Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 585: 358

Three months later, in the Earth Immortal Realm, Mount Longevity.

A five-colored auspicious cloud returned from beyond the heavens.

The gentle breeze and bright moon opened the temple gate, leading the Wuzhuang disciples to kneel and worship.

"We welcome the master back to the mountain!"

"We welcome the master back to the mountain!"

"..."

"Rise."

Xu Yang swept his horsetail whisk, helping the disciples to their feet, then asked the gentle breeze and the bright moon, "During the time I traveled afar, did any friends come to visit, or were there disturbances from demon evil cultivators?"

The gentle breeze and bright moon replied, "Reporting to the master, no demons invaded during this period, but several of the master’s friends—True Person Ziyang, the Pure Jun Sword Lord, Lady Peony, as well as Mr. Peng Er—each had come to visit. In your absence, they did not enter the temple and only left behind a letter for us to present to the master."

"Hmm."

Xu Yang nodded, unsurprised, stepped into the temple, looked over the letters from his friends, then waved his horsetail whisk, casting streams of spirit light to fly in all directions. He then turned back to the breeze and the moon, "Hurry and prepare a banquet to welcome the esteemed guests."

"Yes!"

The two young disciples nodded, bowed, and exited through the door.

Xu Yang sat alone in the temple, quietly waiting.

More than three months had passed since he had caused an uproar by storming into the brain sea.

The South Sea Dragon Palace had not sought revenge, nor had they enacted a "siege on Mount Longevity, flooding the Wuzhuang Temple" during his time in the lower realm.

Did this mean the South Sea Dragon Palace had decided to swallow their pride and let bygones be bygones without seeking retaliation?

Of course not!

The South Sea Dragon Palace hadn’t acted merely because the time was not ripe.

This time, he had caused a commotion in the Southern Sea, fighting six dragons alone within the Great Void Formation without falling behind until the Dragon King personally intervened and finally defeated him.

His strength was undoubtedly revealed!

Without the Calamity Immortal taking action, who among the Mahayana could confidently capture him, let alone forcefully attack his home ground at the Taoist temple?

In Mount Longevity, within the Wuzhuang Temple, he could fully claim "invincibility at the Mahayana level" due to the home ground advantage.

So, how could the South Sea Dragon Palace seek revenge against him?

Gather forces to assault the mountain gate?

Unless the old Dragon King was prepared to cause trouble by acting rashly, with only the South Sea Dragon Palace’s power, coming to Mount Longevity would only result in disastrous defeat.

As for calling upon brothers and gathering the power of the Four Seas...

The Four Seas Dragon Palaces, although all part of the Dragon Clan, had somewhat delicate relations, much like the five great Emperors of the Heavenly Court, who fight openly and struggle in secret.

Unless it was a matter of life and death, the South Sea Dragon Palace would be reluctant to lose face by asking the other three seas for help, and the others may not stand up for them, especially since they were not justified in the matter.

In Xu Yang’s view, they would most likely take the matter to the Heavenly Court, exaggerate the facts, and shirk responsibility by asking the Heavenly Court to intervene on their behalf.

After all, the Four Seas Dragon Palaces nominally all serve the Heavenly Court. Now that a vassal is in trouble, how can the sovereign ignore it?

Add to that his actions in the South Observance Continent over these years, as well as his clear and repeated rejections of the Heavenly Court’s overtures, the odds are nine out of ten that the Heavenly Court will intervene, at a minimum to make some inquiries, both to check on him and to bolster its own prestige.

However, the Heavenly Court has one characteristic in the way it operates: it is slow, especially slow, and particularly so for major matters that involve Mahayana cultivators and require mobilizing Calamity Immortals, making the process even slower.

There is no helping it; to deal with Mahayana cultivators like him, they must either directly mobilize the Calamity Immortal or unite the various palaces and departments to pressure with a show of strength, seeking victory through numbers.

Both these approaches are not decisions ordinary people can make; they must be personally adjudicated by the ruler of the Heavenly Court, the current "Jade Emperor" himself.

But the Jade Emperor is not the previous Taihuang Emperor; his cultivation is still within the Nine Tribulations, and it is impossible for him to attend court every day like an earthly emperor, dealing with state affairs.

Thus, by Heavenly Court tradition, it holds a court every hundred years, unless a major incident like an invasion by demons demands attention; otherwise, ordinary matters can only wait until the century court to be reported to the Jade Emperor.

Now, less than ten years have passed since the last grand assembly, so if the South Sea Dragon Palace wants to lodge a minor complaint against him, they will have to wait several more decades, or else they would have to resort to the Four Auxiliary Imperial Lords.

