The First Demon of the Chan Sect-Chapter 201 - 147: The Return of the Saint

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"Thump"

The sudden appearance of this Daoist startled all the demons present. What act was this? Could it be this fellow was the one who launched a sneak attack on the Heavenly Court’s army? That didn’t seem right either; the voice of that person was sharp and hoarse, clearly that of an old man on his deathbed. What exactly was going on?

And just like that, the Daluo Golden Immortals of the Heavenly Court were thrown into utter disarray!

However, both Golden Peng and Kong Xuan found this Daoist somewhat familiar, yet no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t recall where they had seen him.

"Are you the reinforcements these two stinking birds have called for?" Nine Youths, their face smeared with mud, stared at Li Qingming with a hideous expression, yet a flicker of familiarity passed in their eyes.

Li Qingming conjured a handful of clear spring water to wash his face, and said with a grin, "Are you speaking to me?"

"Eh!"

Now Nine Youths realized why they felt this sense of familiarity. This was clearly the Northern Emperor Li Qingming, who had been missing for a thousand years!

That’s right! This was Li Qingming who had just managed to escape from the Chaos Corridor!

After being sneak-attacked by the crocodile beast just before its death, all the shadowy exotic beasts in the Chaos Corridor seemed to go mad, ferociously chasing after Li Qingming. And these beasts specialized in devouring True Essence and Mana. Along the way, Li Qingming had been surrounded and attacked by thousands of beasts several times, and the direct consequence of this was that his cultivation and Mana shrunk by a full fifty percent. The loss of fifty percent of a Saint’s cultivation was truly horrific. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

By the time Li Qingming finally escaped his cage, although his Primordial Spirit Realm as a Saint remained, his cultivation had been reduced by fifty percent. This was extremely frustrating for Li Qingming. And it just so happened that he came across this group bullying his disciple, giving Li Qingming a chance to vent. Although, these individuals were also considered his subordinates.

Nine Youths was on the verge of tears, why was he so unlucky? First, he encountered the powerful Golden Peng, then his Magic Treasure was seized by Kong Xuan, followed by his army mysteriously turning into "sleeping soldiers." Lastly, and most importantly, he ended up provoking a demon that every creature in the Primordial Land dreaded to cross.

"Your Majesty, your servant knows his fault, please forgive your servant’s disrespect!" Nine Youths, who promptly confessed and submitted to judgment, was just about to accept punishment. Then, Kong Xuan and Golden Peng, excited, flew over and knelt on the ground, saying, "Disciples Kong Xuan and Golden Peng, pay respects to Master!"

With that single sentence, not only had Nine Youths’ heart cooled, but the dozen or so conscious Daluo Golden Immortals were scared nearly to the point of fainting.

Li Qingming, feeling gratified, flicked his sleeve, sending out a gentle Qi Force to lift the two brothers, and smiled, "Not bad, not bad at all! In just a short period of over a month, you’ve both advanced to Taiyi Golden Immortals, which is a hundred times stronger than your unworthy senior brother!"

Kong Xuan and Golden Peng exchanged a look with strange expressions. Kong Xuan looked at Li Qingming and said softly, "Master, it has been over a thousand years since you disappeared."

"Gah?" Li Qingming was shocked, the flow of time in the two spaces was different. He quickly sent his Primordial Spirit into the long river of time, carefully exploring the major events that had taken place over this thousand years.

Seeing Li Qingming wordless, the kneeling Daluo Golden Immortals also didn’t dare to move.

After waiting for a while, Li Qingming breathed a sigh of relief, glad that nothing major had happened. Looking at the Daluo Golden Immortals and the hundreds of thousands of sleeping Demon Soldiers and Generals kneeling on the ground, Li Qingming waved his sleeve again, saying, "Enough! Let’s put an end to this matter. Nine Youths, take these Little Demons back to the Heavenly Court. And while at it, inform His Majesty Di Jun of my return to Primordial Land. Tell him I will soon ascend to the Heavenly Court! Go now!"

