Chapter 662: A Visit from a Few Old Acquaintances (Part 1)

Wang Ping immediately put on an expression of rapt attention and invited him again, “Fellow Daoist, please sit and take your time.” After speaking, he looked at Liu Shuang. “Shuang’Er, you may go attend to your own matters.”

Liu Shuang left decisively.

Huaimo Taoist did not refuse this time. Clutching his Jade Ruyi, he sat across from Wang Ping with a formal, upright posture. He then said, “I’m sure True Man knows that my Yuqing Sect is overseen by three Monarchs. However, they aren’t all present at the same time; they take turns sleeping. Ten years ago, Yu Xing Monarch awoke to take over management of the Yuqing Sect from Zi Xuan Monarch.”

Wang Ping nodded. He had looked this up before in the database of the Second Seat’s Projection Space. He was a little curious why Huaimo Taoist would suddenly bring this up. Yu Lian, who was also curious, had already descended from the treetops and was now perched on Wang Ping’s shoulder, listening intently.

Huaimo Taoist paused for a moment before continuing. “My Yuqing Sect has a total of six Monarchs. Three of them oversee the sect and awaken in rotation, while the other three are in a state of complete slumber. Above the six Monarchs, there is also a Ling Mountain True Monarch…”

“But after the great war with the Demon Race several thousand years ago, Ling Mountain True Monarch’s Immortal Body was grievously wounded, and the ‘Great Pill’ within him shattered. Furthermore, because he repeatedly used a Secret Technique close to the Fifth Realm in power, he drew a Celestial Tribulation…”

“Later, the truth I heard was that the True Monarch’s consciousness merged with Xuanqing Monarch’s. I don’t know exactly when they merged or under what circumstances. Very few people in the world know of this matter. But since True Man is now in the Fourth Realm, it’s something you would learn sooner or later, so there is no harm in telling you.”

Huaimo Taoist offered this explanation first. Seeing no surprise on Wang Ping’s face, he continued, “The fusion of Xuanqing Monarch’s and Ling Mountain True Monarch’s consciousnesses led to a very serious schism within the Yuqing Sect. Furthermore, because an extra Monarch slot was created, we went through several hundred years of internal strife before things stabilized!

“Right now, the three presiding Monarchs all have different opinions. The one who is currently awake, Matriarch Yu Xing, is neutral. Moreover, she doesn’t concern herself with the affairs of those below her and prefers compromise and balance.”

“Compromise and balance are normally good things, but not for the Yuqing Sect as it is now…” He paused here, met Wang Ping’s gaze, and said in a low voice, “If things were… maneuvered a little, the Yuqing Sect might just split apart like the Taiyan Sect, the True Yang Sect, and the Taiyin Sect…”

His words stopped abruptly there.

Wang Ping was momentarily stunned. He then picked up his teacup to hide his expression and carefully considered the key points. Meanwhile, Yu Lian stared at Huaimo Taoist with her golden, vertical pupils and said, “You want to be the one to stir up trouble?”

Hearing this, Huaimo Taoist looked at the thoughtful Wang Ping. He cupped his hands and said cautiously, “No, I don’t need to make a move myself. I only need to maneuver things a bit, because the internal conflicts within the Yuqing Sect have long since reached an irreconcilable point.”

At that moment, Wang Ping recalled the words spoken to him by the remnant consciousness of Xiao Shan Lord after the Shangjing City incident. A thought stirred in his mind: ‘Dismantling the Yuqing Sect might help dissolve some sort of alliance agreement between the True Monarchs. After all, a new order often requires the destruction of the old one.’

“Why do you want to do this?”

Wang Ping’s tone was somewhat cold as he asked the question, his eyes fixed intently on the other man.

Huaimo Taoist felt as if Wang Ping could see right through him, and he wasn’t wrong. For Wang Ping, who possessed the Heaven-Covering Talisman, seeing through the past of a Third Realm Cultivator was all too easy.

“I need a Fourth Realm slot. Those sleeping seniors should give up their Fourth Realm slots!”

He lowered his head and said this resolutely.

The Mystic Sect, like the Celestial Gate, only has nine slots for the Fourth Realm. However, the number of truly confirmed slots is far less than that, because some seniors become True Spirits upon advancement. They wander outer space, and finding them is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

For the Yuqing Sect to have six slots is already a lot. For instance, the Taiyan Cultivators currently have only four known slots, including Wang Ping. The rest are True Spirits wandering in outer space. After all, it’s all too easy for a Fourth Realm Taiyan Cultivator to hide, and they have the vastness of outer space as a barrier.

