This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 321: The Phoenix Clan

Phoenix city.

Outside the city, there are rolling hills and shady green trees, and the landscape painting is natural and beautiful.

The city is built with blue bricks and gray tiles, with crisscrossing streets and bustling city life.

Unlike any city Xiang Yuan had ever been to, the residents of Phoenix City included both humans and demons.

At the market, you can see monsters transformed into human or half-orc forms everywhere. Some are wearing gorgeous feather clothes, and some are wearing strange masks. The two tribes live together and even intermarry, and get along harmoniously.

In a shop on the street, humans were selling daily necessities, from cloth to pottery, and several orcs were bargaining with the boss. In a corner of the square, demons were performing acrobatics, either flying swallows in their hands or breaking rocks with their chests, which attracted cheers from the onlookers.

Of course, there are bound to be irreconcilable conflicts when the two ethnic groups live together. For example, in a butcher shop, a minotaur pointed at the beef on the chopping board and shouted angrily, "I don't eat beef." When the beef was replaced with pork, the pig-headed man came over to express his dissatisfaction.

The painting style is unique. When Xiang Yuan first arrived here, he was stunned and amazed. The birds were big and there were all kinds of colorful forests.

Xiang Yuan strode into the Changjie Teahouse with two girls and a stiff face. Seeing the commotion all around, they asked the shopkeeper for a private room on the second floor.

The shopkeeper was an old man with a goatee and an honest business look. Seeing that Xiang Yuan and his party had an extraordinary appearance and good temperament, he knew that they were wealthy, so he recommended the luxurious private room on the third floor.

"What's your guest's last name?"

"My surname is Li."

"First time in Phoenix?"

"Why, even drinking tea and listening to a book are subject to questioning?"

"Don't worry, dear guests. If this is your first time in Phoenix City, I would like to recommend the characteristics of our restaurant to you."

“Our specialty is…”

Xiang Yuan raised his eyebrows, and seeing the shopkeeper's strange smile, he snorted coldly: "Although I don't know what you are talking about, my wife and I are here, and we don't care about the characteristics of your store."

"The customer misunderstood. This is business."

The shopkeeper took out a picture album, spread it out on the table, and recommended it to Xiang Yuan: "We have storytellers from the human race and the demon race..."

"The demon race, it must be from the demon race!"

"The demon storytellers in this store are divided into male demons and..."

"A female demon must be graceful and elegant, like a lotus emerging from water!"

Xiang Yuan immediately made the decision: "The shopkeeper is right. It doesn't matter whether she is pretty or not. With Li's family around, it's not appropriate to find a male demon storyteller."

The shopkeeper didn't say that! x2
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "There are three theories about the witch."

"What do you mean, three female fairies of different races?"

Xiang Yuan was stunned when he heard this. Multiple-choice questions are the most difficult. It makes no sense to let the customers choose whether the shopkeeper can do business or not. It would be better if he could answer all of them.

Soon, Xiang Yuan understood what the three statements meant.

The album in the shopkeeper's hand was divided into three parts. The top picture was a fox demon transformed into a beautiful woman in human form, with a clear face, bright eyes, white teeth, and a plain dress. She was beautiful but not coquettish, and was a serious storyteller;
The middle picture shows a fox demon who has transformed into a half-human form. She has fiery red animal ears, a furry tail, and a beautiful white shirt. She looks soft, weak, pure, and lustful, and seems easy to bully.

The picture below... uh, it's a red-haired fox.

"Guest, what do you think?"

"Let's choose the one in the middle." Xiang Yuan closed his eyes and picked one at random.

The upper picture is a person, don't waste your money. The lower picture is not a person, it's too abnormal. The middle picture has some touches on both the upper and lower pictures, which fits his conciliatory and compromising character.

"Sir, this statement in the middle is..."

"add!"

"..."

The guests know everything and don't seem like outsiders.

……

In the private room on the third floor, the storyteller behind the screen has not arrived yet.

Xiang Yuan sat cross-legged on the tea table in the center, with Xiao Lingyue and Chaner on his left and right. Senior Jiang stood behind the door, saying nothing and acting as a loyal guard.

Unlike Xiao Lingyue who brewed tea after sitting down, Chaner fell into Xiang Yuan's arms as soon as he sat down and kissed him on the face as if to declare his sovereignty.

