Transcending two realms to become an earth immortal

"Master, something seems amiss..."

The dimly lit corridor, with its eerie green candlelight, cast Fang Chen's shadow on the stone wall, twisting and swaying. A faint stench of decay permeated the dimness.

Fang Chen could easily see that the Three-Headed Immortals were deliberately keeping him away to reduce contact and prevent him from being implicated by that unknown terror.

Thinking back to Dao City, the powerful beings of the Yang God and even the Primordial Spirit on that floating island never appear all year round, the traces of the Day Wanderer are rarely seen, and the Pure Land White Lotus that imprisoned souls that I saw in the past, the Witch Lord whose body transformed into thousands of Gu worms, and the Yin Si Wu Chang that contained evil souls...

He couldn't help but feel a chill:

"It seems that in this world of chaos and evil, the higher one's realm, the more one faces not only the faint hope of transcendence and the immense power beyond the mortal realm, but also the unspeakable terror that may touch the depths of this world."

"The key to this may lie in the [Yang quality] generated by the Sun Wandering Realm. In the old world, this was the foundation of the Bodhisattva's fruition and the primordial spirit of the Ghost Immortal. Because the world was clear and the laws were intact, it attracted all kinds of bright vitality and the pure energy of the sun and moon, which enabled cultivators to transform from Yin to Yang and from mortal to saint."

"However, in this world tainted by demons and permeated by the five turbidities, what is brought forth... is likely not life, but rather the filth of this world, mad ravings, and even some unspeakable horrors..."

Thinking of this, Fang Chen frowned deeply.

From this perspective, the method of using talismans and external alchemy is far more crucial than he had anticipated.

Whether he condenses a heretical golden elixir or refines a second primordial spirit in the future, it can share and bear the filth and mad ramblings of this turbid world with his main body.

"Although the Earth Immortal path I cultivate has no concept of Yang essence, the [Opening the Mansion] realm still requires communication with heaven and earth..." Fang Chen's expression grew increasingly somber. "It seems I must quickly travel to that Pure and Spiritual World, find a place to establish a spiritual connection, and complete my foundational cultivation. Furthermore, I must find Yin and Yang spiritual objects, fuse them with the essence of the Five Elements, and refine a [Mountain and River Talisman] to serve as the foundation for my unorthodox path, only then can I resist the erosion of this turbid world..."

While pondering, he stepped into the side hall where general affairs were handled.

Inside the hall, only a few bone lamps were lit, their dim green light flickering and casting dark shadows on the piles of documents.

The elder in charge of affairs had been waiting below the steps for a long time, and as soon as Fang Chen entered, he stepped forward:

"Senior brother, I wonder what instructions the master may give?"

Fang Chen pondered for a moment and said:

"Issue my decree: from this day forward, all those in the Daoist community, from servants and novice disciples to inner and outer disciples, elders and even true disciples, shall practice the method of talismanic alchemy."

"This..." The elder in charge of affairs changed his expression upon hearing this. "Senior brother, is this matter not handled properly? This method is still in its infancy. If it goes wrong, I'm afraid..."

"Just do as I say." Fang Chen's tone was calm, but his words brooked no argument.

The elder in charge of affairs frowned deeply, hesitating to speak, but ultimately let out a long sigh:

"……yes."

"Furthermore, due to the recent inscription of talismans, the resentment and evil energy in my spiritual realm have accumulated to a considerable degree, and I need to go into seclusion to resolve it. From now on, all affairs of the sect will be handled by you. If there are any difficult matters..." Fang Chen paused, his voice slightly deep, "you can burn talismans to report to the master, but remember, you can only communicate through talismans. Under no circumstances should you go there in person to disturb him."

Although the elder did not understand Fang Chen's intention, he still bowed and agreed.

After a moment's hesitation, he replied:

"By the way, Senior Brother, there's something else. In the previous battle against the three evil sects, although the remnants were almost completely wiped out, the old monster Youxuan, who is at the Yin God realm, has still not been found. I'm worried that he might be a hidden danger..."

"I just discussed this matter with my master. He said that this monster has already been killed by a secret curse of our sect. This curse can trace back to the true spirit, and this old monster Youxuan is already dead..." Fang Chen hesitated for a moment before saying, "Of course, just in case, you should all be on high alert. If there is any unusual activity, burn a talisman and report it immediately."

"Yes. And senior brother, the Taoist monastic system we reported earlier..."

"This system is good. I have already informed my master, and he has no objection to it..."

After giving all these instructions, Fang Chen did not hesitate any longer and returned to the secret chamber to prepare for seclusion and transmigration.

This world is turbid and its spiritual energy is impure, so any breakthrough Fang Chen needs to make in his cultivation requires him to return to the pure and spiritual world to find an opportunity.

After Fang Chen went into seclusion, the elder in charge of affairs also withdrew.

He left the General Affairs Hall, walked through a long corridor, and arrived at a side hall.

At this moment, several elders and disciples had been waiting here for quite some time.

As soon as the elder in charge of affairs entered, all the elders in the hall stood up and bowed in greeting:

"Greetings, Elder!"

"No need for formalities." The elder in charge of affairs came to the main seat, pressed his hand down, and everyone stood up. They sat down after the elder had sat down.

