Lingyuan Immortal

Chapter 950 A Risky Move in Chess
The woman seemed to have just stepped out, unaware of the commotion outside. Upon seeing Yan Rongmu's figure, she paused for a moment, then looked over with a hint of wariness without saying a word.

Yan Rongmu stared intently at her, and saw that her appearance and attire were similar to the descriptions in the rumors, and her cultivation and aura were also the same. He was secretly delighted and immediately bowed and asked, "Is the person ahead a Fellow Daoist Immortal?"

The woman put away the bamboo basket, her expression becoming serious. She asked solemnly, "Who are you? I haven't seen any guests for a long time. How did you learn of my whereabouts?"

When she saw that Yan Rongmu had revealed her identity in one sentence, she knew that this person was not just passing by by chance, but was probably waiting here on purpose.

Yan Rongmu bowed but did not rise: "I am Yan Rongmu, the elder of Fusheng Temple in Qizhou. I learned of your whereabouts from popular rumors, and thus I have come here..."

Upon hearing him introduce himself, the fairy maiden's expression softened slightly, and she smiled gently, saying, "So you are a fellow Daoist from Qizhou. This humble Daoist greets you."

She bowed in return, then, as if remembering something, smiled and said, "It's strange, you fellow cultivators from Qizhou, why don't you stay in the secluded places of immortal cultivation, but instead all run to these desolate mountains and wilderness?"

Yan Rongmu had been listening with a smile, but upon hearing these words, his brows suddenly furrowed and his heart tightened.

"Why do you say that, fellow Daoist? Could it be that before me, other Daoists from Qizhou came to visit you?"

The fairy maiden slowly nodded, a half-smile playing on her lips, and said, "Two years ago, a fellow Daoist from the Liangyi Temple came to me, saying he wanted to invite me to some kind of Daoist discussion..."

"The Two Elements Observation!"

Yan Rongmu's face suddenly darkened, his lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

After a moment of silence, he shook his head and sighed, looking at the fairy maiden who had anticipated his arrival, and said, "Then I suppose you already know the purpose of my visit..."

The fairy nodded slightly: "It is common for the two families to discuss the Dao and invite fellow practitioners to help them."

Seeing that the other party was so frank and open, Yan Rongmu knew that this trip was probably hopeless, but he still asked with a glimmer of hope, "Then... would you be willing to come out of the mountains to help me? My Fusheng Temple will do its utmost..."

Before she could finish speaking, the fairy maiden interrupted her with a flick of her sleeve and a faint smile: "When I declined the invitation from Liangyi Temple two years ago, I made it clear that I would never concern myself with their affairs again in this lifetime."

"If I were to agree to your request today, wouldn't that be a contradiction? Fellow Daoist Yan, there's no need for further discussion."

Yan Rongmu sighed inwardly and had no choice but to completely abandon the idea.

Fortunately, the person in front of me chose not to help either side.

The Liangyi Temple was quick to act, and to have achieved this result is already a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune...

"In that case, I will not bother you any longer."

Yan Rongmu bowed respectfully, and the fairy maiden also politely invited him to stay: "Fellow Daoist has come from afar, why not sit for a while and have a cup of tea before you leave?"

Yan Rongmu naturally understood that this was just a polite formality and did not take it seriously. After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, he bowed and took his leave.

They came full of hope, but left disappointed.

He had experienced this situation far too many times and should not have been disturbed again. However, perhaps because the time for the discussion was drawing near, a persistent anxiety lingered in his heart.

The more anxious he became, the less time he had to sort out his thoughts. He suppressed his inner turmoil, chose a person in his mind, quickly determined the direction, and with a flash, disappeared into the clouds...

Time flies, like the clouds in the sky that never stop.

Another year has passed in the blink of an eye, and Yan Rongmu's expression has become increasingly hurried and anxious.

In the past year, including the first fairy maiden, he has visited a total of four fellow cultivators from Xuandu, but without exception, the people from Liangyi Temple had already gone there before him.

He knew that the Liangyi Temple had figured out his methods and was interfering, so he was afraid that he would have difficulty getting any of his fellow practitioners to help him.

Not to mention that time is running out, and he has no time to plan again...

As Yan Rongmu pondered, his escape light gradually slowed down.

He was so busy searching for the hermit that he had not corresponded with his master or contacted Fu Danian for a year.

If there were good news from my junior brother, he would have sent a message to let me know. How could he be so silent as to disappear without a trace?

It seems that there was no progress either, and the Two Elements Observation correctly predicted their movements...

"If we go back like this, what are the chances that our sect will be spared?"

His eyes flickered as he thought to himself, "I'm afraid it's less than one in ten..."

High in the sky, a cold wind howled, tearing at the drifting clouds.

Yan Rongmu pondered for a long time, then his gaze sharpened, and he abruptly changed direction, speeding towards a certain target.

Ten days later, he crossed Changzhou and ventured deep into the heart of Huanzhou.

Tens of thousands of miles away, an oval mountain range covering thousands of hectares lies quietly, with its two ends being particularly long and narrow. When viewed from above, it resembles an eye, hence the name Tianmu Mountain.

