The people from Snow God Mountain were focused on Xue Bingbing, while those from Daluo Palace naturally had their eyes on Zhan Qing.
Zhan Qing scratched his head and also extended his right hand. A ball of light appeared in his palm, glowing golden-red with a streak of white at its core.
"Flowing Gold Fire Bell?" Taoist Shen Hao raised an eyebrow.
He was a grandmaster in the practice of the Flowing Gold Fire Bell, so he spotted the signs as soon as Zhan Qing channeled his Magical Power.
"Nanming Li Fire on the surface, but its core has transformed into the essence of ice and snow?" Taoist Shen Hao nodded. "A duality of ice and fire. How interesting."
Zhan Qing: "..."
The other young men exchanged speechless glances, then turned to Zhan Qing with teasing smirks.
Zhan Qing’s face went from pale to red. Finally, he threw caution to the wind and brazenly sent a mental message to the others, "Oldzi gets to play ’Nine Heavens of Ice and Fire’ with a gorgeous beauty. Can you?"
The smiles instantly vanished from the faces of Changyi, Yangshuo, and Xiu Ming.
Compared to Xue Bingbing’s gains, Zhan Qing’s were not as great. After all, Taoist Skills are among the top Cultivation Techniques in the world, and their core principles and Cultivation Technique Realm far surpass the Dharma Gates of Snow God Mountain.
But that didn’t mean Zhan Qing hadn’t gained anything.
First, his Divine Soul had grown stronger and his senses had become keener. The speed of his daily cultivation had indeed increased significantly.
Second, he was more adept at channeling and controlling the Ice and Snow Dharma Gate, giving him more options and openings during Magical Combat.
Third, he gained a beautiful wife with whom he shared a deep connection. His daily life became more joyful, and with a pleasant mood, his cultivation efficiency would naturally be higher.
Everyone: ???
"This is what they call a win-win," Gu Zhao said with a laugh, looking at Changyi and Yangshuo. "You two need to work harder now. Don’t let Zhan Qing leave you behind."
Changyi and Yangshuo: ε(┬┬﹏┬┬)3
With Zhan Qing and Xue Bingbing’s Harmony successfully completed, everyone returned to the backyard to start their wedding banquet.
After the banquet, Xue Yining and the others returned to Snow God Mountain, while Zhan Qing and Xue Bingbing returned to their bridal chamber.
...
The days that followed were calm on the surface, but dark currents surged beneath.
The search in Yazhou continued, but they found no trace of demons, nor any signs of mass civilian casualties.
Gu Zhao concluded that Yazhou might truly be free of Demon Cultivators.
Although Daluo Palace had only one branch temple in Shanzhou—the one on Cloud Heaven Cliff in Yunhai Prefecture—its senior Daoists and disciples had already spread throughout the region, Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits and punishing the wicked.
Similar to their approach in Yongzhou and Yazhou, Daluo Palace only established a single branch temple in the province. They didn’t occupy the prefectures and counties to monopolize the Incense, but instead traveled the lands performing righteous deeds.
Thus, they avoided conflict with local factions that had a decent reputation, and even befriended the Red Lantern Sect.
The incident began when Taoist Han Zheng and Taoist Han Xuan rushed to Shanzhou. Eager to advance their cultivation, they ended up saving a Female Ghost from the Red Lantern Sect who was about to be devoured by a Demon.
Afterward, the Sect Leader of the Red Lantern Sect personally went to the Daluo Temple on Cloud Heaven Cliff to express his thanks.
The Red Lantern Sect’s Sect Leader carried no trace of Evil Qi, making him a natural ally for Daluo Palace. Thus, Taoist Gao Yue and the others gave him a warm reception and explained the principles of Daluo Palace.
And so, the two sides became friends.
With the Great Mountain Dharma King in deep slumber, the Iron King Mountain Master in sealed seclusion, and Zang Yue Monarch hidden away in the forests, the landscape of Shanzhou shifted. Daluo Palace and the Red Lantern Sect roamed the land, suppressing the many Demon Fiends so thoroughly that they dared not rear their heads.
...
