Chapter 305: Jianghu

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Three streaks of escape light arrived from the southeast, landing near the foot of Langya Mountain in the blink of an eye.

At this time, within a radius of a thousand miles around Langya Mountain, immortals were flying through the air and escape lights were crisscrossing everywhere, so the arrival of these three did not attract anyone's attention.

Moreover, this combination of three was very common: one old man and two youths, clearly a master and disciples from a small Immortal Sect; the old man had the strength of a mid-stage Danyuan Realm, and the two young disciples both appeared to be in the Zhenyuan Realm.

With this level of cultivation and strength, if placed in a mortal kingdom during ordinary times, they would certainly count as a small, somewhat famous Immortal Sect, capable of maintaining peace in a corner of the Mortal World.

But placed here at Langya Mountain, where tens of thousands of cultivators were gathered, this bit of strength was completely unworthy of notice.

Not to mention that over fifty Great Cultivators were currently gathered in the main hall of the Xianyun Palace on the mountain, there were at least three hundred Danyuan Realm powerhouses on and off the mountain, and the number of Zhenyuan Realm cultivators was impossible to count; even if not ten thousand, there were certainly three or five thousand.

Therefore, the arrival of these three stirred up almost no ripples at all, except for the pure and lovely young girl in the red dress, who would cause a few young cultivators to take a few extra looks, unable to resist wanting to step forward to strike up a conversation and make an acquaintance, seeing if they could use a few words to trick her into drinking tea and discussing the Dao, then taking the opportunity to get close to her.

This Immortal Alliance Assembly was a once-in-a-millennium event, so while it was an assembly concerning the safety of Southeast Shenzhou, it was also a peerless opportunity to broaden one's horizons, make friends, trade items, and even flirt.

For the tens of thousands of low- and mid-tier cultivators, this kind of opportunity might only be encountered once in a lifetime.

With hundreds of Immortal Sects of all sizes from dozens of kingdoms gathered together, it was so lively that it made people completely lose their Dao heart, unable to settle their minds to cultivate at all, spending the whole day flying around everywhere to drink tea, chat, and trade with cultivators they knew or didn't know from all over the world.

Of course, under these circumstances, true and false news from all corners of the world was flying everywhere.

Where there are people, there is a Jianghu.

Where there is a Jianghu, there are naturally interests and conflicts.

Although cultivators are usually high and mighty in the eyes of mortals, when they truly gather together, they are actually no different from the common people of the mortal world.

They still talk about interesting news from the world and gossip from the Immortal World, and they still debate the levels of realms and the strength of cultivation.

Spirit Tea, Spirit Wine, Spirit Pills, Spirit Medicine, Spirit Beasts, Spirit Birds, Daoist techniques, Magic Treasures, Arrays, Spirit Talismans, Daolu, and wealth—all these things were the content of their competing exchanges and comparisons.

And this also gave birth to a large number of organizations and trading venues created for these exchanges and interactions.

Right at the foot of Langya Mountain, in all directions, seven or eight different trading areas had spontaneously formed; additionally, some large and medium-sized sects had even moved many of their sect industries here, and after the shops and Magic Treasures they refined were activated and deployed, building after building of tents and houses shone with four-colored spirit light, with the names of various sects and their buying/selling/trading items constantly flashing out in spirit light.

"Yushou Sect of Liao Guo sells various Spirit Beasts, Spirit Birds, and beast-taming Magic Treasures!"

"Baixiang Valley Spirit Tea House of Bohai, welcome all Daoist Friends!"

"Liehuo Sect of Wuguo sells various Magic Treasures."

"Spirit Qi Sect of Wuguo sells various storage Magic Treasures."

"Zixia Immortal Manor of Jin Kingdom specializes in selling various Magic Treasures for female cultivators."

"Walk by, don't miss out, a large quantity of Second-Tier and Third-Tier demon cores for sale, fair prices, no cheating of young or old!"

"Come and see, come and see, sea spirit beast water-washed demon cores unique to Bohai Guo, only this one, don't wait until it's gone."

