Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 575 Black Shoes Enter the Palace
The sea outside Lanmeng Palace resembled a crumpled piece of dark silk. The eternally unchanging salty wind swept by, carrying shards of ice, which crashed against the glazed tiles of the palace walls, creating tiny glints of silver light.

The twelve newly made stone lions, commissioned by several deputy envoys, squatted at the foot of the white jade steps outside the palace gate. Each lion's head was inlaid with pupils made of third-grade mermaid pearls, which shimmered with a ghostly blue light in the afterglow of the thunderstorm, as if they were about to open their mouths and spew out icy mist at any moment.

Further out in the deep sea, purplish-black waves surged, their crests supporting swarms of red-scaled rays. The wing membranes on their backs were as transparent as paper in the rosy light, yet they could easily slice through the body of the fake alchemist.

Whenever the ancient sword on the palace roof rings out, these stingrays will all turn towards the palace, as if they are paying homage, or as if they are wary.

They remembered that five hundred years ago, Kuang Chexiao had slaughtered several fourth-tier Wenyao stingrays. The blood coral that had been nurtured there was of very high quality, and it still exudes a sweet, fishy smell at the foot of the palace walls.

This shows that one should not assume that Kuang Chexiao's frequent use of the term "dragon's offspring" to mock himself truly transcends the Kuang family. In fact, he inherited a great deal of the Kuang family's ruthless ways from his ancestor, Kuang Nianbai.

The thunderstorm clouds lingered three zhang above the palace roof, yet not a single drop of rain fell. Occasionally, flashes of bluish-white lightning would appear through the gaps in the clouds, drawing the attention of the palace guards on duty outside.

"Recently, the sea has been rich in thunderous energy. This next sixty years may be a good time to train Thunderclap Dao Soldiers."

The palace general had just formed this thought and was about to say something to his colleague when he saw several streaks of light approaching. He immediately raised the golden mace in his hand, but just as he became wary, he smiled again after seeing who was approaching:

"So it's the patrol officers. You've all been very busy lately, I wonder what brings you here today?!"

Although the palace guard on duty spoke very warmly, his silver eyes were not idle. He meticulously examined the jade tokens on the waists of the cultivators before saying:
"Perhaps you have come at an inopportune time. Today, Vice Envoy Chang Xiao is meeting with His Majesty on important business and will likely not have a free time for a long time. Therefore, you may have to wait in the palace villa for a while."

Don't be fooled by the fact that this palace general is just a gatekeeper outside Lanmeng Palace; in reality, his cultivation has already reached the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

Within the realm of the Celestial Dynasty, this might be enough to earn a title and rank, making him far from insignificant. However, the palace general's attitude towards these young cultivators before him was rather amiable.

After all, the Lanmeng Palace only holds the White Wave Dharma Assembly once every two cycles of sixty years. The cultivators selected from this assembly and ranked among the best will be given the title of Sea Patrol Captain.

While his current status is slightly lower than that of the Palace General on Duty, he is a Nascent Soul cultivator jointly selected by all the True Persons of Lanmeng Palace. Why would this Palace General bother to offend such a person even slightly?!
The patrol officers included men and women of all ages, and the leader was a scholar in a turban with dark skin and small eyes, who was not particularly handsome. After hearing the palace general's words, he bowed and said, "To be honest, General, it was Deputy Envoy Chang Xiao who summoned us, and we have come to pay our respects on imperial orders."

"I see,"

As the palace general spoke, he gently raised his hand, and the armored soldiers behind him shouted in unison, causing the crisscrossing array of halberds to separate and reveal a path.

The scholar in a turban and the patrol officer accompanying him bowed to the palace generals one by one before stepping into the palace gate.

During this time, the palace guard did not act arrogantly, but instead returned the greetings to each of the cultivators with great kindness. However, when he saw the disheveled Taoist priest at the very end of the line, wearing black shoes, he couldn't help but glance at him slightly.

"Who is this young man? He exudes such a heavy aura of malevolence."

The disheveled Taoist priest seemed to notice the general's unusual expression, but he was not intimidated. Instead, he bowed respectfully and solemnly, saying, "Hei Lü from Yunjiao Prefecture greets the general."

