Pure Yang!

Chapter 392 Jiang Lai's Warning! Fate Not Yet Over
Late at night, Hongfu Garden.

Zhang Fan walked into the residential area, checked his phone, and saw that it was already past midnight. The old streetlights hummed and their dim yellow light flickered.

"Finally home!"

Zhang Fan let out a long breath. The closer he got to home, the more relaxed he felt, and even his primordial spirit felt much more comfortable.

Once home, there were no more grudges or life-or-death battles. Even though he was cultivating the Divine Demon Holy Embryo and couldn't sleep, he was still able to enjoy a rare moment of peace.

However, this tranquility would not last more than a few days before he had to head to Zhenwu Mountain.

Fortunately, this trip to Zhenwu Mountain is to attend the disciple-acceptance ceremony of the Transcendental Master, so there will definitely be no setbacks. Just like the last trip, it's a chance to relax.

dong... dong... dong...

Just then, a series of light footsteps came from behind him. Zhang Fan subconsciously stopped and turned around to look.

Under the streetlights, a graceful figure slowly emerged, wearing white sneakers, a neat short-sleeved shirt, shoulder-length short hair, and ethereal eyes.

"Jiang Lai!?"

In the dim light of the night, Zhang Fan stood in the shadows, while Jiang Lai stood under a streetlamp, the two of them no more than ten steps apart.

At this moment, Zhang Fan was a little surprised. He hadn't told Jiang Lai that he was coming back today, and he didn't expect Jiang Lai to appear in his own neighborhood.

"What are you doing here? Is there something you need?" Zhang Fan asked, regaining his composure.

"I came to see you," Jiang Lai whispered, her ethereal eyes revealing no emotion.

"Look at me? What's so interesting about me?" Zhang Fan laughed.

"Let's see if you're dead or not," Jiang Lai said in a low voice.

"..."

Zhang Fan remained silent. If someone else had said such a thing, he would have assumed it was a joke or something malicious, but Jiang Lai…

They must have genuinely come to see if he was dead or not.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Zhang Fan chuckled. "By the way, I'm going back to Zhenwu Mountain next week to attend the disciple-acceptance ceremony of the Transcendental Master. Do you want to come with me?"

He met Jiang Lai on Zhenwu Mountain, and his primordial spirit returned, slowly waking up in the dead of night.

"Don't go," Jiang Lai said, shaking her head.

"Huh?" Zhang Fan was stunned, not understanding what the other person meant for a moment.

“It’s dangerous there!” Jiang Lai said solemnly.

"Danger?" Zhang Fan frowned, indicating his confusion.

"You could die!"

"I don't understand." Zhang Fan paused for a moment, then shook his head.

“Jiang Lai, there are many things I don’t understand. You’re not as simple as you seem on the surface…”

"Eighty years ago, during the great calamity of the Taoist sect, you were also on Mount Longhu!"

Zhang Fan's gaze sharpened to a single line as he glimpsed a corner of the past within the vast memories of the Three Corpse Yuan Dan.

Eighty years ago, on Mount Longhu, five people survived the calamity that swept across the world.

A thousand-year-old demon, the Three Corpses Taoist, Chu Chaoran, Zhang Taixu, and Jiang Lai.

Not only that, the day he was born, the day he entered the tribulation ten years ago, and even the day he began to escape the tribulation on Zhenwu Mountain... all bear the shadow of Jiang Lai.

She seemed to transcend the passage of time, her life trajectory overlapping with Zhang Fan's.

“Eighty years have passed, and you haven’t changed a bit.” Zhang Fan stared at Jiang Lai and asked in a deep voice.

"who are you?"

"I do not know."

Jiang Lai's face remained expressionless. She slowly raised her head, looked at the night sky, and shook her head.

"I have been waiting since the day I came into being."

"Wait!?" Zhang Fan asked subconsciously.

"Waiting...I'm waiting for someone, for something..."

"The meaning of my existence is to wait for that person and accomplish that task," Jiang Lai whispered.

This feeling is wonderful, almost instinctive, imprinted in absolute consciousness, just like how humans are born knowing how to breathe.

Every person, and indeed every living being, has a reason for being born into this world.

Like mayflies, which live only a day and die at dusk, their purpose in life is to reproduce, and once that ends, their lives are over.

Jiang Lai's existence is about waiting.

Endless waiting!
"You are the one I've been waiting for." Jiang Lai looked at Zhang Fan, her ethereal gaze incredibly clear.

"From the day you were born, I knew that you were the one I was waiting for."

"I don't know!"

Zhang Fan shook his head, feeling even more confused.

"what are you up to?"

"I do not know."

Jiang Lai whispered, "As long as you're here, I'll know when that crucial moment arrives."

"That is the meaning of my existence."

In Jiang Lai's mind, her existence was for the purpose of completing "a certain event," and the condition for this event to happen was Zhang Fan. As long as that time point appeared, everything could form a perfect closed loop.

Zhang Fan seemed to be deep in thought. Jiang Lai harbored too many secrets and unbelievable things. She was like an artificial intelligence programmed with instructions, only able to generate the next instruction when certain conditions were triggered.