This place still has some history. It was originally the stronghold of an evil sect in Huanzhou. This sect was good at seizing souls and poisoning the local people, causing great suffering to the surrounding cultivators.

Later, two True Lords of the Dao arrived together and stormed the evil sect's mountain gate, wiping out the entire clan.

At first, people thought that the senior sages had acted on behalf of Heaven, eliminated evil spirits, and then left, restoring a bright and clear world to this place. However, they did not expect that the two true lords not only did not leave, but instead took over this mountain as their Taoist temple.

After that, they became even more ruthless, wantonly bullying the surrounding sects, and even committing the horrific atrocity of cooking and slaughtering 100,000 people, causing the area to become deserted for tens of thousands of miles around, with no one daring to approach anymore...

These two True Lords were none other than the Yuan brothers mentioned by Yan Rongmu.

The fact that these two individuals chose Tianmu Mountain shows that it has something extraordinary about it.

This mountain's scenery is unlike anything else, with sheer cliffs and deep, crisscrossing ravines, making it exceptionally treacherous. Its main peak resembles a coiled giant python, shrouded year-round in lead-gray, seemingly solidified clouds.

If a cultivator were to look from a hundred miles away, they could immediately tell that this place was not a good place. Although the mountain was rich in spiritual energy, it was also tainted with a heavy aura of malevolence and resentment. It would be difficult for a cultivator who was not extremely determined or who was practicing a heretical path to stay there for long.

Yan Rongmu arrived in a streak of light, and a sense of unease began to creep into his heart.

Although he strongly advocated asking the Yuan brothers to come out of seclusion and help him, he had never actually met the two men, only heard of their fierce reputation.

Faced with such unscrupulous evil cultivators, we must still be on guard...

After pondering for a moment, he cast a spell, and a burst of spiritual light appeared all over his body. A clone that looked exactly like him stepped out, bowed to him, and then flew away towards Tianmu Mountain.

His true form took a step forward, and his figure vanished like a bubble in an instant.

The mountains and forests were deathly silent. Yan Rongmu's clone slowly descended. Without him having to say a word to pay homage to the mountain, a big-headed boy rode a cloud and peered at him for a moment.

"Who are you? Are you here to see my master?"

Yan Rongmu took out his visiting card and said succinctly, "Yan Rongmu of Fusheng Temple, please inform him of this."

The big-headed boy accepted the visiting card and turned to leave.

Before long, he returned the way he came, his attitude much more respectful than before: "True Lord Yan, please come with me."

The two went together, passing through ruined halls and pavilions, with dark brown bloodstains still visible on the pillars and walls, adding to the eeriness of the place. Yan Rongmu knew that this was the former site of the evil sect that had been wiped out by the Yuan brothers, but he was curious why they hadn't cleaned it up and left it there like this, which was quite an eyesore.
He shook his head, realizing that the evil cultivator's thoughts were unusual, and stopped being distracted.

A moment later, the two arrived in front of a palace. The big-headed boy stepped aside and gestured, "Please come in, True Lord. My master is waiting inside."

Yan Rongmu showed no outward expression, but inwardly he braced himself and strode into the hall.

The hall was dimly lit, with steps leading up to it. At that moment, one figure took a seat in the main seat, while another stood below the steps, casting extremely long shadows.

Yan Rongmu stared intently and found that the person in the main seat was relatively thin, with a pale face, handsome features but a sinister air, deep eyes, and a faint smile on his lips, as if he was not surprised to see him.

The standing figure was exceptionally tall and strong, with bulging muscles, a rugged face, and fierce eyes, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey. What was particularly striking was that he carried a huge blood-red axe, as large as a door panel, on his back, making him look like a powerful cultivator.

Although they had never met before, Yan Rongmu could tell that the two people in front of him were the main figures of this trip, Yuan Tianshu and Yuan Tianquan.

After all, appearance can be faked, but that imposing aura is real.

He straightened his expression, stood still, and bowed: "Fellow Daoists, I, Yan, greet you."

Their voices echoed in the hall, but the Yuan brothers did not respond for a moment.

Yan Rongmu was not in a hurry and waited patiently with his eyes closed and mind at ease.

Yuan Tianshu, who was in the main seat, then withdrew his gaze and looked at the visiting card in his hand. He chuckled softly, "Fusheng Temple, what a fine lineage... May I ask what brings Fellow Daoist Yan to my Tianmu Mountain?"

Yan Rongmu's eyes darkened slightly, feeling that Yuan Tianshu's laughter was particularly grating, like needles pricking him, clearly carrying a mocking tone.

He let out a soft sigh, suppressing the turmoil in his mind: "There is indeed something I need to discuss with you, fellow Daoist—"

Before he could finish speaking, Yuan Tianchu interrupted him with a gesture: "If you want to discuss this, then show some sincerity and send an avatar here. Are you looking down on my brother and me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Tianquan below the steps snorted coldly, and the figure of "Yan Rongmu" disintegrated in response, turning into a wisp of green smoke that drifted out of the hall.

At the same time, Yan Rongmu's true form in the highest heavens suffered a sharp pain in his head, as if struck by a heavy blow. It took several breaths for the pain to subside, and he couldn't help but furrow his brows.

