Xiankong Ancestor, while also being of an unconventional Daoist practice, possessed powerful mana.
After the Master Changi of the Ei Sect ascended, the position of Sect Leader was passed to Master Qi, but his third disciple, who refused to acknowledge this succession, wanted to promote the eldest disciple, Xuan Zhenzi. Xuan Zhenzi wouldn’t agree and the third disciple ended up in a no-win situation. In a fit of rage, he left the Ei Sect and wandered off.
As he road around, one day in Guizhou’s Wildman Mountain, he encountered Ha Ha Grandmaster, one of the Southwest’s Three Demons and Five Oddities. The two dueled, and the loser had to beco the disciple of the winner. As it turned out, the third disciple lost, shaved his head to beco a monk, and took a new Dharma na—later becoming the famously renowned Zen Master Xiao Yue.
Xiankong Ancestor once went to Central Earth on a mission and encountered Zen Master Xiao Yue. A conflict arose, and he used a spell to trap him. It was only when Wutai Sect’s Wondrous Fairy Xu Feiniang, a passerby, intervened. Knowing that Zen Master Xiao Yue had left Ei and could beco an ally in the future, she stepped forward to diate and asked Xiankong Ancestor to withdraw his Magical Treasure and let Zen Master Xiao Yue go.
Despite Zen Master Xiao Yue being of the sa generation as three immortals and two elders, also practicing the "Purple and Blue Treasure Talisman," and ranking even above the seventh-ranked Master Qi after becoming a disciple of Ha Ha Grandmaster and practicing both orthodox and unorthodox thods, his mana beca unimaginably strong. Yet still, Xiankong Ancestor was able to trap him.
Shi Feiyang foresaw that the creation such a dangerous weapon as Sacrificial Refinent of Secret Demon Divine Shuttle wouldn’t proceed without hindrance—unless he had made painstaking efforts over this period, he was destined to co across even bigger calamities obstructing his success. If he ignored Xiankong Ancestor or attacked him, Xiankong Ancestor would inevitably draw the Ei Sect to his side, and then, the Ei Sect would pull in sword immortals of every sect from all corners, making things difficult for him.
He wanted to enlist Xiankong Ancestor as an ally, so he chose to use another thod to resolve the issue, bringing the Cave Spirit Zither to the top of Jade Peak and started playing.
The length of Earth’s axial poles, stretching from the North Pole to the South, was beyond a million miles. As Shi Feiyang had just cultivated his Primordial Embryo, and his Lifebound Nascent Soul was still fledgling, not yet considered an immortal long-lived Earth Immortal. Naturally, he had no capacity to transmit sound over such vast distances.
However, within the axis, Chaotic Primordial Qi flowed through, and outside, the yin-yang polarity generated Magnetic True Qi. These fluctuations coursed to and fro with the orbit of the sun, moon, and Heavenly Stars, twisting and turning constantly. Shi Feiyang used the sounds of the zither to stimulate the magnetic qi, instantly transmitting the vibrations from south to north to Wuding Island, subsequently causing the Earth Cold Bell to resonate in kind.
Xiankong Ancestor heard the music and thought an Upper Immortal from heaven was giving him divine hints. He hurriedly prayed and listened.
Shi Feiyang was on Jade Peak atop the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain, playing the Cave Spirit Zither within the Jade Pavilion. He quickly entered the realm of "Earth Sound," where the music was no longer just music, but could mimic the sounds of the wind and rain, lightning and thunder, the roars of tigers and howls of beasts, the crooning of dragons and songbirds, and naturally, it could also mimic human voices.
Xiankong Ancestor heard the original roar within the Earth Cold Bell, a sound like ferocious winds and rolling thunder, leaving him shocked and pondering whether this Upper Immortal was warning him to escape urgently because of an impending crisis, or expressing anger about sothing he had done to enrage the heavens.
Caught in wild speculation, the roaring within the bell suddenly varied and transford into human speech.
The voice, as if belonging to a giant thousands of feet tall whose breath could inhale and exhale ten thousand miles, bood with a resonant base, shaking one’s heart with fear: "Lin You!"
Hearing the "Upper Immortal" call his na clearly, Xiankong Ancestor was delighted: "Disciple... Disciple is here! Predecessor, are you speaking to ?"
"Lin You! What are you frightened of?"
Xiankong Ancestor was slightly perplexed, then even more joyous, realizing the Upper Realm True Immortal was not only able to converse with him but also aware of the crisis he was currently facing. This ant he would intervene and help resolve it.
