Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

"Daoist, you’ve asked the right expert!"

Listening to Daoist Lan’s complaints, Daoist Chen Shan smiled faintly. "I have a good friend who holds an official position in the Celestial Court. There’s been some inside information coming from his end recently.

"Word is that the Immortal Monarch of Tribulation is about to open a new sect called Righteous Qi Dao. Any disciple who joins will receive a talisman bestowed by the Immortal Monarch himself. The talismans are divided into four grades: Disaster Mitigation, Hardship Resolution, Karma Purging, and Tribulation Crossing. The higher the grade, the weaker the power of the thunder tribulation you face!

"Not only that, but even with the reduced power of the tribulation, the benefits remain exactly the same!

"Take you, for example, Daoist. Although surviving your tribulation was arduous and cost you quite a few resources, your mana cultivation afterward is several times higher than before.

"This goes to show that thunder tribulations aren’t entirely without merit. As long as you have the strength and ability, a thunder tribulation will only be a great creation for you, not a death warrant."

"Is this true?" Daoist Lan immediately showed a look of joy upon hearing this. Although he complained about the thunder tribulation verbally, it was mainly because he considered his Talent Skill to be mediocre and worried he wouldn’t survive it.

However, he still coveted the benefits it brought.

If nothing else, as a Ghost Immortal of the Profound Spirit Realm, a person like him who had survived a thunder tribulation could easily fight three Ghost Immortals who hadn’t!

However, he soon shook his head and smiled bitterly. "The thunder tribulation is good and all, but the Heart Demon Tribulation is even more formidable. Not only can it strike when you are most vulnerable, but it even seems to possess sentience. If you fail to overcome it, your body and Dao lineage will still perish."

"You are absolutely right, Daoist!" Daoist Chen Shan laughed heartily. "But do you really think the venerable Immortal Monarch hasn’t considered something that even you can think of? Have you not heard of the Beiji Exorcism Institute?"

Daoist Lan blinked. "And which sect is this?"

Daoist Chen Shan explained, "It was also established by the venerable Immortal Monarch. It sits above Righteous Qi Dao, much like the Outer Sect and Direct Disciples within our own sects.

"Rumor has it that any disciple who enters the Beiji Exorcism Institute will receive a Thunder Skill for protection. This skill has extraordinary efficacy in eliminating Heart Demons. On top of that, the Beiji Exorcism Institute oversees all matters regarding thunder tribulations. If you get in, you might even be the one bringing down tribulations upon others in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Lan was stunned.

Admittedly, when he was being struck by the thunder tribulation himself, he wanted nothing more than to point at the sky and curse, blaming the heavens and everyone else. But if the roles were reversed and he was the one striking others with lightning, that would be completely different!

It would definitely feel amazing!

Not to mention that joining the Beiji Exorcism Institute would also help him deal with Heart Demons. Thinking of this, Daoist Lan hurriedly asked, "Then how do I join?"

"Go to the Celestial Court!" Daoist Chen Shan pointed upward, then stealthily took out a Jade Token and handed it to Daoist Lan. "There is a recruitment point for Righteous Qi Dao right outside the East Celestial Gate.

"I have connections there. Daoist, take my seal over there and have the recruitment staff register your name in the rosters. I guarantee you’ll be able to join Righteous Qi Dao smoothly. However, whether you can enter the Beiji Exorcism Institute will depend entirely on your natural talent and Enlightenment. I can’t help you with that."

"Understood, understood!" Daoist Lan nodded hastily, expressing endless gratitude to Daoist Chen Shan. After all, simply joining Righteous Qi Dao could reduce the damage of thunder tribulations, so he wouldn’t lose out either way.

Furthermore, this was an Immortal Monarch’s Dao Lineage!

And it was the Immortal Monarch of Tribulation! This Great Power’s current status in the Profound Spirit Realm had already surpassed that of the True Master Xuan Immortal Monarch, the current Supreme Venerable.

The very Xingluo Sea where he resided was named because of him.

Ten years ago, the Profound Spirit Realm was still entirely peaceful. Under the rule of the Celestial Court, the Ninety-nine States lived and worked in contentment. However, a Demon from beyond the heavens suddenly broke through the realm and descended upon the Barbaric State.

The Immortal Monarch fought a massive battle against it.

In the end, the Immortal Monarch commanded the thunder, shattering the Barbaric State with a single strike. Seawater flooded in, turning the former landmass into a vast ocean, and its fragments became countless islands.

