Chapter 105: Events in Deer Terrace Mountain

Chiming Sect. Deer Terrace Mountain.

Its power commands the vast oceans, its majesty overlooks the Jade Sea. Within this great mountain—a veritable root of the earth’s pulse, towering and immense, reaching deep into the heart of the void winds and celestial clouds—two figures sat idly on the peak, playing a game of chess.

The long-browed old Daoist wore a robe of nine-colored celestial silk, a crown radiating seven splendors, a spirit-capturing pendant, and boots of golden sunlight. His face glowed with a metallic luster, and a circular halo of light shimmered behind his neck. As his sleeves fluttered in the wind, a slight leakage of his essence set the very sun, moon, and stars into a thunderous resonance. Light and shadow flowed like a torrential river of the heavens, weaving through existence and non-existence, enfolding thousands of mountains and rivers.

Though his power was currently restrained, it carried a terrifying aura—as if he could wrap his will around the world, shake the heavens for tens of thousands of miles, and shatter all things into dust. Had he directed his intent at a target, an ordinary Immortal Daoist practitioner would have been unable to maintain their composure, breaking into a cold sweat and losing all semblance of their usual grace.

Behind the long-browed old Daoist stood six golden-skinned acolytes, attending to him, chanting, and burning incense.

"Forming a Golden Elixir? Wei Lingjiang is merely a True Disciple, not the Daoist Heir. Is it truly necessary for a Great True Monarch such as yourself to trouble yourself over such a trifle?"

The one playing against the long-browed old Daoist was but a blurred silhouette, features indistinguishable, though her melodious voice betrayed her to be a woman. Sensing the long-browed old Daoist’s deliberate attempt to broach the subject, she paused her hand, which held a chess piece, and spoke with indifferent detachment.

"What exactly did Zhuojing promise you to pull you onto her side? And as if having a Great True Monarch like you wasn't enough, you’ve even set your sights on a recluse like me? I was wondering why you invited me to play chess today, Senior Brother; it turns out your intentions were far from noble."

"Senior Sister Shang, you speak too harshly! Too harshly!"

Hearing the undisguised sarcasm in her tone, the long-browed old Daoist hurriedly rose to offer an apology, shaking his head incessantly. "Your kindness to us is as heavy as a mountain, Senior Sister. Everyone in the Fazhang lineage remembers it with gratitude and dares not forget it for a moment. Senior Sister Shang—"

"Enough! Spare me the empty words!"

Senior Sister Shang interrupted with a cold, impatient laugh. "My father has already fallen at the Dharma Saint Heaven. I am no longer the daughter of the Sect Leader, so let us dispense with these useless pleasantries; they only grate upon my ears! I thought you had simply gone mad these past few months, gifting me blessed lands and talismanic scrolls, even offering up the White Water Taiyi land you had managed for nearly a thousand years just to place it under my name. It turns out you were harboring such schemes all along. Ha!"

"Senior Sister—"

"You and Zhuojing want to push Wei Lingjiang to become the Daoist Heir, is that not so?" Senior Sister Shang fixed a cold gaze upon the long-browed old Daoist.

Under her piercing stare, the old Daoist remained silent for several breaths before finally conceding. He gave a bitter laugh and nodded in agreement.

"So, you came to warm this cold hearth of mine. It is a pity that I have already resigned from my seat as the Master of the Zhuoguang Palace; my authority within the sect is not what it once was. I fear the intentions you and Zhuojing hold will come to nothing."

The Chiming Sect consists of five palaces and seven temples, each governing various internal affairs, with the seven temples subject to the decrees of the five palaces. Thus, the status of a Palace Master is extremely exalted, second only to the Sect Leader, and transcending the Elders and disciples. Even a routine change in authority requires the personal calligraphy and decree of the Sect’s Daoist Monarchs; not even the Sect Leader has the power to dismiss a Palace Master at will without inviting controversy and losing public support.

However, after the previous Sect Leader passed away at Dharma Saint Heaven, the sect suffered a period of great turbulence. It was only through the personal intervention of the Taiwen Miaocheng Daoist Monarch that the situation was suppressed.

