Master of the Xuanyin Sect of Mount Shu

Chapter 52 Where Can One Find Peace in This Vast World?
Guan Minghui sat on the black dragon's head, letting it fly above the clouds, quickly leaving Mangcang Mountain and heading north.

I had always longed to escape the cage, see the light of day again, and live under the sun once more.

Now that I'm out, I haven't decided where to go yet.

First and foremost, it's certain that we should get away from Yunnan as soon as possible. Luo Ziyan and Xiao Shijiu Mei can't defeat them on their own, and Li Jingxu himself is also in Yunnan. Now that Changmei's prophecy has been broken, he might also take action.

As for the Purple Ying Sword in a dilapidated temple in Mangcang Mountain, firstly, he didn't know where that temple was, and secondly, Mangcang Mountain was so vast that finding it wouldn't be something that could be done in a short time.

Even if he found it, so what? He hasn't even dealt with the Green Chain Sword yet.

Although he was willing to use the Azure Sword, it still resisted merging with other swords and could not be stored in his body. So he could only temporarily carry it in a sword pouch woven from black silk.

If they were to get the Purple Ying Sword as well, the two of them would be a match made in heaven.

If Ziying fails to receive the jade and Qing Suo is taken away, causing a delay, and the Emei Sect arrives, then all our efforts will be in vain.

He went to great lengths to keep the Azure Sword by his side temporarily, so he had to find a way to make it completely accept him and follow him wholeheartedly.

Guan Minghui felt that the treasures in this Shu Mountain world, especially the top-tier treasures with spirituality, were like women.

What's yours will be yours sooner or later. Even if you have nothing, nothing at all, it's still yours.

If it's not yours, and you chase after it, you'll die!

One should not be too greedy. One should only be greedy within one's own capabilities. If one is greedy beyond one's capabilities, one will bring trouble upon oneself.

Guan Minghui felt that he already had enough magical treasures and needed to find a place to refine them as soon as possible to maximize his strength.

But where to cultivate is another problem. Should I just find some remote mountain forest or wilderness to hide away and cultivate?

It is estimated that Luo Xiao and her two daughters, or the Emei Sect, could catch up at any time if they are free to do so.

After all, he had taken the Qing Suo Sword, and the Emei Sect would not let him go. In particular, those two cunning old men, the Songshan Elders, were very likely to calculate that he was at the most critical moment of his cultivation and suddenly appear, casually making him fail at the last moment, or even suffer a backlash. Being seriously injured would be the best outcome; the worst outcome would be to be captured and suppressed again under the Lingyu Cliff of Mangcang Mountain, in accordance with the prophecy of the Long Eyebrows.

He was more worried that Li Jingxu might suddenly appear at some crucial moment and shout, "Fellow Daoist Gu, do you still recognize me?"

Although the probability of Li Jingxu taking the initiative to make a move is very small, that guy likes to wander around, and if you run into him, you're completely doomed!
Or how about going overseas? Hiding in the far reaches of the world, far from the Central Plains, hiding under the ice, hiding far away, until you've mastered your divine skills before coming out again?

Actually, that won't work either. The Emei Sect and Li Jingxu could still find them at any time if they wanted to. Everyone can calculate that they can't hide. And since everyone flies fast, distance isn't a problem.

Essentially, hiding overseas is no different from hiding in some mountain valley in the Central Plains. People might not even think it's worth it for minor matters, but taking the Azure Sword would definitely make you hunted down by the whole world.

Even if you hide in some remote mountain, they can still launch a massive attack any day they want, laying a net to annihilate you.

Just like in the original story, when the three immortals and two elders besieged the Green Robe Ancestor, they planned his fate to end in advance, and suddenly appeared, setting up the Yin-Yang Micro Dust Array to cover the entire Hundred Barbarian Mountain, refining it into ashes.

After much thought, Guan Minghui actually came up with a good place to go.

That is—Mount Wutai!

The Wutai Sect and the Emei Sect are now at loggerheads and are about to have their first sword fight.

Even if the Emei Sect hated him, they wouldn't dare to attack Mount Wutai at this time.

Li Jingxu had some connection with the Taiyi Hunyuan Ancestor. I remember in the original novel, fifty years after the Taiyi Hunyuan Ancestor died, the two sides prepared to have a sword duel at Ciyun Temple, and the Emei Sect invited Li Jingxu to participate.

Li Jingxu said, "It's not appropriate to clean house for a deceased friend."

If Guan Minghui were residing at Mount Wutai, Li Jingxu wouldn't have gone there to kill him just because the prophecy of the Long-Browed Immortal was broken, or because he wanted to avenge Lu Min.

After all, Li Jingxu himself doesn't acknowledge Lu Min as his disciple; it would be more likely if it were Qin Yu.

With his superior magical power and possession of the Green Chain Sword, he severely humiliated the Emei Sect. If he were to go to Mount Wutai now, the entire Wutai Sect would surely welcome him.

Since he and the Emei Sect were already sworn enemies, helping the Wutai Sect to deal with the Emei Sect would also be a beneficial course of action for him.

He immediately used the Xuan Yin Divine Calculation to perform a divination, expecting everything to go smoothly. However, the divination revealed that he wouldn't stay long at the Wutai Sect, and there seemed to be some verbal disputes, but these were unrelated to him. It seemed there were signs of a hidden division within the Wutai Sect. Fortunately, he could retrieve the Azure Mirage Bottle. Getting the Azure Mirage Bottle back was fine; it was a rare treasure from the Heavenly Palace, specifically designed to counteract all flying needles and other malevolent energy—a truly precious item.

