Chapter 29: Abduction

  Lin is annoyed and feels that the master's intention is to say that only our Zhengyi sect is the orthodox way of cultivating Tao, everything follows one's heart, if you can't beat it, just beat it, if you can't beat it, being a bear is also possible. Insistence is not necessary. However, the taste is different, Laozi advocates for non-action, but not inaction, non-action is an attitude that can let go. Don't act based on subjective wishes and imagination, the Tao of Heaven is non-action, following the natural trend to take action, no distinction between kin and stranger, no self and others. Non-action governance refers to responding to the needs of the people as the focus of governing the country, without imposing the will of a few people, so that the country can be governed very easily or smoothly!

  The sect leader seemed to see through Lin Fan's thoughts and said, "Nothing can be done in excess. Drinking water is beneficial to people, but excessive drinking can lead to death. Insistence is not wrong, but letting go is also correct. The key lies in being flexible and harmonious. This is the grasp of degree, which is the biggest difference between us and the demonic sect. The demonic sect has a firm will, but it goes against harmony and heaven."

  "Who is right and who is wrong?"

  The master smiled and smiled for a long time: "Lin Fan, in this world there is no right or wrong. Rain is good for farmers but bad for those drying grains. Too much rain is bad for both farmers and grain dryers, but it's good news for people living in drought-stricken areas."

  "Is this really the way of Heaven?"

  "No, this is humanitarian."

  Lin Fan: *silence*

  "The Way of Heaven, the Way of Earth, the Way of Man... Don't laugh. As the sect leader, I have limited natural talent and can only comprehend the Way of Man. The rules of the Cloud Clear Sect are also based on the Way of Man: do not deceive the good, do not deceive the weak... guard one's heart with law. And the Way of Earth is the realm where all laws are naturally in harmony, simple to say but few people can comprehend it. As for the Way of Heaven? Ha ha, even the Great Luo Golden Immortal cannot escape the Way of Heaven, who dares ask about it?"

  Lin Fan smiled and said: "The purple bamboo forest will be open next year at this time, which can solve the problem of the sect master's manpower."

  "General." A black-striped main launched an attack.

  "Huh?" Lin Fan asked in surprise: "Where's my elephant?"

  "Sound the east and strike the west." The sect master opened his left palm, and to his surprise, it was Lin Fan's lost token. The sect master said: "You listened too seriously... just like your senior brother Gu Yan's persistence, he didn't know how many things he had lost. People who only want to gain something will always overlook many things. By the way, I have to go out later, the new head of Zhongzhou Zixiao Temple, Yu Hua, is going to hold a ceremony in a few days, and the sect master asked me to attend on behalf of Yunqing Gate."

  The leaders of the various factions or sects, unless there are special circumstances, do not leave their own territory. This is because the leader bears the heavy responsibility of guarding the territory, for example, when Yun Qing Mountain encounters enemy invasion, they can activate the mountain protection formation or even the forbidden formation to defend against the enemy, and only the leader can activate these formations.

  Except for the sect leader, the next is the sect master. Each sect has many disciples, but only the Zhengyi Sect Master is the most idle. Naturally, the Zhengyi Sect Master was sent to represent Yunqing Mountain to congratulate the new sect leader of Zixiao Temple on his appointment.

  "Oh!" Lin Fan nodded casually and said: "General."

  The host looked at the chessboard for a while: "You have three cars, four horses, six cannons and... two generals."

  "Yes!" Lin Fan Jing looked at the chessboard.

  "...the master grabbed him frantically: "I have already exposed you."

  Lin Fan said: "I have prepared several for you to create a diversion."

  Finally, the sect master lost and, according to their bet, washed dishes before floating away. Lin Fan saw off the sect master as he stepped on a flame and left, wanting to ask if this was a magical artifact or technique. For so many years, Lin Fan had hardly ever seen the sect master take action, and every time he asked about the sect master's cultivation level, the sect master would calmly reply: "Higher than yours." Some people say that even the worst disciple has at least one-third of their master's skills, but Lin Fan felt like he hadn't inherited any of his sect master's skills. Zhang Lao told Lin Fan that he wasn't suited for cultivating the sect master's techniques, otherwise he would have taken Lin Fan as a disciple long ago.

