Qing Xuan Hall became even quieter after Qing Xiao’s departure. There was not even the slightest bit of sound in the big hall. So this was how Zhang Ruoxu had spent his years watching over Qing Xuan.

　　Since ancient times, the Sages had always led a lonely life. To Shen Lian, Zhang Ruoxu was more than just someone who had achieved much, he was a Sage. Even though Zhang Ruoxu was not the likes of deities, but the burden he took on, the tenacity he exhibited, these were something that Shen Lian still could not completely understand.

　　Shen Lian remembered the story Jing Qing told him back when he first came to Qing Xuan. Zhang Ruoxu was just a normal disciple back then, and he had been logging the stone bamboos in the sea of bamboos for seven years on the chief’s order without complaints. Because of this attitude, he was able to stand out. If not for Yanxu, he would have attained immortality long ago, and not stuck in the cycle of life and death like now.

　　Shen Lian’s thoughts flashed passed. Zhang Ruoxu’s body was returning to the heaven and earth, as it was dispersing slowly like dots of stars.

　　In these few hundred years, his body had been utilized to its maximum capacity. When the divine aura had left, his body could not even maintain his physical appearance. All that was left was his Daoist robe.

　　Shen Lian sighed. If they were to meet again, Zhang Ruoxu would not be Zhang Ruoxu anymore, and Shen Lian too, would not remain the same as the person he was.

　　He kept the Daoist robe and hung it at the back of the Hall. Shen Lian was thinking as he trod around the hall. The current predicament of Qing Xuan was not about whether he could manage the sect and be respectable, but it was about the Bier Discourse of Dao twenty years from now.

　　Even though Chen Jianmei will be there and Qing Xuan probably would not have to come in last, but it was too unrealistic to place all of his hopes on Chen Jianmei.

　　The Bier Discourse of Dao was not that important in the past few years. Even though there was the Resonance of the Great Way in it, and would be of great help to the cultivators who were cultivating the nine states of cultivation, but there was no shortage of secret techniques and exercises in the four main Daoist sects.

　　This was, after all, a chance to showcase the power of the sect. If Qing Xuan were to come in last again, the cultivators in the world would hold Qing Xuan in lower regard. Seeing how powerful Guangqing was, it would take less than a hundred years for the cultivators to forget about Qing Xuan. Of course, the fate of the sect would turn to Guangqing too.

　　The best way to solve this issue was for Qing Xuan to produce one or two immortal Zhenren. Regardless of the state of the sect, with the emergence of immortal Zhenren, Qing Xuan would be able to reclaim its fame.

　　However, twenty years was too short of a time for even Chen Jianmei to break through the Absurd State. It was next to impossible.

　　The one who was the likeliest to attain immortality now was actually Bai Suhuan. However, Shen Lian was slightly wary of him. Logically, he had no reason to stop Shen Lian from being the next chief.

　　However, there must be a cause to this. It was just that Shen Lian had not found out the reason yet.

　　As for the sect, there was nothing that Shen Lian needed to do. He needed to do nothing.

　　He had the support of the immortal Zhenren in the sect, who happened to be his founding master. He was cultivating the toughest martial exercises in the sect, the “Taixu Strategy”, and he had attained the Nine Transformations of Huandan. Even Chen Jianmei was not fighting for the position. It could well be said that the trend in favor of him had been set.

　　This was precisely why he did not need to do anything. Merely maintaining the status quo was sufficient.

　　Moreover, everyone was a cultivator and had their eyes set on longevity. Putting himself in their shoes, Shen Lian would not want to have a strict chief who was stern and strict with rules.

　　As he had taken up the position as the chief, Shen Lian would definitely make sure that Qing Xuan got through this trial safely. However, his plan was not complete yet. However, he knew that his strength was a prerequisite for everything, which was why he had to get stronger. At his state, he only needed to accumulate mana. When he had reached a certain level, he would be able to enter into the state of Buxu naturally. In fact, he would not even face much difficulty before Powang and immortality. He only needed to break through the Absurd State to attain Dao.

