Chapter 178: Chapter 149: Money of the 4 Continents, Journey of 3 to the Ghost Country (Part 2)

Yang Xun heard this and shook his head. He had expended fifty to sixty percent of his True Qi to refine three to four thousand blood coins, and beads of sweat were forming on his forehead from the effort.

"The Taifu Sect is quite strict about this. Besides, a major incident occurred a few hundred years ago. The Ancestral Master’s ultimate treasure was split into four, with only one piece left to guard the sect. The rest were divided and given to other Ancestral Sects."

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow. ’A priceless artifact used for minting currency could be handed over to others?’

It was likely the result of various factions vying for power and Magical Combat between Upper Cultivators.

"The remaining piece is jointly controlled by four families. That old scoundrel Sui mentioned it once, calling them the ’Four Great Clans.’"

"Their surnames are ’Gong,’ ’Nong,’ ’Fu,’ and ’Zhong.’"

Jiang Yi clicked his tongue. ’The direct lineages of these Four Great Clans probably burn talisman-coins like firewood. They must be filthy rich!’

...

...

「Qingming High Heaven, Exquisite Magic Tower.」

"Junior Brother Lou, your Dharma Tower can’t even absorb the spiritual energy of the cosmos? No wonder I feel the purifying qi is so thin and my cultivation is slow."

Fu Lizi’s boisterous voice suddenly drilled into Lou Zhenxiao’s ears, causing his sword-like brows to twitch slightly.

After several days of "torture," he had gradually grown accustomed to the ’provocative’ words that would pop out of his senior brother’s mouth from time to time.

After all, he was from the main branch of the Fu Clan’s direct lineage, one of the Four Great Clans of the Taifu Sect.

Senior Brother Fu Lizi might have suffered the hardships of cultivation, but he had certainly never tasted poverty.

"The Exquisite Dharma Lineage is a Fifth Grade Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact. The ability to absorb the essence of the sun and moon and gather spiritual and purifying qi is a function only a Magical Treasure of the True Monarch Level possesses."

Lou Zhenxiao replied calmly.

In his heart, he had already come to view interacting with Fu Lizi as a "tribulation" for tempering his Daoist heart.

"So that’s how it is."

Fu Lizi had a sudden realization, then asked again:

"Junior Brother Lou, you’re a renowned True Inheritance disciple of the Taifu Sect, highly regarded by Senior Brother Zhang. In the future, you might even be assigned a post in Duzhen Hall."

"You can’t even afford a single Star Palace Magical Treasure?"

BZZZT!

At the top of the Dharma Tower, ripples spread through the Qi Mechanism.

The golden light of the Three-Color Mirror Wheel behind Lou Zhenxiao’s head flared, and his Daoist heart wavered slightly once more.

He silently suppressed the impulse to draw his sword and said flatly:

"Gathering the Five Elements was immensely expensive. My pockets are empty; I’ve made a fool of myself in front of Senior Brother."

Fu Lizi didn’t seem to mind, and instead said with admiration:

"I have more talisman-coins than I can spend for no good reason, yet my cultivation is far inferior to yours. I’m the one who should be ashamed; how could I laugh at you?"

’The words were nice, so why did they sound so awkward!’

The corner of Lou Zhenxiao’s mouth twitched. He didn’t want to engage any further, but Fu Lizi wouldn’t let it go and said again:

"This Exquisite Magic Tower really is shabby. It’s so cramped it’s hard to even stretch your limbs."

"Junior Brother, you should move into my ’Celestial Square Star Palace.’"

"It’s just a shame I left the mountain in a hurry and didn’t bring the five hundred strongmen and eight hundred singers from Mingcang Marsh. Otherwise, enjoying music with Junior Brother would be such a delight."

Lou Zhenxiao refused point-blank, his expression unchanging:

"A Cultivator does not value worldly possessions. Foundation Establishment is about cultivating one’s life and nurturing one’s nature to seek complete truth. How can one indulge in sensual pleasures and entertainment?"

"The Exquisite Magic Tower is sufficient for my cultivation needs. If Senior Brother feels he is lowering himself by being here, you are free to leave."

