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

Chapter 141 Ten years have passed, and things have changed.

Zhong Bai arrived at the door, just as he was about to push it open and leave.

A familiar voice sounded from behind.

"Little fellow, ten years have passed, time flies. I brought you here back then, and now it is my duty to send you back."

Zhong Bai knew who the visitor was.

He bowed deeply.

"Zhong Bai thanks you, senior!"

"Haha, it's alright, it's just my job."

After the Earth God finished speaking, he gently touched the giant gate in front of Zhong Bai, and Zhong Bai stepped into it with a smile.

......................................................

Maoshan.

The ten years since Zhong Bai left Maoshan have undoubtedly brought about significant changes for Maoshan.

Eight years ago, a Taoist named Ao Tianlong came to Maoshan. Eight years have passed since he received his ordination at Maoshan. Ao Tianlong has made rapid progress and has returned to Maoshan to build a Taoist platform in preparation for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Meanwhile, among Zhong Bai's fellow disciples, Shi Jian was the first to reach the Foundation Establishment stage besides Zhong Bai.

A year ago, after Shi Jian completed his foundation building, he took up the post of Third Elder in the Law Enforcement Hall, and Cui Cheng, the Third Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, was overjoyed to see this happen.

This can be considered as Zhong Bai and Shi Jian switching positions. Shi Jian had no objection to this. He was like an enlightened master who had washed away all worldly dust, and his every move was devoid of his former arrogance.

"Ten years have passed, my disciple, you should be leaving this blessed land soon..."

Inside the Law Enforcement Hall, True Man Qian Yuan sat cross-legged, with Second Elder Liu Gang and now Third Elder Shi Jian beside him. As for Cui Cheng, he had given up on the unrealistic idea of ​​breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Without the constraints of his identity as the Third Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, Cui Cheng had already gone down the mountain to travel around.

Just as Master Qian Yuan was silently muttering to himself, a voice transmission from Sect Leader Xuan Mingzi entered his ears.

"Junior Brother Qian Yuan, come quickly! Junior Nephew Zhong Bai is about to emerge from seclusion."

Upon hearing this, Master Qian Yuan's expression became somewhat excited. He stood up, and seeing Master Qian Yuan's excitement, Liu Gang and Shi Jian couldn't sit still any longer and followed suit.

"Senior Brother, what's going on?"

"Uncle-Master Qian Yuan?"

Seeing the two looking at him with suspicion, Master Qian Yuan laughed loudly, "The sect leader just informed this old Daoist that Zhong Bai will be coming out of the blessed land soon!"

Upon hearing this news, both Shi Jian and Liu Gang, who had been calm, became agitated.

Liu Gang simply wanted to know how terrifying Zhong Bai's improvement would be during his ten years of cultivation in the blessed land, while Shi Jian was driven by genuine camaraderie among fellow disciples.

"Hahaha, let's go, let's go see how Zhong Bai has changed!"

As Master Qian Yuan finished speaking, Shi Jian and Liu Gang naturally followed him to the Ascension Platform.

When Master Qian Yuan and the other two arrived, several people were already standing on the Ascension Platform. In addition to the Sect Leader Xuan Mingzi and Ming Wanqian from the Scripture Pavilion, there were also several well-informed elders.

Naturally, the Immortal of Longevity and the Lin Jun Sect could not be absent.

As everyone stared at the void before them, a crack spread out from the void. The instant Zhong Bai stepped out of the crack, they sensed an aura belonging to Zhong Bai at the peak of his Foundation Establishment stage.

"Foundation building is complete!"

Although Xuanmingzi and Mingwanqian had long anticipated that it would be this level, they still couldn't help but be amazed when they actually saw Zhong Bai.

Master Qian Yuan was equally surprised, but quickly realized it was normal.

"This is what makes Junior Brother Qianhe so terrifying. Now, Senior Brother has just caught up with Junior Brother and stepped into the Foundation Establishment stage, while Junior Brother has already reached the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage, and probably not even that. Junior Brother Qianhe may not have been able to break through to the Golden Core True Monarch stage in one fell swoop within the blessed land because of the special nature of the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Technique!"
Now that he has returned, in just a few years, a new Golden Core True Lord will be born in Maoshan...

"Sigh, Junior Brother Qianhe, wait for your senior brother."