Nine Youths, his forehead dripping with cold sweat, didn’t dare to ask for the "Star Seal" back. He dejectedly gathered up the hundreds of thousands of Demon Soldiers and went back to report to the Heavenly Court. As for how Di Jun would deal with these disgraceful creatures, that was no longer Li Qingming’s concern.

Just as Li Qingming stepped onto the Primordial Land, the Zixiao Palace, located in Chaos Outer Heaven, suddenly appeared. The Old Tao Hong Jun sitting on a cushion had his eyes light up and murmured to himself, "Daluo Heavenly Dao? Interesting!"

Hao Tian and Turquoise Pool, standing beside Hong Jun, exchanged confused glances and helplessly shook their heads. As Daoist children for many years, the two little ones knew what to ask and what not to ask.

Mount Buzhou, Ancestral Witch Hall.

The Heaven and Earth Taoist, watching the Ancestor Witches arguing in the hall, with a flash of clarity in his red eyes, said, "Fellow Daoists, I am back!"

"Really? Brother Li is really back?" Zhu Rong said with a loud voice, visibly excited.

The rest of the Ancestor Witches were also excited, each breathing heavily with excited expressions.

"At the moment I am at the Southwest Volcano and will soon visit the Ancestral Witch Hall! My fellow Daoists, please be patient," the Heaven and Earth Taoist said with a sinister smile, his hoarse voice laced with joy.

...

On one hand, Li Qingming had Kong Xuan manage the cave dwelling and asked his subordinates to take care of it, then he hurriedly took the two brothers back to Penglai Island.

After a millennium unseen, the beauty of Penglai Island remains unchanged. The Mountain River Taoist, Xiong Da, Li Qingquan, Sun Ling, and Sun Yuan, who have long been guarding the island, were already standing outside the Complete Heaven Star Battle Spirit Transformation Array, each of them looking extraordinarily excited.

Li Qingming looked at the eagerly waiting crowd and said, "I have returned!"

"Greetings to the return of our master (Master, Sir) to the island!" The crowd bowed in salute.

A warm affection flashed in Li Qingming’s eyes as he lightly flicked his right hand and said, "Follow me back to the island; I will hold a sermon for all beings within!"

Beside the Vitality Hall at the center of Penglai Island, there was a specially constructed sermon platform.

At this moment, Li Qingming sat high on the platform, with the child attendants Chi Hong and Qing Han standing by his side. Behind Li Qingming, and to his left and right, were two mats. Now Li Qingquan was sitting upright on the right mat, while the Mountain River Taoist was seated on the left. At the front below the platform were Sun Ling, Sun Yuan, Kong Xuan, Golden Peng, and Xiong Da. Further down was a mass of creatures from Penglai Island, with the Ganoderma Immortal Ginseng Baby, Spiritual Birds and Little Beasts densely packed, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The sermon this time was vastly different from those before. A thousand years had passed, and Li Qingming had returned as a Saint. His enlightenment of his own Dao and insight into the great Dao of the Primordial Land were profound. Even more, it involved the Rule Power that reigned supreme over laws.

When a Saint expounds the Dao, it is naturally extraordinary. As Li Qingming began to preach the Great Dao, flowers fell from the sky, Earth Erupting Golden Lotus bloomed, and auspicious clouds converged, among other miraculous visions that continuously emerged and regenerated. The Great Dao is formless, The Great Dao is Simple: commonplace yet filled with endless mystique. As the mysterious and profound voice of Li Qingming continued to emanate, everyone was enraptured.

During his sermon, Li Qingming moved from simple to complex, from shallow to deep. He taught the transition from ordinary body to Immortal, from Immortal to Taiyi, from Taiyi to Daluo, and then to Quasi-Saint, Sub-Saint, and Saint levels. The Great Dao he discussed encompassed all, slowly becoming abstruse and difficult to understand; but he did not pause much, continuing to speak golden words calmly, narrating his own Dao.

Saints occupy the Qi Fortune of Heaven and Earth, standing at the pinnacle of the Primordial Land, overlooking all beneath heaven, untouched by dust, immortal across the Infinite Tribulations, with everything in the world being but a fleeting moment to a Saint.

To Saints, only face and Qi Fortune matter. Infinite Tribulations are merely a game among Saints, to see who’s schemes are more clever, who acquires more Merits and Qi Fortune, leading to the prosperity of their Taoism during that Calamity.

