Chapter 385: After the Rain in the Empty Mountains

On a quiet afternoon, Huai Jing's avatar flashed twice in the group chat.

Huai Jing: Qianzhang has practically vanished these days. It's been more than a month without a trace. Where did he go?

Huai Jing: No messages on YouChat, no posts on Bluebird, not even logging into games. Our teams have been missing a geared mage this whole time. That guy disappeared without a word!

Wang Sheng glanced at the messages, then looked up at his senior sister, who was meditating before him.

Wang Sheng: Wasn't he planning to go into seclusion?

Huai Jing: Him? Seclusion? It's like you don't even know him, Fei Yu. I've known that guy for years, and the longest he ever stayed in seclusion was forty-two hours.

Huai Jing sent a meme of a little monk rolling all over the ground, followed quickly by another message.

Huai Jing: I won't say he has no intention of cultivating in seclusion, but perseverance and patience are two traits he doesn't have.

Liu Yunzhi: He has no self-restraint in daily life, his lifestyle is a mess, his Dao Heart is unstable, and his Golden Core is shaky. Perhaps he had really gotten into trouble.

Trouble? A devilish deviation?

Wang Sheng could not help but feel uneasy. He tagged Mou Yue, who was usually busy with family and work.

Her avatar appeared at once. She said she would ask the Daoist masters of the Longhu Mountains, and soon she returned with news.

Mou Yue: I asked three Daoist masters of the Longhu Mountains, and I got three different answers. One of them said he was punished and confined in the back mountains because he indulged himself too much and spread indecent videos among disciples.

Liu Yunzhi: Impossible. He's been doing that sort of thing for years. They even call him the human seed bank of the cultivation world. The Longhu Mountains have never bothered with it.

Huai Jing: Qianzhang also contributed greatly to the development of the Longhu Mountains' talismans. Their sect always favors him. I doubt they'd confine him for that.

Wang Sheng blinked.

That guy has that many resources?

Mou Yue: Another Daoist master said Shi Qianzhang is in seclusion researching new talismans, but the most believable answer is that one day, the old Celestial Master suddenly took him to Tianshi Temple. They say he's not allowed out until he reaches the Nascent Soul Realm.

The Celestial Master? Tianshi Temple?

It sounded far-fetched at first, but after thinking about it, Wang Sheng found it very possible.

They all knew Shi Qianzhang well. He was lazy, foul-mouthed, loved making noise and trouble, and was often arrogant despite being too weak to back it up. Many Daoist heritages used him as a negative example when teaching young disciples.

However, his natural aptitude and insight were among the finest of his generation. His understanding of talismans far surpassed most of the older cultivators, too. He had countless bold, unrestrained ideas and could bring them to life in his own talismans. Even before the first Daoist sect exchange meeting on Mount Mao, he had already been called a prodigy of talismans.

In Earth's cultivation world, which was relatively peaceful, his shameless personality often stood out like a sore thumb. But in the chaotic and endless starry skies that Yaoyun had described, he'd likely even thrive.

Over the past five years, his sharp edges had been worn down a little. He could still be annoying at times, but no longer intolerable. Moreover, the fact that he single-handedly roasted Sakura Island into submission online was an accomplishment worth recording in history.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Wang Sheng: The Celestial Master Sect training one of their outstanding disciples sounds the most reasonable. If the old Celestial Master is personally guiding Qianzhang, then he'll surely amaze the world when he reappears.

Huai Jing sent a smirking meme.

Huai Jing:

He'll become stronger and bald.

Liu Yunzhi replied with a sighing emoji.

Li Yunzhi:

In that case, I too will enter seclusion. Call me if there is something urgent.

Their five-man team's "leveling pressure" had clearly shifted onto the cultivation world's heartthrob now.

Huai Jing: Has Fairy Bu Yu broken through her bottleneck yet?

Wang Sheng gazed quietly at the beauty before him. Although the two had hardly been apart recently, they cultivated in seclusion side by side most of the time. Occasionally, they would let their spiritual perception mingle, each gaining some insights into cultivation.

His eyes traced from Mu Wanxuan's delicate collarbone upward. Ripples sometimes stirred in his heart, but his Dao Heart remained firm. After a few minutes, he realized he had not replied. He picked up his phone.

Wang Sheng: She broke through the last bottleneck, but another one followed soon after.

Huai Jing: Don't worry. With you always by Senior Sister's side, she won't face any great obstacles in her cultivation.

Wang Sheng sent a puzzled emoji.

Wang Sheng: Hm?

Huai Jing: Heh, I'll go play a game now. No, I should also go into seclusion. I can't let you and Fairy Bu Yu get too far ahead.

