Chapter 1077: Elder Yao

Chapter 1077: Elder Yao

Shangguan Ya did not immediately answer Qi Xuansu’s question directly. Instead, she said, “The Eight Tribes also originated from the Daoist Order. In the middle to late period of the Holy Xuan’s Era, there was a change of the Three Preceptors, which indirectly led to the Eight Tribes’ separation from the Order.”

As someone from the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, Qi Xuansu knew this part of history well.

Among the six Grand Masters of the Daoist Order, only two had ever replaced all three Deputy Grand Masters during their tenure—the first-generation and the fifth-generation Grand Masters.

After Holy Xuan rebuilt the Daoist Order, he appointed three Deputy Grand Masters to lead each of the Three Major Sects. Zhang Luanshan became the first Great Sage of the Zhengyi Sect, Shangguan Wan was the first Great Sage of the Quanzhen Sect, and Qin Su was the first Great Sage of the Taiping Sect.

In the middle to late years of Holy Xuan’s rule, he wanted to reform the organizational structure by abolishing the Three Sects and consolidating their powers into the Nine Halls. Thus, this reform began from the heads of the Three Sects. The second-generation Deputy Grand Masters were Yan Feiqing of the Zhengyi Sect, Elder Yao of the Quanzhen Sect, and Donghuang of the Taiping Sect.

Replacing the three Deputy Grand Masters was only the first step. The second step was reclaiming certain powers from the Three Sects and redistributing them under the Nine Halls. In the case of the Quanzhen Sect, this meant dissolving the Ancient Creation Project. All creations were reassigned to Huasheng Hall and Tianji Hall. Thus, the dismantling and division of the Creation Project led to the secession of the Eight Tribes.

From that perspective, Shangguan Ya’s statement was entirely correct.

The first- and second-generation Deputy Grand Masters were all first-generation Daoist disciples. Zhang Luanshan and Yan Feiqing were senior and junior brothers; Shangguan Wan and Elder Yao were senior and junior sisters; Qin Su and Donghuang were sister and brother-in-law.

Qi Xuansu gestured for Shangguan Ya to continue.

Shangguan Ya went on, “My ancestor was a disciple of Elder Xu, the final Earthly Preceptor before the Holy Xuan’s reform. The Holy Xuan pushed his junior sister Shangguan Wan to be the first Earthly Preceptor after the reformation, serving as his right hand. Second Deputy Qi, as a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect, why do you think the Holy Xuan replaced my ancestor with Elder Yao?”

Qi Xuansu was taken aback. He truly did not know how to answer this question. From a broader perspective, the replacement of the Three Preceptors had been inevitable. There had been more than one possible successor. So there had to be a reason why Donghuang, Elder Yao, and Yan Feiqing were ultimately appointed to these important positions.

The reason Yan Feiqing was chosen was to prevent hereditary succession.

The Holy Xuan was firmly opposed to hereditary rule. In this regard, the Li family had fared somewhat better because they allowed adopted sons and sons-in-law to inherit authority. The Holy Xuan had no children of his own. Hereditary succession truly began only after Donghuang took office. So at the time, it had not been an issue.

The Zhang family was a stickler for hereditary succession. They decreed that no one outside the Zhang family could inherit the title of Great Heavenly Preceptor. Thus, to break this bloodline monopoly, the Holy Xuan changed the title from Great Heavenly Preceptor to Heavenly Preceptor and forcibly promoted his close friend Yan Feiqing to the position, making him the first (and only) Heavenly Preceptor not born of the Zhang family.

Yan Feiqing had been a disciple of the old Great Heavenly Preceptor Zhang Jingxiu and had the Holy Xuan’s full support. Even his senior brother, Zhang Luanshan, did not oppose the appointment. Nevertheless, it caused a great uproar. Thus, after the Holy Xuan’s passing, everything reverted to the old ways. No other non-Zhang Heavenly Preceptor was appointed again.

The first Great Sage of the Taiping Sect, Qin Su, was Holy Xuan’s wife. His decision to appoint her was not born of favoritism but necessity. At the time, the Taiping Sect was fractured by numerous factions and rival leaders. As the Grand Master, the Holy Xuan could not personally intervene, so he entrusted the position to his wife, whose prestige was sufficient to unite and suppress the discord.

When Donghuang grew capable enough to stand on his own, and the Holy Xuan prepared to face his heavenly tribulation, he needed someone dependable to manage daily affairs and mediate among the Three Sects. Thus, Qin Su then resumed her role as the Grand Master’s Consort, acting as a regent and overseeing the Golden Tower Council. At that critical time, with rising tension between the Daoist Order and the Buddhist Sect, the Daoist Order was in dire need of strong leaders, so Donghuang ascended to his position naturally.

The reasons for the Zhengyi Sect and Taiping Sect’s succession were clear, but the succession for the Quanzhen Sect lacked such clarity. Elder Yao’s cultivation level was exceptionally high, and she possessed the bloodline of a Great Witch. However, this bloodline was a liability. The explanation also did not make sense, because True Lord Taiyin possessed even greater cultivation, yet never became a Deputy Grand Master.

Moreover, the second-generation Earthly Preceptor was the founder of the Yao family, so she did not have any clan backing, much like Qi Xuansu today. She might have had allies or acquaintances, but she mostly stood alone.

Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment before hesitantly asking, “The Great Witch bloodline?”

