Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 389 The Inside Story of Subduing Demons, Splitting the Land and Conferring a King (5.5K words presented, please support with monthly votes~)

The "Immortal Raft" sword was passed down from Yan Junping, the sword immortal of the Western Han Dynasty and ancestor of the Yan family. Legend has it that this ancient immortal was knowledgeable in astronomy, star phenomena, divination, and metaphysics, and could also transmit scriptures and write commentaries. He was omnipotent and finally ascended to heaven on a raft, traveling beyond the heavens. Before entering the Heavenly Gate, this ancient immortal dropped the raft beneath his feet, which was passed down to his descendants and became the "Immortal Raft" sword.

"The Yan family has very strict family discipline and dislikes fighting, so we rarely get to see the splendor of this ancient immortal sword. After Renying became the head of the Sword Pavilion, the Yan family entrusted this immortal sword to Renying for self-defense. However, I think it should also be because Fellow Daoist Qingyun and Li Yingqiong each possess the immortal swords 'Qing Suo' and 'Zi Ying'. After all, Renying is the senior brother, and those two flying swords are too famous. The Yan family should also be worried that Renying will be outshone."

"However, this person is a hidden talent, rarely wielding the immortal sword. He mostly uses the Seven Cultivations of 'Mysterious Fiend' to defend against enemies, so outsiders are not very aware of the sword's power."

Feng Jihu explained.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded. He had only heard about it once before when he was in Xikang. It was when Renying killed the abbot of Baiyu Stone Forest, who was in charge of the Five Washings, with a single sword strike.

"I only heard that last night, someone witnessed the 'Immortal Raft' transform into a silver river, as if stars were falling from the sky, landing on the ancestral home of the Xun family in Chongning. The sword energy surged like a dragon, like a river overflowing its banks, digging hundreds of feet into the earth and plowing hundreds of miles of land. Now, the Xun family's old residence has been turned into a large lake, with blood flowing everywhere. No one knows how many people have died."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan sighed and said,

"Ren Ying was consumed by rage and must have unleashed his full power. With such immense force, he probably won't be feeling well himself."

"Yes."

Feng Jihu continued,
"Ren Ying was decisive. After drawing his sword, he immediately fled a thousand miles away, flying south on his sword. He returned to northern Yunnan. He passed Zhuanxu Jiange without entering and went directly to Biji Mountain on the west bank of the Nanpan River. Emei was a separate residence in Yunnan."

"Chongning's news had not yet arrived at this time. As the senior disciple of Emei Sect and the master of Zhuanxu Sword Pavilion, he naturally entered Biji Mountain without any hindrance. Then he met with the three guardian elders of Emei Sect who were left here. Within a short distance, he suddenly killed them all. With the supreme power of the immortal sword, he immediately took control of Biji Mountain and the mountain-protecting formation."

Cheng Xinzhan listened and then asked,
"What is Biji Mountain's attitude? After all, this is a major sect of the Yunnanese esoteric school. How could it have fallen into Renying's hands so quickly?"

Cheng Xinzhan had spent a long time in the Southwest and had naturally heard of Biji Mountain.

Biji Mountain is located on the west bank of Dianchi Lake in Kunming. It is a famous scenic spot. Originally, it was a Taoist temple where people practiced the Pure Yang and Leiyin schools of Taoism. However, influenced by the Taoist schools in Sichuan, it also turned to Xuanxue (mystical arts) during the transition between the two Tang dynasties and gradually lost contact with the East.

On Biji Mountain stands Biji Temple, a major sect with a lineage of four realms, but this lineage has been intermittent, sometimes present and sometimes absent, and in this generation, it has ceased to exist. Perhaps Emei seized this opportunity, using various means to seize power and plunder, thus making Kunming Biji Temple, like Chengdu Biyun Temple, a branch of Emei.

However, despite its decline, this sect was still a major lineage with four realms of inheritance and had controlled Dianchi Lake for a thousand years, so it still had considerable foundation. Ren Ying's immortal sword was very powerful, but he was ultimately a lone wolf. To say that he could make a thousand-year-old sect submit in an instant seemed a bit far-fetched.

Hearing Cheng Xinzhan's question, Feng Jihu shook his head and said,

"It's hard to say yet. Things have happened too fast. It hasn't even been ten hours yet. The situation is unclear, and a lot of information hasn't come through. However, I do have a guess."

"What guess?"

