Longevity Chronicles
Chapter 462 - 322: Yuan Gong Offers a Strategy to Seize the Magpie Nest, Tao Qian Sends a Demon to Scheme against the Green Emperor

Tao Qian had previously come into contact with the Yellow Robed Eunuch and Ying Qingdi's true body, both times without any gain.

Now, by actively venturing into danger, he had finally fished out some clues.

The invisible and traceless Divine Spell had actively sought to invade, and in turn, had been glimpsed by Tao Qian in its entirety.

In his mind, the Records continued to burst forth:

[Note 1: This spell is an intangible Secret Spell that can hide in sound, shape, characters, images, elephants, and almost any medium. Those below the Daoist Transformation Realm are unable to detect even a hint of it. Once cursed, one will gradually become the caster's evil slave without realizing it, believing they are willingly, blindly following with utmost loyalty.]

[Note 2: This spell is difficult to undo, other than by the caster themselves. Only a few rare Secret Techniques remain, such as the Taishang Dao's "Taishang Zhengyi Alliance Power Talisman," Taishang Demon Sect's "Heavenly Demon Soul Returning Technique," Spirit Treasure Sect's "True Word Secret Decree," or Primordial Sect's "Primordial Venerable's Decree."]

[Note 3: There are varying degrees of affliction among those who are cursed. If one is merged with the 'Yellow Robed Slaves' into their body, it forms a deep bond making it difficult to return, formally establishing a master-servant relationship. If someone tries to undo the spell at this time, the caster will be alerted.]

[Note 4: Due to the Spirit Treasure Sublime Body, all costs can be waived!]

...

Looking at these Records, Tao Qian quickly realized Ying Qingdi's ruse.

The scoundrel was indeed treacherous.

"Others write books and set forth biographies to express their aspirations."

"Ying Qingdi, however, uses those books as vessels to spread the 'Yellow Heaven Evil Slave Summoning Divine Spell.'"

"The Primordial Human Record states that Ying Qingdi disseminated his writings not only within New Moon Province but also in other provinces... The Divine Spell at least requires a Daoist Transformation Realm Cultivator to detect, yet how would such powerful Daoist Transformation Realm experts bother to read Ying Qingdi's seemingly naive books?"

"The real victims, apart from the general populace, also include a large number of Martial Artists and strange persons with similar aspirations, as well as middle and lower-ranking Cultivators, like Duan Qiu and Yin Juejun."

"Wait a minute?"

"What about the original members of the Ancestor Dragon Society, such as Yin Susu and members from other provinces? Have they also been contaminated?"

Just as this doubt emerged in Tao Qian's mind, the answer quickly followed.

The Invisibility Demons he had sent out were returning one after another.

One after another, they turned into intangible Demon Lights and clashed towards him, projecting the various scenes from within the Ancestor Dragon Hall.

In a moment, Tao Qian, who was seated in his chamber on a meditation mat, became aware of the many secrets surrounding him.

Aside from scenes of private nature such as "Double Body Temple Cultivators collectively practicing" or "the four daughters of the Devil God privately discussing Tao Qian," he also saw other secrets.

For example, many upper-level members of the Ancestor Dragon Society were dismissive of the concept of "Immortal and Mortal Equality" and were secretly plotting to rebel again once Ying Qingdi seized New Moon and forcefully implemented his policies.

Or Xu Wenkai, the remnant general of the Taiping Army, who managed to obtain the first volume of the Taiping Scripture because his true identity was the illegitimate son of the Taiping Heavenly King. His joining the Ancestor Dragon Society was also part of the Taiping Heavenly King's plan to hedge his bets.

The three Loose Cultivators who received the Heavenly Corpse Inheritance were certainly Heroes, but their ambitions differed from those of the Ancestor Dragon Society. The trio considered transforming the mortal world into a zombie nation as a method of salvation. Thus, they planned to ask Ying Qingdi for a city after the success of New Moon's uprising, turn the entire city's populace into zombies, and carry out an experiment.

The disciples of the various sects from New Moon Province, split between the Daoist and Buddhist factions, all went to pay their respects to Linghu Ying and Shazhei Monk, representatives of the Xuan Dao Sect and Beichan Temple, once night fell. They asked both of them to take a stand and resist the emblems of the Ying Qingdi's Immortal Sect.

Many more members seemed to have seen that the "New Moon Uprising" would surely succeed, and signs of corruption became apparent as they discussed how to divide up the vast New Moon Province, as well as matters of expansion into other provinces.