Shangguan Ya replied, “The so-called Great Witch bloodline might be a great deal to a single family, but in the broader scope of the Daoist community, it was like the Qingqiu lineage, not enough to justify appointment as Deputy Grand Master.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“In name, the Creation Project was led by my ancestor because she was Elder Xu’s disciple. Elder Xu was the mastermind behind the Eight Tribes Project and the creator of the Sakka, so on the surface, that arrangement made sense. But in truth, the real core of the Creation Project was Elder Yao, who was the second-in-command of the Quanzhen Sect. There was even a saying that the Creation Project would not have come to fruition without her.

“My ancestor surpassed Elder Yao to become the first Earthly Preceptor not because she was stronger, but because many of Elder Xu’s former followers still remained within Quanzhen Sect at the time. Holy Xuan needed her to stabilize the situation. Once Holy Xuan gained full control of the Daoist Order and prepared to appoint new Deputy Grand Masters, my ancestor took a step back and handed over authority to Elder Yao, who was the ideal successor because she was capable and lacked factional power.”

Qi Xuansu was surprised by this revelation. Though Shangguan Ya’s ancestor had been the first Earthly Preceptor, it was the Yao family that later stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Zhangs and the Lis. That alone testified to Elder Yao’s power and capability.

Though both had been second-generation Deputy Grand Masters, Yan Feiqing’s descendants were mediocre compared to the Yao family. The Yan family was little more than vassals of the Zhang family, despite the fact that Yan Feiqing had once married the founder of the Cihang lineage, a close friend of Holy Xuan’s wife. Yan Feiqing had enjoyed the Holy Xuan’s full backing, while Elder Yao had fought her battles entirely alone. The difference between them could not be greater.

Some might argue this showed Yan Feiqing’s noble character, that he sought nothing for his descendants. But even setting that aside, the Holy Xuan’s intention had been to break the Zhang family’s hereditary rule. After Yan Feiqing, there had been no other non-Zhang Heavenly Preceptor, which meant that Yan Feiqing had ultimately failed the Holy Xuan’s expectations.

By contrast, Elder Yao devoted herself to advancing Daoist technology, like Spirit Guards, flying ships, and the Dragon and Phoenix Eye Series ammunition. To this day, the Daoist Order continued to benefit from her legacy. Her contribution had truly spanned the ages.

Yan Feiqing also had his share of contributions, like helping to recruit True Lord Taiyin. However, compared to Elder Yao, he still fell short, just as the first Earthly Preceptor Shangguan Wan also could not quite measure up to her.

Elder Yao was revered the same way as Elder Xu (the Holy Xuan’s master), Elder Li (the Holy Xuan and Donghuang’s father), Elder Zhang (the Great Heavenly Preceptor), and Emperor Gaozu (founding emperor of the Great Xuan Dynasty).

By this standard, Shangguan Wan, Yan Feiqing, and Zhang Luanshan all fell a step short. Even Donghuang, who was famous for laying the true foundations of the Li family, did not make it into that list of exalted individuals.

It now became clear why the Three Great Daoist Families were the Yaos, Lis, and Zhangs, as each had such impressive ancestors.

Of course, the Li family claimed that they were descendants of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, so they believed themselves the rightful heirs to the Daoist Order and destined to inherit leadership for generations.

However, the other families did not agree, including the royal family of the Great Xuan Court. They argued that the Primordial Daoist Ancestor and the Holy Xuan were not only the patriarch of a single clan.

Qi Xuansu had long heard people refer to the Yao family’s founder as Elder Yao, assuming it was merely a courtesy. Only after hearing Shangguan Ya’s explanation did he realize how much weight this title carried.

Shangguan Ya said, “The honored ancestors of the Daoist Order are the Holy Xuan, Emperor Gaozu, Elder Zhang, Elder Li, Elder Yao, and Elder Xu. Of these, Elder Zhang, Elder Li, and Elder Xu belonged to the older generation, having ascended long before the Daoist Order’s revitalization. The Holy Xuan, Emperor Gaozu, and Elder Yao were the ones whose influence endured. Emperor Gaozu was the Holy Xuan’s father-in-law, so he was much older and ascended long before the latter. So in a sense, the two ancestors who truly shaped the Daoist community for nearly a century were the Holy Xuan and Elder Yao.

“In other words, from the time the Holy Xuan founded the Creation Project to when he ultimately abolished it, that entire venture remained under Elder Yao’s control. Elder Yao possessed the bloodline of the Great Witch, and I saw the patterns of Ancient Wuism on your Longevity Stone Heart. Thus, I believe your Heart is connected to the Creation Project and very likely Elder Yao’s own handiwork.”

Qi Xuansu fell into deep thought upon hearing her words.

Many of his earlier suspicions now felt confirmed. Madam Qi had obtained the Longevity Stone Heart from Lingshan Paradise, but who had left it there? Naturally, it must have been Elder Yao herself, the one who bore the Great Witch’s bloodline and had crafted the Heart. That also explained why Madam Qi could acquire it. It was not by luck or chance, but as an inheritance.

From that perspective, even though Yao Pei denied that the Longevity Stone Heart belonged to the Yao family, it still did.

Thinking further, the Longevity Stone Heart had elevated an insignificant pawn into one of the Four Prodigies of the Daoist Order, so its value was beyond measure. After Elder Yao’s passing, the only person who had the right to determine its ownership was the head of the Yao family, who was the current Earthly Preceptor and leader of the Quanzhen Sect.

So, when Madam Qi took the Longevity Stone Heart and gave it to Qi Xuansu, was it her own decision? Or had the Earthly Preceptor secretly instructed her to do so?

If it had been by the Earthly Preceptor’s order, why entrust such a priceless artifact to Qi Xuansu, a mere pawn unconnected by blood or loyalty?

Qi Xuansu thought,

Am I actually Elder Yao’s mortal incarnation? That’ll be far too cliché, right?