Chapter 172: Chapter 23: The Three Pure Ones Temple in the Bustling City

Sanqing Temple.

’A Daoist Temple, right in the middle of the city?’

The two exchanged a look of bewildered uncertainty. After a moment’s hesitation, they both stepped forward at the same time.

Chong Shanhu reached out to knock, but as soon as his hand touched the courtyard gate, it swung open.

It wasn’t locked.

He and Zhuge Ke looked at each other, then gritted their teeth and stepped into the courtyard together.

The courtyard wasn’t large and appeared hazy through the curtain of rain. At the far end was a small hut from which the glow of candlelight shone.

The two cautiously approached. The hut’s door was open, and they peered inside. The room was quite spartan; other than three bronze statues, there was nothing.

“This place is…” Chong Shanhu turned his head, asking subconsciously, but his expression suddenly changed, and he jerked back two steps.

Zhuge Ke seemed to sense something and followed his gaze. She saw an old man sitting cross-legged on the ground, getting soaked by the rain as he unsteadily rose to his feet.

The old man wore a long robe, and a dark, profound aura emanated from him, hinting at a supreme, transcendent presence. But that aura vanished in an instant. As soon as the old man stood up straight, he seemed to become ordinary again.

“And you two are?”

The old man shook his slightly dazed head, still shaken. He had just narrowly avoided being crushed to death by a massive ball of Cause and Effect!

Zhuge Ke and Chong Shanhu glanced at each other. The former hesitated for a moment before cautiously offering a salute.

“We came uninvited and have disturbed you. Please forgive us, Senior.”

As she spoke, she raised her head. Unable to resist, she activated her family’s Divination Skill. A mist clouded her eyes as she tried to peer into the old man’s foundation.

In the next second, Zhuge Ke saw.

She saw a towering figure tear open the Great Chaos with one hand, separating Yin and Yang, giving rise to all things, and bringing forth Creation for all living beings. Then, he sat enthroned at an infinite height, looking down upon everything.

She saw a white-haired old man, seated in a vast Daoist Palace. His Dao Body was terrifying, with the Celestial Realms swirling around him. With a flutter of his long beard, all Existence was sustained.

She saw a young Daoist, walking through all the myriad worlds. Wherever he passed, Great Realms collapsed, firmaments crumbled, and all things met their end.

These scenes flashed past in an instant. Zhuge Ke staggered back several steps as if struck by lightning. An immense chill exploded from the base of her spine, spreading throughout her entire body in a flash!

“Xiaoke, you…” Chong Shanhu noticed his friend’s strange behavior and was puzzled.

Zhuge Ke trembled, not daring to speak. She just kept her head lowered desperately, her whole body shaking.

“Since you’ve come, you are my guests.”

The old man rubbed the bridge of his nose, seemingly unaware of the young woman’s prying gaze. He strode into the hut and gestured for them to follow.

“The rain is heavy outside. Come in and take shelter.”

Lu Xuan recognized Chong Shanhu. He was the prodigy from Lu Xuan’s Tomb.

Chong Shanhu didn’t enter the hut. He just cast a questioning glance at Zhuge Ke, who was still trembling slightly, her eyes filled with terror.

“Xiaoke?” he asked softly.

Zhuge Ke swallowed hard and came back to her senses. She gritted her teeth and said:

“Let’s go. Inside!”

’She couldn’t understand why such a terrifying figure would be in Langya City, nor did she know if the glimpse she had just seen was a mere illusion. If it was, that was fine. But if it wasn’t…’

Heaven Opening, Existence, World-Ending…

Zhuge Ke shuddered violently again.

Chong Shanhu didn’t know the reason for her state, but he could see something was wrong with her. He immediately reached out to support her, and together they walked into the hut.

Just as they entered, the door shut automatically behind them. The sound made them both jump.

“Sit.”

Immediately after, they saw the old man give a casual wave of his hand. All the dust in the room surged forward and gathered together. Then, before their terrified eyes, the dust swirled and reformed into three drab meditation cushions, which then settled on the floor.

This… this…

Chong Shanhu’s heart pounded. ’What kind of ability is this?’

He remembered something his father had told him before he died: Touching Stone into Gold was a feat only a True Immortal could perform!

’And how is this mysterious old man’s ability to reconstruct matter any different from Touching Stone into Gold? A… True Immortal??’

Chong Shanhu swallowed hard, then felt a wave of ecstasy. ’An Immortal, hiding in plain sight in the city! No wonder Xiaoke’s Compass pointed here!’

He obediently sat down, and Zhuge Ke followed suit, taking her seat without hesitation.

Then, both of them turned to look at the mysterious old man, trembling with apprehension.

The difference was, Chong Shanhu was convinced that this man was most likely a reclusive True Immortal, but Zhuge Ke had seen far more, and was far more terrified.

