Purple Rose was once a member of the Cloud Knights, earning a modest reputation within the military for his exquisite spearmanship.
But every time he stepped onto the tournament stage, brimming with confidence, the sheer power of the truly talented would teach him one thing.
Their raised hands weren't an apology, but a message: "Bro, you still need more practice!"
Purple Rose couldn't understand. Why?
He had clearly practiced longer than them, and his martial arts training had started earlier. So why couldn't he ever win?
Purple Rose buried this secret resentment deep in his heart, transitioning from a new recruit to a veteran, until he recently came into contact with the heretics of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
A seemingly frail fellow had easily injured a prodigy who usually had the upper hand on him in the army.
This was like a key unlocking a door. Purple Rose began to actively investigate the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
Unexpectedly, he received a mission to go undercover within the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus!
The Seat of Divine Foresight formulated a plan based on the clues they had gathered. Purple Rose and two other companions successfully infiltrated. After formally making contact with the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, Purple Rose experienced a profound enlightenment, as if at Longchang.
He understood!
There is a limit to human strength! Unless you transcend humanity, he would no longer be a mere mortal!
Purple Rose turned traitor, exposing his two companions. He instantly gained the organization's trust and obtained the source of power he had yearned for in his dreams!
But Purple Rose was not yet satisfied; he wanted even greater power.
Leveraging his knowledge of the Cloud Knights, he rooted out many Cloud Knight spies within the organization, earning more resources and becoming the head of the branch.
Still, it wasn't enough!
Purple Rose always felt something was missing.
Until today, when he met Lord Gin!
He was thoroughly enlightened!
Staring at the shocking scene in the booklet—Little Brat Lan's horse-bodied spear piercing through Sister Yaoshi, a one-step-to-the-stomach penetration—Purple Rose's mind was reforged amidst the immense shock.
He could feel that as his understanding of the Medicine King's great love deepened, his mastery over his Immortal Force rose to a new level. It was as if a shackle on his soul had been severed, granting him perfect control over the Immortal Force!
"Mm, you have some talent. It seems you're not a completely hopeless fool."
Caelus kept his hands tucked in the pockets of his black trench coat, the Fenghuang Down feathers glowing faintly.
The pills of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus could allow a person to maintain their sanity while in the Mara-struck state, even letting them use its power freely, but this method was not perfect.
The power of erosion combined with Fenghuang Down could enhance their mastery over the Mara-struck state. Of course, this did not come without a price.
The price was a massive rebound in the future. When that time came, it was doubtful any pill could help them maintain their sanity.
But that had nothing to do with Caelus. He just needed to make people believe, right now, that lewdness was the true Immortal Path of Abundance!
"The illustration of the Immortal Path... This is truly an immortal drawing that contains the very essence of the Immortal Path! Power! I can feel the power!"
Purple Rose's face was feverish, his hands trembling as he held the booklet. His posture was as reverent as a young monk holding a sacred scripture.
"My lord, that's mine."
Seeing Purple Rose's demeanor, Green Hibiscus issued a reminder.
With his level of social awareness, he would never have spoken to his direct superior like this before. But now, Lord Gin was the future!
He was the one to cling to!
Following Lord Gin was the only way to a bright future!
However, on second thought, realizing he would need his own subordinates in the future, Green Hibiscus added, "One of Lord Gin's purposes for coming here is to teach us to recognize the true Immortal Path."
"This precious illustration of the Immortal Path is Lord Gin's understanding of it, which he sketched and copied after praying sincerely to the Medicine King."
"Lord Gin's understanding of the Immortal Path far surpasses our own."
As Green Hibiscus said this, Caelus casually let a hint of the power of creation from Black Abyss White Flower leak out, causing Purple Rose to see him as an Immortal.
This level of Abundance Immortal Force belonged only to a senior who had walked extremely far down the path of Abundance!
"Lord Gin has more of these immortal illustrations. All our brothers and sisters will have a chance..."
Green Hibiscus gave Caelus a respectful nod, then moved to whisper in Purple Rose's ear.
Purple Rose's eyes widened, and he nodded repeatedly in sudden understanding.
"Lord Gin, this is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you'll deign to accept it!"
With a humble posture, Purple Rose enthusiastically presented a bank card to Caelus.
On it were the savings he had accumulated during his time as a Cloud Knight.
"Ahem, you can just give the card to me."
Stelle's eyes lit up. She strode forward, chest out, and stood in front of Caelus like a lackey handling minor affairs for the boss.
Caelus glanced at Hachi-Stelle. This girl really only used her brain for moments like these!
As a professional fool, Caelus never revealed his true emotions. A faint curve appeared on his indifferent lips.
"You. Not bad."
"Vodka, give him a collector's edition."
"Yes, Big Brother."
Stelle pulled a copy of 'The Absolutely Gorgeous Medicus Who Won't Refuse Any Request and Lan's Big Explosion!' from inside her black suit and handed it to Purple Rose.
"Study it well. The true path of Abundance lies within."
Caelus stood with his hands behind his back. The aura of a banished immortal combined with Gin's signature black coat looked slightly bizarre.
"Thank you, Lord Gin!"
But Purple Rose, having obtained the illustration of the Immortal Path, clearly didn't care about such minor details.
"Seeing as you're not fools and are loyal to the Medicine King, how about this: Purple Rose, gather your subordinates. I'll give you all a lecture."
Gotta do some promotion before selling the booklets~!
"Yes, thank you, Lord Gin!"
Purple Rose cupped his hands in excitement, and Green Hibiscus also wore a thrilled expression.
Just a few words of guidance from Lord Gin could help them improve. A full lecture would surely yield even greater rewards.
