Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology
Chapter 259 - 237: Chaozhen Joins, Deduction of the Void Realm (2/3)

Chapter 259: Chapter 237: Chaozhen Joins, Deduction of the Void Realm (2/3)

The words of the Heavenly Venerate, Song Lin did not believe a single one.

This guy uses the Blessing Ceremony to spread the Void Capturing Technique, stealing the power of others. He is essentially a Great Demon.

Moreover, the transactions conducted within the Blessing Ceremony, facilitated by the Void Capturing Technique, often involve many precious cultivation techniques. The Heavenly Venerate likely stole numerous techniques and intelligence through this method.

His identity is unknown, hidden in the shadows. With this understanding, Song Lin deemed his words untrustworthy.

Of course, the untrustworthiness of the Heavenly Venerate does not mean the Taoist School’s words could be trusted either.

Perhaps there truly is a Great Demon, and perhaps there truly is an Exotic Treasure.

The Heavenly Venerate revealing this information to everyone may be part of his own scheme.

Song Lin knew that Xuan Lady was Yun Xiao, and he assumed that most of those present were elites of the Taoist School; the Heavenly Venerate likely knew this as well.

This deliberate disclosure might be an attempt to muddy the waters.

No matter what, this Heavenly Venerate fellow is far from simple. It’s never a bad thing to stay vigilant.

After the meeting concluded, Song Lin returned to reality.

...

Chaozhen Temple.

A white-haired youth, dressed in a purple Dragon Phoenix Robe with the Five Thunders Talisman hanging at his waist, was standing before the dharma altar, officially assuming his position.

"Master Hua Qing, submitting to Heaven above and respecting the common people below..."

As the dharma conch sounded, the talismans turned to flying ash, ascending to the Nine Heavens, signifying that Hua Qing had officially succeeded to the position of temple master.

"Divine Establishment, Five Thunders Talisman... Next, is it Song Lin?"

Hua Qing thought to himself.

No, he wanted to surpass him!

Hua Qing originally had a good relationship with Song Lin.

He had once even used the Transformation Technique to help Song Lin through a crisis, and Song Lin had also saved his life.

But as the gap between the two widened, coupled with the deterioration of Hua Qing’s relationship with his master Fire Cloud, the two gradually lost contact.

Hua Qing and Song Lin had received their liturgies together, making them peers within the same generation.

When Song Lin broke through to the Core Formation stage, he became a competitor, and Hua Qing’s mentality began to change. It was a mix of jealousy tinged with hatred.

In the past, his attitude toward Song Lin was like that of a rich heir looking down on his servant.

He never expected this servant would grow to a level he now had to look up to. How could his mind not experience a sudden upheaval?

"Just wait, I will catch up to you step by step and trample you beneath me!"

Hua Qing thought to himself.

Snapping back to reality, he gazed at the people of Chaozhen Temple before him.

Most of the remaining disciples of Chaozhen Temple had pledged themselves to him.

Coupled with the team he brought with him, it was now the configuration of a first-rate Taoist temple.

At that moment, the figure of Fire Cloud suddenly appeared.

"Greetings, Taoist Master!"

Fire Cloud nodded slightly, gesturing for everyone to rise.

"Not bad. From now on, focus your minds and do not slack off."

Fire Cloud saw through the excitement and vigor in his disciple’s heart with just a glance.

"Understood, Master."

"Next month, I will take the Five Masters on a journey. You and Hua Yang will stay behind to take charge of the overall situation."

"Where is Master going?" Hua Qing asked.

"To handle a great matter."

Fire Cloud’s gaze turned profound, a flash of killing intent surfacing. After many days of waiting, the opportunity had finally arrived.

This time, there would be no hesitation. When he saw Song Lin, he would kill him directly, leaving no loose ends.

As Song Lin’s cultivation continued to grow, Fire Cloud felt an increasing weight of pressure.

This man was undoubtedly a great threat.

"While I’m away, do not act rashly. No matter what occurs, wait for my return before making any decisions."

"Understood."

......

Xuanke Temple, the courtyard of the Master Temple.

An elder and a younger man admired the moon while drinking leisurely.

Chaozhen, slightly tipsy, looked up at the bright moon in the sky and sighed: "Ah, a foundation of several centuries has ultimately been destroyed."

Now, he was faring worse than the Five Ghosts Taoist of the Five Ghosts Temple.

That guy was the first to pledge allegiance to Song Lin and, in his eyes, was nothing more than a sycophant.

Now, the Five Ghosts Taoist was living quite well.

The temple’s foundational cultivation technique, the Five Ghosts Technique, had its practicing threshold lowered thanks to the addition of Yin Soil and the Water Technique Refining Soldiers. The number of recruited disciples was now five times what it used to be.

Coupled with the shared resources of the alliance, they could now support a vast number of disciples. The temple’s strength had grown manyfold compared to before.

