Among them, there were the Twelve Daoist Sects, major Buddhist Temples, and even significant heterodox forces.
Some sects only offered verbal support, while others, like the Primordial Supreme, cast forth divine treasures as tokens to Tao Qian.
For instance, at this moment, the Heavenly Talisman Sect, Shenxiao Sect, and Shaoqing Sect, which all had old ties with Tao Qian, stepped forward almost simultaneously.
"I am the Sect Master of the Heavenly Talisman Sect. Hearing of the great oath Tao Qian, my young friend, made, I too wish to offer my help. This object is called the 'Yin Yang Life and Death Talisman,' once bestowed by our sect upon the Ancestor Dragon. After the Ancestor God Forbidden Technique shattered, this treasure returned to our mountain gate. Now, it is time for it to reemerge. I present it to my young friend to shelter all living beings."
"I am the Sect Master of the Shenxiao Sect. Today, I gift my young friend with a treasure named the 'Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Tower.' This item was also one the Ancestor Dragon personally sought from Shenxiao Mountain. After the Forbidden Techniques collapsed, it returned to the mountain, and now, in accordance with Heaven's will, I bestow it upon my young friend. I hope it can use divine thunder as punishment to cleanse the world of demons and evildoers."
"And the Shaoqing Sect, today bestows upon Tao Qian, my young friend, an 'Ancient Demon-Slaying Sword Tomb,' which is also…"
And again, three influential figures, from major sects, appeared.
With the arrival of these three substantial gifts, the Forbidden Law Barrier under Tao Qian's control once again expanded wildly.
This time it not only covered the remaining half of the Tiannan Province but also engulfed the New Moon Province, as well as a dozen cities and counties in two neighboring provinces.
People cheered and leapt for joy as they watched countless demons and evil cultivators who had wreaked havoc perish between the lands and cities, and their numbers skyrocketed.
At the same time, a stream of Records burst forth in Tao Qian's mind, revealing to him a not so small secret:
"It turns out that the Ancestor God Forbidden Technique created by the Ancestor Dragon was essentially a pile of divine materials and treasures. Most of them were likely forged by the Ancestor Dragon from the treasures and divine materials he collected from all over the world, while the rest were provided by the Cultivation World, mostly from major sects of Daoists, Buddhists, demons, devils, heresy, and heterodoxy."
"After the collapse of the Forbidden Technique, the Barrier shattered, scattering many unclaimed pieces of divine treasures everywhere."
"Those with owners flew back to their respective sects."
"Now, seduced by the overt scheme I initiated, which started a torrent flow in the Human Dao, these sects are showing support, and they are readily sending out their treasures again..."
"No wonder these great sects can survive for so long. They are always the first to go with the flow at the slightest sign."
"Regardless of whether I accomplish my mission, not only have these sects not suffered any loss, but they have also gained immense benefits. Merit and fortune – these invisible objects – are the key to preserving Dao and ensuring its longevity."
His thoughts settled.
Now that things looked favorable, Tao Qian finally had the leisure to ask his Master and Master Yuan.
"Master, Master Yuan."
"Sects like Primordial Supreme sent people and treasures in the past to assist the Ancestor Dragon in sweeping across the wastelands and establishing the Forbidden Law Barrier. Why then did our Spirit Treasure Sect and Secret Demon Sect not make a move?"
"And if we did help, why did no treasures fly back to the mountain gate after the Barrier collapsed?"
Tao Qian would have been better off not asking.
Upon asking, he immediately received disdainful looks from both.
First was Master Yuan, who roared in annoyance:
"You little blabbermouth, always bringing up the most inconvenient topics."
"My Secret Demon Sect's mountain gate in this realm was dug up by others, even if there had been treasures left, where could they have flown to?"
"But there probably weren't any to begin with. Back then, our Secret Demon Sect did not really like that Ancestor Dragon, and if it hadn't been for the peace of the Human Clan in this realm, we would not have assisted him. Later, when establishing the Forbidden Law Barrier, we only contributed common items, which likely didn't survive the dissolution."
After he finished, the Duobao Avatar, in the guise of the Qingjing Old Monk, pursed his lips and followed up:
"Who says there weren't any? Although the Ancestor Dragon was an outstanding talent, how could he accomplish such a feat and bring over two millenniums of peace to this realm's Human Clan with just him and his frosty subordinates?"
"Almost everyone from the Cultivation World, regardless of morality, has lent a hand. A lot of blood was shed to mess with that Forbidden Law Barrier... But such things depend on fortune. Once the Barrier shattered, many treasures were destroyed. Our Spirit Treasure Sect once gave the Ancestor Dragon dozens of good treasures, and not a single one flew back."
"The Primordial and Taishang Sects had slightly better luck – the Investiture of the Gods and Emperor Jade Seal remained intact."
"But what use is good fortune now? Both of these treasures have fallen into the hands of my Duobao Disciple anyway."
"Come now, my good disciple, let me see that Investiture of the Gods. I always felt this object has some karmic connection with me."
…
Lured by the Human Dao Torrent, more and more sects stepped up to express their support for Tao Qian.
And continually, great sects contributed their reclaimed divine treasures to Tao Qian.
His Forbidden Law Barrier had not only completely enveloped the provinces of Qiantang, Tiannan, and New Moon, but it also began to expand towards the nearby Hanxi, Sanjin, and East E provinces.
At this rate, it seemed the entire Northern Land Provinces might fall into Tao Qian's hands.
The situation looked extremely positive, but as time went by.
Tao Qian, Qingjing Zen Master, and Yuann Mingzhen beside him all displayed solemn expressions in their eyes.
The people on the inside knew the situation – this scenario was already Tao Qian's limit.
He couldn't do more.
The most crucial point was that his "targeted" objective had never taken the bait.
Alchemists!
To genuinely rebuild the Forbidden Law Barrier, there were only two options:
First, to retrace the path of the Ancestor Dragon, taking a century's time, continually waging wars, unifying the seventy-two provinces, and scouring for resources and treasures.
Second, to borrow the power of alchemists.
Alchemists had been leeching off the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty for over two thousand years, and the treasures in the secret realms of those dozen or so old monsters were practically inexhaustible.
Only this "treasure trove" could reconstruct the Forbidden Technique in a short period.