Chapter 1 The Xi Mountain Taoist Academy

The West Mountain Taoist Academy, as one of the famous Taoist sects near Yingtian Prefecture, was naturally visited by the demonic tribulation.

The power of the people's wishes could only change a portion of their understanding. This was not mind control or puppetry. Therefore, within the academy, after some people passed through the demonic tribulation, they began to question the existence of the Prince of Lu.

Violent yuanqi fluctuations signaled a struggle between cultivators. The sight of fellow disciples turning against each other drove the young Taoist apprentices in the academy to flee.

Liu Zimin was one of those Taoist apprentices. Among the younger generation of the West Mountain Taoist Academy, he was considered one of the best. When he had previously undergone the demonic tribulation, he was secretly pleased. The demon king upheld the sky and listed the Three Pure Realms. These past two days, the demonic tribulation had been particularly easy to overcome. It was said that the demons were chanting the name of a certain demon king.

Perhaps, just as humans worshipped many gods, the demons of the trial would also, at specific times, worship the Five Heavens and Eight Emperors in the sky, or even the Beidi Xiaomo Great King (the Great King Who Eliminates Demons of the Northern Dipper)?

Once this pattern was discovered, the probability of successfully passing the tribulation could be greatly increased. This should have been a good thing. Even the elders and high-ranking Dharma masters in the academy were excited, and they had been pondering this matter for the past two days.

Out of caution, they initially did not allow everyone to undergo the tribulation.

Therefore, the esteemed head of the academy and the high-ranking sect masters selectively underwent the tribulation, starting today.

Originally, it should have been like yesterday, with the achievement of meritorious deeds.

However, the group that had passed through the demonic tribulation yesterday had problems at this time. They had heard that the Prince of Lu was holding an Ascension Conference in Yingtian Prefecture, preparing good things for the cultivators, and sharing the joy with the people.

Immediately afterward, their expressions changed drastically.

Perhaps cultivators in other places did not know that the Ming Dynasty had a hidden, unspoken rule.

But how could those who lived in Yingtian year-round not know!

And immediately afterward, the cultivators who had passed through the demonic tribulation discovered that the elders and high-ranking Dharma masters in the academy seemed to be indifferent to this matter. Instead, they were determined to obtain the Sun and Moon Heavenly Essence that would appear at the end of the Ascension Conference.

Furthermore, there were many additional enshrined statues in the academy. The names of several of the immortals were unheard of, but the high-ranking Dharma masters of the academy could recite the origins and past experiences of these immortals as if they were family treasures.

Moreover, they were very puzzled because these cultivators who had passed through the demonic tribulation should also "know" these things!

Contradictions and a strong sense of disharmony thus turned into conflict and erupted!

The elders and high-ranking Dharma masters of the academy believed that these fellow disciples had problems during the demonic tribulation. Their brains had been damaged by the demonic energy, or their minds had been injured by the demonic thoughts, creating illusions in their minds out of thin air.

The tribulation-passing cultivators denied it vehemently!

You are the ones with the problem!

"This is wrong, this is wrong! Why is the Prince of Lu in Yingtian?"

"Why did it seem so natural before?"

"There are no feudal princes in Jiangnan, no feudal princes in Jiangnan! This is what all of us in Yingtian Prefecture know. Wuyue is a fertile land, and no feudal prince can be enfeoffed here...!"

Liu Zimin listened as his senior brothers, or even his senior uncles, the group that had passed through the demonic tribulation, were arrested by the high-ranking Dharma masters of the academy as if they were mentally ill, and were about to undergo a sacrificial ritual to expel the "demonic thoughts" from their bodies.

But...

Are there really demonic thoughts!

"I...I also remember, Jiangnan shouldn't have a feudal prince!"

"How dare the Prince of Lu hold some kind of Ascension Conference here!"

"Just because he is the favored younger brother of the Wanli Emperor and the head of all the imperial clans and feudal princes?"

"Too strange!"

Liu Zimin felt fear in his heart. He had secretly undergone the demonic tribulation at the time, but he had not realized anything was wrong. Only now did he realize that either he was abnormal, or everyone in the academy...everyone who had not undergone the demonic tribulation, was abnormal.

He fled the academy, but when the high-ranking Dharma masters counted the number of people, they found that someone was missing.

However, not all disciples would stay in the sect all the time, so they didn't pay too much attention to it.

However, in Yingtian Prefecture, those cultivators of the White Lotus Grand Sect under the command of the Prince of Lu had already begun to take action.

The appearance of too many trial demonic tribulations caused the people's wishes to be consumed too quickly. The wishes of ordinary people and the wishes of cultivators were by no means an equal exchange of one-to-one. Often, the wishes of ten people were only equivalent to the wishes of an ordinary cultivator, and if the cultivator was at the level of a terrestrial immortal, then at least a hundred people's sincere prayers could affect his spirit.

Liu Zimin concealed his aura and then went out to ask some passersby. Whether they were ordinary people or cultivators of the Dharma sect, they all seemed to feel that it was normal for the Prince of Lu to appear here.

No, this is not normal.

Liu Zimin warned himself. There was an echo in his heart.

Then, he saw a middle-aged scholar in his thirties or forties. Although he looked simply dressed, he had an extraordinary bearing.

"The Prince of Lu shouldn't be here, right!"

Liu Zimin grabbed this middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was holding a little girl. When he heard Liu Zimin's words, he was first stunned, then silent for a moment, and then puzzled:

"This...this old man...doesn't know."

The middle-aged scholar shook his head: "This old man probably hasn't heard about the court's affairs for two or three years. Maybe...His Majesty's love for the Prince of Lu is extremely grand."

