Chapter 178: Chapter 177: Gu Zhao Can Also Fly

Early the next morning, Li Qingshuang transformed into a Cyan Bird and flew away.

"I’ll be back," her voice lingered, echoing in Gu Zhao’s ears.

"Of course you’ll be back," Gu Zhao muttered.

The *Cave Truth Yellow Record* was a secret manual of the Taoist Sects, and since this was Li Qingshuang’s first time, the effects were at their peak. As a result, their dual cultivation directly boosted her Dao Practice by a huge margin, allowing her to break through the five-hundred-year threshold.

But Gu Zhao had also reaped significant rewards.

A gentle breeze swept by, and Gu Zhao found himself lifted by it like a leaf. He drifted into the air, soaring unsteadily over the peak of Cuiluo Mountain.

"I can fly!"

Flying for the first time, Gu Zhao was ecstatic. He rode the wind, one moment flying in a serpentine pattern, the next tracing numbers in the air. He circled Cuiluo Mountain again and again, having the time of his life.

However, to maintain his image as the Sect Leader of Daluo Palace, he didn’t reveal himself. Instead, he emulated Taoist Yi Hong and used his True Qi to conceal his form—a crude and simple sort of Invisibility Skill.

This Invisibility Skill was maintained purely by Magical Power, and his aura remained detectable. It could only fool mortals and was completely useless against Cultivators. That was why the old Daoists were still researching the various legendary forms of Magic recorded in the Taoist Sect’s scriptures, combining it with their own insights into Magical Power.

Still, this crude application of True Qi had its uses. For instance, in addition to the Invisibility Skill, Gu Zhao had also developed another form of Magic: a Sound Insulation Skill.

He would diffuse his True Qi to envelop a certain area, creating an effect similar to the Dragon-locking Light Curtain. However, it didn’t need to block Magical Power or physical objects—it only had to block sound.

It had to be said, necessity truly is the mother of invention!

Gu Zhao flew in the sky while Zhuo Qingyan and the Silk Embroideress watched from below.

The Silk Embroideress clapped and cheered, while Zhuo Qingyan’s eyes were filled with tender affection. Only Bai Ke stood with her hands on her hips, looking indignant. "What’s the big deal? The Cultivation of our Celestial Fox Race is difficult at first but gets easier later. We’ll be able to fly soon enough!"

The Silk Embroideress wanted to fly too and eagerly turned to ask, "And how soon is ’soon enough’?"

Bai Ke started counting on her fingers. "One... two... three..."

"You’ve counted to three. How come you’re not flying yet?" Gu Zhao’s teasing voice drifted over as he landed beside the two of them.

Bai Ke couldn’t help but bare her teeth at Gu Zhao, revealing a pair of small fangs. "If I could fly just by counting to three, I would’ve gotten my revenge on you long ago!"

Bai Ke still hadn’t forgotten how Gu Zhao had gotten her chased by a Golden Wind Guardian.

’As for this all being a blessing in disguise—achieving Harmony with the Silk Embroideress’s Divine Soul for faster Cultivation, staying at Daluo Palace living the good life... Um, wasn’t I already prepared to mate with you? Isn’t that enough?’

Gu Zhao gently pushed Bai Ke back with a single finger, then said to the Silk Embroideress, "We’re having a vegetarian lunch today."

The Silk Embroideress nodded happily while Bai Ke let out a mournful wail.

"Congratulations, Sect Leader!"

The Guardian Star Officials had, of course, sensed Gu Zhao flying. Seeing their Sect Leader descend, they all came forward to congratulate him. Huang Yuan’s eyes, in particular, were filled with envy.

A few months ago, when he and the Black Bear King had come seeking revenge, Daluo Palace hadn’t had a single expert with five hundred years of Dao Practice. Yet now, before the year was even over, the power of Taoist Yan Song, Taoist Yi Hong, and Gu Zhao had all advanced by leaps and bounds.

With Daluo Palace’s current strength, they had long surpassed the Golden Wind Divine Sect. The Golden Wind Divine King’s death was no injustice.

"Sect Leader, the new year is almost upon us. Should we decorate Daluo Palace?" Huang Yuan asked.

"Of course. We’ll follow the local customs," Gu Zhao nodded, then turned to Zhuo Qingyan. "You can help oversee things and offer some guidance."