At this moment, Wang Ping somewhat understood True Monarch Yuan Wu’s thinking. He looked at the Huaimo Taoist before him, knowing the man must have learned from some other channel about the power Wang Ping now wielded.

“I will only support you when a slot truly becomes available!”

Wang Ping gave his promise.

Upon hearing this, Huaimo Taoist immediately rose and bowed. “Many thanks, True Man!”

Wang Ping nodded, silently extended his left hand, and tapped lightly. The puppet he had made, ‘Yi’, instantly appeared beside Huaimo Taoist. Then, he shot a Soldier Talisman into Puppet ‘Yi’s’ body.

Puppet ‘Yi’ sensed the Soldier Talisman inside it, extended its right hand, and formed a Spell. A green light flashed, and a puppet appeared beside it. It was Yuan Hu, the one containing Samadhi True Flame in its body!

Wang Ping thought for a moment, then tapped another Soldier Talisman—one for a Third Realm Puppet with the ‘Five Elements Condensation Art’—into Puppet ‘Yi’s’ body. This time, Puppet ‘Yi’ did not manifest the new puppet. After all, if handled improperly, that thing could explode.

“This puppet of mine will follow you. He can help you with certain secret matters.”

Wang Ping said to Huaimo Taoist, then added a warning, “Remember, I will deny any involvement in this. Don’t expect me to provide you with any overt help.”

A glint flashed in Huaimo Taoist’s eyes, followed by an appropriate look of delight on his face. He cupped his fists and said, “Many thanks, True Man!”

Yu Lian then said within the Spirit Sea, ‘I didn’t see it before. This man looks like such a refined gentleman, but in reality, he’s so…’

She couldn’t find the right word to describe him for a moment.

…

「On the steps outside the Mountain Peak Dojo.」

Huaimo Taoist took a deep breath, fighting the urge to look back at the dojo’s main gate. He glanced at the cold-faced Puppet ‘Yi’ beside him, then a faint smile touched his lips as he quickened his pace down the mountain.

In just a quarter of an hour, he was back at the massive plaza at the foot of the mountain, where he saw a familiar figure.

It was Hu Yin of the Demon Race!

The Fox Demon was currently dressed in a wide-sleeved Blue Daoist Robe, a Duster cradled in her arms. She was standing respectfully on the steps outside the front hall, chatting about something with Hu Qianqian.

The smile on Huaimo Taoist’s face deepened. He walked over quickly, but Hu Yin spotted him before he could get close. He preemptively cupped his hands and said, “Fellow Daoist, it has been a long time. Your cultivation has reached a new level. I imagine you’ll break through to the ‘Pill Formation’ realm any day now, won’t you?”

Hu Yin cupped her fists. “Greetings, Fellow Daoist…” She returned the salutation first, then said, “Though the ‘Pill Formation’ realm is but a step away, most of my clansmen are stuck at this stage for their entire lives.”

She even shook her head as she finished speaking.

The two then exchanged a great deal of pleasantries. During this time, they also introduced the people with them. Puppet ‘Yi’ introduced himself as Wang Yi. When Huaimo Taoist heard that Hu Qianqian was Wang Ping’s disciple, his tone subconsciously became a few degrees more polite.

“Are you planning to pay a visit to Changqing Zhenren, Fellow Daoist?”

Huaimo Taoist asked this when their small talk was about to wind down.

Hu Yin, however, shook her head. “How could I disturb the True Man’s Pure Cultivation with my trivial matters? I just came here to look around and see if I might run into some old friends. And look, I ran into you, Fellow Daoist, as soon as I arrived.”

As she spoke, three people emerged from a nearby reception hall: Liu Shuang, Jiangcun, and Yang Shu.

Jiangcun stood at the doorway while Yang Shu repeatedly tried to get his attention, but he remained unmoved. He even said, “Brother Eight, I’ve been at Qianmu Temple for almost half a month. If I wanted to visit Changqing, I would’ve gone long ago. If you have something to do, go yourself. Don’t drag me along!”

Yang Shu put on a stern face, showing his authority as an elder brother, and called out, “Since you haven’t gone to pay your respects to Changqing Zhenren, it’s the perfect time to go with me now!”

Jiangcun’s attitude was firm. “I’m not going! It’s too embarrassing!”

“What’s so embarrassing about it?”

“When I first met Changqing, he was only in the Second Realm. Now he’s already advanced to the Fourth Realm, while I’m still stuck in the Third Realm. Isn’t that embarrassing?”