When they were about to arrive at the main peak, Li Mu flew back to the Empress and said, "Your Majesty, can I discuss something with you?"
Zhou Yi said indifferently, "What is it?"
Li Mu looked at the face that belonged to Mr. Mei. He thought for a moment and said, "Next time when you want to change, can you change into Ah Li or Cheng Xin instead of Mr. Mei?"
Zhou Yi asked, "Why?"
Li Mu explained, "After we return to Shen 'du, if people keep seeing me with Mr. Mei, it will damage Sister Mei's innocence."
Zhou Yi asked, "Are Ah Li and Cheng Xin not innocent?"
Li Mu waved his hand and said, "Cheng Xin is not even human. Why would she want to be innocent? Ah Li … Ah Li is so much younger than Sister Mei and is still in her prime. She won't have to worry about marriage in the future. Mr. Mei is different. She is so old. If there are any rumors about me, I'm afraid she won't be able to get married in this lifetime. Your Majesty, even if you don't think for me, you have to think for her. She treats me like a brother. I can't hurt her …"
Li Mu was sincere. Zhou Yi thought about it carefully and felt that what he said made sense. So she said, "Then let's wait until we return to Shen 'du."
In the square in front of the palace on the main peak, the disciples of Fu-lu School were already setting up the place. There were thousands of tables in the square. In recent years, the only place that could compare to today's Fu-lu School was Xuanzong during the Daoism Exchange Conference.
To a certain extent, even the Xuanzong Exchange Conference not long ago couldn't compare to today's Dual Cultivation Ceremony.
After all, there were indeed many cultivators present at the Xuanzong Exchange Conference. However, the Empress of Thousand Fox Country wasn't present, nor were the two Transcendents from the Yao Nation. The other Daoist sects didn't send their sect masters or grand elders either.
The Grand Supreme Elder of Fu-lu School had arrived, but he had gone to cause trouble in Xuanzong. He had almost destroyed Xuanzong's gate.
Apart from Xuanzong, all the other Daoist sects sent at least one Seventh Realm expert to attend the Fu-lu School's Dual Cultivation Ceremony. The Great Zhou court and the Demon Nation also gave the Fu-lu School enough face.
Those who didn't know better would think that Fu-lu School was the number one Daoist sect.
At the front of the square, Miao Xuanzi's expression was ugly. It was a stark contrast to the smiles on the faces of the people around him. Ever since they had a falling out with the Fu-lu School during the Exchange Conference, what happened next was completely out of their expectations.
Xuanzong suddenly became the enemy of the continent. They were ostracized by the Great Zhou, discriminated by the Demon Nation, and alienated by their peers. They became a joke in everyone's eyes.
The Grand Supreme Elders of the Fu-lu School and the other four sects sat at the front, facing the crowd.
To their left and right were the sect masters, the Demon Nation experts, and the Demon Nation's Queen.
Although Phantom Princess's cultivation wasn't high, her status was revered. It could be said that apart from the Empress who had hidden her identity, no one present could compare to her status.
Although the Demon Nation was small, it could still be evenly matched with the Great Zhou for hundreds of years. As the Empress, her position was even before Li Mu's. To be precise, she was right next to Li Mu.
Similarly, the emissary of the Great Zhou court couldn't sit too far behind. Mr. Mei, who represented the Empress and was actually the Empress, sat on the other side of Li Mu. Li Mu was surrounded by them on both sides, and he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Liu Hanyan and Li Qing were third-generation disciples, so their seats were slightly behind Li Mu. However, they were only diagonally below Li Mu.
Li Mu felt uncomfortable being stared at from all directions. Therefore, he didn't look at anyone and focused on drinking the spiritual wine on the table in front of him.
On her left, Phantom Princess was restless. She stretched out a hand and drew circles on Li Mu's waist. Although her small movements were hidden, they couldn't escape the eyes of the Transcending State experts present.
The Grand Supreme Elders from other sects finally understood why the Fu-lu School and the Demon Nation were so close. It turned out that Ling Jizi had somehow hooked up with the Demon Nation's Queen.
The Demon Nation was a land of treasures. It was rich in spiritual herbs, whether it was refining pills or writing talismans. The various sects also needed the Demon Nation's resources. It seemed that the Fu-lu School wouldn't lack talisman liquid in the future.
Phantom Princess's movements didn't escape the Empress's notice. Li Mu's waist was gently stroked, but the other side was in pain.
Li Mu didn't get to enjoy the blessings of two lovers, but he got to experience the taste of ice and fire. He was in pain but happy at the same time. He endured until the end of the ceremony and could move freely. He immediately left his seat and went to Zhou Zhong's seat. He asked, "What happened in the Northern State?"
Zhou Zhong put down his wine cup and said, "Recently, people from the Demonic Path have been frequently active in the Northern State. They have clashed with Sangu's subordinates many times. I don't know what they are planning."
"The Demonic Path again …"
Li Mu frowned slightly. Ever since he started cultivating, the Demonic Path had never stopped.
