Zheng Yin was not very old, actually a few years younger than Tao Qian himself.

But having encountered the chance of the Heavenly Track, he wandered through dreams and experienced the lives of hundreds of mortals, which aged his spirit much more than that of Master Tao.

He was momentarily stunned when he saw his true form revealed, but quickly recovered and withdrew his curse power.

Then he scrutinized Tao Qian closely, lingering the longest on the two Ancestor God Treasures before replying,

"No wonder I felt that Master Wu Gou was quite off; it turns out to be Spirit Treasure Tao Master in disguise."

"They say Tao Master is the first talent of the Daoist sect, and now that I see you, it is indeed so."

"Alchemists - two Daoist Transformation Realm old monsters, the Great Freedom Temple, the Demon Buddha Temple, the Xiu Family, Devil Gods, the Evil Sect... so many forces have issued warrants for the True Master, especially since many strong people have gone to New Moon, like Evil Sect's Zhuge Qingyi and Xiu Family's Xiu Zhonglin, who are still in New Moon Province searching for the True Master's whereabouts."

"The True Master is quite bold to have disguised himself as a South Sea Buddha Child, infiltrating Qiantang."

"Be aware that Qiantang is now the territory of the Demon Buddha Temple, guarded by Arhats Kongchan, Shipi, and Lian Sha."

"Especially Lian Sha Arhat, True Master, you must know you have quite a grudge with him."

At this point, Zheng Yin deliberately paused.

Seeing a look of curiosity arise on Tao Qian's face, he continued,

"Lian Sha Arhat has a beloved disciple called 'Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva,' who practices a combination of Buddha, Devil, and Demon arts. Lian Sha Arhat considers her his successor, even planning to use her body to overcome the Daoist Transformation Tribulation."

"But the fruit was not yet ripe when Master Tao and Monk Bai Qin spoiled it together."

"The Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva was reduced to a mere husk, and though her Primordial Spirit was saved, the cost of switching cultivation is significant. If Lian Sha Arhat finds out that Tao Master is here, I fear he would stop at nothing to kill you."

"However, True Master's Divine Powers are vast, and I imagine you are not afraid of Lian Sha. The technique you used to probe the depths of my foundation just now, is it the Buddhist Sect's 'Destiny Communication'?"

Suddenly hearing an old secret, Tao Qian raised his eyebrow.

He replied,

"Not so, just another Sublime Dharma."

"As for Lian Sha Arhat, my karma with him was settled in Southern Yue. If he insists on killing me against his destiny, I fear he will reap his own karmic consequences."

No sooner had Tao Qian finished speaking than Zheng Yin's gaze flickered over the two Ancestor God Treasures.

He spoke directly, asking, "True Master, have you come here for the 'Spring and Autumn Chariot' brought by the Devil Concubine Yuan Mingzhen?"

Tao Qian's expression changed subtly, but he still replied, "It is and it isn't."

After listening, Zheng Yin's expression grew more somber and he followed up with another question.

And this time, it was quite a lengthy and complicated one.

"The one currently in temporary control of Qiantang is that Cheng Arhat, along with the Demon Buddha Temple behind him."

"There's a rebel army called 'Han Mountain Army' causing trouble on the border, led by Li Ren, who is the present Buddha Child of Han Mountain Temple. Though Han Mountain Temple was defeated by the Demon Buddha Temple, it has now gained the support of another major sect, the Vajra Temple, and has the strength to make a comeback."

"Recently, nearly ten major warlords and dozens of minor ones have sent strong forces into Qiantang, including Zhang Mazi, Hong Fu Demon, Song Tiecheng, and Si Xixin."

"Also, a group of about three hundred thousand refugees has entered from the east, led by 'Heavenly King Gao' who claims to have inherited secret techniques from the Outer Realm, shouting about toppling mountains and temples, and annihilating gods and Buddhas."

"In addition, the Gao family from the neighboring southern province of Tiannan also seems to be stirring."

"I wonder, Tao Master, who do you think should end up with Qiantang in the future?"

...