"High-price acquisition of various Spirit Grass and Spirit Medicine, and selling One-Grade, Two-Grade, and Three-Grade Spirit Pills."

Almost as soon as the three landed, Xu Chen was hit by the incomparably lively atmosphere and nearly tripped.

Bright, shining spirit light radiated everywhere, and the noisy clamor shook the heavens.

Xu Chen felt that he hadn't suddenly arrived at a grand Immortal Alliance Assembly, but rather a bustling mortal marketplace.

What he heard in his ears and saw before his eyes was full of violent fluctuations of Spirit Qi and Yuan Qi; the crowd was seething like a tide, and streaks of escape light were flying wildly across the sky. His powerful Divine Sense, comparable to the Spirit Transformation Realm, was completely chaotic here and could not be used normally at all.

Even Guilingzi said with a face full of surprise: "So lively, this is the first time I've seen this in the nearly thousand years I've lived."

The young girl in the red dress, who had transformed and used the alias Ling Yuzhen, said with some joy: "It's so lively, this is really nice. Let's not stand here; let's go buy some food for Xiaobai first. It must have been starved while trapped on the mountain!"

"Wuya..." Xiaobai nodded vigorously.

Xu Chen lightly flicked Xiaobai's forehead with his hand and said: "You've grown so big, you must have eaten plenty. We are here to save people this time, not to find food."

"Wuya~" Xiaobai let out a wronged cry and rubbed its head against Xu Chen's hand, seemingly wanting to climb into Xu Chen's arms, but unfortunately, it was held tightly by the girl in the red dress and couldn't struggle free at all.

The three walked into the messy and incomparably lively large trading market. As they walked, Xu Chen released his Divine Sense to observe the surroundings, attempting to find the whereabouts of Xuan Chen Zhenjun and his two senior sisters. But unfortunately, once his Divine Sense was released, it was quickly stirred into pieces by the countless fluctuations of Yuan Qi and Spirit Qi, and it was also mixed with dense, tide-like, crisscrossing chaotic Divine Senses. Therefore, he didn't dare to observe recklessly, as there were still many powerful Divine Senses among them, all with the aura of the Danyuan Realm.

Although his current strength no longer feared any Danyuan Realm cultivator, he did not want to rashly reveal his identity before finding out the whereabouts of Xuan Chen Zhenjun and his two senior sisters and clarifying the current situation of the Immortal Alliance Assembly.

In addition, in that large area of brilliant Daoist temples and buildings on the top of Langya Mountain and that palace hanging in the sky with surging Spirit Qi, there were countless powerful auras, almost every one of them above the Spirit Transformation Realm. Moreover, there were many Fourth-Rank, Fifth-Rank, and even Sixth-Rank Spirit Beasts hidden on the mountain; they were all mounts or mountain-guarding Spirit Beasts brought by these powerful Immortal Sects that had come to participate in the Immortal Alliance Assembly.

The Taiyuan Sect was too weak and far from being able to contend with the so-called Immortal Alliance.

What's more, when his Divine Sense observed the surrounding cultivators, whether they were chatting or discussing the Dao, he could often hear the name "Taiyuan Soul-Entering Pill," and whenever this matter was mentioned, they all showed expressions of longing or anger.

Now, Xu Chen had no idea where Xuan Chen Zhenjun was or what state he was in.

Furthermore, he was completely unaware of the attitude of Yuqing Hall, the largest Immortal Sect in the Song Kingdom territory.

Although he had had contact with the three Supreme Elders Chixia, Yuyang, and Baiyun and had very strong respect and affection for them, times had changed. Facing such a complex situation, it was still unknown whether Yuqing Hall would stand on the side of the Taiyuan Sect and speak up for them.

After experiencing so many things and hardships, Xu Chen was no longer the "little white" cultivator of the Immortal World he once was.

He knew deeply that interest was the highest principle followed by all Immortal Sects.

The word "morality" is often heavily discounted in the face of reality.

