367: Chapter 367 The Sky Has Collapsed

The news that the Old Celestial Master was a member of the Xiao Imperial Clan left the other women present completely stunned.

Good grief! It's only the first day on the Daoist Sect's mountain, and they've already had their fill of gossip!

There were indeed many imperial relatives from the former Great Zheng Dynasty still hidden among the common people; otherwise, the "Overthrow Gan, Restore Zheng" movement led by Shu Yelan and others wouldn't have had so much funding and support.

But the problem was, all those people combined didn't have as much influence as a single Old Celestial Master!

If Old Celestial Master Xiao Dan wanted to restore the dynasty, a single call to arms would likely cause the tottering Li Imperial Family to collapse instantly!

After all, there were at least a dozen or so Martial Arts Grandmasters currently alive whom he had trained, either openly or in secret!

Furthermore, disciples of the Daoist Sect were involved in all walks of life, permeating every level of the Great Gan Court.

One could only say that Emperor Hong should really say "thank you" to the Old Celestial Master for being able to stay on the dragon throne!

"There is no need for such formalities. Although my surname is Xiao, more than two hundred years have passed, and I no longer have much of a connection with you descendants of the Xiao clan."

The Old Celestial Master smiled and said, "The reason I wanted to meet you today is that little Daoist Cang Zhu mentioned your martial arts seem to be the Cold Jade Art of our Daoist lineage."

"Practicing the Cold Jade Art requires a Pure Yin constitution. Those with such a constitution usually possess Heaven Grade talent, which is why I became somewhat curious."

Xiao Qingxuan realized that it was her martial arts that had caught the attention of this ancestor.

But on second thought, the Old Celestial Master was already a Great Grandmaster two hundred years ago. If he didn't step in to save the Great Zheng Dynasty back then, why would he truly care about his status as an imperial descendant now?

"Child, I just saw you perform your movement technique, and your internal power doesn't seem any less than that of little Daoist Cang Zhu?"

The Old Celestial Master said in confusion, "At your age, could it be that you've consumed some legendary miraculous elixir to supplement your power?"

Xiao Qingxuan naturally wouldn't reveal anything. She remained silent, her beautiful eyes looking tenderly at Lin Xiao beside her.

"Old man, Qingxuan is my wife. How could I mistreat her? Naturally, I've given her every heavenly treasure and earthly rarity available!"

Lin Xiao glossed over the matter of her power and asked instead, "Why are you interested in her Cold Jade Art? Is there something special about this technique?"

"So it really was taught by the Prince? That makes sense then."

The Old Celestial Master sighed, "To be honest, the 'Cold Jade Art' is indeed quite unusual. It appears to be an Earth Grade technique, but it's actually a simplified version of an immortal grade technique, the 'Xuanming Ice Soul'."

"And the Heaven Grade technique I practice, the 'Pure Yang Infinite Skill', is also a reduced version of an immortal grade technique, 'Nine Heavens Chasing the Sun'."

"In the past two years, I've felt my time coming to an end. If I cannot step into the Earth Immortal Realm, I can only wait to pass away."

"Naturally, I am unwilling to accept this, so I re-examined the Daoist archives and found a way."

"That is to use extreme Yin energy to forcibly suppress the extreme Yang energy in my body, helping me break through the Pure Yang Infinite Skill to the Nine Heavens Chasing the Sun in one go!"

"Once my primary cultivation technique reaches the immortal grade, I should have a chance to forcibly enter the Earth Immortal Realm!"

"It is said that those in the Earth Immortal Realm have a lifespan of five hundred years, so naturally, I wouldn't die."

Lin Xiao's brow furrowed, and he asked playfully, "Extreme Yin energy to suppress your Yang energy? How exactly would you suppress it?"

The Old Celestial Master pointed at the water of Ding Lake and said, "One simply needs to inject the true qi of the Cold Jade Art into this ten-thousand-year-old cold pond."

