Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 624 Clever Words Conceal the Truth: A Perilous Encounter with a Nascent Soul Arriving in the Palace to Determine the Division of Spoils

—A few days later, Yuejian Mountain

When Kang Dabao returned, he did not take Hu Quan Zhenren's storage ring with him. He only put all the treasures inside into several storage bags and hid this extremely rare third-order mustard seed magic treasure in a secluded place.

Beyond Yuejian Mountain, there was also Zen Master Huiming, who had endured loneliness and remained in seclusion in such a remote and desolate place as Shannan Road for a hundred years. He was certainly not an easy person to get along with.

At this moment, since Master Kang did not have a foolproof method of concealment, he would not risk gambling on Zen Master Huiming's eyesight and would rather be cautious.

After several days of stopping and starting, he encountered several groups of junior disciples from his sect who were looking for him, but Kang Dabao deliberately avoided them all.

When Master Kang staggered back to Yuejian Mountain, he was greeted by a scene of mourning.

Kang Dabao let out a long sigh, feeling a lot of emotions. The fourth-tier immortal mountain in front of him seemed to have been painted with a layer of white paint. He had to look closely to find any trace of impurities.

As the instigator, Master Kang naturally knew why this situation had arisen, but he felt no shame whatsoever.

If he could feel even a shred of pity for a Nascent Soul cultivator who wanted to possess him, then he would truly be a saint in the world.

However, when Kang Dabao settled down, he vomited out the mouthful of foul blood that had been trapped in his stomach.

Upon seeing his senior brother, the sect leader, return, how could Third Master Jiang of Chongming Sect lag behind? He rushed over on his flying sword, helped the unsteady senior brother to his feet, and asked with concern, "Senior Brother, how did you get so badly injured?!"

Yuan Er and Ye Zhengwen were a step behind Jiang Qing, but seeing Kang Dabao's expression, they both secretly praised him in their hearts before each squeezing out a lot of worry between their brows.

These two had witnessed Master Kang's acting skills many times since they were young, and they saw them much more clearly than Third Master Jiang.

Since the two knew Kang Dabao's skills, they also knew how to cover for him.

Jiang Qing's sincere feelings added a touch of warmth to the drama, making the nine parts truth and one part fiction truly moving, bringing many cultivators in the Chongming Alliance to tears.

With such a commotion, the other cultivators naturally heard the news as well.

Fei Nanying rushed ahead of the other cultivators from Yuejian Mountain to stand before Kang Dabao. After assessing the latter's injuries and glancing at the expressionless You Longzi beside him, he felt reassured and gently reprimanded him:
"You've come back, so why make such a commotion?! You've disturbed the tranquility of this sacred mountain."

Kang Dabao, noticing the unpleasant expressions on the faces of the cultivators from Yuejian Mountain, followed up Fei Nanying's words by saying:

"The young man had not yet returned to the mountain when he heard the news of the passing of Master Huquan. He was deeply saddened, and his men were also greatly moved."

"It was certainly not during this time that we neglected the funeral of our senior; I hope Boyue and all fellow Daoists will forgive us."

Even though they knew that they might not believe what Sect Leader Kang said, the cultivators of Yuejian Mountain, led by Longzi, still looked a little more relaxed.

Suddenly, another figure, radiating Buddhist light, appeared in the mountains, accompanied by an old bird riding on a cloud.

Although neither of them uttered a word when they landed, they had already alerted the cultivators of Yuejian Mountain, letting them know that the master of this fourth-order immortal mountain was no longer just their side.

Fei Tianqin, being an old bird with sharp eyesight, could tell that Master Kang's injuries were not life-threatening. He immediately calmed down and chuckled, "..."
"Not bad, you managed to escape safely from Yun Fu's clutches. From now on, among all the cultivators in the Immortal Dynasty, you can be considered someone of note."

The Zen Master Huiming, standing to the side, also showed an expression of admiration. However, having shed his feigned composure, he became much more reserved. He simply smiled and nodded, remaining silent.

He silently thought to himself that Fei Nanying's judgment was truly excellent; no wonder he was chosen as the next head of the Fei family in Yingzhou.

If these two behaved this way, one can only imagine how the other cultivators present behaved.

