Young Noble Be Monster Slaying
Chapter 897: Returning to Mount Shu (II) (Teaser)

Upon returning to his small wooden cabin, Chu Liang sat down cross-legged and sent his divine sense into the White Pagoda.

Inside the pagoda's space, the Great Dao Puppet, Chu Liang's new employee, was circulating qi furiously. A gloomy storm cloud was forming above its head. Lightning darted back and forth within it like a small golden dragon roaming through stormy skies. Incredibly terrifying Dao essence was gradually taking shape in it.

After understanding the characteristics of the Great Dao Puppet, Chu Liang figured out how to make it master a Great Dao. It was actually quite simple. He just needed to inject the Great Dao Puppet with a strand of Dao essence. After that, whenever it encountered a similar Dao essence, it would automatically absorb and condense it until it mastered a Great Dao.

If someone else had obtained this puppet, they would likely have had to search everywhere for Dao essence to feed it. However, Chu Liang did not need to do that. He had access to more than one item that could be called the origin essence of a Great Dao!

For instance, the Mount Shu Sect's Vessel of God carried the origin essence of the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination, providing an endless supply of its Dao essence.

Of course, it would be quite difficult to move such an item into the White Pagoda since he had not obtained it from the White Pagoda.

At the start, Chu Liang thought he could not bring foreign objects into the White Pagoda at all. However, he later discovered that he could freely take food in and out for Tuntun.

He spent some time experimenting and eventually found that he could take items without a spiritual nature in and out freely. On the other hand, if the items had a spiritual nature, he would have to use his spiritual qi to bring them inside.

For a legendary artifact like the Mount Shu Sect's Vessel of God, Chu Liang would need to use up an enormous amount of spiritual qi to take it into the White Pagoda.

Additionally, there was already a lot of competition for the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination. Chu Liang could not compete with Daoist Yan for it as well. Even if Daoist Yan were to leave the world one day, Jiang Yuebai would be waiting to take over.

Thus, Chu Liang did not consider using the Mount Shu Sect's Vessel of God to provide Dao essence for the Great Dao Puppet. The better option was naturally the Dragon God's Orb, a treasure condensed from the cultivation energy of the ninth-realm Dragon God. It harbored the origin essence of the Great Dao of Divine Clouds.

Currently, the Great Dao of Divine Clouds did not have a Dao Master. As long as the Great Dao Puppet could absorb enough the Divine Clouds' Dao essence, it could become its Dao Master at once.

In other words, Chu Liang could wield the power of an eighth-realm Eminent One while he was still at the seventh realm!

Just like when he started producing elemental foundational qi despite only being at the fourth realm, Chu Liang had once again obtained power beyond his cultivation level. This would allow him to stand against eighth-realm Eminent Ones on the battlefield.

The storm cloud above the Great Dao Puppet's head grew denser and more intense. Completing the process of attaining the Heavenly Origin in such a confined space had the same vibe as forging a legendary artifact in a small workshop—ridiculously amazing.

The Dao essence had become so condensed that it was practically solid. Chu Liang felt an immense sense of awe just from looking at it.

Looking at the row of Large-Headed Dolls lined up neatly, a deep sense of satisfaction welled up within him.

Chu Liang stuck his arms up in the air and waved gleefully. "Good work, everyone! I'll be able to advance very soon!"

…

The weather at Mount Shu was clear and sunny. However, a huge wave of dark clouds loomed over a lone island in the East Sea.

About a hundred disciples in blue robes stood on a pitch-black beach, looking up at a mountain with solemn expressions, seemingly awaiting the arrival of an important moment.

At the summit of the mountain, two men stood facing each other on a cliff. One was Daoist Cangqiu, who wore a dark and ferocious expression, and the other was Daoist Cangyun, his fury written all over his face. They glared at each other so intensely that sparks seemed to fly out.

There were over a dozen other Eminent Ones on the cliff, standing behind one of the two men to show their support. Meanwhile, Yang Shenlong alone stood neutrally between them, his expression solemn but respectful.

"Before his death, the sect leader entrusted the East Sea Chrono Wheel to Shenlong, clearly recognizing him as the next leader of the Penglai Supreme Sect. But now, you want to seize the Chrono Wheel from him. Are you trying to betray our sect?" Daoist Cangyun shouted angrily.

There were only two Eminent Ones standing behind him, far fewer than those supporting Daoist Cangqiu. That placed him at a significant disadvantage.

Daoist Cangqiu let out a cold snort and replied, "Firstly, it was under Cangsheng's autocratic rule that the Penglai Supreme Sect ended up in its current state. How could his decisions still be considered correct?

"Secondly, it's all because of the Mount Shu Sect that we've even fallen this far. The Mount Shu Sect killed our disciples, colluded with diabolical cultivators to destroy our three islands, and even allied with the demons to seize our home. Yet, Yang Shenlong wants to have the Penglai Supreme Sect submit to the Mount Shu Sect! You want to talk about betraying our sect? That is betraying our sect!

"Thirdly, the East Sea Chrono Wheel is the legendary artifact that protects our sect. Yang Shenlong is merely a seventh-realm junior. How could he possibly keep it safe? If we let him take it away, it will only end up in Mount Shu's hands. As disciples of Penglai, we absolutely cannot sit idly by and let that happen!"

A chorus of voices rose up behind him in agreement. "That's right!"

… 

At its peak, the Penglai Supreme Sect had been overflowing with Eminent Ones and powerful cultivators. However, it had recently suffered a series of hardships and setbacks as a result of its own actions. It was no surprise that the Penglai Supreme Sect was no longer the incredible force it once was.

