Chapter 56: Slashing Open the Sky to Clear the Clouds

After returning to the Mo Yun flying boat, Chen Hang pondered the day's events and couldn't help but chuckle. Tu Shan Ge came over, curious, and Chen Hang recounted the story to him.

"Ever since I left Little Gan Mountain to study the Dao, everyone I've met has been like Yan Zhen or Yan Feichen—people in sects who scheme and plot against one another, stopping at nothing..."

The two sat across from each other at the table.

Chen Hang looked at the pale green tea in his cup, the scalding steam curling up and brushing against his face. He chuckled softly and said:

"Yet I had never seen that there could actually be a righteous sect in this world like Bai He Cave. Seeing the brotherly affection between them today was truly enviable."

"Does Master regret it? If you had truly joined Bai He Cave, perhaps today would be a different scene."

"What is past is beyond recall, but what is to come is still within reach."

Chen Hang's expression was calm:

"Even if the road ahead is rugged, with the three-foot sword in my hand, I will slash open the sky to clear the clouds! I will carve out a space of pure frost and clear air!"

Though his voice was calm, Tu Shan Ge heard a great killing intent and a great sense of freedom—a feeling of being unconstrained by heaven and earth, wanting to roam and act as he pleased! He couldn't help but feel his blood boil, and he felt an urge to let out a long shout from his throat.

"Only in this way does Master possess the firm heart to seek the Dao."

Tu Shan Ge said: "The path to immortality is a struggle, and it comes down to this single word: 'struggle.' You must struggle for opportunities, struggle for cultivation arts, and even struggle for the favor of teachers and your rank within the sect! If you don't struggle for anything, then what is the point of cultivating the Dao? Bai He Cave can only maintain this harmonious appearance because it is a small, obscure household. Even among the Eight Sects and Six Schools, the giants of the immortal path, among these disciples—"

At this point, his words trailed off.

Tu Shan Ge shook his head silently and could not continue.

His former master had been too innocent and naive, believing that the fellow disciples and friends she spent her days with could be trusted with her heart, which was why she was plotted against and died on the eve of her promotion to true disciple.

He didn't know if she would have the opportunity to cultivate the Dao again after being reincarnated as a human.

Even where she had been reincarnated, whether it was in the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, or some other land or realm, Tu Shan Ge did not know...

After chatting for a few more sentences, Tu Shan Ge took his leave with infinite melancholy.

Chen Hang took out the jade slip gifted by the Bai He Cave disciple, spent half an incense stick of time reading it carefully, and after finishing, his expression shifted slightly.

"I was just worrying about having nowhere to sell my loot and lacking talisman money, but Cave Master Huaiwu is going to rebuild the immortal marketplace. This solves my urgent need."

In this great age where the immortal path is manifest, wanting to build a marketplace is truly no easy feat.

The chief manager of such a marketplace must not only have profound cultivation to suppress the unruly and ensure a peaceful territory, but also be free of trouble.

In terms of reputation, they must also be outstanding and prominent.

Only then can they, at least on the surface, eliminate cheating and deception, so that the passing cultivators and merchants need not fear for their lives and property.

Although Cave Master Huaiwu was a rogue cultivator who appeared out of nowhere, he was universally praised, with everyone lauding his golden words and jade sounds, possessing the legacy of the ancient Qi practitioners who held fast to honesty.

The "Golden Valley Marketplace" he founded had only existed for fifteen years, yet it had already become a trading hub in the Southern Territory.

At its peak, nearly a thousand large and small markets had moved in, paying him tribute and receiving his protection.

Clouds and escape lights rose day and night without cease, rare birds and exotic beasts could be seen everywhere, and those who came and went were all true practitioners of the Dao. Even high-ranking masters and refining masters would come here to purchase items if they were lacking anything.

It was just that a few years ago, after Cave Master Huaiwu suddenly developed the desire to go to the East Sea to seek a dragon, the "Golden Valley Marketplace" lost its presiding manager. Although they struggled to maintain it for a few months, they were ultimately powerless to continue, and it ended up scattering like wind and clouds.

As the saying goes, the Xu Du Heaven governs the vastness of the Nine Provinces and Four Seas. These Four Seas are the East Sea, West Sea, South Sea, and North Sea.

The East Sea is occupied by the Dragon Clan and is famous far and wide.

The South Sea has twenty-four tribes of demon cultivators.

The North Sea was originally a place of abundant spiritual energy, but due to a great upheaval after the ancient times, it is now just a vast, white, dead zone where living things are hard to find, and it is the least mentioned among the Four Seas.