The cultivators of the Dragon Prince lineage looked astonished, as if they had heard something unbelievable; while Jiang Qing, Yuan Jin and others felt honored, they also felt a sense of self-motivation.

At this moment, Fei Nanying, who was also a mid-grade Dancheng, was still standing at a distance as Boyue. He looked at Kang Dabao, who had not changed much from before, and for the first time ever, a feeling of gratitude welled up in his heart towards Kuang Liuting.

Master Kang didn't want to be in the limelight. It had been many years since he had been surrounded by so many important figures and had been eager to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Supported by Jiang Qing, Kang Dabao deliberately swayed, coughing as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper:

"This kid has no real skills. He had just exchanged messages with the ancestor and Senior Huiming when his spiritual veins were injured by Yunfu's Xuan Yuan True Qi. His escape light dissipated, and he fell into the snow on the north side of the mountain. He was almost swallowed by the evil energy."

Fortunately, I found a secluded cave and survived on a few healing pills. Only today was I barely able to set off to return. I was lucky to have survived.

His words were half true and half false. He told the truth about being injured by Yunfu, but concealed the entanglement between Duanshi'ao and Huquan, and attributed his disappearance only to healing.

As for the superior golden core deep in his dantian, he had long since wrapped it tightly with spiritual power, suppressing even the spiritual light to the point that only a wisp remained. To outsiders, it was nothing more than an ordinary golden core with disordered spiritual power after being seriously injured.

Fei Tianqin flapped his golden wings, the scrutiny in his sharp eyes softening slightly, replaced by a hint of approval: "You're quite clever, kid, you didn't forget to send a message! That day, Zen Master Huiming and I received your message and followed the direction for a long time."

Who knew that Yunfu had a backup plan? He laid out several Yin Sha illusion arrays along the way, disrupting our tracking abilities and ultimately allowing him to escape without a trace!

At this point, the old bird's tone was full of frustration. After all, if they could capture Yunfu Zhenren, the Fei family of Yingzhou would have gained another merit, instead of being able to only set their sights on the treasury of Yuejian Mountain.

Zen Master Huiming nodded slowly and added:
"Fellow Daoist Yunfu's escape techniques are already exquisite, and he is also proficient in Yin Sha techniques. That day, when we chased him to the vicinity of Duan Shi Ao, we even cut off his Xuan Yuan aura. It seems that he used the Yin Sha of the earth veins to cover his tracks. It is already rare that Young Friend Kang was able to send a message in such a critical situation."

His words were both an affirmation of Kang Dabao and an attempt to save face for himself and Fei Tianqin's "failed attempt".

The original Buddhist sect, a prominent ancestral temple, couldn't even find a single Nascent Soul cultivator of the same level who was seriously injured. If this were to be said, it would tarnish the prestige of the great sect, and some cover-up would be necessary.

Kang Dabao felt a sense of relief upon hearing this, but he also knew that no one would think that he, a nobody, had taken in Master Huquan. He quickly put on a guilty expression and said, "It's all my fault."

"Stop gossiping," the old man with the flat hair, as always, couldn't stand the respectful platitudes that Headmaster Kang was about to say, and simply folded away his pair of golden wings:
"Since the Zen Master and I couldn't catch up with that immortal who escaped, we shouldn't blame you, a junior."

The veteran then shifted the focus back to practical benefits. Compared to the difficult task of capturing Master Yunfu, controlling the treasury of Yuejian Mountain was the most tangible advantage at the moment.

Among the Nascent Soul cultivators seen by Fei Tianqin, Zen Master Huiming was considered to have a kind and generous nature.

In addition, the team led by Fei Tianqin still had some deterrent effect, so after several tests in recent days, this veteran bird also realized that the former had no intention of using force to intimidate others.

So, how to allocate the Yuejian Mountain Treasury became a matter of tacit understanding between the man and the bird.

However, Fei Tianqin had no intention of emptying all the treasures of Yuejian Mountain over generations. Although one of the two True Persons of the Nascent Soul Sect was seriously injured and fled to join the rebels, and the other died and ascended to immortality, Yuejian Mountain still had more than ten Golden Core cultivators left alive and more than ten thousand disciples scattered in various places.

This sect, which once rivaled Taiyi Temple for the top position in the Daoist world, and with countless other sects and inextricable ties to it, cannot be treated as just an ordinary Golden Core sect, even if it is temporarily without a true master to oversee it.

