Chapter 423: Opportunity at Goddess Peak

Good heavens!

Li Yan was truly a bit surprised.

He had naturally long known the great name of Wushan.

Stretching across the Three Gorges, it gathered numerous wandering cultivators, effectively cutting off the fortune of the orthodox Mystic Sects, making it difficult for the states of Shu and E to connect.

The reasons were complex.

Some lineages were unwilling to see the orthodox sects grow too powerful and secretly supported them.

He just hadn't expected to run into one as soon as they went up the mountain.

However, Li Yan didn't rush to take action.

After all, their main mission for going up the mountain was to snatch the life tablets of the two girls, which required a surprise attack.

If they alerted the enemy, the other party would inevitably use the life tablets as leverage.

He could force a move, but the two children would suffer.

So before going up the mountain, Bai Zhu Huan had already said that no matter what obstacles they encountered along the way, he could not take action and must let her handle it.

Sure enough, Bai Zhu Huan put her left hand behind her back and made a gesture to him, then said sadly to the distance, "Master Master Lian. This junior does not wish to do this, but if we do not bow our heads, more people will die!"

She spoke loudly on purpose, her voice filled with sorrow, echoing through the mountain forest.

"Sigh~"

The figure opposite was silent for a while, then sighed, "The sea of suffering is boundless; take care of yourselves."

With that, a gust of wind blew, the mist in the forest dissipated significantly, and both the laughter of the children and the figure of the nun vanished, as if it were all a dream.

Only then did Bai Zhu Huan lead the group forward, whispering, "This person's Taoist name is Xinlian. She originally cultivated at Wugou Nunnery, worshipping the Great Merciful Bodhisattva. Although she is an Earth Immortal, she has never abandoned her kind heart."

"Children often fall into the river, and their residual souls weep in the water. Xinlian often prays by the water, allowing the residual souls of the children to enter the mountain, transform into Mountain Infants to receive offerings, and then chants scriptures to help them pass on."

"On Wushan, the Fate-Commanding Society worships the Goddess, and our status is special. There are those who agree, hoping the Goddess will descend to stabilize Wushan. There are also those who watch coldly. And this Master Master Lian is strongly opposed..."

"I see."

Li Yan suddenly realized, feeling a bit surprised. "Earth Immortals cultivate for a long time; I didn't expect there to be such a kind-hearted person."

Old woman Bai Zhu Huan's expression was calm. "People eat grains, and their temperaments vary. Cultivators are the same. Some act like demons, while others always insist on their original intentions."

"But the human heart cannot withstand the passage of time. Those who can insist on their original intentions without changing, since ancient times, have been extraordinary people. Master Master Lian has only cultivated for a hundred years or so..."

"What will happen in the future, no one can say."

Li Yan was silent, but in his heart, he agreed with this statement.

Just like the couple Liu Gang, they were figures recorded in the "Biographies of Immortals," slaying demons and eliminating evil, praised by the people, and even Living Yin Constables.

But after the passage of time, falling into the Netherworld and returning to the world several times, they had long since lost their humanity and were no different from monsters.

Would he, in the future, be like that...

……

Passing through the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, the wind and rain became even more violent.

The wild wind howled, and the rain and mist rolled like an overturned giant wave.

The disciples under old woman Bai Zhu Huan even had to press down on their bamboo hats so they wouldn't be blown away by the wild wind and rain.

Everyone was walking with their heads down.

And Li Yan, forming hand seals, also had a solemn expression.

Wushan was also one of the blessed lands, where innate Gang and Sha energy gathered, and it was connected to the Yangtze River, drawing the water vapor of the dragon vein to rise.

But this place was a bit different.

It had not been governed by the orthodox Mystic Sects, and the Wushan Goddess had not manifested for thousands of years, so the Gang and Sha energy was not unified and appeared even more violent.

It gave the feeling of the ancient, primitive era.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a tiger's roar came.

