The Bureau of Supernatural Affairs is subordinate to the Office of the Imperial Censor.
In reality, both are similar to the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. To achieve merit, one must only take on major cases—big cases!
Clearly, the Xie family’s ancestors had the merit of following the dragon, making them a prestigious family at the state level, and they also inherited Taoist techniques. Such “magnitude” is sufficient.
Not only sufficient, but even exceeding, enough to make Li Zongyi choke to death!
Under the glow of the night pearl, Wu Ming could see the man’s hideous face.
“Wealth and honor come from danger! Let’s do it!”
After a long while, a glimmer of madness finally appeared in Li Zongyi’s bloodshot eyes: “Even the blessings of a gentleman last only five generations. How much more so for the Xie family, whose wealth and honor have lasted three hundred years? They have already reached the peak and are bound to decline!”
“Of course, this matter is significant and must be reported to the Imperial Censor… but a few small fish can be caught first!”
His gaze flickered as he fixed on the dossiers of outstanding Xie disciples.
There, the names Xie Ling’er and Xie Baoyu were clearly listed.
“Let’s bite a few small fish and see how the Xie family reacts, hehe… Besides the famous twin pearls of the Xie family, there are also the ‘Spirit’ and the ‘Jade.’ This time, I must have a good look… Even if it offends powerful clans, there’s no helping it…”
Not knowing what he had thought of, a strange sinister gleam flashed in his eyes.
To be honest, the Xie family’s status was extraordinary. Previously, even he would not dare to provoke them, for with their connections, even the Imperial Censor would have to smile politely.
But now it was different!
In this chaotic era, even the dynasty might collapse; how much weight could a family that once followed the dragon carry?
The reason he clung so tightly was not for the court, but for the indescribable benefits.
“The court cannot be relied upon, but if I offer these, it might be enough to protect me and my family through the chaos.”
Li Zongyi murmured. At this point, even among court officials, loyalists were rare, and everyone was seeking a way out.
After carefully organizing the files, he locked them away, covered the night pearl with a black cover, and slowly exited.
…
Who knows how long passed before the room was once again filled with light, brighter than the night pearl’s glow, illuminating the entire study. Outside, however, it remained pitch black, with no light seeping through the window paper—an extremely strange phenomenon.
“A realm… or perhaps domain power… indeed wondrous!”
Wu Ming entered the study leisurely. The treasure chest, which Li Zongyi had carefully guarded and even had a mechanical artificer craft, actually popped open automatically, its mechanisms softly clicking, offering the scroll inside.
Everything seemed as if Wu Ming were the true master of this domain!
This was the ability of an Earth Immortal!
An Earth Immortal has the Three Flowers blooming atop the head and the Five Breaths converging toward the Origin. The Three Flowers represent essence, energy, and spirit; the Five Breaths are the Five Elements united. The primordial spirit’s yin impurity is completely transformed, making one impervious to all diseases and granting a lifespan of a thousand years… Unfortunately, these abilities still don’t hit the crux!
“The essence of an Earth Immortal lies solely in the blessed land!”
Wu Ming knew his current state was quite similar to that of the Jade Clarity Taoist during the chaos of the Shang dynasty.
Both had crossed the threshold, comprehended the path of Earthly Immortality, and even obtained the true seed of blessed land, yet had not found a suitable place to plant it and reap the fruits.
The methods of various Taoist lineages for attaining Earth Immortality vary. According to the Jade Clarity Taoist method, reaching the fifth level would create the Jade Clarity Blessed Land… whereas my approach, based on the *Yellow Court and Yin Fu Jing*, cultivates the Blessed Land through “Yin transforming into Yang,” planting golden lotuses within fire, thereby forming the Yellow Court!
The method of the “Yellow Court Blessed Land” from the *Yellow Court and Yin Fu Jing* follows the principle of “planting golden lotuses in fire.” Its attainment is referred to as the Yellow Court Blessed Land.
Once the true seed is planted, it can immediately expand. When fully matured, one can sit in the Yellow Court, untouched by external calamities!
In the Zhou dynasty, there is a legend that in ancient times, numerous calamities befell the land. When great cultivators sensed an impending disaster, they would immediately retreat into their sanctuaries, silently reciting the Yellow Court Sutra to avert major catastrophes. This is precisely what is referred to as the Yellow Court blessed land.
Of course, Wu Ming currently only possessed a Yellow Court Talisman Seed. He still had a long way to go before achieving Blessed Land maturity and advancing to Grotto-Heaven.
“However, now that I’ve obtained the Earth Immortal Dao fruit and the true seed of blessed land, I can freely utilize the power of the realm!”
Fifth level! In Western fantasy, there are specific descriptions, such as Legendary! Holy Domain! Domain Master!
It signifies that once supernatural power reaches the fifth tier, it transcends the ordinary and attains domain capabilities. Within this domain, though not as absolute as a blessed land, one can still harness the immense power of that realm, far exceeding that of common entities.
In other words, at this stage, swarm tactics become completely ineffective. This is the true beginning of transcending the mundane and entering the sacred realm!
However, a blessed land cannot be established lightly. It demands an extremely auspicious site, immense fortune, and profound karmic ties… Moreover, for my Yellow Court blessed land, establishing it also entails a trial by fire!
Since it’s called planting golden lotuses in fire, one must endure the fire tribulation! This fire is naturally not ordinary. If Heaven grants the Three Flames Tribulation, it would already be a great favor, sparing Wu Ming greatly.
“Obtaining the true seed of the blessed land is difficult! Truly planting it, making it bloom and bear fruit is even harder!”
