When the banquet ended, the Millelith naturally took up the task of clearing everything away.
Jiang Yan also began making his final arrangements.
"That's all for today. Tomorrow at dawn, I will still be giving the morning class at Jueyun Karst.
Remember the toll of the Golden Bell—do not miss the moment when the Purple Qi rises from the east.
Once the morning class is over, I will begin your first formal lecture. You must not miss it.
The next lecture will be next week.
Those of you who wish to return to Liyue Harbor can use your tokens to teleport—remember to bring your flying swords; they make coming and going much easier.
For those who wish to stay, each peak has cultivation platforms and caves prepared for disciples.
They are mostly located at the mid-mountain level—easy to find.
The Scripture Pavilion and the secret realms are now open; you may visit once this week. But as for exploring a secret realm, I suggest you don't go just yet.
At the very least, learn some immortal cultivation arts first.
In addition, if you wish to spar or debate the Dao, each peak has its own dueling platform—you may organize your own matches.
But remember: stop before causing injury.
If there is something urgent, you may contact me through your tokens. But I too must cultivate, so for trivial matters, handle them yourselves.
Or notify Senior Seat Zhongli.
Any questions?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan rose to his feet, waved a hand, and restored the square before him to its original state.
His black Daoist robe fluttered lightly, giving the impression of one about to ascend to the heavens.
Suspended behind him, the Primordial Jade Cutter glimmered brilliantly, adding to his striking presence.
"In that case, you may all disperse."
With a slight nod, Jiang Yan turned and headed toward the Sect Hall.
Ningguang and the others rose, cupping their hands.
"We respectfully see the Sect Master off!"
Once the great doors of the hall closed, the summit of Tongtian Peak was left with only Zhongli and the others—quiet and a little empty.
If not for the occasional white crane flying overhead, it might have seemed almost lifeless.
Cloud Retainer hesitated for a moment before speaking softly.
"Emperor…"
But before she could finish, Zhongli raised a hand.
"Since we have joined Mount Shu, we should abide by Mount Shu's rules. Within Mount Shu, address me as Senior Seat."
Cloud Retainer scratched her cheek in puzzlement and asked curiously:
"And outside Mount Shu?"
Zhongli smiled faintly.
"Outside Mount Shu, I am Zhongli."
The immortals fell silent, but Ningguang understood what he meant.
It seemed Zhongli had made up his mind to sever his identity as the Geo Archon completely.
The God of Rock—he likely did not wish to bear that title even for a day longer.
Perhaps it was for the best.
Zhongli could enjoy his leisure, and Liyue would enter full mortal governance.
"Senior Seat, shall we return to Liyue, or remain in Mount Shu?"
Cloud Retainer didn't dwell on the matter. If Zhongli wished to retire, so be it.
Now that he had cultivation to pursue, it was only natural he wouldn't want to keep playing the Geo Archon.
He deserved to enjoy his own life.
Still, the question was poorly phrased.
Zhongli shook his head with a quiet laugh.
"Why ask what is already obvious?
As for you and the others—surely you long ago decided to stay in Mount Shu and focus solely on cultivation?"
Cloud Retainer and the others looked a little embarrassed.
It was true they had decided that… but a whole group of Liyue immortals not returning to Liyue did feel a little… awkward.
"There's no need to worry."
Zhongli shook his head again.
"As the Sect Master said, we can contact one another through the disciple tokens. Should Liyue face any crisis—setting aside that Ningguang and the others are now strong enough—
we could still arrive in time via flying sword. It won't be a problem."
Being acknowledged by Zhongli was rare, and Ningguang and Keqing felt a quiet pride.
Keqing spoke at once:
"True Lords, there's no need to worry. Liyue now enjoys peace across the four seas, a prosperous economy, and ample military strength. I doubt anyone would dare cause trouble.
Even if they did, with the Azure Frost Sword at my side, I could suppress most enemies at the level of a Demon God's servitor."
Hearing this, Cloud Retainer—for the first time—found Keqing rather pleasing to the eye.
She nodded in satisfaction.
"Then we shall not be polite. Mount Shu's spiritual energy is abundant, and with the Sect Master here, the cultivation environment is ideal. We cherish such a tranquil place.
From now on, we will not often return to Teyvat—we shall cultivate here wholeheartedly.
Affairs of Liyue will rest upon you. Since the Senior Seat approves of mortal governance, we shall look forward to it.
And… as the Senior Seat said, since we have joined Mount Shu, let us abide by its rules. Within Mount Shu, you may address us as Senior Brother or Senior Sister."
Ningguang's eyes lit up.
This was the immortals themselves reaching out to bridge the gap—excellent news!
At once, she cupped her hands.
"Thank you for your recognition, Senior Sister Cloud Retainer."
Cloud Retainer smiled and shook her head, then turned to the still-frail Granny Ping, her tone gentle.
"Madame Ping, now that we have joined Mount Shu, it is time to let go of the past. As the Sect Master said—
Once you reach a certain level of cultivation, reversing the flow of time and restoring life is not difficult. Why keep harming yourself like this?"
Granny Ping sighed wistfully.
"The past… you're right.
Walking the immortal path, one can ultimately undo regrets. In that case, lingering in the past is unwise.
From this day forth… Songchen returns to her rightful place!"
Her words fell, and a burst of dazzling light erupted from her.
Slowly, her bent figure straightened.
When the glow faded, a beautiful young girl in the bloom of youth stood there.
