Lingyuan Immortal

Chapter 932 The Two-Element Heavenly Net Umbrella

Yu Chengkong felt a little embarrassed, but out of respect for Lan Yan being a senior, he could only hum twice and say no more.

Now that two of the three are gone, the only hope is Chen Mu.

The expressions on their faces tightened, and Hong Wuyai hesitated several times before saying in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Chen, please be patient..."

Upon hearing this, Yu Chengkong blushed and nodded in agreement, saying, "Brother Hong is right, forcing it... won't work."

Chen Mu let out a soft breath, cupped his hands in greeting to the group, and then slowly stepped into the palace under their gaze.

All he could see was complete darkness, as if no lights were lit in the hall. Only the bright light from outside stretched his shadow extremely long, almost filling the entire path of light.

Chen Mu kept his eyes straight ahead and continued walking deeper into the path of light.

Before long, with a "whoosh," flames suddenly ignited on the bronze candlesticks inside the hall, and the darkness retreated rapidly as if a pack of beasts were terrified.

Immediately afterward, with a few quick "crackling" sounds, eighteen clusters of red and yellow lights lit up the entire hall, revealing its full appearance.

Chen Mu looked up and saw an ancient stone wall in front of him. It was very rough, but a very exquisite and delicate black and white umbrella was hanging diagonally on it. The faint glow spread out over a radius of three zhang, which was quite eye-catching.

A thought struck him, and he realized that this umbrella must be the magical artifact, so he began to examine it closely.

The umbrella ribs are made of nine sections of ethereal jade, with yin-yang patterns flowing like stardust.

The sunlit side of the umbrella appears to be woven from golden threads formed from millennia of sunlight, while the shaded side is made of dark ice gauze refined by moonlight. The handle is inlaid with yin-yang fish carved from Taixu stone. When closed, it can be held in the palm of one's hand, and when opened, it blocks out the sun and sky...

A moment later, a ray of spiritual light suddenly rose from the umbrella, and a long-bearded Taoist priest wearing a Bagua robe emerged. His eyes shone with spiritual light, and his demeanor was natural, giving him a sense of otherworldly elegance.

He glanced down at Chen Mu, his eyes subtly shifting, and he clicked his tongue in disbelief, muttering to himself, "I can't even fathom his true strength..."

Chen Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "Could there be a chance?"

Before he could even feel joy, he saw the long-bearded Taoist shake his head slightly: "This boy is unfathomable. He must have a great karma behind him. If we go with him, we will inevitably have to fight too many battles. It will be too tiring, too tiring..."

The long-bearded Taoist seemed to have made a decision. He sighed deeply and waved his hand at Chen Mu: "Go. You are not the person I am waiting for."

After saying this, he was about to turn back when Chen Mu suddenly spoke up: "Twenty thousand years of bitter waiting, must we continue to wait? Lingzhen, please wait, let me say a few words..."

Perhaps because he failed to see through Chen Mu, the long-bearded Taoist did not ignore him as much as Hong Wuyai. He paused slightly and smiled sneer: "If we can find a suitable person, let alone 20,000 years, what does it matter if it is 30,000 or 50,000 years?"

Chen Mu's mind raced as he listened and calculated a possible scenario.

In the blink of an eye, his eyes flashed, and he found an opportunity in the long-bearded Taoist's earlier mutterings.

He smiled slightly and said slowly, "A ten-thousand-year term is nothing to Lingzhen, but does Lingzhen know that Senior Lanyan will be leaving soon and will probably not have time to find a successor for Lingzhen?"

"Well."

The long-bearded Taoist nodded slowly: "She should have left long ago. If it weren't for the limitations imposed by her clan, she wouldn't be in such a hurry..."

"As for the inability to find a successor for this humble Taoist priest..."

He stroked his beard and smiled, "This humble Taoist will go on his own, and there is no need for much help from others."

Chen Mu remained unmoved: "Lingzhen must have also paid attention to the two people who just entered. One is a member of the Feather Clan, and the other is a vassal of the Gonggong Clan..."

