The revival of an immortal, the sweeping away of demons, the matter of the underwater mansion beneath Jinshan, all brewed immense storms and changes!
First, Prince Lu began to feel numb.
Yesterday he was still on the phone with the King of Zhenjiang, congratulating him on his thirty-third wedding, and today he was about to attend his funeral feast.
Life, truly, is unpredictable.
In an instant, he lost several of his Nascent Soul and Yellow Court subordinates, and a large group of demons and monsters were wiped out. Furthermore, Lord Huo's father had given him a big surprise, and Lord Huo herself had become quite capable; when he tried to find her, she dared to reject his spiritual talisman transmission.
The person you are looking for may not be near the spiritual talisman.
"You slut, you bringer of misfortune! I was truly blind to take her into my service! What exactly do the people behind her want? My money houses, my underwater mansion, my experts hidden within the major sects, all gone now!"
"How long did I spend building this? Is this a small loss? This loss is costing me my life!"
Prince Lu flew into a rage, and could only vent his anger by eating children. Lord Huo's refusal to communicate this time had completely infuriated him.
But it seemed he had no way to control her.
Other subordinates could be punished by withholding wages or by taking poisonous pills, but Lord Huo ate nothing. She had only recently started working for him... meaning, the temper of a temporary worker, doing whatever she pleased.
A salary of fifteen hundred, go up the mountain to fight tigers. The tigers weren't caught, but a rich landlord was apprehended.
Aside from Prince Lu, several major sects were also in an uproar.
Among them, Chongyang Palace and Mount Lao were the two most colossal forces.
Within the Canghai Temple on Mount Lao, Daoist Canghai sought out the leading sect of Mount Lao, informing them of the death of one of Canghai Temple's four Nascent Soul experts while out. This matter was highly regarded by many sects within Mount Lao.
"Someone dares to kill our Mount Lao people!"
"What kind of demon is this, so audacious!"
Mount Lao had nine palaces, eight temples, and seventy-two nunneries. Canghai Temple was merely one of the eight temples, but a Nascent Soul expert was a figure of great importance to the temple. To die so suddenly, without even a word!
"Investigate! This matter must be thoroughly investigated! Our Mount Lao sects are not to be trifled with!"
Meanwhile, at Chongyang Palace on Mount Zhongnan, thousands of miles away, as the ancestral court of Quanzhen Dao, although Quanzhen Dao had severely declined, compared to the sects of Zhengyi Dao, which had ascended masters and several Pure Yang experts, Quanzhen Dao appeared quite impoverished.
The Yellow Court realm was already that of a Grand Master, a top-tier expert. The Spirit Refining realm had only two individuals, and within the palace, there was only one decrepit Pure Yang expert, whose chances of ascending were slim, and whose time was running out.
"Is Zhongnan Mountain being bullied!"
"In the past, Zhou Sheng stole Daoist techniques from Zhongnan, killed countless people, heavenly blood rained down, and ghosts and demons cried loudly even in broad daylight. He stole the Grand Supreme Infinite Blade from Louguan Dao, wreaked havoc outside Zhongnan and fled, killing two Yellow Court experts and six Nascent Soul experts... Now, our Zhongnan Mountain has lost another Yellow Court Grand Master..."
The sudden death of Daoist Kaishan this time, his return of wishes, and his being killed, were clearly transmitted back to Zhongnan Mountain.
However, Daoist Kaishan's return of wishes did not mention Qin Nvxiu, but rather attributed all the problems to Ji Xiang!
Although Daoist Kaishan was a subordinate of Prince Lu, a spy, and a demon within the Daoist Palace, Zhongnan Mountain was still useful to Prince Lu. After all, it was an ancestral court of Daoism. A single talisman could gather all Quanzhen cultivators in the world to their cause, a force that was still immense.
Therefore, to pit an ascended master against Quanzhen Dao would not result in a mutually destructive outcome, but rather the annihilation of Zhongnan Mountain.
This incident originated from Ji Xiang's troublemaking, so the root of the problem naturally had to be placed on Ji Xiang. Moreover, Daoist Kaishan, until his death, still believed that Ji Xiang was Lord Huo's father.
"Zen Master Tiger-Eyes, Li Bin! He used the alias Ji Xiang, caused trouble on the Yangtze River, and killed wantonly! Alas, our Chongyang Palace's Yellow Court Grand Master was actually poisoned by this cult leader!"
"Yellow Heaven Cult, must be destroyed! This hatred is irreconcilable!"
Countless high-ranking Daoist priests in Chongyang Palace shared a common enemy, their anger reaching the heavens. Their auras caused the wind and clouds to surge even more violently!
