Chapter 242: Seventh Day of the Seventh Lunar Month in Chang'an City: Why Do the Divine Immortals Gather?

First year of the Yuanfeng era, early in the seventh lunar month.

Chang'an City, the residence of Dongfang Shuo.

The courtyard is deep, with corridors winding left and right, intersecting and connecting; at the corners, there are small, new pavilions, exquisite mountain rocks, lush pines and cypresses, and emerald-green pond water.

Dongfang Shuo sits in the corridor, and through the hollowed-out hexagonal lattice windows, the clear daylight from outside pours in, making the surroundings bright, and one can even see the small scenery outside.

The plants, trees, and pond rocks are tucked into a corner, yet there is no sense of congestion; it is fresh and natural.

He is seen wearing a cross-collared cyan robe with cloud patterns, a jade belt, and thick-soled black boots, hunched over a desk in the corridor, lifting a brush to splash ink.

The desk is fully equipped with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, and in the corner sits a bronze tripod furnace with a beast-face motif, with sandalwood smoke curling upward.

The paper upon which Dongfang Shuo is splashing ink is thick and ancient, suffused with a precious glow; it is clearly no ordinary item.

Meanwhile, his eyes are serene, a peaceful, faint smile rests on his face, and his temperament is profound and unfathomable.

He looks nothing like the sycophantic official described by certain colleagues who dislike him—the one who uses humorous and witty words to amuse the current Emperor.

"The god of Mount Zhong is named Zhu Long. When he opens his eyes, it is day; when he closes them, it is night. When he exhales, it is winter; when he breathes, it is summer. He does not drink, does not eat, and does not breathe; his breath is the wind. He is a thousand miles long. He lives east of Five Qi. As a creature, he has a human face, a snake body, and is red in color. He dwells at the foot of Mount Zhong."

Dongfang Shuo, with a solemn expression, writes stroke by stroke with great gravity on the green paper.

Below this passage, he starts a new line and writes the two characters "Yuanlong," but then frowns, unable to set the brush down for a long time.

"The god of Mount Cang is named Yuanlong. He controls Yin and Yang, drives the Five Elements, and holds sway over wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. When he closes his eyes, the universe is born; when he opens them, heaven and earth meet their end.

His form is ever-changing; when he sleeps, his body stretches for a thousand miles, coiling around the Xun Wood in his dragon form. When pleased, he takes a human form with a dragon tail to create all things; when angry, he takes a human head with a dragon body to wage war in the darkness.

He often appears in human form and dwells on Mount Cang."

A clear, resonant voice comes from behind him, reciting the words.

Dongfang Shuo is startled, nearly splashing ink onto himself; he hurriedly puts down his brush and turns to look.

He thinks to himself, "As expected!" and hastily bows with respect, saying in a deferential voice, "This humble Daoist pays respects to the Dragon Lord~"

Fang Longye looks at Dongfang Shuo with a beaming smile, walks forward, glances at the manuscript on his desk, and looking back at Dongfang Shuo, says, "It seems, Manqian, you have not forgotten the task I entrusted to you~"

"I would not dare forget the task the Dragon Lord commanded. It just so happens that after the Emperor performed the Seal of Mount Tai, he ordered me to revise and supplement the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*. It coincides perfectly with the task the Dragon Lord commanded."

Dongfang Shuo says respectfully.

"Oh?" Hearing this, Fang Longye's thoughts shift, and he smiles, "It seems the Great Han has reaped quite a harvest from this Seal of Mount Tai!"

"Not only were those petty gods and minor deities wiped clean, but quite a few ancient gods also met with disaster!"

Otherwise, Dongfang Shuo would not have been asked to revise the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*. This is an attempt to erase, as much as possible, the traces left in the world by those fallen gods.

Hearing Fang Longye's words, Dongfang Shuo cannot help but shrink his neck. He has been walking on eggshells during this period.

The Human King casting out the gods is indeed a magnificent feat, but it is not without backlash.

Not to mention the backlash and curses directed at the Human King himself, there are remnants of gods who luckily escaped, constantly stirring up trouble in the shadows.

The fact that natural and man-made disasters are increasingly frequent within the Great Han is proof enough.

He certainly feels pity and indignation regarding this, but what is more realistic for him is the fear that those remnants of the gods, unable to take revenge on the Human King, might find him instead.

After all, as a True Immortal mixing in the imperial court, he is too conspicuous.

If not for the fact that he is pulling on the tiger skin of being a future disciple of Donghua Dijun, those maddened remnants of the gods would likely have already made a move against him.

According to his secret observations, many of the immortal retainers recruited by the Han Dynasty have fallen victim to the poison of those remnants of the gods.

Therefore—

Ever since returning to Chang'an these past few days, he has remained behind closed doors, following the Emperor's orders to focus on revising and recording the various classics concerning Divine Immortals.

The *Classic of Mountains and Seas* is merely one of them.

Fang Longye looks at Dongfang Shuo and laughs aloud, "It was my lack of consideration before, not giving you specific information. Just write it as I said just now!"

"As for the polishing, I will leave it to you, Manqian~"

"What are you saying, Dragon Lord? Serving the Dragon Lord, how could it be called a burden?" Dongfang Shuo says, flattering him.

But then, he hesitates and says, "Um, Dragon Lord—"

"Is it really necessary to list your name and introduction after the great god Zhu Long?"

Fang Longye glances at him, waves his hand, and says with a half-smile, "Rest assured, I can bear it!"

The matter the two are discussing.

It was a sudden whim Fang Longye had more than half a year ago, when he first arrived in Nanzhan Buzhou, found Dongfang Shuo, and was resting at his residence.

It was to have Dongfang Shuo, who is well-versed in the ways of the world, revise the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* and add Fang Longye's name and information to it.

Through descriptions that are partly true and partly false, and by deliberately placing himself after "Zhu Long," he makes secular mortals mistakenly believe that he is a great god on par with the ancestor Zhu Long.

This kind of "porcelain-touching" approach is intended to spread his name. It can both collect faith and incense for his Divine Dao avatar and seize a vast amount of destiny in the unseen.

In the cultivation world, fame is also a resource; the direction of people's hearts can bring enormous benefits.

Just as pure incense gods can be born from the faith and incense of ordinary mortals, human thoughts possess all sorts of unimaginable powers.

As for the problems Dongfang Shuo is worried about, Fang Longye has naturally considered them as well.

He knows that his little scheme of using the ancestor Zhu Long to elevate his own status cannot be hidden from that big shot.

But that big shot is unlikely to fly into a rage for this reason. Moreover, he has calculated it, and the Heavenly Secrets are highly auspicious.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about the problems Dongfang Shuo is concerned about.

"Dragon Lord, have you come here because the opportunity you mentioned before has arrived?" Seeing Fang Longye's demeanor, Dongfang Shuo can only be half-believing and skip the topic.

He only thinks to himself, "Great god Zhu Long, this is not me, a humble Daoist, trying to blaspheme you! If you want to blame someone, blame this unworthy descendant of yours before me." Fang Longye is naturally unaware of Dongfang Shuo's true thoughts, although he vaguely senses that Dongfang Shuo has thoughts turning in his heart, as if hiding something.

But isn't that human nature? Can he control what others think while he is talking? Thus, he just glances at Dongfang Shuo and smiles, "You are quite sharp! In about three days, you will know what the opportunity I spoke of is~"

Three days later? Hearing this, Dongfang Shuo ponders to himself, thinking, "Three days later, isn't that the Emperor's birthday?"

However, he has no time to think more; he settles his thoughts, looks at Fang Longye with a smiling face, and says hurriedly, "Then, will the Dragon Lord be resting in the same place as before?"

"I shall disturb you again~"

Fang Longye nods with a smile and casually tosses a brocade pouch to Dongfang Shuo, which is a storage treasure.

Inside were quite a few medicinal pills, Spirit Treasures, and Dharma spells, all of which were rare and precious things for the current Dongfang Shuo.

"Many thanks to the Dragon Lord for your generous gift!"

Dongfang Shuo took the brocade pouch tossed over by Fang Longye, swept his divine sense over it, and immediately beamed with joy. He bowed slightly, gestured with his hand, and said, "Dragon Lord, please!"

This was the reason why he, a mere True Immortal, was so incredibly uncomfortable in front of a Golden Immortal, yet still had to deal with this Dragon Lord with whom he was not familiar.

No choice~ This Dragon Lord was too generous with his gifts!

Seeing Dongfang Shuo acting as obsequious as a servant, Fang Longye shook his head and chuckled.

It was only in front of the Dongfang Shuo of this moment that he could play the part of a wealthy patron. Once Dongfang Shuo was truly taken into the fold by Donghua Dijun, how could one still see him in such a posture? ……

In the courtyard.

Amidst the overlapping bamboo leaves, there was a stone shaped like a lotus flower, with spring water flowing out from the flower, scattering and splashing, landing like full jade beads.

The pine wind suddenly arrived, lingering and refusing to leave.

Being in it was like being in a deep forest, quiet and natural.

"Several months have passed, yet there isn't the slightest change!"

After Dongfang Shuo accompanied Fang Longye to this small courtyard and respectfully took his leave, Fang Longye paced back and forth in this small courtyard where he had stayed before.

His eyes held a luster, shining brightly as he examined the quite familiar scenery all around. His whole person was like a lazy old cat, looking leisurely and carefree, at peace with his surroundings.

In reality, he was pondering some of his next schemes in his heart.

Just as he had said, he had returned to Chang'an City now just to join in the excitement of Han Wudi's birthday on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

To see if, as the legends of his past life said, the Queen Mother of the West would descend to the mortal world to celebrate the birthday of this Human King, the Han Emperor~

And by the way, see what benefits could be reaped from it. It would be best if it were the kind of benefit that could have an immediate effect on the improvement of his cultivation.

After all, his current cultivation in the Golden Immortal Realm was stuck at a progress level that was neither high nor low, which was truly uncomfortable.

Previously—

After he was injured the second time he peeked into the Dao Source Sea and probed some matters, although he had gained quite a lot, they were all insights into the Great Dao.

They were of little use to the accumulation of his relatively lacking essence, Qi, and spirit.

And the treasures he had on him for this purpose had basically been exhausted in his previous cultivation. All that remained were the twelve drops of pure Wu Clan Essence Blood he had recently exchanged for.

Otherwise, how could he have reached the point of being only a hair's breadth away from Golden Immortal Great Accomplishment in such a short time?

Accumulate thick and release thin, accumulate thick and release thin; without the various thick accumulations from before, he could not have released thinly and leaped upward after passing all three disasters.

As for the twelve drops of pure Wu Clan Essence Blood he had recently traded for.

Because each drop was at the Taiyi level and originated from a pure-blooded Wu Clan member, the Turbid Qi was too strong; he had only just managed to refine one drop when the Clear and Turbid Qi within his body became somewhat unbalanced.

It was truly difficult to continue.

Therefore, he had no choice but to come out of seclusion and follow his original plan to come here to try his luck and see if there were any new opportunities or good fortune.

Fang Longye had already planned that once the matter here was settled, even if he obtained benefits sufficient to let him reach Golden Immortal Great Accomplishment or even enter the perfection stage.

He would still make a trip to the Huai River, as invited by the Monkey King years ago.

Because, whether it was the fragments of memory obtained from the True Spirit of Lv Wen or the previous attempt in the Dao Source Sea, both made him understand that this barrier between Golden Immortal and Taiyi was not so easy to cross.

One must know—

His mind had only taken a walk in the 'Dao Source Sea', not even truly entering it, but was annihilated by a small water droplet, yet even so, he could still obtain unimaginable insights into the Great Dao.

And a Golden Immortal at perfection could directly project their mind and consciousness into the 'Dao Source Sea' and make full contact.

Just thinking about it, one knew how much insight into the Great Dao a Golden Immortal at the perfection stage could obtain in this process.

Yet even so, there were still people who had long wasted away at this stage, unable to step into the higher realm.

Among them were no shortage of figures with extraordinary backgrounds.

How could this not make him take precautions? Anyway, through that experience in the 'Dao Source Sea' earlier, he had come to understand that the higher one went, the difference of a hair's breadth in realm was like a huge chasm.

And to bridge this chasm and improve the difference by a hair's breadth required an immeasurable amount of resources.

Therefore, regarding opportunities and good fortune, one should strive for as much as one can.

Who would complain about having too many opportunities and good fortune? No matter how many opportunities and good fortune there were, there would always be a time when they were not enough.

……

Three days passed in a flash.

Fang Longye only closed his eyes to meditate for a while, and when he opened them again, it was already the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

In fact, the entire Chang'an City had been bustling since the early morning.

However, at that time, it was just the personnel of the Great Han imperial court making various festive arrangements. For it to be truly called crowded and bustling, one had to wait until now, when the morning sun had already risen.

On the roof of Dongfang Shuo's residence, Fang Longye stood with his hands behind his back, looking outside.

The morning light gradually rose, the great sun slowly ascended, and strands of golden light fell down, slowly unfolding like a scroll; his spirit was clear, and he surveyed the entire Chang'an City.

He saw its gate towers towering high, with battlements arranged in rows. All around, living water flowed, and mountains stood opposite each other in the north and south.

The six streets and three markets were full of goods, with ten thousand households and a thousand gates, coming and going. It could truly be called the capital of the emperor, the heavenly prefecture of Chang'an City.

The central avenue extended in all directions; along the street were all kinds of shops and markets, with cockfighting, arm-eagles, Liubo, and zither playing. There were refined scholars, sword-wielding guests in white as snow, martial artists in tight-fitting clothes, and young girls with colorful skirts dancing—bustling and crowded, rubbing shoulders, very lively.

It was the birthday of the Great Han Emperor Liu Che, and to share the joy with the people, there was a three-day holiday, completely lifting the city curfew of Chang'an City, allowing the common people from all sides to enter and play.

Especially tonight, there would not even be a night curfew.

However, Fang Longye did not care about these things; instead, after scanning the inside and outside of Chang'an City at a glance, he couldn't help but exclaim: "Good fellow, it's really lively! So many people have come~"

However, the "lively" he spoke of did not refer to these mortal commoners.

One could see that in his sea of consciousness, there was a projection of the entire inside and outside of Chang'an City.

In the projection, one could see different lights flickering—some burning fiercely, some the size of a flame, some condensing into pillars of Qi, some covered by canopies,... and so on, in a thousand postures, hard to describe.

Reflected in the projection were the destiny and fortune of all living beings. The blazing ones, the ones the size of lamp flames, the ones with special colors, and the ones with extraordinary forms were all the outstanding ones among mortals.

Even if they were not princes, nobles, or generals, they were from wealthy families, or they were future talents who had not yet made a name for themselves and were still among the common people.

Beyond these mundane mortal destiny anomalies, there were two other completely distinct anomalies, appearing in his eyes and reflected within the projections in his sea of consciousness.

The first consisted of one after another soaring bright lights resembling stars, brilliant and radiant, yet constrained within themselves, wreathed in Divine Light, transcendent and refined.

They were all Immortal figures who had attained the Dao, and there was even no lack of Golden Immortal existences at the same realm as him.

As for those of higher realms, they might exist, but if they were determined to hide, Fang Longye would not be able to discover them.

"What a grand scene! If Yang Chan knew that after she went into seclusion, such a spectacle occurred right on her doorstep, I wonder if she would regret it?"

As for the second, it was likewise light soaring to the heavens, but unlike the transcendence of the Immortal Dao, it appeared as imposing as a prison and was accompanied by the whispering prayers of endless sentient beings.

Sound after sound, they were all praises and hymns.

There was no need to look closely; just a glance was enough to know they were all people of the Divine Dao.

On the birthday of the contemporary Human King, Immortals and gods gathered here; were they here to offer congratulations, or were they here to pick a fight? Fang Longye was quite interested in this.

He simply took out a Vine Chair, reclined on it, crossed his legs, pulled out the Two Instruments Divine Gourd, sipped the Hundred Flower Immortal Brew contained within, and chuckled as he surveyed his surroundings.

Watching the changes quietly.

(End of this chapter)