Chapter 138: The Dao is Not Lightly Transmitted (Extra Chapter 3 for Alliance Leader Xiaoliyaya)

The Ascension Platform did not look far away, yet the Spirit Sparrow seemed to have been flying for a long time, piercing through layers of clouds and mist all the way; the mountain ridges became increasingly steep, and from time to time, Spirit Cranes and Spirit Sparrows fluttered and danced all around, while on the sheer cliffs, one could occasionally see apes grabbing onto ancient vines, leaping and playing.

Seeing the look of astonishment on Xu Chen's face, Lan You turned her head to explain: "The summit is the place where the three Supreme Elders reside. To avoid being disturbed by mundane affairs, a large number of restrictive arrays have been set up here. Without the cultivation of the Danyuan Realm, one cannot fly through the air, so low-level Disciples can only travel by riding Spirit Beasts of the third grade or higher."

Upon hearing this, Xu Chen suddenly realized.

Perhaps the summit was not truly far away, but because of the large number of array restrictions, it appeared very high and very far.

After a full quarter of an hour, Xu Chen suddenly felt his body lighten, and the slightly oppressive scenery before his eyes suddenly revealed a burst of sunlight; in the blink of an eye, the two people and the bird were hovering above a rippling sea of clouds.

A mountain peak, as if carved by a knife and axe, stood with strange pines and grotesque rocks, flying waterfalls and flowing springs; half of it stood above the sea of clouds, the clouds steaming and mists glowing, truly resembling an immortal's cave dwelling.

The Spirit Sparrow circled the peak once, let out a long cry, tucked its wings, and landed on the summit.

The summit was not spacious; one might even say it was slightly narrow.

An ancient pine with twisted, vigorous branches and a stone platform no more than a few dozen feet in circumference; under the ancient pine, two elderly men in their fifties, whose auras were like those of ordinary mortals, were playing a game of chess.

Seeing Xu Chen arrive, the two elders turned their heads together, and Baiyun Zhenjun smiled and beckoned: "Come over, little friend!"

Xu Chen hurriedly jumped off the Spirit Sparrow, bounded in three steps to the two True Monarchs, bowed, and saluted: "Junior Xu Chen pays his respects to the two senior True Monarchs, Yuyangzi and Baiyunzi!"

Yuyangzi laughed, waved his hand, and said: "Little friend, there is no need for such formalities. Hearing that you had come to Yuqing Hall, and since my martial brother and I happened to have nothing to do, we called you over to chat."

Xu Chen said, flattered: "Junior would not dare; I should have visited the two seniors first, but I haven't had the chance yet!"

Baiyunzi stroked his beard and smiled: "I already know about the matter at the mountain gate hall just now. You did well. Hmm, your Cloud Flow Step is also practiced well; you are indeed a rare and excellent seedling."

Xu Chen laughed dryly: "You two seniors make me blush. Fortunately, I had the secret technique bestowed by senior Baiyun; otherwise, I fear I would have been lying on the ground in a sorry state today. Senior Brother Yi Zhen has profound attainments, and Junior feels ashamed of his own inferiority."

Yuyangzi said with a strange expression: "Little friend, you are likely speaking insincerely. Even without the Cloud Flow Step, Yi Zhen might not necessarily have been able to defeat you."

Xu Chen's face turned red, and he stammered, unable to answer.

Baiyunzi, however, stroked his beard, smiled, and nodded: "Little friend's cultivation far exceeds that of your peers, which cannot be compensated for by realm alone. Although our Yuqing Hall has many disciples of the fourth and fifth generations with excellent aptitude, I fear that at present, only You'er can be mentioned in the same breath as you. However, as for the changes in You'er, I fear only you know them best."

Xu Chen lowered his head and played dead, pretending he hadn't heard a thing.

The two True Monarchs looked at each other, a bitter smile of "as expected" appearing on their faces, so the topic stopped there. Baiyunzi changed the subject: "Since you have arrived at Yuqing Hall, there is no rush to hurry back. You may stay at the mountain gate for a few more days. Although our Yuqing Hall is not a top-tier Immortal Sect, our library and scripture towers still house many cultivation techniques and Daoist arts common in the Immortal World. If you are interested, you can let You'er take you to see them. For a young person, seeing more and learning more is never a bad thing."

Upon hearing this, Xu Chen was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed repeatedly: "Many thanks to the two seniors. Junior originally had this intention, but having come abruptly and without bringing any gifts, it was not easy to bring it up."

The two True Monarchs laughed heartily upon hearing this. Yuyangzi pointed at Xu Chen and said: "You little doll, you are indeed not someone who saves trouble. However, your words have reminded me. As the saying goes, the Dao is not lightly transmitted, and the Law is not lightly taught. What we two old fellows promise sometimes does not count in Yuqing Hall; after all, thousands of people above and below are counting on this vast family business to eat and drink. If you can exchange something that the mountain gate Elders value, I promise you that you may borrow any scriptures or Daoist arts in all of Yuqing Hall, except for the Red Glow Palace. How about it?"

Hearing the two Supreme Elders being so generous, Lan You was so surprised that her mouth hung open.

Xu Chen, however, wore a bitter face, thought for a long time, and stammered: "The Taiyuan Sect is so poor we eat dirt. Junior was fortunate to have been gifted a few Magic Treasures by several True Monarch seniors for self-defense, but other than that, I truly have nothing worth presenting..."

