Eighth Elder

Lu Yang figured that if Tao Yao ever defected to the Nine Nether Cult, the Cult Master would probably revere her as a holy maiden, or simply hand the position of Cult Master directly over to her. This method of raking in money was far faster than Qin Haoran's loan scheme; calling it pure profit with zero capital would hardly be an exaggeration. With no initial investment, there was no risk of taking a loss. There was no need to hire actors or reshoot scenes dozens of times. Any illusion could be dreamed up at will, and the special effects went without saying—indistinguishable from reality. In combat, if you fell victim to an illusion, dying inside the phantom realm meant dying in reality; the sensory immersion provided by an illusion was truer than truth itself. Nor was there any need to worry about plot material. Events occurring across the cultivation world every day could serve as source material; with just a bit of dramatization and polishing, they could be turned into movies, and longer stories could be serialized like television dramas. To look no further, Master's pingshu *Legend of the Dao Seeking Sect* could easily be adapted into a movie. "It's a great idea, but there's room for improvement." Lu Yang pondered for a moment before pointing out the shortcomings in Tao Yao's illusion. "Realizing that fighting alone isn't engaging enough and introducing a brief storyline was a great idea, but it's still not enough. "An engaging story needs to leave the audience thoroughly thrilled and wanting more. It needs foreshadowing, and it needs plot twists." "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm." Tao Yao nodded repeatedly. As expected of Senior Brother, his mind worked much faster than hers, already thinking so far ahead after only just encountering the concept. "For now, the plot is secondary. The main question is how to deploy the illusions." Tao Yao was puzzled, not understanding what he meant. "I can cast the illusions myself." Lu Yang shook his head. "Of course you can cast them, but you can't run around casting them everywhere in person. You'd work yourself to death. "Like you said, you want to earn money from this. If you want to make money, you have to scale up and promote it. And to promote it, you need a more convenient medium to cast the illusions. "For example, talismans. "If I remember correctly, talismans are the most common carrier for storing illusion arts." Tao Yao lowered her head, pondering who would be best to consult. "Speaking of talismans... The Sect Master excels in sword arts, the Grand Elder excels in weaving dreams, the Second Elder in formations, the Third Elder in body tempering, the Fourth Elder in the Confucian Dao, the Fifth Elder in artifact crafting, Master in the Immortal Physique, the Seventh Elder in alchemy, and the Eighth Elder excels in swindling and trickery. "It seems none of the elders specialize in it. Should we ask one of our senior brothers or sisters for help?" Lu Yang fell silent for a moment, then couldn't help saying, "...Is it possible that, in addition to swindling and trickery, the Eighth Elder also excels in talismans?" Granted, rumors claimed that when Daoist Buyu first arrived on the mountain, he had been raised by the Eighth Elder, laying a solid foundation for Daoist Buyu's eventual crooked path. Granted, nine hundred years ago, the Eighth Elder had swindled the Nine Nether Cult until their treasury was drained dry, driving the Cult Master from two generations back to commit suicide. Granted, the Eighth Elder had sold Meng Jingzhou exam papers from twenty years prior. Granted, the Fifth Elder had adamantly refused to let the talisman cultivator Qin Yanyan study talismans under the Eighth Elder, terrified that she would be led astray. Yet it could not be denied that the Eighth Elder truly was a master of talismans. "We'll discuss it with the Eighth Elder. But just to be safe, it's best we bring the Sixth Elder along," Lu Yang suggested cautiously, earning Tao Yao's agreement. ... Atop Dustless Peak, the breathtakingly beautiful Sixth Elder sat cross-legged. Under the effect of her Immaculate Immortal Physique, the space surrounding her had turned into a total vacuum. She did her best to compress the range of her Immortal Physique. She had discovered that the smaller its radius, the stronger its repulsive effect became. The ideal state was to keep the domain of the Immaculate Immortal Physique clinging closely to the surface of her skin as a paper-thin