If it weren't for the fact that the Fei family in Yingzhou was in a truly dire situation and that their vast collection of treasures was truly tempting, Fei Tianqin would have even considered doing You Longzi a favor so that the two families could solidify their relationship and truly form an alliance.

The old bird's eyes narrowed, but he quickly dismissed these distracting thoughts, realizing that now that Master Kang had publicly recounted his hard work, it was a perfect time to divide the spoils.

Master Huiming understood Fei Tianqin's intentions. The prayer beads that were slipping in his hand stopped abruptly. He glanced at Fei Tianqin and, upon meeting his sharp eyes, the matter was settled.

Having set the tone with the man and the bird, You Longzi, who had already been formally appointed as the acting sect leader in front of the cultivators of Yuejian Mountain, was prepared to become a fish on a chopping board.

After Fei Tianqin summoned Fei Donggu, Fei Nanying, Kang Dabao, and Jiang Qing, he and Zen Master Huiming followed You Longzi and the female Taoist priest surnamed Qin who was guarding the Yuejianshan Treasury.

The group followed Long Zi and the female Taoist surnamed Qin to the back of Yuejian Mountain. After bypassing the barrier formed by the three intersecting spiritual veins, a magnificent jade palace suddenly appeared in the mountain's belly.

The palace gate, about three zhang high, was carved from a single piece of ten-thousand-year-old warm jade. The three ancient seal characters "Cangzhen Pavilion" on the lintel seemed to flow with a pale blue spiritual light as if they were alive. Fei Nanying had been inspecting the palace quite often these days. He took a jade talisman and stuck it into the door slot. The true patterns suddenly lit up like water flowing over the black jade. The moment the palace gate opened with a "boom," a rich spiritual energy mixed with the fragrance of spirit fat, medicine, and metal rushed out.

It wasn't the sluggishness of an ordinary warehouse, but rather the flow of a living spring, so much so that even Kang Dabao, with his "severely injured Golden Core," couldn't help but take a deep breath. The superior-grade Golden Core in his dantian trembled slightly, as if responding to this extremely pure spiritual energy.

This was a situation he had only experienced when he first reached the Golden Core stage, in the Xuanqiong Palace. Even when he was in the Fei family's treasure vault in Yingzhou, the spiritual energy within it was probably less than one-fifth of what was here.

Upon entering the hall, one finds a dome tens of feet high, inlaid with hundreds of fist-sized star marrow spirit crystals. Silvery-white spiritual light falls like shattered stars, illuminating the hall as clearly as daytime.
Between the cloud-patterned jade bricks on the ground, there were tiny fragments of light blue spirit stones. Spiritual energy slowly seeped out along the brick seams. When you stepped on them, wisps of spiritual energy seeped into your meridians through the soles of your feet, as if even the shattered meridians of the Great Master Kang were nourished and felt much more comfortable.

The low-level spiritual objects in the outer halls were piled up like mountains, so much so that even the Great Master Kang, who had perfected his Golden Eyes of Truth, could not see them clearly.

However, Fei Tianqin and Zen Master Huiming clearly did not linger over these items at all, and without needing the female Taoist priest surnamed Qin to lead the way, they found the center of the inner hall.

The first thing you see is a plant shelf, with dozens of rare and precious plants arranged in a staggered manner. Each plant is set in a jade basin with gold cloud patterns, and the bottom of the basin is covered with fine high-grade spirit stones.

A ray of light spread upwards along the fine lines of the pot, making the plant even more vibrant. Beside it was a half-acre medicinal herb garden, planted with many seedlings that had not yet matured.

One of the three-inch-tall Bodhi seedlings was particularly special, with pale golden leaves and faint Buddhist light swirling between the veins. If you got close, you could smell the elegant Zen atmosphere. It was clearly planted specifically to nourish one's Buddhist nature.

Behind the spiritual plant shelf was another shelf displaying hundreds of jade bottles, each radiating spiritual light, with immortal seal script and iron-like silver strokes printed on their surfaces.

Next were dozens of various magical treasures. The quality of those that could be placed here was not low, and they were not comparable to the ordinary items in the outer hall.

Fei Tianqin's eyes flickered, and Huiming also stared at the Bodhi seedling for a long time. However, at this moment, both the man and the bird needed to be mindful of their status, dignity, and the reserve of elders.

