Wet viviparity

Chapter 782 Gathering, All Paths Approach
At the entrance to Crane View Mountain, the steps are covered with light green moss, and the newly swept areas still bear traces of moisture.

Outside the gate, the bronze cauldron emitted wisps of blue smoke that lingered and did not dissipate, pointing straight to the high clouds. Suddenly, a clear cry broke through the air, dispersing the rising blue smoke. From the source of the cry, a brilliant golden light mingled with the morning glow, like a large ball of fire flying in, within which four figures could be seen.

In the center, a figure sat cross-legged on the snow-white divine horse with its fiery mane and golden eyes, one leg dangling and the other crossed, holding a golden bottle in his palm, a smile playing on his lips as he looked forward.

The other three figures were all female, positioned slightly behind, like attendants following behind.

A woman dressed in plain white, with her black hair half-tied up, and without any elaborate adornments except for a small plum blossom tucked behind her ear, sat gracefully amidst the yellow clouds.

Another figure, with veils covering his eyes, hands clasped together at his chest, and a bright lamp hanging above his head, was brighter than the others. He sat on the back of a bear with small wings tucked into its waist.

The last one was the most unrestrained, carrying a sword and riding a crocodile. He would occasionally point to a grand temple at the end of the mountain path ahead. After being scolded by the woman in white, he had to restrain his emotions, but he soon became happy again.

As soon as the four arrived at the temple, two rows of cranes led them to a stone platform.

This is a newly built stone courtyard in Heshan, about three zhang in size, with sheer walls like a screen, clearly in its initial stages of construction.

There are two courtyard walls outside the open space. The outer wall is only about ten feet high and is made of plain stones from the mountains. It has not been carved or axed, and the moss in the crevices of the stones is like a painting. It is still wet.

The divine horse's four hooves lightly touched the bluestone path outside the courtyard wall. A gentle breeze blew from the depths of the pine forest on both sides of the path, making a rustling sound. The immortal on the horse nodded slightly, quite pleased with the arrangement of the place.

A boy, clutching the hem of his robe, scurried out of the moon gate and bowed deeply before the divine horse, saying, "Grand-disciple Mingyue greets Grandmaster and all fellow disciples. May Grandmaster and fellow disciples enjoy increased blessings and wisdom, and may their cultivation prosper forever!"

The black alligator carried the female swordsman forward, and the female swordsman on its back asked with a smile, "And me?"

"Greetings, Swordswoman Master!"

"A aunt is a aunt, what 'swordswoman' aunt?"

Ling Gu said with great dissatisfaction.

"The auspicious time is approaching, and guests are gathering in the courtyard. Please, Grandmaster and Uncle, dismount your horses by the pine tree. I will lead you inside."

Stepping through the moon gate, one can see a thousand-year-old pine tree between the inner and outer courtyard walls, its gnarled branches reaching for the sky, resembling a dragon reaching out its claws.

On the pine branches, a black crane stands alone, its wings folded and head drooping, its iron beak slightly open, exhaling smoke and fire; a gray-feathered owl perches in the deep shadows of the treetop, its eyes tightly closed, its claws slightly gripping the withered branches, like hooks and blades; a fox spirit lies on the branch, its leopard head with blue stripes, its body swaying in the wind.

Various mythical birds and beasts temporarily alight on the ancient pine trees.

"Go!"

The local master said to Kira Shinma.

The divine horse lay down with its head held high in the dense shade of the ancient pine, while the black alligator and the flying bear also found a branch to coil up.

Further in, past another courtyard wall, the stone courtyard was quiet and cold.

On the side of the platform, rolling auspicious clouds formed various styles of seating platforms, such as mats, canopies, or lotus pedestals.

There were Taoist boys dressed in white robes with feathered shoulders, moving in twos and threes between the various seating areas, offering fruits, elixirs, bamboo tea and other items.

In the courtyard, there are several stone lanterns with a bluish-green flame, unlike any ordinary fire. As they flicker, the light and shadows sway, illuminating the few slender blades of grass growing in the cracks of the stone steps in front of the cloud steps, which are also tinged with the color of lotus leaves. It is truly a beautiful and magnificent sight, with the air of a celestial being.

On the various cloud-shaped platforms, several figures sat or stood motionless, like stone sculptures from an ancient cave. Occasionally, whispers could be heard between the platforms, intermittent and difficult to discern, clearly indicating that the guests were intentionally keeping the sound out of reach of outsiders.

When the master and his party of four arrived, at the head of the open space, the dense shade of the green banana trees stirred slightly, revealing a corner of a robe sleeve beneath the leaves.

There sat a person, propped up on a plain lotus platform, one knee bent, leg swinging, relaxed and at ease. His features were completely hidden beneath the dense shade of banana leaves, only a sleeve visible. Upon seeing the master arrive, he abruptly rose and hurried to greet him, saying, "Disciple respectfully welcomes Master!"

Around the open space, on and off the cloud platform, all the Daoist figures stood up and greeted each other with a hand gesture.

The master returned the greeting to the several seemingly powerful figures, and then said to Ji Ming in front of him, "Today is an important day for you and Ruyi. I should not take the place of the host. After the greeting, you don't need to pay attention to us. Your two junior sisters and I will go and sit to the side."

Our guests have come from afar; their kindness is deeply appreciated and cannot be treated with the slightest disrespect or negligence.

Even amidst the thin mist and haze of the mountains outside the courtyard, immortals still arrive, sometimes descending on colorful clouds, sometimes traversing the sky on swords.

Many of these uninvited guests included nearby figures such as the disciples of the Three Eccentrics and Five Birds of Tianteng Mountain in the Southern Wilderness, Wang Chan, the old disciple of the Immortal Toad of the Five Immortals Sect, Miao Niang, the young disciple of the Washing Silk Lady, and Xie Chunliu, the daughter of the Iron-Backed Maiden, a special disciple of the Five Immortals Sect.

Many others came from afar, including Jiang Neng, the third tiger of the Jiang family of the Zhenling Sect in Baoguang Prefecture, Ding Minjun from the White Tiger Hall of Huangting Palace, Chun Hongzi from Huanglong Temple, and Zao Ling'er from Zhenxian Temple.

There was another person who came with Zao Ling'er and the others.

The appearance of this person was completely unexpected by Ji Ming. This person was Pei Qingling, the eldest disciple of Xie Youren, the leader of the Cangtian Sect under the True Immortal Temple of Huangting Palace, who was known as the Southern Lu and Northern Pei along with Lu Zhenjun. He was called Lord Qingling by the people of the orthodox sect.

Ji Ming led his teacher to Qingling Gong's place, and then sat down on the lotus platform.

He surveyed the cloud platform around the flat ground and thought to himself, "Of the people I invited, four have not yet arrived: Qingyang Immortal, Baiqin Shangzhen, Leng Cuishan, and Zhang Xiaoyuan."

Speaking of his cousin Zhang Xiaoyuan, Ji Ming had many feelings.

He knew this man would shine brightly in the north, but his actions and deeds still exceeded his expectations. No wonder many disciples in the sect wanted to welcome back his cousin.

The letter Ding Ruyi brought back from Dizhu Rock was a request for him to invite Zhang Xiaoyuan to the apprenticeship ceremony, so that Zhang Xiaoyuan would have an excuse to return to Tiannan and further deepen his influence.

Ji Ming readily agreed. Although he regarded his cousin as a challenger to the position of True Lord, he would not obstruct his return. If he could not even tolerate this, how could he possibly subdue the rest of the sect?

Just as I was pondering this, a strange sound suddenly arose from the sky, neither wind nor thunder, but a deep, majestic, and far-reaching sound.

The sound rolled faintly from the depths of the clouds, as if a giant object was parting layers of fierce winds. Instantly, the sea of ​​clouds seemed to boil, and a narrow rift was torn open in the thick clouds.

A tiny wing appeared from its mouth, its form still faint, yet the breath it carried already silenced the pine trees throughout the mountain.

The wings expanded rapidly, instantly obscuring half of the sky—they were clearly a pair of wings that hung from the clouds. With just a slight flap of the giant wings, the sea of ​​clouds below sank several feet, bursting open in countless wisps of mist.

When its wings landed, they suppressed the raging clouds and mist.

As the giant shadow hovered above the courtyard gate, its immense shadow pressed down heavily, engulfing the courtyard walls, stone slabs, and ancient pines, leaving only a few green stone lanterns visible.

A clear, long cry pierced through the clouds and split the rocks, cleansing the universe. The shadow of the hanging clouds suddenly contracted, transforming into a dazzling stream of light that crashed to the ground, scattering into thousands of iridescent rays.

Just then, a cluster of auspicious clouds rolled in, and before anyone could see them clearly, they had already obscured the colorful halo on the ground.

When the auspicious halo and glow dissipated, two Taoist priests stood in the same spot.

One was a man in a black robe with wide sleeves, seven feet tall, whose eyes, when opened and closed, still seemed to hold the lingering power of a great roc. The other was a Taoist priest with two topknots, wearing a white robe with wide sleeves, holding a whisk, and with an unusual and ancient appearance.

Zhang Xiaoyuan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "That was close. I almost stole the spotlight from this immortal by making the grand entrance last."

(End of this chapter)