Feng Jihu then said,
“Xinzhan, do you know that Renying and Bijishan actually have a very good relationship?”

"Oh?"

Cheng Xinzhan let out a soft "hmm," realizing that she truly didn't know.

"About two years ago, two elders from Biji Mountain were injured by water poisoning. Renying even made a special trip to me to ask me to go to Biji Mountain to treat them. I could tell that he had a very good relationship with the people of Biji Mountain, and the people of Biji Mountain respected him very much."

Feng Jihu said.

What is the reason?

Cheng Xinzhan asked.

Feng Jihu then explained,
"Ever since you killed the Five Poisons Heavenly King six years ago, the Xuanmen has occupied the Zhuanxu Dragon Cave and moved south. Renying's Xichuan Sword Pavilion was moved from the middle reaches of the Jinsha River to the lower reaches to guard the Dragon Cave and was renamed Zhuanxu Sword Pavilion. Since then, Renying has been ordered to attack the Nanpan River."

"The Nanpan River is the Dianwen section of the Pearl River where the Green Robe Ancestor merged with the Dao, and it is also the source of the Pearl River. If the Nanpan River is damaged, the Green Robe Ancestor will definitely suffer a loss of vitality. Moreover, the middle section of the Pearl River is in the Southern Wilderness, which is inaccessible, and the lower section is in Yuyang, where we in the East are fighting. If the Xuanmen wants to contain the Green Robe Ancestor, attacking the Nanpan River is almost the only way."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded in agreement, agreeing that indeed, a true dragon transformed from a land dragon roaming the river had virtually no major flaws.

"Green Robe isn't stupid. He naturally wouldn't be careless about his Great River of Dao Integration. Basically, there are Demonic Sect strongholds along the entire Pearl River. Not to mention the middle section, within the territory of the Southern Sect's old lair, there are Blood Vine Sect, Mud Man Sect, Shadow Catcher Sect, Hundred Barbarian Mountain, and so on along both banks. There are probably no less than a hundred sects, big and small."

"You know the downstream section where the river flows into the sea. The area west of the Yangtze River is now under the control of the Southern Faction. They have established Huding Mountain and Jiulong Island on the east bank, each guarded by three descendants of the dragon. In the upstream section within the territory of Dianwen, the area east of the Yangtze River is under the control of the Southern Faction. They have established three strongholds on the west bank to defend against the main route of Dianwen. These are located at Maxiong Mountain in Yizhou County at the source of the Nanpan River, Yixiu Lake in Kunming Prefecture in the middle and upper reaches, and Fuxian Lake in Longchi Island in the middle and lower reaches."

Speaking of Fuxian Lake, Feng Jihu was somewhat moved.
"When I was traveling in Yunnan, I stayed briefly by Fuxian Lake. At that time, the lake was still owned by the orthodox sects and was called 'Lake and Mountain Serenity.' There were more than ten sects, large and small, including Yinghai Sect, Qinglan Sect, Xifeng Temple, and Jinzhong Dragon Palace. However, these orthodox sects were successively defeated by the Southern School and were all wiped out."

With a sigh, he continued,

"Ma Xiong Mountain is close to the Miao region, backed by Wumeng Mountain and Niangniang Mountain, which is also what the Green Robe values ​​most, making it difficult to attack. Yixiu Lake and Fuxian Lake, which are located in the middle of the mountain, are slightly easier to attack, and Biji Mountain happens to be located here as well."

"Biji Mountain commands Dianchi Lake, which is adjacent to the Nanpan River and is also the largest lake in Yunnan. Therefore, the Green Robe Ancestor has always coveted this place and had his eye on Dianchi Lake long ago."

"However, Dianchi Lake is different from Fuxian Lake. Although both are close to the Nanpan River, the former is not part of the Nanpan River system, but belongs to the Jinsha River system. The Green Robe Ancestor's dragon might cannot reach here. Moreover, Dianchi Lake has been managed by Biji Mountain for thousands of years and is as solid as a rock. The Southern faction has made several attempts to take it down but has failed."

"Such a place, if it belongs to us, is like adding wings to a tiger; if it belongs to the enemy, it is like a fishbone stuck in our throat, a major threat to the Green Robe Ancestor. It is precisely for this reason that the demonic sects on the west bank of the Nanpan River, including Yixiu Lake, Fuxian Lake, and even Ailao Mountain, have been eyeing Biji Mountain for years."

