Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology
Chapter 217 - 199: Taoist Dissemination, Initial Formation of the Donghua Alliance. _4

Chapter 217: Chapter 199: Taoist Dissemination, Initial Formation of the Donghua Alliance. _4

Today, the backing from Zhi Xin brought hope to the crowd.

If not for that, Song Lin might have been stuck in prison for several years.

"Thank you, temple master!"

"Don’t thank me yet. This comes with conditions. You must adhere to the Three Refuges, Three Precepts, and Nine Rules. If you fail to comply, don’t blame me for being merciless!"

Song Lin’s eyes gleamed with thunderous intent, and the immense pressure radiating from him made it difficult for the crowd to breathe.

Among those present, he was the only one who had achieved Core Formation. The strongest of the others were merely on the same level as Wang Ziyue or Guu Yuchan.

Song Lin was absolutely qualified to make this demand.

Song Lin carefully explained the Three Refuges, Three Precepts, and Nine Rules.

The crowd committed them to memory, deeply.

"Perhaps you’ve grown accustomed to your previous ways of survival. Regardless, you must change."

"In the past, Taoist temples were wary of one another, and were forced to exploit the potential of their disciples more than necessary. Now, we belong to the same magic vein, allied as one. It’s time to ease our pace."

"Yes, Alliance Hierarch!"

Under the quiet radiance of the night, stars aligned in their array.

Bathed in moonlight, seven Taoists bowed respectfully before a young man.

Moonlight, the dharma altar, stars, mountains, rivers... all came together to form an illustration of the Donghua reception of Taoist blessings.

The Gengzi Year, Guiwei Month, Bingchen Day.

The preliminary Donghua Magic Alliance was established.

Of course, the alliance lacked an official name at this time; it was merely an informal verbal agreement.

"Five Ghosts Temple, Mountain Demon Temple, White Bone Temple, True Demon Temple—practice the Water Technique, Divine Medium Immortal Technique..."

The Five Ghosts Taoist, Taoist Mu Ke, Tongyou Taoist, and Taoist Qinghong bowed in gratitude.

"Yunze Temple will share the Thunder Skill."

Yun Lian bowed in thanks.

"Yin Hua and Wang Ziyue, you will lead the respective temple masters to disseminate the techniques among their disciples. In the future, some disciples from external temples may be absorbed; the specific processes will be up to you to decide."

Song Lin didn’t bother pondering these intricate details.

If he had to handle everything personally, he’d die of exhaustion.

As long as the rules—like the Three Refuges—weren’t violated, Song Lin’s demands remained minimal.

"Mountain Sea Temple Master of Qi Eating Temple and Sword Peak Mountain Temple Master Zhuu Shan, stay behind."

These two were elderly, their heads full of white hair, exuding a desolate aura.

After successive battles, their temples had exhausted their potential and faced generational decline.

Additionally, Fire Cloud had "cut off supplies," leaving the temples on the brink of collapse.

Soon, when the two passed away, their temples would likely be taken over by the jungle sect.

"I have a Cultivation Skill that might work for the Qi Eating Temple—it could provide a way forward."

Turning back to Zhuu Shan, he said, "I possess a Swordman Technique that can solve your immediate concerns!"

Sword Peak Mountain primarily practiced the Vajra Lingtong swordsmanship.

Through weapons enlightened by ritual, they controlled numerous blades to attack their enemies, reminiscent of the Heavenly Lady City Breaking Skill they once wielded.

However, Holy Might Taoist School was not adept at sword cultivation, leaving them stuck at this juncture.

"But I have one condition: the temple master positions must be surrendered to Xuanke Temple disciples."

The two exchanged glances, and Zhuu Shan chuckled. "Haha, at our age, we’ve learned to let go. So long as our temples remain intact and are not seized by that pest Fire Cloud, I have no objections."

The older generation all held disdain for Fire Cloud.

"Fine, I have a disciple named Guu Yuchan—tomorrow I will remove his registration and transfer him to Qi Eating Temple for integration."

"As for Sword Peak Mountain... Mr. Zhuu, you can temporarily oversee it. The temple has a disciple named Yan Jiuge who is skilled in swordsmanship; however, he is currently in seclusion. Once he breaks through, he will inherit the master position."

Song Lin brought his two fingers together in a sword gesture, and black energy danced at his fingertips, materializing into a ghostly treasure sword.

"What is this?" Zhuu Shan’s brow furrowed.

"This is the Swordman Dao I intend to teach you."

Song Lin gave a mysterious smile.