But given the current situation in the Heavenly Court, the Four Auxiliary Imperial Lords will definitely not take the initiative to bring trouble upon themselves; ultimately, this issue will need to be resolved at the grand assembly.

Therefore, for the time being, the South Sea Dragon Palace is unlikely to stir up any trouble.

Conversely, it’s Xu Yang who needs to make a move, to make a serious move.

...

Three days later, clusters of auspicious clouds arrived, trailed by streaks of escape light piercing the skies, consecutively landing in Mount Longevity.

It was True Person Ziyang, Pure Jun Sword Lord, and other close friends, who had received Xu Yang’s message and hurried to Wuzhuang to meet.

"Fellow Daoist!"

True Person Ziyang stepped forward, his expression slightly grave, and whispered, "I hear that a few months ago, fellow Daoist stirred up trouble in the Southern Sea, even alarming the old Dragon King. Is it indeed so?"

Xu Yang nodded with a light smile, "It is indeed so, True Person has also heard about it!"

"This... I had thought someone was impersonating you, causing trouble under your name."

True Person Ziyang shook his head, a frown of concern on his face, "Given that the South Sea Dragon Palace belongs to the Immortal God Taoism, fellow Daoist’s appropriation of its treasure, and the disturbance caused to the old Dragon King, I fear they will not let the matter rest."

"True Person, rest assured, I have my own strategies."

Xu Yang smiled and then told the others, "Now that everyone is here, my fellow Daoists, please take your seats."

"This..."

The peers exchanged looks of surprise and uncertainty, but said nothing further and took their seats at the table.

The South Sea Dragon Palace incident had spread far and wide. If not everyone was aware, certainly, no Mahayana cultivator could be kept in the dark.

That’s why they had visited the Wuzhuang Temple, leaving behind letters to inquire about the situation.

Now having received Xu Yang’s message, they did not dissociate themselves but still came to the meeting to discuss matters.

This centuries-old friendship was clearly more than a mere camaraderie over food and drink.

As the guests took their seats, despite concerns, none spoke out, all waiting to hear what Xu Yang had to say.

Xu Yang said with a smile and a serene tone, "The matter of the South Sea Dragon Palace was entirely my doing, and I shall bear the responsibility myself. Today, I have invited my fellow Daoists here for another matter."

"Hmm!?"

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned.

Lady Peony became agitated as she stood up, "Elder Brother, what are you saying? Could it be that you see us as those who greedily cling to life, fearing death, and betray honor for the sake of survival?"

The crowd, having heard this, also raised their voices.

"Lady Peony is right. Since we are here today, we fear not the Southern Sea Dragon Palace!"

"The fault does not lie with Brother Dao; it is the Southern Sea Dragon Palace that harbored filth and embraced wickedness first. How can we blame Brother Dao for slaying demons and exterminating evil?"

"Hmph, that Mo Yunzi has been committing atrocities in South Observance for many years, relying on the power of the Southern Sea Dragon Palace. Justice resides within the hearts of the people. If they come to trouble us, then we’ll just have to engage in battle and let the world bear witness!"

"The world does not revolve around just their Immortal God Taoism. If the Dragon King of the Southern Sea disregards his status, there are plenty of respected figures within the domain of South Observance who can counter his arguments."

"It is but a death at most. If that old Dragon of the Southern Sea truly insists on strength, we will risk our lives to ensure that retribution falls upon him."

The cultivators were in an uproar, and close friends and relatives like Lady Peony and the Great Roc King even declared their readiness to engage in a fight to the death.

Xu Yang shook his head and said with a light chuckle, "My fellow Daoist friends’ camaraderie is no secret to me, but I truly have other plans for this matter, and there’s no need to trouble you all."

His words were calm, sincere, and without pretense.

Over the years, he had formed relationships in the South Observance Continent for mutual benefits and to foster connections, with the aim of garnering moral support and leverage. But that was about it.

He had no intention of dragging these people into his own battlefield to confront the forces of the Heavenly Court and Earth Immortal Realm together.

It wasn’t a matter of distrust, but rather that this affair belonged to the Wandao School!

The actions of the Heavenly Court violated the Wandao School. Thus, the campaign against Heaven was deemed the school’s own responsibility. Even in the face of death and sacrifice, it would be seen as rightful and without regrets.

But these people had no direct connection to the matter. Could Xu Yang kidnap them onto his chariot, causing them to bleed and sacrifice?

Although his interactions with people were driven by interests, they were never with malice, devious scheming, or unscrupulous plots!

Therefore, he rejected the suggestions to unite and resist the Southern Sea Dragon Palace together.

"This…"

"Brother Dao!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was momentarily silent.