These words made the Artifact Spirit boy, who had been hiding to the side, jump for joy. He had been so hurt by Daoist Master Fu’s earlier disparagement.

"I misspoke. I’ll drink a cup as punishment."

Fu Lizi materialized a jade pot of Jade Dew and chugged it down, GLUG GLUG GLUG. He then said:

"Last night was certainly lively. Gong Rong of the Eight Sceneries Palace had his ’Kitchen God Temple’ taken, and that wisp of Six Ding True Fire’s Dharma intent was obtained by a Demonic Cultivator. I wonder what the Eight Sceneries Palace will think when they find out."

Lou Zhenxiao’s tone was flat, but a sharp glint flashed between his brows:

"The Eight Sceneries Palace venerates [Tai Yang] and calls themselves the vanguard of the Immortal Dao, the Emperor’s chariot. And yet, Gong Rong died at the hands of our Dao’s True Monarch Yu, and even that ’Great Sun True Form Foundational Diagram’ was lost in the Nanzhan Continent."

"For the past thousand years, during every ’Celestial Empress Sea Festival,’ Immortal Cultivators from the Dongsheng Continent have crossed continents to scour the seas. The Eight Sceneries Palace is always the most enthusiastic, intending to retrieve their Dharma Lineage’s Dao Inheritance."

"Since I am the one guarding the north and south this time, if any more disciples from the Eight Sceneries Palace cause trouble, they will be slain without mercy!"

Fu Lizi smiled but said nothing. Junior Brother Lou had always been part of the Taifu Sect’s "war faction." Otherwise, he wouldn’t have thrown his lot in with Zhang Yuansheng, the first among the Ten Great True Inheritance disciples.

That Crown Prince of Mingcang also came from a humble background. He intended to vigorously reform the sect, rectify its culture, suppress the Four Great Clans, and reclaim the ultimate treasure that had been taken from the Taifu Sect.

The [Three-Five Unified Great Dao Talisman]!

Fu Lizi, however, wasn’t particularly concerned about the factional struggles and infighting among the sect’s power brokers.

He had no hope of ever ascending to the rank of a True Master, so he had voluntarily offered himself to the Fu Clan to sustain the "Central Yellow Talisman," in exchange for a lifetime supply of talisman-coins.

"I wonder if that Lady Xuan’nv is worthy of consideration?"

Lou Zhenxiao suddenly asked:

"Senior Brother Fu, did you come down the mountain this time on True Monarch Tao’s orders?"

Fu Lizi nodded slightly.

"That’s right. I won’t hide it from you, Junior Brother. In truth, passing through Goose Mountain and even refining the Ten Thousand Meetings Human Element Compass were all done at True Monarch Tao’s instruction."

Now that [Fengdu] had been in the world for some time, the machinations were gradually becoming clearer.

Lou Zhenxiao was a Foundation Establishment True Master and could also perceive fate and deduce karma. He would have seen the clues sooner or later, so there was no need to deliberately hide it.

"Does True Monarch Tao intend to recruit that person with the extraordinary fate into the Taifu Sect?"

Lou Zhenxiao asked again, his gaze lowered.

"The True Monarch is willing to offer a True Inheritance position and a spot in a grotto-heaven to have that person become Senior Brother Zhang’s right-hand man on his path to the Dao."

Fu Lizi replied with a light sigh.

The Dharma Tower fell silent.

Lou Zhenxiao roughly understood. He had long heard that Senior Brother Zhang was delaying his ascension because he had received the Ancestral Master Taiyuan’s instruction to cultivate the *Scripture of the Great Grotto’s Numinous Chapters as Spoken by the Daoist Monarch Taiyuan*.

This scripture was the fundamental Dao Inheritance created by a Daoist Monarch, and could not be passed down to anyone but a Daoist.

It was precisely because Zhang Yuansheng had studied and comprehended it that he was called the "Crown Prince of Mingcang" by the other True Inheritance disciples.

In everyone’s eyes, he was already the designated "crown prince," just waiting for the Sect Leader to retire to his grotto-heaven before taking over power.

"The *Scripture of the Great Grotto’s Numinous Chapters* requires one to forge celestial talismans and establish Dao contracts to command Divine Generals and Soldiers."