"The most difficult part of my attempt to reach the Nine Heavens Chasing the Sun is the fear that excessive Yang energy will cause heavenly fire to consume my body, so it needs to be suppressed."

"Unfortunately... I observed just now that although the Princess Consort's Cold Jade Art is extraordinary, her Pure Yin energy is still not condensed enough."

"True qi of this level is likely insufficient to balance the power of my Infinite Skill."

Hearing that it only required injecting power into the cold pond, Lin Xiao immediately beamed with joy.

Why didn't you say so earlier! All that talk about Yin-Yang balance... I thought you were tired of living, you old geezer!

"Old man, you've got it wrong. My wife has already comprehended the Xuanming Ice Soul from the Cold Jade Art."

"However, she feels that what she's practicing is somewhat incomplete. I was just about to ask if you have the full manual here."

The Old Celestial Master was stunned. "What!? The Princess Consort realized the Xuanming Ice Soul on her own?"

His expression shifted several times before he suddenly understood: "No wonder she could stand on equal footing with little Daoist Cang Zhu; so it's already a Heaven Grade technique..."

Lin Xiao and the women couldn't help but chuckle. "Little Cang Zhu" sounded like "Little Hamster"!

He's a famous Sect Leader of the Daoist Sect in the martial world; doesn't he need to save face?

"Hiss... but speaking of which, it feels even more impossible now."

The Old Celestial Master said disappointedly, "If the power of the Xuanming Ice Soul is only at this level, then balancing my Infinite Skill will be difficult..."

Lin Xiao was unhappy to hear this. Was he looking down on her!?

"I say, you old man, do you know how to talk!?"

"My wife hasn't even mastered the complete Xuanming Ice Soul yet. How do you know it won't work?"

"Or have you changed your mind at the last minute and are unwilling to bring out the complete manual?!"

Lin Xiao's lecture startled the women nearby, who wanted to pull him back.

This is the Old Celestial Master! Husband, take it easy!

But the old man didn't mind. Being scolded made him feel a bit sheepish, and he gave an embarrassed smile.

"The Prince misunderstands. Even putting aside the Princess Consort's background, I wouldn't dare keep anything for myself just based on a word from you, the Prince of Zhenbei."

"Besides, immortal grade techniques aren't that rare. Most of the Daoist Sect's immortal grade techniques are recorded on the stone walls here on Dinghu Peak..."

"If the Princess Consort needs the complete 'Xuanming Ice Soul' method, she can just go and look at it."

Lin Xiao's eyes widened when he heard this. "What did you say!? immortal grade techniques... are just carved on stone walls!?"

The Old Celestial Master nodded. "Yes. As far as I know, the Buddhist Sect's techniques are even carved on the Ten Thousand Buddha Pagoda for people to visit."

"What about the Buddhist Sect's 'Indestructible Golden Body'?"

"That method... seems to be carved on a stone tablet in the Arhat Hall. But since I haven't heard of anyone mastering it, nobody cares about it."

"Hiss!!" The Old Celestial Master gasped. "Could it be that the Prince has actually mastered this divine Buddhist skill?"

"Infinite Heavenly Lord... I always thought those monks used that technique just to bluff! To think such a divine skill actually exists in this world!?"

Lin Xiao wasn't happy at all about the praise; he felt as if the sky had fallen!

Damn it! He had spent so much effort just to collect the fragmented scrolls of the Indestructible Golden Body!

"Where are the techniques? This Prince wants to see them!"

Lin Xiao's mental state was about to collapse. He had to take all the Daoist immortal grade techniques back!

The Old Celestial Master didn't know why Lin Xiao was so irritable, so he hurried to lead the way, showing none of the airs of a Great Grandmaster.

Arriving at a stone wall covered with the marks of time, Lin Xiao indeed saw many techniques carved upon it.

But after he looked through them once, he suddenly discovered a problem—they were too simplified!!