Hu Yueqiu up, first feeding her medicine, and then using the [Yi Wood] Law Power to restore her vitality.
Duanmu Ren did not use excessive force.
Soon, Hu Yueqiu woke up, dejected and silent.
"Don't be discouraged, Xiao Hu. Your intentions were good, and I saw it all." Li Chengxuan first dismissed Hu Yueqiu: "Go and rest in the General Affairs Hall."
Hu Yueqiu bowed respectfully, then turned and left.
The rest are all members of Supreme Mystery Mountain.
Li Chengxuan didn't inquire about the details of his initiation into the Qi Ingestion, but instead said, "Now that you have successfully entered the Dao, come and pay your respects to the patriarch. From now on, you are True Disciple of Supreme Mystery Mountain."
Having been in politics for many years, Duanmu Ren understood that he had finally passed the exam and was about to be promoted from a contract worker to a permanent employee, and even become a confidant of the top leader. Naturally, he would not refuse such a good thing.
As for the portrait of the patriarch, Duanmu Ren often worships it even on Earth.
Li Chengxuan changed Duanmu Ren's name in the sect's register to the column of the sect leader 'True Disciple, placing him after Liu Zhijian and Hua Chunning.
Duanmu Ren, being quite tactful, first bowed respectfully to Li Chengxuan and then addressed him differently. "Disciple Duanmu Ren greets Master."
He then bowed to Liu Zhijian and Hua Chunning, saying, "Greetings, Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister."
Liu Zhijian and Hua Chunning were also familiar with Duanmu Ren and were pleased to see the sect grow stronger, so they returned the greeting with smiles.
Hua Chunning didn't forget to pull Jiang Xiaoyu out from behind. "Why aren't you paying your respects to your martial uncle?"
Jiang Xiaoyu glanced timidly at Duanmu Ren, not daring to address him with any higher seniority, and hastily bowed, saying, "Jiang Xiaoyu greets Uncle Duanmu."
After saying that, he hid behind Hua Chunning again.
Hua Chunning was a little puzzled. "You're usually a fearless troublemaker, why are you hiding and not daring to speak today?"
Jiang Xiaoyu looked scared and whispered, "He's so fierce, I'm scared."
Apart from Jiang Xiaoyu, everyone present was a cultivator, so they could hear clearly.
Hua Chunning somewhat embarrassed.
Duanmu Ren remained expressionless, pretending not to hear.
"Alright, we can discuss sect relations later," Li Chengxuan said. "Right now, there's something I need Duanmu to handle."
This matter, naturally, involves cleaning up the mess left by the Huang Kingdom.
Liu Zhijian only knows how to fish and knows nothing about this kind of thing.
Hua Chunning is capable of handling routine affairs, but she is truly incapable of eradicating chaos in a country.
On the contrary, Duanmu Ren is a perfect match for the job and is the most suitable candidate.
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Ren felt that the cultivation world was indeed extraordinary. He had just been promoted to a high-ranking position and was already being assigned to an important post in a local area, acting as the ruler of a country. He was quite excited about it, but he also had some doubts. "I only took a month's leave. I spent nearly twenty days reading Daoist scriptures to prepare and practicing Qi Ingestion to enter the Dao."
"There are still ten days of vacation left, which may not be enough."
Hua Chunning listened with a completely blank expression.
Liu Zhijian understood immediately and his eyes widened in surprise.
That was fine before.
Now that he has Qi Ingestion the Dao and begun cultivating immortality, he still can't forget his official position on Earth.
How powerful was Duanmu Ren's thirst for officialdom?
Li Chengxuan listened in silence for a moment, then slowly said, "The Hua Household at the foot of the mountain has Azure-Scaled Horses that can travel three thousand li a day. Go quickly and return quickly; you should make it in time."
"It will take three days to travel there and back, meaning we need to clean up and reorganize the Huang Kingdom within seven days." After doing the mental calculations, Duanmu Ren asked, "May I ask, Sect Leader, to what extent are you expected to reorganize the Huang Kingdom this time? What is my authority? Will I be able to offer any assistance?"
This is typical bureaucratic thinking.
Before the inspection team goes to a local area, the task must be clearly broken down and the scope of the inspection must be clearly defined. Once they are on the ground, it is best to have local people who are familiar with the situation and trustworthy to cooperate with them.
"Your mission is simply to restore stability to the Huang Kingdom and prevent endless internal strife," Li Chengxuan said casually, having never cared about such mundane matters. "As for authority... this time there is only authority, no limits; you are free to act as you see fit."
He paused, then added, remembering something else, "The Chu Household, the royal family of the Huang Kingdom, has some connection with the mountain, but it's very superficial, better than nothing. Use it if you can, and forget about it if you can't. You can judge for yourself after you get there."
Two days later, in the capital of the Huang Kingdom.
A group of powerful and influential people held a banquet at the palace to welcome the immortal master of Supreme Mystery Mountain.
The court of the Huang Kingdom is now in complete chaos.
First, the old emperor abandoned the country and fled, but upon seeing Deng Gang's death, he returned.
The new emperor, who had finally ascended the throne, was naturally unwilling to relinquish power.
The father and son had a long fight.
The pro-war faction, who were originally loyal to the Chu Household, and the surrender faction, who sided with Deng Gang, also attacked each other.
Furthermore, the Azure Cloud Sect has gathered Deng Gang's former subordinates, making them a force to be reckoned with, and they clearly want a share of the pie.
Now that the immortal master from Supreme Mystery Mountain has descended the mountain, the Chu Household and the royalist faction naturally breathed a sigh of relief.
He was especially delighted to hear the immortal master identify himself as Duanmu Ren.
The names of immortal masters are not chosen arbitrarily; there must be a reason behind them.
This Master Duanmu Ren must be upright, just, and kind-hearted, and will uphold justice for the Chu Household.
The two emperors of the Chu Household, one old and one new, surprisingly abandoned their internal strife and united against a common enemy, each lamenting the humiliation and grievances they had suffered.
Duanmu Ren listened with a smile on his face, but his gaze swept across the entire room.
The current situation is extremely complex. Let alone a thorough cleanup and rectification, just figuring out the underlying issues will take a lot of effort.
Duanmu Ren didn't have that kind of time; he could only try to resolve the situation quickly and decisively.
Fortunately, Duanmu Ren had read a remarkable book containing a sentence that could be considered a timeless warning.
The first step in the struggle is to distinguish between enemies and friends.
"Huh?"
Duanmu Ren activated the black fire within his heart and actually sensed several streams of hatred directed at him.