As Mahayana cultivators with cunning minds, how could they fail to decipher Xu Yang’s intentions, yet they didn’t know how to persuade him.

Xu Yang, however, did not elaborate and changed the subject: "Today, I invited my fellow Daoist friends not for the matter of the Southern Sea Dragon Palace, but for the situation in the South Observance Continent."

"The situation in the South Observance Continent?"

Taken aback by this, the crowd asked, "Brother Dao means to say…?"

Xu Yang smiled, "Having cultivated diligently for many years, my foundation is now stable, and my divine powers have matured. I now intend to purge South Observance of demons and evil cultivators, to clear the qi and bring forth the light of justice. My friends, are you willing to lend me your strength?"

"This…"

The group, now understanding, looked at each other in astonishment and disbelief.

South Observance Continent was a land filled with strife and killing, a chaotic place teeming with all sorts from the Three Teaching Sects and beyond, with not just righteous Daoist cultivators and demon evil cultivators, but also those who remained neutral. While it could not be described as a cesspit of evil, it was disordered and messy.

Although the Wuzhuang Temple of Mount Longevity was established and Xu Yang, known as "Great Immortal Zhen Yuan," roamed in all directions to slay demons and exterminate evil—thereby improving the ethos of South Observance—it only applied to those at the Integration level.

For those of Mahayana status, the situation had not eased; and when he ascended to the Mahayana level, numerous evil demons and cultivators even gathered to seize the opportunity during his vulnerable phase.

To this day, though subdued by his might, many weaker Mahayana entities, such as those like Mo Yunzi, quietly left South Observance. Yet numerous domineering demons and evil cultivators remained entrenched in their well-operated strongholds, stubborn and unbudging due to their home ground advantage.

Ordinary methods could hardly deal with them.

But now...

The eyes of the crowd converged once more upon Xu Yang, "While we do not doubt Brother Dao’s divine powers, with the unresolved Southern Sea affair, is it wise to embark on such a major undertaking?"

Xu Yang shook his head, his demeanor calm, "My decision is final and unchangeable. Whether it be the Four Seas Dragon Palace or the Heavenly Court Netherworld authorities, none shall hinder me. If my fellow Daoists are willing to assist, it would gladden my heart. If it causes you difficulty, I understand and it shall not harm our friendship in the slightest."

"This…"

The group, upon hearing this, felt the dilemma.

Although South Observance Continent was a land of chaos, untouched by the Heavenly Court or ignored by Buddhism, not all demons and ghosts could run rampant. Those demons and evil cultivators entrenched within the domain of South Observance all possessed some form of strength.

This foundation was not just power but also connections and backing!

Like Mo Yunzi, who had the support of the Southern Sea Dragon Palace backing him, and the previously dominant Golden-Furred Lion from Mount Longevity, who had the backing of Buddhism.

Mo Yunzi was such, and so were other demon evil cultivators; powerful evil Mahayanas entrenched in South Observance each had their own support.

This was also why the stubborn issue of South Observance had been difficult to eradicate over the years; the breadth of the problem was too vast, involving too many parties.

The waters were deep, indeed!

But now, Xu Yang sought to scour the court and sweep the den, eliminating all entrenched evil daoist demons in South Observance.

This was a far more serious undertaking than causing a ruckus in the Southern Sea. One misstep could involve the Heavenly Court, Buddhism, Monster Nation, Demon Abyss, and other major forces, including the Immortal God Taoism.

Hence, it was no wonder the group felt troubled; the matter was too grave and even threatened to disrupt the ecological balance and power structure of South Observance.

As Mahayana cultivators, many of them were leaders of their own sectors. Even if they did not consider their personal safety, they had the legacy of their Tao lineage and the consequences and influences to think about.

But not everyone was inclined to be so cautious.

"Wherever Elder Brother goes, I shall follow!"

The Great Roc King stood up resolutely, his voice cold, "What is there to fear?"

Lady Peony also stood, "With Elder Brother’s noble purpose and righteous actions, how could I, as a younger sister, shrink back in fear?"

"Ha!"

Upon hearing this, Pure Yang Sword Lord broke into a hearty laugh and stood, saying, "To wield a sword in slaying demons is a joy in life, missing such an affair would be a great regret."

"Sword Lord speaks truly, to rid the world of demons and guard the Dao is our duty. How could we stand idly by?"

"To walk the path alongside Brother Dao, what does it matter if heaven and earth were to overturn?"

The few people stopped deliberating and rose to proclaim their stances.

Xu Yang smiled and no longer waited for others to speak, "With the help of fellow Daoists, we shall surely cleanse South Observance of corruption!"