Immortal Road.

Lin Shan agreed without hesitation!
The conditions offered by Fairy Qinglian were so generous that he had no choice but to accept.

Since I have no connections anyway, I might as well join the villains for the sake of Gu Yun.
That's not wrong. The Black Lotus Cult is indeed the villain, while the Pure Lotus Hermit belongs to the orthodox Heavenly Court, at least on the surface.

But so what?
Anyway, this isn't the first time I've played a villain, so I'll keep the ancient style from being shabby!
Actually, he wanted to negotiate a lower price, but with the Black Skull Demon Lord right there and him being just a Yuan Nian incarnation, he couldn't really get his hands on anything in the Green Lotus Fairy's territory. Fortunately, the amount was quite reasonable, so he just agreed.

The Fairy of Green Lotus was very pleased with his pragmatism, and afterwards she shrugged.

"I've paid the deposit, so can you release Youmeiji now?"

To everyone's surprise, Lin Shan immediately shook his head vigorously upon hearing this.

"No, I captured this woman with my own abilities, how can I just let her go?"

The Azure Lotus Fairy frowned slightly.

"She's a member of my Black Lotus Cult, assisting the barbarians in collecting totem beliefs. Not only did you steal her away, but you also kidnapped her. I've already been lenient by not holding it against you. Why don't you release her right now?"

Lin Shan shook his head repeatedly, telling her that the accounts weren't calculated that way.

"When I stormed into the barbarian royal court, I didn't actually intend to attack Youmeiji. She offended me first, and I was already being lenient by not killing her. How could I let her go?"

Qinglian Fairy: "."

She was truly shocked once again. This kid was incredibly bold; no one in the lower realm had ever dared to speak to her like that.

"Now that you're on my side, and You Meiji was originally my subordinate, we're all in this together. Shouldn't you release her?"

"My joining the fairy's camp and whether or not to release You Meiji are two different things, and they should not be confused."

To be honest, Lin Shan had forgotten who made the first move in the Nine Li Lands, but that didn't matter.

You Meiji has been captured and imprisoned by me for so long, and she even joined forces to kill her biological father, Huanxi Shenjun. If I release her, wouldn't that leave a great threat in the future?

The Azure Lotus Fairy took a deep breath and then calmed herself down.

"Okay, then tell me, what will it take for me to release her?"

"Give me two more copies of the Buddha statue I just saw!"

Lin Shan made an outrageous demand without hesitation. If the ancient charm was up to par, he wouldn't mind letting the tiger return to the mountain. In any case, no matter how much that woman cultivated, she was no match for him. He was confident of that!
"You're asking for too much."

The Azure Lotus Fairy calmly told him:
"The incense I just gave you required a lot of time and effort to extract from the folk antiques of the entire cultivation world across the continent."

“According to Buddhist units of measurement, it is one hundred ten-day periods of faith, which is not a small amount.”

"I can give you a deposit of one hundred shang, and another five hundred shang after that, for a total of six hundred shang. This is already exceptional treatment. Other primordial spirits would never be able to do this."

Lin Shan's heart stirred upon hearing this!
One hundred points of ancient charm, corresponding to the Buddhist unit of measurement "ten days", exactly one hundred ten days?

I knew it! Incense, though intangible, should still have a unit of measurement.

From this perspective, the transformation of the ancient style is not without basis, and Fairy Qinglian is aware of this.

“A normal cultivator with great supernatural powers is worth about one hundred ten thousand, while a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage is worth five hundred ten thousand. I would rather give up anything more than that.”

The Fairy of Green Lotus even openly puts prices on her!

They materialized those with great supernatural powers and cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage, using incense offerings as a benchmark of value!
Lin Shan understood that this was the truth; if he continued to ask for 200, the other party would rather give up on You Meiji.

"make a deal!"

One hundred ancient rhymes is not a small amount, and he felt it was acceptable to exchange so much for Youmei Ji.

"Okay, I don't have that much incense on me right now. I'll exchange it with you next time we meet, when I've collected enough."

The Azure Lotus Fairy nodded, turned around, and transformed into ripples that scattered across the heavens and earth; it turned out to be just a phantom.

Lin Shan's eyes narrowed!
The other party is truly skilled and daring. If I had been more reckless when we met and had directly tried to snatch it, wouldn't I have gained a hundred ancient charms for free?
However, to be fair, offending Fairy Qinglian like that was really unnecessary.

He stood there pondering for a long time when the Black Skull Demon Lord beside him suddenly spoke, though he seemed a little confused at the moment.

"Huh? Bro, what just happened? I don't remember anything about it."

Lin Shan suddenly turned around, his eyes fixed on it!
The Black Skull Demon Lord was startled; the soul fire within his skull flickered erratically, and he cowered, too afraid to look at him.

After repeated confirmation, the Black Skull Demon Lord had indeed lost his memory. He had completely forgotten all the scenes of his meeting and conversation with the Green Lotus Fairy!

He couldn't help but gasp. The Azure Lotus Fairy had erased the skeleton's memories without anyone noticing. This was terrifying.

