Chapter 317 173: Overt and Covert Confrontation
「Seventy-two days later, at dawn.」
Outside Han Yuan Cave, the group emerged from the entrance, fully packed and ready. The Immoral Taoist was already waiting for them. He had the Wine Immortal Gourd hovering in mid-air and was lounging lazily on top of it, his face still bearing the ruddy flush of intoxication.
Seeing them emerge, the Immoral Taoist beckoned to them. "Up you get, all of you!" he called out.
The Wine Immortal Gourd could grow or shrink at will. The Immoral Taoist had already expanded it to several dozen yards long, providing more than enough room for the six of them.
They did as he said, climbing aboard the Wine Immortal Gourd and settling down. The Immoral Taoist, however, was in no hurry to depart. He waited a while longer before Jide Taoist finally emerged from Han Yuan Cave.
The Immoral Taoist grumbled, "Hurry up, Senior Brother! Stop dawdling!"
Jide Taoist paid him no mind, calmly activating the restrictive spell to seal the cave's entrance. Only then did he appear on the Wine Immortal Gourd in a flash. "Let's go," he said. "First, we'll rendezvous with Da Ji and Great Evil."
"Hold on tight!" the Immoral Taoist huffed. With a surge of his Magical Power, the Wine Immortal Gourd seemed to shatter space itself, vanishing from where it had been.
In the void, a "short" distance from the Guangyuan Realm, floated a small celestial body. It was a desolate, barren wasteland, home to nothing but magnificent, bizarrely rugged mountains and deep valleys.
The Wine Immortal Gourd leaped from the void, arriving just outside this celestial body. The Immoral Taoist glanced down and scoffed. "Couldn't we have met in the Guangyuan Realm? Did we really have to come to this godforsaken rock?"
Jide Taoist frowned slightly. "It is a bit strange. We must not be careless," he said. He then produced a sheet of talisman paper from his sleeve and gave it a light flick. It burst into a bright flame that shot through the void toward the celestial body.
The Immoral Taoist's eyes followed the flame. He let out a cold laugh. "I'd like to see just what tricks those two unlucky fools are playing at."
On this celestial body was a great mountain whose highest point reached tens of thousands of yards, making it the loftiest peak on this world.
Atop this majestic peak, a Jade Platform had been constructed at some unknown time. Several Daoists of varying builds and attire stood upon it. Their leader was as tall and thin as a beanpole, draped in a wide Daoist Robe. Around his neck, a dozen bamboo tallies were strung on a thin silk thread.
Despite this strange appearance, when he put on a solemn expression, he managed to exude a certain transcendent grace.
This man was none other than the other party to the Spirit Root pact: Da Ji Daoist of the Divination Daoist lineage, a true Primordial Spirit True Man. Great Evil Zhenren stood at his side.
"They're here!" Da Ji Zhenren announced suddenly, looking up at the sky. His words immediately drew the attention of everyone present.
Besides the two Zhenren, Da Ji and Great Evil, there were six others present—clearly the ones who had come for the pact. At his words, they all looked toward the sky. They saw a bright flame streaking through the air, which Da Ji Zhenren caught in his hand. A moment later, a mass of auspicious clouds descended from above.
The auspicious cloud approached with incredible speed, arriving before them in an instant. Only then did they see that the cloud supported a massive, yellow-skinned gourd carrying several Daoists. As the two groups laid eyes on each other, they immediately recognized familiar faces in the opposing party.
"Jin Yuanzai?" Sima Zongfa's gaze locked onto a Daoist standing behind Da Ji and Great Evil Zhenren. The man wore a wide robe with star embroidery and a golden crown. "What's he doing here?" Sima Zongfa muttered. "And on their side?"
At the same time, Chang Su'Er also frowned.
Nearby, Cen Fenghong also showed a look of surprise. "Pang Ban?"
In truth, Xuzhuang and the others had already anticipated finding Jin Yuanzai in the opposing camp. And sure enough, not only was Jin Yuanzai present, but Zhuo Hansheng was as well.
It was Pang Ban, with whom they had once shared a banquet at Lai Xian Hall, who was the greater surprise.
In Weiyun Immortal City, Pang Ban had a fair bit of renown, but he was, after all, only a Loose Cultivator—an "ascended" cultivator from the Celestial Stars at that. To have also reached the Nascent Soul stage within three hundred years was truly impressive.
But as Xuzhuang scanned the group, his gaze was instantly drawn to one man. His appearance and dress were nothing special, but in Xuzhuang's eyes, a plume of cloud-like qi gathered above the crown of his head. It formed what looked like a pagoda, swirling with magnificent colors and shimmering with a precious light, exuding an impressive might.
Xuzhuang's eyes glinted. 'So that's Li Chengzhen?'
That was how reputations traveled. Although Xuzhuang had known nothing about the man before, after spending time with Zhong Shenxiu and Cen Fenghong, he had inevitably come to know of a figure in the Cyan Sky Realm whose fame rivaled Zhong Shenxiu's in the Profound Yellow. Now, after just one look, Xuzhuang had a strong suspicion.
After all, in any Cultivation Realm, a great reputation is never unearned. Without true skill, one could never live up to such fame.
Hearing Xuzhuang's muttered question, Zhong Shenxiu smiled faintly. "That's him. I crossed paths with him once while traveling in the Cyan Sky Realm. It's a pity we never got to spar."
As if sensing their discussion, Li Chengzhen looked up, his gaze meeting theirs. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, quickly replaced by a carefree smile as he thought to himself, 'Xuzhuang... Zhong Shenxiu? So that's them.'
"Xuzhuang! Zhong Shenxiu!" At his side, a white-haired woman a full head taller than average suddenly grew animated. She glanced up at them, a blush rising on her cheeks. 'Oh, dear,' she thought. 'They're both just as the rumors say—impossibly handsome, with extraordinary auras. Mmm, I wonder who's better.'
"..." Seeing this, Li Chengzhen suddenly opened his folding fan, using its Fish and Dragon Playing in Water Painting to hide the corner of his mouth.
While the two parties were sizing each other up, the Immoral Taoist lowered the Wine Immortal Gourd onto the Jade Platform. Da Ji Zhenren was clearly prepared, calling out preemptively, "My two Daoist Brothers, would you care to step down for a discussion?"