This item was the Tianhe from earlier; it turns out to be an acquired magical treasure.
I had originally thought I could keep it for myself.
"Thank you, Taoist."
Jin Bifeng said with a smile.
"Elder, no need for such courtesy. It was never mine to begin with; how could I covet what belongs to others?"
Jin Bifeng couldn’t help but nod secretly. This man carries an air of righteous integrity, his disposition open and refined, far better than Zhang Yinhua.
Song Lin and Jin Bifeng were chatting happily.
This was an avatar of an Ancient Buddha from the Buddhist Sect. Though rely a manifestation, their understanding of the Great Dao far surpassed ordinary people.
Even though the systems differed, there were still principles that could be understood analogously.
...
In the real world, within the secret chamber of the World in the Pot.
A violet light blood between Song Lin’s brows. Two flowers hovered above his head, while a wisp of flowing clouds floated where the third flower was forming.
It seed on the verge of coalescing into a flower.
Before him was the Lord’s Eight Trigrams Furnace, inside which were pills being refined for body cultivation and achieving Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.
If he broke through, achieving completeness in Three Flowers Gathering at the Top along with the Sixth Transformation of the Nine-Transformation Indestructible Body, his combat power would rival that of an early-stage Tribulation Crossing cultivator.
This process would be swift.
At least half a year, at most three years.
Three years was ample ti.
No need to worry about insufficient ti.
Just then, he received news from the Evil Exorcism Altar: the Sword Guard had already returned with their followers and was now waiting outside the hall.
With a thought, Song Lin opened the World in the Pot, and a figure leapt into view.
"Taoist!"
The Sword Guard knelt halfway.
"What is the situation on Mingxing Peak?"
"There was no one on Mingxing Peak, and Master Zhi Xin was not present. However, I discovered a cipher left by Master Zhi Xin in the area."
The cipher was written in a unique script developed by the Donghua Jungle, undecipherable by anyone outside of it.
The symbols were scattered and haphazard, sotis on tree trunks, sotis on pebbles at the bottom of streams, or even carved into the corners of walls.
The Sword Guard had spent an inordinate amount of ti arranging and interpreting them.
"What did Master Zhi Xin say?"
"He said you need not concern yourself with his seclusion; he has everything under control. Additionally, he buried a box underground."
Saying that, the Sword Guard presented a box.
Song Lin opened the box to reveal a map.
The map indicated a location in the southeastern coastal region, seemingly near the Yuzhen Taoist School. At the center of the map was an island.
The island wasn’t large, roughly half the size of Shanyin County.
Song Lin recognized the place—it was the Hidden Island, where mbers of the Donghua Hidden Lineage cultivated.
The map also marked valuable smaller islands around the main island, as well as undersea mineral veins and the boundaries of demon territories.
From the resources noted on the map, it seed capable of sustaining three to five jungles perfectly well.
What was Master Zhi Xin planning?
Could he want Song Lin to relocate there? Song Lin pondered.
If relations with the Taoist School soured, this place would indeed make for an ideal hiding spot.
Moreover, the island was shrouded by a Great Cloud Formation, making it impenetrable to most demons.
"Isn’t Master Zhi Xin in seclusion on Mingxing Peak?"
Song Lin asked.
"No, and I couldn’t find out where he is either."
From this, Song Lin could deduce one thing: Zhi Xin must have encountered trouble.
No! That wasn’t it!
He suddenly thought of soone.
"Is Wu Qingxuan in seclusion as well?"
Song Lin asked.
"Correct."
"I see."
Song Lin imdiately understood everything.
This seclusion was most likely for Wu Qingxuan’s heaven-defying fate alteration, and it was using the third chance.
Judging from their recent behavior, Wu Qingxuan must have undergone a personality change after being revived, which had caused the two to part ways.
She might even have defected to the Heavenly Master by now.
Recently, Wu Qingxuan had mostly stayed in Xuanyu City.
This led Song Lin to believe that Zhi Xin was not fully willing to use the third chance for heaven-defying fate alteration—it ca at the risk of his life, after all.
"What should I do..."
Song Lin wanted to help, but Zhi Xin had no intention of involving him, not even revealing his whereabouts.
All he left behind was a map.
What was certain was that Zhi Xin was unsure of the outco of this seclusion and had left the map as a backup plan to shift so jungle forces.
"Absolutely no splitting of forces."
Song Lin made his decision.
Let the Hidden Lineage develop on its own, but no one from Donghua should relocate there.
First, to avoid exposing the Hidden Lineage’s location; second, to ensure enough manpower is available for major events.
Perhaps Zhi Xin was leaving instructions in case of his demise, but Song Lin refused to let Zhi Xin face danger without doing anything to mitigate it.
Not to ntion their shared fortunes and hardships—Song Lin also felt compelled to act out of their past camaraderie.
With this in mind, Song Lin turned his gaze to the others.
"How’s the progress on mastering the North Emperor Black Law?"
