In just a short time, Daluo Palace had gained three new members.

Taoist Yan Ling of Qingcheng Mountain, Taoist Ming Chong of the Celestial Master’s Mansion, and Taoist Qingyuan of Zhenwu Mountain.

But the three of them hadn’t been there for long, and even Taoist Jing Feng had only arrived a short while before them. They needed time to not only reacquaint themselves with their own skills but also to learn new Universal Skills to be fully prepared.

Fortunately, they were all seasoned Daoists, wise to the ways of the world. Having newly obtained the Thunder Seed and activated their Innate Qi, their divine souls and physical bodies were greatly enhanced. This allowed them to familiarize themselves with their new strength at peak efficiency and prepare for combat and life in the Otherworld.

"The Poison Corpse we killed in Stone King Cave was a member of the Infinite Cave in Bai Shi Prefecture."

In a quiet room in Daluo Palace, Taoist Yan Song was the first to speak. "Infinite Cave has two Cave Masters. That Poison Corpse was named Rong Wen. He was the second Cave Master of Infinite Cave, was on good terms with the Stone King, and often came here as a guest."

"If the second Cave Master’s strength was comparable to the Stone King’s, doesn’t that mean the Great Cave Master is even more powerful?" Gu Zhao asked.

Taoist Yan Song nodded. "The Great Cave Master of Infinite Cave is named Rong Xuan. He’s a Flying Poisonous Zombie. He leaves a thousand miles of scorched earth in his wake."

Gu Zhao’s gaze sharpened. "Another expert with over five hundred years of Dao Practice? How does he compare to the Golden Wind Divine King?"

Taoist Yan Song looked toward Taoist Jing Feng.

Taoist Jing Feng said, "That weasel claimed he was no match for the Yellow Heaven God. I believe it wasn’t lying, but what it knows may not be the whole truth."

The information about Infinite Cave had, of course, been extracted by Taoist Jing Feng from the weasel he had imprisoned in Mingling Hell.

"Besides Infinite Cave, the Altar Master of the Yellow Heaven Altar is called the Yellow Heaven God. He has a near-monopoly on the Incense in Bai Shi Prefecture."

"Almost?"

"Because the most powerful faction in Bai Shi Prefecture isn’t the Yellow Heaven Altar, but White Bone Mountain."

Taoist Jing Feng continued, "On White Bone Mountain there is a White Bone Cave, and within it lives a family of White Bone Spirits. The Patriarch is called the White Bone God Monarch. He has a thousand years of Dao Practice, his power is legendary throughout Bai Shi Prefecture, and he’s a cut above the Yellow Heaven Altar.

"Although his family has no need for Incense, the Yellow Heaven Altar wouldn’t dare proselytize in the two counties near White Bone Mountain. If they did, and ended up having their souls extracted and their skin flayed to be refined into Magical Artifacts, they would have no choice but to accept their fate."

Gu Zhao couldn’t help but sigh. "Bai Shi Prefecture is certainly more formidable than Changping Prefecture. Are there any other major powers?"

’Changping Prefecture only had the Golden Wind Divine King with over five hundred years of Dao Practice. Bai Shi Prefecture not only has Rong Xuan and the Yellow Heaven God at a similar level, but also the even more powerful White Bone God Monarch.’

"There’s also a den of aquatic demons," Taoist Jing Feng continued. "Upstream on the Chang River, in the mountains, there’s a place called Green Water Pool. A Ningbi Flood Dragon lives there and has gathered a host of other demons.

"However, it’s said this Ningbi Flood Dragon is at odds with the White Bone God Monarch, so it rarely leaves the mountains. As for its relationship with the Yellow Heaven Altar, they tend to stay out of each other’s way."

Gu Zhao waited a moment. When Taoist Jing Feng didn’t continue, he asked, "So that’s four of them?"

Taoist Jing Feng nodded. "Just those four. Apparently, there are some minor sects in the two counties, but their Dao Practice isn’t profound, and the weasel didn’t know the details."

These days, minor factions with less than five hundred years of Dao Practice were beneath Daluo Palace’s notice.

"Since what the weasel told us might not be the whole truth, we still need to go to Bai Shi Prefecture and scout it out ourselves." Gu Zhao looked to Taoist Yan Song.