Wang Sheng looked at the message but did not dwell on it. Instead, he used his phone to access the Special Investigation Unit's confidential archives and browse through the materials that he didn't get to read last time.

He found countless hidden events from the Daoist heritages, many of which were unspoken or curious. Recently, in his spare cultivation time, he often read these cases to accumulate insights for his own state of mind.

He actually already knew why Mu Wanxuan kept encountering bottlenecks. Cultivation required a balance between effort and ease. The higher one's realm, the more they relied on sudden inspiration and insight to break through.

His senior sister had been too impatient lately. She never stopped to rest, as if determined to push straight from breaking her Golden Core to forming her Nascent Soul.

Due to the nature of qi meridians, cultivators of the Hua Republic always relied on primal qi. With her excellent aptitude and insight, even constant cultivation could still yield results. However, the more she did this, the greater the danger she'd be in while breaking through.

Wang Sheng couldn't help but secretly worry.

To make matters worse, her path was the Dao of Balanced Yin and Yang. Neither Qing Yanzi nor Wang Sheng could help her much. She had to rely solely on her own efforts, and there was no shortcut.

***

In a standalone courtyard at the back of the Heavenly Dragon Temple, southwest of the Hua Republic.

"

Amitabha.

That was close. I almost let something slip."

On the steps outside a small room sat Huai Jing, staring at the virtual screen before him. It displayed their group chat.

With a thoughtful expression, Huai Jing frowned and scratched his toes. "He doesn't suspect anything, right?"

Footsteps soon echoed from the corridor. A white-bearded old monk in robes slowly walked over. The man had a kind face and a gentle smile.

A junior monk like Huai Jing normally wouldn't dare treat the abbot so casually, even if they were highly ranked within Heavenly Dragon Temple. Nevertheless, he remained seated and kept rubbing his feet. The abbot's smile only grew warmer.

The old monk sighed. In a concerned tone, he said, "You finally came out for a walk. Staying in the virtual world all the time is not good, and more importantly, it's bad influence.

"Two of our young monks went out to internet cafes last month, and when their master scolded them, they complained that you never get punished.

Amitabha.

For the sake of our monastery's management, just say you're in seclusion when you're online in your room."

"

Hehe

, it's a small matter. It doesn't really affect anything."

Huai Jing chuckled and patted the step beside him. "What about you, Master? Always 'you this' and 'you that.' If someone heard you, they'll probably think I'm some fiend or devil controlling the Heavenly Dragon Temple from the shadows."

The abbot gave a Buddhist bow. Sighing in relief, he then slowly sat down beside him. With a smile, he replied, "Respect cannot be neglected. Anyway, it has been confirmed, then?"

Huai Jing nodded slowly. "It has. Fei Yu was able to retreat unharmed even in that kind of situation. When he faces difficulties, everything shifts quietly in his favor. That is a sign of his heavenly fate."

The abbot frowned. "And what do you think should be done?"

"Nothing; it's completely normal. If Fei Yu hadn't been born yet, maybe we could have tried to steer his fate. But now that he's already a powerful person—and a righteous one at that—the only choice is to follow him." Huai Jing smiled faintly, his gaze distant. "Great heavenly fate is not always a blessing, though. He will face far more trials of the Great Dao.

"By the reckoning of time outside the Realm of Exiled Immortals, the Heavenly Court lost virtue and was defeated hundreds of thousands of years ago. A hundred thousand years ago, the Heavenly Court struck back, but its final thread of heavenly fate was somehow left behind in this world.

"That last remnant of heavenly fate will bring endless disaster. The moment Fei Yu walks out of the Realm of Exiled Immortals, the Heavenly Court's great fate may clash with his own. Only two extreme paths will lie before him."

"Oh? Please elaborate."

"Either the heavenly fate that he has gathered will devour him and bring him a fatal calamity, or he'll inherit the Heavenly Court's great fortune and soar to the heavens." Huai Jing smiled faintly again, his handsome face glowing with a soft radiance. "I truly hope that day comes soon. I can hardly wait."

Smiling, the old monk sighed. He intoned Buddha's name and gazed into the distant sky.

"Welp, back to my room for a match!" Huai Jing slapped his thigh and stood up. With a chuckle, the mysterious aura around him instantly disappeared. "Care to join me, Master? I'll carry you in a chicken dinner game!"

With a bitter smile, the old monk waved his hand. "No, no. Go ahead. Just be mindful of your influence."

There was no point raising this issue. He knew Huai Jing would never listen.

A burst of Buddhist light then spread out from Huai Jing's little room. A purple aura shot skyward, only to be quickly pressed back down.

The old monk even heard his muddle-headed disciple curse inside.

"Damn it! I’ve made another breakthrough already!"

The old monk's lips twitched. He could only shake his head with a helpless smile.