She looked shy and arched her body back and forth.

The difference between a vixen and a lady from a noble family was vividly reflected at this moment.

Xiang Yuan pushed open the window behind the couch and looked down at the streets below where the two tribes lived in harmony: "The storyteller has so many different stories. The Great Phoenix Temple really has some tricks up its sleeve."

"The laws of nature have also changed a lot." Xiao Lingyue wiped the teacup and placed a cup of green tea in front of Xiang Yuan.

In Huayan City, or the sphere of influence of the Hundred Eyes Demon Cave, the sky was filled with dark clouds and demonic energy was everywhere. When arriving at the Great Phoenix Temple, the sky and the earth became clear, without a single cloud, and the scenery was beautiful. The laws of heaven and earth were tolerant and friendly to both humans and demons.

Xiang Yuan had some guesses in his mind that as one of the three major forces, the laws of heaven and earth in the Blood Lotus Castle must be different.

This is good news, proving that Xiang Yuan's previous guess was correct. The three major forces in the Taixu Realm all have people above them, and they are all digging and searching for the reincarnation relics according to the requirements of their superiors.

Everything has two sides, good and bad. The three major forces have people above them, which means that the people below can ask for help when they are in doubt.

The demon god of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Cave doesn't care about the lives of those below him, but that doesn't mean that the people behind the Great Phoenix Temple and the Blood Lotus Castle are also cold-blooded. The upper limit of the Taixu Realm is definitely not as simple as the superficial God Transformation Stage.

Just as I was thinking about it, the storyteller pushed the door and walked in.

Xiang Yuan perked up and looked over curiously. Seeing that there was a certain difference between the promotion and the actual situation, he sighed that it was another day of wearing and not wearing.

The fox girl has animal ears and a long tail, but her appearance is halved, and her temperament is not weak, she looks like a veteran in the workplace.

"Well, I don't expect her to do anything anyway..."

Xiang Yuan muttered to himself, and before the storyteller could speak, he said, "We are outsiders, new here, and don't know the rules of Phoenix City. Please tell us a few more paragraphs, so that we don't accidentally break the rules here."

The fox lady stood behind the screen and asked curiously, "Are you here for the Talent Recruitment List?"

"What is the Talent Recruitment List?"

"Since you don't know, I'll start from the beginning..."

The little sister from the fox clan told the history of Phoenix City and the holy place outside the city, the Great Phoenix Temple.

The Great Phoenix Temple has been passed down for thousands of years. Although it is called a temple, it actually has little to do with Buddhism. The temple houses a sacred object called the "Fengming Mirror", which was guarded by the Baohuang clan for generations in the early years.

The Great Phoenix Temple has remained unchanged since its inception, and the "Phoenix Mirror" is still revered, but the Baohuang clan has undergone great changes.

Initially, the Baohuang clan had four major demon clans. After a period of time, only two clans remain, namely the Suzaku clan and the Chilong clan.

The Suzaku clan is a staunch supporter of the Phoenix. The Chilong clan obtained the 'Demon Treasure Tree' a few years ago and established the Longyuan Mansion. While suppressing the Suzaku clan, they also intended to set up a new clan.

The Suzaku clan was losing its talents, and had to watch helplessly as Longyuan Mansion grew bigger and stronger and used the resources of the Great Phoenix Temple to train its own confidants. So they drew up a recruitment notice to recruit talents from all over the world to serve the Great Phoenix Temple.

"If you are here for the Talent Recruitment List, you can go to the south of the city to have a look. The Suzaku clan is recruiting all kinds of talents, including alchemy, divination, formation, and medicine..."

Xiang Yuan listened and looked at Xiao Lingyue. He was like a sleepy man who had found a pillow. He could not miss the opportunity to sneak into the Great Phoenix Temple.

After the fox lady finished her story, Xiang Yuan asked about the situation of the Hundred Eyes Demon Cave and the Blood Lotus Castle, mainly the Blood Lotus Castle. As for the Hundred Eyes Demon Cave, he was at the scene and witnessed it with his own eyes. Just when the leader Tuo Yama was invincible, there were enemies coming from the sky, and all the high-level members of the sect were killed, which could be regarded as cutting off the roots.

