Chapter 30: Fang Qingxue, Such a Mere Trifle, What Is There to Say?

"Yang Xuan, Zhen."

Chen Zheng silently recited the two Daoist names in his mind, but upon careful recollection he had no impression of them at all.

They were probably two nameless bit‑players.

He closed the courtyard gate and surveyed his future residence in the Feather Ascension Gate.

The courtyard was not small, covering three to four mu in radius.

Within the courtyard were pavilions and towers, swaying bamboo, a garden with a gentle brook, goldfish at play, kingfishers calling, an aura of celestial qi everywhere—a true fairyland.

"Not bad, it's far better than the courtyard I had on Golden Feather Island."

Chen Zheng nodded with satisfaction.

He walked a few steps into the room, casually sat on a mat, opened the parcel, and began inspecting the outer‑disciple benefits he had received from the sect.

The first thing that caught his eye was a ritual robe.

According to brothers Yang Xuan and Zhen, the robe is woven from five silks—heaven silkworm, earth silkworm, golden silkworm, silver silkworm, black silkworm—and then soaked in a hundred spirit medicines; it can ward off a hundred insects and poisons, and cannot be harmed by ordinary artifacts.

It also bears the Feather Ascension Gate's emblem.

Chen Zheng deliberately chose a cyan one.

Wearing it now, he looked even more ethereal than before, and with his righteous aura he was clearly a standout of the celestial sect.

Next came a demon‑slaying sword, a magical artifact, and a heap of assorted auxiliary talisman scrolls.

Such as the Purifying Robe Talisman, Dust‑Avoidance Talisman, Soul‑Flame Talisman, True Water Talisman, Hemostasis Talisman, and so on.

There were also three martial arts manuals, recording the Feather Ascension Gate's three fundamental styles: Pine‑Crane Longevity Fist, Flying Spirit Supple‑Bone Body, and Dragon‑Form Flying Tiger Step.

When opened, the manuals projected light, shadow, and sound for automatic instruction.

All the techniques, power‑generation methods, subtle meridian shifts, breathing applications, and so forth were explained crystal‑clear.

Chen Zheng barely glanced at any of these items, including a copy of the Feather Ascension Gate's sect regulations, which he skimmed and then shoved straight into Chaotic Space.

The regulations are merely shackles for the weak.

If one is strong enough, they're nothing.

His gaze fell upon a jade register whose cover bore the three bold characters "All Worlds."

He turned to the first page.

Entries such as "Ten Celestial Paths," "Seven Demonic Veins," "Five Yao Sects," "Left Path Side Sect," "Underground Demon Abyss," "Extraterrestrial Starry Sky," "Three Thousand Great Realms," and so on—over a thousand catalogues flashed before Chen Zheng, overwhelming his eyes.

At the bottom of the catalogue were a few lines serving as the General Outline of All Worlds: "The world is vast; even when stepping into the Immortal Secret Realm, one cannot glimpse its possibilities. I merely record what I have seen and heard, forming the book All Worlds…"

Clearly, this All Worlds was authored by senior members of the Feather Ascension Gate, engraved into a volume, required reading for its disciples to comprehend heaven and earth and broaden their knowledge.

"Kidnapped someone's saintess and even plagiarized their book."

Chen Zheng stared at the General Outline of All Worlds, a strange smile flickering in his eyes.

This All Worlds was written by the contemporary headmaster Feng Baiyu of the Feather Ascension Gate, but it was largely copied from the massive sect 'Wuji Star Palace' of another great world.

Nevertheless, the ability to copy is a skill in itself.

He shook his head and began reading the book.

Within it were records of formidable figures and powerful artifacts from the three paths—Celestial, Demonic, and Yao—as well as numerous Free Cultivators, continental dynasties, oceanic deserts, void caverns, mysterious spaces, the Extraterrestrial Starry Sky, various herbs, treasures, and so on.

It could be understood as an encyclopedia.

Chen Zheng read for three days and three nights. Many things absent from his memory, hazy matters, gradually clarified, giving him new insight into the Mysterious Yellow Great World and the Extraterrestrial Starry Sky.

Yet the information in All Worlds is as vast as a sea of smoke; even reading for three to five years would not finish it.

