Lingyuan Immortal

Chapter 986 Dao Heart Sweeping Away Dust, Blue Feather Startling the Sky
The aroma of tea lingered in the warm pavilion. He Zhiyun waited intently for Chen Mu's reply, keenly noticing a fleeting change in Chen Mu's gaze.

Although he didn't understand why, seeing that Chen Mu seemed to be affected by some emotion, and that his original resolute refusal was interrupted, hope was rekindled in his heart. He thought that the prospect he had described had shaken the other party's defenses, so he quickly pressed on while the iron was hot:

"Fellow Daoist Chen, this opportunity is fleeting! Although the 'Myriad Manifestations Corridor' is a remnant realm, it directly connects to the profound mysteries of the Golden Immortal's origin. With your abilities, you will surely be able to seize boundless opportunities..."

The quantity and quality of the support he gains this time will almost determine how far he can go in the trials and what core opportunities he can access.

He desperately wanted someone like Chen Mu, whose cultivation level wasn't top-tier, but whose foundation was solid, whose methods were unpredictable, and who also had a formidable record of "perfected combat." That's why he didn't hesitate to condescend and personally come through the snow.

However, Chen Mu had no time to listen to He Zhiyun's words at this moment.

The frantically flickering candlelight in his mind, and the death warning that clung to him like a leech, brought him to the brink of madness.

"Or... should I go with them?" A thought flashed through my mind like lightning.

In any case, the destination of this trip is ultimately just a fragment of a dilapidated ancient realm isolated from the world, not the vast upper realm or the realm directly ruled by it.

If handled properly and with caution, one may not necessarily reveal their most secret and bring about their own destruction...

His mind raced, and suddenly he remembered his master.

His master knew his true nature and had a vision that far surpassed this world, penetrating all the heavens.

Such a choice, involving life and death, and the karma of a Golden Immortal in the Upper Realm, could only be made by someone like his master, who could dispel the fog and point him in the right direction!
Thinking of this, Chen Mu suddenly stood up, his movements so swift that they stirred up a breeze and disturbed the aroma of the tea on the table.

He forced a calm expression and said to He Zhiyun, who was slightly taken aback by his abrupt action, "What True Lord He said is of great importance and contains a wealth of information. You need to calm down and think about it for a moment to weigh the pros and cons. Please wait here for a moment, True Lord. I will be right back."

Having said that, without waiting for He Zhiyun's response, he swayed and transformed into a wisp of breeze, disappearing straight into the quiet room.

The stone door closed silently, and the protective barrier instantly lit up, isolating the inside from the outside.

The quiet room was dark.

Only a gilded talisman, suspended deep within Chen Mu's sea of ​​consciousness, emitted a warm and vast immortal light.

This was bestowed upon me by my master before I left the mountain. It is both a precious protective treasure and a token for communication.

Chen Mu sat cross-legged, calming his mind and spirit, transforming all his doubts, the information He Zhiyun had provided, and especially the details and feelings of the terrifying omen he had just experienced, into a divine imprint, which he clearly engraved onto the gilded talisman.

After the inscription was completed, he prayed silently with a devout heart. With a thought, the gilded talisman shone brightly and trembled slightly. The complex information and mental imprints that had just been inscribed on it were instantly erased by an invisible force and disappeared without a trace.

Seeing this, Chen Mu calmed down, cleared his mind of all distractions, and waited quietly with a clear and tranquil mind.

He knew that with his master's level of cultivation, he might already understand everything by now...

Outside, the clouds drifted slowly, and the sunlight reflected off the snow, casting a pale gold hue on the windows of the warm pavilion.

Time passes little by little.

A quarter of an hour felt longer than a year.

suddenly!

There was no sound in the quiet room, but deep within Chen Mu's sea of ​​consciousness, the gilded talisman suddenly emitted an unprecedentedly soft and clear light.

A voice, seemingly emanating from the very end of the void, disregarded all spatial barriers and resounded powerfully within Chen Mu's heart, crystal clear, like the grandest of bells:

"Follow your heart..."

