A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 155 Don't Wait

Following his senses of his master, Master Tianfang arrived at the residence of Duke Zhuang in a short while.

The six generals of Xiushuo City were on high alert. In addition, the fact that the Heavenly Immortal recognized this place and deliberately lingered outside the mansion immediately attracted the attention of those generals.

General Yin came out from inside the mansion to greet him, cupping his hands in greeting and saying, "Master Tianfang, it's been a long time."

"Brother Yin."

Master Tianfang greeted them and stepped forward. "I received a warning from the sect and rushed back, but my master seems to be a guest at his residence. I wonder what exactly happened at Lao Jun Mountain?"

General Yin led him into the mansion, sighed, and said, "This upheaval happened last night..."

On the way to the mansion, General Yin succinctly explained the whole story, and Master Tianfang's expression darkened slightly upon hearing it.

General Yin was deeply impressed by how calm he remained after hearing such news.

Although Master Tianfang was a grandmaster, he did not have any famous achievements after becoming a grandmaster. He became a grandmaster nine years ago, but it was not until six years ago that others learned about this from Master Wangsheng, who visited Laojun Mountain.

With the brilliant example of Master Yu Tu, who was once considered the foremost master of the righteous path, this new leader of Lao Jun Mountain inevitably seems overly humble and reserved, and even somewhat mediocre among the ranks of the grandmasters.

General Yin had dealt with him before and only noticed that he was taciturn. Only today did he realize that his ability to cultivate his inner strength was one in a million. His position as a grandmaster was indeed not a matter of luck.

As they spoke, the two of them arrived outside the courtyard of Master Yu Tu's guest room. General Yin did not want to disturb their conversation and turned to leave.

Before even stepping into the courtyard, Master Tianfang had already sensed the presence of three people inside.

Master, Junior Brother Pot Immortal, and... the newly learned Wuwei True Scripture?

Xu Boyuan opened the courtyard gate: "Master, senior brother!!"

Master Tianfang nodded to him and walked into the courtyard.

Master Yu Tu sat outside the door, under the corridor, facing the courtyard. When he saw him come in, he couldn't help but smile.

Guan Luoyang, who was sitting cross-legged and gathering his energy not far away, also opened his eyes and looked on.

"Master, I am late. I have caused you great distress in your old age, and you have been forced by your enemies to flee far away from the mountains and live a life of wandering."

Master Tianfang knelt down on one knee before the old Taoist priest.

Yu Tu said slowly, "Get up. No one could have predicted this. You are not at fault."

Master Tianfang appeared resolute and taciturn, but surprisingly, he was not stubborn. After bowing to the old Taoist priest, he stood up, then looked at Guan Luoyang and bowed with his hands clasped: "This must be Young Hero Guan? I have heard what happened. Thank you and all the righteous men for escorting my master and junior brother to the city."

"It's my duty." Guan Luoyang stood up and returned the greeting, smiling helplessly. "I've been thanked far too many times these past few days."

Master Tianfang carefully examined Guan Luoyang, then looked at Master Yutu. He had already discerned many things that General Yin was unaware of, and a hint of surprise and delight appeared in his eyes.

"Master encountered a novel method that alleviated his old ailment, which was also thanks to Young Hero Guan."

He came up behind Master Yu Tu, holding up an ice-blue pearl in his hand. "Good. In this way, this Cloud-like Frost Soul should be able to more easily make up for Master's deficiencies and eliminate hidden worries."

Before he finished speaking, Master Tianfang slowly released a surge of internal energy from his palm. Instantly, clouds and mist danced and changed within the ice-blue pearl. Pure white clouds surged and churned, giving rise to hundreds of wondrous dynamics such as white clouds turning into grey dogs and snow covering mountains from the still ice-blue surface.

The white, cloud-like wisps emanated from within the pearl, spreading and permeating the acupoints around Master Yu Tu's body.

In terms of appearance, this gemstone is quite similar to the Rebirth Pearl in that it is equally serene and beautiful, and equally full of vitality.

However, there are significant differences in their internal details, which are particularly evident in Guan Luoyang's intuition.

The vitality contained within the Feathered Rebirth Pearl was so intense and vigorous that it was astonishing. From Guan Luoyang to An Feiyu, it had been steeped in tea countless times. The more it was diluted and steeped, the more eerie and domineering the vitality it released became. However, it was precisely restricted by the shell carved by the Bearded Guest.

Guan Luoyang had long deduced that if it weren't for that fruit shell, the tea brewed from the Rebirth Pearl would have already induced the user's muscles, bones, and internal organs into an unpredictable state of good or bad.

This cloud-like, cold essence possesses a delicate, everlasting quality, like water that nourishes silently. The vitality it carries may not be as robust as the Rebirth Pearl, but it has a gentle and elegant quality that the Rebirth Pearl cannot match.

Xu Boyuan, watching from the side, clenched his fists, his expression tense and excited. Seeing that Guan Luoyang was also looking in that direction, he whispered and explained, "Young Master Guan may not have heard of the Cloud Floss Cold Soul. In fact, few people in the martial arts world know about this treasure. It has only been mentioned in the records of some Han Dynasty alchemists."

"This treasure cannot enhance one's internal strength, strengthen one's bones and muscles, or help martial artists to grasp the mysteries of the first-class and grandmaster realms earlier, but it may be the only hope to cure one's master."

"It can restore all the meridians and acupoints of a person to the healthiest and most active state during the natural growth process of the human body."

Ten years ago, Master Yu Tu used his life's cultivation to consecrate his sword, and with that sword, he defeated Shao Lingxiao at the Demonic Sect's headquarters. The impact of that battle on him was not simply the loss of his power—if it were just a matter of dissipating his power, Master Yu Tu would have been able to rebuild all of his lost strength in ten years.

The real reason why his skills were completely destroyed and he has been unable to gather even a trace of internal energy is that when he fought Shao Lingxiao, Shao Lingxiao used his heart's blood essence to counteract the Wuwei Divine Sword. The divine intent in his blood penetrated the sword and destroyed and expelled all the vital energy activity between Yu Tu Zhenren's meridians and dantian.

For the past ten years, Master Yu Tu has been like a talking, moving wooden puppet. His meridians and dantian are no different from real rotten wood. If it weren't for the Taoist priests on the mountain who devoted themselves to treating him with medicine and cultivating his internal energy, and taking care of him in the smallest details of his daily life, he would not have survived to this day.

The Cloud Floss Cold Soul, a rare treasure formed from the essence of the Cloud Mirror that has absorbed centuries of cold air from the snowy mountains of Tianshan, is not only a dazzling and beautiful mineral, but also a naturally formed precious medicine without any impurities or toxicity.

The Taoist priests of Laojun Mountain only discovered this treasure in the last two years. Through various rumors and news, they confirmed that the treasure originated from the Secret Demon Cliff of the Tianshan Snow Ridge. Even more fortunately, this rare treasure, which takes a hundred years to form, is expected to solidify this year.

Guan Luoyang asked, "After obtaining the Cloud Frost Soul, how long will it take for Senior Yu Tu to recover his former strength?"

"To get back to how things were back then, even with the best-case scenario in mind, it would take at least two or three years."

Xu Boyuan's eyes were clear as he said, "There are few things in the world that can be accomplished overnight. Although it is a pity that Master can no longer display his former glory due to the current scourge of the Demonic Sect, the hope of rebuilding his power will naturally extend his lifespan, which has already fulfilled the wishes of the entire sect for many years."

Guan Luoyang thought for a moment and nodded.

Although it was still a bit of a regret, he was never the kind of person who would place all his hopes for victory on his allies.

He paid even more attention to the inactive true energy circulating in his meridians.

The true qi he rebuilt from scratch indeed had a different appearance. Guan Luoyang no longer needed to invest too much of his conscious effort in circulating his true qi, and could communicate with others as usual while practicing.

However, the true energy of non-action is as ethereal as mountain mist and as pure as clouds and water, yet it does not possess obvious attributes such as ice or flowing water. It has an ethereal quality that transcends ordinary matter.

By devoting a reasonable amount of attention to the natural flow of this true energy, Guan Luoyang could also become more clear-headed and contemplate the inspiration that belonged to him.

At this moment, Yu Tu spoke up: "Tianfang, after you've absorbed the Cloud Floss Cold Soul into my body, you're going to Lao Jun Mountain, right?"

Master Tianfang replied, "Yes."

Xu Boyuan advised, "Master, after you've dissolved the Cloud Floss Cold Soul, why not wait a little longer?"

"General Yin and Warrior An have contacted all parties and agreed that the Left Commander of Chang'an, the three great masters, the Abbot of Shaolin Temple, and others will all gather at You Shi (5-7 PM) on Lao Jun Mountain."

"After the remnants of the Demonic Cult took control of the Fire Luo Path, their forces were considerable. If we rely solely on the people in the city to set out in advance, I'm afraid we may not be able to successfully drive out the Demonic Cult."

Master Tianfang nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with his statement, then turned his gaze to Guan Luoyang: "Young Master Guan personally visited Lao Jun Mountain. It is said that most of my disciples survived, though they were immobilized by having their acupoints sealed?"

Guan Luoyang said, "That's true."

"Yes," Xu Boyuan added, "Master also judged that Shao Lingxiao did not actually remove the Wuwei Divine Sword from his body, but he temporarily sealed the sword's influence on him using some unknown means."

"But that is still a hidden danger. His staying at Lao Jun Mountain must be to find a way to completely solve the problem. The fact that he is not killing the disciples in the sect for the time being may also be to keep them as a hostage."

"We don't need to worry about him killing his disciples for now. When the time comes at dusk, there will be many experts gathered, making it easier to rescue and take care of them."

Master Tianfang seemed to nod again and asked no more questions.

Yu Tu's face was filled with deep worry, but it did not ease his mind in the slightest. He said, "The direct line of the Demonic Sect acts erratically and plunders without restraint. They have also established the Blissful Lineage to protect evil martial arts masters in the martial world who, driven by greed and lust, murder for money and kill innocent people indiscriminately. They have also established the Calamity City Lineage to protect those who cannot distinguish right from wrong, are obsessed with martial arts, betray their masters and kill their brothers, and are ungrateful and heartless."

"Over the years, the martial arts manuals of the Demonic Sect have become vast and numerous. Their general principles of martial arts have incorporated the strengths of many schools. Back then, Yin Beiwu cleaved the Demonic Sect's Transmission Hall in half with a single strike. The flames were raging and thousands of scriptures were destroyed. Even the experts in the Tang army couldn't help but feel sorry for it."

"Shao Lingxiao possesses such profound knowledge and extraordinary talent. After staying in the mountains for a few hours, he may have already found the secret manual of the Five Elements Annihilation Palm and grasped the martial arts lineage of our Lao Jun Mountain."

"You are strong-willed and have a deep foundation, but you may have already lost the initiative when facing him."

Master Tianfang replied earnestly, "A sword is made of three feet of iron, and a knife is made of four feet of steel. There are countless swordsmiths and knife users throughout the world, but who can guarantee they won't die by sword just because they understand them?"

Yu Tu remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Have you mastered your palm techniques to the point where they are as effective as the swords and sabers that can be seen everywhere?"

Without hesitation, Master Tianfang replied, "There has never been any difference."

"in this way……"

Old Taoist Yu Tu stroked his beard, a smile mixed with a sigh, and said with emotion, "In that case, there is nothing I have comprehended more deeply or understood more profoundly than you, and naturally there is no reason to refute your decision."

Upon hearing this, Xu Boyuan realized that his earnest persuasion had been completely ineffective, and his senior brother, the sect leader, had not changed his mind. He couldn't help but show a look of anxiety.

"Senior brother, by the time you've completely dissipated this cloud of cold essence, it won't be much different from the hour of You (5-7 PM), at most it will be an hour earlier."

"When our disciples on Laojun Mountain reach a certain level of mastery in their internal cultivation, they must fight off sleepiness and abstain from grains by drinking water. This process takes three days, five days, seven days, and twelve days. What they are cultivating is patience."

"What's a mere hour? Why are you so insistent on trying to get this little bit of time ahead?"

Master Tianfang remained unmoved, then suddenly said, "Young Hero Guan, now that you have learned the True Scripture of Non-Action, you are considered half a disciple of our Lao Jun Mountain. Do you think I should go ahead with the ceremony?"

Guan Luoyang said, "Of course not."

Seeing the look of agreement on Xu Boyuan's face, Yu Tu knew that his apprentice still didn't understand, and asked Guan Luoyang, "Is it the truth?"

"Of course, that's the truth. I really think it's not the right time to go."

Guan Luoyang's eyes gradually brightened. "However, when people do things, they don't need to think so much about whether it's right or wrong. Many times, it's because of the consideration of the word 'should' that we have to make some compromises, hide, hide our edges, and even fade our presence to observe all of this. Fortunately, some edges cannot be hidden."

"This decision, though wrong, is... very good!"

Yu Tu stroked his beard and chuckled, asking, "What's so good about it?"

Guan Luoyang replied, "This hour may be very short for us in the city, but it must be very long for them on the mountain."

The smile on Yu Tu's face vanished abruptly, revealing the feelings he had kept hidden deep in his heart since leaving Lao Jun Mountain that day, feelings that he had never felt the need to share with others.

It is summer now, the sun is nearing noon, the sky and earth are green, and the sun is blazing hot in the sky.

The old Taoist priest lowered his hand that was stroking his beard and sighed softly, his sigh making the whole courtyard feel cool, and turning the scorching sunlight into a pale white.

We can deduce from the overall situation that the disciples on the mountain can hold out for an hour, but do they themselves know that? Even if they do, how do they feel?

Those were people who came to the mountains to become disciples of Lao Jun Mountain, thanks to the hopes and expectations of their parents and relatives.

Amidst all the schemes, their feelings can be ignored; after all, they are just feelings. As long as they live in reality and are eventually saved, this period of suffering will gradually be forgotten.

However, there are still some people who are unwilling to ignore this.

Xu Boyuan was stunned and somewhat at a loss.

He saw that the ice-blue pearl in Tianfang Zhenren's hand was melting away even faster than he had expected.

"Once I've done what I'm required to do, I have no reason to wait any longer."

………………

On Laojun Mountain, there is Xiaoyou Cave.

Shao Lingxiao sat cross-legged in the library with his eyes closed, surrounded by books that fluttered and swirled like butterflies.

Twelve of these books share the same title: "The Extinction of the Five Elements".

(End of this chapter)