Although the elder in charge of affairs appears to be a servant in front of Fang Chen, his status in the Dao is second only to the Dao Master and a few true disciples. He is in charge of hundreds of disciples and even nearly ten thousand mortals in the Zhengyang Dao!

"Our sect has now weathered the calamity, our Dao Master has advanced to the Sun-Wandering Realm, and we possess surplus blood tax, along with unorthodox cultivation methods... All these factors indicate a great resurgence!" the Elder said solemnly. "With the Dao Master's and Senior Brother's agreement, to promote the sect's prosperity, the old system will be reformed and replaced with the old Taoist Ten Directions Forest System, namely [One Temple, Three Capitals, Five Masters, and Eighteen Heads]!"

In the past, Zhengyang Dao was barely surviving in Dao City. It had scarce spiritual resources and magic coins, and lacked high-level combat power. Therefore, it could only barely survive and had no energy to plan a strict system.

Although the execution ground has been severely damaged, the Three-Headed Immortal has broken through to the Day Travel Realm, and Fang Chen has opened up a side path of cultivation, which is expected to flourish. The old system is naturally insufficient and needs to be reformed.

The system referenced is the "One View, Three Capitals, Five Masters, and Eighteen Heads" system, which is the old Taoist Ten Directions Forest System!

"One View" refers to the Three True Men, who are also the core and top combat force of this sect.

"Three Capitals" refers to the three core positions within the temple: the Chief Administrator (in charge of regulations and rules), the Chief Lecturer (in charge of cultivation methods and scriptures), and the Chief Chef (in charge of money, food, and property). These are the positions of the three true disciples, including Fang Chen.

The "Five Masters" below refer to the five departments within the temple: the Weaponry Department (responsible for magical artifacts and minerals), the Alchemy Department (responsible for elixirs and spiritual foods), the Talisman Department (responsible for talismans and formations), the Beast Department (responsible for cultivating demonic beasts), and the Dormitory Department (responsible for supervision and management). The position of the Executive Elder is that of the Dormitory Department Head, responsible for supervising and managing the entire sect!

In addition, the temple also has the title of "Eighteen Heads", which are the heads of various miscellaneous tasks such as storehouse, estate, hall, bell, drum, gate, tea, water, fire, rice, vegetables, granary, mill, grinding, garden, latrine, trough, and cleaning.

After careful discussion, the rules were finalized.

"However, we are currently short-handed, so if there are any outstanding individuals in the sect, please do not hesitate to promote them..." Abbot Zhang (the Executive Elder) instructed. "I have spoken with Senior Brother Fang, and these five masters and eighteen heads are all temporary positions. To officially assume the positions of the five masters, one must reach the [Spells] realm in this unorthodox path, and the eighteen heads must reach the [Transmission of Dharma] realm, before they can officially assume the positions!"

"But Abbot," an elder questioned, "let's set aside whether there are enough exceptional talents in the Dao to have developed this unorthodox method to such a level. Just the sheer number of cultivators in the Dao today, whether in talisman engraving, elixir refining, or disciples and followers for processing bone artifacts, soul amber, and ghost infants, is far from sufficient..."

"If we lack manpower, then we'll recruit!" the elder in charge said in a deep voice. "Since our sect is flourishing and has new methods to pass on, why worry about a lack of followers? We can accept the best among the struggling rogue cultivators and ordinary people with decent aptitude in the city. As long as their character is acceptable and they are willing to join our sect, we will give them a chance!"

Another elder frowned and spoke:

"Master, while this method can solve the immediate problem, training these newly initiated rogue cultivators and even mortals will require a large amount of talisman resources and elixirs, as well as arranging for elders and disciples to teach and guide them... The resources consumed will be considerable. Although the Daoist community has some surplus now, in the long run, I'm afraid..."

"Resources are meant to nurture talent, not to rot in the archives," Dean Zhang interrupted him.

Headmaster Zhang's gaze swept across the hall, taking in the faces, some aged, some gaunt, and he sighed softly:

"Gentlemen, let us not forget that we are all old. How much further can we advance in our cultivation? How much longer can we live? The hope for the continuation and flourishing of this lineage no longer rests on us old folks, but on the shoulders of those young people!"

Dean Zhang stood up and spoke earnestly:

"We should both be self-aware and not emulate those withered bones in a tomb, clinging to power and position, blocking the path of those who come after and extinguishing any hope for the future of our tradition. We must give young people opportunities, let them venture out, try new things, and even... allow them to make mistakes. Only in this way can the torch be passed on, and our way be preserved!"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent. The faces of the elders showed reluctance or unwillingness, but most of them were deep in thought.

At this moment, Dean Zhang suddenly stood up, his expression solemn, and said in a loud voice:

"Gentlemen, there is no single way to govern the world, nor is there a single ancient method to build a nation! As long as we can carry forward the orthodox tradition, we cannot be bound by sectarianism, nor can we, for the sake of momentary greed, cut off the path for young people!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was shocked.

Yes, at their age, they've already stepped one foot into the coffin, so what is there to be reluctant about?

Then he suddenly realized:

"The elder's words are absolutely correct; we will obey the decree!"

Dean Zhang nodded in satisfaction and said in a deep voice:

"I have lived this long, and I have no other desires but—"

"The vital energy of the heavens flows freely, and my Dao flourishes daily!"

Upon hearing this, all the elders stood up solemnly:

"The vital energy of the heavens flows freely, and my Dao flourishes daily!"