Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Su Qing emerged victorious from Shipwreck Bay, making a fortune by acquiring the Dragon Boat Taotie, the Mountain and Sea Map, and other valuable items. He also brought a windfall to the other cultivators at Wanghai, greatly boosting team cohesion, raising the morale of the entire fleet, and significantly increasing its combat power.

That old Taoist priest Tong, who was crying for help on Langya Immortal Island, was in a terrible state.

Since he displayed his mastery of the heavens, bestowing the title of Little Bamboo God upon the old bamboo spirit and elevating the Yin-Yang Star Array to the fourth-order limit, he has been able to keep Penglai's attack outside the island and has also gained a chance to catch his breath.

During this time, he pleaded and begged many fellow Daoists to come to the Immortal Island to help him, but very few accepted his invitation. Even those who came were lured by his promise of great rewards and traveled thousands of miles to help. Some were not skilled enough and were killed by the Penglai cultivators who were blocking the island before they even reached Langya Immortal Island. Others were opportunistic and, seeing that Penglai was powerful and Langya Immortal Island was already trapped, were persuaded by the Penglai cultivators to join Penglai and fight against the old Daoist.

The people in the cultivation world are cold-hearted. Seeing that his Langya Immortal Island has always had little outside support, the momentum of the Penglai army has only grown stronger.

The original cultivators on Langya Island were all restless, which prompted Old Daoist Tong to take drastic measures and kill several traitors who wanted to abandon the island for personal gain, before he could barely stabilize the situation on the island.

“This can’t go on. These Penglai cultivators haven’t made a move for a long time. They must be preparing a way to break the formation. Once they’re ready, Langya Immortal Island will be under their control in no time.”

At that time, we can only retreat to the ruins of the Celestial Master and try to deal with them using the Celestial Master's methods. However, we are outmatched and would be unwilling to accept the Celestial Master's tests. They will not listen to our arrangements!
"If the Celestial Master's dying wish cannot be fulfilled, even if we gain our freedom, we cannot escape the curse that Celestial Master Sa planted upon us years ago. The puppet will vanish, the markings will dissolve, the painting will perish, and the path will be extinguished!"

Old Master Tong frowned deeply, and Madam Lanxiang beside him also looked distressed.

They all received blessings from the Four Celestial Masters of antiquity, which enabled them to escape the great calamity of antiquity and achieve their current success in this world.

But the ancient Celestial Master's fortune wasn't so easy to obtain.

To prevent them from forgetting their duties and missions, at the instruction of the Celestial Master, the Celestial Master Sa, who was most skilled in witchcraft in ancient times, planted witchcraft secrets on all four of them. If they failed to fulfill the Celestial Master's dying wish, all the good fortune the Celestial Master had given them would vanish into nothingness.

This was not the outcome they desired, which is why they never understood why the old locust tree dared to betray the Celestial Master's last wish. Wasn't it afraid that its Dao fruit would dissipate, its physical body would crumble, and everything would return to dust?

"Didn't they say the Wanghai fleet had already set sail? Now almost half a month has passed, why haven't we seen the Wanghai fleet yet? If we have this force to help us, let alone guarding Langya Immortal Island for the time being, we are quite confident that they can help us protect the Celestial Master's Ruins!"

Madam Lanxiang's beautiful eyes shone brightly, but she was still thinking about Tong Laodao's little brother. Half a month ago, Tong Laodao told her that Su Qing had already led the team to set off, and according to the sailing schedule, they should have arrived at their Langya Immortal Island a few days ago.

If Su Qing wasn't mentioned, Tong Laodao would only feel bitter inside; but if Su Qing was mentioned, Tong Laodao would get furious.

"That bastard went to Shipwreck Bay on a whim, but he was greedy for the riches of that pirate den and robbed a bunch of pirates, which is why he was delayed for several days and has not yet come to the Immortal Island!"

"Hiss, how can he be so bold? Shipwreck Bay, with all its elite troops deployed, is easy to attack, but if it is taken, it will offend the pirate kings outside. Isn't he afraid of their revenge?!"

Lady Lanxiang was startled upon hearing this. Having cultivated in the depths of the Western Sea for a long time, she was well aware of how terrifying the pirate kings were.

The seven pirate ships were rumored to be formed from the Dao patterns of the Five Elders, each possessing the capabilities of a fourth-tier treasure ship. Coupled with the fearless and valiant pirates, as well as the Green Water Monster, the half-orc, the Western Sea Giant Monster, and other exotic creatures from the sea, even when Master Ziwei was still alive and Langya Immortal Island was at its peak, people would avoid them if possible, as they were not to be offended.

If Su Qing dares to attack Shipwreck Bay, then the pirate kings will dare to attack his Seaview City!

After being startled, Madam Lanxiang panicked again.

"Besides Langya Immortal Island, besides the people from Penglai Immortal Kingdom and Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom, there are also pirate kings eyeing it covetously, acting as Penglai's lackeys and accomplices. Now that he has offended the pirate kings so badly, will he still dare to come to Langya Immortal Island!"