Nevertheless, the sect still had two eighth-realm Eminent Ones, over a dozen seventh-realm Eminent Ones, and more than a hundred elite disciples. Most importantly, it still possessed a legendary artifact, the East Sea Chrono Wheel. Daoist Cangsheng had sacrificed his life to return it to the sect.

With all that, it didn't matter where they went; they could still rise again in the future.

The problem was that Daoist Cangsheng had entrusted the East Sea Chrono Wheel to Yang Shenlong.

This was clearly no coincidence. Before his death, Daoist Cangsheng had already taught Yang Shenlong the mnemonic chant to retrieve and store the East Sea Chrono Wheel.

Yang Shenlong wasn't powerful enough to wield it yet, but storing away the East Sea Chrono Wheel was a simple task that he could certainly do.

It was obvious what Daoist Cangsheng had meant by entrusting the East Sea Chrono Wheel to Yang Shenlong. In the face of this crisis, he had chosen Yang Shenlong to be the next sect leader of the Penglai Supreme Sect.

That made Daoist Cangqiu deeply dissatisfied. After all, with Daoist Cangsheng dead, Daoist Cangqiu was undoubtedly the strongest cultivator in the Penglai Supreme Sect now.

He had thought he would become the new master of Penglai, yet Daoist Cangsheng had handed the legendary artifact to that snot-nosed brat Yang Shenlong!

Worse still, when Yang Shenlong returned from his trip to the Far West, he discussed with several sect elders the feasibility of Chu Liang acquiring the Penglai Supreme Sect.

Chu Liang's terms were extremely generous, but those who still remained in the Penglai Supreme Sect at this point were absolutely loyal to it. Anyone even slightly less steadfast in their ties to the sect would have fled long ago.

The Penglai Supreme Sect had a huge grudge against the Mount Shu Sect, so it was only natural that the remaining members of the sect felt conflicted.

Seizing this opportune moment, Daoist Cangqiu rallied the crowd to force Yang Shenlong to hand over the East Sea Chrono Wheel.

Meanwhile, Daoist Cangyun had chosen to abide by Cangsheng's dying wish and stood firmly on Yang Shenlong's side. Unfortunately, very few stood with him.

… 

Yang Shenlong waited for the crowd to quiet down before speaking. "Grandteacher Cangqiu, I would like to ask you this. If I were to hand over the East Sea Chrono Wheel and make you the new sect leader, where would you lead Penglai to?"

"I..." Daoist Cangqiu was caught off guard by the question, and he hesitated for a moment. "Naturally, I would seek out new land and establish a new base for us there."

"Despite the state our sect has fallen to, we still have many disciples. Ordinary lands cannot provide enough natural resources to sustain us. If we want abundant resources or a blessed land, we will inevitably come into conflict with other sects," Yang Shenlong said calmly. "At this time, no one will support Penglai, and our current situation means we cannot afford to make new enemies. Aside from Chu Liang, there are very few who are both willing and able to help us."

"That can be dealt with later," Daoist Cangqiu replied, flinging his sleeves out with a huff. "Just hand over the legendary artifact. For the other issues, we of course have a plan to deal with them."

"You have always acted with arrogance and disregard for others. Back when the East Sea region was under your control, there were endless complaints, and the subordinate sects grew disloyal and divided. If that wasn't the case, would we have ended up with nowhere to go today? If Penglai is handed over to you, the sect will be doomed," Yang Shenlong stated, frighteningly calm. The more composed he was, the more agitated Cangqiu became. "Do you truly intend to seize the legendary artifact and cause Penglai to fracture once again?"

"I don't need you to teach me how to act!" Daoist Cangqiu snapped coldly. "Before dealing with external threats, we must settle things internally first. If you don't hand over the East Sea Chrono Wheel today, don't blame me for disregarding our old ties!"

His robes billowed violently, and dark lightning crisscrossed the sky.

"Cangqiu, you dare?!" Daoist Cangyun bellowed.

He flung out his sleeves as well, and a fierce gale rose behind him.

"Then let's see whose skills are better."

Things were playing out just the way Daoist Cangqiu wanted. He might not be able to outargue Yang Shenlong in wit, but when it came to cultivation power, no one present was a match for him.

Daoist Cangyun said hurriedly, "Shenlong! My cultivation power is weaker than his. If it comes to a fight, I fear I will lose. Give me the East Sea Chrono Wheel, and I will suppress this traitor!"

However, Yang Shenlong merely gave a slight smile and shook his head. "Grandteacher Cangyun, there's no need to put on an act. Even if you aren't aligned with him, your intentions are just as sinister. You won't fool me today."

"…" Daoist Cangyun stiffened at his words.

After pausing for a moment, he dropped his righteous facade and revealed a dark and chilling expression. "You're quite the cunning little brat. No wonder Senior Brother Cangsheng was fooled into entrusting the sect's fate to you. Give it a few more decades, and you might indeed become a true figure of power. But unfortunately, it is not yet your time."

Daoist Cangqiu turned to Yang Shenlong and declared coldly, "If you don't hand over the legendary artifact today, don't even think about leaving."

"I never intended to leave," Yang Shenlong replied, still as calm as before. "You are the ones who should be running."

Meanwhile, Yang Yuhu was watching all of this from the sidelines. He quietly gripped a token and sent out a message with just one word.

[Yang Yuhu]: "Now!"