Beyond these, the rest were like Duan Qiu and his company, members showing signs of fanaticism, to a greater or lesser extent, eight or nine out of ten.

After a good while, Tao Qian digested what he had learned.

His brow furrowed slightly, yet there was no sign of surprise on his face.

Only in his heart did he silently lament, "A tree rots from its roots before it grows; it's all too common. What is surprising, though, is the scale of Ying Qingdi's ambition, unexpectedly vast."

Tao Qian said this because of what he had glimpsed.

The "Yellow Heaven Evil Slave Summoning Divine Spell" was extremely secretive, but once Tao Qian figured out the pattern, he could easily see the traces.

Those who were overly fanatic or convinced by Ying Qingdi all had the suspicion of being tainted.

Based on this, the state of the Ancestor Dragon Society was extremely serious.

And it was not just the ordinary local members; people like Pei Hong, who practiced the "Heavenly Blade Demon Suppression Scripture", and the Yellow Robed Land God and Green Robed Mountain God from other provinces, varied in the degree of contamination, but it was almost certain they were all invaded by the Divine Spell.

Tao Qian could almost foresee a massive organization completely loyal to Ying Qingdi taking shape.

"If this bastard really succeeds, it's not just New Moon Province in trouble; one by one, all the Northern Land Provinces may not escape either."

"If this son of a bitch was just a common ambitious usurper, that'd be one thing, but considering names like Yellow Heaven Evil Mirror, Yellow Heaven Secret Scroll, and these Outer Realm evil object evil scriptures, could this guy be a traitor, an usher for Outer Realm Evil Gods?"

Upon this thought, Tao Qian felt deeply uneasy.

While he was contemplating, he also informed Master Yuan of these finds.

It's wasteful not to use an elder when one is available.

However, he had overlooked Master Yuan's background; as soon as he finished speaking, he received a very sincere piece of advice.

Master Yuan was even somewhat excited and swiftly transmitted his response:

"Foolish boy, what's there to worry about, for you this is simply a great opportunity."

"How so?"

"Have you ever heard of a strategy called cuckoo occupying the sparrow's nest? From what you've said, that kid called Ying Qingdi is quite skillful, and has already whipped this damned Ancestor Dragon Society into shape, just waiting to launch and snatch New Moon Province from the hands of the Seven Evil Sects... He uses Outer Realm Evil Gods' secret techniques to succeed, which in turn becomes his biggest weakness. If you had no way to break that Divine Spell, that would be another story, but since you know the True Word Secret Decree, you are naturally his destroyer."

"In that case, just let him do his thing. You just need to pick out some of the members in this Ancestor Dragon Society who haven't been contaminated and controlled, win them over with a mix of grace and power, and set up your own small faction. Lin Bujue, Zhong Ziyang, and a few others seem suitable."

"Don't expose yourself just yet, just wait until the moment Ying Qingdi succeeds. Then join forces with Zhong Ziyang and others to break his Divine Spell and seize his fruits of victory."

"You don't need to worry about the backlash from the Outer Realm Evil Gods, you've been in this world so long and yet have never called for a strong support from your sect. This matter you may request. I've heard some about the Evil God behind the Yellow Heaven Secret Scroll, you just need to send a message back, not to mention Duobao and such, but even Ma Yi, Shifang, and several of the second generation ancestors from your Spirit Treasure Sect would be willing to take a trip to wipe your bottom."

"With such actions, you young man could leap directly from a wayward wanderer to the master of a great force, carving out a Spirit Treasure Sect of your own, with such clout that suppressing all your peers would be no issue at all. Truly, it is a splendid opportunity; no wonder Lingbao Tianzun threw you to this place."

At this point, Yuan Gong paused.

Then, with a tone of frustration born of high expectations, he spoke again:

"You young man carry many treasures and have received multiple inheritances."

"For others to obtain one, they would have to be grateful and devote themselves to cultivation, hoping to achieve success on the immortal path."

"But you, roaming around, when will you find the time to properly cultivate? Sort out these trivial matters as soon as possible and follow me to learn the remaining Demon Suppressing, Slaying Strange, God Slaying, and Destroying Buddha skills of the Secret Demon Sword Skill. If you do not wish to learn, find me a good successor soon. I have no need for a lazy person like you."

"Master Yuan, no need to rush, it will be soon."

