Immortal Road.

The Azure Lotus Fairy moved gracefully, her skirt fluttering, her jade feet treading on the void, her long, black hair cascading like a waterfall.

She arrived suddenly without any warning, appearing outside the cave and smiling at Lin Shan who had just emerged.

"Master Lin, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Lin Shan was slightly startled. He stopped at the cave entrance and sensed his surroundings, but found no other presence.

This scene is similar to the situation encountered in the mortal world and the starry sea, but it is also quite different.

He remembered that when he first came out, there were two powerful cultivators lying in ambush, but now he couldn't see those two people.

Seeing him looking around, Fairy Qinglian smiled slightly to reassure him.

"Master Lin, there's no need to look around. I've come alone because I wanted to have a chat with you."

Back in the illusion, Lin Shan's cultivation was only at the level of a Great Divine Power, but now he has long since become a Nascent Soul and is famous throughout the world. Naturally, the Black Lotus Sect would not be foolish enough to send another Great Divine Power to test him.

However, this Azure Lotus Fairy was unclear whether she was a clone or a projection; she was hazy and ethereal, giving people a sense of unfathomable depth.

Lin Shan did not rashly use his Eyes of Truth to spy on them, as that would be extremely impolite and would make him seem like a lecher.

I could only feign caution and ask:

"What brings the fairy here today? Could it be that she's here to stop me from rescuing my subordinates?"

"Of course not."

The Fairy of Azure Lotus smiled like a gentle spring breeze, like a lotus flower emerging from the mud unsullied. Her face was crystal clear, radiating a soft pink glow, making one want to ravage her. It was not a seductive art, but rather a natural charm.

No wonder it attracted so many people to join it. Lin Shan's heart raced when he met it up close for the first time in real life.

"I know that Leader Lin is exceptionally talented. He has become a Nascent Soul cultivator at a young age. It is truly admirable that he has achieved such a level in such a barren place as the lower realm in such a short time."

The Azure Lotus Fairy began by praising him, words that, if spoken by anyone else, would be unremarkable, but coming from the mouth of an immortal, were enough to stir one's heart.

"I dare not accept such praise. The geniuses of the celestial realm are so noble. How could I, a peasant from a poor and remote village in the mortal realm, possibly catch the eye of a celestial being?"

Lin Shan responded indifferently, not at all swayed by those two short sentences.

Meanwhile, the Black Skull Demon Lord, who was hiding behind him and trembling, suddenly heard some incredible news!
"What? You kid... you've... reached the Primordial Spirit stage???"

"you shut up!"

Lin Shan didn't even turn his head, and told it to shut up.

Now that I'm talking to Fairy Qinglian, why is a little skeleton in the Nascent Soul stage interrupting?

The Azure Lotus Fairy simply smiled at the two of them, then turned her back, her profile serene and tranquil in the sunlight, gazing into the distance.

"Master Lin, there's no need to be modest. Your ability to kill the barbarian chieftain, suppress the witch high priest, and capture You Meiji when you were a Great Divine Power Master is enough to prove your strength."

"Now that I have become a primordial spirit, and unlike the rumors that I haven't yet transcended the heavens and forgotten myself, I have clearly perfectly passed the Six-Nine Thunder Tribulation and received the reward from the Heavenly Dao!"

"Such talent is sought after even by the great sects of the immortal realm, so how could I possibly underestimate him?"

Unexpectedly, even though it was just an avatar, Fairy Qinglian could see through his true form. Her insight was truly worthy of an immortal, far surpassing that of people in the lower realms.

"It seems that Lord Yanxi's information is outdated. He still thinks you're stuck on the stage of nourishing your divine essence and are only relying on your avatar to travel. You'll probably suffer a great loss if that happens."

"Oh? Lord Yanxi and the fairy told me about me?"

Lin Shan never expected that this old thing would go on such a rampage, not only going to the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect, but also coming to find Fairy Qinglian.
The other party nodded calmly.

"I won't interfere in your feud, but if you want to mediate, I can act as a go-between, since he's now on my side."

"Your side? What do you mean?"

Lin Shan pretended to be confused even though he knew the truth.

Regardless of whether he truly understood or not, Fairy Qinglian patiently explained.

"Master Jinglian should have contacted you. He wants to gather powerful figures in this world to jointly besiege our sect. This should not be a secret in the circle."

"Really? How come I didn't know that?"

Lin Shan is still pretending to be deaf and dumb.

The Azure Lotus Fairy paused, seemingly having never seen such a shameless person before, but with her profound composure and self-control, she did not expose him.

"If I were in the Upper Realm, I might have to be more cautious and not openly oppose the Heavenly Court, but here, there's really nothing to be afraid of!"

"Since he dared to gather so many people to kill me, I can naturally gather everyone to fight back against him!"

