Chapter 446: The Fourth Head of the Immortal Lineage

At Dao Wenzong, on Hundred Refining Peak, Li Haoran was still recalling various moments from his previous life with Mu Baiyi. Mu Baiyi, as a young and ambitious new-generation Vice-Sect Master, was highly valued by Qin Haoran.

"Mu Baiyi was a pitiable child," Li Haoran recounted. "His family was poor since he was young. After becoming an immortal cultivator and joining a sect, he hoped to earn money. Unexpectedly, he didn't make much; instead, the sect closed down first.""Later, he saw that the monthly stipend from the Nine Nether Sect was decent, so he joined it.""He mentioned that he originally wanted to join the Immortal Sect because their believers received a monthly stipend three times higher than local officials.""Then why didn't he join?" Qin Yanyan interjected."The Immortal Sect was too well-hidden. He couldn't find its entrance. The Nine Nether Sect, however, was easy to locate. If you found a wild ghost, there was a one-tenth chance it belonged to the Nine Nether Sect, and you could then trace it back to them."

"Of course, that was in the past," he continued. "Later, Qin Haoran realized this method was too risky and easily led to capture by the righteous sects. So, he learned from the Immortal Sect, making the Nine Nether Sect quite difficult to find now.""Qin Haoran had a good relationship with Mu Baiyi. When they were in the Nine Nether Sect, Mu Baiyi helped Qin Haoran a lot.""Once, Qin Haoran heard that banks made money and wanted to establish one. But he feared no one would deposit money, which would be embarrassing. So, he had Mu Baiyi transform into various people—men, women, elderly, and young—to deposit money on the bank's opening day.""It was basically hiring shills, a common business tactic," Li Haoran explained, now well-versed in various unsavory business methods thanks to Qin Haoran's memories."Did the bank open then?""No, Qin Haoran forgot to get government approval for his bank. Then, both of them were arrested for illegal absorption of public deposits.""We explained that no one actually deposited money; it was all self-directed.""And the authorities released you?""No, the authorities said it counted as both illegal absorption of public deposits and fraud, requiring cumulative punishment."

Lu Yang and Qin Yanyan were speechless."During their time in prison, the two of them diligently studied various laws together. Finally, they were released after serving their sentences, having become legal experts," Li Haoran said. He hadn't fully acquired Qin Haoran's memories, otherwise, he'd be a legal master by now."Fortunately, Qin Haoran was farsighted and anticipated this misfortune. He arranged everything before being imprisoned, preventing the sect's deficit from being exposed."This showed Qin Haoran's exceptional foresight.

Li Haoran was about to continue recounting the Nine Nether Sect's glorious past when a cool, elegant figure appeared behind him."Senior Sister," he greeted."Greetings, Senior Sister," Qin Yanyan said. As a member of the Heavenly Court Sect, she had previously debated whether to call Yunzhi "Sect Master" or "Senior Sister." After some internal struggle, she decided to follow the general custom."Senior Sister, I was just confirming with Junior Brother Li that the person wearing a white paper hat in Hanshui City is the Nine Nether Sect Master, Mu Baiyi.""Mu Baiyi, the Nine Nether Sect Master? I understand. You've done well. Junior Brother, come back with me."Lu Yang dutifully stood beside Senior Sister and followed her back to Heavenly Gate Peak.

"Senior Sister, were you looking for me?" Lu Yang asked."Not you, I was looking for Immortal Senior.""Looking for me?" Hearing this, the Immortal Fairy sprang up from the bed with a carp leap, cheerfully emerging from the mental space."Tell me, what do you need from me?" The Immortal Fairy was rarely sought out by Yunzhi, making her feel invigorated and ten years younger. She was now only six years old.

"Emperor Xia's lifespan is in trouble. He has about ten years left," Yunzhi stated. "The Lesser Medicine King is useless for him. Immortal Fairy, do you have any ideas?"Lu Yang was startled by this news. The outside world believed Emperor Xia was in his prime, carrying out grand plans, and that the Great Xia's future was bright. How could he suddenly only have a few years left to live?The Immortal Fairy, looking excited and eager, said, "When do we start the uprising?"She believed Dao Wenzong was a powerful entity, capable of contending for the world. Once the time was ripe, the whole world would respond, ensuring success! Hadn't Lu Yang's strategy for the Nine Nether Sect essentially said the same? With her and Yunzhi, two top-tier combatants, wouldn't becoming emperor be as easy as wishing it?"...Not an uprising," Yunzhi clarified. "Immortal Senior, do you have a way to extend his lifespan?"

The Immortal Fairy's Dao Fruit characteristic was immortality. Even after death, merely uttering her revered title and name could resurrect her. This ability was envied not just by cultivators but even by the Lesser Medicine King. In Yunzhi's mind, the Immortal Fairy was the most likely to solve Emperor Xia's problem."Give him a nascent Immortal Dao Fruit and let Emperor Xia become the fourth-in-command of the Immortal lineage?" she suggested.Everything had an order of arrival, and the last to come would naturally be last in rank. The Immortal lineage was strong and well-equipped: the first-in-command was the head of the Five Ancient Immortals, the second was a Golden Core ancestor, the third was a Half-Immortal, and the fourth would be the current Emperor.Lu Yang suddenly felt that his position as the Immortal lineage's second-in-command carried significant weight."The Imperial Palace Ancestral Land would certainly not agree to that," Yunzhi shook her head.For Emperor Xia to suddenly become the fourth-in-command of the Immortal lineage, Yunzhi could imagine the person in the Imperial Palace Ancestral Land would be furious and challenging the Immortal Fairy to a duel. Moreover, this would expose the Immortal Fairy's existence. Yunzhi wanted a method that could be seen by everyone.

"If the Lesser Medicine King is ineffective, then it's an immortal fruit... My immortal fruit can preserve a corpse indefinitely, but it's only useful after one dies," the Immortal Fairy mused."The immortal fruits of the Qilin Immortal and Ying Tianxian also don't grant eternal youth or longevity.""Oh, does he have any sons? We could find some Mother-Child River water to ensure he has an heir.""He has nine sons and seven daughters.""So many children? Is he breeding piglets?" the Immortal Fairy muttered, noting that even after drinking water from the Mother-Child River and Twin River, she hadn't been as prolific as Emperor Xia. The Qilin Immortal and the Heaven's Chosen from the Dragon and Phoenix clans had tried for many years without even a single Qilin cub. The higher one's cultivation, the more difficult it became to have offspring.

"Ah, yes!" the Immortal Fairy exclaimed, recalling a clue. "There's a Heavenly Earth Spiritual Root in the world, a peach tree that grew naturally, outside the category of heavenly materials and earthly treasures. The peaches it bears have the effect of extending life!""The five of us ate peaches from that tree. They were incredibly delicious and juicy.""Where is this Heavenly Earth Spiritual Root?" Senior Sister asked. She had never heard of such a spiritual root, and it wasn't recorded in ancient texts."I don't know. The peach tree grew legs and ran away after we picked its peaches."Senior Sister nodded. This was a clue, though a difficult one to pursue. She instructed Lu Yang to continue cultivating while she consulted other elders.After Senior Sister left, Lu Yang looked thoughtful and turned towards the Scripture Repository."What are you going to do?" the Immortal Fairy asked."I vaguely remember seeing a spell in the Scripture Repository related to longevity. It was buried at the very bottom, probably rarely studied, so it might be useful."