Chapter 590: Where Are the Immortal Abodes Today?

The group continued their tour. The heavens were kind, and today was a cloudy day. Drifting clouds and mist rolled over the mountains, brushing past the late-autumn maple forest, forcefully transforming this place into a high-mountain spiritual realm.

The various peaks held their heads high amidst the clouds and mist, exuding an ethereal, immortal aura.

Jiang Tao, however, felt an itch of curiosity and asked, "Old Ge, I heard there are several immortal abodes here?"

"There are, there are!" Old Ge pointed them out for him. "Xushan has six immortal abodes, distributed among the peaks. The largest one is right ahead on Tianquan Shanfeng."

"Immortal abodes?" He He Lingchuan asked. "Isn't this the former site of the Great Return Sect? Why are there additional immortal abodes?"

Jiang Tao laughed. "Brother He, you don't know. Immortals often went into seclusion and had their own abodes. Of course, those qualified to occupy land within the sect for seclusion were all figures of significant standing within the immortal sect."

Gao Gao Jilin explained further, "So-called abodes are sometimes truly blessed lands of paradise opened up separately, while others are simply occupying a mountain peak for one's own use."

He He Lingchuan nodded, thinking of True Person Dongli, who had passed away in an abode by the side of Xianlinghu. The old turtle demon's divination arts were obtained from him, and True Person Dongli was a disciple of the Great Return Sect; all his learning came from here.

Jiang Tao asked, "In the immortal abodes, aren't there any cultivation techniques, secret manuals, magic treasures, or spiritual items?"

"Of course there are." Old Ge leaped, walking on the railing as if it were flat ground. "It is said that when the abodes were first opened, Lingxu City transported cart after cart of treasures out of them—there must have been over a hundred carts!"

"Then, are there any undeveloped abodes left today?" Jiang Tao was impatient. "I heard there are still hidden abodes on Xushan that haven't been discovered!"

Old Ge squinted at him. "If there really were undiscovered abodes, how did you hear about them?"

"Uh..."

It was Gao Gao Jilin who came to his companion's rescue. "There are six abodes on Xushan that have been revealed, but history records that the Great Return Sect had over ten. So everyone thinks there are still some that haven't been discovered."

"Hehe, you look down on Between Beijia." Old Ge bared his teeth at him. "How many great demons and powerful beings are there in Lingxu City who can't find these abodes? Xushan has welcomed millions of tourists over six hundred years; has no one discovered the mysteries within? Or are you saying that the heavenly gods who cast their gaze here also cannot discover the secrets of Xushan?"

Jiang Tao was left speechless by his retort.

Only then did Old Ge let out a chuckle. "However, it's not as if there are no suspected locations for abodes; they are right ahead on Tianji Shanfeng."

The tourists' spirits lifted, and someone asked Old Ge:

"We heard that one can divine fortune and misfortune on Tianji Shanfeng?"

He He Lingchuan immediately pricked up his ears.

Wasn't this one of the reasons he came to Xushan?

"Correct. Shu is Heaven, Xuan is Earth, Ji is Man, Quan is Time, Heng is Sound, Kaiyang is Law, and Yaoguang is Star. The Tianji Star is the wealth star of the mortal world; those struggling in life are right to come and worship it." Old Ge shook his head and swayed, reciting it very fluently. "Honestly, more than half of the guests who come to Xushan are headed for Tianji Shanfeng. From high-ranking officials and noblemen down to peddlers and porters, everyone wants to know their future."

He He Lingchuan smiled. "You've divined before, haven't you?"

"Of course." Old Ge sighed. "I've been here four times in total, divining two misfortunes and two fortunes. The two misfortunes came true, but I never saw the good fortune."

"A fifty percent accuracy rate is already quite remarkable." Wen Daolun had once told He He Lingchuan that after the great upheaval of heaven and earth, fate became chaotic, and divination arts were sometimes accurate and sometimes erratic; being able to get it right twenty percent of the time was already not bad.

But True Person Dongli's sect was clearly more proficient in this.