The long-browed old Daoist knew that although his Senior Sister Shang had lost that power struggle and was forced to resign her position as Master of the Zhuoguang Palace, retaining only a nominal, leisurely title, she was still the only daughter of the previous Sect Leader. Her lineage was illustrious, and the legacy left behind by her father was enough to make everyone in the sect treat her with a measure of respect.

In the path of cultivation—Dharma, Companions, Land, and Wealth—the old Daoist mused that if it weren't for the fact that she had acted in a fit of grief after her father’s passing, ignoring the advice of the elders and launching an unauthorized assault on Dharma Saint Heaven without the Sect Leader’s decree, she would not have lost her position so easily. That disastrous campaign had cost the lives of several elders and True Disciples.

Within the Eight Sects and Six Schools, ordinary elders and disciples were one thing, but every True Disciple was the lifeblood of the sect, cultivated through immense hardship. They were the future pillars and the only ones capable of competing for the title of Daoist Heir. To lose one was akin to a major catastrophe.

For instance, the Xu Du Heaven and the Buddhist Wuliuli Heaven had been locked in a cold war for ten thousand years, with countless casualties of Dao-soldiers and puppets. Yet, because a newly ascended Great Bodhisattva had violated the rules and slaughtered several True Disciples of the Dou Shu Sect, the Dou Shu Sect’s own Shenwu Huahua Daoist Monarch had personally intervened, slaying the Bodhisattva and razing their Pure Land.

Before that event, despite their hostility, the two sides would still send disciples to attend each other’s grand assemblies. But after the Dou Shu Sect’s grand display of captured spoils, the eight sects of the Xuanmen had effectively severed all communication with that Buddhist realm.

The long-browed old Daoist knew that if not for her father’s prestige, his Senior Sister would have faced far worse than a mere removal from office.

As he pondered how to offer further conditions to secure her aid, Senior Sister Shang suddenly laughed. "The title of Daoist Heir—who exactly does the Daoist Monarch favor?"

"The Daoist Monarch? Which one are you referring to, Senior Sister?"

The long-browed old Daoist was stunned, then shook his head with a bitter smile. Of the three Daoist Monarchs in the Chiming Sect, Taiwen Miaocheng was famously capricious, preferring pleasure and wandering to serious matters. The only time he had seen that Monarch display true solemnity was during the chaos following the previous Sect Leader’s death. The other two Monarchs were like dragons that rarely showed their faces, obsessed only with the pursuit of the supreme Celestial Dao and indifferent to the sect’s affairs.

"The two ancient ancestors have been wandering beyond the heavens for ages, and we have long since lost contact. As for the Taiwen Miaocheng Ancestor..." The long-browed old Daoist chose his words with extreme caution. "His supreme intent is not something we juniors can fathom. Surely you are joking, Senior Sister."

"Sima Fang, Xie Tan, Zuo Pengzong, Song Lun, Yin E'qi, Guo Daijun..." Senior Sister Shang tapped her fingers against the chessboard. "Excluding Wei Lingjiang, all of these have sought the position of Daoist Heir. Tell me, which one should I commit to?"

"Have they all come to seek you out?" The long-browed old Daoist’s expression shifted.

Senior Sister Shang smiled without a word.

"Wei Lingjiang’s natural talent is far beyond theirs, she..."

"Junior Brother, you joke again. They are all True Disciples; Sima Fang and Xie Tan are not much her inferior. Moreover, Wei Lingjiang has a blood feud with the current head of the Siye Wei clan. They are deeply at odds." Senior Sister Shang shook her head. "The twelve great clans may be but withered bones in a grave, destined to be swept away sooner or later, but I have no desire to become the enemy of a clan master for no reason. If I accept your request and help Wei Lingjiang, would I not be pitting myself against the Siye Wei clan?"

The long-browed old Daoist’s eyes darkened. For a senior elder like him, the twelve clans were of little concern. His Senior Sister was merely inflating the price.

"Is the wealth of blessed lands and alchemical scrolls not enough to satisfy your appetite? I even gave up the White Water Taiyi land! Do you truly believe your father is still alive to protect you?"

