Embers of Sword

Chapter 557 Twenty-Four Hours (Part 3)
The forbidden area behind the mountain is shrouded in mist and clouds, with towering mountain paths.

Dressed in a black Taoist robe, having discarded his hoe and farming tools, Master Xuanzhi of Changsheng Zhai, appearing out of thin air at the end of the mountain steps for the first time in over a decade in formal attire.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing upwards.

The back mountain of the Taoist sect is a forbidden area of ​​the main sect.

Because beyond the back mountain lies Tianyuan.

Normally, without the permission of the Great Master Chongkan, even the head of a vegetarian restaurant would be stopped on the mountain path.

"Senior Brother Xuanzhi."

As Xuanzhi Zhenren's figure solidified.

Not far above the mountain steps, clouds and mist drifted by, coalescing into the image of a hunched Taoist priest.

It was none other than the abbot of the Incense Offering Hall, the Taoist Candle Master.

The Candle Taoist bowed respectfully, his expression sincere and his voice earnest: "What brings you here?"

"Sitting idly all day long, I always feel bored and listless."

Master Xuanzhi said calmly, "Let's take a stroll around the back mountain."

"The back mountain is not a place for leisurely strolls."

The Candle Daoist gave a wry smile, adopting an extremely humble posture: "You should also know... that Master has been in seclusion in the back mountain these past few days, comprehending the Great Dao, and unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. If you are inclined to wander around, your junior brother can guide you. Staying in the Daoist sect all the time is indeed rather pointless. Why don't you come with your junior brother to Zhongzhou?"

Having said that, he bowed deeply.

Such a grand gesture clearly indicates that thorough preparations were made.

Chongkan had a considerable number of direct disciples.

Excluding the battle of drinking poison, those who died in the battle are now the Supreme Master, the Jade Purity Master, the Incense Master, and the Myriad Wonders Master, all of whom are disciples of Chongkan.

However, these individuals all respectfully addressed Master Xuanzhi as "Senior Brother".

The time that Master Xuanzhi spent under the tutelage of Chongkan was the longest.

Grown to...

The two have lost contact over the years.

Because Xuanzhi had already cultivated her own path, even a top-tier Yang God like Chongkan, whose cultivation was as profound as creation, had nothing to offer her guidance.

So, several years ago, after entrusting the Longevity Cultivation Cult to Xuanzhi, Chongkan then let this prized disciple farm the fields and raise chickens on Qingnang Mountain.

As the saying goes, "You can't hit someone who's smiling."

Even if Xuanzhi and Zhudaoren have no "master-disciple relationship" with each other, they should still show some "decency" by treating each other with such courtesy.

"You know why I'm here—"

Master Xuanzhi looked at her junior brother and said softly, "I want to see Master."

"..."

The Candle Taoist was speechless for a moment.

His expression wavered somewhat.

After a moment, Daoist Zhu hesitated before speaking: "Senior brother, Master often says that you have the appearance of a celestial being, but not the heart of one. Since you have chosen not to compete or fight, wouldn't it be better to stay on Qingnang Mountain, farming and cultivating in peace?"

"I think so too."

Xuanzhi turned around and looked towards Qingnang Mountain, asking earnestly, "If nothing unexpected happens, I will continue to live a quiet life like this. But now, someone wants to tear the mountain down... If even the mountain is gone, how will I farm?"

"..."

The Candle Taoist fell silent again.

He had always believed that his master's secret plan in the back mountain was flawless.

Now let’s see…

There are still some insightful people within the Taoist community.

"Master is currently planning the great cause of the Dao Sect for a thousand years."

"If this mountain is gone, we can find another one."

The Candle Daoist said in a hoarse voice, "The fortunes of a great era change every thousand years. As long as we stabilize this time, in a few years, Senior Brother can choose whichever field he wants to go to."

There is only one Qingnang Mountain.

Xuan Zhi calmly said, "I would never trade this kind of land for anything."

The words fell to the ground.

Xuanzhi took a step forward.

A fierce wind billowed, the black-clad figure howled, and the hundred-foot distance was reduced to mere inches. The Candle Daoist's pupils contracted, his hair stood on end. He hadn't expected his senior brother to act so swiftly and decisively. Xuanzhi Zhenren raised her hand and delivered a slap, its shape resembling a heaven-shattering seal, pressing down with deadly force—

Rumble!
The Candle Taoist quickly raised his arms to summon the Dharma image and prepared to unleash his magical artifacts.

The immense energy was about to surge forth, but it was a step too late.

