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*****
The next day, under the reluctant gazes and repeated words of caution from Li Jing and his wife, Ao Bing and Nezha departed with Taiyi Zhenren, heading for the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun.
As for Ao Guang, his Primordial Spirit had long since returned to his physical body, leaving Shen Gongbao with full authority over affairs here. He was the primary force suppressing the three other Dragon Kings and the sea monsters; his Primordial Spirit could not remain separated from his flesh for too long. Otherwise, the seal might loosen, leading to catastrophic trouble.
George did not tag along to the Jade Void Palace. Although he intended to join the Chan Sect and become a disciple of the Primordial Lord of Heaven (Yuanshi Tianzun), he needed to get a clear grasp of the situation first.
After all, this was not the canonical "Investiture of the Gods," but a parallel world where certain elements differed. For instance, the current Eldest Senior Brother of the Jade Void Palace was named the Infinite Immortal (Wuliang Xianweng), whereas he recalled that in the original stories, it should have been the Immortal of the South Pole (Nanji Xianweng). Furthermore, Shen Gongbao's insinuations yesterday proved that the waters of the Jade Void Palace ran deep.
Therefore, he planned to have a proper chat with Shen Gongbao to gather more intelligence on the Jade Void Palace. Combining that with the information gained from Taiyi Zhenren, he would then decide whether to join the Chan Sect or the Jie Sect.
In truth, he would have preferred to join the Ren Sect (Education Sect).
Firstly, in his view, the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord (Taishang Laojun) was the strongest among the Three Pure Ones.
Secondly, the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord specialized in alchemy. His only true disciple was the Great Archmage Xuandu; if George could become his second disciple, he would undoubtedly be groomed with significant resources. This was unlike the Chan and Jie Sects, which had too many members. Even if one found a master there, it was often a case of "the master leads you through the door, but cultivation depends on the individual," leaving one to figure things out alone most of the time.
Finally, with the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord's protection, as long as he didn't act too recklessly, he wouldn't have to worry about danger—unless he went head-to-head with the Heavenspan Cult Lord (Tongtian Jiaozhu) or the Primordial Lord of Heaven, in which case there was no helping it.
Unfortunately, the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord had no interest in taking disciples, so that path was essentially a dead end.
"Daoist Shen cultivates with such diligence; you are truly a model for our generation!"
George flew up to the city wall and called out praise upon seeing Shen Gongbao practicing bitterly with his Lightning Whip.
Compared to the gluttonous and sleepy Taiyi, Shen Gongbao's cultivation was indeed arduous; from yesterday until today, he had barely rested.
However, reality was cruel, and some things could not be achieved through effort alone. Moreover, Taoist cultivation placed greater emphasis on innate talent and enlightenment.
Although Taiyi was greedy for food and sleep and lazy in his practice, his nature perfectly accorded with the Taoist concept of "unfettered freedom" (Xiaoyao), free from distracting thoughts. Therefore, his cultivation base was not much worse than the daily-toiling Shen Gongbao, and his future ceiling was significantly higher.
This was one of the reasons the Primordial Lord of Heaven valued Taiyi Zhenren.
"Cul-cultivation... cannot be slackened!"
Seeing George appear, Shen Gongbao stopped his practice and put away the Lightning Whip. The sea monster assisting his training over to the side was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.
"I admire your dedication!"
With a wave of his hand, George conjured a table, chairs, and a sumptuous spread of wine and dishes, then smiled. "I'll delay Daoist Shen for a moment; I have some matters I wish to ask about."
"No harm."
Shen Gongbao waved his hand and sat down. He and the Dragon Clan already owed George a favor; being able to help was something he welcomed.
George picked up the wine jar and poured a cup for Shen Gongbao.
"For a thousand years, I have been cultivating behind closed doors. I am not very clear about worldly affairs. I only know that the Three Sects are the orthodox Taoist paths, which is why I wanted the Immortal Taiyi to introduce me to the Jade Void Palace. However, I do not know what it is like inside the Palace. I hope Daoist Shen can offer some pointers."
