Chapter 100: Companions Appear with Their Own Differences, Pre-event Allocation and Gathering【4k】

The sea of clouds surged, obscuring the sky and blocking the sun.

Thousands of golden rays leaped and danced with the cloud waves, like countless shimmering scales, magnificent and wondrous.

Then, the cloud light was parted, and layers of sunlight poured down, a golden expanse that made the carriage above appear all the more extraordinary.

"What a fine Fuyao Mountain!"

The distant mountains were clear, the clouds washed the sunny sky, and not far away, a peak rose abruptly, thrusting straight into the clouds.

Looking closer, the mountain was covered with green vines and purple wisteria, casting shade everywhere; precious herbs and exotic flowers could be seen everywhere, and there were cinnabar springs and red wells, with mist curling and rising, and flowers of spirit blooming.

It was truly a treasure mountain, with delightful feng shui.

Fang Longye knew this was the destination of his trip, and his eyes shone with brilliance.

In his eyes, above the void, flying light and moving shadows, lines forming patterns, fell from top to bottom, forming an invisible light barrier that permeated the surroundings of this treasure land.

"This Mountain Guarding Array is truly extraordinary!" Fang Longye praised in his heart.

In the surrounding void, countless Dao Patterns formed ripples, layered upon one another, constantly being born and destroyed in an instant, forming peerless power.

The entire array manifested a magnificent and unusual phenomenon, with five colors soaring into the sky, leaping with bright radiance.

Above the summit, a huge canopy of Divine Light formed, with a thousand magnificent sights.

It gathered the spirit energy of the surrounding earth veins, drew the power of the sun, moon, and stars from all directions, and bound it into an array, solid as a golden fortress.

It was indeed a grand undertaking; Fang Longye had seen many profound arrays by now, but seeing this one, there were still many mysteries he did not understand rushing into his brow, full to the point of overflowing.

Fang Longye's primordial spirit resided in his Purple Mansion, slightly stirring ripples to probe the power of this array; calculating it, with his current strength, it would not be easy to contend against it.

Just as he was pondering, suddenly five-colored light burst forth, like threads, scattering in all directions.

As the light faded, a slender and beautiful figure appeared before the carriage; it was the master of this place—Yunque Wang.

"The Dragon Lord's arrival truly makes this humble abode of mine shine with brilliance." She welcomed him with a smile and bowed gently.

"You are too kind, fellow Daoist! It is my honor to witness the magnificent scenery of Fuyao Mountain."

The carriage opened wide, Hu Qiuyue parted the pearl curtains, and Fang Longye sat inside, not rising, and laughed loudly.

"Please, everyone, follow me." Yunque Wang did not get angry, still smiling as she led the carriage into Fuyao Mountain.

……

A courtyard.

Amidst the interlacing bamboo leaves, there were stones like blooming lotus flowers, and spring water flowed from the flowers, splashing and scattering like jade all over the ground.

The pine wind came suddenly, lingering and not leaving.

It was quiet and natural, making one feel relaxed and happy.

Fang Longye sat upright in a small pavilion, his fingers tapping unintentionally on the railing, thinking of the scene after landing earlier, and chuckled, "Interesting~"

Sure enough, my making such a show of force was the right thing to do.

Why did he act so ostentatiously, or even arrogantly, on this trip? It was to occupy a dominant position among these fellow participants in the treasure hunt~ Just as Jin Feng had privately pondered earlier, Fang Longye, whose strength was misjudged, was a powerful dragon that could not be controlled by Yunque Wang.

Clearly, he also had the awareness of a powerful dragon stirring up trouble.

Acting so ostentatiously was meant to attract the attention of these participants, thereby causing them to lean toward him and form a small group, preventing the situation from being completely controlled by the organizer, Yunque Wang.

Fang Longye certainly knew this small group was unreliable, but he did not want the obedience of these fellow invitees either.

What he wanted was for these cultivators participating in the treasure hunt to band together and maintain the same rhythm in dealing with Yunque Wang, preventing her from having sole control.

After all, as the organizer, her advantage was too great.

