Chapter 1257 - 15: Underground Palace of Moxin_2

As he proceeded forward, it wasn’t long before he arrived at a Half Moon Cave Gate, where a golden copper toad the size of a person was crouching. It seemed to sense his approach and suddenly made a buzzing noise, demanding, "Who goes there?"

Zhang Yan halted his steps, took out the token, and waved it at the golden copper toad.

The voice realized, saying, "Ah, it’s a new Master again."

At this moment, a stream of white qi spouted from the nostrils of the golden copper toad, swirling on the ground, and then emerged a round, pot-bellied, short-legged and short Daoist priest, holding a horsetail whisk. He had two moustaches on his lip and a face full of lumps, appearing ugly but with clear and honest eyes. He bowed and said, "Gatekeeping little demon Tian Chong greets the Master."

Observing a tri-cloud of Gang Cloud atop this demon’s head, Zhang Yan saw that it clearly had a Nascent Soul Second Realm Cultivation. Its aura was pure and just, indicating it followed the path of Qi Dao and cultivated a superior Xuanmen method. Thus, he also bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, fellow Daoist."

Tian Chong loudly declared, "This little demon shall now open the portal for the Master."

He turned around, flicked the horsetail whisk, and the cave gate behind him rumbled open, pointing as he said, "The area beyond this point is the critical area of the immortal city, where many rare and precious treasures are stored. Only the Master may enter, so this little demon cannot accompany you."

Zhang Yan thought to himself, "So this doorway can only be opened by this toad spirit."

He verbally expressed thanks and strode inside. In less than a dozen steps, he reached the inner chamber and glanced around. Compared to the outer space, this cave mansion was not very large, only about thirty feet in length and width. In the center stood a stele, marking the location of the Prohibition Mechanism.

He then approached a desk, atop which lay a roll of Jade Scroll. A stone cabinet stood against the wall, and the setup was quite simple.

Zhang Yan walked up to the stele, took a look at it from a few angles, then sidestepped it and proceeded to the desk, picking up the roll of Jade Scroll and slowly unfolding it. As he glanced at it, he realized that it contained the mantra for refining this stele, which must be followed to fully control the Forbidden Array within.

Since the mantra was not complicated, containing only about a hundred lines, he memorized it after a brief glance.

Then he came to the Mechanism Tablet, placed his hand on it and poured his body’s mana into it.

As he followed the spell, the stele emitted a series of booming sounds, causing the entire cave to tremble as if it might collapse at any moment. However, he seemed to have anticipated this situation, and his expression remained unchanged, with no pause in his movements.

After about a quarter of an hour, the tremors of the Prohibition Stele gradually subsided, and with a loud noise, a brilliance appeared, and eight Flag Gates flew out around him.

Zhang Yan surveyed the scene, nodding slightly.

From this moment on, he had gained control of the immortal city and could use these Flag Gates to go to any desired location within the mountain.

He mentally recited a few lines of a spell and pointed at the stele. The surface rippled like a water mirror, revealing various scenes inside and outside the mountain. After watching for a while, he noticed the figure of Chu Daoist and, after a brief contemplation, stepped towards one of the Flag Gates. Instantly, the scene before his eyes changed, and he was already at the foot of Moxin Mountain.

Earlier, Zhang Yan and Yong Fu had gone together, and he had instructed Chu Daoist to wait here. At this moment, suddenly seeing Zhang Yan appear before him, Chu Daoist was initially stunned, then showed an expression of joy and said, "Has the Pavilion Master already mastered the mechanisms of the immortal city?"

Zhang Yan nodded with a smile, "Indeed."

Chu Daoist could not contain his joy and spoke excitedly, "It’s been over two hundred years, and since Master Shen’s departure, this position of authority has finally returned to our Han Yuan Sect."

He could not help but be excited, for once Zhang Yan assumed the position of Master, the Han Yuan Sect could justifiably lay claim to seventy percent of the cultivation resources within the immortal city, effectively receiving the support of dozens of sects, much like how prosperous the E Mountain Sect has been in recent years.

If the Master of the immortal city were ruthless, they would suppress those sects to prevent them from posing any threat.

Previously, Yong Fu was so antagonistic towards Han Yuan Sect because apart from Cangzhu Peak being a Blessed Land he wished to occupy, he was afraid they might have acquired some Secret Mysterious Skill left by Shen Baishuang and wanted to contest his position.

After a moment of happiness, he seemed to recall something, patting his forehead, and said, "I almost forgot the important matter."

He took out a stack of Jade Talismans from his sleeve and handed them over, saying, "Pavilion Master, there are thirty-seven sects in Divine House Mountain, and now thirty-six sects have sent their genealogy records. Please review them, Pavilion Master."

This compilation of records in Jade Dishware contained the genealogy and list of direct disciples and elders of each sect in Divine House Mountain. Whenever there was a change in the Master of the immortal city, it was customary to present this item as a sign of reverence. In the future, should any of these sects recruit or expand, or should their cultivation level improve, they would have to notify him.

Zhang Yan took it calmly, reviewed it, and asked, "Which sect has not sent their records?"

Chu Daoist replied, "This sect is called Longxiang Sect, said to have come from the outer sea, like Master Shen and Pavilion Master. However, they have never interacted with other sects, nor did they participate in this recent fighting. During Master Yong’s time, they were never restrained, so I am not sure about their situation. Please instruct, Pavilion Master, on how to handle this?"

Zhang Yan reflected that as the Master of the immortal city, it was like being the head of all the sects and generally would not allow a sect within their territory to be so independent. Yet, the Longxiang Sect could do so, indicating there must be some reason behind it.

He fought for the position of Master to establish another mansion and prepare to resist the major calamity in the future, as well as to acquire materials like the White Moon Ying Fruit. Whether or not the sects in Divine House Mountain were truly submissive was not his concern. After a moment of consideration, he said, "Since that’s the case, follow the old practice. If Longxiang Sect doesn’t cause trouble, let it be."

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)