Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Interpersonal relationships.

The interaction between different factions.

Based on position, based on interests.

Ultimately, it all comes down to ability.

No matter how powerful and influential the Eastern King Sect and other sects may be in the myriad realms.

They've come to the Tianyuan Realm to beg for food and drink.

Even the most powerful cultivators who have mastered the Void Refinement Realm, whether they are dragons or tigers, are now unable to enter Tianyuan.

Although their current strength within the Tianyuan Realm is not bad, it is still not enough to show off their power in front of Su Qing.

Previously, Su Qing was powerful, but that power was confined to the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom and had nothing to do with them. They were in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, where Liu Gandang treated them well, providing them with good food and drink, and they would occasionally help him cause trouble. They lived a carefree and comfortable life, waiting for the Tianyuan Realm's Heavenly Gate to open wide so that their sect's Void Refinement experts could enter this realm before they could unleash their grand ambitions and compete for the Dragon and Tiger Overlord position.

But now things are different. A turmoil in the clouds has created a crack in the once stable and impenetrable Penglai Immortal Kingdom, and Su Qing has forcefully entered this crack.

He may not be the one to rule the Penglai Immortal Kingdom in the future, but Liu Gandang will definitely no longer be able to make decisions unilaterally. Given Su Qing's strength, their future days in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom will not be easy.

This is why today, several sects from various realms in Penglai have asked the Eastern King Sect to invite Su Qing over for a chat.

They were prepared to offer gifts and benefits.

However, even after all the benefits have been given, they will still do what they want to do.

“True Lord Su, let’s not beat around the bush. We all understand that the local forces of Tianyuan are more wary than trusting of our various sects. We won’t say anything, we just want to follow you and eat the leftovers. We won’t compete with you for dominance of heaven and earth or claim any falsehoods about hegemony.”

Wolves travel thousands of miles to eat meat. We moved back to Tianyuan from all the heavens not specifically to help you fight demons. Of course, everyone has the right to kill demons, and we are willing to do our part, but more than anything, we have high hopes for the future of the Tianyuan Realm.

If one can become the overlord of heaven and earth in this world, one can enjoy endless opportunities and even become an ancestor. Therefore, when our sect's Void Refinement experts arrive in Tianyuan, and we believe we have the ability to lead our fellow Daoists in Tianyuan to fight against evil, we also hope that the status we achieve in the Tianyuan world will be commensurate with our contributions.

As for the present, we are willing to cooperate with any actions of the Anti-Demon Alliance, and within this Penglai Immortal Kingdom, we will also abide by the various rules established by our fellow cultivators.

"We hope that Master Su will treat us the same way he treated us when he was in charge!"

Although Zhongze Zhenjun gave him a lesson in etiquette as soon as he arrived, after completing the formalities, he spoke directly and frankly about the intentions of the sects that invited him to visit.

In the future, we will definitely strive to become the leader of Tianyuan, or at least the leader of Xihai.

It doesn't make sense. Their sect has Void Refinement experts, yet they are being assigned tasks by a group of Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

With great power comes great responsibility, and they are willing to stand at the forefront of the fight against evil and lead the charge.

But with greater responsibility comes greater power; otherwise, no power, from ancient times to the present, could accept making the greatest contribution while receiving the least benefit.

Su Qing did not object to this point.

After all, the powerful cultivators of each sect who have reached the Void Refinement stage will be the main force in the fight against evil spirits in the future.

They haven't even arrived yet, what's wrong with talking about compensation?
Whether or not this treatment will be realized when they actually arrive remains to be seen. If by then, Tianyuan's native territory still hasn't produced a powerful figure who can rival them, then Su Qing will be helpless, and neither will any native cultivator in Tianyuan. They will have to accept this dominant position, even if they don't want it.

Now let's talk about the present.

Zhongze Zhenjun was obviously aware of his actions these past few days, and knew about his exchange of interests with the Liu, He, and Zhao families, the three people who had previously decided on matters concerning Penglai.

He understood that with the reconstruction of Penglai Island by the Liu, Liang, Wang, and Ying families, Penglai would eventually be jointly controlled by Su Qing and Liu Gandang.

Even looking at the Zhao and He families' current attitudes towards Su Qing, coupled with Su Qing's lifespan and potential, he is truly like a rising sun, while Liu Gandang is old and frail, his former glory gone. As time goes by, it is a foregone conclusion that the power of Penglai will fall into other hands.

When Su Qing took power, they immediately expressed their obedience, making it clear that they would not cause him any trouble.

Of course, they didn't have the guts to cause trouble for Su Qing.

