In the evening, Pei Qingyu and Du Ruoyun took Pei Xiaoqing, Pei Xiaohong and Yun Shang on a private plane back to Chang'an, while Pei Xuan took Pei Taotao and the Xu family's aunt and nephew to Xuanyuan Temple.
Xuanyuan Temple is located on the outskirts of Xuanzhou City, only two or three hundred miles away from Luoyang. It only takes a few hours to drive there. Pei Xuan and his party arrived at dinner time.
Xuanyuan Temple is located at the foot of the mountain. It was originally a Taoist temple, but now it has been built to be as luxurious as a palace.
From a great distance, they could see the towering main hall. Given the status and position of the Heart Sword Fairy, their car naturally encountered no guards and drove directly to the steps of the main hall.
After the Taoist boy who answered the door reported, the Purple Crown Immortal Lord, the abbot of the temple, came down from the bedroom on the highest floor and met with the Heart Sword Fairy, Pei Xuan and others in the spacious main hall on the first floor.
This is the main hall where various high-level ceremonies are held in Xuanyuan Temple. It has wide doors and high walls, and the area is vast enough to accommodate thousands of people. Even the threshold is one foot high, and you need to lift your foot to step over it.
On a high platform deep in the main hall, there is a four-meter-tall, white jade statue of Nuwa. In front of the statue is a white jade disc with a diameter of about one meter. It is the throne exclusively for the master of the temple, but he usually sits on it only when presiding over ceremonies or meetings.
At this moment, the Purple Crown Immortal Lord was standing under the high platform. He was a tall and thin man, wearing a black Taoist robe, with a solemn expression and a whisk in his hand.
He immediately noticed Pei Xuan standing next to the Heart Sword Fairy and asked with a suspicious look, "Junior Sister, who is this...?"
"This is the young master of the Chang'an Pei family. The little girl beside him is his personal maid." Heart Sword Fairy replied, "Young Master Pei is connected to this spiritual energy fluctuation. I invited him to come and report the situation to my senior brother in person."
"I see." Purple Crown Immortal Lord nodded and greeted Pei Xuan, "Welcome to Xuanyuan Temple. I wonder if Master Pei has any advice for you?"
"Brother, this is a matter of great importance. We must not allow outsiders to overhear it." Heart Sword Fairy said, "Please send your attendants away."
After hearing what the Heart Sword Fairy said, the Purple Crown Fairy thought for a moment and agreed to her request.
He waved his whisk, asked the disciples standing in the hall to wait outside, and closed the heavy door.
Soon, there were only five people left in the completely closed hall.
"Alright, there's no one else here." Purple Crown Immortal Monarch said, "Junior Sister, please speak."
"Yes, Senior Brother." Heart Sword Fairy cleared her throat and said slowly, "I went to investigate this spiritual energy fluctuation and found that it was caused by the awakening of an ancient great demon."
"An ancient demon?" Purple Crown Immortal Lord was surprised. "This is a major event that hasn't happened in a thousand years! I wonder which demon has awakened?"
The Heart Sword Fairy pretended to be mysterious and leaned forward, as if to whisper something. The Purple Crown Fairy then walked up to Xu Peirong and listened attentively.
"Brother, listen carefully, the awakened demon is------"
Halfway through her words, the Heart Sword Fairy suddenly struck out with a palm filled with true energy!
Things happened so suddenly and so close, Pei Xuan thought that there was no way the Purple Crowned Immortal Lord could dodge the attack.
Unexpectedly, the Purple Crown Immortal Lord knew that the Heart Sword Fairy had been coveting his position as the abbot of the temple for a long time. He had been prepared as early as when Xu Peirong asked her attendants to leave. He moved suddenly and avoided the attack in a very thrilling way.
However, things didn't end there, because Pei Xuan naturally had a backup plan. At the same time as the Heart Sword Fairy launched her attack, Pei Taotao also launched an attack at the same time at Pei Xuan's signal.
Pei Taotao was farther away than Xu Peirong, so the attack arrived a little later. However, the Purple Crown Immortal King had no time to dodge or resist, and he took Pei Taotao's full-strength attack head-on. He was knocked flying, spitting blood, and hit the platform and fell to the ground.
Pei Xuan took two steps forward, squatted down, and easily picked up the bloodstains on the ground.
"Congratulations to the host for forming a blood pact with a twelfth-order cultivator. The reward is 1,200 points."
"You... you evil creature!" Purple Crown Immortal Lord struggled to sit up, his eyes filled with resentment. "How dare you betray me! Betray Xuanyuan Temple! Are you worthy of my master's careful cultivation?"
"I've never pledged allegiance to you, so how can I talk about betrayal?" Heart Sword Fairy walked up to Purple Crown Immortal Monarch and said coldly, "I do this for Xuanyuan Temple, to repay my master."
Xu Peirong stepped on the Purple Crown Immortal Monarch's hand, a look of mockery on her face: "Except for you, who among the leaders of the six major sects is not a Heavenly Rank cultivator? Senior Brother, you are over sixty years old and have not yet broken through to the Heavenly Rank. How can you have the nerve to be the abbot of the temple? Don't worry, Xuanyuan Temple will prosper under my leadership!"
"Hmph! You wish!" Purple Crown Immortal Lord endured the pain and angrily scolded Xu Peirong, "Do you think you can become the abbot by killing me? Do you think the other elders will support your betrayal? Wake up, this is no longer the barbaric era of the past!"
"Haha, who said I wanted to kill you?" Heart Sword Fairy sneered, "We are from the same sect, how could I have the heart to do such a cruel thing?"
After hearing what the Heart Sword Fairy said, the Purple Crown Fairy couldn't help but be stunned.
He wanted to ask what Xu Peirong meant by her words, but he found that he could no longer speak and his body had lost control without him knowing when.
Early the next morning, all the elders and hundreds of disciples of Xuanyuan Temple were summoned to the sacrificial hall, where the tablets of all the masters and elders of Xuanyuan Temple in history were enshrined.
In front of all the ancestors, the Purple Crown Immortal Lord announced to everyone that in order to break through the heavenly level as soon as possible, he decided to abdicate and give the position of the temple master to the Heart Sword Fairy Xu Peirong, while he himself went into the secret room behind the sacrificial hall to practice in seclusion.
Due to his own lack of strength, the Purple Crown Immortal Lord has a very low prestige, and there are not many direct descendants loyal to him, and his strength is not strong either.
Although they were dissatisfied with the decision to abdicate and go into seclusion, they had no position to object because it was said by the Purple Crown Immortal Lord himself.
Fairy Xinjian was already the chief elder, so it was only natural for her to take over the position of the abbot.
For the middle and senior management of Xuanyuan Temple, although this incident was sudden, it was not unacceptable.
After watching the Purple Crown Immortal Lord enter the secret room at the back of the sacrificial hall, the Heart Sword Fairy brought everyone to the main hall, sat cross-legged on the white jade cushion, and accepted the worship of the elders and senior disciples, thus initially establishing her position as the master of the temple.
As for the formal enthronement ceremony, it will be held on another auspicious day.
Looking at the elders who used to be on equal footing with her under the high platform, now bowing down to worship her, the Heart Sword Fairy's heart was extremely excited.
Her long-cherished wish finally came true. Hundreds of inner disciples, thousands of outer disciples, and more than one million civilians in Xuanzhou would serve her as their master from now on. Xu Peirong, who had been serious for decades, finally couldn't help but smile.