Wu Ming immediately thought of the Jade Clarity Taoist.
This was a typical example. Previously, he risked heavenly retribution to guide Ji Yi as the true dragon, yet he only broke through the Earth Immortal threshold and still dared not rashly establish a blessed land.
Because the time, fortune, and opportunity were not yet ripe, acting recklessly would only result in losing all previous efforts and achievements.
Wu Ming was certain that the current Jade Clarity blessed land was only achieved after the Jade Clarity Taoist sacrificed everything, utilizing all the fortune he had gained from supporting Ji Yi in establishing the dynasty and ascending as the true dragon.
“However, the Jade Clarity Taoist did so because once a blessed land is formed, the benefits are immense…”
Wu Ming recalled《The Record of Carefree Wandering》. Although Carefree Zi might not have told the whole truth, there was still much leaked information that could be summarized.
“Fudi experiences the four seasons and climatic variations, while Dongtian encompasses the sun, moon, stars, and the complete celestial cycle, mirroring the external world—even capable of sustaining human life!”
“Even the smallest blessed land spans dozens of miles, easily accommodating a population! Even a cave heaven spanning thousands of miles, sustaining tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people, is extremely terrifying!”
This is the ultimate logistical base, capable of both offensive and defensive operations. When necessary, closing the door is like entering a utopia beyond the mundane world, completely ignoring the rise and fall of imperial power.
Even the selection of disciples can be self-sustained, eliminating even this last dependency.
This is the otherworldly version of “closing the door to rule a world, indifferent to the changing seasons outside”… Not to mention, blessed lands seem to possess the ability to resist cultivation tribulations, which is precisely why everyone is so desperate to obtain one…
At this thought, Wu Ming felt a chill down his spine.
From ancient times to the present, countless great cultivators have emerged, leaving behind numerous grotto-heavens and blessed lands.
Who knows where, in some hidden corner of the mountains, there might be a small world, inhabited by some reclusive sage or terrifying demon?
Especially after experiencing the chaos of the Shang dynasty and witnessing the opening of countless worlds and the gathering of great cultivators like a bustling market, Wu Ming dared not underestimate such possibilities.
“Although the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs nominally belongs to the imperial court, at this time, continuing to investigate the reincarnators relentlessly, it’s likely that they are being manipulated by these shadowy forces…”
Wu Ming sighed.
Although the blessed land was wonderful, he also clearly understood that given his current level of cultivation, attempting to plant it safely and achieve success was nothing more than wishful thinking!
His cultivation and fortune were both insufficient. Acting recklessly would only destroy his foundation.
Even the Jade Clarity Taoist, after repeated setbacks, would inevitably end up with an inherently weak Jade Clarity blessed land despite exhausting all the fortune accumulated from supporting the Dragon Throne, completely forsaking any hope of attaining Celestial Immortality.
This was a warning from history that must not be ignored.
“However, with the Yang Talisman’s true seed, I can still form a realm of power. Though not as mighty as a true blessed land, it can easily eliminate ordinary third and fourth-level threats—hardly worth mentioning!”
At this point, he gave a small demonstration. The study, which was originally a death trap filled with hidden mechanisms and sharp weapons for cultivators, had become Wu Ming’s own backyard.
“Xie Ling’er! Xie Baoyu!”
After opening the dossier, the first thing he saw were these two names, with dense annotations below.
“Hmm? Suspected targets, secretly capture them, ensure immediate sealing, no questioning, to avoid accidents… It seems they have already figured something out…”
Wu Ming flipped through slightly, feeling pity for Xie Baoyu and his sister.
He knew that after the incident of the Xie family’s twin pearls, Li Zongyi had already been watching the Xie family, especially these outstanding disciples. Xie Baoyu, who had achieved the rank of mage at such a young age, was a key suspect.
“If it weren’t for me this time, you two would surely suffer quite a bit. If you were sent to those behind the scenes… hehe…”
Wu Ming shook his head. Thinking of their previous connection, a flash of light appeared, and all the dossiers turned into shreds, scattering from his fingers.
“Hmm?”
At the bottom of the mechanical box was an iron token, marked with a yazi design, very similar to the iron fragment Wu Ming had obtained from Zheng Jun, but this one had an additional layer of magical fluctuation.
“There’s a layer of dark magic, with a curse for those who open it recklessly?”
Wu Ming snorted, gathered realm power into his palm, which took on a crystalline hue, and swept it across the token.
Sizzle!
A faint sound of breaking occurred, then a line of text appeared on the token: “…Ordering the thousand-household Li Zongyi of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs in Mingding Province and his elite forces to immediately head to Shangzhou and await further instructions from superiors without delay! This is a Taoist command!”
Wu Ming murmured, “And… the location is Shangzhou? It seems Li Zongyi knows this mission is dangerous, so he wants to recklessly implicate the Xie family, create a big news story, and best of all, gain merit to avoid this assignment!”
“Just… Shangzhou?”
He naturally knew that since the end of the Shang dynasty, Shengjing had become barren, the Zhou dynasty moved its capital, and the entire province declined. Once the center of the world, it had now become a remote, malarial wasteland, even a place for exiling officials—a perfect description of its desolation!
“Again, it’s the end of the dynasty, and the location just happens to be Shangzhou…”
The implications were extremely rich, inevitably prompting Wu Ming to associate: “Looks like the first stop is already determined, a return to familiar grounds…”
He then destroyed all the dossiers and smiled faintly: “At least there’s still some connection left. Let me help you avert this calamity. Coincidentally, the 《Nightmare Victory and Evil Suppression Method》 I obtained last time hasn’t been tested yet…”
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