"Is Senior Brother Zhang trying to imitate the Immortal Dao and turn the Taifu Sect into a ’lesser Daoist court’?"

Lou Zhenxiao speculated.

"There are some differences. This is ’Alliance Might.’ It borrows from the [Divine Dao] to establish trust through alliances, and borrows from the [Five Qi] to manifest power through might."

Fu Lizi put away his playful expression and looked at Lou Zhenxiao with a solemn face.

"Senior Brother Zhang wants to attain the void-proof of [Divine Qi] to correspond with [Tai Yang]. This is the Taifu Sect’s ten-thousand-year plan."

In contrast to Fu Lizi’s composure, Lou Zhenxiao was disheartened and showed no hint of a smile.

The reason was simple.

If Senior Brother Zhang was preparing to establish his Alliance Might and attain a Golden Position, he could not do so without the "Talisman" jointly controlled by the Four Great Clans.

He would even need the support of the Great Clans’ direct lineages to cultivate Divine Generals and Soldiers for him.

Following this line of reasoning, it was highly likely that Senior Brother Zhang, despite his humble origins, had already made a secret pact with the Four Great Clans.

His previous posture of suppressing them was merely a cover to deceive the public.

This caused Lou Zhenxiao, who also came from a humble background, to feel his expectations dashed and a profound sense of disappointment.

"Matters of the Daoist Lineage are always intertwined; I am in you, and you are in me. It’s the same throughout the Four Directions Continent."

"Junior Brother Lou, you are so engrossed in your cultivation that you see too little of these things, which is why you feel this way."

Fu Lizi consoled him.

"In the last ten thousand years in the Yanfu Vast Land, the only one to achieve his position without a Daoist Monarch explicitly backing him was [Shao Yang]."

"No matter what Senior Brother Zhang thinks, he must follow the path set by Ancestral Master Taiyuan and True Monarch Tao."

"Otherwise, how could he be the Crown Prince of Mingcang?"

Lou Zhenxiao was speechless and could only remain silent.

After a long moment, he gave a bitter laugh.

"My perspective was too narrow. I actually mistook the power games between the great clans and the common disciples for a conflict within the Daoist sect’s Dharma Lineage."

"Such are the thoughts of a Lower Cultivator. I’ve made a fool of myself in front of Senior Brother."

Fu Lizi sighed deeply.

"In this grand scheme of the north and south, which one of us isn’t a pawn? Which one of us isn’t a Lower Cultivator?"

...

...

"The life of a Lower Cultivator is nothing but toil. The Sect Leader moves his lips, and the disciples run their legs off."

Jiang Yi, carrying several thousand blood coins, brought Grandpa Yang Xun and the now-awakened Senior Brother Han Li with him as they stepped into [Fengdu].

After passing through a wide stone wall and traveling a hundred li, they found themselves in a land like a quagmire—a Ghost Country.

Even with True Qi erupting from the crowns of their heads to shield their bodies, they couldn’t help but feel their physical shells grow heavy, a deathly chill seeping into their flesh and blood.

Fortunately, both Yang Xun and Han Li were at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer. Their True Qi was abundant and their Divine Sense was condensed. They walked ahead to clear the path, saving the strength of Jiang Yi, who was concealing his true abilities.

’I wonder how long we have to ’descend’ before we reach the ’ghost market’.’

Jiang Yi felt as if he were trekking arduously through a swamp. The further he walked, the more he seemed to sink downwards. He lost track of how much time had passed or how deep they had gone.

The bustling cries of vendors and the ghostly, sinister air of phantoms coming and going washed over them.

The view before the trio suddenly opened up, as if they had broken through a thick membrane and stepped into a bustling village market!

"A ghost village... a ghost market..."

Jiang Yi stopped, not acting rashly.

Yang Xun and Han Li were equally cautious. This Ghost Country, born from the evolution of endless yin energy, was no friendly place.

"Living people! More living people have come!"

"Quick, capture them and send them to the Prefecture City! We’ll be credited with a great merit!"

"No one touches them! The Ghost King’s young lady is recruiting a husband! All living people must be sent to be candidates!"

A swarm of ghosts surged forward, and Fierce Fiends, catching the scent, instantly surrounded Jiang Yi and his companions!