"To be honest, most of the powerful rogue cultivators and Nascent Soul stage cultivators in this world are on my side. Even among the major holy lands, there are many who have chosen to support me."

"The Supreme Elder of the Ghost Valley Holy Land, Lord Yanxi, is one of my people."

Lin Shan seemed to be deep in thought. Back in the mortal world, the illusion didn't mention that Lord Yanxi had chosen the Black Lotus Sect.

Perhaps he had no connection with Lord Yanxi at the time, so Fairy Qinglian had no need to tell him.

Now, as reality progresses, the situation may change.

"Since Lord Yanxi is your man, and he is trying to make me his enemy, doesn't that mean we are now enemies?"

"No, I said I won't interfere in your affairs and I won't take sides."

The Azure Lotus Fairy reiterated:

"His conflict with you won't prevent you from joining my camp. In fact, to be honest, you only killed a powerful cultivator from the Ghost Valley Holy Land, which isn't something that can't be resolved. I can act as a mediator and specially set aside time to arrange a meeting to help you resolve your grudges. After all, you both have powerful forces behind you, and neither of you wants to start a war lightly. What do you say?"

Lin Shan gave a wry smile.

"That was before. Recently, he lost another Yuan Nian avatar because of me, so this matter probably can't be resolved."

"Oh? Is that so!"

The Azure Lotus Fairy wasn't omniscient; she was unaware that Lord Yanxi had attempted a sneak attack but was instead killed by Shui Bingyue. Upon hearing this, she nodded. If the sunk costs were significant, reconciliation would indeed be difficult.

"That doesn't matter. You can fight however you want. As long as you join me in fighting against Pure Lotus Hermit, you'll definitely be tempted by the conditions I'm offering!"

Lin Shan immediately became serious.

"Please speak, fairy."

"You should know that after a cultivator from the lower realm ascends, they either become a free and unfettered cultivator or join a major power to develop their power."

"As an ascended cultivator, most of them choose to join the Golden Palace Ascension Platform. In fact, this is only because most people are unfamiliar with the immortal realm when they first enter it and are afraid of being scammed outside. So they choose the official Heavenly Court system, thinking it is a good background. In fact, they are very wrong!"

"You'll only realize how tough it is when you actually go out and work hard. A secure job in the government is only enough to cover your daily training, not your extra expenses!"

"If you want more resources, the only way is to abuse your power for personal gain. But if you're just a nobody with no background, doing odd jobs, where will you get any power? You'll never get promoted in your life!"

"There's a perfect spot for everyone, there's no chance for you! They'll just paint a rosy picture and give you a title of 'prospective immortal,' but you're no different from a regular ascension platform soldier. How could you possibly have a chance to become an immortal? Those with connections have already lined up from the Lingxiao Palace in Heaven all the way to the South Gate!"

"But the major sects outside are different. They have ancient scriptures, enlightened masters, generous monthly stipends, numerous opportunities for training, and the chance to exchange ideas with various sects, broaden their horizons and increase their knowledge. In just a few years, they can rise rapidly and their cultivation will increase dramatically."

The Azure Lotus Fairy spoke eloquently, telling him about the environment of the Upper Realm. Many of the things she said were indeed quite true, almost exactly the same as what she had heard from Zhao Xingying when she was by the Immortal Book's side!
However, despite both being considered unlucky stars, their backgrounds were vastly different; neither of them was favored by their parents or relatives, so they shouldn't expect anyone to support them.

Do not!
To be precise, Lin Shan didn't have a maternal grandmother or an uncle at all; he was a complete orphan!

The Azure Lotus Fairy had already investigated his background thoroughly; all the groundwork laid beforehand was to lead into the conditions to come.

"My sister is the head of a major sect in the Qinghan Immortal Realm. She can open a special back door for you, allowing you to bypass the Golden Palace Ascension Platform and avoid the registration process in the lower realm when you ascend."

"You may not know this, but every ascending cultivator from the lower realm to the upper realm is required to register and then be subject to the Heavenly Court's supervision. It's ostensibly to facilitate the management of immigrants from the immortal realm, but in reality, it's a disguised form of control!"

"Wherever you go in the future, you will have to carry the title of an ascended cultivator. Every hundred years you must report to the Heavenly Court. You will not be able to hide your identity and blend in with the natives of the Immortal Realm."

"If you don't want to be monitored, the only way is to take a back door and bypass this step by sneaking into the Immortal Realm through other channels, so that you can truly be as free as a fish in the sea and as free as a bird in the sky!"

Lin Shan was greatly shocked and realized that Shui Bingyue was taken away by the Ice Soul Fairy's inheritance to prevent her from being included in the Golden Palace Ascension Platform's reporting system.

As long as you don't ascend from the Ascension Platform, you can quietly blend into the native inhabitants of the Immortal Realm, concealing your origins. This will be very beneficial in unfamiliar places.