The long-bearded Taoist frowned slightly, as if he hadn't understood what he meant.

Chen Mu continued speaking: "So that Lingzhen may know that this realm belongs to the Feather Clan, and the Gonggong Clan is also somewhat involved. Both of these families are top clans in Guixu. If Senior Lanyan leaves, they will not let Lingzhen leave easily."

"The Feathered Clan is a clan abandoned by the immortals, and Gonggong is a descendant of a disciple abandoned by the Immortal Venerable. No matter which family Lingzhen goes to, she will inevitably suffer for half her life..."

The long-bearded Taoist's face darkened, and he began to ponder inwardly.

Given his rank, he wasn't worried about cultivators at the same level as the person before him; even a sixth-order Dao Lord couldn't forcibly subdue him. But if he were to attract a rogue immortal...

His eyes flickered slightly, yet he still stubbornly argued, "How could they possibly stop me? If they really provoke me, I'll just cleave through the boundary and escape. What can they do to me then?"

Chen Mu's smile deepened, and his wisdom shone brighter: "Spiritual essence can indeed tear through the void and go away, but if it is separated from Senior Lan Yan and is trapped in the turbulent void, if it cannot find a place to consolidate its true spirit for a long time, I dare to ask how many layers of chaotic gales it can withstand?"

These words are like a cold blade drawn from its sheath, piercing straight to the vitals.

It should be known that even a celestial artifact, if left unrefined and nurtured for thousands of years, will gradually dissipate from its original state, let alone endure the torment of the endless void tides day and night.

The Taoist priest remained silent with his head bowed. After a long while, he looked up and laughed loudly, the tassels hanging from his black jade crown rustling: "After all this, you just want this poor Taoist to bow down and submit?"

“The karmic threads on your body are tangled like a cloud of calamity pressing down on you. Since I am unwilling to submit to those two troublesome clans, I will not go with you.”

Chen Mu gazed at the starlight flickering in the other person's eyes, and after catching a glimpse of anxiety within them, his heart calmed down somewhat.

He feared that this true spirit, like a stubborn rock, would remain silent; but if it were to answer, it would be as if the game of chess had already begun…

Chen Mu smiled slightly and said, "How about this? I don't need to force the spirit to follow my lead. As long as you help us to eliminate the evil spirits, whether you stay or leave afterward is entirely up to you."

At this moment, his mind was clear, and taming the spirit pet was the most important thing.

Although he already possessed the title of True Lord, he was still worlds apart from such a supreme celestial treasure, and he never dared to hope that he could make it submit to him.

Once it's in your hands, you can treat it with sincerity day and night and gradually influence it. Even if you ultimately fail to win it over, it won't be a waste of effort.

Moreover, while he might not be the destined owner of this treasure, the conditions he offered were unmatched. At this moment, the true spirit had few choices; whether it succeeded or not depended on its temperament.

Is it being tough and decisive, or knowing how to assess the situation?

As Chen Mu had expected, the long-bearded Taoist was immediately intrigued upon hearing this: "Is this really true?"

Chen Mu smiled and said, "If you have any doubts, I am willing to swear a great oath against the demons within my heart."

The long-bearded Taoist hesitated for a long time, then suddenly raised his head and said resolutely, "Alright, I hope you will remember what I say now."

Before he finished speaking, the Taoist's body suddenly shone with spiritual light, turning into green smoke and dissipating into the void.

The black and white umbrella hanging on the wall suddenly trembled and plummeted down with the force of wind and thunder.

Chen Mu flipped his palm and seized the object, which fell into his hand, its touch cold as if he were holding frost jade.

With a casual flick of the wrist, thousands of gold and silver talismans burst forth from the umbrella's surface, their shimmering light illuminating the entire palace as if it were daytime.

He held it up to his eyes for a closer look and saw that the handle was engraved with five seal characters: “Liangyi Tianluo Umbrella”, with dragon patterns faintly visible.