Lady Lanxiang's concerns were extremely reasonable. If she had just raided the pirates' home base, she wouldn't have immediately come to meet the pirate kings. Wouldn't that have been giving the victims a chance to vent their anger?

Master Tong was also somewhat worried upon hearing this.

He worried that Su Qing was earning too much in Shipwreck Bay, to the point that he no longer cared about the support fee he had promised him.

But then he thought again, the Yin-Yang Twin Rings in his possession were something that the witch Liu Yun'er was determined to obtain, and based on this relationship, Su Qing would still come eventually.

As for whether he was worried about retaliation from the pirate kings, Master Tong was not worried at all.

"The presence of pirate kings near Langya Immortal Island will not be an obstacle for him to come to Langya Immortal Island. In fact, it is precisely because there are pirate kings outside Langya Immortal Island that he is more likely to come."

After all, compared to the threat of the pirate kings being scattered and constantly harassing the Wanghai merchant caravan in the West Sea, it would be better to finish them off in one battle and eliminate all the pirate kings outside Langya Immortal Island!
This must have been planned before he took action at Shipwreck Bay. We'll just have to wait a little longer; we should see them there in the next few days!

Just as Master Tong finished speaking, someone outside came to report that a fleet had landed on the west side of the immortal island and hoped that he would open his formation to welcome them into the island.

"What kind of flag is that? Is it the Azure Dragon Flag overlooking the sea?"

Old Master Tong was overjoyed. Although he said that Su Qing was late but would arrive, he still had some doubts in his heart until Su Qing arrived.

To his disappointment, it wasn't Su Qing who returned this time.

"The banner flying is that of the Desire Demon Underworld Lord, and the people who came are from the Desire Demon Sect. The leader is a beautiful female cultivator named Liu Yun'er, and the one accompanying her is the pirate emperor of Shipwreck Bay, the old thief Wan Xia Ri, who has more than a thousand treasure ships, as well as the Green Water Monster and the Western Sea Giant Demon."

The messenger recounted everything he had seen in detail.

"The witch is here, and she even brought that old thief Wan Xiari with her? What's going on here? Her man just raided someone's lair, and she's already arguing with that old thief?" Old Daoist Tong became suspicious and asked again. After confirming that Wan Xiari hadn't sailed the Taotie Treasure Ship on this trip, he got up and prepared to release the formation to lure this group of people onto the island.

"Wan Xiari has been under the orders of Penglai all along. Is it not a bit inappropriate to let him in so easily?" Madam Lanxiang asked. She had already learned from the old Taoist that the witch and Penglai seemed to have a great grudge, so she did not think that the witch would collude with Penglai. However, Wan Xiari was not of good character, so it was only right to be wary of him.

Master Tong appeared extremely confident in front of his woman, saying:

"This old thief is only at the Nascent Soul stage, his lifespan is coming to an end, and his strength is no match for a normal Nascent Soul cultivator. If he were to bring the Taotie Treasure Ship, with its help, I would still be wary of him. But if his true form comes, he'd better not cause trouble on Langya Immortal Island, otherwise, this old Daoist can teach him a lesson with just one talisman!"

Seeing that Master Tong was confident, Madam Lanxing closed her red lips and stopped trying to persuade him. She trailed her blue and green skirt and went out with him to greet him.

Upon arriving at the island's edge and standing before the array, Lady Lanxiang was struck by the sight of the elegant treasure ship outside the array, resembling a flawless beauty. She felt a strange sense of envy.

In terms of appearance, if we look at her portrait painted by the ancient celestial master, she is not much less beautiful than a witch.

But what is drawn is ultimately different from what is born.

In particular, she could tell at a glance that this woman was different from her and Ling Ying. This woman had not cultivated any bewitching or passionate techniques, but her every frown and smile had the power to move people's hearts. Naturally, even unintentionally, she could surpass their deliberate manipulation.

It is a superior form of natural beauty over artificial beauty.

"To win this woman's heart, your little brother's little brother must be more capable than your little brother!"

Lady Lanxiang whispered something to Old Master Tong. Old Master Tong was about to defend his little brother, but because the witch bowed to him from afar, he knew that she had traveled thousands of miles to come to his aid. He couldn't refuse her outside the island for too long, so he glared at Lanxiang and raised his hand to open an opening in the formation, allowing Liu Yun'er and the others' treasure ship to dock in the island's port.

"It has been fifty or sixty years since we parted ways at Yunshan. Fellow Daoist Liu, your demeanor is even more impressive than before. Your Yin and Yang have merged, your Dao foundation is complete, and in this old Daoist’s opinion, there are few people in this vast Western Sea who can compare to you in terms of your current cultivation and future potential!"

With a beaming smile, Master Tong invited Liu Yun'er and the other cultivators into the island lord's mansion. After the banquet began, with fine wine and delicacies, and dancers and musicians all in place, he bowed to Liu Yun'er and said...