Master Xuanzhi's slap landed squarely on the cheek of Daoist Zhu, who had raised his head.

It's over.

These two words were all that remained in Zhu Daoren's mind.

However, this thunderous palm strike suddenly became extremely gentle and soft as it fell, rising high and then gently lowering.

The Candle Daoist was forced to kneel on the ground, his face pale. The Yin Spirit Dharma Image that flickered with incense smoke was instantly shattered. His greatest strength was his clear-headedness and self-awareness. The Candle Daoist was quite aware of his own cultivation level. Of the seven Abbots of the Daoist sect, apart from Abbot Duobao, who focused on refining artifacts and did not participate in competitions, he was probably the weakest in cultivation and strength among them. After all, Abbot Xianghuo practiced geomancy and feng shui, and did not even have a single true disciple. If it weren't for Chongkan's favoritism in recent years, deliberately preserving the "incense" of this abbot, Xianghuo abbot would have long been merged into the other six abbots, and the Candle Daoist would probably only be able to become a guest elder.

just.

There were some things he had to do.

Knowing full well that Master Xuanzhi was going to break into the back mountain, not being able to stop her was one thing, not stopping her was another.

"All right……"

Master Xuanzhi said gently, "Now that you have revealed yourself, your master will not blame you. Disperse."

"Senior brother..."

The Candle Taoist's expression was complicated. After a moment of thought, he wanted to say something.

But in the end, he kept quiet.

He knew he had always been lucky. The fact that this battle ended so gracefully was simply due to the earlier "treating others with courtesy" that had worked.

Although the two were not actually fellow disciples, they were nominally fellow disciples.

Without further ado, Master Xuanzhi casually flicked her sleeve, and a powerful force enveloped Daoist Zhu, slamming him heavily down the mountain steps.

He stood halfway up the mountain and looked up.

Beyond the clouds and smoke, another figure could be seen appearing.

"Junior Brother Yanwei, are you going to stop me too?"

Master Xuanzhi spoke calmly.

Beyond the clouds and mist, a figure in a gray robe sat leaning against the side of the mountain wall, his expression calm, his sleeves billowing high in the strong wind.

This mountain path leading to the back mountain is usually guarded by Zhongmiaozhai.

After all, beyond the back mountain lies the most important place of the main sect of the Daoist sect... The moment Xuanzhi Zhenren left Qingnang Mountain and rushed towards the back mountain, Zhongmiaozhai Master Yanwei Zhenren arrived here. He personally witnessed the battle between the two earlier. No matter how weak Zhudaoren's cultivation level was, he was still a Yin Shen Hou Realm cultivator from the Daoist sect.

With a single slap, the Yin Spirit Dharma Image was unable to coalesce. What realm has True Person Xuanzhi cultivated to?
True Person Yanwei remembers very clearly that sixty years ago, True Person Xuanzhi was only at the peak of the Yin Spirit stage—

In today's world, advancing to the Yang God realm will inevitably cause strange phenomena and attract widespread attention.

Xuanzhi spends her days plowing and farming in that godforsaken Qingnang Mountain. If she were to be promoted, surely there would be some progress at all?
"Tsk tsk tsk."

The wind whipped up the smoke and clouds, and the sound grew louder, but the mist between the two men grew thicker and thicker.

The silence of Master Yanwei caused the atmosphere between the two to become stagnant.

Master Xuanzhi subconsciously made a gesture of lifting a hoe.

However, as he clenched his fist, he realized...

Before leaving, he left the hoe at Qingnang Mountain.

Fortunately, this deathly silence was soon broken.

"The duty of Zhongmiaozhai is to guard the Tianyuan Secret Realm. If Senior Brother does not wish to enter Tianyuan, Junior Brother will naturally not stop him..."

Master Yanwei voluntarily moved away from one side of the mountain wall, making way for a path.

Master Xuanzhi lowered her sleeves again.

The two passed each other.

Nothing happened.

After walking several dozen more steps, just as True Person Xuanzhi was about to reach the end of the mountain steps, True Person Yanwei suddenly spoke in a deep voice: "It's been sixty years since we last met. Senior Brother's cultivation seems to have improved a lot. Junior Brother would like to ask you how Senior Brother cultivates?"

"..."

Master Xuanzhi stopped in her tracks.

He turned around and looked at his junior brother, whose cultivation level was stuck at the Yin Spirit Perfection stage, and said seriously, "Senior brother's daily cultivation is very simple... plowing the land, planting crops, feeding cattle, and herding sheep. Do what needs to be done at what time."

(End of this chapter)