It should be noted that Su Qing came here to investigate Yunlong's matter, and his main focus is currently on Liu Gandang because he has no time to deal with them.

If he's really provoked, he'll bite anyone. After all, these sects from various heavens came to Penglai with Yunlong and their relationship with each other has been pretty good. They've had quite a bit of interaction and communication. If they really investigate, Su Qing will have a reason to do so. No matter what he finds out, these sects will still be in trouble.

These are all things that everyone tacitly understands. Zhongze Zhenjun brought them up to make things clear and let Su Qing understand that today, everyone should be open and honest and not leave any riddles for others to guess.

There's only one thing they want!
That is from now until the arrival of the powerful cultivators from their respective sects who have reached the Void Refinement stage.

They need an undisturbed environment for development within the Penglai Immortal Realm, to obtain the same treatment and status they previously received under Liu Gandang.

For this, they are willing to pay a price for Su Qing.

Just like the benefits they gave Liu Gandang when they came to Penglai Immortal Kingdom back then!
There is nothing new under the sun.

Su Qing understood what they meant.

Logically speaking, their demands weren't unreasonable.

After all, Liu Gandang regarded the Penglai Immortal Kingdom as his family's private property. Even though he received some benefits from them, he did not cede too much to them.

It was then observed that the sect headquarters of these major sects had been transported from across the heavens and realms with great difficulty, demonstrating that Liu Gandang was so stingy that he wouldn't even allow these sects from the heavens to use a single mountain or river from the Penglai Immortal Kingdom.

Liu Gandang didn't give up much; he's currently receiving the same benefits as him, so continuing to maintain the status quo isn't necessarily a bad thing.

After all, his hometown is in the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom, and Penglai is not his base!

Not the core base!
But there are branch bases!
According to Su Qing, this time he used the Azure Dragon Dao Pattern, consumed a huge amount of merit energy, and made Old Daoist Tong vomit three liters of blood before they could work together to deduce that Yunlong was colluding with evil spirits.

It's inevitable that we'll use this incident to make something big.

Extending its reach into the Penglai Immortal Realm is only the first step.

In his plan, he intended to transform the Penglai Immortal Kingdom into a branch base, echoing and supporting the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom from above and below, in a way that would make the cultivation world of the Western Sea impregnable. His goal was to leverage the unique advantage of Penglai Immortal Island's floating position in the sky.

If paired with his magic cannon puppets and aerial fleet, the advantage would be immeasurable.

He even considered refining the entire Penglai Immortal Island into a puppet. With the size of that island, it would definitely become an unparalleled aerial overlord, and even if the Kunpeng were alive, it would dare to show off its power.

Of course, that's not something he can do now. If he really wants to do it, he'll have to wait until he reaches the sixth level of Void Refinement. No, as the process of the revival of Heavenly Yuan Spiritual Qi accelerates, the earth's power on Penglai Immortal Island is also constantly expanding, and its size is also constantly growing. By the time he reaches the sixth level of Void Refinement, this immortal island will probably require a seventh-level Dao Lord to refine. Anyway, as long as he has the strength of a seventh-level Dao Lord, he can eventually refine Penglai Immortal Island into a puppet.

Therefore, the plan to create this puppet was not considered.

Right now, Penglai Immortal Kingdom, as the overlord of the Western Sea for many years, holds a very important position in the Tianyuan Realm.

After the Tianyuan Resurgence, the benefits it received were among the best in the Western Sea cultivation world. The Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom had Su Qing and the Azure Dragon Dao Pattern, which were two points favored by the Tianyuan Realm. However, the benefits it received could not compare to those of the Penglai Immortal Kingdom.

Based on Su Qing's observations during his recent days in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom.

Not counting the countless secret realms, large and small, that emerge within the Penglai Immortal Realm.

The spiritual energy within this Immortal Kingdom alone is 30-40% more abundant than that of the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom.

Don't underestimate this 30-40%. It means that, at the same cultivation level, if cultivators from Penglai Immortal Kingdom cultivate purely with spiritual energy, without relying on pills, formations, or other auxiliary means, they can progress much faster than cultivators from Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom.

If two Foundation Establishment cultivators with equal talent both have a lifespan of five hundred years, with their aptitude, they would be able to break through to the Golden Core stage at the age of five hundred and one, gaining another thousand years of lifespan.

Therefore, the Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom could only die with regret, while the Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom could advance to the Golden Core stage, opening a new chapter in his cultivation journey, and perhaps even reaching the Nascent Soul or Divine Transformation stage in the future.

Although in most cases it won't be this extreme.

However, having abundant spiritual energy does indeed grant one more opportunities and possibilities than others, especially in this era of spiritual energy revival and frequent opportunities. Taking a step ahead can lead to continuous progress.

