Dongting Immortal Clan

Chen Xiaohu flew north on his sword at lightning speed, and in less than a quarter of an hour, he could see the outline of the gray-black city walls of Yunmeng County.

After a moment's thought, he flew straight over the county town.

Just then, a spiritual voice rumbled from within the city below Yunmeng County, carrying a warning:

"Who are you, fellow Daoist, that you dare to charge in so recklessly!"

"Do you not know that the laws of the Celestial Dynasty prohibit flying over the skies above mortal cities?"

Chen Xiaohu seemed not to hear, his gaze fixed on a quiet courtyard in the west of the city. He immediately landed there, and soon appeared in a small courtyard with green bamboo.

Inside the courtyard, Shen Congyun was sitting cross-legged on a blue stone, practicing his breathing exercises, when he suddenly saw a person descending from the sky on a sword. He was startled, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a young Taoist priest.

He dared not delay and immediately bowed in greeting:

"Junior Shen Congyun pays respects to Senior..."

Chen Xiaohu flicked his sleeve, sheathed his flying sword, smiled at him, and said in a familiar tone:

"Brother Shen, how have you been?"

Shen Congyun was taken aback by this address...

He carefully examined the young face before him, and a blurry image of a boy in his mind gradually overlapped with it. He hesitated and said:

"And you are..., fellow Daoist?"

"The Chen family's home by the clear waters, Chen Xiaohu."

Chen Xiaohu replied with a smile.

"Chen Xiaohu?!"

Shen Congyun was deeply shocked.

The Qi Refining cultivator who arrived on a sword was none other than the young man he had personally guided to become his disciple years ago.

Only nine short years have passed!

Nine years, from wooden embryo to qi refining...

What an astonishing speed of progress!

He sighed inwardly.

He had cultivated diligently for nine years, only managing to climb from the early stage of Jade Spring to the peak of Jade Spring. He was originally expected to break through to the Golden Marrow, but due to the incident three years ago, he was severely injured by an evil cultivator, damaging his foundation.

It has taken three years for him to recover from his injuries, but his cultivation level remains stagnant at the Jade Spring stage, with little progress.

"Is Senior Uncle Zhou Yan in the courtyard?"

Chen Xiaohu looked around the courtyard, his tone becoming more formal.

Shen Congyun shook his head:

"Master set off for Yuezhou a month ago to attend Zhang Lingguan's birthday banquet, and has not returned yet."

Upon hearing that Zhou Yan was not present, Chen Xiaohu nodded slightly.

"In that case, I won't bother you any longer."

"I will come to pay my respects again when my master returns. Goodbye, Brother Shen."

After saying that, Chen Xiaohu's mind stirred slightly, and he transformed into a streak of azure light once again, soaring into the sky and heading straight for the northwest.

"You brat! How dare you be so arrogant!"

The warning voice from the spirit rang out again, this time with obvious anger.

Seeing Chen Xiaohu's repeated provocations, the man could no longer bear it and used his cloud energy to create a giant, sky-covering hand, which went straight over.

Upon seeing this, Chen Xiaohu remained unfazed, a purple light flashed in his eyes, and his aura suddenly surged even more.

Swish!

His flying sword transformed into a streak of light, slashing directly at the giant cloud-like hand.

The sword light was clear and bright, like a blue ribbon, which completely shattered the giant hand that was about to take shape.

The clouds dispersed, turning into a sky full of white mist that fell down in a flurry.

"How dare you!"

An angry shout came from the north of the city, as loud as a bell, making the roof tiles below rattle.

A dark shadow shot into the sky from the Lingguan Temple in the north of Yunmeng County.

The figure had a translucent dark blue color, as if it were formed from condensed smoke, yet it was as solid as flesh and blood.

He was clad in black armor, wore a helmet, and held a black gold halberd with eerie blue flames swirling around its blade.

This person did not possess the robust magical power of an ordinary cultivator; instead, he exuded a chilling aura.

This is the guardian deity of Yunmeng County, in the form of a Yin spirit.

The position of Lingguan in Yunmeng County has been lost for many years. Without a Lingguan to guard the city, only this one deity remains.

He was originally a general who died in battle. After his death, he was posthumously honored as the City God and later appointed as a divine general by the Celestial Dynasty, guarding this place in the form of a Yin spirit.

His cultivation level was not weak, equivalent to a cultivator in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, but because he was a Yin God, he could not inherit the position of Spirit Official and could only maintain order in one part of the city.

"Such arrogance at such a young age, disregarding the laws and regulations of the Celestial Dynasty!"

The god's voice was hoarse, filled with intense anger.

He swung his halberd, and the eerie blue flames on the blade surged, transforming into a ferocious fire dragon several dozen feet long, roaring as it pounced towards Chen Xiaohu in mid-air!

With a slight turn of his flying sword, Chen Xiaohu moved dozens of feet to the side, avoiding the fire dragon.