Hearing this, Tao Qian could detect the hostility in Zheng Yin's words.

At first, Tao Qian was curious:

Although he had never met Zheng Yin in person, their ambitions and goals were somewhat aligned, and since he recognized him, why the hostility?

Zheng Yin's line of questioning clearly painted Tao Qian as one of those deluded people who "think themselves grand, treating the world affairs as a chessboard to be trifled with at will."

But on second thought, Zheng Yin was quite different from the various forces and people Tao Qian had dealt with in the past.

Like the National Salvation Congress and the Ancestor Dragon Society are both large organizations.

With a host of like-minded partners, armies under them, and support from many major sects.

Yet Zheng Yin had nothing.

Just himself and a legion of mortals who, like him, could not cultivate any magic skills.

Without Tao Master's near-cheating means of discernment, acting in extraordinary ways, being cautious, and even extreme, was only normal.

"To others, it seems that wherever I go, I stir up trouble and then pick an organization to clean up the mess."

"Demon City saw the National Salvation Congress, New Moon Province the Ancestor Dragon Society."

"Does Zheng Yin think that I'm following the same pattern in Qiantang, choosing an organization to use as my puppet?"

"Those accustomed to assassination tend to see conspiracies in all world affairs... but not without reason."

These thoughts flashed through his mind, and Tao Qian quickly understood what Zheng Yin was thinking.

Understanding was one thing, but patience for explanations was not in Tao Master's nature. Moreover, seeing Zheng Yin's steely resolve, even if Tao Qian explained with heartfelt caution, it would likely be in vain.

However, Tao Qian soon thought of a solution.

He did not respond to him but instead concentrated and acted upon his thoughts.

The next moment, Yu Ding and Valley God Gui, these two Exotic Treasures, turned into Divine Light and flew out simultaneously, each arriving before Zheng Yin's ears.

At the same time, they emitted a competing chant, and Zheng Yin immediately felt a series of images flooding into his mind, all reasons why the Exotic Treasures had chosen Tao Qian as their master.

Zheng Yin, who couldn't cultivate the Great Lifebook Scripture, possessed terrifying Extraordinary Power, all of which stemmed from that one Heavenly Track.

To some extent, he and Yu Ding, Valley God Gui were of the same origin.

With this infusion, he had to believe, even though he was unwilling.

Thus, his face soon showed a hint of sheepishness, and he offered an apologetic look, bowing in a salutation as he said:

"I, Zheng, have wrongly projected my petty thoughts onto a noble heart, mistaking a True Master for someone who seeks cheap fame, deceiving people and using crises for selfish cultivation."

"The True Master's path, the True Master's aspirations, I now understand and deeply admire."

"Even just for the Yang Sui Uprising, the True Master's name will be passed down for a thousand years without end."

"It is also mostly thanks to the True Master's virtue that the Alchemists were dealt such a heavy blow."

"The people of the Seventy-two provinces, including all in Qiantang, owe their thanks to the True Master."

Upon hearing one high praise after another from Zheng Yin, Tao Qian immediately guessed that Zheng Yin must have a 'but' to add.

Sure enough, the next moment, Zheng Yin continued determinedly:

"The True Master may have great virtue, but this method of quickly overturning the order and remaking mountains and rivers, I am afraid, cannot succeed."

"I do not know what the future will bring."

"I only know that the territories that the True Master has overturned have not seen much improvement in the lives of the mortals and common folk."

"Take Demon City, for example; after the True Master disrupted the Taishang Demon Sect and Alchemist's sinister plans, the National Salvation Congress took over for a month, but soon had to give up and retreat to the southern provinces due to harassment from the Taishang Demon Sect, the Evil Sect, and several surrounding warlords. Naturally, Demon City fell back into the entanglement of war."

"A while ago, in one of my dream travels, I fell into the body of a woman in Demon City called 'Su Siyan,' who was a secret prostitute. A year ago, although she lived in poverty, she could barely get by, but now that Demon City has been changing hands among various warlords, not to mention the heavy taxes and miscellaneous levies, there is often chaos caused by soldiers and bandits, and Devils are devouring people. The money she earns as a secret prostitute still cannot fill her household's hungry bellies."

