Stealing Immortal

Jing Shu cursed again, “You idiot! How could you even think of that? Five Elements Qi becoming a sentient spirit? You deserved to get seriously injured!”

“You…” The man had been inexplicably injured and was already simmering with nameless rage. Now, running into a prickly woman like Jing Shu, he was so angry he could only point a finger at her, speechless.

“Me? What about me? If I didn’t see you were injured, I’d teach you a lesson! You’re the idiot who provoked me first!”

The man panted like a bull, his face flushed red, glaring without being able to utter a single word. In the midst of this silence, Chen Qingyang inexplicably collected another 1020 Immortal Seedlings.

‘How vicious! To think she could make him this angry.’

“Fine, I’ll remember you. This isn’t over!” After saying his piece, he retreated into the darkness.

He couldn’t win the argument, and he couldn’t win a fight. This was his only option.

A conflict had nearly broken out. This made Chen Qingyang realize that his method of finding Five Elements Essence this way had reached its end.

With Jing Shu’s Cultivation, if she was on guard, there was a real chance she could catch him the next time he appeared. ‘What happens after that will depend entirely on her own fate.’

Just as Chen Qingyang was leaving the area, he sensed another Fire Element Essence. It wasn’t far, but unfortunately, he no longer dared to alert Jing Shu.

Searching for opportunities here was like fumbling in the dark. Without that bit of Spiritual Qi perception, one wouldn’t be able to see an Immortal Fate even if it was right beside them!

Instead, as he passed by on his way out, the man from before appeared nearby, and Chen Qingyang could only watch as he took it.

After leaving the Five Elements Cave Mansion, he re-entered the world of the Array, using the same method to search for another Grotto Heaven Blessed Land.

More than ten days passed with no results.

Perhaps due to the combined efforts of nearly three hundred Masters, the Qi Mechanism of the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array had surged violently. If before it was a trickling stream, it was now a flash flood of mud and rock.

Amidst this, it became extremely difficult for Chen Qingyang to use his previous method.

He knew very well that this was still the fastest way to find another Grotto Heaven Blessed Land. He had to calm his mind, to sense and search with extreme patience…

The sun rose and the moon set. Seven or eight days passed with no success. But surprisingly, under this trial, his True Understanding of the Grand Array had improved a great deal.

[True Understanding of the Celestial Star Demon Suppression Array: (1318/120000)]

It had increased by a thousand compared to before. ‘Well, even if I can’t find a Cave Mansion, this effort won’t be wasted.’

With this mindset of honing his True Understanding of the Array, another five days passed. His progress broke the two-thousand mark, and just then, he suddenly found a direction.

He plunged in and arrived in another world.

The green mountains were not high, yet held much elegance.

The vegetation was not dense, yet nurtured a thousand-year Daoist lineage!

Amidst the cloud-veiled peaks, halfway up the mountain, stood a Daoist Temple. At this very moment, Chen Qingyang stood before it.

Looking down, bluestone steps led to the base of the mountain, where several villages were scattered like stars and a great river meandered. Looking up, the mountain gate was right before him. It had a vermilion-lacquered wooden door, and the door plaque bore the gilt words: “The Great Dao Faces Heaven.”

The walls were mottled, revealing the traces of time, and the tiles were overgrown with moss. There was also a red apricot tree, its branches extending out from within—a true “red apricot peeking over the wall” moment!

Standing here, he had a strange feeling. It wasn’t magnificent or mystical, nor did it have the lofty air of an Immortal Family’s realm. Instead, it was like a Daoist Temple standing in the mortal world.

The kind where three or five Daoists might live, with a rudimentary understanding of Gold and Stone Pharmacology and the means to perform Talisman Painting to exorcise ghosts, surviving on the Sacrificial Offerings of the common people from the villages below.

This must be Chaotian Temple.

As he approached the wooden door, it opened on its own. Chen Qingyang was puzzled. ‘Could it have sensed the presence of the Conscious Fish?’

‘So… should I go in or not?’

He sensed carefully but found nothing amiss. Stepping inside, he saw that it was neither dilapidated nor brand new. It was just an ordinary Daoist Temple, looking as if people lived here year-round.

Except right now, there wasn’t a single person in sight.

A Locust Tree and a Chinese parasol tree stood there. Behind them was a great hall filled with the scent of incense. Passing through it, the terrain opened up into a vast expanse. A path led straight through the middle towards the back, flanked by two lotus ponds. The lotus leaves were a fresh green, with no red flowers to be seen.

One was marked “Dragon Breeding Pool,” the other “Water Spirit Abyss.”

The Dragon Breeding Pool, as its name suggested, was a place to raise Water Dragons. As for the one next to it, it was probably for various rare Spirit Beasts of the water.

All the Divine Court ruins he had seen before had appeared as palaces and pavilions, either mystical or magnificent. This was the first time he had seen one so ordinary.

Passing through another great hall heavy with the scent of incense, he came upon several acres of cultivated Spirit Fields. Today, the Spirit Fields were empty save for a few weeds. Rows of bamboo, also showing fresh green shoots, enclosed the area.

The season in Chaotian Temple felt like early spring.

Chen Qingyang continued further back. There were many palaces and many golden statues of deities. He examined them one by one; some were crude, others were gilded… in any case, each had its own expression. The walls were covered with red silk murals, and there were carved dragons and painted beams, all vibrant with color.

‘Chaotian Temple… one of the Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands here. From the looks of it, there doesn’t seem to be anything unusual.’

Suddenly, he saw a stone stele standing before him. It was inscribed with: “The Profound Generation’s Upper Clarity Nine Heavens Demon-Subduing Emperor, versed in all dharmas, master of the four seasons, sits in the Chaotian Temple, ruler of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands… The Great Dao faces heaven, and all of the Great Dao is within Chaotian Temple.”

There were other words in the middle of the inscription, but they were currently invisible.

According to Chen Qingyang’s understanding, the Tai Hao Qingxu Palace was a relic of the Ancient Divine Court, which meant this Chaotian Temple was part of it as well.

As for the power of this place’s master, the title “Emperor” alone gave a hint. And with the claim of ruling the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, there was no small amount of arrogance.