They saw a fierce tiger standing on the mountain ridge amidst the wind and rain, with hanging eyes and a white forehead, its fur like brocade, red light flashing in its eyes, and Sha energy forming black smoke rising from its body.

The warrant heated up again.

A returnee—a human cultivating a demon body!

Li Yan knew what was going on as soon as he saw it.

This guy was likely as unlucky as Liu Gang back then, with no one to meet him, and after returning to the world, he entered a demon fetus.

Just as the group was on guard, the fierce tiger suddenly knelt on one knee, bowing its head toward them in respect.

The object of its bow was exactly the two girls, Wu Chaoyun and Wu Xingyu!

The two young girls were frightened and hid behind Bai Zhu Huan.

The fierce tiger didn't say anything more, stood up, nodded slightly, and leaped out, disappearing into the wind and rain.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes. "Is this one of those who agree with the matter?"

"Yes."

Old woman Bai Zhu Huan's expression was solemn as she nodded slightly.

They hadn't gone far when another figure appeared, dressed in palace attire, with double pupils, riding a tall white deer.

Like the tiger demon before, it ignored the group, only appearing to pay respects to Wu Chaoyun and Wu Xingyu, then left with a smile without saying a word.

They seemed to have left, but the warrant in Li Yan's bosom was always hot, indicating that these guys were all watching in secret.

Or rather, escorting them!

The group felt heavy, filled with vigilance.

Li Yan held the warrant tightly, ready to take action at any time.

Finally, they climbed Goddess Peak.

Along the way, besides the Master Master Lian who had blocked them, two more returnees and two Earth Immortals had appeared.

All behaved the same: paying respects and escorting them.

This bizarre behavior made everyone's hair stand on end.

And Li Yan's warrant had never cooled down. His heart was itching, but he didn't act rashly.

One reason was that the time wasn't right yet.

The other was the agreement for Living Yin Constables back then.

Master Yulongzi of the Five Dragon Temple had said that although Living Yin Constables act on behalf of heaven, they were in an awkward position.

What they could do was locate and summon Yin soldiers.

And in the mortal world, there were not only Yin criminals but also human relationships.

Facing the Underworld, Earth Immortals and returnees had no power to fight back, but they had disciples and followers.

For a period of time, Living Yin Constables became public enemies; as long as they appeared, they would be hunted by people from the Mystic Sects until a great disaster was caused.

Therefore, this agreement was born.

As long as the Earth Immortals of the orthodox Mystic Sects and lineages did not go down the mountain, honestly served as the foundation of the sect, and took action at critical moments, they would be protected.

Such people were called "Hidden Immortals."

And those on Wushan basically had no sect support; they were called "Mountain Immortals," and what they could do was usually hide or group together.

The agreement between Mountain Immortals and Living Yin Constables was also to mind their own business, and whoever took action first would be retaliated against.

This agreement looked like child's play.

But every seemingly child's play agreement,

was backed by countless lives...

………

The environment on the mountain was even worse.

The wild wind howled, and the rain and mist were like overturned giant waves.

Coupled with the steep mountain and smooth, jagged rocks, one careless step would lead to a fall down the cliff.

"We're here, it's right here."

Bai Zhu Huan pointed forward.

Li Yan and the others looked over and saw a flat area on the steep summit. The foundation was built of bluestone, ancient and mottled, and one could vaguely see some broken walls and ruins around it.

"This was the original Goddess Palace."

Bai Zhu Huan said in a low voice, "We will hold a worship ceremony. You can try to see if you can obtain an opportunity."

Li Yan asked, "What should we do?"

Bai Zhu Huan replied, "Simple, just lie on it. If you have the fate, you will dream-wander through the original Goddess Palace."

"What, it's that simple?"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei's eyes widened, somewhat incredulous.

"What's so difficult about it?" Long Yan'er glanced at him and sneered. "It's just that fate is something you can only bump into. If it's yours, it's yours; if it's not, you can't force it."

"Look at this summit, the wind is strong and the rain is heavy. Can an ordinary person sleep?"

