Daoist Competition

After Miss Shan left Kunyu, she was careful not to draw attention, so she didn’t use the Gang Wind to fly, but instead drifted through the clouds. More than an hour later, she returned to her previous resting place.

Brother Jin had been waiting for her news, and was meditating in a cave. Upon learning of her return, he immediately came to greet her with a big smile, saying, "Sister Shan has returned."

Miss Shan collected her Escape Technique, gathered her long sleeves, and slowly floated down from the sky. Standing before the Cave Mansion, she glanced around with her beautiful eyes and asked curiously, "Where has Zhao Xiong gone?"

Brother Jin shook his head and said, "Sister Shan, you’re still unaware of his antics? He said the food here doesn’t suit his taste and went to hunt for wild game outside the mountain."

Zhao Xiong had often done this at the Mountain Gate, referring to wild game as the bears and tigers in the mountains. Miss Shan didn’t think much of it upon hearing this, and pouted, "That clumsy oaf isn’t here, which means less noise. Brother Jin, I’ve gathered information this time. This place is not convenient, why don’t we go inside to talk?"

Brother Jin invited Miss Shan into the Cave Mansion. A few words later, Miss Shan shared everything she had discovered without omission.

Upon hearing it all, Brother Jin praised her softly, saying, "Thanks to Sister Shan, we have this information. Neither Zhao Xiong nor I could have accomplished this task."

Miss Shan smiled radiantly at the compliment, saying, "Brother Jin, you flatter me."

Brother Jin also smiled, then his expression turned slightly serious as he said in a deep voice, "Time is of the essence. Once Zhao Xiong returns, we should discuss it and take action within the next couple of days."

Miss Shan rose and bowed, saying, "I will follow Brother Jin’s instructions."

They waited a long time, but it wasn’t until dawn that Zhao Xiong leisurely returned to the Cave Mansion. He was picking his teeth and humming a folk tune of unknown origin. His large frame made the mountain path thud loudly, like a drum, startling the birds in the mountain forest to fly away.

Miss Shan’s eyebrows shot up as she was about to scold him, but Brother Jin waved his hand and said, "Let him be. At least he didn’t drink alcohol."

Zhao Xiong, with sharp ears, shouted from afar, "Before heading out, Brother Jin instructed me not to drink, how dare I sneak a sip."

With action imminent, Brother Jin didn’t want to reprimand him too much and calmly called him over.

The three entered the cave, sat down to discuss, and after agreeing on a departure time, they each went their separate ways.

After sending the two away, Brother Jin remembered that Hong An was still locked in the cave and, fearing any oversights, brought him out again for questioning.

Except for deliberately withholding the method to exit the array, Hong An answered all other questions.

Seeing that he couldn’t get anything more out of him, Brother Jin had a little demon escort him away, then he began meditating, adjusting his Qi Veins.

At midnight, he prepared the Dharma Treasure Talisman and left the Cave Mansion alone, conjuring a Demon Wind and heading towards Kunyu.

After over an hour, he flew to Kunyu. To be cautious, he slapped a Concealment Talisman onto himself, temporarily hiding his trace, and then followed the entering array method taught by Hong An. A few turns later, he silently slipped inside.

Upon stepping in, he found himself in a Medicine Garden, but everywhere there were collapsed walls and houses, looking long neglected.

This place was a Medicine Garden of the Haohang Dao Palace, where a Forbidden Array was originally set up, but the Lie Xuan Sect easily broke it on their last visit.

For the past few days, Lu Guo had been contemplating how to set up the array again and was so deep in thought that he didn’t pay attention here, otherwise, if someone entered, he would have noticed.

Brother Jin was secretly relieved; if he had inadvertently triggered a prohibition, though he might not fear it, if it alerted Zhang Yan, the subsequent actions would be difficult.

Knowing Zhang Yan usually cultivated on Turtle Snake Mountain, he did not dare to get too close. Fortunately, the region within Kunyu was vast, so he found a mountain ridge far away to hide, waiting for the right moment to strike.

By the hour of the tiger, Miss Shan and Zhao Xiong also left the mountain, and upon reaching the Great Array outside Turtle Snake Mountain, they concealed themselves within the Gang Wind, ready to act.

Over the past half month, Zhang Yan went to the Extreme Sky during the day, using the Heroic Festival Fish Drum to absorb the Green Sun Gang Spirit to hone his cultivation. At night, he used Broken Jade to study the Five Elements Escape Technique. However, he never let down his guard and kept a sword ball on watch every day.

Another night had passed. Zhang Yan withdrew his Heart and Spirit from Broken Jade, picked up a flying book of unknown origin beside him, glanced at it, and after a smile, tossed it aside.

As he looked into the distant sky, a hint of golden dawn appeared on the horizon. The morning sun seemed both revealed and concealed. With a sweep of his sleeve, he rode the wind, gently breaking through the Gang Flow, and settled above the Extreme Sky.