Immortality begins with meditation puppets

"Ten thousand years is too long, I will seize the day!"

Within the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom, the aftermath of the destruction of the Evil Sword Realm had subsided. Amidst the uproar throughout the myriad realms, Su Qing's personal prestige was also elevated to its peak. As he had predicted, the external environment faced by the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom after this incident was much more relaxed compared to when it was jointly crushed by the Yuanshi Sect and the Dongwang Sect.

But not long after this, news came that the Yuanshizong's expedition to the land of Daoyun had returned victorious.

The Land of Fallen Immortals is a place that terrifies all cultivators and spirits, yet also yearns for.

That place is where the most outstanding cultivators of the ancient world perished when they fought the most fierce battle against evil spirits.

The violent upheavals made it a desolate place where cultivators could not stay for long, but the remains and treasures of the ancient powerful beings could allow cultivators to ascend to the heavens in one step and enjoy endless benefits.

Over the years, various sects and celestial beings have continuously organized people to explore this place, while the demons are not to be outdone. Great demons often operate here, attempting to corrupt the fragments of the Dao fruits and remnants of magical treasures of the ancient great beings.

In recent years, the Tianyuan Realm has been in the Dharma-ending Age, and the evil forces have actually been somewhat dormant. Various sects and realms have been licking their ancient wounds and recuperating, and the situation in all the heavens and myriad realms has actually been relatively peaceful.

But a battle unknown to ordinary practitioners and mortals broke out in both places.

One is the Burial Immortal Realm, which contains the corpses of ancient powerful beings who were corrupted by demons. In the final battle of ancient times, the Supreme Ancestor used his great power to seal them all away, so that they would no longer have the ability to cause trouble in the heavens. He also hoped that future generations would be able to free them from the pain of being tormented by demons.

Over the years, the demons have been trying to take over this world. Led by Chaos Demon, who is closest to recovering to the eighth-order Heavenly Demon Saint among the Twelve Heavenly Demon Generals, they have led the demons in launching countless attacks on this world, trying to awaken these demonized immortals in order to form an absolute crushing force against all living beings.

The various sects and factions of the various realms could not allow such a situation to occur. The senior cultivators and elite battle groups of the major sects of the heavens have been stationed in this realm for many years. They have already fought several battles of attack and defense against the demons. Even the Supreme Sect, which has never interfered much in the situation of the heavens, has invested a lot of strength in the defense of this realm. Although they do not have many people, they provide a lot of pills. The continuous supply of pills, whether as supplies or as rewards, has provided great assistance to the cultivators stationed here.

The other battlefield outside the Burial Immortal Realm is this Land of Fallen Immortals.

Compared to the demonized immortals of the Burial Immortal Realm, in the Land of Fallen Immortals, although no complete corpse can be found, there are mostly only a drop of essence blood, a piece of flesh, or a trace of true spirit.

But the significance of this drop of essence blood, this piece of flesh, and this mark of true spirit is greater than that of a demonized immortal.

Because it was left by their master, namely an emperor, two empresses, one emperor and seventy-two concubines, three patriarchs and their hundreds of disciples, the Snail Empress and her attendants and personal disciples.

It can be said that the most essential elements of the ancient cultivation world were left behind in this land of fallen immortals. If cultivators obtained a bit of their essence, a trace of their inheritance, or a small fragment of a magic weapon, they could greatly help in the fight against evil demons. However, if the evil demons obtained it, they could create a powerful demon realm, bringing great disaster to all living beings.

Unlike the Burial Immortal Realm, the entire Land of Fallen Dao is vast and boundless, with powerful beings leaving behind divine objects that possess the ability to defile themselves. This makes it extremely difficult to search for or even protect. Cultivators here have to endure the pain of not being able to replenish their spiritual energy, and they also have to be on high alert at all times to deal with the pressure of demons they may encounter at any time. Therefore, the great cultivators of the heavens who have been guarding the Land of Fallen Dao over the years are the group of people who have endured the most hardships in protecting the myriad realms.

Only by understanding the significance of the Land of Fallen Dao can one comprehend the meaning of the triumphant return of the Primordial Sect's expeditionary force for all the heavens and myriad realms.

This expedition team consisted of over 3,600 people, all of whom were outstanding disciples cultivated by the Yuanshi Sect over many years. Whether in terms of cultivation talent or temperament and perseverance, they were all chosen from among thousands. After holding out in the Land of Dao Fall for a thousand years, only about 200 people have returned safely. The sect's elite suffered such a loss rate of less than one in ten. If this kind of loss fell on other major sects in the heavens, it would be a loss that would cripple or even destroy the sect for more than a million years.

However, sects like the Yuanshi Sect have prepared for such actions as many as thirty to fifty times in the period from ancient times to the present. Their sect's foundation, resilience, and contributions to all the heavens and myriad worlds are well known to the world.