"Yunjiao Prefecture Black Shoes, Black Shoes... Why does that sound so familiar?!"

Gong Jiang's eyes lit up, and he realized that the person in front of him was the Black-Shoeed Daoist who had just killed the Heavenly Spear Flame Beast, a third-tier high-grade demonic beast, alone in the Liuli Sea.

The Flaming Spear Beast was of excellent quality that day, and the pepper wine brewed from it greatly pleased the master. Only then did the master inquire about the name and origin of the Taoist in black shoes who presented the beast.

It was normal for the Palace Master of Lanmeng to act this way. After all, the Heavenly Spear Flame Beast was nothing more than a plaything in the hands of the deputy envoys. However, even the Palace General himself, who had cultivated for over four hundred years, could not be sure of winning against it.

But the Black-Shoeed Taoist is only a little over a hundred years old and has already made such progress. So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, his future prospects are self-evident.

This gatekeeper's job was hardly for a dull person. The palace general's expression changed quickly as soon as he heard the black-shoeed Taoist speak, and his amiable expression immediately became more pronounced.

He quickly said a few words of concern to the Taoist in black shoes, and then watched the other cultivators enter the palace gate with him.

The scene just now was naturally witnessed by all the cultivators. They were all people who had cultivated for hundreds of years and attained the Golden Core stage, and they were all quite shrewd.

Even though no one knew whether they were jealous or envious, they all wore expressions of pride on their faces.

The scholar in the turban appeared to have some prestige among the cultivators. He waited until the crowd surrounding the black-shoeed Taoist had all dispersed before stepping over: "The black-shoeed Taoist has been remembered by the Palace Master for his outstanding performance in the Glazed Sea. His future prospects are limitless."

"If that's the case, then I must accept Fellow Daoist Ma's kind words." The Black-Shoeed Daoist spoke in a calm tone. The cultivator surnamed Ma was not annoyed. He simply gave a few more words of advice to the slightly rude patrol officer before walking into the courtyard with the other cultivators.

Vice Envoy Chang Xiao timed it perfectly. Just as the cultivators had settled down, he pulled himself away from Kuang Chexiao's side and turned to face the crowd.

"Greetings, Deputy Envoy"

"You've all worked hard,"

Vice Envoy Chang Xiao narrowed his eyes and said politely, "I have invited you all here today because I have a mission to take in the southwest. I wonder if you are interested?"

"Southwest?" The black-shoeed Taoist narrowed his eyes slightly. Before he could think about it, he heard Deputy Envoy Chang Xiao say, "The Palace Master has a junior who has made a request. We need to provide some assistance."

Cultivators like the one surnamed Ma, who came from the outer seas and had never even set foot on neighboring lands like the Yuwang Road, all had different expressions when they heard Vice Envoy Chang Xiao speak like this.

"Logically speaking, since Vice Envoy Chang Xiao personally gave us these instructions, we juniors should not utter a single word. However, we are fortunate to have received personal instruction and compassionate questions from Vice Envoy Chang Xiao. If we simply respond with kowtows, we would be failing to live up to his painstaking cultivation. Therefore, we juniors dare to ask Vice Envoy Chang Xiao if he could explain the specific matters to us so that we can discuss them further."

Vice Envoy Chang Xiao laughed heartily, not taking it to heart, and then waved his hand dismissively: "It's nothing more than what should be done."

As soon as he finished speaking, sheets of spiritual silk were placed in the hands of the cultivators. Compared to the very calm and collected cultivator surnamed Ma, it was the Black-Shoeed Daoist who showed a rare hint of urgency.

But what you fear most is what happens. This spiritual silk was only of normal size, but the Black-Shoeed Daoist noticed the three characters "Zhongming Sect" appearing frequently, which made him feel anxious again.

After seeing Yangmingshan, I finally felt at ease.

