Three days later, after that snowstorm, the South Border was basking in clear skies.
Those three suns seemed like the eyes of the heavens, silently watching over the vast land below.
In the South Border, many villages and towns quietly changed their beliefs, and they all worshipped the same entity—Tianzun.
“Tianzun the Immortal told us to offer him stones and even taught us the mountain hammer technique and the second set of radio exercises.”
“You’re offering stones? Our town’s elder is having a flood; Tianzun the Immortal told us to dig rivers and offer him mud and sand…”
“The disciples by Tianzun’s side are all strange-looking. They’re kind of scary; could it be from practicing radio exercises?”
“That can’t be it! The Immortal said that the disciples of Wanxiang Xianzong are all good at shape-based martial arts…”
“After a few days of radio exercises, my waist doesn’t hurt anymore, and my legs aren’t sore either.”
“Tianzun the Immortal is really helpful; believing in him is real spirit! He doesn’t even want young boys and girls!”
“Is that true? My little kid just turned six; we might as well move here!”
…
Huanmo Sect, South Border Branch.
The ancient hall was shrouded in darkness, as if even the sunlight couldn’t penetrate it. The faint glow made the wild-themed murals on the walls appear especially eerie.
In the background, there were distant howls and roars that didn’t sound human at all.
“Recently, our sect’s disciples have suffered heavy losses. What do you think?”
The Hall Master of the Hall of Beasts sat upright in his seat, his voice raspy like a withered tree without moisture.
The Huanmo Sect had always cooperated with Han Zhen, leading to the creation of the Hall of Beasts.
But now Han Zhen was dead.
The ultimate goal of the Hall of Beasts hadn’t changed; it was only two words—True Dragon.
Bring forth the True Dragon.
The True Dragon is not an innate spirit but a powerful spirit formed by mankind, regarded as a totem in a historical process of tribes swallowing one another, fusing totems and ultimately giving birth to a new entity.
When the combined power of various spirits is sufficient, it will manifest.
So even with Han Zhen dead, the Hall of Beasts remained largely unchanged; they still controlled the South Border and gathered the power of various spirits.
But lately, someone seemed to have shaken the foundation of the Hall of Beasts.
“……”
None of the great priests spoke first.
Come on, they were members of a magic sect.
Some were secretly at odds while others were more indifferent. If something went wrong in someone else’s territory, what did it have to do with them?
A portion of them didn’t even understand the situation well enough, afraid that they might speak out of turn.
The Hall Master snorted:
“The Holy Son has been in a bad mood lately; you all know this. He is fixated on obtaining the True Dragon body to return to the Qianlong List.”
“If he finds out we’re not doing well, the ones in trouble will likely be…”
The great priests swallowed hard and straightened their postures.
The Hall Master is the Holy Son’s brother-in-law.
After a brief whispered conversation, one priest dared to speak up:
“Hall Master, our top priority is to investigate the origins of the Heavenly Court and Wanxiang Xianzong, especially that so-called Tianzun.”
“Heavenly Court? Wanxiang Xianzong? Tianzun?”
“Right, he calls himself Tianzun the Immortal; he has been asleep for countless years, possessing vast powers…”
“Whoa! Creator of the universe? I don’t even dare to boast like that…”
All the great priests present were at least at the inner realm level.
Yet even those at the outer realm wouldn’t dare to speculate on what the creation of heaven and earth entailed.
If this were true…
Forget just a branch of their Huanmo Sect; even the grandmaster of the entire sect would have to tread carefully.
“One more thing.”
The Hall Master’s expression grew more serious:
“This Tianzun claims that we, the Huan Shen Sect, have only obtained a fraction of Wanxiang Xianzong’s power.”
“No way?”
“Our history is long and can be traced back before Da Yu, but…”
The priests recalled what the Hall Master had said earlier regarding some of the information from the other side.
That Tianzun, surrounded by disciples, all seemed impressive and had signs of beastly transformations.
