IW: Chapter 276 - The Upcoming Taoist Competition, Ao Tianlong and Ao Ningshuang!
A Dead Dragon Vein is still a Dragon Vein; it's not without any benefits at all.
Therefore, when Shi Jian learned that the issues in Teng Teng Town had been resolved by Lin Jiu and Bai Ye, among others...
His first thought was not about Lin Jiu's well-being.
There was no point in saying so many hypocritical words; only he and Shi Shaojian were here.
His relationship with Lin Jiu was already quite poor. Regarding the matter of printing Ghost Banknotes for the Underworld, Shi Jian originally thought he was guaranteed to get this assignment.
Building a good relationship with the Underworld in advance, and printing Ghost Banknotes also had other benefits, which Shi Jian naturally saw clearly.
But in the end, his Master gave it to Lin Jiu instead.
Because of this matter, their relationship directly dropped to an all-time low.
This incident, in particular, made Shi Jian feel a little dissatisfied.
No...
It should be said, extremely dissatisfied.
It would have been best to entrust it to him, the Senior Disciple.
However, for Shi Jian, since this matter had already occurred, there was nothing he could do about it.
But he did become somewhat concerned about the Shenxiao Sect's Sect Master.
How strong must he be to have resolved this incident?!
As Shi Jian was deep in thought, Shi Shaojian, who was beside him, struggled a bit before saying, "Master, are we just going to watch? Didn't you say collecting the Dragon Vein would bring unexpected benefits? Why not send the Dragon Vein back to Maoshan?"
Shi Shaojian's original intention was still to go out.
After all, if he was truly confined to Maoshan, he really couldn't sit still.
"Stop getting those messy ideas!"
Shi Jian glared at Shi Shaojian; how could he not know what Shi Shaojian was thinking?
But he had already made up his mind to sever Shi Shaojian's ties with his so-called 'friends'.
Although Shi Jian was at odds with Lin Jiu, he would at least not do anything that betrayed Maoshan's interests; otherwise, what face would he, the Senior Disciple, have to meet his ancestors?
Shi Shaojian was his son. It was actually his own fault; he hadn't disciplined Shi Shaojian all these years, which led him to become like this.
If he weren't his own son, he would have long since driven Shi Shaojian out of Maoshan.
He used to use Taoist magic to do despicable things.
Whenever Shi Jian wanted to punish him, he would think of the woman who died in childbirth giving birth to Shi Shaojian, and Shi Jian couldn't help but feel some guilt.
Perhaps it was because he had no mother since childhood, so he had always indulged him.
It was just that this time, Shi Shaojian had truly touched Shi Jian's bottom line.
He didn't want to see Shi Shaojian continue to degenerate, so he had to confine Shi Shaojian.
"But Father, at least these friends of mine give me some information. Besides, I'm just using them. I also know what their purpose is in approaching me. Otherwise, we wouldn't have known about today's events!"
Shi Shaojian was actually clear in his heart, but he couldn't help but genuinely share a common interest with them.
However, to say he had no precautions at all was certainly impossible.
"Don't worry about the Dragon Vein!"
After listening to Shi Shaojian's words, Shi Jian's tone softened a little.
As long as this child wasn't like an idiot, being used without understanding anything, it would be fine.
Since he knew, then it was no big deal.
However, Shi Jian still did not intend to let Shi Shaojian go down the mountain, and he also did not want Shi Shaojian to meddle with the Dragon Vein.
Since the Dragon Vein was already in the hands of the Shenxiao Sect's Sect Master, it was clearly impossible for him to demand it back at this time.
In Shi Jian's view, this incident in Teng Teng Town was probably handled entirely by Bai Ye.
He was very clear about Lin Jiu's capabilities.
Perhaps Lin Jiu wasn't even qualified to manage the Dragon Vein.
Therefore, no matter how displeased Shi Jian was in his heart, he still remained rational.
"I understand, Master."
Shi Shaojian opened his mouth but ultimately swallowed his words.
It seemed his little thoughts had still been seen through by Shi Jian.
Since Shi Jian was so determined not to let him go down the mountain, he knew that no matter how much effort he put in, it would probably be futile.
"Keeping you on the mountain isn't just because of the previous incident. Don't forget, the Taoist Competition is about to begin, and I don't want to see you embarrassed."
It would be his own embarrassment!
Shi Jian knew very well that during the Taoist Competition, not only people from Maoshan would come, but also from the Shenxiao Sect and other sects would gather to observe the abilities of their respective younger generations.
