Wuliangzi ignored his disheveled clothes, put away the Qiongtian magical mirror artifact, and rushed straight down the mountain.
His expression was slightly manic, his emotions agitated to the point that his soul became somewhat unstable.
Along the way, disciples who saw Wuliangzi hurrying by asked him what was going on, but he ignored them and went directly toward the distant farmland.
Qingsongzi had never seen Wuliangzi in such a state of panic, and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, his steps unconsciously wanting to follow and check.
The Daoist beside him quickly stopped him, pointing at the group of young children. "Uncle-Master, it's time to examine their Dao aptitude."
Qingsongzi glanced toward the farmland, then gestured for the children to come closer to him.
The ceremony of granting them Daoist robes proceeded in an orderly fashion; the children all longed for cultivation and did not cry or fuss at all.
Wuliangzi ran straight into the farmland, his face flushed red as he scanned his surroundings, yet there were no traces of battle anywhere nearby.
Although he did not know Huang Qi's status within Wuwei Monastery, from the historical records he could faintly glimpse some clues.
It was said that Wuwei Monastery possessed an immortal mountain, within which lay hundreds of caves corresponding to the 365 acupoints of the human body.
Each cave was where the core disciples of Wuwei Monastery secluded themselves for cultivation, later generations called them the "Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Earthly Immortals."
Which Earthly Immortal was Uncle-Master Huang Qi?
Or perhaps, the Earthly Immortals of those days had never truly died, and now they had all come to Jingzhou, could Wuwei Monastery truly be returning?
Excitement drove Wuliangzi to near-madness, his spiritual aura leaking uncontrollably.
His soul was naturally aberrant, so in normal times he would focus on self-cultivation to avoid deviation or madness.
Cautiously, Wuliangzi asked, "Uncle-Master Huang Qi, are you here?"
A cold wind blew; several mountain birds that hadn't migrated for the winter let out hoarse cries.
Unwilling to believe it, he meticulously examined every inch of soil and blade of grass several times, yet still found not the slightest trace.
"How is that possible, was it an illusion?"
He took out the Qiongtian artifact, but the copper mirror was like dead stone; no matter how much True Yuan he poured in, there was not the slightest response.
He became dazed, standing in a trance for a long time before unconsciously taking out a jade pendant containing a message from Qingsongzi.
Qingsongzi was asking about the situation nearby, whether he needed support.
Wuliangzi weakly shook his head, slowly walking back to the open area at the mountain's base.
As sect master, he had to maintain composure, forcing himself to speak softly with the peasants, though it was clear he was preoccupied.
He rubbed his nose tiredly, his gaze falling upon the dozen or so children, a faint unease rising in his heart.
"Perhaps Uncle-Master does not wish to be seen, and hides in the shadows?"
"Yes, that must be it."
He quickly walked to the children, testing their bone structure and aptitude by hand, yet his expression gradually turned doubtful.
The children bore very few marks of aberration; theoretically, they could cultivate any technique, even some of the more demanding aberrant arts.
If only one or two children had such constitutions, it could be coincidence,
but a dozen with the same traits? Impossible.
Qingsongzi whispered warily, "Senior Brother Wuliangzi, doesn't this seem like the handiwork of the Qingqiu aberrants?"
Wuliangzi fell silent; much of the joy brought by Huang Qi's appearance was scattered.
Outside Qingyan Town, the southern mountain was occupied by a group of fox-type aberrants calling themselves Qingqiu. They loved to collect children with minimal aberration, then sell them to various powers in exchange for resources.
Seeing Wuliangzi unmoved, Qingsongzi immediately said, "Senior Brother, we cannot accept this group of children."
Wuliangzi gritted his teeth. "No, we must accept them!"
Qingsongzi could tell Wuliangzi's mind was in chaos and reminded him anxiously, "Senior Brother, there are many Qingqiu aberrants, even the Tu Di cultivators fear to offend them, you-"
"You're mad?!!"
"Mad... mad... mad..."
The aberration marks on Wuliangzi's body deepened, that was the sign of imminent loss of control; his aura grew unstable.
He shut his eyes in pain, and the words he'd heard earlier within the temple blurred into unreality under the influence of his aberrating body and soul.
"Qingsongzi, I... I can't tell anymore, am I truly going mad?"
The farmers all stepped back a few paces; the scene turned awkwardly silent.
Qingsongzi looked worried, gripping Wuliangzi's shoulder tightly. "Senior Brother, you should go before the Patriarch's statue and recite the morning sutra."
"I'll take the children first, when you're calm again, we can reconsider."
Wuliangzi nodded dully, stumbling toward the mountain temple, still muttering under his breath.
"Am I mad?"
"No, I'm not mad."
...
Qingsongzi instructed the newly accepted novices to receive their Daoist robes and artifacts, explaining that Wuliangzi merely felt unwell.
He spent considerable time calming the farmers down.
In truth, the so-called aptitude test only excluded those whose aberration was too severe, Wuwei Monastery would accept nearly all others.
As for the Natural Spiritual Root constitution, it was one in ten thousand, passed down only by cultivators who once mastered the Heavenly Dao Method; only their descendants might inherit it.
Since the descent of the aberrant forces, such constitutions had grown ever rarer.
