“Since you’ve been selected, there’s nothing to be done about it. Don’t worry, just go,” True Immortal Dong Yang said reassuringly. “Although I have never met the Dharma Lord of Compassionate Repository, judging by his title alone, he should be a kind and gentle elder. If you go there, just be proper and modest, don’t try to stand out, and you’ll be fine.”

Fine, there was nothing to be done at this point. Liao Ting Yan summoned the psychological resilience of a modern corporate drone—slowing her mindset, taking everything lightly. No hurdle in life couldn’t be overcome, and if there was, she would just lie down. Whether lying at the finish line or lying anywhere else, lying was still lying.

Once she came to terms with it, nothing seemed like a big deal anymore.

While waiting for the ancestor to emerge from seclusion, Liao Ting Yan discovered that indeed everyone in the sect was concerned about this matter. Even their small branch of Clear Valley Heaven, which was usually ignored, began to bustle with activity because of her—like a small-town high school that had produced a provincial top scorer in the college entrance exams.

Many people couldn’t understand how Liao Ting Yan had been selected. Logically, with so many female disciples to choose from, many who had been rejected were more outstanding than her. Liao Ting Yan herself didn’t know how she had been chosen either—the whole process had been bewildering for her, shrouded in a haze of light. Senior and junior sisters who came to probe for information could only leave disappointed.

“I heard that White Emperor Mountain and Red Water Abyss have both sent people to attend the Dharma Lord of Compassionate Repository’s emergence ceremony.”

“Not just White Emperor Mountain and Red Water Abyss—which sect, large or small, wouldn’t want to come? But it depends on whether they qualify. I heard that outsiders are not allowed to participate in this ceremony. Only disciples from within our Gengchen Immortal Mansion, along with the masters of various palaces, immortal caves, and branches, can go to Three Saints Mountain to welcome the Dharma Lord of Compassionate Repository. Others can only stay at the foot of the mountain, and people from other sects can’t even get close.”

“Then Senior Sister Liao should be able to go, right? After all, she’s been selected as one of the hundred disciples to serve the Dharma Lord of Compassionate Repository.” The young attendants spoke of this with great envy as they glanced at Liao Ting Yan.

Liao Ting Yan nodded under their expectant gazes. “Yes, I should be able to see him.”

“I wonder what kind of figure the Dharma Lord of Compassionate Repository is. I really want to see him too, but unfortunately, small attendants like us can only receive and send off people outside. We don’t have the privilege to see the Dao Lord in person.”

“Senior Sister Liao, if you do see him, will you tell us about it later?”

“Sure,” Liao Ting Yan readily agreed. In her opinion, the old ancestor was probably an elderly man with flowing white hair and a very long beard proportional to his age. Or, judging by his title, he should have a kind face with a broad forehead and thick ears like a Buddha, perhaps even with a red mark at the center of his brow.

Having been approached by many people, she felt as if she were about to meet a national leader, and gradually began to feel a bit excited—this was quite prestigious.

In this world of cultivation filled with demons, monsters, ghosts, and immortals, as a top-tier existence, the Dharma Lord of Compassionate Repository commanded immense respect. By the day he was finally to emerge from seclusion, the entire Gengchen Immortal Mansion was as lively as if it were boiling over.

Early in the morning, Liao Ting Yan saw clouds and rosy hues flowing in the east with gorgeous colors. This wasn’t a natural phenomenon but a beautiful scene created by the disciples of Gengchen Immortal Mansion using magical treasures to manipulate the clouds. Changing the celestial appearance was no easy task—only Gengchen Immortal Mansion would have the resources to deploy so many disciples to create such theatrical effects and atmosphere.

From time to time, giant cranes and beautiful birds flew past, all carrying pavilions on their backs, responsible for transporting guests and other disciples who were observing the ceremony.

There was also a cloud-like flow in the air—these were all formed by the condensation of spiritual energy into tangible forms. The elders had opened the spiritual veins, allowing the spiritual veins beneath Gengchen Immortal Mansion to surge upward, resulting in this spiritual mist. Plants and spirit herbs bathed in the mist released a refreshing fragrance, and people bathing in this mist would feel their pores opening as if floating on air.

Liao Ting Yan had been here for several days, constantly troubled by not knowing how to cultivate. But when bathed in this spiritual mist, she was surprised to find her body naturally beginning to absorb this gentle spiritual energy. Her whole body felt warm, and her mind became clearer.