While his mind raced with wild speculation, Shi Jian watched as the breeze ruffled Zhong Bai's Taoist robe, and Zhong Bai's expression remained unchanged, yet he still felt a sense of familiarity with him.

In the void, as soon as Zhong Bai left the blessed land, he saw that he was surrounded by familiar faces.

Upon landing, Zhong Bai bowed deeply.

"Disciple Zhong Bai pays respects to Grandmaster Uncle, Headmaster Uncle, Master, and all other Uncles!"

"Zhong Bai greets Senior Brother..."

Zhong Bai greeted them in turn with a calm expression, showing no disdain for his senior uncles and brothers despite his current status as a Foundation Establishment cultivator who was about to break through to the Golden Core True Monarch realm.

Zhong Bai's enthusiasm made everyone feel very comfortable. This was the Taoist priest of Maoshan. He was usually gentle and easy-going, but when facing demons and evil spirits, he struck with lightning speed. He was a quiet gentleman who could kill like a god. His contrasting personalities made him even more rare and precious.

"Tsk tsk, Junior Nephew Zhong has now completely trampled us old folks underfoot. The younger generation is truly formidable!"

The Immortal of Longevity's感慨 (sentiments/reflections) resonated with several elders, who had witnessed Zhong Bai's rise to power and naturally understood his terrifying nature.

"Don't just stand there, let's go back..."

After Ming Wanqian finished speaking, everyone realized that it might not be appropriate to crowd onto the ascension platform.

"Haha, yes, yes, let Junior Nephew Zhong Bai rest first..."

And so, Zhong Bai returned to the Hall of Law Enforcement.

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Inside the Hall of Law Enforcement.

Almost all the elders of Maoshan came, and Master Qianyuan was very happy. Even though these elders could usually abstain from food, Master Qianyuan still arranged for his disciples to go down the mountain to purchase ingredients for the banquet.

Beside Zhong Bai, Shi Jian wore a faint smile.

“Junior Brother Qianhe, in the past ten years, Junior Brother Qianhe has not had the opportunity to witness the great changes in the world.”

Zhong Bai immediately understood the hidden meaning in Shi Jian's words.

"Senior Brother, may I ask what happened?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Jian nodded.

"Let's start by talking about what's related to Junior Brother Chizuru."

"Junior brother, I'm all ears!"

"Does Junior Brother Qianhe still remember someone?"

"Who?"

"An ordinary woman named Xia He."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai was momentarily stunned; he still remembered Xia He. "Senior Brother, please continue..."

"The Qing Dynasty collapsed four years ago, and the only woman among the high-ranking members of the Southern Revolutionary Party was Xia He. Senior Brother knows that she was your former maid. Four years ago, when Miss Xia He returned to Jiuquan Town from Guangzhou, the Qing court found out and sent a group of imperial guards and thousands of Eight Banner elites to capture her. As a result... Senior Brother Mao protected Miss Xia He and the news reached Maoshan."

After learning that Xia He was your former maid, Uncle Qian Yuan and Uncle Chang Sheng went down the mountain and slaughtered thousands of elite Eight Banner troops.

"Junior brother, do you think this counts as a huge change?"

Zhong Bai nodded, "Okay!"

"Furthermore, Junior Brother Lin Fengjiao and Junior Sister Zhegu have been quite busy these past ten years..."

Zhong Bai was taken aback. What did you mean by "not idle"?

"Hehe, just a little gossip, the two of them already have a child, a little girl, about seven or eight years old now, they cherish her terribly."

Zhong Bai was both amused and exasperated; they were indeed quite gossipy.

However, Shi Jian's expression quickly turned serious.

"Junior Brother Qianhe, there's something I haven't told you yet. Although the Qing Dynasty has perished, the situation in the capital is not optimistic. The entire capital is almost filled with the aura of death."

The Taoist sect is planning to join forces with the Buddhist sect in two years to exterminate all the zombie-transformed members of the Manchu imperial family!

This matter was once only a guess by both Buddhism and Taoism, but now it is basically confirmed.

Zhong Bai nodded. "It seems these Tartars haven't given up yet, but it's all a futile struggle. With the combined efforts of Buddhism and Taoism, annihilating them won't be difficult."

"Haha, indeed, it's not difficult!"

The banquet that night came to an end.

The news of Zhong Bai's return spread throughout Maoshan.