The cultivators reacted differently. Most bowed to Vice Envoy Chang Xiao and left, but during this time, several patrol officers went to Vice Envoy Chang Xiao to ask for the assignment. Finally, when only the Black-Shoeed Daoist remained, Vice Envoy Chang Xiao asked softly again:

"Young friend, you seem to be from Yunjiao Prefecture in Shannan Road. Don't you have any intention of returning to provide assistance this time?" "Reporting to the Vice Envoy, I must participate in the upcoming talent selection ceremonies and military parades." The black-shoeed Taoist answered seriously. The slight hesitation that had appeared in the Vice Envoy's small eyes disappeared in an instant.

The two parted ways, and Vice Envoy Chang Xiao hurriedly returned to the main hall to report to Kuang Chexiao. The latter showed no unusual expression, but said, "I told you long ago that he wouldn't go back, because how could someone who seeks the Dao be willing to leave this place?"

"My lord, in Chang Xiao's opinion, this Taoist in black shoes is rather heartless and ruthless,"

"Heartless and ruthless. If that's the case, then it's for the best. Cultivators should be like this. He thinks he can hide his superior-grade pill from me? How could that be?!"

For him, diligent cultivation is the most important thing. Everything else is secondary. Once he has made some progress in a few years, I will take him under my wing and teach him properly, so that he can become a strong ally in the future.”

Vice Envoy Chang Xiao could tell that Kuang Liuting was serious, so he dared not say another word.

"A letter came from the Duke of Qin's mansion, which is both good and bad. The good thing is that I now have to focus most of my energy on the outside world, preventing the Nascent Soul cultivator from entering my territory."

However, I made a promise to Kuang Liuting before, and I cannot refuse to help.

However, we must not attract too much attention; the chief and deputy envoys cannot be moved lightly. Just add that newly arrived True Man named Jiu Zhen, and assign him a few men to go and provide assistance.”

"Yes"

Meanwhile, the Black-Shoeed Taoist found a secluded spot in the sea and began to examine the spiritual silk in his hand again. Even though he clenched and unclenched it repeatedly, the spiritual silk was eventually destroyed by the sword energy in the Black-Shoeed Taoist's hand.

In the end, the Taoist priest could only let out a long sigh, and outsiders could hardly know what he was thinking.

————Outside Yangmingshan

Before the echoes of the horn had faded, the rosy glow of Yangmingshan was suddenly shattered by a bloody wind. Contrary to what the cultivators had expected, the warrior monks who had been chanting scriptures incessantly were now hidden in the rear, while the shamanic soldiers, who had recently suffered even greater casualties, were leading the charge.

Unlike previous charges, the light barrier of the Xuanhuang Remnant Array in the northwest suddenly rippled open, and amidst the exclamations of the array masters, countless dark shadows had already broken through the light shield.

Sects like the Yunze Witch Lord's Hall always have some hidden tricks up their sleeves. Even though Master Huang Mijia is not good at witchcraft, there are still many talented people in the hall. In just a few days, he managed to spawn a large number of "Bone-Eating Locusts" using a large amount of fresh and high-quality flesh and blood.

These fingernail-sized insects, shrouded in dark green miasma, devoured the spiritual soil upon landing, their sharp teeth proving ineffective even against a third-tier remnant array.

"Form ranks!" Duan Yunzhou's roar pierced through the chirping of insects. The newly recruited righteous men hurriedly raised their spears, but the silver net formed by the spear tips was smashed to pieces by the locusts.

One of the alchemists' direct descendants, whose identity was unknown, panicked and turned to flee, but was struck on the back by the deputy general of the Crimson Guard. The barbs of the runes tore through his flesh, and the blood droplets that came out were devoured by locusts in the air. In an instant, the young master also lost his life.

"Those who retreat will be executed!" At the deputy general's shout, the cultivator staggered and turned around, just in time to be met with a locust flying towards his face. His screams stopped abruptly, and a bloody hole appeared on his neck.

Jin Shilun charged ahead, long sword in hand. Wherever the blade flashed, locusts fell in swarms, only to turn into miasma before hitting the ground. He caught sight of the fleeing followers collapsing to his left, and suddenly hurled his sword, piercing the throat of a shaman who had rarely shown himself before.