"Wine... I quit long ago. Cultivation re-requires curbing desires. As the saying goes: Cut off desires, and the spirit becomes whole."
Shen Gongbao pushed the wine cup aside. He then picked up his chopsticks, placed a piece of mutton into his mouth, and spoke slowly.
"Fellow Daoist Black Dragon, actually, regarding your situation... I do not recommend that you join the Jade Void Palace. It is not as good as you think."
"How so?"
George's heart skipped a beat; he knew Shen Gongbao definitely possessed inside information.
In Taiyi Zhenren's eyes, the Jade Void Palace was perfect in every way, without a single flaw. But that was because Taiyi was the Master's most pampered disciple, so his view could not be used as an objective standard.
"As a disciple of the Chan Sect, I shouldn't be saying these things. But you have shown grace to me and the Dragon Clan. I don't want you to end up like me in the future."
Remembering the grievances he had suffered over the years, Shen Gongbao reached out, grabbed the cup of wine he had just pushed away, and drained it in one gulp. He then began to recount his experiences.
Shen Gongbao's father was named Shen Zhengdao, a leopard demon.
Unlike those leopard demons who ate humans and committed evil, he was a kind-hearted leopard demon filled with righteousness. Before gaining sentience, he had been picked up and raised by a kind-hearted wandering Taoist, learning much Taoist knowledge through observation and instruction.
Precisely because of this, he held the Jade Void Palace in extremely high esteem. He even opened a private school in the Seven Mountains and Five Ridges to guide fellow demons in cultivation and lead them onto the righteous path.
His proudest achievement was that his personally taught son, Shen Gongbao, successfully passed the exams to enter the Jade Void Palace and became an Immortal there.
Thus, when Shen Gongbao first entered the Jade Void Palace, he carried his father's full expectations and the blessings of all the demons in their territory. For this, he dared not slack off for even a moment, cultivating day and night.
However, once he truly entered the Jade Void Palace, he realized things were not that simple, nor was the Palace as benevolent as he and his father had imagined.
Born a leopard demon, no matter how hard he tried, he was looked down upon by his fellow disciples.
The Eldest Senior Brother, the Infinite Immortal, used both threats and inducements to force him into becoming the Captain of the Demon Capture Team. He was to lead teams to the lower realms to capture members of the Demon race and refine them into Immortal Elixirs for the Jade Void Palace disciples to use in their cultivation.
Of course, on the surface, the claim was that they were capturing evil demons causing chaos in the lower realms to bring them to the Jade Void Palace for "education" before releasing them.
In reality, aside from a few who actually caused trouble, the majority of those captured were good demons who had never harmed humans and had simply stayed in their own territories working hard on their cultivation.
Despite this, after so many years, Shen Gongbao hadn't received many Immortal Elixirs; he received even fewer than some favored third-generation disciples.
As for the Infinite Immortal's promises, not a single one had been fulfilled.
If Shen Gongbao hadn't been quick-witted, he might have already been cursed by the Infinite Immortal and turned into a puppet unable to resist, much like the Infinite Immortal's two apprentices, the Deer Boy and the Crane Boy.
"I have committed many wrongs. There is no turning back, nor do I wish to turn back. This world is just that cruel; only by being strong enough can you obtain everything you desire!"
Shen Gongbao slammed his palm onto the table.
He never considered himself innocent. Although he had done many things under the coercion of the Infinite Immortal, the fact remained that he had done them. Many kind-hearted demons had indeed been refined into Immortal Elixirs because of him.
He had failed his father's teachings.
Yet, he did not regret it. His experiences in the Chan Sect over these years had taught him that only by constantly climbing upward and becoming stronger could he find a foothold in this world.
Only when he became one of the Twelve Golden Immortals and gained the regard of the Primordial Lord of Heaven would his younger brother and the demons back in his territory be spared the discrimination and suffering he had endured.
(End of Chapter)