"Then there's New Moon Province; within the Ancestor Dragon Society there are many notables, but since the death of Ying Qingdi, no one has the ability to lead. Headless dragons with strong enemies lurking around, and the Alchemists secretly instigating trouble, even the local Sects like Xuan Dao Sect and Beichan Temple have their complaints... New Moon Province has already started infighting."

"Just three days ago, I happened to dream travel into a refugee. This person, because of infighting between two members of the Ancestor Dragon Society that led to his entire family's death, felt resentment. When the Seven Evils Sect was in power, he could still sell himself to support his little household, but now alone, living day by day, isn't it even harder?"

"I am completely convinced by the True Master's Divine Power, and even if I were to use all my Curse Killing strength against you, it might not succeed."

"But if the True Master intends to repeat the same methods, to overthrow Qiantang's order and have another organization take over, although I am unable to stop you, I cannot cooperate with the True Master either."

"Of course, if the True Master is willing to stay in Qiantang, not to mention calling me to address you as Master, even supporting the True Master as Emperor, I would willingly do so."

These heartfelt words, despite lacking any blame, still left Tao Qian stunned.

Then, without thinking twice, he closed his eyes instantly.

He awakened the vast Human Dao Fortune within him, using it as a medium to start sensing the state of those two territories.

This method, seemingly ordinary, was actually rare, and not something Tao Qian would usually employ.

It didn't take long for Tao Qian to know the result, and his tensed expression eased slightly.

He was about to instinctively exclaim, "All People are suffering," but swallowed the words and sighed instead.

Then, he said to Zheng Yin:

"There is more than one way to run a household, and disputes are to be expected; how much more so for a method to save the world?"

"I, Tao Qian, might have decent Cultivation Power, but I'm not quite someone who can make decisive decisions and govern all things."

"Ever since I joined the mortal world, I have merely dealt with injustices as I saw them."

"If I can resolve a crisis, then I resolve it."

"If I can save a few, then I save those few."

"Whether it was Demon City or New Moon Province, if I had not taken action at the time, not just a million people would have died; perhaps tens of millions would have been killed."

"The ensuing turmoil was not my desire. Just now, when I used magic to spy, I saw that the dispute in Demon City should come to an end, temporarily falling into the hands of Si Xixin. Although he is also a kind of warlord, his current temperament appears to be that of a normal person, who should understand the principle of treating the people kindly."

"As for New Moon Province, Lin Bujue and his brothers have already stepped forward. While his leadership is not as great as Ying Qingdi's, his passionate dedication is commendable, and with the decision by Daoist friends Chen Xiyi and Qi Daozhen to give up returning to their Sects and fully support him, the situation is gradually stabilizing."

As he said this, Tao Qian came to a realization.

The Human Dao Fortune within him suddenly boiled, as if it was staring at Zheng Yin, and at the same time, at Qiantang behind him, and even the whole Longevity Heavenly Dynasty beyond Qiantang.

"Brother Zheng, your method of salvation is already known to me."

"Forgive my candor: although it may not be self-deception, I fear it's not very effective."

"You have no vast army under your command, only that curse killing technique, cutting away those who threaten Qiantang's destiny to maintain a semblance of prosperity and order."

"While this seems effective, it actually immerses you in a decaying society."

"Those countless bloodsuckers, can you kill them? And how could you possibly kill them all?"

As he spoke, Tao Qian waved his sleeve, directly presenting the many absurd scenes he had witnessed upon setting foot in Qiantang, such as "Human Burning Incense," one by one before Zheng Yin.

Regardless of the latter's increasingly tensed face, at this moment, a seed that had long existed in the depths of Tao Qian's heart suddenly began to germinate.

He then heard Tao Qian's incredibly firm low shout:

"Nothing can be established without being destroyed first!"

"If we don't shatter this old order, this old world, merely patching things up will be useless."

ps: More to come.