　　Right now, the only thing that could elevate his power instantly was supernatural techniques. He now had access to the second floor of Taiwei Pavilion. Moreover, the old Daoist who was guarding the Taiwei Pavilion was one of the three immortal Zhenrens of Qing Xuan.

　　If it was not for him, Qing Xuan would have been long gone when Shen Lian’s founding master, Ziling, was going through her trial and the other immortal Zhenren had gone missing.

　　After all, Qing Xuan had ten thousand years of history. Without any land immortal standing guard, the texts and the sacred paintings in Taiwei Pavilion would have attracted the attention of the likes of Lu Jiuyuan.

　　Shen Lian did not rush to the Taiwei Pavilion. He had never let his heart have a break ever since he attained the state of Huandan. With the passing of Zhang Ruoxu, he was even more melancholic now.

　　Since Zhang Ruoxu’s passing, the snow accumulated at the Five Peaks was lessening. The melting of the snow was colder than the formation of it. Even though the cultivators at Qing Xuan were insulated from both the cold and the heat, but they could still feel the surrounding temperature.

　　A lot of people were trying to figure the new chief out in secret. In fact, they were waiting for Shen Lian to do something to Zhang Lingxian. However, months had passed and Shen Lian did not do anything still.

　　The coldness in Qing Xuan Hall increased, and the clouds got thicker. Sometimes, Shen Lian could be seen standing quietly at the cliff outside the hall as he stared at the rest of the four peaks.

　　This teenage chief had offered much help to his fellow sect members in the past. To the normal disciples, he was friendly. However, to most of the elders, he was merely talented in cultivation, and they were unclear about his character.

　　Shen Lian stared quietly at the last bit of snow melting faraway. Qing Xuan became how it once was when he first joined. However, some people were not here anymore.

　　It was not just Daoist Sanwen and his much-respected teacher Zhang Ruoxu, but a few of his fellow sect members whom he was not closed with had passed on as well. Dao was emotionless; when one’s lifespan had ended there was no way that one could escape from death.

　　Qianmo and Xiaoxun were playing in the sky. The Qi of heaven and earth here was thick. To Xiaoxun, this could be considered as heavenly already. The refreshing Qi of the Celestialism had negated the demonic Qi on it, which was not much to begin with. Xiaoxun was more like a spiritual beast now.

　　As for Qianmo, Shen Lian had been instilling plenty of Taixu Mana into it. When it flew in the sky now, even Shen Lian could only make out its shadows.

　　It flew right into the River of Spirits. The corrosive properties of the river water did not affect it at all. It only made Qianmo’s feathers looked newer and neater.

　　The river water in the River of Spirits originated from the Netherworld. As it was shrouded by the fresh Qi of Celestialism in Qing Xuan and with the regular cleaning of the spirit-summoning messenger, there were not much of resentful spirits here.

　　The River of Spirits could be seen as a small branch of the netherworld. There were other similar branches like this in other places in the world. Moreover, they might wider – so wide that one could not see the opposite shore.

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　　The water here was a lot murkier than the River of Spirits in Qing Xuan. Moreover, countless resentful spirits were roaring. Even a Daoist who had been cultivating for a hundred years would shiver from inside out when they came here.

　　There was no moon and no stars in the sky. The sky was dull and dark. The only lights came from the divine aura of the resentful spirits that had not fallen completely yet.

　　Some resentful spirits were agitated by the restraints of the river water and had struggled out of the water. When they were at the banks, they would pull back into the river by an invisible force.

　　Underneath where the invisible force came from was a dark-red throne. The runes engraved on it had an indescribable Daoist feel to it, as though one could obtain a supreme killing Dao technique the moment one understood any of the runes.

　　A youth dressed in white sat on the throne. The throne was a scarlet throne.