Once, there was a small Daoist temple here, housing a Daoist Priest with some level of Dao cultivation. However, that was hundreds of years ago.
Now, this temple has transformed into a grand Daoist establishment, and the once competent Daoist priest has aged.
With the opening of various cultivation sects to those fated with immortality, many practicing the righteous Daoist cultivation arts have found their way into these small temples.
Thus, the humble abode naturally evolved into a residence for immortals. At this moment, some Daoist priests in the temple were performing their morning rituals when suddenly, a streak of rainbow light descended from the sky.
In front of the temple, the light transformed into a stunningly beautiful woman. Dressed in a pristine white Daoist robe, reminiscent of snow and ice, she greeted the temple gatekeepers, “Fellow Daoists, please inform that Taihua Elder Qingxue has come to visit Daoist Qingyu.”
“What? Elder Qingxue from Taihua Immortal Sect?” The two gatekeepers were visibly astonished. She was a senior immortal from Taihua Immortal Sect!
One of them bowed respectfully to Qingxue, “Greetings, Senior Qingxue... Unfortunately, our master passed away without attaining the Dao over a hundred years ago.”
“Is that so?” Qingxue’s brow furrowed slightly, and she inquired, “Then who currently leads your temple?”
“Our master, Daoist Mingxing,” replied the gatekeeper.
“In that case, I shall pay a visit to Daoist Mingxing,” Qingxue stated.
“Of course, Senior. Please come in; we will immediately inform our master.”
Given her status from Taihua, the gatekeepers did not dare to be negligent and quickly ushered Qingxue inside.
Soon, the head of Qingyu Temple, Daoist Mingxing, arrived and bowed to Qingxue, “Senior Qingxue from Taihua Immortal Sect graces us with her presence. I apologize for not welcoming you from afar.”
“You are too courteous, Daoist,” Qingxue replied, returning the gesture. “I originally intended to visit Daoist Qingyu. It’s truly regrettable to hear of his passing.”
“Hehe, our founding master naturally couldn’t match the longevity of the immortals from your Taihua Immortal Sect.”
“Taihua has been established for only three generations, whereas our Qingyu Guan has been standing for ten generations already,” said Mingxing Daoist to Qingxue with a smile.
“I’m just unsure about the reason Senior Qingxue seeks my master. If there’s anything I can do on behalf of him, please do not hesitate to ask,” said Mingxing Daoist.
“It’s all because of an old grudge from years past,” Qingxue replied.
“What?!!” Mingxing Daoist’s face showed shock and surprise. What? Did our master offend someone from Taihua Xianmen? Oh no!!!
Seeing Mingxing Daoist’s frightened expression, Qingxue realized he had misunderstood. She promptly clarified, “Daoist, no need to panic. It’s not that I have a grudge against your Qingyu Temple, but rather, there’s an old grudge that I need your help to clarify.”
“Ah, I see,” Mingxing Daoist sighed in relief. “Please, Senior Qingxue, go on.”
“To be frank, when I was young, before I embarked on the path of immortality, I was harmed by a fox demon, which led to a long-standing enmity with my husband.”
“Only today have I come to understand the truth. I heard that this fox demon was subdued by Qingyu Daoist, the founder of your sect. I wonder if it is still imprisoned here.”
“Oh? Such a thing happened...” Mingxing Daoist hesitated upon hearing Qingxue’s words. Cultivators value inner peace, and seeking revenge is usually not their path.
Especially since the fox demon was already subdued and posed no further threat, there seemed to be no need for revenge.
However, this is not always the case. If personal grudges are not sought, it can impede the cultivator’s mental state, hindering their progress.
Being able to let go is ideal, but if not, addressing the grudge might be necessary. Therefore, Qingxue’s intention to confront the fox demon wasn’t a significant concern.
The dilemma was that Qingyu Temple traditionally imprisoned malevolent demons to prevent further harm and give them a chance to reform.
This approach was part of the temple’s principles. Surrendering the demon to Qingxue for the sake of revenge could violate these principles.
Offending Qingxue, an Elder from the Taihua Sect, was not wise. Her determined arrival implied that not allowing her to resolve this grudge could lead to complications.
“Do not worry,” Qingxue reassured Mingxing Daoist, understanding his concerns. “If the fox demon has reformed, I will not trouble it. But if it remains malevolent, then it cannot escape its fate today.”
“In that case, it is acceptable,” Mingxing Daoist responded, relieved by Qingxue’s approach.
