Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Kaiyuan Tower, with 188 floors, is now divided into 180 classes based on people's status, wealth, and power.

Theoretically, those sitting on the 188th floor at this moment should be the strongest individuals or representatives of the strongest forces in the Tianyuan Realm and even the myriad realms.

But in reality, each of the True Immortals and Divine Lords among them had their own reasons for looking down on them.

The forces of the heavens dislike the native cultivators of Tianyuan, believing that they have wasted countless years in the Tianyuan Realm without absorbing the nourishment of the heavens to enrich themselves, resulting in their strength being out of sync with the forces of the heavens. If it weren't for the restrictions of the Heavenly Gate that prevent the Void Refinement experts of the various realms from entering, these sects and forces, which at most only have Nascent Soul cultivators, would have no right to bargain with them.

The power of Tianyuan looks down on cultivators from all the heavens. Nobody is a fool. When Tianyuan was in trouble, you all ran away to live happily in the heavens. Now that Tianyuan is prosperous again, you want to return to your roots and rob Tianyuan's resources. You think you can take all the benefits? Do you really think everyone else is a fool?
There is also a disagreement between these two forces.

That is, between the ancient traditions and the various arts of runes developed by modern cultivators, which is superior?

The lineage of the Heavens has been passed down without interruption. The teachings left by the ancestors are enough for them to learn. Therefore, in recent years, there has been no thought of innovation. Cultivation mostly follows the ancient system. One cultivation leads to a Nascent Soul stage, and one learning leads to a Divine Transformation stage. They are truly fed by their ancestors.

The Tianyuan lineage, once filled with capable individuals, fled to the myriad realms. Those who remained were already weak in their own ways. Coupled with the end of the Dharma era, when spiritual energy stagnated, Tianyuan cultivators had to adapt their traditions to maintain their cultivation within the Tianyuan realm. As a result, compared to the other lineages, the Tianyuan lineage still possessed a certain pride and a touch of self-satisfaction in creating their own techniques and cultivating various arts. They felt that given time, and with the revival of spiritual energy in Tianyuan, it was not impossible for them to surpass the renowned sects of the myriad realms.

Both sides underestimated each other, and the arrival of the forces from all directions did indeed erode the interests of the local forces, which is why disputes frequently arose between them. This is also the reason why the Heroes' Gathering included the Hundred Arts Project, which uses martial arts arenas to determine the winners. The purpose is to promote communication and understanding between the two sides. It doesn't matter if no feelings are developed. As long as both sides recognize that the other is not to be trifled with, they will naturally know how to restrain themselves and be patient when dealing with disputes. They will also know how to set aside disputes and develop together.

Of course, there are also those who are equal and look down on the power and lineage of both the Heavenly Realms and the Heavenly Origin.

At just over three thousand years old, he was already a Nascent Soul True Lord, in charge of the Mountain Dao lineage. The sect hoped to see him succeed. He came from the Peach Blossom Upper Sect, which dominated the Nine Immortal Realms of the Heavens. He was determined to develop the Peach Blossom Upper Sect into a Songshan True Lord who could rival the Dao lineages such as the Primordial Sect and the Spirit Treasure Sect. Holding a cup of spiritual tea, he glanced at the cultivators present. Of the more than one hundred cultivators present, only a handful could gain his approval.

It was one thing to despise him in his heart, but this young master was a prodigy who was used to being powerful in the heavens. He had never been beaten in Tianyuan, so he was just as outspoken as he was in the heavens, criticizing and commenting on the cultivators present.

"Tsk tsk, Master Fenghua, come and take a look at this. It is not a metal or stone spirit, but an orphan. It must be an evil spirit, yet it wears divine armor and sits on a divine throne. If such a creature were to fall into the heavens, I would kill it on sight. How could I allow it to sit on the same level as you and me!"

"This is even more amazing. Half-human, half-phoenix, I think he's going crazy. In this kind of situation, he still dares to bring his concubine and female puppet, acting extremely dissolute and lacking any manners or upbringing. He's even worse than the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan!"

"Is that a corpse collector from the Burial Immortal Realm? Such an unlucky profession, such a lowly cultivator, yet he's sitting with us today. This Lord of the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom, that True Person Su who falsely claims to be acting as the Heavenly Emperor, really knows how to arrange things!"

"True Lord, please say less. Every single one of you sitting here is someone of great importance. It's not good to offend you too much!" True Man Fenghua, who came from a humble background and earned his seat on this level solely through his own efforts, dared not offend True Lord Songshan, nor did he want to offend these important figures present because of True Lord Songshan.

"They're not born well, and their cultivation is weak, yet they still have the nerve to sit with me. What's wrong with me saying a few words? These kinds of people, what's there to offend or not offend? I'll say what I want, and they have to listen!"

Songshan Zhenjun waved his hand dismissively, while glaring at the corpse-driving craftsman from the Burial Immortal Realm who had just been mocked and was now showing displeasure. The other Tianyuan native cultivators, who had also been mocked by him, still had smiles on their faces, which made Songshan Zhenjun even more disgusted and think they were spineless.