With a slight nod, water shimmered between his fingers as he channeled a wisp of his innate spiritual energy into the umbrella. Instantly, a precious light emanated from the umbrella's ribs, marking the initial connection between them.

However, to fully refine it, it is still necessary to communicate and resonate with the true spirit.

He had only borrowed a third of its power for now; if the true spirit did not allow it, even with a thousand methods, it would be difficult to control it. Thinking of this, he was quite magnanimous. With a light flick of his wide sleeves, the precious umbrella transformed into a beam of mysterious light and disappeared into his personal cave.

Retracing the path they had come from, the eighteen bronze candlesticks went out one by one, and the path of light reappeared, only this time, it faced the bright light...

Outside, Yu Chengkong paced back and forth, looking dazed and uncertain, as if he was still regretting his earlier forceful attack.

Hong Wuyai, on the other hand, remained calm and showed no signs of anxiety.

A moment later, Chen Mu walked out, and Yu Chengkong immediately approached. He first looked at Chen Mu's face, but found that it was as calm as usual. He frowned and asked in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Chen, how is it?"

Chen Mu smiled and said, "I have already taken out the celestial treasure, the Five Elements Nightmare, which may be able to dispel it..."

Upon hearing this, Yu Chengkong and the others were all taken aback. Although they all hoped that Chen Mu could obtain the treasure, they knew that the chances were slim. But now...

Yu Chengkong's eyes flickered as he thought to himself, "Could he truly be a person favored by Heaven?"

Otherwise, why would they give this treasure to a cultivator at the initial stage of the Dao Inquiry realm instead of to them?

Yu Hong, Shi Yangzongtian, and the other two were shocked. Even Lan Yan opened her mouth slightly, her gaze sweeping over Chen Mu three times before she spoke: "That true spirit is as stubborn as an ancient pine and a rock. Even I cannot shake it in the slightest. How exactly did you manage to persuade it?"

She could also see that Chen Mu was surrounded by a rich water elemental energy, making him a pure and unadulterated water elemental lord, definitely not the person the immortal artifact was waiting for.

Chen Mu knew that an explanation was needed, otherwise he wouldn't even be able to get past Lan Yan, so he laughed loudly and said, "It's nothing more than a clever trick..."

He immediately recounted, half-truthfully, what had just happened inside the hall.

Upon learning that the celestial artifact was only temporarily residing beside them and not truly recognizing its master, the group felt somewhat relieved.

But after calming down, Yu Chengkong couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Why didn't I think of this method? If I had a celestial artifact by my side, even a few years would be enough for me to benefit greatly..."

Hong Wuyai sighed, "Indeed, you have to give up something to gain something. Now that Fellow Daoist Chen has obtained the immortal artifact and has the help of Senior Lan and Chief Shi Yang, why don't we set off immediately to expel that sixth-order Five Elements Nightmare?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Chengkong snapped out of his daze and nodded repeatedly in agreement: "Yes, yes, time is of the essence, let's set off now."

After speaking, he looked at his male friend.

Lan Yan was unaware of the details, but felt that the people in front of him were even more anxious than he was.

However, she had no intention of getting involved. Instead, she preferred a swift resolution and nodded, saying, "In that case, you may all follow me. The Void Star Glutton has only recently fallen into a deep sleep and is still weak. It is the perfect time to drive it away..."

……

Yu Xuan Realm, Cangnan Dense Forest.

Within a radius of a hundred miles, a dark blue mist permeated the air, making the forest appear even more eerie and terrifying.

After an unknown amount of time, a beam of light suddenly flashed, and a winged figure appeared out of thin air.

Before he could look around, flashes of light appeared one after another in the dense forest. In addition to the Feather Clan True Lord, the Gonggong Clan members were also among them. The two families had come together.

To be honest, the two companies joining forces was a last resort.

The reason Chen Mu and the other two were able to safely pass through the Void Gate was because of the Yin-Yang Boundary-Knocking Jade in Hong Wuyai's hand.

