Chapter 170: Chapter 144: The Patriarch’s Rules: He Shall Be Our Sect’s Daoist

"The wisp of Six Ding True Fire from the Kitchen God’s temple burns a person’s Life Qi and spiritual consciousness, causing complex patterns to appear.

It’s just like firing porcelain in a dragon kiln; it’s a natural way to sort them by quality."

The stout girl raised her hand boisterously and said:

"I know this one! The more patterns, the more powerful they are!"

Lady Xuan’nv gently shook her head and patiently corrected her:

"It’s not that a dense pattern of fate lines is necessarily good; the key is that they must be clear, deep, and continuous.

If the fate lines are blurry, it means the person has shallow fortune and is prone to an early death.

If the lines are shallow, they will struggle to achieve greatness and may suffer a great fall from a high position.

If there are many breaks, their life’s path will be rugged and full of hardships."

The stout girl seemed to only half-understand.

Lady Xuan’nv was long accustomed to Gui’er’s denseness. The nine-headed bird was born from the yin qi of Fengdu, and without any innate enlightenment to awaken her intellect, it was normal for her not to be bright.

"Those eighty-four fate lines have the quality of gold and jade. They run several inches deep and are perfectly continuous, weaving into a square shape that embodies purity, light, great power, and wisdom.

This is the supremely auspicious Great Radiance Sovereign.

You see, the spirit form of a flame dragon, manifested from the Six Ding True Fire, is joyfully soaring around his destiny.

This proves he can completely master fire, fulfilling the saying: ’When the six positions are met, one rides a dragon to command the heavens.’

Therefore, he is known as the Great Radiance Sovereign."

The stout girl automatically ignored the long-winded classical references and summarized:

"This guy is even more powerful than the Yin Celestial Emperor, right? He’s the perfect person for you to bind a Yin Fate with, My Lady!"

Lady Xuan’nv said with a faint smile:

"I’m afraid not. The destiny of a Great Radiance Sovereign is exceptionally wondrous. If this person appeared on the Ximizhou Continent, the gates of the Spirit Mountain itself would swing wide open. A hundred thousand celestial maidens would scatter flowers to pave his way, and eight hundred Arhats and three thousand Jiedi would come to welcome him. He is a natural-born son of Buddha.

Even on the Nanzhan Continent, which is ruled by the Demon Dao, someone with such a destiny would not have a poor future on their Dao path."

The graceful woman, seated upon the Jade Platform, paused for a moment before continuing slowly:

"Besides, the destiny of a Great Radiance Sovereign grants the ability to command Yin. He views women as his ’radiant consorts’ and excels at joyous dual cultivation."

This time, the stout girl understood. She couldn’t help but spit and say:

"So he’s just a degenerate! How could he possibly defile someone as precious as you, My Lady—"

BAM!

A loud RUMBLE!

Nine ferocious heads were smashed into the ground!

"Stop your nonsense!"

...

...

「Beyond the Qingming.」

An extraordinary and transcendent Qi Mechanism, soaring high above the Mingcang Marsh, seemed to be stirred, prompting a closer look.

A moment later, a hint of a smile graced her lips.

’I see. The Shao Yang did not fall into Xuan Chanzi’s hands; it has chosen a new master instead.

What kind of destiny has the Six Ding Fire forged? One of "holding fast to the golden mean, with light shining upon the four corners of the world"? A perfect Saint King, even more outstanding than a destiny of the nine-nines?’

After a closer look, the old woman couldn’t help but feel surprised.

It was rare for something to surprise a magnificent Daoist Monarch.

The gray-robed Daoist, his form flickering in and out of existence beneath a vast and boundless auspicious cloud, opened his eyes. He looked at the old woman in her worn clothes leaning on a staff:

"What has piqued the interest of the Nine Spirits Brahmanic Daoist Monarch?"

These two Daoist Monarchs watched over a corner of the north and south, presiding over the great chess game of the continent. They were "Upper Cultivators" in the truest sense of the word.

All schemes and karmic threads, great and small, were in fact merely spinning in the palms of their hands.

Whether it was True Master Xuanmiao "escaping" the Daoist Palace to descend the mountain, Xuan Chanzi shouldering the fate of the Zhongyi Sect, or the Tai Yang patrolling the sky in its sun chariot... each and every event was simply a chess piece moved by different hands, placed on the board.

’I was just marveling at the profound mystery of karmic shifts and the waxing and waning of fortune.’

The old woman smiled. The Yang Qi Taiyin Heaven had been passed around, but it was still within Beimang Ridge; it had never truly gotten out.

"Oh."

The gray-robed Daoist lowered his gaze. The world, small as a mustard seed, rapidly magnified, his focus instantly landing on Goose Mountain in Hanyang Prefecture.

"Fengdu has appeared? And that ’Profound Law Nvqing Daoist Monarch’? A Yin-Yang Marriage? What a fine scheme, fellow Daoist."

In the blink of an eye, the gray-robed Daoist had grasped all the karmic threads. He then spoke:

"I have long heard that True Monarch Tao of your esteemed sect is known as ’Heavenly Calculation.’ Her schemes are indeed as deep and hidden as the will of heaven itself.

The Qintian Dou Shu, which consults with heaven and earth and corresponds with the sun and moon, truly lives up to its reputation."

The old woman’s expression turned slightly grave:

"Elder Brother, you overstate things. Tao Ran was merely following the trend and giving karma a little push. Such methods are not fit for the grand stage and will only make us a laughingstock."