Qian Huan, Chu Jiang Of Gojoseon, and later Cui Ming, as well as the Ten Thousand Illusions Lord of Heaven, and the Three Elders of the Netherworld who almost overturned the Demon Nation. The Demonic Path was known as the sh * t stirrer of the Zu Continent. They first stirred up trouble in the Great Zhou, then meddled with the Demon Nation, and now set their sights on the Shen Nation.
With Li Mu's hard work, he finally made the Northern State a buffer zone between the Shen Nation and the Great Zhou. Once the Northern State fell, the situation on the southern border would return to how it was before.
All his hard work for this would go down the drain.
The enemy was in the dark, while they were in the light. Li Mu couldn't transfer more people over for the time being. The Demon Nation's current strength was just enough to protect itself. If he borrowed the Demon Nation's strength to stabilize the Northern State, the Demonic Path might take advantage of the weakness to invade the Demon Nation.
Moreover, the Demon Nation and the Northern State were in the North and the South. It was difficult to provide support from a geographical point of view.
Li Mu pondered for a long time and could only say, "Be vigilant for now. If you feel that something is wrong, immediately send a message to me."
Zhou Zhong didn't say anything else. He suddenly asked, "Does Qing 'er know about the matter between you and Mr Mei?"
Li Mu's face darkened. He said, "There's nothing between me and Mr Mei."
Zhou Zhong thought for a moment and asked, "You young people are so open now. Is holding hands no longer a big deal?"
Li Mu now regretted not suggesting this to the Empress earlier. She didn't want to become Ah Li. It was fine if she became Cheng Xin. Now, he couldn't clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
After the ceremony, Zhou Zhong returned to the Northern State.
Phantom Princess was going back to the Demon Nation. The Empress and Cheng Xin were also going back to the Divine Capital. Li Mu was glad that all the women were gathered together this time. Although there were twists and turns, at least there was no danger. He also took the opportunity to improve his relationship with the Empress. It could be said that he profited from a disaster.
Before Phantom Princess returned to the Demon Nation, she secretly gave Li Mu a look.
When the Empress left with Cheng Xin, she also gave Li Mu a meaningful look.
Li Mu now understood that the Nine Words Mantra was most useful to him. It wasn't the thunder technique or the trapping technique. It was the last technique, Distance Shrinking.
This should be a technique that could only be used at the eighth level. This technique relied on the power of heaven and earth and consumed very little magic power. It allowed him to go back and forth between the Divine Capital and the Demon Nation several times in a day. In the morning, he walked hand in hand with the Empress in the imperial garden. At night, he hugged Phantom Princess to sleep. At noon, he could even go back to the Fu-lu School to eat lunch with Liu Hanyan and Li Qing.
This was what Li Mu learned from Ao Qing's diary.
At his level of cultivation, he could travel all over the ten continents and three islands in a day. He often hung out with the nine-tailed fox in the morning, went to find the snake demon sisters in the afternoon, and flipped the seas with the dragon girl at night. The word "sex" ran through his life.
However, Li Mu couldn't go find Phantom Princess and the Empress now.
Li Mu promised Xuan Jizi before that he would use his identity as the future sect leader to truly plan for the sect's future. Now, it was time for him to fulfill his promise.
The most important aspect of a sect's rise was naturally the sect's strength.
Fu-lu was a type of strength. However, the disciples' own cultivation was the true strength of a sect.
The reason why Xuanzong was the Taoist sect's number one sect was because the sect had many powerful cultivators. It suppressed the other five sects. If the Fu-lu School wanted to replace Xuanzong, there were at least two conditions.
First, the sect had to have at least one eighth level cultivator.
Second, the sect's core strength had to be stronger than Xuanzong.
Since he wanted to defeat Xuanzong, he first had to understand Xuanzong. In the main peak's palace, Li Mu asked Xuan Jizi, "How many seventh level cultivators does the sect have now?"
Xuan Jizi said, "Including Junior Sister Jadesun, there are five now."
Xuanzong also only had five seventh level cultivators. It seemed like the Fu-lu School and Xuanzong were on par. However, the two Grand Supreme Elders were nearing the end of their lifespans. Xuanzong's five transcendents each had a lifespan of tens or even hundreds of years. After a few years, Fu-lu School would only have three seventh level cultivators. One of them was even shared with the Pill Cauldron Sect.
Li Mu asked again, "How many sixth level cultivators are there?"
Xuan Jizi said, "Including you and Martial Uncle Fu Daozi, eight."
"What about Xuanzong?"
"Twenty-three."
"…"
"What about the fifth level?"
"Fifty-six."
"Xuanzong?"
"There should be more than two hundred."
"Fourth level …"
"Our sect has more than two hundred. Xuanzong, more than a thousand …"
…
Other than Xuanzong, the strength of the other sects was about the same. Li Mu knew that Xuanzong was very strong, but he didn't expect it to be this strong. Xuanzong's strength was almost comparable to the rest of the sects combined.
If Fu-lu's Pill Cauldron Sect and Spirit Formation Sect were major sects, then Xuanzong was the only super major sect.
Xuan Jizi answered Li Mu's question, then patted his shoulder and said, "The difference between our Fu-lu School and Xuanzong is not small. Senior Brother's ability is limited. The heavy responsibility of revitalizing the sect will be handed to Junior Brother."
