The Ancestral Master of Longevity did not appear as carefree as those outside might think.
Instead, the Ancestral Master of Longevity sat solemnly on the high platform, his eyes scanning his disciples, his voice still calm: "Among the three Demon King-level masters of the Taiping Dao, I have already slain one. With the fall of the Nine Spirits Primordial Saint, the remaining two Demon Saints wouldn't dare to offend lightly. They will not attack my Five Villages Temple again until they retrieve the Secret Treasure. That Secret Treasure, called the Yin Yang Ring, would take at least ten years to acquire. That means we have ten years to prepare. If by then we manage to slay one of them, then the entire world shall be ours. The famous mountains and rivers of the world will be at your discretion to use. Therefore, these last ten years of preparation are crucial."
"We shall follow the Ancestor's instructions, even if it means going through fire and water without hesitation." Third Brother Cyan Pine's voice was firm as he spoke first.
The other disciples also said in unison: "We disciples are willing to go through fire and water without hesitation."
The Ancestral Master of Longevity nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this: "Here, I have a grand formation that can gather the Power of the Earth Dragon Vein to form a grand formation. Any disciple of our Five Villages Temple who merges with the Earth Vein can become part of the formation. With each additional disciple merging with the Earth Vein, the power of the formation rises a notch. This is the surprise I have prepared for the Demon Race; when the remaining two Great Saints of the Demon Race come next time, they will surely face calamity."
The Ancestor looked at the four disciples here, and then he took out a scroll from his sleeve: "The four of you, lead the disciples who have merged with the Earth Vein to go and practice it."
After saying this, the Ancestor entrusted some trivial matters and turned to leave the high platform to return to his courtyard, muttering with a furrowed brow: "Where have those ten old guys gone? Even though our lair has been dismantled, they are still nowhere to be seen?"
The lair is where the fate lies, and in theory, regardless of any plan they might have, those few should not gamble their own fate.
"Something feels off, could it be that those old guys messed up and got killed by the Innate Peacock?" The Ancestral Master of Longevity was puzzled and uncertain in his heart.
Meanwhile, Zhang Chen and Xu Erniu returned to their small abode, brewed some tea, and exchanged glances. Zhang Chen was the first to break the silence: "How is your practice of Inverted Yin and Yang progressing?"
"I've already gotten into the basics and grasped some of its essence." Xu Erniu replied.
Hearing Xu Erniu's words, Zhang Chen felt somewhat reassured, then he told Xu Erniu: "You have witnessed today's situation. If anything goes wrong in the future, I want you to immediately run down the mountain and hide where no one can find you. Wait until everything calms down before coming out."
"But we haven't found father yet. How can I leave?" Xu Erniu sighed softly, her voice full of determination.
"In theory, all the disciples of the Five Villages Temple should be gathered at Qingcheng Mountain now. If your father is here, you would have found him by now. Since we haven't found him, it's likely he was intercepted down the mountain. You should find a chance to escape and meet him down the mountain." Zhang Chen lied to Xu Erniu because he thought if he could lure her down the mountain before he attempted to assassinate the Ancestral Master of Longevity, it would increase his chances of success.
"If you go down, I go down! We should go together and come back together. There's no reason for me to go down alone!" Xu Erniu stared at Zhang Chen with her big eyes.
After a moment of silence, Zhang Chen finally said: "Alright! We'll go together and return together when the time comes!"
Outside
A stream of blood light circulated, unnoticed by anyone, it surged into the Nine Spirits Primordial Saint's enormous body. In mere thirty-something breaths, only a skin shell was left, lying quietly on the ground.
At this time, a streak of blood light shot from within that skin shell into the sky, rolling up a massive blood cloud. In the sky, blood-red lotus flowers shimmered and drifted down from high above.
The blood flowers floated down, targeting the living beings between the mountains. The demon army surrounding the Five Villages Temple became the focus of the blood-red lotus flowers, which directly ignored the Demon Beasts' defenses and entered their bodies, vanishing without a trace. It seemed as if those blood-red lotus flowers served no purpose at all.
On the summit of the Five Villages Temple, the Ancestral Master of Longevity was pondering ways to break calamity. Looking at the suddenly blood-red sky and the sky filled with rolling blood clouds, it was extremely daunting, especially those blood-red lotus flowers that emitted a faint fragrance. They appeared to be unparalleled Spirit Medicine, yet the Ancestral Master of Longevity smelled a very sinister stench within those blood-red lotus flowers.
"Someone has entered the 'Fruit' realm, achieving a Fruit Position!" The Ancestral Master of Longevity watched the blood-red lotus flowers drifting down onto the disciples of the Five Villages Temple. In the next moment, he stomped his foot, and a cyan protective shield emanated from the Qingcheng Mountain Range, blocking the blood-red lotus flowers outside: "However, this person's Fruit Position seems peculiar, as if harboring malicious intent? In the future, this is yet another variable; whether it is good or bad for me, I cannot tell."
"If I could win this person over to join me in resisting the two Demon Saints and thwarting any plots from those ten old guys…" The Ancestral Master of Longevity thought of this and took a step towards the place of Nine Spirits Primordial Saint's fall, only to find no trace of Xiu Liu there anymore.
