Chapter 330

Pangzi's forefather master, could it not be the Great Emperor Huaguang? This gray rat before us dares to call itself Huaguang; could it be that the Great Emperor Huaguang really looks this cowardly?

At his waist hangs a gourd general, from his pouch emerge fire crow soldiers—this is a line from the Huaguang sect's invocation prayer. If what this gray rat says is true, that would be utterly world-shattering.

If not, then this gray rat is quite knowledgeable, knowing that the Great Emperor Huaguang commands fire crow troops.

The gray rat before us still bares its teeth and claws at Pangzi, calling itself the Great Emperor Huaguang, the five manifestations of the Huaguang sect's forefather master. Pangzi isn't angry either; he just looks at it with a smile.

At first, this gray rat merely pretended to be the Great Emperor Huaguang, but seeing that this trick had no effect on us, it rolled its round, beady eyes and began impersonating the Jade Emperor.

Wenchang Emperor, Guandi, the Buddha, Guanyin—almost anyone it could impersonate, this rat has impersonated; even the forefather master of our Yin Shan sect, Yin Shan Lao Zu, was not spared, becoming one of the false identities fabricated by this gray rat.

Yao Yirong, on the other hand, found it novel; seeing a mouse that could speak, her first feeling wasn't fear but… even greater fondness, and she asked Pangzi if he was selling it, willing to pay any price.

By now I finally understood the mouse's origin; being able to speak human language, it obviously had cultivated a Spiritual Aperture. Moreover, it lies without blinking, impersonating deities with such shameless audacity—this is clearly a trait of the gray immortals among the horse-riding immortals.

Thinking about this, I really am a bit speechless. Anhui is supposedly over a thousand kilometers from the Northeast, so why do these immortals keep appearing one after another? It's as if Anhui has become a second Northeast, now producing immortals in abundance.

"Hehe, little mouse… Pang brother, I've lived this long and never eaten mouse meat; this time I finally get to try a delicacy!" Pangzi rubbed his hands and licked his lips.

"Ah… you fatty, what are you doing?" Yao Yirong was about to scoop up the gray rat when I grabbed her with one hand.

I shook my head at her, signaling her to let go. Pangzi's expression is so fake; it's obvious he's just trying to scare the rat. Having known Pangzi for years, I naturally know he's not someone who would do this out of boredom; his actions must have a reason. So I didn't stop him; instead I cooperated in threatening the gray rat: "Hehe, Pangzi, what you said makes sense. I heard that in Guangzhou there used to be a restaurant specializing in field deer (mouse), whose main dish was field mouse; but it later closed, which is truly a pity." I likewise made the gourd gesture, mimicking Pangzi's glowing-eyed stare at the gray rat, and said with drooling anticipation: "Now it seems we can have our wish fulfilled as usual!"

The gray rat was frightened by us into a shudder, finally dropping its disguise.

"You can't kill me; I am one of the Eight Beams of the Great Hall. If you kill me, the higher immortals will avenge me."

Old Ancestor of Yin Mountain

"What, you're one of the Eight Pillars of the Great Hall" I was startled at once. A complete horse-riding immortals hall usually has four beams and eight pillars; this is just a general term, and ordinary people can't say exactly how many branches there are. I only vaguely know that the four beams refer to the four immortals Hu, Huang, Chang, and Mang, while the eight pillars include the Sweeping Hall, Pressing Hall, Transmission Hall, Circle Hall, Feng Shui Hall, Medical Hall, and so on. Those not of the horse-riding immortals basically can't untangle their relations. The Great Hall is a branch of shamanism; the one who snatched the cat immortal, Fang Xin, comes from the Great Hall. In that light, the appearance of this gray immortal might well be at the behest of Grandma Hu or Fang Xin.

Gray Immortal

Seeing my silence, the gray rat thought I was afraid, and immediately swaggered forth, booming: "You know fear now, don't you? If you don't want to be besieged by the millions of immortals of my Great Hall, just obediently release this great immortal."

"Shut up, what's your relation to Grandma Hu who snatched the cat immortal?" I slammed its forehead hard, threatening: "If you don't tell the truth, I'll boil you alive."

"Speak up… otherwise, Pang brother, I'll have a feast of field deer tonight." Pangzi rubbed his palms again, even pretending to wipe his saliva.

Hall of Great Unity

As expected, this gray rat really is the emissary of the Hu immortal sent to tail us two. It said we beat the Great Hall's cat immortal half to death, gravely insulting the Great Hall's dignity; the Hu immortal sent it to follow us two in order to learn our whereabouts, so that someday it could come and regain face.

