Cold sweat soaked my entire body, I stood rigid at the edge of the path.
Inquire within the heart?
No, it's not... I'm hesitating in my heart. After reading the female Yijian, I wanted to go to the Leshen Cliff to get an answer from Master Female.
Why did going up the cliff turn into jumping off the cliff?
Master Female is causing me harm?
No... Still not right!
There's Old Gong by my side. If anything goes wrong, Old Gong would definitely stop me. That means... Is it that Master Female doesn't want to answer my question? Or is it that he can't answer my doubts?
I lowered my head again to look at the female Yujian, but the mirror had turned misty, making it unclear of my appearance.
What's going on again?
"Master, you're losing your composure. How come that little Zhuozi scolded you a few times, and now you're checking yourself in the mirror and thinking your heart is unstable?"
"Look, even the old ancestor is no longer paying attention to you."
Old Gong shook his head on my shoulder.
I just regained consciousness.
Really? All of Sun Zhuozi's words are absurd?
It's because my inner resolve wavered and my thoughts were biased, which led me to see a face similar to that of Luo Kuan. The fundamental reason is that I have doubted Old Qin Head, while Old Qin Head has used his life from the underworld to temporarily save my life?
"So, you're also sure that what he said is false?" I asked Old Gong back.
"Master... I suggest you jump down and have a face-to-face talk with Master Female." Old Gong's mouth twisted into a grin.
I fell silent, my hand pressing against my forehead, taking another step forward.
"Ah... I'm not really serious about you jumping," Old Gong hastened to say: "I just mean, he's just trying a last-ditch effort. Master, your days are really tough. You should get rid of him as soon as possible. This little brat is cunning and treacherous, and he'll definitely be a big problem! You're his archenemy from a past life!"
I did not intend to jump off the path, but turned around and walked down the slope towards the cliff.
Old Gong was panting heavily, as if scared by me, and then he cracked a smile, his emotions settling down.
"It's almost time, Old He's still in good shape, choosing such a perfect time. It's dark and windy tonight, just the right moment for me, Old Gong, to come out and have some fun. Otherwise, I wouldn't have seen how Little Zhuozi died, and I'm still a bit upset about it," Old Gong muttered to himself.
Then he brought up Sianyan, saying that the iceberg girl had been gone for a few days and he missed her.
I did not let Old Gong return to the night pot.
The entire Sigu Mountain knows about Old Gong's "origin," which was bestowed upon him by He Youtian, the yang spirit ghost refined by the True Person of the Four Rules.
Unknowingly, I found myself at the Shangqing Hall.
All the passageways and temples I passed along the way were brightly lit, but silence prevailed.
This was because almost all the disciples of Sigu Mountain had gathered at the Shangqing Hall.
In front of the main entrance of the Shangqing Hall, a row of tables were set up, all tall master chairs. There were also some slightly shorter chairs below them, arranged in a step-by-step manner.
The uppermost layer, the table was split from the middle, revealing a passageway-like path.
The passageway faced directly towards the hall's main gate.
I could see a taller chair in front of me, and to my surprise, a person was sitting on it, with his or her body straight and his or her legs crossed.
The person was dressed in deep purple Daoist robes, with a cap on his head that was red and blue, which I recognized as the "Five Elders Crown." I had been studying Daoism for some time now and knew this.
Yet, the almostrotted skin of the body's face still imparted a strong sense of discomfort.
Especially the eyebrow area, where the flesh seemed to have been pulled apart, revealing the bones.
The body of the True Person of the Four Rules!
Although He Youtian had gone down to fetch people, the body of the True Person of the Four Rules could still be arranged by the elders, and no one would dare to desecrate it. Zheng Ren would certainly not dare to destroy the corpse or cover it up. That would only make things worse when He Youtian returned to the mountain, and would amount to exploding oneself.
Taking a deep breath, I bowed deeply to the corpse of the True Person of the Four Rules, my expression one of respect and sincerity.
Many eyes fell on me, all from the disciples of Sigu Mountain. There was reverence, admiration, and even some who seemed eager to try their hand at it.
Clearly, these were the disciples who had the qualifications for the Succession Ceremony.
The moon was particularly bright, and combined with the lights of Sigu Mountain, the vision was excellent. It was not just like day time, but also had its own unique atmosphere.
The arena had been set up, and people were beginning to enter it gradually.
Old Gong seemed very excited, constantly extending his head forward.
At the top, there was a row of elders leading the way, mostly unfamiliar faces. They were old, wearing Daoist robes, and red was the most common color. There were even two people wearing light purple Daoist robes.
This signifies that their strength is at the level of True People?
It's either Yunjin Mountain or Songqu Mountain, definitely not Guqiang City.
I have seen the Daoist priests from Liu family, and their attire is slightly more distinctive. Besides that day when Liu Ziyu dressed somewhat like a green robe, the rest of them wore robes that were more subdued in color, mostly grayish-green.
Some eyes fell on me, but more were directed at Old Gong, as if in confusion over why Sigu Mountain would allow a ghost to appear so openly.
They quickly turned their gaze away.
A yang spirit ghost, anyone with some experience can discern it.
Under the guidance of the elders, most people took their seats.
At this time, another elder led a few people towards the empty position in the center.
The people following him behind made me pale slightly.
One of them was carrying three long swords, another was wearing a hat that obscured their face, and the others were a young man who presented himself with an air of rectitude, and a middle-aged Daoist with one arm and long beard.
The Guqiang City people... why did they come in four?
Grandmaster Liu Zhenqi, Second Grandmaster Liu Yuji, the bearded Daoist, and Liu Ziyu?
I quickly understood the reason.
It must be because Jianghuang City is closer to Sigu Mountain. Adding to this, Zheng Ren had mentioned that the 18 Daoist Observatories' attack on Xiandong Mountain was fruitless. That's why Guqiang City, upon receiving Zheng Ren's invitation, sent the four from Jianghuang City here.
More likely, it was Grandmaster Liu Zhenqi who made the decision.
After all, his status and position are not low.
At this moment, Liu Ziyu's gaze fell on me. His face darkened slightly, and he revealed a hint of dissatisfaction.
The other three also noticed me. The bearded Daoist showed no expression, while Liu Zhenqi, with his face covered by a veil, nodded slightly. Liu Yuji had a smile on his face and nodded in acknowledgment as well.
The disciples seemed to have been notified beforehand and were standing in their respective positions.
The first row of the main hall was occupied by these respected Daoist priests, while the second row mostly consisted of young men in green robes, with a few red-robed Daoists scattered among them.
Their attire was somewhat different from that of Sigu Mountain, and even more strikingly, I saw robes similar to those from the Dou'e Taoist Temple among them!
Except for the most famous temples, every city has sent representatives to attend the ceremony?
Zheng Ren's actions were indeed swift.
I think his period of seclusion must have been spent planning the list of invitees.
At least 40 or 50 foreign Daoist priests, their number is indeed quite considerable.
Further down, there were older disciples of Sigu Mountain with some seniority. As for the ordinary disciples, they did not have the privilege to sit and had to stand in two lines on both sides.
I saw the seventh elder and He Youtian appear, but I didn't see Sianyan.
"Young brother, come!"
He Youtian's voice was very loud, with a strong middle tone. He had more joy on his face.
