Chapter 60

The next morning, I went down the mountain early and went to town to inquire about the location of the Great Unity Hall.

The Great Unity Hall, honored as the foremost Horse Immortal Hall in the northeast, always establishes a sizable hall wherever it goes; finding them is not difficult—just ask around in town and you'll get a clue.

At the gate of a small courtyard built in 1970s style, I saw Fang Xin chatting and laughing with some elderly men and women; he then ushered those old men into the courtyard.

One after another, they kept coming; all of these people shared a trait: no matter how they spoke, gestured, or moved their bodies, their shoulders remained absolutely still.

This is a characteristic of the Horse Immortal families—the immortals like to sit on the horse's shoulders, making the horse's shoulders a taboo spot that cannot be patted; when speaking or walking, they try not to sway their shoulders at all.

Their arrival made me trust the Gray Immortal's words even more. I never imagined that the Dragon Phoenix Hall would be so petty, gathering so many people against me over a mere trifling conflict.

This scene only strengthened my resolve to strike first.

At eight o'clock, during the xu hour, I returned to the graveyard as scheduled.

Lone spirits and wild ghosts covered the entire mountainside, too many to count. At the spot where I had originally invited the master, more than ten black-clad figures stood, each shrouded in a cloak covering their faces, utterly mysterious. Unlike the surrounding wandering ghosts, these shadows seemed substantial, looking no different from ordinary people.

But I knew they were ghosts, Yin Masters of my Yin Mountain Sect. The surrounding wild ghosts were likely their troops. The Yin Masters hide their faces with cloaks because they dislike being inquired about; even their names are taboo. Unless they tell you, prying into their fate leads only to a dead end.

But why hadn't the Bronze Coffin Master Ancestor come, and why did I see no trace of him? My confidence weakened a bit.

"Are you Chen Hai Sheng of our Yin Mountain Sect?" the leading Yin Master asked as soon as I approached.

I bowed and replied, "Junior is Hai Sheng." Then I asked him why the Bronze Coffin Master Ancestor hadn't come.

He waved his hand: "No need for nonsense—did you find out the location? Just take us there."

Seeing this, I also skipped the small talk; the Yin Masters and I led the way, soldiers behind, and we marched mightily toward the Dragon Phoenix Hall.

Along the way I learned that this Yin Master's surname was Fan, his name Fan Tiansheng, a teacher of the Yin Mountain Sect from the Republican era; he had come under the Bronze Coffin Master Ancestor's orders to help me attack the Horse Immortal Hall. Yet whenever I asked about the Bronze Coffin Master Ancestor's identity, Fan the Yin Master kept it secret, refusing to reveal even a hint.

This only deepened my curiosity about the Bronze Coffin Master Ancestor's identity, for these Yin Masters are hardly weak in cultivation and each commands troops. For him to mobilize so many Yin Masters at once, his status in the Yin Mountain Sect must be far more than ordinary people imagine.

"This is the place, Master Fan!" I pointed at the yellow-walled courtyard and said, "Master Fan, what should we do now?"

Fan Tiansheng grunted, and before I could react, he beckoned with his hand behind him

"Up"

With the command, the soldiers surged forward like a tide into the Horse Immortal Hall.

I: "..."

I had originally thought I'd go in to negotiate a few sentences, and if talks failed, then we'd fight.

But the Yin Masters were clean and efficient—say fight and they fight, swift and decisive, bold and unrestrained, leaving me unable to keep up.

Not long after, cries of battle came from within the courtyard—both from the Horse Immortal Hall and from the soldiers.

Seeing that the moment was right, Fan Tiansheng then led me and the remaining few Yin Masters inside.

Inside the Horse Immortal Hall there were horses past their prime, as well as immortals invisible to ordinary people—fox immortals, yellow weasels, wolf immortals, tiger immortals, toad immortals. Though few in number, their cultivation far surpassed that of ordinary soldiers, so the battle was hard to settle for a while.

Upon entering the Horse Immortal Hall, Fan Tiansheng without hesitation issued a Yin Wind Command to these Horse Immortals; after he acted, the other Yin Masters followed suit. The commands flew across the sky, ghost fire spread everywhere, and the Dragon Phoenix Hall became an Asura battlefield.

At first, the soldiers relied on their numbers to suppress the Horse Immortal Hall, but in the end the Yin Masters recalled most of the soldiers and engaged the immortals themselves. Fan Tiansheng, this fierce man, astonished me to the point I almost popped my eyeballs out—he single‑handedly took on five opponents and still drove them back step by step.

In the chaotic battlefield I spotted a familiar figure—Fang Xin, who together with a fox immortal had snatched the cat immortal in the woods. He held something resembling a great seal and used it to scatter the soldiers attacking him one after another.

But Fang Xin was here, while the Fox Immortal was nowhere to be seen.

No time to think; since the Yin Masters had already acted, I naturally couldn't stay idle. I immediately drew the Five Thunder Flower Sigil in my palm and struck toward Fang Xin.