"To put it another way, it may be precisely because of the surging demonic energy that Biji Mountain was unable to cope, which allowed Emei to take advantage of the situation and, in the process of helping, it became someone else's villa."

Feng Jihu shook his head and sighed, saying he really didn't understand Emei's behavior. They were always eyeing other people's property, acting like bandits. He then continued...
"Since Biji Mountain has been taken over by Emei as a separate residence, Xuanmen will definitely use Biji Mountain as a base to attack Nanpan River. Both factions want to fight, one wants to take Dianchi Lake, and the other wants to cut off Nanpan River. Basically, the battlefield is the three lakes of Dianchi Lake, Yixiu Lake and Fuxian Lake. They fight back and forth, and there is no peace for several years."

"After Renying was sent to Dianwen, his main task was to cooperate with Biji Mountain in attacking Nanpanjiang. The three elders of Emei were in charge of commanding the attack from Biji Mountain. They were three arrogant, domineering people who regarded human life as worthless. This is what Renying told me in a casual conversation. After Renying came to Dianwen, he couldn't stand the behavior of these three elders from Emei. He often spoke up for the disciples of Biji Mountain, so he had a very unpleasant falling out with the three elders."

Cheng Xinzhan vaguely understood, and slowly said,
"So it seems that Biji Mountain's journey to follow Renying in subduing demons wasn't necessarily forced?"

Feng Jihu nodded slightly.
"It's just a guess. Emei doesn't care about Biji Mountain. They act arrogantly on other people's territory and don't cherish the lives of Biji Temple disciples. They might as well just join the Demonic Sect. Anyway, this isn't the first time Emei has done something like this."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded in agreement, knowing that Ji Hu was referring to the Shu Jiao.

"Moreover, Green Robe is becoming increasingly tolerant, treating surrendered generals with great trust and courtesy. Silkworm Girl, Elephant Dragon, Owl Dragon, and even Venerable Poison Dragon are all surrendered generals, but now they are all great demons guarding their respective regions. As for the demons of the South Sea and the dragons of Shu and Kui, they all obey his commands. What's most terrifying is that people in Miao territory are now starting to speak well of Green Robe, which speaks volumes about his character."

"The more Green Robe was like this, the less resistance it encountered during the expansion process, especially in Miao territory and Yunnan, where they surrendered almost without a fight. This included not only demons but also righteous people. The sects of Fuxian Lake in Longchi Island swore to fight to the death and were all slaughtered, but Yixiu Lake in Kunming Prefecture surrendered and all of them survived. I think this is also one of the reasons why Biji Mountain was willing to surrender."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan's expression also became very serious, and he asked a question using a word that seemed unfamiliar to him.
"And who is the JF-17 Thunder?"

Feng Jihu replied,
"The demon ancestor of Wumeng Mountain is said to have the body of a dragon and the wings of an owl. His experience is very similar to that of the elephant dragon. Both were originally great demons who were neither good nor evil, and were descendants of dragons from the four realms. They had been detached from worldly affairs for many years. In recent years, the Xuanmen have been fighting fiercely in the south, so the Green Robe Ancestor invited this person out. Now he leads all the demon sects of Wumeng Mountain. After his emergence, he quickly stabilized the situation and held the northwest gateway of Miao territory firmly. The Xuanmen from Kang and Shu could not break in."

Cheng Xinzhan felt a headache coming on; the Green Robe was really difficult to deal with now.

Both of the Great Sages of the East Sea are Sea Dragon Kings. Although the Yellow Sea Dragon King is said to be a land dragon that travels through rivers and enters the sea to become a dragon, the banks of the Huai River are dominated by major righteous sects, which even the Azure Yang Dragon King could not control. Therefore, after entering the sea, the Dragon King has only visited the Huai River once in the past two thousand years, when he made an oath with his sect. He rarely goes ashore, so he can now be regarded as a Sea Dragon King.

Only this green-robed ancestor, whose main body of the ancient river was located within the Southern Wilderness, had his power greatly increased after he transformed into a dragon in the South China Sea. He quickly subdued the river, protecting its source and estuary, and now the entire river was under his control. As a result, both land-dwelling dragons and sea creatures were at his beck and call!
Most importantly, the Green-Robed Ancestor doesn't need to be as constantly vigilant as the Great Sage Overturning the Seas about the sea dragon descendants entering the Five Realms, guarding against this and that. He can rest assured about the land dragon descendants within the southwestern territory of the Divine Continent. Because under the current circumstances, he is the Lord of the South Sea, and the rivers flowing into the sea in the south are all under his control. It's impossible for any more land dragons to transform into dragons in the south. He can rest easy!

Even if he had land-dwelling dragon descendants among his subordinates who were about to transform into dragons, the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea were all already controlled. As for the major rivers flowing into the sea, the south was controlled by him, and the east by the righteous path. To travel by river further, one would have to go north of the Yellow River to enter the Bohai Sea or go northwest of China to enter the Western Sea. Leaving aside the probability of success, even if successful, it wouldn't threaten his position. The Green-Robed Ancestor's current situation can only be described as exceptionally advantageous.

At this point, the atmosphere became slightly heavy, and the two fell silent for a moment.

Just then, Feng Jihu's expression shifted. He took out a lily of the valley flower, held it to his ear to listen, then his expression changed, and he hurriedly said to Cheng Xinzhan,

"Qi Shuming has arrived at Biji Mountain; he must be here to talk about Jiang Renying."

"Go! Go and see!"

Cheng Xinzhan grabbed Feng Jihu's forearm, and without calling for his mount, he transformed into a white rainbow and vanished into the air in the blink of an eye, disappearing into Butterfly Valley.

"Xinzhan! What realm have you reached now?!"

Before Feng Jihu could react, he found himself enveloped by a white rainbow, everything in the world rushing backward like flowing water and wind, making it impossible to see anything clearly. At the same time, there was complete silence in his ears; he couldn't hear anything, as if even sound couldn't keep up with his current speed. He was greatly shocked and asked Cheng Xinzhan in his mind.

From an outsider's perspective, it appears as a white rainbow streaking across the sky, but after a while, this rainbow plunges into the void and disappears. Then, in the next instant, it suddenly reappears from a great distance, leaving a white trail in the sky before vanishing again, repeating this cycle endlessly.

It looked like someone skipping stones in the void, or like someone drawing a white dotted line on the sky.

At this moment, Cheng Xinzhan was using "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun" to perform "Heavenly Light Transformation Rainbow Technique," combined with the Void Escape Technique. It was indeed the fastest speed he could currently achieve, and even ordinary fourth-realm escape speeds could not reach this speed.

"She's pregnant."

Cheng Xinzhan said.

Upon hearing this, Feng Jihu was first shocked and speechless, then smiled with relief.

"I didn't see Xun Lanyin, only Qi Shuming was knocking on the door, but Renying didn't come out."

Meanwhile, Feng Jihu was also sharing the current situation of Biji Mountain with Cheng Xinzhan.

He told Ying not to do anything foolish, that it wasn't too late to turn back now.

"He also said that he did nothing to the Yan family, and he forbade Xun Lan from taking her anger out on the Yan family. The Yan family is doing well now, and he hopes that Ren Ying will not go astray. The Yan family is all looking forward to Ren Ying's return."

"What does he mean by this? Is he using the Yan family to blackmail Renying?"

Cheng Xinzhan said.

"That sounds nice, but that's probably what he means. Renying didn't respond, and now he's bringing up the old bond between master and disciple again. Ha, he's more patient than Xun Lanyin."

Feng Jihu said disdainfully.

"We'll be there soon too."

In less than fifteen minutes, Cheng Xinzhan had crossed the Miao region and arrived in eastern Yunnan from Badong.

He didn't get too close. After passing the Miao region, he slowed down, changed from a rainbow to a wind-riding technique, and finally landed on a mountain on the northeast side of Dianchi Lake.

Feng Jihu looked around and then said,
"There were quite a few people watching the spectacle."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded. He could also see that the shore of Dianchi Lake was full of people, their auras varying in strength. At this moment, he looked up at Biji Mountain, which resembled a long-tailed golden pheasant with green feathers, quietly lying on the western shore of Dianchi Lake, towering over the water, with a graceful and elegant appearance.

At this moment, north of Biji Mountain, a person stands in the sky.

The man was dressed in a wide, moon-white robe. His face was as fair as jade, his body as sturdy as a pine tree, and his demeanor was handsome and elegant. His aura was lofty and unparalleled. He was none other than Qi Shuming, the master of the Emei Sect and the Master of Wonderful One.

Faced with such a figure, Biji Mountain was naturally on high alert. A hazy green light, like a veil, shrouded Biji Mountain and Dianchi Lake. At this moment, the mountain and the lake became one, as if to topple the mountain, one must first destroy the lake, and to destroy the lake, one must first topple the mountain.

Qi Shuming looked at Bie Fu, who had previously been a subordinate of Emei, but now adopted a defensive posture. What he was thinking was unknown to outsiders, but his face showed a pained expression as he spoke loudly.

"Renying! Do you expect me to swear an oath before you'll believe me?!"

"This person is really shameless."

Feng Jihu spoke from the bottom of his heart.

Cheng Xinzhan replied upon hearing this,

"Qi Shuming may be as bad as Xun Yinlan, but he won't be as stupid as Xun Yinlan. The impact of Renying's betrayal of Xuan is too great. He is the eldest disciple of the Emei sect leader. Once he sets this example, it will only encourage more resentful Xuanmen disciples to rebel. There are plenty of excuses. If the eldest disciple of Emei can rebel, what else is impossible?"
"Moreover, as long as Renying is away for even one more day, the news of Emei disciples being bullied by the Emei Sect Leader's wife will spread for even one more day. Also, don't forget Renying's special status. He was first a member of Biyun Nunnery, and then went to Emei. Now that he is leading Biji Mountain in rebellion against Xuan, how can Emei's grand plan of merging prefectures proceed?"

"On the contrary, as long as Renying goes back, a simple misunderstanding can resolve everything."

Feng Jihu nodded.
"That's true, which is why Xun Lanyin's actions are so puzzling!"

"Ah!"

Cheng Xinzhan sneered and said,

"It's nothing more than taking advantage of Renying's gentlemanly nature. From changing his master and seizing his disciple, to merging with Biyun's mansion, and then to being dismissed and investigated, how many grievances has Renying suffered along the way? Also, when the seven great sword pavilions guarded the four directions, Renying's Xichuan sword pavilion was located in the most remote place, and was attacked from both sides, but after making great achievements, the rewards were far less than those of the other six pavilions. These things are known to both of us. Who knows how many more grievances he has suffered in secret."

"Renying kept all his suffering to himself. As the senior disciple, he always took the lead in enduring hardship and toil, but was always last in receiving rewards. Emei had always bullied Renying, and now they had even harmed his family. In the end, he was reaping what he sowed!"

He felt indignant for Yan Renying, but in his heart, he thought of how he had deliberately cultivated good relations with the Xichuan Sword Pavilion and the Biyun Nunnery when he first entered Kang, intending to exacerbate the suspicion between the Biyun Nunnery and Emei Sect when his identity was exposed. He never imagined such a drastic change would occur. The casualties of the Yan family were due to the Xun family's foolishness, but was he one of the instigators of Renying's loss of control and descent into demonic possession?
As he reflected on his own actions, he recalled the time when he first met Renying, and how Renying had recited a short poem.
"If I can share a cup with an old friend, even if the wine is cloudy, it will taste delicious."

Will I ever have the chance to share a drink with Renying again in the future?
Just as his thoughts were wavering, he heard Qi Shuming from the sky speak loudly.

"Very well! Renying, I will swear an oath to you! Today, I, Qi Shuming, swear to the heavens that as long as my disciple Renying pulls back from the brink and repents, all his past misdeeds will be forgiven! Emei will certainly treat the Yan family well, will certainly punish the murderer severely, will certainly..."

"Issue the imperial edict!"

At that very moment, just as Qi Shuming was swearing an oath to the heavens and delivering a passionate speech, the Nanpan River not far away suddenly surged with enormous waves, its waters gushing upwards like a spring, forming a massive water column. Then, a transparent water dragon flew out from the column, swirling and transforming into a human figure—none other than the leader of the Southern School, the True Dragon of the Mortal World, the Green-Robed Ancestor.

In addition, a silver-scaled dragonfish flew out closely behind, transforming into a silver-robed swordsman. This swordsman held a crimson silk ribbon and raised his voice with all his might.

"The Great Sage Shizhen has decreed that Yan Renying of Biji Mountain be appointed as the King of Dianning, in charge of the thousand-mile expanse of Dianchi Lake. The King of Dianning is specially permitted to obey orders but not summons, and all military and civilian affairs within his jurisdiction shall be subject to his command, with decisions made independently without waiting for reports."

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