For the first time, she felt that cultivation was incredibly satisfying.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t continue cultivating like this. As a flag-bearer… no, as a candidate for service, before going to Three Saints Mountain to pay homage, she had to first meet the top leader—the legendary Sect Leader—who would give them instructions.

She wasn’t wearing the uniform blue robes of Clear Valley Heaven, but rather a white dress that had been distributed. All hundred female disciples would wear this uniform.

As usual, her Master escorted her to the assembly point. In the past few days, her senior brothers had all been proud of her achievement, but her Master didn’t seem particularly happy. After taking her to the grand hall where they were to assemble, he anxiously instructed her not to easily make enemies with others.

He was more like a real father than a real father.

The hall that Liao Ting Yan arrived at was the most magnificent she had ever seen. The high dome above was carved with countless immortal figures in relief, decorated with colorful gems, and painted with ornate designs, dazzling to the eye. Auspicious crane-shaped golden lamps several people tall were placed next to cloud-patterned jade pillars. The gleaming floor was made of some unknown material—heavy and solid—reflecting the bright lights inside the hall, like another world in a mirror.

There were others who, like Liao Ting Yan, were also marveling at the surrounding scenery, but they quickly composed themselves and stood properly in the center of the hall. Hazy figures gradually appeared on the crystal lotus seats placed high in the hall—the top leaders hadn’t come in person but were using projection avatars.

Liao Ting Yan: A video conference, is very nice.

The mysterious top leader—the Sect Leader—in the center spoke in a serious voice, “You are gathered here, and I have some words to instruct you. Once you leave this hall, you cannot speak of them to others.”

“After the Dharma Lord of Compassionate Repository emerges from seclusion, you will be sent to Three Saints Mountain. Once there, you must gain the Dao Lord’s special favor. Whoever can accomplish this will receive not only the rewards mentioned before but also a thousand times more benefits. Even your branch will receive supreme glory. And you must report back on everything related to the Dharma Lord of Compassionate Repository.”

Liao Ting Yan: …This doesn’t sound quite right.

“The Dharma Lord of Compassionate Repository is no ordinary person. You must all serve him attentively and carefully. You must never anger him! Otherwise, you’ll face certain death!”

Liao Ting Yan began to feel a bit nervous. What was going on? What happened to the kind, elderly ancestor they had talked about? Why did it sound like there was now a risk to her life?

Unfortunately, it was too late for her to back out now. The top leader finished his instructions, waved his sleeve, and took everyone away from the hall to Three Saints Mountain.

This sleeve-concealment technique was truly marvelous, taking a hundred people away simultaneously and teleporting them hundreds of li away in an instant. Liao Ting Yan only felt a momentary darkness before her eyes, and when she opened them again—just two seconds later—she was standing in a different place.

“Is this Three Saints Mountain?”

The person beside her—she didn’t know whether it was a senior sister or a grand-aunt—stared at the mountain before them, so excited she seemed about to faint, making Liao Ting Yan very nervous, afraid she might pass out from holding her breath.

The Three Saints Mountain before their eyes was the most special, most meaningful, and most mysterious spiritual mountain in Gengchen Immortal Mansion, surpassing even the Sect Leader’s main peak, Tai Xuan. It was said that Three Saints Mountain was called such because the three legendary earliest immortals of Gengchen Immortal Mansion, who had ascended to godhood, had all cultivated on this mountain before their ascension.

Now, because of the Dharma Lord of Compassionate Repository’s seclusion, the entire Three Saints Mountain had been closed for five hundred years, with no one allowed to enter.

Looking ahead, they could see Three Saints Mountain hidden in clouds and mist, emanating spiritual light. Looking behind, they saw a vast crowd—the prominent disciples of Gengchen Immortal Mansion, each properly standing with fervent expressions, waiting patiently. In the sky were the top experts of Gengchen Immortal Mansion, along with the palace masters and sect leaders in power—a circle of indistinct figures, also waiting.

It was somewhat like a military parade, or like the Journey to the West she had watched as a child, with a group of celestial soldiers standing on a dozen layers of clouds, waiting for Monkey King.

This imagination made Liao Ting Yan smile. When she was nervous, her imagination became especially active, and she couldn’t help but visualize such scenes.