  Zhang Lao was no longer able to continue, his time limit was approaching, the sect leader let him leave Yun Qing Mountain and also gave him a dan medicine, guaranteeing that he would not die for half a year. Zhang Lao wanted to return to his hometown. When he left home, he was only eight years old, but now he is two hundred and two years old, perhaps no one can recognize him anymore, nor does he need them to, he just wants to go back and take a look.

  The temple was empty, with only Lin Fan inside, lying on the rubble of the temple's roof. He gazed up at the starry sky with his feet propped up, the green jade Buddha knife by his side, feeling a sense of desolation. A hundred years of life is long, and even longer for those who cultivate the Tao... he didn't know where the end of this road was. Zhang Lao's departure had left Lin Fan with a faint sorrow.

  Suddenly Lin Fan sprang up and shouted: "Who?"

  No one answered.

  "Who dares to intrude upon my Righteous Unity Sect? If you don't show yourself, don't blame me for being impolite." Unfortunately, the Righteous Unity Mountain has a protective array, but I won't be able to control it. All I know is that someone has entered the mountain and is approaching the ancestral temple.

  "Hey, it's me, do you still remember me?" A white figure flew out from the side of the wing room, stopped three meters in front of Lin Fan, opened the fan in his hand and gently waved it. Who else could this be if not Xi Men Shuai?

  Lin Fan laughed: "Ximen Shuai, you're really looking for death."

  Ximen Shuai shook his head: "Your sect master has already arrived at Xiaodong Island, your mountain's protective formation array has been in disrepair for years and is useless."

  This kid has been hiding for a while, what's the point? Just as he was about to give up, Ximen Shuai smiled and said, "Don't worry, look!" Ximen Shuai took out a ring.

  "Qian Kun Ring?" Lin Fan asked in doubt.

  "You should know that the main material for Qiankun bags and Qiankun rings is the skin of spiritual beasts. Your Yunqingmen has always been proud of its integrity, refusing to harm spiritual beasts, but you can find demonic beasts instead."

  Lin's eyes rolled: "Yao beast? Thousand-year Yao beast?"

  "A thousand-year-old demon is not only powerful, but also extremely cunning. You alone are no match for it, but if I join you, there might be a chance of winning." Ximen Shuai said: "Coincidentally, I know of a certain place where there is a demon beast, how about..."

  Lin Fan asked back: "Tell me straight, where are you trying to trick me into going?"

  Ximen smiled and replied: "Endless desolate land."

  "Desolate and boundless land?" "That's the lair of the evil sect, with hundreds of big and small evil sects inside. If a lone righteous Taoist like you goes in, isn't that like a moth flying into flames?

  "Shouldn't you know that I stole the Weeping Blood Sword from the Devil Cult?"

  "Alright."

  "This Weeping Blood Sword is the eye of the Weeping Blood Formation, not a treasured sword or a magical artifact. To set up the Weeping Blood Formation requires many things... Let's just say that." Ximen Shuai thought for a moment before saying: "When I was setting up the formation, someone ambushed me and stole my Weeping Blood Sword. The one who stole my Weeping Blood Sword should be the tenth-ranked evil sect in the Cyan Vast Absolute Land, the Purple Pupil Sect."

  Lin Fan knew about the Violet Pupil Sect, whose disciples all had purple eyes. Their most formidable feature was these very eyes; when they locked gazes with you, they could capture your soul and then strike with ease. It was similar to a petrification technique, but that could be dispelled or broken, and it only lasted for a short time. The Violet Pupil Sect's Soul-Entrapping Technique, on the other hand, could make you enter an illusion; unless you broke through the illusion, there was no escape.