The kindness in her brow was unchanged, now paired with an impish charm.
Zhongli smiled warmly.
Whether or not Songchen had truly let go, she had at least rekindled the will to live.
"It's been a long time, Cloud Retainer—did you miss me?"
Songchen winked playfully.
Cloud Retainer's eyes grew moist; she turned her head and huffed.
"Who would miss a nuisance like you!"
"Ah, Cloud Retainer's crying."
Songchen laughed, hugged her, and gently wiped away her tears.
"I missed you, Cloud Retainer…"
Cloud Retainer's gaze trembled, and she embraced her tightly.
"You awful thing! If you dare let yourself grow old and frail again for no reason, I won't bother with you!"
"Don't worry, don't worry—this will be the last time!"
Seeing that True Lord Songchen had returned, Zhongli's smile deepened.
Cultivation… it would indeed lead to better days.
With his last lingering worry gone, Zhongli said softly:
"From now on, I leave Liyue to you."
But Ningguang blinked and teased:
"What's this, Senior Seat? You're not going back to Liyue Harbor? Hall Master Hu is going to throw a fit."
Zhongli's face stiffened.
Thinking of the stack of IOUs he had left at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—and of that child Hu Tao—he let out a sigh.
So this was why he could never simply cultivate in peace.
Ningguang and Keqing had no intention of staying in Mount Shu tonight.
As Jiang Yan had said, they could return to Liyue Harbor and still use the tokens to enter Mount Shu's domain—no difference.
Still, Zhongli planned to stage his "death" and abdication during the Rite of Parting, and that wave of events required advance preparation.
But for now, none of them wanted to leave.
The day was still young—and they had yet to obtain the most important thing: a proper immortal cultivation method!
With that in mind, Ningguang turned to the Millelith soldiers, who were still bewildered.
"No one is to speak of today's events. Any violator will be charged with treason."
The Millelith straightened and nodded solemnly.
Ningguang gave a small nod in return and painted them a tempting vision.
"Once the martial cultivation method is ready, you will be the first Millelith to learn it. Once the matter of savage beast meat is settled, you will have priority supply.
For now, you will garrison Jueyun Karst."
The Millelith brightened, nodding eagerly.
To garrison Jueyun Karst, hear Jiang Yan's morning lectures, occasionally eat savage beast meat, and learn martial arts—this was an excellent posting.
Ningguang was never worried about them talking.
After making a few quick arrangements, she sent them down via the rainbow bridge to wait by the village.
Once they were gone, only Zhongli and the others remained atop the peak.
They exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.
"Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters—shall we head to the Scripture Pavilion?"
Ningguang asked softly.
The others nodded without hesitation.
"Naturally!"
With that, they set off together toward the Scripture Pavilion halfway up Tongtian Peak.
In the main hall, Jiang Yan sensed their departure through his spiritual sense, closed his eyes, and returned to his own cultivation.
The system's rewards—he had yet to examine them.
As soon as he released the suppression on the rewards, even Jiang Yan had to take a long moment to process them.
Once he had fully grasped them, he couldn't help but feel a surge of delight.
The system had been extraordinarily generous this time.
Eight Great Divine Mantras: the Purifying Heart Incantation, the Purifying Mouth Incantation, the Purifying Body Incantation, the Blessing of the Land Incantation, the Purifying Heaven and Earth Incantation, the Golden Light Incantation, the Blessing of Incense Incantation, and the Profound Essence Incantation.
Aside from the Golden Light Incantation, which he had already been rewarded earlier—now refined to greater power—the other seven…
Put simply, they rendered Jiang Yan flawless in the Dao of Immortal Cultivation, bringing him to a state of utmost perfection.
With these eight incantations, there was no aspect—attack, defense, clarity of mind, curse removal, summoning, spirit control—that they did not cover.
Each was of the highest grade, and their breadth was immense.
Ordinarily, mastering even one would be a remarkable feat.
To possess all eight… even Jiang Yan could scarcely imagine what that meant.
From his current understanding, with all eight Divine Incantations at his command, he could fight on equal terms with peak Spirit-Refining and Returning to the Void cultivators—and win.
To battle above one's realm was already rare; to challenge even small realm gaps in this system was unprecedented.
Moreover, even outside of battle, they would be invaluable for formations, exorcisms, and cultivation enhancement.
The thought left Jiang Yan inwardly marveling.
As for the other reward—the Mount Shu Sword Canon…
That was nothing less than the ultimate offensive scripture of the sect.
The Demon-Subduing Sword, the Carefree Divine Sword, the Mountain-Crushing Sword—classics, all.
Most importantly, it contained the Three Divine Swords of Mount Shu: the Myriad Swords Art, the Heavenly Sword Art, and the Divine Sword Art.
With just the addition of the Wine God Incantation, he would have the full set of Mount Shu's mightiest techniques.
Each of the Three Divine Swords was no weaker than the legendary Divine Thunder-Summoning Sword Art.
With the Complete Sword Canon in hand, Jiang Yan's killing power had soared to a terrifying height.
He could also use many of the sword techniques within as provisional sect-guarding arts for new disciples.
After all, it would be absurd for so many new disciples to join Mount Shu and not learn a single sword-related method.
Otherwise, how could the Mount Shu Sword Sect call itself a sword sect?
With this in mind, Jiang Yan cast his gaze toward the Scripture Pavilion halfway up the mountain.
By now, Zhongli and the others had already stepped inside, searching for cultivation methods suited to them.
To read 150+ future chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554