Gao Gao Jilin suddenly said, "If the Great Return Sect was truly proficient in this art, why couldn't they calculate their own doom of sect annihilation?"

The Great Return Sect was ambushed by the northern demon kingdom, fought in a rush, lost the initiative, and finally died in humiliation. This was all written in gold characters on a black background on the giant monument at the mountain gate.

"There were circumstances at the time." Old Ge picked at his ear. "Who knows what the specific situation was?"

"Even if the Great Return Sect's divination arts were precise, whether the people in charge of the sect could make good use of them to avoid harm and seek profit is a question." He He Lingchuan also said, "The Daoist sects were never as organized or disciplined as state organizations. Big shots all had their own little agendas, and every time a major event occurred, they would push responsibility around and bicker until the opportunity had long passed."

No matter how good the future blueprint or the rules and regulations are, there must always be suitable people to execute them.

People are the most critical factor in the rise and fall of Daoist sects and nations.

"Well said!" Old Ge applauded him. "Young Brother He is the one with insight."

Gao Gao Jilin was thoughtful and asked again, "To ask about fortune and misfortune, there must be an object. The Great Return Sect has been annihilated for six hundred years; who exactly should one ask about this fortune and misfortune?"

He He Lingchuan gave a thumbs up. "Good question!"

Since one wants to "seek divination," there must be an object to ask, otherwise, are you asking heaven, earth, or the air? Old Ge snorted at Gao Gao Jilin. "Are you the only smart one? Are the millions of people who have come to Tianji Star all fools?"

He He Lingchuan had never seen such an arrogant tour guide.

Gao Gao Jilin, however, had a good temper; he raised his hand and smiled, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

Old Ge gave a cold, mirthless smile. "When you walk onto Tianji Shanfeng, you will know."

The group climbed along the path, the scenery uniquely beautiful.

From here, one could overlook the entire Lingxu City; no wonder the gods wanted to set the Heavenly Palace on Xushan.

He He Lingchuan took two steps forward and asked Old Ge in a low voice:

"Do you know where the Guihua Tower is?"

He needed to send True Person Dongli's token into the tower, which could be considered fulfilling the man's entrustment.

After all, the divine bone necklace had swallowed the heart of that small world.

"Guihua Tower?" Old Ge was stunned for a moment. "I think I've seen it, but no guest has ever wanted to go there."

He He Lingchuan flipped his palm, letting him see the luster of silver taels. "Then can you open a private route for me?"

Old Ge said, "Wait a moment."

He called up the two mountain spirits that were bringing up the rear.

The three monkeys huddled together, chattering and taking turns scratching their heads, but no one could understand what they were saying.

Finally, Old Ge said to He He Lingchuan, "It seems I didn't remember wrong; there is indeed such a place, but it is not on the list of sites restored by the late emperor on Xushan, and it is quite desolate now."

"Is it far?"

"Not far from Tianshu Shanfeng," Old Ge said. "You can pass by it before going down the mountain."

"Many thanks." He He Lingchuan tossed the silver taels to him.

Over there, Jiang Tao and Gao Gao Jilin were also whispering.

Gao Gao Jilin said to Jiang Tao, "Don't you want to make more friends in Lingxu City? This He Yun is a candidate."

"Him?" Jiang Tao glanced at He He Lingchuan's back. "His appearance and bearing are extraordinary, but it's a pity he comes from a small country with limited room for advancement."

In a place like Lingxu City, talents from small countries and small places are born lacking support when they want to climb up. It's like a small fish swimming into the vast ocean, not knowing how many dangers it must endure before it can grow into a giant whale.

Success rate? Hah, one in ten thousand.

"Look at the old monkey's attitude toward him; it's more respectful than toward any of us." Gao Gao Jilin whispered. "Either he has ability, or he has a background."

Although Old Ge worked in tourism, his service attitude was truly poor. He had already become a local monkey of Lingxu, always looking down on out-of-town tourists with a condescending gaze.

