Chapter 161: Catching Up

Standing by the window, a clear, azure sky filled Zheng Fa's view.

Looking down, he saw a vast, boundless sea of snow-white clouds.

The cloud sea flowed rapidly beneath his feet, like turbulent waves under a typhoon, charging forward without hesitation.

It was not that the clouds were too fast, but that he was too fast.

Zheng Fa had never known that the palace where Uncle Pang summoned disciples daily was actually one of his magical treasures.

Zheng Fa left his room and headed toward the main hall.

Ever since Uncle Huang had brought news of the Heavenly Stele.

The nature of Taiyang Commandery had changed—

Apart from the matter of Shijie Zhang's disappearance.

The affair of the Heavenly Stele was actually even more significant.

A heaven-sent opportunity, yet for the Jiushan Sect, it was also a heaven-sized challenge.

Originally, the Sect Master and the other were planning to send Sun Daoyu first, along with some disciples, to the Lei Chi.

But now, Uncle Pang had no choice but to go personally.

He had brought quite a few disciples:

One group was, according to the original plan, to search for Shijie Zhang.

Another group was to attempt to comprehend the Heavenly Stele.

The final group, based on Zheng Fa's suggestion, was prepared to find a location near the Lei Chi to establish a new market town.

Uncle Pang was sitting in the main hall, discussing something with Sun Daoyu and several others beside him.

Seeing Zheng Fa approach, he beckoned him forward.

"Uncle."

"What do you think of my Five-Dragon Tiangong?"

Uncle Pang pointed outside the hall doors.

Zheng Fa turned his head; from this angle, looking outward, one could clearly see that these continuous palace halls were actually floating upon a golden sea of clouds.

At the very front of the cloud sea were five golden dragons soaring through clouds and mist, pulling the entire palace complex forward.

Upon closer inspection, one could discover that these five dragons were not physical entities, yet they were vivid and lifelike, their long whiskers dancing in the wind, their golden scales glittering brightly.

More importantly, Zheng Fa could clearly feel—these five dragons were not merely decorations meant to show off power.

Every time they turned their heads to look at Zheng Fa, the golden light in their dragon eyes gave him a sensation of heart-pounding fear.

"Uncle's magical artifact has truly opened this disciple's eyes."

The corners of Uncle Pang's mouth twitched; he seemed to want to laugh but held it back, merely waving his hand as he said, "This Five-Dragon Tiangong of mine was forged after I achieved the Nascent Soul realm; I killed five demon snakes that were nearly becoming flood dragons, refined them into essential spirits, and commissioned someone to craft this."

"... Uncle's divine might is impressive."

Demon snakes nearing the stage of becoming flood dragons generally possessed high cultivation; according to Zheng Fa's understanding, the weaker ones would have at least formed a Demon Core, while the stronger ones could even rival a Nascent Soul cultivator.

For Uncle Pang, who had only just entered the Nascent Soul realm, to have such a combat record indeed made Zheng Fa look at him with new respect.

"Without such capability, would Senior Brother have allowed surname Huang to return, swapping me to go to Taiyang Commandery?"

Speaking of Uncle Huang, Uncle Pang did not bother to hide his pride.

Hearing this, Zheng Fa found it reasonable.

As soon as Uncle Pang went out, the Sect Master had recalled Uncle Huang—according to his reasoning, unless absolutely necessary, the Jiushan Sect must always have two Nascent Soul combat forces stationed for defense.

Could it be that Uncle Pang's strength was superior, making his own master feel more at ease?

"Uncle, how far can this Five-Dragon Tiangong fly in a single day?" Zheng Fa asked with some curiosity.

"About eight thousand li per day." Seeing Zheng Fa, and perhaps fearing he would underestimate this magical treasure, Uncle Pang further explained, "It could go faster, but with the Demon Sect hiding in the shadows, it is better to be cautious."

Zheng Fa nodded.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "In that case, we should be able to reach Taiyang Commandery in a little over three days?"

The Xuanwei Realm was far more vast than the modern world; although Taiyang Commandery fell under the Jiushan Sect's jurisdiction, it was still thirty thousand li away from the sect.