"The evil spirit you just cursed is Gao Erqiang, the God of Heaven, who is the ruler of the Heavenly Yuan Punishment and Slaughter Divine Kingdom. Your sect's most desired place to settle in Heavenly Yuan is this divine kingdom. Your sect leader is still trying to get more land from him and is trying to befriend him. In addition, this god is in charge of the divine office of the God of Punishment and Slaughter, a position that was extremely revered and important in ancient times. It is also rumored that he inherited the legacy of the Pure and Subtle Dao Mysterious True Lord and is his only successor in the present world. If all of this is nothing in the eyes of the True Lord, then the True Lord may continue to curse!"

Born into humble circumstances, Master Fenghua knew all too well how to survive in the treacherous world of cultivation. Before attending this conference, he had already memorized all the information about the participating cultivators. Now, he was just in time to remind Master Songshan.

Songshan Zhenjun was also taken aback when he heard this. He did not expect that the first person to criticize would be such a tough character. If anyone is to blame, it is this Fellow Daoist Gao. With such strength, why is he smiling so warmly? In the heavens, only those without strength would smile so cheaply!

"That Fire Phoenix Princess is only so-so in strength. I heard that she only broke through to the Nascent Soul stage a few years ago, but the Nascent Soul she condensed was the Yuan Phoenix Fire Wing. Now she has been recommended by the Phoenix Clan of the Heavens as the Phoenix Clan Princess, and her Fire Phoenix Immortal Kingdom has become the preferred habitat for the Phoenix Clan of the Heavens. There are no more or no less seven or eight fifth-order Phoenix Clan members now!"

Master Fenghua continued, not afraid of frightening Master Songshan, or rather, in his view, frightening Master Songshan and making him shut his stinking mouth would be better for him and for himself.

The True Lord of Mount Song could understand human speech. Looking at Princess Fire Phoenix, he felt that the princess was beautiful and kind-hearted. Her previous unrestrained behavior now seemed to be more like the ancient tradition, pure and true, which others could not learn.

"Then, is this corpse-driving craftsman also someone of great importance?" Songshan Zhenjun asked cautiously.

"No, that's not the case. Although the Burial Immortal Realm is an ancient secret realm, it is mostly shrouded in death energy. The living space for cultivators within the realm is extremely small, and there are not many powerful figures emerging. It's just that True Person Su needs them to drive corpses out of the Burial Immortal Realm to provide him with materials for making puppets. Therefore, they have a cooperative relationship, which is why True Person Su has moved them upstairs."

Master Fenghua has a saying.

"I see! I was wondering why I found him increasingly repulsive. I underestimated him; someone who got in through connections deserves a lot more criticism!"

Songshan Zhenjun relaxed, leaned back, and glared arrogantly at the corpse driver again. Fenghua Zhenren continued unhurriedly, "He's nothing special, but Zhenjun can't disregard Su Zhenren's face. This Zhenren holds the position of the Heavenly Emperor's attendant and is the gatekeeper of Tianyuan. Each year, only a few of our sects can enter the country, and they all need his approval before they can go. We absolutely cannot afford to offend him..."

"That's true. The reason I'm here today is because of this person. The old men in the sect all say that this kid has the aura of a Heavenly Emperor and is extraordinary. But I don't believe it. He's just a fourth-level Nascent Soul cultivator. How much ability can he have? Today I'll have to test him myself!"

Speaking of Su Qing, True Monarch Songshan immediately lost interest in criticizing the lesser cultivators. He was now full of pride and resentment, not feeling that he was much inferior to Su Qing, a fellow cultivator of the same generation. What? You say I've cultivated for three thousand years, while he's only cultivated for a little over a hundred years, so we're not from the same era? Then you really don't understand cultivation. Nascent Soul cultivators live for ten thousand years, and Deity Transformation cultivators live for one hundred thousand years. Is three thousand years or a little over a hundred years a big difference? They are both rising stars of their time!

"In terms of strength, I also believe that True Lord is not much inferior to that True Master Su..."

Master Fenghua, not wanting to provoke True Monarch Songshan too much, said, "What you said is not wrong. No matter how famous Su Qing is, he is still only a fourth-level Nascent Soul cultivator. On paper, True Monarch Songshan is actually stronger than him."

However, this argument doesn't stand up to scrutiny. After all, the person in question has the heads of seven or eight high-ranking demons, and his fifth-tier puppets are capable of contending with a True Lord. No matter how you look at it, the True Lord of Mount Song has no chance of winning.

Songshan Zhenjun, however, did not think so. He had never killed a high-ranking demon because he had never encountered one. If he had, even if he used the sect's most precious treasures and exhausted all his trump cards, and by sheer luck encountered a low-ranking demon, the outcome would be fifty-fifty. Of course, that was a hundred years ago when the demons had just been born. After a hundred years of development, the strength of the high-ranking demons had mostly recovered. Now, let alone him, even if Su Qing himself came, he might not be able to take down a demon with absolute certainty.