"Didn't you book Old Ge's tour to Xushan because you heard he had some ability and wanted to get on this line?" Gao Gao Jilin smiled. "Why aren't you paying attention to the person he respects?"

Jiang Tao thought for a moment and nodded. "Makes sense."

Later, he indeed moved closer to He He Lingchuan, using smiles and small talk to probe the latter's trump cards.

How could He He Lingchuan let him easily fish for information? The few of them looked at the scenery while playing tai chi, and finally arrived at Tianji Shanfeng.

Except for Tianshu Shanfeng, which was a white-headed mountain, the other main peaks were lush and green, with wood, leaves, flowers, and grass in gradients of red, yellow, purple, and white.

Various buildings were hidden amidst the colorful scenery.

This showed the skill of the person in charge of the construction; flying eaves and bracket sets were half-hidden among the flowers and trees, and various pavilions and towers stood firmly by the side of flying streams and waterfalls.

It was as harmonious and elegant as a painting.

But Tianji Shanfeng was different: it had almost no buildings.

Old Ge introduced that this was the main peak with the least amount of human intervention.

Those who approached the peak all let out a long "wow"—

Dongming Shanfeng was a peak formed by a single stone, craggy and gaunt; while this Tianji Shanfeng was a peak formed by a single tree, blocking out the sky and sun!

This was a banyan tree of the high mountains, its roots exposed like vines and blood vessels, tightly gripping the mountain rock and even piercing into the mountain body, fixing itself on the summit of the dangerous peak.

Gao Gao Jilin gasped, "Are we supposed to seek divination from this big tree?"

"You got it right." Old Ge rarely gave a kind reminder to everyone. "Don't open your mouth when you look up; there are many birds in this tree!"

The closer they got, the more majestic the giant banyan felt.

Its trunk diameter was at least enough for thirty people to embrace, yet the main trunk was not straight; instead, it coiled like a dragon, almost baring its fangs and brandishing its claws as it spread out the canopy above.

Growing toward the sky, untamed and rebellious.

Among the giant trees He He Lingchuan had seen, this one could rank second.

The first place, of course, was the Treasure Tree King; its size was far more robust than this high-mountain banyan.

Old Ge provided commentary at the right moment: "The big name of this tree is the 'Questioning Dao Tree'."

"Originally, this seed fell into a stone cave where the soil was barren and light couldn't penetrate, so the tree grew thin and weak, yet it just wouldn't die. An immortal of the Great Return Sect felt its resilience and tenacity, so they leveled the peak top with a single sword."

"Ever since it saw the light, it grew crazily, not only growing out of the cave but also wrapping around the entire mountain peak, forming the strange sight of a tree embracing a mountain." Old Ge finally returned to his role as a tour guide explaining the attractions. "Legend has it that the Great Return Sect's powerful being, Venerable Wood Spirit, passed away under this tree."

Venerable Wood Spirit? He He Lingchuan was startled. Wasn't that True Person Dongli's master? Even though the path was built as wide and flat as possible, the flow of guests here was dense, and everyone could only follow the crowd step by step. Jiang Tao tilted his head ninety degrees to look at the tree: "Has this tree become a demon?"

"No, at most it's just a spiritual object." Old Ge shook his head. "Not all spiritual objects have the opportunity."

This was a relic from the era of immortals, having endured three thousand years of worldly wind and frost, and having received the Emperor's Flowing Nectar countless times, yet the Questioning Dao Tree had never become a demon.

He He Lingchuan, however, said, "This is a blessing in disguise; otherwise, when the northern demon kingdom destroyed the Great Return Sect, it would not have been spared."

Wood and stone are heartless, so the northern demon kingdom had no need to destroy it.

Old Ge said, "The late emperor originally didn't intend to keep it either. I heard that the Treasure Tree King and the mountain spirits of Xushan pleaded many times, saying that a spiritual tree of several thousand years is rare, and only then did Between Beijia show mercy."

Some guests were puzzled: "Why not even spare a tree?"

(End of chapter)