"That's true."

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei reached under his veil and scratched his bald head, whispering, "Brother Lu San, hurry up, you likely have the best chance here."

"Mm."

Lu San agreed in a muffled voice, immediately stepped forward, rolled onto the ground, closed his eyes, and let the wind and rain soak his whole body.

Wang Wang Daoxuan and Wu Ba also stepped forward to try, but after lying on the ground for a while, they couldn't take it anymore.

"No, I have no sleepiness at all."

Wang Wang Daoxuan shook his head after getting up.

The Taoist's state of mind was peaceful, and he felt no regret. Moreover, he had already found clues; he feared his own lineage had to be sought from the Shangqing Sect.

!.

On the other side, Bai Zhu Huan and the women also formed a circle, placed the offerings, opened the gourds, and put on spices and firewood.

Both of these items were specially refined.

Even with the strong wind and rain on the summit, after being lit, they emitted rolling thick smoke that didn't disperse, couldn't be extinguished by the rain, and spiraled deep into the high sky amidst the wind and rain.

Bai Zhu Huan chanted the prayer, her eyes filled with piety.

And the other women knelt and prayed.

Even if they were leaving the Fate-Commanding Society, their years of faith were not fake. The old woman was still praying silently in her heart, hoping the Goddess would forgive her sins.

Seeing this, Li Yan was not surprised.

Bai Zhu Huan had said before that the people on the mountain were very arrogant, and the cave dwelling they were in was based on the Wushan blessed land, hidden by Qimen Qimen Dunjia, very secretive.

Only if they worshipped piously would the other party appear.

And this time, it was a fake submission. The other party didn't know and would definitely give them a profound lesson before letting them go.

He estimated that they wouldn't come out for a while.

Thinking of this, Li Yan also walked onto the stone platform, lay on his side, and formed hand seals to gather his supernatural powers, carefully experiencing it.

His ear supernatural power could hear the sounds of ghosts and gods, so he should be more sensitive to opportunities than others.

Sure enough, he soon had a feeling.

Vaguely, Li Yan seemed to hear the sound of a door opening, and then a sharp voice rang out:

"Li! Li!"

Rumble!

Thunder roared, and Li Yan woke up with a start.

He quickly looked around and found nothing unusual. He took out his pocket watch and saw that at most half a minute had passed.

He operated his supernatural power again, but could no longer hear the sound.

Li Yan felt a bit of regret in his heart, knowing that he likely had no fate with the opportunity here, so he simply stood up and wrung the water from his clothes.

"Brother Li Yan, how was it?"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei quickly stepped forward to ask.

Li Yan shook his head slightly. "No such fate."

"Even you can't?"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei's eyes widened. "I'll try too."

With that, he lay down on the bluestone platform and closed his eyes tightly.

Li Yan sighed in his heart and said nothing.

He knew that as the team grew, Sha Hearing Sha Lifei's mentality was constantly changing.

Initially, Sha Hearing Sha Lifei only wanted to make a living.

Relying on his and Wang Wang Daoxuan's power, he would do odd jobs, save more money, and then return home in glory to be a wealthy man, with a wife and children, and raise a dozen servants.

Every time they went to a wealthy mansion, Sha Hearing Sha Lifei would watch with great interest, touching this and looking at that, full of praise, and even asking which craftsman had been hired.

But the appearance of the new-style firearm changed everything. Old Sha had this item and was talented, so his mentality changed. He studied hard and no longer thought about making money to go home.

People are like this.

If there is a chance, who is willing to remain unknown...

Coming to Wang Wang Daoxuan's side, Li Yan whispered, "Taoist, I almost obtained an opportunity, but I heard a voice calling, and then I was startled awake. Could you help me interpret it?"

"Oh, what did you hear?"

Wang Wang Daoxuan frowned and asked.

This was no dream. Being interrupted during an opportunity must have a reason.

Li Yan replied, "Only one word: 'Li'."