This was somewhat similar to their Hall of Beasts’ fundamental method, the transformation into dragons.
However, the drawbacks of the dragon transformation technique were quite clear; practitioners took on various beastly bloodlines and could easily lose their sanity. Most people, let alone transforming into dragons, lost their wits trying to become serpents.
But the disciples around that Tianzun appeared to be very clear-headed.
They were said to have been practicing some form of shape-based martial arts.
…
The fact that they were even named Wanxiang Xianzong!
And, like them, they were also absorbing the power of living beings!
The more the priests thought about it, the more their hearts raced.
Was there a chance, a glimmer, that what the other side was saying… was true?
Had the Huanmo Sect truly only obtained a fragment of Wanxiang Xianzong’s legacy to gain this power?
Whoa…
It seemed that the things they drew out were becoming bigger and bigger!
Whispers filled the hall.
Little Li never dreamed he’d unintentionally drag the Huanmo Sect into this while he was just trying to squeeze out a bit of spirit power.
After a while, the Hall Master cleared his throat and stated:
“No matter what the other side is, we must provide the Holy Son with a response!”
“Whether true or false, we need to probe their intentions! Let’s try to establish contact and figure out if they’re friend or foe!”
Although it involved a fundamental secret within the sect, it posed some danger, but it also held opportunity.
The great priests eagerly signed up.
…
As the moon reached its peak, Qingmu City was bathed in a gentle, silvery light.
In the mysterious depths, a clear birdsong seemed to rise, like a gigantic whale echoing in a dream as it broke the sky with its call.
“The Miao Yin Bird has formed.”
A breeze flung open the window of the room, causing Ying Bing’s black hair to dance gracefully.
She instinctively opened her big-headed doll box and pulled out a green jade hairpin, intending to pin up her flowing black hair that was tickling her back. However, her movements suddenly halted.
The green jade hairpin was bathing in moonlight, gleaming with a lustrous glow, still carrying the warmth of someone’s palm.
Thinking about that warmth…
She recalled a certain Li genius’s improvements to the dual cultivation technique “Phoenix Ming in Tianze,” which combined dual cultivation with foot massages…
What an illusion!
This hairpin is just a mundane object, not a warm jade! That warmth is just my imagination…
Ying Bing pursed her lips, gathered her hair with the hairpin, and decided to try the new shape of the Miao Yin Bird divine intent.
Swish—
Her dress suddenly shimmered with golden light, transforming into an exotic gown.
She wore billowy lantern pants on the bottom, with a corset embroidered in gold that exposed her flat, streamlined belly.
If Little Li were here, he would surely exclaim:
“Whoa, a Western Region dance girl!”
“He might really like this kind, huh?”
Ying Bing furrowed her brow at the outfit, feeling it was too revealing, but thinking of a certain God Hammer Little Overlord’s sparkling eyes, she couldn’t help but let a slight smile escape.
She lowered her gaze, feeling the soul intent surging with divine energy.
The Miao Yin Bird is graceful and perceptive.
It seemed she could hear various sounds carried by the wind.
“This tavern has great business; I heard the barbecues are personally crafted by Little Li the Overlord?”
“Boss, how’s the quality of this hammer? Is it good for smashing stones? Tianzun the Immortal told us to dig stones to offer him.”
Tianzun the Immortal?
Hearing that ‘immortal’ word, Ying Bing’s eyelids twitched.
Which spirit deity dares to set themselves as an immortal?
It must be him…
“Mom, can you buy me cake for my birthday?”
“Silly kid, your birthday is still seven days away; it’ll spoil by then.”
Birthday…
Ying Bing gently opened her eyes, her serene gaze reflecting the moon.
She just remembered.
In five days, it’ll be her… birthday?
The two words felt a bit strange to her, after all, she never celebrated her birthday, always spending it alone, without much difference from any other day.
She still had unfinished business.
This birthday would likely pass just like the others, unremarkably, just like nothing happened.
Well, she was already used to it.
