I Am Your Natural Enemy

Wen Yan followed his regular route on the Nether Path, arriving at the suburbs of the Capital City, and then took a car to the headquarters. The road was so congested it was almost unbearable; he even took a nap but still hadn’t arrived.

At first, Wen Yan wondered if there could be another possibility, like the entrance and exit of the Nether Path not leading to the Capital City, and the entrance and exit of the Rakshasa Ghost Market not opening inside the city either.

But after traveling the route many times, he couldn’t resist asking and found out that it was simply due to the sheer number of people and cars, especially during the holidays when the crowds felt like they could set the streets aflame.

If there’s a fringe benefit, it’s that with such bustling crowds, it’s indeed very difficult for ordinary demons and ghosts to cause trouble.

At the headquarters, the General Director’s secretary personally came to receive him and warmly led him upstairs, letting him wait in a study filled with books and a computer, where he could look up or read whatever he wanted, containing records unavailable elsewhere.

Since he had nothing better to do, Wen Yan waited there.

He randomly pulled out a book, and just after glancing through it, the gray cloth wrapped around his wrist quietly unraveled a bit, and then that bit formed the shape of a hand, slyly pointing in one direction.

Following the gray cloth’s guidance, Wen Yan navigated around several bookshelves and looked toward the back, where he saw a stand with a sword placed on it.

At first glance, Wen Yan knew it was the Magic Sword of the Old Celestial Master.

After returning from Nanyang, he had given the Magic Sword to the Scorching Sun Department; who would have thought they hadn’t returned it to the Old Celestial Master?

Just as he was puzzled, the Magic Sword on the stand began to glow, gradually enlarging, and the Old Celestial Master’s figure stepped out from the aura.

Wen Yan immediately composed himself, stood straight, and bowed.

”Greetings, Old Celestial Master.”

The gray cloth wrapped around Wen Yan’s arm awkwardly formed the shape of two hands, mimicking Wen Yan’s salute.

”No need for formalities; I’m unable to be present in person and can only attend the meeting in this manner.”

The Old Celestial Master returned the salute, then closely examined Wen Yan, his eyes gleaming with fascination. In a single glance, it was as if he saw a life tree with all its branches and offshoots in absolute perfection, too perfect, making any additional detail redundant, and any less a significant loss.

With just one look, he understood that his previous thoughts had been correct; only Wen Yan could traverse this path.

Or rather, he had been too conservative before; Wen Yan hadn’t just traversed the path but had done so too perfectly, as if this life tree was meant to be this way.

The only flaw was that the things Wen Yan had pioneered now only had the trunk and limbs, with the head only having some peripheral offshoots.

With another look, the Old Celestial Master couldn’t help but close his eyes, unable to continue watching, as it would disturb his inner peace.

At this moment, he felt that Wen Yan’s path was indeed the most correct; watching further would lead to self-doubt.

The world’s paths are not singular, and there’s no absolute right or wrong, only what suits oneself.

Wen Yan’s path was indeed too perfect, and the Old Celestial Master felt his decision not to blindly copy more than a handsbreadth was the right one.

Power does not imply that the path suits oneself.

What he needs to do is to walk his own path based on this foundation.

Wen Yan noticed that the Old Celestial Master seemed somewhat odd, but he didn’t interrupt or ask, though he was quite envious at heart. The Old Celestial Master didn’t need to leave his house, only needed to toss out the Magic Sword, and when necessary, he could directly leverage it to project himself thousands of miles away.

Of course, Wen Yan was only mildly envious; up to now, he had only heard of this being done by the Old Celestial Master, who could so effortlessly perform such a feat.

He was not on the same level as the other Taoist priests.

So much so that even now, the Celestial Master Mansion had yet to determine a candidate for the next Celestial Master.

Not a single one had been identified, and even those who seemed capable dared not claim the title themselves.

The gap was too immense.

The Taoist priests at the Celestial Master Mansion, even those slightly qualified as candidates, did not want the role, reasoning that the Old Celestial Master still possessed remarkable vitality and was far from reaching his ascension; there’s no rush.

Wen Yan was only mildly envious, and even if the Old Celestial Master were willing to teach, he couldn’t learn it; he didn’t even have a soul, so how could he project himself?

He just thought it was exceedingly convenient, even more so than traveling the Nether Path.

After all, traveling the Nether Path could indeed be quite risky; if one got lost, even the body wouldn’t be retrievable.

While Wen Yan felt a tinge of envy, the Old Celestial Master was filled with sentiments. After a few moments of silence, the Old Celestial Master extended a hand, placing it on Wen Yan’s shoulder for a reassuring pat.

”Keep up the good work; the future is yours, the young ones’. If you encounter problems in your cultivation, adapt it according to your circumstances; there’s no need to strive for perfection.”

”Thank you, Old Celestial Master, for your guidance.”

”I heard from the General Director that you made this trip specifically because there’s something you want to say?”

”Yes, I feel it’s not safe to discuss it otherwise.”

”Then let’s discuss it together in a bit.”

After a while, the door was pushed open, and the General Director walked in.

Wen Yan glanced around at the surroundings and, feeling a bit uneasy, asked.

”Is anything said here truly imperceptible?”

The General Director nodded solemnly.

”If there’s nowhere in the Divine Land where things can be discussed or communicated, then there’s truly no place.”