As for the West Sea, it is home to countless divine kingdoms, heavenly beings, demons, and Zen lands.

Various Daos coexist, and it is extremely complex—

And the Plague Sect, one of the Eight Sects and Six Schools, is the only major sect that does not place its mountain gate in the Nine Provinces, but instead established it on a spiritual island in the West Sea.

These vast Four Seas, while far inferior to the various cultivation forces of the Nine Provinces, are equally illustrious, with the East Sea occupied by the Dragon Clan being the most supreme.

Cave Master Huaiwu's initial abandonment of the "Golden Valley Marketplace" to go to the East Sea to seek a dragon bride was already treated as a joke.

Although the current Xu Du Heaven is divided and ruled by the Eight Sects and Six Schools, with them holding absolute power and no rivals,

the many old Dragon Lords of the East Sea Long Gong still survive in the world and have had feats of manifestation.

These strange species of heaven and earth have long lifespans, and some of them have even discussed the Dao with the previous generations of supreme sect masters of the Eight Sects and Six Schools, which can be said to be deeply accumulated authority.

Cave Master Huaiwu is merely a Cave-Mystic rogue cultivator, not some Golden Core or Primordial Spirit True Person; in front of the Long Gong that dominates the endless East Sea, he is truly not worth mentioning.

Wanting to seek a dragon bride but returning in defeat is truly the most normal thing.

It's just that after he returned to the Southern Territory this time, he wanted to rebuild the "Golden Valley Marketplace," and he actually chose the foundation at Daojun Fu Yu Lake in the Dan Su Kingdom, which is not far from the Rong Kingdom.

For Chen Hang, this is a good thing.

Flying from Yang Mountain, if he doesn't stop day or night, it will take at most three to five days.

After the trip to Yuan Jing, he truly obtained a windfall, with a full twelve Universe bags, and even more low-grade talisman artifacts.

Both the Qi Cultivation Realm and the cultivation of the Tai Su Jade Body require massive amounts of spiritual energy. Chen Hang can no longer wait to sell some useless items to push his cultivation to the next level.

Besides that, he also wants to purchase a mid-grade flying sword talisman artifact.

With his current Sword Dao realm, if he had a flying sword in hand, it would be no exaggeration to say it would be like a tiger gaining wings.

In fact, back in Yuan Jing, Chen Hang had already entrusted Tu Shan Ge to inquire about such marketplaces, but the results were often laughable.

Those underground black markets had strict entry and exit, looking the part, requiring not only acquaintances as vouchers but also the concealment of one's face, with no true appearance allowed to be leaked, otherwise one would be immediately driven out and never allowed to enter again.

However, the goods inside were quite vulgar.

Salt permits, land deeds, slave registrations, and the like could be seen everywhere.

Occasionally, a few volumes of mortal martial arts claiming to be able to break through to the Xiantian realm, such as the Great Strength Divine Palm, the Five Tigers Breaking Door Saber, the Overlord Spear, etc., would attract everyone to scramble for them. As for talisman money or even low-grade talisman artifacts, they were unheard of for ten years, and the latter were even priceless.

Tu Shan Ge went to several black markets, and although there were some better ones, on the whole, they were not satisfactory.

Therefore, the news that the "Golden Valley Marketplace" is about to open is indeed related to Chen Hang's great plan for cultivating the Dao.

After another day passed, the Mo Yun flying boat finally arrived at the Yang Mountain territory.

Seeing this familiar scenery after many days, Tu Shan Zhuang cheered. As soon as the flying boat landed, he flipped off and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Following his roar, the originally quiet and lonely Yang Mountain suddenly became lively. White foxes emerged one after another from the divine realm of the pool and waterfall in the back mountain, and the whole mountain was instantly filled with "ying ying ying ying" sounds, clamorous and noisy.

"You have had a hard journey, fellow Daoist. You may go now. In a few days, when Cave Master Huaiwu rebuilds the 'Golden Valley Market,' I will go to observe the ceremony. You may stay at Yangshan."

Watching Tu Shan Zhuang rolling around with the foxes, Chen Hang said.

"Does Master not need me to accompany you? Please let's have a banquet together now," Tu Shan Ge asked.

Chen Hang smiled and shook his head. After cupping his hands in farewell, he walked alone toward the quiet room in the mountain's belly.

By now, the frost and snow had completely vanished. Although the mountain wind remained biting, the grass and trees were gradually revealing a lush, tender green, sprouting new buds.

Chen Hang casually plucked a sprig of sprinkled-gold plum to admire. On the mountain path near the cave dwelling, ghost bamboo and Luofu trees were scattered about, and the sounds of birds and insects rose and fell in succession, surrounded by emerald greenery and the murmuring of flowing water.

