Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

The internet exploded again!

Following the four Daoists who publicly revealed their miraculous powers to pray for clear skies, Taoist Ming Chong of the Celestial Master’s Mansion reappeared at Chongzhen Palace on Ge Xuan Mountain. He then departed with three other Daoists, riding away on a cloud.

When the young man was causing a scene earlier, many people had their phones out recording. As a result, they clearly captured Taoist Qing Ye’s voice before panning up to film the rising white cloud with the four Daoists on it.

Naturally, the entire process of the four Daoists riding the cloud into the heavens was caught on camera.

It was exactly like something out of a movie. A dense, cottony white cloud, a few square meters across and about waist-high, churned continuously without dispersing. It billowed upwards, radiating a truly ethereal and otherworldly aura.

The white cloud ascended on its own. A gentle breeze stirred the hems of the Daoists’ robes as the cloud floated up, swaying gently. The men standing on it, however, remained completely motionless.

"AHHH! I’m so jealous!"

"Does Ge Xuan Mountain have this many Extraordinary Beings, too? Who are they?"

"The oldest one is Qing Ye Master, the former abbot of Chongzhen Palace. He’s the master of the current abbot, Taoist Xiu Hua."

"So Qing Ye Master is an accomplished Extraordinary Being too!"

"The term is Cultivator, thank you!"

"The other two are so lucky, getting to fly with Qing Ye Master and Ming Chong Master!"

In the video’s comment section, no one doubted Qing Ye Master’s level of Cultivation. They saw Taoist Qing Ye as an old Daoist from the same generation as Taoist Ming Chong, so it was only natural that he could fly.

But they were far more skeptical of the much younger Taoist Xiu Jing. And as for the youngest of them all, Xiu Ming, the Young Taoist?

Why isn’t that me!

"The Celestial Master’s Mansion and Ge Xuan Mountain both have Extraordinary Beings. I wonder if Sanmao Mountain has any?"

"They have to. A friend of mine said that last time he was at Sanmao Mountain for a Qingming ritual, he said something a little disrespectful, and thunder suddenly boomed inside his head. Thinking back on it, a master from Sanmao Mountain must have been displeased and taught him a lesson."

"Whoa, that’s the Three Talisman Sects for you!"

"The Quanzhen Dao is super powerful too, don’t forget! Of the four Daoists who showed up during the rainstorm, only Ming Chong Master was from Zhengyi Dao; the other three were all from Quanzhen Dao!"

Taoist Yuan He was from the Lü Zu Temple’s Pure Yang Sect, Taoist Xu Ning was from the Lao Mountain Pure Sect, and Taoist Yan Qi was from the Quanzhen Dragon Gate Sect, but they all belonged to the Quanzhen Dao.

Both orthodox lineages of Daoism had masters in their ranks. And judging by their joint effort to stop the rainstorm, the two branches were allies, not rivals.

So, while plenty of articles and videos comparing the two branches still circulated online, any that tried to instigate conflict had vanished. Northern Quanzhen and Southern Zhengyi now stood as the pillars of mainstream Daoism in Celestial Xia.

...

Taoist Ming Chong brought the three Daoists from Ge Xuan Mountain all the way back to Yangcheng. As soon as they arrived at the Taoist Research Institute, he saw Gu Zhao already chatting with several Daoists in the courtyard.

Next to them, several other Daoists sat with their eyes closed, undergoing the Thunder Seed’s initiation.

"Senior Brother Jing Chun, Senior Brother Yan Qi," Taoist Ming Chong greeted them.

The ones chatting with Gu Zhao in the pavilion were Taoist Jing Chun from the Mountain City Fengyue Sect and Taoist Yan Qi from Qingcheng Mountain. Beside them sat three middle-aged men: Taoist Gu He, a disciple of Taoist Jing Feng, and two Daoists from Qingcheng Mountain’s ’Zi’ generation, Taoist Zi Hui and Taoist Zi Ting.

"Qingcheng Mountain is truly an Ancestral Court of Daoism, such a blessed land!" Taoist Ming Chong remarked with feeling.

"Greetings, Senior Uncle Ming Chong," Taoist Zi Hui said, opening his eyes. He added humbly, "It’s all thanks to the senior uncles for holding down the fort. Among the ’Zi’ generation, only the two of us just barely made the cut."

Taoist Jing Chun: "..."

Taoist Qing Ye: "..."