The shaman was chanting incantations while holding a bone staff. The green light in the skull's eye dimmed as he died, and the locusts nearby lost their order and were stabbed to dust by the henchmen.

"Slay the witch doctor!" Jin Shilun roared, drawing his short blade from his waist. The surrounding cultivators responded in unison, finally managing to slightly reduce the momentum of the increasingly fierce locust swarm.

Just as Qi Ke had sealed the last batch of pills into a jade bottle in the clinic, a blood-soaked figure rolled in from outside the tent.

He was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, half his face had been gnawed by locusts, and he was making hoarse noises as he pointed to the door, unable to speak. Qi Ke grabbed a silver needle and stuck it into a major acupoint on his chest. The moment his fingertips touched the other man's clothes, he was burned and withdrew his hand.

The witchcraft poison within the cultivator's body had turned into burning embers, which were now scorching along his meridians!

"It's hopeless." Gun Fangmu shook his head and stuffed a black pill into the cultivator's mouth. "Give him a quick death."

As soon as the pill entered his throat, the cultivator's body tensed up abruptly, then he turned into a ball of green flame, leaving not even ashes behind.

Yuan Buwen lay on the ice-jade bed when he heard the clash of weapons outside the tent suddenly intensify. He struggled to sit up, but the wound on his leg suddenly burst open, and several white worms emerged from the newly grown flesh—the larvae of the Bone-Eating Locust.

When Master Kang wanted to fight Huang Mijia, even the usually inactive Chief Secretary Buse joined the battle. However, they were unable to find the old monk and had to face the Second Palace Master Xia Ming and the Eighth Palace Master Gou Shier. Even without Buse's help, the two of them were still no match for Kang Dabao, let alone now.

Just as Kang Dabao was locked in a fierce battle with Xia Ming and Gou Shi'er, a cloud of dust suddenly billowed up from the southeast. Three crimson command flags pierced through the clouds and exploded on the summit of Yangming Mountain, spreading like wildfire.

"Is this a 'beacon fire order' from the Yingshan Army?!"

"Reinforcements have arrived!?"

Duan Yunzhou roared as he cleaved the shaman soldiers in front of him, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a dark cavalry formation breaking through the miasma.

The leading general, his silver armor stained with blood, wielded his long spear with lightning speed, churning the swarming locusts into a green mist. He was none other than Fei Enwen, the deputy general of the Yingshan Army. The sound of war drums rolled in from the foot of the mountain, resonating with the remaining spiritual energy of the Xuanhuang Remnant Formation.

The Yingshan cavalry formed a wedge formation, their hooves crushing the bone talisman array laid out in the Witch God's Temple. The heads of the shamans, impaled by spear tips, dripped black blood in the rosy light. Fei Enwen's voice pierced through the sounds of battle: "Marquis Wuning, the Yingshan army has been ordered to reinforce! Elder Zong has intercepted that scoundrel Huang Mi and that group of lewd monks; they won't escape!!"

Upon hearing this, Kang Dabao suddenly swung his halberd, and the Jade Palace Shattering Halberd shone brightly, knocking the magic weapon out of Xia Ming's hand.

"You scoundrel!" Kang Dabao pointed his halberd directly at Xia Ming's throat, the clear light of the Jade Palace Halberd drawing blood across his neck.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chief Secretary Buse produced a rosary, and the eighteen Bodhi seeds transformed into a golden chain, binding the still-shaken Gou Shi'er tightly.

Ying Shan's crossbow carts had been pushed to the foot of the mountain, and the glass-like fire arrows poured down like a torrential rain. The bone-corroding locusts crackled in the sea of ​​fire, and the dark green miasma was burned and steamed up.

Jin Shilun leaped onto the earthen slope, stepping over the corpses of the shamans. He cleaved the last bone staff in two with his long sword, and the remaining locusts flew around like headless flies, getting strung together like gourds by the spears of the righteous followers.

Despite the favorable situation, the Grand Master of Dukang frowned slightly, looking somewhat relaxed. However, he later thought, "Well, at least Yangmingshan doesn't need to be a battlefield for now."

(End of this chapter)