"boom--!"

The fire dragon missed its target and crashed into an abandoned tower in the north of the city. The tower instantly burst into a ghostly blue flame, its bricks and stones melted, and it collapsed.

"The laws of the Celestial Dynasty strictly forbid magical duels, yet you've already demolished your own tower."

Chen Xiaohu's voice was soft and his tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

The general's expression froze. It was indeed his fault that the fire dragon he had attacked Chen Xiaohu had crashed into the tower after being dodged.

He snorted coldly, retracted his halberd, stopped releasing the fire dragon, and moved towards Chen Xiaohu, choosing to fight him in close combat.

Although he was not a living person, as a divine general, his close combat skills far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators.

The black halberd swept horizontally, the eerie blue flames on the blade leaving a long trail of light in the air, accompanied by a whistling sound, heading straight for Chen Xiaohu's waist and abdomen.

Chen Xiaohu did not take the hit head-on.

His flying sword suddenly sank beneath his feet, and he plummeted straight down like a stone, barely avoiding the sweeping halberd.

The halberd swept over his head, shaving off a few strands of hair.

Before the divine general could change his move, Chen Xiaohu twisted his body in mid-air, and the flying sword skimmed up the ground, lifting him back into the air.

This series of movements was fluid and incredibly fast.

The god general narrowed his crimson eyes slightly and sheathed his halberd.

He figured out some of the tricks of the trade.

This young man's swordsmanship is quite remarkable; he must be a true disciple of a major sect, not the kind of spoiled brat who acts arrogantly just because his elders have bestowed upon him a few magical artifacts.

"Who exactly are you?!"

The god gave a low shout and made a hand seal with his left hand.

His black armor suddenly lit up, and the armor plates seemed to come alive, falling off his body and floating in mid-air, arranging themselves into a small trapping formation.

Runes flowed across each armor plate, intertwined with one another, subtly sealing off all of Chen Xiaohu's escape routes.

The purple light in Chen Xiaohu's eyes intensified, but quickly disappeared, and he said in a calm tone:

"I am a true disciple of the Purple Furnace Mountain of the Taixu Immortal Sect. You are merely a Yin Spirit who has received an imperial decree, yet you dare to obstruct the actions of the Immortal Sect?"

"The true teachings of the Taixu Immortal Sect?"

The general's expression changed, as if he had thought of something. He suddenly put away his halberd and landed in front of the Lingguan Temple in the north of the city.

"The position of Lingguan in Yunmeng County has been vacant for many years. I was ordered by the Celestial Dynasty to guard this place. It is my duty to stop this."

The god's voice was hoarse, but his tone softened considerably, carrying a hint of explanation.

"I was very rude just now, please forgive me, Immortal Envoy."

He paused, then added:

"Flying on a sword within the city is disturbing the people and disturbing customs. According to the laws of the Celestial Dynasty, this is indeed inappropriate, and I am acting in accordance with the law."

"I have urgent business to attend to and need to go to Wulong Gorge immediately. I am passing through this place without any intention of offending anyone or deliberately violating any laws."

Chen Xiaohu's eyes were clear, and his tone softened slightly.

It was as if he wasn't the one who had just fought the city's guardian general with his sword.

Even the gods were helpless in this situation.

The Immortal Dynasty system is vast, with sects and local authorities each having their own rights and responsibilities. True disciples of Immortal Sects hold a special status and are indeed exempt from certain privileges.

Local deities are generally unwilling to completely antagonize the sects behind them, unless serious consequences result.

"Since the Immortal Envoy is a true disciple of the Great Void, he naturally has special privileges. This time... let it go."

The deity spoke slowly, offering both sides a way out.

"However, things haven't been very peaceful in Wulong Gorge lately, with various forces mixed together. If you wish to go there, you must be very careful."

Chen Xiaohu bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for reminding me, I will keep that in mind."

The god said no more, waved his hand, and his dark blue figure, which was over ten feet tall, began to fade slowly, like ink dripping into water and quickly dissolving.

Ultimately, it turned into a wisp of smoke and dissipated into the incense smoke of the temple.

Chen Xiaohu didn't linger. His sword flashed again, and he sped towards the northwest horizon, a hint of purple light flashing in his eyes once more.

His lips parted slightly, as if he were speaking to someone, but the sharp, oncoming wind completely swallowed them up.

After flying on the sword for about an hour, the scenery below gradually became more treacherous, and a deep and narrow canyon appeared at the end of the field of vision.

The canyon is flanked by sheer cliffs, shrouded in mist, giving it an air of mystery.

Chen Xiaohu slowed down slightly and muttered to himself:

"This must be it... Senior Sister..."

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Please continue reading! I'll be done with this tomorrow at noon, then I can rest for two days. Time for bed, tomorrow's another 6 AM start.