In normal circumstances, as the mighty King of Black Fog, how could he do such a thing that goes against the identity of a socialist successor?

But times had changed.

When Tang Seng arrived in the Western Heaven and saw Tathagata, he was unable to obtain the Wordless Scriptures because he didn't bribe the esteemed masters Ananda and Kasyapa. Now with the Emperor's assistance, he, Li Changzhou, was about to become an immortal; he couldn't afford to offend the eunuchs before the Emperor.

He fished out a Blood Pearl from his pocket—he really had nothing else to offer. Gold and silver couldn't bribe Huang Jin, but fortunately, he had plenty of these things.

Seeing Li Changzhou reach into his pocket, Huang Jin hurriedly pushed his hand away saying, "No, no, my family—"

"Eunuch Huang, don't rush. This Elixir Pill can cure all diseases and, though it cannot restore flesh to bones, it's nearly as effective, and it can also extend one's life by a year."

Huang Jin, whose hand had been pushing away, now clasped and grasped the Blood Pearl, stuffing it into his own sleeve.

After smiling and accepting the pearl, he whispered even more quietly, "Before I came out, Taoist Tao Zhongwen ordered me to take everything that contains water from the Qianqing Palace, though I don't know why."

"These masters who practice divination and seek signs simply believe in feng shui, nothing surprising," Li Changzhou said with a laugh.

"That's what I thought too," Huang Jin said, smiling gleefully.

"By the way, my wife is fond of birds. Can you, Eunuch, give that parrot to me?" Li Changzhou pointed to the parrot cage on the withered branch.

"As long as it's not His Majesty's Snow Brow or Lion Cat, whatever the Dao Cultivator wishes for, just take it!"

The two chatted leisurely when Tao Zhongwen emerged from the palace. Spotting Li Changzhou, they greeted each other calmly and amiably.

As he watched Li Changzhou enter the Qianqing Palace, Tao Zhongwen glanced at the white jade carved railings, the ancient bronze Immortal Cranes, and the gold-lacquered bronze cauldrons outside the palace. He swirled his horsetail whisk and drifted away.

Upon entering the Cabinet, even before Li Changzhou could pay his respects, Jiajing Emperor chuckled:

"There's no need. Dao Cultivator Li, take a look for me, is 'The True Scripture of the Supreme Empty Emperor's All-Encompassing Radiant Divine Light' suitable for my cultivation method?"

Li Changzhou had seen a small portion of the Daoist books in the inner treasury, including this one.

"Your Majesty, with your Emperor's position, this cultivation method is indeed perfect. If only seeking longevity, this method is sufficient. However, if you desire even more, I would recommend another method, 'The Great Spiritual Opportunity of the Dao Melody of the Heaven and Earth,' which is more difficult but leads to higher achievements."

Upon hearing this, Jiajing Emperor nodded, keeping in mind that the cultivation method recommended by Li Changzhou was his top choice.

This didn't mean Tao Zhongwen was disloyal; he simply had not looked at the Daoist books in the inner treasury.

Li Changzhou had seen them and knew their quality. Being able to speak frankly about their pros and cons, not just flattery, at the very least showed he was not deceptive.

"Your Majesty, there was a small monster in the Great Kindness Hall which I've dealt with. The materials for forging the Golden Crown have been gathered."

Li Changzhou didn't say it was Yao Guangxiao.

Yao Guangxiao, born in the year 1335 and living until now—a full 205 years. Hearing this, Jiajing Emperor inevitably considered ways to extend his life first—although he couldn't do so, he would think about longevity later.

"Excellent! You have worked hard, Dao Cultivator!" Jiajing Emperor exclaimed excitedly.

The Golden Crown's Daoist books aside, what mattered most was the Emperor's position, more important than merely living forever.

After all, eternal servitude is not worth having.

"There's another matter," Li Changzhou continued. "I would like to ask Your Majesty to issue twenty decrees to intercept Dao Cultivators entering the Capital. After your Dragon Vein separates from your body, all laws can be applied to you. These people, if inside the Capital, could pose a danger and should be eliminated promptly."

This strategy came to Li Changzhou after Xia Yan's words, "I will request a decree from Your Majesty," provided him with an idea.

Previously he had thought of eradicating everyone involved in the Human Tribulation, completely forgetting about Jiajing Emperor's role as the "exterminator of all superstitions."

But there were risks.

Among those coming to the Capital, there could be Dao Cultivators or Players. Their group of fifteen, if split to intercept, might encounter groups of Players, which could be perilous.

But it was still better than letting the enemies swarm into the Capital!

Just yesterday, he had used Cao Cao's words to persuade Jiajing Emperor; how could he forget Cao Cao's evaluation of Yuan Shao: "He who seeks great accomplishments must not hold his life too dear, yet forgetting to live at the sight of small gains is not the mark of a hero."

Jiajing Emperor naturally supported this matter unconditionally.

"Besides the decree, I will also have the Imperial Guard and the Jinyiwei proclaim the Holy Decree, forbidding anyone from entering the Capital within three days. And the reports from local officials will also be handed over to the Jinyiwei to bring to the palace."

