Qing He’s speculation was not without reason. In the ancient era, she had been responsible for managing the followers of the Everlasting Immortal Fairy. That entailed handling countless matters, great and small, such as proclaiming the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s magnificence to the world, sculpting statues, and leading the devotees in daily prayers.

When she reported her work accomplishments to the Everlasting Immortal Fairy, she would invariably omit the trivial details and present only the significant points to leave the Everlasting Immortal Fairy some time for her own leisure.

“The Meng Family’s work report isn’t up to standard. They should have made a note on the names of the remaining organizations in smaller characters.” Lu Yang pointed out the flaws in the booklet. If it were me, such an oversight would never have occurred.

Ultimately, it’s an issue with the Meng Family’s attitude. I, Lu Yang, serve an immortal, and this immortal is the founding emperor of a dynasty. As the saying goes, accompanying a sovereign is like accompanying a tiger. Naturally, I must treat the immortal with deference, ensuring that no such blemishes ever appear in my daily conduct or work.

“Indeed.” Qing He nodded. This was precisely her working style in the ancient era. Although she didn’t report everything to the Everlasting Immortal Fairy, she recorded her work experience in writing. Should the Everlasting Immortal Fairy ever take a sudden interest in reviewing her work, there would be references available.

The only problem is that the Mistress had never taken such an interest before.

“Alright, since this so-called Soul Organization has already been dealt with, let’s all head back,” Lu Yang said.

A minor figure like the Jade Daoist Priest serves only one purpose—to reveal the organization behind him. As for his storage ring and the like, they’re merely scrap metal. I wouldn’t even bother to pick them up if they were on the ground.

It was unclear how much time had passed before a torrential downpour loosened the soil in the graveyard.

A young man desperately clawed through the earth and burst forth from underground, gasping heavily as he greedily inhaled the hard-earned fresh air.

His eyes glinted ferociously. Spreading his arms wide, he stood amid the rain and let out a manic laugh. “Second Brother, for the sake of Father’s inheritance, you conspired with wild cultivators to bury me alive!

“Didn’t expect this, did you? The only spell I ever mastered was the Turtle Breathing Technique. I’m still alive!”

After a bout of laughter, the young man’s spirits sank. He was alive, but seeking revenge was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. His second brother had cultivators as backers. Even if they were rogue cultivators, they were still not someone a Level One Qi Training cultivator like himself could go against.

“What’s this?”

The young man noticed a wizened corpse not far away. Its appearance and attire were strange, and a string of beads was tied around its wrist.

“This is... a magical treasure?”

The young man noticed the tiny characters engraved on the magical treasure. They were all spells, and there were a total of 108.

He tried channeling spirit energy into the beads. Unfortunately, he could only activate a basic fire control spell, and even that was a struggle.

“Perhaps I’ll be able to activate more beads once my cultivation realm rises... There’s a storage ring too!”

The beads and the storage ring had originally been the Jade Daoist Priest’s life-bound possessions. Now that their owner was gone, they could be opened at will.

Upon glimpsing the contents of the storage ring, the young man trembled uncontrollably.

“Cultivation techniques! Peerless cultivation techniques that can be practiced all the way to the Apex Foundation Establishment Stage! And these spirit stones, these magical treasures!”

He had never seen this many spirit stones and magical treasures in his entire life. All the wealth of a Foundation Establishment expert—this is like a fortuitous opportunity that has descended from the heavens.

“Just what kind of formidable enemy could have reduced this Foundation Establishment expert to such a state?”

The young man quickly regained his composure. The other party killed this expert, yet didn’t take the storage ring or the beads. This suggests that the killer was also grievously wounded and couldn’t afford to collect these spoils.

“The World-Honored One blesses me.”