With Taoist Yi Hong holding down the fort in Changping Prefecture and Gu Zhao being the Sect Leader of Daluo Palace, if someone needed to make a quick trip, the task would naturally fall to Taoist Yan Song.

Gu Zhao ordered, "Scout out the Infinite Cave and the Yellow Heaven Altar. For now, don’t provoke White Bone Mountain or Green Water Pool. Since the White Bone God Monarch’s Cultivation is so high, the fact that the Ningbi Flood Dragon dares to oppose him means it must also be a formidable character."

Taoist Yan Song agreed. "Don’t worry, Sect Leader. I’ll be careful."

...

After the meeting, the old Daoists went their separate ways.

Gu Zhao walked out of Daluo Palace and returned to Cui Mountain Village. There, he saw Zhuo Qingyan and the Silk Embroideress teaching the craftsmen’s children to read and write during their break from work.

So far, only the main courtyard of Daluo Palace had been completed; many more courtyards and halls were planned. With Daluo Palace’s reputation now holding sway over Changping Prefecture, officials and wealthy merchants flocked to its gates, and pilgrims and commoners arrived in an endless stream. At the foot of the mountain, Cui Mountain Village was quickly becoming Cui Mountain Town.

As a result, Daluo Palace and Cui Mountain Town spurred a construction boom. Many craftsmen came to work, and their wives and children often came along, setting up small businesses to make a living.

Seeing the children running all over the mountain, Elder He had expanded enrollment at his private school. Zhuo Qingyan and the Silk Embroideress would help teach whenever they had free time.

Just as Gu Zhao entered the small courtyard, he heard a gust of wind overhead. Five slender, jade-like claws materialized above him, exuding a sharp aura as they clawed down toward the crown of his head.

WHOOSH!

With a flicker, Gu Zhao’s form reappeared three feet away.

WHOOSH!

But his attacker flickered as well, and her five fingers were now less than a foot from the crown of his head.

WHOOSH!

Gu Zhao’s figure flashed again, and he reappeared beside Zhuo Qingyan.

This time, his attacker couldn’t keep up. She somersaulted to the ground and shouted at Gu Zhao in a huff, "You’re bullying me with your superior Magical Power!"

Gu Zhao turned around. "Isn’t that skill of yours called Moonlight Evasion? How can you use it during the daytime?"

"Because I’m amazing, of course!" Bai Ke said, putting her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest. "Before my Transformation, I could only use it at night. Now that I’ve transformed, if I could still only use it under the moonlight, then what was the point of transforming in the first place?"

Gu Zhao looked slightly baffled but nodded anyway. "Fair enough."

Then it was Bai Ke’s turn to be curious. "So you really did learn Moonlight Evasion. But I feel like the way you use it is a little different from mine."

"Of course it’s different. I made a few modifications," Gu Zhao said with a smile. "This Magic I use now is called Shrinking Inches."

As he spoke, Gu Zhao took a small step. Though it looked like a single, short stride, his figure uncannily teleported from Zhuo Qingyan’s side to the doorway, appearing right in front of Bai Ke.

Bai Ke jumped in surprise and took a small step back. Then she pouted. "Shrinking Inches? Doesn’t sound as cool as my Moonlight Evasion!"

Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow with a smile, then flickered back to Zhuo Qingyan’s side. "This Magic doesn’t require Heavenly Fox Bloodline Power. Since you cultivate the *Fengdu Black Law*, you can learn it too."

Zhuo Qingyan smiled. "Alright!"

Ever since getting her revenge, Zhuo Qingyan had been smiling more and more. Even her once-cold personality had grown gentler, to the point where she now taught children to read and write alongside the Silk Embroideress.

"Come on. Keep me company while I copy a scripture, and I’ll teach you," Gu Zhao said with a smile. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The classics brought by Taoist Ming Yu were all stored at Gu Zhao’s home in the modern world, but the Scripture Pavilion in Daluo Palace still housed plenty of its own texts.

Besides philosophical texts like the *Supreme Sensing Chapter* and *Laozi’s Xiang’er Annotation*, there were also the newly compiled *Supreme Meridian Breathing Technique* and *True Qi Eight-section Brocade*.

For convenience, Taoist Ming Yu had left his own *Taoist Eight Great Divine Spells Collection* there as a Basic Skill that anyone could read. Gu Zhao planned to write a new manual as well: *Shrinking Inches*.