On a certain peak within the Dao Seeking Sect, the leaders of the Five Great Immortal Sects gathered.
This peak was shrouded in secrecy; unless one belonged to the upper echelons of the Dao Seeking Sect, one was not qualified to even know of its existence.
The four visiting leaders sat quietly, waiting for the convener of the meeting to speak.
Sensing that everyone had arrived, Yun Zhi awoke from her sudden enlightenment. When she opened her eyes, myriad worlds and boundless time and space seemed to unfold within them, unfathomably profound. Meeting her gaze, the other four momentarily drifted into a daze.
Shock filled their hearts. They had not seen Yun Zhi for several years. Even then, she had felt unfathomable to them, yet several years later, that sensation was even more overwhelming.
What dumb luck had favored the Dao Seeking Sect to recruit such a prodigy?
And she had to be the disciple of that old bastard, Daoist Buyu!
Still, Yun Zhi's profound cultivation was a good thing for them. A Golden Age was approaching, spiritual energy was surging, the Great Dao was manifesting, demonic cults were sowing chaos, mighty figures asleep for hundreds of thousands of years were awakening, and the celestials of legend were gradually surfacing.
It was easy to imagine that these ancient figures and celestials would not obediently abide by today's rules; they would surely seek to redefine order and divide territories according to their own will. This was a catastrophe for mortals and cultivators alike.
An awakened cultivation powerhouse had already attempted to stir up trouble across the Central Continent, only to be struck down by the Five Great Immortal Sects joining forces before ever gaining traction.
Not all celestials were as carefree and content with simple pleasures as the Immortal Fairy.
To say nothing else, the Ancient Nameless One, who had refined countless stars into a continent, was an exceptionally tough nut to crack.
In such circumstances, the stronger the Five Great Immortal Sects were, the more likely they could withstand the great catastrophes yet to come.
Yun Zhi spoke flatly, "I have summoned you all today because I have obtained some intelligence regarding the demonic cults to share with you."
A chill ran through the four. No wonder Yun Zhi had not used standard methods like voice transmission, but had requested their true bodies to attend in person and gather at this secret peak of the Dao Seeking Sect.
This secret mountain was blessed by generations of the Dao Seeking Sect's ancient sages and had further been modified by Yun Zhi. It could shield the secrets of heaven and obscure karma, free from any fear of leaks.
Although the demonic cults were not overwhelmingly powerful, they worshipped celestials and had obtained many celestial treasures and celestial arts from them. Such treasures and techniques were notoriously difficult to guard against and had to be treated with caution.
"As you know, over a month ago, I breached the Immortal Cult's headquarters and gathered some intelligence. Two pieces among it warrant our attention: first, I learned the method to revive the Immortal Celestial; second, I learned about the matter of 'moles.'"
The four sat up slightly straighter. Reviving a celestial—that was monumental news.
Come to think of it, they had long heard that Yun Zhi had dismantled the Immortal Cult's lair, but none of them knew how she had located it.
"The Immortal Celestial's Dao fruit is extremely peculiar. Even if they completely perish and their soul scatters, so long as someone chants their title and immortal name—whether intentionally or unintentionally—they can be revived!"
Thunder seemed to crack in their hearts. Truly, not a single celestial's Dao fruit was simple. The Dao fruits they had known of in the past were all related to bolstering combat power; this was the first time they had encountered one dedicated purely to survival.
"The intelligence also states that the Immortal Cult has planted moles inside the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace, the Prison Suppressing Sect, and the Five Elements Sect."
In truth, this information had not been obtained from the Immortal Cult's headquarters, but by Lu Yang from Inspecting Emissary Tang Yunsheng.
When Tang Yunsheng had assigned the undercover mission to Lu Yang's trio, he had mentioned that among the Five Great Immortal Sects, aside from the Hanging Temple having too few people and the Dao Seeking Sect having too many lunatics, making it impossible to plant moles, the other three sects all harbored undercover agents.