After walking a few hundred steps, he suddenly stopped.

In front of the large rock of the cave dwelling, a snow-white fox was lying down.

She seemed tired from playing, covering her eyes with two small paws to keep the early spring sunlight from shining into her pupils. Her fluffy tail was like a thatched hut, lazily draped over her head, covering most of her body.

If it weren't for the fact that the snow in the mountains had melted into water, she would look like a soft, fluffy snowball.

Hearing footsteps approaching, she stopped.

Tu Shan Ningning first popped up her two ears with a thud. After a long while, she reluctantly stretched her front paws forward, stretched her body, shook her head gloomily, and looked back.

"..."

Not far away, there was only a young man quietly looking at her. He held a broken plum branch in his hand, the petals of which were a mix of red and white, as beautiful as clouds.

"Ying ying! Ying ying!"

Being seen in this scene, Tu Shan Ningning, who was tired from playing and sleeping, was deeply ashamed on the spot. She arched her back and barked at Chen Hang like a puppy, looking fierce but cowardly.

"Sleeping during the day, not cultivating? Truly, rotten wood cannot be carved."

Chen Hang lowered his eyes to look at the few mud sculptures placed on the ground. They were not only funny in appearance but also mixed with a few deep and shallow small paw prints, as if they were covered in plum blossoms.

"Is this Fellow Daoist Tu Shan? Or me?"

Chen Hang couldn't help but chuckle: "The head seems too big, and the hands are too short. But why do they have no eyes?"

"Ying ying!"

Tu Shan Ningning seemed even angrier. Her fur exploded, and with a roll of her tail, she hid all the mud sculptures behind her, constantly baring her teeth at Chen Hang.

"Fellow Daoist Tu Shan has already returned, and Tu Shan Zhuang has brought back many things from Yuan Jing. They should be looking for you everywhere."

Chen Hang walked to the cave wall, moved the large rock away, and said calmly: "If you don't hurry, those snacks will be snatched away."

"Ying ying!"

Tu Shan Ningning was overjoyed, her eyes squinted, and her four hooves were like wind, about to fly out.

But after running only half a zhang away, she seemed to remember something. She used her two paws to hold the mud sculptures in her arms with great effort and kept barking at Chen Hang.

But after barking for a long time, seeing that Chen Hang still didn't understand her meaning, she was so anxious that her tail kept spinning like a cylinder, almost as if it were about to blow up a wind.

"Write it down."

Chen Hang pointed to the ground with his hand.

A small beast that had not refined its transverse bone could not even speak human words, and Chen Hang did not understand beast language, so naturally, he could not understand her meaning from Tu Shan Ningning's barking.

"Ying ying?"

The little fox tilted her head, then nodded as if suddenly enlightened. She stretched out her paws and carefully carved stroke by stroke in the dirt.

"Gift?"

Looking at the crooked, ghost-like characters on the ground.

Chen Hang frowned for a long time before identifying their true appearance.

"You want to find me for a gift for coming back from going out?"

"Ying ying!"

Tu Shan Ningning nodded approvingly, her two small ears standing high.

"This trip was hurried, I'll make it up to you next time. However..."

Seeing her whole fox body about to wilt instantly, Chen Hang calmly changed his words and said: "I'll give you this."

Tu Shan Ningning was shocked, shaking her tail like a puppy, looking at Chen Hang eagerly, focusing all her attention on his sleeves, very much looking forward to him taking out something good.

"I have nothing in the south, so I give you a branch of spring."

Chen Hang placed the plum branch he was holding in front of her and smiled slightly:

"I still need to cultivate Qi, so I'll take my leave first."

"..."

Tu Shan Ningning watched blankly as Chen Hang walked into the cave dwelling. With a sound of the mechanism, the large rock covered it, blocking his figure.

"Ying ying!"

After a long time, she finally came back to her senses.

The little fox barked in disgust, hugged the mud sculptures again, and turned to run.

But not long after she dived into the grass, she quietly turned back. Her eyes rolled around, and seeing that there was no other movement in the large rock, she held her breath and approached cautiously, holding the plum branch in her mouth,

and looked around sneakily again. After confirming that no one saw this scene, she happily flicked her tail and slipped away.

In the cave dwelling.

A thin layer of dust had accumulated on the table and bookshelves. Chen Hang flicked his sleeves to wipe away the dust and sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion.

Faintly, he could still hear Tu Shan Ge's loud voice and the shouts of the foxes.