"If you wish, you can directly join my sister's sect. If you also want to enter the Heavenly Court, you can do so through my sister's connections. She has connections in the Northern Army Xuanwu Camp, the Five Capitals Preparation Bureau, the Wei River Naval New Army, and the Earth Elephant War Puppet Bureau. It's not even a dream to become an immortal."

"Wherever you go, it's better than staying at the Golden Palace Ascension Platform. That place is a large camp that centrally manages you ascending cultivators, a cage that hinders the development of your horizons!"

"Many talented individuals from the lower realms had their edges smoothed out and their sharpness dulled there. In the end, they slowly wasted their time, their minds were worn down, and they became mediocre and ordinary people at the bottom of society."

"If you don't want to become just another ordinary person after ascending to heaven, I can help you, but only if you help me win the battle against the Pure Lotus Hermit in the lower realm!"

"So, the choice is yours."

Lin Shan took a deep breath, unable to calm down for a long time.

In the vast sea of ​​mortals, Fairy Qinglian didn't tell him all that; she simply outlined the conditions and let him choose for himself.

Clearly, at that time he was merely a highly skilled individual, not worth the effort to win over, as his own value was insufficient.

Now that he has become a powerful primordial spirit, a top figure in the realm, he immediately gained the attention of Fairy Qinglian, who patiently explained the situation in the upper realm to him.

More importantly, not only was he able to kill the Ice Python, but he also killed the Yuan Nian incarnation of the Divine Lord Yanxi. Although it was Shui Bingyue who did it, outsiders did not know, so it was naturally attributed to him.

As a result, Lin Shan's value in the united front has skyrocketed. After all, the confrontation between the two immortal factions is not a simple game, but also involves strengthening oneself and weakening the other.

If Fairy Qinglian fails to win over Lin Shan and instead allows him to join the Pure Lotus Hermit's side, then the difference between the two, one coming in and the other going out, and the other gaining and losing, will be the difference between two Nascent Soul stage warriors!
But Lin Shan was clearly not fooled, because ascension was still a long way off, and he didn't need to think about it too much right now. Even if he really wanted to ascend, there were drawbacks to falling into the Golden Palace Ascension Platform, but there were no drawbacks to falling into your territory.
He didn't really trust Fairy Qinglian; such vague promises were like farts, far less valuable than tangible benefits in the present.

"Thank you for your kindness, fairy, but I haven't thought that much about ascension yet. To expect me to risk my life for you based on that alone is probably not enough. All of this is predicated on your victory in the lower realm. If you don't win, wouldn't all my efforts be in vain?"

The Fairy of Green Lotus nodded and immediately increased his bet.

"Besides that, I know you need incense offerings, and you even ordered your subordinates to collect antiques all over the continent, all for the sake of your faith, right?"

"To be honest, my Black Lotus Sect is also collecting antiques that have been worshipped on the mainland. Moreover, some holy sites are secretly helping us. Your manpower is simply not enough, and your gains will only become more and more bleak."

"If you want it, I can give you this in exchange for your support, how about it?"

The Azure Lotus Fairy didn't mince words and directly proposed incense offerings as a condition.

Others might need this or that, and Fairy Qinglian couldn't possibly fulfill them all.

But Lin Shan was too easy to deal with!

This kid just wants offerings, right? My Black Lotus Sect may not have much else, but we'll give you plenty of offerings!
Compared to the Pure Lotus Hermit, the Black Lotus Sect clearly has a huge advantage, which is why the Azure Lotus Fairy believes he can be won over.

Lin Shan got excited as soon as he heard this!
If anyone in this world wants to fleece someone, it has to be the Black Lotus Cult. They're just throwing money away.

Although he was somewhat surprised that his plan to have people collect antiques everywhere had been exposed, he was fortunate enough to have the ability to protect himself. So what if people found out? It wasn't a big deal. It was probably the Black Skull Demon Lord who revealed it, but it was still indirectly a help to him.

"can."

Upon hearing this, Fairy Qinglian nodded directly and, without haggling with him, tossed over a black lotus Buddha statue.

Lin Shan took it and looked at it:
Black Lotus Buddha Statue

Quality: Magic Weapon

Description: This is a "communication magic artifact" personally crafted by Fairy Qinglian, allowing for two-way communication with the other party anytime, anywhere.

Enhancement required: 64 points

Classical Charm: 100 points

Is it absorbed?

Lin Shan's eyes narrowed. Last time, the illusion simulation in the Red Dust Star Sea only gave him 50 points, but this time it's 100 points!
It doubled?
"You can contact me using this Buddha statue later. These incense offerings are a deposit. If you need more, I will give you five times that amount after the war ends. How about that?"

"make a deal!"

(End of this chapter)