After the gray rat finished speaking, it rolled its round, beady eyes again, coughed twice, and said: "I advise you to surrender peacefully; the immortals of my Great Hall are all rushing to Anhui, and will be here in two days. If you still want to live, feel free to send me back; perhaps I can intercede with Grandma Hu and spare your lives."

"Damn it..." I was furious, slamming the floor hard.

The Hu immortal of the Great Hall is simply bullying people to extremes; its subordinates commit crimes, kill people, and yet instead of being pursued, they come looking for a showdown. What kind of world is this, where might makes right?

Unable to hold back my resentment, I immediately cursed: "That damned Hu immortal, that damned Great Hall—they not only snatched the killer of Qingqing, but dare to act so arrogantly; I will definitely make them taste the power of my Yin Shan command banner."

"Grandma Hu says your Yin Shan sect has long since declined, being even worse than us gray immortals. If you don't want your Dao lineage exterminated, I advise you to surrender quickly; perhaps Grandma Hu, in her great mercy, will spare you." Though the gray rat was curled up in a corner, its tone remained overbearing.

"Shut your mother's fart" I slapped, flinging the gray rat tied on the ground away.

Hall of Wind and Water

When did my Yin Shan sect fall to such a state that someone would say it's not even as good as a street-crossing mouse? Since the emergence of our Dao lineage from the Fajiao tradition, everyone has held it in awe. Even the Zhengyi Dao, the head of Daoism and the lineage of talismans, would not dare to speak such harsh words to my Yin Shan sect, proclaiming they would exterminate our Dao lineage.

Could it really be that when the elephant dies, the ants can't help but crawl over to feast?

"Hai Sheng, calm down a bit." Pangzi offered words of comfort to me, who was burning with anger.

I gave a cold smile: "Calm down? How can I calm down when someone threatens to exterminate my Yin Shan Dao lineage, tramples on my Yin Shan sect's fame and fortune, and even has their feces land on my head? How do you expect me to stay calm?"

I turned, grabbed the gray rat from the ground, glared at it fiercely, and said in a grim tone: "Tell me, where is your Dragon and Phoenix Hall in Anhui?"

Unable to withstand my fright, the gray rat instantly gave me the address of its hall.

"Good, very good. Go back and tell the Hu immortal for me—no need for her to come find me; I'll go find her right away and have her wait for me." I spoke fiercely, suppressing my surging anger.

Having said that, I released the rope binding the gray rat, letting it leave just like that.

"Hai Sheng, calm down a bit; the Great Hall has many immortals, and just charging straight in like this is practically suicide. Why don't we first go back and look for my father…"

Before Pangzi could finish, I waved my hand to cut him off: "Your father, QingSongShu, belongs to the Huaguang sect, not my Yin Shan sect. Even if QingSongShu comes to settle things, the righteousness would not be under my Yin Shan sect's name."

Pangzi still wanted to argue with me, when a weak voice came from the corner.

Yin Masters and Yin Generals

I waved my hand, letting Pangzi first look after Mengxue. Then I took up the Yin Shan command banner and walked out.

Way of the Celestial Master

I turned around and saw Yao Yirong standing behind me, her lips clenched.

I asked her, "Do you have something?"

She walked over and softly said, "Thank you."

I shook my head and said, "No need."

"Wait."

"Do you have anything else?" I said impatiently.

"If you're going to go find that whatever Great Harmony Hall's misfortune, remember to bring me, I can help you." Yao Yirong raised her fist: "I'm not the kind of person who lacks righteousness; you helped me, I will definitely repay you." Her tone was resonant and powerful, showing no trace of fear.

This time, I lightly laughed and again told her, "No need."

Perhaps, at this moment, my heart had already begun to change my view of her.

But this is my Yin Mountain Sect's affair; outsiders simply cannot intervene, and besides, although her martial arts are not bad, she is fundamentally not a person of my Mystic Gate.

Thinking of Qing Qing's tragic death before my eyes, thinking of how the Dragon and Phoenix Hall bullied people excessively, I gritted my teeth and stepped toward the direction of the tomb.

You claim to have tens of thousands of immortals, my Yin Mountain also has Yin masters and Yin generals; today, even if I damage my lifespan to summon a master, I must protect the Yin Mountain's Dao lineage.

Even if my magical power is low, I must still defend it, fearing no evil spirits and demons, only because Yin Mountain once had a glory that others could only look up to. Only so that future Yin Mountain disciples can raise their spines with proud bones, lift their heads, and walk fearlessly on every inch of China's land.