Just four words! Concise yet carrying immense weight!
"Follow your heart..."

Chen Mu murmured to himself, gradually settling down in his heart.

The master did not analyze the pros and cons, nor did he predict good or bad fortune; he simply awakened his true Dao heart.

That terrifying warning sign was his own heart alerting him! And his master's words undoubtedly pointed him in the right direction—to follow his heart in the face of danger!
The dust of the Daoist heart can be swept away in a single day!
No more hesitation!

Chen Mu stood up, the golden flames in his eyes completely extinguished, leaving only a resolute and composed expression. He pushed open the stone door of the quiet room and walked steadily back to the warm pavilion.

When He Zhiyun saw him come out, she immediately cast an inquiring and expectant look at him.

Chen Mu walked to the table, bowed respectfully to He Zhiyun, and spoke in a clear voice:

"Lord He's promise is as solid as a mountain; I am deeply grateful." He paused slightly, meeting He Zhiyun's eyes which lit up instantly, and said resolutely:

"This journey is fraught with peril, but in the struggle for supremacy, how can we be timid and hesitant? I, Chen, am willing to accompany the True Lord to the 'Corridor of Myriad Phenomena' to offer my full assistance and work together to create a better future!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Upon hearing this, He Zhiyun was overjoyed, his heart surging with excitement. He stood up abruptly and exclaimed "Good!" three times in a row!

Just as the guests and hosts were enjoying themselves, the alliance was being established, and the atmosphere in the warm pavilion was harmonious—

Rumble!
At the edge of the sky, more than ten streams of light, varying in strength but all imbued with a majestic aura, were tearing through the clouds and hurtling toward the sacred mountain that had been silent for twenty-eight years at an astonishing speed!

It was Murong Xi and her group.

"Is this Huiyan Mountain?"

As the light descended, everyone revealed themselves, standing in mid-air atop the snow-capped peak.

Some looked down, some scanned with their divine senses, and many more scrutinized and curiously examined this sacred mountain that Chen Mu had cultivated for decades.

"The spiritual veins are decent, and the layout is quite good; it can be considered a place blessed with outstanding natural beauty..."

An elder from the Chongxiao Sect stroked his beard and commented in a calm tone.

Those present were all core figures of the top Daoist lineages in Xuandu, with extremely high standards. In their eyes, this sacred mountain in a corner of Qizhou was nothing special.

Before they could announce their arrival by praying to the mountain with divine will or by proper etiquette, an old woman in the crowd, dressed in simple clothes and a plain dress, suddenly brightened up as if she had discovered something rare.

She stretched out her withered finger, pointing to a nimble blue figure among the mountains below, slightly panicked and hesitant to soar freely under the pressure of the crowd. Her curiosity was tinged with uncertainty.

"Look, everyone, at that spirit bird circling among the cedar trees, its plumage is strange, blue and white, and it is exceptionally agile... Why is it that, judging from its appearance and spirit, I have never seen such a creature in the 'Floating Clouds Beast Compendium'?"

Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively looked intently in the direction she pointed.

Murong Xi frowned slightly, thinking to herself, "Xuxu once told me that my junior brother has a strangely colored blue and white spirit bird named Chen Lan, which he is quite fond of... But judging from the beast's aura, it is clearly only at the third level of cultivation, and its demonic essence is still immature, which does not match the fourth-level guardian spirit bird that Xuxu praised..."

She could never have imagined that, besides the exceptionally talented Chen Lan, there was another Chen Bai in the mountains with the same bloodline...

As she pondered, the others began to whisper among themselves.

“It is certainly not a rare spirit bird commonly seen in Xuandu.”

"With its wings spread out, there is a subtle shimmering of water, making it undoubtedly a water-based species."

"The blue and white colors are so pure and clean, it's quite rare..."

The old woman pondered for a moment, a trace of reminiscence and surprise flashing in her cloudy eyes, and whispered, "This appearance and aura... could it be the Blue Duck, which has long since disappeared and only exists in ancient legends?"