"How are things in the Central Plains?" Gu Zhao asked Li Qingshuang, who had returned from Jiangbei.
"Elder Gu Song of Pine Wave Mountain in Mingzhou," Li Qingshuang said, lying in Gu Zhao’s arms as she got down to business.
"A while ago, a large number of people in Mingzhou did meet with calamity, but the incidents were scattered and drawn out over a long period, so the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court paid it no mind." Li Qingshuang’s expression was grim.
Gu Zhao clicked his tongue but didn’t speak.
’So many people have suffered!’
’But just because the incidents were scattered and occurred over a long time, the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court—factions of the Court—didn’t even care?’
’It was clear they only cared about Incense and population numbers, which served to fuel the cultivation of the Xuanwei Divine Sect’s Ghost Gods and to provide candidates for the Spirit Court’s Spirit Monarchs to form a Harmony with.’
’As long as too many people didn’t die at once, and as long as it didn’t cause a major incident that could threaten the Court’s rule, the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court would simply turn a blind eye.’
’That’s why, even though there was order in the regions ruled by the Court, and even though there were benevolent factions like White Spirit Mountain and the Holy Union Sect, there were still those who would occasionally murder people for Refining Treasure or practice Absorbing Yin and Nourishing Yang.’
’Of course, their methods were far more restrained than those of the Nether Fire Sect in Wanling Jiangnan or the Mo Lake Ink Flood Dragon.’
"Go on. What happened next?" Gu Zhao asked.
"Then, just recently, the number of casualties in Mingzhou suddenly surged," Li Qingshuang said. "A Spirit Monarch from the Spirit Court who was investigating was killed, and only then did the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court take notice.
"While we were still investigating, Elder Gu Song was apparently preparing to leave Mingzhou when a Spirit Monarch from the Spirit Court noticed something was off. The Spirit Monarch had only intended to stop him for questioning, but Elder Gu Song suddenly attacked!
"That Spirit Monarch was no match for him and was killed. However, the Mingzhou Branch Director of the Spirit Court and the Command Envoy of the Xuanwei Divine Sect reacted quickly, bringing two other masters to surround him.
"In the end, Elder Gu Song revealed his Demon Body. He heavily wounded one of the masters and the Xuanwei Divine Sect’s Command Envoy, but was killed in the process.
"The Spirit Court’s subsequent investigation revealed that the area beneath Pine Wave Mountain had indeed been transformed into a Demon Realm. If he had been allowed to unleash it, thousands of miles of land could have been corrupted by Demonic Qi."
"I see," Gu Zhao said, understanding.
’Vicious Demons, innocent people dying in vain, an indifferent Court... this world isn’t exactly a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but it’s no golden age of peace, either.’
Gu Zhao felt a pang of regret.
’Another great Demon with several thousand years of Dao Practice... He must have had at least three Thunder Seeds, right?’
’What a waste!’
Speaking of which, Gu Zhao grew a bit puzzled. "He was so good at hiding before, wasn’t he? He spread out his murders for Refining Demon over a long time and a wide area. Why did he speed things up recently?"
"He was on the cusp of a Realm Breakthrough, I think." Li Qingshuang was also a little puzzled. After a moment’s thought, she explained, "Perhaps things had been going too smoothly for him, so he got careless this time.
"It’s also possible he caught wind of something—that the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court were investigating the practice of Demon Techniques. He might have rushed his Realm Breakthrough, which is how he exposed himself."
Gu Zhao nodded, finding her explanation plausible.
"Since Daluo Palace has already made a name for itself in Jiangbei, I’ll have Martial Uncle Yan Song and Martial Uncle Yi Hong head over for a look," Gu Zhao said to Li Qingshuang. "We can consider it giving the Spirit Court a hand."
Touched, Li Qingshuang silenced him with her lips.
...
Deep within a certain cavern, a voice seethed.
"Idiot!"
"I told you to deal with Daluo Palace, yet you just had to rush a breakthrough?"
"And you wanted to go to Jiangnan? You couldn’t even make it out of Mingzhou before being found by those Little Demons and little ghosts."
"You couldn’t even handle a few Little Demons and little ghosts with their mongrel techniques!"
"Useless!"