Of course, because of him, the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom has now opened the Azure Dragon Grotto-Heaven. With this grotto-heaven, any cultivator with potential and contributions in the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom who steps into this grotto-heaven will receive a fortune that the Penglai Immortal Kingdom cannot match.

All in all, all in all.

The Penglai Immortal Kingdom is quite nice.

Such a nice place.

The fact that these sects from various realms are allowed to breathe here is already a huge benefit for them.

What Su Qing was even more dissatisfied with was that these sects from various heavens, though located in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, did not have a deep connection with it!

Previously, this Penglai Immortal Kingdom had nothing to do with him, and was even considered an enemy rather than a friend.

He was naturally pleased that these various sects deliberately kept their distance from the Penglai Immortal Kingdom.

But now that he's taking charge of Penglai, he naturally won't allow these sects from all over the world to continue their ambiguous relationship with Penglai!

"Logically speaking, I am not a person from Penglai, so I cannot be the master of Penglai."

Since Zhongze Zhenjun speaks frankly and directly, I, a humble Taoist, will also refrain from empty formalities.

I'm coming clean; I am indeed speaking very loudly right now in Penglai.

I understand your concerns and worries, and given our friendship, I will certainly grant your requests.

But now that someone else is in charge, the old rules are no longer valid. I don't care what agreements Liu Gandang made with you, we don't recognize any of them.

In my humble opinion, although Penglai does not refuse entry to fellow Daoists from all heavens, first and foremost, Penglai belongs to the people of Penglai.

The sects behind these fellow cultivators now house more Nascent Soul True Monarchs, Core Formation True Men, and Golden Core Masters on Penglai Immortal Island than all the original Penglai cultivators in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom combined.

How much spiritual energy do these True Lords, True Men, and Supreme Beings inhale and exhale every day?
Don't even mention that you don't absorb it. Even the cultivators of Penglai can't absorb all this nonsense. If they can't absorb it all, the spiritual energy can be absorbed by flowers, grass, earth, wood, and stones, allowing them to transform from mortals into spirits and become rare treasures. In the end, the meat will rot in the pot and won't be wasted.

And you, having absorbed so much spiritual energy, think you can just casually offer a few drops and expect to enjoy this treatment indefinitely? In my opinion, that's wishful thinking.

Alright then, I won't make things difficult for you. From now on, when you sects from various heavens cultivate in Penglai, we will collect cultivation taxes based on your cultivation level, the number of people, and the year.

The specific amount of tax to be paid has not yet been determined, but I will have the Liu family representative propose it at the next internal meeting of the Penglai Sect. After the meeting approves it, I will inform you all.

In addition, I have been in Penglai for several days now and have a general understanding of the situation there. I only know that each of you fellow Daoists has purchased a large number of Penglai-produced crafts and local specialty herbs and stones in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom.

However, I have never seen any of your sects open shops or sell products in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom.

Could it be that the sects behind these fellow Daoists look down on the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, believing that the Penglai cultivators cannot afford it and are unworthy of using the myriad creations of your great sects?

Perhaps my thinking is too narrow. It is your sects that deliberately blocked the relevant inherited techniques and were unwilling to share them with the cultivators of Penglai.
If that's the case, it would truly chill the hearts of the Penglai cultivators, and even the entire Tianyuan native cultivators.

It should be understood that the greatest benefit of the fusion and collision between the myriad realms and the Tianyuan Realm is that the inherited skills of the myriad realms can exchange and improve with the unique technologies developed in the Tianyuan Realm. In this way, by being inclusive and refining the best, the civilization of all arts and cultivation can be pushed to a new level.

All the native cultivators of Tianyuan have this awareness. The various crafts created by my Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom have already blossomed and borne fruit in all the heavens and myriad realms. We have never worried that our fellow cultivators in the heavens will use our puppet blueprints to learn the various crafts of my Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom.

If your sects don't even have this awareness, then I don't think you need to come to Penglai Immortal Island or Tianyuan Realm.

Refusing to communicate is refusing to cooperate. Not communicating or cooperating, only thinking about growing bigger and usurping others' positions—there's no such thing as a free lunch!

A fifth-order True Monarch is indeed different; he can hold his breath for a long time and speak a long passage without giving True Monarch Zhongze and the other cultivators from the heavens a chance to interrupt.

Don't give them a chance to interrupt.

In reality, it means not giving them a chance to refuse or object!

That's right, that's how assertive we are!
He was not like Liu Gandang; he was more focused on forming cliques and paving the way for his son.

Su Qing, in the prime of his life, would not compromise on anything he was capable of doing! (End of Chapter)