Skilled warriors achieve no great feats, remaining hidden in the dust. Their unsung contributions, after millions or thousands of years of perseverance and reflection, become a force that stabilizes people's hearts and earns their respect.

"By order of the Kaiyuan Kingdom, to celebrate the triumphant return of the Yuanshi Sect's expeditionary force, the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom presents three sixth-tier puppets, eighteen fifth-tier puppets, and one hundred and twenty-eight various Tianyuan treasures to the Yuanshi Daoist friends on this expedition, to express the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom's gratitude and respect for such a magnificent feat!"

The moment Yu Suqing learned that the Yuan Shizong expedition team had returned, he immediately gave the order.

Merits are merits and demerits are demerits. The past and present contributions of the Yuanshi Sect to the myriad worlds are indelible. He also greatly admires the cultivators who have been stationed in the Land of Dao Fallen for thousands of years.

I may admire him, but I also acknowledge his merits.

He still adheres to his own beliefs, believing that the myriad realms need a constant influx of new blood in order to completely resolve the scourge of evil and to be more beneficial to all beings and spirits in the myriad realms.

The world that, in the past, possessed the most resources and controlled the channels of advancement, as the three major sects of the Daoist lineage and the great sects of the heavens did, is incapable of fulfilling the tasks required by the times in this era.

On the other hand, the struggle for power and influence with Emperor Yuanshizong must continue.

The impact of his annihilation of the Evil Sword Realm gradually faded away as news of the Yuanshi Sect expedition team's triumphant return dominated the trending searches. The urgent problem that lay before him was still the one he had discussed with True Monarch Taoyuan on the puppet in the Lingxiao Palace—whether the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom had a seventh-order Dao Lord!

A seventh-order Dao Lord is not like a cabbage in the ground, which can grow in an instant.

Although there is a path to talent introduction, what is the most valuable thing in the world today is talent.

Let alone a seventh-order Dao Lord, even a sixth-order Heavenly Monarch is a coveted prize for all factions. They treat these people like treasures and dare not let them suffer any grievances. It is already an extremely difficult task to recruit such talents, let alone a seventh-order Dao Lord.

He had tried to win over a rogue cultivator, a man without sect or faction, and with no ties to any power, making him a perfect candidate. To get him to join the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom and serve it, Su Qing went so far as to promise to have a Lingxiao Palace puppet custom-made for him as his personal mount, and also offered him an astronomical salary of 300 million spirit stones per year, along with a share of the Azure Dragon Cave Heaven's authority, among other generous terms.

In the end, however, he was still politely refused by this seventh-order Dao Lord. Over the years, there have been many forces trying to win him over. The conditions offered to him by those powerful sects and bigwigs in the heavens are only higher than those offered to Su Qing. Some sects that are vacant in their Dao Lord positions are even willing to invite him to take the position of sect leader and hand over the entire sect to him. Even so, he has not agreed. So, he will not choose to join the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom now.

This completely dissuaded Su Qing from bringing in seventh-tier Dao Lords from outside. These seventh-tier Dao Lords had reached their current level because they were all people with unwavering faith in their own path of cultivation. They could not be moved by a few words or a few treats.

You can't get it from outside; you can only get it from yourself.

Let us turn our attention to the Kaiyuan Kingdom and see who within this immortal realm is worthy of being cultivated.
The first one to catch Su Qing's eye was naturally Tiger King Tiger Egg, whom he had always trusted and who had never let him down.

In terms of aptitude, Tiger Egg is also a top choice. According to the elders of the Lingbao Sect, Tiger Egg's aptitude is not much inferior to that of Zhuo Peiyu. As long as it does not go astray and cultivates step by step within the Lingbao Sect, it can easily obtain the position of a seventh-level sword cultivator.

If you ask how long it will take for Hu Dan to become a seventh-level sword cultivator, the Supreme Elders of the Lingbao Sect optimistically estimate it to be 30,000 to 50,000 years, and conservatively estimate it to be over 100,000 years. This conclusion is obviously based on the advancement time of seventh-level disciples of the Lingbao Sect, such as Zhuo Peiyu.

According to Su Qing's idea, if he replaced the core components of Tiger Egg during this period, it would greatly shorten the time it would take for Tiger Egg to advance to the seventh-level sword cultivator. However, no matter how much he shortened it, it would still take at least ten thousand years for Tiger Egg to advance.

As for directly transforming Tiger Egg into a seventh-tier puppet, it's not impossible. With his current abilities as a seventh-tier puppeteer, if he mobilized all the resources of the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom to upgrade Tiger Egg into a seventh-tier puppet, it would be entirely possible. In fact, it's even possible to create a single-soldier war machine that surpasses the Lingxiao Palace puppet.

However, this method was opposed by Tiger Egg and Tiger Puppet.