Just the information she alone knew could form a dimensionality-reduction strike against them, the invitees who knew nothing.

Now it seemed that these cultivators who were invited along with him, regardless of their strength, all had quite a bit of depth in their schemes.

There was not a single fool among them; they all understood his intention. Since a strong person was willing to step forward and be the leader, why wouldn't they be happy to go along with it?

After he settled into this courtyard, they came one after another. The meaning behind their words was very clear.

In dealing with Yunque Wang, these people were willing to follow his lead and look to him for direction.

It was also true; these True Immortal cultivators who could be invited by Yunque Wang were, at the very least, people with some skills.

Even if there were limitations on strength to control the situation, in terms of wisdom, Yunque Wang would not give up eating for fear of choking and deliberately choose stupid people.

This was a treasure hunt in a Cave Abode ruin, not an outing for sightseeing. It didn't matter if their strength was a bit lower, but they absolutely could not be fools.

Reality was not an adventure movie that would deliberately arrange one or two fools to create dangerous situations and promote the development of the plot.

"However," Fang Longye's eyes flickered, "among these people, there must be those who lean toward Yunque Wang; they might not be of one mind."

Currently, four cultivators had already visited him.

The first to come was Longxiang Wang, who had some connection with him, the Dragon Clan. He was a hybrid born from the union of a True Dragon and an elephant demon, counting as half a dragon descendant. His attitude was respectful, especially after seeing Ao Ying, who drove the carriage for him.

Next was a True Immortal from the Iron-Eating Beast clan, named Lu Zhu. He looked chubby and quite honest, but anyone who truly believed that would definitely suffer a great loss.

Afterward, Chifeng Wang and Mingxue Wang arrived together. The former's true form was a red tiger, and the latter's was a vampire bat; both were people with unfathomable intentions.

Just as he was pondering, another fellow Daoist came to visit, led by Ao Ying.

"This one is quite unusual~" Fang Longye thought to himself after seeing the visitor.

A single horn grew on his forehead, not a bull's horn, not a deer's horn, but sharp like a sword, with purple electricity generating light. A Golden Crown bound his hair, he wore a purple-blue robe, stepped on a pair of cloud-toed shoes, and tied a black and gold belt around his waist.

He carried a square-sky painted halberd on his back, his whole body was tall, and there was a faint sound of wind and thunder as he walked; his momentum was stern, his appearance was upright, and his eyes were like bright stars.

Wind, thunder, and cloud energy intertwined around his body, staining the area. Frost patterns were evident, extending to both sides like spread wings, the feathers vivid, crystal clear and refreshing, filled with purple and green mist.

"A demon immortal who attained the Dao as a goshawk~" With Fang Longye's strength, he could naturally easily probe what this person's true form was.

"I just don't know what kind of hybrid it is, but it is definitely not an ordinary beast."

"Meng Huai has met Yuanlong Jun." After this demon immortal arrived at the small pavilion, he bowed and saluted.

His voice was clear and resonant; although not loud, it was like thunder, alerting the mind.

Fang Longye laughed: "You and I are both guests of others, so there is no need for this. I wonder where your immortal residence is, brother?"

This demon immortal smiled, found a stool to sit down, and said: "I am originally from Nanzhan Buzhou, and I came to this Northern Continent to travel; I have no fixed residence in Beiju Luzhou."

"Nanzhan Buzhou?" Fang Longye became interested the moment he heard this.

Firstly, it was the place where the Human Race flourished, and secondly, the Macaque King had previously invited him to the Water Ape Mansion in Nanzhan Buzhou, so he was naturally quite concerned about this great continent.

"I have heard that Nanzhan Buzhou is a place where the Human Race is prosperous, yet I did not expect there to be a hero of the Demon Clan like you, fellow Daoist. Do you hail from a famous sect?"

"I wouldn't call it a famous sect; my ancestors merely stumbled into the holy land of Thunder Marsh and obtained some opportunities," Meng Huai explained with a wave of his hand.

He understood that with the unfathomable ability of the Dragon Lord before him, he could naturally see through his own foundations.