Since then, because it had been the site of the Immortal Monarch’s combat, Spiritual Qi flourished. The former barbaric land surprisingly transformed into a rare gathering place of spiritual excellence in the world. As a result, large numbers of Cultivators chose to relocate there. Because the islands in the sea were scattered like stars on a chessboard and too numerous to count, it was named the Xingluo Sea.

"Hurry and go!" Daoist Chen Shan whispered. "You know the origins of the Xingluo Sea as well. This is also the Immortal Monarch taking care of us Cultivators. We cannot disappoint his good intentions."

Daoist Lan nodded repeatedly. "Absolutely! Absolutely!"

Immediately after, he rode a beam of cloudy light and flew straight toward the Celestial Court without daring to delay. Daoist Chen Shan, meanwhile, watched his departing figure.

A moment later, Daoist Chen Shan revealed a toothy grin.

"Another one... Excellent. Time to find the next target. As long as I can recruit enough people this time, I’ll be able to enter the Beiji Exorcism Institute!"

Thinking of this, Daoist Chen Shan felt highly motivated.

Soon, he found another island where someone had just crossed their tribulation. He immediately went up to them and called out loudly, "Ah! Another Daoist has survived..."

Similar situations occurred across the Ninety-nine States of the Profound Spirit Realm. With the Celestial Court’s full cooperation, the number of Righteous Qi Dao disciples immediately began to surge.

It was not even limited to the Profound Spirit Realm.

At this moment, within the Immortal Core Realm, Lü Yang’s figure emerged. Three feet above his head, the Fruit of Divine-Empyrean Thunder leaped with splendid light, instantly gathering into a radiant glow.

"Go!"

He formed a Daoist Hand Seal, and the radiant glow suddenly shattered, transforming into countless shooting stars that plummeted into the Immortal Pivot Land. The scale of it was so massive that it nearly encompassed all five great regions.

Aside from the mountain gates of the Four Great Forces which were unaffected, every other Sect, big or small, had streaks of light descending upon them. For a time, almost anywhere in the Immortal Pivot Land, one simply had to look up to see tens of thousands of streaks of light falling. It was magnificently eye-catching, and behind each streak of light lay an unnamed Daoist Hand Seal.

"Today, I establish Righteous Qi Dao and found the Beiji Exorcism Institute! I am opening my mountain gates wide!

"Regardless of the difference between immortals and mortals, and regardless of the level of cultivation.

"As long as those who hold my Daoist Hand Seal are willing to call out my name, they may all join my Righteous Qi Dao. I will personally impart Abilities, Secret Techniques, and skills to eliminate Heart Demons.

"Oh, right. No one from the Pure Land is allowed."

This truly stirred up a thousand ripples with a single stone.

Aside from the Pure Land Cultivators who watched coldly from the sidelines, the people in all other Sects, big and small, were unsettled. There was even a shift among the Holy Sect Disciples.

After all, most Sword Pavilion disciples had lineages passed down through generations, making them very stable. The Dao Court was primarily based on Official Positions, so no chaos could erupt there anytime soon.

However, everyone knew about the Stain Sect.

A mere difference in Sects could not stop the Holy Sect Disciples’ yearning for the Dao. The Foundation-Stage Cultivators were still manageable, but the Qi Refining Disciples below the Foundation Establishment stage were hard to say.

At Feixue Palace in the Sea of Clouds.

World Purger Fei Xue stood with her hands clasped behind her back. Looking beyond the sky vault at Lü Yang’s towering Dharma Body over the Profound Spirit Realm, she chuckled softly. "He’s actually here to poach our people."

Behind her, a Daoist with an ordinary appearance—save for the sharp, soaring aura between his brows—spoke in a deep voice, "Should we ban this path entirely?"

World Purger Fei Xue’s tone was calm upon hearing this. She said indifferently, "There’s no need. Since some paths lead to dead ends, switching to a new path to walk might not be a bad thing after all.

"I have no objections to it."

Upon hearing this, Minor Metal immediately understood her underlying meaning. He took a step back and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Perfected Lord. This disciple will take his leave first."

"Go."

Minor Metal turned around, no longer looking at World Purger Fei Xue. He made his way all the way to his Cave Mansion on Holy Fire Cliff, then retrieved a streak of light from his sleeve.

It was none other than one of the tens of thousands of streaks of light distributed by Lü Yang!

"The Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire is controlled by Ang Xiao, and with the Earth Yin Yang Reversal, my Dao has been severed... I wonder if that Immortal Monarch of Tribulation can help me reconnect my path."

At this thought, Minor Metal hesitated no longer.

He turned his Daoist Hand Seal, and the streak of light in his hand instantly exploded, wrapping around his entire body. It tore open the Sea of Suffering and whisked him away into it in the blink of an eye.