"Your Majesty is wise." This reaction was also within Li Changzhou's expectations.

"Additionally, I'd like to request an order from Your Majesty to have all Dao Cultivators leave the Capital before tonight; those who disobey will be beheaded."

"For those within the Capital, it's feasible, but let's leave the palace inhabitants out of it," said Jiajing Emperor, his eyes deep with thought.

"That will do," Li Changzhou didn't insist.

After discussing cultivation experiences and the details of Lantern Festival's day for a while and noticing that the Jiajing Emperor had no intention of mentioning Tao Zhongwen, Li Changzhou bid farewell and left with the Holy Decree and the parrot, returning to the courtyard outside Purple Gold City.

"Each of you take a Holy Decree; work in pairs, two per group, and target all experts outside of the Capital. If you encounter players and can't beat them, retreat. Time is limited, don't waste it on these people, eliminate the cultivators first."

"Understood!"

"Over the years, it's hard to guarantee that these cultivators haven't found a way to deal with the Holy Decree. If the Holy Decree is damaged, leave immediately and come back for a new one. I've requested twenty this time, if that's not enough, I'll go back to the palace and ask Jiajing for more."

"Yes!"

Five subordinates from Turquoise Pool and five from Bi formed teams in pairs—five groups in total, each with two Holy Decrees—rushing to the outskirts of the city to intercept the Dao cultivators and players heading to the Capital.

"What about those inside the city?" Li Qianxia asked.

"We'll deal with them," Li Changzhou replied.

"Anyone daring to stay in the Capital at this time is asking for it. Better to kill the wrong person than let anyone slip away," Turquoise Pool said, her expression icy.

"Don't worry," Li Changzhou said, smiling reassuringly at Li Qianxia, knowing she feared killing the wrong person, "Jiajing has already issued an order, instructing all cultivators within the Capital to leave by tonight. If they don't, they can't blame us then."

Li Qianxia nodded; she was not as—benevolent—as Li Changzhou thought.

Having experienced so much, she also knew that too much benevolence could harm both others and oneself.

"Human Tribulation isn't just our four people's calamity; all those who wish to become immortals, everyone with desires in their heart, must face this tribulation," Yang Qinglan said, her aura ethereal as if a fairy, "It arises from human desires, complex and intertwined; every tribulation is caused by the heart of man."

"That's a great summary!" Turquoise Pool laughed, uncommonly agreeing with her.

"Is this what insight is?" Li Qianxia also sighed, "No wonder Qing Lan's 'abilities' from each experience and encounter surpass mine every time."

Li Changzhou smiled faintly, pride written all over his face, as if it was his own statement.

"But," Li Qianxia's eyes darted, "by saying this, I own a share of it too!"

"It's yours, it's yours, in the future, everything belonging to me and your brother will be yours," Yang Qinglan replied nonchalantly, her eyes on the parrot, "What do you want with a parrot?"

"I wanted you to see if this might be a player's skill," Li Changzhou explained.

"Similar to Shui Nu's water?"

"Mhm."

Yang Qinglan tapped her Ruyi scepter on the parrot, and a booklet flew out.

While sneaking, Turquoise Pool whispered to Li Qianxia, "In the future, mine will be yours too."

"That's not good," Li Qianxia pretended to refuse with false benevolence, her face screaming: Give me more!

The parrot indeed was one of the player's tricks, but after Li Changzhou demanded the parrot, the other party had already withdrawn the skill from it.

"These players are so sly!" If it weren't for Yang Qinglan right here, able to read the information of the land beneath our feet at any time, Li Qianxia would be too scared even to bathe, confirming that the 'Honey Pot World' was indeed safer.

◇

Outside the Capital.

"Iron Crown, as someone who has seen Zhu Yuanzhang and lived for so many years, can't you even wait this out? Taoist Tao said that entering the Capital now is a dead end; come back after Lantern Festival!"

"Wait until Lantern Festival, and I'll be left with sweet dumplings only!"

Atop Haituo Mountain, two Daoists from Dragon and Tiger Mountain's Shangqing Palace watched an elderly Daoist with white hair ride a cloud away.

"Senior brother, what do we do? These people simply won't listen to us!"

"Let them go. Pearls of wisdom are hard to sell to a destined soul," one of them retorted.

Iron Crown, a Daoist alive from the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, was known for wearing an iron crown. He had once entered the Imperial Palace in Nanjing to meet Zhu Yuanzhang and attempted to become immortal but failed.

Not far from there, Iron Crown tumbled from the cloud and fell to his death.

With the sound of a whistle, Misha stepped out, speaking in a challenging Xia language, "This Holy Decree is really useful; I can feel this person was powerful!"

"Let's move on, don't waste time," Zi Sui had already taken away the storage bag from Iron Crown's body.

This same scene continued for three days. Inside and outside the Capital, there was a river of blood.

The number of cultivators and experts in the entire Ming Dynasty was cut by more than half, leaving many lineages without a successor.

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