Inside the Great Xia Imperial Palace.
Emperor Xia and the leaders of the Four Great Immortal Sects were on pins and needles. Sitting felt wrong, standing felt wrong; after holding so many meetings over the years, this was the first time they had ever encountered such a situation.
Lu Yang sat in the seat reserved for the Dao Seeking Sect Master, while Yun Zhi stood behind him, looking every bit like an obedient subordinate.
With Yun Zhi standing, who dared to remain seated?
The Immortal Fairy dared.
After all, the invitation to the meeting had been addressed to the Acting Sect Master of the Dao Seeking Sect, and the Immortal Fairy was the true Acting Sect Master.
As the head of the Five Ancient Celestials, what was wrong with her sitting here?
Not to mention sitting here—it would be completely natural even if she took the imperial throne itself.
Lu Yang, waiting inside the spiritual space, did not possess a heart as brazenly fearless as the Immortal Fairy's.
As the largest and most prosperous city on the Central Continent and the supreme hub of power, the imperial capital had always drawn countless cultivators in droves.
Lu Yang was no exception. He had long yearned for the imperial capital, eager to stroll through its streets and take in the different sights of the cultivation world.
He just hadn't expected to arrive so quickly.
Originally, he had envisioned slipping into the imperial capital incognito, where some inadvertent action would drag him into a conspiracy. After unraveling it, he would discover himself trapped in the maelstrom of high-stakes political intrigue—power struggles, battles for the throne, and the like. Playing all sides and relying on his wits to keep himself safe amid the vortex, his exploits would eventually shake Emperor Xia himself.
He would then attend court for an imperial audience, where his enemies would babble on endlessly, accusing him of this and that, claiming he harbored treasonous intentions and slandering him without end. Emperor Xia would merely wave his hand, cast a meaningful glance at the enemies, and declare that as the disciple of Daoist Buyu, there was no way he would commit treason. The enemies would be shocked, the court officials shocked, and the cultivators of the imperial capital shocked.
And so he would naturally make a name for himself.
That was the standard procedure.
He never expected to skip the entire process and end up straight in the Imperial Palace, facing Emperor Xia face-to-face.
"Fellow Daoist Yun, please have a seat," Emperor Xia said with an ingratiating smile.
Yun Zhi shook her head in refusal. "I am currently merely an ordinary disciple of the Dao Seeking Sect. How could I be qualified to sit? Sect Master Lu here is the Acting Sect Master of our Dao Seeking Sect."
Emperor Xia: "..."
What an "ordinary disciple of the Dao Seeking Sect."
"This Sect Master Lu is the Lu Yang mentioned during the meeting half a month ago?" Emperor Xia asked, though he already knew the answer. Half a month ago, it had just been brought up that the Heavenly Court Cult was founded by someone named Lu Yang, who was praised as an exceptionally outstanding young talent.
He had hardly expected that in just half a month, this young talent would have risen to the point of sitting on equal footing with him.
From within the spiritual space, Lu Yang secretly observed Emperor Xia. This mortal sovereign and supreme leader of the righteous path did not exude the chilling aura of ruthless decisiveness described in rumors, nor did he possess the bookish air of a refined scholar. His temples were streaked with gray and his cheeks were slightly sunken—clear signs of depleted vital energy and failing vigor.
If not for his identity, no one would ever have guessed that this Emperor Xia was hailed as the Emperor of All Ages.
Perhaps the Emperor Xia of the past had possessed both a martial edge and scholarly elegance, but now, with his lifespan depleted, he was no longer the glorious figure he once was.
"You already know Emperor Xia, and you know Sect Master Qiu," Eldest Senior Sister introduced prior to the meeting, briefing Lu Yang and, by extension, the Immortal Fairy.
"This is Fellow Daoist Luo Hongxia, Palace Master of the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace and Lan Ting's master. She previously brought Lan Ting to our sect to propose a marriage."
Luo Hongxia's eyelid twitched. Last time, she truly hadn't gone there to propose a marriage.
She sized up Lu Yang—fair-skinned and neat. So this kid was the Lu Yang that Lan Ting couldn't stop thinking about. He didn't even look as remarkable as Lan Ting had described.
At the thought of Lan Ting returning from the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony and beaming with excitement as she described how amazing Lu Yang was, irritation flared within her.
