Volume One: The Lich Cataclysm Chapter 149: The Homecoming of the Spirit Clan, Wanshou Mountain Opens Its Blessed Land

“Oh? And why do you think I would agree to such a request?”
After hearing Zhenyuanzi’s plea, Qingxuan regarded him with an unreadable expression.

“Ah, will you not, Master?” Zhenyuanzi asked, a faint note of disappointment coloring his voice.

“You haven’t given me any reason why I should agree, so why should I grant your request?”
Qingxuan looked at Zhenyuanzi with an amused smile.

At these words, Zhenyuanzi immediately realized that Qingxuan was deliberately leaving him an opening.

“Master, I know that you created the Spirit Clan for the sake of the primordial world. Though I don’t understand all the reasons behind it, I am certain that my intuition has not led me astray.

Even though, when you created the Spirit Clan, you gave them great protection, their mysterious nature means that any appearance on the land of the Great Desolation will surely draw attention.

While some may hesitate to act openly out of respect for you, that does not mean there will be no schemes in the shadows.

Yet the blessed land I have established could serve not only to amplify their innate strengths but also to provide them with shelter and protection.”

As he finished speaking, Zhenyuanzi looked at Qingxuan, nervous and uncertain.

After all, he could not be sure what his master was truly thinking.

But Qingxuan merely smiled enigmatically and spoke to Zhenyuanzi with meaningful intent:
“Very well. Since you have considered things so thoroughly, I trust you will treat them well. From now on, the Spirit Clan shall be yours to oversee.”

Zhenyuanzi stared at Qingxuan in shock.

“What? Master, you agreed just like that?”

Suddenly, Zhenyuanzi felt as if he had boarded a pirate ship—one he had proposed to board himself.

Qingxuan, seeing Zhenyuanzi’s bewildered expression, was utterly delighted.

He thought to himself, I was just pondering how to arrange things for them, and now you’ve so thoughtfully volunteered for the task! Since a master’s troubles are meant to be borne by his disciples, this is only fair!

“Isn’t this precisely what you hoped for?” Qingxuan said, his face impassive but his heart brimming with joy.

The pleasure of handing off responsibility was truly exquisite.

Perhaps, he mused, I should take on a few more disciples in the future—then I could simply delegate any troublesome matters to them.

But then he shook his head at the thought.

No, after all, disciples like Zhenyuanzi are rare indeed. Besides, raising a worthy disciple takes no small amount of effort.

And so, Qingxuan dismissed the notion.

“Very well. Thank you, Master,” Zhenyuanzi said at last, no longer dwelling on the matter. After all, he had been the one to bring it up in the first place.

“Since that’s settled, you—my chief disciple—should go and meet some old friends. Whether for carving out your blessed land or for your cultivation, it will be a valuable opportunity.”

Qingxuan knew that with the Earth Tome, Zhenyuanzi would become the ancestor of the Earth Immortals and eventually develop the great art of the Universe in the Sleeve—a profound application of the Dao of Space. Now that Zhenyuanzi was his disciple, Qingxuan felt compelled to make plans for him.

Yet, because Zhenyuanzi had spent years cultivating the laws of earth and pondering his own path, he had not yet mastered what would become his most formidable technique.

“Master, are we going to visit that venerable one?”
The person Zhenyuanzi referred to was Yangmei, whom he had met once during Hongjun’s teachings. With Qingxuan mentioning the establishment of the blessed land, Yangmei came readily to Zhenyuanzi’s mind.

“That’s right. Clever of you to guess.”
With a wave of his hand, Qingxuan sliced open the air before them, quickly grasped Zhenyuanzi’s arm, and the two vanished from the spot.

When they reappeared, they stood above the Eastern Sea.

Zhenyuanzi was still marveling at his master’s prowess when a hearty voice rang out:

“Qingxuan, old friend, what brings you all the way to my Eastern Sea?”

The next moment, Zhenyuanzi felt a gaze settle upon him, and the voice continued:

“Well now, this young one at your side is certainly intriguing. For someone to have reached this stage in these times, it’s no small feat. No wonder he’s caught your eye.”

“Oh, come now, Yangmei. Don’t pretend you can’t see that he’s my disciple,” Qingxuan replied, suppressing a roll of his eyes but smiling nonetheless.

“There’s no need to take it so seriously, Qingxuan. I was only teasing. So, what brings you and this lad here?”
Yangmei’s tone suddenly grew more serious as he addressed Qingxuan.

“I’ve come on behalf of my disciple,” Qingxuan replied.

“Oh? There are things even you cannot settle? Now I’m truly curious—do tell, so that I may share in your amusement.”
Yangmei grinned at Qingxuan.

Qingxuan took no offense and simply explained, “This concerns his path to enlightenment. In the Great Desolation, when it comes to the Dao of Space, none can rival you. So I have brought him to seek your guidance.”

“So that’s what this is about,” Yangmei said, understanding Qingxuan’s intentions.

“Let’s continue this conversation inside,” he said, inviting them into his abode.

Once inside, and after some discussion, Yangmei shared his insights into the Dao of Space with Zhenyuanzi.

Zhenyuanzi gained much from this teaching.

Yangmei then turned to Qingxuan and said, “Since that’s the case, let me join you and see for myself. Only then can I point out what he still lacks.”

“That would be most appreciated. Thank you, Yangmei,” Qingxuan replied with heartfelt gratitude, turning to Zhenyuanzi and tapping him on the shoulder.

“Foolish boy, aren’t you going to thank Yangmei?”

“Thank you, Elder Yangmei,” Zhenyuanzi said promptly, bowing in gratitude.

Yangmei waved away the thanks, unconcerned, and soon the group arrived at Zhenyuanzi’s residence, the Five Immortals Monastery.

“This is quite a spot you have here. No wonder he became your disciple,” Yangmei quipped, eyeing the enormous Ginseng Fruit Tree in the monastery’s rear courtyard and casting a teasing glance at Qingxuan.

Qingxuan merely shrugged off the jest, unaffected, while Zhenyuanzi produced the Earth Tome and began preparations to establish the blessed land of Mount Longevity.

Situated at the boundary between East and West, and being Zhenyuanzi’s own Daoist domain, he had no intention of handling this place as casually as before.

With both Qingxuan and Yangmei there to support him, he felt no fear of any unforeseen complications.