How exactly?
Unable to understand it, I can only attribute it to the magic of the immortals, who temporarily brought the Black Skull Demon Lord back.

After returning to the Xun Gu Sect, they threw the skeleton into Tianfu Mountain.

Lin Shan turned around and went to the Dixi Plateau again, where he found Xiong Shan Shangren among the Hundred Clans of the Kongsang Sea Star Palace.

Xiong Shan was diligently working to develop his power within the Xiongren tribe when he stared blankly at the unfamiliar Nascent Soul expert who had just arrived.

"Help me contact your master, Layman Jinglian."

"Who are you?"

Lin Shan waved his hand impatiently, telling him to stop worrying about it and get in touch quickly.

Xiong Shan dared not disobey, so he took out a mirror, fiddled with it for a while, and the face of the Pure Lotus Hermit appeared on the mirror.

"Disciple, what brings you to your master?"

"Master, a senior primordial spirit has found me and asked me to contact you, saying that he has something important to discuss."

"Oh?"

Jinglian Jushi glanced in the mirror and saw Lin Shan hiding his face beside her.

"What do you want from me, fellow Taoist?"

"I have heard that you are recruiting heroes from all over the world to fight against the Black Lotus Sect. I am willing to lend a helping hand!"

That's right.

Having just tasted success with Fairy Qinglian, Lin Shan immediately turned to Layman Jinglian to place his bets on both sides!
With so much incense offering from the Black Lotus Sect, what little they give themselves is nothing.

Why didn't they join the main group of Lay Buddhist Jinglian and rush in to snatch her away?
Since I have two Yuan Nian incarnations, I can stand on one side and take advantage of both. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Unaware of this, Layman Jinglian's face lit up with joy upon hearing this:

"I had just publicly issued a proclamation against the traitors after the third wave of the spiritual tide ended a few days ago, and you, fellow Daoist, have already come to accept the challenge. You are indeed a righteous person!"

Hmm? There's even a proclamation denouncing the traitors?

I do not know how!
Lin Shan felt a little embarrassed; he hadn't paid any attention to that at all.

The reason I came to see Layman Jinglian again this time was because last time I was the one with great supernatural powers, and the other party's offer was not generous enough. Now that I have become a primordial spirit, I should change my identity and negotiate the terms again.

After all, Fairy Qinglian has raised her price, so Layman Jinglian must also raise his price.

As expected! The two chatted about their views on the war of annihilation. Pure Lotus Hermit discovered that Lin Shan was quite familiar with the Black Lotus Sect and had considerable skill, so he decisively offered a new price!
Besides taking all the spoils from storming the Black Lotus Sect, there was also the opportunity to witness the ascension of Layman Jinglian.

"Each person will receive ten Earth Spirit Pills, cultivation pills for the Nascent Soul stage, as a deposit. Fifty more will be added after the matter is completed!"

Well, clearly marked prices, just like the Azure Lotus Fairy.

However, it was somewhat unexpected that Layman Jinglian still had quotas available.

"Anyone who kills a Nascent Soul stage cultivator from the Black Lotus Cult will receive an extra Earth Spirit Pill; a Great Divine Power cultivator will receive an extra three pills; and a Divine Spirit stage cultivator will receive an extra ten pills!"

Lin Shan was very interested upon hearing this.

Earth Spirit Pill is a famous cultivation pill for the Nascent Soul stage. It is not circulated in the cultivation world at all, and even Nascent Soul stage cultivators themselves do not have enough!
The main problem is the scarcity of medicinal herbs and the limited number of master alchemists. If they were to monopolize the market, the prices would be too high, making it a losing proposition. It would be better to just go back and cultivate on your own!

This is a great opportunity for Pure Lotus Hermit, as he not only has a guaranteed 60 items, but also receives extra rewards for each kill.

"Killing a Nascent Soul stage cultivator doesn't refer to the physical body, does it include the avatar?"

He asked one more question to be sure, just in case the other party played word games.

Layman Jinglian chuckled:
"Of course it counts. Fellow Daoist, rest assured, as an inspecting immortal envoy, my credibility is guaranteed."

"make a deal!"

Lin Shan patted his chest and finalized the agreement with Layman Jinglian.

After discussing it, Layman Jinglian made an agreement with him that they would gather enough people soon for the decisive battle, and it wouldn't be too late.

Afterwards, Master Xiongshan handed him a woven vine and grass item, saying that Layman Jinglian could use it to contact him later.

Lin Shan took it and looked at it. It was no different from the one given to him by the great supernatural being last time. That grass vine was still lying in his pocket collecting dust, and now another one had come.

He estimated that Xiong Shan had a lot of stuff in his pocket, but he probably couldn't attract any strong people with that kind of ability.

He then took his leave and returned home.

Immediately afterwards, news came from spies in the central region of Lu.

It is said that Bailu Academy has indeed been making unusual moves recently, frequently mobilizing its disciples. On the surface, things seem calm, but in reality, it is being secretly attacked in various places.

They still don't know who is behind this, and they are rushing to various places to quell the unrest.

Lin Shan understood that the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect and the Ghost Valley Holy Land had already begun clearing the area!