The world is divided into three parts, and the three different laws of heaven and earth are clearly defined. The death of Tuo Yama's generation does not mean the death of the Hundred Eyes Demon Cave. The basic base is still there, and one day, there will definitely be the next big demon who endures humiliation and leads the Hundred Eyes Demon Cave to rise.

The fox lady answered every question. After listening to her story, Xiang Yuan had a clearer understanding of the three major forces in the Taixu Realm.

Compared with the first-rate forces in Qianyuan Realm, the Great Phoenix Temple is good at making big promises and making money. It is a standard famous and upright sect, similar to Jianxinzhai and Wushuang Palace.

The Blood Lotus Castle is decisive in killing, extreme in its actions, and half-evil. It seems to be loyal and righteous, but in fact it puts all interests first. It is similar to the Baichuan Alliance in Southern Jin. It cannot be considered a famous and upright sect, but it is not a completely evil sect either.

The Hundred-Eyed Demon Cave is the simplest. It is the Yellow Spring Road before it was whitewashed. No, its reputation is even worse than the Yellow Spring Road. It is comparable to the Soul Guarding Sect that was smeared by the famous and upright sects.

After collecting some intelligence in the teahouse, Xiang Yuan led the two women and one zombie to the south of the city. The scene of the two tribes living together and coexisting was too unbelievable. Everything he saw along the way was new to him. Occasionally, he would think of Tuo Yama and could not help but comment on it.

"Generally speaking, the devil Tuo Yama has more faults than faults, his flaws do not cover his flaws, his faults are mixed, his criticisms are mixed, his faults offset each other..."

"I shouldn't just focus on some of his mistakes, but also notice his other mistakes!"

"The dead are the greatest. For such a historical figure, his right and wrong will be judged by the public. I will not say the last word."

"The Red Stone Winter Creek! It's like an agate pond! The sun is about to rise!" After scolding Tuo Yama, Xiang Yuan felt refreshed, his steps became much lighter, he walked and stopped, went shopping and dated without forgetting to complete his tasks, and arrived at the Suzaku clan's large-scale talent recruitment market in the south of the city.

There is a hundred-meter-long street with a recruitment notice posted at the intersection, detailing the sincere attitude of the Great Phoenix Temple in seeking talents. Anyone with a skill will be hired after being assessed.

Salary, benefits, and other things were just mentioned briefly, and the only thing they asked about was an interview.

In a trance, Xiang Yuan thought of the past when the HR made a big promise to him: after the three-month probation period, his salary would be between 5,000 and 50,000 yuan, depending on his performance.

All of a sudden, this long street made me so angry that I wanted to blow it up with one punch.

The Suzaku clan posted a recruitment notice in the name of the Great Phoenix Temple. Three months have passed since the list was posted, but the long street is still crowded with people, and there are long queues at each stall.

In order to distinguish them and avoid queuing and angering Zhen Daxian, several aisles were set up at the stall.

Xiao Lingyue and Chan'er had little interest in queuing, and Xiang Yuan had no intention of letting them display their talents. He left Senior Jiang to protect them instead of himself, and strode into the talent recruitment market, heading straight for the competition area.

Xiang Yuan had some knowledge of alchemy, divination, formations and other external things, but when it came to rolling up his sleeves and fighting, he was not targeting anyone, and everyone present was happy to see him.

The first step into the ring area...

queue.

Xiang Yuan: (_)
This is weird. There are queues everywhere. Those in front are at the innate stage. This is the fast lane to the spirit transformation stage. What are you doing here to join in the fun?

What? Do you want to use your unyielding spirit of playing the victim to make the instructor turn on the light and turn around for you?

No matter how hard it is, he cannot make himself suffer. Xiang Yuan did not want to waste time queuing, so he spread out the aura of the strong men in the Spirit Transformation Stage, suppressed the strong men in the Innate Stage in front of him, and took the initiative to make way for his predecessors, and soon arrived in front of the arena.

On the ring, there was a slightly plump middle-aged man wearing a black martial arts uniform. He was from the Suzaku clan and had golden-red eyes.

Because he was a man, Xiang Yuan didn't pay much attention to his appearance. He just had two eyes and a mouth, and that was it, he was a demon in human form.

"The Suzaku clan, Zhu Angu."