Of course, this already placed it within the borderlands of the Jiushan Sect's sphere of influence.

Therefore, the Jiushan Sect had previously entrusted this territory to the Changchun Sect's administration; indeed, except for a Nascent Soul True Person like Uncle Pang, any other Jiushan Sect disciple would take over a month for a round trip, which was far too inconvenient.

"Three days will not work."

"Hmm?"

"We are taking a detour."

"A detour?" Zheng Fa thought for a moment: "Then can we arrive in five days?"

"At least half a month."

... If you aren't running a meter, why take such a long detour?

Seeing his bewildered expression, Uncle Pang also seemed somewhat embarrassed: "Now that Demon Sect disciples are lurking in the shadows, they may have some conspiracy; if we go directly, we might fall into an ambush."

"... So, how exactly are we detouring?"

Uncle Pang took out a rough map and drew a winding, twisting route for Zheng—a route so convoluted that if Uncle Pang hadn't explained, Zheng Fa would have thought he was drawing talismans on the map.

"..."

"This route passes through numerous sects of the Baixian Alliance along the way; should anything happen, seeking aid will be convenient."

Uncle Pang explained his own idea.

"Furthermore, if the Demon Sect has people lying in ambush, they will certainly never expect me to choose this path!"

"Not only the Demon Sect wouldn't expect it..." Looking at the map, Zheng Fa sighed lightly: "No normal person would expect it either."

"..."

Zheng Fa now understood why his own master had recalled Senior Uncle Huang to Jiushan Sect while sending Senior Uncle Pang to take them to Taiyang Commandery—

Senior Uncle Pang was truly a steady sort!

"... Ahem, I reckon quite a few fellow Daoists will be heading there together this time."

Senior Uncle Pang, seeming to feel he had exaggerated a bit, added an explanation.

"Fellow Daoists?"

"The matter of the Heavenly Stele is so momentous; which family in the Baixian Alliance isn't tempted? I chose this route also to exchange words with these fellow Daoists first, especially regarding the market towns."

Zheng Fa nodded.

That was indeed to be expected.

Sure enough, quite a few people followed along the way, but likely because the might of the Five Dragons Tiangong was too overwhelming, there were no Nascent Souls among this group; they merely paid a visit to Senior Uncle Pang, then took to their flying artifacts to trail behind the Five Dragons Tiangong.

It seemed they too sought safety.

Until the eighth day, when they were still about halfway to Taiyang Commandery, Zheng Fa suddenly noticed Senior Uncle Pang's expression turn grave.

"All of you, follow me."

Senior Uncle Pang said this to them, led the group to the palace entrance, waved his hand, and the five golden dragons halted.

Zheng Fa stood beside him, looking outward.

An oval-shaped black shadow appeared beneath the sea of clouds; gradually, this shadow pierced through the cloud sea, and only then did Zheng Fa realize it was a Mystic Turtle.

This Mystic Turtle's body was astonishingly huge; Zheng Fa estimated that the palace complex he stood in could occupy only half of the space on its back.

There were no buildings on the Mystic Turtle, merely densely packed with people standing everywhere.

"Which True Person of the Spirit-Taming Sect graces us with their presence?"

Senior Uncle Pang clasped his hands and addressed the opposite side.

Zheng Fa was stunned; the Spirit-Taming Sect was also a sect within the Baixian Alliance.

It had a Nascent Soul stationed within its gates, counting as one of the Upper Nine Sects of the Baixian Alliance.

Most importantly, the Spirit-Taming Sect was famous for raising spiritual beasts; previously, Li Nuo had been cheated out of quite a few spirit stones by them.

"I am Ling Chengfeng. Is True Person Pang here?"

A middle-aged man in the lead on the opposite side spoke; this man had a burly build, and his beard and hair even had a faint yellowish tint.

"It is truly the Mystic Turtle Elder, True Person Ling! Long heard of your name, long heard of your name!" Senior Uncle Pang's tone conveyed enthusiasm: "I have long heard of True Person Ling's reputation, but unfortunately never had the chance to meet you; meeting you today is truly a blessing of three lifetimes."

