Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1594 - 859: Appointed as Temple Master, Shishu’s Dharma Transmission

In the realm of cultivation, time flows by unnoticed; in an instant, a full decade has elapsed.

The veil of night withdraws, allowing the subtle glow of dawn to slowly brighten the sky.

Yesterday's torrential downpour not only cleansed the summer heat from Lingbi Mountain but also invigorated the mountain woods, making the foliage even more verdant and lively.

Before long, a crimson sun peeked over the eastern peaks, its beams slicing through the lingering mist to bathe a sheer cliff on Lingbi Mountain's slope in light.

Right then, Zhao Sheng perched cross-legged on the cliff's edge, calmly observing the sun's gradual ascent in the distance, while a sheath of golden radiance poured forth from his form.

Threads of Great Sun Purple Qi streamed down from above, steadily blending into the enveloping golden glow around him, ultimately fusing into that shielding golden light.

This cycle persisted relentlessly until the sun climbed fully into the heavens and the Great Sun Purple Qi faded entirely, at which point it halted suddenly.

Now, Zhao Sheng rose leisurely to his feet and directed his sight beyond Lingbi Mountain, just as the guarding golden light drew back inside him.

Three hundred miles westward from Lingbi Mountain lay a thriving metropolis called Jinghe City, home to almost a million souls, the governing hub of Weifang County, and the grandest, most affluent hub within a thousand-mile radius.

Zhao Sheng fixed his eyes on Jinghe City from afar, and a peculiar vision abruptly surfaced in the depths of his limpid gaze.

High over Jinghe City, brilliant multicolored clouds materialized from nowhere. These clouds roiled and surged wildly, displaying a spectrum of shades—shades pure and tainted alike, brimming with countless unspoken cravings and notions.

Taoist immortals of old dubbed the mortal realm the Red Dust World.

At present, those brilliant, multicolored clouds hovering above Jinghe City embodied the Red Dust Qi.

Right now, seven or eight corroded, archaic Five Plants Coins bobbed and sank amid the Red Dust Clouds' core, their corrosion steadily eroded by the Red Dust Qi.

With the flow of moments, the tarnish on the Five Plants Coins gradually lessened, some spots reclaiming their shine and faintly exuding an primordial presence.

After observing briefly, Zhao Sheng abruptly willed it so, and a ray of golden light streaked from three hundred miles distant.

In a flash, the golden light arrived in his grasp, shifting into a gleaming, pristine golden Five Plants Gold Coin.

"Ten years of tempering in the Red Dust, and at last secured a Qingjing Coin. Way too sluggish, far too sluggish!" Zhao Sheng shook his head with a sigh, carefully tucking the Qingjing Coin into his sleeve.

Next, he averted his eyes from the distant view, swiveled to survey Lingbi Mountain, and amid the dense verdure, spotted a subtle, refined temple of azure bricks and ochre tiles.

The central plaque bore three bold characters: "Lingbi Temple."

Before the temple loomed a grand portal linked to a two-zhang-wide bluestone path, with tiered stone stairs descending to the mountain's foot.

Already, devotees dotted the bluestone road, climbing the stairs toward the halfway-up Lingbi Temple.

Ten years prior, Zhao Sheng departed Heart Refining Valley, took a Daoist vow in the Heart Inquiry Hall, and claimed his disciple identity token successfully.

Afterward, he descended the slopes to serve as abbot of Lingbi Temple.

The Taiqing Sect's methods proved startlingly unorthodox, clashing sharply with the cultivation doctrines of nearly all other Sects beyond.

As the Sect Elder explained, their path to cultivation stressed personal enlightenment above all, requiring every disciple to immerse in the Red Dust World.

Thus, soon after the latest outer disciples joined, they were dispatched downslope to helm the myriad Descendant Temples.

As Lingbi Temple's master, Zhao Sheng oversaw the thousand-mile domain nearby.

The local mountain gods, land spirits, river deities, and kindred "divine beings" fell under his authority, theirs to command at will.

Taiqing Cave Heaven's ordinances diverged wildly from the Spirit Realm's norms.

Across endless ages, the Taiqing Sect had forged a thorough, rigid hierarchy of rule within this True Immortal Cave Heaven.

From consecrating deities and raising ten thousand Descendant Temples, the Taiqing Sect's Daoist heritage grew unshakeably firm, ensuring Taiqing Cave Heaven's flawless harmony and ironclad laws endured eternally, untouched by upheavals that could topple the Sect.

As sunbeams crested the gatehouse to gild the temple plaque, Lingbi Temple's great doors swung open, and two Taoist sweepers emerged to tidy the forecourt steps and plaza.

A handful of pilgrims at last attained the temple entrance, stepping inside with devout faces to kindle incense and beseech the divinities.

Just then, Zhao Sheng pulled back his gaze, and his form scattered away on the breeze.

A while after, deep in the temple's Taiqing Treasure Hall, Zhao Sheng first paid respects to the Ancestor's idol beyond the altar, then pivoted to the hall's eastern wall.

There hung an antique artwork titled "Ancestor Preaching Painting."

The scroll portrayed soaring Ling Mountain and tranquil groves, where beneath a venerable Bodhi tree, an elderly Daoist meditated in lotus pose, radiating immortal poise.

Flanking the elder Daoist stood two fair-faced, pearly-toothed attendant boys. The left one clutched a whisk in both hands, the right one a sacred scroll.

Before the elder sat an array of Daoists with diverse visages, all grave and rapt, absorbing the Ancestor's sermon with profound veneration.

Confronting the venerable painting, Zhao Sheng bowed low to the scroll-bearing attendant boy and intoned reverently, "Outer Disciple Zhao Sheng seeks audience with the Ancestor of the Book!"

His words barely faded when the scroll-holding boy in the painting stirred to life.

The instant after, the boy stepped fluidly from the canvas, halting right before him.

To fortify and perpetuate its Daoist line, the Taiqing Sect raised ten thousand Descendant Temples across its Cave Heaven, each at spirit vein and earth vein junctions, with temples sharing virtually identical designs and layouts.