At this moment, Lu Xuan shook his slightly heavy head and asked calmly:

“May I ask what business brings you two here?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuge Ke shivered and said deferentially:

“We were merely curious and didn’t mean to disturb your quiet cultivation, Senior. We hope you can forgive us…”

Chong Shanhu glanced at her, surprised. ’Even if this man is likely a legendary True Immortal, Xiaoke doesn’t need to be *this* subservient, does she? The Zhuge Family has a history stretching back tens of thousands of years and has produced True Immortals of its own.’

Lu Xuan calmly raised a hand.

“There is no need for such formality. I have established my Daoist Lineage here precisely to await those with whom I have a destined connection.”

Zhuge Ke’s pupils contracted sharply, while Chong Shanhu grew excited. ’A True Immortal’s Daoist Lineage!’

He thought of the terrible news he had just heard, of Sakata Heavy Industries, and gritted his teeth before prostrating himself.

“This junior, Chong Shanhu, wishes to become your disciple, Senior!”

Beside him, Zhuge Ke’s heart pounded. Thinking of the terrifying glimpse she had just seen, she also gritted her teeth, shut her eyes, and bowed down with Chong Shanhu.

“This junior, Zhuge Ke, wishes to become your disciple, Senior!”

Her voice trembled; she knew this was a monumental opportunity!

Lu Xuan was taken aback for a moment and fell into thought.

’I established a Daoist Lineage, so of course I need to accept disciples. I just didn’t expect them to arrive so quickly… Chong Shanhu… if I recall correctly, he said in the tomb that he was from Lake City, the direct son of a Celestial Human. And this Zhuge Ke…’

A thought stirred in Lu Xuan’s mind. The surname Zhuge was extremely rare, with most who bore it originating from the Zhuge Family. He had heard of this Divination Family before. It was said their lineage was passed down from a figure named Zhuge Kongming from the Late Han Dynasty.

Although the ages were fractured, quite a few records about Zhuge Kongming had survived. Some masters who studied ancient history had deduced that for someone to have left such a significant mark on a fragmented history, Zhuge Kongming must have been a Venerable of the Ancient Era.

While he was contemplating, Lu Xuan spoke calmly:

“Do you both wish to join my Sanqing Temple? It is not impossible, but…”

Chong Shanhu and Zhuge Ke’s hearts thumped wildly as they listened respectfully.

“However, to enter my sect, you must pass ten trials. But since you have not yet become Earth Immortals and have not undergone the nine calamities, you are temporarily exempt from the ten trials. For now, you can only be Registered Disciples.”

Lu Xuan was just repeating his master’s words. He had no idea what the ten trials were, but he figured it was correct to just say them.

Chong Shanhu and Zhuge Ke exchanged a look, their hearts racing. They kowtowed deeply in unison and said:

“Student greets Teacher!”

“Good.”

Lu Xuan nodded, rose gracefully, and pointed to the three bronze statues behind him, introducing them leisurely.

“These three statues are the ancestral masters of our sect. The one on the far left is Fusheng Lu Xuan, the one in the center is Supreme Profound Clarity, and the one on the far right is Supreme Emperor Profound Yellow…”

Chong Shanhu looked up, stunned.

Lu Xuan, who had been watching him, understood. ’It seems that with the changes over the long years of history, the titles I left in my tomb have also changed… Of the three titles, is only Supreme Emperor Profound Yellow left?’

With this in mind, Lu Xuan feigned a casual tone to test his theory and asked:

“What is it?”

Chong Shanhu stammered for a long moment before carefully speaking:

“Student once entered an ancient tomb. The owner’s title… was Supreme Emperor Profound Yellow!”

’Just as I thought.’ Lu Xuan nodded slightly, his expression betraying no emotion, and said calmly:

“I am aware of this matter.”

Then, he added leisurely:

“Since you have entered my sect, you shall be bestowed with a Dharma… Return here in ten days.”

“Yes, Teacher!” Chong Shanhu and Zhuge Ke bowed their heads in excitement. When they looked up again, the space before them was empty. The old man had vanished.

The two looked at each other. After a long pause, Chong Shanhu managed to squeeze out a question:

“By the way… what’s our Teacher’s name?”

Zhuge Ke silently shook her head.

Chong Shanhu rose carefully, showing no disrespect despite the Teacher’s departure. He and Zhuge Ke respectfully backed out of the hut and then out of the small courtyard.

After leaving the courtyard gate, he looked up at the Sanqing Temple plaque and suddenly said:

“Xiaoke, The Three Pristine Ones… I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”

It dawned on Zhuge Ke as well. She thought for a moment and said uncertainly:

“I think I’ve heard it too.”

As she spoke, she took out her phone to search. A series of results popped up, the first of which was a news article.

[According to the most recently unearthed Daoist Collection, the titles of the Sanqing Daiost have been clarified: Taiqing is Profound Clarity, Yuqing is Fusheng, and Shangqing is Profound Yellow…]

The two stared at the news article, then looked up blankly at the Sanqing Temple plaque. As they recalled the three bronze statues, a tingling numbness spread across the back of their heads.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep