Dongting Immortal Clan

Today, the Wulongxia campsite is no longer the simple tent it once was. A majestic stone fortress, called "Wulong Fortress," has risen from the ground, relying on the mountain's terrain to guard the canyon.

The fortress walls were built of dark mountain stones, more than three zhang thick, with imposing crenellations on the top. Every few dozen steps there was an arrow tower, on which heavy crossbows were mounted, with runes faintly visible on the crossbows.

In the very center of the fortress wall stands a massive steel gate, six zhang high and over one zhang thick.

It rises during the day and sets at night, completely isolating the inside and outside of the canyon.

The fort's interior is well-divided into distinct areas.

The former core area of ​​the independent cultivator camp has now been enclosed as the "inner fortress," with much higher walls and direct jurisdiction over the Demon-Catching Bureau. Ordinary cultivators are not allowed to enter without permission.

If a Qi Refining cultivator from outside arrives without a fixed residence, they are usually arranged to stay temporarily in the guest courtyard.

In the quiet courtyard behind the inner fort's main hall.

Commander Wu Que sat upright in a rosewood chair, holding a blue jade slip in his hand, carefully examining it with his spiritual sense.

This is the latest news sent back by scouts from the depths of the canyon, containing information on changes in the canyon's geomantic energy, the movements of evil cultivators such as Qiu Qianli, and the activities of cultivators from sects such as Lingxu and Hengyue.

Deputy Commander Zhao Yuanze sat on another chair at the lower end, holding a cup of tea, slowly blowing on the floating leaves, his eyelids slightly lowered, as if he didn't care at all about the message in the jade slip.

Standing beside Wu Que was his son, Wu Zhongming.

Compared to three years ago, his face is much more composed, and most of the arrogance and haughtiness between his brows has been worn away, replaced by a restrained gloom.

His right arm, which had been severed by Chen Yunlu, had been "reattached," but it was not made of flesh and blood; instead, it was an exquisitely crafted puppet arm made of wood, stone, gold, and jade.

At this moment, he stood respectfully with his hands at his sides, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the jade slip in his father's hand.

After a long while, Wu Que put down the jade slip, and the smile that was always on his face quietly disappeared, revealing a gloomy look.

"Father, has something changed in the canyon?"

Seeing this, Wu Zhongming asked in a low voice.

Wu Que handed him the jade slip, his expression returning to normal, though the cold glint in his eyes lingered. He slowly said:

"That demonic boy, Qiu Qianli, is indeed formidable."

"Yan Shuheng, the true disciple of Hengyue Sect, joined forces with Yuan Fengzhen, the swordsman from Lujiang Cave Heaven. The two of them worked together but failed to defeat him. Instead, he used the Water Mansion Formation to suppress them completely."

Wu Que's tone carried a hint of sarcasm:

"These two, one carrying the ancient Zhu Rong lineage and the other receiving the true teachings of the Nine Heavens Sword Manual, are both successors of the Purple Mansion, yet they are restrained in that Water Mansion Forbidden Array... They are not even as good as that Chen fellow."

Wu Zhongming quickly glanced at the jade slip.

He had long heard of Yan Shuheng and Yuan Fengzhen, both of whom were geniuses in the immortal sects and cultivated the Purple Mansion inheritance, yet they couldn't get the better of Qiu Qianli.

Upon hearing his father mention Chen Yunlu, his face turned cold, and a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes.

The humiliation of losing an arm three years ago is etched in my memory.

His father immediately took him to seek out famous doctors and even asked senior members of the sect for help. However, Chen Yunlu's "Zhen Xun Feng Lei Sha" was too vicious and fierce. The remaining thunderous energy ruined the life of the severed arm and made it difficult to reattach.

In the end, he had no choice but to spend a lot of money to hire a cultivator skilled in puppetry to create this puppet arm. Although he could control it freely and it could serve as a magic weapon, it was not his own body after all, which made him remember this at all times.

In the past, his cultivation was blessed by the fortune of the immortal dynasty; now, it is entirely due to his own cultivation.

In just three years, he returned to the perfect state of his life palace from the Golden Marrow. He only needs to find the right innate energy to attempt a breakthrough.

……

What has Chen Yunlu been up to lately?

Wu Que turned to Zhao Yuan, who had been silently drinking tea, and asked.

Zhao Yuan was in charge of general affairs and intelligence within the fortress, and was most aware of the movements of the various families.

Zhao Yuan put down his teacup, his voice calm and even:

"He is still in seclusion in the Chen family's courtyard, claiming to be suppressing the demon's supernatural powers, and is unable to leave the canyon."

Wu Que gave a noncommittal "hmm".

Zhao Yuan continued:

"But Chen Dajiang, one of his subordinates, has made quite rapid progress."

"I heard that in order to further improve this child's physical body, the Chen family spared no expense to obtain a 'Python-Dragon-Elephant Pill' from Tianyong City, intending to forcefully open the Crimson Palace for this young cultivator and transform him into a dragon-elephant divine aperture."

"Python, dragon, elephant, cinnabar?"

Wu Que's eyes narrowed into slits.

"I do remember that pill; it was made primarily with the essence blood of several types of demonic beasts, supplemented with many rare and precious herbs. Its medicinal properties were extremely potent, and it was mostly used by powerful spiritual beasts to temper their bodies..."

He said thoughtfully:

"This 'Golden Stone Tempering Bone Technique'... I've never heard of it before, but could it possibly allow a Spirit Realm cultivator to forge an innate Dharma Body?"

Zhao Yuan slowly shook his head:

"I inquired about its origins and learned that this body-refining method was taught by the Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Chen Clan of Shimen. It is said to have been obtained from Dongting Pass, a place where all sorts of people gather and there is a mixed bag of people. No one knows where the origin of this technique truly comes from."

He paused, looked up at Wu Que, and lowered his voice slightly:

"I heard from my clansmen that the Taixu Sect will be sending three true disciples down the mountain to deal with the matter at Wulong Gorge."

"One of them... is said to be the contemporary 'Immortal Sect's World Walker'."

"A Celestial Sect Traveling the World?!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Que sat up straighter, his face becoming serious.

"Who left behind this underwater palace, which has attracted the attention of the Immortal Sect's World Traveler?"

The title of "Wandering the World" for a Celestial Sect is no small matter. It usually refers to a Purple Mansion True Disciple appointed by the sect, a prodigy who is expected to attain supernatural powers in the future. They hold a transcendent position within the sect, and after descending the mountain, they can even travel the world on behalf of the sect, far surpassing the status of a Wind Observer like Zhou Yan.

Zhao Yuan shook his head, his expression remaining calm as he said:

"The master only told us to guard this place and build a fortress. When the Water Palace is born, he will bring people down with the 'Sky-Covering Banner'."

"As for that wandering official... the commander and the other officials will handle him; it's not something we need to worry about."

Upon hearing this, Wu Que's expression softened slightly, and a smile returned to his face.

Although their current official positions are in the Demon-Catching Division, they were retired from the Immortal Dynasty's military corps, and the people behind them come from the army.

Just then, a palm-sized bronze array plate placed on the stone table between the three of them suddenly lit up with a faint light!

The light twisted and projected a blurry, green-robed phantom image above the disc.

Wu Que frowned slightly:

"No message was received today that a sword cultivator at the Qi Refining Realm would be visiting..."

He stared at the rapidly fading afterimage on the array plate and slowly said:

"The fort is always shrouded in 'no-fly zone' and 'warning' formations. They didn't even flinch at the 'Great Peak Sun-Piercing Flag' and still charged straight in... The person who came here probably has quite a background."

Zhao Yuan had already put down his teacup and stood up.

"I'll go take a look."

After saying that, a thick, earthy-yellow cloud rose around him, lifting him about a foot off the ground. Then, he transformed into a beam of yellow light, shot out of the courtyard, and sped off toward the direction of the warning array fluctuations outside the fortress.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Chen Xiaohu stood suspended in mid-air, his bamboo-green Taoist robe fluttering in the strong winds of the canyon.

"They're here."

His gaze sharpened, and his spiritual sense detected a tall, slender figure rising from within the fortress, carrying a powerful earth elemental magic, and flying towards him.

In just a few breaths, the figure arrived nearby, hovering ten feet away; it was none other than Deputy Commander Zhao Yuan.

His face was cold and stern, his gaze sweeping over Chen Xiaohu like lightning, before he spoke in a deep voice.

"This place is the garrison of the 'Rising Sun Camp' under the command of the Wangyue Army in the southern border of the Immortal Dynasty."

"Fellow Daoist ahead, please wait and state your name and purpose."

Having said that, he pointed his fingers and made a gesture, and a beam of light disappeared into the fortress wall below.

In an instant, the array on the fortress wall lit up, and a powerful spiritual energy was activated, suddenly manifesting a magnificent and strange phenomenon in the air in front of Chen Xiaohu.

It was a phantom of a mountain that stretched from the sky to the earth, its massive and imposing form exuding a majestic aura that suppressed all directions.

At the mountain peak, a large, crimson-gold sun floats, its blazing light illuminating all directions and mingling with the mountain's energy to create a majestic and awe-inspiring aura.

This is precisely the unique military formation phenomenon of the "Looking-at-Mountain Army" of the Celestial Dynasty!

As soon as the strange phenomenon took shape, a heavy pressure suddenly descended, enveloping the surrounding airspace.

Chen Xiaohu suddenly felt immense pressure, causing his magical power to stagnate, making it impossible for him to fly.

A purple light flashed in his eyes, and his hands changed hand seals.

"Buzz—!"

A deep, ancient sound resonated from Chen Xiaohu.

The sky behind him, which had been empty, suddenly changed dramatically.

Vast and boundless, the illusory image of the Three Rivers and Five Lakes appears out of thin air, with the water shimmering to the sky and the misty waves stretching endlessly.

Furthermore, there are seventy-two illusory peaks of different shapes and towering heights, rising from nothingness, layer upon layer, shrouded in clouds and mist!

This magnificent phenomenon of "three rivers, five lakes, and seventy-two peaks" is not a technique of killing and conquest, but rather carries the orthodox authority of heaven and earth and supreme fortune.

As soon as it appeared, it crushed towards the mountain and sun phenomenon that Zhao Yuan had manifested with an overwhelming force that could suppress the universe!

"boom--!!"

Two extraordinary phenomena representing different lineages collided in the air.

Immediately, the "Great Mountain Rising Sun" phenomenon activated by Zhao Yuan with the help of the formation was crushed by the "Four Continents Mountains and Rivers" phenomenon manifested by Chen Xiaohu, turning into streams of light that dissipated into the gale of the canyon.

The pressure on Chen Xiaohu eased, and the flying sword beneath his feet rang out, stabilizing his stance.

His eyes gleamed with a deep purple light as he looked at Zhao Yuan, whose expression had slightly changed, and said coldly:

"A mere lowly commander dares to block my way!"

"It would be more appropriate to call Yang Tianning from your Wangyue Army!"

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