Chapter Fifty-Nine: True Heritage of the Immortal Path, Hidden Peril

Lin You never expected that forming a bond with a grandmaster would bring him the reward of six pieces of Jade Leaves of Spiritual Essence—this far exceeded his expectations. Previously, he had forged ties of teaching with many in the Dao Palace, but the feedback from the little tree at that time had been much less. On reflection, this made sense. Throughout the entire Yu Kingdom, there were only eight grandmasters, while martial grandmasters numbered in the thousands, their powers worlds apart; thus, the feedback from the little tree naturally varied.

He reached out and helped Zhang Yuanyi to his feet, then smiled and said, “This is the result of fate, and also your own fortune. If your heart were not steadfast, even with the Sword Intent of Bilu, it would be difficult to break free from your inner demons.”

On hearing this, Zhang Yuanyi spoke earnestly, “Years ago, Lord Guo saved my life; today, teacher has granted me the path to the Great Dao. This is a kindness beyond measure, one Yuanyi shall never forget! From now on, your concerns shall be mine—through fire and water, I will not shrink back!”

Lin You smiled and shook his head, neither confirming nor denying. At this moment, the elder approached and looked Zhang Yuanyi up and down, breaking into a broad smile. “Good! Very good! The Zhang family has finally produced another grandmaster!”

Watching his old friend’s son resolve his inner conflict, he could not help but feel gratified. He then bowed deeply to Lin You, saying, “Thank you, Master Yuchen, for enlightening Yuanyi!”

Lin You stopped him from bowing, refusing to let him kneel. Everyone has their own fate; the connection between Zhang Yuanyi and himself had nothing to do with the elder.

The elder, seeing this, did not insist, but stroked his beard and sighed, “In my lifetime, I have met countless people, yet never have I encountered someone as extraordinary as you, Master. Perhaps only that legendary disciple of the Immortal Dao from years past could compare!”

At these words, even Zhang Yuanyi was surprised. Immortal Dao disciple? How had Lord Guo never mentioned such things before?

Lin You asked, “May I ask, whom do you mean by the disciple of the Immortal Dao? Are you referring to those mysterious individuals?”

The elder had intended to probe Lin You’s origins with this remark, but Lin You seemed genuinely unaware. After pondering for a moment, the elder shook his head and said, “Those mysterious people can be considered cultivators, but they are far from disciples of the Immortal Dao. All I know is that these people are enigmatic, and even the downfall of the previous dynasty was linked to them…”

Such imperial secrets would have been unknown to him had his father not been a founding marquis of Yu Kingdom. It was said the previous dynasty fell not because of a tyrannical emperor, but because they built the Ascension Platform, attempting to steal spiritual essence.

Thus, a disciple of the Immortal Dao descended upon the palace, bearing the title ‘Executor of Heaven’s Mandate,’ and slaughtered the two grandmasters of the royal family as well as the emperor’s consorts.

Even the entire palace was nearly destroyed by a single jade seal. The immortal texts collected by the previous royal family were all burned to ashes.

Moreover, this Immortal Dao disciple, who claimed to be from the Taiyuan Sect, once wandered the martial world, nearly exterminating all the mysterious individuals of the time.

It wasn’t until the cultivation of immortality in the world was cut off that he vanished, leaving no trace!

Upon hearing this, everyone felt shocked. To destroy a centuries-old dynasty single-handedly—what kind of power was this?

Lin You frowned slightly. He suddenly recalled something: his former master, Daoist Songhe, had devoted his life to seeking the Immortal Dao because, in his youth, he had seen an immortal stride upon clouds.

Was it that very disciple of the Immortal Dao whom Songhe had seen? And was Songhe’s failure to attain immortality due to this Taiyuan Sect disciple exterminating all the mysterious individuals of the era?

If that were the truth, it would be deeply ironic.

But why did this disciple of the Immortal Dao act so ruthlessly? Could it be related to the current age of declining magic? Where did he obtain the spiritual essence for cultivation?

However, the elder seemed to know little; these were merely stories passed down from his father, now retold for the others.

Zhang Yuanyi, after hearing the tale, gazed at Lin You with renewed curiosity. According to Lord Guo’s description, that mysterious and imposing disciple of the Immortal Dao bore a striking resemblance to his teacher, Master Yuchen.

Both were equally mysterious and powerful, though they differed in temperament. Lord Guo had described the disciple as someone who regarded human life as insignificant, viewing all beings as ants, with an aloof arrogance.

But his teacher before him seemed more like a transcendental immortal, untouched by the world.

Before attaining the grandmaster level, Zhang Yuanyi had seen his teacher as though through mist and flowers. Now, having reached the sword grandmaster realm, he found his teacher still unfathomable.

He could clearly sense that his teacher was the very center of this world.

All within this realm moved according to his will!

…

After finishing his tale, the elder saw the group fall silent and laughed, “What I’ve said is just what my late father told me, so take it as idle chatter after a meal—no need to dwell on it!”

He then turned to the main topic of their visit, asking Senior Daoist Yujing, “By the way, Master Yujing! I’ve heard that Chisong Dao Palace is the foremost of the Four Great Medical Sects. Will your sect be presiding over the upcoming medical conference?”

Senior Daoist Yujing was startled by the question, his face somewhat embarrassed. The title of leader among medical sects had long become empty; in recent years, they had merely accompanied the gathering, let alone presided over it.

After some thought, he finally replied, “Whether we attend this time depends entirely on Junior Brother Yuchen’s decision!”

He turned to Lin You.

Lin You pondered a moment and said, “This time, Chisong Dao Palace will attend the medical conference.”

Having ascended to the Immortal Dao, he cared little for the conflicts of worldly medical gatherings. Fame and fortune among mortals meant nothing compared to the path of immortality.

Yet, after hearing the elder’s story, he resolved to make an appearance—not to compete, but to use the gathering to accumulate resources for cultivation, in preparation for any imminent crisis.

After all, if the elder’s tale was true, should the disciple of the Immortal Dao return to the world, his first targets would be those who cultivate the Immortal Dao—like himself.

The elder’s eyes brightened at Lin You’s agreement, and he quickly said, “Excellent! Yuanyi and I will await you at the conference in two days!”

He had come up the mountain empty-handed, yet gained so much from Chisong Dao Palace; it was not appropriate to ask for more now.

He decided to wait until the conference to seek treatment for his grandson and, in gratitude, present the treasure of medical Dao to Master Yuchen.

Thus, all would benefit!

As for the medical Dao treasure being a prize for the leader, that was no longer his concern.