In front of such a figure, being straightforward about some insignificant matters was more likely to win his favor. "That is still remarkable."

Thunder Marsh was the birthplace and place of cultivation for the great ancient Fuxi. That was no ordinary place; even today, it was a top-tier holy land that was almost impossible for ordinary people to come into contact with.

"Fellow Daoist, your name contains the character 'Huai'; were you born by the Huai River?" Fang Longye thought of Wuzhiqi of the Huai River mentioned by the Macaque King and asked.

"The Dragon Lord is indeed observant; I was indeed born in the land of the Huai River," Meng Huai flattered.

He immediately inquired about matters concerning the Huai River and unexpectedly learned that the Macaque King's late mother, Shuiyuan Niangniang, was quite famous in the Huai River.

"It seems the Water Mansion of the Macaque King's mother is at the Huai River," Fang Longye thought to himself.

However, upon reflection, this was not surprising. After all, Wuzhiqi was suppressed in the Huai River!

"I wonder how the Human Race dynasty in Nanzhan Buzhou is doing? I imagine that to rule such a large territory, they should have some foundations, right?"

"It seems the Dragon Lord does not know much about this," Meng Huai smiled, picked up the wine pot on the table, poured him a cup of wine, and continued, "The orthodox dynasty of the Human Race is indeed in Nanzhan Buzhou, but that does not mean Nanzhan Buzhou is currently entirely ruled by the Human Race dynasty."

Seeing that Fang Longye was indeed quite interested in this, he immediately catered to his preferences and gave him an explanation of the affairs in Nanzhan Buzhou.

His words were witty and interesting, interspersed with many of his own experiences, which gave Fang Longye a relatively clear understanding of the current situation in Nanzhan Buzhou.

How should one put it?

Just as Meng Huai said, the current Human Race dynasty was only one force in Nanzhan Buzhou, not the direct ruler of the entire continent as Fang Longye had previously thought.

There were still vast territories across Nanzhan Buzhou that were not under the rule of the orthodox Human Race dynasty.

There was also a key point, different from Beiju Luzhou.

Although the demon kings of Bei Zhou often occupied territories spanning tens of thousands of miles and used arrays to conceal and protect them, because those who came and went were all practitioners, these arrangements could be seen.

In addition, most of the land was rugged and desolate, abandoned by people, so it did not make one feel cramped; even in the eyes of mortals, it was still a vast and boundless world.

Nanzhan Buzhou was different; more than ninety-nine percent of the land was occupied by immortals and gods, either contained within Grotto-Heaven worlds or concealed by high-level spatial folding methods.

To the perspective of beings below the Golden Immortal realm, Nanzhan Buzhou appeared as a landmass only three or four times larger than the territory of China in his previous life.

It was just like Earth in the Shrouding the Heavens world; it was clearly a huge ancient star of life, but from the perspective of humans who had not stepped onto the path of cultivation, its size was reduced by ten million times compared to its true appearance.

The mortals of Nanzhan Buzhou in this world were even more miserable; the area of Nanzhan Buzhou from their perspective was like a grain of dust in the Milky Way compared to the real Nanzhan Buzhou.

In short, practitioners below the Golden Immortal realm were slightly better off; even if they could not see the full picture, at least they knew something was abnormal. They also had the opportunity to travel between these territories occupied by powerful immortals and gods and learn the truth.

These human mortals were the miserable ones; the Five Sacred Mountains were no longer miraculous, the rivers were no longer boundless, and the Yunmeng was no longer strange and mysterious; they would never glimpse the reality of the world.

Step by step, they sat in a well and looked at the sky, feeling self-satisfied in their insignificance.

"Ruthless! Too ruthless!"

Watching Meng Huai's departing back after their familiar exchange, Fang Longye looked around.

The courtyard was spacious, the flowers and trees were sparse, and craggy rocks lingered on both sides.

The scenery was beautiful.

Yet Fang Longye only felt a chill that soaked into his bones spreading over him, making his whole body, from head to toe, feel as if he were in a world of ice and snow.