"It's the Li God!"

Before Wang Wang Daoxuan could speak, a voice rang out from the side—it was Long Yan'er of the Gu Sect.

She didn't understand the Fate-Commanding Society's rituals, so she didn't participate and was responsible for looking after the two sisters, Wu Chaoyun and Wu Xingyu.

She stared at Li Yan, her eyes full of curiosity. "This place is a remnant of the Chu shamans, built by the Great Officer of the Three Gates, mainly worshipping the Wushan Goddess, Mountain Ghost, as well as the Eastern Lord, River Earl, Wind Earl, and Rain Master."

"But some supreme gods are not worshipped, such as the Eastern Emperor Donghuang Taiyi, Cloud Lord, Eastern Lord, Great Fate-Commander, and Lesser Fate-Commander, and the reasons are no longer known to people."

"The Li God is the god in charge of disease and disaster among the Ten Gods of Chu, requiring sacrifice to avoid misfortune."

"If you were in Guanzhong, it has another name: the Bai Di!"

Hearing this, Li Yan suddenly realized.

No wonder he had obtained the Bai Di's blessing on Mount Hua. Perhaps because of this, he could feel some things, but was also rejected.

There was no doubt that the Eastern Emperor Donghuang Taiyi, Eastern Lord, and Bai Di had long since ascended to divinity, while the Cloud Lord, Xiang Lord, and Wushan Goddess had remained and become Earth Deities.

What exactly happened...

Just as he was pondering, Sha Hearing Sha Lifei on the opposite side scrambled up, looking indifferent, but there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Li Yan didn't dwell on it and quickly stepped forward, pulling him up, comforting him, "It's fine. We'll travel across the Divine Land, and we'll find an opportunity eventually."

"Heh~ Small matter."

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei rubbed his bald head and laughed. "Old Sha is already this old; these things don't matter."

Li Yan didn't say much, just patted him on the shoulder.

Li Yan did not say much, merely patting his shoulder.

"Go, go, go."

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei scolded with a laugh. "You heartless thing, it's all smelly, how can you eat it? I'll find a place later and take you to eat something good."

As he spoke, he turned his head and his eyes widened. "Look, Brother Lu San, I'm afraid he's hit the jackpot."

Li Yan had naturally seen it long ago.

He saw Lu San lying on the ground, innate Gang and Sha energy rising around him, actually blowing the falling rain aside, as if forming an invisible protective shield.

A refreshing breeze drifted over, like the wind blowing through the mountains and fields.

Such a commotion made even the old woman Bai Zhu Huan, who was holding the worship ceremony, stop and say in surprise, "He obtained an opportunity and is actually building a tower. I have never seen such a thing."

"Building a tower?"

Hearing this, Li Yan was also surprised.

Lu San, because he was avoiding the imperial arrest warrant, had gathered with them in Chang'an and was only at the first layer. It wasn't until he obtained the method at the Sturgeon Master's place and went up Mount Mount Wudang that he built the second layer.

Although his aptitude was astonishing and his accumulation deep, he was still a bit short of reaching the peak of the second layer.

Li Yan estimated that he would be about there by the time they reached Mount Qingcheng.

He hadn't expected him to suddenly build a tower here.

What kind of opportunity did this kid get?

Whoosh~

At this moment, a wild wind blew, carrying a mournful flute sound, and a cold female voice: "Traitor, I didn't expect you to really betray the sect!"

Bai Zhu Huan's whole body tensed, but her expression remained unchanged. She knelt on one knee. "This junior came here only to beg for the Venerable Envoy's forgiveness. Why say such things?"

"Still daring to argue!"

Another female voice rang out, even more weathered.

Their voices drifted with the wind, making it difficult to determine their location.

At the same time, a figure stumbled up the mountain, pointed at Li Yan, and shouted loudly, "Seniors, it's this kid!"

Looking at his attire, it was a lackey of the Salt Gang...

Second update in the afternoon.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 424 =====

(End of chapter)