In the center of the room sat an old Daoist whose long eyebrows drooped down to his shoulders. To his left was a young Daoist, and to his right was a Daoist nun.
All three were scrutinizing Wei Yuan. Just as he felt as though every secret within him was about to be laid bare, the shadow within the moon shifted. Instantly, Wei Yuan's karmic luck was veiled as if beneath sheer gauze, turning hazy and indistinct, impossible to discern clearly no matter how hard they looked.
The young Daoist had initially looked over with a smile, but after that glance, the smile froze on his face.
Immediately afterward, a cloud of primal chaos rose from Maiden Yin-Yang, shrouding Wei Yuan's sea of consciousness and blocking out all prying gazes. The long-browed True Monarch in the center parted his eyes slightly, a look of surprise surfacing on his face. The female True Monarch, however, seemed reluctant to let it rest; layers of azure qi flickered within her eyes, as if intending to sweep aside the chaos.
At that moment, the Red Lotus Bodhi swayed gently. Tens of thousands of mortals who had been busy with their own tasks suddenly felt as though doomsday had arrived. Yet as if long aware that such a day would eventually come, they did not panic; they simply sat down quietly and awaited death.
A faint patch of grayish-black surfaced between the female True Monarch's brows. The light in her eyes receded, and she smiled. "Well played, Wei Yuan. Are you trying to burden me with karmic debt? That old Daoist Xuan Yue is a fool—how did the disciples and grand-disciples he taught end up with such sinister methods?"
Wei Yuan naturally could not respond to that casually, so he merely said, "Junior... doesn't know what happened either."
The female True Monarch gave a small laugh. "It is enough that you made it back safely this time. As long as the secrets you carry do not endanger the Palace of Grand Beginning or impede your own path of Dao, we will not pry."
Before entering, the guiding disciple had already informed Wei Yuan of their identities. The long-browed old Daoist in the center was Danmingzi, Master of the Monastery of Creation—also known as True Monarch Danming—who currently oversaw the northern mountain gate. The young Daoist was True Monarch Yanshi, and the female Daoist was True Monarch Huangyun, Master of the Hall of Jianmu.
Being scrutinized by three True Monarchs at once naturally placed immense pressure on Wei Yuan.
The long-browed old Daoist spoke then: "It is wonderful that you could return safely. Tell us of your experiences in the north."
Wei Yuan promptly gave a concise account of how he had fallen into the north, how he was discovered and pursued by the Liao Clan, and how he had fled back. He also recounted how that remnant ancestor had attempted to seize his body and had instead been annihilated, omitting only the details concerning the True Dragon scions.
Even so, the three True Monarchs were visibly moved by what they heard.
When Wei Yuan finished, True Monarch Danming remarked, "This journey was truly a brush with death at every turn. To make it back alive indeed required tremendous karmic luck.
"When the Karma Great Curse was unleashed that day, no one below an Immortal Monarch could contend against it, and the Palace Master has been in secluded cultivation for many years, his current state unknown. Unless it is a matter of life and death for the palace, no one may disturb him. As for the rest of us, unless we shared a profound karmic tie with you, intervening even slightly would have required preparing a grand formation days in advance to draw upon its power.
"Thus, it was not that the palace abandoned you that day; it was truly that the calamity struck without warning, leaving us unable to come to your aid in time."
Wei Yuan replied, "Disciple understands, and harbors no resentment."
The old Daoist's expression softened somewhat. "It is good that you understand. Back then, you established Qingming on your own authority. Though done out of good intentions, it was of no benefit to the greater picture, and I had plenty of criticism regarding it—a view that remains unchanged even now, of course. Yet since then, you have managed to stubbornly carve out a foothold where none seemed possible, repeatedly thwarting formidable foes. That is truly no small feat.
"Over the past year, the Palace of Grand Beginning's situation has grown increasingly dire. Our resources have all been funneled to the north, and much of the support that should have been given to you was never provided, leaving us somewhat indebted to you. How about this: I just heard that on your way back, you slew two dharma idols. However many heavenly merits you earn from this, I shall match them out of my own pocket, granting you an identical share. Use them well to exchange for high-grade spirit pills and dharma treasures to bolster your foundation. If you had to rely on rewards from that grandmaster of yours, you'd likely never see any hope of that in this lifetime."
Wei Yuan hurriedly bowed. "Disciple thanks True Monarch!"