“Boom—Boom—Dong—”

Under the burning gaze of hundreds of thousands of people, Three Saints Mountain suddenly emitted a deep bell sound. Then the earth shook and the mountains trembled, as if invisible waves were radiating from Three Saints Mountain in all directions.

Liao Ting Yan, being closer, felt her head go blank, her nose warm, and blood began to flow from it.

Liao Ting Yan: “…Damn, I’m bleeding.”

She wasn’t the worst off. The worst were the high-ranking leaders above. A beam of light flashed past, and they all let out a scream of agony, flying outward. Two of them even stumbled and fell in front of the formation of the hundred female disciples. Liao Ting Yan saw a middle-aged man, presumably the Sect Leader, cough up a mouthful of blood, kneel forward, and cry out, “Grand-Uncle, please quell your anger!”

Since the Sect Leader was kneeling, how could others not kneel? Although they didn’t know why the ancestral master seemed to be furious, a large group immediately knelt, uniformly shouting for the ancestral master to calm his anger.

With so many people, the shouts shook the wilderness. Yet despite this, everyone heard a cold laugh.

It was a laugh full of dissatisfaction and murderous intent.

“When I come out, you will all die.”

It seemed to be the old ancestor inside Three Saints Mountain who had spoken.

Liao Ting Yan: “…” Wait, are you sure the one emerging from seclusion is an ancestor of the righteous path and not some demonic sect leader? Your ancestor seems to want to kill people. The “Compassionate” in Dharma Lord of Compassionate Repository doesn’t seem to mean “benevolent” at all!

Not only was Liao Ting Yan panicking, but the Sect Leader, several palace masters, and the elderly immortal cave masters were even more anxious. The disciples didn’t know why this old ancestor was so fierce, but these elders with lifespans of thousands of years naturally knew the reason, which made them feel bitter in their mouths.

How was it that after five hundred years, this ancestor had not only not calmed down but had become even more terrifying? If this matter wasn’t resolved, their Gengchen Immortal Mansion—a great sect that had lasted for hundreds of thousands of years—might end in their generation. How could they face their ancestors then?

The Sect Leader couldn’t care about anything else at this point. This ancestor’s anger was greater than they had imagined, and he could only prepare for the worst.

“Grand-Uncle, shortly after you entered seclusion five hundred years ago, Father passed away. Before he left, he left a letter for you, hoping to present it to you in person.” The Sect Leader knelt respectfully on the steps in front of Three Saints Mountain, showing none of the dignity he had displayed before the disciples earlier.

But now no one cared about this—they were all listening intently for any movement from the old ancestor.

“Come in.”

The Sect Leader rose and entered the clouds and mist of Three Saints Mountain, leaving the crowd of disciples outside, craning their necks in anticipation.

Liao Ting Yan pondered that the voice of this old ancestor didn’t sound old at all. Not only did it not sound old, it seemed quite young—just fierce.

Not long after, the clouds suddenly dispersed, revealing the true face of Three Saints Mountain to everyone.

Three Saints Mountain had been closed for five hundred years, and the young disciples had never seen its true appearance. Now seeing it, they all stared with wide eyes. On the enormous Three Saints Mountain, there was not a trace of vegetation—it was entirely paved with jade and stone, arranged in various patterns according to a profound order. At first glance, it seemed like a unified whole, but upon closer inspection, one could discover what appeared to be countless formation arrays.

At the center of the mountaintop was a circular palace complex, with buildings at various heights surrounding a central tower. With golden tiles and red walls, it looked extremely splendid. However, around the palace stood hundreds of dark iron pillars, wrapped with massive black chains that tightly bound the central tower. Floating above the tower were huge jade tablets inscribed with sealing characters and symbols.

This setup, which seemed to be imprisoning some terrible entity, didn’t look like a place for seclusion but more like the Five Elements Mountain that trapped Sun Wukong.

Liao Ting Yan had a revelation. Looking at the beautiful women around her, she suddenly felt her hair thinning. Since this ancestor was a “Great Sage,” instead of seeking Tang Monk or Buddha, what use was it to bring a group of White Bone Demons, Snake Spirits, and Peacock Princesses? Were they to be sacrificed to appease the ancestor’s wrath?

Liao Ting Yan: Help! Save me, police!