Chapter 550: Cloud Mountain's Seven Sons

Qin Zizhou felt his cultivation was still vastly insufficient, a sentiment appropriate for a legendary Boundary Roaming God. However, his actual cultivation was far from as negligible as he imagined.

Jiyuan knew that Qin Zizhou was likely the only one traversing the path of a Boundary Roaming God. With no one to compare him to, it was impossible to gauge if his progress met any standard. In fact, Qin Zizhou's current cultivation could not even be simply defined by the conventional levels of the cultivation world. Nonetheless, it was undoubtedly exceptional; at the very least, ordinary demons and monsters were certainly beneath Old Master Qin's notice.

Although Qin Zizhou mentioned he would roam the four directions, he was actually still confined to the Bingzhou region and even the vicinity of Yunshan. After all, Yunshan Temple was established from nothing as a lineage of immortal cultivation, making the emotional ties self-evident. It also served as a crucial foundation for his own enlightenment.

Over the past two days, Jiyuan conversed with Qin Zizhou, exchanging information and helping him understand various events across the land. Jiyuan recounted incidents such as the changes involving the Dragon Corpse Worm, the suppression of the demon fox, the gathering of immortals at the Immortal Gathering Assembly, the five individuals occupying a peak to refine the Immortal Binding Rope, the surprising absence of the reclusive Heavenly Secret Pavilion from the assembly, and stories from within the Nine Peaks Grotto-Heaven. Qin Zizhou, in turn, primarily discussed the changes in Yunshan Temple, but more often explored various aspects of his own cultivation with Jiyuan.

As midnight approached, in the bitter depths of winter, the tea in the teapot atop the mountain remained steaming hot. However, both men ceased their conversation and turned their gaze towards Yunshan Temple, located within Misty Peak.

"It should be almost time."

Qin Zizhou made the seemingly abrupt statement, and Jiyuan nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, it has begun."

"Sun Yaya will also read the book. Aren't you concerned, Mr. Ji?"

Jiyuan set down his teacup and said unhurriedly.

"Her magical arts have already captured some of my essence."

Qin Zizhou's brow twitched. He focused his vision and scanned Yunshan Temple, pausing for a moment at Sun Yaya's location. He had previously heard that Mr. Ji taught her calligraphy, but he hadn't imagined her attainments would reach such a level. If so, reading the *Mystical Laws of Heaven and Earth* would indeed be a natural progression for her. For others, it would first be a test, then a study of the method; but for Sun Yaya, it was direct observation of the method.

As they spoke, neither man showed any intention of rising. This day could be considered the most significant for Yunshan Temple since the establishment of its cultivation lineage. To some extent, their presence at this moment would actually be disadvantageous.

Perhaps in the future, Yunshan Temple might permit guests to observe ceremonies, but for today, it was best to let Qi Xuan and the others manage it independently. Even if they encountered minor issues, these were small challenges Yunshan Temple needed to overcome on its own.

Inside Yunshan Temple, the main and side doors of the grand hall were wide open. All prayer mats had been removed, save for one placed beneath the Star Banner. In addition to the Star Banner, two portraits were hung on either side of it. Daoist Qingsong, the temple master, stood with the other Yunshan Temple disciples outside the hall's eaves, bathed in starlight.

Daoist Qingsong, Qi Xuan, led the procession alone at the front. Behind him, Daoist Qingyuan, Qi Wen, stood first, followed by two grey ferrets, and then four children, aged eleven down to seven. However, the seven individuals were not arranged in a straight line; at first glance, their formation appeared somewhat scattered. Upon closer inspection, one would realize their arrangement held a special meaning, forming a connected line resembling a strange spoon.

Apart from Qi Wen and the others, Sun Yaya stood alone in her own line. Although positioned outside their main formation, her placement seemed to be even ahead of Qi Wen's. Sun Yaya was initially quite embarrassed by this arrangement, as Qi Wen was considerably older than her; however, Qi Xuan insisted that she stand in that particular spot.

The seven people and two ferrets had maintained their motionless stance for some time. At this moment, Qi Xuan looked up at the stars and moon, seeing the brilliant constellations and bright moon hanging directly above Yunshan. A sudden flash of intuition told him the hour had arrived.

Dressed in his new Taoist robe, Daoist Qingsong slowly extended his hands, forming the Taiji Yin-Yang seal. He then bowed towards the Star Banner within the hall, followed by crossing his palms in prostration, and concluding the ritual with the Taiji seal before rising.

"Bow to the Heaven and Earth, and the Stars!"

Everyone at Yunshan Temple mimicked Daoist Qingsong's actions, performing the bows perfectly, including the two small grey ferrets. Although Daoist Qingsong had previously told Sun Yaya that she needn't adhere to Taoist etiquette, she nonetheless performed the ritual alongside the others.

Daoist Qingsong then turned to face Jiyuan's portrait, performed a grand Taoist kowtow, and then loudly proclaimed.

"Bow to the Great Master!"

The others behind him, along with the two grey ferrets, once again meticulously performed the ritual, kowtowing towards Jiyuan's portrait.

Daoist Qingsong then turned to face Qin Zizhou's portrait, performed another grand Taoist kowtow, and simultaneously commanded loudly.

"Bow to Divine Lord Qin!"

Those behind Qi Xuan, along with the two ferrets, bowed once more, then slowly concluded the ritual and rose.