Seeing Xiang Yuan's impressive momentum, which was completely different from the ordinary people who were just filling in the numbers before, Zhu Angu saluted politely with his fists. To show respect, he took out a pill and swallowed it, and the true energy in his body circulated a large circle, restoring his spirit to its peak.

Dozens of battles before this had consumed a lot of energy.

"A self-reliant cultivator from the mountains, Li Xianyuan."

After Xiang Yuan returned the greeting, he pressed his fist down horizontally, and waves of energy split in all directions.

Zhu Angu had a solemn expression. He raised his fingers and shot out three streams of true sword energy. The first two fingers defeated the wind pressure from the fist print, and the third finger lifted up the rising sun, revealing a red sun engulfed in flames.

It's just ordinary stuff, far inferior to Xiao Lingyue's Big Sun.

Xiang Yuan made an evaluation in his mind, took a step forward, and threw another punch. The tip of his fist blasted away the oncoming strong wind and heat wave, and went straight to the shadow of the flowing sun.

boom!
The flames exploded, the shadow of the sun shook continuously, and the scorching heat spread everywhere, with a tendency to collapse on the spot.

Zhu Angu's face changed drastically. He was unable to withstand the tremendous force and his body trembled. Following the surging force, he retreated more than ten steps at a time until he could barely stand on the edge of the ring.

There were cries of surprise from all around, all from practitioners. It was obvious that Xiang Yuan had shown mercy. If he had used a little more force, Zhu Angu would have missed his step and fallen off the stage.

The arena is for exchanging skills and testing the strength of the challengers. It is not a fight to the death, nor is it necessary to determine the winner. As the examiner, Zhu Angu dissipated the heat from his body and said "acceptance".

After three moves and two styles and a brief exchange, Zhu Angu was very sure that he had figured out Xiang Yuan's strength because he hadn't figured it out yet.

This person's cultivation is higher than mine, he is a great sage!

Soon, a carriage arrived at the long street.

Because Xiang Yuan had a family, one carriage could not accommodate them all, so Zhu Angu arranged another carriage.

Senior Zhuang’s special car.

Two carriages drove out of Phoenix City, their wheels rolling over the bluestone road, heading straight towards the Great Phoenix Temple.

The thousand-year-old temple is hidden deep in the mountains and forests, with towering ancient trees, intertwined branches and leaves, and crisp bird calls in the forest. It is far away from the hustle and bustle, making people calm down.

The carriage did not stop in front of the Great Phoenix Temple, but turned to a nearby courtyard.

Xiang Yuan got off the carriage, and a fat white-faced man who had been waiting for a long time came forward with a smile: "Suzaku clan, Zhu Jianbai, little friend Li greets you."

No, are you from the Suzaku clan or the Zhuque clan? Why are you all fat? Do you dare to send someone thinner?

The recruitment list also has different levels. Zhu Jianbai is the elder of the Suzaku clan. He specially came to entertain the top talents. He invited Xiang Yuan and his party into the garden of the villa, prepared some tea for them in the corridor, chatted about some family matters, and asked about the origins of Xiang Yuan and his party in a roundabout way.

Xiang Yuan dealt with it for a while, then shook his head and said, "Elder Zhu, forgive me for being blunt, but if you ask me this way, even if I am really an undercover agent planted by the Hundred Eyes Demon Cave and the Blood Lotus Castle, you won't be able to tell me. Why bother?"

"Little friend Li, you are joking. The laws of heaven and earth are different. You have no demonic energy or blood energy. I have never doubted your identities."

Zhu Jianbai said: "This inquiry is nothing more than a formality, so that we can explain it to the family."

"In that case, Li also has a question. It's a good thing for the Great Phoenix Temple to recruit talents, but if you only trust talented people, there will definitely be good and bad people. What if you recruit people with ulterior motives? What should you do?" Xiang Yuan raised his eyebrows, waiting for Zhu Jianbai to issue the task so that he could prove his loyalty and quickly integrate into the circle of the Baohuang clan.

"There is a magical object called Fengming Mirror in the Great Phoenix Temple, which can distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and good and bad luck." Zhu Jianbai replied with a smile.

"so?"

"One look will reveal whether he is loyal or treacherous."

"..."

Oh my god, it turns out you were waiting for me.