It was just that these methods were too ruthless, and also too brilliant.

This was even more absolute and brilliant than the "Severing of Heaven and Earth."

Horizons and cognition often determine the upper limit of development, from an individual to a country, to an entire ethnic group.

It directly restricted the horizons and cognition of the later generations of the Human Race, making most of them forever grovel in the mundane world, no longer having the thought of looking up at the starry sky.

Coupled with the means of separating humans and immortals, it guided those few humans who managed to glimpse the truth to join the ranks of immortals and Buddhist, abandoning the concept of the Human Race as a group.

Brilliant! Too brilliant! Oh, young person who has embarked on the path of transcendence, you can be an immortal, you can be a god, you can be a Buddhist, or even a demon, but you just cannot be a mortal anymore!

Look at those dirty mortals; how could they be the same species as you?

How are they worthy of being the same species as you? Join us! The concept of an ethnic group is too narrow; the Great Dao is the only thing!

Fang Longye even thought up the rhetoric for those powerful beings with ulterior motives in his heart.

He did not know what the scene was like in the other two great continents, but he imagined it could not be much better.

He dared to assert that as time went on, the emerging human cultivators of the entire Earth Immortal Realm, except for those predecessors from before the ancient times, would never again have the concept of the Human Race as a whole.

"I have already become an immortal; what does it have to do with me, you dirty mortals?"

However, would those powerful beings of the Human Race just watch their opponents lay out such a layout? Fang Longye laughed.

He did not believe that the Human Race of the Earth Immortal Realm, especially in Nanzhan Buzhou, which could be called the ancestral land, had been bullied to this extent, and those powerful beings of the Human Race could still sit still.

Regardless of whether these powerful human beings could no longer sit still or were plotting something bigger.

It was all a great thing! Whether they fought or whatever, only when the winds and clouds changed would there be a place for people like him to display their talents.

"Stop thinking about it, let's focus on what's ahead! However, it seems Nanzhan Buzhou is worth a visit!"

Fang Longye dusted off the non-existent dust on his body, turned around, and returned to the hall in the courtyard, waiting for the gathering that Yunque Wang would hold tomorrow.

Fuyao Mountain.

A clear lake.

Tall willows and deep bamboo, with emerald colors hanging like robes.

The stone bones were craggy, and after being washed by water, they were glistening white, with textures crisscrossing.

The water and trees were bright and elegant, with lotus leaves covering the surface.

The wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustled, water ripples rose, and the light and shadows were cold and sharp.

The blue waves were vast, with clusters of Green Lotus rising three to five zhang out of the water, their green leaves the size of millstones; Yunque Wang stood upon one of the leaves, quietly awaiting the guests.

With five-colored light halos flowing, Fang Longye appeared with Ao Ying, and looking at this arrangement, he smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist is quite unique~ However, it seems I have arrived early!"

Yunque Wang smiled slightly at him and said, "Early or late, there is no difference. Dragon Lord, please take your seat."

Fang Longye did not stand on ceremony; he chose the largest lotus leaf among them, and he and Ao Ying landed on it immediately, steady and secure.

The lotus leaf was verdant and about three zhang in size; after the two sat down, there was not a hint of swaying.

Fang Longye did not say much more, only closing his eyes to focus his mind.

To put it plainly, this gathering today was to distribute the gains beforehand and draw up contracts to reduce conflict.

Even though Yunque Wang was the organizer, she would inevitably be the target of everyone's focus. She could not guarantee that she would not be targeted by the group, as what she wanted was not a small amount.

It was only natural to make some adjustments and prepare for the upcoming challenges and being challenged.

Today's chapter~ The supporting character Meng Huai, suggested by a book friend, has already come online~ Except for changing his origin from Thunder Marsh to having ancestors with a Thunder Marsh background, he is basically the same. It is mainly because this place called Thunder Marsh is somewhat large; if he were directly from Thunder Marsh, he would never meet the protagonist at this stage, especially when treasure hunting. I hope you will forgive me! (End of chapter)