The Five Great Immortal Sects were:
The Dao Seeking Sect, renowned for Dao methods and bizarre brainwaves, whom the other four sects warned their juniors to stay far away from;
The Hanging Temple, compassionate saviors of the world, whose numbers at their lowest dwindled to just master and disciple, yet possessed formidable strength;
The Moon Laurel Immortal Palace, which believed the moon concealed unspeakable secrets, cultivated using moonlight, and was overgrown with laurel trees;
The Prison Suppressing Sect, which suppressed all malevolent spirits and monsters;
And the Five Elements Sect, which believed in the unification of the five elements and mastered their ultimate principles.
The other four sects felt that the Dao Seeking Sect was completely out of place with them.
The Dao Seeking Sect felt that the other four sects were completely out of place with them.
Putting that incompatibility aside, the relationship among the Five Great Immortal Sects was actually quite good.
"So it's about the moles." The Palace Master of the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace was not surprised. She was Lan Ting's master, and Lan Ting had already told her a few things.
"Amitabha." The abbot of the Hanging Temple said little. That the Hanging Temple had no demonic cult moles was partly due to their small numbers, and partly because of their differing beliefs; if someone from a demonic cult had to chant scriptures and observe monastic precepts all day long, their Dao heart would collapse sooner or later, making it far too easy to slip up.
"To think that my Prison Suppressing Sect advocates suppressing all evil and crooked paths, yet the Immortal Cult has infiltrated our ranks! Once I return, I shall conduct a thorough investigation!" The Sect Master of the Prison Suppressing Sect was furious, though mindful of the setting, he did not let it show excessively.
"Since there are moles, there surely isn't just the Immortal Cult. Moles from the other demonic cults might be lurking as well. We must conduct a meticulous purge." The Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect's eyes turned icy. The demonic cults were truly bold to completely disregard the Five Elements Sect.
"Then how should we root out the moles?" the Palace Master of the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace asked.
"Doesn't the Immortal Cult worship the Immortal Celestial? How about we have all the disciples shout in unison, 'The Immortal Celestial is a bastard'?" the Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect proposed.
The four nodded one after another, finding it a pretty good idea.
The Sect Master of the Prison Suppressing Sect said, "There is another way. We surely all have lists of suspects. We can say to those on the suspect list: 'The Cult Master chanted the Immortal Celestial's immortal name, and the Immortal Celestial has been revived! The Cult Master demands that all believers assemble at the headquarters.'"
The righteous sects did not know the method to revive the Immortal Celestial, so upon hearing this, an Immortal Cult mole would most likely assume the speaker was a fellow cult member.
Yun Zhi shook her head. "That would startle the snakes in the grass. The suspect lists don't just contain Immortal Cult moles, but also spies from the other three cults. When the other three cults hear you say that, they will immediately know you are conducting an internal purge."
The Sect Master of the Prison Suppressing Sect found Yun Zhi's words reasonable and offered no further suggestions.
"By the way, doesn't the Dao Seeking Sect have no moles? I wonder if Fellow Daoist Yun Zhi could share some of your insights and experience?" the Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect asked, drawing nods of agreement from the other three.
Yun Zhi gave a rare frown. The question stumped her; she had no idea why the Dao Seeking Sect not only lacked demonic cult moles, but could even send disciples to go undercover in the demonic cults.
"Perhaps it is because our Dao Seeking Sect disciples are pure-minded, whereas demonic cultists have complicated thoughts and simply cannot disguise themselves as our disciples."
The five brainstormed many more underhanded methods to screen for moles, with the abbot of the Hanging Temple proving to be the most ruthless of all. Had these methods been made public, the world's impression of these five would have taken a complete hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.
When the secret meeting concluded, all five departed the mountain peak. Three of them left the Dao Seeking Sect, while only the Palace Master of the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace stayed behind.
"May I ask what matters Palace Master Luo has?" Yun Zhi inquired. The Palace Master of the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace was named Luo Hongxia.
Luo Hongxia called over Lan Ting, who approached most reluctantly. "Does your Dao Seeking Sect have a disciple named Lu Yang? I have business with him. My Lan Ting was such a good child, but he corrupted her! I demand compensation from him!"
Yun Zhi said calmly, "Why not have the two become Dao companions, then?"
Luo Hongxia froze.
Chapter 128