It's so weird.

“So you can’t die,” Jiang Lai said solemnly.

“How could I die? I’m going to Zhenwu Mountain this time. There’s a Transcendental Master there. He’s at the Pure Yang Limitless Realm,” Zhang Fan explained.

With Chu Chaoran's cultivation level, in this era, he is almost a living immortal, if not a living god.

“In this mortal world, everyone will die.” Jiang Lai slowly turned around and looked in the direction of Zhenwu Mountain.

Even he will die!

"You're saying that the Transcendental Immortal... will die!?" Zhang Fan's eyes trembled slightly, revealing a look of surprise.

"Life and death are the natural order; as long as one is human, one will die."

Jiang Lai shook her head and whispered. Over the long years, she had witnessed too many life and death events. In her eyes, the life and death of ordinary people were like the rising and setting of the sun. Since it was a natural law, there was no such thing as joy or sorrow.

“Everyone can die, but you can’t,” Jiang Lai said in a deep voice.

"You mean if I go to Zhenwu Mountain, I will face a calamity?" Zhang Fan asked curiously.

"I sense your life or death."

Jiang Lai said in a deep voice, "Just like that woman beside you last time, she will also bring you a calamity, a calamity concerning life and death."

“Li Miaoyin!?” Zhang Fan remained silent.

He finally understood why Jiang Lai had started a fight with Li Miaoyin without warning that day.

“If you go to Zhenwu Mountain, you will also be in danger,” Jiang Lai continued.

"Could there be any twists and turns in the grand ceremony for the Transcendental Master to accept disciples?" Zhang Fan pondered.

Chu Chaoran is a Pure Yang Limitless Realm cultivator, a living True Person of this era, and the number one figure in the world. With him around, what trouble could possibly arise?
"Jiang Lai, I appreciate your kindness."

At this moment, Zhang Fan had no clue whatsoever. He looked at Jiang Lai and whispered, "Only those who cultivate the Dao can perceive profound truths by not avoiding tribulations."

"Calamity is both a death sentence and an elixir of immortality."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Lai slowly withdrew her gaze. She knew that Zhang Fan's mind was made up and could not be changed.

"I see."

The cool, clear voice echoed through the quiet, old neighborhood. A night breeze swept by, and the beautiful figure in front of me vanished.

Zhang Fan stared in the direction Jiang Lai had gone, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

Upon returning home, he took out the [Powerful Spirit Demon-Suppressing Golden Seal] and the black iron plate, placed them on the shrine, lit a wisp of incense, and then went back to his room.

hum...

Under the dim moonlight, the black iron plate trembled slightly, creating a barely perceptible ripple that pushed the [Powerful Spirit Suppressing Demon Golden Seal] into a corner. The rising incense was exceptionally strong, all of which rushed towards the black iron plate.

...The next day, in the early morning.

Zhang Fan got up very early and arrived at the Jiangnan Provincial Daoist Alliance Headquarters.

Lou Hechuan died in Shangjing City. Wu Qingnang said that the ashes of this former leader of the Jiangnan Provincial Daoist Alliance would be transported back to Yujing City and buried in a suitable location.

Zhang Fan, and even his family, had received kindness from Lou Hechuan. The first thing he did upon returning to Yujing City was to come and pay his respects.

"Where have you been lately? I haven't seen you for a while."

Inside the office, Sui Chunsheng had just made a cup of tea, and holding the thermos, he looked at Zhang Fan.

Since being promoted to this position, he has been radiant. Although his cultivation has not improved, his complexion has become better and better. It is true that officialdom nourishes people.

"I went to Chang'an," Zhang Fan said calmly, sitting in his armchair.

"Why did you go to Chang'an again?"

"I also ran into your Chairman Wu in Chang'an," Zhang Fan said casually without explaining.

"You can't call it that anymore."

Sui Chunsheng waved his hand and put down his thermos: "The announcement that just came down yesterday has already removed the word 'substitute'."

"Wu Qingnang!"

"Chairman Wu!"

Zhang Fan's gaze narrowed slightly, and he couldn't help but sigh, "He really has been promoted."

"A new emperor brings a new court; I wonder what kind of rules our new president has for running things," Sui Chunsheng murmured, worried about his future.

"Has your Chairman Wu returned?" Zhang Fan asked.

After their parting at the Wang family compound on Luoying Mountain, he never saw Wu Qingnang again.

“I returned a couple of days ago. With the Transcendental Master’s disciple-acceptance ceremony just around the corner, Dao Alliances from all over the country are going to express their support,” Sui Chunsheng said.

Jiangnan Province has one of the top economies in the country, and right now, at this critical juncture, there are many things to be done.

Wu Qingnang's appointment as a new official can be seen as a test.

"Have Old Lou's ashes been brought back?"

After a brief silence, Zhang Fan finally revealed the purpose of his trip.

"Ok!"

Sui Chunsheng gave a soft "hmm" and then said, "It was airlifted back yesterday, personally transported by people from Baihe Temple."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan merely sneered but remained silent.