This was something Shi Jian valued greatly; he needed Shi Shaojian to cultivate diligently during this period.
He was very diligent in unorthodox practices, but when it came to orthodox cultivation, he was truly lacking.
Shi Shaojian could not lose, at least not to other people from Maoshan.
As the Senior Disciple, he had never lost before. If his son lost, and especially if he lost to Lin Jiu's disciple, it would be more painful than killing him.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely be able to defeat those guys then!"
Shi Shaojian patted his chest and assured him.
During this time, he had obtained a quick-cultivation technique from that person.
He believed that by then, he would surely amaze everyone!
"It better be that way!"
Shi Jian looked deeply at Shi Shaojian. Although he didn't know where his confidence came from, he hoped it would be so.
Thinking of the Taoist Competition, he hoped it would still be like before.
When he was in that generation, he had taken first place on behalf of Maoshan.
"Fellow Taoist, what exactly is the purpose of this Dead Dragon Vein? So many people are fighting over it."
On the road.
Lin Jiu looked at one of the Nine Cauldrons with some surprise.
After Bai Ye released the Dead Dragon Vein from it earlier, the decaying aura made Lin Jiu feel as if he would die the next second.
Disciples like Qiusheng were basically suffocating under the pressure.
Seeing this, Bai Ye also placed the Dead Dragon Vein back into the Nine Cauldrons.
Just for a moment, the death aura of the Dead Dragon Vein had even spread to Bai Ye.
This also made Lin Jiu curious.
He knew about Dragon Veins, but it was his first time seeing a Dead Dragon Vein. When he saw this, he was also puzzled as to why so many people wanted to contend for this Dead Dragon Vein.
Wouldn't it backfire if one wasn't careful?
Lin Jiu even felt a bit fortunate that it was given to Bai Ye. If it were left to him, setting aside whether he could purify it, he would definitely be backlashed by the Dead Dragon Vein!
"This Dragon Vein still has a trace of spirituality; it's not completely dead."
Bai Ye explained.
He had just discovered that this Dragon Vein was actually not dead.
"Still alive? But Grandma used to say Liu Bowen's Dragon-Slaying had completely killed the Dragon Vein, didn't she?"
Snowflake looked at Bai Ye with some confusion.
Ma Ma Di and Lin Jiu, who were beside her, also nodded in agreement.
This was what they had always known, but learning from Bai Ye that this matter was not as they had previously understood, they were somewhat hesitant, but the next second, they all chose to believe Bai Ye.
After spending time with Bai Ye, one would realize that Bai Ye had never been wrong about anything. Since he said so, there must be a reason for it.
"No, the Dragon Vein cannot be killed. It has suppressed fate for so many years and is already connected to this land. Liu Bowen also knew it couldn't be killed, so he used the Nine Cauldrons to suppress the Dragon Vein.
The Dragon Vein has always been alive; it's just that its body was separated. Dragon-Slaying wasn't killing the Dragon Vein, but rather dividing it into nine parts, suppressed in the nine provinces, which could also stabilize the fate of the Great Ming Dynasty.
However, the backlash came quickly; in the end, it was a'steal a chicken but lose the rice'. When the Dragon Vein's death aura surrounded me earlier, I sensed the Dragon Vein's anger and unwillingness. Dead things don't have emotions."
The Dragon Vein could not be killed.
Bai Ye had always thought the Dragon Vein was dead.
Now it seemed it wasn't dead at all, but suppressed.
So the so-called Dead Dragon Vein was not actually that at all.
If the Dragon Vein were gathered, it could certainly be as it was before, and even if not, given time, it could still recover.
Therefore, many people might know about the Dragon Vein.
"Then the Dragon Vein...?"
Lin Jiu hesitated to speak. This Dragon Vein was actually still alive.
He felt somewhat fortunate in his heart.
If it were truly dead, then how to revive this Dragon Vein would also be an issue.
"It's normal for it to still have resentment in its heart, but let's continue to revive it. This concerns our future fate."
Even though the Dragon Vein attempted to attack him just now, Bai Ye didn't pay much attention to it. Firstly, he wasn't injured, and secondly, this Dragon Vein was like a master; if you didn't revive it, this world would be half-dead.
Want to become an immortal?
He might be able to rely on resources from other worlds to continuously accumulate, but others were different.
He still wanted to pass down the Shenxiao Sect properly.
With that, he also put away the Nine Cauldrons.
"That's right, why did Liu Bowen cut this Dragon Vein? The Great Ming Dynasty didn't last much longer because of it!"