Inside Zhang Chen's courtyard, Xu Erniu pointed at the blood-red lotus flowers in the sky, observing the rolling blood-red cloud sea, a hint of seriousness in her eyes:
"Senior brother, what is that?"
Zhang Chen didn't pay attention to Xu Erniu but instead examined his own Crystal Core, seeing the Sea of Blood surging. Within it emerged a strange lotus, shimmering with colorful light, appearing quite mysterious.
As that colorful lotus appeared, the Sea of Blood within his Crystal Core churned as if nurturing a Mysterious Power. A moment later, the Mysterious Power manifested into a carp, leaping out of the Sea of Blood, swallowing the colorful lotus in one gulp, and disappearing without a trace.
"That's the Fruit Position. From today onward, as long as I allow it, Xiu Liu can leverage my Sea of Blood Power. I can even imprison, seal, or kill that carp!" At the moment the carp formed, a glimmer of understanding appeared in Zhang Chen's eyes—a knowledge naturally known, as if it were an innate ability.
"Fruit Position???" Zhang Chen was bewildered. Xiu Liu broke through the Twelfth Tier, stepping into the 'Fruit' realm, condensing a Fruit Position, but why did the Fruit Position end up inside his Blood-colored Crystal Core?
"Big brother, I'm talking to you, did you hear me?" Xu Erniu spoke to Zhang Chen, and seeing him ignoring her, just standing there in a daze, she impatiently nudged Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen snapped back, gazing at the blood-red clouds in the sky and the continuously falling blood-red lotus, a thoughtful look emerging in his eyes: "Perhaps some mighty figure has achieved Dao?"
He recognized the blood-red lotus; it was the Blood Dao Essence. Anyone invaded by the blood-red lotus would become a creature of the Blood Dao.
"Achieved Dao? The Fruit realm? When will people like us ever have such capabilities?" Xu Erniu's eyes were full of envy.
At this moment, Zhang Chen again began to zone out, pondering the recent change: "The so-called Fruit Realm should indeed be the 'Fruit Position,' right?"
"Why did Xiu Liu's Fruit Position appear inside my Crystal Core?" Zhang Chen was puzzled, reflecting on it for a moment, he had an inkling: "I am the Master of the Blood Dao, I control the fate of the Blood Dao, could my Crystal Core be the Blood Dao Origin?"
"But as the Master of the Blood Dao, I haven't even achieved Dao, so how did he achieve it before me?" Zhang Chen felt indignant, by rights, as the Master of the Blood Dao, his Cultivation Realm should be higher than Xiu Liu's. Yet, now Xiu Liu has already proven the Fruit Position, and he's still just a nobody.
Feeling frustrated, Zhang Chen couldn't understand why things were like this.
"Senior brother, what are you thinking?? I'm talking to you, can't you hear?" Xu Erniu complained beside him, her voice full of impatience, giving Zhang Chen a kick in the stomach: "Stupid senior brother, I'm not talking to you anymore."
Xu Erniu stormed off angrily, leaving Zhang Chen staring blankly at the blood-red clouds in the sky: "Xiu Liu has proven the Blood Dao Fruit Position, under my control. If I prove the Immortal Dao Fruit Position, will I also be under the control of the Master of the Immortal Dao?"
Thinking of this, Zhang Chen felt a chill, if someone else controlled his fate and life and death, why would he even pursue cultivation?
"Speaking of which, how did my Crystal Core become the source of the Sea of Blood?" Zhang Chen felt puzzled, reviewing all the past events: First, his Crystal Core absorbed the remaining sea water of the Sea of Blood, then a lotus accompanied the twelve-grade Karmic Fire Red Lotus bloomed, plus the Blood Dao inheritance he received, adding these up, becoming the Master of the Blood Dao and mastering the Blood Dao wasn't impossible.
"If the Blood Dao can have the Master of the Blood Dao artificially created, what about the Immortal Dao? Is there a chance for me to become the Master of the Immortal Dao? It's known that in the real world the Immortal Dao has already perished; I am the only one cultivating immortality, the sole Qi Cultivator of the Immortal Dao..." Zhang Chen began fantasizing.
At this moment, he had also begun to understand the Fruit Realm. The so-called Fruit Realm is actually about condensing the Fruit Position. But what is a Fruit Position? It is the authority gained from the corresponding Dao!
For instance, if Xiu Liu condenses a Fruit Position, he gains the Sea of Blood authority, leveraging the Sea of Blood Power.
If Zhang Chen in the future condenses the Immortal Dao Fruit Position, he will gain the Authority of Immortal Dao.
Fruit Position is like an official position, merely a credential for the authority obtained.
"No wonder, devouring the Immortal Bone Remains of Monk Hai Chan caused a backlash, no one can resist the power of a Dao. I didn't die from the backlash thanks to the protection of the Blood Dao's power." Zhang Chen realized, but he was puzzled; since he is the Master of the Blood Dao, why hasn't he seen any benefits?
ps: Please subscribe, dear patrons.