"Everyone, in Senior Brother Kaishan's return of wishes, it is said that Zen Master Tiger-Eyes, under the guise of Wudang Mountain, presented a knife to the King of Zhenjiang. I believe there is something suspicious about this. Zen Master Tiger-Eyes no longer looks like the frail old man he once was, but has become a young man. It can be confirmed that he has regained his youth!"
"This must be the work of Li Shanhe. The Yellow Heaven Cult was passed down by Emperor Jiajing. It was immensely prosperous in the past. Now that he has regained his youth, it must be related to the old Emperor Jiajing!"
"Therefore, Wudang Mountain must know something, perhaps they are in contact with Emperor Jiajing!"
"Yes! During Emperor Jiajing's reign, Wudang Mountain's incense offerings were extremely prosperous. Emperor Jiajing himself visited Wudang Mountain several times to build palaces. The relationship between the Yellow Heaven Cult and Wudang must be close. We must go to Wudang and question them!"
The cultivators in Chongyang Palace reached a conclusion after discussion, but it was rejected by an old man within the palace.
"If you go to Wudang, you won't get any results. The place where this incident occurred is thousands of miles away from Wudang Mountain. Moreover, Wudang Mountain has many hidden immortal masters. How will you deal with those three Pure Yang experts?"
"Although Great Immortal Dongyun is mad, he still has Mr. Qingqiu. Even if Mr. Qingqiu is not present, there is still Great Immortal Feishen..."
"Great Immortal Dongyun's mad palm, Mr. Qingqiu's flying sword, Feishen Pei Qing's fist aura... Which one can you handle?"
"There is also Shouqingzi, Old Ancestor Gusong, Daoist Qingniu, Lei Pengtou, Fu Taishi, Doupeng Zhang, Fuzi Li..."
"Although these are not Pure Yang, they are all peak figures of Innate and Spirit Refining. Wudang is, after all, the imperial Daoist temple of the Great Ming, receiving incense offerings from the world. The gathering of hidden masters from all over the world. Our Quanzhen Dao was prosperous in the past, but now it is in decline. Even if the entire Dao rises up, it is only one Pure Yang. How can we fight them?"
"First, find that Zen Master Tiger-Eyes... now called Ji Xiang. Let the entire Dao rise up, do not disturb Wudang. If we find that the other party has no connection with Wudang, it will be a happy occasion. If the other party is sent out by the Wudang sect, then we will say it was a misunderstanding."
"The great revenge will be avenged another day."
Thus, on this day, Zhongnan Mountain issued spiritual talismans to all Quanzhen disciples in the world, but specifically did not send messages to the Quanzhen cultivators within Wudang Mountain. The mass message, however, had a portion blacklisted, and the rift between groups appeared.
...
The moon sets, crows cry, frost fills the sky. River willows and fishing fires face the traveler in his dreams.
Outside Gusu City, at Hanshan Temple, the midnight bell reaches the traveler's boat.
On the Grand Canal, ships sailed. Passing by Gusu, Feng Menglong prepared to bid farewell to Ji Xiang. He disembarked, carrying the Li Tian Huang Luo Pei and the Yun Diao Bai Yu Guan, eager to return to his hometown and find the local tabloid outlets to submit his writings.
Ji Xiang sat by the cabin door, leaning against two magic treasure sacks, cultivating within. He was only one step away from the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
The sixth realm was about to enter the seventh realm.
Soon, the last flower condensed successfully. Breaking through the three realms of the fifth, sixth, and seventh, each condensing one flower, Ji Xiang's physical body reached the realm of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. Immediately, an imposing aura was released. The light in the dark cabin, which had just been released, was instantly retracted by Ji Xiang.
The third flower above his head disappeared.
He fell back to the sixth realm.
This was a great condensation, a continuous upgrading, then falling back, repeatedly compressing his vital energy to achieve a powerful increase in strength.
The women of Gusu were like beings made of water, or like blooming, vibrant peonies. By the Maple Bridge in the misty Jiangnan, in the pleasure boats, they sang and danced. From a distance, Feng Menglong saw some of his good sisters beckoning him.
Beside them, an old lecher was pestering them on a pleasure boat.
"Don't look at my down-and-out appearance. In my day, I was a famous immortal. Have you heard of the Fallen Immortal?"
"Why are my doggerel poems not considered poems? You yourselves said that as long as there are poems, one can go up. Why are you looking down on me now?"
The scholars immediately said, "You are so old, and not upright. Your presence on the boat might disturb the young ladies!"
The old lecher angrily retorted, "Why would I disturb them? Would you not disturb them?"
"Young lads, I tell you, don't offend me, lest you lose your immortal destiny!"
