This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 139 The Blood of the Divine Transformation Kui Ox, Zhong Bai's Fortune
Opening the blessed land of Maoshan is not something that can be done by one person alone; it requires the Sect Master's Seal and the Cave Heaven Seal to be combined into one entity to open the blessed land.

Xuanmingzi held the Sect Master Seal, and Mingwanqian held the Cave Heaven Seal. As the two tokens burst into light, a gap was torn open in the void, and pure spiritual energy flowed out from the gap. Zhong Bai felt that just one breath was as strong as an hour of meditation.

"The blessed land has been opened, Zhong Bai!"

Ming Wanqian looked at Zhong Bai, who then immediately flew straight to the entrance on his sword.

The closer Zhong Bai got to the gate, the more he was struck by the terrifying depth of the top Taoist sects.

With a whoosh, the instant he touched the portal, a powerful suction force pulled Zhong Bai's entire body toward the portal.

Zhong Bai did not resist, nor could he resist. As Zhong Bai spun around, a misty space soon appeared in his vision. The so-called mist was actually more accurately described as spiritual energy.

The spiritual mist stretched endlessly before Zhong Bai, and in front of him were white jade steps leading upwards. Zhong Bai took a deep breath, and the moment he stepped onto the white jade steps, the pressure on his body began to increase little by little.

Step by step upwards, the pressure on his body increased little by little. Zhong Bai didn't know how many steps he had climbed. He only knew that his body, which possessed the power of a dragon, was trembling incessantly. The pressure on his body made Zhong Bai's breathing somewhat rapid. His flushed face and the constant flow of sweat made Zhong Bai look extremely disheveled.

"Coming……"

Zhong Bai murmured, looking up. About a hundred meters above was the top, where a huge door was slightly closed. Zhong Bai could already see the words on the door.

The inscription in the center reads: "The True Lineage of Shangqing Maoshan".

The inscription on the left and right sides reads: "Eighth Grotto-Heaven, First Blessed Land".

Zhong Bai smiled, completely unaware of the scenes within the blessed land. Even though Xuan Mingzi and Ming Wanqian were both Golden Core True Monarchs, their knowledge of the Maoshan blessed land was practically zero.

With a bit of excitement, Zhong Bai continued upwards. It took him half an hour to reach the top of the short 100-meter stretch.

Just as Zhong Bai reached the top, the gate in front of him slowly opened, and as Zhong Bai looked into the gate, he was immediately dumbfounded!
Inside the gate is a landscape painting, with towering peaks and dense forests, babbling streams and lakes, and cranes flying in the sky.

As soon as Zhong Bai stepped through the gate, he found himself on a cliff. Just as he was about to fly on his sword, a soft laugh sounded beside him.

"You're Zhong Bai?"

Turning around suddenly, Zhong Bai saw a small old man, about one meter tall, holding a cane, smiling at him.

Zhong Bai was somewhat surprised, but he also knew that these were probably the Maoshan patriarchs who had come to pick him up, as his great-uncle, the master of the underworld, had mentioned.

Zhong Bai bowed deeply to the old man before him, saying, "Disciple Zhong Bai greets the Ancestor. May the Ancestor be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace!"

Zhong Bai felt that his manners were proper, but the Maoshan patriarch in front of him did not seem to respond. Instead, he stroked his white beard, smiled faintly, and shook his head.

"No, no, no, I am not the founder of your Maoshan sect. But little guy, I can't blame you. This blessed land has been sealed for eight hundred years. It's normal that you don't know my identity."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai felt somewhat embarrassed. It turned out that the senior in front of him was not his ancestor of Maoshan. But how could there be outsiders in a blessed land?
Seeing Zhong Bai's puzzled expression, the old man in front of him laughed even louder.

"Haha, little guy, do you think that I am not the founder of Maoshan, so why am I here?"

"Little one, have you ever heard of the Earth God?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai's eyes widened as he stared at the short, elderly man in front of him, who was about one meter tall. His eyes were filled with disbelief and amazement.

"Are you the Earth God?"

“Land God? You could say that, but I am different from those Land Gods and Land Goddesses who become so through incense offerings. I was the Land God of the Maoshan Blessed Land thousands of years ago. However, Maoshan later isolated and sealed off the Blessed Land, so I stayed in the Blessed Land and am now considered a guest elder of Maoshan.”