"A blue duck?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions varied. Those who knew the legend of this bird were all shocked, and their respect for the owner of this sacred mountain instantly increased by an indescribable amount.

Those who had never heard of the "Blue Fly" were completely bewildered and looked around in confusion.

"Grandma Liu, please enlighten me?" A True Lord who was familiar with the old woman quickly cupped his hands and humbly asked for her guidance.

The old woman slowly shook her head: "I don't know the specifics either, I only gleaned a few words from an extremely old and tattered notebook."

"Legend has it that the Blue Duck is an ancient divine bird of the water, born from the essence of primordial water. Its bloodline is so rare and noble that it is almost comparable to true dragons and phoenixes! It is the most sought-after guardian spirit pet for powerful water-elemental beings..."

She paused, her gaze turning again to the blue figure below, which had been startled and retreated into the woods. She sighed, "Speaking of which, this Chen Mu, the True Lord, possesses water magic that is all-encompassing and perfectly suited to this path... He truly is... blessed with great fortune and favored by destiny!"

Her brief introduction was like a thunderclap, causing a stir in everyone's hearts and completely changing their gaze towards Huiyan Mountain.

Lei Heng, who was mixed in with the crowd, suddenly looked quite ugly.

For some reason, the image of that Moon Thunder Lion cub, which was almost within his grasp back in the Third Heaven, suddenly flashed through his mind!
Those are also primordial species with top-tier bloodlines and boundless potential!

"If it weren't for Chen Mu and Murong Xi interfering... that Moon Thunder Lion would probably be my divine steed by now, awe-inspiring in Xuandu! How could it be any worse than this 'Blue Duck'?"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, especially seeing the amazement and envy everyone showed towards Chen Mu. A surge of anger rose to his head, and he could no longer contain himself. He let out a cold snort and said in a sarcastic tone:

"Ha, what Granny Liu said is certainly true, but what good is good fortune?"

"Look at this beast, everyone. It is currently only at the third level of cultivation, with weak demonic energy and nascent intelligence! To cultivate it to the point where it can be an assistant or even 'beneficial' to others, I wonder how many rare and precious materials and how many years of effort it would take?"

"The expenses involved are enormous enough to bankrupt an ordinary True Monarch! If one were to put the cart before the horse and neglect one's own cultivation of the Great Dao in order to raise a spirit pet, wouldn't that be... utterly foolish?"

He deliberately emphasized the words "utterly foolish," his gaze sweeping over the crowd as he tried to suppress the envy that had just ignited within him.

And as he had expected, these words were like a bucket of cold water poured over him.

Many True Lords who had been blinded by the name of the divine bird immediately calmed down, nodded slowly, and deeply agreed.

Yes, even the best bloodline is useless if it can't grow up properly. The price of raising such a divine bird is enough to make one's scalp crawl just thinking about it...

Seeing that his words had worked, Lei Heng was even more pleased with himself.

Just as they were about to press their advantage and add a few more derogatory remarks, a gentle aura suddenly spread from the peak below, instantly calming the chaotic spiritual energy of heaven and earth caused by the arrival of the crowd. This also made everyone's hearts skip a beat, and they all turned their gazes away.

At the summit of Huiyan Peak, two figures had silently ascended into the air, and in a short while, they were at the same height as everyone else.

A man in simple robes and a simple hairpin, with a calm and composed demeanor like a deep pool and a towering mountain, was none other than Chen Mu, the master of this place.

The other person was dressed in white robes, with an ethereal and graceful demeanor and a gentle smile. Who else could it be but He Zhiyun, the celestial envoy from the upper realm?

"This must be Chen Mu... His demeanor is composed and extraordinary. Judging from his bearing, he seems to be on par with the celestial envoy..."

"Judging from the smiling face and pleased expression of the immortal envoy, could it be that he has already achieved his wish and persuaded this True Lord Chen?"

"Hiss... If that's really the case, then Chen Mu's importance..."

For a moment, everyone's emotions were in turmoil, and all kinds of eyes swept back and forth between Chen Mu and He Zhiyun.