In contrast, the Chaozhen Taoist had faltered.

Aside from himself, one Core Formation cultivator, five or six Divine Establishment cultivators, and a few dozen Qi Cultivators were all that remained.

These people were now reliant on Xuanke Temple.

"There may yet be a chance for resurgence in the future." Song Lin consoled.

Chaozhen did not reply, merely drinking in silence.

Having learned today of Hua Qing’s succession as temple master, his mood had been gloomy, and he drank continuously.

After a long while, Chaozhen finally spoke, his voice hoarse:

"Master Song, to be honest, I used to think you were a fool."

"What?"

Song Lin was speechless. How did this conversation suddenly turn toward him?

"Really, your methods of governance baffled me. You clearly had better options—why insist on choosing paths that were troublesome and ineffective?"

Chaozhen’s words echoed the confusion of many people.

The rule of the strongest, where the one with the biggest fists held the privileges—was this not the universal principle?

Heart and ethics were worthless. Spending an hour every day studying these concepts was a waste of time that could be used practicing more spells.

"Now I understand. I have lived for centuries, witnessed countless darkness and injustices, and had grown accustomed to them. Now that it has fallen upon me, I finally see what is wrong..."

The chaos within the Taoist School stemmed from uneven quality, violent tempers, a love for conflict, and a fixation on fame and profit.

Anyone with a bit of power would proclaim themselves immortal ancestors, oppressing others and sucking them dry.

The methods for dealing with their own kind were far more refined and a thousand times more sinister than the ones used against demons.

A significant portion of their strength was squandered on internal conflict. When disasters arose, their first instinct was to shirk responsibility and look for opportunities in the chaos—ways to eliminate those they despised.

Evil proliferated, truth was abandoned for falsehood.

"Your methods address these issues at their root, suppressing chaos, uniting forces, and weathering difficult times together. The initial results are promising, and this path will surely flourish in the future!"

Hearts yearned for peace.

Ordinary people longed for a stable life, while regular cultivators wished to avoid scheming and strife.

This is why the Taoist disciples and Taoists within the alliance held Song Lin in such high regard—this way of life spared them the constant fear of being on edge.

The Three Refuges, Three Laws, and Nine Precepts aligned with the development of the times. As long as Song Lin remained strong, an overwhelming tide would inevitably follow.

"Haha, Taoist friend, you flatter me. I am not worthy of such praise."

Song Lin broke into a sweat. He didn’t think he was as noble and righteous as Chaozhen believed.

If he were truly that upright, Song Lin would have died countless times by now.

However, he had principles. He never picked fights without reason nor overstepped moral boundaries. He always sought harmony and avoided unnecessary conflicts—though if someone provoked him, that was a different matter.

Chaozhen seemed to have made a firm decision.

"Master Song, let me join the temple. From now on, there will no longer be a Chaozhen Temple Master, only the Xuanke Temple Chaozhen Taoist!"

"Are you certain?" Song Lin’s gaze was piercing.

Having someone as strong as a mid-Core Formation cultivator join would be an immense boon for the temple.

"I have decided."

Chaozhen’s eyes were resolute.

"Good. From now on, you will serve as the acting Sky Network Steward of Xuanke Temple, overseeing the Thunder Mansion Ghost Soldiers’ patrols. Once your performance in future assessments is deemed satisfactory, the acting title will be removed. The same applies to the other disciples."

Qingyu belonged to the study of magic and faced stricter evaluations.

Chaozhen, being a skilled recruit, was evaluated less stringently.

"Chaozhen greets the Temple Master!"

Chaozhen bowed deeply.

"Rise, Taoist friend. There’s no need for excessive formality."

Song Lin paused for a moment before saying, "There will be an important event next month. Tomorrow, I will notify everyone to prepare early, and then I’ll select some people to accompany me."

"What important event?" Chaozhen’s gaze sharpened.

"I can’t say just yet."

That night, Song Lin returned to the Little Golden Altar Cave Heaven to cultivate.

There was still plenty of time, and the event next month might not even occur as planned.

The emergence of the Void Realm followed certain patterns.

If the pattern could not be discerned, one might fruitlessly wait at Eight Sceneries Mountain for centuries.

Although he spoke of next month, it might take even longer.

During this period, Song Lin sorted through various cultivation techniques, keeping the useful ones and thoroughly discarding the rest.

At that very moment, Mingxing Peak and Plum Blossom Mountain simultaneously received the message.

The two parties began deducing the location of the Void Realm.

Mingxing Peak.

A compass hovered before Zhi Xin, spinning rapidly as it calculated at an incredible pace.

Master Mei Hua was doing the same.

Fifteen days later.

"Got it!"

They both completed their calculations almost simultaneously.

Their results, however, were entirely different.

...

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