He knelt and prostrated in every direction, tears of gratitude streaming down his face.

~~~

“Where is this?” Uncle Wang found himself in a pure white space.

A towering, hazy figure materialized, so enormous that Uncle Wang wasn’t even as tall as its finger.

“Sādhu, excellent. Wang Han, you didn’t pocket the money you picked up, instead donating it to our temple. It was life-buying money, and in doing so, you saved your own life. This is also a good karmic connection.”

Uncle Wang shuddered. So what I had picked up was actually the legendary life-buying money?! May the World-Honored One bless me, may the World-Honored One bless me. Thank goodness I’d donated it.

“If you perform many good deeds in the future, you will surely reap good rewards.”

“Yes!”

Uncle Wang woke up, his mind groggy. Could it be that everything just now was nothing but a dream?

But when he opened his palm, he discovered the character for “good” written in the center of his palm. He instantly understood that this was a dream sent by a Buddha.

That Great Dou Temple enshrined a real Buddha!

Uncle Wang didn’t have time to spare for a meal. He hurriedly mounted his camel and went to search for the Great Dou Temple. However, when he reached the location he remembered, he searched for a long while, but to no avail.

Just then, the voice from his dream rang in his ear once more.

“Wang Han, your affinity with this temple has come to an end. Seek no further.”

Only then did Uncle Wang abandon his search, crestfallen.

~~~

Great Dou Dynasty, ancestral temple.

Lu Yang had sent that dream to Uncle Wang to warn him to be more careful in the future and not pick up just any money he came across.

Having settled Uncle Wang’s affair, Lu Yang sat on the lotus platform and extended his immortal consciousness, comprehending the Dao charm of heaven and earth, deepening his understanding of rules.

Within the range of his immortal consciousness, he watched as Yun Mengmeng and Jin Caiwei set up a large pot to boil syrup, using it to patch the gaps in the ancestral temple, while seizing the chance to eat other parts of the structure. In essence, they were consuming the western wall to mend the eastern wall.

Qing He was surreptitiously writing something all by herself. Sensing Lu Yang’s immortal consciousness, she immediately covered her work and shot him a glare that warned him not to peek.

The Dragon and Phoenix ancestors had dug a vast underground space directly beneath the ancestral temple, where they engaged in mock combat with the Qilin Immortal as their imaginary adversary. After some discussion, they agreed that once they located the Qilin Immortal, they would give him a thorough beating.

“Senior Brother Lu Yang’s Immortal-Exterminating Sword Array actually originated from the sword array our husband knelt on frequently. He’s been deceiving us all this time! He deserves a beating!”

“But even if the two of us join forces, I doubt we can actually hurt our husband. What should we do?” Jiang Lianyi asked with concern.

Ao Ling smiled confidently, having long since devised a plan. “No matter. When the time comes, we’ll lure our husband to the Buddhist Kingdom and ask Senior Brother Lu Yang to step in. The three of us will teach our husband a lesson together!”

“Sounds good. Then let’s wait until Senior Brother Lu has fully mastered rules, and the three of us can practice combined moves!”

Within the mental space, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy sat cross-legged on her imperial throne, swaying side to side like a roly-poly toy as she imparted the wisdom of one who had been through it all. “Mastering rules depends on inspiration—that one moment of ‘click,’ you know? Do you understand that feeling?

“Do you not understand? Then let me explain it again...”

Lu Yang tilted his head back and gazed in despair at the temple ceiling, which bore several bite marks. Who said that the Buddhist Kingdom was a good place? It’d be a miracle if I could cultivate in peace here.

“Immortal Fairy, can I use rules on myself?”

“You can, but you cannot use over-the-top rules, like multiplying your strength tenfold, stabilizing your cultivation realm, or anything of the sort.”

“As long as it’s possible. I won’t use anything too extreme. I hereby establish Rule: Remove everything that interferes with my cultivation!”

Lu Yang didn’t wish to see Yun Mengmeng and the others whenever he extended his immortal consciousness; that would only distract him.

As he imposed the rule on himself, an unknown transformation took place.

“Why can I still see Yun Mengmeng and the others?”

Lu Yang was baffled. Did I not apply the rule correctly?

Suddenly, an inexplicable urge welled up within him. He turned to the Everlasting Immortal Fairy and earnestly declared, “Immortal Fairy, I’ll be yours from now on!”

“Ah? Really?”

Lu Yang was speechless. Then he promptly slapped himself twice across the face to snap out of it. What kind of damned rule is this? Why has it removed my sense of self-respect?