The scholars burst into laughter and immediately drove him away, "Go, go!"
A confrontation by the river. A woman from the pleasure boat came out. Seeing him pitiable, she said, "Everyone, don't make things difficult for this old man. If he wants to board the boat, he may come up."
The old lecher's eyes lit up, "This young lady speaks well! She is also a spirited person! I can tell we are fated!"
Among the scholars, someone immediately became displeased. The scholar in the blue robe said to the young lady, "Miss Hou! This shameless old man is incorrigible. You cannot let him on, it will ruin your reputation!"
He looked at the young lady who had entered the pleasure boat with burning eyes, then looked at the old man, repeatedly driving him away, and shouted to the boatman:
"Why is the pleasure boat not setting sail yet!"
The pleasure boat immediately moved on the river. The boatman was hired by the brothel. At this moment, he steered the boat away from the shore. The scholar in the blue robe waved to the old lecher, "Why don't you look at yourself in the water?! Go find those older women!"
However, the old lecher's gaze shifted, revealing a lewd smile:
"I wanted to discuss things properly with you, but you look down on people with dog eyes and don't recognize an immortal! What a pity, what a pity! I will still come up!"
With that, he lifted his foot. In an instant, he transformed into wind in the air. A gust of wind blew across the river, making the scholar in the blue robe sway unsteadily. When he looked up again, the old lecher was already at the bow of the boat.
"That young lady caught my eye. It is her good fortune to meet me today. As for you, young man, go down and have a drink!"
He kicked the scholar in the blue robe into the water. The other scholars on the boat were all people with no strength to even tie a chicken. The old lecher blew a breath, and all these people were tossed into the river to swim freely.
"Young lady, come, let me take a closer look?"
The old lecher's eyes shone like a wolf's. At this moment, Ji Xiang's boat approached and was about to dock when he saw this scene. Feng Menglong rubbed his eyes and saw that the young lady was his beloved sister. Seeing her being molested by the old ghost, he was instantly enraged!
"What are you doing, you old ghost! Let go of my Miss Hou!"
Feng Menglong was anxious and quickly asked Ji Xiang for a wind-summoning talisman. Ji Xiang gave him a Great Mighty Divine Spell.
"Daoist Master, what are you doing? I just want to teach him a lesson. What time is it? Don't joke with me. Wouldn't this Great Mighty Divine Spell directly blow him to death?"
"I mean, give me a talisman with less power."
The little fox beside him appropriately handed him the Golden Light Spell.
Feng Menglong was silent for two seconds.
The little fox's expression was very unpleasant.
"Alright, yours also has quite little power, and it's enough to teach that old lecher a lesson. I think he's just a martial artist, and he can't withstand spells."
The little fox nodded with satisfaction.
Ji Xiang said from the side, "Fox Xiaoshi, have you considered the consequences of handing talismans to Xiao Feng?"
"Consequences? Ancestor Master, are you afraid my spells will kill the opponent? No, my talismans don't have much power, but they can definitely teach him a lesson."
Ji Xiang: "No, I mean, is there a possibility that your talismans are actually useless?"
Little Fox: "?"
The little fox turned around and saw Feng Menglong casting the Golden Light Spell. The faint golden light floated in the sky. The old lecher in the distance had the Golden Light Spell smeared on his face. The golden light erupted, and then nothing happened.
The old lecher immediately snatched the talisman.
"Who threw this trash! It's still quite warm!"
Ji Xiang heard the evaluation on his boat and said to the little fox, "It's okay. At least that old man evaluated your talisman as quite warm. A warm talisman can ward off ghosts, so you pass."
The little fox, despite being praised, couldn't feel happy at all and had a sour expression.
Feng Menglong stood at the bow of the boat and cursed, "It was your grandfather who threw it! Get off that boat, or beware I..."
He glanced behind him and continued to curse, "Or beware that my good friend and I will beat you soundly!"
The old lecher laughed heartily on the boat, but after laughing for a while, he couldn't laugh anymore.
"Eh? You scholar, you're interesting. What is this on your body, righteousness?"
He keenly sensed a trace of righteousness on Feng Menglong and was greatly surprised. The young lady in the pleasure boat, Miss Hou, heard Feng Menglong's shouting and immediately came out. Seeing Feng Menglong, she first exclaimed with surprise, "Feng Lang!" It was somewhat unbelievable, because in her impression, Feng Menglong only had two attributes: a novel expert and a professional failure.
It seemed Feng Lang couldn't draw talismans, right?
Was that magic?
Feng Menglong looked at Miss Hou and immediately shouted, "Miss Hou, I'm here!"
The little fox lay beside him and complained, "Go where? You can't fly."