He hurriedly explained, "Disciple understands the risks of the unconventional paths. I have been discreet and cautious for many years, practicing in seclusion here, never daring to go out and cause trouble recklessly. But recently, in Little Antarctic, a Demon Dragon erged and subdued all the demons under Outer Heaven Divine Mountain under its command. It’s getting more and more restless, and from its actions, it seems to be refining so Treasure. Once it’s successful, it will likely co out and endanger the world!"
"Nonsense!" A gust-like roar ca from the Earth Cold Bell, "Do you know the origin of that Dragon Emperor from Outer Heaven Divine Mountain? He practices the Way of the Three Emperors, the orthodox teachings of the Mysterious Sect. He subdued the demons on Outer Heaven Divine Mountain to teach and spread the law, making no distinctions in his teachings and benefiting all sentient beings! You, as a Loose Cultivator, dare to look down on him? Compared with him, you and those you’ve encountered before are nothing but chickens and dogs!"
Xiankong Ancestor thought the heavenly immortals would teach him how to subdue the Demon Dragon or even pass on so Spells to him, but he did not expect to receive such a scolding instead.
The voice within the bell continued, "The origin of that Dragon Emperor is extraordinary. Even I must yield three points to him! If you wish to survive the impending calamity, your only choice is to get close to him, which is the rightful path. With his Heavenly Dao’s rit and protection, you will certainly remain safe and unhard. If you remain deluded and insist on being his enemy, you are surely courting destruction!"
Xiankong Ancestor was shaken, realizing that even the Heavenly Immortals of Spiritual Space Immortal Realm yielded three points to that Demon Dragon—no, the Dragon Emperor. What could his origins be? Could he be a Fallen Immortal from heaven?
He longed to hear more, but the stormy sounds inside the bell quickly diminished until they completely disappeared. Even when he tried praying and asking again, the Earth Cold Bell remained silent.
Xiankong Ancestor was filled with unease. The words of a Heavenly Immortal were surely not wrong, and they had no reason—nor the propensity—to deceive him. Could it be that the Dragon Emperor was not his fated calamity but rather his savior?
He pondered deeply and divined that his future nesis and savior were interchanged—the nesis on one side ant salvation on the other, and salvation here ant a nesis there.
Having practiced cultivation for hundreds of years and calculated countless tis, this was the first ti he had encountered such a Gua Xiang.
Clearly, if I were to send this letter to Shen Tuhong, the Ei Sect would be my savior, and the Dragon Emperor of Outer Heaven Divine Mountain my calamity. Conversely, if I were to ally myself with Outer Heaven Divine Mountain, the Dragon Emperor would beco my savior, and the Ei Sect my doom.
Based on his own inclinations, he would naturally choose the Ei Sect. After all, it was a millennium-old prestigious sect, the genuine lineage of Taiqing, featuring eminent Sword Immortals such as the three Old Masters of Ei—True Master Taiyuan, Chu Sanzi, and Master Lianshan—from the past. Following them were Master Changi and Crystal Child, and now the Three Immortals of the East Sea of this generation, all incredibly esteed figures in the Righteous Sect.
According to what Ye Bin, the Island Master of Golden Bell Island, had once said, when the Demon Dragon erged, she would join forces with Master Qi of the Ei Sect and invite a group of immortals from all over the land to slay demons and eradicate evil, which was more in line with the true nature of the Immortal Path.
However, the Heavenly Immortal had just issued a clear directive for him to seek out the Dragon Emperor. To follow the divination, allying with the Dragon Emperor would eventually pit him against the Ei Sect and indeed against the group of immortals throughout the world!
The Xiankong Ancestor was indecisive and, after pondering and calculating for several days and nights, ultimately decided to follow the Heavenly Immortal’s advice. The Immortal from the Upper Realm possessed Technique Divine Power far surpassing his own, so the choice they made was certainly more correct than any he could have conceived.
So, he left his chief disciple, Ling Weisou, to look after the house while he himself took a gift and entered the Earth Axis, heading toward Antarctica.
First, he visited the location where the Chaotic Primordial Qi was strongest and t with Long ng and three hundred other Great Demons, to whom he said, "Xiankong Ancestor from Wuding Island of the North Pole, wishes to pay respects to the senior Dragon Emperor."
He had initially wanted to use the term ’Daoist friend,’ but rembering that the Heavenly Immortal had said he should make even the Dragon Emperor pay him so respect, he positioned him as a senior and thus addressed him as such.
Long ng thought he had co to provoke a confrontation and was on full alert. He didn’t expect him to co with intentions of paying respects and even address the Dragon Emperor as a senior. Surprised by this unexpected courtesy and aware of the Ancestor’s profound mana, he dared not neglect him, sending a junior Mirage Dragon to lead the Xiankong Ancestor through the Earth Axis to Jade Mountain, where the duty disciples took over.