The gray-robed Daoist was silent for a long time before speaking again:

"And to think my Innate Sect prides itself on ’drawing from a hundred schools,’ encompassing everything from the Daoist Techniques of the Five Elements and methods of divination to secret sword scriptures.

Our Disciples of the Eight Peaks of ’Cloud-Deep Abode,’ in particular, are all experts in the study of Dou Shu.

Yet in the end, not a single one can compare to True Monarch Tao."

The old woman sounded helpless:

"Elder Brother, why must you give rise to such anger?"

"The North and South Dipper Sword is a small game; the Ancient Demon Tribulation is the grand tide of destiny."

The gray-robed Daoist shook his head, his flickering Dao Body releasing a vast and powerful Qi Mechanism:

"True Monarch Tao used Fu Lizi to leverage Fengdu, arranged for the Profound Law Nvqing True Monarch to be paired with the ’Saint King’ destiny, and propped up the new lord of the Shao Yang!

One karmic link after another, one chess piece after another, all placed in perfect order. This is precisely the principle of the ’Four Transformations’ of Qintian Dou Shu: manifesting as a sign in the heavens, taking form on the earth, and becoming an accomplishment in man."

The old woman said faintly:

"Elder Brother, you think too highly of Tao Ran. At most, it can be considered a ’karmic coincidence.’

Not to mention, neither that kitten nor the Yang Qi Taiyin Heaven can be influenced by Divine Techniques.

Fengdu also suppresses the fortunes of the Ghost Dao and the Divine Dao. How could a mere True Monarch like her possibly calculate all of that clearly?"

The gray-robed Daoist had his own plans. From his perspective, if this chess game in the northern and southern lands were left to develop without outside intervention...

...that new lord of the Shao Yang would be fated to become too deeply entangled with the Taifu Sect, perhaps even joining it.

Then, he would merge with the fortune of the Ancestral Sect Dharma Lineage and proceed with the Binding Yin Fate with the Profound Law Nvqing Daoist Monarch.

If this Shao Yang were to fall, the Yang Qi Taiyin Heaven would belong to the Taifu Sect.

If the Shao Yang managed to shake the Tai Yang, breaking the prophecy that the Immortal Dao would flourish for ten thousand years,

eighty to ninety percent of the Nanzhan Continent’s fortune would flow into Mingcang Marsh, and who knows how many brilliant Dao Materials and favored children of destiny it would nurture!

"Fellow Daoist Nine Spirits, forgive me, but I can no longer sit by and watch.

The Taifu Sect wishes to monopolize an entire continent, but that will not happen!"

The gray-robed Daoist’s lips moved, emitting a Daoist sound that was like the spinning of stars, weighing down the heavens and stirring up great turmoil.

"The new lord of the Shao Yang shall enter the Innate Sect and be enthroned as its Daoist."

The fourteen words fell.

They seemed to shatter a side of the heavens, causing countless motes of Spiritual Energy to flicker into and out of existence, revealing apocalyptic visions of earth, wind, water, and fire.

"The ’Sage Monarch’s Prayer of the Great Sage’s True Words’! Elder Brother, for you to interfere in the affairs of juniors like this, have you forgotten Grandmaster Taiwei’s decree?"

After reciting that sentence, the gray-robed Daoist remained silent for a long time. Only after his vast and powerful Qi Mechanism receded once more did he reply:

"The Grandmaster’s rules are the rules! But I haven’t overturned the chessboard. The Taifu Sect wants to use the Six Ding True Fire to forge a ’Saint King’ destiny—I won’t stop them;

I am also happy to see them form a Binding Yin Fate with the sole True Monarch of the Ghost Dao;

I’m merely betting the position of Daoist.

If the Taifu Sect is not convinced, they are free to depose their long-established ’Crown Prince of Mingcang,’ Zhang Yuansheng, in order to welcome the new lord of the Shao Yang."

The old woman gave a bitter smile. She was not a Daoist Monarch of the Taifu Sect; how could she possibly make such a decision?

Even if she could, it would be impossible to carry out such an act.

The position of Daoist was tied to the next thousand years of fortune for an Ancestral Sect Dharma Lineage. To depose one casually was to court chaos.

Moreover, the Crown Prince of Mingcang, Zhang Yuansheng, was highly favored by "Grandmaster Taiyuan." His potential on the Dao path was limitless, not much inferior to that of Ji Fuyao in his prime.

How could they possibly install a new Daoist just because a new lord of the Shao Yang had appeared!

"Elder Brother, you’re being a sore loser."

The old woman was helpless. She couldn’t possibly come to blows with this Great Power of the Innate Sect over the matter.

Besides, it was true that the Taifu Sect had not acted honorably.

They had brought forth Fengdu, gathered numerous Dao Materials from the northern and southern lands, and ultimately lured out the new lord of the Shao Yang.

Their intention was not to cultivate him with all their might, but to hedge their bets.

If the Shao Yang proved no match for the Tai Yang, its scattered fortune would flow back to the Taifu Sect, which would then elevate Zhang Yuansheng to make a bid for the supreme position.

If the second Shao Yang could cause the Tai Yang to lose its luster,

the overwhelming fortune of the Ancient Demon Tribulation would still flow into Mingcang Marsh.

It was indeed a good business that couldn’t lose, no matter the outcome!

The only thing they hadn’t considered was whether the second Shao Yang lived or died!

The gray-robed Daoist had been decisive, directly using the Innate Sect’s Daoist position to entice the new lord of the Shao Yang, who was about to emerge.

This was equivalent to killing a great dragon on the game board!