Feng Menglong had no time to argue with the little fox. He went to the side of the boatman, grabbed an oar, and started rowing. The old lecher found it amusing and laughed heartily. Suddenly, he leaped from a distance and landed on Ji Xiang's boat!
"What an unexpected delight! I originally fancied that young lady's aptitude today, but I didn't expect to meet another scholar with righteousness here!"
"People with righteousness, only a few appear in decades! Little scholar, I see your bones are extraordinary, you are a good seedling for cultivating immortality."
"Come with me!"
The old lecher reached out to grab Feng Menglong. Feng Menglong immediately smashed his head with the oar, but the oar shattered, and the old lecher was unharmed, still smiling. He then saw the little fox fairy beside him and exclaimed again:
"Good heavens, there's even a little fox fairy! Do you have no place to belong? I can't sense any aura of a hall on you, this is even rarer!"
"Do you want to cultivate with me too? I guarantee you will achieve the right fruit!"
The old lecher's eyes were already shining. The little fox lowered her eyelids and stuck out her tongue, which made the old lecher smile slightly, and he chuckled, "A bit spirited, but that will be gone once you come up the mountain with me... I will tell you about the benefits of cultivating immortality. If you still refuse, I will have to take you by force..."
"Do not move."
A calm voice came from behind. The old lecher turned his head and saw the muzzle of a Five Thunder Divine Machine gun pointed at him.
The inconspicuous Daoist in black clothes had come out of the cabin. The old lecher smiled slightly,
"Incredible! Is that a firearm? What, are you their master? The sixth realm, isn't that too weak? Why don't you come up the mountain to cultivate with me? How far you can cultivate depends entirely on yourself..."
Before he could finish speaking, a great aura surged from the other person's body!
This was powerful Dao cultivation and fierce killing intent!
With his physical body at the sixth realm, and further strengthened by elixirs, coupled with several days of cultivation on the Grand Canal, Ji Xiang could now display strength comparable to the twelfth Yellow Court realm.
"Yellow Court?! No, why is your physical body so weak?"
"A Yellow Court expert who borrowed a corpse to return their soul?"
The old lecher was startled. Ji Xiang stared at him, "Yellow Court Loose Immortal? On which mountain do you cultivate? What is written on your temple's plaque? Do you belong to Zhengyi or Quanzhen? What kind of pháp do you cultivate? What are your name and Daoist title? Have you registered with the Daoist Affairs Office in Gusu?"
The old lecher's expression became slightly solemn, "You are interrogating me? It is I who failed to recognize a superior. Who are you?"
Ji Xiang reached into his clothes and took out a token:
"The Master of the Great Ming Daoist Registry, in charge of all Daoist affairs."
"If you do not clarify the origin of your mountain sect, I will consider you an evil cultivator. You just pushed someone into the water. If anyone had drowned, it would be now, and I would execute you on the spot!"
The old lecher was greatly surprised:
"Court lackey!"
Ji Xiang's expression remained unchanged, "Lackey, who are you calling a lackey?"
The old lecher: "Lackey calls you!"
Ji Xiang: "Very well, you are a dog."
The old lecher was stunned, then spat twice and was about to leave. Ji Xiang frowned, "Didn't I tell you not to move?"
"Do you think I will let you interrogate me? Court hawk, if you have the ability, then come chase me. Seeing how weak your physical body is, you won't be able to fly!"
"I originally thought I could get another good seedling, but meeting a court hawk is truly unlucky!"
The old lecher turned around, reached out, and snatched Miss Hou from the pleasure boat, laughing wildly, "If you have the ability, come chase me!"
Feng Menglong was instantly shocked, but was stopped by Ji Xiang. Ji Xiang frowned at this.
"A mere banner to be struck down."
A spiritual light gathered between his eyebrows!
He unleashed an ascended divine ability!
The old lecher flew across the sky, feeling extremely smug. Suddenly, his feet felt empty. He looked down again, and his legs had disappeared without him knowing when!
The sword light tore through the sky, the second divine ability of the ascended realm, instantly erasing his legs!
The old lecher was greatly alarmed. When he tried to escape again, his left arm was also gone. He looked and saw that his entire left side had been erased!
He quickly used a spell, and his flesh and blood began to wriggle, quickly restoring itself. But the next moment, a sword light appeared, and his newly restored body exploded!
His Nascent Soul escaped his body and flew towards the sky. Miss Hou cried out in surprise and fell into the water. The old lecher's Nascent Soul, terrified, fled without looking back. Ji Xiang shouted from afar:
"I spare your life. Remember to register with the Daoist Registry when you reconstruct your physical body!"
Plop!
Feng Menglong jumped into the water to swim and save his old flame.