She let out a cold huff, offering Lu Yang no pleasant expression.
"What a sour face. Did she eat something bad?"
"This is the Sect Master of the Prison Suppressing Sect, Yang Ding."
"Greetings." Yang Ding harbored no hostility toward Lu Yang.
Although Lu Yang was Daoist Buyu's disciple, he was also Yun Zhi's junior brother; the positive and negative canceled each other out, leaving him without any grudge.
"This is Master Jiesha of the Hanging Temple, currently cultivating Silent Chan," Eldest Senior Sister introduced the only Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivator present.
Master Jiesha's frame was gaunt and withered, and the kasaya passed down through generations of the Hanging Temple hung loosely on him. With drooping eyelids, he fingered his prayer beads and nodded without a word.
The Immortal Fairy was mildly surprised. This was her first time meeting an eminent Buddhist monk. She hadn't expected that Buddhism, which the Five Celestials had simply made up back then, would actually yield genuine attainments in later generations, and even lead to innovations built upon their inventions.
The wisdom of later generations was truly not to be underestimated; it was almost on par with hers.
The Immortal Fairy's brow furrowed slightly.
"What is it?" Lu Yang asked.
"Someone is peeping here. It's likely the master of the power of national destiny." The Immortal Fairy had very sharp anti-reconnaissance instincts; after all, she was someone capable of tailing the Five Ancient Celestials.
Lu Yang understood. It was likely an immortal on the imperial court's side keeping an eye on this place, which was only natural.
Emperor Xia was just about to speak when Eldest Senior Sister preempted him: "After returning to my sect, I consulted multiple seniors. One particularly erudite senior pointed out a method that can break through the constraints of lifespan and prolong life."
"What method?" The others had returned to their respective sects without finding any way to help Emperor Xia out of his predicament.
"During the ancient era, there was a heaven-and-earth spiritual root in the form of a peach tree. Consuming its peaches could prolong one's life. However, this heaven-and-earth spiritual root could run, and where it has fled today is anyone's guess."
"Such a thing exists?!" The group was visibly moved. None of them had ever heard of this heaven-and-earth spiritual root; the Dao Seeking Sect's heritage was truly formidable.
"I will send people to search for it," Emperor Xia said, being the first to steady his composure. Rushing would not help in this matter; whether it could be found depended on fate.
He then brought up another important matter: "The Great Yu cultivators' plot in Jizhou has been foiled. Your sect's Daoist Buyu was the first to uncover Great Yu's scheme. To rescue the common folk, he willingly threw himself into the fray, cleaved the heavens with a single sword stroke, broke the Great Yu Tribulation Transcendence cultivator's domain rules, fought the Great Yu Tribulation Transcendence expert in a contest of wits and might, sent out a signal, and held out until the arrival of Palace Master Chen Tao and the immortal sects, ultimately assisting Palace Master Chen Tao in capturing the Great Yu Tribulation Transcendence cultivator.
"This feat drew widespread acclaim. Palace Master Chen Tao and the immortal sect elders lavishly praised Daoist Buyu's actions and held him in utmost admiration, wishing to commend him. Yet Daoist Buyu relinquished all fame and merit, stepping back in glory, nowhere to be found despite repeated searches."
The faces of everyone present turned strange. They had all listened to their elders' reports regarding the events in Dingxin City, Jizhou. Didn't this seem somewhat at odds with what the elders had reported?
"Who wrote this report?" Qiu Jin'an wondered aloud. Had Dao Seeking Sect spies infiltrated the imperial court?
This was praising Daoist Buyu to the high heavens.
Emperor Xia replied with a sullen face, "The popular pingshu tale, *Legend of the Dao Seeking Sect*."
Qiu Jin'an: "..."
Everyone turned their gazes in unison toward Lu Yang and Yun Zhi, their meaning unmistakable: Daoist Buyu is one of yours, fabricating rumors and stirring up trouble all day long—what do you propose to do about it?
How clever was the Immortal Fairy? Faced with this situation, she trotted out Yun Zhi's excuse: "My appointment as Acting Sect Master was made by the Sect Master. I have no authority over him."
"So?"
"So I can draft a letter advising the Sect Master to abdicate and yield his position to the worthy, making me the full Sect Master. That way, I'll be able to manage him."
Chapter 468