Qi Eating Temple would inherit the Cultivation Skill, while Sword Peak Mountain would inherit the Immortal Martial True Magic Vein.

Both methods now possessed techniques for achieving Core Formation, and there was even potential for further advancement beyond that realm.

Song Lin had high hopes for these two magic veins; such extraordinary skills were best entrusted to his own people.

Soon, the two bid their farewells and departed.

Feeling idle, Song Lin descended the mountain.

The next day would involve a great deal of planning.

The temple housed three young disciples: Yan Jiuge, Pei Yu, and Guu Yuchan.

The first two were still struggling in the Qi Cultivation Stage, though they were close to achieving Divine Establishment.

Yan Jiuge possessed innate sensing of Geng Metal Thunder and Lightning and was immensely skilled in the Sword Dao. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Perhaps he could inherit the Swordman Technique.

Before he knew it, Song Lin arrived at Shanyin County, transforming his attire into that of common cloth and blending into the town.

The county was brightly lit, with bustling night markets flanking the County Government. It was approximately eight or nine in the evening, and the market was crowded and lively.

"What would you like to drink?"

Song Lin arrived at a tea house.

"Bring me a pot of Maojian tea," he said.

Song Lin chose a seat near the street.

The aroma of stinky tofu, roasted pig trotters, chestnuts, stewed dishes, and roasted duck wafted up from the stalls along the street.

"Mother, I want to eat this!"

"Old man, one bowl of stewed noodles!"

"Coming right up!"

This place felt more like a state capital than a county town.

This was the result of Song Lin’s policies.

Ever since the temples had been moved up to the mountain and Taoists had been separated from ordinary people, forbidding casual displays of Taoist Skill, Shanyin County had become increasingly prosperous.

The temple’s authority hadn’t diminished; rather, it had engraved itself deeper into people’s hearts. The incense offerings at the branch temples in the town never stopped.

This was thanks to the temple’s governance policies.

First, the temple lands were returned to the common people, while the County Magistrate was instructed to crack down on oligarchs, ensuring all citizens had land.

Of course, this didn’t mean the temple received no income.

Normally, the land tax was thirty percent, with ten percent allocated as the temple’s stewardship tax.

Land managed by Taoists yielded a thousand catties per acre without difficulty, and everyone was willing to pay this share of taxes.

While it might seem that the temple abandoned its lands, it had essentially brought all land income into its system, leaving the common people grateful. This was Song Lin’s brilliance.

"The Seven Temples will commence implementing the Three Refuges and Nine Precepts—it’s truly something to look forward to."

Song Lin stood, casually tossed a piece of broken silver onto the table, and vanished. The patrons in the tea house gasped in awe.

Many people still found Song Lin’s policy hard to understand.

The Three Refuges and Nine Precepts were not some ultimate secret manual, merely a set of rules and ideals. They could not increase cultivation levels directly.

Some Taoists, despite having achieved Qi Refinement, could not obtain the Grand Commissioner Talisman, precisely because of this.

In truth, these precepts were of utmost importance.

Other skills might only be techniques, but the Three Refuges were what distinguished this Taoist School from others.

Song Lin aspired to become a Heavenly Master and was determined to make meaningful changes.

If he were as unprincipled and shameless as Fire Cloud and Holy Might, what would be the point of becoming Heavenly Master?

Furthermore, the Three Refuges and Nine Precepts were far from insignificant. Imagine two interchangeable Taoist schools of similar strength—one united in purpose, the other rife with internal strife.

The victor would be obvious.

A sect with unified ideology, shared magic vein, and common rules and precepts would undoubtedly instill fear in its rivals.

Even if it momentarily disbanded, it could rise again someday.

A spark could ignite a prairie fire.

"Let it begin today!"

Song Lin’s figure gradually faded into the darkness.

On Mingxing Peak, within a humble straw hut.

A green phoenix bird flew into the hut, circling around Zhi Xin several times.

"The Three Refuges and Nine Precepts? Interesting."

Zhi Xin’s lips curled into a faint smile.

This Song Lin was a fascinating person.

The Taoist School had grown far too corrupt, with endless bloodshed and fratricide; Zhi Xin had retreated to the mountains to avoid witnessing such chaos.

Zhi Xin, detached; Song Lin, engaged.

Yet the two shared similar views.

If Song Lin succeeded in his reform, the world would undoubtedly be brighter.

"Let me wait and see," Zhi Xin murmured, a wistful glint in his eyes.

Returning to his thoughts, Zhi Xin began writing on paper.

"Old Mei Hua, I’ve acquired a piece of the bone weighing rhyme; it might debunk your deterministic fallacies..."