Taoist Ming Chong tugged his beard. ’It seems the Celestial Master’s Mansion also only has two in its ’Zhi’ generation,’ he thought.

Gu Zhao chuckled. "Should I take that as a challenge from the Dragon Gate Sect?"

Taoist Yan Qi shot Taoist Zi Hui a sidelong glance. "If you don’t know what to say, just keep your mouth shut. Nobody will mistake you for a mute."

Taoist Zi Hui immediately fell silent.

Gu Zhao laughed heartily. Seeing that Taoist Gu He and Taoist Zi Ting had also opened their eyes, he smiled and asked, "How do you feel?"

"Greetings, Sect Leader!" the three Daoists exclaimed, rising in unison to pay their respects.

"Alright, alright." Gu Zhao motioned for them to sit, then gestured for Taoist Ming Chong to have Taoist Qing Ye and the others sit as well.

Among the six new Daoists, Supreme Elder Taoist Qing Ye of Ge Xuan Mountain’s Spiritual Treasure Sect naturally had the most profound Dao Practice. He was followed by Taoist Xiu Jing and Taoist Zi Hui. Taoist Gu He and Taoist Zi Ting were a step behind them, and Xiu Ming, the Young Taoist, was the weakest.

"You’ve all been briefed on the basics," Gu Zhao explained. "What’s left is to first go to Daluo Palace to restore your Magical Power, collect your Magical Treasures, and familiarize yourselves with the Magic. After that, you’ll descend the mountain to get some practical experience."

Xiu Ming’s mouth twitched, and he almost lost his composure. ’Why does that sound exactly like my college advisor talking about internships?’

Then he thought back on the information transmitted by the Thunder Seed...

’Okay, it really is a lot like being a factory worker!’

’When you work in a factory, you use your mind and body to make money for yourself and the company. At the same time, you improve your skills and experience to gradually climb the corporate ladder.’

’Joining Daluo Palace means using your Magical Power and combat prowess for Eradicating Evil and Accumulating Merit to earn Evil Qi. You give the Sect Leader his cut while improving yourself, progressing in your Cultivation step-by-step, and striving for Ascension.’

’Different name, same game. I’m still just a grunt worker!’

But...

’...it’s awesome!’

Xiu Ming felt the Innate Qi in his body, now activated by the Thunder Seed, ravenously absorbing the thin Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around him. He couldn’t wait to cross into the Otherworld and start Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits, cutting a path of destruction!

It wasn’t just Xiu Ming. Even an old Daoist like Taoist Qing Ye, who was long past being moved by worldly affairs, felt a surge of excitement. After hearing Taoist Ming Chong’s description and using the Thunder Seed in his Sea of Consciousness to chat via Divine Sense with old friends, his blood began to race.

The Magical Power he had accumulated over decades of cultivating the *Primordial Five Elders Red Book Jade Chapter True Heavenly Scripture* was now stirring restlessly within him. He was itching to find a Demon Fiend and send it to its final rest.

Taoist Shen Hao’s hearty laughter came through the Thunder Seed’s connection. "Come to the He Yan Mansion! I’ll take you Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits! We can even visit Chaoyang Island in Du Chuan Prefecture. The seas there have evil monsters that plague the Islanders—after we kill them, we can have a feast!"

Taoist Ming Yu laughed as well. "Senior Brother Shen Hao is holding down the fort at Daluo Temple in the He Yan Mansion; he won’t necessarily have time for you. I’ll come get you from Daluo Palace. We can wander the world, upholding justice and vanquishing evil. How great would that be?"

Taoist Qing Ye laughed and accepted their offers.

Taoist Jing Chun asked Gu Zhao, "Sect Leader, aren’t you coming back with us?"

"I still have two Thunder Seeds. I need to go recruit two more people," Gu Zhao said with a smile.

Taoist Yan Qi’s eyes lit up, and he asked curiously, "Who is it?"

Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow. "More orthodox than any of you."

Gu Zhao’s words immediately piqued the curiosity of the several old Daoists.

Taoist Ming Chong came from the Celestial Master’s Mansion, Taoist Qing Ye from the Spiritual Treasure Sect, and Taoist Yan Qi from Quanzhen Dragon Gate. There were very few in the world with a more orthodox lineage than theirs.

’Unless... it was one of those ancient lineages.’

"Shaoyang? Or Wenshi?" Taoist Ming Chong asked immediately.