Tu Shan Zhuang had specially brought back many snacks from Yuan Jing, all of which these foxes had never seen before. The current Yang Mountain was bustling and lively, almost like a festival for mortals.

Chen Hang didn't pay attention to these, chuckled, took out talisman money, and began to cultivate Qi.

It wasn't until three days later, when he calculated that the time was set, that he slowly exited his meditation, turned into a white light, and flew up to the sky, rushing toward Daojun Fu Yu Lake in the Dan Su Kingdom.

"Miss, why did we split our spiritual bodies to come to the Southern Territory? Are we looking for that evil Yin-Sheng Demon? And how do you know it's here?"

The long sky was clear, and the ten thousand miles were like a wash.

A flying carriage rose into the clouds. Inside, the fat girl in green clothes rolled over hard, sprawling out.

"The Daoist Lord has ordered me to come here to capture that evil Yin-Sheng Demon, which is to fulfill the favor of the Ai family allowing me to read their Daoist arts."

Beside her, the lady in plain clothes said softly:

"Qing'er, do you dislike your aunt very much?"

"No, I'm just too lazy to go out. If I have to say I dislike someone, I dislike Ai Jian more... But why not let people help us?"

The girl rolled over again with great effort: "Also, why is the cultivation of our spiritual bodies not high? What if we are killed on the road?"

"After joining the sect, my master once asked the Daoist Lord to cast a hex for me, saying that if I split my spiritual body here, after capturing that evil Yin-Sheng Demon, I would also encounter an opportunity."

At this time, the lady also shook her head: "As for the low cultivation of the spiritual body, it is also according to the instructions in the hex. Not to mention you don't understand, I don't understand either, so..."

She tapped the girl's forehead and instructed: "Don't be as arrogant and domineering as before. The cultivation of our spiritual bodies is very shallow. If we die, it will be troublesome."

The girl in green clothes nodded disapprovingly and was about to hug the lady's arm to act like a spoiled child, but suddenly the flying carriage shook violently, almost throwing her out.

The lady looked out and saw seven or eight figures rising, surrounding them, and at a glance, she knew they were ill-intentioned.

"Big brother, we caught another one going to Daojun Fu Yu Lake! There are quite a few fat sheep today. The filial piety for the Fuchan Laozu's birthday is definitely enough."

A cultivator in yellow clothes laughed, and beside him, a big man with a face full of pustules was also happy.

"This girl, we are the Seven Sons of Miao Nan. The Fuchan Laozu's birthday is imminent. If you are sensible, just honestly leave some road-buying talisman money, and we will let you go. If you insist on not following—"

The big man with a face full of pustules sneered and waved the giant axe in his hand: "I'll make you unable to be whole! All your cultivation will be lost! Even in death, you won't have peace!"

"..."

The lady frowned slightly, wanting to crush them all to death, but she was too lazy to cause trouble, so she wanted to take out talisman money to end it.

"Wait, I've changed my mind!"

Seeing that the woman on the flying carriage was wearing a veil, she couldn't see her face, but her posture was graceful and plump, and she thought she was a beauty, so his lust flared up.

"I am called Huang Hao, the eldest disciple under the Fuchan Laozu of Miao Nan. Little beauty, you don't have to pay talisman money."

Huang Hao laughed: "If you are willing to have fun with me, I will not only send you to Daojun Fu Yu Lake myself, but after it's done, I will also offer another thirty talisman money. How about it?"

The lady's face turned cold.

"Go to hell, you bird!"

The girl in green clothes was furious: "Auntie is going to hammer your big head until it's as thin as a small head! Stretch your neck over obediently!"

"Humph!"

Huang Hao sneered. Just as he was about to use force, in the distant sky, he saw another flying boat coming from afar.

He gave a wink, and the other Seven Sons of Miao Nan understood, and when the flying boat approached, they intercepted it in the air.

"Hey, you are so ignorant, get lost early!"

Huang Hao waved his axe and sneered: "Are you trying to learn to be a hero to save the beauty? How many heads do you have to be cut off!"

"Hey! Come and be a hero to save the beauty! Help out!"

Seeing someone coming, the girl in green clothes jumped up and down, waving her hands hard.

After a while, a faint voice came from the flying boat:

"Please go ahead, I have no intention of disturbing your good deeds."

"What? You are so cold-blooded! Just watching me and Miss being robbed of color?" The girl in green clothes was extremely disdainful: "You gutless coward, you grew up for nothing, what use are you?"

"What does it have to do with me, it's not like I'm the one robbing your color."

The voice on the flying boat was still faint:

"If you don't want to be humiliated, now, I advise you to commit suicide."

Two-in-one ===== CHAPTER 57 =====