The new year was the most important festival of the turning seasons, and it would be their first major holiday in this world. Gu Zhao decided to hold a New Year Grand Rite at Daluo Palace, where everyone would chant the Incense Blessing Divine Curse together to see if it would yield any surprises.

"Alright," Zhuo Qingyan agreed with a smile.

...

A few days later, Taoist Yan Song, Taoist Ming Yu, and the others returned to Daluo Palace. They were greeted by the sight of the palace decked out in red and festive colors in preparation for the New Year Rite.

"This is Daluo Palace’s first new year in this world. We have to make it a grand event," said Taoist Ming Yu.

Taoist Jing Feng added, "We should summon all the disciples we’ve gathered recently. It will help build a sense of community."

Taoist Yan Song chuckled. "And we can show off some Divine Techniques to earn more Incense."

At this, Taoist Jing Feng’s already stern expression grew even more bitter. He was a successor of the Fengyue Sect; if he were to display his Divine Techniques, he feared he would scare all the mortals away.

Yunyang couldn’t help but burst out laughing, then exclaimed, "Good thing the new year here doesn’t fall on the same day as the one back in the modern world. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to go home to celebrate."

He didn’t want to miss Daluo Palace’s New Year Grand Rite, but he was also accustomed to going home for the holiday. The fact that the two celebrations didn’t overlap was a great convenience for him.

"Speaking of which, you’re all elders in your respective Taoist Temples. You have to attend the New Year Rites back in the modern world, don’t you?" Gu Zhao asked.

Taoist Yan Song waved his hand dismissively. "There are plenty of old Daoists over there. It doesn’t matter whether we attend or not."

Taoist Ming Yu and Taoist Jing Feng both nodded in agreement.

If their circumstances hadn’t changed, they would naturally have attended the New Year Grand Rite as part of Daoist tradition. It wasn’t mandatory; they did it willingly, both to affirm their own faith and to pray for the blessings of their followers.

But now, of course, there was no longer any need for that.

And so, the old Daoists began bustling about, preparing for Daluo Palace’s New Year Grand Rite. They contacted their home sects in the modern world, asking them to send over purple and gold Magical Robes, along with various other ceremonial objects.

As the Sect Leader, Gu Zhao was also forced by the old Daoists to study the various etiquettes of the New Year Grand Rite—everything from his facial expressions and posture to his gait and the rhythm of his chanting.

"We’re all Cultivators now. Do we really need to bother with all these superficial formalities?"

"What if the Incense Blessing Divine Curse actually works?"

"..."

"Besides, this isn’t just about showing our sincerity; it’s also for the worshippers to see," Taoist Yan Song explained. "We’ve actually already cut many of the meaningless steps and replaced them with a display of Divine Techniques."

Gu Zhao nodded. "Now that’s a good idea!"

Yunyang laughed. "It’s a shame we’ve already wiped out evil factions like the Golden Wind Sect and the masters of Three Extremes Mountain. If there were other powers in the prefecture, we could invite them to observe the ceremony and do a little networking."

Taoist Ming Yu shook his head. "There are Sects in Bai Shi Prefecture to the south, Shide Prefecture to the east, and Celestial Spring Prefecture to the southeast. But those factions aren’t good people, so we have no desire to invite them."

’They were a bunch of enemies he was destined to fight sooner or later. What would be the point of inviting them now? Just to let them spy on Daluo Palace’s true strength?’

Yunyang asked eagerly, "So after the new year, are we heading to Bai Shi Prefecture?"

"Let’s take it slow. There’s no hurry," Gu Zhao said, shaking his head. "Right now, we’ve only eliminated the most visible evil factions in Changping Prefecture. There are still many fish that slipped through the net. If we clean them up, we might even harvest another Thunder Seed or two, which would help all of you advance your Cultivation further.

Besides, Bai Shi Prefecture isn’t like Changping Prefecture. I heard from Qingshuang that its overall strength is much greater. They have more than one Demon or Ghost with a thousand years of Dao Practice. It’s just that none of them are as powerful or as famous as the Ink Flood Dragon.

Changping Prefecture has Pingjiang Prefecture’s Mo Lake to its west and the Wanling River to its north. It’s the first State Mansion the Imperial Court encounters when heading south, which makes it a buffer zone between several major powers. That’s why it’s the weakest of them, and why the Golden Wind Divine King didn’t even have a thousand years of Dao Practice. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

So, let’s first finish cleaning up Changping Prefecture. We’ll stabilize our foundation, build up our strength, and only then will we begin to expand."