With You Longzi's expression indifferent and the female Taoist's eyes bloodshot, the atmosphere was about to turn cold. Just as Fei Donggu was about to pull Fei Nanying aside to speak, he saw the Great Master Kang stagger forward and bow to You Longzi.
"Brother Dao, this time you disregarded your own personal interests and understood the greater good. As the leader of a renowned sect, you showed compassion for the righteous warriors on their expedition. Your righteousness is beyond words and your loyalty is beyond words. I will definitely report your righteous deeds to the government afterward so that Your Excellency can know how courageous and loyal the fellow Daoists of Yuejian Mountain are."

Upon hearing this, Long Zi's expression softened slightly. Fei Nanying also benefited from the situation. His current status was quite sensitive, and it would be much more appropriate for Kang Dabao to say certain things than for him.

But as the coldness on Long Zi's face gradually faded, he merely returned the greeting to Headmaster Kang before moving to Fei Tianqin and Zen Master Huiming, and respectfully said:
"These two seniors have gone to great lengths to correct the chaos at Yuejianshan and save us from the brink of disaster. Yuejianshan is not unaware of gratitude and should repay them in any way to preserve this friendship."

I now offer 30,000 magical implements of various grades, 1,000 spiritual artifacts of various grades, and 10,000 bottles of first and second-grade elixirs for the purpose of rewarding the troops.

“Good, my dear nephew, I am ashamed to accept your kind intentions on behalf of my men.” Fei Tianqin nodded for a moment. Zen Master Huiming was a loner and would not have any interest in such common things.

The gifts of gratitude from the high-ranking cultivators in the Fei family's formation were not included. The main event would only begin after the dragon prince presented this appetizer.

Without any attempt to conceal himself, Zen Master Huiming slowly walked to the plant stand. His gaze fell upon the Bodhi seedling, and as he clasped his hands together, a pale golden light emanated from his fingertips, gently touching the leaves. The moment the light touched the seedling, the leaves trembled slightly, and the pale golden veins became even more distinct.

Seeing this, Zen Master Huiming was overjoyed and softly chanted a Buddhist prayer: "This seedling has already shown its Buddha-nature. Plant it in the original Buddhist Zen Hall to suppress the inner demons of the mountain gate. Thank you for your generosity, fellow Daoist."

The old monk spoke with great solemnity, then immediately stepped out of the hall without uttering a word, showing his urgency.

Fei Tianqin was slightly surprised, but he didn't get distracted at the moment. He pointed out a feather and summoned one of the two most conspicuous bottles of Xuan Chen Ying Yun Dan. This was a rare Nascent Soul pill, and although it was much cheaper than a Nascent Soul pill, it was still extremely valuable.

It can be said that just by acquiring this elixir, even if countless outsiders died under Fei Tianqin's command, it would all be worthwhile.

This old bird also possessed the "Golden Winged Evil-Slaying Feather," which was crafted from the tail feathers of a third-tier golden-winged spirit bird. The feathers gleamed with a dark golden luster, and the tips were entwined with fine lightning patterns. Upon approaching, one could sense a sharp golden spiritual energy.

Fei Tianqin's golden wings trembled first, his sharp eyes fixed on the "Golden Wings Evil-Slaying Feather". With a gentle hook of his golden claws, the light chain slowly delivered the feather to him.

As soon as the feather approached, the old bird's body radiated a faint golden spiritual light, instantly merging with the feather's aura. He let out a low cry, his tone full of satisfaction: "This feather is in harmony with my origin, which is truly rare."

After that, Fei Nanying, Fei Donggu, Kang Dabao, and Jiang Qing took turns choosing magic weapons and pills under Fei Tianqin's guidance. This old bird had a sharp eye, which made the Qin surname Kun Dao, who was originally waiting to be slaughtered, twitch his lips repeatedly.

Master Jiang had just acquired the third-tier low-grade flying sword, and Headmaster Kang hadn't even asked its name.

At this moment, the sword in Jiang Qing's hand was three feet and six inches long. The hilt was carved with primordial cloud patterns, and the dark gold blade gleamed with a cold light. The spine of the sword had a dome-shaped pattern that undulated, as if it contained the intention of suppressing the high sky.