Seeing that Zhong Bai was still somewhat puzzled, the local earth god simply explained directly: "Don't be surprised. Maoshan is a major sect in Taoism. It's already quite impressive that an old earth god like me can become a guest elder."

Aside from myself, within this blessed land and grotto-heaven, only some of the guardian spirit beasts of Maoshan are qualified to become guest elders.

Zhong Bai seemed lost in thought, without even asking why the other party knew his name.

"Alright, little one, I can't take too long to come and pick you up. The Maoshan patriarchs at Wanfu Palace are still waiting to see you."

Come with me, old man..."

Zhong Bai nodded and said with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble, Senior!"

Since he wasn't the founder of Maoshan, Zhong Bai couldn't possibly rush to acknowledge him as such. However, this address of "senior" was Zhong Bai's way of showing respect to the local earth god.

The Earth God pointed towards the void, and Zhong Bai and the Earth God instantly arrived in front of a magnificent palace.

A petition addressed to the Palace of Ten Thousand Blessings in the Nine Heavens!

"Zhong Bai, you should go to Wanfu Palace by yourself. I will not accompany you."

After saying that, the Earth God vanished instantly, leaving Zhong Bai alone to look nervously at the magnificent palace before him. It was made entirely of white jade and surrounded by spiritual mist. Zhong Bai mustered his courage, took a deep breath, and then walked into the palace.

As soon as Zhong Bai stepped into the palace, he saw two rows of empty seats in front of him. The only one standing in the center of the front row was an old man with white hair, dressed in a purple Taoist robe, holding a whisk, and smiling as he watched Zhong Bai approach.

When Zhong Bai arrived in front of the old man, he was even more astonished. The old man in front of him seemed to be standing there, but Zhong Bai felt that the distance between the two of them was like an insurmountable chasm, mysterious and profound, as if the old man in front of him was one with heaven and earth.

"Disciple Zhong Bai pays respects to the Ancestral Master. May the Ancestral Master enjoy boundless blessings and peace!"

Zhong Bai formally performed the grand ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows. Finally, the old man in front of him spoke, "Are you the Zhong Bai that Lao Shi has been praising so highly?"

"disciple……"

Zhong Bai was a little embarrassed. What did Lao Shi mean by the flowery words he was talking about?

As if sensing the confusion in Zhong Bai's eyes, the old man smiled faintly.

"The tenth ancestor I mentioned is the tenth ancestor of the Maoshan Underworld, while I am the fifth ancestor of Maoshan. However, back then, neither I nor the sixth ancestor chose to go to the Underworld, but stayed in the mortal world. I was stationed in the Nine Heavens Palace of Ten Thousand Blessings, and you, the sixth ancestor, were stationed in the Yuanfu Palace of Ten Thousand Tranquility. Do you understand now?"

Zhong Bai nodded, understanding. The old man in front of him was the Fifth Patriarch of Maoshan, who was ranked even higher than the Ten Patriarchs of the Underworld. Moreover, judging from his words, this Fifth Patriarch was likely even more powerful than the Ten Patriarchs.

"Tsk tsk, what a little rascal." Seeing Zhong Bai's eyes darting around, Wu Zu chuckled while also seriously observing Zhong Bai's situation.

"A bone age of around twenty-eight years old, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm, possessing the power of a dragon from the first level of the Shangqing Dragon Elephant Technique, and having abundant qi and blood in his body."

Tsk, the thunder seal in your dantian is actually the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Seal. You're interesting, kid. You've actually learned the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique of the Divine Firmament Sect.

Huh? The foundation of the Daotai is only 12 stories high!
Let's take another look... Wow, this Golden Light Divine Mantra is quite impressive. At such a young age, he has already cultivated the Golden Light Divine Mantra to a level that combines offense and defense.

To be honest, when our ancestor started cultivating, he was probably around the same age as you are now.

However, back then, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was abundant, and you were more powerful than me!

No wonder the Tenth Elder sent you to this blessed land to cultivate in seclusion for ten years.

Zhong Bai was somewhat amused and exasperated. The Five Ancestors of Maoshan could see right through him with just a glance. Apart from the Five Ancestors in front of the Demon Extermination Panel, Zhong Bai felt that he had no secrets that could be hidden from the Five Ancestors.

"You flatter me, Fifth Patriarch. Zhong Bai was just lucky; he can't compare to you back then."