"Senior, please help me observe the mountain and its foot carefully to see if you can find the whereabouts of our Great Elder, Xuan Chen Zhenjun!" Xu Chen was powerless on his own and could only rely more on Guilingzi at this moment.

Guilingzi nodded and said: "It is my duty, Daoist Friend, please wait a moment!"

After speaking, Guilingzi released his Divine Sense and began to observe. After a full cup of tea's time, he frowned and said in a low voice: "I haven't discovered any hidden places at the foot of the mountain, and there are too many restrictions on the mountain. There are many Great Cultivators, and the aura fluctuations are intense, causing great interference. I cannot determine the location of Xuan Chen Zhenjun at the moment. If I want to check carefully, I might have to go to the top of the mountain."

Just as Xu Chen was hesitating, Ling Yuzhen, who was standing beside him, said: "No need to look everywhere. There is a cave on the top of the mountain with over a dozen not-so-weak array restrictions set up. A Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator is imprisoned inside. If I'm not mistaken, it's the Great Elder Xuanchenzi you are looking for."

Xu Chen was both shocked and happy when he heard this, and he clenched his fists and said: "Many thanks, Senior. I wonder what the Great Elder's condition is now?"

Ling Yuzhen stroked Xiaobai's scalp and said: "Don't worry, his Primordial Spirit is just imprisoned, and he has suffered some torture, but there is nothing seriously wrong."

Xu Chen's heart suddenly felt much lighter. After thanking her again, he said: "It seems we arrived just in time. Since that's the case, Senior Guilingzi, please accompany me to rescue the Great Elder first, and then we will go to the Xuanhua Sect to demand the person."

Guilingzi nodded and said: "Daoist Friend Xu, rest assured. Although there are many Spirit Realm Great Cultivators on this mountain, there is no True Monarch sitting in charge, so there won't be any trouble. In fact, I also want to see what the strength of the cultivators in the Shenzhou territory has been like over these seven hundred years."

Ling Yuzhen, however, smiled playfully and said: "These people are all soft and have no strength at all. What's the point of a True Monarch like you, who is about to reach Void Breaking, going to fight them? If you really want to establish your prestige, why not wait another two days?"

Xu Chen and Guilingzi were both full of surprise and looked at the girl together.

"Senior, what do you mean by this?" Guilingzi carefully cupped his hands.

Ling Yuzhen stroked Xiaobai's soft and smooth fur and said: "A group of old Daoists is currently discussing in the main hall of that palace Magic Treasure, saying that in two days, three Huashen Great Cultivators might come to participate in the Immortal Alliance Assembly. If you are strong enough to fight three at once, wouldn't you immediately become famous in Shenzhou, and this matter of the Taiyuan Sect would naturally be solved?"

Guilingzi's eyes couldn't help but light up, and he felt a surge of excitement for no reason.

He fell into the Minghuang Boundary at the early stage of Spirit Transformation and was trapped there for seven hundred years, but thanks to the unique, cold Underworld Qi of the Underworld, his cultivation did not regress but instead advanced; with such a deep accumulation finally bursting forth, he passed the Transformation God Tribulation the moment he emerged, rushing in one breath to the Great Perfection of the Shenling Realm.

However, a realm is just a realm; what level his true strength sits at within the Divine Continent still requires a hearty battle among peers to verify.

Although he reckoned he would not fall behind, it was indeed as Ling Yuzhen, that True Immortal of mysterious origin, had said: it was truly meaningless for him to go and bully a group of junior cultivators at the True Spirit Realm or even the Spirit Transformation Realm right now.

He was willing to take action only to repay Xu Chen for saving his life.

But if he could openly bring a battle between Divine Monarchs before all the cultivators in the Divine Continent, it would not only be a matter of vindicating himself, but settling the affair with the Taiyuan Sect would also naturally fall into place.

Therefore, True Monarch Ghost Spirit said to Xu Chen: "I wonder what you think of this, Daoist Friend Xu?"

(End of chapter)