Thinking of the Fox Immortal's insults to our Yin Mountain Sect and recalling Qingqing's tragic death, I couldn't help but flare with anger; naturally, this palm strike contained my full bodily strength.

Fang Xin showed no hesitation either; in the heat of battle he even managed to watch his rear, and as my Five Thunder Palm was about to knock him down on the shoulder, he abruptly turned, thrusting that great seal forward to meet my palm.

With a boom, a thunderclap rang out on the flat ground; in an instant palm and seal separated, I stumbled back several steps, and Fang Xin's great seal seemed to carry a current stronger than my Five Thunder Palm, making my palm tingle and leaving me momentarily unable to move.

After the smoke cleared, Fang Xin also saw me, he stared for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Master Chen, what do you mean by bringing people to besiege my Horse Immortal Hall?"

"What the hell, go ask your mother." I cursed loudly, then drew another thunder flower sigil in my palm and struck at Fang Xin again.

I had originally thought well of Fang Xin, but that Fox Immortal bullied people outrageously, seeking to exterminate my Yin Mountain lineage. Naturally I had to strike first—take down one, and that's one.

When I tangled with Fang Xin again, the tide of battle began to turn; the Horse Immortal Hall's immortals were beaten back step by step by the Yin Masters, and within two or three minutes a large number fell.

"Quickly report to the general, quick..." a severely wounded Yellow Weasel on the ground shouted at a White Hedgehog immortal.

The Ha Immortal, hearing the Yellow Weasel's words, dared not delay, rushing straight to the door to run and inform their hall's general.

But before he could exit the doorway, Fan Tiansheng waved his hand; the soldiers he had dismissed reappeared instantly, thickly surrounding the exit and blocking his path.

"Heavenly law lock, earthly law lock, I beseech the Yin Mountain Dharma Master to release the golden lock..." After the soldiers surrounded the doorway, Fan Tiansheng chanted a soul‑binding incantation.

As soon as the chant ended, many more immortals collapsed to the ground in an instant.

Fang Xin also took my Five Thunder Palm, and while being besieged by the soldiers, he had no moment to spare for himself.

Later, the immortals of the Great Unity Hall gradually gathered into a semicircle, cautiously guarding against the Yin Masters and soldiers.

But their defeat was already evident, their clever plans come to naught; though they had hoped to exterminate my Yin Mountain lineage, they never imagined that the Yin Mountain Sect would become renowned because of this battle.

"May I ask, exalted immortals, what fault has my Dragon Phoenix Hall committed that you bring soldiers to besiege my Great Unity Hall? Don't you fear the blame of the four great masters of the Shamanist faith?"

A Yellow Weasel leaning on a cane, face ashen, stood before the gathered Horse Immortals; he appeared to be their leader.

I was about to speak, questioning why he had seized the murderous cat immortal and why he brazenly claimed he would exterminate my Yin Mountain lineage, but before I could utter a word, Fan Tiansheng coldly snorted: "Just fight if you're going to fight—why all this nonsense? If you want revenge, have your Dragon Phoenix Hall's immortals come find me; I'm Fan, Fan Tiansheng."

Under the boss's such domineering declaration, I naturally fell back silently.

Then the two sides began to negotiate; although the Great Unity Hall showed signs of defeat, it still bore the air of the northeast's foremost immortal hall. Though their tone had softened considerably, each immortal's face bore no fear.

Meanwhile, the Yin Mountain Sect's Yin Masters paid no heed whatsoever to the Yellow Weasel's words.

I suppose they must have heard from the Bronze Coffin Master Ancestor that the Great Unity Hall's Fox Immortal had sworn to exterminate my Yin Mountain lineage; thus each Yin Master struck mercilessly, showing no mercy—after all, to insult one's sect's lineage is intolerable to anyone.

Speaking of which, we gained a huge advantage in this battle. After all, the Great Unity Hall's main headquarters isn't here, and its troops are uneven in quality. Moreover, the Yin Masters Fan Tiansheng brought appeared as a surprise attack, catching them off guard. If their forces had been fully assembled, we would probably need the Bronze Coffin Master Ancestor himself to break through the hall's defenses.

Seeing Fan Tiansheng give him no face, the opposing Yellow Weasel immortal also grew angry, filled his breath, and struck a pose of 'better to die together than to yield.'

Fan Tiansheng waved his hand, ordering the soldiers to surround the remaining Horse Immortals.

"Horse Immortals of the Great Unity Hall, listen—your prince has arrived; come out quickly to greet him."

Suddenly, a great roar came from outside the gate.

"Your Highness…" This voice—how could it be so familiar? I pondered it carefully, slapped my forehead—wasn't this Pangzi's voice? Though it sounded much more imposing than usual, it still couldn't hide that lecherous edge.

"Pangzi..." I felt excited, heading out to the door. At this moment, I couldn't help but feel a little moisture in the corners of my eyes; after all, he's still a brother—even facing the Northeast's Number One Immortal Hall, he still dares to risk himself, without a hint of retreat.

But, my excitement lasted only a second; after a second, my excitement turned into panic.

Because, behind Pangzi, I unexpectedly saw….