His expression shifted between light and shadow, changing several times before he finally gritted his teeth, his figure transforming into a streak of light as he plummeted straight down Tianmu Mountain.

The journey was smooth and unimpeded, and in the blink of an eye, they stepped into the hall again.

Upon seeing the real person arrive, Yuan Tianshu laughed heartily and stood up to greet him.

If it weren't for the lingering pain in his head, Yan Rongmu would almost have thought that the destruction of his clone was just an illusion.

Faced with the unpredictable Yuan Tianchu, he became even more wary.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, I wonder if the discussion has already begun?"

"Natural, natural."

Yuan Tianchu's smile remained unchanged as he gestured for someone to sit down: "I would like to hear the details."

Yan Rongmu paused briefly before briefly recounting the matter of Fu Yi's discussion of Taoism.

Yuan Tianchu nodded repeatedly and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist, do you perhaps wish to invite my brother and me to come and assist you?"

Yan Rongmu shook his head.

Yuan Tianchu looked surprised, and his brother sneered, "So, fellow Daoist, are you just making fun of us?!"

Yuan Tianchu raised his hand to stop his brother, his expression returning to calm: "Fellow Daoist, if you have something to say, please speak frankly."

Yan Rongmu's eyes flashed, and he smiled slightly, saying, "What I mean is, I would like to ask you two fellow Daoists to go and assist... Liangyi Temple."
Initially, he did want to ask the Yuan brothers for help, but Tao Fengbian did not agree.

Tao Fengbian was not only the abbot but also his senior brother with whom he had spent over a thousand years. He was unwilling to go against his wishes, so he gave up such thoughts.

However, his senior's words also gave him another idea.

Since our comrades in Qizhou had agreed long ago not to let the Yuan brothers enter the country, otherwise they would be boycotted by the entire Qizhou.

Why didn't he do the opposite and lead the Yuan brothers away to Liangyi Temple?

Even though this matter is full of loopholes upon closer examination, and someone will surely notice something amiss afterward, it can at least buy Fusheng Temple some precious time.

By then, things might have turned around.

However, this matter was ultimately risky, and he would not have resorted to such a desperate measure if the Liangyi Temple had not been pressuring him so much...

A glint flashed in Yuan Tianchu's eyes. He stared intently at Yan Rongmu for a moment, then suddenly smiled broadly: "Fellow Daoist, you truly have a brilliant plan..."

Yan Rongmu seemed not to hear him and said in a deep voice, "If Fellow Daoist Yuan is willing to agree to this matter, I, Yan, am willing to offer all kinds of resources..."

"I don't want those things."

Yuan Tianchu's gaze was sharp as a hook, piercing Yan Rongmu: "I can send my brother and me, but after it's done, I want a Taoist mountain from your Fusheng Temple..."

Owning a mountain means having millions more people under your command, at which point the two brothers' cultivation can advance further.

Yan Rongmu frowned, almost ready to refuse outright, but then he thought: if they openly appeared in Qizhou, they would surely be driven out by their fellow Daoists in Qizhou, so how could they possibly occupy the Lingshan Daoist Temple?
Thinking of this, he pretended to agree: "My Fusheng Temple does indeed have three Taoist mountains. If the matter is successful, I, Yan, am willing to hand over the Taoist mountain under my name to the two fellow Taoists."

"it is good!"

Yuan Tianchu clapped his hands and laughed: "This matter is settled! Fellow Daoist Yan can leave with peace of mind. When the time comes, my brother and I will definitely arrive as scheduled!"

Yan Rongmu showed a slight look of surprise: "Fellow Daoist Yuan actually trusts me so much?"

"Oaths are the most easily broken."

Yuan Tianchu's lips curled into a cold smile, but his eyes held no mirth: "I've never believed it. I only know that with the abilities of my brother and me, I doubt you would dare to break your promise..."

Upon hearing this, Yan Rongmu felt a chill run down his spine, but remained outwardly calm, simply nodding and saying, "In that case, I shall take my leave."

The Yuan brothers rose to see him off, and after his figure disappeared into the horizon, Yuan Tianquan turned back and asked in confusion, "The various sects of Qizhou have always been wary of us. How could they allow us to easily occupy the Daoist temple? Elder brother, how can you be so sure that Yan Rongmu would not break his promise?"

Yuan Tianchu gazed at the distant sky and smiled calmly, saying, "Because I never intended to keep my promise in the first place."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tianquan, who never liked to delve into things, suddenly felt a headache coming on and said urgently, "Brother, how exactly should we proceed? You agree one minute and then break your promise the next, please explain more clearly..."

Yuan Tianshu shook his head and chuckled, but did not elaborate. He only whispered, "Judging from the current situation, Fusheng is barely able to take care of himself and is only trying to get through the current difficulties. Even if he were to grant me a Dao Mountain, where would he find the strength to withstand the pressure from the various sects of Qizhou?"

"However, Fusheng Temple is not up to the task... Liangyi Temple, on the other hand, has the capability..."

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked at his brother: "You go and make an appointment for me with the abbot of the Liangyi Temple..."

……

(End of this chapter)