Liu Zimin immediately showed a disappointed expression.

He walked to the other side, somewhat lost, and even questioned his own existence.

This person is saying something similar?

But at this moment, a childish girl's voice appeared.

"Indeed, why would the Prince of Lu appear here?"

Liu Zimin looked to the side and saw a clean seven- or eight-year-old girl, who seemed to have just heard Liu Zimin's question and was curiously looking at the middle-aged scholar beside her.

"Father, didn't you say that there are no feudal princes in Jiangnan?"

The middle-aged scholar also patted his head: "Yes...but, that's the Prince of Lu...."

"No, no...the Prince of Lu shouldn't be here either. His fiefdom isn't here...."

The middle-aged scholar suddenly had a headache, and a little bit of righteousness faintly appeared beside him.

Immediately afterward, the people of the White Lotus Sect suddenly noticed him.

Countless gazes filled with doubt and malice caused the young cultivator from the West Mountain Taoist Academy, who had just walked away, to feel his hair stand on end.

At this moment, the whole world seemed to be only him, and the father and daughter, out of place.

"Catch them!"

The people of the White Lotus Sect saw this scene and heard the conversation between the father and daughter. Liu Zimin's heart suddenly rose to his throat. At this moment, he saw the surprised expressions of the middle-aged scholar and the little girl!

But he didn't speak.

They're just mortals. They'll be caught if they're caught.

The important thing is to figure out why this is happening!

Liu Zimin felt the aura on these cultivators.

Each one was stronger than him.

But he didn't recognize them at all. He had never seen these people before.

Various questions swirled and boiled in his mind. He clenched his fists and dared not take action.

"Oh, the White Lotus Sect."

At this moment, the voice of a young Taoist appeared beside Liu Zimin.

"You're not going to help? This isn't the behavior of a cultivator. Which demon helped you through your demonic tribulation? With this kind of state of mind, without courage, you're failing."

Ji Xiang glanced at him.

Then, under the gaze of the White Lotus Sect cultivators, he gently tapped his finger.

"Freeze!"

Instantly, several cultivators with low cultivation levels froze in place like wooden puppets.

Among these cultivators, the leader only froze for a moment, and then seemed to use some kind of secret technique to forcibly break free from the control of the immobilization technique, but this still made him horrified. The middle-aged scholar also realized that he was probably being targeted by these people because of his inappropriate remarks, and immediately picked up the little girl and tried to run.

But mortals can't possibly outrun cultivators. The White Lotus Sect cultivator grabbed them and disappeared from Ji Xiang and Liu Zimin's eyes in an instant.

"Damn, damn!"

Liu Zimin broke out in cold sweat. He felt several gazes starting to pay attention to him!

It's all that person's fault. He exposed me!

"Who are you? Don't talk nonsense with other...people?"

Liu Zimin was about to scold Ji Xiang, but found that there was no one beside him.

And the next moment.

The silhouette of Ji Xiang appeared in front of the White Lotus Sect cultivator who had fled.

The White Lotus Sect cultivator's hands emptied, and the middle-aged scholar and the little girl both appeared beside Ji Xiang and had returned to the ground.

The scholar stood, while the little girl was being held by Ji Xiang.

"The White Lotus Sect also has terrestrial immortal field agents, which is really rare. You are the strangest person I have ever seen. It seems that your Grand Sect Master is very capable."

Ji Xiang looked at the White Lotus Sect man with a playful look. This escape technique was just so useful.

It was a pity that the space for the Metal Evasion was still limited.

The White Lotus Sect cultivator's expression changed drastically. He was quite wise and shouted "Evasion Technique"! Then he immediately turned around and ran, turning into a flying cloud and wanting to escape!

Ji Xiang did nothing.

He just stared at his back.

Then, a divine sword appeared in front of his brow!

The little girl watched these bizarre scenes.

A brand new world gradually opened in her eyes.

And the middle-aged man came back to his senses at this time. His chest heaved, and Ji Xiang's voice reached his ears, striking his heart like thunder.

"You, you actually have righteousness on you?"

"But it doesn't seem to be your own. I wonder who you usually associate with? Can you introduce me to them?"

The middle-aged scholar was at a loss.

He saw the black robe on Ji Xiang's body, which was the official uniform of the imperial court. He recognized it at once and said in surprise:

"A black robe? This is the clothing of the Taoist Registrar, a symbol of the highest Dharma master issued by the imperial court?"

"Huh? Who are you?"

Ji Xiang also became curious. He didn't expect that this person, who looked simply dressed, was actually an official of the imperial court?

It seems that there aren't any officials in Yingtian who are this poor, right?

"My father is Shen Chong, the Xue Zheng (educational officer) of the Yingtian Imperial Academy. My name is Shen Yixiu."

The little girl spoke at this time, her voice crisp and her enunciation clear.

The middle-aged man's expression changed several times, fearing that his daughter would say the wrong thing. Fortunately, Ji Xiang didn't seem to recognize his family, which relieved him. However, he didn't know who Ji Xiang was, so he could only carefully inquire about Ji Xiang's identity.

"This poor Taoist...is the current Taoist Registrar. The Wanli Emperor conferred upon this poor Taoist the title of Arctic True Man."

"You are the Xue Zheng of the Imperial Academy? Speaking of which, this poor Taoist was also once nominally attached to the Imperial Academy."

As Ji Xiang spoke, he looked into the distance. Liu Zimin seemed to still be standing stiffly in the crowd, as if he hadn't recovered from everything that had just happened, as if he didn't know whether it was a dream or reality.

And the middle-aged scholar was greatly surprised!

"You are that...immortal who is ranked alongside Celestial Master Zhang!"