"Purple Rose, tell me more about the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
Caelus sat on a stone stool, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Yes, Lord Gin. The organization…"
Purple Rose immediately came over to pour tea and explain, sending Green Hibiscus to notify the brothers and sisters of the branch to assemble.
As the head of the Exalting Sanctum branch of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, he knew much more than an ordinary member like Green Hibiscus.
Listening to Purple Rose's detailed account, Caelus remained calm throughout—at least on the surface.
Stelle almost lost it.
Among the Xianzhou's Six Commissions, all except the Divination Commission had undercover agents from the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, and quite a few of them at that!
Especially the Alchemy Commission!
Caelus felt like he had come to the wrong place. He should have gone straight to the Alchemy Commission—that was his old home, the distillery!
It was hard to say whether the current Alchemy Commission was one of the Xianzhou's Six Commissions or the main headquarters of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
Just what kind of game was Jing Yuan playing?
There were even damn spies in the Seat of Divine Foresight, although they were only peripheral members who couldn't access internal affairs.
Caelus grew thoughtful.
Could the Head of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus be in the Alchemy Commission?
While Purple Rose was explaining the organizational structure of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus to Caelus and Stelle, Green Hibiscus had already notified the vast majority of the Exalting Sanctum branch members to assemble.
"Lord Gin, Lord Purple Rose, everything is ready. Only a few members on important field missions couldn't make it back. The other brothers and sisters are waiting impatiently."
Hearing that a senior of the Immortal Path was going to give a lecture and share his understanding of the Immortal Path of Longevity, every member of the organization was incredibly excited.
"Let's go." Caelus stood up.
Stelle followed behind him with a strut that disowned all her relatives.
Purple Rose and Green Hibiscus led the two into the main building of the courtyard, ascending to the upper floors and finally arriving at a room several hundred square meters in size.
It was a vast room, a lecture hall in the style of Shenzhou, surrounded by vibrant plants. Upon entering, one could see a huge portrait of the Medicus hanging on the wall.
Over two hundred Disciples of Yaoshi were sitting in small groups on cattail cushions, whispering among themselves.
When they saw Purple Rose and two strangers in black, everyone immediately fell silent, watching Caelus and Stelle with respectful and curious gazes.
Caelus scanned the room, thinking to himself that there were quite a few people here.
For a single branch of a cult, over two hundred people was a considerable number, and this wasn't even everyone.
"I've gathered all you brothers and sisters today for some good news. A massive opportunity has come your way!"
As the branch head, Purple Rose took the stage first, explaining the whole story to his subordinates.
Caelus, his expression unchanging, released his power of creation. The potted plants began to grow wildly under its influence, their branches and vines extending.
Witnessing this scene, the Disciples of Yaoshi all lowered their heads in awe, their eyes shining. This was a great senior of the Immortal Path of Longevity!
"Next, let us welcome Lord Gin to enlighten us!"
Purple Rose didn't ramble on and quickly yielded the stage to Caelus.
Under the respectful gazes of the Disciples, Caelus strode onto the stage in his leather shoes and took out one of the gifts Asta had given him from his ring's spatial storage—the Extreme View Projector.
It was a portable projector, perfect for watching movies or displaying novels and pictures.
With crystal-clear 16K resolution, it perfectly restored every texture of an image.
The Disciples were a bit baffled by Lord Gin's actions, until Caelus projected a set of lewd images into the space.
"What the hell!"
"What is that!?"
"C-Could that be the Plagues Author and the Merciful Medicus!?"
"I don't understand, but I'm greatly shocked!"
Almost instantly, the minds and spirits of all the Disciples present received a massive shock, their expressions changing wildly.
Bang!
Bang!
Two thunderous gunshots instantly silenced the room.
Caelus lowered the smoking pistol. He had fired blanks; there were no bullets.
Holding the pistol in one hand, Caelus raised his other, holding up three fingers and shouting:
"I came to the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus for only three things!"
Under the watchful eyes of all, Caelus continued to shout at the top of his lungs:
"To preach, to preach, and to fucking preach!"
Such a direct and concise opening threw the Disciples below the stage into a stunned silence. Everyone focused their full attention on Caelus.
Within Caelus's shadow, the black and red tachi and the crimson lotus of Fenghuang Down floated.
Fenghuang Down, activate!
Jizo Mitama, activate!
The power of erosion and will spread throughout the room via the Kingdom of Shadows.
Caelus didn't directly control the Disciples, but merely applied a certain degree of psychological suggestion.
To use an inappropriate but illustrative example:
Changing someone's thoughts is like changing the branch of a small tree.
Direct control is like forcefully bending it. You might succeed, but the trunk will break. Even after you remove the force, the trunk might recover, but its direction will not have changed.
Subtle psychological suggestion, however, is like gently bending the branch and securing it with a rope. This way, the small tree will continue to grow in the fixed direction.
"Lord Medicus is the most selfless and loving existence in the universe."
"All living beings are besieged by suffering, unable to escape their karma. The Medicus's great love grants care to all life, allowing them to ascend to paradise. This selfless love even extends to the Demon Bow."
"My crude drawing skills can only reproduce a fraction of the Medicus's all-encompassing love. I hope the world can understand that selfless heart as I do, escape the sea of suffering that is the Demon Bow, and convert to the holy religion of Abundance."
Amidst Caelus's passionate speech, all the Disciples fell silent, their expressions shifting from 'I'm shocked for a million years' to thoughtful contemplation.
"I have a dream!"
Caelus mimed playing a pipe organ with both hands:
"I have a dream that one day, you will all understand the true meaning of the Medicine King's great love: 'Granting all desires, ensuring all are met!' To use selfless love and dedication to save all who suffer!"
At that moment, it was as if a holy light shone down from the heavens above, and Caelus, with his arms raised high, was bathed in its glow, appearing incomparably sacred and noble.
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 50 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin