Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 440 Real Clash
————Hanya Mountain
The excitement that Grandpa Kang and Third Master Jiang brought to Chongming Sect did not affect Zhou Yixiu much. Even when Chongming Sect was at its busiest, this Elder of Spirit Plants remained at home, busy in the fields and villages of various spiritual lands in Hanya Mountain, just as usual.

Even the most frequently displayed items in the Good Deeds Hall are still the spiritual plant assignments issued by this old cultivator.

However, it is difficult for ordinary people to be as calm and natural as him. Among the various families in Cold Crow Mountain, apart from a few Foundation Establishment families, none of them can meet the threshold of Small Ring Mountain. Therefore, many of these eager visits have been directed to Zhou Yixiu.

Although Zhou Yixiu is old, he is still very perceptive.

Following the teachings of the former Headmaster Kang, gifts were accepted without question, but promises were made without exception. Whether it was spirit stones and precious items or beautiful concubines, a large sum of money was handed over. Although the heads of the various households were indignant, they dared not utter a single word in front of this old cultivator who had face even in front of Headmaster Chongming. Even if they felt extremely wronged, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and accept it.

Even if we disregard Zhou Yixiu's prestigious status as "Zhou Si," his newly promoted title as a second-tier farming master still requires him to be treated well by all the families in Han Ya Mountain.

After all, most of the people around here are small families who make a living off the land and water, so there's no time when they can't ask Elder Zhou for help. However, although this old cultivator is quite capable, compared to the other elders of Chongming Sect, he is not considered generous.

Aside from the disciples of the Chongming Sect seeking instruction, everyone else who comes to them must pay the full price.

I don’t know if it’s true, as others have said, that this old cultivator didn’t have many days left to live, so he racked his brains to leave some provisions for his disciples.

Zhou Yixiu set out at dawn and was busy in the Scorching Sun Formation until almost dusk before turning back with his spirit hoe. Several elite guards selected from the Crimson Guard rushed over to accompany him.

The Chizhang Guard was an army that Yuan Jin recruited under the Chongmingzong regime after Kang Dazhang defeated Fu Neng.

Although the pay wasn't high, Yuan Jin still managed to recruit 150 people under rather strict conditions, even without offering any promises.

Most of them were at the late stage of Qi Refining, and were temporarily led by Minghui, a relative by marriage of the Grand Master Kang. A few Foundation Establishment cultivators brought their own food and served as generals.

After seeing the group leave, Zhou Yixiu sighed inwardly. He had spent years farming and was a frugal man, so he was inwardly displeased with this blatant waste, but he said nothing. After all, if he, the actual acting commander of the Jia Chou military camp, were to encounter any mishap in Han Ya Mountain, countless families would live in fear, and the Chongming Sect would have to expend enormous manpower and resources to search the entire mountain.

The leader of the several Red Guards who came to accompany him was a middle-aged man with large ears and several snake-patterned bracelets wrapped around his wrist, giving him a somewhat capable appearance.

However, the big-eared cultivator was clearly not very skilled at flattering, and even his fawning tone was somewhat awkward and unclear: "Elder Zhou, where shall we go this afternoon?"

Compared to the big-eared cultivator's affected manner, Zhou Yixiu was calm and composed, nodding and replying in a low voice: "I need to go to Wild Fox Mountain for a while to see if Rong Quan has done anything wrong."

After hearing Zhou Yixiu's words, the flattery in the big-eared cultivator's tone became much more sincere, and even the fawning smile on his face had a more simple and natural feel: "A good teacher produces a good student. Elder Zhou's master's skills are so outstanding, Elder Kang must be no less so."

Zhou Yixiu smiled faintly and walked forward on his own, carrying his spirit hoe. The big-eared cultivator quickly gave him a signal, and soon a Crimson Guard arrived in a richly decorated second-tier flying boat.

Zhou Yixiu smiled and said politely, "General Yang, why bother? How can I use your private property to travel every time? The salary you have received from Jia Chou Military Camp over the years does not include the cost of flying boat spirit stones."

"The elder is accustomed to simplicity and possesses a natural air of talent and integrity. However, I, Yang, have yet to achieve anything, but have already gained the trust of the clan and been assigned to this sacred place to settle down. If I do not show my filial piety, wouldn't I be even less than a lamb kneeling to suckle or a crow feeding its parents?"

Yang Xun had clearly rehearsed this for a long time before finally finding the opportunity to say it, and compared to before, it sounded much more natural. His words were sincere and pleasing to the ear, but Zhou Yixiu only smiled faintly for a moment before boarding the flying boat on her own.

The old cultivator showed little expression, but his goodwill towards Yang Xun diminished further. He simply said, "The head of the Yang family of Hongshan is quite cunning, much more difficult to deal with than his second patriarch. I wonder if it will be a good thing or a bad thing for Second Senior Brother to recruit him into the Crimson Guard?"

Halfway through their cultivation, the group saw another boat approaching from the front. A cultivator in brocade robes on board seemed to recognize Zhou Yixiu standing at the stern, stopped the boat, and came over to pay his respects.

"Ma Yansong of the Bitter Peak Ma Family greets Elder Zhou of the Upper Sect."

"Master Ma, you're too kind. Our two families are allies, so why should we be ranked?" Zhou Yixiu politely cupped his hands. Yang Xun was displeased to see Ma Yansong, but he still took out his token and opened the spirit boat's restrictions.

Ma Yansong only saw the Yang family head after boarding Yang Xun's flying boat. If it weren't for Zhou Yixiu's presence, the Ma family head's face would have almost collapsed.

Zhou Yixiu was well aware of the feud between the two families. The Ma family had begged and pleaded to purchase the second-grade low-level spiritual vein of Kufeng from the Chongming Sect, and lived next to the Yang family.

The Ma family sold their property and moved from Chang County, becoming much wealthier than the Hongshan Yang brothers, whose clan had only been established for two decades. However, the Ma family currently lacked a powerful leader to govern, making them vulnerable to being bullied.

However, the Ma family still holds a place in the Chongming Alliance, so the Hongshan Yang family has to be very careful. Even after fighting for so long, they have only gained some worthless advantages, but the relationship between the two families has become extremely strained as a result.

Chongming Sect wouldn't concern itself with such petty squabbles. On the contrary, if all the families of Hanya Mountain colluded, it would make it difficult for Headmaster Kang and his fellow disciples to sleep.

The current situation of healthy competition without breaking apart is exactly what they are happy to see.

The two families had clearly been at odds for a long time, yet they still had to put on a friendly facade in front of Zhou Yixiu, which was quite a hassle. Zhou Yixiu was in a hurry and didn't want to waste too much time on this pretense, so he asked, "Where is Patriarch Ma heading?"

Ma Yansong seemed to be waiting for Zhou Yixiu to ask a question. He then smiled and replied, "Reporting to the elder, Senior He Degong has recently made a very big deal, so he sent out invitations to all families to work together on it. I am going to take some of the most capable members of my clan to Hong County."

It just so happens that the heads of the Du family of Congshan and the Mo family of Maduo Ridge have also entrusted Yansong with the task of bringing their newly recruited rogue cultivators and mortals to Hanya Mountain to cultivate the land. This trip is convenient, as it allows them to easily bring them back and saves them the trouble of making a special trip later.

As soon as Ma Yansong finished speaking, Zhou Yixiu's face indeed showed some affection. Yang Xun's face was unbearably ugly. He was displeased with Ma Yansong's smug look and couldn't help but spit out under his breath: "Damn it."

He thought to himself, "Who doesn't know that the He family of Hong County is related to the Chongming Sect by marriage, and that the Du family of Congshan and the Mo family of Maduo Ridge are both families founded by outer disciples of the Chongming Sect after they retired?"

"This Ma family lad is quite the schemer. The Ma family of Bitter Peak was a Foundation Establishment clan a few years ago, how could they be so lowly as to be at the mercy of the other three Qi Refining families?"

Ma Yansong had gained points with Zhou Yixiu, thus achieving his goal of visiting her by boat. Ignoring Yang Xun's face, which was as black as a pig's liver, he bowed repeatedly to Zhou Yixiu before landing back on the Ma family's flying boat.

After Ma Yansong disembarked, Zhou Yixiu sat cross-legged with her eyes closed to rest. Yang Xun, not wanting to engage in conversation, could only rearrange the magic array and then personally steer the boat to alleviate his melancholy.

Unexpectedly, after the boat stopped and Zhou Yixiu was escorted to the outside of Wild Fox Mountain, the latter turned her head and spoke:
“General Yang, it is not easy to entertain guests in the important place of the sect. You should go back to your duties first. The Chizhang Guard has only been established for a short time, and it is indeed difficult for Uncle Ming to manage it alone. We still need General Yang’s help.”

Yang Xun's expression changed drastically. He stammered for a while, but before he could say anything, he saw Zhou Yixiu leave behind the red-armored soldiers and stride towards the mountain-protecting formation.

As the head of the family, how could he be a fool? Knowing that Zhou Yixiu's attitude had changed because Ma Yansong had just publicly expressed his loyalty.

After painstakingly searching for many avenues, Yang Xun finally obtained a golden opportunity to curry favor with an elder of the Chongming Sect, only to have it all ruined by the elder's few words. Naturally, Yang Xun was indignant.

After all, he was a true cultivator who had worked hard to build his foundation. Thinking about how he had been serving others diligently for over a month, he was ultimately discarded and manipulated by a mere Qi Refining cultivator!
Yang Xun was filled with rage, but just as he was about to make a move, images of Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Chongming Sect flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, pressing down on him and causing him to bend over and lose all courage.

The foul words stuck in his throat were forced back down, finally escaping only as a clenched "Respectfully seeing off the elder" from between Yang Xun's teeth. Only after Zhou Yixiu's figure disappeared from sight did Yang Xun dare to turn his gaze sinister.

"If this road is blocked, we'll find another. We have to get on Chongmingzong's ship no matter what."

Having made up his mind, Yang Xun clenched his fist, turned around, and stomped heavily back onto the flying boat, shouting, "Go!"

The silvery Qiongqi horn ripped through the thick clouds, startling a flock of red-tailed falcons that were resting in the clouds, causing them to flap their wings and scatter in all directions. When Yang Xun, filled with resentment, piloted his flying boat back to the Jia Chou military camp, he heard some news from Ming Hui.

"The Lord of the Star-Picking Pavilion has graced Xuanwei City with his presence!!"

————Xuanwei City, Yunjiao Prefecture Prison
Granny Fei Liu and Yue Lin, along with the other fake Dan guards stationed at the Yunjiao Prefecture prison, were nowhere to be seen. In the Yunjiao Prefecture court, Fei Tianqin (the pronoun "Jun Tian Qin" will generally not be used hereafter, except when referring to this old bird's race) stood in the prison cell. His face was extremely grim; even on his feathered bird head, one could see the old bird's anger.

However, the usually eccentric Fei family patriarch dared not speak out, and stared intently at an old man in brocade robes sitting on a low stool, talking to "Fu Neng" who was surrounded by Buddhist light.

The old man was thin, and his black robe with star patterns moved without wind. The cuffs were embroidered with the twenty-eight constellations in silver sand from the Milky Way.

Her hair, like frost and snow congealed into a silver waterfall, was tied up by a hair crown made of the stars of the Purple Palace, with a thumb-sized meteorite marrow jade embedded in the center of the crown. Her face seemed to have been deliberately blurred by the years, with the lines from her brow bone to her nose as if cleaved by a sword and axe, while the corners of her eyes were covered with fine golden lines.

Fei Tianqin had served the immortals many times in the past, but few had ever witnessed such imposing power as this old man. Even if it didn't recognize this person before, it only took a moment to realize that in the Shannan region, there was no one else with such power.

When Fu Neng saw the old man in brocade robes enter the prison, he was clearly surprised.

“Ma Longqin told me that he went into seclusion to refine the True Scripture of Shattering the Sky and Transforming the Dao sixty years ago. According to the rules, he should not have had time for it for the next hundred years. Was I reckless today and actually forced him to come out?”

However, after his initial surprise, he laughed heartily and said, "I never expected to disturb Fellow Daoist Bai. It has been nearly five hundred years since I last saw you! I have missed you dearly. Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, I only have some business to discuss with this old bird today, and I will not linger in your place for too long!"

The old man's sharp eyes narrowed, and he spoke with great anger: "I'm afraid it's not as simple as the Zen master said. I thought the Zen master had made great progress in Buddhism and came to Shannan Road to show off his power to me. However, the Zen master did not come in his true form, but only descended into this little novice. I'm afraid he looks down on me. Today, I'm afraid this wisp of my true spirit will be hard to preserve."

The moment the old man spoke, the smile on Fu Neng's face slowly vanished, and the monk's tone turned sinister: "Fellow Daoist Bai, are you determined not to give me face, or has the Star-Picking Tower already made up its mind to become the spies of the Immortal Dynasty?"

The old man's eyes narrowed, and he said coldly, "Gree, have you no shame?!"

Grief-stricken, he said, "Bai Canhong, who do you think you're talking to?"

Despite being reprimanded by the old monk, Bai Canhong remained unfazed: "Gelie, you crossed the line first. Believe me or not, I'll take your true spirit to the outer sea and make you explain yourself to Palace Master Lanmeng?"

Upon hearing this, Ge Lie's body trembled, causing the Buddhist light in the cell to tremble for a moment, before he slowly replied, "Fellow Daoist Bai, is it really necessary to handle this matter in such an ugly way?"

Bai Canhong snorted coldly: "When juniors fight, the rules are agreed upon by both families. For you, a dignified Buddhist master, to disregard this and intervene privately is making things look too ugly."

Gelie's face was extremely ugly. Before his spirit body descended, he never thought that he would be intercepted by Bai Canhong, who should have been in seclusion.

If it were a newly promoted Nascent Soul cultivator, Ge Lie, whose strength had greatly increased, might still dare to compete and intimidate him. However, facing Bai Canhong, he was not entirely confident: "Alright, alright. I will leave now, but I need to take this junior's physical body back with me. I hope Fellow Daoist Bai will not stop me."

"Why?"

"Benying Temple owes Zhaixing Tower a favor."

"Ambiguous and unclear. You Buddhists are always like this."

"Then what should I do to satisfy you, fellow Daoist?"

For a moment, the cell was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Bai Canhong didn't rush to answer Ge Lie's question, but instead turned to Fei Tianqin, who hadn't said a word, and asked, "Fellow Daoist Fei, Yunjiao Prefecture is now directly under the jurisdiction of the Immortal Dynasty's department. Kuang Liuting is not in the prefecture, so you can be considered the local lord. What do you think?"

After being left hanging by the two people for so long, the old bird finally got a chance to speak. Although he was a Golden Core demon, he was still neither humble nor arrogant in front of the two True Immortals: "Both His Highness the Prince of Nan and the Earl of Nan'an are not here. You may give instructions on this matter from Master Bai."

Bai Canhong sneered and said, "You old bird, don't try to make your relationship with my family so close."

After speaking, he turned his gaze to Gelie: "The Zen master's spiritual attainments are profound, and Benying Temple is the ancestral temple of the Immortal Dynasty's Tantric sect, dominating the Snow Mountain region and almost becoming a kingdom."

“Speak your mind,” Gretel said, giving him a sidelong glance.

"As long as the Zen master promises that if the world situation changes in the future, he will still not be allowed to come to my Shannan Road to spread the Dharma."

"Is that all?"

That should do it!

"Very well, I will obey!" Without a moment's hesitation, Gretel replied in a deep voice.

"Please, Zen Master, pledge your Bodhi mind and make a great vow against the demons of the mind," Bai Canhong murmured again.

Regardless of the school of Buddhist practice, the most important thing is one's mind and character. Bai Canhong's request did indeed hit the nail on the head, causing a hint of anger to appear on the latter's face. However, when he thought of the four words "Palace Master of Lanmeng," the old monk's heart trembled. In the end, he gritted his teeth and replied, "I grant your request. You are truly a petty person who is always worried and not straightforward!"

After a series of obscure chantings, Fu Neng's handsome face vanished, and Ge Lie's true appearance appeared before Bai Canhong. The old monk's red robe draped down like a blood-red glacier, and seven golden Sanskrit mantras representing the Bodhicitta appeared on his bare chest.

As Grievance's Adam's apple bobbed, he uttered a secret mantra, each syllable transforming into a golden-red swastika symbol that was branded into the void.

When the oath reached the point of "If I break this oath, may my Bodhi heart be shattered," the transparent heart-shaped crystal floating between the eyebrows suddenly burst forth with a thousand auspicious energies, and all the flames were absorbed into the crystal, condensing into a pulsating crimson-gold heart flame.

The three bodies merged into one, and the old monk's left hand formed the Abhaya Mudra, piercing his chest and pulling out the half-illusory, half-real, azure-colored heart meridian. His right hand, with fingers pointing like a knife, severed three strands of cause and effect that were entangled with black energy. The severed black energy had not yet dissipated, but lingered in the Dharma image's pair of silver eyes for a long time.

In that instant, eight-petaled lotus blood patterns suddenly appeared beneath Gelie's feet, and a golden-red misty aura seeped from the pores of his body, spreading between his three heads and six arms. His six palms held up six colorful Buddhist treasures: the sun wheel, the moon wheel, the snow mountain, the sea of ​​blood, the chain of cause and effect, and the bell of time.

Once the Buddhist treasure appeared, the tension in Bai Canhong's eyes completely vanished. He and Fei Tianqin could no longer see Fu Neng's physical body; they only saw a dazzling Buddhist light break through the Xuanwei City formation painstakingly built by Kuang Liuting and head straight for the snowy region.

All the immortals and mortals in Xuanwei City who had been affected by the Buddha's light had come to their senses. Many of them had even been so devout that they shed tears of blood. After this, however, they looked at themselves, looking disheveled and completely bewildered.

After Gretel's departure, not only did their minds change, but even an arrogant figure like Fei Tianqin breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Gretel, a first-rate figure of the world, depart wrapped in the body of Fu Neng.

Bai Canhong had no intention of speaking to the old bird any further. He simply waved his sleeve, scattering a shower of starlight that turned into streams of light, and was about to disappear when Fei Tianqin stopped him, saying, "Master Bai, please wait."

"What, you didn't get any benefits from Grievance, so you old bird have come looking for me instead?" Bai Canhong said sarcastically.

Fei Tianqin repeatedly said he dared not, but said, "If the host has time, perhaps you could go to the state court for a visit."

Bai Canhong's lips curled slightly as he said calmly, "If Fei Yeyi were here, I might stay and listen for a few words, but you, you foul-mouthed old bird, are not qualified. Now, don't forget to send a message to Kuang Shenzhi. This time, your damn Yunjiao Prefecture court owes me a great favor, which you must repay!"

The Lord of the Star-Picking Pavilion vanished in a flash of starlight, while the Fei family patriarch, who was always cursing, dared not utter a single word in rebuttal after being ridiculed today. The old bird silently memorized Bai Canhong's instructions, secretly reciting:

"This old man is indecisive, how is he any different from the likes of Yuan Buwen? Do you think you, like Benying Temple, have the strength to sit on the fence? I think your Zhaixing Tower will not have a good end in the future. You only managed to achieve the Nascent Soul stage by sheer luck. If my brother had a slightly better fate, how could he have been outdone by you, old man?!"

Thinking of this, the old bird sighed again: "I wonder what situation my brother is in the capital region? With the country in such dire straits, I wonder if this Emperor Wei can hold out until the time of Bo Zhuang in Nan'an."

"No! Nan Ying must be allowed to retreat into seclusion and detach himself from worldly affairs! A turbulent time is approaching, so we must seize every second! This remote border region has produced some promising talents, who need careful cultivation! If only one or two ordinary Golden Core cultivators emerge, they will be of little use. Kang Dabao hopes this young man can provide some assistance to the Fei family!"

(End of this chapter)