"The seven of us have all grasped it; as for the remaining individuals, they must be carefully selected."
The Sword Guard and his n lived up to expectations. Except for Xiangling, who was inherently a Divine Demon, the seven had basically mastered the North Emperor Black Law.
In other words, they could summon Divine Demons at will, much like the Divine dium Immortals.
"If you were to summon two Thunder Tribulation Divine Demons, how long could you hold out?"
"Half a quarter-hour!"
"Good. I have a task for you."
"Taoist, please instruct ."
"Thoroughly investigate all Taoist leaders and directors above the rank of the Holy Might Taoist School."
"Clearly factionalize them—identify which ones belong to Holy Might, who their benefactors are, what rivalries exist among them. Focus on Ziyun, Yunhai, Yin King, and Chuu Yuying. Identify their enemies, isolate neutral factions..."
"Other matters can be set aside for now. This must be clarified."
"Understood!"
The Sword Guard’s figure vanished silently.
Simultaneously, Song Lin sent a letter to Xiangling, asking her to scout for a few rcenaries in the Ghost Market.
Song Lin’s gaze shifted into the distance, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
"Since that’s the case, I’ll make the first move."
The current situation was too uneventful; there were no significant conflicts to exploit.
And if no conflicts existed, they would have to be created.
Aggravate the internal conflicts within the Taoist School.
For example, instigate factional disputes or fra people for cris, even assassinations if necessary.
Of course, Song Lin did not focus his actions on assassinating high-ranking figures.
High-ranking mbers were too powerful; assassinations might not succeed and could easily expose him.
If assassinations were that easy, the demons would have started long ago.
The targets would be those in the mid-to-lower tiers with too many enemies.
Start small and gradually escalate the chaos, even drawing neutral factions into the fray.
anwhile, Song Lin decided to personally maintain relationships with Zhi Xin’s friends—i Hua, Earth Evil, and Heavenly Slaughter.
He would also take the opportunity to maintain ties with figures outside the Taoist School, such as Long Buddhist and Lang Xiao Taoist.
These connections might co in handy in the future.
No matter what the future held, Song Lin would have his arrangents in place.
Adapt plans to changing circumstances.
The next day, dark clouds gathered over the Donghua Jungle.
The clouds hung low and ominous, as though ready to crush the entire jungle.
The jungle cultivators felt stifled, as if the pressure on their chests made it hard to breathe.
The people from Yin Spring Palace within the World in the Pot sensed the oppressive aura.
The Zhonghuang Prince opened his golden eyes, and faintly, nine suns and one dark god-demon appeared in the sky.
"Soone’s trying to make an opening statent. Taoist, shall I handle this myself?"
"No need!"
Song Lin refused.
It would be a joke to expose the Yin Spring Palace’s people—his trump card. If Holy Might caught wind of it, they’d surely initiate a hunt imdiately.
With this in mind, Song Lin stepped outside.
Above the blackened clouds stood a man in a Mystic Robe with three eyes. The blood-red eye at the center of the man’s brows was striking, carrying an inexplicable power.
Upon seeing him, Song Lin maintained calm composure and bowed. "Greetings, City Lord!"
This person was Yunhai, one of the Taoist School’s Thunder Tribulation Masters.
Yunhai withdrew his divine skill, looking at Song Lin with a gentle deanor. He smiled, "Song Lin, I bring good news this ti."
"May I ask what good news?"
Uninvited guests rarely co bearing gifts. Song Lin didn’t believe there would be sothing as fortuitous as a windfall.
"Given your exceptional talent in Taoist techniques, the Taoist School intends to nurture you. I have petitioned the Heavenly Master to appoint you as the Lan River Chief of the Jiuhe Origin Flow Prefecture. Would you be willing to accept?"
"What would I need to do in return?"
Song Lin remained vigilant.
"It’s simple—the Heavenly Master admires your talent. Everything from the past will be forgiven, and you will even receive personal guidance. You don’t need to do anything, and the Taoist School does not seek anything from you."
Yunhai spoke sincerely.
For soone of Yunhai’s temperant, his first instinct would have been to kill Song Lin outright.
But the Heavenly Master genuinely appreciated Song Lin’s abilities and didn’t want his talents to go to waste.
In his view, the price Song Lin would need to pay was minimal—practically negligible.
With that, Yunhai laid out the condition.
"The Heavenly Master dislikes the Donghua Rules, finding them at odds with the Taoist ordinances. You only need to renounce this code."
To put it plainly, they wanted Song Lin to fully integrate into their system.
If Song Lin genuinely assimilated, then the old grudges would indeed be overlooked.
From a pragmatic standpoint, the dead could not be revived, and Song Lin was undoubtedly a far superior asset compared to Zhengsi.
Furthermore, the cost to gain Song Lin was trivial—rely a few rules to discard.
Were it anyone else, they would have gleefully accepted. However...
"I’m sorry, but I refuse!"
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