He had no time for that.

At present, strengthening his power was paramount.

He took out a Purifying Robe Talisman and stuck it to his body; instantly wisps of mist rose, swirling around him, removing filth, and in an instant he was clean and fresh.

He then left the courtyard, heading toward the mission‑dispatch location the brothers Yang Xuan and Zhen had told him about.

Meanwhile.

Atop a sky‑piercing colossal peak outside Feather Ascension City stood a vast, resplendent palace of gold and jade, its plaque bearing three bold characters: "Bihuan Palace."

Boom—

The palace doors slowly opened.

A young man stepped out, clad in azure robes, eyebrows sword‑shaped, nose like a hanging gallbladder, hands behind his back as he walked.

"This novel you…"

"Senior Brother Jin, have you emerged from seclusion? Have you broken through?"

The black‑robed gatekeeper at the entrance bowed his head quickly and paid his respects.

The youth replied calmly, "I have already advanced to the second level of Divine Skill, the True Essence Realm."

The gatekeeper rejoiced and quickly praised, "Congratulations, Senior Brother Jin, your cultivation now surpasses many true‑transmission disciples of the sect, as well as Fang Qingxue, who only recently advanced; she can no longer contend with you."

"Heh, the mere Fang Qingxue, what a trifle?" Senior Brother Jin exuded an air of proud loftiness.

The gatekeeper, intimidated by Jin's aura, sincerely replied, "Given time, Senior Brother Jin can catch up with Senior Brother Wanluo, Senior Brother Lingxiao, and Senior Sister Jialan; none are impossible."

"Hmm," Senior Brother Jin emitted a sound from his nasal cavity, an undeniable affirmation.

He asked again, "During my seclusion, did any major events occur in the sect? Have any new true‑transmission disciples been born?"

The gatekeeper pondered, "No new true‑transmission disciples have been born, but a major incident did occur. It is said that two days ago, Bai Haichan of the Star Gate Sect, while training on Yellow Spring Mountain, saw a meteor falling from the sky. He went to investigate and discovered the meteor had carved a huge crater on the mountain, within which lay two treasures: the Nine‑Orifice Golden Pill and the Jiao‑Hidden Yellow Spring Diagram, both now in Bai Haichan's possession."

"What?" Senior Brother Jin's eyes flashed with a startling light. "Is that true?"

The Nine‑Orifice Golden Pill is a celestial‑grade elixir, its effect on him would be considerable, and the Jiao‑Hidden Yellow Spring Diagram is a decree forged by the ancient, world‑shaking Yellow Spring Emperor!

If one obtains this diagram, it is tantamount to inheriting the Yellow Spring Emperor's mantle, commanding the splintered Yellow Spring Demon Sect, and becoming the new Demon Emperor.

The gatekeeper, stung by Jin's gaze, hurriedly said, "Many from both the Celestial and Demonic Paths know of this, and are searching for Bai Haichan, but since he fled into the Great Li Dynasty's territory, he has vanished without a trace."

"Great Li Dynasty?"

Senior Brother Jin looked toward the west, his eyes showing an unmatched scorching hue, while his whole body emitted greenish flames, lifting him off the ground.

He was heading to the Great Li Dynasty.

Moreover, he remembered that Fang Qingxue was also from the Great Li Dynasty; could she have also received news of the Map of the Jiao Concealed in the Yellow Springs appearing, perhaps now within the Great Li Dynasty's borders?

It seemed that this journey would not only obtain the Map of the Jiao Concealed in the Yellow Springs, but also capture Fang Qingxue's body and mind.

"Senior Brother Jin, there is another matter: three days ago a disciple named Chen Zheng brought Fang Qingxue's handwritten petition to join the sect."

The Gatekeeper Taoist, seeing Senior Brother Jin ride the evading light and soar into the sky, suddenly thought of something and shouted.

"You handle it yourself."

When Senior Brother Jin finished speaking, a flash of green light flickered over his body, and he vanished in an instant, out of sight.

"I handle it myself?"

The Gatekeeper Taoist lowered his head, pondering, then a faint glow shimmered in his eyes.

(End of chapter)