Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

Xuzhuang said, "This is a serious matter. Nephew, why don’t you two go pay respects to the Ancestors first? You can come to my residence to talk afterward." After a moment of thought, he added, "Oh, right. Afterward, Nephew, please also bring Nephew Meng’s Life Lamp. I need to get a better understanding of the situation."

Clear worry showed in Daoist Zhang’s eyes. He agreed, then helped Fan Valley up from the ground. Fan Valley, still in a state of elation, followed Daoist Zhang out of the residence, and they flew away on a streak of light.

Watching the two of them depart into the distance, Xuzhuang picked up his teacup from the table, took a light sip, and suddenly shook his head.

"Fan Valley? What a pity."

...

Daoist Zhang led Fan Valley to the Ancestral Hall. After they paid their respects to the Tai Su Taoist, they proceeded to the rear hall. They gradually entered an area Fan Valley had never set foot in before, where he was startled to discover two rows of jade statues, none of which he had ever seen—except for one at the very end: the statue of a handsome and dashing young Daoist in flowing white robes.

’Is that Venerable Dao Chen?’ Fan Valley’s heart trembled. He was actually quite sharp and immediately had a theory. ’Could it be that Venerable Dao Chen has long been counted among the twelve generations of Tai Su’s Ancestor Grandmasters of Primordial Spirit?’

His guess was correct. Enshrined here were the twelve generations of Tai Su’s Ancestor Grandmasters of Primordial Spirit. The venerable statue of Daochen Zhenren had only been added after Xuzhuang’s arrival.

The two walked straight into the center of the hall. At its head, two more jade statues were enshrined, one on the left and one on the right. Daoist Zhang took three sticks of Profound Incense and lit them. After kneeling and bowing respectfully, he placed the Profound Incense into the Incense Burner before rising to his feet.

He took another three sticks of Profound Incense and said, "At the head, the one on the left is the Sect Founding Ancestor Grandmaster, Baoxuanzi, and the one on the right is the Revival Ancestor Grandmaster, Jade Longevity True Monarch. Go ahead and pay your respects to the Ancestors."

"Yes, Sect Leader," Fan Valley replied. He took the Profound Incense and knelt. The moment his knees touched the ground, a tremor ran through his entire body. He felt as if he were plummeting into a bottomless abyss. Forcing himself to look up, he saw the Ancestral Master Jade Statues above, each one seemingly staring down with a burning, incomparably majestic gaze.

Fan Valley’s body and mind were suddenly shaken. Suppressing fellow disciples, seizing through trickery and force, murdering for treasure, betraying trust and forgetting kindness, colluding with enemy sects... all the evil deeds of his life flowed before his eyes.

---

When Daoist Zhang returned to Xuzhuang’s residence, Fan Valley was no longer with him. Xuzhuang, however, showed no sign of surprise. He remained composed in the head seat and asked, "Where is Fan Valley?"

"I have had Fan Valley detained," Daoist Zhang said with a wry smile, cupping his hands. "Junior Martial Uncle Xu, did you already see this coming?"

Xuzhuang shook his head. "Were you able to find anything out?"

Daoist Zhang said, "Fan Valley was overwhelmed by the Ancestors’ majesty, and his spirit was injured. He is still unconscious."

"Then we can interrogate him later." Xuzhuang took a sip of tea and said lightly, "The True Form Temple has been weak for a long time. Many disciples in the sect feel resentful and have a desire to strive for more. This is a good thing, but we must also be vigilant against those of weak character whose thoughts may turn astray."

Daoist Zhang sighed. "Yes. Thank you for your guidance, Junior Martial Uncle Xu."

Xuzhuang nodded and changed the subject. "Nephew, have you brought Nephew Meng’s Life Lamp?"

Daoist Zhang nodded. Reaching into his sleeve, he produced a green lamp. Atop it, a bright flame, crimson with a hint of purple, burned quietly.

Xuzhuang frowned. "Judging by this Life Lamp, not only is Nephew Meng not in mortal danger, his condition doesn’t seem bad at all."

Daoist Zhang said helplessly, "That may be so, but Junior Brother Meng has been gone for a long time, and we haven’t been able to find any trace of him. We have no idea where he could have gone."

"Perhaps he’s trapped in some kind of Array or restriction," Xuzhuang mused. "Let me try to find his location." After speaking, he extended two fingers and gently plucked a wisp of aura from the lamp’s flame. He then formed a hand seal and cast the lesser Tracing Technique.

Don’t be fooled by the simple name of the lesser Tracing Technique. It may not have a grandiose title like the "Grand Heaven-Searching, Earth-Scouring Art," but it was a Superior Dao Skill recorded in the Tai Su Daoist Scripture, and it was exceptionally practical.

Xuzhuang had never neglected his cultivation of this technique. As he cast it now, a faint, nearly invisible wisp of smoke instantly appeared. It swayed in the air for a moment before pointing in a specific direction. However, it seemed unable to lock onto a precise location, wavering slightly, though it consistently indicated a southeasterly direction.

Daoist Zhang’s eyes lit up. He shot to his feet and asked, "Junior Martial Uncle Xu, is that...?"

Xuzhuang nodded. "This is the direction I determined using Nephew Meng’s aura. It’s just not very precise. I’m afraid I’ll have to go check it out in person."

"I am willing to accompany you, Junior Martial Uncle," Daoist Zhang said quickly.

Xuzhuang waved his hand. "You still have sect affairs to handle, Nephew. Just leave this to me. If I can really find his trail, I will definitely bring Nephew Meng back."