Guan Minghui ordered the black dragon to change direction and fly straight towards Shanxi.

The black dragon was over ten zhang long, with glossy black scales all over its body. Since obtaining the Taiyi Yuanjing, its fur and scales had grown even better, its eyes had become much clearer, and the mane around its neck was thick and smooth, making it feel great to stroke.

He basked in the sunshine and felt the breeze, sitting on the dragon's head, swiftly traversing thousands of mountains and rivers.

He saw a human town below and was very happy, wanting to go down and explore it, and get some fresh air.

After all, he didn't get any takeout before he died, and he traveled through time hungry, where he was trapped in a dark mountain cave for more than 20 years.

During that time, he only saw about ten cats, big and small, as well as several enemies who wanted to kill him.

He really wanted to go to the city below, browse the shops along the roadside, and try some snacks.

However, now is not the time to roam freely. He estimated that his current strength was at the same level as the Three Immortals and Two Elders of the Emei Sect, the Taiyi Hunyuan Ancestor of the Wutai Sect, the Maha Venerable Sikong Zhan, and the Fairy of Ten Thousand Wonders Xu Feiniang, but he was at the bottom of this level. He might not be without the power to fight, but he would lose more often than he would win.

You can manage against one opponent, but against two, you have to run away quickly. Against three, you'll be utterly defeated. If the opponent has a magic weapon that can counter you, you'll be defeated even more miserably.

Fortunately, Gu Chen and the Long-Browed Immortal had been dealing with each other for thousands of years, and they had plenty of ways to save their lives and escape, so there was no need to be too afraid.

Let's wait until later. First, we need to refine the magic weapon. Once we have more strength to protect ourselves, we can go wherever we want!

Before long, they arrived at Mount Wutai. Guan Minghui rode a dragon and flew down to the mountain gate. He said to the disciple guarding the gate, "Go and inform your ancestor that... that Gu Chen has arrived."

He didn't want to be Gu Chen anymore; he wanted to be himself again. He wanted to use his real name, but he figured the Taiyi Hunyuan Ancestor wouldn't recognize it, so he had to use Gu Chen's name instead.

Seeing him arrive on a dragon, the young Taoist priest dared not delay and hurriedly flew on his sword to the mountainside to report.

Before long, several sword lights flew in and landed, revealing a woman and two men.

The woman looked to be in her twenties or thirties, and was very beautiful. She smiled before speaking: "So you are Senior Gu Chen. I heard that you were cultivating in seclusion in Mangcang Mountain, and I was thinking of paying you a visit sometime. I never expected you to grace us with your presence. It is truly a delightful surprise..."

This is none other than Xu Feiniang, the renowned Fairy of Ten Thousand Wonders of the Wutai Sect.

Accompanying them were Lin Rui and Tuotuo, a tall and thin man dressed in a manner that was neither Buddhist nor Taoist, who was the eldest disciple of the Taiyi Hunyuan Ancestor.

Xu Feiniang was very enthusiastic, while Tuotuo was very serious and formal, looking somewhat old-fashioned: "My master is in seclusion in the back mountain practicing swordsmanship and cannot come out to greet you. Feiniang and I, along with Junior Brother Lin, will come to welcome you into the mountain."

Guan Minghui was somewhat surprised to see Lin Rui here, and upon hearing Tuotuo address him in such a way, he asked, "Did you become an apprentice here?"

Lin Rui nodded: "I am honored that my mentor values ​​me and has accepted me as his disciple."

Guan Minghui nodded without saying much. Lin Rui wasn't a good person to begin with. He had already done more than enough by keeping him away from the battlefield before fighting Hua Yaosong. It was none of his business if Lin Rui wanted to become an apprentice here.

My name is Guan Minghui, not Guan Mianshi. What does it matter to me whether other people live or die? They're not my son!

Guan Minghui followed Xu Feiniang and Tuotuo into the mountains with a smile.

Xu Feiniang praised the black dragon: "Many sword immortals in the world raise spirit birds and beasts, either to serve as their mounts or to guard their caves. The most famous are the crane of Li Dahuzi of the Emei Sect and the two divine eagles in front of the White-browed Zen Master. It is probably rare to see a dragon as a mount."

The black dragon used to cultivate solely on instinct and couldn't change size. Its body, over ten zhang long, was simply too enormous to be carried into the house.

Xu Feiniang specifically instructed one of her disciples: "Take Senior Gu Chen, this immortal dragon, to the spiritual spring in the back mountain for a bath, and then catch some fresh and delicious prey for him."

“No need,” Guan Minghui said. “He needs to absorb more of the sun’s energy recently. Just find him a suitable place to lie down in the sun.”

In the Hunyuan Cave on Yedou Peak to the north, the Taiyi Hunyuan Patriarch, the leader of the Wutai School, is having tea with his junior brother, Venerable Maha Sikong Zhan.

Sikong Zhan asked, "Gu Chen has already gone to the West Terrace Moon-Hanging Hall. Senior Brother, are you really not going to see him?"

The Grandmaster Taiyi Hunyuan took a sip of the fragrant cloud-mist tea and shook his head: "I won't see you."

(End of this chapter)