However, any Saint linked to Li Qingming is bound to cause and effect. Isn’t it because he became a Saint by ’One of the Escaped’? All things in the world exist between vitality and destruction, and this ’One of the Escaped’ is closely related to both.

Among the crowd, those who gained the most were Li Qingming’s four disciples and his brother, Li Qingquan. Li Qingming, originally a disciple of the Yuqing Sect, had already reached the Early Stage of Quasi-Saint in his Cultivation. Though the Swallowing Sky Bear bloodline within him was weak, it was on the verge of revival. Through this sermon by Li Qingming, they made rapid progress; Li Qingquan, wielding the top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure, "Yin Yang Qiankun Fan" refined personally by Li Qingming, unleashed the Evil Corpse, and his Mana surged!

Sun Ling and Sun Yuan, belonging to the Four Monkey of Chaos with innate gifts that almost invoke jealousy from heaven, were also cultivating the Xuan Sect protector’s "Nine Revolutions Mystical Technique"! Almost all of the splendid golden lotuses that filled the sky were absorbed by these two, with their cultivation leaping directly from the Early Stage of Daluo Golden Immortal to the Peak of Daluo Golden Immortal. Should the opportunity arise, they would be able to cut off one of the Three Corpses and advance to Sub-Saint.

Then there are Kong Xuan and Golden Peng, two that Li Qingming had his eye on since they were young, who always revered Li Qingming as a Heavenly Person. Both brothers also gained significantly, perfecting the Rule Powers of the Five Elements and Yin Yang they practiced, and their cultivation soared, stepping into the Daluo realm.

As for the rest of the people, some were at the bottleneck of their cultivation and could not advance solely by listening to the Dao. Others were limited by innate capacity and did not successfully advance.

When Li Qingming finished his sermon, thirty-three years had already passed.

As everyone reluctantly emerged from the Void Spirit Realm, Li Qingming smiled and said, "Cultivation is about contending with heaven and earth. Only with a steadfast Dao Heart can one achieve success! You may all step down."

The crowd bowed in unison, shouting, "We thank Sir for your mercy! We hope Sir will soon shed the mortal form and attain the Primordial Chaos!"

Li Qingming chuckled with a gentle sweep of his sleeve, and everyone dispersed.

"Congratulations to our master for attaining the realm of a Saint!" While others may not know of Li Qingming’s Saintly status, how could the Mountain River Taoist, one of Li Qingming’s Three Corpses Body, be unaware?

Li Qingming burst into hearty laughter and said, "Can’t you let me keep some secrets?"

"Big brother, you’ve become a Saint!" Li Qingquan was excited, with flames of war glowing in his eyes, "Let’s go beat up that old Bangzi, Zhunti. He never learns his lesson; it’s time to teach him one!"

Sun Ling and several disciples, though silent, were all eager and their Mana began to intensely fluctuate.

"Bam!"

After giving Li Qingquan a hard knock on the head, Li Qingming said, "Even if we were to seek revenge, I wouldn’t take you along! This old Zhunti, although the weakest among the Saints, is still a Saint. Isn’t everything below a Saint considered insignificant? Is that false?"

Li Qingquan, slightly embarrassed, rubbed the top of his head and said no more. Facing his big brother, whom he had always admired and looked up to since childhood, Li Qingquan was indeed a well-behaved child.

"Right, Xiao Er! Where’s our mother?" Li Qingming actually wanted to ask this question as soon as he returned, but considering Yang Mei, he had put it aside for a moment.

"Oh! Yang Mei went to the North Sea with a new friend he met, saying he wanted to take Mother to see for herself! So she’s gone with him!" Li Qingquan glanced at Li Qingming and said.

The prohibitions on Purple Bamboo Island above the South Sea were suddenly triggered, and Li Qingming’s consciousness moved. He instructed everyone, "Hmm! Xiong Da and I will take a trip to Purple Bamboo Island! The rest of you stay on the island and quietly cultivate, and don’t go anywhere!"

With those words, he mounted on Xiong Da and tore through the void! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)