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Guangzhou Prefecture.

In a modern office, Xia He's message arrived quickly, for a simple reason.

She has an intelligence office in Maoshan Town, which is dedicated to collecting information about the cultivation world.

"Committee Member Xia, this is a message from Maoshan."

Xia He was quite surprised after reading the message on the telegram.

"Sir, you have emerged from seclusion."

Xia He smiled faintly. Now in her thirties, Xia He has been marked by the passage of time. She no longer has the naivety of the past, but rather the indomitable spirit of a person with firm beliefs.

Renjia Town.

Zhe Gu has been living with Lin Fengjiao. As for Zhe Gu's dojo, it has been taken over by a disciple from the Maoshan New Sect who came down the mountain. The disciple who took over the dojo in Ping'an County came from the Danyao Hall and was named Hua Ling.

"Senior brother, what are you looking at so seriously? And with that expression, anyone who didn't know better would think I'm pregnant again."

Lin Fengjiao felt somewhat helpless at Zhe Gu's words. After putting down the letter in her hand, she explained, "Junior Sister, Junior Brother Qianhe has emerged from seclusion."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhe was quite surprised, as she hadn't expected this to be news of Zhong Bai's emergence from seclusion.

The ordinary disciples of Maoshan were unaware that Zhong Bai had actually gone to the Maoshan Grotto-Heaven to cultivate; they only knew that Zhong Bai was in seclusion.

"Father, Mother, why are you so startled?"

Just then, a seven or eight-year-old girl with braids pushed open the door and rushed in, throwing herself into Lin Fengjiao's arms and starting to act coquettishly.

"Qing'er, where are your two senior brothers?"

Lin Fengjiao stroked her daughter's hair and asked softly.

The little girl pouted.

"Father, Senior Brother Wencai and Senior Brother Qiusheng said they are busy cultivating and have no time to take care of me, so they told me to come and find you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Fengjiao could only smile and hug Qing'er. At this moment, Aunt Zhe took Qing'er, and the family was truly happy and harmonious.

Four Eyes Dojo.

If we were to ask who was the most excited about Zhong Bai's emergence from seclusion, it would undoubtedly be Daoist Simu!

Upon receiving the letter from his master, Si Mu was incredibly excited.

He hadn't forgotten the promise Zhong Bai had made to him: to help him catch a bronze-armored corpse when he reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. But now, ten years had passed, and Si Mu had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, yet he still hadn't fulfilled that promise.

"Master, why are you so happy?"

Jiale didn't quite understand, but his master had been all smiles ever since he read the letter that morning.

"You know nothing!"
"Your Martial Uncle Qianhe has emerged from seclusion. Your grandmaster said that your Martial Uncle Qianhe was just one step away from breaking through to the Golden Core True Monarch level. This is a tremendous opportunity."

"what?"

Jia Le was even more confused.

Four Eyes rolled his eyes and said helplessly, "Back then, your Uncle Qianhe promised your master that he would help me capture a bronze-armored corpse."

Now, ten years have passed. When your Uncle Qianhe comes to my door—no, your master has to take the initiative and have your Uncle Qianhe capture a Silver Armored Corpse King for me!
Tell me, wouldn't you call this a stroke of luck?

"Uh, I guess so!"

Si Mu smiled even more happily.

"Jiale, I'm in a good mood tonight. Go catch a fish and slaughter a chicken in the river. Let's have a proper celebration tonight!"

"Understood, Master..."

Jiale didn't know anything about the Silver Armored Corpse King; he only knew that his master loved to cook.

It is thousands of miles away from Maoshan.

Inside an inn in Willow Town, a beautiful young woman in her early twenties, dressed in red and without makeup, immediately drew the attention of everyone in the inn.

"Tsk tsk, the Taoist priest of Maoshan has come out of seclusion. This is truly rare. Back then, I said I would come to find you for ten years, but you were in seclusion in Maoshan. Now that you have come down the mountain, we will be able to meet soon."

This person is none other than Shuang'er, the girl Zhong Bai saved back then, also known as Yue Qiluo!
Zhong Bai could not possibly know that so many people were eyeing him even before he had left Maoshan, but even if he did know, it would only take him a little effort.

Silver-armored Corpse Kings are plentiful in Tengteng Town.

Yue Qiluo...hehe!
(End of this chapter)