The duty disciples led the Xiankong Ancestor to the Bright Realm and through the Crystal Jade Arch to enter the luminous Five Palaces. They guided him layer by layer through the Shenzhe Palace and finally to the Five Bright Palace.
Shi Feiyang had predicted his arrival and was waiting for him at the Five Bright Palace.
The Xiankong Ancestor had visited here before to probe the movents of the Cold Centipede. Now returning, he recognized so of the palaces, yet found that there were many new ones as well.
When the Cold Centipede was present, he felt that these Heavenly Palaces were majestic and exquisite. Now, upon looking again, the complex of palaces was integrated through geomantic feng shui, their imposing aura seamless. Especially with Shi Feiyang’s reconstruction and the layout of Nine Mountains and Nine Rivers embodying the Nine-Nine-Returning-to-True principle—surrounded by it, he felt like a speck of dust in the vast universe.
Upon entering the main hall of the Five Bright Palace, he saw a handso young man dressed in bright yellow rfolk silk, wearing a golden crown and bearing golden rings. His clothing was embroidered with a map of Heavenly Stars on both the front and back. From head to toe, he exuded an ethereal Immortal Energy, truly like a Fallen Immortal descending to the mortal world.
Hurriedly, the Xiankong Ancestor bowed in respect, "Junior Lin You, pays his respects to the senior Dragon Emperor..."
The young man quickly returned the gesture and assisted him, "Daoist Lin, you have mistaken for soone else. I am Jin Xunu, a disciple of the Dragon Emperor, and have been ordered by my master to receive you here."
The Xiankong Ancestor paused in surprise, realizing his mistake, and silently marveled. If a disciple of the Dragon Emperor possessed such a bearing, what would the Dragon Emperor himself be like? Was he really a demon-transford dragon that would bring harm to the people, as Ye Bin had said?
Little did he know, Jin Xunu’s Dao Level spanned a thousand years. Over four hundred years ago, he had separated from his original body, transford into a human form, and cultivated his Lifebound Embryo. After nourishing it for a long ti, he was nearing a five-hundred-year deadline and still required one more calamity to beco an Earth Immortal. He should not have possessed such an aura.
Yet, having served as the Imperial Sky Official for years, observing the Heavenly Dao and implenting its principles, his comprehension of the Dao had deepened and his Daoist Techniques had advanced significantly. Accumulating a vast amount of rit, he resembled a Heavenly Immortal despite not being an Earth Immortal yet, which impressed the Xiankong Ancestor.
Feeling uneasy, the Xiankong Ancestor followed Jin Xunu into a side hall of the Five Bright Palace, where he saw a young man in green attire sitting on a cloud couch. The young man’s hair was loosely bound by a Jade Ring, appearing carefree and at ease. Although he too had an ethereal and extraordinary deanor, his bearing did not seem as profound and expansive as that of his disciple, Jin Xunu.
This ti, not daring to directly address anyone, he looked toward Jin Xunu, who then paid respects to the person on the couch, "Master, Daoist Lin has been brought here."
Sitting on the couch was Shi Feiyang himself. Unlike Jin Xunu, who held both saintly and imperial identities, he focused more on the forr, spending most of his ti cultivating in the Five Bright Palace. Jin Xunu’s aura bore the majesty of an Immortal Official, hence the noticeable difference in the eyes of the Xiankong Ancestor.
He smiled and sent Jin Xunu away first, "There’s no need for you to take turns here, you are the Imperial Sky Official, the chief among officials, and must not slack off for even a mont. The operation of the Heavenly Dao never ceases, and neither should your observation and application of it. Yet, where there is relaxation, there should be rest. Why does the Heavenly Dao not rest? Do you understand the principle behind this?"
Jin Xunu pondered for a mont and answered, "Please forgive my ignorance, I do not."
Shi Feiyang explained, "The Yi Jing ntions twelve ’ssage’ hexagrams, corresponding to the waning of Yin and the resting of Yang, and vice versa, which illustrates the original aning of ’ssage’. You must have thoroughly understood them by now. Nevertheless, there’s also ’endless self-strengthening’ and ’unceasing life.’ If there is only decline without rest, it cannot sustain in the long term. The key lies in ’the Dao follows nature.’ Ponder this in your cultivation, and if you grasp it, you will face fewer obstacles in your future path."
Jin Xunu respectfully accepted the teaching, "I will definitely strive to advance diligently and not disappoint my benevolent master."
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