Upon hearing this, Mingxing Daoist breathed a sigh of relief. He did not wish to offend Qingxue, a respected elder from the Taihua Sect, but also did not want to violate the temple’s ancestral teachings.
Qingxue’s assurance that she would not trouble the fox demon if it had reformed provided him with some peace of mind.
“Please follow me, Senior Qingxue,” Mingxing Daoist said, leading the way. Qingxue followed him as they headed towards the part of Qingyu Temple where the demons were imprisoned.
“Daoist, Daoist, I was wrong, please let me out!” “Daoist, I promise I won’t harm people anymore.”
The demons in the prison began to plead for mercy as they saw someone entering.
Qingxue’s gaze swept over these demons. There weren’t many imprisoned in Qingyu Temple, just around a dozen, with only one fox spirit among them.
“Daoist, I have been imprisoned here for hundreds of years. In all this time, I have never done anything wrong. I have admitted my mistakes,” the fox demon cried out as Mingxing Daoist and Qingxue approached its cell.
This fox demon had transformed into a human form. Qingxue recognized it as the same figure she had seen in the Former Dust Mirror – the prostitute who had stolen money from her brother!
At this moment, Qingxue’s eyes flashed with a murderous intent.
“Oh my, why does this immortal lady look at me with such murderous intent? I don’t recall ever offending the immortal,” the fox demon suddenly noticed the killing intent in Qingxue’s eyes and was startled.
“Really?” Qingxue sneered, “You don’t recognize me? Have you also forgotten why you were captured?”
“Ah–!!!” Realizing who Qingxue was, the fox demon looked at her and its expression changed drastically. “You... you... how are you still alive after hundreds of years?!”
“Heh, thanks to you, I’ve lived till today. Otherwise, I might have died as a mortal back then,” Qingxue said as she raised her hand and reached towards the cell.
“Senior, please don’t be rash, this cell is protected by our Qingyu Temple’s wards!” Mingxing Daoist said in panic.
To his astonishment, Qingxue’s hand simply extended into the cell, and with a flick of her fingers, she sucked the fox demon out and placed it into her Qiankun bag.
“Uh...” Mingxing Daoist was dumbfounded, unsure of what to say. “Is this the power of an immortal? These wards mean nothing to her!”
Qingxue turned to him and said, “It’s good that Daoist has principles in his actions, but don’t forget, just because you’ve captured these demons, it doesn’t mean their sins are truly redeemed.”
“If someone comes seeking vengeance, do you expect to persuade them to be magnanimous? If they listen, well and good, but if they don’t, do you think you have the right to stop them from seeking revenge?”
“Senior Qingxue speaks the truth...” Mingxing Daoist replied, acknowledging the validity of her words.
Upon hearing this, Mingxing Daoist couldn’t help but mutter to himself: “Doesn’t your Taihua Immortal Sect also imprison many demons and monsters? If someone comes to your sect seeking vengeance, would you really let them?”
“If someone truly comes to our Taihua Immortal Sect seeking vengeance, we naturally won’t stop them,” Qingxue stated.
“Although Heaven advocates the virtue of cherishing life, we wouldn’t forcibly persuade others to abandon their hatred. Otherwise, wouldn’t that be putting the cart before the horse, making the victims live in pain forever?”
Hearing this, Mingxing Daoist felt a bit embarrassed. He hadn’t expected that his thoughts would be so transparent to the other party.
Meanwhile, Ye Xuan and Yu Ling had been meditating for a long time, but they were still feeling incredibly exhausted from the experiences they had just been through.
“Brother Ye Xuan, let’s just end our cultivation for today, okay? I’m really tired and want to sleep,” Yu Ling said to Ye Xuan.
“I feel the same... my head hurts...” Compared to her, Ye Xuan had virtually traveled through many years in an instant and then watched the lengthy scenes, making him the more exhausted of the two.
Thus, they decided to end their cultivation for the day and returned to their respective rooms to rest.
As soon as Ye Xuan closed his eyes, he felt a pair of eyes watching him. He turned and sat up abruptly, only to see Qingxue standing beside him, her gaze filled with a hint of murderous intent.
“What the–!! What’s happening now? Why is she glaring at me so fiercely?!” Ye Xuan thought to himself.
“Senior Qingxue, you...” he began.
“Who is your Senior?!” Qingxue glared at Ye Xuan, her tone sharp.
Seeing her attitude, Ye Xuan felt even more uneasy. “What’s going on?!!”

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