"We invite the Mystical Laws of Heaven and Earth!"

This time, Daoist Qingsong and the entire group behind him performed a deep bow towards the Star Banner. The group behind him then repeated almost in unison:

"We invite the Book of Heaven and Earth!" "Squeak squeak squeak!"

The next moment, the stars on the Star Banner within Yunshan Temple's grand hall began to glow. On the summit of Misty Peak, Jiyuan and Qin Zizhou looked up at the sky, first feeling the celestial power descending—one streak, then two, three, and then countless more...

In the heavens, unseen by ordinary eyes, the power of the surrounding stars descended like a dazzling meteor shower, with Misty Peak, centered on Yunshan Temple, as its focal point.

This magnificent spectacle was truly breathtaking. Not only were those like Sun Yaya, who witnessed it for the first time, awestruck, but even Qi Wen, who had seen a similar display before, couldn't help but hold his breath.

Although Qi Wen had heard many principles from the *Mystical Laws of Heaven and Earth* over the years, and had even begun to practice some of its key tenets, he had never truly read the full text. Thus, today could arguably be considered his first encounter with the book itself.

At this moment, streaks of starlight descended, seemingly penetrating the roof tiles of Yunshan Temple's main hall, bathing the interior in celestial radiance. Due to their strategic formation, even the four children could clearly witness the various miraculous scenes unfolding. They held their breath, their eyes wide open, terrified of missing even the slightest detail.

Amidst this wondrous starlight spectacle, two books emerged from the already illuminated Star Banner: the supremely important first volume of the *Mystical Laws of Heaven and Earth*, and the second volume, which Jiyuan had brought not long ago.

Not both volumes of the mystical laws descended; only the first volume slowly settled onto the prayer mat, bathed in starlight. Witnessing this, Daoist Qingsong, who appeared dignified but had been immensely nervous, subtly exhaled a sigh of relief. He stepped aside and turned to Sun Yaya.

"Miss Sun, please proceed!"

"I... Yes!"

Sun Yaya initially wanted to decline, but feeling it was inappropriate to question the esteemed temple master in such a setting, she assented. After bowing to Daoist Qingsong, she then stepped, one by one, into the grand hall of Yunshan Temple.

Arriving before the prayer mat, Sun Yaya first gazed at the book. Though it still subtly shimmered with light, it was gradually settling into an ordinary appearance, like a slightly yellowed ancient text. The four large characters on the book's cover were written in a hand Sun Yaya knew intimately: "Heaven and Earth Give Birth."

'So, Mr. Ji wrote this!'

With that thought in mind, Sun Yaya reached out and picked up the book. She then slowly sat down on the prayer mat and, with a hint of trepidation, gently opened the volume.

*Rumble...*

First, a celestial thunderclap resonated in her mind. Within the text, her surroundings—both the grand hall and the figures within it—receded. Colors shifted, and the world transformed...

Daoist Qingsong nodded from outside, acknowledging her achievement—truly a child brought by Mr. Ji. He then looked at the others outside, including Qi Xuan, all of whom wore expressions of both anticipation and nervousness. Even the two small ferrets were squinting their eyes.

For Sun Yaya, it felt as long as a month, yet in reality, only half an hour had passed. This was already the limit of her mental endurance, and she began to feel a faint headache.

Daoist Qingsong seemed to sense the shift in Sun Yaya's mental state. At that moment, he acted, sweeping his wide sleeve, and the starlight swirling within the hall washed over Sun Yaya, rousing her from her reading.

"Hiss... hoh..."

Sun Yaya reached up and rubbed her forehead, then stood, placed the book back on the prayer mat, and exited the grand hall. After bowing to Daoist Qingsong, she moved to stand to one side.

"Qingyuan, you may go."

"Yes, Master!"

After bowing, Qi Wen also entered to read the book, emerging after approximately half an hour. Daoist Qingsong then turned his gaze to the first grey ferret, which, not yet formally named, was addressed by its usual nickname.

"Dahui, you may go."

"Squeak squeak!"

The grey ferret returned the bow, then slowly walked to the prayer mat and lay down to read, though it only managed to endure for a little over a quarter of an hour. Subsequently, the Yunshan Temple disciples entered one by one, their reading times varying from a quarter to half an hour. Crucially, all of them managed to comprehend something from the book, which greatly delighted Daoist Qingsong, who well knew the demanding nature of the method.

On the summit of Misty Peak, Jiyuan and Qin Zizhou observed the entire ceremony with their spiritual eyes. Only when the youngest disciple had finished reading, stood up, and returned to their designated celestial position did Jiyuan thoughtfully turn to Qin Zizhou.

"I hadn't expected all seven would succeed."

Qin Zizhou stroked his long white beard, then, after a moment of thought, looked at Jiyuan and spoke.

"It is indeed somewhat unexpected. Now that you mention it, I recall that three years ago, when these children first arrived at the temple, Daoist Qingsong told the seven of them that when he first learned divination, he had calculated he would only have seven master-disciple connections in his lifetime, and he referred to them as the 'Seven Children of Yunshan'."

"Oh? Is that true?"

Jiyuan showed slight surprise, and Qin Zizhou nodded solemnly.

"Yes, it is true!"

Jiyuan smiled, looking towards Yunshan Temple without speaking. The Seven Children of Yunshan? Daoist Qingsong certainly possessed a considerable amount of gravitas and spirit!