While Tao Qian pondered over the plan Master Yuan had mentioned, he casually responded to his master's impatient urging.

Cuckoo occupies the sparrow's nest!

That was the plan of the old demons from Secret Demon Sect, and it was very reasonable.

If Tao Qian were truly a qualified Secret Demon Child, he should indeed follow the plan, but he wasn't, and he knew himself well. He was not the sort of "hero" who could rule a province, at least not for the time being.

However, Yuan Gong's suggestion did have points worth considering.

Holding the "Ancestor Emperor's Dao Validation Song Rhymes" in his hand, Tao Qian mulled over in his heart:

"Although the Ancestor Dragon Society has been deeply corrupted, it still holds great value, at least for the current New Moon Province. It can be said that the Ancestor Dragon Society is the only savior."

"As long as I can select those who have not yet been tainted, and once they grow into towering trees, carving out the rot from their flesh to inherit the fruits of victory would still be a great deed."

"The only problem now is, who remains untainted?"

"Lin Bujue? Zhong Ziyang? Chen Xiyi? Qi Daozhen?"

"None can be certain, as the Divine Curse is indeed an Outer Realm Evil Technique, formless and traceless. The tainted individuals show no evidence other than their fanaticism toward Ying Qingdi, and if I had not witnessed yellow-robed slaves merge into Cultivators Duan Qiu and Yin Juejun, meeting them tomorrow would likely reveal no flaws."

"Thinking about it now, it seems like Zhong Ziyang has been affected."

"So how should the screening be done?"

Tao Qian did not ponder long; as he turned his head to see a row of obedient and invisible demons waiting to receive their rewards, the answer suddenly emerged.

In his mind, a slightly mad plan took shape.

"Those who fall victim to the Outer Realm Divine Curse are branded upon the soul, becoming private property of Ying Qingdi or the evil gods behind him."

"It's said that one mountain cannot contain two tigers; if another demon were to attempt body seizing, Ying Qingdi would likely not allow it."

"I can deliberately create a large-scale body seizing incident by Outer Realm Heaven Demons to select the untainted."

Once determined, Tao Qian increasingly felt the feasibility of the plan.

And moreover, it was very convenient.

In the span of a few breaths, Tao Qian selected a location from the scenes he had previously observed, which could be exploited.

First, he would pretend to cultivate a secret technique and remove the shielding prohibitions.

Then, after giving a group of invisible demons their reward, he directly took out the Demon Gourd, gave it a shake, and demon light surged forth, revealing hundreds of various Heavenly Demons.

"Greetings, Master!"

The well-trained demons cried out in unison.

Tao Qian nodded with a smile and gave his commands:

"In a chamber some distance from here, there is a man named Kuang Fusheng."

"He is currently cultivating the Summoning Demon Technique, not well-versed, often allowing Heavenly Demons to slip in. However, he's set up a trapped demon prohibition, so there are no issues."

"Later, you will return to the Demon Gourd, with the invisible demons leading the way. Afterward, Decree Demon, you quietly meddle with it to cause the man's cultivation to go out of control, letting at least a thousand low-class, inferior Heavenly Demons pass through and break that trapped demon prohibition. Let these demons proceed with body seizing… You will accompany them and observe, selecting those who cannot be seized for me."

"However, you must also take care, as a backlash will arrive soon, and any carelessness will result in death."

"Once the task is done, destroy this Demon Gourd and then all return to the Outer Realm to await my call. Do not leave a trace."

"Is it possible?"

"Master, rest assured!"

"Piece of cake."

"Dirty work like this, we've long since mastered."

"Master, just prepare the reward and it's easy, no trouble at all."

...

After the demons boasted, they returned to the Demon Gourd, carried away without trace by the invisible demons, all heading to Kuang Fusheng's location.

Once they succeeded, Kuang Fusheng would certainly die.

But Tao Qian would feel no guilt as, though there were many heroes in the Ancestor Dragon Society, this man was not one of them.

What the invisible demon had spied on: this man's realm was at Foundation Establishment, serving in the Ancestor Dragon Society's Assassination Hall. His cultivation had hit a snag, and he had to rely on the Five Organs Divine Pill for relief, negating the consequences. The main ingredient for this elixir required the five internal organs of Human Clan members, and the organs of the wicked were of no use; only those of good people would suffice.

Through his position, this man killed several evildoers, but he had taken even more innocent lives.

Such a person, dead is dead.

ps: To be continued.

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