The crowd dispersed gradually; the farmers returned to their fields, for the planting of rice allowed scarcely any rest throughout the year.
Ren Qing walked once around Wuwei Monastery, then set up a Soul Butterfly Projection and noticed that the group of children had already been accepted into the sect.
He found a secluded spot and continued perfecting the Immortal Market within the Prison Within the Abdomen.
Since it would soon fully open, Ren Qing naturally wanted to minimize any flaws, lest abnormalities be detected.
He also began practicing the Dream Overlap aberration branch of the Nightmare Art, trying to bring the Ghost Market and Immortal Market closer together, laying groundwork for the future.
Closing his eyes, he felt the collision and fusion of the three dream arts, and mist suddenly spread over Heart-of-the-Lake Island.
Like a mirage, the faint outline of the Ghost Market appeared within it.
Yuan Si and Coffin Elder had already returned to the Immortal Market, and were stunned by what they saw, the streets within the mist were,
A dance of demons!!!
Grotesque Restraint Officers wielded writhing Demonic Embryo Artifacts.
They gathered in formation, expressions grim but fearless, radiating an oppressive terror.
Ren Qing was somewhat surprised, glancing at the information stream and murmuring, "Looks like the Restraint Officers' Hall is making a major move. The Ghost Market's transaction volume just surged, good."
By this, he earned several more decades of lifespan. Though he could not personally join the missions, the benefits were real.
Maintaining the mirage for a moment longer, Ren Qing was about to cancel it when he sensed, through his dream arts, a fixation directed at him, someone on the verge of going mad between dream and wakefulness.
Frowning, he immediately invoked the Lord of Absolute Darkness's dream-entering ability.
His consciousness entered a familiar Daoist temple, the central Heavenly Daozi statue flanked by the Patriarchs and ancestral spirit tablets.
Wuliangzi knelt with closed eyes before the statue, aberration run amok, dark red blood seeping from his facial orifices.
"Patriarch, I know my ability is limited..."
"I was merely chosen by the sect to serve as Master, bound to this temple for life, ready to sacrifice myself for Wuwei Monastery at any time."
He bit his lip bitterly. "But I've seen the records of Wuwei Monastery from centuries ago, that was a true Immortal Sect."
"It should not be the Wuwei Monastery of today..."
His eyeballs rolled wildly, his aura in disarray; cracks opened along his meridians, his dantian swelling.
"Patriarch, this disciple truly cannot tell truth from illusion, please guide me..."
"I am so tired."
The chrysanthemum-like mouth on his forehead extended a tongue that wrapped around his own neck, he was on the brink of complete loss of control.
Ren Qing shook his head slightly; it was his first time seeing someone drive themselves insane.
He extended a finger.
Wuliangzi's eyes snapped open, to see before him a figure shrouded in black mist, its finger pressing between his brows.
"Dao births Dao, Wuwei Dao..."
A faint sigh echoed.
Wuliangzi's body trembled.
He recognized the voice, it was Huang Qi's, the same as that from the Qiongtian artifact. The aberration within him slowly subsided.
Then Wuliangzi seemed to feel his soul leave his body, following the shadowy figure through the heavens and earth, finally arriving upon an island at the lake's heart.
He looked around at the mist in confusion.
"This is..."
The mist shifted endlessly.
He saw Song Zongwu, with four arms and six eyes, standing atop the Dream Tree. His palm struck down, terrifying shockwaves rolled out.
"An Earthly Immortal?"
Li Tiangang, seeing Song Zongwu ready, also held nothing back.
He drew out sheets of paper from his mind, and a massive sandship materialized, the same paper pasted to its underside, granting it flight.
"Let's go. It's time to settle the Disaster-Dispelling Forbidden Zone. It can't be delayed."
A horn sounded.
The Restraint Officers each displayed their divine powers, leaping aboard the sandship decks.
Then came a sky filled with vines and swarming insects.
Mu Yi was lifted by branches, standing atop the largest sandship.
Li Yaoyang followed close behind, his body still mangled, and within the wounds crawled countless black beetles.
Miss Bai stood on a ferocious flying sword, behind her more than ten Demonic Embryo Artifact scabbards, her presence extremely sinister.
"Gagagagaga..."
Sun let out a shrill cry, flapping his wings to the edge of Avici Hell, where his claws tore open a rift leading toward the forbidden zone.
The sandships sailed into the rift.
Hundreds of Restraint Officers brandished their Demonic Embryo Artifacts, heading toward the Disaster-Dispelling Forbidden Zone.
The mist dispersed.
Only then did Wuliangzi notice the Immortal Market around him. His expression hovered between laughter and tears, but at least his soul no longer collapsed.
Ren Qing waved his hand, sending Wuliangzi's consciousness back to his body.
Time had left no mark upon the Heavenly Daozi statue, it was as if the world remained unchanged.
Wuliangzi knelt blankly for a long while before regaining his senses, and realized he could now enter the Immortal Market through his dreams at any time.
The aberration across his body visibly faded, and even the chrysanthemum mouth on his forehead slowly closed.
He stood, his gaze clear, looking directly at the Heavenly Daozi statue.
As if waking from a great dream, he said solemnly, "Disciple Wuliangzi..."
"Here reverently welcomes the Earthly Immortal..."
"To descend."