"Fellow Daoist flatters me. Yun'er's current cultivation level is no match for my uncle and all the esteemed scholars present. Her future path in the Dao will depend on Fellow Daoist Tong's help!"

Liu Yun'er politely nodded to Old Master Tong, as well as to Madam Lanxiang, Granny Xu, Old Huo Tou, Zhu Jiang and other fourth-tier professionals sitting below him, and then revealed her relationship with Wan Xiari.

Everyone on Langya Immortal Island, including Master Tong, was deeply disappointed by what she said.

He's just your uncle, but we still treat him like your real father!
Tong Laodao understood that Liu Yun'er was taking this opportunity to remind him that Wan Xiari had only a casual relationship with her, Liu Yun'er, and that he either needed her help or had other plans for Langya Immortal Island. In short, she had to be wary of this old scoundrel, and that if he made any moves on Langya Immortal Island, it would have nothing to do with her, Liu Yun'er.

Now that Liu Yun'er has arrived, he should give her the Yin-Yang Twin Rings he promised!
"Fellow Daoist Liu, please be patient. Fellow Daoist Wan and all the fellow Daoists from the Demonic Sect have traveled a long and arduous journey, and had to break through the blockade of the Penglai cultivators to reach my Langya Immortal Island. It has not been an easy journey. Today, we will not discuss other matters, but only to welcome you all and wash away the dust of your journey. You need not worry about anything else, just enjoy yourselves!"

Old Master Tong covered his face with his sleeve, tilted his head back and gulped down a large cup of spiritual wine, avoiding Liu Yun'er's direct gaze.

Seeing this, Liu Yun'er knew that the old Taoist had made a promise to Su Qing to help her, but things might have changed. The Yin-Yang Twin Rings might not fall into her hands so easily.

This was also within her expectations, because if she had come, the Nascent Soul spiritual item that would drive Golden Core cultivators crazy would be too worthless.

'I just don't know how he intends to give me this item. Does he expect me to wait until the crisis on Langya Immortal Island is completely over? If so, I might as well prepare to forcibly seize this treasure!'
Although Liu Yun'er was inwardly grumbling and already planning that this old Taoist Tong was being ungrateful and about to cause a ruckus on Langya Immortal Island, she didn't show it on her face. Although she didn't drink a drop of alcohol, she chatted and laughed with the cultivators present, so that they would praise her for being polite and dignified, a generous and open-minded person. Being labeled a witch was really due to the infamous Demonic Sect.

This made Xu Huaiyi, who was standing behind the witch, grimace. He wished he could tell everyone the truth: most of the hundred or so fellow disciples who had joined the sect with him had died at the witch's hands. It was true that the Demonic Sect had a bad reputation, but over the past hundred years, a large part of that reputation was earned by the witch. It wasn't that the Demonic Sect had dragged her down; it was just as the sect leader had said. A person like the witch should shine in their Demonic Sect, and only the Demonic Sect could give her the best stage.

Langya Immortal Island has been prosperous for hundreds of thousands of years. Although it is currently blocked by the cultivators of Penglai, the island is not lacking in any resources. Everything that can be served at the banquet is of the finest quality. Although Xu Huaiyi was inwardly complaining about his senior sister and elders, it did not delay him from enjoying the banquet.

On the other hand, Wan Xia Ri, the old thief who was treated with the most respect by the Langya cultivators besides the witch, had the air of a pirate emperor. He only sipped the fine wine and delicacies and dealt perfunctorily with the dancers who threw themselves at him. He only gave a few perfunctory replies when the Langya cultivators, such as Tong Lao Dao, talked to him. He was completely in the role of protecting his grandniece, and all his actions were centered on Liu Yun'er.

Only at the end of the banquet, after Liu Yun'er led the elders and disciples of the Demon Sect away from their seats.

As expected, Tong Laodao, who was waiting inside the island lord's mansion, was met by Wan Xiari.

"Greetings, Master Wan. Just now at the banquet, I noticed that you seemed hesitant to speak, so I knew that there were some things you couldn't say publicly. That's why I've been waiting for you to come to my door!"

Even a fake baby is still a real person. If possible, Tong Chang would still prefer Wan Xiari to contribute to Langya Immortal Island, rather than because of his aunt's husband, whom even Liu Yun'er found unreliable.

Wan Xiari, who is not very old, usually spends her time idly in Shipwreck Bay, acting as a mascot. She has time to talk to Ning Chengke in a roundabout way and make fun of him. But now that she is out in the world and facing outsiders, she speaks quickly and frankly, and knows the value of time best:

"Fellow Daoist Tong, I no longer wish to be human!"

Wan Xia, who speaks fluent and outspoken Japanese, is surprisingly eloquent.

But Master Tong was used to it and felt reassured upon hearing this.

"Old Taoist, there's a Xuanwu Lake on Langya Immortal Island. I wonder if you know it, friend?"

"Black Tortoise? Tortoise and Snake? It doesn't matter. Whether it's a tortoise god or a snake god, it's better than being swallowed by the Taotie!" (End of Chapter)