Xiang Yuan sighed. There were too many operations by the famous and upright sects. There was a hurdle every three steps and a ditch every five steps. It was like Tuo Yama. The Hundred-Eyed Demon Cave was in a circle of seventy people, so it was easier to communicate.

There is no killing without comparison. If you think about it carefully, the Hundred-Eyed Demon Cave is a good place to be an undercover agent. His previous move to wipe out the entire system was somewhat hasty.

Suppose, he meant suppose, he lured Coronet into the bushes and ambushed him, and then disguised himself as a replacement, not only would he get the witch secretary Jiaxi, but he would also have a ready-made team to use.

After learning from his mistakes, Xiang Yuan decided to do the same thing next time. He would go undercover in the evil ways and would never get involved with the famous and upright people.

The Talent Recruitment List is the first step for the Suzaku clan to attract talents, and the Fengming Mirror is the key to screening core talents. Xiang Yuan asked two questions, but Zhu Jianbai avoided the question and was unwilling to mention the ingenuity of the magic object. He only said to choose the good ones and drive away the bad ones.

Regardless of whether he was good or not, Xiang Yuan was a great philanthropist who had received the Golden Wheel of Merit. He never doubted his own merits. He gave Xiao Lingyue and Chaner a look, asking them if they were interested in looking in the mirror.

The two girls didn't say anything. They were very puzzled by Xiang Yuan's inexplicable self-confidence. They expected that their true appearance would be revealed in the mirror, showing a pretty boy with questionable moral quality.

Although they are wives, they know the character of their husbands well.

After confirming that Xiang Yuan had no objection and dared to face the Fengming Mirror, Zhu Jianbai smiled and led the group into the Great Phoenix Temple through the back door.

The temple is a thousand years old and has undergone many repairs, maintenance and expansions. Even the plaque has been changed several times. It is very different from its original appearance. Zhu Jianbai led a few people to walk on the stone path under the forest, introducing the different halls one by one, and which gods and immortals are enshrined in the halls.

"In this Mahavira Hall, there are Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Heavenly Dragons..."

Zhu Jianbai pointed to a majestic and solemn palace. The palace was magnificent and golden, with Buddha's light shining everywhere and solemn appearance. In the palace, Sanskrit chants could be heard and the Buddha statues were solemn. The golden light was shining, which made sense at first glance.

"This Sanqing Palace..."

Zhu Jianbai turned his gaze to another magnificent building. The Sanqing Hall was simple and solemn, quiet and peaceful, completely different in style from the glittering golden building next door.

Xiang Yuan was born in Benxin Taoism. When he became his apprentice, his simple-minded master told him that he must worship at any Taoist temple of Lingbao Tianzun and must not neglect it. So he bowed from a distance to the Sanqing Hall and performed the disciple's etiquette.

Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. Xiao Lingyue and Chaner also followed suit and paid their respects.

Senior Zhuang didn't move at all, just like he was dead!
"Over there is the Miro Purple Palace, the palace of heaven, precious beyond words." Zhu Jianbai saluted towards a palace that towered into the clouds in the distance.

Xiang Yuan saw that he did not worship Buddha but only bowed to the great hall representing the heaven, and guessed there must be some meaning behind it.

Following the line of sight, the palace is surrounded by auspicious clouds and auspicious aura, just like the projection of heaven on earth. It is also the most expensive palace building of all the palaces in the Dafenghuang Temple.

Compared to before, the dark little temple next to it looks like a gift for free when you top up your phone bill, and its color has faded.

Le.JPG
"In front is the Zhenwu Hall. The name of the Nine Heavens Demon Patriarch is not well known in the Taixu Realm. You may not have heard of it."

"..."

Xiangyuan: (一`一)
What a rotten Phoenix Temple! The broken mountain will collapse sooner or later!
The Fengming Mirror is located in the Purple Palace of Miluo. There are no statues of gods from heaven in the hall, and the three walls are blank. There is only a halo hanging in the air, which is unclear and looks like a bronze mirror.

Stepping into this hall, Xiang Yuan could clearly feel that the laws of heaven and earth were different from those of the outside world, and in the blurry and hazy air, the Fengming Mirror emitted some kind of strange spatial fluctuations.

Ascension channel!

(End of this chapter)