As his fingertips touched the hilt of the sword, he felt a thick spiritual energy spread through his fingers, mixed with a clear and refreshing aura of destruction.

This flying sword isn't of very high grade, only mid-grade of the third rank. However, according to Fei Tianqin, this Yuhao Sword is extremely compatible with Jiang Qing's true sword dao, and is far more useful than those glittering treasures.

After that, there were two bottles of the Three Treasures Wonderful Gathering Pill. This item was not only extremely rare in the Fei family's treasury, but also not much in the Yuejian Mountain mansion's treasury. It was best to give it to Jiang Qing and other juniors who were highly regarded by Fei Tianqin first.

Besides giving two bottles of the Three Treasures Wonderful Gathering Pill to Master Kang, Fei Tianqin also obtained a piece of the Human Horse Herb from the latter, saying it would be of great use to his injuries.

Kang Dabao couldn't possibly tell Fei Tianqin that the piece of horse and horse sesame seed he had acquired was far inferior to the one he had picked up from Master Huquan. He simply showed his gratitude and bowed to thank him.

As for magical artifacts, since the Heluo Xuanjia is difficult to repair, a high-quality defensive artifact should be chosen.

After all, there weren't many fourth-tier items in the treasury, so the "Haozhen" chosen by Sect Leader Kang, despite being a top-grade third-tier defensive magic weapon, stood out quite a bit.

Kang Dabao reached out and held the shield handle, feeling a slight coolness to the touch but not a heavy weight. The shield, forged from a hundred kinds of spirit iron and refined by a thousand kinds of strange fire, was heavy, but the ancient seal script spirit pattern of the two characters "Haozhen" on it lightened the weight.

“‘皞’ is derived from the ancient meaning of ‘bright and magnificent,’ which matches its appearance of abundant spiritual light when it protects others; ‘镇’ means to stabilize and suppress evil, which matches its ability to both attack and defend.”

Fei Tianqin had only mentioned it briefly at the time, but he was not very optimistic about Kang Dabao's use of this magic weapon. However, upon further reflection, he realized that the latter's abundant spiritual energy and spiritual power were outstanding among cultivators.

He could even wield the Jade Palace Halberd with great skill, so it's likely that he would be even more difficult to command in Hao Town, which would be just right for Kang Dabao.

Since he is an extraordinary person, he will naturally do extraordinary things.

After doing all this, Fei Tianqin turned his gaze to You Longzi. The latter showed no abnormalities, so he and the Golden Core cultivator he had brought with him selected a suitable magic weapon.

This time, none of them were selected from the inner palace, which gave the cultivators of Yuejian Mountain enough face.

In fact, Long Zi didn't harbor much resentment. Perhaps Fei Tianqin still valued his old friendship with his master, which was worthless in the traditional sense. Compared to what he had expected, this old bird was a kind and generous elder.

Given the Fei family's circumstances, they would definitely take the Nascent Soul Pill. While other treasures were certainly precious, they were nothing compared to the sect's most prized possessions.

As for Zen Master Huiming, although he did not take the Xuan Chen Ying Yun Dan because it was not suitable for Buddhist practitioners, the Bodhi Root Sprout, according to Long Zi, was obtained by the predecessor of Yuejian Mountain from a Buddhist holy land in the outer sea when the Taizu established the dynasty.

It's just that people don't know how to cultivate them, which is why they have gradually been ignored.

This thing was not exactly an ordinary object, but it was certainly useless to Yuejian Mountain. However, after Zen Master Huiming took it away, Longzi suddenly felt a strange sense of unease.

He urged the female Taoist priest surnamed Qin beside him to quickly suppress her sorrow, and then asked the cultivators to move to the prepared offerings for the troops, which earned him a few words of praise from Fei Tianqin.

In this way, the matter is considered resolved.

Not long after the two sides parted, news also came that things had changed on Shanbei Road and that Zhaixinglou was showing signs of decline.

Fei Tianqin and Zen Master Huiming gathered the monks and made arrangements. Only Kang Dabao received this blessing and was able to recuperate in peace.

At this moment, Sect Leader Kang finally had the leisure to carefully examine the treasures he had picked up from the Nascent Soul Ring.

(Sorry, I've been busy with the new project and it's getting late.)

(End of this chapter)