Ma Ma Di muttered, wondering what Liu Bowen was thinking.
"Who knows if Liu Bowen wanted to cut it?"
As for these matters, who could know?
So many years had passed; right and wrong were long unknown to anyone.
Upon hearing Bai Ye say this, the few people in agreement.
"It seems a ghost is coming towards us."
Bai Ye looked into the distance, speaking as if sensing something.
"A ghost is coming towards us?!"
"No?! A ghost dares to come towards us?!"
Awei yelled loudly as he followed Bai Ye's gaze.
Is this guy tired of living?!
With so many Taoist priests here, even the other disciples could handle ghosts.
And a ghost still dares to come here without knowing its place?!
"Watch out!"
Along with the sound, a female ghost in a Red Robe was rushing towards Bai Ye and the others, while behind her, a man and a woman were chasing after the female ghost, running and reminding Bai Ye and the others to be careful.
Watching the Red-robed Fire Ghost get closer and closer to those people, Ao Tianlong felt incredibly anxious.
Originally, he was taking his daughter home to visit relatives, but because of his daughter's playfulness, they provoked a Red-robed Fire Ghost on the way.
The two sides then clashed.
"How could it be gone?!"
A trace of doubt flashed in the Red-robed Fire Ghost's eyes.
She glanced at Ao Tianlong, who was chasing her, gritted her teeth, and directly accelerated towards Bai Ye and the others' location.
Earlier, she had sensed an attracting aura here, so she ran to this side. Plus, she couldn't defeat Ao Tianlong, and if she continued to drag it out, she might be caught.
As long as the green hills are there, there'll be wood to burn.
She remembered these two people anyway. If Ao Ningshuang hadn't disfigured her, she wouldn't have provoked them.
It was just that she couldn't beat the two of them.
So, it just so happened that she met ordinary people here. As long as she used them, she could escape.
"Evil ghost."
Bai Ye looked at the malevolent aura on the Red-robed Fire Ghost; she must have harmed many people.
"What is that?! Hand-rubbed lightning?!"
Ao Tianlong unconsciously stopped in his tracks. Looking at Bai Ye rubbing lightning with his hands, he realized that this was no ordinary person!
He had been worried earlier that this Red-robed Fire Ghost would directly deal with these ordinary people, making him hesitant to act.
"No!"
The Red-robed Fire Ghost shrieked, watching helplessly as the lightning struck her, finally reducing her to ashes.
"My apologies, fellow Taoist, you've witnessed our clumsiness."
Ao Tianlong walked forward somewhat awkwardly, looked at them, and cupped his hands in greeting.
As a Taoist priest, he was still a bit embarrassed that an evil ghost had almost harmed ordinary people while he was eliminating demons and defending the Tao.
At least the other party had some ability.
"It's nothing."
Bai Ye curiously sized up Ao Tianlong, then turned to look at Lin Jiu. Indeed, the two of them did resemble each other a bit.
"I am Ao Tianlong of Maoshan. May I ask who you all are?"
"Maoshan?!"
Lin Jiu's eyes widened. He hadn't seen this before!
"I am Lin Jiu of Maoshan."
"Ma Ma Di of the Maoshan Sect."
They were all from the Maoshan Sect; the three of them came from one sect.
"Are you two also from Maoshan?" Ao Tianlong's eyes lit up after he spoke, then as if he remembered something, he immediately explained, "We are disciples taken in by our Master after he left Maoshan to establish a dojo down the mountain. We have since remained steadfast in that dojo and haven't returned to Maoshan."
They had only returned once, and that was for their enfeoffment, to announce it to the Maoshan ancestors.
After hearing his explanation, a hint of understanding flashed in Lin Jiu's eyes. Doesn't that make him just like himself?
He hadn't returned to Maoshan for a long time now either, due to his conflict with the Senior Disciple. Additionally, Maoshan disciples generally choose a place for their own dojo after completing their training.
This was to prevent demons and monsters from harming people in various places, so many Maoshan disciples didn't necessarily know each other.
Just like Qiusheng and Wencai, if they weren't like Four-Eyes, who frequently visited, perhaps his fellow disciples wouldn't have known he had these two disciples.
"I am not from the Maoshan Sect; I am from the Shenxiao Sect. These are my disciples."
Seeing Ao Tianlong and Ao Ningshuang's gaze fall upon him, Bai Ye explained.
"Shenxiao Sect?! My respects!"
Ao Tianlong was somewhat surprised, but he didn't say much more.
Two Taoist priests from different sects gathered together, could it be that there was some great demon?!