Chapter 146: The Person the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity Has Always Been Looking For

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Daoist Priest Xuanqing slumped to the floor of the main hall in a frenzy, repeating his denial. "The Celestial Sovereign of Longevity is omnipotent. How could anyone in this world see through His divine abilities..."

"I understand!" Daoist Priest Xuanqing suddenly let out an excited scream. "The only one who can see through the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity's divine abilities is Himself! That means Pride is a believer of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity, just like me. I borrowed the Celestial Sovereign's power to glimpse his future, and he borrowed that same power to speak to my present self!

"It has to be. After all, that wicked disciple of mine is Lust of the Seven Deadly Sins. When you look at it that way, it makes perfect sense.

"Hahahaha..."

Having figured out the missing link, Daoist Priest Xuanqing felt completely refreshed. To him, it didn't matter if the world was destroyed. The only thing that mattered was that the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity was omnipotent!

He danced around the empty hall like a madman, circling the Divine Statue of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity. He spun and spun until he suddenly stopped.

Extreme excitement overtook him. He practically threw himself onto the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity's statue, his expression fanatical.

"Are You saying Pride is the one You've been searching for?"

"Yes, yes, yes. I will definitely bring Pride before You."

Daoist Priest Xuanqing's crazed voice echoed through the empty hall. Before long, he began dancing around once more.

Night soon fell. After spending the whole day out fooling around, Jun Wushang returned to Longevity Daoist Temple. He smelled roasting meat the moment he walked through the door.

When he entered the main hall, he found Old Taoist Xuanqing sitting at a table. The old man's wrinkled face was beaming like a blooming chrysanthemum, and a lavish spread of food covered the table.

"My good disciple, you must be tired after a busy day. Your master has already made dinner. Come eat."

Jun Wushang immediately went on guard. "Old geezer, what trick are you playing now? Did you slip sleeping pills in there? Are you planning to steal back the three hundred bucks you gave me yesterday once I'm asleep? I'll tell you right now, I already spent that three hundred, so give it up."

A vein throbbed on Daoist Priest Xuanqing's forehead, but he forced a kind smile. "My good disciple, you're joking again. How could your master do such a thing? I just figured you worked hard all day, so I made this table of good food to help you regain your strength."

Saying that, he pulled out a bottle of dark green potion and placed it on the table. "This is the [Sword Heart Clarity] Transcendent Potion. Your master just finished brewing it. Drink it while it's hot. Once you do, you'll advance to Bronze Tier 2, and your [Peerless Sword Dance] will be able to unleash its true power."

Daoist Priest Xuanqing's goodwill only made Jun Wushang more suspicious. He even took a step back, retreating out the door.

"Nothing good ever comes from unprovoked flattery. Did you find out I stole money from the donation box? Are you planning to mess with me?"

"What!? You've been stealing from the donation box... Huu!" Another vein popped on Daoist Priest Xuanqing's forehead. He took a deep breath, forcefully swallowing his rage, and continued in a gentle tone. "It's fine. If you took it, you took it. The Celestial Sovereign of Longevity is the most merciful and magnanimous god in the world. He won't hold it against you. Come eat."

"I'm not eating unless you tell me your real objective!"

"Am I being too nice to you!?" Daoist Priest Xuanqing finally snapped, roaring, "Get over here and eat!"

"Tch." Jun Wushang scoffed. He strode right into the main hall, sat down, and started eating. "Why didn't you just say that from the start?"

"You piece of—!" Daoist Priest Xuanqing forcefully fought down the urge to kick Jun Wushang. He chanted silently to himself, Don't get angry. Don't get angry. This kid will become Lust of the Seven Deadly Sins in the future. He's going to be a big deal. I still need him to provide for me in my old age.

"So tell me, what's going on? Let's get one thing straight, though—I'm not lending you money," Jun Wushang mumbled around a mouthful of chicken leg.

"Ahem..." Daoist Priest Xuanqing cleared his throat. "Today, a great and joyous event occurred."

"Are they handing out free eggs in the city?"

"Screw you!"

Bam!

Daoist Priest Xuanqing finally lost control and kicked Jun Wushang right out the door.

"Your master is talking about a major event! How does handing out eggs count as a major event? That's a minor joy at best! Listen closely. This major event is... the thing the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity has been searching for has finally been found!"

"Oh." Jun Wushang rubbed his butt, climbed off the floor, and went right back to eating.

"What kind of attitude is that!? Didn't you hear what I said? The Celestial Sovereign of Longevity..."

"I heard you, I heard you. The thing was found, big deal. If you ask me, you should book an appointment at the psychiatric ward and get your auditory hallucinations treated. It'd save you from hugging that statue and talking to it every day."

"Hmph. Your master is simply blessed with deep fortune. I am able to listen to the teachings of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity. What the hell do you know?"

"Alright, alright, I don't know shit. So what exactly has the old Celestial Sovereign of Longevity been looking for? I remember you saying you wandered the world and stayed in one place for a year just to find this thing. But when I asked what you were looking for, you couldn't give me a straight answer. You babbled about how it might be a person, or an object, or physical, or intangible."

Daoist Priest Xuanqing smiled mysteriously. "Now I know for certain. It's a person!"

"Who?"

"I don't know yet."

Jun Wushang stopped eating. He reached out and felt Daoist Priest Xuanqing's forehead. "Master," he said seriously, "I'm taking you to the hospital tomorrow. We really can't put off treating this mental illness any longer. You don't even know who it is, so what the hell are you so happy about? You're really losing your mind."

Daoist Priest Xuanqing smiled and shook his head. "My mind is perfectly fine. Never better, in fact. Although I don't know who this person is, you definitely do."

"Me?"

"That's right. He is most likely someone you met recently. You should be quite familiar with them, and they've deeply influenced you. Remember when I read your fortune? Back then, the reading said you'd spend your whole life achieving nothing and die in depression. But now your fate has changed. That means you recently met a benefactor, and this benefactor is exactly the person I'm looking for."

"Oh." Jun Wushang pulled a small card out of his pocket. "Call this number. Ask for Number 8. Mention my name and you'll get a discount."

Bam!

Jun Wushang was sent flying by another kick.

"Old geezer, what the hell is your problem!?"

"Your master is looking for the benefactor who changed your fate! Not some Number 8!"

"You just said it yourself! Met recently, quite familiar, deep influence. That's definitely Number 8!"

Smack!

This time, a swift karate chop greeted Jun Wushang. It struck him hard on the back of the neck, instantly knocking him unconscious.

"Celestial Sovereign above, Your disciple didn't want to resort to this. But this kid's brain is too dense, so Your disciple will just have to personally search his memories."

A translucent tentacle slipped out from beneath Daoist Priest Xuanqing's wide robes. It slithered right into Jun Wushang's ear and latched onto his cerebral cortex.