True Monarch Yanshi laughed as well. "Your safe return is indeed a wonderful thing! Heh, since Senior Brother Danming has said so, as an elder, I naturally cannot fall behind. I shall also—"
Mid-sentence, True Monarch Yanshi's heart gave a sudden jolt, and he swallowed the rest of his words. Silently pinching his fingers in calculation within his sleeve, he changed his tune: "...also be delighted to see it come to pass."
The long-browed old Daoist cast a suspicious glance at Yanshi. This fellow was always meddling with karmic luck, behaving with great mystery, but he was also exceedingly wealthy. It was said that the most outstanding disciple from his hall was very close to Wei Yuan, so by all reason and sentiment, he ought to have offered something generous. What was the matter with him today?
True Monarch Huangyun spoke up at this point: "I heard that my grand-disciple separated by several generations, Chuhe, is also in your domain. That child has been mischievous since youth, refusing to apply himself diligently to his cultivation, and loves to boast. Had luck not favored him such that he swore brotherhood with two dharma idol spirit beasts, he probably wouldn't even be able to leave the mountain gate. You have the dharma idol realm right before you now; once your cultivation bears fruit in the future, you must not indulge him."
Wei Yuan was profoundly shaken. So that was the relationship between Perfected Chuhe and the cat and snake! He had always assumed the two spirit pets served him as master! That old Daoist had kept it completely airtight—what consummate acting!
True Monarch Huangyun looked Wei Yuan up and down. Seeing his handsome features, the more she looked, the more she liked him. She immediately said, "Since Senior Brother Danming has promised to double your heavenly merits, then I shall also—" Mid-sentence, she caught True Monarch Yanshi shooting her a meaningful glance, and she promptly switched gears: "—gift you a few spirit plants."
If True Monarch Danming failed to notice something was amiss by now, his entire lifetime of cultivation would have gone to the dogs. Currently in charge of the northern mountain gate, he remained seated without moving a muscle, but his divine sense detached and summoned the Merit Board, selecting the Dao Foundation category to examine it closely.
With just one look, the old Daoist was so shocked his long eyebrows nearly took flight!
The heavenly merits under Wei Yuan's name had just updated, jumping straight to twenty-six thousand! In other words, on his return from the north, Wei Yuan had reaped a full ten thousand heavenly merits!
Hadn't he said he only killed two dharma idols? What kind of two dharma idols could be worth ten thousand heavenly merits? Even as conceited as the long-browed old Daoist had always been, he knew that back when he was in the dharma idol realm, he would at most have been worth four thousand heavenly merits, with scarcely any room to spare.
For a moment, the old Daoist grew so curious about whom Wei Yuan had slain that he almost forgot his promise to match an equal amount of heavenly merits. But he soon came back to his senses, and the thought of having to pay out ten thousand heavenly merits made even someone with his immense wealth wince with a slight pang of pain.
Only at this moment did the old Daoist realize that True Monarch Yanshi must have calculated something, which was why he had changed his tune and then secretly warned True Monarch Huangyun.
However, Old Daoist Danming possessed immense seniority and peerless cultivation, a cut above even Xuan Yue; with another thirty or forty years of accumulation, he could hope to charge at the immortal barrier. Given his standing, it was naturally impossible for him to go back on his word, so he merely shot True Monarch Yanshi a cool glance.
True Monarch Yanshi simply acted as though he had seen nothing.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Old Daoist Danming asked, "Do those dharma idols you killed have names?"
Wei Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I don't know the others, but I know one was called Longying. He seemed somewhat formidable."
True Monarch Yanshi raised his eyebrows. "Longying? No wonder. No wonder."
Old Daoist Danming glared at him again, but True Monarch Yanshi continued to pretend not to notice.
True Monarch Danming said, "Take a few days to rest and recuperate at the mountain gate first. Your grandmaster Xuan Yue was injured and is currently in secluded cultivation tending to her wounds; she won't emerge until seven days from now. Your realm progressed too rapidly this time, so you need to consolidate your foundation properly. Put any thoughts of the dharma idol realm out of your mind for now."
Wei Yuan stood to offer his thanks, then asked, "Is Teacher all right?"
True Monarch Danming said, "Her Dao foundation was destroyed, which originally severed her path of Dao. But with the White Lotus of the Defiled Earth reshaping her physical body, her path was reconnected. However, a problem arose with her Dao heart, and she still needs to pass the trial of reshaping it."
Hearing this, Wei Yuan let out a sigh of relief. As long as she did not need to reincarnate and cultivate anew, that was good enough.
Chapter 374