layer. That way, she would be completely immune to any attack. However, according to historical records, no past possessor of the Immaculate Immortal Physique had ever managed to achieve such a feat. Sensing someone approaching nearby, she opened her lovely eyes and saw Lu Yang and Tao Yao. "What brings you two here?" she asked via voice transmission. "Pardon me for disturbing your cultivation, Master. It is like this: your disciple recently came up with some new ideas regarding illusion arts..." Tao Yao explained the discussion she had had with Lu Yang in detail. "A fine idea. Given Old Eighth's proficiency in talismans, putting it into practice shouldn't be difficult." The Sixth Elder also recognized the immense business opportunity latent in Tao Yao's idea, feeling a sense of pride in her heart. Tao Yao's concept was far more lucrative than Ninth Junior Brother's *Size Manipulation (Localized Edition)*. *Look at that—this is the fine disciple I taught!* "Come, I'll take you to see him." The Sixth Elder lifted a hand, and a mass of peculiar energy enveloped Lu Yang and Tao Yao, carrying them from the peak of Dustless Peak directly across to the neighboring Rune Peak. Rune Peak was the mountain overseen by the Eighth Elder. The three touched down. It was the first time Lu Yang and Tao Yao had set foot on Rune Peak, and they discovered runes everywhere. Even the leaves bore runic markings, and the landscaping formed by various plants faintly resembled talismans. "Old Eighth, come out! We need a favor!" the Sixth Elder transmitted her voice to the Eighth Elder. "Senior Sister is looking for me?" The Eighth Elder stepped out of his cave dwelling with a look of surprise. In his memory, Sixth Senior Sister rarely asked him for help. "Did some blind fool out there swindle you, Senior Sister, and you need me to swindle him back? That might be tough. I haven't left the mountain to scam anyone in decades." *Eighth Elder, did you forget that you scammed Meng Jingzhou just a year and a half ago?* Lu Yang thought to himself. Tao Yao knew nothing of that affair and assumed the Eighth Elder had truly washed his hands of the trade. "Still, don't worry. Anyone who dares trick you, Senior Sister—even if I don't leave the mountain, I can send my disciples to fleece him down to his underwear! "I'm not like Ninth Junior Brother. In all my years of conning people, I've never once been caught! "The disciples I've raised are the same—every one of them is completely reliable and won't get caught by the authorities!" The Eighth Elder patted his chest in assurance, showing great loyalty as a junior brother. When he was young, he had received no small amount of care from the Sixth Elder. Lu Yang was struck with awe. Who could have guessed that the Eighth Elder's con artistry was so formidable that he had never been caught? Even Master couldn't compare on that front! One had to remember, Master was a ruthless man capable of scheming the Minister of Justice right into prison. By optimistic estimates, Master still hadn't been released. Lu Yang had heard that ever since the Minister of Justice was locked up in Dayan Commandery's prison, the entire Ministry of Justice had relocated en masse to Dayan Commandery to conduct their official business. As a result, public security in Dayan Commandery had become unprecedentedly spotless; not a single crime had occurred. Criminals weren't stupid. With the whole Ministry of Justice stationed in Dayan Commandery, you'd have to be suicidal to commit a crime right under their noses. After all, they weren't Daoist Buyu. There was a catch, however. Lu Yang had heard from Meng Jingzhou that officials from the imperial capital would take leaves of absence just to visit the Dayan Commandery prison cells to gawk at the novelty. Under the pretext of showing solidarity with a colleague. And while they were at it, recommend to the Dayan Commandery Governor that Daoist Buyu be sentenced to death. The Sixth Elder rolled her eyes at the Eighth Elder. They had been fellow disciples for two thousand years, so she knew his character all too well. "Right, you've certainly never been caught. You always turn yourself in, claiming it reduces your sentence. "And don't think I don't know why you never leave the sect. You're just waiting for the statute of limitations to expire." The Great Xia Penal Code clearly stipulated that once a crime had exceeded the statutory period of limitation, the perpetrator could no longer be held criminally liable.