First, eliminate the outposts surrounding Bailu Academy, then take over the headquarters without anyone noticing, and prevent any news from getting out.

Then, by having high-ranking officials captured by Bailu Academy pass a message to Zhong Shenxiu, they lured him into a trap, then locked him up and captured him alive!
This move sounded flawless, and even Lin Shan felt a chill in his heart.

Without inside information, he would have been kept in the dark.

Fortunately, with Qianbu as an inside man, he could make counter-arrangements.

"Master, what do you think? Should we send troops to help?"

Lü Xiuming asked from the side.

The members of the Seeking Ancient Sect were all eager to try and ready to fight!
Since Lei Bohai returned, Lin Shan has amassed almost half of the wealth of Lu Kingdom's spiritual tide by relying on the Nine Abyss Star Vortex!

Let the entire Xun Gu Sect make a fortune!

Furthermore, with the achievement of slaying a primordial spirit, neighboring countries began to pay tribute and pay homage, and the disciples of the Seeking Ancient Sect also implicitly regarded themselves as a future holy land.

Now that the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect and the Ghost Valley Holy Land have once again extended their reach into the territory of the State of Lu, they are naturally not going to stand for it!

Seeing that morale was high and the army was ready to fight, Ancestor Lu Que took the lead and requested to lead troops to participate in the battle.

"Master, we've been training for a thousand days to use our troops for one. We're stuck in the first two levels of the Thunder Wave Sea, only able to fight against the local forces of the Lu Kingdom. We're so frustrated!"

"Now that the Holy Land has invaded, all disciples of the sect are of one mind, and this is the perfect time to make contributions and establish a great career."

"With this battle, we will completely shatter the Holy Land's aloofness and let the world know the power of our Ancient Seeking Sect. Neighboring countries will surely flock to us, and then our great cause will be within reach, and our hegemony will surely be achieved!"

Upon hearing this, everyone else stood up and cheered, clearly eager to have a good showdown with the Holy Land.

"No, absolutely no!"

At this moment, dissenting voices suddenly rang out in the hall, like a refreshing stream amidst the fervent enthusiasm, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

It was none other than the Black Skull Demon Lord who had just returned!

It was a little confused at this point, wondering if these people had all gone mad!
“Our Xun Gu Temple is small and weak. We can only endure the invasion of the holy land. How dare we rebel against our superiors and try to stop the chariot with our bare hands? I think this is inappropriate, inappropriate.”

When Ancestor Lu Que saw that it was this nemesis, he immediately sneered.

"Hmph, Elder Hei Ku is getting worse with age! He's so scared of the Holy Land that his legs go weak. If it weren't for the fact that it's in public, he probably would have wet himself."

"a ha ha ha!"

"Yo yo yo yo~"

"Herod's cries!"

Black Skull Demon Lord was furious. It was one thing for Ancestor Lu Que to laugh at and mock himself, but what were those two deer-headed and horse-faced figures beside him?

These two, as the prized disciples of Ancestor Lu Que, had already taken off after three cycles of spiritual tides, and later surpassed others to become Nascent Soul stage cultivators, and they were even Nascent Soul stage cultivators at a young age!
After Mu Yan, they were hailed by the outside world as the two unparalleled talents of the Xun Gu Sect.

Seeing their master's old rival in such a sorry state, they all began to mock him.

"What? Elder Hei Ku was captured at the beginning of the spiritual tide, and now that the spiritual tide has ended and he has returned, his cultivation has stagnated. What qualifications does he have to participate in important matters of the sect?"

"That's right. I think you're just relying on your seniority and seniority to get by here. If you hadn't followed the leader early on and made a contribution to his rise to power, with your current strength and courage, you should just go back to your hometown!"

"Ahahahaha~"

The Black Skull Demon Lord was so angry that his legs trembled, and he pointed at the two of them, wishing he could rush forward and fight them.

However, the dangerous gaze of the Deer Ancestor instantly dampened its spirits.

no way,
Since Ancestor Lu Que took the head of the Yuanlu Demon King and refined the True Spirit Resentful Barbarian Bloodline given to him by Lin Shan, his cultivation has now reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. The Black Skull Demon Lord really can't afford to offend him!
It has wasted so many years, while many of the elders and new talents within the sect have grown rapidly and are gradually falling behind the times.

"You, you all, hmph."

It could only sit back in its original spot in a huff. Seeing its pathetic state of being angry but unable to speak out, everyone burst into laughter.

Lin Shan ignored the bickering among his subordinates and instead instructed Lü Xiuming to secretly make arrangements to prepare for their departure to the Central Region.

"First, let the two holy lands conquer Bailu Academy and lure Zhong Shenxiu there. Then, when he is surrounded by enemies and utterly alone, we will appear to give him hope for salvation!"

If we send troops now to help Bailu Academy protect its assets, it would be better to let it be completely defeated once more.

At that time, the Ancient Seeking Sect will be able to take advantage of the situation and more easily reconstruct and incorporate it. Lin Shan's ultimate goal is to bring it under his control!
(End of this chapter)