Yuyangzi waved his hand with a smile: "Little friend, no need to be nervous. Every sect and faction in the Immortal World, though they vary in size and strength, each has its own strengths in the path of cultivation. Yuqing Hall will not covet the core secret techniques of the Taiyuan Sect. However, there may be things you consider useless that are of great use to other sects. This is a common practice of mutual exchange among Immortal Sects, just to verify and learn from each other to make progress."

"Coo-coo-coo-coo..."

Xu Chen began to ponder deeply again, his Divine Sense searching back and forth through his Storage Bag and Storage Bracelet, when he suddenly heard the sound of the Spirit Sparrow behind him, like a hen begging for food. He turned his head and, sure enough, saw the Spirit Sparrow lying on the ground again, opening its basket-sized mouth to ask for food.

Xu Chen's face turned as black as if ink were about to drip from it.

Although the materials for these Spirit Pills were not expensive, refining them consumed a lot of mental energy and physical strength. If it kept eating like this day after day, even Yuqing Hall might one day be eaten into poverty.

Yuyangzi asked: "You'er, why is this Spirit Sparrow acting like this? Could it be sick?"

Lan You's face turned bright red, but she dared not laugh out loud. She could only cover her mouth, giggling and shaking for a long time, before she managed to suppress her laughter and replied: "Reporting to the Supreme Elder, this Spirit Sparrow just wants to eat the Spirit Pills refined by Daoist Friend Xu. It got used to it on the way back; every time it carries us for a flight, it does this."

The two True Monarchs looked strange. Baiyunzi said in a deep voice: "It is becoming increasingly outrageous. Do you not feed the Spirit Sparrow enough on a daily basis?"

Xu Chen knew he had to explain, so he could only take out a Jade Bottle, toss a Spirit Pill into the big bird's mouth, and then turn around and laugh dryly: "True Monarch Baiyun, please do not blame Daoist Friend Lan. It is just that this Spirit Sparrow might like the taste of the Spirit Pills Junior refines, hence it is begging for food."

Yuyangzi's eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed to the medicine bottle in Xu Chen's hand: "The aura of this Spirit Pill of yours is indeed somewhat peculiar. I wonder if you would allow me to take a look?"

Xu Chen hurriedly presented the Jade Bottle with both hands respectfully. Yuyangzi poured one into his palm, and after just one glance, he said with great surprise: "This pill is indeed somewhat strange. It looks like an ordinary First-grade Spirit Pill, but its color, appearance, and aura are actually somewhat similar to the Taiyuan Soul-Entering Pill."

Upon hearing this, Baiyunzi hurriedly raised his hand to take a pill into his palm to examine it closely. The more he looked, the more surprised his expression became. He looked up at Xu Chen and said: "Little friend, did you refine this Spirit Pill yourself?"

"Yes!" Xu Chen answered, biting the bullet.

The two True Monarchs looked at each other, and then smiles appeared on their faces simultaneously. Yuyangzi said: "Then this gift is settled. Little friend, help Yuqing Hall refine a few bottles of the same Spirit Pill, and you may view all the scriptures and Daoist arts of our Yuqing Hall as you please. How about it?"

Xu Chen naturally could not say half a word of refusal at this moment, so he could only nod and agree quickly.

The two True Monarchs seemed to be in a suddenly excellent mood. While playing chess, they asked a few questions about the situation in Black Wind Ridge and Spirit Fox Valley. Hearing that everything was normal, they prepared to let the two leave. Xu Chen suddenly remembered something and recounted the matter of the Soul Beast mutation that he and Lan You had discovered on the road.

The two True Monarchs, who had been calm, instantly became much more solemn, and they asked for details.

Xu Chen answered one by one, and Lan You added some supplements. Finally, Xu Chen took out that pitch-black, jade-like bead the size of a rice bowl.

After the two True Monarchs looked at it, their expressions became even more serious. Baiyunzi said: "You did very well in this matter. Soul Beasts have already formed a catastrophe in the surrounding countries. I heard that they have caused countless deaths and injuries in both the Immortal and mortal worlds. True Monarch Chixia has already gone to the Eastern Wasteland to investigate. Although our Great Song seems stable for now, the fact that Soul Beasts have begun to undergo such mutations after scattering among the people shows that the matter is far from as simple as imagined. We still need to take precautions and make more adequate preparations. I will pass this matter on to the Elders to discuss together, and then notify all the large and small Immortal Sects in the Immortal World to respond and deal with it early. Little friend, do not go too far from the mountain gate in the next few days; we may still seek you out to ask for some details during this period."

Xu Chen could only bow and say: "I will strictly follow the seniors' instructions!"

Yuyangzi nodded and said: "That is very good. You'er, take little friend Xu down first to arrange a place for him to stay and rest, and treat him well."

"Disciple obeys!"

"Junior takes his leave!"

Xu Chen and Lan You bowed together, then rode the Spirit Sparrow and soared into the air, soon disappearing into the vast sea of clouds.

The two True Monarchs exchanged a few more words, and Yuyangzi dropped the chess piece in his hand and said: "Let martial brother arrange the matters of the mountain gate; I will go out first to investigate the truth."

Before Yuyangzi's voice had faded, he had already turned into a clear breeze and disappeared, leaving only one chess piece spinning on the chessboard.

(End of chapter)