The sincerity in his tone and expression was unmatched; the middle-aged man opposite paused for a moment, seemingly unaccustomed to such warmth.

True Person Pang cast a glance to the side.

Zheng Fa hadn't quite grasped it yet when the senior brothers of True Person Pang's lineage on the side shouted in unison:

"Greetings to the Mystic Turtle Elder! May your cultivation advance greatly, and your longevity equal that of Heaven."

Zheng Fa stood aside, feeling a distinct sense of not fitting in—

Wait, did you all undergo collective training?

Didn't they include me?

With this display, True Person Ling actually had a few genuine smiles on his face.

He led his disciples to pay their respects to True Person Pang as well.

They also arranged to come to the hall later for a banquet.

After the Mystic Turtle gradually moved a bit farther away, Zheng Fa couldn't help but ask the Senior Uncle beside him: "Is this person very powerful?"

"Powerful?" Senior Uncle Pang frowned, shaking his head: "Although he is a Nascent Soul, his entire cultivation relies on that Mystic Turtle; his foundation is unstable, so he isn't considered very powerful."

"This person... has a great reputation?"

"Not much of a reputation; the Spirit-Taming Sect still centers on the Sect Master, and he has no notable battle achievements to speak of."

"Then, Senior Uncle, you..."

"You don't understand... the cultivation world, isn't it all about human feelings and worldly wisdom?"

"..."

"One does not strike a smiling face, does one?" Senior Uncle Pang guided him gently: "If I praise him today, later he will find it hard to cause trouble for my Jiushan Sect, won't he?"

"..."

Zheng Fa now understood even better why his master had sent Senior Uncle Pang to handle the matter of Lei Chi.

This Senior Uncle is Jiushan Sect's social butterfly!

A bit later, Mystic Turtle Elder True Person Ling arrived with several disciples for the banquet.

True Person Pang also brought his own few direct disciples to receive them.

Because True Person Pang occasionally offered flattery, the atmosphere at the table grew better and better.

True Person Ling inevitably drank a few more cups and seemed drunk.

"I heard that your Jiushan Sect's Zhang Wuyi is trapped in Lei Chi?"

He asked with a smile.

True Person Pang's wine cup paused, yet his face showed no unusual expression; he merely nodded lightly.

"I also heard that she opposes you at every turn within the sect?"

"That is absolutely not the case." True Person Pang set down his wine cup and spoke: "Senior Niece Zhang merely has some differences in thought with me; how can one speak of opposing at every turn?"

That True Person Ling held up his wine cup, pointed at him, and wore an expression of knowing but not revealing.

"I knew long ago that Zhang Wuyi's personality would inevitably lead to trouble," he added.

"..."

"So what if her talent is high? She offended so many peers and even dared to bully my direct disciple..." He fell silent, but Ling True Person kept chattering: "Now that she has met with disaster, it is simply fate."

"Venerable One, you have drunk too much."

The smile on Pang True Person's face slowly vanished; his fingers gently pinched the wine cup, as if restraining himself.

"Drunk too much?" Ling True Person shook his head, seemingly unwilling to stop: "Zhang Wuyi's misfortune is a regret for me. In a hundred years, my Spirit-Taming Sect will have disciples come to avenge this."

He pointed to a youth behind him and said, "This disciple of mine, having cultivated for only nine months since the Immortal-Grade Assembly, is now at the seventh layer of Qi Refining."

"..."

"Not slower than that so-called fastest Foundation Establishment of Zhang Wuyi, is it? Moreover, I have heard Zhang Wuyi's Jin Dan is flawed." Ling True Person chuckled lightly and said, "When my disciple catches up to her in the future, let us see what face this so-called genius will have left."

"..."

Just then, a fluctuation of spiritual energy came from the side hall.

"Eh? Someone has advanced to the eighth layer of Qi Refining?"

Ling True Person, after all, was a Nascent Soul; he reacted instantly.

Pang True Person picked up his wine cup, took a light sip, and suddenly said, "This disciple also entered the sect through the Immortal-Grade Assembly."

"..."

"It was Senior Nephew Zhang who personally brought him in."

Ling True Person's smile gradually vanished.

"Your disciple will probably have to catch up to him first."