When Lei Heng saw the person in question come out, he subconsciously stopped himself from saying what he was about to say.

But in an instant, an even stronger sense of shame and anger welled up in his heart. If he stopped now, wouldn't it make him seem like he was afraid of Chen Mu?

He steeled himself, forcibly suppressing his unease, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Chen Mu, forced a smile, and deliberately raised his voice:

"Fellow Daoist Chen, I was truly amazed to see that you keep a blue duck as a divine bird! However..."

He then changed the subject, his tone carrying a clear sense of "admonition": "I was just chatting with some fellow Daoists when I mentioned the difficulty of cultivating such divine birds and the enormous cost involved. I'm afraid it might hinder your own progress."

"I earnestly hope that you will not be swayed by momentary impulses or burdened by external things, thus missing the true path to the Great Dao. My words come from the bottom of my heart, and I have no other intentions. I hope you will think carefully before acting!"

If everyone had just taken Lei Heng's words as merely stating the facts, his now clearly pointed and sarcastic "admonition" revealed his true intentions to everyone.

The atmosphere in the room instantly turned icy, with everyone's eyes focused on Chen Mu, eager to see how he would deal with this almost direct challenge and veiled sarcasm.

However, Chen Mu, standing high in the sky, didn't even lift his eyelids, let alone utter a single word in response to Lei Heng.

He seemed not to hear the piercing sound at all, only his mind stirred slightly.

"Wow—!"

The next moment, a clear and sharp whistle suddenly rang out.

Compared to the previous cry of the third-tier blue duck, its voice was higher and more majestic, filled with an inviolable spirituality!
A blue streak, far more powerful than the previous blue shadow, shot up from below like lightning tearing through the sky.

Its wings spread out, blue like the deep sea ice and white like the clouds in the sky, the two colors blending together perfectly.

What's even more alarming is the demonic energy emanating from its body, which is already at the mid-stage of the fourth rank!

Chen Lan's sharp eyes swept coldly over the group of uninvited guests high in the sky, then landed on Chen Bai, letting out a reproachful scolding:
"Chen Bai! The True Lords have arrived to discuss important matters, but you, little brat, are so ignorant of your place, jumping around and attracting attention. Why don't you quickly suppress your aura and go back to your cave to reflect on your actions?! You have disturbed our distinguished guests and the True Lords' peaceful cultivation. You'll regret it!"

Its voice was clear and cold, yet it contained an undeniable authority.

Startled by the shout, Chen Bai's feathers stood on end, and he let out a short, mournful cry. He dared not linger for even a moment.
It immediately folded its wings desperately, concealing its demonic aura. Like a child who had done something wrong, it transformed into a dim blue light and shot off in a disheveled state toward a hidden cave below, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

Chen Lan then snorted coldly, gracefully flapped her wings, and transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the forest to guard the cave.

The silence remained until the two blue figures completely disappeared from sight, until the mountain wind howled across the snow-capped peaks once more…

The expressions on everyone's faces went far beyond simple astonishment.

Shock! Astonishment! Unbelievable!

Not only was it unexpected that Chen Mu had more than one blue duck under his command, but it was also shocking that the one that appeared later had already grown to the mid-stage of the fourth rank.

Its demonic essence is so pure and refined, and its aura so powerful, that it far surpasses other demon cultivators of the same level. How could it still be a cub that "wastes resources and drags itself down"?

This is clearly a guardian divine bird with boundless potential!

Given time, reaching the fifth level of the Dao Inquiry Realm will be almost within reach!
Moreover, reflecting on the spirit bird's final rebuke of "Chen Bai"... every word seemed to carry a hidden meaning...

For a moment, the way everyone looked at Lei Heng became quite interesting.

Lei Heng naturally noticed this, his forehead veins bulging, and he felt as if he was about to spit out a mouthful of blood.

He wanted to lash out, but he knew he had no reason to, so Chen Mu didn't say a word from beginning to end.

But the more this happened, the more frustrated he felt, as if he had punched cotton and ended up with cotton all over his face...

……

(End of this chapter)