Your Spell Version is Too Low!

"That would just be... a simple, trivial matter!"

Beneath the ancient pine, the Clear Wind still blew.

But Qi Yun’s breath hitched, just for an imperceptible moment.

If what he said was true, then the current predicament... might just have a way out.

"You can really... just pull over a few [Fruit Positions]?"

Cai Shen’s casual yet earth-shattering words were like a boulder dropped into a deep pool, setting off monstrous waves in Qi Yun’s heart.

Even with his typically composed nature, his eyes couldn’t help but flicker.

’If this is true...’

’Not only could I easily resolve the trouble Wu Dao True Monarch might cause...’

’I could also take the opportunity to comprehend the [Fruit Position] and knock on the door to the Realm of the Great Master.’

"In your dreams!"

The tiny, golden, illusory old man sitting on his shoulder, Cai Shen, suddenly leaped up and rapped Qi Yun sharply on the forehead.

"To perfectly command the main body of an Imperial Soldier, do you think just any random nobody can do it?

Let this old man tell you, the minimum requirements are—"

He held up a finger, his tone grave. "First, a Cultivation at the Five Directions True Monarch Position is the bare minimum!"

He held up a second finger, looking even more solemn. "And you also need a Great Tang Official Position of the Third Grade or higher!"

With that said, he lowered his fingers, clasped his tiny hands behind his back, and floated back to sit on Qi Yun’s shoulder. He shot Qi Yun a sidelong glance. "Of these two points, which one do you have right now, kid? Hmm?"

Qi Yun: "..."

The spark of hope that had just ignited was doused by this bucket of cold water, chilling him to the bone.

"So, you’re saying... what you just mentioned, Senior, was nothing but flowers in a mirror, a castle in the air?" Qi Yun’s brow furrowed. His voice remained calm, but a trace of faint disappointment was unavoidable.

’If it’s impossible, then no matter how wonderful the prospect, it’s just an illusion.’

"Hey, you can’t quite put it like that." Cai Shen waved his hand, nonchalantly swinging his legs.

"What this old man meant was, with your current Cultivation and Status, trying to just pull a ready-made [Fruit Position] out of thin air is wishful thinking."

His tone shifted, his small eyes glinting with a shrewd light.

"However... if we lower our expectations a bit, just seeking a clear clue to a [Fruit Position] is something you can just about manage with your current abilities."

"A clue to a Fruit Position..." Qi Yun’s gaze suddenly focused, like two cold stars lit in the darkness.

"Senior, you mean..."

Qi Yun’s thoughts raced, and he already had an inkling of the answer.

"Go south and find my main body!"

...

In Taixu Mirror Heaven, the conch shell horns fell silent, and the immortal light gradually faded.

The formless pressure and chilling, murderous aura brought by the new Sitting Sect True Monarch had yet to completely disperse from the skies above the Sect.

An undercurrent had already begun to surge, unable to wait any longer.

Outside the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple, over ten streaks of Escape Light, each a different color yet all exuding a tyrannical and vast aura, tore through the sky. After converging, they made no attempt to hide their presence, speeding directly toward the Cyan Mountain Spirit Peak in the northwest.

Leading them was an Escape Light as black as ink, its edges roiling with viscous Evil Qi and a heavy Mountain Shadow. It was none other than Black Mountain Master!

The Escape Lights following him were of various colors, and all of them radiated the pressure of a Foundation Establishment Master.

But compared to Black Mountain Master’s profound and abyssal Realm of the Great Master, they were clearly inferior by more than a single degree.

These Masters were all Holy Sect Masters who belonged to the Black Mountain Lineage, or were on good terms with it, and had been plundered by Qi Yun.

In the past, intimidated by Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s might and Qi Yun’s own troublesome nature, they could only swallow their anger and keep a low profile.

Now, Desolate Halberd True Monarch had stepped down, and the new Sitting Sect True Monarch, Wu Dao True Monarch, was Black Mountain Master’s master.

Almost as soon as the news of Wu Dao True Monarch’s arrival in Taixu Mirror Heaven spread, these people had all gathered under Black Mountain Master.

Needless to say, they shared a common enemy. They needed to take advantage of this "new king’s ascension" to settle old scores and reclaim their losses all at once.

Even more, they wanted to viciously humiliate Qi Yun—who had been too prominent in recent years and had made them lose all face—to make an example of him!

Black Mountain Master’s expression was as cold and grim as water, a frigid glint in his eyes.

’With my Master as the Sitting Sect True Monarch, I have all the backing I need.’

Their Escape Lights were swift, crossing a thousand li in mere moments.

The majestic Cyan Mountain came into view, its Spirit Peak beautiful and shrouded in clouds and mist.

The outline of the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple, nestled among ancient pines and clear springs, gradually came into focus.

Before he had even arrived, Black Mountain Master sent his Divine Sense sweeping forward. It descended upon the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple like a vast, invisible net, an attempt to seize the initiative and intimidate those within.

However, as his Divine Sense swept over the area, the feedback he received was of utter emptiness.

Black Mountain Master’s brow furrowed. His Escape Light suddenly accelerated, and he was the first to land on the green stone platform before the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple.

The temple gate was ajar, and a dead silence emanated from within.

"Playing tricks!" A Master in a ghastly green Daoist Robe with a hostile look on his face snorted coldly. He stepped forward, flicked his sleeve, and a gust of sinister wind slammed into the gate.

CREAK—

The gate swung open, revealing the scene within.

The courtyard was tidy, the ancient plum tree vigorous.

The flagstones were spotless, without a speck of dust.

The buildings stood in neat rows, their doors and windows intact.

But there was no one.

Not only were there no people, but even the Low Tier Daoist Children and Puppet Warriors who usually cleaned and served in the temple were nowhere to be found.

The Spirit Plants in the medicinal garden had been completely harvested, leaving only neat rows of earth.

The Alchemy Room, Artifact Refining Room, Scripture Pavilion... their doors were wide open, and their interiors were completely empty. Not even the most ordinary Meditation Mat or incense burner had been left behind.

The entire Daoist Temple, apart from the immovable buildings themselves, had been swept clean of anything valuable or movable. It was appallingly empty.

Only on the inner side of the main gate, on a vermilion-lacquered pillar with slightly peeling paint, was a sheet of plain white paper.

On the paper, written in neat yet gracefully spaced ink characters, were the words:

[Gone on a long journey, return date undecided.]

[If any guests arrive, please make yourselves at home.]

At the bottom was a simple seal with the character "Qi".