Without prior preparation, where could they find such a rare treasure for breaking through boundaries and crossing voids?
Only by joining forces and using the True Lord's spiritual power to stabilize the gate to the void can they be allowed to enter this realm.

Even so, the number of people who can enter this realm has been greatly reduced. There are no more than ten members of the Feather Clan and only five members of the Gonggong Clan, which is much less than they had previously expected.

"Hong Wuyai... if I capture you, I will make sure you suffer a terrible death!"

The Yin-Yang Boundary Jade was clearly a treasure of the clan, but unexpectedly it fell into the hands of a vassal.

The man holding the fan, Gonggong, let out a muffled shout, extremely annoyed.

Gong Daosheng frowned slightly, glanced at him without saying a word, and instead looked around at his surroundings.

Before long, several blue ducks flew by.

Upon sensing the rich water-attribute Dao aura emanating from it, his eyes lit up, and he thought to himself, "There are such divine birds here. Judging from their numbers, they must be quite numerous. If I could bring them back to my clan to raise..."

He clenched his fists, feeling restless, but hesitated because of the Feather Clan members... He turned his head to look, preparing to probe their whereabouts.

Before they could even speak, several Feather Clan True Monarchs' eyes flashed with malice, and they unleashed a series of energy blades that instantly slashed at the blue ducks.

The next moment, blood gushed out like a torrent, and Lan Fu, whose bloodline potential was quite remarkable, was decapitated.

Gong Daosheng's pupils contracted, then he flew into a rage: "Yu Lingxi, what are you trying to do!"

Yu Lingxi, the leading woman, glanced down at him indifferently and said, "Fellow Daoist, you are probably unaware of the details of this realm. This bird was raised by an ancestor of my Feather Clan. Its purpose was impure, and it was abandoned by our ancestor. Now, these beasts have been allowed to live for tens of thousands of years. Now that we have the opportunity, we should naturally cleanse them..."

Before she could finish speaking, she seemed to sense something and suddenly took flight: "I advise you, fellow Daoist, not to interfere in the affairs of my Feather Clan. Otherwise, I would like to learn from your superior skills."

The chilling sound lingered, but the figure had already vanished into the dense forest.

The remaining Feather Clan members also rose to their feet, most with resolute eyes as they left. Only two or three looked on with heavy hearts, their gazes filled with reluctance as they stared at the fallen corpse of the Blue Duck...

"Brother, the Feather Clan is truly arrogant beyond measure. Why didn't you..."

The man with the fan hesitated, but his resentment was evident even though he didn't finish his sentence.

Gong Daosheng's face was ashen, and he remained silent.

He was well aware that being repeatedly pressured by Yu Lingxi would damage his reputation, but he had no choice. Not only were the number of his own True Monarchs less than that of the Feather Clan, but he himself was no match for Yu Lingxi.

Her constant rival was Gong Qingli...

He glanced back at the group, and a sudden, inexplicable gloom settled over him.

Judging from your expressions, you've actually begun to secretly hope that Gong Qingli will return soon.

"no……"

Gong Daosheng pondered for a moment, then his gaze suddenly hardened: "We have come here for Hong Wuyai. He has plotted so much to get here that he must have a grand scheme, which may even be detrimental to our Gonggong clan. How can we let him have his way?"

"The most urgent task is to find their whereabouts. As for the Feathered Clan members... after we succeed, won't we have a chance to cause them trouble?"

While it was said to be for Hong Wuyai, it was actually aimed at Chen Mu, though the others were unaware of the details.

They were secretly scoffing at this moment, thinking that this clan leader's son was really mediocre, not daring to truly confront Yu Lingxi, and even talking about making things difficult for others.
Adding to the trouble... Is this something that Gonggong should be doing?
Everyone shook their heads, outwardly agreeing with a few words, but inwardly they were all thinking, "Gong Qingli, Gong Qingli, you'd better come back soon..."

……

(End of this chapter)