Li Mu pondered for a long time. He looked at Xuan Jizi and said seriously, "Senior Brother, I think you should find someone else to revitalize the sect …"
Xuan Jizi said leisurely, "Other than you, who else has this ability? You are a disciple of the Fu-lu School. Qing 'er and Hanyan are also disciples of the Fu-lu School. Do you have the heart to disappoint them?"
Li Mu raised a finger and said, "I didn't expect Senior Brother to act so insidiously. You might as well change your Daoist name to Schemer."
After knowing Xuanzong's strength, the burden of revitalizing the Fu-lu School was indeed much heavier than Li Mu expected.
However, Li Mu was never one to back down in the face of difficulties. He glanced at Xuan Jizi and said, "I can revive the sect, but from now on, all of the sect's resources will be under my control, including the gifts you received during the dual cultivation ceremony."
Xuan Jizi took off a thumb ring from his thumb and handed it to Li Mu.
Li Mu scanned it with his divine sense. He saw mountains of spiritual medicines, spiritual jades, and all kinds of cultivation resources in the thumb ring. Thousands of cultivators attended Xuan Jizi's dual cultivation ceremony. They received many gifts. These things, in addition to the profits from the market, were enough to raise the overall strength of the Fu-lu School to a new level.
In terms of high-level combat strength, Li Mu was temporarily unable to create a seventh realm cultivator.
But there were more than fifty fifth realm cultivators in the sect. He should be able to find at least ten who were only one step away from Dongxuan. With these resources, Li Mu and the Empress could work together to refine some Saint-level cultivation increasing pills. At the very least, they would be able to create a few more Dongxuan cultivators.
As for fifth realm cultivators, including those below the fifth realm, they could be created completely with pills.
As long as they worked closely with the Danding Sect, they would be able to produce a steady stream of pills for low-level disciples to increase their cultivation.
Li Mu and the Danding Sect's headmaster, Wuchen Zi, had a private conversation for several hours before Wuchen Zi left the Fu-lu School. When she left, she took a large amount of spiritual medicines with her.
At the same time, all the disciples at the peak of every single realm in the Talisman Sect were gathered together by the Head Seat. On the second day, all these disciples entered into closed door cultivation and didn't leave, and they adjusted their states to their best so that they could make preparations for breaking through in the near future.
After the headmaster's dual cultivation ceremony, the atmosphere in the entire Fu-lu School became tense.
Xuanzong.
In the highest Taoist Palace, Miao Xuanzi's face darkened as he reported to Dao Cheng Zi, "Master, for some reason, the Yao Nation is also on good terms with the Fu-lu School. On the day of Xuan Jizi's dual cultivation ceremony, two seventh realm Yao Kings came to congratulate him. The Danding Sect, the Spiritual Formation Sect, and the Northern and Southern Sects also sent their Grand Supreme Elders. Now, many cultivators are saying that the Fu-lu School is the top Taoist sect …"
"The Fu-lu School, the top Taoist sect?" Dao Cheng Zi's mouth twitched. He said calmly, "All these years, Xuanzong has been living in the East Sea. It seems that many people have forgotten about our existence."
Miao Xuanzi thought for a moment and said, "Master, it'll be your 150th birthday in a month. Why don't you invite the cultivators of the Zu Continent to your birthday? Let them see the strength of our Xuanzong and who is the top Taoist sect …"
…
For the 150th birthday of the Xuanzong Grand Supreme Elder, invitations were sent to all the sects and families of the Zu Continent.
These forces were not as powerful as the Fu-lu School, so they did not dare to offend Xuanzong. Anyone who received an invitation traveled thousands of miles to the East Sea. They thought that the birthday of the Xuanzong Grand Supreme Elder would be grander than the Fu-lu School's dual cultivation ceremony. However, when they arrived at the East Sea, they realized that was not the case.
No one from the Great Zhou court came.
No one from the Yao Nation of Sheng Province came.
The other five Taoist sects only sent a sixth realm First Seat symbolically. They did not even send a seventh realm cultivator.
The cultivators who had just attended the Fu-lu School's dual cultivation ceremony could not help but feel that the so-called top Taoist sect was just so-so …
It was easy to tell who was the top Taoist sect, Xuanzong or Fu-lu School, from the attitudes of the other four sects.
In a Taoist palace in Xuanzong, the expressions of the elders were not good.
The Grand Supreme Elder's birthday celebration was meant to showcase Xuanzong's strength and influence. They thought that since the other four sects had paid so much attention to the Fu-lu School last time, they would not neglect Xuanzong this time. However, who would have thought that the difference between their attitudes toward the Fu-lu School and Xuanzong would be so great?
In this case, was Xuanzong not asking to be humiliated?
Miao Xuanzi said angrily, "The Danding Sect, the Spiritual Array Sect, the South Sect, and the North Sect. What are they trying to do? How dare they humiliate our Xuanzong!"
On the main seat, Dao Cheng Zi's face showed deep fear. He said in a low voice, "There must be a reason for the North and South Sects to do this. What benefits did the Fu-lu School give them to make them break off their relationship with Xuanzong …"
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