Zhong Bai's polite words made the Fifth Ancestor roll his eyes and say, "Don't talk nonsense to me like that. To be honest, you are more capable than I was at your age."

"However, you don't need to be arrogant when I praise you. Geniuses need time to grow. I have been cultivating for over two thousand years now. If the ascension passage hadn't been unable to support me, I would have already gone to the Earthly Immortal Realm."

At this point, the Fifth Patriarch looked somewhat dejected, but quickly turned to Zhong Bai.

"Do you know what your destiny is in this blessed land and grotto-heaven?"

Zhong Bai was taken aback by the Fifth Patriarch's words.

He had no idea what his opportunity was; all he had to do was come to the Nine Heavens Palace of Ten Thousand Blessings, as his Uncle Master Ming had told him.
"Uh, this disciple does not know..."

"Alright, you're just not straightforward. Fine, being cautious is the right thing to do. If it were two thousand years ago, you would be a hot commodity. Those cultivators whose paths to enlightenment had been cut off would have wanted a genius like you the most, so they could possess your body and start their cultivation journey again."

But now...

You don't have this worry in the Maoshan Blessed Land. There is a spiritual vein in our Maoshan Blessed Land, and the spiritual energy is enough to sustain the lifespan of us old folks.

However, after you leave Maoshan, remember to be careful of some old monsters whose lifespans are nearing their end.

Zhong Bai listened attentively, even though he knew that the Fifth Ancestor in front of him would not harm him, he was still subconsciously on guard.

"Your disciple will humbly follow the teachings of the Patriarch!"

Nodding, the Fifth Patriarch continued to scrutinize Zhong Bai.

"I heard from Lao Shi that you are the darling of heaven and earth, and you can refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth at an extremely fast speed. In fact, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is actively gathering towards you."

"That small frame... Alright, I'm too lazy to waste words with you. You're lucky, kid. There really is an opportunity for you in this blessed land."

As he spoke, the Fifth Patriarch took out a jade bottle and handed it to Zhong Bai.

"Your cultivation of the Shangqing Dragon Elephant Technique is unlikely to be effective without the essence blood of a powerful demon beast. This bottle contains the remaining essence blood of a Nascent Soul Kui Ox that I killed a thousand years ago."

"Here you go, kid."

Zhong Bai was stunned. A transformed Divine Kui Niu...

"Fifth Ancestor, are you the ancestor who, a thousand years ago, slew the Kui Niu and forged the Kui Niu Drum?"

The Fifth Patriarch smiled faintly at this, the corners of his mouth curving upwards slightly.

"That was something I casually crafted when I was young, just for fun. If you like it, I can give it to you if you can use it."

Zhong Bai felt somewhat embarrassed; he was still far from mastering the Kui Niu Drum...

"Uh, Fifth Patriarch, you're really discouraging."

As he spoke, Zhong Bai respectfully accepted the essence of the Kui Niu from the Fifth Ancestor with both hands.

"Your disciple kowtows in gratitude to the Fifth Patriarch!"

"No need. Now that you have obtained the essence of the Kui Niu, I have other matters to attend to and will take my leave first."

Refining the essence of the Kui Niu is no easy task.

You only have ten years; whether you succeed or not depends on your fate.

"Your disciple respectfully bids farewell to the Fifth Patriarch!"

Zhong Bai originally thought that the Fifth Ancestor had left the Nine Heavens Palace of Ten Thousand Blessings. Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the Fifth Ancestor's smile became even more pronounced. Before Zhong Bai could react, the Fifth Ancestor casually waved his hand, and Zhong Bai flew directly out of the Nine Heavens Palace of Ten Thousand Blessings and landed in the distant mountains and rivers.

"You think you can stay in the Nine Heavens Palace of Blessings to cultivate? Dream on! You're the one who should leave..."

Upon landing, Zhong Bai heard the words of the Fifth Patriarch in his mind and was somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Sigh, Fifth Patriarch, why didn't you just tell me to get lost? This is such a mess..."

Zhong Bai stood up, shook his head, looked at the Kui Niu essence blood in the jade bottle in his hand, and smiled brightly.

"This is the essence blood of a Kui Niu at the Nascent Soul stage! The Shangqing Dragon Elephant Technique will probably see a significant improvement this time!"

Zhong Bai's eyes darkened with excitement.

(End of this chapter)