Lou Hechuan's death was suspicious, and he knew it, as did Wu Qingnang.

"Where is he buried? I'd like to go and pay my respects."

"I'm afraid we can't do the worship right now," Sui Chunsheng said, shaking his head.

"The order from above is not to hold a memorial service."

At this point, Sui Chunsheng paused slightly, glanced at Zhang Fan, and then continued, "The Dao Alliance's final evaluation of Elder Lou was that he had both merits and demerits, and had made mistakes on matters of principle. Now that he is no longer here, we will not dwell on the past, and we will not discuss his merits and demerits further."

"Let bygones be bygones!?" Zhang Fan remained silent.

Lou Hechuan had no children and devoted his entire life to the Dao Alliance. Now, the phrase "let bygones be bygones" is tantamount to erasing his life completely.

"Zhang Fan..."

Looking at Zhang Fan's expression, Sui Chunsheng couldn't help but say, "Actually, there are still many questions that Elder Lou hasn't been investigated. But now that he's dead, there's no need to investigate these questions any further."

"This can be considered the last bit of dignity left for Old Lou."

"Is this Jiang Wansui's benevolence and grace?" Zhang Fan said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Sui Chunsheng's expression changed drastically. He looked sharply at the gate, and seeing that no one was coming in, he lowered his voice and said, "Keep your voice down. This is the Dao Alliance. Don't talk nonsense."

"Let me know when you've chosen a burial plot for Elder Lou." Zhang Fan stood up.

"In the next couple of days, I'll do it," Sui Chunsheng nodded.

"It's a cover-up! An absolute cover-up! We demand fairness! We demand the truth!"

Just then, a commotion came from the courtyard downstairs.

Zhang Fan turned his head and looked out the window. He saw a group of young people gathered in the courtyard, most of them wearing Taoist robes. They all looked indignant and were shouting incessantly.

“These people are here again,” Sui Chunsheng said, rubbing his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

"It's a long story."

"Then keep your story short."

“A while ago, the Dao Alliance was recruiting new members, and there was a special recruitment quota for the Jiangnan Province region,” Sui Chunsheng said.

"As you know, these kinds of indicators are very valuable, so they naturally have to be tested."

"The exam was organized by our Jiangnan Provincial Dao League, and the person who was ultimately admitted was a man named Mao Baiguang."

“Mao Baiguang, surnamed Mao?” Zhang Fan couldn’t help but think of Mao Xiaoyun, the Taoist master from Maoshan he had met on the plane.

“The Mao family is the direct descendant of the Maoshan lineage, and their influence is immense,” Sui Chunsheng said, seeing through Zhang Fan’s thoughts.

If Maoshan is a dynasty, then the Mao family is the imperial family, inheriting glory generation after generation.

"It was supposed to be a settled matter, but someone leaked it out. Mao Baiguang's exam score was only 90 points."

"90 points? Not bad, almost a perfect score," Zhang Fan replied.

"There are nine subjects in total, and the full score is 730 points," Sui Chunsheng said casually, glancing at him sideways.

"..."

"Of these 90 points, 20 points are policy bonuses for famous mountains and major projects."

"..."

"So, that Mao Baiguang is a complete waste of space," Zhang Fan couldn't help but say.

"Sigh, it's no use for these people to make a fuss."

Looking down at the courtyard, a sense of sorrow welled up in Sui Chunsheng's eyes.

"How to say?"

"Actually, this spot originally belonged to Mao Baiguang, but this special recruitment assessment was held to make it more legitimate."

"Without Mao Baiguang, there would be no assessment."

“These people don’t even qualify to accompany their parents during the exam.”

At this point, Zhang Fan fell silent. This world is vast, far larger than anyone could imagine, and its scenery is something many people could never even conceive of in their entire lives.

Some people are born in Rome, while others are born to be beasts of burden.

This is fate!

"Alright, these matters will be handled by someone else." Sui Chunsheng turned around, walked to his desk, picked up a booklet, and handed it to Zhang Fan.

"Recently, there is an exhibition of Taoist cultural treasures in Yujing City. You can go and take a look when you have time. Many of the treasures are borrowed from various mountain sects and schools."

"An exhibition of magical treasures and rare artifacts?" Zhang Fan was taken aback, looking at the list in his hand, which recorded most of the treasures in this exhibition.

He casually flipped through the album, and the photos on the pages stunned him.

"Is this also on display at this exhibition?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

"This was sent from Zhongnan Mountain. It hasn't arrived yet, but it should be here in the next couple of days," Sui Chunsheng said, glancing at it.

This exhibition will last for eight days, and many of the items need to be negotiated, with some still en route.

"What? You're also interested in treasures related to magic seals?" Sui Chunsheng chuckled.

“You have a good eye. This magic seal is from Longhu Mountain, and it’s quite rare to see one now.”

"They really are rare these days."

Zhang Fan nodded, looking at the photo of the [Thunder City Demon-Imprisoning Golden Seal] on the album page, and revealed a meaningful smile.

Just as Li Yishan said, his connection with this Dharma seal has not ended.

(End of this chapter)