Chapter 68

The Daoist’s eyes were not particularly spirited, and there was no sign of the沧桑 (cang桑) that would have been evident in Xin Qu’s eyes.

Even though he had the appearance of a celestial being, in terms of demeanor, he was still slightly inferior to Mr. Su. However, Shen Lian subconsciously felt that the Daoist had a mysterious and unfathomable aura, and even unknowingly, there was a feeling of wanting to prostrate and worship.

He closed his eyes slightly as a beam of rosy light enveloped him.

A warm current surged through Shen Lian’s body, directly following the meridians to the center of his brow.

In the spiritual platform, there was a profound stillness. The innate deity quietly appeared, and upon seeing the deity, the warm current seemed to be startled, retreating and dissipating before it could enter the spiritual platform.

Before Shen Lian could think, an invisible force pushed him towards the side of the hall, and he collided with a beam, sticking to it.

His gaze, however, was focused on the front, where the young man named Xiao Hei was enveloped in black flames, with a precious mirror above his head, casting a beam of light that enveloped him. Yet, an invisible force still escaped.

The old man in the red robe and the old man in the gray robe each pointed their index and middle fingers like a sword, and the vast primordial energy of heaven and earth flowed in the direction of their fingers.

The scale was astonishing, far exceeding Shen Lian’s imagination.

He could already sense the omnipresent primordial energy of heaven and earth and feel the terrifying cultivation of the two men.

The vast primordial energy was infused into the copper mirror, and the black flames gradually weakened, finally being extinguished.

Shen Lian heard the two old men’s slight panting, indicating that their actions had certainly been quite exhausting.

What puzzled him was why the seated Daoist, the head of Qingxuan, did not take action.

The precious mirror fell into the Daoist’s sleeve, and the old man in the gray robe took out a talisman and placed it on the young man’s forehead.

Shen Lian and Lu Sheng had already walked forward, and Shen Lian noticed the black patterns on the young man’s exposed arm, which gradually faded as the talisman was placed.

The Daoist slowly said, "Jing Qing, take Shen Lian and Lu Shouyi to the bamboo cottage to rest."

The Daoist knew their names without asking, and Shen Lian couldn’t help but admire the Daoist’s ability to know the cause and effect. However, he was unsure if the Daoist knew about his practice of the "Supreme Clarity Spirit Treasure Natural Heart Locking and Mind Stabilizing True Explanation."

Jing Qing, the young Daoist who had opened the door, led Shen Lian and Lu Sheng away. They knew the young man was no ordinary person and that the Daoist likely wanted to discuss matters with the old men in the red and gray robes, hence sending the young Daoist with them.

Outside the hall, the young Daoist smiled at Shen Lian and Lu Sheng, and his form transformed into a massive green python with a golden line running from its belly to its tail and a pair of wings.

The giant snake spoke in the young Daoist’s voice, "Please sit on me, Senior Brothers."

Shen Lian suddenly recalled the phrase "the flying snake has no feet," realizing that the snake must be the young Daoist’s true form, a creature of yao origin.

Judging by its type, it resembled the "flying snake" from mythological tales.

Shen Lian and Lu Sheng sat on it, and immediately a mist enveloped them, making it impossible to discern directions.

Finally, they landed at a building, a beautifully crafted bamboo cottage.

Behind them, the sea of clouds undulated, and the light changed. The wind rustled through the bamboo leaves.

Not far from them was a dense bamboo forest.

The bamboo cottage was built on a hillside, and this mountain was particularly high, rising above the sea of clouds.

This location was almost level with the sea of clouds.

Shen Lian and Lu Shouyi dismounted from the snake’s back, and the giant snake transformed back into the young Daoist.

Jing Qing smiled and said, "Senior Brothers, Qingxuan has five peaks: Taiyi, Qingliang, Zifu, Tianyuan, and Yuyang. We were just on the main peak, Taiyi, and now we are on Qingliang Peak, where the junior disciples live and practice."

Lu Shouyi asked, "If there is a lower court, there must be an upper court, right?" He was always straightforward and spoke directly.

"Indeed," Jing Qing nodded.

"Is there a difference between the lower and upper courts? Is the upper court better?" Lu Sheng seemed somewhat displeased. In his view, if a place like Qingxuan still had distinctions of rank, it would be disappointing.

"The upper court is also part of our Qingxuan disciples, but most of them have connections with the sect, either as blood relatives or descendants of old friends, and they have the talent for cultivation, so they are admitted. However, in terms of treatment, there is not much difference. In the past, a junior disciple from the lower court questioned the headmaster about why there should be a distinction between upper and lower courts, and the previous headmaster punished him by sending him to the bamboo sea to cut stone bamboo for seven years, saying that he did not appreciate his blessings and did not understand the value of being in a lower position."

Although Jing Qing was a yao creature, he exuded a clear and spiritual aura. When Shen Lian sat on him, he did not feel the discomfort that one might feel when encountering a demon god, and there was no foul smell.

"It seems that the junior disciple did not understand the value of being in a lower position, just as water is the highest good," Shen Lian thought for a moment and then said.

Shen Lian speculated that the previous headmaster’s meaning was "the highest good is like water, which is close to the Dao," and thus, like water, which avoids high places and benefits all things without seeking fame or profit, this is the heart of a Daoist.

If one focuses on the distinction between upper and lower, it is not beneficial in cultivation.

Jing Qing was slightly surprised and said, "No one really knows if the previous headmaster meant this, but someone did say something similar to him at the time."

Lu Shouyi was somewhat curious. He was familiar with the Five Classics and Four Books but only had a general understanding of Daoist classics. His pursuit of Dao was due to a series of experiences that led him to seek immortality.

Therefore, he was not entirely clear about how "the highest good is like water" related to this matter.

Moreover, the fact that someone had said something similar in the past made it even more interesting.

Lu Shouyi asked, "Who was that person? Immortals have long lives; could he still be alive?"

Jing Qing said, "I cannot say who that person is, but since the establishment of Qingxuan, his achievements rank among the top three, and he is likely still somewhere in the world."

As he spoke, the child-like expression on Jing Qing’s face was complex, and Lu Sheng couldn’t help but laugh.

However, Jing Qing, being a yao creature, might have been born even before his great-grandfather.

Then Jing Qing suddenly smiled and said to the two, "Let’s not talk about that person. Do you know who the one who cut the stone bamboo for seven years was?"

"Who was it?" Lu Shouyi asked.

Shen Lian did not ask, but he smiled inwardly, having a good idea of the answer.

"You have already met him," Jing Qing smiled, transformed into a flying snake, and wagged his tail, stirring up dust.

Then a cloud of mist rose into the vast sea of clouds.

"Brother Shen, who do you think it was? Was it the old man in the red robe, the old man in the gray robe, or the headmaster?" Lu Shouyi asked Shen Lian.

Shen Lian shook his head and said, "Brother Lu, didn’t you stay in the Heart-Questioning Path for a long time? Don’t you feel tired? I suffered a lot up there and just want to sleep now."

PS: Thank you for the 420 reward from Huan Tie, the 200 reward from Shi Huan Shi Meng, and the rewards from Wo Men Yi Qi Fei, Guang Yin Hua Fu Mo, Cheng Zhu AAA, and Xiao Mao.

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