"It seems Yu Luming has nearly digested the Old Heavenly Master's power," Yan Shouyi thought, looking at Yu Luming on the Heavenly Master's chair. He was genuinely happy for his friend.
Power was like blood; everyone’s blood, despite the same blood type, had minor differences. Thus, transferring power had limitations. Just as the Old Heavenly Master had said before, Zhang Sishui had transferred his entire life's power to Liu Yiren, but Liu Yiren could at best digest five to six tenths of it, and Zhang Sishui's power would actually limit her future.
But the Old Heavenly Master was different. He had long stood at the peak of humanity. After reaching a hundred years of age, he had repeatedly refined his magical power, making it exceptionally pure. After the Old Heavenly Master's death, his entire power was transferred to Yu Luming through the "Zhi Ming Wu Yue" technique. This not only greatly increased Yu Luming's power but also ensured it wouldn't limit his future. It was likely that only the Old Heavenly Master himself could achieve such a feat.
Judging by Yu Luming's current aura, he had likely inherited five to six tenths of the Old Heavenly Master's power, but even this amount was enough for him to look down upon all his peers.
With golden lightning refining his crown, Yu Luming sat in the Heavenly Master's Hall. After much hesitation, the leaders of various sects finally bowed their heads. Facing such a Yu Luming, no one present could guarantee victory. If they had returned to call upon their sect's strongest practitioners, there might have been a chance, but by the time they arrived, Yu Luming would have undoubtedly solidified his position and they would lose the opportunity to contend for the Heavenly Master's title.
A crisis was thus averted. The Five Thunder Orthodox Method had vanished. Yu Luming looked at Yan Shouyi with gratitude.
"Master's foresight was truly remarkable. Without Yan Shouyi's help, I would have been defeated today under the siege of the various sects…"
"I am in the imperial court, and Yan Shouyi is in the martial world. Our mutual assistance and complementarity – perhaps this is why Master asked me to befriend Yan Shouyi."
"Perhaps in the near future, with me leading the Xuanmen and him governing the populace, our two working together could achieve the peaceful era that Master longed for!" Yu Luming’s heart surged, as if he could already see a bright future.
"Master…" He reached out to caress the urn in his arms, as if feeling warmth from it.
Seeing that the situation was settled, Yan Shouyi quietly returned to the crowd. In fact, his thoughts were the same as Yu Luming's. From the beginning, he had no desire for the title of Heavenly Master. If he truly became the Old Heavenly Master, enduring the smell of incense every day would be unbearable for him. What truly suited him was the vast martial world and the vibrant populace. However, having a Heavenly Master brother wasn't so bad either.
Seeing no one challenged Yu Luming, Zhang Shanli announced, "The successor to the Heavenly Master is Yu Luming. If everyone has no objections, three days later, Longhu Mountain will hold a Heavenly Master Sacrifice ceremony, where Yu Luming will officially succeed as the Heavenly Master and lead the Daoist sect!"
With the matter settled, those with ulterior motives dared not act as mere clowns anymore. Yu Luming, firmly seated as the Heavenly Master, reflected on the past and finally sighed, "Master did make some mistakes in his twilight years. Perhaps he had already planned not to enter the Heavenly Master's Ancestral Hall. I intend to take Master's ashes and travel throughout the land, to find a place of beautiful scenery to lay Master to rest."
Zhang Sishui, upon hearing this, initially wanted to persuade Yu Luming, but then he reconsidered and shook his head. The Old Heavenly Master had served Longhu Mountain for a hundred years; after death, he should also go out and see the world.
The Heavenly Master's funeral ceremony resumed its proper procedures. Everyone paid their respects one by one, and finally, Yu Luming temporarily enshrined the urn in the Heavenly Master's Hall. The ceremonies concluded only by evening.
On the way back to their lodgings, Long Feicheng couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yan, today is the Old Heavenly Master's seventh day in mourning. Normally, someone as powerful as the Old Heavenly Master could remain in the mortal world as a ghost, just like our own grandfathers, right?"
Zhang Shantong shot Long Feicheng a glare.
Yan Shouyi chuckled, "Didn't you hear anything last night?"
"Hear what?"
"It is said that last night, the Judges of the Underworld personally visited the mortal realm, accompanied by the Black and White Impermanence, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, thirty-two Judges, and countless ghost soldiers… they all came to escort the Old Heavenly Master."
Long Feicheng's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. "Is that true?"
"For someone with immeasurable merit like the Heavenly Master, even when alive, his name in the Underworld was renowned. After his death, the Judges would surely be overjoyed, coming to escort the Old Heavenly Master back to take up an official post in the Underworld. So, even if the Old Heavenly Master wanted to stay in the mortal world, he couldn't!"
Long Feicheng couldn't help but look at Zhang Shantong. "Then, Grandpa, why don't you go to the Underworld to be an official?"
Zhang Shantong snorted coldly, "Being an official in the Underworld is dull and tasteless. How can it compare to the joys of the mortal world! Moreover, I still have an unfulfilled wish."
"Speaking of wishes…" Yan Shouyi said softly, "It's a pity the occasion is so solemn today. Otherwise, if I invited a few female streamers to dance in the Ten Thousand Laws Altar, the Old Heavenly Master would probably be very happy."
"What?" Long Feicheng's face was a mask of confusion. This was practically dancing at a grave.
Regarding the Old Heavenly Master's fondness for watching female streamers dance, perhaps only Yan Shouyi in the entire world knew about it. Maybe next year, during the Qingming Festival, he would have Agong make some paper effigies of female streamers to burn for the Old Heavenly Master. The Old Heavenly Master, with his spirit in heaven, receiving such a generous gift, would surely look after them more. Yan Shouyi thought to himself.
"Yan Shouyi!"
As they were walking, someone suddenly called out Yan Shouyi's name. He turned around and saw Yu Luming and Liu Yiren catching up.
Yan Shouyi cupped his fists. "Greetings, Heavenly Master."
Yu Luming's face was etched with embarrassment. "Stop teasing me. If you hadn't helped me earlier, I probably wouldn't have become the Heavenly Master."
"Before, we could have fought to a draw, but now you're much stronger than me."
Yu Luming said humbly, "I still need to hone myself further."
"How does it feel to be the Heavenly Master?" Yan Shouyi asked with a smile.
Yu Luming shook his head. "It's not quite what I imagined. I thought the Heavenly Master was above everyone else, but just as Master's funeral ended, a few elders already asked me to prepare to handle various matters within the Daoist sect."
"My master said you still have much to learn," Liu Yiren said with a smile.
Yu Luming suddenly felt overwhelmed. Yan Shouyi patted Yu Luming on the shoulder. "But you've also figured out your purpose, haven't you?"
"That's true," Yu Luming said. "Will you be there for my succession ceremony in three days?"
Yan Shouyi thought for a moment and shook his head with regret. "I'm afraid I have to descend the mountain."
"What's so urgent that you can't even wait three days?" Yu Luming sounded disappointed; Yan Shouyi was his most valued friend.
"What else could it be?" Yan Shouyi sighed. "Li Genmiao and his group left behind a huge mess. We've been busy for the past seven days, and we've finally gotten some clues. These clues are very important, and we need to race against time to follow them, to prevent what happened seven days ago from happening again."
Upon hearing this, Yu Luming's expression grew serious. "I remember we found that coffin bearer Guan Laosan in the dungeon afterward. Hall Master Shanli has been interrogating him these past few days, but has any result been obtained?"
Yan Shouyi nodded. "Indeed, there have been some gains…"
Author's Note
The first update of the day is here! There will be three more updates tonight, but the update time may be around midnight.