"Regardless, this Master Su is far too arrogant. I observed that the current Martial Emperor of the Immortal Qin Martial Kingdom has already taken his seat. He is also hailed as the chosen one of heaven with the potential to become an emperor. His strength and status are not much inferior to Su Qing's. It's one thing for Master Su to ask me to wait for him, but to make this Martial Emperor wait is truly outrageous!"

Since Songshan Zhenjun could not find any obvious weaknesses in Su Qing's strength, he turned to attack his character and demeanor.

In any case, if he were to host this conference, he would absolutely not keep the Martial Emperor of the Immortal Qin Martial Kingdom, as well as major sects like the Yuanshi Sect and the Lingbao Sect, waiting for long.

"Huh? This Master Guangxian of the Yuanshi Sect arrived before us. Why haven't we seen him?"

Songshan Zhenjun wondered, "Our Peach Blossom Sect, in its origins, also comes from the Primordial Sect. In all the heavens, we have always considered ourselves disciples of the Primordial Sect. After arriving in the Heavenly Origin Realm, we have to consult the Primordial Sect on all matters, big and small, and strive to be on the same level as the Primordial Sect."

When he came to the Western City, he also took the initiative to join the Yuanshi Sect's group and traveled with that Guangxian Zhenjun for several days. He was deeply impressed by the grand demeanor of the sect. After arriving in this city, the Zhenjun said that he had an appointment with someone else, so Songshan Zhenjun regretfully parted ways with him. At this moment, he thought that if he were sitting next to this Zhenjun, he could use the reputation of the Yuanshi Sect to criticize whoever he wanted without having to be as restrained as he was now.

Just as they were talking about this person, Songshan Zhenjun suddenly saw all the cultivators present stand up. Even the Immortal Qin Martial Emperor, who had been resting with his eyes closed and ignoring everyone, stood up and bowed to the person in front of him.

Even if the True Lord of Songshan was completely ignorant of human relationships, he would realize that such a grand procession must be a truly important figure from the cultivation world, and he hurriedly stood up and bowed.

He could only secretly wonder whether the one who came was a True Lord from the Lingbao Sect or a True Lord from the Yuanshi Mountain.

Looking up, the first thing that caught my eye was the Supreme Sect Master, the Good Fortune Boy—Gu Le Zhenjun, with a face like a child and white hair and beard!
Although the Supreme Sect has kept a low profile and little reputation in the heavens over the years, it was still one of the three major ancestral lineages of the Great Dao Court, just like the Spirit Treasure Sect and the Primordial Sect. Its foundation was unfathomable. Paying respects to him was not a loss for them. However, this Ancient Music True Monarch was stingy and miserly in the heavens, selling a single pill for more than ten times the market price. But in this Tianyuan Realm, he gave pills to everyone he met, earning the reputation of a benevolent benefactor. The old people of the heavens were slightly dissatisfied with this differential treatment, as was True Monarch Songshan. Therefore, after paying his respects, he immediately sat down.

But before he could even sit down, he bent over again.

Because after that Sudhana, came the middle-aged man, the cold-blooded and ruthless Li Sanyang of the Lingbao Sect.

This man is a killing star in the heavens, with an extremely ruthless and decisive style. Whenever a cultivator commits inhuman evil deeds, he never asks about their background or origins, and kills them with a single sword strike. He is the most dangerous person to offend. More than a hundred years ago, it was heard that several of his disciples lost their virginity in Tianyuan, leaving only a few wisps of their primordial spirits to return to the sect for recuperation. As a result, he has been very angry recently, and True Monarch Songshan dares not provoke him. Therefore, he bowed even lower than before.

Just as he was about to straighten up, his gaze fell upon the figure of Guangxian Zhenjun again, and he willingly bowed once more. Bowing to Yuanshizong Zhenjun was a blessing for him, Songshan Zhenjun, and he felt no resentment whatsoever.

Seeing that there were still people coming behind Guangxian Zhenjun, he simply decided not to straighten his back anymore. The cultivator who could walk and talk with Li Sanyang and Guangxian Zhenjun must be of extraordinary status.

Unexpectedly, when he finished his greeting and looked up, he saw a short, fat old Taoist priest who looked nothing like a high-ranking person and whose cultivation was only at the Nascent Soul stage. He was about to start criticizing him, but then he paused and asked Master Fenghua if he knew who this person was.

"This person is named Tong Chang. He is the island master of Langya Immortal Island in the Tianyuan Realm and also holds the position of Celestial Master in the present world. He has a high status and uses this status to navigate among various forces with great skill and popularity. However, his strength is not even comparable to that of Gao Erqiang."

"A living Celestial Master? He hasn't even received a fraction of the ancient Celestial Master's true teachings, yet this old scoundrel dares to ride on the coattails of the Ancient True Lord, True Lord Li, and True Lord Guangxian, and has taken my bow for nothing?"

Upon hearing that Tong Chang was someone he could afford to offend, True Lord Songshan immediately launched into a tirade, straightening his back as he did so. (End of Chapter)