Though he wanted to curse, the old Daoist kept his composure. "Forgive my presumption, Senior Sister. May I ask which senior brothers Sima Fang and Xie Tan have persuaded, and under what conditions?"

After she revealed the details, the old Daoist’s face turned grim. After a moment of hesitation, he steeled himself and placed a final, heavy bet. After negotiating the finer points for another half hour, an agreement was finally reached.

"Senior Sister Shang, I am in your debt. Once Lingjiang ascends, this kindness will not be forgotten!" The old Daoist’s face brightened with a sincere smile.

"We are all one family now. There is no need for such formalities," Senior Sister Shang said, her voice softening, clearly satisfied with the terms. "However, the selection of the Daoist Heir is a ten-thousand-year plan. It cannot be rushed. We must proceed with caution. Furthermore, the others have their own supporters. Do not let impatience ruin the future."

"Indeed, indeed," the old Daoist agreed repeatedly.

They chatted for a while longer, the atmosphere growing remarkably harmonious. Before they parted ways, Senior Sister Shang seemed to recall something and added, "I hear Wei Lingjiang has developed an affection for an ordinary, wild Daoist in the Southern Domain. Is that true?"

The long-browed old Daoist’s expression became incredibly awkward. Before he could stammer a reply, she continued, "And that wild Daoist is supposedly the offspring of the Jade Pivot True Monarch, Chen Yushu. This is quite interesting..."

"Where did you hear this, Senior Sister?" he asked, his voice dropping.

"Where I heard it is irrelevant. I have my own considerations. Junior Brother, romance is only human, but Senior Sister Zhou of the Red Pine Palace is different. She cultivates the Supreme Emotionless Dao and may not tolerate such a pebble in her shoe." Senior Sister Shang spoke with profound meaning. "If Wei Lingjiang delays her cultivation for romance, even if I intercede, you will not gain the support of the Red Pine Palace. You say she is about to form her Golden Elixir? Let her refine her Three Treasures within the grotto-heaven! If she can achieve a first-grade Elixir, the opposition to her becoming Daoist Heir will diminish significantly."

The long-browed old Daoist felt a pang of anxiety, but before he could respond, Senior Sister Shang’s figure dissipated, leaving the peak empty.

As the wind swept across the mountain, the long-browed old Daoist let out a long, weary sigh.

"The evil Yin-Sheng demon has been removed, and the debt to the Ai clan is largely repaid," he murmured. Turning to his attendant, he said, "Wood-Element, take the box of Hunyuan pearls I obtained last year to the Shangyu Ai clan. Explain the situation regarding the demon and tell them to cease their meddling. Do they think a past favor gives them the right to interfere in our sect’s succession? How foolish!"

The attendant bowed and departed on a blue cloud.

"Master, what about the matter of Wei Lingjiang and Chen Heng?" another attendant asked cautiously.

"Romance? Let us speak of that only after she forms a first-grade Elixir!" The long-browed old Daoist’s gaze turned cold. "So many are working for her cause; how could she possibly retreat now? She still has a father’s blood feud to avenge within the Siye Wei clan! If she does not become the Daoist Heir, how can she command a province? How can she exact her revenge?"

He sighed again. "Fortunately, I do not have to be the one to play the villain and incur her wrath."

"Master, what do you mean?"

"Senior Sister Zhuojing is already waiting at Fuyu Lake in the Southern Domain. You foolish boy, did you not know? With her there, I am spared the trouble of being the one to deliver the hard truths." The old Daoist chuckled. "With Senior Sister Shang’s support, the matter is settled! I hear the Jade Chen Sect’s Junior Brother Yin spent eight hundred years brewing a pot of Fire-Host Immortal Nectar. I shall go and pester him for a drink. Away, away!"

With a flicker, he vanished from the peak, leaving only the empty mountain air behind.

...

At the same time, in the Southern Domain, at Fuyu Lake, Wei Lingjiang gently set down her teacup, a bright smile blossoming on her face, a hint of joy dancing in her eyes.