"As a mature puppet, a puppet that can share the burdens of its master, I should be self-reliant if I can. I am currently enjoying good food and drink at the Lingbao Sect. I should not refuse the resources they provide. How can I let my master waste resources on me? The Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom is not easy, and neither is my master. So please do not worry about my affairs. I will forge my own path to advancement!"

Tiger Egg, who had suffered alongside him, felt sorry for his master and only wanted to fleece the Lingbao Sect. As long as there was food there, he wouldn't eat a single grain of rice from his master. This sensible puppet moved him deeply, giving him the feeling that his grown son had finally grown up and was earning his own money. It was just a pity that none of the other puppets were as sensible as Tiger Egg.

Besides Tiger Egg's opposition, surprisingly, the Lingbao Sect also raised objections.

Originally, the Lingbao Sect approved of Su Qing's modification of Hu Dan. After all, Hu Dan was both Su Qing's puppet and a disciple of the Lingbao Sect. If Hu Dan prospered, both sides would benefit, and it was hard to say who would gain the upper hand.

Now that the Immortal-Trapping Sword has been handed over to Tiger Egg due to Su Qing's insistence, Tiger Egg, which was already being heavily cultivated by the Lingbao Sect, is receiving even better treatment within the sect than before. It has now been taken to the Lingbao Sword Tomb by several Supreme Elders to cultivate, who intend to pass on the Lingbao Sect's supreme martial art—the Shangqing Sword Manual—to it. During this time, however, no one dares to let Su Qing casually operate on Tiger Egg.

After that, even Su Qing himself hesitated. If Hu Dan could break through to the seventh-level sword cultivator through his own abilities, his future potential would be truly immeasurable. If he were to be impatient for quick success and force him to grow too fast, it might affect his future achievements, which would not be a good thing for him and would only harm him.

Tiger Egg was not an option, so his gaze involuntarily shifted to his Daoist partner, Liu Yun'er.

The witch Liu Yun'er was already quite talented, and her speed of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage was almost comparable to his. If it was because her family had fallen into ruin and lacked resources, which had delayed her progress in cultivation, after he became the ruler of Kaiyuan Kingdom and made a fortune, her problem of cultivation resources was solved. As long as he, Su Qing, could obtain good cultivation items, as long as there were spiritual materials and treasures that were useful to Liu Yun'er, he would find a way to get them for her to help her achieve her goal.

Among all these, the Azure Dragon Cave Heaven was the greatest help to Liu Yun'er. For the past few hundred years, she has cultivated almost entirely within this cave heaven. Utilizing the spiritual energy within this cave heaven, which far surpasses that of the outside world, her cultivation level has skyrocketed. Now, she has reached the peak of the Heavenly Venerable realm and is only one step away from breaking through to the Void Refining Heavenly Monarch realm.

Her advancement to the seventh-tier Dao Lord was not as certain as Hu Dan's. After all, in addition to the most basic talent, ability, and resource support, the seventh-tier Dao Lord also needs a bit of good fortune. Such good fortune is extremely rare and hard to come by. Even Su Qing could not guarantee that he could help Liu Yun'er seize this opportunity. He could only say that with his current power and ability in the Tianyuan Realm, he would do his best to help her seize any opportunities that appeared in the Tianyuan Realm.

Regardless of whether he can ultimately attain the seventh-order Dao Lord status, this is clearly not something that can be achieved overnight or in hundreds or thousands of years. Therefore, the witch cannot become his help in the short term.

After the witch, the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom, which has been established for less than a thousand years, has found it difficult to find better candidates. The Armored War God Yingjue started high on the path to godhood, but his progress was very slow. To this day, he has been surpassed by Liang Haishun and is still only a fifth-order god. Unless he becomes the Heavenly Emperor and forcibly elevates their godhood with the authority of the Heavenly Emperor, he can only raise them to the position of seventh-order god in a short period of time. If they want to rely on their own efforts, hundreds of thousands of years is the most conservative estimate.

As for the students of the Martial Arts Academy, the Divine Weapon Masters of the Divine Zone, and the Witch Clan of the Witch Clan, these people, like the gods of the Temple Zone, have great potential for the future, but right now there isn't a single one who can fight and take on any responsibility.

When choosing a general from among the dwarfs, someone Su Qing hadn't even considered before came into his view.

"Qinghe, can I trust you?"

"What kind of talk is this? My loyalty to you, Boss, is as clear as day. You may not trust your three, five, seven, or eight Daoist partners, but you absolutely cannot distrust me. I am the one you can trust the most!"

"Then can you advance to the seventh-tier Dao Lord within a thousand years?"

"Huh? Who is it? It's me?"

"Of course it's you. Didn't you receive the inheritance of the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas? Try your best, can't you do it? That Great Sage Overturning the Seas, a monkey, received the inheritance of the Great Sage Wukong and can now hold his own against Erqiang. You can't be inferior to a monkey, can you?"

"That's really not possible."

"You're not even as good as a monkey?" (End of Chapter)